chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Pritzker contributes $51.5 million to committee seeking voter approval for graduated-rate income tax

Pritzker contributes $51.5 million to committee seeking voter approval for graduated-rate income tax, records show

“ There ’ s been a threat by lots of well-funded right-wing organizations and individuals to preserve the unfair tax @ @ @ @ @ ” he said in response to questions about his first $ 5 million contribution .
@ @ @ @ @ me to step up and support something that I ’ ve been talking about since @ @ @ @ @ , something that I think is very important to the state .
”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has contributed another $51.5 million to a ballot initiative committee backing an amendment to the Illinois Constitution allowing for a graduated-rate income tax, a show of force in what is expected to be an expensive and contentious battle over the billionaire governor’s signature policy goal.
Vote Yes for Fairness, a committee headed by Pritzker’s former deputy campaign manager, reported the contribution late Friday in a filing with the State Board of Elections. So far, the first-term Democrat has essentially bankrolled the effort from his vast personal fortune. The more recent contribution follows a $5 million check Pritzker wrote in December. The only other individual contribution reported to date was $250.
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Pritzker has made the change from the state’s currently mandated flat-rate income tax to a system that levies higher rates on higher incomes the cornerstone of his plan to stabilize the state’s chronically shaky finances, a task that has only gotten more difficult as the coronavirus-induced economic slowdown has blown a hole in the budget.
Voters will decide the issue at the ballot box Nov. 3, with approval needed from 60% of those who vote on the issue, or a majority of those who vote in the election overall, to be adopted.
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If it’s approved, new tax rates approved by the General Assembly last year would kick in Jan. 1, with rates staying the same or going down for individuals earning $250,000 a year or less and going up for others — the wealthiest 3% of taxpayers.
Opponents, including Republican lawmakers and pro-business groups, argue that the Democratic-controlled legislature will eventually raise rates on middle-class taxpayers to address the state’s fiscal woes.
The main opposition group, Vote No on the Blank Check Amendment, is headed by Greg Baise, former president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. The group has yet to report any contributions.
Quarterly reports for the three months ending June 30 are due by the end of the day July 15, though contributions of $1,000 or more must be reported on an ongoing basis.
Still, Pritzker said in December that he expected the proposed amendment would face a well-funded opposition.
“There’s been a threat by lots of well-funded right-wing organizations and individuals to preserve the unfair tax system that exists today,” he said in response to questions about his first $5 million contribution. “It was important to me to step up and support something that I’ve been talking about since day one of my campaign, something that I think is very important to the state.”
An heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, Pritzker donated a record-setting $171.5 million to his own campaign in 2018, defeating the multimillionaire incumbent, Republican Bruce Rauner.
Vote Yes for Fairness Chairman Quentin Fulks did not respond immediately to a request for comment.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--South Side hospital failed to properly triage a pregnant woman who later died, Illinois regulators f

South Side hospital failed to properly triage a pregnant woman who later died, Illinois regulators find

Health department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said in an email Thursday that state officials were inspecting Roseland to make sure it @ @ @ @ @ .
If the hospital was still not in compliance with state and federal requirements , @ @ @ @ @ would “ continue to cite the facility and require action to correct the deficiencies .
@

A pregnant woman died after Roseland Community Hospital failed to triage her upon arrival and conduct a medical screening exam, the state health department found in a recent investigation.
The woman, who was 30 weeks pregnant, died at the South Side hospital in May after complaining of abdominal pain, dehydration and general malaise after she arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Her triage note was marked 2:54 p.m. — more than three hours after she arrived.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health found Roseland to be out of compliance on the requirement that hospitals meet the emergency needs of patients “in accordance with acceptable standards of practice.”
The state report did not name the woman who died. But the Cook County medical examiner’s office said a 31-year-old Black woman named Lolita Davis, of Chicago, died May 15 at Roseland of a COVID-19 infection with pregnancy as a contributing factor. Former Roseland hospital board member Theresa Siaw confirmed that Davis was the woman described in the state report.
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According to the report, hospital leaders have since updated Roseland’s medical screening exam and triage policy, provided training to all emergency department nurses on the new policy and now have triage nurses rounding in the emergency department lobby every 30 minutes to make sure patients are evaluated quickly, among other actions.
Health department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said in an email Thursday that state officials were inspecting Roseland to make sure it was following the correction plan. If the hospital was still not in compliance with state and federal requirements, she said, the department would “continue to cite the facility and require action to correct the deficiencies.”
She said Thursday that Roseland could face federal decertification and license revocation if the problems were not corrected.
In a statement Friday, the hospital said the state health department had visited the facility on Monday and Tuesday for a “focused re-survey” and that the federal government had then removed an “immediate jeopardy” label from the hospital. The label had indicated noncompliance with requirements that placed patients’ health and safety at risk.
“We deeply mourn the loss of all patients who have been taken from us by COVID-19,” the statement said. “This virus is diabolical and disproportionately impacts those with co-morbidities.”
[ Of the COVID-19 pregnancy cases reported in Illinois, Black and Latina women make up over 70% ]
Siaw, the former board member, said she reported the incident involving Davis to the Illinois Department of Public Health after the hospital’s board failed to take the situation, along with other allegations about COVID-19 testing and precautions, seriously enough.
“I felt like my hands were tied,” said Siaw, who owns a medical student training company. Siaw said she and her students volunteered in the hospital during April and May.
The Roseland hospital board voted to fire Siaw from the board after she made “numerous wholly unsubstantiated charges” against Roseland and after she “attempted to individually capitalize upon your (former) Board position,” according to a June 8 letter to Siaw from the hospital’s board chair that Siaw provided to the Tribune.
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In an interview Thursday, Siaw said she did not attempt to capitalize upon her position.
Other issues uncovered in connection with the state’s investigation at Roseland included a nurse telling a patient in a nonprivate hallway, on June 2, that the patient was COVID-19 positive, despite patient privacy rights.
The hospital also failed to ensure that contracted employees were monitored and tracked for exposure to COVID-19 and failed to report all patients with COVID-19-positive tests to local health authorities, according to the investigation.
Investigators also observed a housekeeper at the hospital entering and exiting the rooms of COVID-19-positive patients with the same gloves and gown, and wearing that same PPE throughout the intensive care unit. Investigators also saw a certified nursing assistant check the blood glucose of a patient and then return the machine to the docking station without disinfecting it.
Following those incidents, the hospital changed its process for tracking workers with COVID-19, and provided training to all clinical staff on proper equipment disinfection and to housekeeping staff on infection control, among other moves, according to the state’s report.
The hospital said in its statement Friday that “zero infection control deficiencies” were noted after the state’s focused re-survey Monday and Tuesday.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the challenges faced by pregnant hospital patients, especially Black and Latina women. It also has taken a significant toll on the staff and resources at Roseland, the Tribune reported in April.
lschencker@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Long-term care facilities in Illinois continue seeing declines in COVID-19 outbreaks, deaths

Death figures are characterized by health experts as a lagging indicator of infection , because of the time it takes @ @ @ @ @ then , for those unable to easily fight off the virus , get sick enough @ @ @ @ @ days or weeks of hospitalization .
So trends being seen now were fueled by actions @ @ @ @ @ and aren ’ t necessarily an indicator of how much the virus is spreading now @

Even as concerns rise about a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Illinois, newly released state data show that deaths and outbreaks continue to drop among long-term care facilities, where most deaths have been concentrated.
As of Friday, weekly deaths at long-term care facilities dropped below 100 for the first time since the Illinois Department of Public Health began publishing more detailed data in April. The latest weekly tally, 84 deaths, is less than a fifth of the high mark two months ago.
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Death figures are characterized by health experts as a lagging indicator of infection, because of the time it takes someone to get infected, then, for those unable to easily fight off the virus, get sick enough to lose the battle after days or weeks of hospitalization. So trends being seen now were fueled by actions weeks or months ago, and aren’t necessarily an indicator of how much the virus is spreading now.
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The latest data come amid a fresh wave of new cases cropping up across the country, particularly of younger people, as the nation enters a holiday weekend when health officials worry that gatherings will spread infection.
While nursing homes remain largely on lockdown, health officials have said the virus has been unwittingly spread by workers who may catch it from friends, family or strangers in the community, then spread it where they work, even at times without showing symptoms. One hard-hit Joliet facility attributed much of the outbreak there to a so-called super spreader staffer who set up tables in more than 40 rooms before he fell ill and died.
Fortunately most people recover — researchers believe less than 1% of those infected end up dying from the virus — but the virus is particularly deadly to those older or with underlying health conditions, the type of people living in nursing homes.
And that’s reflected in Illinois’ death figures, where so far 55% of Illinoisans who have died from the virus can be traced back to long-term care facilities, which include nursing homes, assisted living centers and other large, congregate-care facilities.
Compounding the problem have been shortages of staff and gear in an industry where advocates have long complained about the quality of care provided. The pandemic shone a spotlight on long-festering concerns, while fueling frustrations the government wasn’t doing enough to best ensure the safety of vulnerable residents as outbreaks tore through facilities.
At last count, more than 40 facilities across the state had at least 20 residents or staff die from the virus, much of it occurring during the height of deaths statewide in May.
The latest data show that, as of Friday, not only has the number of deaths continued to subside, but also have the number of broader outbreaks.
The state defines an outbreak as a facility having anyone, resident or worker, testing positive in the past 28 days. And in the past two weeks, the number of facilities has dropped from 558 to 534.
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In that same time, the number of facilities that have gotten past an outbreak, going at least 28 days without someone else testing positive, has grown from 35 to 80.
The improving figures have prompted state officials to allow facilities to accept visitors again, something the industry and advocates sought.
Still, even with the more positive numbers, advocates and industry officials have expressed caution, noting continued concerns over staff and equipment shortages, as well as continued frustrations over testing.
As states have reopened, government officials have pushed all facilities to test workers and staff at least once, then periodically based on circumstances.
Illinois has pushed that responsibility onto facilities, without reviewing each facility’s plan or the extent to which it has begun or continues to test workers and residents. Industry officials have complained of the struggle to line up and pay for testing, and get results quick enough to spot outbreaks.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Column: So you couldn’t focus on a book for a while, but now you’re ready? 6 good books to read righ

