chicagotribune--2020-09-10--Activists, nurses union demand $157 million cut from Cook County sheriff’s office budget next year:

Activists, nurses union demand $157 million cut from Cook County sheriff’s office budget next year: ‘Black life is a priority’

Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation , The People ’ s Lobby , National Nurses United , Shriver Center on @ @ @ @ @ Community Bond Fund are behind the campaign for the suggested budget .
Their blueprint comes @ @ @ @ @ Board of Commissioners overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution that supports reallocating money from policing and @ @ @ @ @ the thousands who took to Chicago ’ s streets this summer to rally and march @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement in response to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd .

Cassandra Greer-Lee, widow of former Cook County Jail detainee Nickolas Lee, speaks at a news conference in support of a new budget for Cook County that entails divesting $157 million from the Cook County Jail and investing it back into the community, on Sept. 9, 2020, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
A coalition of activists and union members rolled out a “Budget for Black Lives” on Wednesday that proposes to cut the Cook County sheriff’s office budget by $157 million amid a national debate over policing and incarceration systems.
About 20 backers of the proposal gathered at Stroger Hospital on the Near West Side to press Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Board of Commissioners to adopt their plan to divest from Cook County Jail and redirect that money into social services for Black and Latino communities in the 2021 budget.
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One community organizer said the coalition will not budge on the $157 million figure because “Black life is a priority.”
“This process may take a while, but we actually won’t stop until we get everything that we demand for our communities,” Tanya Watkins, executive director of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, said. “We have a lot of incarceration, and a lot of people who don’t feel safe at all. So I think that the answer is obvious.”
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Watkins then asked the other activists whether incarceration works in ensuring public safety. They responded with a resounding “no.”
The group’s proposed Budget for Black Lives would allocate $60 million of that money from the sheriff’s office toward housing, mostly for rent subsidies under the Housing Authority of Cook County. Another $55.4 million would go toward offsetting proposed cuts to Cook County Health, such as potential layoffs and South Side outpatient clinic consolidations, as well as other services for physical and mental health including a first responder program that sends mental health workers instead of police to certain emergencies.
Alia Lyall, left, and Kevin Blumenberg, both members of The People’s Lobby, hang backdrops in preparation for a news conference detailing their a new budget for Cook County that entails divesting $157 million from the Cook County Jail and investing it back into the community on Sept. 9, 2020. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Restorative justice and violence prevention organizations would get $10.5 million, and the rest of the money would go to job training, the Cook County public defender’s office, broadband internet access and services for incarcerated people.
“We need a budget that reflects that we aren’t just actually trying to jail all our problems away,” Amika Tendaji with Black Lives Matter Chicago said. “We have two choices. Either we believe that Black people deserve public health, mental health, the resources that communities need, or you believe that Black people are just inherently criminal and should be in jail.”
Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, The People’s Lobby, National Nurses United, Shriver Center on Poverty Law and the Chicago Community Bond Fund are behind the campaign for the suggested budget. Their blueprint comes about a month after the Board of Commissioners overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution that supports reallocating money from policing and incarceration, a nod to the thousands who took to Chicago’s streets this summer to rally and march for reimagining the role of law enforcement in response to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
Commissioner Brandon Johnson, D-Chicago, said it was too early to pinpoint his desired figure for reallocating the sheriff’s office’s budget as the county grapples with potentially its largest budget shortfall in a decade. But “there is no number big enough” when it comes to repairing the damage from a “failed, racist incarceration system,” he said.
“As much money as possible to go into the lives of communities that have been desperately calling for investment for decades is a righteous call,” Johnson said. “Our budget has to reflect how much we really value Black lives.”
A spokesman for Preckwinkle’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Commissioner Lawrence Suffredin, D-Evanston, said the activists' bid would be considered despite his initial reservations on the amount.
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“What we’ve got to do is wait till we see what the president’s going to do,” Suffredin said. “I’m presuming that she’s going to be sensitive to some of the discussions, but it seems to me that that number is very, very high.”
More than 20% of Cook County’s $6.2 billion budget this year goes toward public safety, the second-highest expenditure following the health fund. That public safety fund includes the sheriff’s office, which in addition to running Cook County Jail polices unincorporated Cook County and fills in for cash-strapped suburban agencies. More than half of the sheriff’s annual budget goes into the Department of Corrections and Community Corrections Department.
Sheriff Tom Dart’s office did not directly address the activists' demands on Wednesday, but a spokeswoman said Dart “has long been a leader in the effort to end unnecessary and unjust incarceration” and expanded mental health programming at the jail.
Earlier in a July speech, Dart dinged those who want to cut his office’s budget.
“The defund folks, they’re misplaced because I always said, ‘OK, well then what’s your solution? What are you going to do once you defund the police?’” Dart said.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-10--Default judgement awards damages to former Evanston Township High School student who alleges sexual

Default judgement awards damages to former Evanston Township High School student who alleges sexual abuse by security guard in civil suit

Andrew M. Stroth , the attorney representing the teen and her family in the lawsuit , declined to comment on @ @ @ @ @ to collect such a sum from the defendant but said he views the judgement as @ @ @ @ @ overall case against the school district and city .

A federal judge this week granted a judgment of $3 million in damages to a family whose daughter alleges she was sexually abused by a security guard at Evanston Township High School.
The civil case against Evanston Township High School and the city of Evanston is still ongoing, according to court records.
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A default judgment against Michael Haywood, 35, of Evanston, was granted Tuesday by U.S. Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, and awards $2 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages, according to court records.
A default judgment is issued when a defendant fails to appear or enter a plea. According to court documents, Haywood “failed to appear and answer or otherwise plead.”
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Haywood, a former security guard at the high school, was charged in February 2019 with sexually assaulting a student in November 2018 in a separate case, according to court records. That student is not involved in this civil suit. Haywood has pleaded not guilty in that case and is currently on home electronic monitoring, according to court records.
He has not been criminally charged in the incidents described in the separate civil lawsuit.
An attorney representing Haywood in the criminal case declined to comment on the civil suit. Haywood could not immediately be reached for comment.
Michael Haywood. (Cook County sheriff's office)
Andrew M. Stroth, the attorney representing the teen and her family in the lawsuit, declined to comment on the probability of being able to collect such a sum from the defendant but said he views the judgment as a positive development for the overall case against the school district and city.
The federal lawsuit, which was filed in August 2019, alleges that Haywood “used his position of authority to engage in sexual conduct” with the student. According to court documents Haywood “engaged in over 40 sexual acts or other contacts with (the student) while she was a minor and a student at ETHS.”
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Molly Thompson, an attorney for Evanston Township High School District 202, emphasized that the default judgement was issued solely against Haywood and not the other defendants in the lawsuit.
“The Board of Education of Evanston Township High School District 202 and the other defendants, besides Haywood, filed motions to dismiss plaintiffs' First Amended complaint, which are currently pending,” Thompson said in a statement.
Patrick Deignan, a spokesman for the city of Evanston, said the city does not comment on pending litigation.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-09-10--Death of man, 59, brutally assaulted in Gresham ruled a homicide

Littrice , who lived in the same block where he was killed , was last seen by relatives about 9 @ @ @ @ @ police .

Police are investigating the assault of a 59-year-old South Side man whose death was ruled a homicide.
A female relative found Curtis Littrice, 59, unclothed, in a contorted position, facedown in bed about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 7800 block of South Laflin Avenue in the city’s Gresham neighborhood, police said.
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Littrice suffered multiple “gashes, lacerations and blunt force trauma about his face,” and police found that a belt and an extension cord had been wrapped tightly around his neck.
The victim was pronounced dead on the scene a few minutes later, at 9:43 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Littrice, who lived in the same block where he was killed, was last seen by relatives about 9 p.m. Monday, according to police.
An autopsy Wednesday determined Littrice died of multiple injuries from being assaulted, according to the medical examiner’s office. His death was ruled a homicide.
No arrests have been made and police are investigating.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Man charged in fatal stabbing at Walgreens in Wicker Park taken off electronic monitoring days earli

Man charged in fatal stabbing at Walgreens in Wicker Park taken off electronic monitoring days earlier

The circumstances of his removal from the monitoring were not immediately clear , as the case was handled in juvenile @ @ @ @ @ immediately available .
The juvenile court ’ s electronic monitoring is generally not intended to @ @ @ @ @ juvenile defendants , and it is common for them to be released from the monitors @ @ @ @ @ .

