chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Sunday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Sunday that over the last 24 hours, there were 63 new deaths confirmed in Illinois, for a total of at least 2,618 confirmed deaths. There were 2,994 new known cases, for a total of 61,499 total cases.
As Chicagoans and Illinoisans continued to flock outside during a warm spring weekend, Pritzker on Sunday again reminded Illinois residents to continue practicing social distancing during the pandemic.
Advertisement
He urged local governments and police departments to help enforce the state’s stay-at-home guidelines.
“There’s no other way for us to do it,” he said, “we need the public to comply with the stay-at-home rule. Because that is how we’ve been defeating coronavirus.”
Advertisement
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
[ From closing schools to stay-at-home order, here's how Illinois' coronavirus response compares with other states ]
Here’s a recap of what happened May 2-3 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
2:35 p.m.: 2,994 new known COVID-19 cases, 63 new deaths in state
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Sunday that over the last 24 hours, there were 63 new deaths confirmed in Illinois, for a total of at least 2,618 confirmed deaths. There were 2,994 new known cases, for a total of 61,499 total cases.
As of midnight, 4,701 people in Illinois were hospitalized with coronavirus. Of those patients, 1,232 were in intensive care units and 759 were on ventilators, Pritzker said.
Illinois tested 19,417 people over the last 24 hours, the highest total yet, the governor said.
The governor reported Sunday that 97 of 102 counties in Illinois have coronavirus cases.
As Chicagoans and Illinoisans continued to flock outside during a warm spring weekend, Pritzker on Sunday again reminded Illinois residents to continue practicing social distancing during the pandemic.
“People need to follow the rules,” the governor said. “People will get sick if they don’t follow the rules.”
He urged local governments and police departments to help enforce the state’s stay-at-home guidelines.
Advertisement
“There’s no other way for us to do it,” he said, “we need the public to comply with the stay-at-home rule. Because that is how we’ve been defeating coronavirus.”
Pritzker also reminded young people that even if they do not get sick, or contract a mild case of coronavirus, they are putting older relatives and friends, or those they know who have medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus, at risk. –Patrick O’Connell
11:50 a.m.: First Chicago area farmers market opens under new coronavirus rules with two-block long lines
The day after some protested Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the stay-at-home order, on the weekend Smithfield reopened a hog slaughterhouse in Monmouth following a White House executive order, the first Chicago area farmers market opened quietly for the season under new coronavirus rules.
The downtown Evanston farmers market kicked off the outdoor season Saturday with a two-block line around the market, and some rural vendors scared about coming into the city.
“The line was two blocks long because everybody was social distancing,” said Myra Gorman, market manager. “I asked people who were in line and it only took them 12 minutes to get in.”
The line ebbed and flowed, at times disappearing at the market which was open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., under 75-degree sunny blue skies. Palatine also launched its farmers market Saturday. Read more here. –Louisa Chu
Advertisement
11:20 a.m.: Church that sued state over stay-at-home order says it’s holding services Sunday
A rural Illinois church planned Sunday to hold services just days after it filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, contending his executive actions were discriminatory against religious practices.
The Beloved Church, a roughly 80-person congregation in the northwest Illinois town of Lena in Stephenson County, announced in a news release it would provide masks and hand sanitizer to worshippers, and families would be situated six feet a part to respect social distancing recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The planned service comes three days after the Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based conservative public interest law firm, filed a lawsuit on the church’s behalf. The suit alleges Pritzker, law enforcement and public health officials have “intentionally denigrated Illinois churches and pastors and people of faith by relegating them to second-class citizenship.”
The governor has said large gatherings pose a public health risk to communities in which they occur, and encourages parishioners across Illinois to request that services be canceled or held online during the stay-at-home order. A revision late Thursday in the governor’s order, after the lawsuit was filed, added “free exercise of religion” as a permitted essential activity to the order, but limits religious gatherings to 10 people or fewer, in line with limits on all gatherings laid out in the order.
Lena’s police chief and Stephenson County officials have said they would not enforce Pritzker’s executive order, according to the release. Officials with the sheriff’s office said Lena police had jurisdiction over the church and police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read more here. –Jeremy Gorner
10:45 a.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot turns over Instagram account to local musicians to raise money for artists during pandemic
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Instagram account may look – and sound – a little different on Sunday.
Advertisement
Lightfoot and her wife, Amy Eshleman, invite Chicagoans to join them on the social media platform each Sunday in May for performances by local musicians to benefit the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, according to a news release from Lightfoot’s office. The fund was launched by Lightfoot and Eshleman because the COVID-19 pandemic is having “an enormous economic impact on Chicago’s local arts community,” the statement said. Read more here. –Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas
10 a.m.: DuPage County mayors want governor’s permission to reopen businesses before May 30, Naperville’s Steve Chirico says
A group of DuPage County mayors and managers plan to send a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker requesting that DuPage County businesses be allowed to open before the end of May, Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said.
A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t make sense for the state because the coronavirus pandemic is not affecting all parts of Illinois same way, said Chirico, president of the DuPage County Mayors and Managers Conference.
“We’re encouraging an opening sooner than June 1 based on the different paces communities are experiencing COVID-19,” Chirico said.
The mayor has been vocal in his desire to reopen Naperville before May 30, which is the expiration date for the governor’s most recent stay-at-home and nonessential business shutdown order extensions. Read more here. –Erin Hegarty
10 a.m.: More than 100 cases of COVID-19 reported at Geneva nursing home
More than 100 residents and staff at a Geneva nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the most cases of the virus at any single Kane County long-term care facility, new state figures show.
Advertisement
The nursing home, Bria of Geneva, is also reporting 18 residents who have died of the virus, according to nursing home figures provided to The Beacon-News. That number, too, marks the highest number of deaths associated with the virus at any Kane County nursing home.
Bria of Geneva Medical Director Phil Branshaw said the number of residents who had contracted the virus skyrocketed within days of the first resident testing positive. He attributed the current high numbers in part to widespread testing at the nursing home, which he said took place soon after learning the first resident had tested positive.
"You didn’t know you had a problem until it literally was blown up all over the facility,” he said.
Bria is among 13 long-term care facilities in Kane County reporting cases of COVID-19, state figures made public Friday show. They include six facilities in Aurora and three in Elgin. Read more here. –Sara Freishtat
7:30 a.m.: New coronavirus testing site opens today in Waukegan
A new community based COVID-19 drive-through testing site will open Sunday in Waukegan.
Approximately 60 Illinois National Guard soldiers will operate the facility, which can perform up to 500 tests per day, seven days a week, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Advertisement
Testing is free to anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Lake County has the third-highest population of positive COVID-19 cases in the state, Illinois officials have said. Read more here. –Yadira Sanchez Olson
May 2
‘We are never getting out of this,’ if residents keep having house parties, Lightfoot says
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Saturday warned "we are never getting out of this" if residents continue flouting stay-at-home orders by having house parties.
Lightfoot made the comments in an impassioned speech on a West Side street corner near the site of a house party officials said was planned for Saturday night near Springfield Avenue and Adams Street, in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.
The Chicago Police Department broke up several house parties across the city on Friday night, Lightfoot said, and police learned of at least six more planned for Saturday night — including the one near the spot where Lightfoot spoke. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
Warm weather leads to more warnings about social distancing from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot
An early May Saturday with temperatures in the 70s brought crowds of people outside to enjoy the sunshine and stern reminders from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot that social-distancing requirements remain in place, no matter the weather.
Advertisement
“Because people think it’s summer, it’s warm out, I can do whatever I want, I’m young, it’s not going to affect me," the mayor said at a late afternoon news conference on the West Side. "It does, it will, and we will make sure you are in compliance.
"And please, folks, you’ve got to stay home, and save lives.”
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown was with Lightfoot and warned that officers will crack down to stop parties where crowds gather. Towing cars, issuing citations and making arrests are all “on the table,” he said.
Asked at his daily coronavirus news briefing earlier Saturday afternoon about the importance of social distancing as warm temperatures arrive, Pritzker said, “That’s still what people need to do."
He also reiterated that "face coverings are vital for people to wear, in fact it may be the most important thing you can do to save other people’s lives.” Read more here. —Robert McCoppin and Madeline Buckley
2,450 new known COVID-19 cases, 105 additional deaths
Illinois officials reported 2,450 additional known coronavirus cases Saturday, a day after the state marked the first time that more than 3,000 new cases were announced in a day, and bringing the total to 58,505. Officials also announced 105 additional deaths, for a total statewide death toll of 2,559.
Advertisement
Arwady issues a warm-weather warning: ‘I am a little worried...It’s a beautiful day and people are out’
Chicago’s top health official said Saturday she worries people eager to get outdoors and enjoy the pleasant weather this weekend could counteract the progress against the COVID-19 pandemic made through social distancing efforts.
“We’ve been making progress in terms of seeing that curve flattening, but we are not seeing it decreasing,” Dr. Allison Arwady said Saturday morning on her daily Facebook live-streaming event. “We’re close there, but there was a reason to extend the stay-at-home order. And I am a little worried because I was out today ... it’s a beautiful day and people are out.”
As of Saturday morning, the city reported a total of 22,744 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 962 deaths, Arwady said. Though the rate of infection has slowed, she cautioned the state has not yet seen its peak and will need to keep restrictions in place for some time.
Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the Chicago Department of Public Health, on March 26, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The city’s new numbers represent an increase of 1,238 new diagnoses and 30 additional deaths since yesterday, Arwady said. The figures have risen, in part, as more testing becomes available, Arwady said.
Another measure the city tracks was also going the wrong direction: cell phone data, which shows the movement of residents, indicates people have been more active outside their homes in the last 24 hours. That could be tied to weather, which brought sunshine yesterday and is expected to reach 75 degrees Saturday.
“I’m worried because we need to get on the other side of this curve,” Arwady said. “We’re not going to see that peak until sometime in May, and the more we have new infections, the more we have people out and about and not abiding by the stay-at-home order, the longer that peak gets pushed.” Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
Advertisement
Health department provides guidance on how General Assembly could get back to work in Springfield
The Illinois Department of Public Health provides a glimpse at measures legislative leaders could take to reconvene at the Capitol, in a document that includes recommendations to limit the number of people entering the statehouse and to require temperature checks upon entry.
Several weeks of the General Assembly’s spring session have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and no timeline for reconvening has been announced, even as a growing number of Republican lawmakers is pushing for the General Assembly to return to the State Capitol in Springfield.
The statewide stay-at-home order considers the state legislature and other governmental bodies “essential,” and does not bar them from meeting. Read more here. —Jamie Munks
Farmers markets will open in Chicago area, but most are delayed and are adopting distancing rules
The outdoor farmers market season in Chicago traditionally kicks off on the first Saturday of May at Green City Market. The crown jewel of organic produce transforms a grassy corner of Lincoln Park into a see-and-be-seen event with chefs and lakeside residents mingling among ramps and rhubarb. It’s more a community gathering than simply a means to gather food.
Not this year. Although Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared farmers markets among essential businesses in his original stay-at-home order, opening day for Green City Market, and most farmers markets around Chicago and surrounding suburbs, have been postponed due to the pandemic.
Right now we are hoping for the end of May with social distancing and other precautions,” said Melissa Flynn, executive director of Green City, by email. “I am waiting on answers from DCASE and the Chicago Park District.”
Advertisement
The coronavirus uncertainty rule holds some exceptions when it comes to farmers markets. Two openings in the suburbs mark the calendar on May 2. Social distancing, though, will revert the events from raucous gatherings with dogs, baby strollers, musicians, flowers and crafts back to a focus on the food. Read more here. —Louisa Chu
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
May 1
Here are five things that happened Friday that you need to know:
April 30
Here are five things that happened Thursday that you need to know:
April 29
Here are five things that happened Wednesday that you need to know:
April 28
Here are five things that happened Tuesday that you need to know:
April 27
Here are five things that happened Monday that you need to know:


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker and health officials give a coronavirus update

Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and state health officials are scheduled to provide an update at 2:30 p.m. CDT .
@ @ @ @ @ here .

This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as marketing, personalization, and analytics. By remaining on this website, you indicate your consent.


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--First Chicago-area farmers market opens under new coronavirus rules with two-block-long lines

About 105 people maximum at a time , an average of three customers for each of the 35 vendors in @ @ @ @ @ allowed into the market .
White pop-up tents ringed the square , with a counterclockwise @ @ @ @ @ forget the spinach , or want to comparison shop for scallions , you can circle @ @ @ @ @ moving .
More vendors will be added to the middle as the season progresses .
@ @ @ @ @ high-volume preorders , could be found with plants , bread and organic produce outside the @ @ @

Vendors chose produce for customers and bagged it themselves, instead of allowing patrons to touch the vegetables. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
The day after protesters rallied against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, on the weekend Smithfield reopened a hog slaughterhouse in Monmouth following a White House executive order, the first Chicago-area farmers market opened quietly for the season under new coronavirus rules.
The downtown Evanston farmers market kicked off the outdoor season Saturday with a two-block line around the market and some rural vendors scared about coming into the city.
Advertisement
“The line was two blocks long because everybody was social distancing,” said Myra Gorman, market manager. “I asked people who were in line, and it only took them 12 minutes to get in.”
The line ebbed and flowed, at times disappearing at the market, which was open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., under 75-degree sunny, blue skies. Palatine also launched its farmers market Saturday.
Advertisement
“We had almost 2,300 people come,” said Gorman. “The weather was beautiful. People were patient and followed the rules. They were just so happy to be out of their houses and back at the market.”
Even with familiar sightings of spiky green leeks poking out of wrinkled canvas totes, the market worked differently due to the pandemic. Gorman was stationed at the entrance and exit tent doing the clicker count to manage how many people came in.
“Occasionally I had to shoo away people who came without a face mask,” she said.
The city of Evanston requires face coverings on all people working in or patronizing essential businesses, superseding the state requirement that went into effect Friday. Farmers markets have been declared essential businesses by state order. The city of Evanston market tent sold face masks for $2 each.
“Some people did buy the masks and other people looked at me and walked away,” said Gorman.
Advertisement
About 105 people maximum at a time, an average of three customers for each of the 35 vendors in the main square, were allowed into the market. White pop-up tents ringed the square, with a counterclockwise flow encouraged. If you forget the spinach, or want to comparison shop for scallions, you can circle back, but just keep moving. More vendors will be added to the middle as the season progresses. Three more vendors, with high-volume preorders, could be found with plants, bread and organic produce outside the main square.
Market managers from Ravinia, Winnetka, Oak Park and Chicago also visited, taking pictures and talking to some of the vendors, “seeing how they felt about the new ways that we were doing things,” said Gorman.
“We did have to manage some of the vendor lines, because they got to be pretty long,” she added. “It took a lot longer to shop at each vendor.”
The first rule of the new farmers market: Don’t touch the food.
“We had to run the whole market deli-style rather than like a self-serve produce department,” said Todd Nichols, manager and second-generation owner of Nichols Farm & Orchard in Marengo. The family farm grows fruits and vegetables, often featured on restaurant menus around Chicago. “The clientele wasn’t allowed to touch the product at the market until purchase so we took orders, bagged and sent it on its way. It really makes you appreciate how much labor people contribute by bagging their own produce.”
While Nichols is used to starting market days at 2:30 a.m., and managing five markets on Saturdays at the height of the season for 14-hour days, the first market under the new rules left him exhausted.
Advertisement
“I had four people working with me, and normally that’s enough to handle that level of traffic,” he said. “It worked pretty well, but I could’ve easily had six or more to keep it moving well.”
Nichols had spinach, scallions, lettuce, and a lot of crops out of the greenhouse, including some tomatoes and plants. “A relatively very small number of crops compared to what we have mid-season,” he said. “We sold everything we had. It was more than average, but it was harder work than average.”
He was not one of the vendors scared about coming into the city.
“We have people in the city almost every day,” said Nichols. “We had four trucks out delivering and the market. We’re doing a lot of home deliveries, which has been booming for us. It’s good filler for all that we’ve lost in our restaurant sales. We’ll deliver anywhere.”
Despite the boom, he’s not giving up the grueling farmers markets.
“Markets are really important for us,” said Nichols. “They’re a big interaction with the public. One thing I could say about today was that it was less interactive than ever. I have clientele at the market that I’ve known my entire life, and I had to be short with them.
Advertisement
“We were hospitable, but I’m sure that it felt less than cozy to some people, because it was so important to keep moving along,” he said.
“We try to market in multiple directions, and that’s key to our survival,” said Nichols. “If we were a contracted grower to one food service company, we’d be plowing under our crops and really be in trouble. Having the flexibility of direct marketing, embracing online and home delivery, has been huge in the last month. And CSAs are really quite big this year, more than ever.” (CSAs, community supported agriculture, are subscriptions to a farmers harvest, usually weekly.)
“We’ve lost at least a dozen markets in May,” he said. “We bought three trucks and fully embraced the fact that home delivery is a big thing. COVID pushed me to make me embrace more online sales and virtual farmers markets. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re still supporting local farms.”
One of the newest vendors at the market is not a farmer, but no stranger to the city, or overcoming heartbreaking challenges.
“We’re a barbecue company,” said Heather Bublick co-owner of Soul & Smoke in Evanston, with chef and husband D’Andre Carter. “We’ve primarily been catering, but we’ve become a virtual restaurant lately.”
One of the other new rules at farmers markets: no cooking or eating on site.
Advertisement
“We were going to do cooked-to-order brisket hashes and egg dishes, more brunchy fare,” said Bublick. “Now we’re doing preorder pickups with pulled pork, brisket and ribs. With the produce you get at the farmers market, you can go home and have lunch.”
The couple only had four preorders, available through Tock, on the first day. “It’s OK,” said Bublick laughing. “I know it was hard for people to figure things out. They didn’t know they had to preorder, and not just walk up.”
Soul & Smoke, and the couple’s catering company, Feast & Imbibe, have been busy, however.
“We started our community meal program right out of the gate,” said Bublick. Since March 16, they’ve served over 5,000 meals to the community. “The majority of our list is comprised of families from (Evanston and Skokie School) District 65 from lists the school social workers send to us. We’ve been delivering meals to them. We partnered with World Central Kitchen and The Trotter Project to feed Englewood and a lot of area hospitals.
“We provide meals almost every day to Evanston Hospital,” she said. “To the emergency department, ICU and respiratory.
“We’ve sent the NICU a bunch too,” said Bublick. “They call it the ISCU, Infant Special Care Unit.”
Advertisement
The couple and their toddler daughter Max spent weeks in the unit with their infant son at the beginning of the year. “He was 7 weeks old when he got sick,” said his mother. “He was 9 weeks when we left the hospital.” Avery Carter died Jan. 21.
“I felt the coronavirus was like a personal attack,” said Bublick. “I had about a week where I had a complete breakdown.”
Soul & Smoke plans to be at the market next week and all season.
“I really hope that people feel it’s a safe place they can go to support local farmers and small businesses instead of big giant companies,” said Bublick.
Downtown Evanston Farmers Market; Oak Avenue and University Place, Evanston; 847-448-8045, facebook.com/EvanstonMarkets
Nichols Farm & Orchard; 2602 Hawthorn Road, Marengo; 815-236-1615; nicholsfarm.com
Advertisement
Soul & Smoke; 1601 Payne St., Evanston; 847-491-9744; soulandsmoke.com
This article has been changed to remove a characterization that protesters against the governor’s stay-at-home policy were Illinois Nazis.