Column: So you couldn’t focus on a book for a while, but now you’re ready? 6 good books to read right now

No way was I going to read an 892-page book , even if it won the Pulitzer Prize and even @ @ @ @ @ are footnotes .
But this biography of Douglass — who rose from enslavement in the @ @ @ @ @ our nation ’ s great 19th-century orators and abolitionists — seemed like an important book @ @ @ @ @ I took a deep breath and started .

In the earliest days of the pandemic, I heard a lot of people say they couldn’t focus on a book. I felt the same. When yet another media organization would issue a jolly “Pandemic Reading List” I would think, “Are you crazy? Who can read anything but the news?”
But something has shifted. Recently I’ve heard several people say, “I’m ready to read again.” Me too. In fact, I’ve read with more appetite and pleasure in the past month than normal. Here are an eclectic few books I’ve liked, a couple of them on audio.
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This cover image released by Riverhead Books shows "Deacon King Kong," a novel by James McBride. (AP)
1. ”The Color of Water” by James McBride, read by Andre Braugher and Lainie Kazan
A few weeks ago in my column I recommended McBride’s recent novel “Deacon King Kong,” and many Tribune readers wrote to say how much they enjoyed it. I found it so good that I yearned for more of McBride’s work, which led me to his bestselling 1995 autobiography.
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The story focuses on his mother, a white woman who grew up Jewish in the South and married a black man. Through the tale of how she raised 12 kids in New York City, McBride reflects on family, race and place with the same energetic prose and wit he brought to “Deacon King Kong.”
I’m sure the book is wonderful in print, but listening to Chicago-born actor Andre Braugher inhabit the words gave them a unique power.
2. ”This Is Happiness” by Niall Williams
This Irish novel made me deeply happy. In the 1950s, a 17-year-old boy leaves the seminary in Dublin to spend time with his grandparents in an Irish village that, like many at the time, still lacked electricity. Then a stranger arrives, in charge of signing the villagers up for the electricity being imposed from the capital. But the stranger has a secret, which involves a woman he left at the altar decades earlier.
Narrated by the 17-year-old as an old man, the story is about the coming of electricity but about so much more — language and music, the nature of aging and change, young love and young love remembered. The sentences and insights stirred and surprised me on every page and the plot, though seemingly simple, kept me going.
3. “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” by David W. Blight
No way was I going to read an 892-page book, even if it won the Pulitzer Prize and even if 121 of those pages are footnotes. But this biography of Douglass — who rose from enslavement in the South to become one of our nation’s great 19th-century orators and abolitionists — seemed like an important book for this moment, so I took a deep breath and started.
To my surprise, I was riveted and glad it was so long so I could live in it awhile. It’s a nuanced portrait of a complicated man and also a sweeping history that illuminates our country today.
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4. ″The Plague” by Albert Camus
Hmm. One spring a highly contagious disease arrives in a community. The authorities try to keep it quiet. But soon people are sick and dying. As quarantines are imposed, the people’s disbelief turns into anger, fear, grief, exhaustion. And still they lament they can’t go to the beach in summer. At the heart of the story is a doctor who keeps speaking the truth and doing his job.
Sound familiar? Camus’ eerily prescient 1947 novel — there’s even a mention of flattening the curve — is suspenseful, clear and full of memorable lines, like this from the heroic doctor: “There’s no question of heroism in all this. It’s a matter of common decency. That’s an idea which may make some people smile, but the only means of fighting a plague is common decency.”
5. ”The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett, read by Tom Hanks
I’ve loved some of Patchett’s books so I was disappointed not to love this one when it came out last year. But when I saw that the audiobook, read by Tom Hanks, was available on Libby (the free public library app), I decided to give it another try. This time I did love it. Hanks breathes life and meaning into the characters that escaped me on the page.
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The story focuses on a brother and sister who grow up in a grand glass house on an estate outside Philadelphia. Their mother walks out. Their father remarries. The past haunts them into middle age.
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I recommended the audiobook to my former colleague Barbara Brotman, who offers this review: “A great and often funny multigenerational tale, with an unforgettable tough gal at the center and Tom Hanks hitting it out of the ballpark.”
6. ”Disappearing Earth” by Julia Phillips
Two sisters, ages 8 and 11, are abducted one summer afternoon from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula by a stranger they meet on the beach. Through a series of intertwined stories, Phillips evokes the remote landscape of this Far East part of Russia and how the disappearance of the sisters affects a wide variety of women. It’s been called a “literary thriller” but it’s less conventional than that sounds. The New York Times named it one of its 10 best books of 2019.
Happy reading, and support your local independent bookstore if you can.
mschmich@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MarySchmich


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Holiday weekend begins with hot weather in Chicago area and warnings from officials to stay safe

If the city ’ s cooling centers open , Guidice said , they will be available from 9 a.m. to @ @ @ @ @ .
Residents will be required to wear face coverings upon entrance , and the Department @ @ @ @ @ will provide free masks to those in need .
Guidice noted that the centers were @ @ @ @ @

The Chicago skyline is seen from the Whihala Beach in Whiting on Thursday, July 2, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago officials warned residents Friday to limit gatherings to prevent COVID-19 risk and watch for signs of heat stroke amid high temperatures.
The temperature hit 89 degrees at O’Hare International Airport late Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, and the forecast through the holiday weekend calls for temperatures to reach into the low 90s in parts of the Chicago area.
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Rich Guidice, executive director of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said the city will implement its emergency response plan if the National Weather Service forecasts a heat index of more than 105 to 110 degrees for two days in a row. The plan includes cooling centers and buses, along with well-being checks on people who may be at risk.
“We encourage residents to make a special effort to check on your neighbors during extreme heat, especially if they are seniors, families with young children, people with special needs or living alone,” Guidice said.
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If the city’s cooling centers open, Guidice said, they will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents will be required to wear face coverings upon entrance, and the Department of Family and Support Services will provide free masks to those in need. Guidice noted that the centers were reconfigured for social distancing.
Cooling centers in Chicago are located at 1140 W. 79th St., 10 S. Kedzie Ave., 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave., 845 W. Wilson Ave., 8650 S. Commercial Ave., and 4312 W. North Ave. Guidice noted that libraries, city colleges and parks can be opened as cooling centers if needed.
Michael Kelly, superintendent of the Chicago Park District, reminded people to take caution when gathering in the city’s parks over the holiday weekend. He told people to wear masks and keep moving to avoid spreading COVID-19. He said beaches are still closed.
“If you went up and down the lakefront just this morning, you would see social distancing ambassadors in blue shirts politely asking people to leave,” Kelly said when asked about people seen gathering on North Side beaches in recent weeks.
There will also be police officers and lifeguards monitoring the lakefront, he said.
“We’re all in this together in Chicago, and we need all of us to participate,” Kelly said. “We certainly don’t want to get into a situation where we’re arresting people or writing tickets or any confrontation whatsoever.”
Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, said the city limits people to gathering in groups of fewer than 50 people indoors, and to fewer than 100 people outdoors. Even with 50 people, Arwady said, there is a 1-in-6 chance someone has coronavirus.
The city announced Thursday that an order will go into effect Monday requiring people traveling to high-risk states for coronavirus to self-quarantine for 14 days.
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“The virus does not care why it has had an opportunity to spread,” she said. “If it has an opportunity to spread because people have come from a state where the virus is not under control, it will spread here in Chicago.”
The city is providing block party permits to people who adhere to gathering requirements.
“I am in support of those kinds of gatherings,” Arwady said.
Arwady advised residents to either stay in air conditioning or take breaks in air-conditioned buildings. She told people to drink plenty of water even if not thirsty and avoid sugary and alcoholic drinks that can cause further dehydration. Other protective measures include wearing sunscreen and loose, lightweight clothing.
“Do not rely on a fan for trying to keep cool,” Arwady said. “Taking a cool bath or shower is a safer and more effective way to stay cool.”
She told residents to watch for signs for heat exhaustion, which often stems from dehydration and exposure to high temperatures. She said people should call 911 if someone develops signs of heat stroke, which can consist of fever, dizziness, nausea, confusion, headaches, a high heart rate and irritated skin.
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The health commissioner emphasized that residents should not leave pets and children in cars. It can be deadly, she reminded residents.
“Working together, we’ll be able to stay as safe as possible when we have warm weather this July,” Arwady said.
Residents can visit notifychicago.org to receive weather alerts, and people can call 311 or visit 311.Chicago.gov to find cooling centers or request well-being checks. There is also a CHI311 app for smartphone users.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Home security video captures close-up images of gunman killing companion at point-blank range in Rog