A Chicago police officer works the scene where a 32-year-old female employee was fatally stabbed by a knife-wielding man at the Walgreens on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park on Sept. 6, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
An 18-year-old man accused of grabbing a Walgreens employee by the neck, dragging her to the front of the store and stabbing her to death was on electronic monitoring in a separate case until just days before the weekend slaying, the Tribune has learned.
Sources said Sincere Williams, who was ordered held without bail at a hearing Wednesday, has a pending juvenile case from an incident where he allegedly broke into a suburban gun store this spring. Williams allegedly stole several firearms and was arrested shortly afterward, sources said, and had been placed on electronic monitoring in Cook County in May.
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The circumstances of his removal from the monitoring were not immediately clear, as the case was handled in juvenile court and paperwork was not immediately available. The juvenile court’s electronic monitoring is generally not intended to be a long-term situation for juvenile defendants, and it is common for them to be released from the monitors after shorter periods of compliance.
Sources said he was removed from it at the end of August, just days before he allegedly stabbed to death Olga Calderon, a 32-year-old mother of two.
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During their public proffer at the Wednesday bond hearing for Williams, who turned 18 in July, prosecutors told a judge Williams had a burglary case pending in juvenile court, but did not detail it. Williams also is suspected of attempting to rob the same Walgreens on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park the week before the stabbing, prosecutors said.
A representative of the state’s attorney’s office said prosecutors in juvenile court “did not object to the Court’s release of this minor based on specific information presented to the Court.”
The office did not elaborate on that information, citing the law that keeps juvenile case details private.
Prosecutors said Calderon was stocking shelves when Williams grabbed her in a possible robbery attempt.
Judge Arthur Wesley Willis ordered Williams held without bail after prosecutors detailed the case against him, including copious video evidence that shows him stab Calderon and then walk calmly home.
“He did not take anything in this case ... (video) does show him walk straight to the victim and viciously attack her,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said in court. “I cannot give you a definitive motive here other than sometimes people just do evil things.”
Williams even had the forethought to wear two sets of clothing on his way to the Walgreens, then discard the outer layer on his way back, Murphy said.
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Sincere Williams, 18, was charged with one count of first-degree murder in the weekend slaying of an employee at a Walgreens in the Wicker Park neighborhood. (Chicago Police Department)
Video surveillance captured Williams walking into the store at 1372 N. Milwaukee Ave. just after 9:30 a.m. wearing an orange Bears hoodie, a red face mask, dark jeans and gym shoes with a green pattern on the sole, Murphy said.
He walked directly to Calderon, grabbed her by the neck from behind and dragged her to a counter toward the front of the store, Murphy said. He pushed her head back into the counter and stabbed her 10 times in the neck, head and upper back.
He then “calmly (walked) out of Walgreens with a knife and through a parking lot,” Murphy said.
Responding paramedics found Calderon on the floor, surrounded by blood. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police found a pair of bloody gloves in the bushes outside a house around the corner from the Walgreens, and farther down the street they found the orange hoodie, dark jeans and a knife, Murphy said.
Surveillance videos show Williams walking south on a nearby stretch of Wolcott Avenue after the stabbing — wearing a gray hoodie and white pants, but the same distinctive shoes, Murphy said. Further video clearly shows his face and a bloodstain on the white pants, Murphy said.
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A search of his apartment in the Old Town neighborhood turned up the green-soled shoes and the packaging for a knife of the same brand and model as the weapon found during their search of the area after the stabbing, prosecutors said.
Williams is suspected of robbing the same Walgreens four days before the stabbing, Murphy said, but he has not been charged in that case yet.
Williams' attorney, Assistant Public Defender Chris Anderson, said his client is a high school student who lives with his mother and has a history of schizophrenia and seizures.
In holding Williams without bail, Willis acknowledged the potential mental health issues that may have been at play, but told the defendant, “at this time I cannot release you.”
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Attorney General William Barr credits Operation Legend for recent dip in homicides at Chicago briefi

Attorney General William Barr credits Operation Legend for recent dip in homicides at Chicago briefing, but mayor raises doubts

Experts have cautioned against making statistical comparisons over short periods of time , such as a single month , arguing @ @ @ @ @ better understanding of how the level of violence in a city has changed over time @ @ @ @ @ s difficult to ascertain exactly why homicides suddenly went down over the last month , @ @ @ @ @ or who should take credit .

Jason Meisner, Jeremy Gorner, Gregory Pratt

Attorney General William Barr gives an update on Operation Legend on Sept. 9, 2020, at a news conference at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Local and federal officials wrangled Wednesday over who should get credit for a recent dip in Chicago violence, even though 63 people were slain in the city in August and shootings continue at a pace far above last year.
Sounding the Trump administration’s tough-on-crime theme, Attorney General William Barr said during a visit to Chicago that the federal Operation Legend program has led directly to a significant drop in shootings in the violence-torn city over the past five weeks.
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Since Operation Legend launched in Chicago on July 22, homicides have dropped by 50%, Barr said in a news conference with other federal law enforcement leaders at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. A total of 124 defendants have been charged with federal felonies under the program, including 90 who face firearms-related charges and 30 more charged with drug trafficking, Barr said.
“Operation Legend is working,” he said. “Crime is down and order is being restored to this great American city.”
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[ What is Operation Legend? A breakdown of Trump’s federal agent surge and what it means for Chicago. ]
But hours later, Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters Barr’s comments were “factually inaccurate,” saying the downward trend in shootings and homicides really began before the arrival of any significant amount of federal manpower.
The mayor said she appreciates federal agents who have been here for years working with Chicago police, and is hopeful the additional resources “will really bear fruit” over time.
“We are absolutely grateful for the additional federal charges and prosecutions that these additional resources are precipitating,” Lightfoot said. She also said, however, that the Justice Department may not have sent the full number of people they said they would, and it’s premature for them to do a “victory lap.”
The sparring came as the city was still reeling from another violent holiday weekend, with more than 50 people shot and nine homicides, including an 8-year-old girl fatally shot while riding in a car and a mother of two stabbed to death while stocking shelves at a Walgreens.
And Chicago recorded 63 homicides in August — the highest toll for killings during that month in at least four years, police statistics show. Additionally, 503 people were shot in August, the highest shooting toll since at least 2017.
The numbers were down significantly from July, however, which was one of the bloodiest months in decades with 105 people slain.
Barr’s visit also highlighted the deep political divisions between local Democratic leadership and the Trump administration, which has said that Democrat-run cities like Chicago have emboldened criminals and demoralized police departments with a soft-on-crime approach.
Even as Barr touted the federal violence-reduction efforts, the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday released a glowing review of its own performance, saying the recent reductions in shootings and homicides came after the department in July deployed two citywide units tasked with responding to crime hot spots to tamp down on gun violence.
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Barr noted that the city’s news release made no mention of Operation Legend or any other federal assistance.
“So, just the way things roll here in Chicago,” Barr said, his answer trailing off before U.S. Attorney John Lausch tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he could jump in.
Lausch said he could “assure everyone” that there was no disconnect between federal and local law enforcement.
Experts have cautioned against making statistical comparisons over short periods of time, such as a single month, arguing that long-term trends give a better understanding of how the level of violence in a city has changed over time. This means it’s difficult to ascertain exactly why homicides suddenly went down over the last month, said one local scholar, or who should take credit.
“There’s enough variability in month-to-month crime statistics that it’s probably premature to declare that we’ve turned a corner,” said Jens Ludwig, director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab. “Was August an outlier month or is this the sign of a new trend? It’s a little hard to know whether we’re seeing an encouraging new trend or if (it) was an outlier.”
Neither Lightfoot — who was presiding Wednesday over the monthly City Council meeting — nor Chicago police Superintendent David Brown was present at Barr’s news conference. The attorney general said they were invited but chose not to come. Barr went on a ride-along through parts of the city with Brown later in the day.
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At a news conference after the City Council adjourned, Lightfoot accused President Donald Trump of using the program for political purposes.
“We will never be used as a prop,” she said. “Never.”
Lightfoot said she hasn’t interacted with Barr aside from sending him a letter outlining the need for gun control reforms and interstate trafficking of firearms cases. Other city officials took Barr around the city and showed him strategic support centers, she added.
Operation Legend was named in honor of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, fatally shot while he slept early in the morning of June 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The initiative has also expanded to Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cleveland; Detroit; Milwaukee; St. Louis; Memphis, Tennessee; and Indianapolis.
Lightfoot initially said she had great concerns about the possibility of Trump sending feds to Chicago based on what had happened in Portland, Oregon, where federal agents in unmarked cars were accused of grabbing protesters off the street without due cause.
Barr said Trump later described for Lightfoot what Operation Legend would entail and that she “said she would accept the help.”
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The program landed in Chicago amid an alarming spike in gun violence to levels not seen in years, claiming victims as young as 1-year-old. In July, a shooting outside a funeral home saw 15 people wounded — the worst mass shooting in recent Chicago memory.
Most recently, 8-year-old Dajore Wilson was fatally shot in the back Monday near 47th Street in the Canaryville neighborhood as she sat in a car with her mother and others. Police have said the shooting was likely gang-related and that the shooter was targeting someone else in the car.
The Chicago Tribune reported last month there had been a concerted push for more federal cases, including many brought by Chicago police directly to the feds instead of the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, which has historically handled the vast majority of Chicago gun felonies.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Lightfoot says interview with city’s inspector general focused on former Chicago police superintende

Lightfoot says interview with city’s inspector general focused on former Chicago police superintendent’s actions

Ferguson opened an investigation shortly after Johnson was found asleep at the wheel at 34th Place and Aberdeen Street in @ @ @ @ @ night of Oct. 16 .
Johnson publicly blamed the incident on his failure to take @ @ @ @ @ told Lightfoot he had “ a couple of drinks ” with dinner that evening , @ @ @ @ @ interview with the Sun-Times .

