chicagotribune--2020-10-16--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area

Among the metrics ( see below ) tracked under guidelines set by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of @ @ @ @ @ , the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses , and the capacity of hospitals @ @ @ @ @ state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics @

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
To assess how different parts of Illinois are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, officials look at the state through the 11 regions of Emergency Medical Services. The city of Chicago is one region, for example, and the rest of Cook County is another.
Among the metrics (see below) tracked under guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of coronavirus tests that return positive, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses, and the capacity of hospitals to take in new patients.The state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics. (Cases, deaths and tests data is as of Dec. 31).
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus.
• Other Chicago, suburbs and Illinois COVID-19 metrics.
• See how the governor’s plan to manage the regions works.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
Created by the Chicago Tribune dataviz team. On Twitter @chitribgraphics


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 38 new deaths, 4,554 new confirmed cases and 87,759 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 38 new deaths, 4,554 new confirmed cases and 87,759 new test results

Illinois announced 4,554 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Friday for a total of 336,174 .
The state also announced 38 @ @ @ @ @ of 9,165 and 87,759 new test results for a total of 6.62 million .

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tracked coronavirus cases, deaths and test totals from Jan. 22, 2020 through March 10, 2023, but is no longer providing this data. These charts will no longer be updated.
Check the Illinois Department of Public Health for the most up-to-date data for Illinois.
[ Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus ]
Can’t see these charts? Go here.


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Watch live: CPS provides update on plan to phase some students back into buildings

Chicago Public Schools officials are expected to provide an update on the district ’ s plan to phase students back @ @ @ @ @ and special education .
Get the latest updates here .

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chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Chicago girl waiting for liver transplant celebrates 1st birthday in hospital

Takyra has been under Azzam ’ s care since March and gone through a host of procedures in hopes of @ @ @ @ @ waits for a small portion of a live donor ’ s liver .
Biliary atresia @ @ @ @ @ ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and happens when the bile @ @ @ @ @ to liver failure if not treated soon enough after diagnosis .

Takyra Wordlow, shown in October, has been in Comer Childrer's Hospital since March and undergone a host of procedures in hopes of stabilizing her biliary atresia while she waits for a live liver donation. (Family photo)
A resilient little girl who weighs slightly less than 20 pounds celebrated her first birthday this week from a bed in Comer Children’s Hospital.
Takyra Wordlow’s abdomen is distended due to a collection of fluid that recently triggered an infection, placing her in intensive care and shattering her mother’s plans to take her home to have a party with the rest of her siblings.
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“She’s wasting away due to biliary atresia,” said Dr. Ruba Azzam, director of pediatric hepatology and medical director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program. “But whatever comes her way, she fights to get through it. She’s a beautiful little girl who loves to play. She’s everyone’s little warrior.”
One in 12,000 African American girls is diagnosed annually with biliary atresia, a sometimes deadly disease of infancy that federal health authorities say is slightly more likely in children with African American and Asian American heritage. The condition is a top reason for liver failure in children and after realizing her daughter was ill and working to get a diagnosis, her mother has been desperately trying to find a way to save her.
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Takyra has been under Azzam’s care since March and gone through a host of procedures in hopes of stabilizing her condition while she waits for a small portion of a live donor’s liver. Biliary atresia is a blockage of the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and happens when the bile ducts. It can lead to liver failure if not treated soon enough after diagnosis.
Thanks to her mother Jazz Vance’s medical training as an undergraduate studying health science, Vance saw early on something was not right with Takyra. The girl experienced jaundice and other symptoms such as light-colored stool and labored breathing, she said.
Vance eventually found her way to Comer Children’s Hospital and discovered her daughter’s condition was life-threatening and the girl was at risk for liver failure.
Takyra Wordlow, shown in October, has been in Comer Childrer's Hospital since March and undergone a host of procedures in hopes of stabilizing her biliary atresia while she waits for a live liver donation. (Jaz Vance)
“Everything started to crumble all at once,” Vance said during a short break from watching over her daughter recently. “I lost my job at a health care facility because I wasn’t able to work new hours because of COVID-19. I had to move from a garden apartment for Takyra’s health and I am just starting to receive (Social Security) funds because of her current state.”
Vance’s daughter underwent a Kasai procedure, named after the Japanese surgeon who developed it. During the procedure, the blocked bile ducts outside the liver are replaced with part of the baby’s intestines to act as a new bile duct. In children who respond well to the surgery, jaundice and other symptoms disappear within weeks. But Takyra’s surgery did not take.
Recently, Takyra was moved up on the transplant list because her condition has become more dire, Azzam said.
“There has been a couple of possible liver donors who shared the same blood type as Takyra, but their donation was turned down because they didn’t meet full requirements,” Azzam said.
“A donor must be blood type A positive, and in good health. If they do have a health condition, it must be well controlled,” Azzam said."
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To help find a suitable donor, Vance took to social media and asked for help through Group 39, a Facebook group for people from the area near Pershing Road — commonly known as 39th Street — in the Oakland and Bronzeville neighborhoods of Chicago. One of her best friends, godmother to her children including Takyra’s older sisters, ages 6 and 7, encouraged Vance to start a GoFundMe account to help cover the family’s expenses, a Mother Trying to Make a Way.
Her best friend, Barbara English, has stepped in and helped with Takyra’s sisters, with at-home learning while Vance is at her daughter’s side in the hospital. Recently, a central line was placed in Takyra’s chest to help ease the discomfort of constant blood draws and administering medicines, Vance said.
“She had to be placed in intensive care because she was dehydrated and not absorbing nutrients,” Vance said. “We have to stay put until she bulks up and stabilizes.”
Azzam hopes a liver donor appears soon and said Takyra has shown she can pull through. All possible donors must be at least 18 years old, Azzam said.
Though Vance said it’s really hard dealing with her daughter’s disease, her “Rainbow Baby,” who she conceived after two miscarriages, makes everything easier with her playful demeanor and loving nature.
The donation needed is a small left lateral segment of the liver, which rejuvenates within a couple of months after surgery. The cost of the surgery is covered by the receiving patient’s insurance, Azzam said.
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Anyone willing to be screened for a liver donation can contact the liver transplant team at Comer Children’s Hospital at 773-702-6169.
dawilliams@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--After 8 days, Lake County surpasses early in-person totals of 2008 and 2012 general elections

At the Lake County Government Center , polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays , Wednesdays , @ @ @ @ @ Tuesdays and Thursdays , the polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. , @ @ @ @ @ day from 8:30 a.m. to noon .

Lake County early in-person voting numbers have surpassed early in-person voting totals from the 2008 and 2012 election, according to election officials, in the first eight days of early voting.
As of Thursday, more than 50,000 votes had been cast, including 31,216 as part of early in-person voting and 18,985 absentee mail-in ballots, according to Michelle Fajman, director of the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration.
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By comparison, in the 2008 general election a total of 24,411 ballots were cast early in person among four voting locations, Fajman said. In the 2012 general election, 26,294 people voted early in person among six early voting locations, she said.
“We’re excited to see the numbers rise,” Fajman said. “Early voting is going strong and seeing us beat previous records is exciting.”
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In the 2016 general election, 46,643 people voted early in-person among 11 early voting locations, Fajman said. The county is estimating between 70,000 to 75,000 early in-person ballots to be cast in the November election, she sad.
The 2020 general election has 11 early voting locations as well with extended hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the polling locations open each Saturday ahead of election day will ensure the 2020 general election will see a high turnout for early in-person voting, she said.
At the Lake County Government Center, polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the Monday before election day from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
At the 10 satellite locations, polls are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the polls are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the Monday before election day from 9 a.m. to noon.
Early voting locations:


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--State’s attorney: Deputies who killed Beach Park suspect during shootout acted ‘reasonably and appro

State’s attorney: Deputies who killed Beach Park suspect during shootout acted ‘reasonably and appropriately’

“ The members who serve on this task force deal with some of the most treacherous situations a police officer @ @ @ @ @ the most dangerous of offenders , ” Nerheim said in a statement .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ training of these officers -- along with a good bit of luck -- that prevented @ @ @ @ @ even worse .
”

