chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Short staffing. PPE shortages. Few inspections. Why calls are growing for Illinois nursing home regu

Short staffing. PPE shortages. Few inspections. Why calls are growing for Illinois nursing home regulators to step up efforts on COVID-19.

“ As testing ramps up , no facility will be immune to the impact of COVID-19 , or the loss @ @ @ @ @ it , ” the statement said .
“ But at Meadowbrook , we take each @ @ @ @ @ of whether it is our residents who passed here or , in most cases , @ @ @ @ @ pass away at a nearby hospital .
”

Early in April, a nurse working at a massive Cicero nursing home was worried that lax infection control was putting residents in danger of catching the coronavirus.
According to an affidavit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, the nurse called the Illinois Department of Public Health — the state agency that regulates nursing homes — but nobody picked up the phone. Concerned Cicero officials said they called too, and got no response.
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The state didn’t send inspectors to City View Multi-Care Center until nearly a month later. That was after Cicero filed a lawsuit against City View and the state, accusing regulators of “woefully lacking” oversight, and Circuit Court Judge Alison Conlon pushed regulators to check into conditions at the home. By then, more than half of residents had become infected, killing nine of them as well as one employee.
Two months into the pandemic, the case of City View highlights increasing complaints from the nursing home industry, consumer advocates and local officials over whether the state is doing all it can to limit deadly outbreaks in Illinois’ 1,200-plus long-term care facilities. The homes are tied to more than 1,500 coronavirus-related deaths of residents and workers — accounting for nearly half the deaths statewide.
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City View Multi-Care Center nursing home in Cicero on April 24, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Industry trade groups asked the Pritzker administration weeks ago to create a “comprehensive plan” the industry said was long overdue. The coalition of trade groups has pushed the state for more testing and transparency, assistance with protective gear and staffing, and a more centralized approach to managing the crisis.
“We need more help. We need more coordination from the Department of Public Health. There’s no question about that. And we’ve been begging for it from the beginning,” said Pat Comstock, who runs one of the groups, the Health Care Council of Illinois.
Others say deeper state oversight and intervention is especially important in an industry they say struggled to provide adequate care even before the pandemic.
“The state needs to step up and treat this as the emergency that it is, and it’s not,” said AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo.
State officials say they have long had a comprehensive plan in place to push facilities to follow care directives. They said they are helping a largely for-profit industry find staff and gear as much as possible but the state is also stretched thin fighting other aspects of the pandemic.
“We have a plan around state efforts, but the plan isn’t: run nursing homes in a pandemic,” said Deputy Gov. Sol Flores. “That’s where we need associations to step up.”
The Tribune interviewed more than a dozen advocates, researchers, families and industry representatives. They say they sympathize with the state’s challenges in fighting an unprecedented pandemic but argue it should be doing more.
Among the concerns:
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Gear: The state has said that — despite nationwide shortages — it’s provided county officials with personal protective equipment to cover the needs of nursing homes, and even begun direct shipments to facilities. But workers and homes have said they lack consistent supplies.
Staff: The industry, fearing it will run critically low on workers, asked the state weeks ago to create a new work corps, even prepare to call in the National Guard. The state has loosened hiring regulations but said facilities are responsible for their own staffing.
Metrics: The state doesn’t ask each facility to report each day on staffing levels or gear supplies — something advocates are pushing for nationally. Illinois officials say they’re looking to improve the process. Illinois does require facilities to report COVID-19 cases to health officials, but the information that the state provides publicly about cases at homes can be tardy or inaccurate.
Inspections: The state can inspect facilities for infection-control violations, but the City View case shows that the bar to dispatch inspectors can be high. Mostly, regulators offer long-distance guidance, saying that approach best ensures rules are followed across the state. Advocates say it has further endangered residents, some of whom they say already were receiving substandard care.
State inspectors reported finding no major issues at City View after last week’s inspection. But the judge, Conlon, expressed doubt that state regulators would be quick to spot future violations there because “IDPH did not seem to be all over it.”
The advocates’ calls for more intervention are joined by relatives of nursing home residents, who complain they have been misled or left in the dark while infections spread.
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Kate Gawlik, an Edward Hospital nurse, said her father’s Bolingbrook home, Meadowbrook Manor, struggled to care for him adequately before COVID-19. When the 83-year-old developed COVID-like symptoms, Gawlik said she asked to take her dad to the hospital where she works. Gawlik said workers told her that if she did, he might not have a bed at the home when he was released.
According to Gawlik, the workers told her he had tested negative and could be cared for at the facility. He died five days later.
“I know they cared for my dad,” she told the Tribune. “But their love and care for him could not keep him alive. How many others are going to die? How many other daughters have to feel like me and live with regret because no one is regulating what is happening in nursing homes?”
Kate Gawlik, with a photo of her late father, Eugene Gawlik, at her home in Lockport on May 5, 2020. Eugene Gawlik died April 21 at the Meadowbrook Manor nursing home in Bolingbrook. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Meadowbrook Manor now leads the state in the number of residents and workers who died from COVID-19 — at least 26, as of Friday.
In a statement, Meadowbrook Manor did not address Gawlik’s account but blamed the high toll at the home on the virus’s ability to infect people without causing symptoms. Most residents and staff remain “safe and stable,” the statement said.
“As testing ramps up, no facility will be immune to the impact of COVID-19, or the loss of life that comes from it,” the statement said. “But at Meadowbrook, we take each loss to heart, regardless of whether it is our residents who passed here or, in most cases, after leaving here to only pass away at a nearby hospital.”
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In daily TV briefings, including one Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said his administration is focused on the challenges of limiting COVID-19 in nursing homes while also saying that local health officials, not the state, are “the first line of communication and support” for the facilities.
His administration says it has taken aggressive steps to help, including holding frequent webinars on proper infection control, sending “strike teams” to some places and, more recently, dispatching nurses to ramp up testing. That’s along with directing dozens of pallets of gear to local officials to distribute across the state.
“It is a very challenging environment. We said that even before we had our first case. And it’s proving to be very true,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Monday. “But we’re staying on it and trying to see what we can do to dampen the spikes that we’re seeing.”
Those statements have done little to temper the growing unease expressed by families and their advocates. They fear facilities have become black boxes, with residents locked in, loved ones locked out, and too few people keeping watch.
“I think there needs to be some sort of fundamental, simple check where people actually go into nursing homes — government officials, whoever’s free — and just sort of eyeball what’s going on,” said longtime attorney Steven Levin, who specializes in suing facilities over allegations of abuse and neglect.
Shortages of equipment
The Pritzker administration said for weeks that the state has distributed enough personal protective equipment throughout Illinois to supply long-term care facilities.
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Pritzker noted April 21 that each local health department “is provided with all the PPE they ask for from the state” to supply long-term care facilities, and on Monday he said facilities receive a “plethora” of PPE “to make sure that they’re able to keep themselves safe.”
But workers and the industry have described shortages.
One Meadowbrook Manor worker complained to her family that her gear was so lacking she made masks at home and bought her own goggles. She later contracted COVID-19 and died. The facility said it followed state and federal guidelines.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 Krist Angielen Guzman's husband, Omar Guzman, and their three children stand outside their Bolingbrook home as a hearse carries Krist's body away on May 8, 2020. Family and friends prayed and released balloons. Krist, 35, died May 2 of complications related to COVID-19. She was a nurse at Meadowbrook Manor of Bolingbrook. Her husband also has tested positive, the family said. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
In an April 23 letter to the state, three trade groups — Health Care Council of Illinois, Illinois Health Care Association and LeadingAge Illinois — complained they had “sounded the alarm about our limited PPE inventory for weeks.”
The resupply process can be hit or miss, the groups said, depending on which part of the state is involved and what’s needed. Sometimes facilities ask for gowns but get gloves. One southern Illinois facility reported receiving garbage bags instead of gowns.
The groups asked the state to take over distribution of supplies “using consistent protocol” — similar to the way hospitals get gear from the state.
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Pritzker said Wednesday that the state stockpile “always provides a backup” for long-term care facilities and “is not the primary supplier for private businesses.”
The industry said it is still buying its own gear, even at inflated prices.
In response to the concerns, Pritzker said, the state undertook a “somewhat unprecedented effort” April 30 to begin direct deliveries to more than 1,200 long-term care facilities. The health department has delivered PPE to more than 1,000 homes so far, enough to cover 200 beds each, a spokeswoman said. Facilities with more than 200 beds will get two shipments, she said.
Facilities also can send masks to be decontaminated and reused up to 20 times, for free, at a facility in northern Illinois.
The industry said supplies of PPE have improved in recent weeks but still not to a consistent level. “Our challenges with PPE are far from over,” Comstock said.
Federal legislation, pushed by Democrats, would require facilities that receive federal money to report on supplies — including projected shortages — as well as staffing levels to state health departments every 24 hours. That bill is still pending.
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In Illinois, the state sent a one-time survey to facilities in late March that asked how many days of supplies they had for each type of PPE. Officials with IDPH said the agency also makes calls each day to facilities and asks about issues including gear and staffing but does not track it electronically.
Ezike said Wednesday that the state has discussed creating a digital system to process other notifications it receives. She said it could include tracking nursing home staffing and supplies. But, as of now, such a system doesn’t exist.
Chronic understaffing
Workers and the industry agree that — even before the pandemic — staffing was stretched and turnover high in an industry where much of the hands-on work has been done by people often making less than $15 an hour.
There has long been debate why; homes say they can’t afford to pay more because Medicaid pays them too little, while advocates say many homes are run by chains or families seeking to maximize profits.
Regardless, the industry and advocates agree that, when the pandemic hit, things got worse.
The industry asked the state last month to help recruit replacement staff, creating a “centralized pool of workers available for deployment as needed.” And, for places that may experience “significant staff losses,” the industry asked the state to prepare to send in the National Guard.
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The state responded by loosening hiring regulations, something the industry also sought. Flores said the state also compiled lists of staffing agencies that facilities can contact and showed them how to tap the Illinois Helps volunteer network.
But ultimately, IDPH said, it can’t become a staffing agency for private, for-profit nursing homes.
“It is their job to be staffing their facilities. It’s their job to manage them,” Ezike said Wednesday.
Experts and advocates have noted that proper staffing is particularly important during a pandemic. Workers need to know how to don gloves, masks and gowns the right way, how to wash hands completely and frequently, and how to sterilize equipment shared among patients — tasks often poorly carried out before the pandemic.
“I think there are many very good people working in the long-term care industry who care deeply about residents and their well-being,” said Syracuse University law professor Nina Kohn, who’s studied elder rights. “That said, it was an open secret that nursing homes were infection tinderboxes.”
A 2018 investigation by Tribune and Kaiser Health News found that sepsis, a deadly bacterial infection, had proliferated in Illinois’ understaffed nursing homes. The AARP that year ranked Illinois among the worst states for understaffing and inappropriate use of psychotropic drugs to sedate residents.
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Both reports spurred a 2019 law that offered more money to the industry, tightened rules on sedative use and required the state health department to better enforce staffing minimums set in 2010 that the Tribune found had regularly been flouted. Fines from that law don’t take effect until 2021.
Limited inspections
The state does have one tool to cut through any confusion about whether a home is keeping residents safe: sending inspectors.
The Department of Public Health works with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to regulate nursing homes. In March, a federal directive told states to focus more of their inspection resources on infection control, as a way to limit the virus’s spread. CMS also began conducting “targeted” infection-control inspections at facilities deemed high risk.
As of April, CMS had visited 19 Illinois facilities, cited 15 for breaking the rules and determined two had violations so egregious they put residents in “immediate jeopardy” of harm.
Those facilities were Aperion Care in Chicago Heights, which regulators said had continued to let residents congregate together too closely, and Central Nursing Home in Chicago’s Belmont Central neighborhood, which did that as well as failing to isolate sick patients, the inspection found.
Pritzker has also talked tough about the state punishing the worst offenders.
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“We will not hesitate to hold any bad actors at the management level accountable,” he told reporters at an April 20 briefing. “We expect owners and managers responsible for (residents’) care to take every action at their disposal to keep them safe.”
An IDPH spokeswoman said the agency had resumed unannounced inspections of facilities to look at infection control but did not immediately have further details.
State officials also have said they’re focusing more on guidance than on inspections. The information is sometimes provided in person but often by phone or internet, using state employees as well as academics and volunteers.
Industry leaders have welcomed this approach, saying they are working in good faith to face an unprecedented pandemic, one where directives change as knowledge of the disease evolves.
But advocates say surprise inspections are the best way to catch mistakes and keep facilities honest, particularly in Illinois, where many facilities scored poorly on federal quality ratings before the pandemic.
“The ‘good cop’ approach doesn’t work when, historically, we’ve had so many bad players,” Gallo said.
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CMS records show that one of the facilities rated poorly — with just one star out of five — is City View in Cicero, which also happens to be the state’s largest nursing home.
Calls for help
According to an affidavit filed in court, the nurse at City View reported to Cicero health officials that not only were residents allowed to mingle, they stood shoulder to shoulder while waiting in line for medicine or to smoke. Sick patients tested for COVID-19 also weren’t isolated while waiting days for results, she said.
The nurse said her boss had told workers to delay sending patients to the hospital, according to the affidavit. That included a woman with a 102.9-degree fever who was moved from one floor to another — infecting both floors — before she was taken to the hospital and died from the virus, the nurse said.
At the time of her April 14 call, Cicero officials had already chastised the facility for violating infection-control rules, they said in court documents. Cicero firefighters who responded to emergency calls there in late March had noticed staffers not wearing protective gear, sick residents not wearing masks and other residents allowed to mingle in the cafeteria, the officials said.
Staff and residents of the City View Multi-Care Center in Cicero are seen on facility's balconies on April 28, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
City View has disputed the allegations in court documents. The facility said it has followed evolving health directives to stop the virus’s spread but has been hampered by nationwide shortages of protective gear and testing. The virus “has challenged even the most careful and meticulous nursing homes,” it noted.
By the time the nurse contacted Cicero officials, at least one complaint had already been filed with the state, by the niece of a resident who contracted the virus and later died.
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Susan Campos told the Tribune she passed along a tip she’d heard from an employee that social distancing rules were routinely flouted. She received a letter back acknowledging the complaint was received, but then said she heard nothing more.
State lawyers said in court that the agency had no record of receiving calls from either the nurse or Cicero officials.
Instead of inspecting City View, the state said, it began daily check-ins with the facility’s top staff to advise them on how best to follow health directives. That didn’t impress the judge hearing Cicero’s lawsuit last week.
“Conversations are different than an inspection ... and conversations do not reveal the true conditions at a facility,” Conlon said.
Within 24 hours of that hearing, the state sent inspectors to spend a morning at City View. They reported back no significant issues, state lawyers said in court, and the state said it had no plans to recheck the facility.
Citing “alarming” numbers of people infected, Conlon granted a request from Cicero officials to make their own surprise visits to the facility, allowing up to two such inspections through June 5. If they saw problems City View wouldn’t correct, Cicero officials could contact the state.
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State lawyers noted in court that even if Cicero asked for another inspection, the state would decide on its own if, and when, to come back.
jmahr@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Volo Auto Museum co-founder dies

