chicagotribune--2020-10-05--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area

Among the metrics ( see below ) tracked under guidelines set by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of @ @ @ @ @ , the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses , and the capacity of hospitals @ @ @ @ @ state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics @

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.
To assess how different parts of Illinois are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, officials look at the state through the 11 regions of Emergency Medical Services. The city of Chicago is one region, for example, and the rest of Cook County is another.
Among the metrics (see below) tracked under guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of coronavirus tests that return positive, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses, and the capacity of hospitals to take in new patients.The state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics. (Cases, deaths and tests data is as of Dec. 31).
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus.
• Other Chicago, suburbs and Illinois COVID-19 metrics.
• See how the governor’s plan to manage the regions works.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
Created by the Chicago Tribune dataviz team. On Twitter @chitribgraphics


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--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--2020-10-05--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 14 new deaths, 1,853 new confirmed cases and 38,538 new test resu

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 14 new deaths, 1,853 new confirmed cases and 38,538 new test results

Illinois announced 1,853 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Monday for a total of 303,394 .
The state also announced 14 @ @ @ @ @ of 8,805 and 38,538 new test results for a total of 5.92 million .

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--2020-10-05--Convicted bookmaker with mob links and ties to Hired Truck probe charged with running illegal sports

Convicted bookmaker with mob links and ties to Hired Truck probe charged with running illegal sports betting

His felony record includes a 1980 conviction on charges of extending juice loans to gamblers .
Federal prosecutors said in @ @ @ @ @ dozens of other arrests on his record , including one in 1995 when Chicago police @ @ @ @ @ wagers at a basketball facility in Elmwood Park .

A convicted bookmaker with long-standing ties to the Chicago Outfit has been charged once again with running illegal sports betting business.
Gregory Emmett Paloian, 66, of Elmwood Park, was accused in a criminal information filed late Friday of running the gambling operation over a four-year period beginning in 2015.
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Paloian operated his business in Chicago, Elmwood Park and Melrose Park, the information alleges. As part of the charges, prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of $274,000 from Paloian as well as a 2017 Audi.
Defendants charged via a criminal information typically intend to plead guilty. Paloian’s attorney, Joseph Urgo, declined to comment Monday.
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Court records show Paloian has an extensive criminal history that includes mob connections and friendships with some colorful Chicago characters.
Paloian was a longtime friend of John “Quarters” Boyle, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax fraud in connection with accepting bribes from trucking companies when he worked for the city’s Transportation Department, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2005.
In his youth, Paloian worked at Riis Park, on the city’s Northwest Side, where Boyle’s late father was the supervisor, according to the Tribune report.
His felony record includes a 1980 conviction on charges of extending juice loans to gamblers. Federal prosecutors said in one court filing Paloian had dozens of other arrests on his record, including one in 1995 when Chicago police spotted him writing down suspected wagers at a basketball facility in Elmwood Park.
When officers approached, Paloian shoved bunches of paper in his mouth and “fell to the ground and rolled around" until he was able to swallow them, prosecutors said.
In 2002, Paloian pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges alleging he’d been running an illegal gambling ring under the protection of West Side Outfit boss Rocky Infelise that raked in millions of dollars over at least two decades.
In court filings from that case, prosecutors said Paloian admitted that if his customers couldn’t pay the debts, he would threaten to refer them for juice loans to feared mob enforcer Jimmy Inendino.
“Paloian said that a bettor would be told cannons would be pointed at his head if he didn’t pay,” prosecutors wrote in a 2002 sentencing memo.
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The operation was taken down in 1998, when federal agents raided Paloian’s family home and discovered a secret room concealed by a mechanized wall in the basement, court records show.
Inside, they found $157,000 in cash stacked in safes and on tables, as well as jewelry, loose diamonds, gold krugerrands and a voice-changing device and soluble paper that bookies often use to record bets, court records show.
Paloian was sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison in that case. In 2005, the Tribune reported that Paloian had been allowed to participate in Chicago’s scandal-plagued Hired Truck Program for more than a year after he was initially charged.
In fact, Paloian’s firm, Ruff Edge Inc., still had trucks participating in Hired Truck Program for months after he pleaded guilty, according to the Tribune report.
Among the evidence seized at City Hall by federal investigators was a handwritten note dated July 11, 2002, from a city official who said that the boss of the Hired Truck Program, Angelo Torres, had called “and told me to knock off four trucks that Ruff Edge had on.”
Paloian was never charged as part of the Hired Truck probe.
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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Column: Trump puts Secret Service agents at risk with COVID Car Ride — but relax, it was medically n

Column: Trump puts Secret Service agents at risk with COVID Car Ride — but relax, it was medically necessary

He continues to be the best COVID-19 patient in the world , with many saying he is handling the virus @ @ @ @ @ have ever seen , including former President Barack Obama .
( The fact that Obama @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus is just another sign of his weakness . )

President Donald Trump offers a thumbs-up to supporters from a motorcade outside Walter Reed Medical Center during his treatment for COVID-19 on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Bethesda, Maryland. (Yuri Gripas / TNS)
As President Donald Trump continues to battle COVID-19, a number of questions have come up about the accuracy of health updates coming from his medical team and the decision to allow him to take a Sunday SUV ride to wave at supporters outside Walter Reed Medical Center.
As a self-appointed member of President Trump’s nationwide team of citizen-physicians, I want to assure Americans the president is doing unbelievably fantastic and everything you’re hearing about him is accurate.
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First, let me share my credentials. I am an almost-graduate of the Central Florida Institute of Therapeutic Clown Medicine and Exotic Dancing and a member in good standing of the Coalition of Ombudsmen Validating Information about Donald, or COVID.
On Sunday, Trump briefly left the hospital with a Secret Service detail in an SUV with windows closed. The president’s motorcade drove past supporters lining the road outside the hospital. He waved and then returned to the hospital.
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I want to assure everyone that the excursion was both sensible and medically necessary.
Some so-called medical professionals disagree, including Dr. James Phillips, a doctor affiliated with Walter Reed. He tweeted: “Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.”
Fact check: FALSE! The last thing patriotic Americans and their president need is Dr. Donnie Downer claiming a COVID Car Ride is a bad idea.
I promise you, one of the leading treatments for COVID-19 is a quick outing or, if feasible, a short boat parade. It allows the infected person to “share the viral load” with healthier, more expendable people, and it also gives the ego a chance to reinflate.
Furthermore, by leaving the hospital for a joyride while suffering from a wildly contagious disease that has killed more than 200,000 Americans and decimated the economy, President Trump modeled sensible behavior that encourages others to put their emotional needs first while ignoring the health of others. Isn’t that what America is all about?
Another area of complaint involves the information White House officials and Trump’s medical team are sharing with the public.
For example, there was confusion Saturday about when exactly the president tested positive for the virus and whether he was given supplemental oxygen.
Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, explained Sunday that he had intentionally delivered vague answers about the health of the leader of the free world because: “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction.”
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Based on my expansive knowledge of medicine (and exotic dancing), I can tell you Conley made the right move. Positive thinking and dishonesty are two of the best ways to defeat a virus, along with gargling bleach, telling other people to take hydroxychloroquine and sticking a week-old russet potato in your ear.
To save Conley and other physicians on Trump’s team from having to waste time updating the stupid media, I offer this summary of President Trump’s medical condition, which will stand until he is fully recovered and back in the White House making American great again:
Glorious God-King Trump continues to exhibit heroic manliness and tonight did many thousands of pushups before donating testosterone to lesser men.
He continues to be the best COVID-19 patient in the world, with many saying he is handling the virus far better than anyone they have ever seen, including former President Barack Obama. (The fact that Obama has never tested positive for the coronavirus is just another sign of his weakness.)
President Trump has had no trouble breathing, and in fact is breathing so well he has been teaching other patients at Walter Reed to breathe better. Many have applauded the president for his generosity and kindness and excellence in teaching breathing. He also has a beautiful singing voice, tremendous strength and weighs 180 pounds.
Since being admitted to the hospital, the president has thrice leapt from his bed shouting, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds!” This is a common part of the COVID-19 recovery.
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While the president’s remarkably strong immune system could defeat the virus on its own — and the virus would consider it an honor to be felled by white blood cells of such vitality — doctors are giving President Trump an antibody cocktail made by the pharmaceutical company Regeneron along with remdesivir and dexamethasone. They have also offered a blót, or blood sacrifice, to Magni, the Norse god of strength, but that’s purely a precaution.
He recited the following and asked it be relayed to the American people: “The past and present wilt — I have fill’d them, emptied them. And proceed to fill my next fold of the future. I AM LARGE, I CONTAIN MULTITUDES!"
Also, on Monday morning, the president’s head briefly separated from his body, an expected side effect seen only in the strongest and most handsome of patients.
Is it possible the man in charge of America’s nuclear codes is on oxygen, taking drugs that can affect his mood and judgment and cause hallucinations, or recklessly endangering the lives of Secret Service agents so he can wave at strangers? Well, medically speaking, anything’s possible. But is that really information you want to know? Of course not.
That’s why it’s crucial you rely only on White House officials and the president’s therapeutically fibbing doctor, whose words sound reassuring as long as you don’t think about them too hard.
As a medical (and exotic dancing) expert, I can tell you thinking is VERY unhealthy.
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Especially when it involves this administration.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--In the final days of the census, outreach workers struggle against apathy and distrust

But Vidal said that once she is able to connect with families and discuss their needs , they are often @ @ @ @ @ forms .
Vidal found it can come down to issues as simple as funding for @ @ @ @ @ know most of them complain about the potholes , ” she said .