Lake County Sheriff's Office investigators and members of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force investigate a shooting in Beach Park on June 16, 2020. (Rob Dicker / Chicago Tribune)
Two law enforcement officers who alleged they were fired upon before killing a Black Beach Park man while trying to arrest him on a murder warrant in June acted “reasonably and appropriately,” Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim said Friday.
Nerheim announced his findings as he concluded a review of the deadly force used by the two white law enforcement officers as they attempted to arrest Brandon Gardner, who was killed in an exchange of gunfire June 16 in Beach Park by a deputy from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and one from the McHenry County’s Sheriff’s Office.
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The deputies were working as members of a U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force.
According to authorities, the officers had received reports that Gardner, who was wanted for first-degree murder, had been located at an address in the 38500 block of Green Bay Road in Beach Park, and was in a Chevrolet Traverse parked in the driveway.
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As the two officers approached the car, a man later identified as Gardner suddenly exited the car holding a black and silver handgun and began firing at them. The officers, who were armed with rifles, each returned fire and Gardner fell to the ground.
A third officer who was on scene gave medical aid until paramedics arrived. Gardner was later pronounced dead and an autopsy showed he had been shot once in the thigh and once in the chest.
Police recovered two pistols in Gardner’s possession, and four spent shell casings, according to authorities.
Gardner, Nerheim noted, knew that he was wanted for the December 2018 killing of Nicholas Robinson, 18, of Zion. At the time of the shooting, four other men had been charged with Robinson’s killing and were in custody, police said.
Gardner had texted friends that “it’s gon b a bang out” if police tried to arrest him, and that he would not go without a fight, Nerheim said.
Based on the circumstances and after reviewing an investigation, he said, the officers acted reasonably and appropriately.
“The members who serve on this task force deal with some of the most treacherous situations a police officer can ever face and apprehend the most dangerous of offenders,” Nerheim said in a statement. “It was the quick reaction and training of these officers -- along with a good bit of luck -- that prevented this tragic situation from becoming even worse.”
Additional details from the investigation can be reviewed at the State’s Attorney’s Office website: https://www.lakecountyil.gov/1901/News


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Hundreds of students, staff throughout Northwest Indiana school districts reported as close contacts

Hundreds of students, staff throughout Northwest Indiana school districts reported as close contacts, placed in quarantine

“ A different way to think about protecting your children is to tell them to act as if every person @ @ @ @ @ like with blood-borne pathogens , ” Gardin wrote in the post .
“ Acting as @ @ @ @ @ follows right along with our core safety precautions — wear a mask , wash your @ @ @ @ @ distance .
”

Between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, 358 Lake Central School Corp. students and staff members were reported as close contacts to individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 and placed in quarantine, according to new COVID-19 impact data on the district’s website.
The district is one of many who have reported high numbers of quarantined students. Since Oct. 7, hundreds of students, teachers and staff members throughout school districts in Northwest Indiana have been placed into quarantine.
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Throughout the state, 422 new student positive cases, 85 new teacher positive cases and 110 new staff positive cases were reported between Sept. 21 and Oct. 9, bringing the totals to 2,387 positive student cases, 481 teacher positive cases and 542 staff positive cases.
A bulk of the quarantined students in Lake Central School Corp. come from Grimmer Middle School in Schererville, where the impact data released Oct. 14 reports two students and three staff members tested positive, resulting in the quarantine of 99 students and two staff members.
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The data also reports Bibich Elementary School in Dyer had one staff member test positive resulting in the quarantine of 39 students and seven staff members, Protsman Elementary School in Dyer had one student and two staff members test positive resulting in the quarantine of 36 students and nine staff members, and Watson Elementary in Schererville had one staff member test positive resulting in the quarantine of 17 students and six staff members.
Also at the high school, one staff member tested positive resulting in the quarantine of 63 students and four staff members. At Kahler Middle School in Dyer, 40 students and one staff member are quarantined, and at Clark Middle School in St. John, 17 students and three staff members are quarantined.
“We have had an increase in positive tests among staff,” Superintendent Larry Veracco said in an email. “Since last (Oct. 8) we have six positives. Prior to that only five (staff members tested positive) in the first seven weeks.”
In addition to Lake Central, Tri-Creek School Corp. reported at least 34 students are quarantined due to a positive COVID-19 case at the middle school.
In a Facebook post on the districts page, Superintendent Rod Gardin said he was unable to share the grade levels of the individuals who have tested positive in order to protect the confidentiality of the students, though he understands why parents may seek that information.
“A different way to think about protecting your children is to tell them to act as if every person has the virus, just like with blood-borne pathogens,” Gardin wrote in the post. “Acting as if everyone has the virus follows right along with our core safety precautions — wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance.”
At Duneland School Corp. in Porter County, at least 45 individuals were identified as close contacts and quarantined due to positive COVID-19 test results at Chesterton High School and Chesterton Middle School. A positive case was also reported at Jackson Elementary School, though no individuals had to be quarantined.
The School Town of Highland, which began in-person classes Sept. 28, has had at least four cases across the district since their reopening, and had to cancel their Friday night football game against Kankakee Valley due to quarantined students, Superintendent Brian Smith said.
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However, Smith said the start of the school year in-person has gone well for the district.
“It really has not been too bad,” Smith said. “It is the contact tracing that sends more students home compared to the real positive cases.”
Hannah Reed is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Column: Trump and Biden town halls showed us two worlds, and only one of them is terrifying

Those who prefer the delirium of Trump ’ s world surely viewed Biden as boring , but holy Moses , @ @ @ @ @ there are those of us who think boring sounds beautiful .
Hearing a serious person @ @ @ @ @ or disparaging others is a welcome respite from four years of unending dingbattery .
( @ @ @ @ @ I had to make up a word to describe it . )

President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during an NBC News town hall event at the Perez Art Museum in Miami on Oct. 15, 2020, and Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden participates in an ABC News town hall event at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Oct. 15, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski / Getty-AFP)
Toggling between former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump taking questions in separate televised town halls nearly killed me.
I’ve been dizzy for hours and still can’t spell my name. Each time I close my eyes I see a flashing image of a calm expanse of ocean followed by a flashing image of Pennywise, the murderous clown from Stephen King’s novel “It.”
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Clicking from one town hall to the other Thursday night felt like being atomized and transported to one reality only to be scrambled up and rocketed through a portal to a reality altogether different.
Biden, on ABC, was speaking calmly and intelligently about specific policy issues, from climate change to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, on NBC, was speaking angrily and refusing to denounce bizarre conspiracy theories while showing off his ability to know shockingly little about anything.
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During the town hall, Mercedes Schlapp, a senior Trump campaign adviser tweeted: “Well @JoeBiden @ABCPolitics townhall feels like I am watching an episode of Mister Rodgers Neighborhood.” Aside from misspelling “Rogers,” she was absolutely — and I’m quite sure unintentionally — correct.
Listening to Biden speak with empathy, kindness and understanding was like hearing the calming voice of Mister Rogers, a man beloved by Americans of every political stripe. We’ve had four years of the antithesis of Mr. Rogers and his Neighborhood of Make-Believe in the White House. We’ve had Mr. GRAHHHHHHHHHHHHGERS, the angry overseer of the Land of I-Can’t-Believe-This-Is-Happening.
Guests at Wunder Garten Beer Garden watch as President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall on Oct. 15, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images)
On ABC, Biden spoke of decency and bringing Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, together. He even complimented Trump on brokering bilateral agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
On NBC, Trump defended a tweet he shared on his Twitter account that alleged Osama bin Laden’s killing was staged and that members of Navy SEAL Team 6 had been killed to cover it up.
“That was an opinion of somebody and that was a retweet,” Trump said. “I’ll put it out there. People can decide for themselves.”
On ABC, Biden was asked about protecting the rights of LGBT people and answered by sharing a story from his childhood. He saw two men kissing for the first time, turned to his dad and his dad said: “Joey, it’s simple. They love each other.”
On NBC, Trump was asked by moderator Savannah Guthrie if he would denounce the QAnon conspiracy theory, an outlandish pile of dangerous nonsense that revolves around a staggeringly baseless belief that Democrats are involved in a satanic pedophile ring.
Trump claimed to not know much about QAnon, though he has repeatedly shared tweets from Twitter users who support the conspiracy: “What I do hear about it is they are very strongly against pedophilia and I agree with that. I mean I do agree with that.”
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Guthrie asked: “But there’s not a satanic pedophile cult …”
Trump responded: “I don’t know that.”
It was then that my soul briefly left my body. I think it needed to scream into the void.
I clicked to Biden and he was talking about the importance of wearing masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
I clicked back to Trump and he was wildly misrepresenting a study he clearly hadn’t read and saying — insanely and absolutely incorrectly— that 85% of people who wear masks get coronavirus.
At one point I returned to Biden’s town hall and wondered why my stomach had stopped shooting acid into my throat and my brain didn’t feel like it was about to explode and send my eyeballs flying across the room.
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Back to Trump and he was trashing Obamacare while promising a health care plan he couldn’t articulate — because it doesn’t exist — and claiming state coronavirus restrictions are a conspiracy against him.
It was like jumping from a rerun of PBS’ soothing Bob Ross show “The Joy of Painting” to a scene of a hyena devouring a wildebeest on Animal Planet.
These were not two candidates with different views on governing. These were two candidates who exist in entirely different realms, one tethered tightly to a world most Americans can see and relate to and the other spinning violently away to a dark and noise-filled world of self pity and paranoia.
That might explain why the first Trump-Biden debate was such an explosive debacle. These two worlds can’t intersect.
Those who prefer the delirium of Trump’s world surely viewed Biden as boring, but holy Moses, let me tell you, there are those of us who think boring sounds beautiful. Hearing a serious person say serious things without yelling or disparaging others is a welcome respite from four years of unending dingbattery. (It has been so bad I had to make up a word to describe it.)
I doubt the two town halls changed the minds of many voters.
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Bouncing back and forth between the events changed my mind only in the sense that it may now be permanently altered. The cognitive dissonance of all-caps TRUMP vs. regular Biden bruised my thinking meat, breaking down synapses then building them back again, simultaneously embedding nightmares and infusing an unfamiliar sense of serenity.
It nearly killed me. But it was worth it to get a fleeting reminder of what normal looks like.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Woman in critical condition after being hit by SUV as she crossed South Side street

The pedestrian and driver were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center , the notification said .
The driver @ @ @ @ @ a 10-year-old girl also in the Buick was not injured .