Home security video captures close-up images of gunman killing companion at point-blank range in Rogers Park

After about 30 seconds , when Pullum turned his head away from the man , the killer stepped back and @ @ @ @ @ from his pocket or waistband , placed it at the back of Pullum ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Pullum collapsed against the fence gate , which swung inward .
The other man trotted @ @ @ @ @ disappeared at the right of the video frame .
The whole scene played out in @ @ @ @ @

Chicago police have obtained a video of a homicide last weekend that shows two men side by side in front of a Rogers Park apartment building before one of them turns slightly and the other quickly pulls a gun and shoots his unsuspecting companion in the back of the head at point-blank range.
The shooting took place just before 7 a.m. June 28 in the 1400 block of Lunt Avenue, a leafy stretch of apartment buildings a few blocks from the lake in the North Side neighborhood. The gunman’s face is never visible in the video.
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The victim, 36-year-old Angelo Pullum, collapsed instantly and lay motionless on the concrete walk to the building as his killer jogged out of view, the video shows. Police said last week that the killer was seen getting into a black SUV that drove west toward Clark Street. The case remains unsolved.
The video was provided to the Tribune by a source. The Chicago Police Department’s news affairs office acknowledged its authenticity and confirmed the video was captured by a security camera facing the street in one of the apartment building’s units.
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WARNING: Video contains graphic content. In a video provided to the Tribune by a source, a gunman is seen killing a man at point-blank range in Rogers Park. (Chicago Tribune Handout)
Pullum was taken to Amita Health St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead. Court records from a 2017 felony drug arrest showed he lived a few blocks away, in the 1100 block of Morse Avenue.
The Sunday morning shooting took place during an exceptionally violent weekend when several children were shot across the city, and it stood out because it took place in a neighborhood not often hit by gang violence.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her new police superintendent, David Brown, have been under increasing pressure to do something to stanch the surging street violence at a time when police conduct is also under unprecedented scrutiny nationwide.
The brazenness of the Pullum homicide, carried out in broad daylight in front of dozens of apartment windows with potential witnesses looking on, was surprising even to veteran police officers. “That’s just crazy, isn’t it?” a police source said.
In the video, which is time-stamped 6:56 a.m., two men can be seen crossing Lunt together and weaving between parked cars before settling on a spot in front of a closed black iron gate in front of an apartment building.
They stand facing the street and chatting for about 30 seconds. Pullum, dressed in a black T-shirt and long black shorts, red sneakers and a red baseball cap worn backward, appears to be at ease with the man standing to his right. That man, dressed in royal blue sweatpants with white stripes and a black sweatshirt with the hood covering his head, can be seen rocking back and forth on his feet while they talk.
After about 30 seconds, when Pullum turned his head away from the man, the killer stepped back and pulled a silver-colored semi-automatic handgun from his pocket or waistband, placed it at the back of Pullum’s head and fired once. Pullum collapsed against the fence gate, which swung inward. The other man trotted off into the street and disappeared at the right of the video frame. The whole scene played out in less than a minute.
Pullum had an history of drug-related arrests. The most recent, the 2017 case, resulted in him pleading guilty to one felony count of possession of a controlled substance.
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dheinzmann@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-05--Young girl shot in head in South Austin neighborhood on West Side

Police News Affairs had not yet received detailed information about the attack by about 7:30 p.m. , but a police @ @ @ @ @ scene , a police spokesman said in an email .

Nine-year-old Nathan Wallace holds balloons during a vigil July 5, 2020, for his 7-year-old sister Natalia Wallace, who was shot and killed as her family gathered to celebrate the July Fourth holiday in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
A 7-year-old girl who was known as a diligent and loving student was fatally shot in the head Saturday evening while she was on a sidewalk in the South Austin neighborhood, authorities said.
Emergency crews were called to the 100 block of North Latrobe Avenue just after 7 p.m., according to Larry Merritt, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department.
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The girl, who was shot in the head, was taken to Stroger Hospital, initially in critical condition, Merritt said. Police said she suffered a gunshot wound to the forehead.
An official at Crown Community Academy of Fine Arts said the victim, Natalia Wallace, attended the school was due to enter second grade there this fall.
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The school released a statement, attributed to Natalia’s first grade teacher:
“Natalia was a very quiet and sweet little girl. She completed every assignment during class, got along with all of her peers, and colored the most precious pictures ever given to me. Natalia never hesitated to ask for clarity when needed. Sometimes, her quiet spirit gave her the strength to lead the reading lessons within her group, and she soared when it came to doing math. During e-learning, Natalia was always present and participating. At the end of each class session, she would type in the chat box, ‘I Love You.‘”
She was a resident of Chatham, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Natalia Wallace, who authorities said was shot and killed July 4, 2020, in Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood, had completed first grade at Crown Community Academy of Fine Arts this spring. (HANDOUT)
She was on the sidewalk when a vehicle pulled up and people got out and started shooting toward where she was, according to a police media notification.
“Chicago’s heart is broke,” said Chicago police Chief Fred Waller. “A 7-year-old girl was taken from us. She was here visiting family. Now she’s gone.”
Wallace was visiting her grandmother, Waller said. She was outside with others during a family get-together. Three men got out of a white vehicle about 50 feet away from where the girl and her family were gathered and fired at least 20 rounds at them.
Detectives are viewing video of the shooting, Waller said. No arrests have been made.
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Police later said there was a second victim, a 32-year-old man, who self-transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the ankle and a graze wound to the leg.
The shooting Saturday follows the wounding Tuesday night of a 3-year-old girl in the West Englewood neighborhood minutes after a 15-year-old boy was shot blocks away, after a 20-month-old boy and 10-year-old girl were killed in separate attacks last weekend. A week earlier, five children were fatally shot, including a 3-year-old boy.
Check back for updates.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Protesters rally downtown for July Fourth boycott: ‘That flag is a lie'

The downtown march was one of many protests this weekend , including several Black Lives Matter protests , including one @ @ @ @ @ a march that included a stop at Chicago Police Headquarters , as well as other @ @ @ @ @ end to shootings in the city , including one sponsored by St. Sabina Catholic Parish @

Hundreds of protesters representing various local organizations listen to speakers during a rally at Federal Plaza on July 4, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
While others celebrated, hundreds of protesters gathered in Federal Plaza on Saturday afternoon to boycott the Independence Day holiday.
The rally began around noon with speakers reciting portions of Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” as organizers held up a banner with his picture.
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For the next hour, members of the Chicago Activist Coalition For Justice addressed the crowd and called on those not in attendance to look inward and recognize the injustices embedded in the United States.
“Today instead of celebrating I choose to remind my fellow Americans that my anger is justified. That that flag is a lie, it is a broken promise,” said community activist Robert Garcia.
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At 2 p.m. the group began to march toward City Hall, stopping outside on LaSalle Street and demanding the attention of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other city officials.
Protesters continued to weave through the Loop, coming to a pause at the intersection of State and Randolph streets, where they encircled the intersection and took a knee.
For at least another hour, they continued marching up and down Michigan Avenue, calling for those on the sidewalk to join them in protest.
Giana Wheeler, 21, moved through the crowd Saturday, collecting contact information of other young marchers, hoping to get people involved in future protests.
“It’s important to make sure when we’re doing activism work, our work is not performative,” Wheeler said. “It’s not meant to make us feel good, it’s meant to actually create a change.
“We have to understand that the actions that we do right now will affect the next generation,” Wheeler added.
The downtown march was one of many protests this weekend, including several Black Lives Matter protests, including one Saturday in Logan Square and a march that stopped at Chicago Police Headquarters, as well as other anti-violence events calling for an end to shootings in the city.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Dance team member who hoped to join Chicago Police Department dies week after block party shooting

Funches was shot in the head and taken in critical condition to the medical center .
One of the other @ @ @ @ @ , was killed .
Also wounded in the attack were a 21-year-old man who suffered @ @ @ @ @ leg and a 24-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the groin .