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Fiery wreck on I-80 near Lansing leaves 2 dead

The driver of the eastbound vehicle , a 2011 silver Hyundai Sonata , lost control and slammed into a light @ @ @ @ @ to flip and burst into flames , about 1:35 p.m. on I-80 near Torrence Avenue @ @ @ @ @ from the Illinois State Police .

Two people were killed during a rollover crash on I-80 near south suburban Lansing on Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The driver of the eastbound vehicle, a 2011 silver Hyundai Sonata, lost control and slammed into a light pole, causing the vehicle to flip and burst into flames, about 1:35 p.m. on I-80 near Torrence Avenue, according to a statement from the Illinois State Police.
Advertisement
Two people were killed, including the driver and a passenger, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office and state police.
The eastbound right lane to the Torrence Avenue ramp was closed for about three hours, from 2:15 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. for the investigation.
Advertisement
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Mayor Lori Lightfoot turns over Instagram account to local musicians to raise money for the arts dur

Mayor Lori Lightfoot turns over Instagram account to local musicians to raise money for the arts during pandemic

Lightfoot and her wife , Amy Eshleman , have invited Chicagoans to join them on the social media platform each @ @ @ @ @ by local musicians to benefit the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund , according to a @ @ @ @ @ s office .
The fund was launched by Lightfoot and Eshleman because the COVID-19 pandemic @ @ @ @ @ economic impact on Chicago ’ s local arts community , ” the statement said .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot wears a mask as she prepares to speak about the coronavirus economic recovery plan on April 23, 2020, at the Historic Water Tower. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Instagram account may look — and sound — a little different Sunday.
Lightfoot and her wife, Amy Eshleman, have invited Chicagoans to join them on the social media platform each Sunday in May for performances by local musicians to benefit the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, according to a news release from Lightfoot’s office. The fund was launched by Lightfoot and Eshleman because the COVID-19 pandemic is having “an enormous economic impact on Chicago’s local arts community,” the statement said.
Advertisement
The page can be accessed by searching for the mayor’s Instagram handle @chicagosmayor.
This Sunday, the mayor’s account was to feature performances by Luciano Antonio, Opal Staples and DJ Ayana Contreras. Acts for upcoming Sundays in May will be announced later.
Advertisement
The fund already has raised more than $5 million, and that money goes directly to artists and arts organizations. Donations can be made by visiting ArtsForIllinois.org, and all donations made Sunday will be matched by an anonymous donor, the statement said.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Man killed in South Side shooting half-hour after man hurt in shooting a block away, cops say

The man was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest , back and legs about 11 p.m. in the @ @ @ @ @ Avenue in the Brainerd neighborhood , police said .
The victim , Khalil T. Porter @ @ @ @ @ Medical Center , where he was pronounced dead at 12:02 a.m. Sunday , according to @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office .

A 27-year-old man was fatally shot Saturday night on the front steps of a South Side home, according to Chicago police.
The man was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, back and legs about 11 p.m. in the 9200 block of South Eggleston Avenue in the Brainerd neighborhood, police said. The victim, Khalil T. Porter was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 12:02 a.m. Sunday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Advertisement
There were no witnesses to the shooting, police said. No arrests had been made and the case was under investigation.
About 30 minutes earlier, a 19-year-old man was shot multiple times at 10:35 p.m. in the 9200 block of South Normal Avenue, which is a block west from where the fatal shooting took place.
Advertisement
The 19-year-old was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in good condition, police said. He was uncooperative with police, and no arrests had been made in the case.
It was unknown if the two shootings were related, according to Officer Ronald Westbrooks, a police spokesman.
Check back for updates.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--More than 100 cases of COVID-19 reported at Geneva nursing home

Bria of Geneva Medical Director Phil Branshaw said the number of residents who had contracted the virus skyrocketed within days @ @ @ @ @ positive .
He attributed the current high numbers in part to widespread testing at the @ @ @ @ @ said took place soon after learning the first resident had tested positive .

More than 100 residents and staff at a Geneva nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the most cases of the virus at any single Kane County long-term care facility, new state figures show.
The nursing home, Bria of Geneva, is also reporting 18 residents who have died of the virus, according to nursing home figures provided to The Beacon-News. That number, too, marks the highest number of deaths associated with the virus at any Kane County nursing home.
Advertisement
Bria of Geneva Medical Director Phil Branshaw said the number of residents who had contracted the virus skyrocketed within days of the first resident testing positive. He attributed the current high numbers in part to widespread testing at the nursing home, which he said took place soon after learning the first resident had tested positive.
"You didn’t know you had a problem until it literally was blown up all over the facility,” he said.
Advertisement
Bria is among 13 long-term care facilities in Kane County reporting cases of COVID-19, state figures made public Friday show. They include six facilities in Aurora and three in Elgin.
As of Friday, 267 residents and staff at long-term care facilities in Kane County had contracted the virus, making up about 15% of the county’s total cases. Thirty-four residents at four facilities had died, comprising 65% of all deaths associated with COVID-19 in Kane County, a Beacon-News analysis of state and county figures shows.
At Bria of Geneva, figures reported Friday showed a majority of staff and residents had tested positive for the virus.
The nursing home reported 75 residents and 36 staff members had tested positive for the virus. State figures are slightly different — the state is reporting 113 cases among staff and residents and 16 deaths — but state officials have cautioned that discrepancies and lag time in the state’s reporting is to be expected.
Federal data shows Bria of Geneva has space for up to 107 residents, and a daily average of 45 employees work in the care facility.
Branshaw said the nursing home learned its first resident had tested positive early on Friday, April 17. Before that, some residents had developed coughs, but they had histories of other illnesses associated with coughing, Branshaw said.
By the following Sunday, about 15 residents living across the building had symptoms of the virus, such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, he said.
“It was basically like a bomb went off in the place,” he said.
Advertisement
Soon after, Branshaw said administrators learned from the Kane County Health Department they would get 10 virus test kits, and he eventually obtained additional test kits from the Northwestern Medicine health system, with which he has worked and which operates nearby Delnor hospital.
He received the test kits April 24, he said. Roughly 90% to 95% of residents were tested, excluding some who were in the hospital and some who could not safely be given a test, he said.
The vast majority of residents - though not all - tested positive for the virus, Branshaw said. Residents who had the virus were separated from those whose test results came back negative.
“Without going through and doing all the testing that we did, you would not have the numbers we got,” he said.
Likely exacerbating the situation was the fact that most rooms in the nursing home are shared, he said.
Before the first resident tested positive, the nursing home had been following recommendations from the state, local authorities and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit exposure to the virus, Branshaw said. On April 10, Bria had restricted any doctors or other staff who work outside the nursing home from entering.
Advertisement
Branshaw said he doesn’t know how the virus entered the nursing home. Some people don’t show symptoms of the virus and can infect others without knowing, he said. It could have been a worker, physician, administrator or a patient who left the nursing home for a doctor’s appointment or other treatment.
He praised the nursing home’s residents and their families, and the work of nursing home staff.
“We’d love to know (how the virus got in), because it’s one of the things that eats at you,” he said.
sfreishtat@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Illinois State Police investigating shooting on Dan Ryan Expressway that injured 1

A man was shot and went to a hospital for injuries that weren ’ t considered life-threatening , state police @ @ @ @ @ The man told officials he ’ d been shot on the Dan Ryan about 2 @ @ @ @ @ was in was passing West 75th Street , according to state police , who did @ @ @ @ @ s age .