A 33-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition Thursday after a sport utility vehicle struck her in the South Shore neighborhood as she crossed the street.
A 31-year-old woman was driving a Buick SUV south in the 7500 block of South Exchange Avenue about 10:15 p.m. when she hit the pedestrian and crashed into a pole, according to a police media notification.
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The pedestrian and driver were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, the notification said. The driver was in fair condition and a 10-year-old girl also in the Buick was not injured.
The driver was issued two citations for failing to reduce speed and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, according to a police spokeswoman.
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Police were investigating.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Igloos and greenhouses launch in West Loop today, kicking off cold-weather shift for Chicago’s outdo

Igloos and greenhouses launch in West Loop today, kicking off cold-weather shift for Chicago’s outdoor dining

According to a representative from Dining Together , Apart , Stella worked with the neighborhood ’ s West Central Association @ @ @ @ @ to select the participants .
The idea was to “ identify a dining district that @ @ @ @ @ having extended outdoor dining over the summer ” so as to help pad the loss @ @ @ @ @ dropped .
This summer , the city closed streets in several neighborhoods to offer more @ @ @ @ @ many of those closures have come in the West Loop .

A person walks by outdoor plastic dining bubbles on Fulton Market in Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. A joint effort among several restaurants launches there Friday. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
With the arrival of cooler weather in Chicago, restaurants and bars are beginning to make accommodations to lengthen the outdoor dining season, an attempt to retain expanded capacity during an era of coronavirus occupancy limits indoors. Five prominent restaurants in the Fulton Market district began welcoming guests to dine “al fresco” in igloo and greenhouse structures Oct. 16.
Beatrix, Duck Duck Goat, Gus’s Fried Chicken, Kuma’s Corner and the Publican make up the participating restaurants in the Dining Together, Apart initiative, an effort from Anheuser Busch and Stella Artois to help restaurants extend their outdoor dining service into the colder months. Diners were seen using the spaces the previous night as part of a soft opening, and the initiative officially kicked off Friday.
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Plastic dining domes along Fulton Market are part of a Dining Together, Apart initiative. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
According to a representative from Dining Together, Apart, Stella worked with the neighborhood’s West Central Association and the Illinois Restaurant Association to select the participants. The idea was to “identify a dining district that had been significantly supported by having extended outdoor dining over the summer” so as to help pad the loss of that space as temperatures dropped. This summer, the city closed streets in several neighborhoods to offer more outdoor seating for restaurants, many of those closures have come in the West Loop.
The structures themselves are transparent. The igloos are wrapped in a plastic dome, while the greenhouse “pods” are rigid house-like structures. A large mural from artist Shepard Fairey’s Studio One covers Fulton Market between the restaurants — which are either opposite or adjacent to one another along the block between Green and Peoria.
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These types of structures can help mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 to fellow diners, but a real risk remains for the service workers, said Alvin Tran, Sc.D., MPH, and an assistant professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at University of New Haven.
“If someone in the igloo is positive, it would protect the other people at the restaurant, but it doesn’t protect the people coming in and out of that space. While (these structures) are probably great for people who already live together, it does pose a risk for restaurant workers,” Tran said.
The dining structures do address Tran’s biggest question, which is that of ventilation. Both the igloos and greenhouses have panels that can open and help adjust airflow inside. The structures aren’t heated, but the polycarbonate they are made from does hold in heat.
Dining arrangements will vary on a case-by-case basis. For instance, at the Publican, there is no reservation cost to dine in the new structures, but each guest is required to meet a minimum of $75 in food and drink. Beatrix will offer reservations in its greenhouses for a $10 booking fee per person, as well as larger “experiences” with cocktails for 4-6 people at $150 total. Duck Duck Goat plans to offer similar ticketed dining experiences but has not finalized details yet.
People dine inside outdoor plastic dining structures along Fulton Market Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
At each of the restaurants, dining times are limited in the greenhouses and igloos, starting at 90 minutes and running up to 2 ½ hours.
The Dining Together, Apart setup in Fulton Market extends through Nov. 21, with the potential to add more weeks, depending on how the initiative goes. For complete details and to make reservations, check out the individual restaurant websites.
adlukach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Inspector general’s report details incompetent response to former Chicago police Superintendent Eddi

Inspector general’s report details incompetent response to former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson being found asleep in his car, suggests he got preferential treatment

“ Officer Donald freely admitted to the Inspector General that hours later she ( drove ) herself home in a @ @ @ @ @ also made it clear that she was not intoxicated as is alleged by the Inspector @ @ @ @ @ statement from attorney Robert McLaughlin said .
“ Officer Donald will most certainly contest any @ @ @ @ @ CPD issued vehicle while intoxicated and she looks forward to seeing whatever evidence the Inspector @ @ @ @ @ such charge .
”

Annie Sweeney, Gregory Pratt, Jeremy Gorner

Chicago police officers made a series of critical mistakes ranging from not supervising young officers to improperly handling body-worn camera footage after then-Superintendent Eddie Johnson was found asleep in his car a year ago, having consumed the equivalent of 10 drinks, according to an inspector general report released Friday.
The probe by Inspector General Joe Ferguson into the events of Oct. 16 and 17, 2019, when Johnson was found asleep inside his running city vehicle after a night of drinking with a member of his security detail, did not conclude that any individuals deliberately covered up for the superintendent.
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With his command staff standing behind him at Chicago police headquarters on Oct. 28, 2019, then-Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks at a news conference. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
But the report, released a year to the date of the incident that led to Johnson’s firing, still paints a picture of special treatment for Johnson, as it details for the first time what seven department members did — or failed to do — when Johnson was found at the intersection of 34th Place and Aberdeen Street in the Deering District, just blocks from his home.
Among the missteps outlined in the report were that the officers failed to ask Johnson where he had been or how much he had had to drink, and then allowed him to drive home despite their concerns that he was unfit to drive. Two officers followed him, apparently out of a concern for his safety, the report said.
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[ Former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson sued for alleged sexual misconduct, accused of tampering with evidence in incident that led to his firing ]
“Multiple sworn CPD personnel failed to effectively carry out their duties in compliance with policy in the handling and aftermath of the ... incident,” the report reads.
“By allowing the superintendent to drive home despite concern for his condition, the officers failed to promote CPD’s goal of protecting the public and brought discredit on CPD, specifically, because their actions created the impression of giving the superintendent preferential treatment.”
Additionally, the inspector general concluded that the response raised questions about training and supervision, noting that only one of the officers on the scene activated their body-worn camera and none conducted tests to determine if Johnson was impaired, as policy requires.
The report also noted that the stop was initiated by two probationary officers who, despite having no more than three years experience between them, had been assigned as partners. Neither had ever handled a DUI, the report said.
A still frame from police body camera video the city of Chicago released related to an October 2019 incident shows then-police Superintendent Eddie Johnson asleep in an SUV at a stop sign at 34th Place and Aberdeen Street in Chicago. (CPD / HANDOUT)
While Ferguson’s office conducted the investigation into what happened, punishments were determined by Chicago police Superintendent David Brown.
The most serious punishment issued by the department, according to the report, went to the commander of the Deering District, Don Jerome. A 26-year veteran, Jerome faces a 28-day suspension for failing to file a report on a district lieutenant who recorded footage of the DUI from the body-worn camera on their cellphone, a department violation. The lieutenant then forwarded the recording to Jerome.
Jerome, when reached by the Tribune, declined to comment.
It is notable that the stiffest penalties were reserved for the highest-ranking department members involved, an apparent effort by police brass to hold supervisors accountable — a practice critics say has been sorely lacking in the department for decades.
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The lieutenant faces a 21-day suspension — though Ferguson had recommended termination because the lieutenant also lied during interviews with the inspector general when asked about the recording of the footage, according to the findings in the report.
As for Johnson’s conduct that night, he had announced he would resign in the wake of the incident, only to be fired by Mayor Lori Lightfoot before the full investigation was completed.
Lightfoot had initially celebrated Johnson at a news conference to announce his retirement. But she later changed course, announcing he would be fired after she learned he had intentionally misled her about the events of the evening.
Johnson initially publicly blamed the incident on his failure to take blood pressure medication but privately told Lightfoot he had “a couple of drinks” with dinner that evening, which she disclosed in an interview with the Sun-Times.
The inspector general’s investigation, released in two parts, revealed that Johnson had been drinking that night at Ceres Cafe, a downtown restaurant famous for heavy pours, with his driver, later identified as Officer Cynthia Donald, who was assigned to his security detail.
The inspector general’s report on Friday revealed, for the first time, that Johnson had consumed “the equivalent of approximately 10 alcoholic beverages” that evening.
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Johnson dropped Donald off at police headquarters in the Bronzeville neighborhood at about 10:30 p.m., and drove his SUV toward his home. Security footage showed he was illegally parked at 34th Place and Aberdeen Street at 10:39 p.m. He remained there until a member of the public called 911 to report someone was asleep in a vehicle. Officers arrived at 12:33 a.m., according to the investigation.
Donald, meanwhile, left headquarters in a separate vehicle.
Her name was not used in the report. But the IG document states an officer now faces a seven-day suspension after the inspector general concluded they had “consumed several large servings of rum while at a restaurant with the CPD superintendent” and then drove a city vehicle.
Donald’s attorney, when reached Friday, said Donald was not intoxicated while driving the city vehicle and will contest the charges.
“Officer Donald freely admitted to the Inspector General that hours later she (drove) herself home in a CPD issued vehicle but she also made it clear that she was not intoxicated as is alleged by the Inspector General,” the emailed statement from attorney Robert McLaughlin said. “Officer Donald will most certainly contest any charges that she drove a CPD issued vehicle while intoxicated and she looks forward to seeing whatever evidence the Inspector General has to substantiate any such charge.”
Donald was removed from Johnson’s security detail in the wake of the incident, and is currently on medical leave.
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In a stunning new development, Donald on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Johnson alleging that he sexually assaulted her over a three-year period. The lawsuit describes “shockingly violent” sexual abuse and workplace harassment.
Johnson strongly denied the allegations in a statement to the Tribune, calling the accusations “patently false” and “egregiously dehumanizing towards true victims who have truly suffered sexual assault and harassment in the workplace.”
Johnson has also previously acknowledged a “lapse of judgment” on the night in question but denied lying about the incident.
The bulk of the inspector general’s report Friday dealt with the department members who responded that evening to what it referred to as a DUI stop. The report did not include the names of any involved department members, but sources have confirmed the involvement of Jerome and Donald.
The two probationary officers who responded to the initial call and failed to ask Johnson about his drinking earned one-day suspensions. A sergeant who was at the scene faces a 14-day suspension, and two other police officers face seven days each for allowing him to drive home, despite concerns about his condition.
According to the inspector general’s investigation, the officers who followed Johnson home observed him run a stop sign and briefly drive in the wrong lane.
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The report by the IG also recommended additional training for officers involved, including on the body-worn camera policy and how to conduct a DUI stop. It also suggested a review of pairing of department members to ensure competent investigations that “strengthen understanding and expectations that situations involving possible legal infractions of sworn personnel be met with the same rigor and standard of care as those involving members of the public.”
asweeney@chicagotribune.com
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--‘No one raised a finger’ to stop R. Kelly jail beating, singer’s lawyers say

