chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Lightfoot ‘does not have the guts to close schools,’ Chicago Teachers Union claims as it protests pl

Lightfoot ‘does not have the guts to close schools,’ Chicago Teachers Union claims as it protests plan for in-person classes in CPS this fall

“ When Black unemployment has run through the roof , the only thing she can do is Tik Tok and @ @ @ @ @ , while we got problems right here in the city of Chicago , ” Johnson @ @ @ @ @ now in a moment where it is very clear who our allies are and who @ @ @ @ @ would risk the lives of Black and brown children , you got to see them @ @ @ @ @

Hannah Leone, Christen A. Johnson, Alice Yin, Gregory Pratt

People hold signs during a Occupy City Hall Protest outside the Thompson Center in Chicago on Aug. 3, 2020. The Chicago Teachers Union hosted the caravan rally to City Hall for more than 20 community groups and parent organizations as part of a nationwide action day demanding no in-person school. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
With Chicago Public Schools parents facing a deadline days away to opt in or out of in-person classes this fall, parents and teachers in Chicago and across the country are calling for schools to open safely or not at all.
In Logan Square Monday morning, a group gathered to share their concerns about CPS’ tentative fall plan — a combination of in-person class and remote learning. Adults and children united in a circle, holding multicolored streamers adorned with butterflies. Some had black wings, representing lives lost to COVID-19.
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Sandy Viveros, 28, said she is disappointed in the plans CPS has provided and doesn’t yet feel comfortable sending her children, ages 5 and 10, to school.
[ Take our back-to-school survey: Share your situation, thoughts and ideas ]
Black butterflies with messages are displayed next to a banner at a gathering in Logan Square in solidarity with the National Day of Resistance for safe, healthy and equitable schools. The black butterflies represent people who have died from COVID-19. (Raquel Zaldivar / Chicago Tribune)
“They’re not really giving us enough information about what their safety (plan) is going to be. And also, I’m here because my kids are not an experiment, that’s basically what they’re trying to do,” Viveros said.
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Martha Escogido, a Logan Square Neighborhood Association parent leader who has seven children, lost her husband this summer from COVID-19. Escogido was unable to attend the rally Monday because she had to work, an organizer said. She sent in her speech to be read as a testimony.
“The past two months have been very difficult,” a speaker read on Escogido’s behalf. She wants to see a realistic plan for school in the fall.
A 7-year-old boy addressed the group in Spanish, saying he doesn’t feel safe going back to school. The boy said he loves school but cherishes his life more, according to a woman who translated his remarks into English during the rally.
CPS asked families at the end of last week to let them know by Friday if they plan to enroll their children in the hybrid learning plan floated last month or continue learning from home. A district communication said they sent text and email messages to parents and guardians, asking them to complete a form by Friday “to ensure schools can plan effectively.”
[ Parents who want schools to reopen this fall say it’s a matter of choice, not politics. ‘Students’ mental health ... has got to be weighed.’ ]
The Chicago Teachers Union and others participated in a caravan protest Monday against Chicago Public Schools' fall plans. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A woman rallies outside Chicago City Hall against plans to reopen CPS schools after Labor Day. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
CPS has not yet released its final plan, leaving parents to either choose based on the draft version or wait to see if the final one comes out this week. Plans are due to be finalized this week.
Though students who opt for the hybrid model can switch to remote learning at any time, those who start the school year remotely will have to wait until the second quarter to switch to hybrid classes. CPS officials have stressed that they will only reopen schools if it’s safe but also that schools will likely need to reopen at some point before any COVID-19 vaccine is fully rolled out.
District leaders proposed the hybrid plan knowing schools may have to close again. Chicago Department of Public Health authorities have said CPS should consider all-remote learning if there are more than 400 cases daily in the city using a seven-day rolling average. CPS CEO Janice Jackson last week also alluded to an 8% weekly positivity rate, and though the city is below that now, at 4.8%, some of its ZIP codes are higher.
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Monday’s protest organizers noted the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on Black and Latino people. In Logan Square, one speaker said many of the families present live in the 60639 ZIP code where “we have a lot of families who tested positive.” Nearly 4,000 people in the ZIP code, where about 90,000 live, have tested positive for the virus, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The Chicago Teachers Union, which also hosted a protest and caravan to City Hall Monday, has strongly advocated for a remote-only start to the school year, as several other suburban and big-city districts have decided to do.
Monday’s events were part of a nationwide action for equitable schools, demanding no in-person school “until the scientific and public-health data supports it.” The campaign is also pushing for police-free schools, adequate staffing of counselors and nurses, safe conditions including lower class sizes, and more community support for families.
Yet many parents have also expressed support for reopening schools in some capacity, with some skeptical about the quality of remote learning after their experiences in the spring. In Chicago, a July poll of 660 CPS parents commissioned by an education advocacy group showed that 40% of parents believed schools should stay remote only, 35% favored a hybrid or partial reopening and 19% supported fully reopening, while 6% didn’t know. The poll was commissioned by Stand for Children Leadership Center and conducted by Tulchin Research.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey on Monday said it’s not appropriate to have in-person learning “in an environment with raging contagion,” and that the union won’t stand for it.
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“The mayor does not have the guts to close the schools,” Sharkey said outside CTU headquarters. “They’re putting it on us to close the schools. That’s what we feel like is happening.”
Asked about Sharkey’s comments, the mayor’s office released this statement later Monday: “Since COVID-19 first reached Chicago, we have made a firm commitment to base our policies and initiatives on the science and data of this disease, and to communicate decisions to our stakeholders in an open and transparent way,” the mayor’s office said. “This is the same approach that CPS has taken all along in engaging all the relevant stakeholders in the school community. The data will drive this decision.”
At the union rally, Andrea Parker, a teacher at Fulton Elementary, said that having a plan for “if” something happens at a school is not enough.
“It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when, and I do not want to be the when. I do not want my students to be the when,” Parker said. “I do not want to be the sacrificial lamb because you’re forcing us to go into an environment that is dangerous.”
Already in Indiana, a student at Greenfield-Central Junior High School tested positive on the first day back to school last week.
Even remotely, schools in Chicago have been dealing with deaths of students, parents and educators.
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A student at Kelly College Prep and at least four parents of students at the school have died from the virus, said Gustav Roman, an English teacher.
“We have just an extreme amount of loss that our school community is facing,” Roman said.
Rather than spend time and resources planning for both hybrid and remote options, CPS should focus on making remote learning as good as it can be, the teachers union has argued.
Melanie Hidalgo, 22, a university student who helped her 11-year-old brother with online schoolwork during the spring, attended the Logan Square rally to push for remote learning.
“It wasn’t impossible,” she said.
The groups headed to City Hall in separate caravans to continue their protest.
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By noon, the protesters had converged near City Hall, many wearing Black Lives Matter shirts and holding signs calling for police-free schools. A DJ mixed soul and funk music until a news conference began.
CTU member Norma Noriega honored the life of Caleb Reed, a 17-year-old activist who was shot to death over the weekend.
“Let his passion ignite something in you and continue to fight for the freedom of future generations,” Noriega said.
Noriega said there was no way the union would agree to send students back to in-person learning this fall.
“This time it’s no longer a metaphor, no longer an analogy,” Noriega said. “We are being sent to die if we go back into those buildings.”
Lakesia Collins, a Democratic nominee for Illinois’ House of Representatives, said she worries about her son, who has asthma, returning to school.
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“Schools should not reopen until scientific data says it’s safe to do so,” Collins said. “That means ensuring that all communities, no matter the ZIP code, have access to the resources they need to complete the online learning.”
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson called it “pitiful” for Lightfoot’s administration to plan to reopen schools.
“When Black unemployment has run through the roof, the only thing she can do is TikTok and dance and tweet at Trump, while we got problems right here in the city of Chicago,” Johnson said. “We are now in a moment where it is very clear who our allies are and who our enemies are. Whoever would risk the lives of Black and brown children, you got to see them as an enemy.”
After delivering the demands to the mayor’s office, 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez said: ”We are tired of platitudes and excuses. Her failed policies continue to put our young people or children at risk. Today we told Mayor Lightfoot it’s enough.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com
chrjohnson@chicagotribune.com
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ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--McHenry County deputy placed woman in an apparent chokehold during arrest, video shows

Woodstock sent the video of the June 17 arrest to the sheriff ’ s office , which turned a criminal @ @ @ @ @ to the McHenry County state ’ s attorney .
The deputy , whom officials would @ @ @ @ @ police powers revoked and remains on paid administrative leave , the sheriff ’ s office @ @