Working at food pantries in Chicago this summer, 17-year-old Lizbeth Vidal walked up and down lines of families, trying to get them counted for the 2020 census.
It was not an easy job, even though many of the people she approached came from some of the neediest neighborhoods in Chicago and stood to lose the most if not counted for a census that will determine billions of dollars in federal resources for the next 10 years.
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One day, she stood next to a family of 13 as they waited at a pantry, chatting with them all the way to the end when they finally agreed to complete a census questionnaire. She is constantly telling people how filling out the form will make their parks, libraries and schools better for their children.
“A lot of us are learning from home and … that money is going to be helpful for us,” Vidal told residents near her home in West Englewood. “I know not everyone has computers. ... That’s the way we get computers, books.”
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Still, response rates remain low in many areas across the South and West sides, with some neighborhoods reporting rates around 30%. The same areas have poverty rates of 30% and 40%, according to data gathered by the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“The reason people are hard to count is because they don’t trust the system,” said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, who has been involved in census efforts on the West Side. “People don’t believe they should participate because our communities suffer, and they believe they are never going to spend the money on our neighborhoods anyways.”
The pandemic put up new barriers. The original deadline of July 31 was extended to Oct. 31 because it was harder to reach homes or gather people for events. The Trump administration abruptly moved up the deadline to Sept. 30, but a federal judge has ruled the deadline should remain the end of this month to guarantee an accurate count.
Groups like Increase the Peace, where Vidal works as a youth organizer, determined one of the best ways to get their neighborhoods counted was to set up food pantries, with census outreach workers on hand to help residents complete census forms.
Volunteer Martha Pita, left, interviews a woman for the 2020 census before David Moscoso, right, gives her a ticket to enter the Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party in Humboldt Park on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. People were allowed to enter the grounds after filling out the 2020 census. The Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party featured free food and access to no-profit and health vendors. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Working in communities with large undocumented populations, Vidal said the first hurdle was often explaining that people who were not U.S citizens should still fill out the census. Vidal said there were times when she ran into families who did not know what the census was.
Many of the people she has approached have been through a difficult year, losing jobs and living in neighborhoods that have suffered from decades of disinvestment. They doubted filling out a form would finally change the places where they live.
But Vidal said that once she is able to connect with families and discuss their needs, they are often willing to fill out the forms. Vidal found it can come down to issues as simple as funding for new roads “because I know most of them complain about the potholes,” she said.
The Data Visualization Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that most of the undercounted areas in the city have high unemployment rates.
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In one census tract in the Englewood neighborhood, self-response rates stand around 26%, the lowest in the city. The tract is facing an unemployment rate close to 40%, with more than 30% living below the poverty level, according to UIC’s “Map the Count” project.
Back of the Yards and Lawndale also report some of the highest percentages of unemployment and lowest rates of census responses.
UIC also found that many of the undercounted areas have a large proportion of residents who did not finish high school and therefore have more limited opportunities.
In the Little Village neighborhood, nearly 60% of residents in some census tracts did not have a high school diploma, UIC found. The census response rates are just under 40% there.
Regan Sonnabend, census director at the YWCA, said she uses schools in her argument for why people should be counted.
The YWCA was tasked with aiding census outreach in Englewood, West Englewood, New City and Pilsen. Sonnabend said neighborhood schools in all those areas are woefully underfunded and many have been shut down.
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Sonnabend also mentioned funding for mental health programs, which she believes is “largely overlooked” in the discussion of the 2020 count but crucial to improving the lives of the residents they serve.
She noted that funds spent on COVID-19 efforts in Chicago were directly tied to the 2010 census data. Census information is also used to determine things like new CTA stops, which Sonnabend said can have huge impacts on employment and public health.
UCAN, a community organization based across the South and West sides, focuses on providing clinical and counseling services, as well as transitional and independent living programs for at-risk youth. But this year, it helped with census outreach, subcontracting with the YWCA.
As advocacy workers and community leaders reached out, they found most residents had other issues on their minds.
“When COVID hit ... communities of color saw huge numbers of positive cases and yet again we saw unemployment and yet again we saw the inequities in our education and in our health system,” Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya said during a recent outreach event.
Anaya’s district covers parts of Little Village, Brighton Park and Back of the Yards that have some of the city’s lower self-response rates. Like Ford, she said it became almost impossible for people to see how a 5-to-10-minute questionnaire could have any impact.
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Ford said he has been involved in census outreach in Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park and Roseland, where the distrust of the federal government is high. “They don’t really want to have anything to do with the census,” he said. “People may not want to participate because they feel that the system did them wrong to begin with.”
Felipe Mayviewstein, 29, said he lives in an apartment in Back of the Yards owned by his family and he hasn’t filled out the census.
“I’ve been very occupied, it’s not on my list of priorities,” he said. “It’s obviously important, it’s a very significant thing in terms to its relationship to the economy and country as a whole, but from a merely personal level, I feel like if one person doesn’t fill it out, it doesn’t make a significant difference.”
Mayviewstein is one of many who have a difficult time understanding the individual impact the census has on Chicago’s largest underreported communities.
Ford spoke specifically of Austin, Lawndale, Garfield Park and Roseland neighborhoods and the growing mistrust in government throughout those communities.
“They don’t really want to have anything to do with the census, people may not want to participate because they feel that the system did them wrong to begin with,” he said.
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It’s not clear how much more time census outreach workers have. While a federal judge has ruled the deadline is the end of this month, the Trump administration has said it will appeal.
Many community organizations like UCAN have run out of initial funding set aside for census work. UCAN workers are now doing what they can to combine census and voter outreach efforts in this final month.
Kim Casey, an officer with UCAN, said she found many people in the community weren’t aware of the census. She worries what that could mean for the upcoming election.
“People were just not aware,” she said. “Also people weren’t hearing that it’s time to vote again, so I was a little bit concerned about the census and the vote. … Information just wasn’t reaching our people.”
ssherry@chicagotribune.com
jvillagomez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Free ride over for Metra UP commuters as ticket verification begins at Ogilvie station

Metra and Union Pacific have been at odds over fare collection since June , when UP refused to allow conductors @ @ @ @ @ tickets on its three Metra lines , citing coronavirus safety concerns .
That essentially created @ @ @ @ @ which has been costing the commuter rail system $ 1 million a month in lost @ @ @ @ @ .