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot downplayed the city inspector general’s interview with her as part of his investigation into former police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, saying the sit-down meeting was “short” and focused on the city’s ex top cop.
“Much ado about nothing,” she said, when asked Wednesday about the interview.
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The Tribune earlier this week reported that Joe Ferguson’s office interviewed Lightfoot as part of his investigation into the incident when Johnson was found asleep at the wheel. Lightfoot’s office repeatedly has declined to release his full findings, but emails obtained by the Tribune show Ferguson asked to interview the mayor and chief of staff Maurice Classen.
The inspector general’s office focused its questions on Johnson’s conduct, she said.
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“This wasn’t about me or my administration,” Lightfoot said. “It was solely about the actions of Superintendent Johnson.”
Lightfoot said the inspector general asked about what Johnson told her about the October night when he was found asleep at a stop sign after a night drinking. She also took issue with the Tribune for reporting that the interview was scheduled for an hour and a half, saying it was “a very cursory, meaning short, interview.”
The mayor and her administration repeatedly have said Ferguson’s report on the Johnson case doesn’t meet the legal criteria for release. At a news conference, she publicly mocked reporters who pushed for the report’s full findings to be publicly disclosed, saying: “I know there are going to be people who write articles saying, ‘Oohhhh, the mayor, blah!’ Doesn’t matter.”
Ferguson opened an investigation shortly after Johnson was found asleep at the wheel at 34th Place and Aberdeen Street in the Bridgeport neighborhood on the night of Oct. 16. Johnson publicly blamed the incident on his failure to take blood pressure medication but privately told Lightfoot he had “a couple of drinks” with dinner that evening, which she disclosed in an interview with the Sun-Times.
In November, Johnson announced his intention to retire during an emotional ceremony attended by Lightfoot at police headquarters, the same event where the mayor acknowledged to reporters she would likely be interviewed by the IG’s office. But weeks later, Lightfoot announced she was firing Johnson because he’d lied to her about the incident.
At the time, Ferguson continued to investigate the case and did not give Lightfoot a full report until earlier this year.
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An ordinance backed by the mayor last fall would have allowed the city’s corporation counsel to decide whether to release inspector general investigation reports in cases that involve a death or that are “or may be” a felony, and are “of a compelling public interest.”
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Kathleen Fieweger, the Law Department’s spokeswoman, defended withholding the report on Johnson, disputing that there was any conduct rising to a felony.
After Ferguson provided the mayor’s office with a copy of his report, Lightfoot released some body camera footage in June showing that the incident leading to Johnson’s firing started when an unidentified man called 911 to report someone asleep in a vehicle at a stop sign at 34th Place and Aberdeen Street.
The caller told officials that the vehicle’s lights were off but the engine was running and smoke was coming out of the exhaust.
In footage from a responding officer’s body camera, also released by Lightfoot, Johnson is at the wheel when the officer asks, “You just sitting here or you wanna go home?”
“I’m good,” Johnson replies.
The officer responds, “You good? All right, sir. Have a good night.”
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Ferguson released a summary version of his report in July, which offered a fuller picture of that night’s events. The report said Chicago police trailed their boss home as he ran a stop sign and briefly drove in the wrong lane. Ferguson’s quarterly report raised the possibility of discipline for other officers and said Johnson’s driver also drove home in a city vehicle after drinking with the superintendent that night.
Earlier on the night of Oct. 16, 2019, Johnson and his driver drank at Ceres Cafe in the Loop, according to details previously reported and Ferguson’s summary of events. Ferguson reported that both drank rum at the bar, which is famous for its generous pours.
Ferguson’s report does not say when they left the bar. But he wrote that Johnson drove, and around 10:30 p.m. he dropped his driver off at police headquarters in the Bronzeville neighborhood. The inspector general reported that she drove away in her city vehicle.
Johnson then drove toward his home. Security footage showed he parked illegally at 34th Place and Aberdeen Street in the Bridgeport neighborhood at 10:39 p.m., Ferguson wrote. He remained there with the SUV running until a member of the public called 911 to report someone asleep in a vehicle and officers arrived at 12:33 a.m, according to the report.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,337 new known COVID-19 cases and 30 more fatalities reported as F

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,337 new known COVID-19 cases and 30 more fatalities reported as Fauci sticks with 2021 prediction for vaccine