A McHenry County sheriff's deputy puts a burglary suspect into an apparent chokehold during an arrest on June 17, 2020, according to video footage captured by a Woodstock police officer's body camera. (Village of Woodstock)
A McHenry County sheriff’s deputy put a burglary suspect in an apparent chokehold during an arrest, according to video footage captured by a Woodstock police officer’s body camera.
Woodstock sent the video of the June 17 arrest to the sheriff’s office, which turned a criminal probe of the incident over to a countywide investigative unit. The deputy, whom officials would not name, had his police powers revoked and remains on paid administrative leave, the sheriff’s office said.
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A spokeswoman for the sheriff declined further comment, citing the ongoing investigation. An earlier statement from the office said the video shows “what appears to be the inappropriate use of force by a McHenry County Sheriff’s Office deputy.”
The incident stemmed from an alleged theft of two riding lawn mowers and a trailer from a Blain’s Farm and Fleet. Police found the SUV in which four suspects were riding, and the body camera video, obtained by the Tribune through a public information request, shows three men leaving the vehicle and being handcuffed without incident.
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But a woman sitting in the SUV’s front passenger seat remained inside and was pulled out by the deputy, who in the faint audio captured by the recording appears to curse the woman.
“Excuse me?” the woman says indignantly just before the deputy wraps an arm around her neck and forces one of her arms behind her back.
A moment later she shouts, “Stop!” as the deputy commands her to walk toward the other suspects and puts her face down on the ground. The entire episode lasts about 17 seconds.
“He just (expletive) choked the (expletive) out of me!” the woman says in a loud, raspy voice. " … It’s (expletive) illegal!”
Chokeholds are banned by state law, though it defines them narrowly — “‘chokehold’ does not include any holding involving contact with the neck that is not intended to reduce the intake of air,” the Illinois criminal code says — and allows them when deadly force is justified.
The McHenry County Board last month affirmed in a resolution that the sheriff’s office abides by that law.
The woman, 31, remains in McHenry County Jail and is due in court Friday to face charges of theft and criminal damage to property. The other suspects are also in jail awaiting court dates.
jkeilman@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @JohnKeilman


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Illinois launches $5 million mask awareness campaign, Pritzker opens door to fines for those who dis

Illinois launches $5 million mask awareness campaign, Pritzker opens door to fines for those who disregard rules

“ We certainly are considering what rule we could put in place that JCAR would approve , ” Pritzker said @ @ @ @ @ say it ’ s the legislature , it ’ s true , that hasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ forward on a mask mandate .
But I have one in place for the state @ @ @ @ @ been actually very good , for the most part , about suggesting to people that @ @ @ @ @

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveils a new mask awareness campaign called "It Only Works If You Wear It" during a news conference Aug. 3 in Springfield. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register)
Springfield — Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday unveiled a $5 million multimedia campaign to push the use of face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, and said he is open to considering fines for those who flout mask regulations.
The ad campaign will carry the tagline “It only works if you wear it” and will focus on cities and counties in the state that “have the most work to do,” Pritzker said. The effort was launched in Springfield, days after Sangamon County was one of 11 counties in the state flagged by the Illinois Department of Public Health as at a “warning level” based on COVID-19 metrics.
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The campaign will “respond to the latest trends in cases and mobility at the county level,” concentrating the spending on areas of the state where COVID-19 metrics indicate a potential resurgence.
Gov. Pritzker's mask awareness campaign: "It Only Works If You Wear It." (State of Illinois)
For people who “are absolutely refusing” to wear a mask in public, “they’re putting other people at risk, so it’s worthy of considering a fine at a local level,” Pritzker said while introducing the ad campaign.
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Despite the mask requirement taking effect in Illinois more than three months ago, some people have refused to wear masks in public places and enforcement has presented an issue.
In May, Pritzker asked a bipartisan legislative rule-making panel to consider a rule change that would make businesses liable to a misdemeanor criminal charge, punishable by a $2,500 fine or 364 days in jail, for opening in violation of his stay-at-home order.
The controversial proposal was quickly met with complaints that the penalties were too harsh, and when it appeared the legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules was poised to block it, Pritzker backed off.
Pritzker appears ready to try for another rule. He said his administration is mulling a mask enforcement rule, noting that the General Assembly did not take up legislation that would have implemented such a measure during its four-day pandemic-driven special session in May.
“We certainly are considering what rule we could put in place that JCAR would approve,” Pritzker said. “But I would say it’s the legislature, it’s true, that hasn’t been willing to move forward on a mask mandate. But I have one in place for the state and cities and counties have been actually very good, for the most part, about suggesting to people that this is enforceable.”
Pritzker acknowledged it is difficult for restaurant, bar, retail and other business owners to enforce mask rules in their establishment without a measure in place for public health or police “to come in and at least remind everybody, put a warning in place for everybody.”
On a downstate tour over the past week, Pritzker has encouraged local leaders in areas with rising COVID-19 cases and other metrics to impose their own mitigation measures before it reaches a level where the state would step in.
The campaign launch comes as the state’s seven-day average positivity rate for COVID-19 now stands at 4%, compared with 2.6% as of July 3.
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Public health officials on Monday announced 1,298 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus statewide during the prior 24 hours, and 10 additional deaths of people with COVID-19. That brings the statewide total for known cases to 183,241, and 7,526 deaths of people with COVID-19, since the pandemic began.
Pritzker imposed a statewide mask mandate on May 1 for people over the age of 2 who are medically able to wear a face covering, as the state moved into the second phase of his “Restore Illinois” reopening plan.
The new mask campaign will be broadcast through social media, radio, television and billboards in both English and Spanish. The state expects to be reimbursed for the cost of the campaign through federal coronavirus funds, Pritzker said.
Amid a nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment and an urgent need for masks for medical workers, some officials discouraged the public from masking early on in the United States’ fight against the coronavirus pandemic. In early April, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention triggered a shift when it began encouraging people to wear cloth face coverings when they leave their homes.
CDC mask guidance that was last updated July 16 recommends people wear masks in public settings and “when around people who don’t live in your household,” and says masks are “most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.”
Last month, while testifying before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, Pritzker called for a national mask mandate, and said the statewide mask rule that took effect for most public spaces in Illinois on May 1 “aligns with our most significant downward shifts in our infection rate.”
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On June 26, all regions of Illinois moved into phase four of Pritzker’s reopening plan, when gatherings of up to 50 people were allowed, as well as capacity-limited indoor dining and entertainment options such as movie theaters and performing arts centers.
The seven-day statewide average positivity rate rose through July, prompting state officials last week to warn that if regions of the state hit certain metrics, stricter rules to curb the spread of coronavirus will be imposed in those areas.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--The Spin: As Biden nears VP decision, Duckworth’s in the national spotlight | Illinois weed sales so

The Spin: As Biden nears VP decision, Duckworth’s in the national spotlight | Illinois weed sales soar | CTU vs. Lightfoot | Obama’s endorsements

“ I continue to do my part , to make calls , to make sure that people understand that Democrat-led @ @ @ @ @ have this challenge of revenues that fell off a cliff because of COVID-19 .
There @ @ @ @ @ will be done all across the nation , there certainly will be significant cuts that @ @ @ @ @ to life-safety , to education to so many things that I care really deeply about @ @ @ @ @