Volo Auto Museum co-founder dies

Grams was part of a family that put Volo on the map and in the national spotlight , with crowds @ @ @ @ @ the 35-acre attraction annually to see hundreds of collector vehicles for sale and on display @ @ @ @ @ movies , like the Batmobile , and iconic TV shows , as well as muscle @ @

Bill Grams, co-founder of the Volo Auto Museum, died Tuesday at age 77.
The longtime Volo resident died of a heart attack at Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington after battling cancer, according to a news release.
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Grams was part of a family that put Volo on the map and in the national spotlight, with crowds from near and far visiting the 35-acre attraction annually to see hundreds of collector vehicles for sale and on display, including original cars from movies, like the Batmobile, and iconic TV shows, as well as muscle cars.
In 2017, the History Channel began to air the “Volo House of Cars” TV show, which focused on the Grams family’s tales of rare-vehicle finds.
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The Volo Museum idea was a seed planted when Grams and his brother Greg began to work on old cars as a hobby and then sold one for $25,000.
Bill Gram’s father, William, purchased the property on Routes 12 and 120 in 1960 and opened a junk and antique resale shop that later included the auto museum — now a staple in the classic car community.
The Volo Auto Museum is still a family-run business with three generations involved, including its co-founder Greg Grams, Greg’s wife, Myra, and their sons, Brian and Jay Grams.
Bill Gram’s wife, Carolyn, and their daughter Lisa Santiago, manage the Antique Malls side of the family business.
“The car industry is a little less full without him,” Brian Grams said. “He was very well-known and liked by the car community, very much a staple in the collector car world.”
Bill Grams was married for 56 years to his wife, Carolyn, according to the release.
Volo Auto Museum co-founder Bill Grams in recent years enjoyed modifying old Fords into whimsical eye-catchers. - Original Credit: News-Sun (Volo Auto Museum / HANDOUT)
In recent decades, Bill Grams ran the Antique Malls side of the business, as well as shepherding the pre-war car collection, including Fords, Croswells, Packards and more, from the 1920s and ’30s.
“Something will be missing without him,” Jay Grams said. “We’ll try really hard to make him proud.”
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Among Bill Grams’ more recent passions was modifying old Fords, Jay Grams said in the release. “I’m sure we’ll keep one of those on display at the museum as a dedication to him.”
The Volo Auto Museum has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the museum website, there is a reopening planned for June 1.
Along with Bill Grams’ brother, Greg, daughter, Lisa, and nephews, Brian (Lesa) Grams and Jay (Kandie) Grams, he is survived by his wife, Carolyn, his son-in-law, Keith Santiago, a sister-in-law, Marilyn Miller, and granddaughter, Mila.
Arrangements are being handled by Hamsher Lakeside Funerals and Cremations in Fox Lake. Services and burial will be private, with a memorial reception planned for a later date.
An earlier version of this story contained a couple of errors that have since been corrected.


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Rush hospital system latest to make cuts amid COVID-19 financial struggles

The state issued guidance to allow hospitals to resume performing elective surgeries beginning Monday , and a number of hospitals @ @ @ @ @ in many cases , it will take time for hospitals to restart all their normal @ @ @ @ @ backlogs and rebuild their capacities , while ensuring they still have enough beds for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ also fear that some patients will continue to put off surgeries out of fear of @ @ @ @ @ to spread .

