chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Chicago’s City Colleges will wipe out debt of former students who return, Mayor Lori Lightfoot annou

Chicago’s City Colleges will wipe out debt of former students who return, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces in push to boost post-COVID recovery

Willis is now getting a second chance both to earn her associate degree and wipe out that debt .
She @ @ @ @ @ 21,000 former students of the City Colleges of Chicago system who Mayor Lori Lightfoot says @ @ @ @ @ forgiveness program she announced on Tuesday , with Willis at her side .

About 21,000 former students of City Colleges of Chicago could benefit from a new debt forgiveness program the mayor announced Tuesday. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Latil Willis was struggling to keep up with her schoolwork from Harold Washington College in Chicago while also holding down a job. She became overwhelmed and ultimately dropped her classes, but she missed the tuition refund deadline and then began accumulating debt.
“I have always dreamed of earning my business degree and having a career in fashion,” Willis said. “It was difficult for me to realize that I might not ever be able to do so.”
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Willis is now getting a second chance both to earn her associate degree and wipe out that debt. She is one of more than 21,000 former students of the City Colleges of Chicago system who Mayor Lori Lightfoot says could benefit from a debt forgiveness program she announced on Tuesday, with Willis at her side.
Aiming to boost Chicago’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery, the “Fresh Start” initiative will offer those who left City Colleges in good academic standing over the past 10 years the chance to complete their degrees or certificates debt-free, as soon as this fall. The mayor’s office estimates this group of former students currently holds $17.7 million in debt.
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“No Chicagoan should be forced to fall so far behind while pursuing the very thing that can propel them to a stable middle-class lifestyle and out of poverty,” the mayor said at a Tuesday news conference at Harold Washington College to tout the new program. “When they’re not able to excel, we all lose.”
Willis said she’s “beyond excited” about the opportunity and feels more motivated than ever before.
“I want to set an example for my 4-month-old son so that he can see me go to college and know that it’s possible for him as well,” Willis said.
Like Willis, many people find that debt stands in the way of achieving career aspirations and economic growth, City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado said Tuesday.
“A college credential is pivotal to work for success, we all know that,” Salgado said, “especially during economic downturns.”
City Colleges of Chicago, a network of community colleges, will play an important role in addressing the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus, according to the mayor’s office, as the schools help prepare students for many high in-demand fields, such as transportation, distribution, logistics and health care.
Of these 21,000 students who qualify for the program, 51% are Black and 34% are Latino, according to the mayor’s office. Many are just one course or one semester away from completing their degrees.
Students who return to City Colleges through Fresh Start will have half of their outstanding debt cleared if they remain enrolled and make satisfactory academic progress in their first term. The rest of their college debt will be forgiven upon completion of their degree program.
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To participate, students will need to enroll in at least one credit course at one of the City Colleges and pay a one-time nonrefundable reinstatement fee of $75. Returning students will also be required to meet with an adviser to set educational goals and a financial counselor to develop a credit action plan.
The Fresh Start program will run from through 2023. The City Colleges of Chicago system has seven campuses — Daley, Harold Washington, Kennedy-King, Malcolm X, Olive-Harvey, Truman and Wright — as well as five satellite sites.
City Colleges has struggled for years to boost enrollment and graduation rates, which dipped to as low as 7% in 2009. That figure has improved to more than 20% in recent years, though a 2017 Better Government Association report attributed that largely to the colleges making degree standards less rigorous, changing how the numbers are counted and retroactively awarding degrees.