Tamale Guy Chicago reopens today in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood .
The namesake restaurant of Claudio Velez was closed for @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for COVID-19 , just two weeks after a grand opening with 10 block @ @ @ @ @ waits and selling out of thousands of tamales .
Prior to the coronavirus mandated closures @ @ @ @ @ for his red cooler full of warm tamales , sold bar to bar on the @ @ @ @ @ .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials Wednesday announced 1,337 new known cases of COVID-19 and 30 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 253,690 and the statewide death toll to 8,214 since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Public Schools on began the school year Tuesday with remote learning. Most educators were teaching from their homes, although some streamed lessons from their school classrooms.
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Many suburban school districts have already resumed classes, with teachers giving lessons remotely from their school classrooms. Some private schools, including the Archdiocese of Chicago’s students, already went back to school in person.
Also Tuesday, the city of Chicago added Kentucky to its mandatory quarantine order and removed California and Puerto Rico, officials announced.
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Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
9:05 p.m.: No COVID-19 relief package before the election? Top GOP senators make pessimistic predictions.
Top Republican senators made pessimistic predictions Wednesday about securing a bipartisan coronavirus relief package before the November election, signaling instead they will just try to pass legislation that would avoid a federal shutdown as lawmakers head home to campaign.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was “optimistic” that Republicans would deliver strong support for the GOP’s $500 billion slimmed-down COVID-19 rescue package in a test vote Thursday. But he declined to say whether his majority would be fully on board. Democrats have indicated they will shelve the Republican measure as insufficient, leaving lawmakers at an impasse.
There’s no indication yet that bipartisan talks that crumbled last month will restart. Lawmakers closely tracking recent efforts to strike a deal that could pass before the November election said they saw little reason for hope.
“Unless something really broke through, it’s not going to happen,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The stalemate is politically risky for all sides heading into the fall election that will decide not only the presidency, but also control of Congress.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7:45 p.m.: Half of Chicago households report serious financial problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, NPR-Harvard poll finds
Half of Chicago households, many of them Black and Latino families, reported facing serious financial problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a poll of more than 3,400 respondents in four major U.S. cities published Wednesday.
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The poll was conducted from July 1 through Aug. 3 in New York City, Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
During the pandemic, many Chicago residents have struggled to pay bills, rent and utilities, as well as afford medical care and child care. Many have also depleted their savings, according to the study.
The poll found 69% of Black households, 63% of Latino households and 59% of households making less than $100,000 annually in Chicago reported serious financial problems.
Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
6:30 p.m. (update): COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 3? Halted study explains just how unlikely that is.
The suspension of a huge COVID-19 vaccine study over an illness in a single participant shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in the race to develop the shot, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday.
AstraZeneca has put on hold studies of its vaccine candidate in the U.S. and other countries while it investigates whether a British volunteer’s illness is a side effect or a coincidence.
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“This ought to be reassuring,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said before a Senate committee. “When we say we are going to focus first on safety and make no compromises, here is Exhibit A of how that is happening in practice.”
—Associated Press
4:30 p.m.: Lightfoot says she doesn’t expect ‘mass crowds of trick or treating’ this Halloween
On what should have been an epic year for Halloween lovers, with the annual celebration of costumes and candy falling on a Saturday, it seems the coronavirus will be playing the final trick on those seeking treats in Chicago.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city’s looking at how to best celebrate the holiday and doesn’t expect it to look like years past. Lightfoot said the city is working on plans to recognize and celebrate Halloween, but in a way that’s “consistent with the public health guidance.”
“I don’t expect to see mass crowds of trick or treating like we have in years past,” she said. “It’s not safe for the children. It’s not safe for the adults.”
The announcement isn’t a surprise in a city that’s discouraged large social gatherings while urging people to be careful about who they come into contact with, though it’s unclear how the city would enforce trick or treat bans.
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—Gregory Pratt
3:45 p.m.: CPS clerks must continue to work in person for now, but unfair labor complaint prompted by COVID-19 will be heard
Chicago Public Schools employees who say the risks of COVID-19 make their buildings unsafe must continue to show up for in-person work for now.
Illinois education labor board denied a request from the Chicago Teachers Union for emergency relief for clerks and other school employees who’ve been asked to work in person but say CPS has not bargained with them in good faith over working conditions.
Despite the outcome of Wednesday’s hearing, the board has agreed to advance the case.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
1:43 p.m.: United, pilots union reach tentative deal to avoid furloughs
United Airlines and the union representing its pilots have reached an agreement that would spare almost 3,000 pilots from furloughs next month.
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The Chicago-based airline last week warned that it planned to furlough 2,850 of its 13,000 pilots, along with more than 13,500 employees in other roles, amid a steep decline in air travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
Most of those furloughs are scheduled to start Oct. 1. Airlines that accepted federal aid this spring agreed to avoid layoffs before that date.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
1:41 p.m.: Positive COVID-19 test at Hinsdale Central High School
Hinsdale High School District 86 has launched its contract tracing procedure as someone at Hinsdale Central High School has had a positive COVID-19 test.
District officials notified families Wednesday morning about the positive test, but did not say when the person was tested or when the individual was in the school.
Students have been doing remote learning since the start of school last month, so students are not attending classes in person at Hinsdale Central or Hinsdale South high schools.
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Students could be at the school campus participating in one of the fall sports, which include girls and boys cross country, girls tennis and girls swimming and diving.
Read more here. —Kimberly Fornek
1:04 p.m.: Impact of COVID-19 seen on enrollment numbers at Illinois universities
The number of freshmen and international students are down at many Illinois universities as the impact on the coronavirus on fall enrollment begins to come into view.
At the University of Illinois, the number of undergraduate students enrolled is down about 350 from last year’s high. The freshman class is also down about 1.8%, and the number of students who chose to defer enrollment was nearly five times higher than in a typical year, officials said.
For more on fall enrollment at UIUC and other Illinois colleges, read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
12:24 p.m.: ‘I wanted to always play it down’: President Trump admits to downplaying the threat of coronavirus in new Bob Woodward book
President Donald Trump acknowledged to journalist Bob Woodward that he had knowingly played down the coronavirus earlier this year even though he was aware it was “deadly” and vastly more serious than the seasonal flu.
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“This is deadly stuff,” Trump told Woodward on Feb. 7 in one of a series of interviews he conducted with the president for his upcoming book, “Rage.”
The Washington Post and CNN were given advance copies of the book and published details Wednesday.
“You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed,” Trump said. “And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.”
That was a vastly different story than what Trump was telling the public.
“I wanted to always play it down,” Trump told Woodward on March 19. “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”
Read more here. —The New York Times
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12:05 p.m.: 1,337 new known COVID-19 cases, 30 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials Wednesday announced 1,337 new known cases of COVID-19 and 30 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 253,690 and the statewide death toll to 8,214 since the start of the pandemic.
—Chicago Tribune staff
11:22 a.m.: NIH: Halted vaccine study shows there will be ‘no compromises’ on safety
AstraZeneca’s suspension of final testing of its potential COVID-19 vaccine while it investigates a volunteer’s illness shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in developing the shots, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday.
“This ought to be reassuring,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said before a Senate committee. “When we say we are going to focus first on safety and make no compromises, here is Exhibit A of how that is happening in practice.”
Late Tuesday, AstraZeneca announced its final-stage studies are on temporary hold while the company looks into whether a test subject’s illness is a side effect of the shot or a coincidence. The company gave no details on the illness, but Collins said it involved a “spinal problem.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
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10:22 a.m.: Tamale Guy restaurant reopens today in Chicago as owner remains in ICU
Tamale Guy Chicago reopens today in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood. The namesake restaurant of Claudio Velez was closed for nearly two weeks after he tested positive for COVID-19, just two weeks after a grand opening with 10 block long lines, two hour waits and selling out of thousands of tamales. Prior to the coronavirus mandated closures, Velez was best known for his red cooler full of warm tamales, sold bar to bar on the North Side of the city.
Velez remains hospitalized on a ventilator in ICU with his condition improving. His business partners, longtime chef and friend Pierre Vega and his wife Kristin Vega, will continue operations. All staff tested negative for the coronavirus. They also have cleaned and disinfected the takeout-only restaurant according to CDC guidelines, said Velez’s son, Osmar Abad.
A GoFundMe for Velez’s medical expenses has raised more than $56,000 to date. Last week Abad said the family planned to close the campaign, but it’s still open. “We will leave the funds there until my dad is able to wake up and make his own decisions,” said Abad.
—Louisa Chu
9:24 a.m.: Dr. Anthony Fauci sticks with 2021 prediction for coronavirus vaccine
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he’s sticking with his projection that a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine may be ready in early 2021. He said it’s possible it could be sooner, but “unlikely.”
The White House adviser on the coronavirus told "CBS This Morning “the more likely scenario is that we will know by the end of this calendar year and hopefully we’ll be able to start vaccinations in earnest as we begin early 2021.”
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Fauci said it’s routine for late-stage vaccine studies to be put on hold because of side effects. A study by AstraZeneca of a potential coronavirus vaccine was recently paused for safety reasons after an illness from a shot in a recipient in Britain.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7:15 a.m.: JPMorgan Chase says some customers and employees misused PPP, other stimulus programs
JPMorgan Chase said Tuesday that a number of its employees and customers may have abused the Paycheck Protection Program and other coronavirus stimulus programs.
The New York-based bank said it is working with law enforcement in some cases, although in a memo sent to employees it did not state how many employees may have unethically misused the programs, or what exactly they did. The bank declined to comment beyond the memo.
“Unfortunately, we’ve also seen conduct that does not live up to our business and ethical principles — and may even be illegal,” the memo said.
Read more here. —Associated Press
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7 a.m.: Pritzker to attend Springfield memorial service for those who died from COVID-19
After census event in Normal in the morning, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was scheduled to attend a memorial service in Springfield Wednesday evening for people who have died from the coronavirus, according to his office.
Pritzker was scheduled to attend a memorial service at the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield “to honor those who have lost their lives to coronavirus … and their families,” according to his press office. Further details weren’t immediately released.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6:45 a.m.: Parents, students at Wheaton rally call for in-person learning and the early return of high school sports
Could Illinois be next on the list for an early return of high school sports?
That was an idea behind a large gathering Tuesday night in Wheaton.
Wheaton businessmen Dave Ruggles and Eric Brown helped form a “We Stand for the Students” rally at Memorial Park. More than 1,000 people showed up for two purposes — bringing back fall sports in its regular form as well as in-person learning to schools.
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On Sept. 3, Michigan government officials lifted an order restricting organized sports. The Michigan High School Athletic Association then reinstated football and other fall sports.
The next day, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association announced football will resume in that state on Oct. 8. Colorado is considering doing the same for football and other fall sports.
Read more here. —Jeff Vorva
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Tuesday related to COVID-19.


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Orland Hills fires police Chief Thomas Scully after social media post on personal Facebook page

“ We hold all of our public officials to the highest standards in their personal and professional lives , ” @ @ @ @ @ This social media post is in incredibly poor taste .
It does not reflect the @ @ @ @ @ our community , and we will not tolerate such behavior from any of our public @ @ @

Orland Hills on Wednesday fired its longtime police chief after a social media post the village described as being “in incredibly poor taste.”
The post had been on Thomas Scully’s personal Facebook page for about a week and was brought to the attention of village officials Wednesday, said Brian O’Neill, village administrator.
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O’Neill said he spoke with Scully about the post but declined to discuss details of the conversation.
In a two-paragraph statement, the village said that Mike Blaha, deputy chief, had been named as interim chief until a replacement can be found.
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“We hold all of our public officials to the highest standards in their personal and professional lives,” the statement reads. “This social media post is in incredibly poor taste. It does not reflect the values of the people of our community, and we will not tolerate such behavior from any of our public officials.”
Scully previously was police administrator for the department before being named chief in late September 2007. He previously served as police chief in Crestwood, leaving that post in September 2005.
Scully could not immediately be reached for comment.
mnolan@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Chicago bans sales of flavored vaping products

“ I ’ m asking for your support because we all know vaping is unsafe for children , and we @ @ @ @ @ are marketed to children , with flavors like apple , berry , bubble gum , @ @ @ @ @ , Fruit Loops , nilla vapes , strawberry shortcake , ” O ’ Shea said @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t hide behind ‘ vaping is a sensation.
’ They ’ re targeting @ @ @ @ @ cost lives .
”