The Rush University System for Health plans to withhold raises this year and is asking executives to take pay cuts after suffering financial losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many Chicago-area hospitals have been making cuts in recent weeks after losing money because of canceled elective surgeries, fewer non-COVID-19 patients and the costs of handling the pandemic.
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Rush had an operating loss of $43.1 million in March, according to a Rush memo obtained by the Tribune that was sent to employees this week. The system includes Rush University Medical Center, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora.
Rush Medical Center is pictured on March 26, 2020. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
“Like many hospital systems across the country, Rush must take critical steps to ensure its vitality,” Rush said in a statement. “The initiatives described in the memo are difficult, but we are committed to doing what’s right for the Rush University System for Health. That means taking a measured and balanced approach in implementing cost containment initiatives and solutions across the system.”
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The CEOs of the system and Rush University Medical Center are taking 25% salary cuts, and the CEOs of its other two hospitals are taking 10% salary cuts. Other senior leaders have been asked to take voluntary cuts of 5%.
The system also will not pay out salary increases this fiscal year. In addition, incentive pay, awards and bonuses will be suspended for executives, faculty and providers. And Rush will defer its employer match of employees’ 403(b) retirement plans.
Employees of the main medical center on the Near West Side and the Oak Park hospital who don’t work with COVID-19 patients will be required to use at least one week of paid time off by June 27, as long as they have accrued at least two weeks.
Rush said in the memo that some of the changes must be approved by the board of trustees.
A number of other local hospitals and hospital systems also have responded to the financial challenges of COVID-19 in recent weeks by making cuts.
Last week, the University of Chicago Medical Center announced it would furlough and/or temporarily reduce hours for employees in nonclinical roles, through the use of vacation and personal holiday time. The hospital also said it’s suspending merit pay increases this fiscal year, along with its incentive compensation programs for all executives and directors.
The University of Chicago Medical Center saw a $70 million-a-month dip in operating revenue in March and April.
Other local hospital systems that have furloughed workers in recent weeks include Sinai Health System, Lurie Children’s Hospital, OSF HealthCare, Loyola Medicine, Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park.
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The Illinois Health and Hospital Association has estimated the state’s hospitals are losing $1.4 billion a month.
The state issued guidance to allow hospitals to resume performing elective surgeries beginning Monday, and a number of hospitals are doing so. But in many cases, it will take time for hospitals to restart their normal surgeries as they work through backlogs and rebuild their capacities, while ensuring they still have enough beds for COVID-19 patients.
Some hospital leaders are also concerned some patients will continue to put off surgeries out of fear of visiting hospitals while COVID-19 continues to spread.
Hospitals across the country have been getting relief from a $100 billion fund created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Illinois announced Tuesday it has asked the federal government for approval of a plan that would add nearly $250 million to Illinois’ hospital assessment program, through which hospitals receive much of their Medicaid money.


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Breaking down the different types of COVID-19 tests — and why Illinois and the nation have struggled

Breaking down the different types of COVID-19 tests — and why Illinois and the nation have struggled with mass testing amid the pandemic

The CDC also cautions that testing negative for COVID-19 doesn ’ t mean the person won ’ t get sick @ @ @ @ @ that you were very early in your infection when your specimen was collected and that @ @ @ @ @ , ” according to the CDC website .
“ Or you could be exposed later @ @ @ @ @ ”

Angie Leventis Lourgos, Hal Dardick, Jemal R. Brinson

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has launched a flurry of new tests for the highly contagious virus, as researchers and medical providers race to track and understand the pandemic.
Yet Illinois — like most of the country — lagged in testing for much of March and April, though more testing has been ramping up across the state.
There are two main types of COVID-19 tests: PCR and antibody. Here’s a breakdown of tests for COVID-19 — and some of the barriers to effective testing.
PCR testing
Most of the testing done by hospitals and medical providers determines whether a patient has an active COVID-19 infection. Currently, the most reliable way to do that is with PCR testing, which detects trace amounts of the virus in specimens collected from the nose, throat or saliva.
This comes in various forms:
Nasal or throat swab tests
How they work:
Key dates
Mid-February: Illinois became the first state to test for coronavirus in this manner. Those kits worked, but over the next several weeks many other states reported an initial round of faulty test kits.
February: When the virus was starting to spread across the country, the U.S. was processing only about a dozen tests a day, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those early testing glitches were called “a failing” by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
Early March: President Donald Trump declared that “anybody that wants a test can get a test.” Yet Illinois officials and medical providers reported a severe shortage of test kits and required materials — particularly swabs and chemical reagents — because of supply chain problems.
Mid-March: Initially the Illinois Department of Public Health severely restricted testing to the most at-risk patients and required a doctor’s order, citing a national shortage of test kits and supplies.
Late March: Many patients locally and across the country began reporting lengthy test result delays, with some experiencing wait times as long as two weeks, because of backlogs at labs and a shortage of technicians who process the tests.
March 29: Gov. J.B. Pritzker sets a statewide goal of performing 10,000 tests a day to fight the pandemic. Though testing does increase, it will take weeks to reach that bar.
March 29: Abbott Laboratories in north suburban Lake Bluff announced development of a new rapid COVID-19 test that could produce results in as little as five minutes — the fastest turnaround available.
April 16: Pritzker widened testing to any patients with COVID-19 symptoms, even without a previously required doctor’s order; he also announced a massive expansion of testing in Illinois, saying test kit materials had been secured and supply chain problems resolved.
April 24: Illinois for the first time exceeds Prtizker’s goal of 10,000 daily tests, performing more than 16,000 tests in a 24-hour period.
Saliva-based tests
How they work:
This approach doesn’t require nasal swabs, which have been short supply during the pandemic.
Key dates
April 13: Rutgers University researchers announced FDA authorization of the first saliva test to diagnose COVID-19.
April 24: A study led by the Yale School of Public Health concluded that saliva samples “provided greater detection sensitivity and consistency” than the nasopharyngeal testing approach, according to a Yale news release. Researchers called for further validation of their findings.
At-home testing
How it works
The first in-home test allowed self-collection of a sample from the patient’s nose using a nasal swab and saline solution. The patient then mails the sample in an insulated package for processing, the FDA said in a news release.
These self-collection kits were initially available only to health care workers and first responders, but access was widened in mid-May.
The first at-home saliva test was approved for emergency use in May, where patients send in self-collected spit samples.
Key dates
April 21: The FDA granted emergency clearance for the first at-home coronavirus test by LabCorp, based in North Carolina, which allows self-collection of a sample with a nasal swab.
May 8: The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the first at-home COVID-19 test using self-collected saliva samples.
Drawbacks of PCR testing
Although scientists and medical experts say these tests are critical to learning who has the virus, none of these approaches is foolproof. For example, if enough of the virus isn’t present in the saliva or nasal/throat sample, the result can be a false negative.
The CDC also cautions that testing negative for COVID-19 doesn’t mean the person won’t get sick. “It is possible that you were very early in your infection when your specimen was collected and that you could test positive later,” according to the CDC website. “Or you could be exposed later and then develop illness.”
In the case of nasal and throat samples, the nation for weeks has grappled with a dearth of test kits, swabs, chemical reagents and other supplies required to perform and process these tests. Many of these tests need to be processed by labs; some have reported a shortage of lab technicians, leading to a bottleneck of tests and lengthy delays for results.
Antibody testing
There’s also antibody testing, sometimes called serology testing. Instead of detecting the actual virus, this test looks for blood proteins called antibodies that are produced while the body fights an infection. A positive result means the patient was infected at some point with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Researchers say antibody testing of large populations can give crucial information about the virus, like how prevalent the virus really is, how many people contract COVID-19 without experiencing symptoms and whether survivors have immunity.
How it works
April 2: The FDA gives emergency-use approval to the first antibody test. Several others have since been approved.
April 24: Though some local medical providers have been offering antibody testing, Pritzker said the state won’t be pushing for it yet because of concerns over accuracy. “We’re craving answers in an uncertain time and antibody tests offer the potential for more security," he said at a news briefing. “But I’m afraid we’ve seen many of these tests promoted in a way that errs on the side of irresponsible.”
April 29: Congressional leaders including U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of northwest suburban Schaumburg, launched an investigation into the accuracy of many of the antibody tests that were on the market under an FDA policy that did not require review by the agency.
May 3: Swiss drugmaker Roche said the FDA granted emergency approval for its antibody test, which it claims is 100% accurate in detecting antibodies and 99.8% accurate in determining the absence of antibodies; the company said the test draws blood intravenously, which is more accurate than other ways of drawing blood. Several other companies have also received FDA approval for their antibody tests.
May 4: The FDA announced stricter rules for antibody tests; manufacturers must now show data indicating their tests are accurate and apply for emergency use authorization within 10 days of going on the market.
Drawbacks of antibody testing
Some physicians and lawmakers have expressed concerns about the accuracy of certain types of antibody tests, and the nation’s top physicians are working to validate serology tests.
Because it can take days to two weeks after infection with COVID-19 for a patient to develop antibodies; the test might not detect antibodies even in an infected patient, according to the CDC.
“Antibody tests should not be used as the only way to diagnose someone as being currently sick with COVID-19,” the CDC says on its website.
The Associated Press contributed.
Diagram sources: CDC, Cleveland Clinic, Northwestern, BioMedomics, Spectrum Solutions, Chicago Tribune reporting


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Illinois Tollway collections down $52 million in April due to pandemic

The Tollway has been been using all-electronic tolling since mid-March , eliminating the need to exchange cash .
Those who @ @ @ @ @ transponder have to pay online , and the Tollway has seen an increase in online @ @

