chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Visits, warnings and little legal action: Enforcing COVID-19 restrictions in Kane County has proved

Visits, warnings and little legal action: Enforcing COVID-19 restrictions in Kane County has proved challenging

“ It ’ s just a terrible situation that we ’ re in , ” Aurora Ald .
Patty Smith @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Because people are trying to keep food on the table and pay their @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have resources for our police or for anyone else to go and knock @ @ @ @ @ places and say , ‘ you ’ re supposed to shut down.
’ And then @ @ @ @ @ to walk in and shut down a business that a guy might not be able @ @ @ @ @ month if he gets shut down .
”

Five days after the governor’s latest prohibition on indoor dining took effect in Kane County, a sheriff’s deputy visited a Sugar Grove restaurant and found patrons sitting inside.
“I advised I was not here to enforce anything other than I was required to document, and educate on current guidelines,” the deputy wrote in an Oct. 28 report.
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The next week, the deputy returned to the restaurant and again saw people dining indoors. This time, the deputy didn’t enter the restaurant “due to the upset nature of the last compliance check,” because “I did not want to further make any situation worse by entering,” according to the report. Again, the deputy was not there to enforce, but rather to document and educate on current guidelines, the report states.
The restaurant, Fireside Grille, also received a call from the county health department, general manager Dan Ferrusquia said.
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Like at Fireside, much of the enforcement of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 rules in Kane County has consisted of visits, phone calls and letters or warnings to businesses, documents and interviews show. Little action has been taken through the courts, according to the state’s attorney’s office, and officials in the county’s two largest cities, Aurora and Elgin, say they have not issued any citations or fines due to COVID-19 violations.
Instead, some city and county agencies say they lack authority to take legal action to enforce the governor’s rules or point the finger of responsibility at each other. Enforcement is patchwork, at best, leaving businesses on their own to interpret local guidance.
Despite the health department call and sheriff’s office visits, Fireside Grille remains open for indoor dining. The restaurant is taking COVID-19 precautions, including requiring masks, but it would likely take a stronger, legal measure to shut down the indoor portion, Ferrusquia said.
“If we close down completely for business, we would probably go under,” he said. “So we figured that it’s more of a deterrent of us losing our jobs, than these one or two visits.”
Since July, authorities found instances where at least 20 businesses or organizations failed to follow rules requiring masks, capping gathering sizes or, most recently, prohibiting indoor service at bars and restaurants, sheriff’s reports and health department notices show. While documents show many businesses were already complying with the rules when deputies visited, and some restaurants began complying after a visit or talk with the health department, in at least three instances during that time, including at Fireside Grille, deputies found violations on repeated visits.
Pritzker has placed the onus for enforcing those those violations on local city officials, police, state’s attorneys and health departments, highlighting the limited number of state police.
Aurora city officials said at a recent public meeting jurisdiction to enforce the rules lies with county sheriffs offices, county health departments or state authorities.
Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said he has been told by the state’s attorney’s office that under the current round of restrictions he has no means to make an arrest or write a ticket. It is the responsibility of the health department to escalate any violations it chooses and seek a business closure order through the court, he said.
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The health department, in response to a Beacon-News public records request for warnings or other enforcement notices, provided seven letters sent to four locations, the county fairgrounds and several groups affiliated with events at the fairgrounds. Six were notices of noncompliance and one was an order of dispersal, directing the businesses to comply with either gathering size limits or mask requirements.
No county police departments have sought criminal charges against businesses for violations of the rules, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. The county health department has sought one closure order through the courts — for COVID-19 concerns at a St. Charles meat processing plant in April, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
The health department did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this story. Hain said the department likely would have difficulty obtaining more binding business closure orders from a judge because of the high burden of proof required.
“It’s just a terrible situation that we’re in,” Aurora Ald. Patty Smith recently told the city council. “Because people are trying to keep food on the table and pay their bills, and we don’t have resources for our police or for anyone else to go and knock on the doors of these places and say, ‘you’re supposed to shut down.’ And then they don’t want to walk in and shut down a business that a guy might not be able to pay his mortgage next month if he gets shut down.”
No jurisdiction
In Aurora, where city officials said they have limited authority to enforce the rules, Mayor Richard Irvin has said the city relies on the sheriffs and health departments in the city’s four counties and they have taken varying approaches. Irvin sent a letter to Pritzker in late October asking for “more consistent and uniform enforcement” of the restrictions.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin (City of Aurora / HANDOUT)
Aurora can take action against a liquor license, such as levying fines or suspending or revoking a license, but has faced difficulty doing so over the governor’s rules because city code doesn’t address liquor licensing in a pandemic, Assistant Corporation Counsel Deb Lang told the council. Rather, city code covers steps after the health department takes action, she said.
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Chief Management Officer Alex Alexandrou said he has also heard some communities were advised if they were sued over enforcement measures their insurance would not pay out.
“But at the end of the day, is that really going to force the closure of a place, to comply with a health order that comes from others, not us?” Alexandrou said. “And the stark reality is, we have to figure out a way, as a state, let alone a city, how to keep our restaurants open and survive the winter that’s coming.”
Elgin, by contrast, has its own health department, which has conducted visits to businesses. In many cases, businesses were already in compliance by the time inspectors arrived or came into compliance shortly after, city spokeswoman Molly Gillespie said in a statement.
“Right now is an extremely challenging time for businesses and they have a vested interest in protecting the health of their patrons,” Gillespie said.
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office has encouraged local agencies to use repeated efforts to gain voluntary compliance with the governor’s orders, she said, and the Elgin health department relies on education, verbal counseling and written notices. In the most extreme cases the city could impose fines through the liquor commission or take other enforcement allowed under city code, but it has not done so, she said.
Repeated violations
Elsewhere in Kane County, sheriff’s deputies conduct business checks, mostly following complaints fielded by the Kane County Health Department.
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Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain (Kane County Sheriffs Office / HANDOUT)
In many cases, when the deputies arrive they see no violations, sheriff’s reports show. When they do see violations, often a deputy informs a manager or an owner of the COVID-19 rules, documents show.
In some cases, like at Fireside, deputies return to a business after speaking with a manager and note violations on their second visit as well. At one such restaurant, Elgin Public House, deputies visited twice and the city of Elgin health department visited three times, owner Greg Shannon said, but he is keeping indoor dining open.
He said he takes COVID-19 precautions and seeks to protect his customers and staff, and a sheriff’s report noted some measures in place. But Shannon said he would have to be cited and brought before a judge — which he says wouldn’t be appropriate anyway, since he doesn’t view the governor’s orders as law — before he halts indoor dining.
“We’re pushing our curbside, we’re pushing our deliveries,” Shannon said. “But like I said, it doesn’t pay the bills. I have rent to pay.”
Hain said his office received an opinion from the state’s attorney’s office that his deputies have no enforcement mechanism, such as writing a ticket or making an arrest, for the most recent COVID-19 rules. If the health department seeks a closure order through the courts, and a judge signs an order, his office would execute it, he said.
In the meantime, following up on complaints helps the health department, which doesn’t have the staff to do it, he said.
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“This is a public health issue, not a police issue, so that’s why we’re very open and honest about what we can and can’t do in these circumstances,” Hain said.
The Kane County Health Department, for its part, has issued six notices of noncompliance since August. Two of those have been to the Kane County Fairgrounds and related organizations for scheduled events that would violate 50-person gathering limits.
In early November the health department issued a third notice to the fairgrounds, this time an order of dispersal due to repeated complaints about large events. The order noted the health department had repeatedly contacted the fairgrounds to seek compliance with crowd size limits and ordered the venue to disperse patrons. Like the earlier notices of noncompliance, it warned of action the department might take and directed the venue to comply with gathering size limits.
Officials from the fairgrounds could not be reached for comment.
County agencies continue to discuss enforcement. A new state’s attorney took office Tuesday, and she and her office are reviewing the governor’s rules, her office said. In Aurora, city council members suggested that businesses not in compliance with the COVID-19 rules should not benefit from any future city financial relief programs.
In the meantime, Ald. Robert O’Connor told the council the city faces an agonizing situation.
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“If we can’t figure out, either at the state level or lower at the county, how to better enforce the requirements, and it keeps spreading ... to other establishments, we know that the balance is going to start tipping the other way,” he said.
sfreishtat@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Man shot on Eisenhower left in ‘extremely critical’ condition on Near West Side

Chicago Fire Department paramedics were there about 1:35 p.m. for a 20-year-old man who was shot in the head , @ @ @ @ @ He was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in “ traumatic arrest , ” @ @ @ @ @ to survive .