According to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons report , Farmer was able to slip away from an MCC employee on @ @ @ @ @ ’ s cell and beat him repeatedly in the head while Kelly was in the @ @ @ @ @ stopped only after a jail security officer pepper-sprayed Farmer , the report states .

A courtroom sketch shows defense attorneys Ashley Cohen, from left, and Jennifer Bonjean with singer R. Kelly at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Sept. 14, 2022. (Cheryl Cook / Chicago Tribune)
A convicted gang member accused of beating singer R. Kelly in his jail cell was allowed to roam “a great distance” at the federal jail in downtown Chicago and no one “lifted a finger” to ward off the attack, Kelly’s lawyers alleged in a court filing Friday.
Jeremiah Farmer (Lake County Sheriffs Department / HANDOUT)
Kelly’s attorneys want to question Jeremiah Shane Farmer under oath about the August attack as part of their ongoing efforts to have Kelly released on bond pending trial on sexual abuse-related charges.
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Farmer, a convicted member of the Latin Kings, outed himself as Kelly’s attacker in a court filing last month in Hammond, where he’s facing a mandatory life sentence for racketeering conspiracy involving a 1999 double murder.
In a motion Friday, Kelly’s attorneys said “an unresolved issue remains as to whether Metropolitan Correctional Center personnel encouraged, and then allowed, a beating of Mr. Kelly to take place.”
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The motion said a jail security videotape handed over by prosecutors showed Farmer had “roamed a great distance” before entering Kelly’s cell and that “no one at the MCC raised a finger to stop Mr. Farmer from attacking Mr. Kelly until after Mr. Farmer was well into beating.”
Kelly suffered “significant physical and psychological injuries” from the attack, his lawyers said.
R. Kelly turns to exit during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court building, Sept. 17, 2019, in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
According to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons report, Farmer was able to slip away from an MCC employee on Aug. 26, enter Kelly’s cell and beat him repeatedly in the head while Kelly was in the lower bunk. The attack stopped only after a jail security officer pepper-sprayed Farmer, the report states.
Farmer, 39, has claimed in court filings he committed the attack “in hopes of getting spotlight attention and world news notice to shed light on” wrongdoing by the government. He also was angered by repeated lockdowns at the jail that he blamed on Kelly’s celebrity status.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber is expected to rule soon on whether to allow an evidentiary hearing into the jail attack.
Farmer, of Hammond, was convicted last year in the June 25, 1999, slayings of Marion Lowry, 74, and Harvey Siegers, 67, who were beaten with a small sledgehammer at their business, Calumet Auto Rebuilders. He’s facing a mandatory life sentence and was transferred to a federal facility in Michigan after the attack on Kelly.
Kelly, 53, faces federal indictments in two states on charges related to sexual abuse as well as multiple indictments filed in Cook County. He has been held without bond since his arrest in July 2019.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Authorities: Man says he fired ‘warning shot’ on night Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot 3 in Kenosha

On Thursday , Lake County prosecutors filed their response , arguing in part that the cases cited by Rittenhouse ’ @ @ @ @ @ arguments are irrelevant .
Prosecutors wrote that Rittenhouse ’ s attorneys had used their filing @ @ @ @ @ inflammatory ‘ facts ’ which are solely meant to sway sympathy and public opinion through @ @ @ @ @ the defendant and that have no place in an extradition hearing.
” The filing contended @ @ @ @ @ requirements to extradite Rittenhouse .

Kyle Rittenhouse, center, walks into the courtroom with attorney Corey Chirafisi for a motion hearing in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sept. 17, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News )
Prosecutors in Wisconsin have charged a man with firing a shot near the spot where prosecutors allege Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot one of two men killed during protests the same night in Kenosha in August.
Prosecutors wrote in documents filed late last week that Joshua Ziminski, 35, of Racine admitted he “fired off a ‘warning shot’ into the air.” He is charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct while using a dangerous weapon.
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Lawyers for Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, have pointed to an alleged gunshot fired near the scene by another man as part of their argument that Rittenhouse fired in self-defense at Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha. They’re also arguing Rittenhouse — who is charged with murder and various other counts — fired in self-defense at another man who died that night and a third who was wounded.
The prosecutors’ charges against Ziminski contain details that appear to clash with Rittenhouse’s lawyers' account. While the teen’s attorneys alleged in a court filing last week that Ziminski shot “into Rittenhouse’s direction," the charges say he was holding his arm toward the sky before he fired.
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The charges state that Ziminski told detectives the gun later was stolen from his home. He pleaded not guilty Oct. 9 and was released after posting $1,000 bond, records show. Neither Ziminski nor his lawyer could be reached for comment.
Kenosha County prosecutors have charged Rittenhouse with shooting three men with an AR-15-style rifle Aug. 25 during protests over white police Officer Rusten Sheskey’s shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man, days earlier.
Prosecutors in Wisconsin and Illinois are seeking Rittenhouse’s return from Lake County to Kenosha County, but his defense lawyers are fighting his extradition. A hearing is scheduled Oct. 30 before Judge Paul Novak, who has not said when he plans to rule. Rittenhouse is being held without bail in the Lake County juvenile detention facility.
Rittenhouse’s attorneys argued in a petition filed last week that extradition would violate his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search or seizure, contending that the video shows “without a shadow of a doubt” he shot in self-defense. The filing also argued that sending Rittenhouse to Wisconsin would violate his 14th Amendment due process rights because he would face a “legion of hazards” if put in adult jail. The petition also contended there are technical problems with the arrest and charging documents
On Thursday, Lake County prosecutors filed their response, arguing in part that the cases cited by Rittenhouse’s attorneys to support their arguments are irrelevant. Prosecutors wrote that Rittenhouse’s attorneys had used their filing to “insert irrelevant and inflammatory ‘facts’ which are solely meant to sway sympathy and public opinion through the media in favor of the defendant and that have no place in an extradition hearing.” The filing contended that the paperwork meets the requirements to extradite Rittenhouse.
Lawyers experienced in extradition cases have told the Tribune that Rittenhouse faces an uphill climb against the extradition process, and even the judge finding problems with the paperwork wouldn’t likely end the prosecution, as authorities could correct the documents.
While fighting Rittenhouse’s return to Wisconsin, his lawyers have promoted fundraising efforts for his legal defense.
Kenosha County prosecutors have alleged that video from the night of the shootings showed the teen running across a parking lot, trailed by Rosenbaum. A witness told police that Rosenbaum, who appeared on video to be unarmed, had tried to grab the gun before he was fatally shot, prosecutors wrote.
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The teen’s lawyers alleged in their petition last week that Rosenbaum threatened Rittenhouse, chased him and lunged for his gun. The teen fired “under grave risk of immediate harm,” the petition stated.
Rittenhouse ran before someone knocked off his hat, and he tripped and fell, prosecutors wrote. Then, Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, Wisconsin, approached with a skateboard and tried to grab the gun as the skateboard “(made) contact” with Rittenhouse’s shoulder, prosecutors wrote. The gunman then fired a shot that killed Huber, prosecutors alleged.
Rittenhouse’s lawyers argued in their filing that the skateboard hit the teen’s head and he shot Huber as they wrestled over the rifle.
Prosecutors wrote that Rittenhouse then shot Gaige Grosskreutz, of West Allis, Wisconsin. Grosskreutz appeared to be holding a handgun when he was wounded in the arm, prosecutors wrote.
The filing the teen’s lawyers made alleged Grosskreutz “lowered his handgun in Rittenhouse’s direction.”
On Wednesday, Lake County prosecutors announced that Rittenhouse would not face gun charges in their jurisdiction. A news release from Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim’s office said that an investigation found that the Smith & Wesson .223-caliber rifle “was purchased, stored and used in Wisconsin” and no evidence indicated that the teen “physically possessed” the gun in Illinois.
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Antioch Police Chief Geoff Guttschow told the Tribune that officers recovered the gun in Antioch from the vehicle of one of the teen’s acquaintances after Rittenhouse came to the police station with his mother early the morning after the shootings,
Rittenhouse still faces a misdemeanor charge in Wisconsin of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18. His lawyer has argued that the teen had the right to carry the gun.