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is expected to announce his running mate by week’s end, the candidate told reporters. Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, reportedly a finalist, has been making the national media rounds and at one point she said the notoriously grueling veep vetting process wasn’t as tricky as thought while offering, as The New York Times put it over the weekend, “political self-assessments that might dishearten the left.” (Read: fiscal conservatism.)
The conventional wisdom is that amid an equal playing field of distinguished finalists, Biden will choose an African American woman as his running mate given the renewed calls for racial equality across the country.
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Meantime Biden’s old boss, former President Barack Obama, today announced his endorsements for Democratic candidates in tougher down-ballot races, including here in Illinois. Presidential election years offer a chance for the balance of power to shift to either party in the White House and Congress — that’s particularly true as one of the postelection priorities will be redrawing congressional maps, based on U.S. census data, and the ruling party can hold sway. Same goes for state legislatures.
And closer to home, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker was pressed in Springfield this morning during a news conference about whether he’d donate money to embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan’s various campaign funds.
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Pressure is mounting on Democrats, who have long relied on the House speaker who doubles as the state’s Democratic Party chairman, to cut ties with him amid the alleged ComEd bribery and influence scheme that implicated Madigan.
Welcome to The Spin.
Then-U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth talks with supporters in 2016 at McArthur's Restaurant in Chicago. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)
Late last week, Duckworth stopped mincing words and told the Washington Post: “I have been interviewed, yes,” Duckworth said, confirming during a Washington Post Live interview with reporter Bob Costa that the Biden camp has interviewed her to be his running mate.
OK, so it was the worst-kept secret.
But she told the Post’s Costa that the grueling experience of being vetted, was “positive” and The New York Times that it wasn’t all that complicated.
While the Times piece offered some reruns — a combat veteran with a seemingly endless well of determination and grit with limited legislative experience — reporter Matt Flegenheimer captured her sometimes difficult-to-peg politics: “In the interview, Ms. Duckworth by turns explained why the vetting process had been uncomplicated (“I was a soldier for 23 years, and I don’t have a lot of money”), said she remained a fiscal conservative (with an aside about wasteful defense contracts) and appeared to acknowledge that her coordinates on the ideological spectrum were difficult to track.”
Flegenheimer’s piece also offered a window into her sometimes blistering sense of humor: When a top aide was about to join South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign last year, she recorded a fake news interview — an intern played the part of reporter — and blasted Buttigieg for luring away her staffers.
An excerpt from the Times: “The file was sent to the departing aide, Sean Savett, who called the Buttigieg team in a panic.
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“Soon, Mr. Savett was summoned to the Illinois senator’s office, where she fumed theatrically, stalling as other staff members filed in quietly for the reveal: It was all a ruse. Ms. Duckworth handed him a parting gift — a Smirnoff Ice, the centerpiece of a viral drinking game known as “icing” — and gave a final senatorial directive:
“‘Get down on one knee and chug.‘”
Duckworth on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: During a roughly four-minute appearance yesterday, she criticized President Trump - on his favorite news station, no less - and discussed the breakdown, thus far, in reaching a deal on the latest COVID-19 relief bill. You can watch here. (Starts at the 6:47 mark.)
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Former President Barack Obama, shown Feb. 15, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Former President Barack Obama released a list earlier today of Democrats he’s endorsing in down-ballot races across the country — many, according to an aide, who are in tight reelection battles during the coronavirus pandemic that has curbed some of the traditional rituals of campaigning, from walking in parades to door-knocking.
In Illinois, he’s backing two first-term Democrats in the Chicago suburbs and exurbs who each flipped a Republican seat, a third who beat a conservative Democrat representing the city’s Southwest Side and suburbs and another downstate Dem giving the Republican incumbent a challenge.
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They include:
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, a freshman representative from Downers Grove, who flipped a longtime Republican-leaning seat in the west and northwest suburban Illinois 6th Congressional District in 2018. He’s facing former state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton, an ardent Trump supporter who narrowly lost to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 primary.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan of Springfield, who’s trying to unseat four-term incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. She narrowly lost to him in the 2018 election.
Marie Newman, who beat incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski in the Democratic primary for the state’s 3rd Congressional District House seat earlier this year. Newman, a businesswoman from La Grange, will face Republican Mike Fricilone, a Will County Board member who campaigned as a fiscally conservative candidate opposed to abortion rights, in the Nov. 3 general election. With the district heavily skewing toward Democrats, Fricilone’s bid may be an uphill climb.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville, the other Democrat who flipped a suburban seat in 2018 when she defeated GOP Rep. Randy Hultgren of Plano in the suburban and exurban 14th Congressional District, which stretches from the far southwest suburbs to the north and northeast to the Wisconsin border. She’s running against dairy magnate and state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove.
The criteria: According to the former president’s political team, Obama “selected candidates because their election would advance key goals: winning control of the U.S. Senate and holding the majority in the U.S. House; electing Democrats who will support fair redistricting in 2021; supporting alumni of his campaigns and Administration; and promoting diverse, emerging leaders for this time.”
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Read the rest of the endorsements, which the former president says calls the “first wave,” here.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, left, and then-Senate President John Cullerton, right, congratulate Gov. J.B. Pritzker after his first budget address Feb. 20, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The call — particularly from Republicans — is growing louder for more Illinois Democrats to disavow their embattled leader, Madigan, who is not only speaker of the House but also the state’s Democratic Party chairman.
Today Gov. Pritzker was asked whether he’d commit not to give money to the four campaign committees Madigan controls, where incoming and outgoing donations are viewed not just as a barometer of loyalty but often which Dems get elected and which are ignored.
But in recent weeks Madigan’s power has been called into question, after ComEd agreed to pay a $200 million fine and cooperate with federal prosecutors who alleged a near-decadelong bribery and influence scheme involving the utility trying to win favor with Madigan. The Southwest Side Democrat has not been charged with any crime and Madigan denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement last week “I have never made a legislative decision with improper motives and any claim otherwise is unfounded.”
Pritzker, a billionaire who bankrolled his own gubernatorial bid to the tune of $170 million, offered a self-deprecating chuckle as he said he wouldn’t be accepting donations. Pressed during a Springfield news conference today about whether he might in turn give to the campaign funds Madigan controls — and doles out money to Democratic candidates that are loyal to him — the governor begged off.
“That’s not something I intend to do,” Pritzker said.
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History: State election board records show that Pritzker has not donated to any of the four campaign funds Madigan controls including; Friends of Michael J. Madigan; the 13th Ward Democratic Organization; Democratic Majority and Democratic Party of Illinois account.
Conservative group launches new attack ad against Pritzker over ComEd, Madigan, ethics reform: The conservative Illinois Rising Action, a 501(c)4 group, is on TV and social media with another ad going after Gov. Pritzker, suggesting he’s sitting on the fence over ethics reform.
“When it comes to standing up against corruption, Governor Pritzker chooses political rhetoric over real action on much-needed ethics reforms,” Kayleen Carlson, executive director of Illinois Rising Action said in a statement. “The time has come to put an end to the cronyism and corruption that has plagued Springfield for decades.” Pritzker’s political team has blasted the organization as a group of Trump allies out to bash a Democrat. You can watch the ad, called “Worse,” here.
While Pritzker opened the year with a state of the state address talking about ethics reform, the ComEd case has prompted lawmakers to call for a more rapid response. Pritzker has been non-committal about calling a special session to address ethics but also said he didn’t expect Madigan to call a special session on the issue.
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey, left, stands in the reception area of the office of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot with CTU attorney Robert Bloch, right, at City Hall on Oct. 31, 2019. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
As Chicago Public Schools parents face a deadline just days away to opt in or out of in-person classes this fall, parents and teachers are rallying in Chicago and across the country for schools to open safely or not at all.
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey today said it’s not appropriate to have in-person learning “in an environment with raging contagion,” and that the union won’t stand for it.
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“The mayor does not have the guts to close the schools,” Sharkey said outside CTU headquarters. “They’re putting it on us to close the schools. That’s what we feel like is happening.”
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. (Hannah Leone, Christen A. Johnson and Alice Yin)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration shuts down weekend warehouse event as city looks again at cracking down on large parties: The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt has the details here.
Chicago bars now can add outdoor service on sidewalks, if they partner with a restaurant to provide food: The Tribune’s Phil Vettel has the details here.
Cook County recommends further COVID-19 restrictions for suburban bars, other businesses to voluntarily follow: The Tribune’s Alice Yin has the details here.
Suburbs didn’t want to be linked with Chicago over coronavirus restrictions. Now many areas are showing positivity rates higher than the city: The Tribune’s Robert McCoppin has the details here.
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Related-Pritzker: If Congress doesn’t act to give states, cities new round of COVID-19 bailout money, expect more layoffs – As Congress continues to debate over a new relief package, the question on the minds of state and local elected leaders is: “how much are we getting?” With tax revenues continuing to tank, Pritzker said he’s been on the phone telling elected leaders that this is a bi-partisan issue they need to address.
“I continue to do my part, to make calls, to make sure that people understand that Democrat-led states and Republican-led states all have this challenge of revenues that fell off a cliff because of COVID-19. There’s certainly damage that will be done all across the nation, there certainly will be significant cuts that will have to be made to life-safety, to education to so many things that I care really deeply about,” Prtizker said.
Without significant aid, “there are going to be layoffs all over the country, not just related to state government,” Pritzker said, explaining that government belt-tightening may mean mothballing projects that supply jobs to the private sector, hurting those businesses.
State launches $5 million campaign to promote masks: Gov. Pritzker said the multimedia campaign, including ads on TV and social media, will focus on cities and counties in the state that “have the most work to do.” The Tribune’s Jamie Munks has the details here.
Workers tend to plants in growing room at Cresco Labs in Joliet on Dec. 17, 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
Some good news for state and local government coffers: Illinois marijuana shops sold almost $61 million in recreational weed in July, beating the previous record set in June by $13.4 million.
In all, dispensaries have sold about $300.1 million in recreational marijuana since sales started in Illinois on Jan. 1.
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The sales figures have set records every month since May. July’s sales were a 75% increase over February, the month with the lowest sales at $34.8 million.
New marijuana markets typically see increasing sales for the first several years, as customers stop buying from their illicit drug dealers and start shopping at legal dispensaries instead.
But weed sales in many states, including Illinois, got an extra boost during the second quarter of the year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, said John Kagia, chief knowledge officer at Washington, D.C.-based research firm New Frontier Data. (Ally Marotti)
ICYMI: Hawthorne Race Course in the western suburbs gets preliminary OK to build casino at horse track, would be state’s first racino: The Tribune’s Robert Channick has the details here.
From left to right, top to bottom: Colleen Ryan, Lisa Kornick, Amy Fahey, Maria Tabrizi, Tod Gordon and Melissa Widen pose for a portrait at the future offices of the First Women's Bank in the Goose Island neighborhood July 29, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
From the Tribune’s Abdel Jimenez: “First Women’s Bank, which received conditional approval this month from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., would be the first financial institution startup in the Chicago area in more than a decade. Organizers are raising the necessary funds and aim to launch early next year.
“The idea for the bank grew from a discussion among the three co-founders — Lisa Kornick, Melissa Widen and Amy Fahey — on how female entrepreneurs still trail their male counterparts in accessing loans even as more women start their own businesses.
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Names in the game: Kornick, co-owner of DMK Restaurants, which operates Ada Street and DMK Burger Bar in Chicago, will serve as the bank’s chief experience officer. Fahey, who spent about 29 years with JPMorgan Chase, holding different senior positions, will be chair of the board of directors, and Widen, a former Chicago attorney, will be vice president and chief administrative officer. Marianne Markowitz, who led the U.S. Small Business Administration as acting administrator under former President Barack Obama, will be president and CEO.
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--2020-08-03--More Chicago high schools vote to keep police resource officers, though protests against them go on

Some detractors have expressed concerns that local school councils are not always the best equipped to make these decisions .
@ @ @ @ @ ’ t been given alternative options by CPS , nor do the councils have the @ @ @ @ @ spent on resource officers to other services .
Many councils also do not regularly post @ @ @ @ @ members to meet the necessary quorum requirements .