A man who was shot in the head while on the Eisenhower Expressway and died after the Friday afternoon attack on the Near West Side has been identified.
The victim, a 21-year-old man identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Nshaune Johnson, died of multiple gunshot wounds, an autopsy on Saturday determined. The death of Johnson, who was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital at 2:03 p.m. on Friday, was ruled a homicide.
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The incident began about 1:30 p.m. on the inbound Ike at Canal Street, when shots were fired from an unknown vehicle, also traveling in the area of Canal Street on the inbound Ike, state police said.
State police offered no further details.
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At approximately 1:40 p.m., all inbound lanes were closed for the investigation, and traffic was diverted off at Racine Avenue. At approximately 5:44 p.m., all inbound lanes were opened.
Illinois state police investigate an incident on the the Eisenhower Expressway just west of the Old Post Office on Dec. 4, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Outbound traffic was not affected.
Anyone who witnessed the shooting or have any knowledge of the shooting is asked to contact the ISP at 847-294-4400. Callers can remain anonymous.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Len Kasper, the TV voice of the Chicago Cubs for 16 seasons, will join the White Sox radio booth

“ There was no animosity , ” Kasper said .
“ This was all done for the right reasons .
@ @ @ @ @ could to keep me .
But at the end of the day , my gut @ @ @ @ @ wanted to try to do , and here we go .
”

Marquee Sports Network announcers Jim Deshaies and Len Kasper during a spring training game at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The Wrigley Field exodus continues.
After 16 seasons as TV voice of the Chicago Cubs, Len Kasper has signed on to become the radio play-by-play announcer of the crosstown White Sox.
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Kasper’s hire is not “Harry Caray from the Sox to the Cubs” huge, but it’s nevertheless a sizable move across the baseball and media landscapes at a time when perceptions of the city’s two ballclubs seem to be in flux.
The team and WMVP-AM 1000, which last month was named the Sox’s new radio flagship, formally announced the addition of Kasper on Friday morning. The Athletic reported his move late Thursday.
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It's official: Len Kasper has joined the White Sox radio team, teaming with Darrin Jackson on @ESPN1000.
Welcome to the White Sox, @LenKasper! — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 4, 2020
Besides radio, the Sox said Kasper will be part of their NBC Sports Chicago announcing team for roughly 20 to 25 games. This would give him opportunity to work alongside lead TV play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti as well as veteran Steve Stone, who pitched and has been a radio and TV analyst for both teams.
Kasper and Benetti will work together on several multimedia projects, such as podcasts, throughout the year.
Kasper, who grew up in Michigan, cited the childhood influence of Ernie Harwell for inspiring his decision to change jobs.
The late Detroit Tigers broadcaster fostered Kasper’s love of baseball via the radio and, Kasper said on WMVP, “12-year-old Len Kasper is as thrilled as can be” to become radio voice of the Sox.
“Let’s make it very clear, if there’s any anger or frustration on Cubs fans’ part, it should be directed solely at me because I’m the one who spearheaded this crazy idea in the first place,” said Kasper, who will turn 50 next month.
Kasper thanked the ownership and management of both the Sox and Cubs for making his move possible. Ditto for the leadership of Marquee Sports Network, the TV venture the Cubs launched this year with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
“There was no animosity,” Kasper said. “This was all done for the right reasons. The Cubs did everything they could to keep me. But at the end of the day, my gut said this was something I wanted to try to do, and here we go.”
“What do you have against the Marquee Network? Believe me, you won’t be booing about that in a year.” - Tom Ricketts in January
11 months later & the Cubs TV play by play announcer for 16 years, Len Kasper, walks away from Marquee to join the White Sox.pic.twitter.com/eu8PNcjCCY — Cubs Live (@Cubs_Live) December 4, 2020
Marquee general manager Mike McCarthy, in a statement, acknowledged that Kasper is “chasing a dream” and “was resolute” about taking the Sox job despite Marquee’s retention efforts.
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“We have already received interest from several prominent candidates who look at the job as anybody would — as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with one of the most iconic franchises in sports,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy and the Cubs said their search for a successor to Kasper is wide open, casting doubt on sources who said Marquee was leaning toward Fox Sports’ Chris Myers as Kasper’s replacement alongside analyst Jim Deshaies.
Myers, 61, was to be Kasper’s regular backup on 2020 Cubs games on Marquee until COVID-19 disrupted plans. He had been brought aboard with the endorsement of actor-fan Bill Murray.
Kasper will join longtime Sox analyst Darrin Jackson in the team’s radio booth as replacement for Andy Masur, who was thrust into the play-by-play job after veteran announcer Ed Farmer died last spring.
As if succeeding Farmer weren’t difficult enough, Masur was saddled with doing so in a season in which baseball announcers had to call both home and road games from their home stadiums as a health precaution.
Neither circumstance was ideal.
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“I miss former partner Ed Farmer every single day, really enjoyed last season with Andy Masur and am appreciative of how each helped seamlessly form a tandem,” Jackson, who is set to begin his 22nd season as a Sox broadcaster and 13th on radio, said in a statement. “Now, I am looking forward to building a long-term bond with Len, Sox fans and all of our listeners.”
Oh how the tables have (finally) turned! pic.twitter.com/BS80PSPAGP — SoxNerd (@SoxNerd) December 4, 2020
While many TV announcers take days off when ESPN or Fox picks up games, Kasper has availed himself of the opportunity to contribute to Cubs radio broadcasts with Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer. Kasper also was part of WSCR-AM 670′s pregame programming and was on the field for the station when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series.
“If there was anybody out there who had no idea that radio was embedded in my soul, just consider that those were things that meant a lot to me whether it meant nothing to anyone else,” Kasper said. “So that’s why this is happening.”
Kasper’s desire to possibly call a World Series played a role, an opportunity unavailable to local TV announcers.
The Sox in 2021 are returning to the radio station on which they won the 2005 World Series with John Rooney announcing it — and now they’ve got another seasoned voice to call the action.
Kasper’s move is just the latest sign of how much change the Cubs are undergoing.
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This offseason already had seen the departures of team President Theo Epstein and pitcher Jon Lester, as well as non-tender statuses for 2016 World Series alumni Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. following the layoff of many behind-the-scenes baseball and business staffers.
Kasper’s hire beefs up an already strong Sox announcing corps on both TV and radio, with Benetti and Stone already considered one of the best local TV pairings in baseball.
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“Len brings an unparalleled reputation and status to any broadcast team, and we are fortunate to welcome him to ours,” Brooks Boyer, Sox chief revenue and marketing officer, said in the team’s announcement.
Adam Amin, a rising star at Fox Sports and the incoming TV voice of the NBA’s Bulls on NBC Sports Chicago, has talked about using a recording of Kasper’s WGN-Ch. 9 call of Aramis Ramirez’s 2007 walk-off home run against the Milwaukee Brewers as a ring tone when attending Valparaiso University.
Amin’s alarm every morning was: “The pitch to Aramis. There’s a drive, deep left-center! Cubs win! They win it! Ramirez, two-run shot! Oh, baby! Can you believe it?!”
Said Amin: “My roommate hated me.”
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Kasper was play-by-play man of the Miami Marlins for three seasons before becoming the Cubs’ lead TV announcer in 2005.
A graduate of Marquette, he called select Milwaukee Brewers games from 1999-2001. He also for a time was host of pregame and halftime shows for the Green Bay Packers radio network.
Now it’s goodbye, Cubs blue, and hello, black and white.