The Illinois Tollway brought in $52 million less in tolls during April than projected, due to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on travel.
Officials said toll collections were about 42% under projections for the month. In the first four months of the year, the agency brought in about $73 million less than projected.
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However, the loss has not resulted in any halts in construction or layoffs at the agency, officials said.
“We’re continuing the important work we have going,” said Tollway Executive Director Jose Alvarez. He noted May numbers are looking better.
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“What’s important to us is that we’ve been able to keep folks working and keep on track with our 2020 capital plan," Alvarez said.
Tollway construction work includes rebuilding the milelong bridge on I-294 in the southwest suburbs that carries traffic over two major railroads, the Des Plaines River, the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, the Illinois & Michigan Canal and local roads.
Vehicles travel the Tri-State Tollway in 2012. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Tollway has been using all-electronic tolling since mid-March, eliminating the need to exchange cash. Those who do not have an I-Pass transponder have to pay online, and the Tollway has seen an increase in online payments.
Tollway officials do not see the loss of cash tolls as much of a factor in the revenue drop, since 90% of Tollway users use transponders.
Typically, after 30 days, drivers who miss tolls get a violation notice and a $20 fine, but the agency has temporarily suspended violation enforcement.
The Tollway saw about a 55% drop in passenger vehicle traffic in April, while commercial traffic was down 15% to 20%. The financial impact for both groups was similar, since trucks pay more tolls, officials said.
The Tollway has seen some increase in traffic in the first couple of weeks of May. Officials say the long-term impact on the agency depends on the duration and economic impact of the pandemic.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--The Spin: On state’s deadliest COVID-19 day, legislature says it will meet in Springfield  | Wiscons

The Spin: On state’s deadliest COVID-19 day, legislature says it will meet in Springfield  | Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down stay-at-home order | Mayor Lightfoot says lakefront won’t open anytime soon

How will the cash-strapped state pay for a package ?
With an assist from the federal government , the governor @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve said for some time now , we have real challenges with the @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 so we need ... to rely upon the federal government and its support for @ @ @ @ @ for us to provide the services that people need , in order for us to @ @ @ @ @ our kids need and for us to support our businesses and our families ... as @ @ @ @ @ this COVID-19 crisis .
”

House Speaker Michael Madigan, left, stands with Senate President Don Harmon while Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his first State of the State speech before a joint session of the Illinois House and Senate at the State Capitol in Springfield on Jan. 29, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
As the state recorded a new high of 192 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, Illinois lawmakers announced plans to return to work in Springfield next week.
It won’t be business as usual amid the pandemic, however, with the Senate meeting at the statehouse and the House planning to convene at the downtown Bank of Springfield Center, my Tribune colleague Jamie Munks reports.
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Meantime, we’ve got some breaking news from our neighbors: The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Gov. Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order. Considering Illinois own stay-at-home order remains in place, we’ll be reaching out to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for comment.
Chicago’s lakefront will remain closed, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot says several industries are on track to expand services or reopen when Chicago reaches the health care bench marks in place to enter the next phase of the city’s reopening plan aimed at curbing the virus’s spread, the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt and John Byrne report.
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And President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is also a top White House official, raised alarm bells when he didn’t rule out the possibility of delaying the November election. First, we’ll have to get through the Fourth of July, which the Tribune’s culture critic Chris Jones says he expects will turn into an argument between red and blue states over fireworks displays.
Welcome to The Spin.
Empty chairs inside the Illinois Senate at the State Capitol building in Springfield on Jan. 15, 2019. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Lawmakers return to work next Wednesday.
“Weeks of session have been canceled this spring because of the pandemic, and it’s been unclear until now how or when the legislature would reconvene to vote on a state budget and address other pressing issues,” the Tribune’s Jamie Munks writes.
Logistics: “Lawmakers and staff will be asked to be tested for COVID-19 before returning to session, even if they are not exhibiting symptoms or have recovered from an infection," Munks notes. “Everyone will be subject to temperature checks upon entering the building, and anyone with a temperature over 100 degrees “must leave and should submit to a test for COVID-19,” according to session plan documents.”
The decision to return to work comes after weeks of Republican lawmakers calling to reconvene, Democrats in charge of both chambers saying they’re trying to figure out a safe way to meet and Gov. Pritzker begging off on questions about it, saying it was up to the legislature to decide how and when to meet. Yesterday, the governor said he hoped lawmakers would reconvene this month with a July 1 budget deadline looming, among other priorities.
Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan today said the focus of next week’s session will be “on passing essential legislation that protects our most vulnerable residents, including a responsible state budget that prioritizes all Illinoisans and provides some stability for our state’s economy.”
Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady issued a statement saying: “I am pleased the Governor and Democratic leaders have heeded our calls to return to the people’s Capitol to address the critical issues facing our state during these unprecedented times. It is vital the legislature be a part of the decision-making process when it comes to maintaining the public’s health, reopening our state, moving our economy forward and overcoming a graduated income tax that would negatively impact Illinois families.”
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The governor’s priority? A COVID-19 relief package that will help those small businesses that didn’t get to take advantage of the federal paycheck protection program., Pritzker said during an afternoon briefing on COVID-19 response.
How will the cash-strapped state pay for a package? With an assist from the federal government, the governor said. “Obviously as I’ve said for some time now, we have real challenges with the loss of revenue because of COVID-19 so we need ... to rely upon the federal government and its support for all the states in order for us to provide the services that people need, in order for us to pay for the education that our kids need and for us to support our businesses and our families ... as we’re dealing with this COVID-19 crisis.”
When will the governor return to Springfield? The governor, who is self-isolating at his Gold Coast home in Chicago after a senior staffer was diagnosed with COVID-19, didn’t offer an answer when asked during a video news conference today when he might return to Springfield: “I’m glad that the legislature Is going to return to Springfield and I certainly look forward to seeing people in Springfield as a result of their return,” the governor said.
Pritzker apologizes for comments on MLB players ‘holding out’ for more money: The governor walked back his comments about Major League Baseball players from the day before, apologizing for “leaving the impression that baseball players shouldn’t have the right” to collectively bargain with team owners over starting the season. Read the Tribune story here.
Cook County Board to vote on waiving 1.5% interest fee on late property tax payments through Oct. 1: The Tribune’s Alice Yin notes: “Neighboring counties already have enacted some sort of relief from property taxes. In Lake County, for example, residents can sign up for a deferred payment plan.” Read the story here.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives in a mask to speak April 19, 2020, at the Thompson Center during the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
Meet Tom DeVore, the St. Louis-area attorney who’s filed lawsuits on behalf of two Republican elected officials and a hairdresser and is representing roughly 80 small businesses, often penning letters on their behalf.
DeVore began attracting attention in late April when he filed a lawsuit on behalf of state Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, alleging Bailey had been “irreparably harmed” by Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, the Tribune’s Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas writes.
"A Clay County judge issued a temporary order freeing Bailey from Pritzker’s directive. The state later appealed the decision and Bailey recently began following the order again, saying he wants the restraining order vacated so he can present new information and keep the case in Clay County.
“Days later, DeVore helped a second politician, Rep. John Cabello, a Machesney Park Republican and Rockford police officer, who filed his own suit in Winnebago County, saying he seeks broader results — Bailey’s exemption only applied to himself.”
As word spread about the lawsuits, DeVore’s phone started ringing off the hook. Read the story here.
A woman stands April 24 2020, at the entrance to City View Multi-Care Center nursing home in Cicero. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
This week, my Tribune colleague Joe Mahr reported that nearly half of the COVID-19 deaths in Illinois have happened at long-term care facilities. Now Mahr is reporting that concerns are being raised about short staffing, PPE shortages and few inspections at Illinois nursing homes, with calls growing louder for state regulators to step up efforts.
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Mahr writes: “The Tribune interviewed more than a dozen advocates, researchers, families and industry representatives. They say they sympathize with the state’s challenges in fighting an unprecedented pandemic but argue it should be doing far more.”
Snapshot: “The Pritzker administration said for weeks that the state has distributed enough personal protective equipment throughout Illinois to supply long-term care facilities,” Mahr writes.
"Pritzker noted April 21 that each local health department ‘is provided with all the PPE they ask for from the state’ to supply long-term care facilities, and on Monday he said facilities receive a 'plethora’ of PPE ‘to make sure that they’re able to keep themselves safe.’
“But workers and the industry have described shortages.” Read the full story here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot wears a mask as she prepares to speak about coronavirus recently at the Historic Water Tower in Chicago. Lightfoot has at times personally enforced the Chicago social distancing orders. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune)
In a virtual speech to the Economic Club of Chicago, the mayor said industries with built-in social distancing and where protective gear is part of the business operation, such as some nonemergency medical procedures, would likely open their doors, the Tribune’s Pratt and Byrne report.
Previously halted construction and manufacturing also would resume with health protocols in place, Pratt and Byrne note. The mayor also expects to reopen parks and library programming with strict health protocols. Read the full story here.
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Mayor Lightfoot floats idea to add a fifth star to Chicago’s iconic flag, drawing questions, criticism: It would honor the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt writes. 'Much of the response to the idea, which she brought up publicly last week and again today during the Economic Club speech, has been lighthearted. One Twitter user opined that a fifth star should honor the 90s Chicago Bulls.”
Others have commented that the idea would amount to a small economic stimulus package for Chicago tattoo parlors. But some have taken the idea and criticized it in earnest, including socialist Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th. Read more here.
City Council to get financial analyst: Aldermen are on the cusp of getting a new head analyst to study for them the financial implications of deals that come before the City Council.
Kenneth Williams’ nomination to head the Council Office of Financial Analysis cleared the Budget Committee on Wednesday. It will head to the full council next week.
Williams has been working in the COFA office already. Budget Committee Chair Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, said she performed an extensive search to fill the post. “We interviewed over a half-dozen excellent candidates,” Dowell said.
Aldermen last year voted to give themselves more power to order investigations by COFA, which was set up to try to provide the council enough information about proposed deals to stop them from approving bad ones like the widely derided long term lease of Chicago’s parking meters at the direction of Mayor Richard Daley in 2008. — John Byrne.
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New police union President John Catanzara rode a wave of controversy to popularity with fellow officers: The Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner traces his path to leadership, paved in part by protesting local government. While he’s gotten love from President Donald Trump, we’ll see how his relationship with Mayor Lightfoot plays out. As Gorner notes in his piece, he once even staged a protest (appearing via Facebook Live) to be the lone attendee outside the mayor’s home criticizing her leadership.
“Early this year, Catanzara addressed Lightfoot at a public meeting and said he expected to win the FOP election and looked forward to ‘starting a dialogue’ with her,” Gorner writes. Read his story here.
Watching a Fourth of July fireworks display at Navy Pier from the Lakefront Trail near Oak Street Beach on July 4, 2019, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s theater critic and culture columnist Chris Jones looks into his crystal ball and tells us what the Fourth of July looks like this year: “Red State America, mostly open for business, will be setting off fireworks en masse, all in the name of freedom,” he writes. “In those locations, to stand in a crowd and shoot a rocket, or to take part in a parade, will be a timely act of patriotism, independence and defiance.”
He goes on: “Blue State America will still mostly be locked down and will oppose all July 4 celebrations on public health grounds, seeing them as a dangerous vector for viral transmission. Columnists in New York and Chicago will be telling us that true patriotism this year means a noisemaker or two in the safety of your own backyard.” Read Jones’ take on how the debut of “Hamilton” — the Broadway hit “about the idealism behind the founding of America” — streaming on July 3 could very well be at the center of the divide.
Will Trump vs. Biden go down as planned? While the White House can’t solely change the election, the comment from President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, The New York Times notes, “fed directly into Democratic concerns that President Trump might use the coronavirus crisis to delay or delegitimize the contest.”
The president himself has said the Nov. 3 election will go on as planned. Read the story here.
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Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Illinois legislators set to return to Springfield next week with a number of COVID-19 precautions  i