A protester holds a message of police-free schools at an Occupy City Hall protest Aug. 3, 2020, outside the Thompson Center in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Local councils from at least 19 Chicago high schools have now voted to keep school resource officers on their campuses, even as protests against policing in schools continued Monday.
Last week, local school councils from Taft, Farragut and Harper high schools all voted to continue with the program. They joined others that have voted this summer in favor of school resource officers, including Air Force Academy, Amundsen, Chicago Vocational, Corliss, Douglass, Goode, Harlan, Hubbard, Hyde Park, Kelly, Kenwood, King, Marshall, Michele Clark and Morgan Park, according to the Chicago Public Schools’ website.
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Hirsch High’s council also voted to keep its officer, but the vote was nonbinding because too few members were present.
By contrast, only three school councils — from Northside Prep, Clemente and Juarez high schools — have voted to discontinue having a Chicago officer stationed on those campuses. Dozens more are yet to schedule a vote on the matter.
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Several other schools were due to vote last week, but the outcomes had not yet been reported by CPS as of Monday afternoon. The district is keeping a running list of schools and their decisions on its website after community members pushed for greater transparency about the process.
The Chicago Board of Education declined to end its $33 million contract with the Chicago Police Department in late June, instead punting the decision about having officers in schools to each high school’s local school council. Meetings are ongoing, with the last few scheduled for Aug. 12.
Some detractors have expressed concerns that local school councils are not always the best equipped to make these decisions. They argue the councils haven’t been given alternative options by CPS, nor do the councils have the power to redirect money usually spent on resource officers to other services. Many councils also do not regularly post meeting minutes or have enough members to meet the necessary quorum requirements.
At Hirsch, of the six remaining council members, four attended the meeting, all voting to stay in the resource officer program, Principal David Narain said. One member indicated via email that she did not support keeping the officers, while another member has not been active for some time, Narain said.
If school councils do not have enough members for a binding vote, CPS recommends they conduct a community feedback poll to gauge opinions. The principal and network chief will then make the final decision.
Taft High School’s council voted 12-0 to keep the officers “after much debate and discussion,” according to a statement on the school’s website. For the upcoming school year, Taft will have two school resource officers each at its two campuses, pending a renewed contract between the Board of Education and the Police Department, which the board could vote on later this month.
“Going forward, Taft’s LSC has agreed to promote, foster and monitor the relationships between the SROs and our staff and students,” Taft’s statement said.
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Demands from student activists to remove officers from schools intensified after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May, with protesters arguing these officers disproportionately target Black and Latino students. The Chicago Teachers Union, the parents’ group Raise Your Hand and some local politicians have been supportive of the campaign. The CTU and community members who rallied Monday against CPS plans to reopen schools this fall also raised their objections to continued policing in schools.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has previously dismissed calls to remove police from schools.
chao@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Rockford protesters sue Winnebago County officials, allege ‘unconstitutional detentions’ without tim

Rockford protesters sue Winnebago County officials, allege ‘unconstitutional detentions’ without timely hearings

“ It is deeply disturbing that this flagrantly unconstitutional practice has been taking place in Illinois ’ second largest county @ @ @ @ @ Grace , executive director of bond fund and member of the Illinois Network for Pretrial @ @ @ @ @ release .
“ No one should be incarcerated for days before seeing a judge — @ @ @ @ @ innocent .
A weekend in jail can have serious impacts on a person ’ s @ @ @ @ @ effects .
”

Protesters with Rockford Youth Activism, a Black Lives Matter-aligned group, chant outside the Winnebago County Jail complex during a Juneteenth march in Rockford on June 19, 2020. (Scott P Yates/Rockford Register Star)
Five people detained at Winnebago County Jail over the weekend, including four involved in protests, are suing the county and officials for not holding probable cause hearings within 48 hours for people arrested on weekends.
Four of those filing the lawsuit were involved in demonstrations Friday or Saturday, while a fifth plaintiff is in the Winnebago County Jail on unrelated charges. The lawsuit, filed in federal court Sunday, alleges that Winnebago County officials are violating the Fourth Amendment, which aims to protect citizens from being arrested without cause.
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Lead attorney Adele Nicholas said a Supreme Court ruling requires judges to determine probable cause within 48 hours of someone being arrested. The case, Riverside County v. McLaughlin, was decided in May 1991.
“It’s been made completely clear that weekends are not an exception to that,” Nicholas said Monday, adding that other counties hold hearings on weekends and holidays. “It’s leading to violations of the Constitution every single week.”
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Winnebago County officials weren’t immediately available for comment.
All five plaintiffs were arrested either Friday or Saturday. Four of them were taken to the Winnebago County Jail after arrests that stemmed from participating in demonstrations that called for charges to be dropped against people arrested at prior demonstrations after the death of George Floyd.
The plaintiffs arrested at demonstrations were Dylan Mitchell, 26, of Rockford; Dayna Schultz, 23, of Rockford; Larissa Walston, 23, of Loves Park; and Michael Riggs, 20, of South Beloit. Plaintiff Ivan Holland, 25, of Rockford, was arrested Friday, not related to the demonstrations.
The lawsuit seeks class action status on behalf of all inmates who did not receive probable cause hearings within 48 hours. According to court documents, 15 of 29 people arrested Friday and before 1:30 p.m. Saturday remained in jail without probable cause hearings within the 48-hour period.
The Chicago Community Bond Fund, an organization that pays bond for people in need, contacted lawyers on behalf of the plaintiffs. Brad Thomson of the People’s Law Office is assisting Nicholas on the case, according to a Monday release.
“It is deeply disturbing that this flagrantly unconstitutional practice has been taking place in Illinois’ second largest county jail,” said Sharlyn Grace, executive director of bond fund and member of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, in the Monday release. “No one should be incarcerated for days before seeing a judge — especially while they are presumed innocent. A weekend in jail can have serious impacts on a person’s life and cause lasting negative effects.”
The lawsuit asks Eugene Doherty, chief judge of the Circuit Court of Winnebago County, to immediately start probable cause hearings for people arrested during weekends. It also alleges that Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana did not act on “unconstitutional detentions at his facility.” The Winnebago County chief judge’s office declined to comment and the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nicholas said probable cause hearings are not elaborate procedures, and they can be briefly held by an on-call judge via phone or video conference.
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“They shouldn’t have to be sued for this to happen,” Nicholas said. “It’s really rather shocking to me that we even have to bring this lawsuit because the people in power know that this is the rule.”
The plaintiffs had probable cause hearings in their criminal cases Monday afternoon, court records show, and all but Holland have since been released from the jail, according to jail records.
sczyzon@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Watch live: President Trump holds news conference

President Trump is holding a news conference at the White House .
Get the latest updates on COVID-19 in Illinois @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-08-03--University of Illinois will require two COVID-19 tests weekly for students and faculty with in-perso

University of Illinois will require two COVID-19 tests weekly for students and faculty with in-person classes at Urbana-Champaign campus

As part of the new rules , students or faculty planning to visit campus for any reason this fall — @ @ @ @ @ a building — must first get tested and receive their results no more than four @ @ @ @ @ who test positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days — either in campus dorms @ @ @ @ @ for this use or in an off-campus residence .

Specimen bags are handled as COVID-19 saliva testing is conducted on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign in July. Twice-weekly testing for those with in-person classes will be required this fall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Students and faculty participating in face-to-face classes at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign this fall must be tested for COVID-19 twice a week, the university announced Monday.
The mandatory saliva-based testing, developed by U. of I. researchers, will begin for students on Aug. 16, a week before classes are set to start. About one-third of the classes at that campus will be fully in-person or include in-person components while the rest, including large lecture courses, will be offered remotely, according to spokeswoman Robin Kaler.
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“If everyone does their part to maximize the safety of our entire community, we have the ability to provide modified in-person delivery of our missions,” Chancellor Robert Jones said in a news release.
The new details help outline the university’s strategy for restarting some educational activities on campus while also adapting to the coronavirus pandemic.
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As part of the new rules, students or faculty planning to visit campus for any reason this fall — such as grabbing supplies from a building — must first get tested and receive their results no more than four days before arriving. Those who test positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days — either in campus dorms that have been set aside for this use or in an off-campus residence.
Barbara Wilson, a University of Illinois vice president, submits a sample for a saliva-based COVID-19 test at the Urbana-Champaign campus in July. Twice-weekly testing for those with in-person classes will be required this fall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Though numbers are not finalized, Kaler said the school estimates there will be anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 fewer students on campus this fall compared with a regular semester. Fall 2019 enrollment at U. of I. at Urbana-Champaign, the state’s largest university, reached nearly 52,000 students.
Kaler said she expects residence halls to house 8,300 students in the fall, about 700 less than usual. Students opting to live on campus do not need to live in single dorm rooms but had the option to request it.
The school said it will work with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District on contact tracing for any cases linked to the university.
Additionally, students and staff will need to complete an online COVID-19 safety training before the start of classes and wear face masks while in public settings on campus.
Following the lead of other colleges that shifted the last few weeks of classes to online only, U. of I. said Monday that final exams and instruction will be provided remotely after Nov. 20. The move is meant to limit travel to and from campus following the Thanksgiving break.
Students won’t be charged for lodging if they vacate their dorms for the final weeks of the semester, though some rooms will be available for students who continue to need housing.
“We are billing only for the time period students stay in the residence halls, so those who don’t return after Thanksgiving will not be billed for that time period, just as we did for the spring semester when the stay-at-home order happened,” Kaler said.
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U. of I. has said it will set up more than a dozen testing sites across the Urbana-Champaign campus and offer the service for free to students, faculty or staff. The test requires a saliva sample to be dropped into a test tube, with results expected in five hours, though it can take longer in some cases. The tests were approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health, but the university is still seeking emergency use authorization through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Child’s death in Hammond shooting ruled a homicide, officials say

“ Our hearts are heavy with this news , and now more than ever , we ask the public for @ @ @ @ @ ’ s life was stripped from her in an act of senseless violence that will @ @ @ @ @ her , ” Kellogg said .