A man told investigators he was shot while riding in a vehicle on the Dan Ryan near 75th Street in West Chatham early Sunday, and the Illinois State Police launched an investigation, including shutting down parts of the expressway.
A man was shot and went to a hospital for injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, state police said in a statement. The man told officials he’d been shot on the Dan Ryan about 2 a.m. as the vehicle he was in was passing West 75th Street, according to state police, who did not release the man’s age.
Advertisement
About 4:40 a.m., troopers launched an investigation and closed down northbound Interstate 94, with traffic diverted at 87th Street and nearby exit and entrance ramps closed, as well.
The man who was shot had been in the rear, passenger-side seat of a vehicle when he was shot, and he was the only one in the vehicle who was hit, according to state police.
Advertisement
The investigation is ongoing and the expressway was reopened about 7:55 a.m.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Longtime Winnetka resident and philanthropist dies in house fire

As a member of the church ’ s benevolence committee , Garland was among the volunteers who made site visits @ @ @ @ @ across Chicago that were being considered as recipients of the $ 200,000 raised annually by @ @ @ @

An 82-year-old Winnetka woman died in a fire in her home in the 600 block of Garland Avenue. (Karen Ann Cullotta / Pioneer Press)
A longtime Winnetka resident who friends described as a tireless volunteer and philanthropist died in a house fire in the village Friday night, authorities said.
Susan Garland, 82, died in her home Friday night after a fire broke out around 7 p.m. in her bedroom on the second floor of her home in the 600 block of Garland Avenue, Winnetka Fire Captain Robert Bowne said.
Advertisement
The fire department received a call from Garland Friday evening, reporting the house fire, which was contained to the bedroom and quickly extinguished, Bowne said.
Garland died at the scene, and the cause of the fire is suspected to be related to smoking materials, Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky said.
Advertisement
On Saturday, the Rev. Christopher Powell, rector at Christ Church of Winnetka, said he spoke to Garland on the phone earlier in the week, when officials held a virtual Zoom meeting to discuss the Episcopal church’s annual rummage sale.
As a member of the church’s benevolence committee, Garland was among the volunteers who made site visits every year to non-profit organizations across Chicago that were being considered as recipients of the $200,000 raised annually by the rummage sale.
Although Garland had suffered from health problems in recent years, Powell said she remained a tireless volunteer, always eager to lend a hand and her expertise.
“She stayed very involved in our church, even with her health challenges...she was such an interesting and gracious person. She was a friend to so many," Powell said.
Despite the fact that Garland lived on Garland Avenue, and shared a surname with one of Winnetka’s early founders, John Garland, Powell said there was no relation, and called the similarity “a double coincidence.”
A master gardener and avid reader, Garland was a member of the local Rhododendron Society and once served on the Winnetka-Northfield Library District’s board of trustees.
"Susan was a such a gracious person, and a good friend to many...she always had a smile on her face,” Powell said.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Advertisement
Twitter @kcullott


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--Coronavirus testing site opens Sunday in Waukegan

He thanked the governor , the Illinois National Guard and the local leaders who worked to open the testing site @ @ @ @ @ residents with another tool in the fight against the pandemic .

A member of the Illinois National Guard participates in a simulation of the COVID-19 testing that begins Sunday at a new site in Waukegan. The new community based COVID-19 drive-thru testing site will test up to 500 people each day. It opens at 8 a.m. seven days a week. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)
The line of vehicles to get into the new community based COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Waukegan extended three blocks Sunday as people waited to be tested on the facility’s opening day.
The Illinois National Guard members tasked with streamlining 500 tests per day, seven days per week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., had logged in 180 people who were given a test shortly after noon. Testing is free.
Advertisement
“We always advise people to come early,” said Illinois Army Major A.J. Ruggieri, a public affairs officer with the Illinois National Guard, which will staff the facility with 60 soldiers. “The longest part of the process will be waiting to get to the station where the test is administered.”
People seeking coronavirus testing waited in a long line of cars in Waukegan Sunday, the first day the new COVID-19 testing site operated. By noon, officials said they had administered 180 tests. The facility will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and will conduct up to 500 tests. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)
Lake County has the third-highest population of positive COVID-19 cases in the state, said Mark Pfister, Lake County Health Department executive director.
Advertisement
Test results will help the agency get a broader picture of the scope of the problem so they can develop a better response to the spread of the virus, he said.
The pop-up COVID-19 testing site is located at the temporarily closed Vehicle Emissions Testing Station at 2161 Northwestern Avenue near Gurnee.
Ruggieri said the location is ideal for the work his team will be performing because of the traffic markings, cubicles, car lanes and shelter that facility already provides.
Two refrigerators are now housed inside the building to store the samples collected. Ruggieri said they'll be taken to a lab daily.
The process starts at the corner of Sunset and Northwestern Avenue, where guards will ask a few key questions to determine if the criteria is met for testing.
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, which include fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell, should be tested, Pfister said.
People who work in some occupations should be tested even if they don't have symptoms. That group includes healthcare workers, first responders, employees of correctional facilities, and those who work in essential services such as restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, factories, childcare, sanitation, pharmacies and public utilities.
Those who have been exposed to confirmed COVID-19 patients, have a compromised immune system or chronic medical conditions, and those who are scheduled to receive elective surgery within 72 hours also should be tested, officials said.
Advertisement
A photo I.D. is required, as well as an address and a phone number where people can be reached with any questions.
Ruggieri said for the purpose of collecting demographic data, the Illinois Department of Public Health is asking whether a person is a U.S. citizen and what insurance they have.
Refraining form answering those question won’t prevent people from receiving the free test, Ruggieri said.
Even an I.D. from a foreign country will work, as long as it has the name and picture of the person being tested.
“We’re not limiting it to just citizens or those who live in Lake County,” Ruggieri said.
Illinois National Guard walk to the testing facility site in Waukegan, Ill., Saturday, May 2, 2020. A drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility, the state's first community-based site in Lake County, will open for to the public in Waukegan on Sunday, May 3. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (Nam Y. Huh / AP)
Another requirement is for vehicle windows to function. Ruggieri said no one will be allowed to get out of their vehicle at any point of the process.
Advertisement
Up to four people in a single car can be tested, but drivers will be asked to lower the car window just enough to receive a vile and a long cotton swab, so they may self-administer the test.
The self-administer method presents less risk of infection to those working at the site, Pfister said.
Directions include placing the swab far back into the left nostril, turning it twice for 15 seconds and doing the same on the right nostril.
Results within four to seven days will be given via phone, officials said.
The Lake County Heath Department will work with those who test positive in a practice called contact tracing, where trained staff members track who has come in contact with the infected person.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said the state is preparing to scale up the state’s infection tracing program because it helps slow the spread of the virus.
Advertisement
“Contact tracing is one of the most critical tools that we have to reduce our spread rate, speed up our diagnoses and seek to halt outbreaks before they happen,” Pritzker said Friday.
To make sure no one misses out on the opportunity to get tested, the health department has worked with local Hispanic community leaders, Pfister said.
On Sunday, bilingual guards answered questions in Spanish for those who felt more comfortable receiving the instructions and information in their native language.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has activated National Guard Soldiers to support COVID-19 response operations like the COVID-19 testing site that opens in Waukegan on May 3. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)
The community-based COVID-19 drive-through testing site is a collaboration of the city of Waukegan, the state and the Illinois National Guard.
Waukegan mayor Sam Cunningham said Saturday that, while it is upsetting to know the city has a high number of people infected with the virus, it stands to reason that its residents would be more exposed, as they are the ones who have continued to work from the start of the pandemic in essential jobs that keep the county going, such as factories, restaurants and delivery services.
He thanked the governor, the Illinois National Guard and the local leaders who worked to open the testing site in the city to provide residents with another tool in the fight against the pandemic.
Advertisement
Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the Lake County News-Sun.


chicagotribune--2020-05-03--5 teens injured in shooting at West Side outdoor party, police say

The teenagers were part of a large gathering around 3:30 a.m. in the 3700 block of West 13th Street , @ @ @ @ @ four-door sedan drove by and fired shots at the group .
The party happened after @ @ @ @ @ that “ we are never getting out of this ” if Chicagoans keep flouting COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ parties .

Five teenagers, ages 15 to 19, suffered leg gunshot wounds early Sunday when someone in a sedan drove by and fired shots at them during an outdoor party in the Lawndale neighborhood, according to Chicago police.
The teenagers were part of a large gathering around 3:30 a.m. in the 3700 block of West 13th Street, police said. A gray four-door sedan drove by and fired shots at the group. The party happened after Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned Saturday that “we are never getting out of this” if Chicagoans keep flouting COVID-19 stay-at-home orders by holding house parties.
Advertisement
Three male teens, ages 15, 17 and 18, were taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition, police said. Two other men, 18 and 19, were both taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition.
There was a party at the location that police had responded to earlier in the night to try break up, according to a law enforcement source.
Advertisement
A ShotSpotter alert captured at least 14 rounds, the source said. The shooting didn’t appear to be gang-related.
None of the victims had a criminal history, police said, citing preliminary information.
No arrests had been made, police said. The case was under investigation.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-05-02--3 injured in South Shore shooting, police say

A 28-year-old man was hit in the calf and drove himself and the 29-year-old man who was hit in the @ @ @ @ @ Hospital , police said .
They were both in fair condition .

Three people were injured Saturday afternoon in a shooting on the Far South Side, according to Chicago police.
At 4:10 p.m., three people — a woman and two men — were standing in the 1900 block of East 79th Street in the South Shore neighborhood when someone approached them with a handgun and fired shots, police said.
Advertisement
A 22-year-old woman was hit once in the bicep and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, police said.
A 28-year-old man was hit in the calf and drove himself and the 29-year-old man who was hit in the left foot to Advocate Trinity Hospital, police said. They were both in fair condition.
Advertisement
No arrests had been made, police said. The shooting was under investigation.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Cook County Sheriff’s Office deputy dies of COVID-19

“ Deputy O ’ Brien was devoted to his family and loved spending quality time with them , ” the @ @ @ @ @ had a wife and three children .
“ He lived his life with a positive @ @ @ @ @ most challenging times .
”


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Inmate who agreed to stay in Cook County Jail to avoid immigration trouble lost life to COVID-19 ins

Inmate who agreed to stay in Cook County Jail to avoid immigration trouble lost life to COVID-19 instead

“ The risk of loss of life is so high , ” said Sarah Staudt , a senior policy analyst @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice , said in arguing for a better effort .
“ @ @ @ @ @ blame is not the game .
That is not what we are trying to do @ @ @ @ @ we doing as a system to get as many people to safety as possible .
@