Illinois legislators set to return to Springfield next week with a number of COVID-19 precautions  in place

The General Assembly ’ s return to Springfield comes with a number of precautions .
Lawmakers and staff will be @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 before returning to session , even if they are not exhibiting symptoms or have @ @ @ @ @ Everyone will be subject to temperature checks upon entering the building , and anyone with @ @ @ @ @ “ must leave and should submit to a test for COVID-19 , '' according to @ @ @ @

Illinois lawmakers will return to Springfield next week for the first time since early March with a range of modifications in place aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus.
Both chambers plan to be in session Wednesday through Friday of next week. The Senate plans to meet at the Capitol, in the Senate chamber, while the House will meet at the Bank of Springfield Center in downtown Springfield instead of the statehouse.
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People gather inside the Bank of Springfield Center on Jan. 14, 2019, for Gov. J.B. Pritzker's swearing-in ceremony. The Illinois House will meet at the center in downtown Springfield instead of the statehouse. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
In a statement Wednesday, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan said the focus of the session will be “on passing essential legislation that protects our most vulnerable residents, including a responsible state budget that prioritizes all Illinoisans and provides some stability for our state’s economy.”
“I recognize there are many other important issues and initiatives that need the General Assembly’s attention,” Madigan said. “Members will continue to work diligently on those issues in order to take them up at a time when we can ensure members, staff and the public can again safely gather in a regular legislative session.”
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The House will convene Wednesday “for a minimum of three days," Madigan’s statement said.
The Senate will “address fiscal and COVID-19 related issues” when it reconvenes, Senate President Don Harmon said in a statement Wednesday.
Madigan said in a letter to House Republican Leader Jim Durkin that he will ask House Democrats to sign a pledge committing to a series of precautions approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“We are all looking forward to a return to some semblance of normalcy — and certainly, as legislators, we are particularly interested in resuming normal operation of the House — but we must also recognize that these are not normal times,” Madigan wrote.
Weeks of session have been canceled this spring because of the pandemic, and it’s been unclear until now how or when the legislature would reconvene to vote on a state budget and address other pressing issues.
On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged state lawmakers to “act expeditiously” on a relief package for families, small businesses and communities across the state. For weeks, Pritzker has said he would leave decisions about reconvening the General Assembly to legislative leaders.
“The legislature must convene so that we can begin to put our financial and economic house back in order, even as we battle this terrible virus,” Pritzker said during his daily briefing Tuesday. “The General Assembly needs to pass a comprehensive plan to support families, small businesses and small towns.”
Pritzker said Tuesday lawmakers should return to session by the end of May to address a state spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1, and to approve a COVID-19 aid package.
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The package should include mortgage relief and rental assistance for families and businesses, and loans, grants and tax credits for businesses that have been affected by the pandemic and Pritzker’s statewide stay-at-home order, which took effect March 21, he said Tuesday.
Pritzker declined to give a dollar figure for the aid package, saying it would depend on whether another federal stimulus package is approved that could help states make up for losses of income and sales tax revenue.
“We have real challenges with the loss of revenue because of COVID-19, so we need to rely upon the federal government and its support for all the states,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker, who is self-isolating in his Chicago home after a senior staffer in his administration tested positive for COVID-19 and conducting his daily briefings via teleconference, did not answer a question Wednesday about when he would return to Springfield.
The General Assembly’s return to Springfield comes with a number of precautions. Lawmakers and staff will be asked to be tested for COVID-19 before returning to session, even if they are not exhibiting symptoms or have recovered from an infection. Everyone will be subject to temperature checks upon entering the building, and anyone with a temperature over 100 degrees “must leave and should submit to a test for COVID-19," according to session plan documents.
Anyone at higher risk for coronavirus “should consider not traveling to Springfield for session.” Masks or facial coverings will be required and law enforcement will “limit the number of members of the public allowed in the building.”
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The Illinois Department of Public Health last month issued guidance for how the General Assembly could meet and recommends those who participate isolate and social distance for seven days following session.
The House plans reflect that guidance, calling for members to be spread across the floor level of the convention center, and a limited number of staff present there and at the Capitol complex. Members of the public will have access to the mezzanine level “in a configuration that permits social distancing and in an area that can be sufficiently monitored.”
Members of the press will also have access to space on the mezzanine level, according to the House plan.
The convention center was chosen because it provides more space and allows for “medically guided public access to House proceedings while working to ensure members, staff and the public are at least 6 feet apart at all times,” Madigan’s statement said.
The pledge Madigan is asking lawmakers to sign says that they will commit to being tested for COVID-19; to wearing a face covering during session and when they are with fellow lawmakers and staff; traveling to Springfield alone and staying alone and “avoiding any unnecessary exposure by refraining from extracurricular activities like nonessential meetings, gatherings, shared meals or drinks with colleagues, lobbyists or others while in session.”
“Given your enthusiasm to resume normal operations of the House and the uncertainty of these times, I ask that you request the same of your members and encourage them to sign a similar pledge and commit themselves to these precautions,” Madigan wrote to Durkin.
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Durkin and Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady have for weeks been calling on Democratic leaders, who control both chambers of the General Assembly, to reconvene the legislature in Springfield.
“After two months of inaction, it is about time we get back to the job we were elected to do," Durkin said in a statement Wednesday.
The Republican leaders co-wrote a letter to Pritzker on Monday asking the governor to call a special session of the General Assembly and to modify some of the areas in the state reopening plan he rolled out last week.
In a statement Wednesday, Brady said he was “pleased the governor and Democratic leaders have heeded" calls to return to session.
“It is vital the legislature be a part of the decision-making process when it comes to maintaining the public’s health, reopening our state, moving our economy forward and overcoming a graduated income tax that would negatively impact Illinois families,” Brady said.
Officials are consulting the state Department of Public Health on "logistical details designed to minimize any health or safety risks to those attending and working at the Capitol.”
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jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Does Mayor Lori Lightfoot want to add a fifth star to Chicago’s iconic flag? She’s floated the possi

Does Mayor Lori Lightfoot want to add a fifth star to Chicago’s iconic flag? She’s floated the possibility twice in a week, drawing criticism and questions of what any addition should commemorate

“ As Mayor Lightfoot stated in her remarks today , Chicago aims to be a model for how American cities @ @ @ @ @ crisis , '' a Lightfoot spokeswoman said .
`` She also believes the city ’ @ @ @ @ @ recover from the COVID-19 pandemic will be worthy of the kind of significance associated with @ @ @ @ @ on the Chicago flag .
”