The Hammond Police said Friday that a 2-year-old girl identified as Joette Malone, of Gary, has died at a Chicago hospital. The girl was shot Wednesday night in a car parked at a Hessville apartment complex. - Original Credit: Post-Tribune (Hammond Police / HANDOUT)
A 2-year-old girl shot in Hammond last week died of a gunshot wound to the head, a Cook County, Illinois, Medical Examiner’s autopsy stated. Her death was ruled a homicide.
The girl was identified late Friday as Joette Malone, 2, of Gary, said Brittany Hill, public information officer for the Cook County Bureau of Administration.
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Hammond police had no further updates on the investigation, Hammond Police Lt. Steve Kellogg said Tuesday. The child, nicknamed “Jo Jo,” died around 11:30 a.m. Friday, he said earlier in a release. Police are asking the public for help with information on the case.
“Our hearts are heavy with this news, and now more than ever, we ask the public for help. This little girl’s life was stripped from her in an act of senseless violence that will forever impact those who knew her,” Kellogg said.
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About 9:30 p.m. July 29, officers from Hammond police were called to Kennedy Crossings apartment complex, in the 3300 block of Craig Drive after someone reported hearing gunshots in the area, according to a statement from Hammond police. When they arrived officers approached a vehicle and found a mother and the girl inside, officials said.
It appeared the girl had been shot in the head and the mother was not injured, police said. Authorities first said they were unsure where the gunfire came from or who the target was.
“The mother and child involved in (the) shooting were caught in the crossfire between two unknown subjects shooting at each other. This is not a domestic situation and the mother and child were not involved with either suspect,” Kellogg wrote in an email.
The girl was flown by helicopter to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago in critical condition, Kellogg said. Her mother was taken to an area hospital for observation.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Lt. Mark Tharp of the Hammond police at 219-852-2988.


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Family of man stabbed to death outside Fulton River District bar in February files wrongful death la

Family of man stabbed to death outside Fulton River District bar in February files wrongful death lawsuit against suspect, bar

Paterimos was killed Feb. 21 in the West Town neighborhood after getting into a dispute and coming to blows with @ @ @ @ @ Corbett , the Paterimos family attorney , Tansey left the bar and was later followed @ @ @ @ @ “ left for a cigarette.
” The pair continued trading blows outside before Tansey pulled @ @ @ @ @ Paterimos in the back of the head , right ear , middle back , right @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors said .

Diona Bueno. left, mother of Kenny Paterimos, is consoled by her attorney, John J. Corbett, while her sons and Kenny's brothers, Santiago Bueno, second from right, and Anthony Paterimos, listen during a zoom press conference on Aug. 3, 2020 in Palatine. The family announced they have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the defendant charged with his murder. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The family of a man stabbed to death in February outside a Fulton River District bar filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against the suspect and the bar, asking both be held responsible for the killing.
The lawsuit was filed against Richard’s Bar, the establishment where the initial fight took place Feb. 21, and against the suspect, Thomas Tansey, a 30-year-old former Marine from Arlington Heights. It was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County by family members of Kenneth Paterimos, 23.
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Paterimos’ mother, Diona Bueno, said Monday that since her son’s death, “every day it’s hard.”
“I ride the train talking to him,” Bueno said during a Monday afternoon news conference. “And sometimes I feel his presence leave me when we get to Ashland, because that’s the stop he would get to go to work. ... Tom (Tansey) has taken a lot from me, he’s taken a lot from my sons.”
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Diona Bueno. left, mother of Kenny Paterimos, listens as her attorney, John J. Corbett, speaks during a zoom press conference at his office on Aug. 3, 2020, in Palatine. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Paterimos was killed Feb. 21 in the West Town neighborhood after getting into a dispute and coming to blows with Tansey. According to John Corbett, the Paterimos family attorney, Tansey left the bar and was later followed by Paterimos, who had “left for a cigarette.” The pair continued trading blows outside before Tansey pulled a box cutter and stabbed Paterimos in the back of the head, right ear, middle back, right collarbone and right arm, prosecutors said.
The last wound severed an artery and caused Paterimos to bleed to death, according to authorities.
Tansey was charged with first-degree murder in early March. Some witnesses told police he appeared intoxicated and had yelled a homophobic slur at Paterimos, who family said was gay, before stabbing him in the 400 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.
“He was assaulted like so many other members of the LGBTQ community who are assaulted across our nation in our cities for one reason, and one reason only: because of his sexual orientation, because he was gay,” Corbett said.
“It is the hope of Kenneth Paterimos’ family that going public with this tragedy ... will shed some light on perhaps bringing some changes (and putting) a stop to this senseless violence directed toward LGBTQ people,” Corbett said.
Tansey’s attorney, Sam Amirante, declined to comment because “we have not yet received notice of the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit.”
The lawsuit alleges Richard’s Bar supplied the alcohol that caused Tansey’s intoxication, which led to Paterimos’ injuries and death in a violation of the Illinois Liquor Control Act. Richard’s was improperly managed and negligent because it failed to provide adequate security, resulting in Paterimos’ injuries and death, according to the lawsuit.
Staff members at Richard’s Bar did not respond to requests for comments.
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Corbett said Monday it took “a long time” to get the police records he needed of the facts, but he finally received them through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Corbett said he also planned to file an appearance on behalf of the Paterimos family in the criminal court Tuesday to request a new bond hearing for Tansey, who in late March was granted bail by a Cook County judge if he posted 10% of $250,000.
The family and Corbett said that Bueno was not allowed to testify at the bond hearing.
“There was no acknowledgment of her presence in the courtroom by the judge,” nor assurances from prosecutors and a victim advocate that she could speak, said Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins, a victims right advocate.
The lawsuit seeks financial compensation for damages brought by Paterimos’ injuries, including the medical care he received after the stabbing.
According to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, Richard’s Bar is owned by Susan Dominic, sister of reputed mob associate Robert “Bobby” Dominic. It has been fined several times in recent years by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, including for failure to cooperate with police.
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The business was thrust into the spotlight again in early March after it declined to allow Bueno’s mother to enter the bar to pray and demand justice for her son’s killing.
“I can’t hug (Kenneth Paterimos) like Tom’s mom can hug Tom,” Bueno said. “And I’m grateful that she gets to do that, I just wish that Tom would’ve let me still be able to hug my son.”
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--CTU caravan for no in-person school

CTU caravan for no in-person school

Your children have had to adapt in the age of coronavirus by learning how to social distance and remotely celebrating @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , they ’ ll have to adjust to something new : how to @ @ @ @ @ Across the nation , schools are reopening this fall .
Much like gyms , offices @ @ @ @ @ have to reimagine how they look and function to best protect students , teachers and @ @ @ @ @ contracting coronavirus .
If you plan to send your child back to the classroom , @ @ @ @ @ steps you can take to help keep your kids safe from COVID-19 .
We spoke @ @ @ @ @ an associate professor at Loyola University Medical Center who specializes in general pediatrics , to @ @ @ @ @ keep your kids healthy as schools reopen .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 13 People hold signs during a Occupy City Hall Protest outside the Thompson Center in Chicago on Aug. 3, 2020. The Chicago Teachers Union hosted the caravan rally to City Hall for more than 20 community groups and parent organizations as part of a nationwide action day demanding no in-person school. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Teachers Union hosts a caravan rally to City Hall for more than 20 community groups and parent organizations on Aug. 3, 2020. It was part of a nationwide action day demanding no in-person school.


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration shuts down weekend warehouse event as city looks again at crac

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration shuts down weekend warehouse event as city looks again at cracking down on large parties

Large unauthorized parties were a major problem for the city earlier this year , as officials scrambled to get COVID-19′s @ @ @ @ @ house party crammed with celebrants went viral in the spring , leading Lightfoot to warn @ @ @ @ @ getting out of this ” if people keep holding big illegal parties .