A dance team member who hoped to become a Chicago police detective and was shot during a block party last weekend became the second person to die following the attack, according to authorities.
Lewis Funches, 22, was pronounced dead at 3:21 p.m. Friday at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he had been taken following the shooting about 11:35 p.m. June 27 in the 3100 block of South Rhodes Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Funches’ family had said he was waiting for a spot to open at the Chicago Police Academy and that he hoped to become a police detective.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Lewis Funches, whose dream was to become a #ChicagoPolice detective. The death of this young man to senseless gun violence is a tragic loss for the CPD and this city. https://t.co/vzIwrCj6Fg — Chicago Police Communications & News Affairs (@CPD_Media) July 4, 2020
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Lewis Funches, whose dream was to become a #ChicagoPolice detective,” the Police Department’s News Affairs office said in a tweet Saturday. “The death of this young man to senseless gun violence is a tragic loss for the CPD and this city.”
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A member of the Ultimate Threat Dance Corp. Team since he was 15, Funches wasn’t believed to be the target of the shooting, nor were the other three people wounded, according to police.
“I’ve never had to worry about my son in violence,” his mother, Tenika Blackman, 39, told the Tribune as she spent the week at the U. of C., hoping to see Funches recover.
The shooting happened when a fight broke out between two people in the crowd at the block party, according to a police source. At least one person began firing from a moving car, hitting Funches and three other men, the source said.
Funches was shot in the head and taken in critical condition to the medical center. One of the other men, 24-year-old Kehinde Ojunleye, was killed. Also wounded in the attack were a 21-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and a 24-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the groin.
Police said just after the shooting that people identified as possible attackers were being questioned, but no one was in custody Saturday and no one was been charged, according to police.
Check back for updates.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Socially distant Fourth of July in Chicago area: ‘We would normally have a bigger gathering with fam

Socially distant Fourth of July in Chicago area: ‘We would normally have a bigger gathering with family'

“ I think everyone was a little heartbroken that we couldn ’ t do the normal event , ” said @ @ @ @ @ Park District ’ s marketing manager .
“ But the fact that we were able @ @ @ @ @ people to come together in some way and it wasn ’ t just virtual , @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Madeline Buckley, Sophie Sherry, Deanese Williams-Harris, Kelli Smith

Dontana Johnson races against his children, Damurious, 9, left, Kobe-Michael, 6, center, and Baby, 5, on the lawn of Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion while celebrating the 4th of July 2020. The family lives in North Lawndale. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
A different kind of Fourth of July unfolded across the Chicago area Saturday, as communities put on virtual events instead of the usual parades, people protested the very idea of the holiday and many eschewed large gatherings in favor of small family picnics.
In the city, parades and fireworks were canceled, but people flocked to local parks, neighborhood bars and the lakefront. Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned bar owners they could be shut down if they violate social distancing rules during the holiday weekend.
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Normally a hot spot during summer holidays, North Avenue Beach was mostly empty around noon Saturday as the sun grew hotter, with only a few stragglers strolling across the sand. Chicago beaches are closed to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, even as the Lakefront Trail reopened late last month.
Fencing blocked some beach access points, and joggers, walkers and cyclists moved through the recently reopened trail, crowding some points of the path.
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With the beaches closed, some took advantage of the water in the Lincoln Park Lagoon, as a couple of dozen paddle boarders traversed the lagoon Saturday afternoon.
Nearby, in Lincoln Park, Erin and Pritesh Patel sat in the shade, eating sandwiches on a blanket with their 20-month-old son. In the past, the Patel family might have picnicked at the beach with a large group of family and friends instead, as the Fourth of July is Erin Patel’s birthday.
“We would normally have a bigger gathering with family,” she said.
But the couple has remained careful, keeping their circle to a small group of immediate family.
A traditional South Side event also went virtual this year, as the Chosen Few DJs moved their annual musical celebration online to bring the disco to Chicago on July Fourth.
The Chosen Few Old School Reunion Picnic has remained a family event over the years, and when COVID-19 struck, its organizers decided to continue the peaceful tradition, which usually draws hundreds of thousands to Jackson Park.
At noon, the celebration kicked off with guest DJ Deon Cole, an actor and comedian who is a South Side native. The annual House music festival’s party continued until 9 p.m. and included guest singer and songwriter Carla Prather and Byron Stingily of Ten City, officials said.
At the same time the Chosen Few celebration kicked off, hundreds of protesters gathered in Federal Plaza in a boycott of the Independence Day holiday.
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The rally began with speakers reciting portions of Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” as organizers held up a banner with his picture, before the group began a circuitous march through the Loop.
Giana Wheeler, 21, moved through the crowd, collecting contact information from other young marchers, hoping to get people involved in future protests.
Activism is “not meant to make us feel good, it’s meant to actually create a change,” Wheeler said.
But aside from the frequent lighting of illegal fireworks, most who marked the holiday did so in a more traditional, if often online, manner. Several suburbs, including Bridgeview, held “drive-in” fireworks shows for people to view from their cars, while some towns created virtual parades.
Winnetka’s daylong July Fourth traditions were replaced this year with a livestreamed car parade. Seventy-one cars adorned with American flags, patriotic banners, strings of stars and colorful balloons rolled through Village Green as online spectators were encouraged to vote for their favorite decorated vehicles. At least two cars sported cloth face masks across their headlights.
“Winnetka’s normal Fourth of July celebration will begin in 365 days,” an announcer blared out of the speakers at the start of the parade.
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A band performed instrumentals atop a flatbed trailer while an Uncle Sam on stilts and small pockets of people walking through the area cheered the cars.
“I think everyone was a little heartbroken that we couldn’t do the normal event,” said Kelsey Raftery, the Winnetka Park District’s marketing manager. “But the fact that we were able to do something that allowed people to come together in some way and it wasn’t just virtual, I think that was good.”
Evanston also moved its celebrations online, with a 20-minute behind-the-scenes look at the work that normally goes into the city’s Independence Day, a 45-minute virtual parade, and a prerecorded concert and fireworks show to conclude festivities.
“Since our organization has been active now for 99 years, we’re very good at doing a traditional celebration,” said Bruce Baumberger, trustee emeritus of Evanston’s Fourth of July Association. “… The virtual celebration was something new to us.”
In Batavia, a children’s parade and family picnic drew nearly 200 people to the six-acre grounds of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1197. Families waved flags as they marched in the parade along the VFW grounds.
While many at the parade said they had plans for a celebration at home, they said it was nice to get out for a community celebration that allowed for safe social distancing.
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“It just makes me feel happy not to feel so isolated,” said Dawn Chapman, of Batavia.
Freelance reporter Alicia Fabbre contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Lowest daily total of COVID-19 deaths since the end of March report

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Lowest daily total of COVID-19 deaths since the end of March reported as Chicago’s Fourth of July underway without firework shows, parades, open beaches