In early March, Rene Olivo Sangabriel was just one among the thousands of Cook County Jail inmates who would soon find themselves in the devastating path of COVID-19.
Sangabriel, 42, locked up since October 2019 on an 8-year-old outstanding warrant after picking up a second felony DUI charge, appeared in court March 5 for a fairly routine status hearing. His attorney told the judge that Sangabriel had 46 days left in a drug and alcohol treatment program at the jail and that he wanted to finish the program before entering a plea.
Advertisement
[ Para leer en Español, haga click aquí ]
“I think let’s go to the end of the program,” Judge Diana Kenworthy agreed, according to a court transcript. “I don’t want them to remove him from the program and have any changes. ... What’s a good date?"
“How about Cinco de Mayo,” responded attorney Domingo F. Vargas.
Advertisement
“By agreement May 5 for a plea,” Kenworthy responded.
The plan to delay Sangabriel’s plea two months and keep him at the jail made perfect sense at the time, Vargas said.
Court officials had already indicated Sangabriel, who was living in the United States without legal permission, was likely facing a prison sentence on his new charges. Vargas and Sangabriel determined the risk that immigration officials would find him was higher in the Illinois Department of Corrections so they wanted him to burn time as possible at the jail.
“He was scared like all immigrants,” said his niece, Adriana Sangabriel, who said her uncle felt that leaving the jail would put him in the “arms of immigration."
"He wanted to wait there,” she said.
In the end, it was COVID-19 that caught Sangabriel.
The virus had made its way into the jail at least by March 23, when the first two cases were reported. The spread would continue until it reached Sangabriel, who on March 30 was transported to St. Anthony Hospital. He died there on April 19.
The coronavirus pandemic made hot zones of prisons and jails all over the country, places where the virus could spread at a deadly pace due to space constrictions. And for critics of the system, it has only underscored the dangers that detainees and inmates are put in because of what they describe as an overreliance on detention in the name of public safety.
Advertisement
And, when the pandemic hit, they said, a push to release detainees failed to address enough people, including Sangabriel, a jovial, fun-loving uncle and an important part of an extended group of friends and family living in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
“Right now, we’re like, ‘Is it him?’” Veronica Muros, who is married to one of Sangabriel’s cousins, recalled. The family was so shocked to hear Sangabriel had died that they kept refreshing the jail inmate website to see if his picture popped up, Muros said. “I was telling everybody, it’s hard to believe he passed away.”
Sangabriel’s Chicago family and friends, all from his small town of Monte Verde in Mexico, pooled their money to have his remains flown home to his mother and father.
A bid to avoid immigration problems
Rene Olivo Sangabriel, who is known in court records as Rene Olivo, came to the United States almost 16 years ago, his family said.
He had been most recently working at a local recycling plant and shared an apartment with his cousins.
Adriana Sangabriel said her uncle was single here in Chicago and never had kids. But he took good care of her, she said.
Advertisement
“I didn’t see him as an uncle but as a brother because of how he supported me,” she said.
Muros said Sangabriel was the center of family gatherings. In pictures and videos Muros has, Sangabriel dances at parties and sits with family in a warm dining room brightly decorated with blue balloons and colorful with streamers. He loved carnitas.
“He used to dance with my kids,” she said.
Sangabriel picked up his first DUI in August 2010 after he failed to reduce speed and struck another vehicle in the 1400 block of South Pulaski Road, according to Chicago police records. He did not have a valid driver’s license and failed field sobriety tests before being charged with a felony count of driving under the influence.
He pleaded guilty in early 2011 and was sentenced to two years’ probation, which included paying restitution, community service and getting drug and alcohol treatment.
A violation of probation was filed against him the following July after he failed to meet any of those conditions. A court date was set to consider the violations, but he never appeared and a warrant was issued.
Advertisement
Eight years later, in October 2019, Sangabriel was pulled over by police after driving erratically, speeding and failing to stop at a stop sign, Chicago police said. He allegedly failed a field sobriety test and was again cited for felony DUI.
He was issued a $1,000 bond on the new DUI charge and was ordered held without bond on the outstanding warrant.
Vargas, who only represented Sangabriel in his 2019 case, said there were immediate discussions with Kenworthy about a potential plea, and it seemed unlikely that he would get sentenced to probation again.
That set the plan in motion for Sangabriel to remain at the jail as long as possible.
Such a calculation is one that criminal defense attorneys make often. Defendants often prefer to be in jail, where it is easier for friends and family to visit.
And a wish to avoid immigration authorities is not unusual, either.
Advertisement
Criminal cases can often trigger proceedings in immigration court, where judges look unfavorably on those who are charged, particularly in the get-tough atmosphere promoted by the Trump administration.
Cook County does not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and does not allow ICE to screen detainees. In February, the Illinois Department of Corrections issued a statement to clarify that it would not hold people solely on the basis of an immigration detainer or nonjudicial immigration warrant and that it was continuing to review policies and procedures and "ensure they protect the rights of immigrants entrusted to our custody.”
Still, Vargas said he was acting in the best interest of Sangabriel, who had lived and worked in the United States for more than a decade and was insistent he not go to IDOC.
“I have been doing this 31 years. He is a human being,” Vargas said. “I have to do whatever I have to do. I am there to represent him to the best of my ability.”
As Sangabriel was biding his time in the jail, Cook County court officials had already launched into emergency mode, trying to figure out how they could reduce the jail population, which stood at 5,600 earlier this year. Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli filed a motion for centralized, consolidated bail reviews, in which a judge could potentially approve the mass release of hundreds of detainees at once.
Those Campanelli sought to release included those held on low-level nonviolent charges like the DUI case Sangabriel faced.
Advertisement
But Criminal Division Presiding Judge LeRoy Martin Jr. rejected the call for en masse releases, saying bond should be considered on a case-by-case basis even if prosecutors and public defenders agree that a defendant should be released.
That left private attorneys like Vargas to navigate a totally new and confusing situation at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, where operations had been initially reduced to just two court calls.
When asked why he did not prepare a new motion to get Sangabriel out, Vargas said he made a few phone calls to try to reach Sangabriel to see if the plan should change but failed.
Vargas, who also is the mayor of Blue Island, noted that he never received a call from Sangabriel, who remained inside in his bid to avoid ICE, and said he wasn’t aware that Sangabriel had any preexisting conditions that could put him at greater risk.
Vargas also said he expected it would be an uphill battle getting Sangabriel released, considering the case was moving toward a plea and a prison sentence.
Two weeks after Sangabriel was transferred to the hospital, the Cook County sheriff’s office tracked down Vargas to tell him Sangabriel was ill, according to a statement from Sheriff Tom Dart’s office.
Advertisement
“When we reached the attorney, our staff informed him of his client’s health concerns, and asked him to review the case to see if a bond reduction hearing was appropriate,” the statement read.
Vargas drew up the motion on or about April 15 and was working, with help from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, to get the case on the court call. Sangabriel died two days later.
Rene Olivo Sangabriel's mother built an altar at the family's home in Veracruz, Mexico, as she awaited his ashes. Sangabriel contracted COVID-19 inside Cook County Jail and died April 19, 2020, at St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago. (Family photo)
Second-guessing the system
The family was aware Sangabriel was ill because he told one of his cousins during a phone call. They encouraged him to seek medical care.
“'Mija, I’m sick,'” Adriana Sangabriel said he told her. “He was supposedly feeling better. He would say he was still coughing. We never thought he would die like this."
They never learned he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 or taken to a local hospital until a few days after he died, they said, when the Mexican Consulate in Chicago called them.
In the statement, Dart’s office said Sangabriel did not include a phone number on his contact information.
Advertisement
The last time Muros saw Sangabriel was at his March 5 court date. She recalled that when he walked into court, he looked back, lifted his head and gave her a short wave.
Muros said she knew that her cousin was worried about being deported if he wound up in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Thinking back now, she knows that going to a state prison would have been the better choice.
Some wonder, though, if there wasn’t a way for officials in the Cook County court system to have caught Sangabriel’s case in a more comprehensive review of lower-level nonviolent felonies.
“The risk of loss of life is so high,” said Sarah Staudt, a senior policy analyst and staff attorney at the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice, said in arguing for a better effort. “Finding a single person to blame is not the game. That is not what we are trying to do. The question what are we doing as a system to get as many people to safety as possible.”
For now, though, Sangabriel’s family really want people to know this: Their cousin was a good man. He had his troubles. But he was funny, he took care of people and was dedicated to his work.
“He made a mistake. The law is the law, but I think we all commit mistakes," Adriana Sangabriel said. "I know that my uncle was a good person. Everyone from our town put money together to send his ashes back to Mexico. We thank them all for everything. His mom thanks everyone.”
Advertisement
Sangabriel’s mother back in Mexico built an altar for her son as she awaited his ashes, which arrived Friday, the family said. The altar is adorned with candles, fresh flowers and a crucifix, with Sangabriel’s photo in the center.
asweeney@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @Annie1221


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--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--2020-05-04--Northwest Illinois church holds services days after filing lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker over s

Northwest Illinois church holds services days after filing lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker over stay-at-home order

The governor has said large gatherings pose a public health risk to communities in which they occur , and encourages @ @ @ @ @ that services be canceled or held online during the stay-at-home order .
A revision late @ @ @ @ @ s order , after the lawsuit was filed , added “ free exercise of religion @ @ @ @ @ activity to the order , but limits religious gatherings to 10 people or fewer , @ @ @ @ @ all gatherings laid out in the order .