Mayor Lori Lightfoot takes off her mask to address reporters at a press conference at Chicago City Hall on June 26, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is again cracking down on large parties after the city shut down a trap music warehouse event in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood over the weekend, officials said.
The city shut down a party at 4106 W. Chicago Ave. on Friday night that was scheduled to go until 4 a.m. the next morning, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno told reporters.
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“We want all party planners or partygoers to be warned — large events and gatherings that violate the health order put our entire community at risk and will not be tolerated,” Escareno said.
Escareno’s department will team with the building, fire and police departments to step up enforcement actions against large parties.
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City officials took issue with the trap warehouse party, which was promoted via Event Brite, because it was violating anti-coronavirus social distancing rules. Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music.
Escareno said the city shut the party down early in the night.
Large unauthorized parties were a major problem for the city earlier this year, as officials scrambled to get COVID-19′s spread under control. A house party crammed with celebrants went viral in the spring, leading Lightfoot to warn, “We are never getting out of this” if people keep holding big illegal parties.
In recent weeks, the city has seen a bump in coronavirus cases among young people, also spiking concern.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--In a sweeping lawsuit, 42 Chicago businesses seek insurance coverage for COVID-related business loss

In a sweeping lawsuit, 42 Chicago businesses seek insurance coverage for COVID-related business losses

The suit , filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court , is one of hundreds businesses have filed against insurers @ @ @ @ @ as the health crisis , and shutdowns mandated by the government , slashed revenues .
@ @ @ @ @ breadth : There are 42 plaintiffs , mostly Chicago restaurants , and 18 insurers listed @ @ @

Customer Jennifer Gutilla orders food during lunch on the patio at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse on June 24, 2020 in Chicago. The Gibsons restaurant group is one of the plaintiffs suing insurance companies, seeking coverage of their coronavirus-related losses under business interruption policies. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
In a sweeping lawsuit, prominent Chicago restaurant groups including Lettuce Entertain You and Gibsons are fighting their insurance carriers over denial of coverage for lost income related to COVID-19.
The suit, filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, is one of hundreds businesses have filed against insurers over the last several months as the health crisis, and shutdowns mandated by the government, slashed revenues. It is notable for its breadth: There are 42 plaintiffs, mostly Chicago restaurants, and 18 insurers listed as defendants.
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The suit alleges shutdown orders caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses that should be covered by the policyholders’ business interruption insurance. Normally such policies cover income losses when property is damaged from a fire or other physical events.
The plaintiffs, represented by law firm Jenner & Block, include a diverse roster of restaurants, from the chain Roti Mediterranean Grill to neighborhood businesses such as Wicker Park’s Bangers & Lace and the South Loop mainstay Manny’s Deli. The DuSable Museum of African American History and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum also are listed as plaintiffs in the suit.
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The suit alleges the businesses had their claims denied even though they “incurred direct physical loss and damage” and have been “rendered physically nonfunctional” as a result of the mandated closures and restrictions.
[ Insurers are denying claims for COVID-19, saying it’s 'uninsurable.' Chicago-area businesses are suing, saying that’s 'immoral.' ]
The defendants include Schaumburg-based Zurich American Insurance, Rock Island-based Illinois Casualty Co. and Employers Insurance Company of Wausau, an affiliate of Liberty Mutual.
Liberty Mutual said it does not comment on pending litigation. The others did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
aelejalderuiz@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Forecasters: Stay away from Lake Michigan Monday as waves build, waterspouts likely

Those conditions were expected to “ remain favorable for showers producing waterspouts in an axis 3 to 8 miles off @ @ @ @ @ at least midmorning .
In addition , under and near these showers will be strong @ @ @ @ @ hazardous waves , ” according to the weather service .
Waterspouts can easily overturn boats @ @ @ @ @ , meteorologists said .
Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly @ @ @

A bicyclist pedals a closed portion of the Lakefront Trail near the Ohio Street Beach in Chicago on Aug. 3. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Powerful waves pummeled southern coasts of Lake Michigan as cool air flowing over the lake Monday spawned at least one water spout and prompted a lakefront flood advisory and a small craft advisory, forecasters said.
The advisories are in effect until 4 p.m. Tuesday along Lake Michigan from southern Wisconsin over to the Michigan shoreline, with waves up to 10 feet and winds up to 25 knots possible. A special marine warning expired earlier Monday.
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Waves of at least 7 feet were reported Monday in Wilmette, said Eric Lenning, a National Weather Service meteorologist. A waterspout was reported in the lake from Evanston about 7 a.m. and about 5 miles off the coast of Rogers Park about 7:15 a.m., according to Lenning, who said the waterspout was visually confirmed by weather spotters.
Lenning said the lake grows warmer throughout the summer and when a cool air mass moves in as it did this week, sometimes waterspouts form.
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“It creates an instability,” he said. “You certainly don’t get waterspouts every time, but under certain circumstances, they can form.”
Those conditions were expected to “remain favorable for showers producing waterspouts in an axis 3 to 8 miles off the northeast Illinois shore through at least midmorning. In addition, under and near these showers will be strong wind gusts and quickly building hazardous waves,” according to the weather service. Waterspouts can easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas, meteorologists said. Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Chicago closed the Lakefront Trail between Oak and Ohio streets because of high waves Monday morning, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Meteorologists also warned to stay out of the water, obey posted no swimming signs and closures, and avoid piers, breakwaters and lakefront trails.
Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, shared on social media a photo of Oak Street Beach where he said waves were so high the Park District had to secure the concession area and patio furniture.
Please take that Lakeshore Flood Advisory seriously today. The Lake is currently absconding with the Oak Steeet Beach concession Patio and furniture. The Park District has been made aware & is in process of securing the site. It’s dangerous out there, so please heed the Advisory! pic.twitter.com/f74AdCcShd — Brendan Reilly (@AldReilly) August 3, 2020
“It’s dangerous out there, so please heed the Advisory!” he wrote.
Forecasters said light showers are possible throughout the day, but the building waves, spurred on by strong winds, could remain dangerous until Wednesday.
“Wave action has increased sharply early this morning. Stay away from the lake today, and really through Tuesday as waves will remain high!” forecasters at Chicago’s weather service office posted on Twitter.
Meteorologists said a buoy in Lake Michigan near Wilmette saw waves build more than 5 feet in the span of three hours.
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Offshore locations that could be dangerous include Calumet Harbor, Wilmette Harbor, 31st Street Harbor, Montrose Harbor, Monroe Harbor, Belmont Harbor, Burnham Harbor, 59th Street Marina, Jackson Park Harbor, Diversey Harbor and DuSable Harbor.
Lenning said the chance of thunderstorms diminishes after Monday night. It should remain cool Tuesday, with a high of about 75 degrees, but the cool air will move out. Each day should be slightly warmer than the last and by Friday, the high should be about 85 degrees.
Dangerous waves & currents expected along the south Lake Michigan shoreline early Mon AM thru Wed AM. Large waves will batter the shoreline making beaches, piers, breakwaters, and lakeshore trails & paths dangerous, while also producing the potential for minor lakeshore flooding. pic.twitter.com/IFhZ6Ky52C — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) August 2, 2020
More weather news can be found here. Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks, in 3 charts

The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories , like restaurants and bars , offices or salons , @ @ @ @ @ specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ s plan here .

Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain, Jonathon Berlin

Amid an uptick of COVID-19 cases over the past month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker laid out a new approach to managing any resurgence across the state.
The new approach is more surgical, dividing the state into 11 regions — Illinois’ existing Emergency Medical Services regions — and tightening the metrics officials will watch to determine if any action is warranted.
The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories, like restaurants and bars, offices or salons, that could be used to specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state. Read more on Pritzker’s plan here.
Check our tracker for daily metrics for each region.
Here is a breakdown of the plan.


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,526 deaths, 183,241 confirmed cases and 2.8 million tests

• How are Illinois regions doing ?
Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and @ @ @ @ @ .

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chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Lord & Taylor, Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank seek to close 10 Chicago-area stores as list of chai

Lord & Taylor, Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank seek to close 10 Chicago-area stores as list of chains in bankruptcy continues to grow

Tailored Brands , which owns Men ’ s Wearhouse and Jos .
A .
Bank , along with K & @ @ @ @ @ Clothing for Men , wants to close 100 underperforming stores including Jos .
A .
@ @ @ @ @ Highland Park , Naperville , Algonquin , Lincolnshire and two Chicago locations , as well @ @ @ @ @ stores in Wilmette and Oak Lawn , according to a Sunday bankruptcy court filing .
@ @ @ @ @ listed on the company ’ s website .

In this June 6, 2018, file photo the Lord & Taylor logo is seen next to a mannequin in a window display at their flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York. Lord & Taylor will close stores in the Chicago area as part of its bankruptcy plans. (Mary Altaffer/AP)
Lord & Taylor and the owner of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank became the latest retailers to seek bankruptcy protection and announce plans to close stores, including 10 in the Chicago area.
Retailers already were struggling to keep up with changes in consumers’ shopping habits. Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which hit bricks-and-mortar chains hard, especially in areas where stay-at-home orders forced stores to close and kept shoppers home.
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Lord & Taylor’s bankruptcy comes less than a year after clothing-rental startup Le Tote bought it from Hudson’s Bay Co., which also owns Saks Fifth Avenue. Le Tote, which filed for Chapter 11 protection Sunday in the Eastern District of Virginia, said it is closing 19 of Lord & Taylor’s 38 stores, including one in Northbrook.
Both Le Tote and Lord & Taylor will continue to operate while trying to find a buyer for the businesses, Le Tote said Monday.
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[ For some merchants, the pandemic was ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back.’ ]
Tailored Brands, which owns Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, along with K&G Fashion Superstore and Moores Clothing for Men, wants to close 100 underperforming stores including Jos. A. Bank stores in Wilmette, Highland Park, Naperville, Algonquin, Lincolnshire and two Chicago locations, as well as Men’s Wearhouse stores in Wilmette and Oak Lawn, according to a Sunday bankruptcy court filing. Those stores are no longer listed on the company’s website.
Tailored Brands’ businesses will continue to operate during restructuring, according to a statement announcing the company’s Chapter 11 filing Sunday in the Southern District of Texas. The company said it is moving forward with previously announced plans to cut about 20% of its corporate employees and close up to 500 stores.
[ Here's the long list of retailers that have sought bankruptcy protection in 2020 ]
The company had no comment on store closing plans.
Tailored Brands and Lord & Taylor join several household name retailers that have already sought bankruptcy protection during the pandemic, including Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, and the owner of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Suspect in custody for shooting death of 9-year-old Janari Ricks, police say