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives a COVID-19 update

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker will give an update on the state ’ s response to the coronavirus in a briefing @ @ @ @ @ the latest updates on COVID-19 in Illinois here .

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chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Developer had big plans for land polluted by the steel industry on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Instead

Developer had big plans for land polluted by the steel industry on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Instead, he flipped the property for millions, and now taxpayers likely will pay for the cleanup.

He said he left property development two decades ago and said it was up to the city and the EPA @ @ @ @ @ clean up his land .
State records show he remained actively involved with the property @ @ @ @ @ when the Illinois EPA kicked him out of its voluntary cleanup program .

The Donald Schroud site in the Hegewisch neighborhood in Chicago is shown Sept. 28, 2018. Last year, this parcel became the city’s newest Superfund site, a federal designation reserved for the nation’s most contaminated properties. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
During the last years of Chicago’s once-mighty steel industry, a clout-heavy developer seized an opportunity to make millions while offering the city’s beleaguered Southeast Side a glimmer of hope.
Donald Schroud vowed to create hundreds of jobs by building an industrial park and sports complex on a swath of heavily polluted land he bought in 1994 from one of the last steel companies operating along the Calumet River.
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Donald Schroud at 29 when he was a Republican candidate for state Senate in 1972. (Chicago Tribune archive)
For just $50,000, the deal gave Schroud control of a corner of the city nearly nine times larger than Millennium Park.
Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration embraced the developer’s plans. But another City Hall power broker helped doom the ambitious project from the start.
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Now-indicted Ald. Edward Burke shepherded legislation creating a special taxing district intended to provide enough money to clean up Schroud’s land, build roads and install sewers, city records show. Then, working in his private capacity as Schroud’s tax attorney, Burke won an appeal that slashed the land’s value by 75%, depriving the city of millions slated to make the site attractive to new businesses.
A Tribune investigation found Schroud cashed in six years later by flipping half of the property to another developer for $4.2 million — a whopping 84 times more than what he paid for the entire site. He left behind some of the most toxic land in the city, setting back for decades the renewal of neighborhoods devastated by layoffs and lost retirement benefits when steel companies abandoned Chicago.
“Another example of people promising big things then failing to deliver,” said Peggy Salazar, a lifelong neighborhood resident who leads the nonprofit Southeast Environmental Task Force.
Last year, the biggest parcel Schroud still owns became the city’s newest Superfund site, a federal designation reserved for the nation’s most contaminated properties. Taxpayers likely will be left with the tab for a long and costly cleanup.
He donated other tracts to a youth baseball organization in the Hegewisch neighborhood. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently discovered that a field the Babe Ruth League built at 126th Place and Carondolet Avenue is contaminated with high levels of toxic manganese. (Schroud did not previously own a nearby ball field cleaned up during the summer by the EPA, according to property records.)
(Jemal R. Brinson)
In a brief telephone conversation last month, Schroud said he did not make any money from the site, contradicting property records indicating he did.
He said he left property development two decades ago and said it was up to the city and the EPA, not him, to clean up his land. State records show he remained actively involved with the property until at least 2013, when the Illinois EPA kicked him out of its voluntary cleanup program.
Schroud told the Tribune he lives modestly in an apartment in suburban Arlington Heights. His tax bills are sent to a luxury high-rise in Chicago’s Gold Coast, records show.
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He declined to characterize his relationship with Burke, the once-influential alderman accused by federal prosecutors of strong-arming people into becoming clients of his tax appeals firm in exchange for help at City Hall. Burke did not respond to a request for comment.
In 2000, a federal grand jury subpoenaed documents relating to an unusually lucrative lease Schroud got from Secretary of State Jesse White. Schroud, who was not accused of wrongdoing, had purchased the North Side building from the brother of a Cook County commissioner.
Later that year city and state officials accused Schroud of turning a chunk of his land on the Southeast Side into an illegal dump. He defied Cook County judges who twice ordered him to fence off the site; state officials confirmed he never paid a $1.3 million verdict won by the Illinois attorney general’s office in 2010, and they have not attempted to collect the money since 2012.
“I don’t have any money,” Schroud, 77, said when the Tribune asked him about the unpaid verdict. “If I had a million bucks I would be living in Mexico or South America right now.”
Aerial of Republic Steel, circa Jan. 23, 1969. (James OLeary / Chicago Tribune)
The Coal Hills
For most of the last century, Schroud’s land was owned by Republic Steel, one of the companies that built sprawling mills near the shore of Lake Michigan and, for a time, made Chicago a world leader in steel production.
Republic is infamous for the Chicago Police Department’s 1937 massacre of 10 unarmed protesters who gathered outside the mill on Memorial Day demanding union representation for the company’s steelworkers.
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South of the massacre site, Republic transformed more than 200 acres of wetlands into a moonscape. The company and its corporate successor, now-defunct LTV Steel, used the property as a dump for slag and other toxic waste, contaminating the land as well as a creek connecting Wolf Lake to the Calumet River.
Until the city extended 126th Place from Torrence Avenue to Avenue O during the mid-2000s, most of the former Republic/LTV parcels couldn’t be reached by car. People who grew up in the neighborhood know the Superfund site as the Coal Hills, which remain an illicit destination for ATV riders and bored teenagers.
ATV riders cross slag heaps in the area south of 126th Place from Carondolet to Avenue O that was recently designated a Superfund cleanup site, north of the Hegewisch neighborhood, on Oct. 31, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
“If you’re not familiar with the environmental problems, it looks inviting,” said Gina Ramirez, a third-generation resident who recalled hanging out with friends at the Coal Hills during high school. “Nothing grows on it. It’s completely black, like something you see on the X Games. But if you look closely you’ll notice the water running through it is neon green.”
Now an adult with a child of her own, Ramirez works for the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, helping low-income Black and Latino communities in the Midwest fight for protection from industrial pollution.
She also is part of a younger generation revitalizing community groups that have spent decades clamoring for improvements on the Southeast Side, where Schroud’s polluted property is among several new or lingering health threats.
Gina Ramirez a third-generation resident of Chicago's Southeast Side who is trying to inform her Hegewisch neighbors about the toxic legacy left behind by steelmakers that abandoned the area in the 1980s and early '90s, is shown on Oct. 19, 2020, at the area south of 126th Place that was recently designated a Superfund cleanup site. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
‘A constant fight’
In August, the U.S. EPA began replacing soil from yards contaminated with manganese, a brain-damaging metal stored along the Calumet River by S.H. Bell, a Pittsburgh-based supplier to steel mills in northwest Indiana.
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EPA inspectors discovered the pollution during an investigation of KCBX Terminals, a nearby company that collected huge open piles of petroleum coke. Gritty black clouds repeatedly blew off the piles into the East Side neighborhood during 2013, ruining summer picnics, interrupting Little League Baseball games and prompting parents to keep their children inside with the windows closed.
Under pressure from local, state and federal leaders, KCBX stopped storing the byproduct of oil refining, shipping out of town what it had on hand before leaving its property vacant. But S.H. Bell and other companies along the Calumet remain in the spotlight.
The latest is Reserve Management Group, an Ohio-based company seeking Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s permission to move a scrap yard from white, largely wealthy Lincoln Park to the low-income, predominantly Latino neighborhood north of the Schroud Superfund site.
RMG already is building a new scrap shredder on another part of the former Republic Steel property, close to George Washington High School and Washington Elementary.
Site of new scrap shredder under construction by Reserve Management Group on Chicago's Southeast Side on Oct. 29, 2020. The land is part of the former Republic Steel/LTV steel mill. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Company officials contend neighbors won’t notice the operation, set back from Avenue O at 116th Street. But opponents note the U.S. EPA has sued the North Side facility, known as General Iron, three times since the 1990s for emitting too much pollution.
“It’s a constant fight,” said Clem Balanoff, a veteran community organizer who represented the Southeast Side in the Illinois House from 1989 to 1995.
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Lingering problem
Federal and state officials knew the Republic Steel property was contaminated years before Schroud bought most of it, records show. They delayed ordering a cleanup in part because at the time other parts of the region were considered more dangerous, including a cluster surrounding Lake Calumet and abandoned industrial sites across the state border.
Schroud later avoided federal scrutiny by applying in 2008 to join the state’s voluntary cleanup program. He and his consultants exchanged letters with the Illinois EPA for five years, according to an online docket that shows the state agency repeatedly told the developer he had failed to follow the program’s rules.
When asked how Schroud planned to clean up his property, the civil engineers he hired kept forwarding detailed plans prepared by the company that years earlier had purchased other portions of the land, records in the docket show.
By 2013, the Illinois EPA had run out of patience after Schroud declined to submit the required plans for his own land. An agency official told Schroud to get lost, albeit in bland, bureaucratic language.
“Please be advised that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has, as of this date, terminated the Site Remediation Program Review and Evaluation Services Agreement with Schroud Reality Group for the above referenced site,” the Oct. 30, 2013, letter began.
The site continued to fester until attorney Keith Harley and his team at the Chicago Legal Clinic began combing through old documents, some of which they relied on to jog the memories of officials at City Hall, the state capital and the U.S. EPA’s regional office.
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Harley’s quiet-but-firm advocacy on behalf of neighborhood groups persuaded the right people to request and order a cleanup under the Superfund law. Invoking the federal government’s authority enables the EPA to seek restitution from what’s left of companies responsible for the pollution and, if that isn’t possible, tap into the federal Treasury to pay for the work.
A potential future can be found north of 126th Place on the land Schroud sold two decades ago.
Oak Brook-based CenterPoint Properties turned most of it into a supplier park for the Ford Assembly Plant at 126th and Torrence Avenue. CenterPoint dug up some of the legacy pollution and paved over the rest, surrounding its lots with wrought-iron fencing, security cameras and artificial wetlands.
“We’re starting to turn a corner,” said Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, 10th. “Why don’t you write about all of the good things we’ve got going?”
The portion Schroud still owns is ringed by scrubby trees and concrete barriers featuring signs posted by the EPA warning visitors the property is toxic.
ATVs can be spotted riding the Coal Hills on the easily accessible Superfund site. Fresh tracks are visible through gaping holes in a rusty fence surrounding the other contaminated property, where county judges found Schroud had allowed illegal dumping on top of toxic waste from Republic Steel and LTV Steel.
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“This case was problematic from the start, when a single individual — rather than a company — was authorized to purchase a large, complicated piece of land,” said Annie Thompson, spokeswoman for Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “We gave Mr. Schroud opportunities to comply with the law. However, any action he took was never done appropriately.”
Asked about the ongoing problems, Schroud said he always had good intentions for the property.
“I didn’t pollute it, Republic and LTV did,” he said during the November interview with the Tribune. “But they declared bankruptcy. So guess what: I’m gone and so are they.”
mhawthorne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--University of Illinois’ COVID-19 saliva test reaches 1 million mark