A rural Illinois church held services Sunday just days after it filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, contending his executive actions were discriminatory against religious practices, according to a spokesman for the church’s attorneys and an attorney for the local police chief.
But a federal judge Sunday ruled the stay-at-home order constitutional.
Advertisement
In the 37-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge John Z. Lee said the court is mindful that religious activities permitted by the order are “imperfect substitutes" for in-person services during which the 80-member church can sing and pray together.
“Still, given the continuing threat posed by COVID-19, the Order preserves relatively robust avenues for praise, prayer and fellowship and passes constitutional muster,” Lee wrote.
Advertisement
Until testing signals it’s safe to return to worshipping in large groups, Lee wrote, the plaintiffs, "as Christians, can take comfort in the promise of Matthew 18:20 — ‘For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.’ ”
The Beloved Church, in the northwest Illinois town of Lena in Stephenson County, announced in a news release it would provide masks and hand sanitizer to worshippers, and families would be situated 6 feet apart to respect social distancing recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The service had “about the same number for average attendance,” with about 60 to 80 people, “with social distancing,” said Tom Ciesielka, a spokesman for the Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based conservative public interest law firm that filed the lawsuit on the church’s behalf. He called the service “uneventful.”
Lena police Chief Steve Schaible, a defendant in the lawsuit, referred all inquiries to his attorney, Dominick Lanzito. Lanzito said it was his understanding there was no enforcement action of the executive order taken at Sunday’s service.
The governor said the church should not have held services Sunday.
“They shouldn’t have been having services at all, unless they were in groups of 10 or less,” Pritzker said.
“Again, this is temporary," he said. “People need to understand that, especially faith leaders, that keeping your parishioners safe is the most important thing that you can do.”
The service came three days after the Thomas More Society filed the lawsuit. The suit alleged Pritzker, law enforcement and public health officials have “intentionally denigrated Illinois churches and pastors and people of faith by relegating them to second-class citizenship.”
Advertisement
The governor has said large gatherings pose a public health risk to communities in which they occur, and encourages parishioners across Illinois to request that services be canceled or held online during the stay-at-home order. A revision late Thursday in the governor’s order, after the lawsuit was filed, added “free exercise of religion” as a permitted essential activity to the order, but limits religious gatherings to 10 people or fewer, in line with limits on all gatherings laid out in the order.
Chicago Tribune’s Patrick M. O’Connell and Morgan Greene contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Governor: ‘No other way’ to curb coronavirus than to stay the course on stay-at-home restrictions

In his daily news conference , the governor reported 63 new coronavirus deaths over the 24 hours , for a @ @ @ @ @ confirmed deaths in Illinois since the pandemic started .
That number was the lowest since @ @ @ @ @ after four of the five previous days saw the daily count top 100 deaths .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during the daily news briefing about the coronavirus pandemic on May 3, 2020, at the Thompson Center in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Sunday announced 2,994 new cases of the coronavirus in Illinois, the second-highest daily total since the pandemic began. But the governor also said 19,417 new tests for the coronavirus were completed within the previous 24 hours through Sunday afternoon, the most screenings yet across the state.
As Chicagoans and Illinois residents enjoyed the second straight day of warm spring weather, the governor again implored people to adhere to the state’s stay-at-home order. With restrictions in place since mid-March, some weary residents drawn outside by ample sunshine and temperatures in the 70s began to stretch the boundaries or simply ignore the statewide rules.
Advertisement
A northwest Illinois church held services despite the restrictions, others held weekend parties and people began to abandon or relax social distancing practices during visits with friends and trips to parks and other gatherings. A group of DuPage County mayors and managers plans to urge the state to allow businesses there to open before the statewide order ends, saying a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t make sense.
Pritzker’s order, which was relaxed Friday to provide more flexibility for some businesses and activities, remains in place until May 30.
Advertisement
“People need to follow the rules,” the governor said. “People will get sick if they don’t follow the rules.”
Pritzker urged local governments and police departments to help enforce the state’s stay-at-home guidelines. The goal, he said, is safety and health, not crackdowns or arrests.
“There’s no other way for us to do it,” he said. “We need the public to comply with the stay-at-home rule. Because that is how we’ve been defeating coronavirus.”
Pritzker also reminded young people that even if they do not get sick, or contract a mild case of coronavirus, they are putting older relatives and friends, or those they know who have medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus, at risk.
In his daily news conference, the governor reported 63 new coronavirus deaths over the 24 hours, for a total of at least 2,618 confirmed deaths in Illinois since the pandemic started. That number was the lowest since April 27, and came after four of the five previous days saw the daily count top 100 deaths.
The 2,994 new known cases pushed the state total to 61,499. The daily total was the second-highest to date, behind only Friday’s daily count of 3,137.
With more testing being done, Pritzker cautioned against looking only at the total case numbers, urging residents to also consider the state’s “positivity rate” for coronavirus.
“How many people did we test? Among the people we tested, how many tested positive?” Pritzker said. “That is the number for us that ought to be going down.”
Advertisement
The governor said the state’s positivity rate has varied between 15% and 21%. He did not say what the positivity rate was on Sunday.
“We want it to go down even further,” he said. “It is an indication that there is lower infection rate across the state.”
With the state continuing to report thousands of positive coronavirus cases each day, Pritzker was asked how long the state’s “plateau” will last. Many medical experts have said they want to see case totals, and metrics that measure the spread of the disease, fall consistently for days before restrictions can be lifted.
“I hope it doesn’t last too long,” he said, adding that different states are experiencing different curves, and he hopes the state’s cases begin to decline soon.
As of Sunday, 4,701 people in Illinois were hospitalized with coronavirus. Of those patients, 1,232 were in intensive care units and 759 were on ventilators, Pritzker said. The governor also said 97 of 102 counties in Illinois have reported coronavirus cases.
The Naperville Sun’s Erin Hegarty contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--‘We can have conversations like everything is normal.’ At a social distance, students gather in Lane

‘We can have conversations like everything is normal.’ At a social distance, students gather in Lane Tech parking lot and talk about the school year they missed

In a grouping of four photos , Lane Tech College Prep seniors Aiden Cloud , 18 , clockwise from top @ @ @ @ @ 18 , Nina Royston , 18 , and junior Adam Neale , 17 , sit @ @ @ @ @ cars while gathered at a social distance in the school 's parking lot on April @ @ @ @ @ Chicago .
The students have met up about twice a week for the past two @ @ @ @ @ , life and their futures amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
( John J. Kim / @ @ @

In a grouping of four photos, Lane Tech College Prep seniors Aiden Cloud, 18, clockwise from top left, Nathan Polizzi, 18, Nina Royston, 18, and junior Adam Neale, 17, sit in the trunks of their cars while gathered at a social distance in the school's parking lot on April 28, 2020, in Chicago. The students have met up about twice a week for the past two weeks to talk about school, life and their futures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Aiden Cloud is happy to be back at school.
In these times, that means sitting in the trunk of his car, in the parking lot of Lane Tech College Prep, socially distanced from classmates in their own cars.
Advertisement
“It’s a great way to escape for a little bit,” said Cloud, an 18-year-old senior at the North Side school. “We can have conversations like everything is normal.”
Sometimes they bring takeout from nearby favorites, like Pi-Hi, other times they just sit and talk for three or four hours. About missed goodbyes, idled prom dresses, canceled sports, delayed tests and even more stress about getting into college — whatever that will look like.
Advertisement
With a teachers strike in the fall and a pandemic that hit before spring, students feel they’ve lost out on their senior year. “It’s disappointing,” Cloud said. “In the end, we all understand why.”
These moments in the parking lot help one another keep up morale.
“I feel a lot happier when I can go outside and see people,” said Nina Royston, 18, who joined Cloud and two other friends — Nathan Polizzi, 18, and Adam Neale, 17 — in the parking lot this past week.
Lane Tech College Prep seniors Nina Royston, 18, from left, Nathan Polizzi, 18, and junior Adam Neale, 17, sit in the trunks of their cars while gathered at a social distance in the school's parking lot on April 28, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Cloud sat in the back of his silver minivan with a gray blanket, appearing ready to camp out as long as he could. Royston wore bright yellow aviator glasses and an Indiana University pullover, laughing and drinking Starbucks. Across from her, Polizzi sat cross-legged in a tie-dyed track and field shirt, a scooter leaned against his car. Neale was off to the side with carryout containers at his feet.
Each car was separated by at least 6 feet, still close enough for the teens to hear one another. The rest of the parking lot was empty that day, but Royston said there are often other groups scattered around.
Polizzi said he’s confident he’ll stay in touch with close friends, but he thinks about the classmates he won't see again. “It’s weird that I'll never get to say goodbye,” he said.
Although no official announcements have been made yet, the students expect there’ll be no prom and no in-person graduation ceremony.
“I already have my (prom) dress, and that thing wasn’t cheap,” Royston joked. “I’d like to have pictures of it and I’d like to wear it and I’d like people to see it.”
Advertisement
Royston said her mother and others are trying to find a way for some sort of informal gathering over the summer. “I don’t think that nothing will happen," Royston said. "Obviously, people have been waiting for this. People paid money for things.”
At Lane Tech, which describes itself as the “school of champions,” athletes will have no spring season of competition.
Cloud, a volleyball player, said he had tryouts and three days of practice. “That was it.”
For Polizzi, missing the spring season could have a real impact on his hopes for college. A member of Lane’s track and field team, Polizzi hopes to run for George Mason University in the fall. He hopes a limited number of summer meets will get him the times he’ll need to qualify.
“Athletically, we had a lot that we wanted to accomplish,” Polizzi said.
Neale, a fellow member of the track team, was hoping for a shot at a state championship. “We had a really good team,” Neale said. “We were really excited for that.”
Advertisement
As a junior, Neale will have another chance to compete, but he has other worries: applying to colleges. ACT and SAT exams have been delayed until the fall.
“CPS made it so your teachers can’t really lower your grades right now, and it does help relieve the stress,” Neale said. “It relieves the feeling that the world’s falling apart right now.”
May 1 is usually the deadline to select a college and typically a day of celebration. Cloud, Royston and Polizzi have all committed to colleges, but will miss out on traditional “decision day” celebrations.
As a new way to honor students, Lane has created an Instagram page where seniors can submit pictures along with their future school and major. The principal also told them there will be a montage video made for the class.
“At least it’s something,” said Royston.
While Polizzi will attend George Mason University in Virginia, Cloud has committed to Michigan State University and Royston to Indiana University. But all three wonder what classes will be like there in the fall.
Advertisement
Royston is a classical singer and doesn’t know how those classes would be done online.
“It's really hard to have voice lessons over Zoom,” Royston said. “Especially if I have a new teacher I don't even know yet.”
Until then, she has her friends.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Daywatch: Pritzker says shutdown is only way to curb virus, food distribution pop-ups help fill gap

