chicagotribune--2020-09-29--How Day of the Dead is celebrated (explained in English and Spanish)

Anatomy of a Day of the Dead altar Skulls and skeletons are popping up in stores around Chicago , but they 're not your typical Halloween fare .
Look closely and you 'll see them paired with colorful flowers , dressed as bride and groom , or made from sugar with intricate designs .
These are representations of a popular celebration in Mexico and other parts of Latin America called Day of the Dead .
Unlike Halloween , Day of the Dead is not meant to be a sad or frightening holiday , but an uplifting time to remember loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Dead is a very sacred day .
It 's a day in which we welcome back the memory and the souls of those people who are still — are still — an important part of our family , even though they many not be physically present , '' Cesareo Moreno , chief curator at Chicago 's National Museum of Mexican Art , told the Tribune in 2015 ( read the story here ) .
`` And it 's a sacred day in which a lot of people pray .
They gather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Halloween , you do n't want those ghosts around .
You 're kind of afraid of them .
It 's a scary time .
It is certainly not a sacred day , and I think those are the big differences between the two . ''
In Latin America , Day of the Dead customs are passed down from generation to generation , but the celebration is a relative newcomer in the U.S .
Activists in California began to organize Day of the Dead processions and altar exhibits in the 1960s and '70s as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And more recently , Day of the Dead products are popping up at stores like Wal-Mart , Target , and Crate and Barrel .
The altar is one of the most distinctive ways Day of the Dead is celebrated .
An altar is made in honor of the deceased and can be displayed at a grave site or in the home .
Offerings of food , beverages and prized possessions are displayed .
“ The altar is a good example of the fusion of both religions and cultures , '' said Eric Garcia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Museum of Mexican Art .
`` These altars pay respect to both the indigenous and the Catholic beliefs of the afterlife and situates them logically . ''
An altar can be built using tables , shelves or crates .
The order of the three levels references Catholic and indigenous beliefs .
Symbolizes Heaven ( where God and the saints live ) Symbolizes Mictlan ( the Aztec underworld of the dead ) .
The altar is one of the most unique ways Day of the Dead is celebrated .
An altar is made in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ displayed at a gravesite or in the home .
Offerings of food , beverages and prized possessions are displayed .
“ The altar is a good example of the fusion of both religions and cultures , '' said Eric Garcia , Arte Ambulante coordinator , the National Museum of Mexican Art .
`` These altars pay respect to both the indigenous and the Catholic beliefs of the afterlife and situates them logically . ''
The base of an altar can be built using tables , shelves or crates .
The order of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and organizes them into Heaven ( where God and the saints live ) , Earth ( where people live ) and Mictlan ( the Aztec underworld of the dead ) .
On the different levels of the altar , offerings or gifts are placed , usually including favorite items of the deceased intended to honor and welcome them back home .