Though some issues were reported at the outset of testing , including longer-than-anticipated wait times for results , those problems @ @ @ @ @ the program is largely heralded as a success as it is marketed to other institutions @ @ @ @ @ many as three times a week based on their level of risk — such as @ @ @ @ @ or off campus .

A COVID-19 testing site at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in September. The U. of I. has now conducted 1 million screens for coronavirus with the saliva test it developed. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The University of Illinois has performed 1 million COVID-19 tests on its three campuses since launching its saliva-based technology, a point of pride for the state’s largest college at a time when many institutions have struggled to keep coronavirus infections at bay.
Most of the tests — more than 930,000 — were done at the flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, where faculty researchers developed the test this summer, according to a news release. The Chicago campus has conducted more than 50,000 tests and the Springfield campus nearly 25,000.
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The test, run through the campus SHIELD team, has enabled administrators to keep classroom doors open and provide in-person learning opportunities this semester, University System President Tim Killeen said in the release.
“The SHIELD testing program allows us to regularly test every on-campus student as well as all faculty and staff,” he said. “Through 1 million tests to date, we were able to track the spread of the virus, allowing us to quickly isolate those who tested positive, spot flare-ups and crush them before they became outbreaks.”
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Though some issues were reported at the outset of testing, including longer-than-anticipated wait times for results, those problems appear to be resolved and the program is largely heralded as a success as it is marketed to other institutions. Students were tested as many as three times a week based on their level of risk — such as whether they lived in dorms or off campus.
The positivity rates among students and staff at the three campuses has remained well below that of the state, currently measured at about 10%. Though all instruction has shifted online until next semester, the positivity rate at the U. of I. most recently stood at .51% and UIC’s stood at 2.47%.
The university is still seeking emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to further expand testing.
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Lack of substitute teachers reaches crisis levels

In the wake of the pandemic , a shortage of substitute teachers across suburban Chicago has reached a crisis level @ @ @ @ @ where the roster of retired teachers and other part-time workers who are certified by the @ @ @ @ @ classroom teachers are absent has dwindled exponentially at a time of unprecedented demand for their @ @ @ @ @ the number of teachers needing to quarantine continues to spike , some districts are stepping @ @ @ @ @ , while others are concluding that remote learning with all its flaws is perhaps the @ @ @ @ @ until early 2021 .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 Sharon Nelles, a literacy and social-emotional learning coordinator, gets a computer up and running for virtual teaching with instructor Lynnae Jenkins as Nelles works with first graders as a substitute partner teacher at Patton Elementary School in Arlington Heights on Dec. 3, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
In the wake of the pandemic, a shortage of substitute teachers across suburban Chicago has reached a crisis level at many school districts, where the roster of retired teachers and other part-time workers who are certified by the state to fill in when classroom teachers are absent has dwindled exponentially at a time of unprecedented demand for their services. Now, as the number of teachers needing to quarantine continues to spike, some districts are stepping up their substitute recruitment efforts, while others are concluding that remote learning with all its flaws is perhaps the best option, at least until early 2021.