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Mayor Lori Lightfoot says final decision for Chicago Public Schools opening might not come until lat

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says final decision for Chicago Public Schools opening might not come until late August

“ But the reality is , we ’ re here in mid-July .
CPS typically doesn ’ t start school @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said “ A lot can happen between now and then .
And @ @ @ @ @ no matter what the framework and the discussions , we ’ re always going to @ @ @ @ @ public health metrics tell us at that time .
We ’ ll be able to @ @ @ @ @ think definitively , closer in time .
Late August .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday said it’s too soon to decide whether to reopen Chicago public schools this fall in spite of the coronavirus, but promised the school district will shortly announce plans to begin talking with parents and others about the best way to proceed.
The final decision might not be coming until late August, she said.
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“I believe that CPS will be announcing shortly a framework that will be the starting point of a discussion, a discussion that has to involve parents and teachers and other members of the school community, and obviously people speaking on behalf of students, to think about what the potential options are,” Lightfoot said.
Lots of parents are looking for guidance on whether schools will have their children perhaps only a couple of days a week, as in some other cities, or not at all. The mayor said there’s time to figure it out.
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“But the reality is, we’re here in mid-July. CPS typically doesn’t start school until right after Labor Day,” she said “A lot can happen between now and then. And that’s why, no matter what the framework and the discussions, we’re always going to be guided by what the public health metrics tell us at that time. We’ll be able to make that decision, I think definitively, closer in time. Late August.”
CPS CEO Janice Jackson told the school board last month that the district was preparing multiple scenarios for how and when schools would reopen in the fall.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


Corrections and clarifications

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· A story Tuesday about the cancellation of the Chicago Marathon misstated the planned date of the New York Marathon, which was to have been Nov. 1.
· In a story about The Forge adventure park in the July 12 Life + Travel section, the address of the park was wrong. The correct address is 1001 Main St. in Lemont.
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chicagotribune--2020-07-14--COVID-19 case update: Number of new deaths decline in 17 north and west suburbs

• Skokie : 1,039 , up from 996 cases ; 41 deaths total ; No new deaths .
NOTE : @ @ @ @ @ s count of deaths is lower , and it is investigating .
Part of the @ @ @ @ @ fact the village counts only Skokie residents , not people who died in Skokie , @ @ @ @ @ nursing home .
The other towns count all who died in that town , and @ @ @ @ @ to have higher numbers .

This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. (CDC/TNS)
Cases of COVID-19 continued to rise among 17 north and west suburbs over the last week, though fewer new deaths were reported, according to data provided by the Cook County Department of Public Health and Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Between July 7 and July 14, there were eight new COVID-19-related deaths among the communities, compared to 17 new deaths the previous week, according to the medical examiner’s office.
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The following shows the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases reported by the 17 communities as of July 14 and a comparison to the prior week’s total number of cases. Also included is the total number of COVID-19-related deaths reported within each municipality.
• Des Plaines: 1,834, up from 1,792 cases; 101 deaths total; 2 new deaths.
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• Skokie: 1,039, up from 996 cases; 41 deaths total; No new deaths. NOTE: The village of Skokie’s count of deaths is lower, and it is investigating. Part of the discrepancy may lie in the fact the village counts only Skokie residents, not people who died in Skokie, for example, at a nursing home. The other towns count all who died in that town, and towns with nursing homes tend to have higher numbers.
• Niles: 960, up from 939 cases; 134 deaths total. 3 new deaths.
• Evanston: 822, up from 805 cases; 70 deaths total. No new deaths.
• Glenview: 641, up from 568 cases; 48 deaths total. No new deaths.
• Elmwood Park: 443, up from 430 cases: 24 deaths total. No change.
• Franklin Park, 379, up from 369 cases; 11 deaths total. No new deaths.
• Park Ridge: 361, up from 344 cases, 40 deaths total. No new deaths.
• Oak Park: 361 (as of July 8), up from 336 cases, 24 deaths total. No new deaths.
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• Morton Grove: 337, up from 327 cases; 16 deaths total. 1 new death.
• Norridge: 320, up from 314 cases; 30 deaths total. 1 new death.
• Northlake: 286, up from 280 cases; 10 deaths total. 1 new death.
• Lincolnwood: 195, up from 190 cases; 23 deaths total. No new deaths.
• Harwood Heights: 150, up from 147 cases; 6 deaths total. No new deaths.
• River Grove: 143, up from 141 cases; 6 deaths total. No new deaths.
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• River Forest: 84 cases, up from 61 cases; 1 death total. No new deaths.
• Rosemont: 64, same as previous week; 1 death total. No new deaths.
Updated Cook County health department data can be found at ccdphcd.shinyapps.io/covid19.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Black Gary state Sen. Eddie Melton alleges racial profiling by Indiana Capitol Police at Statehouse

