chicagotribune--2020-11-13--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

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

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--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--2020-11-13--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 27 new deaths, 15,415 new confirmed and probable cases and 106,54

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 27 new deaths, 15,415 new confirmed and probable cases and 106,540 new test results

Illinois announced 15,415 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Friday for a total of 551,957 .
The state also @ @ @ @ @ a total of 10,504 and 106,540 new test results for a total of 8.87 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--2020-11-13--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends joining crowd celebrating Biden-Harris win as COVID-19 cases su

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends joining crowd celebrating Biden-Harris win as COVID-19 cases surge

“ Yes , there are times when we actually do need to have ... relief and come together , and @ @ @ @ @ one of those times .
That crowd was gathered whether I was there or not @ @ @ @ @ a super hard year on everyone .
Everyone feels traumatized .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot puts her mask on after speaking during a post-election drive-up celebration at the 87th Street shopping center in the West Chatham neighborhood Nov. 8, 2020, in Chicago. The event commemorated presumptive President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday defended her appearance last weekend when she joined a crowd celebrating the presumptive win of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
During a morning interview on MSNBC, the mayor was asked about joining revelers Saturday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Chicago and nationwide — a surge so bad that on Thursday she announced a stay-at-home “advisory” while Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned a second statewide mandatory shutdown order could be coming.
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The mayor nodded to the fact that crowds were taking to the streets across the country last weekend after news outlets declared Biden the winner in Pennsylvania, giving him the 270 electoral votes he needed to beat Republican President Donald Trump. She delivered a celebratory message to a tightly packed crowd via bullhorn that was shared on social media.
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“I will tell you in that big crowd a week ago, everybody was wearing masks,” the mayor told MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle.
“Yes, there are times when we actually do need to have ... relief and come together, and I felt like that was one of those times. That crowd was gathered whether I was there or not, but this has been a super hard year on everyone. Everyone feels traumatized.”
This is a great day for our city and our country. We are taking our democracy back. #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/OAZQPd1r4y — Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) November 8, 2020
The Democratic mayor, who has battled with Trump, cheered the Biden-Harris victory and told the crowd that while it was a time to celebrate, they should do so safely. She also said she’d hold a Biden White House to campaign promises of delivering COVID-19 help to local governments, but that Americans should search their souls and figure out a way to “unite” amid deep political division.
Critics were quick to rap the appearance, especially as elected leaders double-down on a message of social distancing and limiting time in crowds to prevent the spread of the disease.
Lightfoot and leaders across the country have been questioned about sending mixed messages as the pandemic continues.
On Thursday, the mayor was asked about the call for people to stay home, save for essential outings, while allowing nonessential businesses to remain open. The mayor said it’s a balancing act.
“Part of the calculus and balancing we have to do is not completely and utterly destroy our economy,” including putting workers on unemployment rolls.
Lisa Donovan is the host of The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
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ldonovan@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Following in Chicago’s footsteps, suburban Cook County issues stay-at-home advisory, urges holiday p

Following in Chicago’s footsteps, suburban Cook County issues stay-at-home advisory, urges holiday plans to be postponed

During the course of the advisory , suburban Cook County residents are strongly encouraged to stay home except for essential @ @ @ @ @ school , COVID-19 tests , flu shots or grocery shopping , according to the release @ @ @ @ @ out in public , people should continue wearing masks , washing their hands often and @ @ @ @ @ others .

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)
One day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged Chicago residents to stay home for the next month, suburban Cook County is doing the same.
The suburban advisory, similar to the city’s version, goes into effect Monday and lasts for 30 days, according a Friday news release from the Cook County Department of Public Health. Both of the notices stop short of a mandatory stay-at-home order because they are intended to be a final attempt at curbing the coronavirus' recent resurgence before more drastic measures are taken.
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“Now more than ever, we must come together to stay apart,” Dr. Rachel Rubin, Cook County’s public health department’s senior medical officer, said in the release. “We know limiting gatherings with friends and family can be hard, but we also know that virtual celebrations will save lives.”
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During the course of the advisory, suburban Cook County residents are strongly encouraged to stay home except for essential activities such as work, school, COVID-19 tests, flu shots or grocery shopping, according to the release. If they must go out in public, people should continue wearing masks, washing their hands often and maintaining a 6-foot distance from others.
People should avoid any gatherings with others who do not live in their households, including holiday celebrations, the release said. Nonessential travel also is discouraged, and employers should make as many accommodations as possible to allow people to work from home.
The advisory comes as suburban Cook County sees positivity rates over 15% and is already under stricter mitigations from Gov. J.B. Pritzker that include a ban on indoor dining and bar service. Statewide, Pritzker also has hinted at a looming stay-at-home order but hasn’t gone that far yet.
In defending the optional advisory on Thursday, Lightfoot said, “This is a progressive step. I hope we don’t have to go any further than this.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Divers pull man from car after it becomes submerged in pond near Illinois-Indiana border on Far Sout

Divers pull man from car after it becomes submerged in pond near Illinois-Indiana border on Far South Side

When crews arrived , they found the man ’ s car had become submerged in the pond and Fire Department @ @ @ @ @ him out of the water , according to a tweet from the marine unit .

Emergency crews pulled a 73-year-old man from a pond in the Harbour Point Estates neighborhood at the Indiana border after his car went into the water Thursday night, officials said.
The man’s car went into the water in the 4000 block of East 134th Street about 8:20 p.m. Thursday, sending Chicago Police marine unit and Fire Department divers to the scene, according to a police media notification.
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When crews arrived, they found the man’s car had become submerged in the pond and Fire Department divers were able to pull him out of the water, according to a tweet from the marine unit.
Late last night @CPDMarineUnit #Divers responded to the 4000 block of E 134th in the @ChicagoCAPS04 District to a call of male in a vehicle submerged in a pond. A male was retrieved from the vehicle by CFD divers and transported a local hospital for care @CPDMarineUnit divers... pic.twitter.com/8DMNYor6GI — Chicago Police Marine Unit (@CPDMarineUnit) November 13, 2020
The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, according to police.
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Marine unit divers were able to retrieve the car from the water. Police didn’t release any information on how the man may have ended up in the water. The police major accidents unit was investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Despite ruling that CPS violated employees' contract over COVID-19 safety measures, district won’t e

Despite ruling that CPS violated employees' contract over COVID-19 safety measures, district won’t expand remote work for clerks, tech aides

Unless CPS provides the union with information needed to confirm a school ’ s compliance , the remedy requires CPS @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t be performed remotely and how much time they take , and to @ @ @ @ @ three days “ keeping in mind the duty to maximize remote work as a protective @ @ @ @ @ '' The schedules would become effective within seven business days .
If an employee takes @ @ @ @ @ the matter would go before the arbitrator .