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--CTU criticizes reopening plan for Chicago Public Schools as unsafe and inequitable: ‘We’re in the pr

CTU criticizes reopening plan for Chicago Public Schools as unsafe and inequitable: ‘We’re in the process of putting forward demands’

“ To be clear , CTU is not advocating schools close .
CTU is saying … if we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ any plan has to have three elements to it : safety , there has to @ @ @ @ @ and there has to be an element of trust .
”

Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey, shown during last year's strike, said Thursday the CTU doesn't oppose the reopening of schools but that it has to be safe, equitable and done with "an element of trust." (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Teachers Union bashed the city’s reopening plan for public schools on Thursday, calling for specific health guidelines and more thorough protocols before it can support bringing any students into classrooms in early 2021.
“We are in the process of putting forward demands in the city about how our schools can open,” said CTU President Jesse Sharkey during a virtual event billed for Chicago Public Schools parents.
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“To be clear, CTU is not advocating schools close. CTU is saying … if we’re going to do school, any plan has to have three elements to it: safety, there has to be an element of equity and there has to be an element of trust.”
Sharkey also insinuated that CPS is rushing the process because of “political pressure” to jump-start the city’s economy and enable more parents to resume working.
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The virtual event took place as Illinois saw the highest seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began, setting a national record. In Chicago, the seven-day rolling average positivity rate stands at 11.6%, with Black and Latino communities seeing the most cases and deaths, according to city data.
In the wide-ranging CTU discussion, teachers listed a litany of problems with the plan, from a lack of basic sanitary supplies before the pandemic to the logistics of teaching in dual methods for students in person and those who opt to remain at home.
Educators also worried that specialists and clinicians serving multiple schools will have to travel between learning pods.
The plan, released just before Thanksgiving, allows students in prekindergarten and moderate and severe special education cluster programs to return Jan. 11, while students in kindergarten through eighth grade can return to elementary schools in a hybrid model Feb. 1.
In recent media interviews, CPS CEO Janice Jackson said the district is attempting to serve everyone, and that parents who don’t want their kids to learn in person will be able to continue with remote instruction.
In the coming weeks, CPS will be watching the city’s case-doubling time to determine whether it will proceed with reopening. If that metric does not stay above 18 days, schools cannot reopen. As of Nov. 25, the rate was 29 days.
Still, it’s not clear how many students will want to go back. When CPS polled families with pre-K and cluster students in October, only one-third said they would return to classrooms, with white families expressing the most interest for in-person learning.
But Jackson, citing disparities in remote learning attendance and engagement for students of color, has commented on the district’s “moral obligation to get our kids back in school so they don’t lose more ground than they’ve already lost.”
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When the issue of excessive screen time for young children came up at Thursday’s virtual forum, CTU leaders also pointed to the pandemic’s disproportionate effect on Black and brown communities.
Responding to that concern raised by a parent, educator Tara Stamps said that keeping children and adults from contracting COVID-19 should be the top priority given current conditions.
“Black communities have been devastated by COVID-19 … and we cannot even begin to wrap our heads around the screen time issues because we are consistently in hospitals and burying children,” Stamps said. “Right now, in the space that we’re living in, the screen time is not the most critical issue.”
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--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 @ @ @ @ @ .
The state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or @ @

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--2020-12-04--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 148 new deaths, 10,526 new confirmed and probable cases and 112,6

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 148 new deaths, 10,526 new confirmed and probable cases and 112,634 new test results

Illinois announced 10,526 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Friday for a total of 770,088 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 12,974 and 112,634 new test results for a total of 10.92 million @

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


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Thanksgiving takeout disasters offer lessons learned on how to do holiday carryout in a pandemic

“ We had a little leg up when they shut everyone down , because we were already doing that , @ @ @ @ @ I have one employee who ’ s high risk , and two younger employees who @ @ @ @ @ or grandparents .
They voiced those concerns to me , asking if we can please @ @ @ @ @ are .
”

On a sunny yet chilly Thanksgiving Day, nearly a dozen parties waited over an hour for pickup orders at an independent Chicago restaurant. Across town, a chain restaurant canceled delivery dinners last minute, ruining the holiday for a young couple working from home with their new baby.
Nearly a year into the pandemic, how can you try to avoid dining disasters when ordering for Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s? Three local restaurant owners share hard lessons learned, for restaurateurs and customers alike.
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Luella’s Southern Kitchen
Luella's Southern Kitchen chef and owner Darnell Reed, pictured outside the Lincoln Square restaurant Dec. 2, 2020, said they were slammed for Thanksgiving with more than 400 orders — eight times the previous year. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)
“Last year was our busiest Thanksgiving to date. We did about 50 covers. Only brunch,” said Darnell Reed, chef and owner of Luella’s Southern Kitchen in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. The restaurant, named after his Mississippi-born great-grandmother, opened six years ago serving Southern cuisine to critical acclaim and popular acclaim.
That popularity hasn’t waned. In fact, this year Luella’s was slammed with more than eight times the number of customers ordering takeout.
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“This is the first year we’ve done Thanksgiving carryout. We did 430 covers,” said Reed. “We’ve never served this many people in one day. And that wasn’t counting the pies.”
Plus his menu was ambitious and a bargain.
“We actually offered two menus. One with the main entree of duck confit, and a second with dark meat turkey, braised like short ribs,” said the chef.
The duck was served with crab stuffed shrimp, collard greens quiche, green beans and sweet potato dumplings. The turkey was served with dirty rice arancini, Brussels sprouts and fillet of trout.
“Then we added homemade sticky buns for dessert,” said Reed. The caramel covered, pecan studded, brown butter sticky buns were so good that a customer came back midweek for more.
Each package was $25.
The restaurant offered takeout earlier this year, for Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and all went well. But this holiday was different.
“This was the first one where we got some negative feedback,” he said. It was two things: portion size and the turkey. “I thought the braised turkey was going to be a real hit. I think more people prefer traditional turkey breast and gravy.”
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Chef Darnell Reed prepares orders of sticky buns Dec. 2, 2020 at his restaurant Luella's Southern Kitchen. For the next big holiday, he will probably limit takeout orders and simplify the menu. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Since things went really wrong with one customer on Thanksgiving, he offered a refund. They said they’d come back, much to his relief.
Reed will probably limit orders early next time, and simplify the menu.
“I am positive on New Year’s Day that people are just going to want brunch,” he said “So instead of me going crazy, people are just going to want the biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits.”
“And Hoppin’ John since it’s good luck to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.”
But only for takeout.
“We had a little leg up when they shut everyone down, because we were already doing that,” said Reed. “I have one employee who’s high risk, and two younger employees who live with their older parents or grandparents. They voiced those concerns to me, asking if we can please stay the way that we are.”
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“Until there’s a vaccine, hopefully.”
Ann Sather restaurants
“We did more business on Thanksgiving this year to go than we did with a full dining room last year,” said Tom Tunney, owner and operator of Ann Sather restaurants.
Open 75 years on Belmont Avenue in the Lakeview neighborhood, Tunney bought the business nearly 40 years ago “from Ann herself,” he said.
They sold out of 100 turkeys, sliced for about 1,000 dinners at the Belmont location, where he worked as chef that day, said Tunney. “We try to prepare reasonably, but you can’t over produce either.”
For customers disappointed by sold out turkey, he sent gift certificates.
“We’re losing money every day by being open during this pandemic,” he said. “We had a good day on Thanksgiving, but every other day I had to pay to stay open, and so do most restaurants.”
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Ann Sather, famous for cinnamon rolls, offers comfort food, “reasonably priced with great service in my humble opinion,” he added. “Most of my staff has worked for me from 25 to 40 years. I’m blessed with that, let me tell you.”
Tunney also has been the 44th Ward alderman in the neighborhood for 18 years.
For customers who want to best support their favorite restaurants, he explained that diners “should just do the old-fashioned call and come pick it up.”
“Because we’re not paying the 15% overhead,” said Tunney. “Some people order through Postmates or DoorDash, then pick it up themselves. I think, ‘What are you doing? Just call me direct,’” he said laughing.
Chicago City Council last month capped delivery fees paid to third-party services at 15%, which previously had been as high as 30%.
Meanwhile he’s planning his next holiday menu. “We’ve always been open for Christmas,” said Tunney. “A lot of restaurants are not, so the ones that are will be busy.”
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“Every holiday in this pandemic, we’re learning how to do better,” he said. “We’re probably going to have to have some kind of cutoff, because we need a couple of days notice.
“We’re trying to keep loyal customers and loyal employees, so maybe next year we’ll be 50% normal at this time.”
Kaufman’s Bagel & Delicatessen
“I honestly thought I was going to put a bullet through the phone,” said Bette Dworkin, owner of Kaufman’s Bagel & Delicatessen in Skokie. One of the few remaining old Jewish delis, Kaufman’s was founded in 1953. Her family has owned the beloved landmark since the mid-’80s.
Back in April, they closed for two weeks, then reopened strictly for phone orders with curbside pickup. Now, customers can enter for takeout. Yet the memory of those early social distancing days remains raw.
“It was the ringing and ringing and ringing,” said Dworkin. “And customers saying ‘I’ve been on hold’ and asking ‘Why do I have to wait?’ It was a little horrifying to be perfectly frank.”
In pre-pandemic times, she offered line snacks, like mini bagels, so customers in line wouldn’t come in hungry and crabby.
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Kaufman’s is best known for corned beef, lox and baked goods — all made on premises.
“I have a lot of nonnative English speakers so sometimes names still get mangled,” said Dworkin about her employees and customers. “Have the Goldbergs of Glenview accidentally gotten the Goldbergs of Glencoe’s order? Yes!”
She always closes the deli on Thanksgiving, but that didn’t stop the phone from ringing. “We have in past years cooked turkeys and never sold a slice,” said Dworkin. “So this year, we did not do turkey. And we were inundated with phone calls for turkeys.”
She shared some pointed advice for customers.
“When you’re placing a holiday order, place it as early as you possibly can, without calling 16 times to make changes,” she said laughing. “Those are the ways that things are bound to get screwed up.”
For fellow restaurateurs, Dworkin added practical words of wisdom.
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“Most of us have a tendency to uphold the no substitution rules during holiday times, but most of those rules have gone out the window with the pandemic, because we all need whatever business we can get.”
Her next big holiday is Hanukkah. This year it starts Thursday at sunset and ends Dec. 18 at sunset. You can call to order corned beef dinner packages, or her favorite nosh. “I’m a potato pancake gal,” said Dworkin. “Potato pancakes, sweet potato pancakes and vegetable pancakes.”
“We’re old-style traditional, but we try to have some healthier and vegetarian options for people who don’t want to have to take statins after their meal,” she added laughing.