In addition , there will be six feet of separation between tables and the club will be disinfected between performances @ @ @ @ @ paperless and cashless , with extra cleaning of barware health screenings for staff .
Masks @ @ @ @ @ while patrons are not at their seats .
More information about upcoming schedules and additional @ @ @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Dontana Johnson races against his children, Damurious, 9, left, Kobe-Michael, 6, center, and Baby, 5, on the lawn of Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion while celebrating the 4th of July 2020. The family lives in North Lawndale. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois announced just six new deaths from COVID-19 Sunday, as the number of total deaths continues to trend downward this weekend.
Sunday’s death toll marked the lowest recorded in Illinois from coronavirus since March 26, when seven deaths were logged. Ten COVID-19 deaths were reported Saturday. The overall toll now stands at 7,020 deaths.
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While COVID-19 deaths continue to surge in some other states, Illinois recorded its highest daily number – 192 – on May 13.
Also Sunday, there were 639 additional COVID-19 reported cases Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 147,251. This news comes as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot continues to crack down on bars and restaurants over the Fourth of July weekend, and warns travelers coming from states with high cases they will need to quarantine for 14 days after returning.
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[ How to assess your COVID-19 risk when going out in public: Use this chart ]
[ Phase four of Illinois’s COVID-19 reopening: Settle in, folks, we may be here a while ]
[ Illinois enters phase 4 of reopening plan. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening this weekend regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
11:45 a.m.: Pritzker condemns cartoon comparing face mask order to Holocaust
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said a political cartoon likening Kansas face mask requirement to the murder of Jews during the Holocaust a “disgusting display by ignorant Republicans.”
Pritzker, a lead fundraiser for the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, said in a Tweet condemning the cartoon that the museum was intended to “fight this kind of hate.” Read more here. – Jessica Villagomez
10:30 a.m.: 2 unnamed White Sox players test positive for COVID-19
Two unnamed Chicago White Sox players have tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Sunday. Both players are asymptomatic and have been isolated in Chicago, according to the team.
They are being monitored by the Sox medical staff. Follow-up testing will take place in the coming days. The players can return after they have recorded consecutive negative tests and have passed COVID-19 protocols. Read more here. — LaMond Pope
9:35 a.m.: IHSA contact days go into effect Monday as state enters new phase for returning to play
The IHSA announced that its Phase 4 Return to Play guidelines were approved by the Illinois Department of Health, effective Sunday. It means contact days can begin on Monday, July 6.
Originally, the IHSA was calling this Stage 2, but changed its verbiage to Phase 4 to match the wording of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, which also will be entering Phase 4.
Phase 4 opens up sport-specific activities. Athletes have been limited to non sport-specific workouts over the past month, basically conditioning in groups of 10.
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Now, groups of 50 are allowed to work together. If outdoors, different groups of 50 must be 30 feet apart from each other. If indoors, there are to be no groups larger than 50, regardless of space. Read more here. — Paul Johnson
9:30 a.m. Sunday: Elgin libraries, museums to reopen beginning Monday, but ‘things will not look the same,’ officials say
The Gail Borden Public Library is to reopen to patrons Monday morning, more than three months after it last welcomed guests.
However, the revolving doors won’t be in use. Plexiglass partitions will divide employees from visitors. Several computers and pieces of furniture have been stored away. And yes, masks will be required.
Gail Borden is among the Elgin-area libraries and museums welcoming guests to their buildings for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March. Officials advise visitors that the library and museum experience will look and feel entirely different.
The nearly 154,000 square-foot main building of Gail Borden is limiting occupancy to no more than 250 visitors at one time. Capacity reductions also will be in place at the smaller Rakow and South Elgin branches, Raleigh said. There will be capacity limits within some sections of the library as well. Read more here. — Rafael Guerrero
4:29 p.m. Saturday: 10 additional deaths from COVID-19, lowest daily total of deaths since the end of March
Illinois announced 10 new deaths from COVID-19 Saturday, the lowest daily total of deaths since March 30.
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Comparing March 30 with July 4 shows the outbreak at two distinct moments. On March 30, the state announced 461 new confirmed coronavirus cases. Saturday, Illinois announced 862.
True, that is nearly twice as many cases, but on March 30 the state only announced the results of 2,684 tests. That means on March 30, 17.2% of those tests came back positive. On Saturday, the state announced 33,836 test results — a positivity rate of 2.6. If you applied the March 30 positivity rate to the number of tests released Saturday that would mean more than 5,800 new cases.
—Chicago Tribune staff
4:26 p.m.: Evanston Independence Day celebration one of many to go online
After 98 years of top-ranked July Fourth traditions, the city of Evanston celebrated this year in an entirely new, virtual manner because of COVID-19.
Themed “Community United Cannot Be Divided,” the day’s celebration featured a 20-minute online behind-the-scenes look at the work that normally goes into the city’s Independence Day, a 45-minute virtual parade showing old videos of various organizations and a pre-recorded concert and fireworks show to conclude festivities at night.
Evanston’s usual Independence Day sights, including about 15,000 people gathered to watch the city’s parade on the streets, were replaced with about 120 online spectators watching pre-recorded visuals of past celebrations from home.
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”Since our organization has been active now for 99 years, we’re very good at doing a traditional celebration,” said Bruce Baumberger, Trustee Emeritus of Evanston’s Fourth of July Association. “… The virtual celebration was something new to us.”
Evanston’s budget was down about $20 million due to COVID-19, which led the association to look into other cost-efficient ways of hosting a celebration, Baumberger said. What normally took hundreds of volunteers to plan needed only “a few people mastering the technology” with the group’s updated plans this year.
”It’s been a great opportunity to build on and maximize this really great opportunity out of adversity,” Baumberger said.
Viewers from across America interacted with each other in the comments section and remarked on the various groups featured in Evanston’s virtual parade. “Born in the USA,” “I’m Proud to be an American” and other patriotic songs were synchronized with the show, which at one point showed a virtual rendition of the “National Emblem March,” a standard for military marching bands that salutes the American Flag.
”Love seeing this. Usually [I travel to] Evanston for the Fourth of July,” one Facebook commenter wrote during the morning livestream. “I am missing this for so many reasons!”
—Kelli Smith
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4:06 p.m.: Farrkhan delivers online speech regarding coronavirus
Minister Louis Farrakhan deliver a speech Saturday to address the current state of America, mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest people of color are dealing with after the killing of George Floyd captured on video.
Farrakhan, the leader of the Chicago-based Nation of Islam, started the speech, titled the Criterion, by mentioning the death of one of the Nation of Islam’s student ministers, Abdul Hafeez Muhammad, who died from COVID-19 in April at age 53.
”He was a martyr like all who have lost their lives in this nation, Black and White and the colors in between,” Farrakhan said.
Later in the speech, he said the privileged in our country are being faced with a reckoning for their wrongdoing.
He also warned the Black community to stand clear of those oppressing them, so they won’t be touched by God’s wrath.
He encouraged everyone to remain decent during these times. At one point he told those listening to wear their masks and look into other therapies to treat the disease. He also called upon the world’s scientist and doctors to work together to solve COVID-19.
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In closing he thanked the Rev. Michael Pfleger, who he called his brother, and prayed to God for his protection as he continues to fight injustice in the Black community. He prayed for peace for all Americans and the world suffering from COVID-19.
—Deanese Williams-Harris
12:46 p.m.: Chosen Few DJs move annual House music fest online because of coronavirus
You can’t stop the House continues to be true in 2020 after the Chosen Few DJs moved their annual musical celebration online to bring the disco to Chicago on July Fourth.
The Chosen Few Old School Reunion Picnic has remained a family event over the years, and when COVID-19 struck, its organizers decided to continue the peaceful tradition, which draws hundreds of thousands to Jackson Park, to a virtual celebration.
At noon, the celebration was scheduled to kick off with guest DJ Deon Cole, an actor and comedian who’s a South Side native. The annual House music festival’s virtual party will continue until 9 p.m. and include the Chosen Few DJs, and guest singer and song writer Carla Prather and Byron Stingley of Ten City, officials said.
The virtual celebration can be viewed at www.chosenfewdjs.com.
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On the turntables throughout the day will be the Chosen Few DJs, Wayne Williams, Jesse Sanders, Tony Hatchett, Alan King, Terry Hunter and Mike Dunn.
—Deanese Williams-Harris
8:45 a.m.: Illinois opening more centers to support small businesses hit by coronavirus pandemic
Seven new state-run centers will open this summer to support Illinois small businesses.
The Small Business Development Centers set to launch in July or already opened are in Chicago, Elgin and Joliet. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development said the $11.5 million effort brings the total of centers statewide to 42.
"With many Illinois businesses currently facing unprecedented burdens as a result of COVID-19 and recent civil unrest, our SBDC community partners can be a lifeline for businesses working to reopen safely," said Michael Negron, acting director of the department.
Business owners can get one-on-one confidential advice and assistance at the centers on many topics including education, training and business planning.
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The centers also have helped small businesses seek financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, which forced many to close or dramatically change day-to-day operations. — Associated Press
7:52 a.m.: Hundreds of Joliet nurses strike after hospital, union fail to reach contract
More than 700 nurses at Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet went on strike Saturday morning, after the nurses union and hospital failed to reach a contract agreement.
The nurses at Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet have been working without a contract since May 9 and have been in negotiations since February.
The nurses’ union, the Illinois Nurses Association, has not said how long the strike would last. The union said in a news release Saturday nurses would picket outside the hospital at 333 Madison St., in Joliet.
Amita Health, which has 19 hospitals in Illinois, has contracted with an agency to provide temporary nurses, according to spokesman Tim Nelson. Read the full story here. — Lisa Schencker
7:45 a.m. Saturday: Illinois regulators warn casinos to take virus precautions
Casinos that fail to follow guidelines aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus could be disciplined, including loss of their license, Illinois regulators warned this week.
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Illinois allowed video gaming businesses and casinos to begin reopening on Wednesday. Marcus Fruchter, administrator of the Illinois Gaming Board, reminded operators in a message released Thursday that they must follow state protocols for operating during the pandemic.
Requirements include face coverings in gaming establishments and casinos and social distancing along with regular hand washing, Fruchter said.
Failing to comply could result in discipline, including revoked licenses, he said.
“More importantly, disregard of such preventative measures and requirements could contribute to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Illinois and another potential suspension of gaming operations,” he said. “That is a result nobody wants. We urge you not to let it happen.” — Associated Press
3:08 p.m.: Chicago will rely largely on signs along highways and at airports as it orders self-quarantine for people who visit states where COVID-19 is surging
Chicago health officials said Friday they have no plan for enforcing the city’s abrupt quarantine order for people arriving from states where coronavirus cases are surging, but will rely largely on signs posted along highways and at the two airports.
“We do not have a plan to, for example, look for out-of-state license plates and pull people over,” the city’s public health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, said at a news conference. “We do not have a plan to create a list of individuals who are traveling and try to track them down.”
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Arwady said the city’s main goal with the order is to emphasize travel risks during the pandemic. She said the city is also working with airlines to notify people booking Chicago destinations. “We want people to be thinking twice about whether now is a good time to travel,” she said.
Read more here. —Sydney Czyzon
2:45 p.m.: 868 new known COVID-19 cases, 18 additional deaths
The state announced 18 new deaths Friday from COVID-19, bringing the total toll of the virus to 7,005. Also announced were 868 new confirmed cases and the results of 34,318 tests.
In passing the 7,000 mark, Illinois has the fourth most deaths for any state behind New York with 31,836, New Jersey with 15,164 and Massachusetts with 8,132, according to New York Times data.
In Illinois, 2,628 of those deaths, a little over a third, were in Chicago, with 1,990 more in suburban Cook County. Among the collar counties, DuPage and Lake have the most coronavirus deaths with 474 and 421, respectively. Will is lower with 320, as are Kane with 274 and McHenry with 97. There have been coronavirus deaths in 59 of the state’s 102 counties.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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1:43 p.m.: Day after judge declares his executive orders void, Gov. J.B. Pritzker urges restaurants, bars to keep following safety guidelines
A day after a southern Illinois judge ruled that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus are void, the Democratic governor and the state’s top health official are urging restaurants and bars and their customers to continue following safety guidelines heading into the Fourth of July weekend.
“The virus is not taking the holiday weekend off, and neither can we. Letting our guard down now would fly in the face of the progress we’ve made over many months,” Pritzker said in a statement Friday. “We have seen that mitigation measures have worked in our state and we’ve seen too many other states rapidly lose ground in the fight against the virus.”
Those measures include wearing masks in public, maintaining proper social distancing and abiding by capacity limits in restaurants, bars and other businesses.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
1:20 p.m.: In a Chicago first, the Shedd Aquarium reopens to visitors. What’s different with COVID-19 practices in place?
The Shedd Aquarium officially reopened to the public Friday morning, admitting paying visitors for the first time since March after two days of members-only previews, the first of Chicago’s major museums to do so. Elsewhere on the Museum Campus, the Adler Planetarium and Field Museum have not announced reopening dates.
Inside its marble interior, the glass of the Shedd’s Caribbean Reef tank gleamed, signs and staff members directed foot traffic and the many varied species of fish and aquatic life swam, wide eyed and utterly aloof to visitors, as they always seem to do. Returning museum-goers will notice a one big if unsurprising difference from before — the lack of crowds and noise. For many Chicagoans and suburbanites with families, the metaphor of choice for sweaty overcrowding isn’t a train car, it’s summer at the Shedd.
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Read more here. —Doug George
8 a.m.: Zanies comedy clubs are reopening in Chicago, Rosemont
Call this a COVID-19 era first for comedy in Chicago. The two remaining Chicago-area Zanies comedy clubs have announced they will reopen in July — the downtown Zanies (1548 N. Wells St.; 312-337-4027) and Zanies in Rosemont (5437 Park Place at Parkway Bank Park; 847-813-0484).
Zanies in Chicago opens July 10 with headliner Vince Carone, who released the comedy album “Vincectomy” in March. Plus Ben Noble and host Jayson Cross. 9 p.m. July 10; 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. July 11; $30 plus a 2 item minimum. The following weekend will be Adam Burke with Sonal Aggarwahl July 17-18.
Zanies in Rosemont opens July 17 with headliner and Zanies favorite Pat McGann, who will debut a comedy special July 28 presented by Sebastian Maniscalso. (“When’s Mom Gonna Be Home?” will be via Comedy Dynamics.) McGann is performing July 17 at 9p.m., July 18 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; $35 plus a 2 item minimum.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.zanies.com (no tickets at the door). Only 50 tickets will be sold for each show.
In addition, there will be six feet of separation between tables and the club will be disinfected between performances. The clubs are going paperless and cashless, with extra cleaning of barware health screenings for staff. Masks are required for entry and while patrons are not at their seats. More information about upcoming schedules and additional precautions at www.zanies.com.
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—Doug George
7:45 a.m.: Bars and restaurants find themselves at coronavirus crossroads for July Fourth: ‘It’s going to be a tough weekend’
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted.
It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic. In Pilsen, La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks, converting its parking lot into a patio with tables spaced 6 feet apart.
Read more here. —Josh Noel, Louisa Chu, Adam Lukach, Gregory Pratt and Grace Wong
7:30 a.m.: South Side hospital failed to properly triage a pregnant woman who later died, Illinois regulators find
A pregnant woman died after Roseland Community Hospital failed to triage her upon arrival and conduct a medical screening exam, the state health department found in a recent investigation.
The woman, who was 30 weeks pregnant, died at the South Side hospital in May after complaining of abdominal pain, dehydration and general malaise after she arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Her triage note was marked 2:54 p.m. — more than three hours after she arrived.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health found Roseland to be out of compliance on the requirement that hospitals meet the emergency needs of patients “in accordance with acceptable standards of practice.”
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are three things that happened Thursday related to coronavirus in Illinois:
A federal judge denied a GOP request to prevent Pritzker’s crowd limit rule from applying to political gatherings.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city officials threaten to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines.
Wrigley Field rooftops reach agreement with city to open for Cubs games, rooftop manager says.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Where does Illinois stand on the reopening plan? Here are the charts