The Chicago Teachers Union and supporters protested against reopening schools back in August, and the teachers union has continued to raise concerns for students as well as for staff already working in buildings. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Public Schools has indicated it will continue to require certain staff members to work in person, despite an arbitrator’s ruling Thursday that they should be allowed to work mostly from home until CPS proves it’s minimized the risk of COVID-19 at each school.
Thursday’s ruling applies to clerks, technology coordinators and other select staff whom the independent labor arbitrator presumed should be permitted to work from home at least four days a week, except where duties can’t be performed remotely.
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It also requires CPS to determine which schools pass certified hazard assessments and provide the union with all the information they need to confirm the district’s determination. If a school is in compliance with health and safety requirements, 100% in-person work “is appropriate,” according to the arbitrator.
The ruling comes the week after CPS officials released an air quality and ventilation assessment that they said cleared most classrooms for students to return.
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A district spokeswoman on Thursday said the arbitrator’s ruling reflects “an earlier time period of assessment” and that CPS has already taken care of the measures required to make buildings safe. District officials said they didn’t submit the ventilation information because the arbitrator wouldn’t accept additional evidence beyond their initial response.
The four-day remote work week is a flipped version of the one-day remote schedule the union says CPS offered after the arbitrator initially ruled that the district should let employees work from home “when feasible.”
But in a statement provided in response to the ruling, CPS said it will “proceed with its current in-person staffing structure" because it has already “implemented measures the arbitrator says are necessary for a safe work environment.”
While arbitrator Jeanne Charles noted her final ruling “makes no finding with respect to the Board’s ability to reopen schools," she found that CPS violated its contract with CTU by requiring employees to work in potentially unsafe conditions.
“I find reporting to work inside CPS school buildings at this time, increases the danger of infection by COVID-19, an airborne, highly communicable, deadly, and still not fully understood disease,” Charles wrote. “The only way to eliminate the risk of COVID-19 infection and death is for school clerks, school clerk assistants, and technology coordinators to work remotely.
“Although the Board (of Education) has made efforts to mitigate the risk,” Charles continued, "subjecting these employees to increased risk of COVID-19 infection for work that can be performed remotely does not provide reasonable protection to these employees, to the extent feasible, and fails to fulfill CPS’s contractual promise that its employees work in safe and healthful conditions.”
State law, public health guidance and expert testimony are cited in the ruling. CPS called several principals as witnesses, including some who work at the same schools as staff members who served as witnesses for the union.
Despite spending money on air purifiers and protective equipment, CPS hasn’t provided evidence to determine that each school building is “safe and healthful,” Charles wrote.
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But she wrote that her decision assumes no hazard assessment has been acted upon; “appropriate engineering controls” such as air filtration aren’t in place; and sufficient personal protective equipment hasn’t been provided.
When schools initially closed, the employees in question weren’t considered essential workers and did their whole job from home. Some tasks were delayed or required more of school administrators, according to the arbitrator.
Because each school is different, and some have more than one clerk, the arbitrator did not recommend a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
“While working remotely one-hundred percent of the time eliminates exposure to the viral hazard in school buildings, there must be a reasonable balance between the remote working arrangement and the CPS operational needs,” the ruling states. “... The presumption then is that the aggrieved employees will be allowed to work remotely at least four days per week unless it can be established that those duties that must be physically completed in-person exceed one regular workday.”
Unless CPS provides the union with information needed to confirm a school’s compliance, the remedy requires CPS to determine which duties absolutely can’t be performed remotely and how much time they take, and to make a work schedule within three days “keeping in mind the duty to maximize remote work as a protective measure during the pandemic." The schedules would become effective within seven business days. If an employee takes issue with their schedule, the matter would go before the arbitrator.
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Union leaders issued a statement demanding that CPS comply with the ruling immediately.
“Mayor Lightfoot today is urging people across the city to work remotely and avoid all but essential outside activities — but still forcing our school clerks and others to work in unsafe buildings,” said CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates. “This dangerous double standard makes no sense, and is putting Black and Brown women needlessly in harm’s way."
Many students live in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by the pandemic, said CTU President Jesse Sharkey. “It’s time for CPS to stop dodging its responsibilities, make needed repairs and document those repairs to our families and educators," he said.
With CPS’ second quarter underway, a surging pandemic and no reopening agreement between CPS and CTU, the union has asked for an independent mediator to get involved. On Wednesday, the district agreed to mediation regarding the impact of its reopening decision, but not over the decision itself.
“The (Chicago Board of Education) has announced its goal to return to in-person instruction for pre-K students and students in cluster programs during the second quarter of this school year," according to a letter from the district’s law office to a union lawyer. "As you are well aware, decisions to determine the places of instruction, whether remote or in person, are permissive subjects of bargaining ... and the CBE has no obligation to bargain its decision. We have engaged in impact bargaining, including bargaining over health and safety protocols, related to a return to in-person learning and will continue to do so.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--A 12-year-old boy coming back to live in Chicago was shot while out with his dad to pick up school s

A 12-year-old boy coming back to live in Chicago was shot while out with his dad to pick up school supplies. ‘Kids can’t do anything.’

Lamar was able to talk to his mom at the hospital and told her he had no idea who shot @ @ @ @ @ He was just sitting there in the car and someone shot him , ” she @ @ @ @ @ ’ t go outside , they can ’ t do anything .
”

Police work the scene where a 12-year-old boy was shot while sitting in a parked vehicle Nov. 11, 2020, in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Lamar Davis was 2 when he left Chicago with his mother.
Now 12, he is moving back to the city and getting closer to his extended family — and learning just how dangerous his new home is.
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Wednesday night, he was with his father to pick up school supplies from a family friend when a maroon SUV pulled up just in front of their car parked in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in Lawndale, police say.
As the boy’s father talked on the phone, someone in the back seat of the SUV rolled down the window and fired several rounds from a .45-caliber handgun.
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The seventh grader was hit in the back, lower backside, hip and leg, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition. His father was not hurt.
“I freaked out and rushed to the hospital,” said Lamar’s mother, Melisa Robinson, 30, adding she learned of the attack from the friend with the school supplies. "He’s a strong baby.''
Lamar was able to talk to his mom at the hospital and told her he had no idea who shot him or why. “He was just sitting there in the car and someone shot him,” she said. “Kids can’t go outside, they can’t do anything.”
Lamar Davis, 12, was shot multiple times on Nov. 11, 2020, about 9 p.m. in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood. Lamar is pictured here, while at his aunt's home.
The boy was released from Stroger Thursday afternoon, but will go back to the hospital early next week for a follow-up appointment.
Robinson said Lamar spent the first two years of his life in Chicago but they moved to Bloomington, Indiana. They are now in the process of moving back to Chicago so Lamar can be closer to his relatives.
He likes playing football but found a new love last year: basketball. He is the oldest of six and has two sisters and three brothers. “He is protective of them,” his mother said.
No arrests had been made, but police said they were reviewing surveillance tape from nearby homes and a school.
“Everybody just needs to think about what’s going on in the world and try not to harm others,” Robinson said. "I am just grateful he is OK.''
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Police work the scene where a 12-year-old boy was shot while sitting in a parked vehicle Nov. 11, 2020, in the 1400 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
pfry@chicagotribune.com
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Copernicus Foundation sues to stop sale of former Jefferson Park firehouse, saying city never seriou

Copernicus Foundation sues to stop sale of former Jefferson Park firehouse, saying city never seriously considered its bid

But the president of Ambrosia , Tim Pomaville , said the sale involves much more than $ 1 .
The @ @ @ @ @ for environmental costs that could be at least $ 200,000 .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ bid , first of all , ” Pomaville said .
“ We have agreed to @ @ @ @ @ environmental liability for this project as it fits right now .
”

Standing in front of a former firehouse in Jefferson Park, representatives of the Copernicus Foundation said Thursday they are suing the city of Chicago after the nonprofit’s offer of $300,000 for the 114-year-old building was rejected in favor of a $1 bid from a developer.
“We really think we should be awarded the fair opportunity for the firehouse,” said Stephen Cioromski, a board member with the Polish cultural organization, which is seeking to halt the deal. “We just want this project to be done how it should be.”
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The firehouse at 4841 N. Lipps Ave. was built in 1906 and has been appraised by the city at $208,000. Noted for its “elegant beaux arts detailing,” according to Preservation Chicago, the building has sat vacant since 2012. It is located near the foundation’s Copernicus Center.
People gather outside the old firehouse at 4841 N. Lipps Ave. for a news conference held by the Copernicus Foundation on Nov. 12, 2020, in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
In September, the city reached a tentative deal to sell the property to Ambrosia Homes Development, a Chicago-based company that hopes to open a brewery on the ground floor and add a third story to the stone and brick building. Apartments would be located on the top two floors.
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The sale is pending approval by the City Council.
Robert Fioretti, a former alderman and an attorney for the Copernicus Foundation, said the nonprofit group found out “late in the game” about “the sideline deal” without being given an opportunity to submit its proposal. Officials with the group objected to the sale in July, momentarily halting the deal until the foundation could submit its own application, according to the lawsuit.
But the city’s Department of Housing declined the bid and moved forward on the sale to Ambrosia, stating in a letter that Copernicus never showed evidence of its “financial qualifications” or a “timetable for completion of the redevelopment.”
“Why under this day and age anybody would take a $1 bid for this building is beyond me,” Fioretti said.
But the president of Ambrosia, Tim Pomaville, said the sale involves much more than $1. The company has agreed to pay for environmental costs that could be at least $200,000. “It’s not really a $1 bid, first of all,” Pomaville said. “We have agreed to take on all of the environmental liability for this project as it fits right now.”
He estimated the entire cost of the project at about $2 million. “When they say that, ‘Oh, it’s a sweetheart deal’ or whatever it’s like, look, it’s a $2 million project,” Pomaville said. “It’s not just us taking this and tearing it down and making it into a parking lot.”
Copernicus officials said they are also willing to cover environmental costs in addition to the $300,000 buying price.
In its lawsuit, the foundation said the city obstructed its efforts to submit a bid and denied the foundation access to the firehouse to conduct any inspections.
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The foundation said it wants to acquire the property to retain the architectural heritage of the Polish community in Jefferson Park. The lawsuit said the group has expressed interest in the firehouse over the last 20 years.
Similar to Ambrosia’s plans, the Copernicus Foundation hoped to open a brewpub on the first floor and four apartments on the second floor. But it is opposed to adding a third floor.
“Most of us are surprised at what we’ve seen in terms of our offer,” Fioretti said. “We’re offering $300,000 for the building, we will do the remediation at our own cost and we’re putting this property back on the tax codes. All three would benefit the citizens of the city of Chicago.”
While he declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, Pomaville said it’s been “widely known” that Ambrosia was working on a project for the property, adding that it’s “surprising to us to have this kind of pushback at this point.”
“They have insinuated that there’s some kind of backroom deal or something,” he said. “It’s not that way at all. We just have the best plan. We’ve been very open on what our plan is, and the city has been working on it literally since 2016 or 2017."
“All of this is kind of silliness when they pretend like they’re a victim or they didn’t know about things,” Pomaville added. “It’s not true.”
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Both the Copernicus Foundation and Ambrosia Homes have launched petitions and websites detailing their plans for the property.
A spokesperson for the city’s Law Department declined to comment.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Column: As coronavirus cases surge, plan for Thanksgiving on Zoom - and be glad there’s a mute butto