Kori Rumore, Rick Tuma, Rodolfo Jimenez and Octavio Lopez

Instructor Laura Neira gives a daily lesson on how to build paper mache skeletons while artist Diana Pietrzyk paints colorful skulls on the window of La Catrina Cafe in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood Oct. 18, 2017, in preparation for the Day of the Dead celebration in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)
Skulls and skeletons are popping up in stores around Chicago, but they’re not your typical Halloween fare. Look closely and you’ll see them paired with colorful flowers, dressed as bride and groom, or made from sugar with intricate designs. These are representations of a popular celebration in Mexico and other parts of Latin America called Day of the Dead.
Unlike Halloween, Day of the Dead is not meant to be a sad or frightening holiday, but an uplifting time to remember loved ones who have died.
[ National Museum of Mexican Art presents Day of the Dead exhibition ‘Día de Muertos: Memories & Offerings’ ]
“Day of the Dead is a very sacred day. It’s a day in which we welcome back the memory and the souls of those people who are still — are still — an important part of our family, even though they many not be physically present,” Cesareo Moreno, chief curator at Chicago’s National Museum of Mexican Art, told the Tribune in 2015. “And it’s a sacred day in which a lot of people pray. They gather together. We welcome them back. Halloween, you don’t want those ghosts around. You’re kind of afraid of them. It’s a scary time. It is certainly not a sacred day, and I think those are the big differences between the two.”
When is it?
The celebration is from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. Souls of children are believed to visit the Earth Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 and adults, Nov. 1 and 2. The Catholic holidays, All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2) take place during this time.
How is it celebrated?
Customs vary, but can include standard Catholic rituals — including attending Mass and praying for the dead with rosary beads — and folk customs — including cleaning and adorning grave sites of dead loved ones and constructing home altars in their honor.
In Latin America, Day of the Dead customs are passed down from generation to generation, but the celebration is a relative newcomer in the U.S. Activists in California began to organize Day of the Dead processions and altar exhibits in the 1960s and ‘70s as a way to honor Mexican-American heritage. And more recently, Day of the Dead products are popping up at stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Crate and Barrel.
Anatomy of a Day of the Dead altar
The altar is one of the most distinctive ways Day of the Dead is celebrated. An altar is made in honor of the deceased and can be displayed at a grave site or in the home. Offerings of food, beverages and prized possessions are displayed.
“The altar is a good example of the fusion of both religions and cultures,” said Eric Garcia, Arte Ambulante coordinator of the National Museum of Mexican Art. “These altars pay respect to both the indigenous and the Catholic beliefs of the afterlife and situates them logically.”
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
The base: An altar can be built using tables, shelves or crates. The order of the three levels references Catholic and indigenous beliefs.
An altar can be built using tables, shelves or crates. The order of the three levels references Catholic and indigenous beliefs. Lower level: Symbolizes Mictlan (the Aztec underworld of the dead).
Symbolizes Mictlan (the Aztec underworld of the dead). Middle level: Represents Earth (where people live).
Represents Earth (where people live). Top level: Symbolizes Heaven (where God and the saints live).
Offerings
On the different levels of the altar, offerings or gifts are placed, usually including favorite items of the deceased intended to honor and welcome them back home.
Incense (incienso)
Made of copal, which is pine resin, and used to communicate with the spirit world.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Marigold (flores de cempasuchil) flowers
Orange color and penetrating aroma lure heavenly souls to Earth. Petals are sprinkled on the floor leading to the altar to guide the souls to it.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Bread for the dead (pan de muerto)
A sweet treat for the spirits. Design on top is meant to look like skull and crossbones.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Food (comida)
Includes a deceased loved one’s favorite items to eat and represent the Earth element.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Water (agua) and other drinks (otras bebidas)
Quench the thirst of the spirits who are believed to travel to Earth for one day.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Candles (velas)
Represent the element fire and attract the spirits to the altar.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Paper banners (papel picado)
Intricate crepe paper cutouts represent the wind and fragility, and are used as decorations for festive occasions throughout the year. Include images of skulls for Day of the Dead.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Photos and possessions (fotos y otros objetos)
Photos of the deceased, as well as personal possessions are included to remember loved ones who have passed away.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Skull (calavera)
In the form of puppets, toys, candy made of sugar or little figurines acting out scenes of daily lives (working, marrying, singing), skull art is a reminder of life’s brevity and the inevitability of death.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Catrina (la catrina)