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--3 gunmen, weapons drawn, confronted retired Chicago firefighter. He pulled out a revolver and was sh

3 gunmen, weapons drawn, confronted retired Chicago firefighter. He pulled out a revolver and was shot dead.

As they walked toward him , the 65-year-old retired Chicago firefighter pulled a revolver from his waistband and exchanged fire @ @ @ @ @ block of West 118th Street early Thursday afternoon .
Williams was hit once in the @ @ @ @ @ gunmen piled back into their car and sped off down Artesian Avenue .

Dwain Williams, a retired Chicago Fire Department lieutenant, was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with carjackers on Dec. 3, 2020 in the 2400 block of West 118th Street. (Family Photo)
Dwain Williams was walking toward his maroon Jeep Grand Cherokee when a black car slowed down and three people jumped out, all of them with guns.
As they walked toward him, the 65-year-old retired Chicago firefighter pulled a revolver from his waistband and exchanged fire with them in the 2400 block of West 118th Street early Thursday afternoon. Williams was hit once in the abdomen and collapsed. The gunmen piled back into their car and sped off down Artesian Avenue.
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Responding officers found Williams lying on the pavement next to his Jeep, his revolver close by. It was not known if any of the attackers were hit, but police recovered shell casings from their guns: 9 mm, .40-caliber and .38-caliber.
Police believe the three were trying to steal Williams’ Jeep as he walked out of a popcorn shop about 2:30 p.m. No arrests have been reported, and police said they were canvassing the area for security camera footage that would show the gunmen.
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Williams retired about two years ago after joining the Chicago Fire Department in 1992. His last assignment was at the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. He held a concealed carry permit, according to police.
“Our hearts are heavy,” tweeted department spokesman Larry Langford.
Williams is survived by his wife of more than 30 years and four adult children. He died four miles from his home in the Longwood Manor neighborhood.
His wife is in “total shock,” according to community activist Andrew Holmes, who spoke on behalf of the family.
“All he does is help everyone,” Holmes said, quoting the wife. “Why did they take his life when all he did was save lives?”
Employees at Let’s Get Poppin’ said Williams was a regular. “He just came in to buy his popcorn,” one worker said.
Dwain Williams, a retired Chicago Fire Department lieutenant who was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with carjackers on Dec. 3, 2020, in the 2400 block of West 118th Street. (Family photo / HANDOUT)
As he walked to his Jeep, a black Ford Fusion passed him and slowed down. The shooting apparently happened so quickly that the car was still moving when the attackers jumped back in, according to a police report.
The attack occurred just blocks from a shooting in August at a pancake restaurant that left one person dead and four others wounded. Chicago police Chief of Operations Brian McDermott was asked by reporters what police are doing about crime in the area.
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“We hear their concerns loud and clear,” McDermott said Thursday evening. “Just know there are hundreds of officers out there … that lay their lives on the line every day, and we’re continuing to do our job.”
He was also asked about a recent spike in carjackings across the city. “We’re well aware of the increase in carjackings,” McDermott said. “We’re doing our best.”
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Illinois driver services facilities to remain closed through Jan. 4

Drivers and residents whose cards carry an expiration date between Feb. 1 , 2020 , and Jan. 31 , 2021 @ @ @ @ @ in December with a personal identification number needed to renew online .
Those with expiration @ @ @ @ @ 2021 , or later will receive a letter about 90 days before the expiration date @

Illinois driver services facilities will remain closed for in-person business until Jan. 4 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Jesse White announced Friday.
White’s office is encouraging people to use its website, www.cyberdriveillinois.com, for most services, including renewing driver’s licenses, identification cards and license plate stickers.
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A handful of facilities will remain open for new drivers only, including two in Chicago: Chicago North, 5401 N. Elston Ave., and Chicago South, 9901 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The Chicago North and South facilities, along with Chicago West, 5301 W. Lexington St., will continue offering drive-thru services for license plate stickers only.
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Facilities around the state have been closed since Nov. 17 due to the surging coronavirus but were scheduled to reopen Monday.
The secretary of state’s office also is reminding the public that the expiration date for driver’s licenses and IDs has been extended through June 1. The office also is expanding online renewals for qualified drivers.
Drivers and residents whose cards carry an expiration date between Feb. 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2021, will receive a letter in December with a personal identification number needed to renew online. Those with expiration dates of Feb. 1, 2021, or later will receive a letter about 90 days before the expiration date.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Column: Warner Bros. will stream 2021 films on HBO Max, so time to make our homes more like movie th

Column: Warner Bros. will stream 2021 films on HBO Max, so time to make our homes more like movie theaters

Loud Commentary Deliverer : Aside from the butterlike substance , this is arguably the most important element of the homebound @ @ @ @ @ to Zoom and other video conferencing platforms , it ’ s easy to achieve .
@ @ @ @ @ a laptop or tablet and put it on a chair facing the television .
Then @ @ @ @ @ you via Zoom to watch the movie .
That person ’ s job is to @ @ @ @ @ comments like : “ Oh my God , why is he doing that ?
!
@ @ @ @ @ would NOT go in there !
” ; “ This part coming up is SO @ @ @ @ @ love it !
” ; and “ WAIT , WHAT JUST HAPPENED ?
?
”