A large Chicago flag mask on one of the lions at the Art Institute lion in Chicago on April 30, 2020. (Jos M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Twice in the past week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has raised the possibility of Chicago possibly adding a fifth red star to its iconic flag marking the city’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
It’s led many to wonder: Is she for real?
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While unveiling her five-phase plan for reopening the city last Friday, Lightfoot said, “I want nothing less than for our efforts over the coming months to truly warrant a fifth star on our flag.”
She made the same point on Wednesday before the Economic Club of Chicago. While announcing that the lakefront will remain closed, but several industries are on track to expand services or reopen when the city reaches the next phase of her reopening plan.
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Much of the social media response to the idea has been lighthearted. One Twitter user opined that a fifth star should honor the 90s Chicago Bulls, or else there should be a riot. Another joked: “The fifth star will commemorate Lightfoot memes.”
Others have commented that the idea would amount to a small economic stimulus package for Chicago tattoo parlors.
But some have taken the idea and criticized it in earnest. Socialist Chicago Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th, tweeted that the coronavirus crisis would be out of place on the city’s flag.
“Adding a 5th COVID-19 related star doesn’t make any sense,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “Each of the 4 current stars represent a place/event that is unique to Chicago: Ft. Dearborn, Great Fire, 1893 Columbian Exposition, 1933 World’s Fair. Is Chicago the only city facing COVID-19? Is our response unique?”
It’s unclear just how serious Lightfoot is about the idea.
“As Mayor Lightfoot stated in her remarks today, Chicago aims to be a model for how American cities can recover from the COVID-19 crisis," a Lightfoot spokeswoman said. "She also believes the city’s efforts to overcome and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic will be worthy of the kind of significance associated with the other historic moments represented on the Chicago flag.”
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Prosecutors: Altgeld Gardens gang did block-by-block sweep for rivals, killed grandmother arriving h

Prosecutors: Altgeld Gardens gang did block-by-block sweep for rivals, killed grandmother arriving home instead

The judge approved a request for a mandatory no-bail ruling based on a pile of evidence , the prosecution claimed @ @ @ @ @ surveillance system that captured the faces , clothing and vehicles of several offenders and a @ @ @ @ @ the movements of each of the seven gunmen .
Each gunman was given their own @ @ @ @ @ their actions before , during and after the shooting , authorities said .

On an unseasonably icy Wednesday night early last November, prosecutors said an armed seven-man team tied to an Altgeld Gardens street gang crisscrossed neighborhood streets in what resembled a synchronized military exercise.
Devante York faces first-degree murder charges. (Chicago Police Department)
Authorities say Devante York and six others connected to the “Bar None” faction of the Gangster Disciples, each armed with a firearm, swept through apartment building courtyards and basketball courts in coordinated two-man teams, tracing one another’s movements and communicating through hand signals as they moved east toward rival territory in Block 9 in the 1000 block of East 132nd Street, according to Cook County prosecutors.
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But instead of finding members of the rival “Duffel Bag/Take Some” faction of the Black Disciples, which controls part of the East Side, they found a 53-year-old grandmother of 11, her car pulling into a parking spot just as the gunmen arrived on the block, authorities said.
That’s when York and five other, unidentified men opened fire on the Mitsubishi Gallant, killing Kimberly Underwood inside.
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One gunman armed with an AK-47-style rifle couldn’t get his weapon to fire, prosecutors told Judge John F. Lyke Jr., during an internet-broadcast bail hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
York, 27, of the 1900 block of West Pryor Avenue in the Morgan Park neighborhood, the first of the seven arrested, faces first-degree murder charges in Underwood’s Nov. 6, 2019, death, authorities said.
Kimberly Underwood, a 53-year-old grandmother of 11, was shot and killed while driving into a parking lot near her home in Altgeld Gardens in Chicago on Nov. 6, 2019. (Family photo)
At the Wednesday hearing, prosecutors described how York and six other gunmen met up at Block 5 the night of the shooting about two hours after several people from the rival territory were seen coming onto Bar None territory.
York’s group met around 10:12 p.m. near 132nd Street and St. Lawrence Avenue, where, on foot, they began moving in a coordinated, block-by-block sweep for rivals en route to Block 9. Holding their guns, the men “took up positions, aimed their weapons at various locations and signaled to each other with hand gestures,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy told the court.
As they arrived near Underwood’s home, group members continued to see no movement until her Gallant arrived. One member of the group approached the car in the lot and opened fire while standing about 5 feet away, Murphy said. York and several others began shooting. Surveillance then captured the men leaving the scene.
The shooting death of Underwood, remembered by her family as hardworking and two weeks shy of her 54th birthday, baffled her family.
“This is an injustice to our family," her niece Niki Edwards said shortly after Underwood’s death as the family gathered at the home of a relative. "She’s been taken away too early.”
“This sounds like something that was out of a movie almost,” Lyke said before denying York bail. “They were literally stalking people.”
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The judge approved a request for a mandatory no-bail ruling based on a pile of evidence, the prosecution claimed, including an extensive neighborhood surveillance system that captured the faces, clothing and vehicles of several offenders and a color-coded mapping software that tracked the movements of each of the seven gunmen. Each gunman was given their own corresponding color and video of their actions before, during and after the shooting, authorities said.
Phone records also captured York using his phone at the same time and location that he was recorded making a call, and two people — a gang unit officer and a childhood acquaintance of York’s — identified him from surveillance video, authorities said. And York, also an aspiring rapper, could be seen in a social media video wearing the same hooded sweatshirt he wore to the shooting, according to Murphy.
York is scheduled to return to court on June 3.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Dog involved in attack that left Fox Lake woman dead to be euthanized

The other two dogs will potentially be released to Urso ’ s relatives if they want them , Goering said @ @ @ @ @ t , the dogs would be released to a rescue group and anyone with interest @ @ @ @ @ referred to it for a legal adoption .

The bulldog thought to have fatally mauled its owner Saturday in Fox Lake will be humanely euthanized, a Lake County spokeswoman said.
An autopsy confirmed that Lisa Urso, 52, died of injuries caused by at least one of her three dogs, Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said, calling the situation “absolutely a tragedy.”
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It’s not possible to know for sure that only the one dog attacked Urso, but only that dog had a history of biting, Cooper said. Two bulldogs had blood on them; a third dog did not have blood on it.
Urso was found Saturday on the back porch of her home at 622 Knollwood Road, said Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee, who described the scene as “gruesome.” It appeared she escaped the house after being attacked, but her injuries were extensive.
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Urso’s home has an Ingleside mailing address, but sits within the municipal boundaries of Fox Lake.
A Lake County ordinance requires Animal Control to hold the dogs for a minimum of seven days, spokeswoman Hannah Goering said. The plan is to hold all three dogs until Monday since the seventh day lands on a weekend.
Lake County Animal Control will not recommend the bulldog named Blue, the one involved in April biting incidents and believed to be the cause of its owner’s death, to be placed in a home, Goering said. Instead, the dog will be euthanized.
That dog bit the owner’s boyfriend twice in April -- once on April 13 and then again on April 21 -- which resulted in the dog being taken and housed temporarily by Lake County Animal Care and Control, Lee said. Urso requested her dog back from Animal Control.
The dog’s owner had identified Blue as a French bulldog to Animal Control following the April 13 incident, Goering said. When Animal Control took possession of the dog after the April 21 biting, the agency identified the dog as a French bulldog and bulldog mix, in part because of its size.
The dog weighs about 55 pounds, Cooper said.
The other two dogs will potentially be released to Urso’s relatives if they want them, Goering said. If they don’t, the dogs would be released to a rescue group and anyone with interest in the dogs would be referred to it for a legal adoption.
This story has been updated to correct a reference to the breed of the dog involved.


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--High school seniors want graduations rescheduled, not canceled, amid COVID-19 pandemic: ‘We have alr

High school seniors want graduations rescheduled, not canceled, amid COVID-19 pandemic: ‘We have already lost so much of our senior year’

“ I want to be very , very clear that we are not saying goodbye to our Class of 2020 @ @ @ @ @ , ” Schuler said .
“ If the state allows large gatherings in June , @ @ @ @ @ will definitely honor and celebrate our graduates on the football fields in their caps and @ @ @ @ @ be having a Class of 2020 senior BBQ when we can .
If we have @ @ @ @ @ celebrate our Class of 2020 with a special event , we will .
”