Black Gary state Sen. Eddie Melton alleges racial profiling by Indiana Capitol Police at Statehouse rally in Indianapolis

“ These kinds of incidents are all too common for Black and brown Hoosiers .
The only difference is that @ @ @ @ @ front-row seat and got to see with my own eyes exactly why so many Hoosiers @ @ @ @ @ way they are often treated by law enforcement .
”

State police are investigating a charge that a white Capitol Police officer began reaching for his holstered handgun while confronting Gary state Sen. Eddie Melton Saturday at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.
Melton, who is a Black Democrat and former gubernatorial candidate, was taking part in a rally called “Beyond the Big Tent-Black Voices in Politics, sponsored by rally the Indiana Racial Justice Alliance.
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The incident unfolded as Melton and state Sen. J.D. Ford, who is white, led demonstrators inside the Statehouse to shelter after a thunderstorm began.
Ford, D-Indianapolis, said security staff initially gave approval for the group of about 50 people to enter after he and Melton showed their ID badges and credentials as lawmakers.
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Once inside, Ford said Capitol Police approached them.
“This interaction with the officers was aggressive from the start and could have been de-escalated, but was not,” Ford said.
It’s not known if there’s video of the incident but so far, nothing has been has been released.
Belinda Drake, a Gary native and Democratic state Senate candidate from Indianapolis, said a white Capitol Police officer came rushing toward the group yelling at Melton to “freeze” while unsnapping the holster on his firearm.
“Senator Ford tried to deescalate the situation, tried to get the trooper to take notice and listen, but the trooper was so singularly focused on Senator Melton,” Drake said.
In a statement, Melton said he and Ford have reached out to senate President pro tempore Rodric Bray and the Capitol Police about the incident.
“The only reason I am releasing a public statement is because attendants of the rally have already begun sharing their account of the incident on social media. I want to be clear that I don’t want this situation to become a distraction from the work that we’re doing through the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus on our police reform agenda,” Melton said.
Ford criticized the Capitol Police, a division of the Indiana State Police, for its handling of the situation.
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“It is an unfortunate irony that my good friend and colleague Senator Eddie Melton experienced some of the same police bias we were there to speak out against,” Ford said.
“These kinds of incidents are all too common for Black and brown Hoosiers. The only difference is that this time I had a front-row seat and got to see with my own eyes exactly why so many Hoosiers are so upset with the way they are often treated by law enforcement.”
Ford said the police officer may not have recognized he and Melton were senators since they were dressed in casual clothing.
“The difference in how aggressively the Trooper treated Senator Melton compared to how generously he treated Senator Ford was unnerving,” Drake said.
In online video of the rally, Melton appeared shaken when he spoke afterward while wearing a T-shirt featuring the words “I can’t breathe,” the words spoken by George Floyd while a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into the Black man’s neck for several minutes before he died in May.
“An incident just occurred and just that quick, it could have escalated,” Melton said while snapping his fingers. “Just that quick. The reach for a weapon. That don’t make sense.”
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Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--State’s attorney’s new online complaint portal for police misconduct activates, begins receiving all

State’s attorney’s new online complaint portal for police misconduct activates, begins receiving allegations

Suburban police departments and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability , the oversight agency for Chicago police , already allow @ @ @ @ @ them and can refer matters to prosecutors .
The new portal lets citizens instead make @ @ @ @ @ ’ s attorney ’ s office , which could investigate the matters on its own @