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Campaign trail tracker: Where Trump, Biden and their running mates have traveled in presidential rac

Campaign trail tracker: Where Trump, Biden and their running mates have traveled in presidential race’s final weeks

In the final sprint ahead of the Nov. 3 election , both President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ travel despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
Starting in September , Biden abandoned his monthslong @ @ @ @ @ in Delaware while Trump has accelerated his travel and is once again welcoming crowds at @ @ @

In the final sprint ahead of the Nov. 3 election, both President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden have ramped up their campaign travel despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Starting in September, Biden abandoned his monthslong virtual campaign from his basement in Delaware while Trump has accelerated his travel and is once again welcoming crowds at some events.
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Here’s a look at the campaign trail stops made by Trump, Biden and running mates since Sept. 1.
Campaign trail tracker
Tap or click on a dot to see details of the stop.
Don’t see the map? Some mobile browsers disable it. Try this link.


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Craft marijuana growers seek court order to get their licenses in Illinois, claiming they’ll go brok

Craft marijuana growers seek court order to get their licenses in Illinois, claiming they’ll go broke if state doesn’t take action

In response to questions about the suit and the status of licenses , Pritzker spokesperson Charity Greene issued this statement @ @ @ @ @ and the extension of the application deadlines have led to an extension of the scoring @ @ @ @ @ Agriculture remains committed to ensuring that scoring of applications is conducted in a fair and @ @ @ @ @ in the final stages of completing the scoring process in accordance with the Act and @ @ @ @ @ announce the date licenses will be awarded in the near future .
”

Now the craft cannabis growers want their licenses too.
An association of entrepreneurs applying for licenses to grow relatively small amounts of pot, infuse edibles and other products with marijuana extracts, or transport recreational marijuana in Illinois have filed suit asking the court to order the state to award the licenses.
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The Illinois Craft Cannabis Association filed suit in Cook County this week, stating that the delay in awarding licenses is costing applicants millions of dollars to reserve property indefinitely without knowing if they’ll get licenses.
By state law, the licenses were supposed to be awarded by July 1. But Gov. J.B. Pritzker extended that deadline indefinitely due initially to the coronavirus pandemic, and now while a dispute rages over problems with the scoring of applications for retail store licenses.
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The lawsuit claims that the governor’s executive order was improper because it didn’t identify a sufficient legal basis for the delay, and didn’t set a new deadline, as Pritzker’s order required.
The association seeks a court order for the state to issue the 40 new craft grower licenses, 40 infuser licenses and unlimited number of transporter licenses, as specified by law. The suit also asks for allowances for applicants who lose properties, employees or other aspects of their plans due to the delay.
In response to questions about the suit and the status of licenses, Pritzker spokesperson Charity Greene issued this statement: “The COVID-19 pandemic and the extension of the application deadlines have led to an extension of the scoring process. The Department of Agriculture remains committed to ensuring that scoring of applications is conducted in a fair and equitable manner and is currently in the final stages of completing the scoring process in accordance with the Act and rules. The Department will announce the date licenses will be awarded in the near future.”
The craft association, which just formed in the past month or so, includes more than 35 members who’ve applied for licenses, co-founder Paul Magelli said. Some have reported they got permission from state regulators to change some aspects of their application, such as their location or employees. In an informal survey, about two out of three said they would lose their site, financing or employees by the end of the month.
Craft growers face very different circumstances than dispensaries. Growers said they need to identify floor plans down to energy, water and waste management, along with plans for biosecurity and physical security, including tracking each plant. They need time to install special lighting, heating and humidity controls, and then need three to four months to grow their crops. Now because of the delay, many are looking at breaking ground in the winter, which raises construction costs.
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Also, officials said, while craft grower applicants were not required to lease or buy property, each was required to specifically identify a suitable and properly zoned location, though that could be changed if necessary.
Because of these requirements, Magelli estimated the startup costs for a craft grower at $5 million to $10 million, as opposed to $500,000 to $1.5 million for a dispensary. He said he knows one applicant who was paying $10,000 a month to reserve their site for a business they can’t open.
“They’re just bleeding money,” he said. “This is not a path to social equity.”
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As for state regulators, Magelli said, “I think the Department of Agriculture is sympathetic, they want a fair and equitable process, but I think they’re struggling with how to do that on timely basis.”
Last year, the previously existing medical marijuana growers in the state, now numbering 18, got new licenses to also begin growing marijuana for recreational sales. They are allowed up to 210,000 square feet of growing space, compared with the maximum 10,000 square feet for new craft growers. The existing companies — many of them large multistate operators — have continued to rack up record sales almost every month since legal sales began New Year’s Day.
One bright spot is that the craft licenses may avoid the fate of the dispensary licenses, in which the only winning applicants had perfect scores, including points for majority veteran ownership, according to Rose Ashby, a former field director for state Sen. Heather Steans, who helped lawmakers draft the legalization law, and who like Magelli, said she advised some applicants without fee.
Because the scoring is based more on qualitative differences and less on yes or no categories, Ashby expects there to be a wider variety in the top scores. But she warned, some social equity applicants who invested their life savings may be forced out by further delays.


chicagotribune--2020-10-16--Jim Loewenberg, prolific Chicago developer who backed Lakeshore East and its Aqua and Vista towers,

Jim Loewenberg, prolific Chicago developer who backed Lakeshore East and its Aqua and Vista towers, dies at 86

Both towers were principally designed by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang and her firm Studio Gang .
Gang and Loewenberg teamed @ @ @ @ @ was seated next to Gang , then a relative unknown , at a Harvard Club @ @ @ @ @ Frank Gehry was the speaker .
Loewenberg was looking for a young architect who would @ @ @ @ @ a tall tower at Lakeshore East .
In Gang , he found one .