Column: As coronavirus cases surge, plan for Thanksgiving on Zoom - and be glad there’s a mute button

2 ) An off-screen isolation chamber for relatives you dislike .
This function would allow the user to remove people @ @ @ @ @ them knowing it .
Those removed would be placed in a video game-like space on @ @ @ @ @ number of the following : murder hornets , a hungry lion with dull teeth , @ @ @ @ @ the clown .
You would be able to occasionally toggle to this screen to see @ @ @ @ @ for the people who have wronged you on past Thanksgivings .

As coronavirus cases surge and talks of shutdowns in Chicago and across the country resume, Americans are realizing traditional Thanksgiving get-togethers are largely off the table.
It’s a bummer for many, I know. But when you think about it, Thanksgiving gatherings always have the potential to be disasters.
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Rather than feel sad about our pandemic-induced holiday limitations, perhaps we should view them as a Thanksgiving Day disaster-tunity — a chance to have an entirely different kind of turkey-centric experience.
Consider this normal scenario:
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It’s 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and the turkey went in the oven later than planned, so the feast will be hours late and people are already complaining that they’re hungry. The relatives are already here, including Uncle Tim and Aunt Mirna, who everyone agrees are dreadful to have around. Tim drinks too much and starts making sexist comments and Mirna never stops complaining about her sciatica.
There are children running about, yelling and intermittently breaking things, and you honestly aren’t sure who all the children are — they just blur into one loud, destructive, knee-high force that isn’t helping the headache you have from making small talk with people you, for good reason, only see once a year.
There are adults in the living room yelling about something, a teen in the corner moping and composing awful poetry in his head and other teens in the backyard, either vaping or reflexively rolling their eyes.
The cousin who promised to bring the pies doesn’t show up, a grandparent starts to feel “a bit wobbly” for no particular reason, the stuffing is missing something (and you just know Aunt Mirna’s going to point that out at the dinner table) and another blur-kid just shot you in the eye with a Nerf gun, causing the mopey teen in the corner to briefly smirk.
Finally, dinner is served. Everyone eats too fast and talks too loud, then there are a ton of dishes and the house is a mess and everyone either leaves or sleeps over and snores loudly.
Sounds fun, right?
Now consider a quarantined Thanksgiving:
You and the family members who live with you (you know, the ones you actually like) wake up whenever you want. You cook whatever you want and don’t worry about Aunt Mirna’s opinion. You eat dinner with a laptop on the table and your extended family members spaced out in tidy little “Brady-Bunch”-style boxes on Zoom, your finger never far from the mute button.
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Then you close the laptop, do a few dishes, watch some television and go to bed.
Sure, you miss seeing some of your relatives. We’ll call them “the good ones.” But a virtual Thanksgiving dinner will allow you to separate the wheat from the chaff, family-wise.
All you need is the right mindset and, hopefully, a few improvements from Zoom and other videoconferencing platforms.
To get your mind right, repeat my Thanksgiving Day mantra: “All that matters is the food, all that matters is the food, all that matters is the food …” Say that approximately a thousand times, unless you’re already a believer, and then have someone you don’t like spill red wine on your carpet while a child you don’t know yells in your ear. Then, and only then, will you be emotionally prepared to embrace Quarantinesgiving.
The next step requires the help of the aforementioned videoconferencing platforms.
We have the technology to mute people, which is a blessing. But we need more tools to properly handle a virtual family get-together of this magnitude.
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I encourage Zoom and the other less-awesomely named companies to immediately consider adding the following options:
1) An emoji that indicates someone should stop saying things that are racist. I imagine this as a red slash over a cartoon caricature of an uncle holding a bottle of whiskey.
2) An off-screen isolation chamber for relatives you dislike. This function would allow the user to remove people from the Zoom meeting without them knowing it. Those removed would be placed in a video game-like space on another screen that contains any number of the following: murder hornets, a hungry lion with dull teeth, an evil-looking Pac-Man or Pennywise the clown. You would be able to occasionally toggle to this screen to see how things are working out for the people who have wronged you on past Thanksgivings.
3) An algorithm that filters out any person’s mention of the names “Donald Trump” or “Joe Biden” and replaces it with something more mundane. For example, if Grandpa Herbert says, “I like that Joe Biden,” others in the Zoom meeting would hear, “I like milk.” If your sister-in-law says, “I stand with Donald Trump and think the election was rigged,” others would hear, “I enjoy calm walks along a creek in autumn.”
With those simple changes, and with your own Zen-like focus on delicious food and not spending most of the day angry, there’s no reason Thanksgiving 2020 can’t be a delight.
In fact, even if the pandemic is over this time next year, we might want to stick with Quarantinesgiving.
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Enjoy the snakes, Aunt Mirna!
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Nov. 12 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