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--2020-07-04--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--2020-07-04--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,014 deaths, 146,612 confirmed cases, 1.73 million tests, 4.3% positiv

Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,014 deaths, 146,612 confirmed cases, 1.73 million tests, 4.3% positivity rate for northeast region

True , that is nearly twice as many cases , but on March 30 the state only announced the results @ @ @ @ @ means on March 30 , 17.2 % of those tests came back positive .
On @ @ @ @ @ 33,836 test results — a positivity rate of 2.6 .
If you applied the March @ @ @ @ @ number of tests released Saturday that would mean more than 5,800 new cases .

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--2020-07-04--Lake Zurich man facing sexual abuse and child pornography charges, police say

Police then got a warrant to search Zimmer ’ s home June 23 , according to the release .
The @ @ @ @ @ an arrest warrant for two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against Zimmer , both @ @ @ @ @ said Zimmer was still in Lake County Jail when the second arrest warrant was served @ @ @ @ @ to $ 250,000 .

A Lake Zurich man is facing child pornography and aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges in connection with allegations he had sex with a 15-year-old and had child pornography on his cellphone, according to the Lake Zurich Police Department.
Gary A. Zimmer, 51, of the 0-99 block of Lakeview Place in Lake Zurich, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on all five charges Wednesday, July 15, in Lake County Criminal Court in Waukegan, according to court records.
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Lake Zurich Deputy Police Chief David Anderson said all five charges were based on images police found on Zimmer’s cellphone. The case arose from a joint investigation by the Lake Zurich and Barrington police departments that started in April.
Anderson said his department received a call from Barrington police April 21 informing them a 15-year-old Barrington resident had conversations with Zimmer on an online dating site and communicated about a personal meeting.
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“The juvenile didn’t meet him,” Anderson said “They were supposed to meet but he went to the Barrington police. The Barrington police identified the defendant, and detectives from both departments went to talk to him.”
Gary A. Zimmer, 51, who is facing child pornography and aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges. (Lake Zurich Police Department)
According to a release from the Lake Zurich Police Department, Zimmer admitted to having child pornography, which Anderson said police found on his cell phone. Zimmer also admitted to taking pictures of another juvenile, according to police, and investigators determined the pictures were taken at Zimmer’s Lake Zurich house.
After the initial investigation, a warrant for Zimmer’s arrest was issued June 16 on three charges of child pornography, police said. One count is a Class X felony and the other two are Class 2 felonies. A Class X crime carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison while a Class 2 offense can lead to a seven-year sentence, according to Illinois law.
After Zimmer surrendered to Lake Zurich police June 17, Anderson said detectives continued their investigation and found more cellphone pictures, this time of Zimmer having sex with a different 15-year-old. One incident took place at Zimmer’s Lake Zurich residence and another at an address in Volo, police said.
Bond on the child pornography charges was set at $150,000, according to the release.
Police then got a warrant to search Zimmer’s home June 23, according to the release. The search resulted in issuance of an arrest warrant for two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against Zimmer, both Class 2 felonies. Anderson said Zimmer was still in Lake County Jail when the second arrest warrant was served and the bond was increased to $250,000.
“During our investigation we saw photographs of (the sexual abuse) on the cellular phone,” Anderson said. “We then went and interviewed the subject,” he said, before charges were filed.
Zimmer remains in the Lake County Jail unable to post the cash portion of his $250,000 bond, according to officials at the jail and the Lake County Court Clerk’s website.
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If convicted on all five counts, Zimmer could face between 18 and 58 years in prison, according to Illinois law.
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--1 dead, 2 seriously wounded in shootings so far Saturday

A 31-year-old man was in the driver ’ s seat of a parked vehicle when someone in a dark-colored SUV @ @ @ @ @ .
He suffered wounds to the chest , neck and right arm , and was @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Medical Center , where he was pronounced dead , police said .

A shooting victim is transported after being shot in the abdomen in the 600 block of E. 40th Street in the Bronzeville neighborhood, July 5, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
A man was shot dead, and two others were wounded in separate shootings Saturday morning on the South Side, Chicago police said.
The fatal shooting happened shortly after 7:15 a.m. in the 6400 block of South Hoyne Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood.
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A 31-year-old man was in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle when someone in a dark-colored SUV began firing in his direction. He suffered wounds to the chest, neck and right arm, and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
In the latest shooting, a 27-year-old man was shot in the 4700 block of South Ada Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
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Shortly after 8 a.m., the man was sitting in a chair in a lawn when he heard shots and felt pain. He suffered multiple wounds to the back and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, police said.
Shortly before 7 a.m., a man in his 20s was shot in the right ear while traveling in the 700 block of East 90th Street in the Burnside neighborhood. He was taken in serious condition to the same hospital, police said.
Overnight Friday, two people were killed and 16 others were wounded in shootings across the city.
No one was in custody for any of shootings, and police were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--2 killed, 16 wounded in overnight shootings as Fourth of July weekend gets underway in Chicago

The woman was shot in the head and died at the scene .
Officials draped a white sheet over her @ @ @ @ @ the south lane of the overpass .
Paramedics treated a man who sat on the @ @ @ @ @ took him to a hospital .
An abandoned pair of flip-flops and slide sandals lay @ @ @ @ @ crime scene .