Daywatch: Pritzker says shutdown is only way to curb virus, food distribution pop-ups help fill gap and plovers reunite at Montrose Beach

In early March , Rene Olivo Sangabriel was just one among the thousands of Cook County Jail inmates who would @ @ @ @ @ devastating path of COVID-19 .
He and his attorney determined the risk that immigration officials @ @ @ @ @ in the Illinois Department of Corrections so they wanted him to burn time as possible @ @ @ @ @ they told a judge he wanted to stay to finish a drug and alcohol treatment @ @ @ @ @ , it was COVID-19 that caught Sangabriel .

Want Daywatch delivered to your inbox? Sign up here. | Get the top Tribune stories of the day on your smart speaker | Here’s how to get the most out of your Tribune subscription | Got something to say? Join the conversation on our Facebook page
Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
Advertisement
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during the daily news briefing about the coronavirus pandemic on May 3, 2020, at the Thompson Center in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Sunday announced 2,994 new cases of the coronavirus in Illinois, the second-highest daily total since the pandemic began. But the governor also said 19,417 new tests for the coronavirus were completed within the previous 24 hours through Sunday afternoon, the most screenings yet across the state.
As Chicagoans and Illinois residents enjoyed the second straight day of warm spring weather, the governor again implored people to adhere to the state’s stay-at-home order. With restrictions in place since mid-March, some weary residents drawn outside by ample sunshine and temperatures in the 70s began to stretch the boundaries or simply ignore the statewide rules.
Advertisement
Vendors chose produce for customers and bagged it themselves, instead of allowing patrons to touch the vegetables. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
The downtown Evanston farmers market kicked off the outdoor season Saturday with a two-block line around the market and some rural vendors scared about coming into the city. Even with familiar sightings of spiky green leeks poking out of wrinkled canvas totes, the market worked differently due to the pandemic.
Rene Olivo Sangabriel celebrates a family baptism in Chicago. Sangabriel contracted COVID-19 inside Cook County Jail and died April 19, 2020, at St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago. (Family photo)
In early March, Rene Olivo Sangabriel was just one among the thousands of Cook County Jail inmates who would soon find themselves in the devastating path of COVID-19. He and his attorney determined the risk that immigration officials would find him was higher in the Illinois Department of Corrections so they wanted him to burn time as possible at the jail, where they told a judge he wanted to stay to finish a drug and alcohol treatment program. In the end, it was COVID-19 that caught Sangabriel.
Volunteers Donna Calvin, from left, Laverne Lewis and Dr. Javette Orgain take out apples from boxes from the Greater Chicago Food Depository in the parking lot of Trinity United Church of Christ on May 1, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
Under a sunny sky Friday morning outside Trinity United Church of Christ on the city’s Far South Side, Monica Moss and other volunteers gave away 500 boxes of boxed and canned food and fresh produce. The effort marked the beginning of a partnership among seven community- and faith-based organizations and the Greater Chicago Food Depository to address food insecurity in areas hardest hit by COVID-19.
A Great Lakes piping plover, nicknamed Rose, broods over two of her newly hatched chicks and unhatched eggs at Montrose Beach on July 18, 2019, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
After wintering far away from Lake Michigan, Monty and Rose, the federally endangered piping plovers who fledged two chicks last summer on Montrose Beach, have each flown across the country to end up together again on the same patch of Chicago sand.


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Food distribution pop-up sites start on South, West sides to fill gap during COVID-19 pandemic

“ It ’ s up to us to make it happen , ” Moss said .
“ The food is @ @ @ @ @ going to be turned away .
Don ’ t have to prove any need .
@ @ @ @ @ healthy food to people and let people know this really is in response to the @ @ @ @ @ coming to light because of COVID-19 .
”

Volunteers Donna Calvin, from left, Laverne Lewis and Dr. Javette Orgain take out apples from boxes from the Greater Chicago Food Depository in the parking lot of Trinity United Church of Christ on May 1, 2020. Approximately 500 boxes of nonperishable items and bags with produce were given away. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
Under a sunny sky Friday morning outside Trinity United Church of Christ on the city’s Far South Side, Monica Moss and other volunteers gave away 500 boxes of boxed and canned food and fresh produce.
The effort marked the beginning of a partnership among seven community- and faith-based organizations and the Greater Chicago Food Depository to address food insecurity in areas hardest hit by COVID-19.
Advertisement
“Our church sits in what would be considered a food desert. To get healthy food to people, to raise awareness about eating healthy, has been my passion,” said Moss, first lady of the church, which is at the corner of 95th Street and Eggleston Avenue.
“It was a beautiful day. People were just so excited to be out of the house helping people," she said.
Advertisement
Moss’ church, and six others on the city’s South and West sides, will host pop-up food distribution for the next five weeks. Volunteers from each organization will distribute 500 to 1,000 boxes of food weighing 20 to 30 pounds each.
“Even before the coronavirus pandemic, black and brown households in Chicago were disproportionately affected by food insecurity,” said Nicole Robinson, vice president of community impact for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
“Food insecurity rates were between 30 and 50%, poverty was between 40 and 60% … our hearts hang low because we have double-digit unemployment now, these neighborhoods were already experiencing 10 to 30% unemployment,” she said.
Each of the distributions will be outside, so people can observe social distancing guidelines while getting food. These distributions are open to the public but intended for neighborhood residents. At Trinity UCC on Friday, people lined up in their cars. The mood was jovial, Moss said.
“It’s up to us to make it happen,” Moss said. “The food is free, no one is going to be turned away. Don’t have to prove any need. We just want to get healthy food to people and let people know this really is in response to the specific needs being demonstrated, coming to light because of COVID-19.”
The effort to distribute 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of shelf-stable food each week, along with produce and frozen chicken and pork, was put together in just a few weeks because the depository worked with groups with established community relationships.
“What needed to happen was to partner with trusted, community-based and faith-based leaders who already have a unique set of relationships in the community,” Robinson said. “Many haven’t been involved in food access before, but with the recognition that this is a unique moment, a unique time, we need to mobilize and do something.”
Robinson said the goal is to look toward permanently addressing food insecurity in neighborhoods where, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity already existed. She noted that each of the organizations is providing volunteers and promoting their distributions.
Advertisement
“These will run for five weeks, but it’s not going to end at five weeks. Many people will continue to receive unemployment. They may not be able to return to the workforce as quickly as they’d like. We’re looking for a permanent, long-term response. They’re all committed to either being a leader of a new pantry or helping build the capacity of other partners.”


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--Column: Graceland Cemetery is an unexpected green oasis, with architecture galore. Don’t miss these

Column: Graceland Cemetery is an unexpected green oasis, with architecture galore. Don’t miss these monuments.

When I visited , , it was a perfectly mournful day , with a constant drizzle seeping out of slate-gray @ @ @ @ @ so restful that it was easy to forget I was in the middle of the @ @ @ @ @ of the “ L , ” which lines Graceland ’ s eastern edge , and @ @ @ @ @ ( a rare thing these days ) interrupted the serenity .
At times , I @ @ @ @ @ you might in a suburban subdivision with a maze of curving streets .