A variety of vaping flavors and testers are on display for customers to try at a local vape shop, including berry burst, left, apple's candy, center, and Sher burst, which is a combination of orange, raspberry and lime. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Flavored vaping products favored by teens will be banned on shelves at Chicago stores, but flavored tobacco such as menthol cigarettes can still be sold under rules the City Council passed Wednesday.
Southwest Side Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, had hoped to ban the sale of all flavored nicotine products, including flavored cigarettes and cigars.
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Faced with stiff opposition from retailers who said smokers simply would cross into the suburbs to buy flavored cigarettes and from some aldermen who have long complained that higher prices and stricter restrictions on tobacco sales in Chicago propel a gang-controlled underground market for such products, the council instead voted for narrower rules than O’Shea initially proposed.
But he endorsed the version that passed, saying it’s an important step to protect kids.
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“I’m asking for your support because we all know vaping is unsafe for children, and we all know that vaping products are marketed to children, with flavors like apple, berry, bubble gum, cotton candy, gummy bear, Fruit Loops, nilla vapes, strawberry shortcake,” O’Shea said. “So please, don’t hide behind ‘vaping is a sensation.’ They’re targeting our children and it will cost lives.”
And Mayor Lori Lightfoot added her backing, saying people who smoke are more likely to suffer severe cases of the coronavirus.
Lightfoot noted her own personal distaste for smoking. The mayor said her daughter has seen people vaping in the bathroom and said her own father was a two-packs-a-day smoker who died “a slow, painful, miserable death because of smoking.”
The council adopted the new rules by a 46-4 vote.
After the meeting, Lightfoot said supporters of a tougher ban compromised to get something passed, but vowed to keep pushing to enact stricter regulations on sales.
But not all council members were on board Wednesday.
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, pointed out sales of vaping products and cigarettes are already prohibited in Chicago to people younger than 21 years old. “I would like to see better enforcement of the existing laws,” Reilly said.
And Northwest Side Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, said now isn’t the right time to further handicap small retailers struggling because of the pandemic. “We’re just killing businesses in this city,” Sposato said.
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In addition to allowing flavored cigarettes and cigars, flavored chewing tobacco also would continue to be allowed for sale under the new regulations.
The new rules on nicotine products are the latest attempt by the council and mayor’s office in recent years to regulate them.
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As mayor, Rahm Emanuel repeatedly increased taxes on tobacco and e-cigarettes, and raised the legal smoking age in Chicago from 18 to 21 in what he framed as a fight against Big Tobacco’s push to hook kids on its products.
Emanuel also passed an ordinance requiring stores that sell tobacco and e-cigarettes to post signs explaining the dangers of smoking and including phone numbers smokers can call to get help quitting.
And he muscled through the City Council in 2013 an ordinance that outlawed the sale of flavored tobacco within 500 feet of any school in Chicago. But in 2016, aldermen worried about struggling stores in their wards convinced him to mostly roll back those restrictions.
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The city still prohibits sales of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco near high schools.
State lawmakers considered legislation that would ban flavored tobacco products throughout Illinois during last year’s fall veto session, but the issue stalled and didn’t resurface during this spring’s pandemic-shortened legislative session.
State Sen. Julie Morrison, a Lake Forest Democrat who sponsored one of the proposals, said in a statement Wednesday that she plans to revive the legislation next spring.
Also on Wednesday, The City Council approved a package aimed at protecting affordable housing in the South Side neighborhood around the location of the proposed Obama Presidential Center.
The ordinance sets out ways to help lower-income residents keep their homes in Woodlawn near the site of the proposed center by helping tenants organize themselves to try to purchase multiunit buildings, setting aside funds for residents to repair their homes and requiring developers of city-owned land to include certain numbers of affordable units.
The council also passed an ordinance that will allow women to bare more flesh in Chicago establishments that sell liquor, in order to settle a federal lawsuit by a transgender woman.
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The ordinance the City Council passed removes reference to gender from the liquor license statutes governing how much flesh can be shown by performers in various Chicago establishments, so women in those establishments will no longer be required to affix “pasties” or use other latex coverings on their breasts while performing in such places.
Bea Sullivan-Knoff filed the federal lawsuit in 2016 because she said it was discriminatory that she couldn’t appear topless without “pasties” covering her nipples as part of her performance art pieces.
Also passing Wednesday was an ordinance outlawing single-night rentals in Chicago through Airbnb and other online platforms, an effort backed by Lightfoot to crack down on “party houses” as part of a series of stricter rules governing how the vacation rental businesses can operate in the city.
City officials also would have an easier time cracking down on problem renters under the ordinance that passed the council.
Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
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gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Three Aurora warehouse employees taken to hospital after stack of pallets falls

One employee was taken to the hospital in serious condition while the other two , who were able to walk @ @ @ @ @ hospital with minor injuries , Rhodes said .

Three Aurora warehouse employees were taken to the hospital after a stack of pallets fell on them while working Wednesday morning on the city’s East Side, Aurora Fire Department officials said.
Aurora firefighters were called to a warehouse around 10:45 a.m. on the 900 block of Bilter Road after a stack of 20 pallets fell on three employees standing nearby, Aurora Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Rhodes said.
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One employee was taken to the hospital in serious condition while the other two, who were able to walk, were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Rhodes said.
Warehouse officials reviewed security footage and had employees go through roll call to make sure no one else was injured in the incident.
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mejones@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Some Illinois universities see drop in freshmen and international student enrollment during COVID-19

Some Illinois universities see drop in freshmen and international student enrollment during COVID-19 pandemic

At Illinois State University in Normal , overall undergraduate enrollment and the freshmen class size was down , according to @ @ @ @ @ characterized the figures as strong despite the 0.8 % decline in total enrollment , bringing @ @ @ @ @ A big loss came from freshmen , with about 500 fewer students this fall compared @ @ @ @ @ ISU saw its largest freshmen class in 33 years .
Freshmen amounted to 3,353 students @ @ @ @ @ enrollment increased by 4 % — the fifth consecutive year of growth .

A staff member stands outside of a COVID-19 testing site on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign. The school saw a drop in undergraduate enrollment of about 350 students from last year. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
In an early glimpse of the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on college enrollment, some Illinois universities are seeing declines in international students and freshman class sizes but also a higher number of graduate students, who are taking advantage of online programs.
At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the state’s largest college, undergraduate enrollment fell by about 350 students from record levels last year, the school announced Wednesday. The freshman class size also dropped by about 1.8% to 7,530 students, the school said, and an additional 277 students deferred admission compared with about 60 in a typical year.
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“This year’s new freshmen have endured so much uncertainty regarding their college choice,” said Andy Borst, director of undergraduate admissions, in a statement. “We are pleased that so many students decided to enroll this year, and we will continue to work with the students who asked to delay admission so they can join us for a later term.”
But the losses were offset by an increase in graduate students, many of whom are taking online courses, with total enrollment growing to 52,331, a new record.
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About 17,800 graduate students enrolled at UIUC, up by 9% from a high last year. Some 42% of graduate students are taking fully online programs, with big increases seen in the Gies College of Business and Grainger College of Engineering. Still, about 2,000 graduate students chose to delay admission.
Citing the pandemic, UIUC said about 576 international undergraduate students discontinued their studies for the fall 2020 semester. Most new international students are taking classes online, with freshmen from China rising by 3.9%.
Other Illinois colleges also reported losses in international students, attributing the declines to challenges from the pandemic.
At Eastern Illinois University, “changing federal regulations" and the pandemic made it more difficult for international students to enter the U.S. for school, the college said in a statement. EIU has 263 international students this fall, a 21% decline from 332 last fall, according to a spokesman.
And at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, international student enrollment fell by about 2.6%, officials said. The highest number of international students at SIU Carbondale come from China, India, Nepal and Saudi Arabia, the school says.
“The American consulates were not open in many countries. Students were not able to go and get the visas even though they had been admitted,” said Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at SIU Carbondale.
Across all University of Illinois schools, which include campuses in Chicago and Springfield, total enrollment reached 90,343 — a new record for the eighth straight year, according to system President Tim Killeen. But undergraduate enrollment saw a net decrease of 177 students to 58,258, according to a news release.
“Even in a year of historic challenges, enrollment grew to another all-time high," Killeen said in a news release that framed the progress against the financial pressures wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Killeen also credited the University of Illinois' innovative saliva test, which is screening people on campus for COVID-19, for the success in attracting students despite the uncertainty of recent months.
The University of Illinois at Chicago also broke its enrollment record, set last year, with 33,518 students taking classes this fall. More transfer students enrolled, driving an increase in the undergraduate population, but the freshman class size dropped by about 20% to 3,541.
“Our continued enrollment growth demonstrates that we are providing an accessible and affordable world-class education at Chicago’s only public research university,” UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis said in a statement.
In response to the pandemic, many colleges are offering a combination of in-person, hybrid and remote classes. The student body is typically counted on the 10th day of classes and sent to the Illinois Board of Higher Education to be double-checked. IBHE will release figures for the state’s 12 public universities in October, an agency spokeswoman said. Some schools release their numbers earlier.
At Illinois State University in Normal, overall undergraduate enrollment and the freshmen class size was down, according to new data. School officials characterized the figures as strong despite the 0.8% decline in total enrollment, bringing all attendees to 20,720. A big loss came from freshmen, with about 500 fewer students this fall compared with last year, when ISU saw its largest freshmen class in 33 years. Freshmen amounted to 3,353 students this year while graduate student enrollment increased by 4% — the fifth consecutive year of growth.
Northern Illinois University in DeKalb celebrated gains in overall enrollment and an 8% boost in freshmen, bringing that class to about 2,047. Total enrollment for fall reached 16,769, an increase of about 160 students from last year. NIU’s College of Law also saw an increase of 12% with 33 more students enrolling.
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At SIU Carbondale, freshmen and new student enrollment jumped significantly, though overall enrollment fell by 2.8% from fall 2019 to 11,366. Still, the drop was much less than in any of the previous four years, when declines between 8% and 12% have been reported, and leaders are optimistic the school is turning the corner. The number of new students enrolling increased by about 31%. Most are freshmen, though some come in with enough credit to begin as sophomores or juniors, spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith said.
Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and DePaul University said their numbers were not finalized since classes had not begun by Tuesday. Loyola University Chicago reported a 500-student drop in freshmen enrollment compared with last year, bringing the total number of first-year students to 2,137, according to a spokeswoman.
echerney@chicagotribune.com