A shooting victim is transported after being shot in the abdomen in the 600 block of E. 40th Street in the Bronzeville neighborhood, July 5, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
A 34-year-old woman was shot and killed and two others were injured Saturday morning on the 31st Street bridge over Lake Shore Drive, according to Chicago police.
The killing was the second July Fourth, a notoriously violent holiday in Chicago. From 3 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, 16 people were also injured.
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Earlier in the week, Superintendent David Brown spoke of clearing corners of drug dealers and announced 1,200 more officers would be on the streets for the holiday weekend. The numbers are fewer than the 1,500 deployed last year, to curtail overtime and give officers a break.
The city also planned to work with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago to put more than 150 people on the streets in Austin, West Garfield Park and Back of the Yards as part of violence prevention, officials said. As of Saturday morning, no one had been shot in those neighborhoods.
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[ Extra cops will be on streets this weekend but police Superintendent David Brown acknowledges, ‘We can’t do it alone' ]
At 5:20 a.m., the 34-year-old woman was walking with two men, 26 and 32, in the 3100 block of South Lake Shore Drive in the Lake Meadows neighborhood when six men approached them.
Three or four of the men distracted her while two others took out guns and fired shots at her and the two men she was with, police said.
The woman was shot in the head and died at the scene. Officials draped a white sheet over her body, which lay in the south lane of the overpass. Paramedics treated a man who sat on the nearby curb until an ambulance took him to a hospital. An abandoned pair of flip-flops and slide sandals lay on the ground inside the crime scene.
The 26-year-old man was shot in the right leg, thigh and torso, and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in an unknown condition, police said. The 32-year-old man had a graze wound to the left leg and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, police said.
No arrests have been made, police said.
[ More police to hit Chicago streets, but mayor and top cop say city must find other ways to curb violence. ‘Dear God … we have to do better.' ]
The first homicide of the night occurred just about 1:55 a.m. in the Englewood neighborhood, police said. A 20-year-old man was inside a gas station and a 49-year-old man was inside a vehicle when a man approached and fired shots.
The 20-year-old was shot multiple times and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he later died, police said. The older man was shot in the left thigh and was also taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. No arrests had been made.
Outside the gas station early Saturday, one man stood outside the crime scene tape, saying he was waiting for police to let him enter so he could get his change for a $20 that he handed to a gas station employee just before the shooting broke out.
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Another man came up to the station to pump air into his bike tires. He handed an officer guarding the scene a dollar, and the officer went inside the gas station to get change for the man to put into the air pump.
Most of the shootings occurred in South Side neighborhoods. Areas on the West Side, like sections of Madison Street that are known to have drug trafficking, were blocked off by police overnight, possibly because of the superintendent’s efforts to clear drug corners.
The only North Side shooting occurred about 3:20 p.m. in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, police said. Two men approached an 18-year-old man who was inside a vehicle in the 6200 block of North Hoyne Avenue and tried to rob him.
One of the men pulled out a gun and shot the 18-year-old in the chest, police said. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in an unknown condition. No arrests have been made.
The only shooting that occurred on the West Side overnight was in the Pilsen neighborhood.
A 52-year-old man was standing on a corner in the 1400 block of West 18th Street when someone came up to him and fired shots, police said. He was hit in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition. No arrests have been made.
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The youngest victim overnight was a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the right arm in the 8900 block of South Exchange Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said. An 18-year-old man was also shot in both legs, and a 23-year-old woman was shot in the right arm and torso.
All the victims were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. The shooting appeared to be a gang-related conflict, and there may have been an exchange of gunfire, a law enforcement source said.
Members of the "Hit the Hood" initiative pray in a circle in the South Shore neighborhood before driving in a peace car parade through violence hot spots in Chicago on July 3, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Cars line up in a parking lot in the South Shore neighborhood before taking part in a peace car parade through violence hot spots on July 3, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
In other shootings:
About 6:54 a.m., a man in his 20s was shot in the right ear while in a vehicle in the 700 block of East 90th Street in the Burnside neighborhood on the South Side, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition.
About 4 a.m., a 33-year-old man was shot while he was the passenger in a vehicle in the 200 block of West Garfield Boulevard in Englewood, police said. The driver of the vehicle he was in took him to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
Around 3 a.m., two men, 24 and 28, were standing on the sidewalk in the 7600 block of South Drexel Avenue in the Grand Crossing neighborhood when they saw a vehicle approaching them and heard shots, police said. The younger man was shot in the lower left leg, and the older man was shot in the left buttocks. They were both taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
At 1:35 a.m., a 45-year-old man was inside his home in the 4200 block of South Calumet Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood when a man knocked on his door then shot him after he answered, police said. The man was shot in the mouth and was taken in a private vehicle to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition. A possible suspect was taken into custody.
Around 10:45 p.m., a 19-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk in the 400 block of West 77th Street in the Gresham neighborhood when he heard shots and felt pain, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the buttocks. The shooting appeared to be a result of conflict between two Gangster Disciple gang factions in the area, a law enforcement source said.
At 9:40 p.m., a 29-year-old man was found lying in the street in the 7200 block of South Artesian Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood, police said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition. There were no witnesses to the shooting.
Just before 7:20 p.m., a 24-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were inside a vehicle in the 6900 block of South Wabash Avenue in the Park Manor neighborhood when they heard shots, police said. The younger man was shot in the neck, and the older man was shot in the calf. They were both taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
No one was in custody in any of the shootings except the Calumet Avenue shooting in Bronzeville, according to police.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--4th of July violence in Chicago

4th of July violence in Chicago

While it might be true that summer ’ s main attraction is a perfectly grilled steak or an unbeatable burger @ @ @ @ @ time to shine .
Say hello to some fun starters — these salsa and dip @ @ @ @ @ and are sure to wow the family .

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chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Hundreds of Joliet nurses strike after hospital, union fail to reach contract

“ The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe economic impact on hospitals and health systems throughout the United States , and @ @ @ @ @ , ” Nelson said .
“ We have supported all our associates in many ways @ @ @ @ @ pay continuance and temporary premium pay for our frontline workers most affected , but like @ @ @ @ @ had to make some difficult decisions .
”

More than 700 nurses at Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet went on strike Saturday morning, after the nurses union and hospital failed to reach a contract agreement.
The nurses at Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet have been working without a contract since May 9 and have been in negotiations since February.
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The nurses’ union, the Illinois Nurses Association, has not said how long the strike would last. In a news release Saturday, the union said nurses would picket outside the hospital at 333 Madison St., in Joliet.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for July 8.
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Amita Health, which has 19 hospitals in Illinois, has contracted with an agency to provide temporary nurses, according to spokesman Tim Nelson.
The hospital transferred a “minimum number of patients” to Amita Health Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale before the strike, Nelson said in an email Saturday. He said the health system is ready to continue contract negotiations in good faith with the nurses, and the hospital is “prepared to provide uninterrupted, high quality care and service throughout” the strike.
A main sticking point in the contract negotiations include nurse staffing levels that the nurses say are unsafe.
Nelson said hospital negotiators presented the union with an offer Friday that the system felt addressed many of the nurses’ concerns.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe economic impact on hospitals and health systems throughout the United States, and AMITA Health is no different,” Nelson said. “We have supported all our associates in many ways throughout the pandemic, including pay continuance and temporary premium pay for our frontline workers most affected, but like other health systems we have had to make some difficult decisions.”
The strike comes as hospitals across the country continue to deal with financial fallout from COVID-19, which required cancellations of elective surgeries and led to fewer non-COVID-19 patients.
Nurses at a number of U.S. hospitals have gone on strike in recent years, often citing staffing levels as a major concern.
Last year, more than 2,200 nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center went on strike, seeking better nurse staffing despite the hospital’s position that its staffing levels were safe. That strike lasted one day but was followed by a four-day lockout. Those nurses were part of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United.
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The University of Chicago Medical Center also moved babies and children in intensive care units to other hospitals, canceled and rescheduled elective surgeries, and asked ambulances to take patients elsewhere during that strike and lockout.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Column: ‘Boxes of hope’: In Little Village, a food pantry turns the COVID-19 crisis into opportunity

Few places were harder hit than Little Village , sometimes known as the capital of the Mexican Midwest .
Many @ @ @ @ @ died .
In the consequent economic crash , thousands were laid off .
Most of @ @ @ @ @ were poorly paid and doing work that exposed them to the virus , which they @ @ @ @ @ a hundred families a week was no match for the need .