Students at more than a dozen suburban Chicago high schools and Northwestern University have launched online petitions demanding that their canceled graduation ceremonies be rescheduled once COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings are lifted.
“Quite frankly, even if you could fit all of the graduates in on a Zoom meeting, most of the kids wouldn’t even come, because we want a true celebration, just like the rest of the alumni have had,” said Emily Butryn, 17, a senior at John Hersey High School who started an online petition last month asking officials at Township High School District 214 to consider rescheduling the canceled graduation ceremonies at the district’s six high schools.
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To date, Butryn’s online petition has attracted more than 5,200 supporters, including students and parents.
Hersey High senior Emily Butryn,, 17, holds a portrait of herself on her iPad in her cap and gown outside of her Arlington Heights home. Students at high schools throughout the area, including Butryn, have launched petitions seeking to have traditional graduation ceremonies rescheduled after COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings are lifted. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
“This senior year was definitely not what any of us expected, but we’re trying to keep up hope, and we know we’re not alone,” Butryn said.
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Nationwide, more than half a million people have supported various online petitions started by high school and college students contending that virtual, online graduations are an unacceptable substitute for traditional, in-person ceremonies, according to officials at Change.org.
In Illinois, the five-phase “Restore Illinois” program recently unveiled by Gov. J.B. Pritzker indicates the soonest that graduation ceremonies, which can attract thousands of participants, would be allowed is phase five, when large public gatherings will once again be allowed.
At his daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said, “I want to find ways for people to celebrate, their graduations in particular.”
“I know how hard this is on young people here at the end of the year, not to be able to have the normal kind of graduation, and so we want to work with people to make that a special day for them,” Pritzker said.
The state’s education agency has issued guidance for holding alternative ceremonies that maintain social distancing, such as drive-up and drive-thru commencements. Some area schools, such as Glenbrook North and South high schools, have made tentative plans for both drive-up and traditional ceremonies later this summer.
District 214 Superintendent David Schuler said last month, prior to the start of the phased-in approach to the state’s reopening, that officials have hired a media production company to produce “a professional virtual commencement ceremony video for each school.”
“I want to be very, very clear that we are not saying goodbye to our Class of 2020 at the end of May,” Schuler said. “If the state allows large gatherings in June, July or August, we will definitely honor and celebrate our graduates on the football fields in their caps and gowns … and we will be having a Class of 2020 senior BBQ when we can. If we have to wait until Thanksgiving to celebrate our Class of 2020 with a special event, we will.”
Barrington High School senior Niyanthi Puliyala started an online petition asking officials to consider rescheduling either the graduation ceremony or prom for a later date.
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“Fighting the coronavirus should be everyone’s top priority and matters like these seem inconsequential at a time like this, but this is an idea I am proposing. ... Postpone the traditional graduation ceremony instead of having a virtual ceremony," she said in her online petition.
Puliyala told the Tribune that she saw other schools tentatively rescheduling later ceremonies and “it seems like we’re the one high school that just immediately jumped to a virtual graduation only, which was shocking.”
The petition asks officials to consider July 31 as a possible commencement date, since the high school has tentatively set prom for Aug. 1.
"Use the idea of a virtual graduation as a last resort like many other schools in the area even if it means that the ceremony itself may have to be altered. ... Have the ceremony itself open only to immediate family and recorded to accommodate those who can’t attend in order to decrease numbers,” the petition states.
Barrington Unit School District 220 Superintendent Brian Harris announced last month that officials were planning a virtual graduation on May 29 that he said would create “a personalized graduation experience for each student and their family.”
The virtual graduation will “include all the traditional components of our Barrington High School graduation. This includes a prelude, composed of student artwork and performances, speeches from students and faculty members, presentation of diplomas, and the Senior Video,” Harris said.
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“As a school community, we recognize and share our students’ feelings of disappointment and frustration over the cancellation of traditional events and celebrations for our seniors," Harris said. "While we cannot change the circumstances that COVID-19 has created, we are developing alternative experiences to celebrate the accomplishments of our seniors that fit within guidelines established by our local health departments and the CDC.”
An online petition started by a Northwestern University student identified as Hannah Hakim had attracted 3,600 signers as of Tuesday and encourages university President Morton Schapiro and the board of trustees “to commit to an in person commencement at a later date.”
“We are only asking for the same promise that other institutions have granted their seniors,” Hakim stated, adding that officials at nearby Loyola University Chicago are hoping to hold an in-person commencement ceremony at a later date.
“While we understand the severity of the pandemic and the reasons for which commencement was moved to a virtual platform, we do not understand why there was no mention of an in person commencement to be held at a later date,” Hakim said.
A spokesman for Northwestern said Thursday that officials plan to invite all 2020 graduates back to campus to celebrate their accomplishments on June 12, 2021. Officials hope to honor and recognize the class of 2020 during a convocation ceremony, including a stand-alone graduation ceremony for undergraduates distinct from celebrations of the class of 2021.
In light of that, Hakim said she plans to take down her petition and was pleased officials took notice of the issue.
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Michael Jones, managing director of campaigns at Change.org, said in a Tuesday email, "The biggest trend on Change.org right now is being led by hundreds of students, urging high school and colleges to reschedule or postpone graduations canceled by COVID-19.”
“There are petitions from almost every state, signed by thousands of students who don’t want their senior years to disappear without some kind of recognition,” Jones said.
Other local examples of graduation ceremony petitions on Change.org include those out of Elgin-based District U-46, Aurora-based Indian Prairie District 204, Wheaton North High and Lyons Township High in LaGrange.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--New police union President John Catanzara rode a wave of controversy to popularity with fellow offic

New police union President John Catanzara rode a wave of controversy to popularity with fellow officers

`` Obviously I know you just got here , '' he continued to Beck .
`` I would hope that @ @ @ @ @ to review everybody over at call-back that are stripped from their police powers before you @ @ @ @ @ at some of these cases , because there are some good people there who are @ @ @ @ @ , retaliated against that should not be stripped . ''

John Catanzara holds a pro-police flag as members of the Fraternal Order of Police and supporters clash with counterprotesters in the Loop in April 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
To those who want to judge him, Chicago police Officer John Catanzara says you should “probably shut your mouth” unless you’ve walked in his shoes.
He’s also a self-proclaimed “give no (expletives), say it like it is” kind of guy on Facebook, but the eyebrow-raising quotes aren’t where the controversy surrounding him ends.
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He has sounded off at public meetings against his bosses. He has crusaded against what he’s perceived as unfair punishment of rank-and-file cops. He has publicly questioned the use of police resources at places such as the mansion of the cardinal, the leader of the city’s Catholic archdiocese, and the mayor’s home.
In a Facebook Live video, he once even staged a protest (appearing to be the lone attendee) outside Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s house, criticizing her leadership.
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“Great expenditure of manpower,” Catanzara said in a sarcastic tone, an apparent knock on the mayor’s use of police officers as security. “Two squad cars in front, one in the alley.”
But none of that curbed his popularity in the department. In fact, quite the opposite.
Last week, the veteran patrolman managed to convincingly win an election to become the next president of the Chicago police’s largest union, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7.
The victory even prompted a congratulatory tweet Sunday morning from President Donald Trump, a staunch supporter of law enforcement whose administration, like the FOP and Catanzara himself, has pushed back against the types of police reforms in Chicago that are part of a court-ordered consent decree that materialized as part of the fallout from the Laquan McDonald shooting scandal.
Catanzara defeated Kevin Graham, the incumbent, in a runoff election by receiving close to 55% of the vote, garnering 4,709 votes to Graham’s 3,872, according to the FOP. Active and retired cops were eligible to cast their ballots.
Not ready for reform?
Police accountability advocates who already see the FOP as an impediment to reforming CPD view Catanzara’s win as an even greater obstacle in that effort. They’re discouraged, in part, by his disciplinary background that includes dozens of complaints and several suspensions in his 25 years as a Chicago cop.
“This is a ... more vitriolic version and more reactionary version of the FOP than I’ve seen,” said Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor who studies police discipline.
Others agreed.
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“He embodies the most stark problems in the (police) department — the red flags of an unaddressed, long disciplinary history and outspoken resistance to reform,” Karen Sheley, director of the police practices project for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said in a statement after Catanzara’s election.
The criticism leaves open the question of why he apparently has such appeal among average CPD officers. Some have described him as cutting against the city’s political establishment, perhaps helping to explain Trump’s interest in his win.
John Catanzara wears a Donald Trump jersey at a protest in the Loop in 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
One officer who voted for Catanzara described him as a “rabble-rouser” who could challenge the status quo at the FOP, and who and won’t back down from a challenge against any union opponents.
The officer said the rank-and-file has nothing to lose by choosing someone like Catanzara, considering many were fed up with the FOP’s previous regime that failed during its nearly three years in charge to secure a new collective bargaining agreement with the city, a void that means, among other things, regular patrol officers are missing out on higher pay.
“He always fought the establishment,” said the Catanzara supporter, who declined to be identified because he’s an active Chicago officer who is not authorized by the department to speak to the media. “He is a guy that wants the brass to abide by the same rules that the patrolmen abide by … He’s not someone whose who’s just going to go away.”
Checkered past
From the time he started with the department in January 1995 through mid-2017, Catanzara amassed at least 35 complaints alleging misconduct, records obtained by the Tribune showed.
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He has been suspended about a half-dozen times for such infractions as harassing a woman he once dated and working a security job at a restaurant when he was supposed to be on medical leave from the Police Department for a back injury, city records obtained by the nonprofit Invisible Institute show.
In 2012, then-Superintendent Garry McCarthy wanted Catanzara dismissed for working the side job and making false statements about it. But the nine-member Chicago Police Board instead voted 7 to 2 to suspend him for 20 days, records show. Ghian Foreman, who now heads the Police Board, was one of two board members who pushed unsuccessfully for his firing.
And that wasn’t Catanzara’s first near miss. In August 2008, then-Superintendent Jody Weis sought Catanzara’s firing on allegations that he did not follow orders to complete a psychological exam, according to Police Board records. But in February 2009, the board cleared Catanzara in a 5-3 decision.
Catanzara did not respond to messages requesting an interview for this story. But when the Tribune asked him in March what he might tell people who criticize him for his disciplinary history, Catanzara quipped, “Until you walk in someone (else’s) shoes, (you) probably should shut your mouth.”
Catanzara was elected FOP president despite being stripped of his police powers, restricting his ability to carry a badge and gun during the course of his duties. That’s because he’s under investigation by the Chicago police’s Bureau of Internal Affairs for allegations that he filed a false or misleading police report in 2018 against then-Superintendent Eddie Johnson, accusing him of breaking the law by allowing an anti-violence march to proceed that summer along the Dan Ryan Expressway.
Catanzara broached the topic during several public meetings before the Police Board. In a November 2018 board meeting at police headquarters, also attended by Johnson, Catanzara accused his then-district commander of deleting the report from a CPD database to protect Johnson.
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“Why does he still got a job? How is that not obstruction of justice? You had police officers hanging out to dry for the (McDonald) shooting for obstructing and colluding,” Catanzara told Johnson, according to a transcript of the meeting. "He’s a Commander, a Commander who is in charge of people and did that. Anyone with a blue shirt (patrol officer) would have been stripped immediately ... and fired from this Board within weeks.
"But yet, it is another example of how anybody with a white shirt (a police boss) and fancy pins on his shirt never gets held accountable. Explain that to me please?"
Johnson answered, “I really have no idea what you are talking about. I have no idea.”
Challenging authority
At a police board hearing in February, Catanzara stood at the microphone and brought then-interim police Superintendent Charlie Beck up to speed on the police report he filed against Johnson in 2018. Catanzara also openly advocated for cops under investigation by Internal Affairs and other disciplinary bodies, urging Beck to review cases of stripped officers on paid desk duty assigned to “call-back,” CPD slang for the Alternate Response Section, a dumping ground for cops facing discipline.
“… They brought charges against me that now has me stripped and wearing this goofy little temporary ID, where they say you are not harmed because you are collecting a paycheck,” Catanzara said. "I lost one side job because I can no longer carry a gun. Do you consider that fair?
“Obviously I know you just got here,” he continued to Beck. “I would hope that you would take some time to review everybody over at call-back that are stripped from their police powers before you got here and start looking at some of these cases, because there are some good people there who are absolutely being abused, harassed, retaliated against that should not be stripped.”
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At City Hall early this year, Catanzara addressed Lightfoot at a public meeting and said he expected to win the FOP election and looked forward to “starting a dialogue” with her.
Catanzara also implored the City Council at that meeting to reject a $1.2 million settlement to the family of a man who died in police custody after it was alleged he tried to break into a garage. Aldermen eventually approved the settlement.
“Just know, if you’re an alderman with police and first responders in your ward, and you don’t vote to reject this $1 million payout, you will be on notice. We will pay attention,” Catanzara said at the January meeting.
Catanzara scored points with many officers in 2017 when he took to Facebook, posting a photo of himself in an apparent protest of NFL players who knelt during the national anthem at the start of games. The photo showed him in uniform holding an American flag as he stood in front of a marked Chicago police SUV. He also stood with a poster that expressed his support for Trump and gun rights.
“I STAND FOR THE ANTHEM. I LOVE THE AMERICAN FLAG. I SUPPORT MY PRESIDENT AND THE 2ND AMENDMENT,” I stand for the anthem. I love the American flag. I support my president and the 2nd Amendment,” the poster read.
Catanzara's actions came after two uniformed black officers posed for a photo shared on social media of them kneeling and raising their fists in a police station with an activist in support of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who refused to stand during the anthem as a protest of police treatment of minorities.
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Catanzara and the two other officers were all given reprimands — among the lightest punishments Chicago cops can face — for violating department rules that prohibit them from participating in any partisan political campaign or activity while on duty.
Futterman, the U. of C. professor, was especially concerned about this reprimand against Catanzara because of his apparent disdain for a cause that shined a light on controversial use of force incidents by police against African Americans across the country.
“That … tells you exactly where the FOP is with respect to regarding black Chicagoans’ civil rights, and that’s a really ugly picture and a really ugly sign,” Futterman said.