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx is interviewed following a debate at ABC 7 on Feb. 28, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office has begun taking citizen complaints about police misconduct via an online portal, fielding about a dozen allegations since the site launched Thursday.
Prosecutors with the office’s Law Enforcement Accountability Division will vet the reports and determine whether to bring charges, the office said.
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Suburban police departments and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the oversight agency for Chicago police, already allow citizens to make complaints to them and can refer matters to prosecutors. The new portal lets citizens instead make allegations directly to the state’s attorney’s office, which could investigate the matters on its own.
The online complaint form was launched in the midst of a nationwide reckoning over racism and police misconduct, sparked in part by widespread protests this spring over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, an incident caught on video involving an officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes.
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“This tool will allow direct access to the State’s Attorney’s Office and offer an immediate resource as we work to increase accountability and equity in our justice system,” Foxx’s statement read.
In a pointed response, Foxx’s Republican challenger for state’s attorney in the November election, Pat O’Brien, on Sunday called the portal’s launch a “political stunt” — and then launched a website of his own, through which Cook County residents can make complaints of misconduct against Foxx herself.
Foxx’s campaign declined to comment on that tactic.
“As murders and gun violence soar in one of the bloodiest summers in Chicago, Ms. Foxx has set her sights on police officers, the men and women who provide our first line of defense from crime and violence,” O’Brien stated in a news release.
O’Brien’s release echoes common complaints among police that Foxx is soft on crime, and he asserted that the portal unduly burdens overworked rank-and-file prosecutors — similar to some grumbles among assistant state’s attorneys.
While citizens already have other venues to complain about police misconduct, there is nothing wrong with prosecutors acting as independent investigators before bringing charges, said Steven Lubet, an expert on legal ethics who teaches at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law.
“The investigation of governmental misconduct is an essential role of prosecutors,” he said.
The state’s attorney’s office already has online forms through which citizens can report allegations of price gouging to the Consumer Fraud Unit. And last year, Foxx encouraged anyone with information related to singer R. Kelly’s alleged sexual misconduct to call their Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Division directly.
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In a statement last week, Foxx said there had been “an increase in allegations of police criminal misconduct,” and “it is our obligation to provide an outlet where these serious concerns can be acknowledged and addressed in a timely way.”
COPA fielded nearly 600 complaints in the two weeks during and after the most prominent George Floyd-related protests this spring, according to the office.
Complainants on Foxx’s new portal can upload photos or video of the alleged misconduct on the prosecutors’ site and add a detailed description of the accusations. They must leave their name and contact information.
Foxx was elected in 2016 on a reform platform after incumbent top prosecutor Anita Alvarez came under heavy criticism for her handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting.
McDonald, 17, was killed by Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke in 2014; Alvarez did not bring charges against Van Dyke until more than a year later, as video was released showing him shoot McDonald 16 times.
COPA was established in the wake of the McDonald shooting as well, as its predecessor the Independent Police Review Authority was repeatedly criticized for being slow and ineffective.
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Four years after Foxx’s election, her Republican challenger is taking a more traditional law-and-order line.
“Criminals are free, and law-abiding citizens are prisoners in their homes,” his website states.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Valparaiso man, 27, charged in January stabbing death: Court documents say pair attempted to rob man

Almost six months after a man ’ s body was found in the street in the Banta neighborhood , a @ @ @ @ @ with murder in the perpetration of a robbery and a host of other felonies related @ @ @ @ @ and the stabbing death of his accomplice by the robbery victim , according to court @ @