Erika Lobatos, 39, checks in families in line for food boxes and milk at New Life Centers in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on July 2, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
It’s 8:55 a.m. A muggy summer day in Chicago.
Outside the former fruteria on South Lawndale Avenue, two dozen people have already lined up on the sidewalk, leaning on empty baby strollers and metal grocery carts, sweating, fiddling with their masks. Along the curb, cars with flashing blinkers stretch from the corner at 27th Street, past old brick cottages and iron fences, on beyond the red stop sign at 28th.
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“Let’s pray!” Matt DeMateo calls.
Inside the fruteria the workers stand in a loose circle and bow their heads. The pastor from the church across the street leads the prayer in Spanish
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Gracias, he says, for the workers’ patience and good health, and gracias for the privilegio of living in La Villita. And gracias for this opportunity trabajar y dar a los otros: this opportunity to work and give to others.
“Amen,” the workers say.
Then it’s 9 a.m., right on time, and DeMateo claps his hands once, sharp and loud, and says “Awright, let’s do it,” and the workers are out the door for another day of dispensing what he calls “boxes of hope,” less poetically known as food.
‘We started to dream crazy'
Back in the ordinary midwinter of 2020, New Life Centers of Chicagoland, a nonprofit affiliated with New Life Community Church in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, gave out food once a week from the church basement. With a volunteer staff, it fed 100 families, mostly with donations from Trader Joe’s.
Then in mid-March came the pandemic.
Few places were harder hit than Little Village, sometimes known as the capital of the Mexican Midwest. Many people got sick. Some died. In the consequent economic crash, thousands were laid off. Most of those who kept their jobs were poorly paid and doing work that exposed them to the virus, which they risked bringing home. Feeding a hundred families a week was no match for the need.
So in April, after the renowned Chicago chef Rick Bayless donated 50 boxes of food and Trader Joe’s increased its donations, New Life expanded its vision.
Alex Ramon, 18, right, helps pull a pallet with boxes of food at New Life Centers in Chicago's Little Village on July 2, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Kate Rivera, 19, helps to load food boxes into cars for families in need at New Life Centers. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“We started to dream crazy,” says DeMateo, the organization’s executive director, a 37-year-old who favors jeans and a backward-facing Cubs cap. “Man, what if we fed a thousand families?”
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By early May, New Life was in a partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and soon it was feeding 1,000 families a week. Then 2,000. Then 3,000. Truck after truck of food arrived at the fruteria’s back door, and by June, the New Life crew was feeding 6,000 families — 30,000 or so people — at seven sites around the city. DeMateo calls them “lighthouses in the storm.”
“Out of crisis,” he says, “comes opportunity.”
‘You’ll have to move fast'
It’s 9:02 a.m.
“I’m going to follow Abelardo,” I say and from behind his “Stronger Together” face mask, DeMateo laughs. “You’ll have to move fast.”
Abelardo Colin was 16 when he migrated to Chicago from Mexico. He spoke no English. A longtime New Life pantry volunteer, he’s 37 now, and in mid-May, just as he finished his associate degree in social work at Malcolm X College, he took a paid job running the Little Village pantry operation.
On this hot morning, he sprints across the sidewalks, making sure everything’s OK, his walkie-talkie squawking constantly: “Abelardo! Abelardo!” He waves cars into the loading line, calling “Adelante! Buenos dias!” He reminds others to wear their masks.
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He also oversees the workers with clipboards who ask each car a few questions: Address? How many in the home? Are you on food stamps? No names required. Anyone who shows up is welcome.
Today that even includes a city bus driver, who has just maneuvered through the long line of waiting cars to reach the corner stop. Colin slides a box of food through the open door.
“Thanks, bro!” the driver says.
But even as he says it Colin is off, hustling back to the fruteria to roll out a giant pallet of frozen meat.
‘Bringing light'
It was well-timed luck that just as the pandemic hit, the owners of Gela’s Fruteria, across from New Life, decided to retire. They hadn’t sold the building yet, so they handed over the keys, along with access to their coolers, which has helped make the operation possible.
And for an operation that didn’t exist at this scale three months ago, the pantry is remarkably efficient. Cars pull up nonstop in front of a tented area where a line of young people load boxes into the popped trunks.
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“Speed it up!” someone calls, and the workers gladly do. For many of them, like Alex Ramon, tossing, catching and quickly loading the heavy boxes is a form of competitive sport.
Ramon, 18, lives with his mother, who’s retired from a candy factory, and an older brother, who was laid off from a mall job when the pandemic hit. His father died when he was a child, and for a decade DeMateo, who lives across the street, has been his mentor.
A few years ago, Ramon was shot, yet another child victim of gang crossfire not meant for him, but he carried on. He recently graduated from high school and now is one of the 10 pantry workers who, thanks to the government’s Paycheck Protection Program, is being paid. The money keeps his family afloat, but he’s at the pantry for more than a paycheck.
“It’s bringing light to Little Village,” he says.
Talk to the pantry workers and they all use words such as light, joy, opportunity, community. Their happy energy may make it tempting to forget that their work is made urgent by a deadly, contagious disease.
‘Radical hospitality'
The New Life congregation has buried a dozen people because of it, among them Emilia Martínez.
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“Emmy loved on everyone,” says Erika Lobatos, who helps manage the Little Village site. “She gave the best hugs.”
Martinez was a community leader, one of the older women who taught Lobatos, who’s 39, the meaning of “radical hospitality.” Those older women are one reason that on this muggy day, Lobatos stands outside the fruteria, talking to the constant parade of people who come on foot, listening to their stories and their needs, helping them heave boxes into their empty strollers and carts.
Then it’s 10 a.m., then 11, then noon. The lines stay long. A guy named Big Mike shows up to help load a truck for deliveries to people too sick to come themselves. The pantry has also delivered in some Black neighborhoods where the grocery stores closed after recent looting.
Who knows how long this form of radical hospitality will go on in Little Village, but the need will last a while. A new mural across the street from the fruteria will be a reminder of why. It’s dedicated to community members lost during the time of the pandemic, some to violence, others to the disease.
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The names were scheduled to go up Thursday evening. Among the COVID-19-related deaths would be these:
Emilia Lozano Martínez
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Maria G. Ayala
María del Carmen Cárdenas
Guillermo Chávez
There will be space for more, just as there will continue to be the need for boxes of hope.
mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-05--8 shot, 4 fatally in Englewood shooting, police say

Police eventually expanded the crime scene after a crowd gathered near the tape .
A woman was frantically on the @ @ @ @ @ and asked police to find her on the other side of the scene .
After @ @ @ @ @ daughter to her .
The woman leaned against a trash can , becoming emotional and @ @ @ @ @ to find her daughter .
The teenager comforted her .

A shooting victim is transported after being shot in the abdomen in the 600 block of E. 40th Street in the Bronzeville neighborhood, July 5, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Four people were killed, including a 14-year-old boy, and four others were injured, including an 11-year-old boy, in an Englewood shooting Saturday night, according to Chicago police.
Around 11:30 p.m., four men walked up to a large gathering that was taking place in the 6100 block of South Carpenter Street and fired shots, police said. They fled the scene and have not been arrested.
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Two male victims died at the scene, police said. Their ages have not yet been released.
Officials called an EMS Plan 1, which sends at least five ambulances to the scene, according to Larry Merritt, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. The plan was secured by 1 a.m. Ambulances transported five of the victims to hospitals.
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Police lights illuminate the street at the scene where eight people were shot, four fatally, including a 14-year-old boy who was fatally shot in the back late Saturday night on the 6100 block of South Carpenter Street Sunday July 5, 2020 in Chicago.(Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A 14-year-old boy was shot in the back and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Another man, whose age has not been released, was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the chest and back, police said. He was later pronounced dead.
An 11-year-old boy suffered graze wounds to his leg and ankle, police said. He was originally taken to St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center but was transported to Comer Children’s Hospital in fair condition.
A 15-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in fair condition, police said.
A 29-year-old man was shot in the foot and taken to St. Bernard in fair condition, police said.
A 35-year-old man was shot in the hip, leg, arm and wrist, police said. He was taken from St. Bernard but was transferred to Stroger Hospital.
At the scene, a neighbor said people were just outside enjoying the fireworks when people came up and started shooting. Chairs were still lined up on the sidewalk and beer cans were knocked over on Carpenter Street.
Crime scene tape first surrounded a section of Carpenter Street in front of a playground and a house, where a group of people stood on the patio.
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Police eventually expanded the crime scene after a crowd gathered near the tape. A woman was frantically on the phone with her teenage daughter and asked police to find her on the other side of the scene. After, an officer escorted the daughter to her. The woman leaned against a trash can, becoming emotional and saying she was so anxious to find her daughter. The teenager comforted her.
Fireworks were still going up around the neighborhood as police worked the scene.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-07-05--7-year-old girl fatally shot in South Austin neighborhood on West Side

Wallace was visiting her grandmother , Waller said .
She was outside with others during a family gathering .
Three @ @ @ @ @ white vehicle about 50 feet away from where the girl and her family was and @ @ @ @ @ at them .


chicagotribune--2020-07-05--Woman robbed, sexually assaulted on Near North Side after man forced her into van, Chicago police sa

Woman robbed, sexually assaulted on Near North Side after man forced her into van, Chicago police say

The attacker was described as a man between 20 and 26 years old with a thin build and about 5-foot-4 @ @ @ @ @ He had his hair pulled back in a short ponytail and was wearing a black @ @ @ @

Chicago police are looking for a man who they say sexually assaulted and robbed 37-year-old woman in the Near North neighborhood Saturday morning.
A man forced a woman into his van by claiming to have weapon and robbed, then sexually assaulted her, according to a police community alert.
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The attack occurred around 7:10 a.m. after the woman was approached by a white Honda Odyssey minivan as she was walking in the 100 block of East Huron Street.
Police said after the assault the woman was allowed to get out of the van and fled east on Huron.
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The attacker was described as a man between 20 and 26 years old with a thin build and about 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-7 inches tall. He had his hair pulled back in a short ponytail and was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.
Anyone with information was asked to call Belmont Area detectives at 312-744-8261.