Corrections and clarifications

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Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards .
Everyone in @ @ @ @ @ live up to this code of conduct .
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· A Page 1 story Wednesday about a proposed Republican coronavirus relief bill erroneously reported that virus legislation passed by the House in May contained $3.5 billion in spending. It contained $3.5 trillion.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
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chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Chicago aldermen approve Obama Presidential Center affordable housing plan

If developers purchase any of 52 city-owned lots in the neighborhood , they would need to agree to meet requirements @ @ @ @ @ affordable units in their buildings .
Certain local hiring bench marks also would need to @ @ @ @ @ .

Protesters calling for the development of affordable housing near the proposed site of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago march down the Midway Plaisance in Chicago on June 11, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The City Council on Wednesday approved a package aimed at protecting affordable housing in the South Side neighborhood around the location of the proposed Obama Presidential Center.
The ordinance sets out ways to help lower-income residents keep their homes in the Woodlawn neighborhood near the site of the proposed center by helping tenants organize themselves to try to purchase multiunit buildings and setting aside funds for residents to repair their homes.
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The measure passed after months of negotiations between Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration and housing advocates who fear longtime residents will lose their housing as the neighborhood gentrifies when the Obama center gets built in nearby Jackson Park.
After the council meeting, Lightfoot noted the lengthy process.
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“Following months of collaboration and partnership with advocacy groups, community leaders and elected officials, the City Council today passed a Woodlawn housing ordinance,” she said. “This is an innovative and comprehensive measure that will, among other things, protect Woodlawn residents from displacement, as well as expand homeownership opportunities and ensure inclusive growth for this historic neighborhood.”
Under the deal, the city will set aside $1 million to establish the Woodlawn Long-term Homeowner Improvement Grant Program, which would allow residents to apply for funds to fix up their properties.
Tenants will get right of first refusal to purchase properties that go up for sale in the area. That might involve a nonprofit organization helping residents of a particular building find the funding to make a down payment, according to Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara.
If developers purchase any of 52 city-owned lots in the neighborhood, they would need to agree to meet requirements to include certain percentages of affordable units in their buildings. Certain local hiring bench marks also would need to be met for those projects.
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Novara said the city hopes these standards will be more successful than affordable housing bench marks near the popular 606 elevated trail on the North Side, because the measures are being put in place before the groundbreaking for the presidential center.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, who was elected last year on a platform to stand up for Woodlawn residents in the face of expected rising property values in the area and who initially expressed frustration with the way the administration was addressing the situation, said Wednesday the ordinance is a good deal.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she doesn’t expect ‘mass crowds of trick-or-treating’ this Halloween

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city ’ s looking at how to best celebrate the holiday and doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ years past .
Lightfoot said the city is working on plans to recognize and celebrate @ @ @ @ @ way that ’ s “ consistent with the public health guidance .
”

On what should have been an epic year for Halloween lovers, with the annual celebration of costumes and candy falling on a Saturday, it seems the coronavirus will be playing the final trick on those seeking treats in Chicago.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city’s looking at how to best celebrate the holiday and doesn’t expect it to look like years past. Lightfoot said the city is working on plans to recognize and celebrate Halloween, but in a way that’s “consistent with the public health guidance.”
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“I don’t expect to see mass crowds of trick-or-treating like we have in years past,” she said. “It’s not safe for the children. It’s not safe for the adults.”
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The announcement isn’t a surprise in a city that’s discouraged large social gatherings while urging people to be careful about who they come into contact with, though it’s unclear how the city would enforce trick-or-treat bans.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--17 coronavirus fatalities added to Indiana’s death toll; Lake County adds 2 more deaths, topping 300

The state health department released its first county-by-county risk map last week and the updated version showed slight improvement across @ @ @ @ @ in rural southwestern Indiana , which was the only county with a highest-risk red rating @ @ @ @ @ the orange rating of moderate to high spread .

Indiana health officials added 17 more coronavirus-related deaths to the state’s toll on Wednesday as updated statewide COVID-19 risk ratings listed most counties with minimal or moderate virus spread.
Indiana’s newly recorded fatalities raise the state’s death toll to 3,397, including confirmed and presumed coronavirus cases, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. The new deaths occurred over the past week.
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According to state, Lake County’s death toll has risen by two to 301 to go along with 9,601 cases. In reporting Wednesday, the Porter County Health Department says there hae been 45 deaths and 1,864 cases.
The state health department released its first county-by-county risk map last week and the updated version showed slight improvement across the state. Martin County in rural southwestern Indiana, which was the only county with a highest-risk red rating last week, improved to the orange rating of moderate to high spread.
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It is among seven counties with the orange rating — the same number as a week earlier. Those include Bloomington’s Monroe County, Muncie’s Delaware County and Terre Haute’s Vigo County.
The remaining 85 counties received yellow or blue ratings based on the number of new cases per 100,000 residents and the percentage of tests confirming COVID-19 infections.
Gov. Eric Holcomb was scheduled to discuss the state’s coronavirus response during a Wednesday afternoon briefing.


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Ex-Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura pleads guilty to federal wire fraud charges; sentencing set for Decembe

Ex-Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura pleads guilty to federal wire fraud charges; sentencing set for December

He is facing up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 250,000 or both for @ @ @ @ @ up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $ 250,000 for @ @ @ @ @ .
His wife will not face charges for her involvement in the theft if the @ @ @ @ @ she follows the terms of her pretrial deferral .

Former Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura and his attorney, Kerry Connor, exit the federal courthouse in Hammond after Stahura's plea agreement hearing on Sept. 9, 2020. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
A somber former Mayor Joe Stahura of Whiting entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court on charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return tied to the misuse of approximately $255,000 in campaign funds on gambling and personal bills.
Stahura appeared with his attorney, Kerry Connor, of Highland, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joshua P. Kolar wearing a dark suit and green facemask. His wife, Diane, who was named in the complaint but not charged as part of the plea agreement, was not present.
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The hearing was scheduled for an initial appearance and arraignment but included the change of plea. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled before Senior Judge James T. Moody of the Northern District of Indiana in early December.
Former Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura and his attorney, Kerry Connor, exit the federal courthouse in Hammond after Stahura's plea agreement hearing on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Stahura responded “yes” and “yes, sir” to Kolar as he asked him questions regarding his understanding of the charges and the rights he was waiving in order to enter a plea agreement.
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As part of the plea deal, Stahura pleaded guilty to the charges outlined in the Aug. 27 complaint which claims between April 2014 and November 2019 the Stahuras made 57 withdrawals totaling $55,700 from the Committee to Elect Joe Stahura account that was used in casinos in Hammond, Iowa and French Lick.
Additional funds were withdrawn from the CTE account, to which Stahura and his wife were the only signatories, to pay for credit card and medical bills, taxes and to occasionally assist an adult child. A June 2019 withdrawal from the account of $10,000 was used to electronically pay a Citicard credit card bill, resulting in the wire fraud charges.
On April 17, 2019, $26,500 was taken from the campaign account and used to pay Stahura’s Indiana State Income taxes a few days later.
Federal agents in the complaint said Stahura in 2019 filed his federal income taxes for 2018 without reporting as income the $51,480 stolen from the campaign account that year.
“All of the transactions were done with the consent and knowledge of the defendant and his wife,” Prosecuting attorney Phillip Benson said.
After the statement of facts was read, Kolar asked Stahura for his plea.
“Guilty,” he said. When asked if he agreed with the account read by prosecutors Stahura replied, “It’s accurate.”
His cooperation with the case will be factored into his sentencing.
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Stahura will remain free on a $20,000 appearance bond. Prior to the sentencing, Stahura may not obtain a passport or possess a firearm.
As part of the plea deal, Stahura owes $28,977 in restitution to the IRS not including any interest or fees.
He is facing up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or both for the wire fraud charge and up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for filing a false tax return. His wife will not face charges for her involvement in the theft if the plea deal is accepted and she follows the terms of her pretrial deferral.
Only one person watched the trail with reporters at the federal building.
Bob Vavercan, a longtime Whiting resident, said he came to the trial to show his support for the former mayor.
“He was one of the best mayors of Whiting,” Vavercan said, adding Stahura has done a lot of good things for the city. Seeing Stahura in court was difficult for Vavercan.
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“It made me feel sad,” he said. “In history, as you now, they forget the good things you do and only remember the bad.”
Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--CPS employees who say COVID-19 makes schools unsafe must continue to report to work in person, for n

CPS employees who say COVID-19 makes schools unsafe must continue to report to work in person, for now

For CPS , attorney Peter Brierton argued that allowing clerks to work remotely in the spring did not represent a @ @ @ @ @ rather an anomaly , and that it was not an unfair change in working conditions @ @ @ @ @ buildings .
He also said the district had been bargaining with the union during regular @ @ @ @ @ had to make decisions before school started .
He indicated that compromises such as hazard @ @ @ @ @ out .