The free ride may be over for Chicago commuters on Metra’s three Union Pacific lines with the installation of manned ticket verification booths at the Ogilvie Transportation Center.
Beginning today, commuters on the UP North, Northwest and West Metra lines will have to show a valid ticket or their Ventra app when boarding or disembarking at the Chicago station. Union Pacific employees will verify fares behind new Plexiglas booths on the train platforms.
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“We feel this is the safest way to help with fair collection, but also protect our employees and the commuters,” said Kristen South, a Union Pacific spokeswoman.
Metra and Union Pacific have been at odds over fare collection since June, when UP refused to allow conductors into the aisles to punch tickets on its three Metra lines, citing coronavirus safety concerns. That essentially created a no fare policy, which has been costing the commuter rail system $1 million a month in lost ticket revenue, Metra said.
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In addition to the ticket verification booths, Union Pacific resumed ticket sales operations at Ogilvie and outlying stations Sept. 28. Verifying the tickets at the Ogilvie train platform booths will cover 90% of riders on the Metra UP lines, South said.
Conductors will not return to the passenger cars for safety reasons, but Union Pacific has asked Metra to have police officers on the trains and at the ticket verification booths to enforce the fare payments, South said.
The transit agency has “serious concerns” about Union Pacific’s new fare collection procedures, and will be monitoring the implementation Monday, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said in an email.
“Among other concerns, we fear this plan will not simply inconvenience customers but could possibly result in unsafe chokepoints,” Gillis said.
Gillis said not allowing conductors to sell and validate tickets on the trains “does not fulfill UP’s obligation to collect all fares” and results in the “erosion of customer safety and security.”
South said Union Pacific is being “abundantly cautious” with its employees after two Ogilvie ticket agents died during the pandemic. She declined to say whether the agents had contracted COVID-19.
[ Metra launches $1 million ad campaign to lure commuters back ]
Metra has been hard-hit by the pandemic, operating at about 10% of its normal ridership as people continue to work from home and attend school remotely. The transit agency projects $682 million in lost revenue through the end of 2021.
The Chicago area’s commuter rail system encompasses 11 lines across six counties. Three of the lines are owned and operated by Union Pacific Railroad under a purchase of service agreement with Metra.
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Metra and Union Pacific have been in negotiations since last fall to either extend their service agreement or create a new one.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Daywatch: Trump leaves hospital briefly to greet supporters, census outreach workers struggle in fin

Daywatch: Trump leaves hospital briefly to greet supporters, census outreach workers struggle in final days and Malort introduces a cocktail

Chicago is known as the Second City , but when it comes to the size of single-family homes , the @ @ @ @ @ spot .
Among the country ’ s 20 largest metropolitan areas , Chicago takes first @ @ @ @ @ homes , according to data from a recent study .
When it comes to apartment @ @ @ @ @ falls toward the bottom of the list , with its average apartment growing smaller over @ @

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Good morning, Chicago. Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,453 newly diagnosed cases and 17 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19.
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Over the weekend, the state broke a grim record: more than 300,000 Illinoisans have been stricken with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Also, as the election approaches and people weigh their voting options, some say they’re concerned about voting by mail. Between secure drop boxes, extra sorting machines and a decade of experience, here’s why Illinois election officials say voting by mail is safe.
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Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
Dr. Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, briefs reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. on Oct. 4, 2020. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Two days after being hospitalized with COVID-19, President Donald Trump declared, “I get it,” in a message to the nation Sunday before briefly leaving the hospital to salute supporters from a motorcade, a move that suggested the president would continue to disregard basic precautions to contain the virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans.
Hours earlier, Trump’s medical team reported that his blood oxygen level dropped suddenly twice in recent days and that they gave him a steroid typically only recommended for the very sick. The doctors also said Trump’s health is improving and that he could be discharged as early as Monday.
Trump’s treatment suggests severe COVID-19, medical experts say: ‘They’re throwing the kitchen sink at him’
Volunteer Martha Pita, left, interviews a woman for the 2020 census before David Moscoso, right, gives her a ticket to enter the Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party in Humboldt Park on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. People were allowed to enter the grounds after filling out the 2020 census. The Our Heritage Counts 2020 Census Party featured free food and access to no-profit and health vendors. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Working at food pantries in Chicago this summer, 17-year-old Lizbeth Vidal walked up and down lines of families, trying to get them counted for the 2020 census.
It was not an easy job, even though many of the people she approached came from some of the neediest neighborhoods in Chicago and stood to lose the most if not counted for a census that will determine billions of dollars in federal resources for the next 10 years.
Paletero Ananias Ocampo, 76, pushes his cart along 18th Street to Paulina Street to sell ice cream in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on Sept. 25, 2020. Ananias Ocampo suffers from severe arthritis, diabetes and osteoarthritis. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
In December, hundreds of older immigrants will be eligible for Medicaid-like coverage in Illinois for low-income immigrants age 65 and older regardless of their immigration status. Initially, between 400 and 2,000 people are expected to sign up for the program, which was part of the state budget passed this spring.
The median price of a single-family home in the Chicago area rose 11.6 percent to $217,700 in December, while the median price of a condominium rose by a more modest 4.3 percent, to $166,900, according to the Illinois Association of Realtors. (Gerry Broome / AP)
Chicago is known as the Second City, but when it comes to the size of single-family homes, the Windy City takes the top spot. Among the country’s 20 largest metropolitan areas, Chicago takes first place for having the biggest homes, according to data from a recent study. When it comes to apartment sizes though, the city falls toward the bottom of the list, with its average apartment growing smaller over time.
Malort Spritz is made with CH Distillery's Malort, grapefruit soda, hibiscus and lime juice. It is a collaboration between CH and Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar, where the recipe was developed. (CH Distillery)
This year has seen the release of Jeppson’s Malort hand sanitizer. And Jeppson’s Malort made from India pale ale. And Jeppson’s Malort aged in bourbon and rum barrels. Now comes Jeppson’s Malort Spritz, a bright, refreshing take on the intensely bitter liqueur that can be so off-putting — think burnt rubber bands and sweaty socks — it has earned its own horrified posture: Malort face.


chicagotribune--2020-10-05--Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Tracking Chicago homicide victims

Though there are homicides recorded throughout the city they are most concentrated in the South and West sides .

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chicagotribune--2020-10-04--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Oct. 3-4 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

The Illinois Virtual Instructional Coach and Building Mentor Program is being funded with a $ 6.5 million grant from the @ @ @ @ @ The program will give the new teachers an online instructional coach to give them support @ @ @ @ @ mentor to help them connect with their school community and an online library of resources @ @ @ @ @ .
The program also will help connect teachers with other first-year teachers and give them @ @ @ @ @ one-on-one and small group virtual coaching sessions , ” according to the release .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,453 newly diagnosed cases and 17 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 301,541 known cases and 8,791 deaths.
The state surpassed 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, public health officials reported.
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On Friday, public health officials said 28 counties, none in the Chicago area, were considered at “warning level” for the coronavirus, and again scolded businesses that “blatantly disregard” mitigation measures such as social distancing.
That warning list came out as the state reported 47 deaths connected to the virus Friday. That death toll is the highest daily count since late June.
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Meanwhile, with Election Day fast approaching and early voting already underway, apprehension is surging in Washington after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump announced late Thursday they were stricken with the virus, as well as many other aides and allies in the president’s circle.
Here’s what’s happening this weekend with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
Sunday
1,453 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 17 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Sunday they had logged 1,453 newly diagnosed cases and 17 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 301,541 known cases and 8,791 deaths.
—Chicago Tribune staff
Local farmers markets get through season in good shape, despite coronavirus pandemic
While the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative, and in some cases even a lethal, effect on many businesses, local farmers markets have done well during the spring and summer, as many are winding down for the year in October.
“I really didn’t know what to expect this year, but it’s been really great,” said Laura Marquardt, co-president of the Clarendon Hills Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the village’s weekly downtown Thursday markets on Prospect Avenue. “Our vendors have sometimes closed a little early because they run out of stuff for the week."
Marquart said she believes farmers market business, in some cases, has been stronger than usual because of the pandemic, something with which Margaret Reed of Westmont agreed while she shopped at the Clarendon Hills market Thursday.
Read more here. —Chuck Fieldman and Kimberly Fornek
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White House doctor says Trump continues to improve during treatment for COVID-19; president’s blood oxygen level dropped suddenly Saturday
President Donald Trump’s blood oxygen level dropped suddenly on Saturday, but he “has continued to improve,” the White House physician said Sunday, suggesting that Trump could be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday.
Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley sought to clarify contradictory statements and confusion about the president’s condition on the steps of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump was being treated for COVID-19.
Conley said the president had a “high fever” and a blood oxygen level below 94% on Friday and again on Saturday. The level currently stands at 98%, Trump’s medical team said.
“The president has continued to improve,” Conley said.
Read more here. —Associated Press
Saturday
Bears' game against Colts moved to 3:25 p.m. Sunday after COVID-19 hits the NFL
Kickoff for the Chicago Bears' game against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field has been moved to 3:25 p.m. Sunday after a number of COVID-19 cases popped up around the NFL.
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The league on Saturday announced the Bears game — originally scheduled for noon on CBS-2 — was being moved to a later time slot because the New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs game was postponed to Monday or Tuesday. The NFL said members of both the Patriots and Chiefs tested positive for COVID-19, and multiple reports said Patriots star quarterback Cam Newton was among the positives.
The postponement is the second Week 4 game to be moved because of the coronavirus. The Tennessee Titans' outbreak — currently at 18 players and staff — pushed their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to a later date.
Sunday marks the first Bears start for quarterback Nick Foles, who replaced incumbent Mitch Trubisky mid-game to lead a second-half comeback against the Atlanta Falcons.
—Chicago Tribune staff
More than 300,000 Illinoisans stricken with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, officials say
Illinois has surpassed 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the global pandemic hit last spring, state health officials on Saturday said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,442 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and 31 additional deaths.
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There have now been 300,088 known cases and 8,774 deaths in Illinois since the pandemic began, according to the state’s coronavirus response website.
Read more here. —Rosemary Sobol
Senate cancels legislative work after 3 GOP senators test positive this week, but McConnell says confirmation hearings still on
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said Saturday that he tested positive for COVID-19 and Senate Republicans have canceled legislative work until Oct. 19 as the coronavirus sweeps through their ranks and lawmakers increasingly call for comprehensive testing on Capitol Hill.
Johnson’s office announced the diagnosis in a statement Saturday morning. He’s the third Republican senator to report a positive test this week, joining Utah Sen. Mike Lee and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and adding to tension in Washington since President Donald Trump announced his positive test Friday.
Read more here. —Associated Press
White House doctor says Trump is fever free and COVID-19 symptoms are improving, but dodges on oxygen questions
President Donald Trump’s doctor insisted Saturday that he is doing “very well” as he is treated for COVID-19 at a military hospital. But Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other doctors raised more questions than they answered at a briefing, leaving unclear whether the president has ever required supplemental oxygen.
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Conley’s assessment was contradicted by an account provided by a person familiar with Trump’s condition, who said some of his vital signs over the past 24 hours were “very concerning” and that the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
A person familiar with President Donald Trump’s medical condition says the president had been administered supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday before he was hospitalized.
Read more here. —Associated Press