A female skeleton figurine wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dress common for upper class Mexican women in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This style satirizes those who favored European culture over Mexican foods and customs. Popularized in graphic images by artist Jose Guadalupe Posada.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Como se celebra Día de los Muertos en Chicago
Calaveras y esqueletos adornados con flores coloridas, vestidos de novios o hechas de azúcar con diseños extravagantes: Así son las representaciones del Día de los Muertos, una tradición en México y Latinoamérica.
Al contrario que Halloween, el Día de los Muertos no es para sentir miedo o tristeza, sino un momento para recordar a los seres queridos que ya partieron.
“El Día de los Muertos es algo muy sagrado. Es un día en el que damos la bienvenida a la memoria y las almas de aquella gente que de alguna manera siguen entre nosotros como parte de nuestra familia, a pesar de que físicamente ya no están con nosotros”, señaló Cesáreo Moreno, curador jefe del Museo Nacional de Arte Mexicano (lee la historia completa aquí.). “Y es un día sagrado en el que mucha gente reza. Se reúnen y les dan la bienvenida. En Halloween no queremos que esos fantasmas te ronden. Como que les temes. Es un día para asustar. En definitiva no es un día sagrado y creo que esas son las grandes diferencias entre ambas celebraciones”.
¿Cuándo se celebra?
La celebración es del 31 de octubre al 2 de noviembre. Se cree que las almas de los niños visitan la tierra entre el 31 de octubre y el 1 de noviembre, y que los adultos lo hacen entre el 1 y el 2 de noviembre. La celebración católica para el Día de Todos los Santos (el 1 de noviembre) y el Día de Todas las Almas (el 2 de noviembre) ocurre durante este tiempo.
¿Cómo se celebra?
Las costumbres varían, pero pueden incluir rituales católicos tradicionales — como ir a misa y rezar un rosario a los muertos — y tradiciones populares — como limpiar y adornar las tumbas de los seres queridos o instalar altares en casa para honrarles.
En Latinoamérica las tradiciones por el Día de los Muertos se pasan de generación en generación, pero en Estados Unidos esa celebración es relativamente nueva. En California, algunos activistas comenzaron a organizar procesiones y exposiciones de altares con motivo del Día de los Muertos en las décadas de los 60 y 70 como una manera de honrar la herencia mexicoamericana. Más recientemente, los productos relacionados con el Día de los Muertos comenzaron a aparecer en tiendas como Wal-Mart, Target y Crate and Barrel.
Una mirada al altar del Día de los Muertos
El altar es una de las formas más singulares para celebrar el Día de los Muertos. Un altar se hace en honor a los fallecidos y puede instalarse en una tumba o en la casa. Se hace con comida, bebida y las cosas que más apreciaba el fallecido. “El altar es un buen ejemplo de la fusión entre religión y cultura”, dijo Eric García, coordinador de Arte Ambulante en el Museo Nacional de Arte Mexicano. “Estos altares rinden tributo tanto a las creencias indígenas como a la católica para la vida después de la muerte y lo ubica de forma lógica”.
Ofrendas
Las ofrendas o regalos se colocan en los diferentes niveles del altar, y por lo general son cosas para honrar y dar la bienvenida de vuelta a casa del espíritu del ser querido que falleció.
Incienso
Está hecho de copal, que es resina del pino, y se utiliza para comunicarse con el mundo espiritual.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Flores de cempasúchil
De color naranja y olor penetrante, guían a las almas desde el paraíso hasta la tierra. Se esparcen pétalos en el piso para dirigir las almas hacia el altar.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Pan de muerto
Un regalo dulce para el espíritu. El diseño en la parte superior simula calaveras y esqueletos.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Comida
Se incluyen los platillos favoritos del fallecido para que los deguste y representa el elemento terrestre.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Agua y otras bebidas
Saciar la sed de los espíritus que se cree viajan a la tierra por un día.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Velas
Representan el fuego para atraer los espíritus hacia el altar.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Papel picado
Es papel de china con diseño complejo que representa el viento y la fragilidad, y es utilizado como decoración para ocasiones festivas durante el año. Incluye imágenes de calaveras para el Día de los Muertos.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Fotos y otros objetos
Fotos del difunto y objetos que le pertenecían se incluyen par recordar al ser querido.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Calavera
En forma de marionetas, juguetes, dulce o figurines que representan la vida diaria (trabajo, matrimonio, cantantes), el arte de las calaveras es un recordatorio de la fugacidad de la vida y la certeza de la muerte.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
La catrina
Es un esqueleto que porta sombrero de ala ancha y ataviado comúnmente con ropa femenina de la alta sociedad mexicana de finales del siglo XIX y principios del siglo XX. El estilo satiriza a quienes favorecían la cultura europea por encima de la comida y tradición mexicanas. Fue popularizada en imágenes por el gran ilustrador mexicano José Guadalupe Posada.
(Rick Tuma/Chicago Tribune)
Sources: Eric Garcia, Arte Ambulante coordinator, the National Museum of Mexican Art; “Day of the Dead in the USA,” by Regina M. Marchi; Smithsonian Latino Center; Epicurious; Tribune reporting