“ Janari Andre Ricks , a bright , beloved , athletic , soon-to-be fourth grader who loved math and basketball @ @ @ @ @ when he was shot and killed while doing what every child in our city should @ @ @ @ @ a second thought , ” Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said at the news conference @ @ @ @ @ station .
“ And now , instead of planning for a future , Janari ’ @ @ @ @ @ child ’ s funeral .
”

Jalisa Ford sits on the ground on Aug. 1, 2020, while rubbing the walkway where her 9-year-old son, Janari Andre Ricks, was fatally shot while playing with friends at the Cabrini Green rowhouses the previous evening. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
A suspect has been taken into custody in the shooting death of 9-year-old Janari Ricks, a fourth grader who was gunned down on the Near North Side last week while playing with friends, according to Chicago police.
Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said charges were pending approval by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
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Janari was playing behind the Cabrini-Green townhomes in the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue when a gunman fired into a parking lot around 6:45 p.m. Friday, police said.
Janari Ricks, 9, was shot and killed on July 31 in the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue. (Family photo)
“The young boy is playing out there, not doing anything wrong, as the defendant drives up, kind of sneaks through like the cut of a gangway and then he discharges (a) firearm, not at this kid, at a group of other males who are standing near the poor boy,” Deenihan said at a news conference a few blocks from where Janari was killed.
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“And unfortunately, as the bullets are flying, it’s the 9-year-old who is shot and killed,” he said. “And then this defendant makes good his escape.”
The boy’s mother, Jalisa Ford, said she was inside her home when she heard about the shooting from a neighbor. She said she ran to the parking lot and saw Janari on the ground. “I was talking to him, just talking to him,” Ford said.
The number of shooting victims younger than 10 years old is three times what it was last year, according to Tribune data.
Twenty-four children 10 years old and younger have been shot in Chicago — five of them fatally — as of the end of July, according to a database of shooting victims kept by the Tribune. The 2019 total during the same time period was eight.
“Janari Andre Ricks, a bright, beloved, athletic, soon-to-be fourth grader who loved math and basketball was just 9 years old when he was shot and killed while doing what every child in our city should be able to do without a second thought,” Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said at the news conference outside the Near North District station. “And now, instead of planning for a future, Janari’s parents are arranging their child’s funeral.”
Brown said the arrest highlights the importance of the police and the community working together.
“All communities are not trusting in the same way. Many communities lack trust completely that we have to build from ground zero,” said Brown. “But communities like this, they felt comfortable coming forward with information almost immediately, where we were able to solve this crime.”
Ald. Walter Burnett, whose 27th Ward covers the Cabrini-Green townhouses, said people involved in the incident have known one another’s families for about 50 years. But he insisted that those responsible for the shooting do not “live there anymore.”
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“Stop coming over to the neighborhood and doing your dirt,” the alderman said. “Do dirt where you live, or don’t do dirt at all. But stop coming to the row houses and doing things.
“The people in the row houses are just trying to survive, just trying to live, just trying to raise their family,” Burnett continued.
Asked about what the shooter and intended target were doing at the row houses, Burnett said “whatever they was doing, they didn’t have no business doing.”
“Whether it was drug trafficking or gangbanging or whatever the case may be, they didn’t have any business being over there doing it,” Burnett said. “It’s unfortunate that people try to take advantage of people that know them by doing stuff around them, and don’t know that they put people in jeopardy when they do that, and that’s why, you know, unfortunately we have a young person that’s deceased right now because of that.”


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Bouncer appeals murder conviction of Chesterton bartender: Attorney cites pretrial publicity among c

Bouncer appeals murder conviction of Chesterton bartender: Attorney cites pretrial publicity among concerns

During an emotional sentencing hearing Jan. 2 before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer , Gland ’ s parents , @ @ @ @ @ talked about the pain caused by the death of their daughter , described as someone @ @ @ @ @ her that always made those around her smile and laugh .

Christopher Dillard, found guilty in the murder of bartender Nicole Gland and sentenced to 65 years in prison in January, filed an appeal late last month, requesting his conviction be overturned or for a revised sentence.
According to the July 22 filing with the Indiana Court of Appeals, Dillard, 54, of Hobart, argues that his request for a change of venue because of pretrial publicity over the case was wrongfully denied.
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Additionally, Dillard argued that Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer wrongfully denied his motion to dismiss the case because Chesterton police did not preserve as potential evidence a knife found months after Gland’s death near the scene of the crime.
Nicole Gland (Provided by Edmonds and Evans / Post-Tribune)
Dillard also argued that Clymer erred in allowing his statement, “I have no problem killing,” reportedly heard by an officer while he was housed at the Porter County Jail.
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If his conviction cannot be overturned, Dillard is requesting his sentence be reduced from 65 years in prison to 60 years, as recommended in a presentence investigation report prepared by the Porter County Adult Probation Department.
Plymouth attorney Janette Surrisi is serving as Dillard’s attorney for his appeal. Dillard is being held at the Miami Correctional Level 3 Facility, according to the Indiana Department of Correction website. His scheduled release date is Jan. 18, 2067.
In November, a 12-person jury found Dillard, a former bouncer at the Upper Deck Lounge in Chesterton, guilty of killing Gland, 23, of Portage, who was a bartender there. Dillard stabbed Gland to death on April 19, 2017, in her sport utility vehicle parked behind the bar after she left work, after she rebuffed his sexual advances, according to court testimony.
A Chesterton Tribune employee going to work discovered Gland’s body in her SUV behind the bar, authorities have said. An autopsy showed she died of multiple stab wounds.
During an emotional sentencing hearing Jan. 2 before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer, Gland’s parents, Matthew and Jessica Gland, talked about the pain caused by the death of their daughter, described as someone who had a way about her that always made those around her smile and laugh.
More than once during the sentencing, Matthew Gland called Dillard a coward, and said Dillard showed no remorse during his trial.
“We want you to suffer in prison. We want you to die alone and afraid, just like our daughter,” he said then.
Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Armando Salinas and Deputy Prosecutor Mary Ryan argued throughout the trial that there was extensive evidence for the jury in proving Dillard had killed Gland, including testimony from Dillard’s cellmates at the Porter County Jail to whom Dillard discussed details of the crime, and the discovery of his DNA on Gland.
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Defense attorney Russell Brown Jr. said during the 2½-week trial that the Chesterton Police Department conducted a shoddy investigation of the crime, disregarding a knife found near the scene months later. He also noted Dillard’s repeated denial of his involvement in Gland’s death during a video of Dillard being interrogated by Chesterton Police Chief David Cincoski after Gland’s body was found.
The guilty verdict came despite prosecutors’ inability to use the confession Dillard made about the crime during a police interrogation after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled the confession was not permissible as evidence because police ignored Dillard’s repeated requests for an attorney.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--A Chicago farmers market kicks out a vendor alleging COVID-19 safety violations

A July 28 post on Nichols ’ Facebook page claimed that the manager of the farmers market was “ trying @ @ @ @ @ the market mid season without just cause .
She has had a personal problem with @ @ @ @ @ several seasons and feels this is just cause to disinvite us from the market .
@ @ @ @ @ farm has sold at multiple markets in the Chicago area for years and also supplies @ @ @ @ @ .