With the coronavirus likely to keep people away from movie theaters well into the new year, Warner Bros. Pictures has decided to stream all its 2021 movies on HBO Max.
That means one thing: I finally have an excuse to buy a 3-quart, theater-quality fake-butter dispenser.
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Popcorn is filled in the concession area for curbside pickup at a suburban theater earlier this year. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
It stands to reason that if Warner Bros. is bringing the movies home for us, we need to do more than just sit on our sofas and watch. We owe it to Hollywood studios to find ways to replicate the entire moviegoing experience, at least until it’s safe to return to theaters.
Calling it a “unique one-year plan,” Warner Bros. officials said new films will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time. After a month, the streaming will stop and the movies will only play in theaters.
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Ann Sarnoff, chief executive of WarnerMedia Studio, said in a statement: “No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021.”
That means it’s up to us, the heroes, to preserve the movie theater lifestyle.
Don’t worry, I have a plan. And like all great American plans, it begins with butter.
I propose the federal government, beginning Jan. 1, issue each American family one Paragon 2027B Pro-Deluxe 3 Qt. Butter Warmer with Spout. (I know, some will say the KaTom Gold Medal 2496 Counter Model BIB Butter Dispenser with 35 lb. Bag In A Box Capacity is a superior butter machine, but costwise, the Paragon is a safer bet for a government program.)
A machine that dispenses a warm liquid that tastes like butter and also works to lubricate a cruise ship’s propeller shafts is a good first step. That will guarantee our home popcorn meets all movie theater standards of lethality. But we can’t rely on the government for everything.
The rest is up to us.
Sticky Floors: Soda, half-eaten candy and, if available, a small amount of liquid cheese must be spilled on the floor of any movie-viewing room. It’s important not to distribute the sticky substances evenly. You want to be able to take a few steps and only notice a thin layer of stickiness before stepping on a spot that effectively cements your foot to the ground. If possible, roll a couple hot dogs across the floor. The grease will add intermittent slipperiness to the floor, creating that wonderful “walking in a movie theater” rhythm: sticky step, sticky step, STUCK!, sticky step, SLIP!, sticky step, STUCK!
Minimum Caloric Intake: No person streaming a Warner Bros. movie at home is allowed to walk away from the movie without consuming at least 45,000 calories. (The government-issued butter warmer with spout will help with this, but supplemental Goobers or Reese’s Pieces will likely be necessary.)
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That Guy: Prior to streaming a new blockbuster, each family must pick one person who will be “That Guy.” The designated That Guy is responsible for sitting in front of you when there are plenty of other perfectly good seats available. If your family contains any tallish teenagers, they will make excellent That Guys, as they will also fulfill the next requirement.
Person Using a Phone the Whole Darn Time: Key to the simulated movie theater experience is at least one person who is on his or her phone throughout the movie, either texting with the phone’s brightness too high or having a whispered conversation with someone. Again, teens are a great choice for this role as that’s what they’ll be doing anyway.
Loud Commentary Deliverer: Aside from the butterlike substance, this is arguably the most important element of the homebound theatrical experience. And thanks to Zoom and other video conferencing platforms, it’s easy to achieve. You want to set up a laptop or tablet and put it on a chair facing the television. Then have a random person join you via Zoom to watch the movie. That person’s job is to regularly and loudly interject with comments like: “Oh my God, why is he doing that?!?”; “I would NOT go in there!”; “This part coming up is SO FUNNY, you’ll love it!”; and “WAIT, WHAT JUST HAPPENED??”
No Pausing: Finally, to cap off the event, there has to be a strict rule that once a movie begins streaming, it can’t be paused. If you have to pee, you can’t go unless you want to miss part of the movie. You won’t want to miss part of the movie, so you’ll hold it until you’re about to begin streaming, at which point you’ll run across the sticky floor only to find the bathroom is occupied by That Guy.
I know this plan sounds onerous, but it’s important we follow all the steps. They’ll prepare us for that fine day when we, and That Guy, can safely return to movie theaters and more comfortably risk bladder infections while consuming propeller-shaft grease with our feet stuck to the floor.
(If you hated this column, and you certainly should have, why not join the third annual Insult-A-Columnist Holiday Food Drive and make a donation to the Greater Chicago Food Depository under the RexStinks team name? Or, if you liked the column, you can hop on Team RexRocks. Either way, you help feed people struggling to make ends meet. Just go to: https://www.myfooddrive.org/#InsultRex.)
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rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--500-foot freighter carrying petrol is freed after running aground in Detroit River between Michigan

500-foot freighter carrying petrol is freed after running aground in Detroit River between Michigan and Canada

The freighter is carrying about 10,000 metric tons of furnace coke and about 74,000 gallons of diesel fuel .
There @ @ @ @ @ from the freighter , officials said .

Tugboats work to free the freighter Harvest Spirit, which turned sideways and grounded in the Livingstone Channel of the Detroit River between Grosse Ile, Mich., and Bob-Lo Island, Canada, on Dec. 2, 2020. (Andy Morrison/Detroit News)
A 500-foot freighter that became stuck and blocked a Detroit River shipping channel has been freed.
The Harvest Spirit was refloated Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release.
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The vessel lost propulsion Wednesday morning and ran aground in the Livingstone Channel on the Canadian side of the river, about 19 miles south of Detroit.
Some Great Lakes shipping traffic was slowed. Another ship struck the bottom while trying to avoid the freighter. That contributed to a logjam of cargo-hauling vessels along the waterway.
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The Coast Guard said 18 people were aboard the Canadian-flagged Harvest Spirit, After being freed, the freighter anchored Thursday night on the U.S. side of the river while awaiting inspection.
The freighter is carrying about 10,000 metric tons of furnace coke and about 74,000 gallons of diesel fuel. There were no reports of pollution from the freighter, officials said.
The Livingstone Channel was to remain closed to traffic pending a survey of the water depth in the channel.


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Chicago architecture in 2020: In a year like no other, anxiety soared about the future of downtown C

Chicago architecture in 2020: In a year like no other, anxiety soared about the future of downtown Chicago, but so did new skyscrapers

Whatever one thinks of these buildings — I am more a fan of the latter than the former — it @ @ @ @ @ sorely needed dollars to the tax base and serve as articles of faith , much @ @ @ @ @ improvised drafting room .
Adding to that optimism , construction began this year on the @ @ @ @ @ , an office skyscraper that will be taller than the Bank of America Tower when @ @ @ @ @ 2023 .