Almost six months after a man’s body was found in the street in the Banta neighborhood, a Valparaiso man was charged Monday with murder in the perpetration of a robbery and a host of other felonies related to the robbery of drugs and the stabbing death of his accomplice by the robbery victim, according to court documents.
John L. Williams, 27, of the 400 block of East Jefferson Street, who is in custody at Porter County Jail on unrelated charges, and Travis Thompson, 36, of Valparaiso, planned to rob an acquaintance living in the 700 block of Elm Street of drugs the night of Jan. 29, according to charging documents.
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The victim, who told police he’d had prior contact with police, said in charging documents that he had been in contact with Williams on Facebook Messenger about purchasing marijuana and THC wax, though Williams did not show up at the arranged time.
Later that evening, when the victim responded to a knock on his door, Williams allegedly punched the victim in the face. The victim told police Williams was with a man he didn’t know, later identified as Thompson.
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The victim, according to charging documents, told police that he fell backwards and while Williams was on top of him and punched him, sometimes Thompson joined in.
“Fearing for his life, (the victim) reached for and gained possession of a knife that he kept near his nightstand,” documents state, noting that one stabbing motion landed on the lower part of Thompson’s body.
“Aw, hell no,” Williams reportedly said after Thompson said he’d been stabbed, shortly before the two fled the residence down exterior stair.
The victim, documents said, hid the knife, cleaned the blood, took over-the-counter medication and iced his face. He later needed surgery for his injuries and told police no money was exchanged for drugs that night and that Williams and Thompson forced their way into his apartment and took marijuana from him.
Williams allegedly held the victim while Thompson searched the apartment for the drugs and told an acquaintance that that there was no intent to pay the victim for them, documents state.
Williams and a woman who drove him and Thompson to the scene tried unsuccessfully to get Thompson in the car, at which point the woman “directed Williams to leave Thompson,” court documents said.
Williams took off his bloody coat and sweatpants and those were taken to a residence with a large burn pile, though police later recovered them.
Thompson bled to death from a stab wound to the thigh, according to a release from the Porter County Coroner’s Office in the days after the alleged crime.
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Williams and the woman “discussed taking Thompson’s body to an abandoned residence in Gary, however, they did not based on how fast he expired,” documents said.
In addition to the murder count, Williams also is charged with three counts of robbery; three counts of attempted robbery; and one count each of aggravated battery and battery.
Prosecutors are asking for a habitual offender enhancement in their charges against Williams, citing three prior felony convictions. He is scheduled for an initial hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday before Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary DeBoer.
Drug-related charges against the victim have been forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for review, according to Valparaiso police.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Cook County opioid deaths tell ‘grim story’ as fatalities on track to double from last year, chief m

Cook County opioid deaths tell ‘grim story’ as fatalities on track to double from last year, chief medical examiner says

On top of the opioid overdose cases , the medical examiner ’ s office has had to contend with spikes @ @ @ @ @ year as well as the surge of deaths from the novel coronavirus .
The three @ @ @ @ @ ’ s caseload to top 9,000 in the coming days — compared with 6,274 cases @ @ @ @ @ Arunkumar said .