Nichols Farm & Orchard is set up at Evanston farmers market May 2, 2020. The farm has sold at several markets around Chicago and the suburbs for years, including Wicker Park Farmers Market, from which it was ejected recently. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
A longtime Chicago farmers market vendor is alleging that it was targeted unfairly after it was recently removed from the Wicker Park Farmers Market.
Nichols Farm & Orchard, based outside Marengo, was absent from Sunday’s Wicker Park Farmers Market after the local Chamber of Commerce removed the vendor, citing instances of “noncompliance with some of the COVID-19 health regulations for our market” on multiple occasions, according to a statement released Monday by the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.
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However, Todd Nichols, head grower and part of the Nichols family farm, said the chamber’s version of events has “some holes.”
“I feel wronged by the situation,” he said.
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According to the chamber, during the first three weekends of the farmers market this season, Nichols Farm was cited multiple times for the same violations: no adequate handwashing stations, a lack of barriers to keep customers at a safe distance and having to be “constantly reminded” to wear masks throughout both setup and working market hours.
Following another incident July 26, the chamber decided to remove Nichols Farm from the market.
“I’m writing to let you know that Nichols Farm can no longer attend our market moving forward,” read a July 28 email from market manager Alice Howe provided by Nichols. “I apologize for this decision but after several years of dealing with incredibly difficult and disrespectful staff who have jeopardized our market, this is the decision I have to make.”
The email did not mention violations of the COVID-19 regulations.
Howe has been the market manager since 2018. Nichols claimed that there have been “personality conflicts” between his staff and Howe since she began managing the market.
A July 28 post on Nichols’ Facebook page claimed that Howe was “trying to kick us out of the market mid season without just cause. She has had a personal problem with our farm and staff for several seasons and feels this is just cause to disinvite us from the market. This is harassment.”
The farm has sold at multiple markets in the Chicago area for years and also supplies several area restaurants with produce.
In multiple follow-up posts on Facebook, an open letter from Todd Nichols acknowledged that workers at its Wicker Park stand had received two warnings for failing to abide by COVID-19 regulations: one in which “a new staff member was wearing her mask below her nose during setup,” as well as another for failing to “have a rope around our stand to practice social distancing.” Both issues were remedied immediately, Nichols claimed in the post.
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Nichols reaffirmed these thoughts in an interview Monday and disputed the chamber’s accusations of violations. He said that the booth adopted barriers by the July 19 market, and that they have had hand-washing stations onsite for all markets this summer.
He conceded issues with wearing masks and said the employee in question had been spoken to.
Pamela Maass, the executive director of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, said that continued violations were the catalyst in the decision to remove Nichols Farm from the market.
“The main thing is a lot of vendors were able to immediately come into compliance,” she said. “Instantaneously the problem was solved.” However, when organizers tried to address issues with Nichols Farm staff, they were met with hostility, Maass said.
The chamber claims that the farm was notified of violations on each occasion — verbally or in writing — and that farmers market staff attempted to work with Nichols Farm to resolve the alleged problems.
The primary violation in dispute came on July 12, when a Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events inspector, which monitors farmers markets in the city, identified several COVID violations among multiple vendors including Nichols Farm, and notified both the vendors and Chamber of Commerce.
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A July 29 email from Maass to Todd Nichols mentions an “official citation” from DCASE due to violations by Nichols Farm on July 12 and informs Nichols that, if the market were to receive another citation, it could be shut down entirely.
However, in an email Monday, DCASE told the Tribune that, “No official citation — written or verbal — was given.” The inspector only made “recommendations.”
It’s unclear from where the discrepancy regarding the nature of the citation arose, since the chamber cited the potential for a second, season-ending violation as a primary reason for removing the Nichols booth in Maass’ July 29 email.
According to the chamber, Nichols Farm has not made any contact with them in the meantime, instead only posting its grievances on its Facebook page.
The chamber’s statement claimed that it would “welcome Nichols Farm to reach out to us directly to professionally address their COVID-19 health and safety noncompliance issues. We will consider their re-admittance to the market only at that time.”
Nichols said he considered the invitation a bit disingenuous, since returning in 2021 would require him to submit a new application anyway.
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“If they told us we could come back next week, we would be there, and I would be following all the guidelines like I was the last three weeks,” Nichols said. “If my staffers are going to be under a microscope that if they take a drink of water and remove their mask for a second, we’re gonna be penalized and be in the same boat, that’s not something I want.”
While Nichols defended his decision to take to social media, Maass criticized his description of how Howe handled the situation.
“Everything Nichols has claimed about our farmers market manager is untrue and is in fact hurtful slander,” she said. “Only Nichols has been unwilling to work with us to comply with the protocols. The safety of our market and vendors, our patrons — it’s not negotiable.”
Nichols Farm still has a booth at other farmers markets throughout the city, including Green City Market. A representative for Green City said all vendors including Nichols Farm have been following strict COVID-19 protocol so far this season.
The main reason Todd Nichols decided to take to social media, he said, was a need to uphold the farm’s reputation, especially given its deep roots in the city.
“I feel like we’re being unjustly pinned as someone who’s not taking COVID seriously. I feel like we have a reputation to stand up for, if nothing else,” he said. “The market is a big financial loss for us as a family farm, but more than that, it feels like we’re being removed on pretty thin ground.”
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Nichols Farm, about an hour northwest of Chicago, has been a longtime vendor — 20-plus years in Wicker Park specifically — at markets throughout Chicago and the suburbs, including SOAR Farmers Market, plus markets in Daley Plaza, Federal Plaza, Gold Coast, Evanston and Oak Park.
This article has been updated throughout.


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Purple Hotel site still on track for redevelopment despite pandemic, Lincolnwood officials say

“ The village is satisfied that Tucker Development is moving forward with all due haste , ” Community Development Director @ @ @ @ @ email .
“ Mr .
Tucker and his firm have consistently been in contact with @ @ @ @ @ showing progress throughout the year , in spite of the pandemic .
The village continues @ @ @ @ @ project and looks forward to construction getting underway , hopefully by the end of the @ @ @

Tucker Development is proposing a multiple-building mixed-use residential, retail, commercial and hotel development at the site of the former Purple Hotel at the northwest corner of Lincoln and Touhy avenues in Lincolnwood. The village said the development is on track despite the pandemic. (Tucker Development)
The site of the former Purple Hotel in Lincolnwood remains quiet, but village officials promise a long-awaited redevelopment remains on its way.
Months after an announcement that restaurants, hotel rooms and luxury apartments would be filling the approximately 8.25-acre site at the northwest corner of Touhy and Lincoln Avenues, construction has yet to begin on the site where the fabled Purple Hotel once stood.
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However, village officials said the three new buildings proposed by Chicago-based Tucker Development, and its CEO Richard Tucker, would soon be part of the Lincolnwood tapestry.
“The village is satisfied that Tucker Development is moving forward with all due haste,” Community Development Director Steve McNellis wrote in an email. “Mr. Tucker and his firm have consistently been in contact with the village and have been showing progress throughout the year, in spite of the pandemic. The village continues to be excited about this project and looks forward to construction getting underway, hopefully by the end of the year.”
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For many years, the Purple Hotel was a popular area destination, but after years of decline and despite attempts to preserve it, the structure was razed in 2013, leaving an empty space at the well-travelled intersection.
After years passed, a new era appeared on its way in 2019 after the village approved a tax incentive for developers called a tax increment financing (TIF) district, in combination with a redevelopment agreement with Tucker under the new name of the District 1860 mixed-use development. It is set to encompass roughly 80,000 to 85,000 square feet.
This past February, Tucker told Lincolnwood Mayor Barry Bass and the village board he had signed up the restaurants FatPour Tap Works and Fat Rosie’s to expand their Chicago area offerings in the area, rebranded as District 1860. The eateries would be a part of a larger complex highlighted by a dual-branded Marriott hotel featuring 220 rooms under the names of Spring Hill Suites and Courtyard Hotels.
The following month, Tucker presented the village with construction plans for the mixed-use building that would be the home to the luxury apartments and greater than 40,000 square feet of commercial space in the first phase of the development.
While little activity can be seen now, Mayor Barry Bass acknowledged the project has been delayed, but is “moving full throttle forward.”
It is not clear how the coronavirus pandemic factored into the interruption. McNellis said he believed Tucker wanted to get started in the late spring, but he was not certain whether the wait was due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Repeated messages sent to Tucker requesting comment were not returned.
Village officials have placed considerable effort into jump-starting development of the empty spot. They approved the new TIF district in February 2019.
The village plans to issue roughly $35 million in TIF notes for a development with an overall expected price tag of between $150 million and $175 million.
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In June 2020, the village board signed off on the hiring of a bond counsel and underwriter, pledging they would not incur any costs to the village’s general fund, McNellis wrote.
McNellis believes once some remaining financial matters are approved and state and other local agencies sign off, Tucker will remove the remaining Purple Hotel foundations and start re-grading the property. He adds the Tucker plan has the largest of the three envisioned buildings – where the apartments and commercial space would be located – set to be constructed first.
The three buildings would be up within 18 months according to the Tucker plan, McNellis wrote.
“Building plan reviews are nearing completion and a permit is anticipated to be ready for issuance by the end of the summer,” McNellis added.
Despite the delay, Bass remains very excited about the economic prospects the site could bring.
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“The completion of District 1860 is paramount to the future of The Village of Lincolnwood, turning blight to sight,” Bass wrote. “The taxes generated will safeguard amenities, adding services and commerce, increasing quality of life.”


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Boy, 8, in critical condition after falling from third-story window in Chicago’s Washington Park

The child fell out of the apartment window and was discovered on the sidewalk unresponsive , said Kellie Bartoli , @ @ @ @ @ was taken to Comer Children ’ s Hospital where he was listed in critical condition @

Chicago police are investigating after an 8-year-old boy apparently accidentally fell from a third-story window, officials said.
At 10:55 p.m. Sunday, authorities and emergency personnel were called to the 5200 block of South Prairie Avenue on the South Side, according to a statement from Chicago police.
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The child fell out of the apartment window and was discovered on the sidewalk unresponsive, said Kellie Bartoli, a police spokeswoman. He was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
As of Monday morning, officials said they are investigating the fall as an accidental injury case.
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Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-03--Car-motorcycle crash in East Dundee leaves 2 people seriously hurt

In addition to the two people requiring hospitalization , two others were treated at the scene and released , the @ @ @ @ @ Fire Capt .
Joe Schwab said Monday he did not know if the victims ’ @ @ @ @

Two people were seriously injured Saturday in a crash involving a car and a motorcycle in East Dundee, authorities said.
The collision occurred about 5:15 p.m. at Route 68 and Penny Road, according to the East Dundee and Countryside Fire Protection District, which transported the victims to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin.
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Both vehicles were badly damaged, a news release said, but no other information was available on the victims, the cause of the crash or charges being filed.
In addition to the two people requiring hospitalization, two others were treated at the scene and released, the release said. East Dundee Fire Capt. Joe Schwab said Monday he did not know if the victims’ conditions had improved.
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raguerrero@tribpub.com