chicagotribune--2020-09-29--Prosecutors: Felon accused of masterminding River North hotel rape in order to file a bogus lawsuit

Williams had paid for the hotel room where the women stayed for the night .
The victim was returning from @ @ @ @ @ assailant followed her inside the hotel , authorities said .
After exiting the elevator on @ @ @ @ @ room , she was grabbed from behind and dragged into a stairwell , where she @ @ @ @ @ with her own leggings , assaulted and robbed .

Cook County prosecutors on Sunday said a Woodlawn man out on bail for a Joliet cellphone store robbery was the brains behind a plan for a woman to be sexually assaulted at a River North hotel last month with the objective of later suing the hotel for lax security.
The 32-year-old victim was not in on the supposed scam in which she was forced into a stairwell and assaulted at knife point, authorities said during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube.
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Tirnell Williams faces charges of armed robbery, aggravated criminal sexual assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault related to the early morning assault Aug. 14 at the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago River North, 110 W. Huron St.
Tirnell L. Williams, 43, is charged with armed robbery, aggravated criminal sexual assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault. (Chicago Police Department)
Judge David Navarro denied bail after a lengthy proffer of the allegations in which prosecutors said Williams masterminded the rape and robbery of the woman with plans to stage a second assault at another hotel owned by Hilton. In addition to being assaulted, the woman was robbed of $3,700 he knew she would have, according to prosecutors.
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Authorities said 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 evening of the assault was to have been a fun last night downtown for Williams’ girlfriend and the victim, who was moving out of town the next day. They had been friends for years.
Williams had paid for the hotel room where the women stayed for the night. The victim was returning from a nearby Walgreens when an assailant followed her inside the hotel, authorities said. After exiting the elevator on her way back to her room, she was grabbed from behind and dragged into a stairwell, where she was tied to a railing with her own leggings, assaulted and robbed.
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, Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Czerniejewski said.
Authorities tied Williams to the case after speaking with a witness who agreed to help investigators. Williams was later captured on a recorded phone conversation admitting to planning the rape and lawsuit against Hilton, a global hotel chain with nearly 600 locations. He told the witness he had instructed the attacker to force oral sex on the victim but didn’t expect the man to rape her, Czerniejewski said.
Prosecutors quoted the witness, who said Williams indicated that he would use the same attacker because the offender is “a real animal, and he enjoys it.”
Czerniejewski also noted that Williams, a supposed paraplegic who has filed lawsuits and claims on his own, admitted being able to walk during the recorded conversations and that he was once video-recorded doing jumping jacks, Czerniejewski said.
Williams’ girlfriend later told authorities he had set up the rape and also admitted that he uses a wheelchair for the lawsuits he files.
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No one else has been charged in connection with the assault.
Williams was out on $500,000 bail related to a February phone store robbery in Joliet involving two other men, as well as prior felonies for aggravated battery and a federal charge of theft of government funds, prosecutors said.
It was unclear whether the theft of funds was related to federal benefits that his court-appointed attorney said he receives. His attorney, Courtney Smallwood, asked the judge to disregard the witness statements, as well as to deny the prosecution’s petition for no bail, but Navarro said he was disturbed by the details.
“The state describes a series of events that, as alleged, are chilling,” the judge said on his way to denying bail and approving a request to deny bail for his prior case.
A representative for the hotel chain did not respond to a request for comment.
Williams, of the 6600 block of South University Avenue, is scheduled to return to court Monday.
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wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-09-29--Chicago man accused of shooting roommate at Western Illinois University makes first court appearance

Poplous is charged with two counts of Class X felony attempted murder as well as two other felonies related to @ @ @ @ @ A Class X felony , if convicted , carries a prison sentence of up to @ @ @ @ @ Department of Corrections .

ROBERT CONNELLY, Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus

A Chicago man suspected of shooting his roommate earlier this month at Western Illinois University made his first court appearance Monday afternoon.
Kavion K. Poplous, 18, was booked into the McDonough County jail over the weekend after being in Chicago for about two weeks, where he had turned himself into authorities after fleeing Macomb.
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Poplous is charged with two counts of Class X felony attempted murder as well as two other felonies related to allegedly shooting another person. A Class X felony, if convicted, carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
He is accused of shooting his roommate at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the Thompson Hall room they shared at WIU’s Macomb campus.
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He was formally read his charges in a McDonough County courtroom Monday afternoon, and is due back in court at 1:30 p.m. October 6 for both a preliminary hearing and a bond reduction hearing.
A preliminary hearing is where a judge determines if there is enough evidence for prosecutors to continue a criminal case after evidence is presented, most commonly from a police detective or officers who arrested the individual charged in the felony case.
Poplous remains jailed in the McDonough County jail with $100,000 needed to be released from custody.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Daywatch: A chaotic first presidential debate, CPD to move more officers downtown and socially dista

Daywatch: A chaotic first presidential debate, CPD to move more officers downtown and socially distanced fall festivals

In the most chaotic presidential debate in recent memory , Trump refused to condemn white supremacists who have supported him @ @ @ @ @ known as Proud Boys to “ stand back , stand by.
” There were also @ @ @ @ @ ’ s handling of the pandemic , the integrity of the election results , deeply @ @ @ @ @ s family and how the Supreme Court will shape the future of the nation ’ @ @ @ @

Want Daywatch delivered to your inbox? Sign up here. | Get the top Tribune stories of the day on your smart speaker | Here’s how to get the most out of your Tribune subscription | Got something to say? Join the conversation on our Facebook page
Good morning, Chicago. On Tuesday, the state reported 1,362 new known COVID-19 cases and 23 more deaths. This news came as state officials announced that the northwest Illinois region that includes Rockford and Northern Illinois University will be returning to tougher coronavirus restrictions.
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Meanwhile, four more states were added to Chicago’s quarantine list. The changes will go into effect on Friday, at which point the list will cover 23 states and territories.
Here’s more coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate on Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AP)
The first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden deteriorated into a bitter showdown Tuesday as the president repeatedly interrupted his opponent with angry — and personal — taunts that sometimes overshadowed the sharply different visions each man has of a nation facing historic crises.
In the most chaotic presidential debate in recent memory, Trump refused to condemn white supremacists who have supported him, telling one such group known as Proud Boys to “stand back, stand by.” There were also heated clashes over the president’s handling of the pandemic, the integrity of the election results, deeply personal attacks about Biden’s family and how the Supreme Court will shape the future of the nation’s health care.
A file photo of House Speaker Michael Madigan at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Democratic chairman of the Illinois House special committee investigating Speaker Michael Madigan’s conduct in connection with an alleged Commonwealth Edison bribery scheme blocked an effort by Republicans to legally compel the powerful Democrat and others to testify.
Former ComEd VP pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate with feds in bribery case orbiting House Speaker Michael Madigan
Police squad cars are stationed on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Sept. 4, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Police Department is stripping patrol districts of officers and limiting the use of some district officers during daytime shifts in favor of a “highly visible” presence downtown, according to memos obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
The Baldwin Energy Complex in Baldwin is pictured on Dec. 10, 2012. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
In a move that promises cleaner air in Chicago and other cities as far away as New York and Boston, a Texas-based company announced Tuesday it will close its Illinois fleet of coal-fired power plants within a decade.
Harvest Fest was held in the West Loop last year, but this year will feature separate ticketed events. (Galdones Photography / HANDOUT)
While you may not be able to literally rub shoulders with other flannel-wearing food festival guests, you can still celebrate the onset of fall with the West Loop’s Harvest Festival and Lincoln Square’s Apple Fest, both of which look slightly different this year as they pivot to ticketed or online iterations due to COVID-19.