Chicago Public Schools can keep requiring school clerks to go to work in person for now, but the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board wants to hear more directly from school employees before making a final ruling.
In a hearing Wednesday, the board denied the Chicago Teachers Union’s request for emergency relief that could have allowed clerks to start working from home immediately. Instead the board decided to proceed with a more formal hearing process before an administrative law judge. Meanwhile, a related grievance is scheduled for an arbitration hearing next week.
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The teachers union filed an unfair labor practice charge last month, saying CPS did not bargain in good faith before sending school clerks and other employees back into buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic under conditions the CTU claims are unsafe.
The board followed the recommendation of its general counsel, Ellen Strizak, who said the resolution of “critical facts” that are in dispute, such as whether CPS bargained in good faith with CTU, relies on witness testimony.
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While voting against the immediate relief, board member Lynne Sered said she wanted the case to proceed as quickly as possible.
Since returning to work for the new school year, clerks, technology coordinators and clinicians at more than 100 CPS buildings have reported unsafe conditions or lax enforcement of safety protocols, according to CTU.
Stephen Yokich, an attorney for the union, said CPS didn’t properly negotiate before telling clerks they had to go back to schools starting Aug. 26.
“It’s a classic unfair labor practice because the basic principle behind the duty to bargain is that bargaining must take place in a meaningful time,” Yokich said. “... It doesn’t make sense to bargain about safety conditions when you’re already in the place where the alleged unsafe condition exists."
For CPS, attorney Peter Brierton argued that allowing clerks to work remotely in the spring did not represent a new status quo, but rather an anomaly, and that it was not an unfair change in working conditions to bring clerks back into buildings. He also said the district had been bargaining with the union during regular meetings over the summer but had to make decisions before school started. He indicated that compromises such as hazard pay have not been ruled out.
“The district’s position is it has the managerial authority,” he said. “... Clerks performing work at schools is not a unilateral change to the terms and conditions of their employment. It’s how it has been done as far as any of us can remember.”
Brierton questioned the sample size of CTU’s survey, saying it didn’t comprise more than a quarter of the clerks in the district.
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“The information we have received from principals does not reflect what Mr. Yokich and the union have said,” Brierton said.
Yokich said the union had submitted “a ton of evidence" of poor conditions at schools, and the majority of survey respondents said there were no sneeze guards placed in main offices where interaction with the public typically happens. The district’s screening protocols for anyone entering schools also fall short, considering asymptomatic people can spread the coronavirus, he said.
“The school district literally has no way of knowing whether there are infectious people in the schools,” he said. “They don’t test. They take the temperature. That doesn’t tell if people are asymptomatic.”
For students, remote learning will continue at least through the fall quarter, though some teachers are giving online lessons from their classrooms.
While the union has acknowledged that some tasks do require in-person work for clerks and other employees, the best way to reduce transmission risk day to day is to let employees work from home, Yokich said.
Brierton said clerks are needed on campus to help with registration and Chromebook distribution. He said it was possible for them to work from home during the summer because administrators took over some of their on-campus responsibilities, but now that school is in session again principals don’t have time for that. They also need a solution for forwarding calls from the main office to clerks at home.
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“There will be very real harm to the students of the city of Chicago as it relates to registration and enrollment,” Brierton said.
The district is asking clerks, along with administrators, security officers and cafeteria workers, to keep coming in for the duration of fall quarter because that’s consistent with the timeline for evaluating whether remote learning should continue, he said.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--Aldermen approve measure that will allow more nudity in Chicago bars

During a hearing last month on the proposal , a city lawyer said performers in establishments that aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ need to make the case that they aren ’ t baring their flesh for “ @ @ @ @ @ would only be allowed to do so once every 30 days .

Bea Sullivan-Knoff stands in front of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office at City Hall in Chicago on Aug. 24, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Women will soon be allowed to bare more flesh in Chicago establishments that sell liquor, in a move aldermen approved Wednesday to settle a federal lawsuit by a transgender woman.
The ordinance the City Council passed removes reference to gender from the liquor license statutes governing how much flesh can be shown by performers in various Chicago establishments.
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So women in those establishments will no longer be required to affix “pasties” or use other latex coverings on their breasts while performing in such places.
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Bea Sullivan-Knoff filed the federal lawsuit in 2016 because she said it was discriminatory that she couldn’t appear topless without “pasties” covering her nipples as part of her performance art pieces.
She announced late last year that she had reached a tentative settlement with the city in the suit.
During a hearing last month on the proposal, a city lawyer said performers in establishments that aren’t licensed for adult uses would need to make the case that they aren’t baring their flesh for “prurient interests,” and would only be allowed to do so once every 30 days.
Topless-only restaurants will be allowed to apply for liquor licenses under the change. And strip clubs with liquor licenses will be allowed to do away with “pasties” on their performers.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-09-09--The Spin: In Chicago, AG Barr credits feds' for cutting crime, but Mayor Lightfoot says that’s ‘fact

The Spin: In Chicago, AG Barr credits feds' for cutting crime, but Mayor Lightfoot says that’s ‘factually inaccurate’  | New poll shows Biden slightly ahead of Trump in battleground Wisconsin |  Trump EPA guts tough standards for biggest polluter on Lake Michigan

Other city news : Halloween on the ropes ?
With the annual celebration of costumes and candy falling on a @ @ @ @ @ was going to be epic , the Tribune ’ s Gregory Pratt reports .
Now @ @ @ @ @ get to play the final trick on all those seeking treats .
Mayor said the @ @ @ @ @ how to best celebrate the holiday and doesn ’ t expect it to look like @ @ @ @ @ the city is working on plans to recognize and celebrate Halloween , but in a @ @ @ @ @ consistent with the public health guidance .
”