The Chicago Recovery Alliance van at Roosevelt Road and Whipple Street on Aug. 18, 2017. Heroin users come and go to exchange needles as well as pick up clean supplies. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Cook County is grappling with twice the amount of reported opioid-related deaths compared with this period last year, the medical examiner’s office announced Tuesday amid skyrocketing caseloads during the coronavirus outbreak.
In 2020, the county’s deaths ruled as opioid overdoses are on track to double last year’s total number of opioid-related cases, the chief medical examiner, Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, said at a Tuesday news conference. The fatalities, similar to those from the coronavirus and gun violence crises, are disproportionately affecting Black people, she added. The majority stem from Chicago’s West Side neighborhoods.
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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the briefing was convened “to sound the alarm” as the three overlapping epidemics devastate the county’s most vulnerable populations.
“This year continues to illuminate the dangerous consequences we face as a result of centuries — centuries — of racial inequity,” Preckwinkle said. “The victims of the opioid epidemic have been quietly dying around us. We must be their voice to prevent future, needless, preventable deaths plaguing our community.”
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Between Jan. 1 and Monday, 773 opioid overdose deaths were logged in Cook County, with 580 more pending cases, Arunkumar said. Given that about 70% to 80% of pending cases are ruled as opioid-related, that means about 1,200 such deaths are expected to be tallied for that time period, Arunkumar said.
Last year, there were 605 opioid overdose deathsfrom Jan. 1 to July 13, and by the end of the year, 1,267 cases were confirmed to be opioid-related, Arunkumar said. That number was 1,148 in 2018.
Out of the confirmed 773 cases so far this year, 63% of the victims were Black and/or Latino, with 45- to 55-year-old males most likely to die from an overdose, Arunkumar said. Fentanyl, an exponentially deadlier synthetic opioid, was blamed for the majority of cases.
“The numbers tell a grim story,” Arunkumar said about the opioid overdose deaths. “We’ll never get used to the tragedy that each death represents.”
While more analysis needs to be done on the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on opioid deaths, officials worry that the isolation and health scares are keeping people experiencing overdoses from seeking help. Emergency department volumes have decreased since the pandemic started, said Dr. Steven Aks, division chair of emergency medicine and toxicology at Cook County Health.
“What we’d like to say is that it’s safe here. That’s the most important message,” Aks said. “This is extremely alarming with respect to the opioid overdoses. Because for each EMS run that a paramedic brings a patient to the hospital, if they make it to our care they will likely live.”
As Cook County Health emergency room visits related to opioid overdoses remained stagnant, Chicago reported a swell in EMS visits related to opioid overdoses, according to a department of public health alert. From the beginning of the year to the end of May, EMS responses went up about 67% compared with the same time in 2019.
Dr. Kiran Joshi, senior medical officer at the Cook County Department of Public Health, said a key solution is partnering with law enforcement to “blanket” communities with naloxone, the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, because the current levels are not “nearly enough.”
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On top of the opioid overdose cases, the medical examiner’s office has had to contend with spikes in gun violence homicides this year as well as the surge of deaths from the novel coronavirus. The three crises are pushing the office’s caseload to top 9,000 in the coming days — compared with 6,274 cases in all of 2019, Arunkumar said.
“Desperation and hopelessness” are the underlying causes behind the coinciding upswings in gun violence and opioid-related deaths in Cook County, Preckwinkle said.
“Those are similar causes,” Preckwinkle said. “If you look at opioid deaths and if you look at shootings and murders, you overlay them, right, it’s the same community.”
The medical examiner’s office at first attributed this year’s tidal wave of cases to the coronavirus outbreak, but after digging through the numbers, staffers realized opioid overdoses also were ballooning, Arunkumar said. She added that her office, which investigates certain cases out of the annual 40,000-or-so deaths in Cook County, such as unnatural deaths, are “by and large preventable.”
“While we concentrate on our mission to establish the cause and manner of death for cases that fall under our jurisdiction, we do not accept that they had to occur,” Arunkumar said.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Watch live: President Trump holds a press conference

President Donald Trump is expected to hold a press conference at 4 p.m. CDT .

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chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Truck driver found shot to death inside semi along I-57 in Bremen Township

An Illinois State Police trooper who had stopped to check on a semi truck parked along the shoulder where I-57 @ @ @ @ @ at Exit 345A/B , discovered the man dead inside the vehicle , a state police @ @ @

A 58-year-old semi-tractor trailer truck driver from Woodridge was found shot to death inside his vehicle Saturday afternoon along Interstate 57 in Bremen Township, police said.
An Illinois State Police trooper who had stopped to check on a semi truck parked along the shoulder where I-57 north meets Interstate 80 east at Exit 345A/B, discovered the man dead inside the vehicle, a state police spokeswoman said.
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The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled the man’s death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
His name is being withheld pending the notification of family.
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Illinois State Police declined to release any other information about the shooting and said the details of the man’s death remain under investigation.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Where do Illinois regions stand on positivity rate, hospitalizations and other key coronavirus metri

Where do Illinois regions stand on positivity rate, hospitalizations and other key coronavirus metrics?

With each of the state ’ s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s Restore @ @ @ @ @ starts on moving on to Phase 4 , where more businesses and activities are allowed @ @ @ @ @ Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital @ @ @ @ @ depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker .

Chad Yoder, Nausheen Husain, Jennifer Smith Richards, Jonathon Berlin

With each of the state’s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, the clock starts on moving on to Phase 4, where more businesses and activities are allowed. The plan to reopen Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital to concerts and festivals — depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker.
The metrics focus on a rolling average of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to keep track of the direction of the outbreak as well as availability of hospital beds and ventilators that would be needed to handle a possible surge. There are also benchmarks for testing and tracing positive tests.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
A key element of the plan is that a region can move both forward and backward, where more parts of society can open and shut depending on the seriousness of the outbreak.
Here is a breakdown of where each region stands.


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--With a ‘baby step,’ Kohl Children’s Museum reopens — outdoors — next week

A session in the 2-acre outdoor park “ is an approximately 100-minute imaginative journey through five interactive play stations , @ @ @ @ @ by a Museum educator , ” the museum says , and the themes include “ @ @ @ @ @ and “ Bugs !
Bugs !
Bugs !
” Activities will be moved inside the @ @ @ @ @ turns bad , the museum explains on its website .

Exterior photos of the Kohl Children's Museum on Tuesday, July 7, 2020 in Glenview. Signs outside say the museum is temporarily closed. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Dipping its toes into the reopening pool, the Kohl Children’s Museum next week will welcome back small groups of children, and only on the outdoor part of the Glenview institution’s campus.
Billed as “Kohl Kids Live!” the sessions for groups of no more than 10 people at a time, including kids and parents, begin July 23 for members and July 25 for the general public.
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The Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview, pictured during its closure in early July, will reopen to the public July 25. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
A session in the 2-acre outdoor park “is an approximately 100-minute imaginative journey through five interactive play stations, each with an activity led by a Museum educator,” the museum says, and the themes include “Be a Music Maker” and “Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!” Activities will be moved inside the museum building if the weather turns bad, the museum explains on its website.
“It’s going to be a great, very intimate, customized field trip,” said Donna Biernadski, vice president of marketing. “It’s still interactive. It’s still fun. It’s still educational. And it’s still a place to get out of the house.”
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The new scenario, she added, represents a “baby step” on the road back to normalcy.
Like virtually all of Chicago culture, the museum has been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Area museums have been reopening cautiously throughout the month as Chicago and Illinois have moved into Phase 4 of their 5-stage pandemic recovery plans.
Kohl promises “a safe, contactless environment.” Masks are required for everyone aged 2 and over, and Kohl outlines a whole series of other safety and sanitary precautions on the event page.
Advance, timed-entry tickets are required for adults and children. The events are built on the success the museum had with similar online events during the closure, it says.
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,218 deaths, 155,506 confirmed cases, 2.04 million tests, 4.1% positiv

Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,218 deaths, 155,506 confirmed cases, 2.04 million tests, 4.1% positivity rate for Chicago area

Illinois announced 25 new deaths from COVID-19 Tuesday , along with 707 new cases .
Though that total is a @ @ @ @ @ the 7-day rolling average of new cases is still higher than 1,000 .

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s tenant notice measure advances

But some tenant advocates say the new version still doesn ’ t go far enough .
The Housing Justice League @ @ @ @ @ for all tenants with less than three years in an apartment , and for larger @ @ @ @ @ $ 2,500 in relocation fees to help tenants cover costs of moving .