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Girlfriend of alleged hotel rape mastermind accused of trying to intimidate victim, witness

The judge gave Taniqua Williams the high bail partly because of the cruel nature of the rape case .
“ @ @ @ @ @ this rape and armed robbery was set up by this woman , according to the @ @ @ @ @ ” Lyke said .
“ And this woman was allegedly her friend .
With friends @ @ @ @ @ need an enemy . ''

The details from the Sept. 27 court hearing were chilling.
A violent sexual assault inside a River North hotel was, according to Cook County prosecutors, the plan of a career criminal and con man hoping to sue the hotel’s parent company for lax security. Those who know the man told investigators that he’s an able-bodied man who uses a wheelchair as a prop in bogus lawsuits, attorneys told a judge.
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The victim, unaware of the plan, was lured to the downtown hotel by the man’s longtime girlfriend for a fun weekend getaway before she moved out of state the next day. Instead, she was accosted by a masked assailant after she exited an elevator, tied up and assaulted at knife point in a stairwell.
On Tuesday, prosecutors alleged that the girlfriend, Taniqua Williams, called the victim’s mother and asked her to pass along a message: Recant your rape claims and tell police that you lied.
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The call came the same day authorities had charged her fiance, Tirnell Williams, with several felonies, including conspiracy to commit aggravated rape related to the Aug. 14 attack at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago River North.
The victim was upset and frightened after her mother relayed Williams' message to her, prosecutors told a judge during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube. Days later, Taniqua Williams allegedly threatened another unidentified witness in her boyfriend’s criminal case, telling the person, “We know you’re a (expletive) snitch! Bang bang!" pointing her finger like a gun, according to prosecutors.
Taniqua Williams, 33, now faces felony charges for communicating with and harassing a witness.
Taniqua Williams, 33, has been charged with felony communicating with a witness and harassing a witness. - Original Credit: (Chicago police / HANDOUT)
Taniqua Williams, a resident of the Woodlawn neighborhood and mother of an 8-year-old, was ordered held on $250,000 bond, along with house arrest if she posts the required $25,000.
Tirnell Williams, 43, remains in custody after being denied bail by another judge. At his Sept. 27 hearing, authorities described Williams as a predatory opportunist and admitted scammer who lied with regularity. A nine-time felon, Williams had prior relationships with “several civil attorneys through bringing in potential lawsuits,” adding that he receives money from attorneys to bring in clients.
Authorities said Tirnell Williams had scouted out the Hilton Corp. as a target for a personal injury lawsuit due to what he thought was poor security and a lack of surveillance cameras.
The state’s attorney’s office has disclosed that a recorded phone conversation allegedly captured Tirnell Williams admitting to planning the August rape and lawsuit against Hilton, a global hotel chain with nearly 600 locations.
In court on Tuesday, authorities said Taniqua Williams’ message to the victim following her boyfriend’s arrest was done despite both a police detective and an assistant state’s attorney advising her not to contact the victim or her mother.
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But recorded telephone conversations allegedly captured Taniqua Williams admitting to someone that she called the victim’s mother, Assistant State’s Attorney Amanda Bielinski told Judge John Lyke Jr. Williams later allegedly made the same admission to police, she added. Authorities gave no other details about the recorded conversation.
Prosecutors recounted the graphic sequence of events first heard during Tirnell Williams' bail hearing. The 32-year-old victim was quietly tailed while returning to the hotel after a short trip to a nearby Walgreens. The victim was on the phone with Taniqua Williams during her walk back, but the call ended when the victim reached the hotel, Bielinski said.
Taniqua Williams said she awoke to find the victim hadn’t returned and left the hotel to look for her, Bielinski said. She later found her friend in the stairwell, tied to the railing with her own leggings, authorities said.
Taniqua Williams denied the allegations through her court-appointed attorney, Emily Bock, who said she was an unemployed mom with mental health issues and a volunteer for a south suburban youth cheer team.
The judge gave Taniqua Williams the high bail partly because of the cruel nature of the rape case. “In essence the victim of this rape and armed robbery was set up by this woman, according to the state’s proffer,” Lyke said. “And this woman was allegedly her friend. With friends like this you do not need an enemy."
Lyke also called the harassment case an attack on the legal justice system. “If we allow witnesses to be intimidated or threatened not to come to court, then bad guys can get away with doing bad things.”
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The judge barred Taniqua Williams from contacting the victim or any witnesses.
She is scheduled to return to court next week.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Judge sides with Chicago local in Teamsters union spat, finds Hoffa ally ‘not credible’

In her ruling , Lefkow found that Hancock “ was not credible ” when he stated that Hoffa and one @ @ @ @ @ had not spoken with him about the proposed merger , and Hancock “ was not @ @ @ @ @ that Michael Yauger , then Local 786′s president , asked for a $ 200,000 yearly @ @ @ @ @ s assistant if the merger went through .