As coronavirus cases in Chicago continue to spike , Mayor Lori Lightfoot will impose a 10-person limit on weddings , birthday parties , funerals and some social events starting Monday morning .
While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order , Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks .
Later in the day , Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker warned that he may again put in place some form of a “ mandatory ” stay-at home order , the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he ’ s used to date .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a turn in the coming days , we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left , ” Pritzker said .
“ With every fiber of my being , I do not want us to get there .
But right now , that seems like where we are heading.
” The warnings came as Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 , topping the record set a day earlier .
It is the third day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record for cases in Illinois .
Officials also reported 43 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477 .
As coronavirus cases skyrocket across the state , U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer on Thursday ordered a temporary suspension of in-court proceedings at the federal courthouses in Chicago and Rockford , where both clerk ’ s offices will close to the public .
Pallmeyer ’ s order comes after a rash of recent COVID-19 positive tests from employees and visitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past several weeks that had already prompted her to suspend all civil and criminal jury trials until further notice .
Most recently , a courthouse security officer assigned to the public screening area in the lobby on Tuesday has tested positive for the virus , Pallmeyer said in a letter announcing the decision Thursday .
She also noted that Gov .
J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot have issued stay-at-home advisories and recommendations for restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings .
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday , the clerk ’ s offices at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dearborn St. and the Roszkowski courthouse in Rockford will close to the public and not reopen until at least Jan. 19 , Pallmeyer said .
In addition , beginning Monday , all civil case proceedings will be held virtually , either by phone or video conference , “ to limit the number of individuals in the courthouses at any time , ” she said .
Her letter does not spell out what changes , if any , will be made to in-person criminal hearings , though most of those proceedings are already being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will issue a formal order with more details soon .
The order marked the second time the clerk ’ s offices have been shut down at the courthouses due to the virus .
After an initial closure this past spring , the offices reopened to the public in June and trials later resumed in a limited fashion , with face coverings and social distancing measures in place to try to curtail the virus ' spread .
Pallmeyer said in her letter Thursday that the recent slew of positive tests show the courthouse “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Your safety remains my first priority as chief judge , ” Pallmeyer wrote Thursday .
“ Please do your best to protect yourselves and others , not only here in the courthouse , but also in your personal lives .
This will be behind us—soon , I hope—and I want all of you back in person and healthy.
” 5:25 p.m. : As cases continue surging in Illinois , Pritzker warns possible 2nd state stay-at home order could be near If Illinois ' coronavirus resurgence doesn ’ t begin to subside , Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may again put in place some form of a “ mandatory ” stay-at home order , the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he ’ s used to date .
“ If things don ’ t take a turn in the coming days , we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left , ” Pritzker said at a coronavirus briefing in Chicago on Thursday .
“ With every fiber of my being , I do not want us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that seems like where we are heading.
” The state Department of Public Health on Thursday announced an additional 12,702 newly confirmed and probable cases and an additional 43 deaths of people with COVID-19 .
The new and probable cases set yet another record for a daily high , and the average number of new cases over the past week now stands at 11,625 .
4:05 p.m. : School buildings shut for quarantine , reopen for 3 days before new COVID cases in Norridge shut them down again After having its school buildings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school district reopened Monday and taught three days of in-person classes before a surge of new COVID cases forced it to send students at one school back home for remote learning .
Some teachers also composed a letter saying they felt they were facing unsafe working conditions .
Norridge School District 80 , a two-school elementary district that serves just over 1,000 students , began the school year with hybrid in-person and remote learning .
At the end of October , families of students and some teachers reported positive cases of COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a move to remote learning .
Students and teachers returned to school Monday after the quarantine period ended , but by Wednesday evening , the district superintendent announced an immediate return to remote learning .
Too many teachers and staff members had either tested positive for COVID-19 or are quarantining due to possible exposure , she said .
“ We are trying very hard to stay open , but at this time between not being able to staff my buildings and too many sick kids coming to school and too many families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Superintendent Stephanie Palmer said in an interview Thursday .
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that it obtained an email that Liz Uihlein sent Wednesday to employees at Uline , the couple ’ s shipping supply company , saying they had the virus but would return to the office on Nov. 19 .
“ Dick and I tested positive for COVID , ” she wrote .
“ After all these long months , I thought we ’ d never get it .
...
If we had not been around people with COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” 12:45 p.m. : Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposes 10-person limit on weddings , funerals and other events , encourages people to stay home as coronavirus cases continue spike While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order , Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks .
As part of her stay-at-home advisory , Lightfoot is encouraging residents not to leave their homes except to work , attend school , seek medical care , shop for groceries or pick up takeout food .
Those who do go out are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all times , she said .
During a webcast , Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady also warned that the city ’ s cases could reach 4,000 per day by Thanksgiving if the current spike in cases continues .
Chicago is recording an average 1,920 cases over the past 7 days , up from 1,410 a week prior , and Chicago ’ s rate of people testing positive has risen to 14 % , she said .
12:45 p.m. : Cook County sheriff gives coronavirus update at jail , asks community for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday pushed back against the narrative that jail staffers were negligent in responding to the coronavirus earlier this year and pleaded with the community to follow public health guidelines for COVID-19 as cases are on the rise again across the state .
At a news conference in front of Cook County Jail , Dart adamantly defended the “ heroic ” job his staff has done with containing the virus among detainees in their custody .
Earlier this year the sprawling Southwest Side facility had to grapple with the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two-month span , including seven who died , earning the facility a label as a national hot spot .
“ The majority of people who are positive at any given moment inside the jail are people who came into the jail positive , ” he said .
“ There wasn ’ t this wild spread going on in the jail.
” Joe Biden ’ s top allies on Capitol Hill adopted a combative posture on COVID-19 relief on Thursday , accusing Washington Republicans of dragging their feet in acknowledging Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 trillion-plus relief bill that ’ s a nonstarter with congressional Republicans .
The message from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. — both of whom witnessed disappointing outcomes in House and Senate races last week — was that Republicans should concede the presidential election was won by Biden and immediately return to negotiations on COVID relief , with the Democrats ' $ 2.4 trillion “ HEROES Act ” as the starting point .
“ It ’ s most unfortunate that the Republicans have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will of the people , ” Pelosi told reporters .
“ It ’ s like the house is burning down , and they just refuse to throw water on it.
” Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 43 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477 since the start of the pandemic .
Officials also reported 100,617 new tests in the last 24 hours .
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests was 12.6 % for the period ending Wednesday , up from 8 % on Nov. 1 .
Corey Lewandowski recently traveled to Pennsylvania to assist Trump ’ s efforts to contest the state ’ s election results .
He said Thursday he believes he was infected in Philadelphia and he ’ s not experiencing any symptoms .
Lewandowski appeared with Rudy Giuliani at an event last Saturday outside a landscaping company and lobbed unfounded accusations of voter fraud as the race was called for Trump ’ s challenger , now-President-elect Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Night party at the White House last week linked to several virus cases .
11:31 a.m. : States start ramping up for the biggest vaccination effort in US history , as COVID-19 spikes across country With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer , public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses , prioritize who ’ s first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return for the necessary second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early as next month , when federal officials say the first vaccine may be authorized for emergency use and immediately deployed to high-risk groups , such as health care workers .
“ The cavalry is coming , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday on ABC ’ s “ Good Morning America.
” He said he hopes shots will be available to all Americans in April , May and June .
11:08 a.m. : Elementary districts in Glenview , Northbrook will pivot to online learning as area coronavirus cases continue to rise Four elementary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to online learning for the next two months as new COVID-19 cases continue to surge locally .
School districts 27 and 28 in Northbrook , Glenview School District 34 and Northbrook-Glenview School District 30 have decided to jointly take an “ adaptive pause ” that will begin after Thanksgiving and run until after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January , school officials announced .
“ We whole-heartedly realize this shift can be disruptive to our district families and therefore wanted to give you as much notice as possible , ” District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message to families .
“ We know this news is not easy to hear.
” An adaptive pause is a strategy created at the beginning of the school year to allow schools to pivot to remote learning when needed , according to Illinois Department of Public Health guidance from August .
10:45 a.m. : Time to relive the garage parties of your youth .
Chicagoans are remodeling outdoor spaces to socialize safely as winter approaches .
After spending months working from home in tight quarters with her two college-aged children , Katie Wrobel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would make it through winter confined in the same living space .
“ I was inspired by the garage parties of my youth , ” said Wrobel , who ’ s in her 50s .
“ I had to do something because if they were home for extended periods of time during the winter and had no access to outdoor socializing … Well , then , it was going to be bad for everyone.
” 8:58 a.m. : Building in a pandemic : Steppenwolf ’ s new theater campus is a $ 54 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March of last year , Chicago ’ s Steppenwolf Theatre officially announced its campus expansion : a new $ 54 million theater-in-the-round .
Back then , theaters still staged live shows and cared not for streaming video .
Zoom was a comic-book term rather than a communication lifeline .
Layoffs and closures were far from ubiquitous in the cultural sector .
And social distancing was an oxymoron .
But thanks to the lockdown exemption for construction projects throughout the COVID-19 crisis in Illinois , this transformative addition designed by the Chicago architecture film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , incredibly , continued on schedule , rising alongside the mostly shuttered eateries and bars of a Halsted Street devoid of its usual foot traffic .
8:02 a.m. : Wisconsin , inundated with COVID-19 hospitalizations , now at ‘ tipping point , ’ health experts say Health and hospital officials said Wednesday they feared Wisconsin ’ s COVID-19 situation was becoming increasingly dire , as the state reported more than 7,000 new cases and more than 60 deaths for the second day in a row amid record hospitalizations .
A record 2,102 patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a record 441 in intensive care .
Eric Borgerding , CEO of the Wisconsin Hospital Association , said staffing is a bigger challenge than finding beds because hundreds , if not thousands , of health care workers are at home after being infected with or exposed to the coronavirus , often in the community .
“ Right now our real biggest concern is making sure that our hospitals and clinics have the capacity to save everyone , ” Westergaard said .
“ That tipping point is when we stop being able to save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said hospitals in every part of the state are stressed , some with patients ready to be discharged to nursing homes that won ’ t take them because of coronavirus outbreaks or concerns .
Leaders of the Mayo Clinic Health System in northwestern Wisconsin said Tuesday they had 83 COVID-19 patients , and their hospitals in Barron , Bloomer , Eau Claire , Menomonie and Osseo were full .
7:56 a.m. : Interested in the Pfizer vaccine , or the city ’ s new quarantine list ?
We ’ re answering readers ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its COVID-19 vaccine , now in a final stage of testing , may be 90 % effective .
But how does it work ?
Can you explain the new colors and the changes in Chicago ’ s quarantine travel list ?
These are the two latest questions from readers that we ’ ve answered with the help of health and science experts .
For the complete list so far , go here .
Ask your own questions here .
—Alison Bowen , Christen A. Johnson and Darcel Rockett 7:05 a.m. : Fewer plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and unemployment , AAA says Fewer Illinois residents plan to travel by plane for Thanksgiving than since 2009 , with the estimated number of Illinoisans taking a Thanksgiving trip by car the lowest since 2016 , according to estimates by AAA .
“ AAA projects 50 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving .
In Illinois , the expectation is 2.4 million travelers and in Indiana it is 1.1 million .
However , these figures could be even lower as Americans monitor the public health landscape , ” according to a news release .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to travel for the holiday in Illinois is the lowest since 2014 , according to AAA .
Nationally , the number of people expected to travel is down nearly 10 percent from 2019 , although the group expects that number could decline further .
The number of people who plan to travel by bus , train or cruise ship is the lowest on record , according to the private travel association .
“ Health concerns and unemployment are the key factors in what is expected to be the lowest Thanksgiving travel volume in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decline since the Great Recession , ” according to the release .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “ says staying home is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 , ” Molly Hart , a Chicago-area spokesperson for AAA said in the release .
“ For those who still decide to travel , we urge you to take every precaution possible to protect yourself and others.
” Here are five things that happened Wednesday regarding COVID-19 :