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Man stabbed while riding Green Line train, police say

The stabbing occurred at 1:50 a.m. on a train , police said .
The 55-year-old man got off the train @ @ @ @ @ located at 1167 S. State St. , where he told a CTA employee that he @ @ @ @ @ who responded to the scene used QuikClot Combat Gauze on several of the man ’ @ @ @ @ @ arrived .

A man stabbed a 55-year-old man in the chest early Wednesday while they were riding a CTA Green Line train, according to Chicago police.
The stabbing occurred at 1:50 a.m. on a train, police said. The 55-year-old man got off the train at the Roosevelt station, 1167 S. State St., where he told a CTA employee that he was injured. An officer who responded to the scene used QuikClot Combat Gauze on several of the man’s stab wounds until EMS arrived.
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The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.
No arrests have been made.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Texas company to close all of its Illinois coal-fired power plants, another sign the global transiti

Texas company to close all of its Illinois coal-fired power plants, another sign the global transition to clean energy is accelerating

Closing the Illinois and Ohio plants will reduce pollution that drifts into other states and contributes to dirty air problems @ @ @ @ @ .
It also will eliminate the same amount of climate-changing pollution as taking more than @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s roads would .

In a move that promises cleaner air in Chicago and other cities as far away as New York and Boston, a Texas-based company announced Tuesday it will close its Illinois fleet of coal-fired power plants within a decade.
Vistra absorbed nine of the state’s coal plants during a corporate merger just two years ago. Like its predecessors, the company found it increasingly difficult to profit from burning coal amid competition from cheaper, cleaner natural gas and renewable energy.
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Scuttling the Illinois plants — and two others in Ohio — is part of Vistra’s plan to gradually shift its investments to solar installations and industrial-size batteries that store power for when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow.
“Vistra’s commitment to our transformation to a low-to-no-carbon future is unequivocal and offers unique opportunities for growth and innovation,” Curt Morgan, the company’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
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Only 15% of the electricity generated in Illinois last year came from Vistra coal plants. But the company’s fleet was responsible for nearly half the heat-trapping carbon dioxide and lung-damaging sulfur dioxide emitted by the state’s power plants during 2019, according to federal records.
The Baldwin Energy Complex in Baldwin is pictured on Dec. 10, 2012. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Closing the Illinois and Ohio plants will reduce pollution that drifts into other states and contributes to dirty air problems throughout the Midwest and Northeast. It also will eliminate the same amount of climate-changing pollution as taking more than 10 million cars off the nation’s roads would.
Nonprofit groups welcomed Vistra’s announcement as another sign the global transition from coal to clean energy is accelerating.
“Supporting a fair and robust economic and community transition is a critical next step for Illinois and Ohio,” said Mary Anne Hitt, the Sierra Club’s national campaigns director.
Vistra is the latest company to abandon coal in the Midwest, though it plans to keep operating its coal plants in Texas, including one of the nation’s largest industrial sources of sulfur dioxide, a key ingredient in acid rain and smog.
Two decades ago, that infamous designation belonged to the Baldwin plant, 275 miles southwest of Chicago in Randolph County.
One of Vistra’s corporate predecessors spent $1 billion on pollution-control equipment at Baldwin as part of a 2005 settlement with federal prosecutors, who accused various owners of dodging the Clean Air Act while charging customers billions to keep the plant operating.
Baldwin once burned enough coal to fill the Willis Tower every two months. Today, Vistra only operates one of the plant’s three coal-fired units.
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Fast-declining prices for wind and solar power are pushing Baldwin and other coal plants out of the marketplace faster than analysts once predicted. Businesses and households also are becoming more energy efficient, a durable trend that makes power plants built for another era increasingly obsolete.
“I don’t believe (coal) is going to have a renaissance,” Morgan, Vistra’s chief executive, told a television interviewer in April 2018. “I think it’s on its way out.”
This year coal plants are expected to generate less than a fifth of the nation’s electricity, down from more than half a decade ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
In addition to Baldwin, the coal plants scheduled for closure by Vistra are Joppa Steam on the Ohio River near Metropolis, Kincaid south of Springfield and Newton in Jasper County.
The company already closed its coal plants in Canton, Coffeen, Havana and Hennepin and agreed to shutter another south of Peoria as part of a legal settlement with environmental groups.
A coalition of clean energy and labor groups is promoting legislation in Springfield that would allocate funding to help workers find new jobs and protect communities from financial hardships when coal plants close.
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Vistra is pushing its own measure that would require ratepayers to subsidize the company’s shift to solar power on the sites of its former coal plants.
mhawthorne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Column: Voters have more to fear from the GOP than the Russians this year