Prolific Chicago real estate developer Jim Loewenberg, who joined with partner Joel Carlins to transform a nine-hole golf course and driving range south of the Chicago River into a vibrant neighborhood of high-rises, including the celebrated Aqua Tower and the soon-to-be-completed Vista Tower, the city’s third tallest building, died at his downtown home Wednesday.
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He was 86. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, according to his daughter, Robin Loewenberg Tebbe, a former executive at Magellan Development Group, where Carlins and Loewenberg had been co-CEOs.
An architect as well as a developer, Loewenberg also made his mark with high-rises along North Lake Shore Drive and in River North.
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“The impact that Jim had on downtown Chicago’s residential communities is undeniable and his contribution of Lakeshore East has forever changed Chicago," Lynn Osmond, president of the Chicago Architecture Center, said in a statement.
Born in Chicago in 1934, Loewenberg grew up in a family of architects. His father Max and uncle I.S. Loewenberg, both architects, worked with noted New York architect I.M. Pei on the University Apartments in Hyde Park. The award-winning modernist mid-rise, completed in 1961, was set in the middle of 55th Street to create an island that would discourage high-speed traffic.
After receiving his bachelor of architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1957, Loewenberg joined the family architectural practice. He later developed high-rise residential projects. In the 1980s, his career took a definitive turn when he met Carlins. In 1996, the two joined forces to found Magellan Development Group.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, several of the firm’s exposed concrete high-rises in River North drew strong rebukes from architecture critics. But Lakeshore East, a master-planned 28-acre development west of Lake Shore Drive and south of the Chicago River, turned out to be a commercial and urban design success.
Built around a park with curving paths and bubbling fountains, the nearly complete mixed-use development was master planned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It features buildings of different heights and styles, unlike the monolithic modernist public housing projects of the 1950s and 1960s.
Such designs look good “on paper, but it doesn’t create the sense of neighborhood,” Loewenberg said In a prerecorded video tour of Lakeshore East for this year’s Open House Chicago architecture festival.
Lakeshore East’s tallest buildings are the wavy, 86-story Aqua hotel and residential tower, which won critical raves when it opened in 2009, and the soon-to-open 101-story, three-stalked Vista Tower, which includes condominiums and has space for a hotel. The Vista Tower’s co-developer is China’s Dalian Wanda Group.
Both towers were principally designed by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang and her firm Studio Gang. Gang and Loewenberg teamed up in 2004 when Loewenberg was seated next to Gang, then a relative unknown, at a Harvard Club dinner where Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry was the speaker. Loewenberg was looking for a young architect who would produce an out-of-the-box design for a tall tower at Lakeshore East. In Gang, he found one.
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“Jim trusted me and I will always hold a special spot in my heart given the creative opportunity he gave me,” Gang said in a statement. Loewenberg’s architectural firm was the project’s architect of record.
Among Loewenberg’s honors were a Chicago lifetime achievement award from the Urban Land Institute. He was also named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Magellan Development has also done projects in Minneapolis; Miami; Nashville, Tennessee; and Somerville, Massachusetts. Last year, the company sold a 50% stake to two new partners. The goal is for the firm to become a large national player in development, management and investment.
Besides Lowenberg’s daughter, survivors include his sister, Doris Kraus; two grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--Column: When you watch Aaron Sorkin’s Chicago 7 movie, remember juror Mrs. Jean Fritz

When the trial started , in September 1969 , Fritz was what the press referred to as a “ housewife.
@ @ @ @ @ also worked alongside her husband at their Western Auto store in the Chicago suburb of @ @ @ @ @ 51 , had three daughters , wore her hair in the bouffant style and taught @ @ @ @ @ considered herself politically moderate , but in the 1960 election voted for the Republican , @ @ @ @ @ to the Democrat , John F. Kennedy .

Jean Fritz, now deceased, of Des Plaines, is shown in a family photo at left, was one of the jurors (pictured in a family photo at right) during the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial after the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. She kept a journal, also shown here, documenting her thoughts during and after deliberation. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
Today would be a good day to remember Mrs. Jean Fritz.
Fritz was a juror in the Chicago 7 trial, which is back in the news thanks to Aaron Sorkin’s movie, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” arriving Friday on Netflix. It’s a story that has been told many times, typically with the focus on the men accused of coming to Chicago in 1968 to incite a riot during the Democratic National Convention.
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You may know some of their names. Abbie Hoffman. Tom Hayden. Jerry Rubin.
But Mrs. Jean Fritz? That name, as she was often referred to back then, is less familiar. She was one of the so-called ordinary people chosen to sit in judgment of those famous men. Her part in the trial is worth keeping in mind while you’re watching Netflix.
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Jean Fritz, now deceased, of Des Plaines, is shown in a family photo from 1968. She was one of the jurors during the Chicago 7 conspiracy trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Chris J. Walker / Chicago Tribune)
I wrote a long story on Fritz a couple of years ago, based on the journals she kept while on the jury. They’re a remarkable record of a woman and of the times, and of how the times changed her.
When the trial started, in September 1969, Fritz was what the press referred to as a “housewife.” In truth, she also worked alongside her husband at their Western Auto store in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines. She was 51, had three daughters, wore her hair in the bouffant style and taught Methodist Sunday school. She considered herself politically moderate, but in the 1960 election voted for the Republican, Richard Nixon, who lost to the Democrat, John F. Kennedy.
By the time of the trial, during Nixon’s eventual presidency, the country was driven by fear and anger, a state of division and disarray that was remarkably like today’s, yet different. The news back then was of war in Vietnam, the fight for civil rights, street riots and rebellions, political assassinations, cries for law and order, a clash of generations.
A family photo belonging to Margie Fritz-Birch, of Chicago, shows her mother, Jean Fritz, back row, second from left, posing with her fellow jurors during or after the Chicago 7 conspiracy trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
A common conservative view of the era was reflected in a Chicago Tribune opinion piece that characterized Woodstock, the 1969 summer music festival, as “a Saturnalia attended by hundreds of thousands of frenzied aberrants of the human species.”
Fritz was not conservative in that way, but she expressed a conventional attitude when, early in her trial journals, she noted her fear that young people didn’t share her appreciation for “the most wonderful country in the world.”
“Have always had a great love for my country,” she wrote. “Always get chills when I see a parade and the flag goes by. What is happening today?”
But as the trial went on, as she heard how protesters were mistreated by police and deceived by government informants, her mind opened and her fears shifted.
“I used to make remarks about boys with long hair,” she wrote at one point. “Since I have been (here) I have learned why some of them have it. Will never judge people again on their appearance.”
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 37 Six of the Chicago 7 defendants appear in 1970. Abbie Hoffman, from left, John Froines, Lee Weiner, Jerry Rubin, Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden were acquitted of conspiracy, but five were convicted of other charges. The guilty verdicts were later overturned. (William Yates / Chicago Tribune)
After testimony from undercover agents, she wrote: “I know we need police and am all for them. But I don’t like people like this and have sure learned not to trust a lot of things. … Am getting more afraid for our freedom every day that I sit here.”
At the trial’s end, the bitter, fractured jury reached a compromise verdict that convicted five of the men on one of the charges. Fritz thought they should have been entirely absolved, and for a long time afterward, she felt she had betrayed herself and the defendants by failing to fight hard enough.
Eventually, she spoke out about what she thought had gone wrong at the trial. Her outspokenness had a price.
“We got death threats and hate mail,” her daughter Margie Fritz-Birch said when I called her Thursday. “People stopped coming into my dad’s store.”
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But Fritz’s views helped lead to an appeals court hearing, which led to a reversal of the convictions, and in the long run, the experience made Jean Fritz a better citizen. She became an election judge and a committed student of politics.
A handwritten page from a journal kept in 1969-70 by Jean Fritz says, "Never again, I hope, will I judge people before I really know what it is all about. Have listened harder these last 4 months than I have in my whole 51 yrs." (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
“It made her much more conscientious,” her daughter said. “It gave her an eye-opening awareness of the dangers of what can happen when you have the division in the country that you had then and have now.”
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More about Fritz’s life is on display at the Edgewater Historical Society and Museum in Chicago, where her daughter mounted an exhibit on the trial a couple of years ago. Hoping to add insight to Sorkin’s movie, Fritz-Birch wrote to people involved but never heard back. She’s wary of the film but plans to see it this weekend.
“I hope the film makes people aware, especially younger people, of the similarities between then and now,” she said, “that you are not the only people to go through this.”
Today’s divisions aren’t precisely the same as those that threatened the country in the 1960s. In some ways, they feel more dangerous. But Jean Fritz’s era reminds us that this is not the first time that people, led by the young, have protested in pursuit of a more egalitarian country, or the first time we’ve felt our nation on the verge of collapse.
Fritz’s life gives us hope that individuals can open their minds to the need for change and help make it happen. Maybe one day she’ll get her own movie.
mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-15--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Oct. 15 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