The memorial of Potter and Bertha Palmer at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago on April 30. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
With the coronavirus death toll rising ever higher, a cemetery might be the last place on Earth you’d consider for a soothing stroll.
But a cemetery that gathers the dead can comfort the living, especially during a pandemic.
Advertisement
That’s the impression I came away with after a recent stroll at Chicago’s Graceland Cemetery — a picturesque expanse that’s as notable for its architecture and landscape design as for the notables (captains of industry, celebrated architects and Cubs star Ernie Banks) who are buried there.
Located at the busy intersection of Irving Park Road and Clark Street, a half mile northwest of another pastoral oasis, Wrigley Field, the 119-acre cemetery has always attracted strollers who go there to refresh their spirits rather than to mourn.
Advertisement
Yet after Mayor Lori Lightfoot shut down the lakefront in late March to prevent more foolish gatherings that would spread the coronavirus, Graceland experienced a jump in foot traffic — so much that the cemetery’s managers were forced to erect a display that spells out new guidelines: Practice social distancing, no groups of more than five people, etc.
With warm weather arriving and Lightfoot showing no sign of opening the lakefront anytime soon, Graceland’s value as an outlet for pent-up pedestrian activity that is allowed during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order can only grow. So will the need for new visitors to obey its rules.
“Graceland is first and foremost a cemetery, please be mindful of those who may be mourning as you pass by,” says a notice mounted on temporary wood posts. “Graceland is a green space, but not a public recreational park; only passive recreation is allowed."
“If the crowds get too large, we would have to close it to everyone,” Jensen Allen, Graceland’s associate director told me Friday.
It’s telling that the cemetery’s managers have to remind people that it’s not a park even though its setting is parklike. Pastoral cemeteries were precursors of today’s urban parks.
The first, the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass., was dedicated in 1831. Its beautifully sloping landscape contains the burial plots of such famous New Englanders as the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. City dwellers in search of a respite from packed streets would go there to picnic.
Graceland, founded in 1860 and shaped by a landscape architects including O.C. Simonds, is a Midwestern version of those Eastern ideals.
Curving streets and gentle slopes set the cemetery apart from Chicago’s relentless street grid and overall flatness. Graceland seems all the more verdant because it contrasts so sharply with its dense urban neighborhood. It’s a certified arboretum, with more than 2,000 trees. The species range from Kentucky coffeetree to shagbark hickory to the appropriately named weeping willow.
Advertisement
When I visited,, it was a perfectly mournful day, with a constant drizzle seeping out of slate-gray skies. The landscape was so restful that it was easy to forget I was in the middle of the city. Only the rumble of the “L,” which lines Graceland’s eastern edge, and the roar of passing jets (a rare thing these days) interrupted the serenity. At times, I felt disoriented, just as you might in a suburban subdivision with a maze of curving streets.
I was drawn, inevitably, to the small lake on the cemetery’s north side, whose edges are lined with monuments to notable Chicagoans, including Banks, whose marker is topped by a sculpted version of baseball glove. Cemeteries offer a respite from the city, but even within their borders, the laws of real estate still apply. The choice waterfront plots go to the rich and famous.
Still, as in cities, there is infinite aesthetic variety, an expression, even in death, of the vast spectrum of the human character.
For graceful self-aggrandizement, it’s hard to beat the hilltop, open-air Ionic temple that New York architects McKim, Mead & White designed to shelter the remains of the merchant prince-real estate promoter Potter Palmer and his wife Bertha, the queen of Chicago society.
Detail of Carrie Eliza Getty Tomb, designed by Louis Sullivan in 1890 for businessman Henry Harrison Getty to memorialize his wife, at Graceland Cemetery. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Ryerson Tomb, 1887 designed by Louis Sullivan at Graceland Cemetery. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Grave of architect Louis Sullivan in Graceland Cemetery. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
For elegant self-effacement, there’s the simple black granite marker that Chicago architect Dirk Lohan designed to honor his grandfather, the master modernist Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It’s a perfect expression of Mies’ much-quoted maxim, “less is more."
In no other cemetery, perhaps, do architects play such a prominent role, both as creators of memorials and subjects of them. As I toured, I was struck by the way Graceland encapsulates Chicago’s identity as city of great buildings and equally great urban planning achievements.
Advertisement
Chicago Tribune Opinion Weekdays Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Two memorials designed by architect Louis Sullivan, stand out for their astonishing creativity. The Getty Tomb is a perfectly proportioned, delicately decorated mass of Bedford limestone that honors Carrie Eliza Getty, the wife of lumber merchant Henry Harrison Getty. The Martin Ryerson Tomb, which recognizes a lumber merchant and real estate speculator, synthesizes Egyptian precedents into a powerful expression of eternity. (Sullivan’s own memorial, a broad boulder with the architect’s profile set within one of decorative designs, can be found nearby.)
As powerful as the Sullivan-designed monuments are, my favorite place at Graceland is not a work of architecture, but a piece of environmental design — the island in the lake where the architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham and his family are buried. You reach the island by crossing a narrow wood footbridge. It leads to an irregularly-shaped boulder that marks the resting place of Burnham and his wife Margaret.
A canopy of trees offers a sense of shelter, while the water surrounding the island adds a dose of serenity. The lakefront that Burnham championed as a great public space is closed to the public, but here, at least, the visitor can honor the visionary who did so much to create it.
Graceland Cemetery is open seven days a week. Current hours on Monday through Friday are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and on Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Before visiting, check the cemetery’s website, gracelandcemetery.org to be sure it remains open. The cemetery’s buildings are currently closed to the public.
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Advertisement
Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-05-04--The coronavirus pandemic has people cooped up and anxious. Therapy dogs are here to help, by video c

The coronavirus pandemic has people cooped up and anxious. Therapy dogs are here to help, by video call, of course.

“ It ’ s tough for all of us right now .
We can ’ t do the type of @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said of physical visits .
“ We are figuring out ways to @ @ @ @ @ our dogs could help , but the risks are just too high and it ’ @ @ @ @ @ one of us .
”

Ash, one of Canine Therapy Corps operations manager Ann Davidson's therapy dogs, plays in her backyard April 30, 2020, in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago. The dogs usually visit with people in hospitals or other facilities and are now doing virtual visits due to the coronavirus pandemic. Davidson said she's done a virtual visit with Rush University Medical Center staff and has future visits planned. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Video call meetings and work-from-home regulations are no longer just for humans. Illinois-based organizations that offer therapy dog services are having their canines offer their emotional support online.
Typically in disasters, therapy dogs are dispatched to physically comfort those affected, said Tim Hetzner, president and CEO of Lutheran Church Charities. But, with growing concerns and physical limitations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, video calls have comforted those who need it the most. With the physical restrictions of the state’s stay-at-home order, many Chicagoans are also choosing to foster pets for companionship.
Advertisement
“Many states have stay-at-home orders, and we thought of how we could continue to touch people without being able to physically go out with the animals,” Hetzner said.
The organization, based in Northbrook, has a comfort dog ministry that trains dogs and dispatches them to other churches, schools and universities as well as places hit by disaster or crisis. Virtual appointments with the dogs can be made by filling out an online form.
Advertisement
Currently, there are 130 trained comfort golden retrievers in 26 states, with 39 dogs across Illinois, according to the organization. The dogs work from home and are available for virtual visits around the clock. Trained caregivers house the good boys (and girls) when they are not hard at work.
Canine Therapy Corps operations manager Ann Davidson sits with her two therapy dogs, Rocko, left, and Ash, on April 30, 2020, in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago. The dogs usually visit with people in hospitals or other facilities but are out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
“Many visits are for nurses and doctors,” Hetzner said. “We’ve done visits in emergency rooms where they have us on an iPad and pass the iPad around. It’s been rewarding because a lot of hurting people right now just need to talk and have a friendly face and a friendly canine face.”
The benefits of a friendly canine face even translate virtually, he said.
Megan Kirchen, a nurse at Amita Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, has helped coordinate Zoom calls with the comfort dogs over the last several weeks. Nurses working both day and night shifts in the COVID-19 ICU, COVID-19 medical unit and oncology nurses have had virtual visits with the dogs, said.
Calls have lasted up to 45 minutes, with nurses cycling through the video chats for a glimpse of the dogs, Kirchen said. She estimates more than 30 nurses have interacted with the dogs online.
“I’ve seen tears and smiles,” she said. “It’s great for the nurses to hear the gratitude from the local community. It’s good to see people come together nationally for the nurses and for the sacrifice that they’re giving. The visits are like a little break for their minds as they’re taking care of other people.”
According to recent research, physicians and nurses who interact with a therapy dog for several minutes have lower stress levels.
“We weren’t sure how the virtual visits would work, but people on calls just start smiling,” Hetzner said.
Advertisement
Though Canine Therapy Corps has suspended all training, certification and programs due to COVID-19, the organization is still looking for ways to engage people with their therapy dogs, said Ann Davidson, an operations manager with the organization.
People in search of virtual companionship can request video chat sessions and photos of the dogs, Davidson said.
“It’s tough for all of us right now. We can’t do the type of work we want to do,” she said of physical visits. “We are figuring out ways to keep helping. We know our dogs could help, but the risks are just too high and it’s just heartbreaking for every one of us.”
Davidson also mentioned people can seek animal companionship by fostering or adopting pets.
Since March 13, there have been more than 286 animals placed in foster homes said Bridget Bittman, a spokeswoman for The Anti-Cruelty Society.
Husband and wife Simon Elliott and Alice Waterman-Elliott foster a 7-month-old dog named Taco. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Simon Elliott of West Town decided to foster a pet during the pandemic to help an animal rescue group, and get a little extra companionship. Elliot and his wife are fostering Taco, a 7-month-old hound mix, from The Anti-Cruelty Society.
Advertisement
Elliot said he had been wanting to get a dog for some time, and the stay-at-home order pushed him to start small and foster first.
“It’s a good way to help out these organizations,” Elliot said. “Now we walk around the area and it's an excuse to get out.”
Taco will be a member of their household for at least a month and is busy getting to know the other neighborhood dogs and his new family.
Maeve Godsell, 11, holds her family's adopted rabbit Sonny at their home on April 29, 2020, in Park Ridge. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Fostering during the pandemic has become popular all across Chicago’s suburbs, also. In Park Ridge, Britt Godsell and her family adopted Sonny the bunny, a 4-year-old Dutch rabbit whom the entire family has quickly fallen in love with.
Godsell said that this is the family’s first pet, and that they found the rabbit through a friend who fosters small mammals. The bunny hops freely about their home and entertains her three children.
“Everybody has a different voice now because we talk quietly and gently to the bunny,” she said. “He brings a sense of calmness to everyone. We really lucked out.”
Advertisement
jvillagomez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @JessicaVillag