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
As coronavirus cases in Chicago continue to spike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot will impose a 10-person limit on weddings, birthday parties, funerals and some social events starting Monday morning. While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order, Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks.
Later in the day, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned that he may again put in place some form of a “mandatory” stay-at home order, the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he’s used to date.
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“If things don’t take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left,” Pritzker said. “With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there. But right now, that seems like where we are heading.”
The warnings came as Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, topping the record set a day earlier. It is the third day in a row with a new daily record for cases in Illinois. Officials also reported 43 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:15 p.m.: In-court proceedings temporarily suspended at federal courthouses in Chicago and Rockford
As coronavirus cases skyrocket across the state, U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer on Thursday ordered a temporary suspension of in-court proceedings at the federal courthouses in Chicago and Rockford, where both clerk’s offices will close to the public.
Pallmeyer’s order comes after a rash of recent COVID-19 positive tests from employees and visitors at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse over the past several weeks that had already prompted her to suspend all civil and criminal jury trials until further notice.
Most recently, a courthouse security officer assigned to the public screening area in the lobby on Tuesday has tested positive for the virus, Pallmeyer said in a letter announcing the decision Thursday. She also noted that Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot have issued stay-at-home advisories and recommendations for restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings.
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, the clerk’s offices at both the Dirksen building at 219 S. Dearborn St. and the Roszkowski courthouse in Rockford will close to the public and not reopen until at least Jan. 19, Pallmeyer said. In addition, beginning Monday, all civil case proceedings will be held virtually, either by phone or video conference, “to limit the number of individuals in the courthouses at any time,” she said.
Her letter does not spell out what changes, if any, will be made to in-person criminal hearings, though most of those proceedings are already being done by teleconference. Pallmeyer said she will issue a formal order with more details soon.
The order marked the second time the clerk’s offices have been shut down at the courthouses due to the virus. After an initial closure this past spring, the offices reopened to the public in June and trials later resumed in a limited fashion, with face coverings and social distancing measures in place to try to curtail the virus' spread.
Pallmeyer said in her letter Thursday that the recent slew of positive tests show the courthouse “is not immune to coronavirus.”
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“Your safety remains my first priority as chief judge,” Pallmeyer wrote Thursday. “Please do your best to protect yourselves and others, not only here in the courthouse, but also in your personal lives. This will be behind us—soon, I hope—and I want all of you back in person and healthy.”
—Jason Meisner
5:25 p.m.: As cases continue surging in Illinois, Pritzker warns possible 2nd state stay-at home order could be near
If Illinois' coronavirus resurgence doesn’t begin to subside, Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned Thursday that he may again put in place some form of a “mandatory” stay-at home order, the farthest-reaching restriction to curb the spread of COVID-19 he’s used to date.
“If things don’t take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left,” Pritzker said at a coronavirus briefing in Chicago on Thursday. “With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there. But right now, that seems like where we are heading.”
The state Department of Public Health on Thursday announced an additional 12,702 newly confirmed and probable cases and an additional 43 deaths of people with COVID-19. The new and probable cases set yet another record for a daily high, and the average number of new cases over the past week now stands at 11,625.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
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4:05 p.m.: School buildings shut for quarantine, reopen for 3 days before new COVID cases in Norridge shut them down again
After having its school buildings closed for quarantine, a Norridge elementary school district reopened Monday and taught three days of in-person classes before a surge of new COVID cases forced it to send students at one school back home for remote learning. Some teachers also composed a letter saying they felt they were facing unsafe working conditions.
Norridge School District 80, a two-school elementary district that serves just over 1,000 students, began the school year with hybrid in-person and remote learning. At the end of October, families of students and some teachers reported positive cases of COVID-19, leading to a district-wide, two-week quarantine and a move to remote learning.
Students and teachers returned to school Monday after the quarantine period ended, but by Wednesday evening, the district superintendent announced an immediate return to remote learning. Too many teachers and staff members had either tested positive for COVID-19 or are quarantining due to possible exposure, she said.
“We are trying very hard to stay open, but at this time between not being able to staff my buildings and too many sick kids coming to school and too many families having COVID, we have to close,” Superintendent Stephanie Palmer said in an interview Thursday.
Read more here. —Anna Kim
2:55 p.m.: GOP megadonors Liz and Dick Uihlein test positive for COVID-19
Republican megadonors Liz and Dick Uihlein have tested positive for COVID-19, a newspaper reported Thursday.
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that it obtained an email that Liz Uihlein sent Wednesday to employees at Uline, the couple’s shipping supply company, saying they had the virus but would return to the office on Nov. 19.
“Dick and I tested positive for COVID,” she wrote. “After all these long months, I thought we’d never get it. ... If we had not been around people with COVID, we would not have been tested.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
12:45 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposes 10-person limit on weddings, funerals and other events, encourages people to stay home as coronavirus cases continue spike
As coronavirus cases in Chicago continue to spike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot will impose a 10-person limit on weddings, birthday parties, funerals and some social events starting Monday morning.
While stopping short of issuing a citywide shutdown order, Lightfoot also is urging residents to stay home during the coming weeks. As part of her stay-at-home advisory, Lightfoot is encouraging residents not to leave their homes except to work, attend school, seek medical care, shop for groceries or pick up takeout food.
Those who do go out are encouraged to wear a face mask at all times, she said.
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During a webcast, Chicago public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady also warned that the city’s cases could reach 4,000 per day by Thanksgiving if the current spike in cases continues.
Chicago is recording an average 1,920 cases over the past 7 days, up from 1,410 a week prior, and Chicago’s rate of people testing positive has risen to 14%, she said.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
[ You’re not going to your family’s house for Thanksgiving. Here’s how to tell them. ]
12:45 p.m.: Cook County sheriff gives coronavirus update at jail, asks community for help heading off next wave
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday pushed back against the narrative that jail staffers were negligent in responding to the coronavirus earlier this year and pleaded with the community to follow public health guidelines for COVID-19 as cases are on the rise again across the state.
At a news conference in front of Cook County Jail, Dart adamantly defended the “heroic” job his staff has done with containing the virus among detainees in their custody. Earlier this year the sprawling Southwest Side facility had to grapple with the virus when over 700 inmates tested positive during a two-month span, including seven who died, earning the facility a label as a national hot spot.
“The majority of people who are positive at any given moment inside the jail are people who came into the jail positive,” he said. “There wasn’t this wild spread going on in the jail.”
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Read more here. —Javonte Anderson
12:08 p.m.: Post-election warfare clouds chances for a COVID relief bill
Joe Biden’s top allies on Capitol Hill adopted a combative posture on COVID-19 relief on Thursday, accusing Washington Republicans of dragging their feet in acknowledging Biden’s victory while doubling down on a $2 trillion-plus relief bill that’s a nonstarter with congressional Republicans.
The message from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — both of whom witnessed disappointing outcomes in House and Senate races last week — was that Republicans should concede the presidential election was won by Biden and immediately return to negotiations on COVID relief, with the Democrats' $2.4 trillion “HEROES Act” as the starting point.