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that James P. Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, had improperly put a trustee in charge of running a local union last year after ousting its leadership team.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow sided with Local 786 in its David-versus-Goliath court fight against the international union and Terrence “Terry” Hancock, a powerful local union official and friend of Hoffa’s.
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In her 25-page order, Lefkow found that Hancock “was not credible” in some of his testimony and that Local 786 had “a better than negligible likelihood of success on the merits of its claim that the trusteeship is not being maintained in good faith.”
The ruling means that the trusteeship is dissolved and there will be a transition back to elected local leadership.
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Rick Blevins, a member of Local 786′s leadership team Hoffa shoved aside, said he was pleased with the outcome.
“We fought hard for our membership,” Blevins said. “I am very happy that they are finally getting the leaders back they had elected in the first place and that they deserve.”
Patrick Deady, a lawyer for Hancock and the Joint Council, said he plans to appeal Lefkow’s order and to have it put on hold. “We don’t agree with the judge on the law in this case,” Deady said.
Kara Deniz, a spokeswoman for the international union, declined to comment.
The fight among union brothers and sisters stems from summer 2019 when Hoffa ousted Blevins and other members of Local 786′s leadership team and put a trustee in charge. In a letter at the time, Hoffa wrote that the local’s leadership failed to act in workers' best interests.
Local 786′s leadership argued that the real story involved a grab for pension money and union power orchestrated by Hoffa and Hancock. Hoffa’s move, they have said, was retaliation for the chapter’s refusal to merge with Hancock’s larger Local 731.
Local 786 argued that its pension is fully funded and Hancock saw that as a benefit for his members — an allegation Local 731 has disputed. Both locals represent workers in the construction industry, with Local 786 representing about 1,600 concrete and dump truck drivers, and Local 731 about 5,600 excavating workers and iron workers, among others.
Last year, Local 786 sued the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Hancock and Teamsters Joint Council 25 over the trusteeship. Lefkow dropped the Joint Council from the case.
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Hancock is president of the Joint Council, an umbrella organization for 25 Teamster locals in northwest Indiana and Chicago that represent more than 100,000 workers.
In her ruling, Lefkow found that Hancock “was not credible” when he stated that Hoffa and one of Hoffa’s assistants had not spoken with him about the proposed merger, and Hancock “was not credible” when he stated that Michael Yauger, then Local 786′s president, asked for a $200,000 yearly salary to be Hancock’s assistant if the merger went through.
“Overall, the court is not persuaded that Hancock was fully truthful in his testimony,” Lefkow wrote.
The judge noted that Yauger filed an affidavit stating that for a long time Hancock wanted to bring Local 786 under his control through a merger. According to the order, Yauger said it was Hancock who “made an offer to pay [him] $200,00 a year for three years if [he] would make the merger happen.”
According to Lefkow’s order, Yauger responded that only Local 786′s executive board has the power to agree to a merger.
Lefkow wrote that Yauger and Hancock had “long-standing disagreements” and it was unlikely that Yauger would agree to a merger, particularly since Local 786′s membership was strongly opposed.
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“Hancock, on the other hand, had financial and competitive reasons to seek a merger,” Lefkow wrote. “Once he became president of Joint Council 25 in July 2017, he was in a position to push for a merger.”
Lefkow wrote that Hancock had “strong and long-standing relationships” with Hoffa and Ed Keyser, the independent disciplinary officer for Hoffa.
“Local 786 was in a better financial situation and more competitive in attracting members and employers than Local 731,” the judge wrote. “Under the (Teamsters') constitution a local has the authority to reject a merger, which meant that Hancock had little recourse to accomplish the merger legitimately.”
For years, John Coli Sr. was president of the Joint Council, and Hancock was his vice president. Coli left the Joint Council in July 2017 around the time he was indicted on federal corruption charges. Coli has pleaded guilty to shaking down Cinespace Chicago Film Studios in exchange for not having his Teamsters strike at a studio where shows like “Empire” and “Chicago Fire” are filmed.
Coli is now cooperating with federal authorities and his help led to charges against Illinois state Sen. Thomas Cullerton, alleging the lawmaker was paid almost $275,000 in salary and benefits from the Teamsters union despite doing little or no work.


chicagotribune--2020-10-07--Chicago residents ‘strongly advised’ to avoid Indiana, which may make next week’s quarantine travel

Chicago residents ‘strongly advised’ to avoid Indiana, which may make next week’s quarantine travel list

“ I am very concerned that Indiana is a state that is wishing that COVID were over , and it @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Allison Arwady , Chicago ’ s public health commissioner , said during an unrelated @ @ @ @ @ I would encourage Chicago residents if they are going to be traveling to Indiana , @ @ @ @ @ know work .
Wear your mask .
Keep your distance , wash your hands .
@ @ @ @ @

Dick DeGray, of Brattleboro, Vt., puts on his mask before going into the Municipal Building, in Brattleboro, as the town started to require visitors and staff to put their masks back on Aug. 11, 2021, due to COVID-19 virus numbers increasing in Windham County. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer)
Indiana is again in danger of being added to Chicago’s quarantine travel order next week, Chicago’s top doctor announced Tuesday while disapproving of the neighboring state’s recent reopening.
Though Indiana is still just at a warning level, Chicago residents are “strongly advised” to avoid traveling there, according to a city news release. Chicago adds a state to its quarantine list if it averages more than 15 new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period. People who have spent more than 24 hours in the high-risk states are required to self-quarantine for 14 days after entering Chicago.
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Indiana already has passed that threshold, but to allow Chicagoans enough time to rearrange their travel plans, the city will wait to see if it improves its numbers next week.
Motorists cross from Illinois into Indiana at 106th Street and Indianapolis Avenue in Chicago on Oct. 6, 2020. Indiana could soon be placed on Chicago's COVID-19 travel quarantine list. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“I am very concerned that Indiana is a state that is wishing that COVID were over, and it’s not,” Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner, said during an unrelated Tuesday news conference. “I would encourage Chicago residents if they are going to be traveling to Indiana, do the things that you know work. Wear your mask. Keep your distance, wash your hands. Be especially careful.”
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Two weeks ago, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb moved the state up to stage five of its “Back on Track” plan, which almost completely reopens the state except for a mask requirement. But Arwady implied during a Tuesday Q&A that the move was the opposite of getting back on track.
“I’m particularly concerned about Indiana because they have really moved ahead to what would be the equivalent of our phase five here (and) have lifted nearly all of the restrictions that have been in place and that have helped to control COVID,” Arwady said.
Earlier last month, Arwady warned Indiana was having issues with its coronavirus positivity rates, especially near college towns South Bend and Muncie. But the state ended up faring better in the coming weeks and was not added.
Arwady had harsher words for Chicago’s neighbor to the north, Wisconsin, which was placed back on the list two weeks ago — the second time that state was a problem area for Chicago’s quarantine order.
“Unfortunately, Wisconsin honestly is having one of the worst outbreaks that I have seen in any state to date,” Arwady said. “A lot of the restrictions that have been shown to work when an outbreak is in poor control are broadly not in place across Wisconsin.”
Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, appears at City Hall on Aug. 5, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has been embroiled in an ongoing battle with state Republicans over his coronavirus restrictions since the start of the pandemic. Most recently, he issued an order Tuesday limiting public indoor gatherings.
Along with other Midwestern states, Wisconsin is grappling with surging infections and overcrowded hospitals as officials warn of a second wave of infections across America. Other bordering states that Arwady noted continue to struggle with clamping down on the virus were Iowa and Missouri.
“A lot of our neighboring states are really not doing very well right now from a COVID perspective,” Arwady said. “I can’t control other states. But what all of us can control is whether we continue to practice the things that we know help.”
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Other updates to the quarantine list on Tuesday included the addition of Alaska, which goes into effect Friday, and the immediate removal of Georgia and Texas.
The order now covers 22 states and territories. They are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s self-quarantine requirement was implemented during the Fourth of July weekend. Though the order is generally not being enforced aside from signs and billboards telling people that they must self-quarantine, violators are subject to fines of $100 to $500 per day, up to $7,000.
Exceptions to the self-quarantine order include essential workers, those traveling for medical treatment and those for whom “self-quarantine is not possible, practicable or advisable.” The order also does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or are driving through the city on their way elsewhere.
For Wisconsin, the order applies to those traveling from the state to Chicago for nonwork purposes, but there are exceptions for those seeking medical care, people tending to shared parental custody and essential workers. But for everyone else, even if they stay for less than 24 hours, the quarantine order applies.
Indiana will be subject to those same exceptions should it be added to the list next week, a city spokesperson said.
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Meanwhile, Chicago’s rolling positivity rate remains stable at 4.3%, city figures from Monday showed. Arwady said the city ranks second among the state’s 11 regions for lowest percent positivity, behind Urbana-Champaign, where the University of Illinois is mass testing its students.
Though the number of cases averaged over seven days has gone up to 329, Arwady tempered that testing also has ballooned to record numbers and that the recent rollback in business restrictions announced last month has not been in place long enough to translate to coronavirus tests.
“Certainly, my mood rises and falls a little bit with our COVID cases every day, as I’m sure many of yours does,” Arwady said. “We’re keeping a really close eye on this and please know that if we start to see significant signs of concern, we won’t hesitate to take action.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-06--Mayor Lori Lightfoot considering up to $200 million in Chicago city worker cuts to balance budget: s

Mayor Lori Lightfoot considering up to $200 million in Chicago city worker cuts to balance budget: sources

“ Unions representing city employees have offered to work with the city to find savings that would not require layoffs @ @ @ @ @ waiting for the city ’ s response , ” Lindall said .
“ At this @ @ @ @ @ the mutual objective of both the city and the unions as we all wait to @ @ @ @ @ receive more federal aid .
Our union has not been engaged in any discussions concerning @ @ @ @ @