Affordable housing advocates drop banners from the North Avenue bridge over Lake Shore Drive to bring awareness to rent prices during the COVID-19 pandemic on June 30, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposal to require landlords in many cases to give tenants more notice before not renewing leases or raising rents moved forward Tuesday, though both renters’ groups and building owners said the measure has problems.
The plan passed the Housing Committee and will go to the full City Council next week.
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In a series of eleventh hour changes, the mayor’s ordinance was tilted more in favor of renters, to the point that representatives of landlord organizations testified against it at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting.
The version aldermen considered calls for landlords to give 120 days’ notice before not renewing a lease or raising rent for tenants who’ve lived in the same unit for more than three years.
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Tenants who’ve been in the same place for between six months and three years would get 60 days’ heads-up, and 30 days for renters with less time than that.
Currently, all tenants get 30 days notice before eviction.
But some tenant advocates say the new version still doesn’t go far enough. The Housing Justice League wants 90 days’ notice for all tenants with less than three years in an apartment, and for larger landlords to pay at least $2,500 in relocation fees to help tenants cover costs of moving.
The Housing Justice League and its allies on the City Council are pushing their own “Just Cause” ordinance that includes stronger tenant protections.
And some aldermen also say the Lightfoot proposal will hurt landlords who own small buildings, by making it too hard for them to remove problem tenants.
Lightfoot’s ordinance has had a tortured path through the City Council.
She introduced an earlier version to the City Council in May, angering some aldermen who said they had been trying to negotiate a better deal for renters.
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Opponents in the City Council immediately used a parliamentary procedure to shunt the package to the council Rules Committee, where Chicago mayors often send proposals they don’t like to wither on the vine.
Lightfoot said then she didn’t think she would need to amend her plan to get it passed. “I have no expectations that the proposal will be revised,” she said at a news conference after the council meeting.
The mayor rounded up the votes to easily get it out of Rules. But the ordinance got amended significantly in the hours leading up to Tuesday’s hearing, with several aldermen saying they didn’t get to see the final version until just before the Housing Committee took it up.
The debate takes place as the hits to Chicago’s economy because of the COVID-19 pandemic have many residents struggling to pay rents.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-07-14--Eden restaurant popular with United Center fans closing due to economic impact of coronavirus

“ Eden has been our passion project , our baby , ” said co-owners Jodi Fyfe and Devon Quinn , @ @ @ @ @ “ We thank all of the guests who have joined us for dinner , indulged @ @ @ @ @ , celebrated a holiday or milestone or even taken a selfie in front of our @ @ @ @ @ grateful to those who chose to spend their time with us , and to have @ @ @ @ @ moment along the way .
”

Eden, a Cal-Mediterranean restaurant popular with pre- and post-event United Center crowd (among others), is closing after a run of just over 3 1/2 years. Final service will be Saturday dinner.
“Eden has been our passion project, our baby,” said co-owners Jodi Fyfe and Devon Quinn, in a released statement. “We thank all of the guests who have joined us for dinner, indulged in our popular weekend brunch, celebrated a holiday or milestone or even taken a selfie in front of our beautiful mural. We are grateful to those who chose to spend their time with us, and to have contributed to each and every moment along the way.”
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“While we recently reopened our doors to an immensely positive response, the larger economic impact resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible for us to sustain operations,” the release read. The restaurant is the latest casualty to the economic challenges brought by the pandemic. Other recent closings have included Blackbird, Bad Hunter, Hot G Dog and Machu Picchu.
Eden (1748 W. Lake St.) opened in December 2016 and made friends quickly, both for its pretty, bright-white interiors and Quinn’s skillful cooking. Memorable dishes included the umami doughnuts, savory beignets stuffed with tendrils of sirloin and served with a dunk-worthy pool of bechamel and raclette. In my 2017 review, I called Quinn’s bone marrow dish, in which the protein anchored an array of seasonal vegetables, “the prettiest bone marrow dish in town.”
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Vegetables and greens were a constant strength, most of them emerging from Quinn’s on-site greenhouse.
“The green and the goodness of Eden will live on,” Fyfe and Quinn said. “Devon will move his greenhouse beds to a garden project in Chicago, where he will continue to foster his love of growing.”
“The food, beverages and special spirit of hospitality at Eden would have been nonexistent without the support of our friends, family and our stellar team members, most of whom have been with us since our opening,” they said. “We thank them wholeheartedly for their commitment to us and our guests. We invite guests to join us one last time for dinner this week.”
Fyfe and Quinn continue to operate Paramount Events Catering.