“It’s most unfortunate that the Republicans have decided that they will not respect the will of the people,” Pelosi told reporters. “It’s like the house is burning down, and they just refuse to throw water on it.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
12:06 p.m.: 12,702 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 43 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 43 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 536,542 and the statewide death toll to 10,477 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 100,617 new tests in the last 24 hours.
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The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 12.6% for the period ending Wednesday, up from 8% on Nov. 1.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:44 a.m.: Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski tests positive for coronavirus
Corey Lewandowski recently traveled to Pennsylvania to assist Trump’s efforts to contest the state’s election results. He said Thursday he believes he was infected in Philadelphia and he’s not experiencing any symptoms.
Lewandowski appeared with Rudy Giuliani at an event last Saturday outside a landscaping company and lobbed unfounded accusations of voter fraud as the race was called for Trump’s challenger, now-President-elect Joe Biden.
Lewandowski was also at the Election Night party at the White House last week linked to several virus cases.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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11:31 a.m.: States start ramping up for the biggest vaccination effort in US history, as COVID-19 spikes across country
With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer, public health officials across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who’s first in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return for the necessary second one.
The push could begin as early as next month, when federal officials say the first vaccine may be authorized for emergency use and immediately deployed to high-risk groups, such as health care workers.
“The cavalry is coming,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He said he hopes shots will be available to all Americans in April, May and June.
Read more here. —Associated Press
11:08 a.m.: Elementary districts in Glenview, Northbrook will pivot to online learning as area coronavirus cases continue to rise
Four elementary school districts in Northfield Township are moving back to online learning for the next two months as new COVID-19 cases continue to surge locally.
School districts 27 and 28 in Northbrook, Glenview School District 34 and Northbrook-Glenview School District 30 have decided to jointly take an “adaptive pause” that will begin after Thanksgiving and run until after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, school officials announced.
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“We whole-heartedly realize this shift can be disruptive to our district families and therefore wanted to give you as much notice as possible,” District 27 superintendent Dave Kroeze said in a message to families. “We know this news is not easy to hear.”
An adaptive pause is a strategy created at the beginning of the school year to allow schools to pivot to remote learning when needed, according to Illinois Department of Public Health guidance from August.
Read more here. —Kaitlin Edquist
10:45 a.m.: Time to relive the garage parties of your youth. Chicagoans are remodeling outdoor spaces to socialize safely as winter approaches.
After spending months working from home in tight quarters with her two college-aged children, Katie Wrobel began to worry about how the three would make it through winter confined in the same living space.
That’s when Wrobel began to see potential in a neglected part of her Evanston property: a 100-year-old detached garage.
“I was inspired by the garage parties of my youth,” said Wrobel, who’s in her 50s. “I had to do something because if they were home for extended periods of time during the winter and had no access to outdoor socializing … Well, then, it was going to be bad for everyone.”
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Read more here. —Katie Surma
8:58 a.m.: Building in a pandemic: Steppenwolf’s new theater campus is a $54 million bet on returning to normalcy
In March of last year, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre officially announced its campus expansion: a new $54 million theater-in-the-round. Back then, theaters still staged live shows and cared not for streaming video. Zoom was a comic-book term rather than a communication lifeline. Layoffs and closures were far from ubiquitous in the cultural sector. And social distancing was an oxymoron.
But thanks to the lockdown exemption for construction projects throughout the COVID-19 crisis in Illinois, this transformative addition designed by the Chicago architecture film of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill has, incredibly, continued on schedule, rising alongside the mostly shuttered eateries and bars of a Halsted Street devoid of its usual foot traffic.
Read more here. —Chris Jones
8:02 a.m.: Wisconsin, inundated with COVID-19 hospitalizations, now at ‘tipping point,’ health experts say
Health and hospital officials said Wednesday they feared Wisconsin’s COVID-19 situation was becoming increasingly dire, as the state reported more than 7,000 new cases and more than 60 deaths for the second day in a row amid record hospitalizations.
“We’re close to a tipping point, where this could get much worse quickly,” Dr. Ryan Westergaard, a chief medical officer with the state Department of Health Services, said the day after Gov. Tony Evers gave a rare prime-time speech announcing an order advising residents to stay home.
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A record 2,102 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 Wednesday, including a record 441 in intensive care. Eric Borgerding, CEO of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, said staffing is a bigger challenge than finding beds because hundreds, if not thousands, of health care workers are at home after being infected with or exposed to the coronavirus, often in the community.
Soaring demand for care “is coming at a time when our capacity to treat that demand is becoming more and more diminished,” Borgerding said.
With 7,048 new coronavirus cases reported Wednesday, just below Tuesday’s record of 7,073, Wisconsin remains a national hotspot and the state’s daily average of new cases was nearly 6,000, more than four times the average from two months ago. Overall, 2,457 residents have died from COVID-19.
“Right now our real biggest concern is making sure that our hospitals and clinics have the capacity to save everyone,” Westergaard said. “That tipping point is when we stop being able to save everyone who gets severely ill.”
Borgerding said hospitals in every part of the state are stressed, some with patients ready to be discharged to nursing homes that won’t take them because of coronavirus outbreaks or concerns.
“It’s not slowing down,” Borgerding said.
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Leaders of the Mayo Clinic Health System in northwestern Wisconsin said Tuesday they had 83 COVID-19 patients, and their hospitals in Barron, Bloomer, Eau Claire, Menomonie and Osseo were full.
Read more here. —Wisconsin State Journal
7:56 a.m.: Interested in the Pfizer vaccine, or the city’s new quarantine list? We’re answering readers' questions about COVID-19.
Pfizer Inc. says its COVID-19 vaccine, now in a final stage of testing, may be 90% effective. But how does it work? Can you explain the new colors and the changes in Chicago’s quarantine travel list? These are the two latest questions from readers that we’ve answered with the help of health and science experts.
For the complete list so far, go here. Ask your own questions here. —Alison Bowen, Christen A. Johnson and Darcel Rockett
7:05 a.m.: Fewer plan to travel for Thanksgiving because of pandemic and unemployment, AAA says
Fewer Illinois residents plan to travel by plane for Thanksgiving than since 2009, with the estimated number of Illinoisans taking a Thanksgiving trip by car the lowest since 2016, according to estimates by AAA.
“AAA projects 50 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving. In Illinois, the expectation is 2.4 million travelers and in Indiana it is 1.1 million. However, these figures could be even lower as Americans monitor the public health landscape,” according to a news release.
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Overall, the number of people expected to travel for the holiday in Illinois is the lowest since 2014, according to AAA. Nationally, the number of people expected to travel is down nearly 10 percent from 2019, although the group expects that number could decline further. The number of people who plan to travel by bus, train or cruise ship is the lowest on record, according to the private travel association.
“Health concerns and unemployment are the key factors in what is expected to be the lowest Thanksgiving travel volume in four years, and the largest yearly decline since the Great Recession,” according to the release.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “says staying home is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Molly Hart, a Chicago-area spokesperson for AAA said in the release. “For those who still decide to travel, we urge you to take every precaution possible to protect yourself and others.”
—Chicago Tribune staff
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five things that happened Wednesday regarding COVID-19:


chicagotribune--2020-11-13--AP declares US Rep. Lauren Underwood winner in Illinois’ 14th District over Republican Jim Oberweis

Oberweis claimed victory the day after the election , then said he would seek a recount after mail-in vote results @ @ @ @ @ said Thursday that he was not conceding , and was exploring and would pursue “ @ @ @ @ @ that are at our disposal .
”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood crosses her fingers while talking with supporters after arriving at her election night gathering for the 14th Congressional District race on Nov. 8, 2022, in Plainfield. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood won her bid for a second term Thursday, narrowly defeating Republican challenger Jim Oberweis in the west and north suburban and exurban 14th Congressional District, The Associated Press declared.
The AP’s call of the race came before Underwood’s advantage over Oberweis grew from 4,288 votes on Wednesday to 4,604 on Thursday after an additional 886 ballots were reported by Lake County authorities.
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The latest unofficial vote totals showed Underwood with 200,638 votes, or 50.6%, to 196,034, or 49.4%, for Oberweis.
Oberweis claimed victory the day after the election, then said he would seek a recount after mail-in vote results found him trailing. He said Thursday that he was not conceding, and was exploring and would pursue “all of the legal options that are at our disposal.”
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The AP’s call “doesn’t change anything in this race from a legal standpoint,” Oberweis said in a statement that also pointed to seeking a recount. “There are still votes that have yet to be counted.”
Under state law, local election authorities can count until Tuesday any mail-in ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day on Nov. 3.
Underwood, however, said she was “honored” to win the support of the district’s voters for reelection.
“This was a tough race under some very difficult circumstances, and I want to say thank you to my supporters, the voters, and our elections officials for their diligent work,” she said in a statement.
“Whether you voted for me or not, I pledge to represent every member of this community. That’s my responsibility, and I take it seriously. It’s a privilege to bring northern Illinois voices and values to Washington and I can’t wait to build upon all that we’ve accomplished, together,” she said.
Underwood said the district and the nation face “urgent challenges” and would work on “protecting our families, ensuring a robust economic recovery and lowering the cost of health care.”
The contest between Underwood, of Naperville, and Oberweis, a state senator from Sugar Grove, was a surprisingly close one. Oberweis, who received little help from national Republicans, largely self-funded his campaign at a significant cash disadvantage to the freshman Democrat.
Underwood raised more than $7 million for her reelection while Oberweis raised about $3 million, including $1.7 million in personal loans. But Oberweis benefited in part by a late push by President Donald Trump for his base to turn out in a district with historic conservative Republican leanings and several rural areas.
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In 2018, Underwood defeated three-term GOP Rep. Randy Hultgren of Plano by 5 percentage points, or roughly 15,000 votes. The 14th District and the suburban 6th District, won then by Democrat Sean Casten of Downers Grove, marked a blue suburban wave that took congressional seats from Republicans. Casten also won reelection.
Her narrow win was yet another indication of the changing partisan ideology of Chicago’s suburbs, which had long been a GOP firewall to the city’s Democratic majority. The district includes parts of DuPage, Kane, Lake, Will, McHenry, DeKalb and Kendall counties, and unofficial results showed her winning in DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties.
The Underwood-Oberweis contest was the last major race in Illinois to be decided, with about 14 other congressional races throughout the country that haven’t been called. Democrats are expected to maintain their majority, though by a narrow margin over Republicans.
It was the second time Oberweis, 74, failed in a bid for the seat, losing in 2008. It joins a string of losses at the federal level for the investment and dairy magnate that included unsuccessful bids for the U.S. Senate in 2002, 2004 and 2014. Oberweis also lost a 2006 bid for governor and was unsuccessful in a past bid for the state GOP chairmanship.
As a result of his bid for Congress, Oberweis could not seek reelection to the state Senate seat he has held since 2013. Jeanette Ward, a Republican seeking to replace Oberweis in Springfield, conceded her race against Democrat Karina Villa.
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Underwood, 34, a nurse, worked as a health policy administrator in President Barack Obama’s administration. She has said her candidacy came after Hultgren opposed provisions of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, that guaranteed health care coverage of preexisting conditions.


chicagotribune--2020-11-12--Former Cook County commissioner Tony Peraica sues state after daughter allegedly denied unemployment

Former Cook County commissioner Tony Peraica sues state after daughter allegedly denied unemployment benefits during rush of COVID-19 claims

Peraica , a Chicago resident , was laid off from her job effective April 7 , and applied for unemployment @ @ @ @ @ s website May 9 , the lawsuit alleges .
Two days later , she received @ @ @ @ @ to $ 484 in weekly benefits and that she needed to certify her unemployment status @ @ @ @

Chicago lawyer and former Cook County commissioner Tony Peraica is suing the Illinois Department of Employment Security on behalf of his daughter after she was unable to obtain her unemployment benefits during a rush of COVID-19 claims.
The lawsuit, filed Oct. 30 in Chicago federal court, alleges Anisa Peraica was repeatedly unable to certify her claim with the agency online or over the phone, preventing her from collecting $484 in weekly benefits while unemployed from April through July.
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She also allegedly missed out on the additional $600 per week in federal coronavirus unemployment benefits, which expired in July.
“Ms. Peraica was denied all unemployment compensation benefits due to IDES' failure to provide systems to handle the capacity of claims being filed,” the lawsuit alleges. The U.S. Department of Labor and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are among the defendants.
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Former Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica speaks at a reopen Illinois rally near the Thompson Center in Chicago, May 1, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said Thursday the agency does not comment on pending litigation and is “prohibited from commenting on or discussing details of individual cases due to confidentiality provisions” under the state’s Unemployment Insurance Act.
Getting through to the unemployment office with issues filing claims was a problem for many during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the ranks of the newly unemployed swelled, in some cases overwhelming the agency’s capacity to respond.
“To give you a sense of magnitude, IDES received in the first three weeks of the pandemic as many claims as it did in all of 2019,” Cisco said in an email Thursday.
Cisco said the state is continuing to work through the issues as quickly as possible while trying to restore staffing levels to a department that has been cut almost in half over the last decade.
Peraica, a Chicago resident, was laid off from her job effective April 7, and applied for unemployment benefits on the state’s website May 9, the lawsuit alleges. Two days later, she received notice that she was entitled to $484 in weekly benefits and that she needed to certify her unemployment status on May 18.
She was repeatedly “denied the ability” to certify online and had no better luck reaching an agency representative by phone, with multiple attempts invariably ending in disconnections or busy signals, the lawsuit alleges.
“It was really frustrating,” Peraica, 34, said Thursday. “Trying to certify was really where it just kind of hit a wall.”
When she finally reached a person Aug. 6, she learned her claim was closed, the lawsuit alleges. Peraica was provided with a second letter from the agency Aug. 7 approving her unemployment claim, according to the complaint.
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But the results were still the same, and she was still unable to certify for unemployment benefits, the lawsuit alleges.
Peraica, who was laid off from a Chicago events planning company, said things got a “little dicey” financially before she landed another job with a Chicago-based online events company July 29.
Tony Peraica, who served as a Cook County commissioner from 2002 to 2010, said he made the decision to file the case both to recover his daughter’s lost benefits and hold the state accountable for a system that may have failed other claimants as well.
“There are certainly people that don’t have that kind of family support, financial support, that are in the same situation, waiting for their benefits as they are losing their apartments,” said Tony Peraica, 63.
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The lawsuit is seeking the full unemployment compensation and additional federal relief she was allegedly denied through the certification process.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-14--Secretary Rahm Emanuel? Former Chicago mayor floated for Biden Cabinet spot, but his handling of Laq

Secretary Rahm Emanuel? Former Chicago mayor floated for Biden Cabinet spot, but his handling of Laquan McDonald case and ‘Mayor 1%’ rep remain a drag with progressives

If the longtime Beltway insider didn ’ t float his own name for a Cabinet spot , he has plenty @ @ @ @ @ task .
Soon to turn 61 and out of power since abruptly pulling the plug @ @ @ @ @ third mayoral term 26 months ago , the TV pundit , investment banker and informal @ @ @ @ @ for a fourth act on the national stage in his third White House .