The view along the Chicago River of the new Bank of America Tower on Oct. 7, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Ten days after the Great Chicago Fire destroyed 18,000 buildings and left about 90,000 people homeless, architect John M. Van Osdel set up shop in the Nixon Block, a downtown building that had escaped relatively unscathed. He started drawing plans for new buildings — a sign of hope, although a cynic might interpret it as craven opportunism.
However one views it, Van Osdel’s move — detailed in the illuminating new book “Chicago’s Great Fire” by Northwestern University’s Carl Smith — resonates today as the COVID-19 pandemic presents the latest test of Chicago’s resilience. Now, as nearly 150 years before, the city has responded by doing what it has always done — pushing forward.
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Even as the pandemic has emptied everything from sidewalks to office cubicles, building has gone on here, putting money into construction workers’ pockets, culminating a years-long building boom and reminding us that downtown has a future, even if we don’t know precisely what that future will be.
In recent months, downtown has welcomed two buildings notable for their superlatives. The first, the 816-foot Bank of America Tower at 110 N. Wacker Drive by Goettsch Partners, is the tallest office building here since 1990. The second, the 1191-foot St. Regis Chicago (formerly Vista Tower), a hotel-condominium high-rise at 363 E. Wacker by Studio Gang, is the city’s third tallest building and the world’s tallest building designed by a woman.
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The new St. Regis Chicago (formerly named the Vista Tower) nears completion along the Chicago River on Nov. 9. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Whatever one thinks of these buildings — I am more a fan of the latter than the former — it is undeniable that they add sorely needed dollars to the tax base and serve as articles of faith, much like Van Osdel’s improvised drafting room. Adding to that optimism, construction began this year on the Salesforce Tower at Wolf Point, an office skyscraper that will be taller than the Bank of America Tower when it’s completed in 2023.
Yet for all that such projects offered reassuring signs of normalcy, the reality was very different.
With companies telling their employees to work from home, the number of commuters pouring into downtown train stations shrank by roughly 90%. Tourism and hotel occupancy took a hit. Apartment occupancy levels dropped to their lowest level in 18 years. Navy Pier opened, then closed. Shops on North Michigan Avenue boarded themselves up in response to social unrest.
If it wasn’t quite the worst of times, it was certainly pretty awful, so much so that doomsayers questioned the ongoing viability of downtowns. Yet cities have faced great challenges before and rebounded, so there is every reason to think they will again, despite the challenges posed by online shopping and the pandemic-inspired move to online work meetings.
A man walks near Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in Chicago on Nov. 9. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
People miss the water-cooler talk, even if they don’t miss their commutes. Working from home saves time, but it can’t match the excitement of seeing a play or Millennium Park in the presence of others. That’s the point of cities — to convene people, whether it’s for culture or commerce. Such gatherings will happen again once promising vaccines are widely distributed.
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In the meantime, a whole lot of improvising is going on, some of it innovative enough to merit a lasting presence once the pandemic ends.
The city’s transportation department closed some roads to high-speed vehicle traffic, creating “shared streets” where pedestrians, cyclists and joggers had the same right to the road as cars and SUVs. The Chicago Architecture Center dispensed with indoor tours for Open House Chicago and moved to outdoor and online tours instead. The Chicago Architecture Biennial announced that it would go on, as scheduled, in 2021, but with a new outdoor and online format and events spread throughout the year.
Yet with COVID-19 cases spiking in Chicago and Illinois, a return to normalcy remains months away. And even when downtown office buildings start filling up, many office workers may switch to a hybrid routine in which they split their time between a cubicle and home. Still, like architect John Van Osdel nearly 150 years ago, downtown’s boosters remain undeterred.
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“Every major city in America is struggling with the very same issues,” Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, whose ward encompasses much of downtown, said at a September groundbreaking for a hotel and residential tower “I just have faith that we’re a more resilient city because we’re economically diverse. ... That doesn’t go away, pandemic or not.”
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Experts call for COVID-19 vaccination trials to begin for young children: ‘It’s time to get moving’

While people around the world wait for the authorization and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines that will eventually allow for a @ @ @ @ @ young children may have to wait longer .
That is spurring an urgent cry from @ @ @ @ @ in trials to reduce their delay in becoming vaccinated .

For more than half his life, Alexandra Haake Kamberos’ 18-month-old son has lived under quarantine conditions.
As a result, otherwise typical occurrences, like indoor playdates and trips to the grocery store, aren’t a regular part of the Chicago boy’s life right now, his mother said.
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While people around the world wait for the authorization and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines that will eventually allow for a return to normal life, young children may have to wait longer. That is spurring an urgent cry from pediatricians to include these children in trials to reduce their delay in becoming vaccinated.
Children under 12 have not been part of the U.S. trials for vaccines that are showing promising results against the virus, which has infected more than 759,000 people in Illinois and killed more than 12,000 statewide since March.
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That means vaccines will likely be available for the general population of adults months before they are available for children because the trials need to be replicated with children as the test subjects, experts said.
“If we do not add children to these research trials very soon, there will be a significant delay in when children are able to access potentially lifesaving vaccines. This is unconscionable,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Sally Goza in a statement released last month by the Itasca-based association.
[ Should pregnant women get a COVID-19 vaccine? Guidance is hard to find because trials exclude pregnancy ]
Though teens and tweens have been part of major vaccination trials — Pfizer has included children 12 and older, and The New York Times reported that Moderna would begin trials for children between 12 and 17 — doctors say the studies need to start including children under 12, and are calling with increasing urgency for those trials to begin.
A Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement to the Tribune that the company is “working actively with regulators on a potential pediatric study plan” to address the disease in children under 12. Moderna did not respond to a request for comment from the Tribune.
Goza sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in October to stress the importance of including children in the trials, writing that more than 587,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in children in the United States, including in 109 who have died.
“Children are not just little adults,” said Dr. Elaine Rosenfeld, pediatric infectious disease specialist for Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, echoing the AAP’s urgency in the need for pediatric trials. “It’s going to be necessary to perform clinical trials on the pediatric population.”
Rosenfeld said the trials will not only indicate whether the vaccine is as safe and effective in children as it is in adults and teens, it will offer important information like proper dosing for children.
Though children generally become less sick with the virus, Rosenfeld said there are cases in which children experienced dangerous complications, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which can cause body parts, including the heart and lungs, to become inflamed.
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Children can also transmit the virus to adults, who may become more sick.
“We’re not going to reach herd immunity … until children are immunized as well,” Rosenfeld said.
Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady has said the city plans to distribute its first doses of vaccine to health care workers in the city in December, followed by people in other high-risk groups as the health department receives additional doses.
During a virtual question-and-answer session Tuesday, Arwady estimated that the general population might begin to receive vaccinations in the spring, with children following in the summer, though she cautioned, “I almost feel like it is foolish to make predictions at this point.”
“A lot of that is just dependent on vaccine production and how well the vaccine trials do,” she said.
That puts parents like Haake Kamberos in an uncertain position. She plans to send her son to nursery school when he is around 2, but that is subject to change.
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Her family recently had a scare when their nanny experienced some symptoms, though she later tested negative.
“Everyone had to stay home,” she said.
Still, she will feel better when the adults around her son can be vaccinated, at least reducing the risk of exposing him.
Chicagoan Paula Calpo, mother of a 15-month-old girl, is eager for a vaccine and hopes one is available for children soon.
“I’m just ready to stop this,” Calpo said.
Calpo is from Brazil, and close family members haven’t been able to see her daughter since she was 3 months old, before the pandemic began. Now, travel would be off-limits.
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“We’re far away from family,” she said. “It’s a hard time.”
Though it’s normal to test medications on adult populations first, pediatricians say it is safe to begin trials on children, noting that all the long-approved vaccines people take in childhood were once tested on children.
“I feel really confident that these trials in a younger population will be done safely because of the history of vaccine trials in children,” Rosenfeld said.
Nurse Kathe Olmstead, right, gives volunteer Melissa Harting, of Harpursville, N.Y., a vaccine trial injection on July 27, 2020. (Hans Pennink/AP)
Still, doctors worry about the impact of anti-vaccination movements that eschew scientific evidence and, in recent years have coincided with the resurgence of contagious diseases like measles.
In her letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, Goza cited concerns about misinformation spread by such anti-vaccination movements.
“It’s very concerning to us that people do not have the trust in science that they used to,” Goza told the Tribune. “We need to build that trust back.”
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Goza, who is also a pediatrician in Georgia, said she knows parents may be nervous due to the speed at which scientists developed the vaccine, but pointed to robust financing efforts that sped up the process. And she assures people that the process for approval, though accelerated, has been the same as for prior vaccines.
Still, trials must begin on younger children before they can be vaccinated safely, Goza said.
Rosenfeld said pediatricians’ offices have been inundated with calls from parents asking about the vaccine, indicating to her a high interest in obtaining the vaccine for their children.
“I think it’s time to get moving on (the trials), as we know it takes a while to get kids vaccinated properly,” she said.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-04--Southeast Side Superfund site

Southeast Side Superfund site

It took almost a year , but a new owner paid $ 1.585 million in 2012 for the right to @ @ @ @ @ of the red-brick Winnetka Georgian immortalized in `` Home Alone . ''
Almost 30 years @ @ @ @ @ the movie changed the neighborhood — but they ’ re OK with it .
Read @ @ @