Like many Americans , I have lost some confidence in the democratic process .
The idea of fair elections now @ @ @ @ @ With each election , we have become less trusting , less willing to think that @ @ @ @ @ will turn out the way the people intended .

After standing in line for at least two hours, people finally get to cast their ballots on the first day of early voting at the DuPage County Fairgrounds on Sept. 24, 2020, in Wheaton. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
I cast my first ballot in a presidential election in 1976. Every four years afterward, I have dutifully gone to the polls, knowing that my candidate might not win but savoring the victory of having fulfilled my civic duty.
For the first time in 44 years, I’m worried that my vote might not be counted.
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Like many Americans, I have lost some confidence in the democratic process. The idea of fair elections now seems vague and distant. With each election, we have become less trusting, less willing to think that in the end, things will turn out the way the people intended.
Four years ago, the greatest threat to our democracy was Russia. U.S. intelligence officials have proved that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, and they have warned us the Russians are attempting to do it again this year.
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I was born during the height of the Cold War, a period when Russia deemed it a travesty to allow the citizens to decide the direction of their country. Russia’s post-Cold War democratic order is a farce. Vladimir Putin wants to make a mockery of our democracy too.
The best way to accomplish that is to destroy Americans’ faith in free and open elections.
But it isn’t the Russians we should most fear this year. It’s America’s own Republican Party. The GOP has become the biggest threat to our elections, and thus democracy.
Everyone knows that Donald Trump is desperate to be reelected, but it’s his party of GOP operatives in the local trenches doing the dirty work to make sure it happens.
In their effort to put Trump in the White House four years ago, the Russians played on our naiveté by spreading lies on social media and hacking into Hillary Clinton’s campaign emails. They accomplished their primary goal, but they lacked the political machinery necessary to control the outcome on a state-by-state level.
Someone on the ground has to do that. Without intentionally conspiring with Russia, Republicans have eagerly extended a helping hand.
In a nation as divided as ours, no amount of illegally leaked campaign emails or misinformation spread on Facebook or Twitter could sway Joe Biden supporters to change their mind and vote for Trump. That technique had an impact in 2016, but this year, most voters made up their minds a long time ago.
This time around, the Republicans are doing what the Russians could never accomplish. The GOP is engaged in an outright campaign to deny Americans an opportunity to vote.
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The biggest threats to Americans are the unfair restrictions and unnecessary requirements voters in Republican-controlled states are being forced to endure in the attempt to suppress their vote.
Strict voter-ID laws, cleansing state voter rolls, shortening early voting periods, inadequately staffing and equipping polling places, shutting down polling places or moving them to inconvenient locations and voter intimidation have long been effective tools used by Republicans to stifle Democratic turnout.
This year, mail-in ballots have been added to the arsenal. Trump issued the call, and Republicans have heeded the challenge, to use mail-in ballots as a lethal weapon.
Trump revealed his game plan last week when he stressed the need to have a replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the bench prior to the Nov. 3 election.
“This scam that the Democrats are pulling — it’s a scam. The scam will be before the United States Supreme Court,” Trump said, referring to his planned challenge of mail-in ballots if he loses.
Some of the most egregious attempts to keep voters, particularly African Americans and other Democratic-leaning minorities, from voting are occurring in traditionally red states that appear on the cusp of turning blue.
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The battleground state of North Carolina is a prime example. It is among a handful of states that require mail-in ballots to include the signature of a witness. Two witnesses’ signatures used to be required. Following complaints, the state legislature reduced it to one.
But the confusing step is causing problems. At least 1,700 of the ballots returned and processed thus far could not be counted because they were missing a witness name, signature or address, The Associated Press reported. As of last week, Black voters represented 43% of those missing complete witness information.
Since the pandemic, four states dropped their requirement for a witness or a notary public, despite legal action by Republicans in some cases to keep them intact, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
In addition to North Carolina, seven states — Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin — require the signature of a witness or notary public.
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It would seem as though voters who live in solidly blue states controlled by Democrats would have little to worry about. There is hardly any chance Trump could win Illinois and take our 20 electoral votes.
But no one is safe. The Russians and the GOP have succeeded in convincing us that our electoral process is flawed. Our doubts about the sanctity of the upcoming election have escalated nearly to the point of panic.
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We are so scared that our ballot will be challenged in court for some frivolous and arbitrary reason that we are unwilling to take any chances. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are too afraid to risk mailing our ballots in and are opting instead to brave potentially long lines to cast our vote in person.
To that extent, Putin has succeeded in chipping away at our democracy. But Americans are resilient. We will do whatever is necessary to preserve our elections.
We refuse to allow the Russians or the Republicans to deny us our vote.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--‘This is the future of our sport’: Athletes Unlimited, a venture that treats pro sports like a fanta