The training puts a spotlight on the unexpected challenges that store workers have been forced to grapple with during the @ @ @ @ @ early to require masks and distancing in stores , but some shoppers have flouted the @ @ @ @ @ uncomfortable and sometimes frightening positions .
Altercations with belligerent customers have regularly gone viral on @ @ @ @ @ have even led to violence , spooking staff and other shoppers just as stores try @ @ @ @ @ .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials on Thursday announced the highest number newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus in a single day since the pandemic began and the most deaths in a day since late June.
There were 4,015 new cases of COVID-19 announced Thursday, topping the previous high of 4,014 cases on May 12. The state reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results. Officials also reported 53 more fatalities, the most since 64 deaths were reported June 24. The statewide death toll stands at 9,127.
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The share of coronavirus tests returning positive results also has been surging. The seven-day rolling average for the week ending Wednesday was 4.9%, up from 3.7% a week ago.
Meanwhile, Chicago Public Schools plans to bring its youngest students back to classrooms next quarter, according to sources briefed Thursday on the district’s plan. While the district has not released details to the public, sources say their plan would involve in-person learning in some capacity for prekindergarten and some clusters of special education students. All other students would continue with remote learning full-time when the second quarter begins Nov. 9.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) 4:35 p.m.: Most CPS students will continue remote learning 2nd quarter but pre-kindergarten and some special ed students will return to schools
Chicago Public Schools plans to bring its youngest students back to classrooms next quarter, according to sources briefed Thursday on the district’s plan.
While the district has not released details to the public, sources say their plan would involve in-person learning in some capacity for prekindergarten and some clusters of special education students. All other students would continue with remote learning full-time when the second quarter begins Nov. 9.
The Chicago Teachers Union called the plan “dangerous” and earlier Thursday tweeted, “We have learned that a 3 p.m. meeting has been called for principals today, presumably for CPS and the mayor to inform school administrations of their plans to return SPED and early childhood ed students back to unsafe school buildings in November.”
District officials did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
3:24 p.m.: City, Park District announce new events for week of Halloween, provides more guidance for safe trick-or-treating
Chicago Park District and city officials Thursday announced more events for what the city’s dubbed “Halloweek,” as the city gave more recommendations for how people can safely celebrate the holiday.
The city recommends “that trick-or-treating groups remain limited to six people” or fewer and that “trick-or-treaters stay on the move without congregating – which means more houses visited and more candy for all!” according to a news release. “People passing out candy are asked to try to socially distance while doing so, perhaps by using a tube or pipe to drop candy into trick-or-treaters' bags from a distance.”
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Among the newly announced events is the Arts in the Dark Upside-Down Halloween Parade in Washington Park, which usually draws about 100,000 people and features artists from city institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Lookingglass Theatre and After School Matters, according to a city news release. This year, it will be reverse parade from noon-3 p.m. Oct. 31, in which people can drive through the park to see the artists and performers, and requires reservations at https://artsinthedark.com/attend/.
The city also will host trick-or-treating stations at some Chicago Police Department district headquarters from 4:30-7 p.m. on days leading up to Halloween and at all district headquarters on Halloween, with local parks also handing out treats. Details will be available at local parks Oct. 26.
Police districts will hand out treats on this schedule:·
Oct. 26: Districts 6, 17, 25;
Oct. 27: Districts 3, 14, 15;
Oct. 28: Districts 8, 9, 12;
Oct. 29: Districts 5, 7, 10;
Oct. 30: Districts 2, 4, 11;
Halloween: All districts.
Blommer Chocolate Co. is donating 10,000 goody bags for the parade and Ferrera USA, Pepsico/Quaker Oats, Ferrero, Mars Wrigley, Jelly Belly, The Hershey Company & Amplify Snack Brands are donating treats for other events, according to the city.
The city will provide more detailed safety guidelines, in line with state guidance, as well as information on other events, at ChicagoHalloweek.org starting Oct. 18.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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(Updated 2:17 p.m.) 12:38 p.m.: Illinois records 4,015 new coronavirus cases, a single-day record; 53 deaths is most in a day since late June
Illinois public health officials on Thursday announced the highest number newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus in a single day since the pandemic began and the most deaths in a day since late June.
There were 4,015 new cases of COVID-19 announced Thursday, topping the previous high of 4,014 cases on May 12. The state reported 5,368 new cases on Sept. 4, but that was due to a backlog in processing test results.
The seven-day average of new cases has continued to increase throughout this week after reaching a new high Monday. As of Thursday, the seven-day average for new cases was 2,989, up from 2,180 a week earlier.
The share of coronavirus tests returning positive results also has been surging. The seven-day rolling average for the week ending Wednesday was 4.9%, up from 3.7% a week ago.
With the additional infections reported Thursday, the state has now seen 331,620 known cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Officials also reported 53 more fatalities, the most since 64 deaths were reported June 24. The statewide death toll stands at 9,127.
The state received results from 67,086 tests in the previous 24 hours.
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Read more here. —Dan Petrella
12:46 p.m.: Retail workers getting new training for holiday season — how to handle customers who won’t wear masks
Many retail workers will receive a new sort of preparation for this year’s holiday season: training on how to manage conflicts with customers who resist mask-wearing, social distancing and store capacity limits.
The National Retail Federation, a trade group representing about 16,000 retailers, said Thursday that it had teamed with the Crisis Prevention Institute, a company focused on reducing workplace violence, to help retail workers learn how to prevent and de-escalate shopper disputes that emerge from pandemic restrictions.
The training puts a spotlight on the unexpected challenges that store workers have been forced to grapple with during the pandemic. Most retailers were early to require masks and distancing in stores, but some shoppers have flouted the rules, putting employees in uncomfortable and sometimes frightening positions. Altercations with belligerent customers have regularly gone viral on social media this year and have even led to violence, spooking staff and other shoppers just as stores try to drum up foot traffic.
Read more here. —The New York Times
12:36 p.m.: County Board President Toni Preckwinkle outlines $6.9 billion budget plan: ‘This pandemic has dealt Cook County and its residents a catastrophic blow’
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle outlined her plans Thursday for a $6.9 billion 2021 budget that would plug an overall projected $409 million coronavirus-driven shortfall through layoffs, tapping reserve funds and new revenue from online sales, weed and gambling taxes.
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During a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, Preckwinkle presented her tentative budget in a speech driving home her mission to deliver racial equity through government and enunciating the deep pain the pandemic has inflicted on people and businesses both locally and across the country.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
10:47 a.m.: Sen. Kamala Harris cancels travel plans after 2 people associated with campaign test positive for COVID-19
Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, will suspend in-person events until Monday after two people associated with the campaign tested positive for coronavirus.
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign said Thursday that Biden had no exposure, though he and Harris spent several hours campaigning together in Arizona on Oct. 8. Both have tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times since then.
It’s the Biden campaign’s first major coronavirus scare, after months of careful health procedures that brought mockery from President Donald Trump, even after a White House virus outbreak that included the president and first lady Melania Trump. The Democratic campaign’s cautious reaction underscores again the differences in how the rival camps have approached the pandemic, both in terms of preferred government response and the candidates' personal protocols.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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10:43 a.m.: Dr. Anthony Fauci: Rethink your usual plans for Thanksgiving
Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans should rethink their usual plans for Thanksgiving gatherings, citing increased coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.
Fauci told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that given the rise in cases, “we’ve really got to double down on fundamental public health measures that we talk about every day because they can make a difference.”
As for Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans travel to gather with families and friends, Fauci says this November may need to be different. “We really have to be careful this time that each individual family evaluates the risk-benefit.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
8:49 a.m.: Six Flags Great America to reopen for first time in 2020 for holiday light show
Six Flags Great America announced it will open for a holiday “light experience” starting Nov. 27.
The Gurnee amusement park said its Holiday in the Park plans met the approval of state officials and are within the Restore Illinois guidelines for operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Because of the pandemic, the event will mark the first time the park will be open in 2020, though the adjoining Hurricane Harbor water park did reopen in July.
The holiday display boasts more than 2 million lights on displays throughout the park, entertainment and “socially distanced photo opportunities with costumed characters,” an announcement said. No rides will be operating.
The number of visitors will be limited, and operators said they’ve implemented extensive hygiene protocols.
The park will be open for the display on weekend and select weekdays through Dec. 27.
—Staff report
7:20 a.m.: County health officials concerned about possible 2nd COVID spike at Illinois State University
McLean County health officials don’t want a repeat of late August and early September when COVID-19 cases spiked after some Illinois State University students returned to Normal from summer break.
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That’s why representatives of the county health department want to meet with ISU and Town of Normal officials to develop a plan to mitigate COVID spread after students return to Normal following winter and spring breaks.
“We want to take what we learned in September,” county health department Administrator Jessica McKnight said Wednesday night following the monthly meeting of the county Board of Health.
“How can we use what we learned in the fall semester and apply it to the spring semester?” she said. “What might we expect in the spring semester and how can we plan ahead? The goal is to control the spread of COVID-19 in the community.”
Read more here. —The Pantagraph
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 from Wednesday related to COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--County Board President Toni Preckwinkle outlines $6.9 billion budget plan: ‘This pandemic has dealt

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle outlines $6.9 billion budget plan: ‘This pandemic has dealt Cook County and its residents a catastrophic blow’

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The @ @ @ @ @ 30 million more in the county ’ s tax allocation to the system , bringing @ @ @ @ @ .