When former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s name quickly surfaced as a possible transportation secretary in a Joe Biden administration, it came as little surprise to those in the political-media ecosystem.
If the longtime Beltway insider didn’t float his own name for a Cabinet spot, he has plenty of friends up to the task. Soon to turn 61 and out of power since abruptly pulling the plug on a bid for a third mayoral term 26 months ago, the TV pundit, investment banker and informal Biden adviser could be looking for a fourth act on the national stage in his third White House.
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But it was a trial balloon those on the other side of the centrist-leftist Democratic divide quickly sought to pierce.
Leading the charge was progressive U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. After telling The New York Times that Emanuel would be “a pretty divisive pick” and signal “a hostile approach to the grassroots and the progressive wing of the party,” Ocasio-Cortez responded to a tweet on the subject by WTTW’s Heather Cherone with this: “We must govern with integrity and accountability. Laquan McDonald’s life mattered.”
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Then-Vice President Joe Biden, left, talks with then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel at a ceremony at Millennium Park in Chicago, May 16, 2011. Sen. Dick Durbin is at right. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
At once, the very controversies that arguably took Emanuel out of public life were back front and center.
His policy chops and experience in the White House, in Congress and working on transit projects as mayor make him a strong choice to join presumptive President-elect Joe Biden’s team. But Emanuel is lambasted by some Democrats for his reputation as a pro-Wall Street, anti-teachers union centrist, and especially for his handling of the 17-year-old Black teen’s shooting death by a white police officer who went to prison for it.
His second term was dogged by allegations he sought to keep the now-infamous police dashcam video of the incident from coming out until after he won reelection in 2015.
The city Law Department quickly reached a $5 million settlement in April 2015 with the McDonald family in their lawsuit about the shooting, shortly after Emanuel defeated Jesús “Chuy” García in a mayoral runoff election. The Emanuel administration fought against releasing the video until a Cook County judge ordered it in November 2015.
When it came time to clean up the Police Department, Emanuel also drew harsh criticism from reform advocates for his initial stance against a federal consent decree that stemmed from a federal civil rights investigation into the McDonald shooting.
Lori Lightfoot, then president of the Chicago Police Board and co-chair of Emanuel’s Police Accountability Task Force, said in 2017 that Emanuel’s attempts to strike an out-of-court agreement on police reform with President Donald Trump’s Justice Department were “fundamentally flawed” and set up the Chicago Police Department for failure.
Lightfoot’s public position opposing the mayor helped raise her profile before she announced she was running against him.
Emanuel only agreed to enter negotiations to seek federal court oversight after Democratic Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan sued City Hall for a consent decree.
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Northwest Side Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who was elected in 2019 at the same time Lightfoot succeeded Emanuel as mayor, has started an online petition urging Biden not to hire Emanuel. It had received 3,133 signatures by 5 p.m. Friday.
“We think it’s important as Chicagoans, because of the terrible experience we had with him as mayor, to warn the rest of the country they don’t want anything to do with Rahm Emanuel in a Cabinet position,” Rodriguez Sanchez said.
On the national level, Emanuel has consistently counseled the Democratic Party to court moderate swing voters rather than tacking to the left. That has helped earn him a special enmity from progressives.
During a presidential campaign stop in Chicago in 2016, Bernie Sanders ripped the mayor and said he didn’t want Emanuel’s endorsement.
“That is not the kind of support I want,” Sanders said then. “We want the endorsement of the people who are fighting for social and racial justice. We do not want the support of people who are indebted to Wall Street and the big money interests.”
At a time Biden has work to do to convince Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and their backers that he’s progressive enough to earn their backing, tapping Emanuel for a high-profile post won’t help his case.
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Emanuel declined to comment about his interest in the job. He sports a track record of spearheading transportation projects, a deep understanding of how to get things done in the Capitol and long working relationships with Democrats and Republicans in Congress. He helped the Democrats regain control of the House in 2006 as the head of the DCCC.
The former top aide in the Clinton and Obama administrations also has a long, close relationship with Biden. Emanuel revealed this spring that he was speaking regularly with the former vice president about economic policy, picking a running mate and taking on President Donald Trump.
Emanuel also enjoys some labor support.
Karen Kent, president of the Unite Here Local 1 union that represents hospitality workers, cleaning and maintenance workers at hotels and in Chicago’s airports, said that as mayor, Emanuel “worked with us to change the lives of thousands of Chicagoans who work in our airports.”
Unite Here Local 1 endorsed Emanuel for reelection in 2015, and Kent said he would make a good transportation secretary. “With his focus on people who work with their hands, Rahm will rebuild lives as America rebuilds its infrastructure,” she said in a statement.
Plus, while many progressives dislike Emanuel, lots of moderate Democrats and Republicans in Congress hold him in much higher regard.
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Ray LaHood, the former Republican Congressman from Peoria who was transportation secretary under Obama, has been a longtime friend of Emanuel’s since they served together in the House of Representatives and hosted bipartisan dinners in Washington. When Emanuel was mayor, he tapped LaHood to chair a city transportation task force.
If Biden wants a massive infrastructure bill as part of a COVID-19 relief package, LaHood said “there’s nobody better than Rahm” to pull together the votes to get it passed, particularly if Republicans retain control of the U.S. Senate and Biden’s transportation secretary needed bipartisan support.
“He’s very well-respected throughout Congress,” LaHood said. “He has a lot of friends on the Republican side, and obviously a whole lot of friends on the Democratic side.”
Emanuel also can point to a list of achievements on transportation projects.
As Obama’s chief of staff in 2009, he played an important role in setting Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that pushed the auto industry to make more fuel-efficient cars.
“That was Rahm’s priority, to get that done,” LaHood said. “If he gets named transportation secretary, this is a guy who will get us back on a track to a clean green plan. It’s personally important to him to achieve that, and that’s something people may not know.”
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And then as mayor starting in 2011, Emanuel oversaw a series of ambitious CTA renovations and other high-profile transportation-related projects in Chicago, tapping the federal government to help pay for them.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden, right, and then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel talk in Chicago in 2013. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
He talked South Side aldermen into backing a risky plan to completely shut down the south leg of the Red Line for months to rebuild it in 2013.
Emanuel then got state legislators and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2016 to let him create special taxing districts to pay for rail projects.
That allowed the CTA to provide a local match for $1 billion in federal money to pay for the renovation of tracks and stations along the Purple Line and the north branch of the Red Line, plus the controversial flyover north of the Belmont Avenue station.
Emanuel also leveraged federal dollars to extend the downtown Riverwalk.
And he jump-started the construction of The 606 elevated park that opened on the North and Northwest sides in 2015.
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Less successful was Emanuel’s high-profile 2018 support for Elon Musk’s plan to dig a tunnel for an express transit line from downtown to O’Hare International Airport. That futuristic idea, which Emanuel said would give business travelers the quick, comfy alternative they crave to the CTA Blue Line that already travels to the airport, has gone nowhere.
“His backing of that Elon Musk deal, the fast speed to O’Hare plan, that was the worst idea ever,” Rodriguez Sanchez said. “That alone should disqualify him from being transportation secretary.”
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-11-14--Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Federation of Labor announce agreement to avoid hundreds of city worke

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Federation of Labor announce agreement to avoid hundreds of city worker layoffs as part of 2021 budget

Although the layoffs were a high-profile part of her plan , the job cuts would amount to roughly $ 13 @ @ @ @ @ small part of a $ 12.8 billion budget .
Lightfoot will have less trouble filling @ @ @ @ @ projections or cuts than she would trying to push it through the City Council , @ @ @ @ @ find the 26 votes she needs .

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot greets Bob Reiter, president of Chicago Federation of Labor, as she tours the McCormick Place alternate care facility in Chicago on April 10, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
As Mayor Lori Lightfoot works to build support for her 2021 budget, she has withdrawn her plan to fire hundreds of city workers to close Chicago’s $1.2 billion deficit.
Lightfoot’s city spending plan, unveiled last month, called for hundreds of workers to lose their jobs as a cost-saving measure, but the move has been met with fierce resistance from aldermen and labor unions.
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“After many productive conversations, we have come to an agreement to avert any layoffs of city workers in the 2021 budget,” Lightfoot and Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter said in a joint statement. “This will ensure Chicago’s public workers, the backbone of our neighborhoods, maintain their jobs and health insurance while also protecting the critical services Chicagoans rely on during these unprecedented times.”
Although the layoffs were a high-profile part of her plan, the job cuts would amount to roughly $13 million, which is a small part of a $12.8 billion budget. Lightfoot will have less trouble filling that gap with other revenue projections or cuts than she would trying to push it through the City Council, where she is struggling to find the 26 votes she needs.
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In a call with reporters, city officials did not specify any terms of the agreement with the union. But they said sales tax revenue from cannabis sales would help make up the money they otherwise expected to save through job cuts.
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As first reported in the Tribune, Lightfoot’s approach to closing a projected $1.2 billion hole relies on a 3-cent gas tax hike and a $94 million property tax increase. It also includes a provision to raise property taxes annually thereafter by an amount tied to the consumer price index.
In addition, Lightfoot is asking to refinance $501 million in city debt for the 2021 budget, which would provide a jolt of new revenue next year but likely cost taxpayers more down the road. Similar borrowing tactics under Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel drew deep criticism, but the Lightfoot administration said the city’s current financial disaster makes such a move appropriate.
Lightfoot has tried to head off opposition to the property tax hike and spending plan, calling it a “modest” increase and arguing that she’s taken other measures to reduce the hit on taxpayers.
On Wednesday, Lightfoot delivered an aggressive message to City Council members: Those who vote against her spending plan should not expect their wards' needs to be prioritized, according to aldermen.
Lightfoot met virtually with members of the City Council Black Caucus, where she made waves by telling them that aldermen who don’t support her budget won’t have their wards prioritized, according to six aldermen who were in the meetings.
“Don’t come to me for s--- for the next three years” if you don’t support the budget, two aldermen recalled her saying.
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gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-14--1 dead after East Chatham neighborhood brawl

About 12:05 p.m. , officers found the man , whose age was not immediately known , lying in a backyard @ @ @ @ @ South Dobson Avenue after a physical altercation broke out involving multiple people , police said @

A man was discovered fatally stabbed in a backyard of a home following a fight Saturday afternoon in the East Chatham neighborhood on the South Side, Chicago police said.
About 12:05 p.m., officers found the man lying in a backyard in the 8200 block of South Dobson Avenue after a physical altercation broke out involving multiple people, police said.
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He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as Malcolm Mullins, 29, of the 2300 block of South 11th Avenue in Broadview, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Mullins died from multiple stab wounds in a homicide, the medical examiner’s office determined following an autopsy Sunday. A police source said earlier that the man may have been stabbed to death.
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Detectives were investigating.