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday cast a dark vision of the city budget plan she will present to aldermen later this month, saying it might be the toughest vote City Council members will ever have to take because of its potential to disrupt workers' lives if she resorts to wide-scale layoffs or other labor cuts.
Though Lightfoot again declined to specify exactly how she will close a projected $1.2 billion deficit, the mayor said every meeting with her financial team about the issue “has been painful."
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“Every single one, thinking about the hardships that our residents are going to have to endure, and particularly our personnel. I feel every single one of those painful choices," Lightfoot said. "They keep me up at night. They are in my thoughts all day long.”
Lightfoot made the comments Tuesday after the Tribune first reported that she is considering possible cuts of up to $200 million in Chicago’s city government workforce to help fill an estimated $1.2 billion budget deficit for 2021.
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The comments also came as President Donald Trump tweeted that he would not negotiate before the November election with congressional Democrats on a stimulus bill that would send millions to big cities such as Chicago, cutting off a potential solution that could avoid property tax hikes or layoffs.
Sources said the $200 million total in cuts the mayor is considering could include a mix of furloughs and layoffs, though the figure is tentative and could change ahead of Lightfoot’s scheduled Oct. 21 city budget address. Lightfoot has not yet finalized her city budget plans but sources said some Chicago labor unions are preparing alternative cuts to present her administration.
Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter released a statement urging the city to work with unions instead of acting unilaterally.
“Chicago’s public workers are heroes who have sacrificed their own health and safety to keep this city moving during the COVID-19 pandemic," Reiter said. "Chicago’s unions continue to urge the city to work collaboratively to identify efficiencies to help protect city services without damaging cuts to public workers. We must protect our workers and protect our services.”
Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, echoed Reiter.
“Unions representing city employees have offered to work with the city to find savings that would not require layoffs or furloughs and we are waiting for the city’s response,” Lindall said. “At this stage, that should be the mutual objective of both the city and the unions as we all wait to see if the city will receive more federal aid. Our union has not been engaged in any discussions concerning furloughs or layoffs.”
Asked about her administration working with the unions, Lightfoot acknowledged being in touch with the labor groups and said, “I hope they will come to the table with some real concrete solutions, but delay is not possible.”
Lightfoot’s comments about the vote’s difficulty also reflect a concern within her administration about the challenges she may face passing the budget.
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Her 2020 spending plan contained far fewer political hurdles than this one, and passed 39-11. That’s a comfortable margin, but tighter than her predecessors saw for spending plans that didn’t include major property tax hikes or service cuts.
Lightfoot first laid out the city’s projected deficit in August but has declined to provide specifics about how the city will fill the hole, saying officials are working on plans.
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Making significant cuts to the city’s workforce is one option under serious consideration, sources said.
There are more than 31,000 full time city employees and more than 1,800 part-time workers, according to the city’s data portal.
The mayor previously promised to use a TIF surplus and consider a computer lease tax as other potential measures. Lightfoot has said that “all options are on the table,” though property taxes and job cuts are at the back of her list.
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The ongoing coronavirus crisis also has spiked the 2020 budget shortfall to nearly $800 million, Lightfoot said. In August, she said that deficit would be filled using relief funds and other unspecified aid from the federal government, in addition to debt refinancing, and borrowing.
Though Lightfoot has not addressed specific cuts, she suggested during her August speech that the city would be making staffing changes due to COVID-19.
“The reality is that life will be different for the foreseeable future, impacting how services are provided and how departments are structured, and we must adjust to meet that reality,” Lightfoot said at the time.
“A very difficult part of re-imagining government will also include looking to our workforce, and making needed changes in places that are not being fully utilized during the remainder of this crisis and in our post-COVID-19 world,” she said.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-06--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,617 new known COVID-19 cases and 32 additional deaths reported as

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,617 new known COVID-19 cases and 32 additional deaths reported as Chicago residents ‘strongly advised’ to avoid Indiana