‘This is the future of our sport’: Athletes Unlimited, a venture that treats pro sports like a fantasy league, ends first softball season in Rosemont with plans to return

“ This has been life-changing not only for the group of 57 we have here , but for future generations @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ We have truly redefined what it means to play softball and @ @ @ @ @ … I can ’ t wait to be back next year .
This is the @ @ @ @ @ ”

Cat Osterman, left, and members of Team Osterman celebrate a home run by Jordan Roberts on Sept. 28 2020, in the fourth inning at Parkway Bank Stadium in Rosemont. Team Osterman played Team Warren and won 18-3. The teams are part of a new professional sports league called Athletes Unlimited that includes several unique features, including points for individual players as well as teams, no coaches, player captains and weekly drafts. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
An intriguing professional sports experiment ended in Rosemont on Monday night when Team Osterman, a softball squad named after its captain, Olympic gold medalist Cat Osterman, won its final game.
But victory wasn’t really the point. Points were the point.
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The six-week league was launched by Athletes Unlimited, a fledgling outfit that treats professional sports like a fantasy league. Players receive points not just for winning games but for performing well individually.
Hit a single, get 10 points. Stretch it into a double, get 20. Knock it over the fence and receive a cool 40 points.
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Pitchers, meanwhile, get 4 points for every out but have 10 points taken away for every earned run. Winning an inning yields 10 points for every member of the team. Winning the game brings 50. Earning one of three Most Valuable Player spots voted on by players and fans after each game is worth up to 60 points.
The result was a leader board in which the order of 57 players — all of whom switched teams every week — could change with every pitch. The higher they finished at the end of the season, the larger their portion of a $300,000 bonus pool.
“I think that’s what fans want,” said Athletes Unlimited co-founder Jon Patricof. “Fans want interactivity. Fans want to know that every moment counts.”
Taylor McQuillin from Team Piancastelli pitches to Nadia Taylor from Team Ocasio on Sept. 28, 2020, at Parkway Bank Stadium in Rosemont. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The organization began when Patricof, looking for a way to stay in pro sports after leaving his job as president of Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club, decided the normal way of doing business was ripe for disruption.
“Fans of the future are really focused on individual athletes,” he said. “People are having less and less allegiance to the city where they were born or living, and people are moving so much more. A (geographically dispersed) league can work, but if you’re starting something from scratch, really leaning into the athletes themselves made a lot more sense.”
He and investor Jonathan Soros, son of billionaire George Soros, saw opportunity in women’s sports, especially softball.
ESPN broadcasts hundreds of college games every year to good ratings, Patricof said. That demonstrated a demand he thought wasn’t being fully met, despite the existence of National Pro Fastpitch, a five-team league.
Rosemont is home to one of those teams, the Chicago Bandits. Once Patricof and Soros decided on the sport, the village, home to a purpose-built pro softball stadium, became a natural choice for the venue.
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Abby Ramirez, a middle infielder from Chicago who plays for the Bandits, heard about the league from teammates early in the year and was intrigued.
“It was a little bit different, but I was just super excited that it would be another opportunity for us to play,” she said.
Athletes Unlimited professional softball players eat junk food and popcorn Sept. 22, 2020, as they watch a screening of "Black Panther" on the scoreboard inside Parkway Bank Stadium in Rosemont. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The season was set to start in August, right after National Pro Fastpitch and the 2020 Olympics concluded. But when both were shut down by COVID-19, Athletes Unlimited suddenly became the only place to play.
That drew a surge of big-name athletes, including Osterman, who had been planning to retire after the Olympics. But it also meant the league had to create its own version of a bubble — Athletes Unlimited calls it a “shield” — to keep players safe from the virus.
They were housed in Rosemont apartments and hotel rooms and allowed to move only among their lodgings, the stadium and the adjacent practice dome. They received weekly food boxes and ordered in everything else they needed.
Off the field, Athletes Unlimited offered the players activities ranging from movie nights to group discussions to leadership training from Abby Wambach, the women’s soccer hall of famer.
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“There have just been so many other events,” outfielder Jazmyn Jackson said before the final round of games. “There’s always something to do.”
Professional softball player Cat Osterman, left, celebrates drafting her favorite catcher, Gwen Svekis, while Jessica Warren, Erica Piancastelli and Aleshia Ocasio mull their choices on draft day for the Athletes Unlimited league at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex on Sept. 22, 2020. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The teams formed anew each week when four team captains drafted their colleagues into their squads. It was akin to choosing sides for a pickup game, an experience many hadn’t been through since they were kids.
Unlike the politics of the playground, Osterman said it was strictly business.
“I definitely don’t go based off friendships,” she said. “I go off performance, energy and the vibes people give off. We want a good culture and a good mesh of players. I’m not always looking at the board and thinking, ‘This person is good friends with me.’ I’m going to put that aside and put together a solid overall team.”
She chose wisely. In the final week of play, her team slipped past a squad captained by Erika Piancastelli, then battered Aleshia Ocasio’s squad 15-2.
By the time her team entered the season’s final game Monday night, Osterman had a massive 338-point lead over her closest rival, infielder Jessica Warren. Osterman, who as captain controlled the lineup, left herself out and the squad rewarded her confidence by thrashing Warren’s team 18-3.
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That sealed Osterman’s victory, and after the game, her name was ceremonially inscribed as the champion in a book that will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, where a season of women’s volleyball — the next sport in Athletes Unlimited’s expanding dossier — will begin in February.
Athletes Unlimited players celebrate following their last game of the season at Parkway Bank Stadium on Sept. 28, 2020. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
But her win felt like a sidelight as the players mingled on the field, dancing, hugging and giving heartfelt speeches before a TV audience on CBS Sports Network (Rosemont allowed fans to be in the stands, but Athletes Unlimited opted against that for safety reasons).
Outfielder Victoria Hayward was one of the first to sign up and, thanks to a bang-bang out at the plate in the final inning, finished third by a mere 20 points. She thanked her colleagues for joining her in the inaugural season — Athletes Unlimited announced Tuesday that softball will return to Rosemont in 2021 — and predicted the venture will flourish.
“This has been life-changing not only for the group of 57 we have here, but for future generations of softball players,” she said. “We have truly redefined what it means to play softball and to be a professional. … I can’t wait to be back next year. This is the future of our sport.”
jkeilman@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @JohnKeilman