Attorney General William Barr provides an update on Operation Legend on Sept. 9, 2011, at a news conference at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Sounding a whole lot like his boss, Attorney General William Barr was in Chicago this morning, saying “order has been restored to this great American city” just weeks after added federal law enforcement officers were dispatched here and to other cities as part of Operation Legend to stem a spike in violent crime.
Further echoing Republican President Donald Trump;s law-and-order message, Barr said it’s a “vivid” illustration of what law enforcement at all levels can do when they collaborate, and railed against elected leaders who are heeding calls to defund or slash police department budgets; he calls the move “misguided and shortsighted policy” in a time when people want a sense of security.
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No mention, however, that some of those “defunding” calls are coming from activists and elected leaders calling for reforms as Black Americans are being killed by police at a disproportionate rate.
Meanwhile, a new Wisconsin poll shows Trump is narrowly trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden among likely voters there.
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And Trump’s political appointees gutted the Obama-era standards for Oak Creek coal-fired power plant just north of the Illinois-Wisconsin border, one of the largest sources of toxic metals dumped into Lake Michigan.
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Attorney General William Barr gives an update on Operation Legend on Sept. 9, 2020, at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Data points: During a news conference at the downtown Chicago Dirksen federal courthouse, Barr said over the first five weeks of Operation Legend in Chicago, homicides have dropped by 50%, my Tribune colleague Jason Meisner notes. Barr also said federal prosecutors have charged 124 defendants in all, 90 with firearms-related charges and 30 more with drug trafficking offenses. Read Meisner’s full account of Barr’s visit here.
At a news conference this afternoon the mayor called Barr’s claims ‘factually inaccurate’: “We started to see a downward trend in shootings and homicides really beginning in late July. The first additional agents that came to Chicago as part of Operation Legend didn’t get here until August 3rd and those were a trickle,” she said.
The mayor said she appreciated FBI, ATF, DEA and other agents who have been here for years working with Chicago Police, and is hopeful the additional resources “will really bear fruit” over time. But, she also said, she’s not sure the feds sent the full number of people they said they would and it’s premature to do a “victory lap.”
Perspective: Meisner points out, “Barr’s remarks came as the city was still reeling from another violent holiday weekend, with more than 50 people shot and nine homicides, including an 8-year-old girl fatally shot while riding in a car and a mother of two stabbed to death while stocking shelves at a Walgreens.
“And Chicago recorded 63 homicides in August — the highest toll for killings during that month in at least four years, police statistics show. Additionally, 503 people were shot in August, the highest shooting toll since at least 2017.
“The numbers were down significantly from July, however, which was one of the bloodiest months in decades with 105 people slain.”
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Where’s the mayor, top cop? Barr was asked by a reporter why Lightfoot and Chicago police Superintendent David Brown weren’t on hand for what is surely a collaborative effort.
“They were certainly invited and could have attended, but one of the odd things about our program in this city are some of the politics, and I’m sure that was an element of it. So I think you’ll have to ask the mayor.”
Indeed, the mayor was asked about the decision not to show up for Barr’s news conference: Lightfoot said politics were certainly part of it: “we will never be used as a prop. Never.”
And she said that while the police department was invited to the news conference, she was not.
Taking credit: While the news conference ostensibly was a progress report on making communities safer, the Democrat vs. Republican power struggle was on full display. Barr aid the city sent out a news release today on crime falling “and is crediting a number of factors. Absent among those factors is the federal contribution. So,” he said, “just the way things, roll here in Chicago.”
Before he goes: Barr said he was scheduled to go on a ride-along through the city with Brown later in the day.
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Related: New CPD program to use data to flag officers who need intervention. But information gathered won’t lead to punitive actions against cops — Police brass bill it as a tool to support an officer and steer him or her toward training or counseling, the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Annie Sweeney write. “(E)xperts who reviewed the department’s plan say it includes no accountability for officers who may show a pattern of problematic behavior, leaving the department without recourse to pull officers from the street or take disciplinary measures based on the information turned up by the program," Gorner and Sweeney note. Read the full story here.
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"I voted" wristbands for voters at the Chicago Board of Elections' Loop Super Site on Oct. 19, 2018. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
New Marquette University poll shows Biden ahead of Trump in battleground state Wisconsin: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has a narrow lead over Republican President Donald Trump in a new Wisconsin poll, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting.
Biden leads Trump 47% to 43%, respectively, according to the Marquette University Law School poll, which was conducted after the Republican and Democratic national conventions in August, the newspaper reports.
The results nearly mirror an early August poll Marquette conducted, which showed Biden led by 5 percentage points among likely voters in the state, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Both candidates traveled to Kenosha, the scene of days of unrest after a white police officer shot a Black man in the back, when the poll was conducted. The paper also notes that Trump’s visit to Kenosha on Sept. 1 was about halfway through the period in which the poll was conducted. Biden’s Sept. 3 visit to Kenosha took place on the final day the poll was in the field.
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The survey has a margin of error of 4.3 points among likely voters and 4 points among registered voters.
Kanye West lands on Mississippi ballot: In all, the Chicago-raised rapper and independent presidential candidate is on the ballot in 12 states, Forbes is reporting. A reminder, however, that he was deemed ineligible for the Illinois ballot.
Opinion: Patrick O’Brien needs to own up to his role as a prosecutor in bungled criminal case — Tribune columnist Eric Zorn writes about a decades-old murder case that resulted in a wrongful conviction when O’Brien, the Republican candidate trying to unseat Democratic Cook County State’s Kim Foxx, was a supervisor in the office. Zorn writes that it’s only fair to resurrect the case since O’Brien “has made questions about Foxx’s integrity and judgment, particularly in her handling of the Jussie Smollett case, a centerpiece of his campaign.” Read the column here.
More election news: Chicago receives more than 350,000 vote-by-mail applications, working to fill 14,000 election judge spots: The Tribune’s Kelli Smith has more details here.
New today: Ex-Madigan campaign worker launches website, digital ads today to bolster fundraising for new PAC promoting good government — Alaina Hampton, who once sued House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political operation, is trying to get the word out about her Majority Justice Movement PAC, which she is said is aimed at bringing new blood into Illinois politics. Check out the website Hampton launched earlier today here.
The PAC was introduced in the aftermath of the alleged Commonwealth Edison bribery scheme that has implicated Madigan, one of Illinois' most powerful and longest-tenured politicians.
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One of the new digital ads features photos of former Illinois governors Rod Blagojevich, George Ryan, Dan Walker and Otto Kerner with the phrase “Four Illinois governors have been convicted of crimes since the 1960s.” Another has a Chicago Sun-Times headline “Former high-ranking ComEd official charged in scheme to benefit House Speaker Michael Madigan” and implores those reading the ad to “sign up to join the new movement.” Two others feature troubled politicians and ask folks to donate “$5 to end corruption.”
While she had planned to dial up elected leaders who had accepted donations from ComEd to see if they’d want to give money to her cause, she’s now making direct appeals for small donations via the digital ads.
No doubt, Hampton’s past troubles with Madigan’s political operation has fueled her efforts: A onetime campaign worker and current Democratic strategist filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 accusing Madigan’s political operations of retaliation after she reported inappropriate behavior by Kevin Quinn, a veteran aide whom the speaker has ousted.
She reached a legal settlement with Madigan’s political committees in November. The settlement was announced shortly after the Tribune reported that Madigan’s longtime confidant Michael McClain, an ex-lobbyist for ComEd, had orchestrated for some current and former ComEd lobbyists to give Quinn contracts after Madigan fired him amid scandal.
Documents laying out the federal prosecutor’s case against ComEd made clear that the nexus of the federal investigation into the utility and Madigan’s operation is McClain.
The Oak Creek coal-fired power plant Sept. 8, 2020, in Wisconsin. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The Oak Creek coal-fired power plant just north of the Wisconsin border and towering over Lake Michigan is one of the largest sources of toxic metals dumped into American waterways, the Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne reports.
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He writes: "By now the coal plant’s owner should have dramatically reduced its pollution. In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted stringent limits on metals that stick around in the environment and become more dangerous as they move up the food chain.
“But President Donald Trump’s political appointees stalled the regulations soon after taking office in 2017, and last week they gutted the Obama-era standards for Oak Creek and other fossil fuel plants.” Hawthorne notes: “Industry lobbyists and Trump administration officials blame the Obama EPA for job losses at coal mines and power plants struggling to compete in energy markets.” Read his full story here.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces his sister, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, has been appointed to head the new Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund, at his daily briefing on March 26, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Dan Petrella writes: "A private fundraising effort started in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic to give a boost to nonprofit organizations helping those grappling with the physical and financial consequences of COVID-19 is winding down its work, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday.
"While acknowledging that there remains ‘tremendous need’ throughout the state, Pritzker said the intent of the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund when it was set up in March was to provide quick assistance as the federal and state governments were still formulating their responses.
“The fund, under the leadership of former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, the governor’s older sister, has made its final round of grants — $7.5 million to seven organizations across the state, with a particular focus on groups aiding the Black and Latino communities. In all, the fund distributed more than $31 million to more than 1,650 organizations in Illinois.” Read the full story here.
Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,337 new known cases of COVID-19 and 30 additional fatalities reported as Fauci sticks with 2021 prediction for vaccine: Read the updates in the Tribune, here.
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University of Illinois sues to stop nurses strike, saying it could endanger patients: Reporter Lisa Schencker has the details in this Tribune story.
Then-Police Board President Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, from left, at a news conference April 14, 2016. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune )
Mayor Lightfoot downplayed the inspector general’s interview with her as part of his investigation into former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, saying the sit-down was “short.”
“Much ado about nothing,” she said, when asked about the interview.
The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt and John Byrne had the scoop on it earlier this week: Read full story here.
Other city news: Halloween on the ropes? With the annual celebration of costumes and candy falling on a Saturday, Halloween this year was going to be epic, the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt reports. Now it seems the coronavirus will get to play the final trick on all those seeking treats. Mayor said the city’s looking at how to best celebrate the holiday and doesn’t expect it to look like years past. Lightfoot said the city is working on plans to recognize and celebrate Halloween, but in a way that’s “consistent with the public health guidance.”
Chicago bans sales of flavored vaping products - Byrne and Pratt write the effort was introduced by South Side Ald. Matt O’Shea and backed by Lightfoot, who raised concerns that vapers may suffer severe cases of COVID-19. But Northwest Side Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, said now isn’t the right time to further limit small retailers — who may see customers travel to the suburbs to buy their favorite flavored product — struggling because of the pandemic. “We’re just killing businesses in this city,” Sposato said. Read the full story here.
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Other city news: Developer seeks approval for thousands of units on portion of Moody Bible Institute’s Near North Side campus — The Tribune’s Ryan Ori has the details here.
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