“ I have been made aware of the event that was held at the Park Ridge Country Club yesterday morning @ @ @ @ @ “ This was not a city event , nor was city staff aware of the @ @ @ @ @ I have had a conversation with the city manager and have an email into the @ @ @ @ @ Staff will be following up tomorrow morning to discuss what took place .
I am @ @ @ @ @ of the event as those of you who have contacted me to share your anger @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 1,617 new known cases of COVID-19 and 32 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 305,011 and the statewide death toll to 8,836 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 49,513 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 3.4%.
Earlier on Tuesday, city officials said that Indiana is again in danger of being added to Chicago’s quarantine travel order next week. While the neighboring state is still just at a warning level, Chicago residents are “strongly advised” to avoid traveling there, according to a city news release.
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Chicago adds a state to its quarantine list if it averages more than 15 new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period. Indiana already has passed that threshold, but to allow Chicagoans enough time to rearrange their travel plans, the city will wait to see if it improves its numbers next week.
Meanwhile, President Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House Monday night after leaving the military hospital where he has been receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19. He immediately ignited a new controversy by declaring that despite his illness the nation should not fear the virus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans — and he then entered the White House without a protective mask. On Tuesday morning, he compared it to the flu.
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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
6:25 p.m.: Will CPS reopen next month? An arbitrator’s ruling raises news doubts.
An arbitrator has ruled that Chicago Public Schools has not been able to guarantee those working in schools this fall won’t get COVID-19 – and that could have implications for whether in-person learning resumes for the second quarter.
CPS has strongly objected to the ruling, which says the district has not been able to ensure a “safe and healthful” working environment for school clerks.
CPS calls the ruling “deeply flawed,” says it’s not based on science but on one person’s judgments and notes that it cites no specific cases of unsafe conditions.
Yet the powerful Chicago Teachers Union is pointing to the ruling as further indication that schools may not ready to resume classes in November.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
5:40 p.m.: About a dozen students, staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at Winnetka and Wilmette schools
More than a dozen students and staff members at public schools in Winnetka and Wilmette have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the new school year, district officials said Tuesday.
At New Trier High School, where 25% of the students returned to the classroom Tuesday for the first day of in-person learning, as of Oct. 2, a total of three students have tested positive for COVID-19, spokeswoman Niki Dizon said in an email statement.
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At Wilmette School District 39, officials said since the start of the new school year, there have been three students and three staff members with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the district, said District 39 spokeswoman Stacey Finkel, in an email statement Tuesday.
At Winnetka School District 36, there have been four COVID-19 cases — two students and two staff members — in the district since the start of the 2020-2021 school year, District 36 spokeswoman Kate Hughes said in a Tuesday statement.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
5:15 p.m.: Complaints fly after Park Ridge Republican organization’s event photos show unmasked attendees near each other
After photos of numerous unmasked people at a well-attended political event Saturday appeared on social media, Park Ridge residents and others complained it endangered the community –– particularly because it occurred days before public schools were set to reopen.
On Oct. 3, the Republican Women of Park Ridge (RWPR) hosted its annual Red, White and Blue Brunch at the Park Ridge Country Club. It was attended by an unspecified number of people.
Over the weekend, a series of photos of the event, both posed and candid, appeared on social media. They showed some guests not wearing masks and posing shoulder to shoulder for photos. Other photos showed guests sitting together at tables without masks and practicing little social distancing. This drew concern, amid the greater coronavirus pandemic, from others who reached out to Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney on social media.
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Maloney expressed his displeasure on his Facebook page after the pictures surfaced.
“I have been made aware of the event that was held at the Park Ridge Country Club yesterday morning,” he wrote. “This was not a city event, nor was city staff aware of the event until this morning. I have had a conversation with the city manager and have an email into the Park Ridge Country Club. Staff will be following up tomorrow morning to discuss what took place. I am as disappointed in the pictures of the event as those of you who have contacted me to share your anger.”
Read more here. —Daniel I. Dorfman
5:05 p.m.: Could pre-flight COVID-19 testing be coming to O’Hare?
Rapid COVID-19 tests soon might be available to passengers and employees at O’Hare International Airport, from a company that plans to offer the tests at other major airports starting Wednesday.
XpresCheck plans to begin offering COVID-19 tests developed by Abbott Laboratories at JFK and Newark Liberty international airports Wednesday. The Abbott ID NOW tests deliver results in 13 minutes or less.
XpresCheck, a subsidiary of XpresSpa Group, is in talks with the City of Chicago to potentially offer the tests at O’Hare as well.
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“The goal is to create a safer travel environment, work environment and reduce risks, but also restore passenger confidence as the airlines are returning, and airports are trying to return back to normal,” said Doug Satzman, XpresSpa and XpresCheck CEO.
“Like 9/11 changed safety protocol forever in our airports, we think COVID-19 will as well,” he said.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
4:30 p.m. (updated): President Trump halts COVID-19 relief talks until ‘immediately after I win’ the election
President Donald Trump abandoned COVID-19 relief talks on Tuesday, saying they won’t resume until after the election. The move came as the chairman of the Federal Reserve said that further fiscal intervention is needed to prevent the economy from spiraling downward.
Trump tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was “not negotiating in good faith” and said he’s asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to direct all his focus before the election into confirming his U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett.
“I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business,” Trump tweeted.
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The unexpected turn could be a blow to Trump’s reelection prospects and comes as his administration and campaign are in turmoil. Trump is quarantining in the White House with a case of COVID, and the latest batch of opinion polls shows him significantly behind former Vice President Joe Biden with the election four weeks away. The collapse also means there won’t be a pre-election batch of $1,200 direct payments to most individuals, which appeared to be the item Trump cared most about as the potential package was taking shape.
Read more here. —Associated Press
4:15 p.m.: Lightfoot on how Trump could have better protected himself from COVID-19: ‘Don’t be stupid’
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tore into President Donald Trump on Tuesday for his behavior since contracting COVID-19, telling him to start following health care guidelines, wear a mask and “don’t be stupid.”
A day after Trump returned to the White House from his weekend stay at Walter Reed Hospital and told Americans “don’t be afraid” of the virus, Lightfoot initially said she was going to “be careful in choosing my words” to react to his message and decisions in the days since he and others at the White House have tested positive for the virus.
“I do think it’s unfortunate, both in the way the president has behaved himself personally,” Lightfoot said. “I find it very unfortunate. We heard news today that the basic, I think, absolute obligation, given the super spreader event sponsored by the president, that the White House is refusing to provide information to do basic case investigation and contact tracing.”
But Lightfoot, who has repeatedly used blunt language in criticizing Trump, soon got more direct, saying he continuously “undermines even more the credibility of the president and White House leadership on the issue that affects all of us.”
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“It’s depressing, it is disparaging of the hard work of so many who have sacrificed, and continue to every single day, to try to keep themselves safe, their families safe, not to mention the sacrifices of the healthcare workers and the first responders who’ve been on the front lines of this horrible disease and pandemic,” she said at an unrelated news conference.
As to what Trump and his administration could have done better to protect themselves and their communities, Lightfoot said they should follow the rules doctors say are important to slow the spread of the disease.
“Follow the public health guidance. Follow the guidance of the (Centers for Disease Control). Follow the guidance of the (Chicago Department of Public Health),” the mayor said. “Any of the above. Wear a mask. Social distance. I’ll let (Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady) give the medical explanation, but, like, don’t be stupid, that’s what they could have done.”
Read more here. —John Byrne
3:50 p.m.: Ruth’s Chris Steak House closes Chicago location permanently, blaming coronavirus downturn
The coronavirus has accomplished a rare feat: It has closed down a high-end Chicago steakhouse.
Chicago steakhouses have managed to thrive in good times and bad, but in a notice filed with the Illinois Department of Commerce, the parent company of Ruth’s Chris Steak House announced that its River North location has closed permanently, after nearly 28 years.
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The restaurant had been closed since March, when restaurants across the state were ordered closed as a response to the coronavirus. This notification makes the closure permanent.
Read more here. —Phil Vettel
3:40 p.m.: 4 students, 2 employees at Catholic school in Elmwood Park test positive for COVID-19
Six people at a Catholic school in Elmwood Park, St. Celestine School, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesman from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Four students who are all in the same family tested positive, as well as two employees, spokesman Manny Gonzalez said Tuesday.
Though several other Catholic elementary and high schools have closed their buildings and reverted to all-remote learning after students or staff tested positive, St. Celestine has not. Gonzalez said those who tested positive have had limited contact with others.
Though several other Catholic elementary and high schools have closed their buildings and reverted to all-remote learning after students or staff tested positive, St. Celestine has not. Gonzalez said those who tested positive have had limited contact with others.
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One of the employees, who has not had classroom contact, is “suffering mild conditions” of COVID-19, and none of the other five who tested positive have reported experiencing symptoms, Gonzalez said. No one has been hospitalized, according to Gonzalez.
Read more here. —Anna Kim
3:25 p.m.: Wisconsin governor restricts public indoor gatherings as COVID-19 spreads unchecked across the state
Gov. Tony Evers' administration issued a new order Tuesday limiting the size of public indoor gatherings as COVID-19 spreads unchecked across the state, in a move certain to alienate Republicans as well as tavern and restaurant owners.
Wisconsin has become one of the worst hot spots for the disease over the last month, with experts attributing the spike in cases to colleges and schools reopening and general fatigue about wearing masks and social distancing. The state ranked third nationwide this week in the number of new cases per capita, with 548 cases per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Read more here. —Associated Press
12:25 p.m.: 1,617 new known COVID-19 cases and 32 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Tuesday announced 1,617 new known cases of COVID-19 and 32 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 305,011 and the statewide death toll to 8,836 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 49,513 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 3.4%.
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—Chicago Tribune staff
11:30 a.m.: Chicago residents ‘strongly advised’ to avoid Indiana, which may make next week’s quarantine travel list
Indiana is again in danger of being added to Chicago’s quarantine travel order next week, officials announced Tuesday.
While the neighboring state is still just at a warning level, Chicago residents are “strongly advised” to avoid traveling there, according to a city news release.
Chicago adds a state to its quarantine list if it averages more than 15 new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period. People who have spent more than 24 hours in the high-risk states are required to self-quarantine for 14 days after entering Chicago.
Indiana already has passed that threshold, but to allow Chicagoans enough time to rearrange their travel plans, the city will wait to see if it improves its numbers next week.
“If Indiana is unable to bring down the daily case average in the next week, they will be added to the quarantine list,” the news release states. “Chicago residents are strongly advised to not travel to Indiana.”
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Earlier during September, Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner, warned Indiana was having issues with its coronavirus positivity rates, especially near college towns South Bend and Muncie. But the state ended up faring better in the coming weeks and was not added.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
10:45 a.m.: These Halloween events, activities will go on in Chicago’s suburbs
Here’s the bad news: many familiar Halloween events won’t happen this year, thanks to COVID-19.
But here’s the good news: towns from Alsip to Zion are trying their best to make October memories for the young and young-at-heart. There will be drive-through trunk or treating, events with a limited capacity, ghost tours and showings of scary movies.
If haunted houses are more your style, check out this feature on those.
While the times we live in are actually scary, it’s nice to take a break with some Halloween fun. We’ve done our best to round up some spooky-fun events near you, but make sure you call or check the website or Facebook page as things can change quickly in these COVID times.
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Read more here. —Annie Alleman
10:20 a.m.: Go inside the Bulls' bubble
The basketball inside the Chicago Bulls bubble has sometimes looked rusty, but that’s to be expected for the first team activities since March. Otherwise, the three-week Bulls minicamp, which wrapped up Tuesday, has gone off without a hitch.
Players seem excited to be back on the court for the first time in six months. The new front office hired Billy Donovan as head coach and had a chance to evaluate players in person for the first time. The players got to experience a few team bonding activities. And most crucially, the Bulls avoided an outbreak of COVID-19.
To the NBA’s credit, the virus has remained under control throughout bubbles in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and elsewhere as the league wraps up the NBA Finals and eight individual markets — the teams not invited to the restart — held group workouts.
“The league basically just handed us the manual. It felt like they gave us a ‘bubbles for dummies’ book or something and we had to put it together,” Chip Schaefer, the Bulls director of performance health, said with a laugh during a phone interview. “But it’s no joke. The guidelines are quite strict, as they see fit, and we had to put it together and follow them.”
Read more here. —Jamal Collier
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9:15 a.m.: Why the Rose Garden COVID-19 fiasco was dismal news for the return of live entertainment
Column: At the celebratory judicial nomination event for Amy Coney Barrett, scores of maskless, prominent Americans--elected officials, high-ranking staffers, the President of the University of Notre Dame--were seen hugging, kissing and other examples of the up-close-and-personal behavior most ordinary Americans are avoiding in service of personal and community safety. It looked like no one at the Sept. 26 event in the White House Rose Garden had paid any mind whatsoever to the potential ravages of COVID-19 at a nomination celebration for a member of the United States Supreme Court.
Although it certainly fits the broader political narrative on both sides, this wasn’t entirely true.
Attendees were actually given rapid Coronavirus tests, developed by Abbott Laboratories of Lake Bluff, prior to admittance. As the Wall Street Journal and others have reported, a guest took Abbott’s so-called ID NOW test, waited around for a few minute for the result, and, in the event of their negativity, was told that they could make their way into the event without worrying about infection. In an apologetic subsequent homily, Rev. John I. Jenkins of Notre Dame said he had removed his mask (the regulations on his own campus notwithstanding) because he had been told by the White House it was safe to do so.
Wrong choice. In hindsight.
While it rarely has been entirely clear who infected whom where in this crisis, and that is true here, the evidence of multiple infections at this event suggest that the hopeful idea that rapid tests could be used as a kind of instant pandemic metal detector, a notion that has been floated well beyond the White House, is not a viable plan. The virus appears to be way too tricky a beast for that hopeful solution to our current problem.
These rapid tests have been especially beguiling to producers of indoor live entertainment.
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Read more here. —Chris Jones
7:20 a.m.: Open House Chicago releases new details on revamped program for architectural showcase during COVID-19
Open House Chicago, set for Oct.16-25, Tuesday morning released new details of its programming for this year, as the showcase of Chicago architecture shifts to outdoor tours because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chicago Architecture Center, in charge of the festival, previously announced that its focus would be on outdoor tours and not interiors. Open House Chicago this year will include more than 100 sites, with more than 50 online programs and trail tours.
Among the newly announced programs are a neighborhood tour through Logan Square “curated and narrated” by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and first lady Amy Eshleman and a neighborhood tour in Englewood focused on the development of Englewood Square, according to a news release. Other featured tours will be a family tour “featuring seven sites for young people” and a panel discussion and online tour showcasing the Central Park Theater, 3531 W. Roosevelt Road.
Also added to the program is a special Girls Build! architectural program at the architectural center, but online information indicated the event already has reached capacity.
Preview programming for Open House Chicago, including specific events for architecture center members, starts this week.
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—Chicago Tribune staff
5 a.m.: Chicago has spent at least $222 million in overtime so far in 2020, already over budget for year
The weekend after a Kentucky grand jury declined to charge any police officers for the killing of Breonna Taylor, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered a fleet of city vehicles to prepare for another possible round of civil unrest and looting.
Garbage trucks lined up along Halsted Street and North Avenue, with their drivers idling by retail corridors in case they were needed to block roadways. One worker told the Tribune he was part of a “blockade on wheels.” Another, who read a book on a folding chair in front of his truck while waiting for a crisis that did not come, summed up the city’s strategy as: “You better be safe than sorry.”
But the city’s approach to potential civil unrest has had a significant financial cost for taxpayers, records released to the Tribune in response to an open records request show. Chicago has spent at least $222 million on overtime for Chicago government workers through August, a budget-busting figure as the city faces historic shortfalls.
To put that into perspective, Lightfoot budgeted roughly $180 million in 2020 overtime costs for all city departments, records show.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt and Alice Yin
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chicagotribune--2020-10-06--Will Chicago Public Schools reopen next month? A disputed ruling that buildings could pose COVID-19