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle outlined her plans Thursday for a $6.9 billion 2021 budget that would plug an overall projected $409 million coronavirus-driven shortfall through layoffs, tapping reserve funds and new revenue from online sales, weed and gambling taxes.
During a Cook County Board of Commissioners special meeting, Preckwinkle presented her tentative budget in a speech driving home her mission to deliver racial equity through government and enunciating the deep pain the pandemic has inflicted on people and businesses both locally and across the country.
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“This was worse than any rainy day we had feared,” Preckwinkle said. “But despite the precipitous drop in revenue, through a decade of tough decisions and strategic management, I can stand here today and say the budget that I present weathers the 2020 storm.”
Cook County government’s general fund is expected to face a $222.2 million deficit, while the health fund, which includes the CountyCare insurance program and Stroger and Provident hospitals, has a projected $187 million shortfall, officials said.
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Preckwinkle’s proposed budget, which is expected to be finalized in a Nov. 24 vote, would be balanced and still increase spending by $700 million from this year, Preckwinkle’s budget director Annette Guzman said on Wednesday. Most of the additional spending would be attributed to CountyCare’s increasing membership, and the budget was modeled on the assumption that no more federal stimulus funds are coming.
Commissioner John Daley, finance committee chairman, said he is grateful the budget proposal doesn’t raise taxes nor shirk the county hospitals' now-routine charity care for patients who cannot pay.
“This is a very good budget — a budget in very difficult times,” Daley said. “During this pandemic, people are hurting. … Anytime a budget is presented with no new taxes, I would assume the taxpayers are happy.”
After stressing how the pandemic, like so many other historic disasters, has aggravated existing inequalities in the county, Preckwinkle warned that the human and financial toll this year cannot repeat itself anytime soon.
“I will not mince words here: This pandemic has dealt Cook County and its residents a catastrophic blow,” Preckwinkle said. “Cook County cannot — cannot — absorb another financial calamity in 2021.”
Among other things, Preckwinkle’s budget proposal calls for a one-time transfer of $76.8 million from the county’s general fund reserve, which is estimated to be a little more than $400 million, to avoid tax increases and more critical cuts as the pandemic hammers local government revenues. Just under $2 million will be generated in increased fees from the medical examiner, building and zoning, and environmental control offices.
In addition, 659 vacant positions, about 300 from the sheriff’s office, would be purged, and some health and hospital system employees would be laid off. The plan also anticipates a revenue jump from Chicago tax increment financing and county sales tax projections as well as $50 million in reimbursements from federal CARES Act money before it expires in December.
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More than 60% of the $1.89 billion general fund budget would go to public safety. But the budget for the Cook County sheriff’s office, which has become a target of numerous advocacy groups who want to defund and reallocate its budget, would drop about 4%, under Preckwinkle’s proposal. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart wrote in a statement Thursday that the elimination of the positions is “significant” but “necessary.”
Stroger Hospital nurse Consuelo Vargas speaks, with other nurses and supporters, outside the Cook County downtown building after Board President Toni Preckwinkle delivered her 2021 budget plan on Oct. 15, 2020. (Antonio Perez)
The $3.39 billion health fund budget also would be increased by $563.4 million from 2020′s total, mostly to account for an increase in membership for CountyCare as well as more staffing at the jail’s hospital due to social distancing and a commitment to dole out an anticipated $312 million in charity care. The proposal also would inject $40 million more in the county’s tax allocation to the system, bringing it to $122.7 million.
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But the proposed budget, which includes some hospital system downgrades and consolidations in addition to 130 potential layoffs, is already meeting stern opposition from health care workers unions. About a dozen people in a protest organized by National Nurses United gave their own speeches outside the Cook County downtown building Thursday morning, dinging Preckwinkle’s commitment to Black and Latino residents while they chanted, “People over profit.”
“It saddens me to know that these politicians and our Cook County elected officials feels like politics is more important than people,” Tyrone Hawthorne, a Stroger Hospital employee and SEIU Local 73 member, said. “Why would you want to cut these jobs that serve these underprivileged communities? Somebody say, ‘That ain’t right.’”
Despite the proposed cuts, the budget plan reflects some of Preckwinkle’s messaging on fighting inequalities during the pandemic as well, and the county president was sure to center her Thursday speech on those themes.
In Preckwinkle’s budget plan, an additional $20 million would go toward public safety efforts in the next two years such as violence prevention programs, reentry for formerly incarcerated people and restorative justice courts. Another $20 million would bolster small business assistance, workforce development and housing assistance. And more than $350,000 would head to the public defender’s office to establish a unit for immigration help.
Invoking the Black Lives Matter movement that brought out thousands to march against racial injustice in the streets of Chicago this year, Preckwinkle slowly recited the long list of Black people killed by police in America this year before sharing her own personal experience with being called a racial slur growing up.
Preckwinkle said she was not alone in experiencing “that vile, racist, hate-filled word that was hurled my way during my childhood far too often.” And in 2020, after a pandemic often shouldered most by Black and Latino residents, she said her budget plan prioritizes them.
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“We refuse to balance this budget on the backs of the residents and the businesses who need resources the most, especially during a pandemic,” Preckwinkle said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated how much the Cook County sheriff’s office budget would be decreased under Toni Preckwinkle’s plan. It would be decreased by 4%, not 7%, under her proposal.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-17--2021 pandemic budget plan from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle includes dipping into re

2021 pandemic budget plan from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle includes dipping into reserve fund, no tax hikes

The general fund budget would add up to $ 1.89 billion , a slight dip from this year , and @ @ @ @ @ go to public safety .
But the budget for the sheriff ’ s office , @ @ @ @ @ of numerous advocacy groups who want to defund and reallocate its budget , would drop @ @ @ @ @ Preckwinkle ’ s proposal .
Revenues , hit hard by the pandemic , are overall @ @ @ @ @ about 4.8 % next year despite a new influx of online sales , cannabis and @ @ @ @ @

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle listens in as speakers discuss the impact of a potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act during a news conference at Cook County Health in Chicago on Oct. 7, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is scheduled to unveil a $6.9 billion plan for next year’s budget on Thursday that would not raise or introduce taxes but would dip into reserves in order to help plug an overall projected $409 million hole amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Preckwinkle will propose making the one-time transfer of $76.8 million from the county’s general fund reserve, which is estimated to be a little more than $400 million, to avoid tax increases and more critical cuts as the pandemic hammers local government revenues across the U.S.
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In addition, hundreds of vacant positions, largely in the sheriff’s office, would be purged, certain fees would go up, and some health and hospital system employees would be laid off, according to a presentation with reporters on Wednesday. After a series of hearings, county board members are expected to vote on the budget on Nov. 24.
“Frankly, we’ve worked for a decade to put the county in a good place financially and we had, as a result, sufficient reserves to deal with this calamity,” Preckwinkle said.
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With a $222.2 million forecast gap in next year’s general fund, which includes the finance, public safety and president’s offices, and a $187 million projected shortfall in the health fund, which includes the CountyCare insurance program and Stroger and Provident hospitals, the proposed budget would be balanced and still increase spending by $700 million from this year, Preckwinkle’s budget director Annette Guzman said. Most of the additional spending would be attributed to CountyCare’s increasing membership, and the budget was modeled on the assumption that no more federal stimulus funds are coming.
“This has been an extraordinarily challenging year,” Preckwinkle said. “A combination of the pandemic and the economic collapse of course have wreaked havoc with our families and our government at every level. But we’re very pleased to present to you today a budget that requires no new taxes.”
Besides the use of reserves, Preckwinkle’s plan to fill the general fund gap calls for the $61.3 million-saving elimination of 659 full-time equivalent vacant positions, an expected $27.7 million revenue jump from Chicago tax increment financing and county sales tax projections, and $50 million in reimbursements from federal CARES Act money before it expires in December.
The general fund budget would add up to $1.89 billion, a slight dip from this year, and 60.5% of it would go to public safety. But the budget for the sheriff’s office, which has become a target of numerous advocacy groups who want to defund and reallocate its budget, would drop about 4%, under Preckwinkle’s proposal. Revenues, hit hard by the pandemic, are overall likely to continue decreasing by about 4.8% next year despite a new influx of online sales, cannabis and sports betting tax revenues.
Preckwinkle’s plan would introduce some cuts to personnel and services at the public hospital system to balance the deficit, spurring a nurse’s union to announce an upcoming protest outside the county’s downtown headquarters following her planned budget speech on Thursday. That plan includes laying off 130 workers by the end of Dec. 1, and enacting consolidations and downgrades across hospitals.
Her proposal also would inject $40 million more in the county’s tax allocation to the system, bringing it to $122.7 million, and predicts additional money from rate negotiations, immigrants living in the country without legal permission enrolling in a Medicaid-like plan under a new state law, revenue cycle improvements and more.
The $3.39 billion health fund budget also would be increased by $563.4 million from 2020′s total and would account for a $465 million increase in membership for CountyCare, more staffing at the jail’s hospital due to social distancing and a commitment to dole out an anticipated $312 million in charity care.
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Despite the proposed cuts, the budget plan reflects some of Preckwinkle’s messaging on racial equity during the pandemic as well. An additional $20 million will go toward public safety efforts in the next two years such as violence prevention programs, reentry for formerly incarcerated people and restorative justice courts. Another $20 million will bolster small business assistance, workforce development and housing assistance.
“(The pandemic has) highlighted the need for looking at racial equity in the programming and services that we invest in and the resources that we have at our disposal,” Preckwinkle said. “It’s shone a bright light on the impacts of inequity, particularly in terms of who got the disease, who succumbed to the disease and the impacts on Black and brown communities.”
Nonetheless, long-term trouble looms for Cook County’s finances. Should the pandemic follow a “worst-case scenario” without a working vaccine until 2022, there could be a $328.3 million dip in the fund balance compared with the current middle-of-the-ground projection. And even without that development, the projected deficit could land at around $86.7 million due to expenses outpacing revenues. Some of that is because the county’s base property tax levy has failed to keep up with inflation.
“Sustaining our investment in equity, making sure that we’re not raising taxes, especially in a time where a lot of our residents are hurting, and also avoiding a critical cost,” county Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki said. “We’re hitting on all fronts to be able to address the needs across the board.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated how much the Cook County sheriff’s office budget would be decreased under Toni Preckwinkle’s plan. It would be decreased by 4%, not 7%, under her proposal.