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Illinois logs 192 daily COVID-19 deaths, a new high

“ With the increase of testing around Illinois , for sure there are an increase in positive COVID-19 cases detected @ @ @ @ @ ” Ezike said .
“ But rather than focusing on the large numbers of cases @ @ @ @ @ into account the very large amount of specimens . ''

Officials on Wednesday said there were 192 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, a record high for one day.
The previous high number of deaths reported during a 24-hour period was 176 on May 5.
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The additional deaths reported Wednesday bring the statewide death toll to 3,792.
Officials also reported 1,677 new known cases Wednesday, bringing the total number of known cases to 84,698 since the pandemic began.
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State officials said earlier this week that additional data shows that the state may not begin descending from its peak in the pandemic until mid-June, when previous models anticipated the peak would hit the state between late April and mid-May.
The higher case counts are linked to a higher rate of testing. There were 17,668 COVID-19 tests conducted over the past day, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike said Wednesday.
The statewide seven-day rolling positivity rate among those tested was 17% as of Wednesday, according to the Department of Public Health. To date, 489,359 tests have been performed in Illinois, Ezike said.
“With the increase of testing around Illinois, for sure there are an increase in positive COVID-19 cases detected, that is expected,” Ezike said. “But rather than focusing on the large numbers of cases yesterday, one should take into account the very large amount of specimens."
With Edwards County now reporting a case of COVID-19, 99 of Illinois’ 102 counties have seen known positive cases.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Gov. Pritzker apologizes for his comments on MLB players ‘holding out’ for more money: ‘I absolutely

Gov. Pritzker apologizes for his comments on MLB players ‘holding out’ for more money: ‘I absolutely support that right’ to collectively bargain

“ We need that back , that normalcy back , and hope they ’ ll be reasonable as they negotiate @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m disappointed in many ways that players are , you know , holding @ @ @ @ @ , these very , very high salaries and payments during a time when I think @ @ @ @ @

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday walked back his comments about Major League Baseball players from the day before, apologizing for “leaving the impression that baseball players shouldn’t have the right” to collectively bargain with team owners over starting the season.
Before taking questions during his daily coronavirus press briefing, Pritzker returned to the subject of MLB’s proposed plan to start a shortened season in early July.
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“I want to address something that I said yesterday, regarding baseball and baseball players,” Pritzker said. “I want to apologize for leaving the impression that baseball players shouldn’t have the right to bargain, to protect their health and safety. I absolutely support that right. I should have made that more clear.”
During Tuesday’s briefing, Pritzker said he was “disappointed” in baseball players for “holding out” for more money than the MLB proposal, which calls for a 50-50 split of revenues between owners and players.
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The players union hasn’t accepted or rejected the proposal, which it didn’t receive from owners until Tuesday.
The sides agreed in March that players would be paid their prorated salaries for the number of games played in a shortened season. But that agreement was based on fans attending games, which accounts for about 40% of team revenues when totaling ticket sales, concessions, merchandise, parking and other sources.
The proposal MLB sent to the union calls for no spectators at games, at least initially. Players union chief Tony Clark told The Athletic the union opposes any “system that restricts player pay based on revenues.”
“I realize that the players have the right to haggle over their salaries,” Pritzker said Tuesday, “but we do live in a moment where, you know, the people of Illinois, the people of the United States deserve to get their pastime back, to watch anyway on television.
“We need that back, that normalcy back, and hope they’ll be reasonable as they negotiate. But I must say I’m disappointed in many ways that players are, you know, holding out for, you know, these very, very high salaries and payments during a time when I think everybody is sacrificing.”


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Federal judge spikes 2 Chicago-area churches’ legal challenge to Pritzker’s stay-at-home order

“ The harm to plaintiffs if the order is enforced pales in comparison to the dangers to society if it @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
“ The sad reality is that places where people congregate , like churches @ @ @ @ @ for the disease .
”

A federal judge on Wednesday denied a bid by two local churches to hold services despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus stay-at-home order, blasting the request for a preliminary injunction as “both ill-founded and selfish.”
The lawsuit filed Thursday by the Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church on Chicago’s Northwest Side and Logos Baptist Ministries in Niles sought a temporary restraining order allowing services to continue without “threat of criminal sanctions” by state and local officials. Leaders for both churches vowed to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines.
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In ruling against the churches, however, Judge Robert Gettleman said a restraining order “would risk the lives of congregants ... their family members, friends, co-workers and other members of their communities with whom they come in contact.”
Gettleman noted that COVID-19 is a particular danger to spread in a church setting, regardless of how careful congregants try to be.
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“The harm to plaintiffs if the order is enforced pales in comparison to the dangers to society if it is not,” Gettleman wrote. “The sad reality is that places where people congregate, like churches, often act as vectors for the disease.”
The judge also said the churches’ "interest in communal services cannot outweigh the health and safety of the public.”
The churches filed an immediate notice of appeal with the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
Elim Romanian and Metro Praise International Church on the Northwest Side, not a party to the lawsuit, held services Sunday, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot this week criticized both and warned the city was “going to take action” to keep the churches closed.
Gettleman’s ruling marked the second by a federal judge in less than two weeks upholding the constitutionality of the governor’s stay-at-home policy in the face of the continuing pandemic.
The Beloved Church in rural northwest Illinois also sought a temporary restraining order claiming the governor’s blanket executive actions were discriminatory against religious practices.
The same day the suit was filed, Pritzker modified his order to add “free exercise of religion” as a permitted essential activity, but limiting religious gatherings to 10 people or fewer, in line with limits on all gatherings laid out in the order.
U.S. District Court Judge John Z. Lee ruled the stay-at-home order constitutional, saying in a 37-page order that he was mindful that religious activities permitted by the order are “imperfect substitutes” for in-person services during which the 80-member church can sing and pray together.
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“Still, given the continuing threat posed by COVID-19, the Order preserves relatively robust avenues for praise, prayer and fellowship and passes constitutional muster,” Lee wrote.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-13--Coronavirus testing sites in Illinois: Search our map for one near you

The Illinois Department of Public Health is saying that testing is available without a doctor ’ s order to anyone @ @ @ @ @ underlying risk factor .
Tests are also provided to people on the front lines of @ @ @ @ @ medical workers , first responders and employees of prisons or nursing homes .

Testing for COVID-19 has greatly expanded in Illinois.
The state’s information on testing sites changes frequently. This map will be updated periodically. More from the Illinois Department of Public Health here.
There are many sites that are not on the state’s list. Some have asked not to be named. Others may be added at a later date.
Sites as of Dec. 1