Will Chicago Public Schools reopen next month? A disputed ruling that buildings could pose COVID-19 risk raises new doubts.

“ Conditions in some schools are deplorable , particularly on the South and West sides , ” said Sabrina Woods @ @ @ @ @ College and Career Academy .
“ This is a risk that CPS is asking us @ @ @ @ @ CPS feel that our lives are not important ?
Where is the respect for hundreds @ @ @ @ @ clerks ?
Where is the planning for real safety for our students and their families @ @ @ @ @ buildings ?
”

With one month left of the fall quarter, the outcome of a labor dispute with the Chicago Teachers Union could have implications for whether Chicago Public Schools reopens for the winter.
While students and teachers continue remote learning at least through Nov. 5, an independent arbitrator on Friday ruled that CPS violated its contract with the Chicago Teachers Union by making some employees work in person under what may not have been “safe and healthful” conditions.
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CTU has reported problems ranging from ventilation issues to widespread failure to enforce mask wearing and social distancing. But CPS does not agree and has indicated it will challenge the arbitrator’s ruling. If the district doesn’t succeed, it may have a harder time opening schools without making significant changes.
A CPS clerk said conditions in some schools are deplorable and that "this is a risk CPS is asking is to take. Why does CPS feel that our lives are not important?" (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Asked Monday about the chances of a return to classrooms when the second quarter begins Nov. 9, CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said, “I think what we’ve heard from the arbitrator gives us an extraordinary amount of pause. The anecdotes and the experiences of those tech coordinators, clerks and clerk assistants who have been ordered back into the buildings tell us that the uniformity that’s necessary to maintain safety is not being implemented and followed widely.”
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While union leaders said their members do want to be back in classrooms, they also want to know that their schools are prepared for the coronavirus.
Two union clerks also spoke about their experiences and what they had heard from colleagues.
“Conditions in some schools are deplorable, particularly on the South and West sides,” said Sabrina Woods, a clerk at Foreman College and Career Academy. “This is a risk that CPS is asking us to take. Why does CPS feel that our lives are not important? Where is the respect for hundreds of dedicated, hardworking school clerks? Where is the planning for real safety for our students and their families once we do return to buildings?”
The arbitrator’s ruling held that clerks, assistants and others who have been reporting to school buildings during remote learning should be allowed to work from home when feasible.
District officials are challenging the ruling, saying they have worked with the Chicago Department of Public Health to make sure schools are safe.
“Chicago Public Schools has developed a comprehensive health and safety plan aligned to the strongest available public health guidance to help ensure the safety of staff who have been reporting to school buildings to support students, staff and families," CPS spokesman Michael Passman said.
“The arbitrator’s deeply flawed ruling substitutes actual public health standards for her own judgments and doesn’t find any actual deficiencies in the district’s plan or a single building where conditions are unsafe,” he said. "We will be moving to have the ruling reconsidered based on local and national public health standards and a complete assessment of the district’s efforts to protect staff.”
CPS also released a statement noting the arbitrator determined it’s appropriate for employees to report to schools for work that can’t be done remotely, which the district said affirms that schools are safe for those staff members.
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The statement continued, “The arbitrator’s ruling disregards the best available public health guidance and instead substitutes standards that are out of step with the scientific community. Based on the logic utilized in the ruling, no workspace in the country would be safe at this time, which is simply not true.”
The statement claimed the ruling was also flawed because no visits to schools were conducted independently.
“The district has notified CTU of its intentions and will continue to discuss the presence of clerks and coordinators in school buildings," according to the statement.
The union is not backing down, but as for a potential strike, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said, “we don’t want to have to keep going there.”
“It’s going to be a long pandemic if every single time there is a reasonable suggestion coming from the union or, frankly, coming from the court, if the only way that we’re going to get CPS to listen to us and listen to reason is to threaten to strike and to organize our people to walk out of the buildings,” Sharkey told reporters Monday.
“It was not appropriate to go back to school in September, and yet CPS ... put us in a situation where we essentially had to set things in motion to go to our members and take a strike authorization vote," Sharkey added. “And now here we are barely two months later, in the exact same situation.”
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Sharkey said the situation underscores the need for a bargaining process in which front-line workers are part of the decision-making about how to run schools safely.
According to the union, CPS hasn’t conducted government-recommended hazard assessments or tested the air quality in school buildings, many of which have poor ventilation. With a cold winter approaching, classroom windows can’t be open much longer, Sharkey said.
“They have not announced what they intend to do for the second quarter, and that’s coming up,” Sharkey said. “We have to plan for instruction, but (the district hasn’t) addressed really critical issues."
The district’s statement said claims the union has made about ventilation are incorrect but did not elaborate or provide corrected information. Officials said all schools have a centralized or decentralized ventilation system “that moves fresh air through the building.”
CPS also said it’s following all federal, state and local guidelines for air quality, adding that “a comprehensive assessment of every ventilation system in every school building is currently underway, and in-person learning will not take place in schools until that is complete.”
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The communications office said the district will release those reports to the public and that, in addition to new filters being installed in every school, nonworking or deficient equipment will be fixed or replaced.
Improvements that have already been made include “utilizing natural ventilation when available,” and running ventilation systems for two hours before someone is expected to arrive in a building and another two hours after everyone has left for the day.
hleone@chicagotribune.com