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Column: She’s a teacher out to create little free children’s libraries — full of books that go beyon

Column: She’s a teacher out to create little free children’s libraries — full of books that go beyond white kids and animals

What would happen , she wondered , if there were not only more little free libraries in neighborhoods of color @ @ @ @ @ dedicated to books that told stories of kids of color ?
What if the kids @ @ @ @ @ t have to worry about having a library card or riding the bus to a @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , when kids are quarantined at home without access to a school library @ @ @ @ @ even more useful .

Tracy Aiden holds books from her little free library on Sept. 29, 2020, next to the library that she set up in Evanston with books featuring diverse characters. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Tracy Aiden woke up Saturday morning with a headache and, to use her word, “supernervous.”
It was an important day. Her big idea was coming to fruition. Time for the ribbon-cutting.
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Aiden teaches little kids — the permeable ages of 3, 4 and 5 — at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. She thinks hard about how books can shape children’s minds, their lives, and, in turn, the world they’ll help create. She worries about the kids, unlike her students, who don’t have ready access to books, and about how rarely kids who aren’t Caucasian see themselves reflected on a page.
She remembers the feeling from her own childhood, growing up in a racially mixed neighborhood in Evanston. Almost all the books she was offered starred white kids. Or animals.
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“I feel like if I would have had more books with pictures that look like me, I would have been more of a lover of reading than I am now,” she says. “We were reading books that didn’t seem relevant to me. It all seemed really boring.”
A few months ago, Aiden was on Instagram when she spotted an account called @littlefreediverselibraries. It was run by a New York City school counselor, a Black woman, who collects books featuring kids of color and sends them to established little free libraries. That sparked an idea for Aiden.
“If you think about the idea of the little free libraries,” she says, “they’re usually in more affluent neighborhoods, predominantly white, suburban. What would happen if we changed the demographics of where those libraries are?”
Books and hand sanitizer are pictured in an Evanston little free library set up by Evanston native Tracy Aiden. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
What would happen, she wondered, if there were not only more little free libraries in neighborhoods of color, but if they were dedicated to books that told stories of kids of color? What if the kids and their parents didn’t have to worry about having a library card or riding the bus to a distant library? And during the pandemic, when kids are quarantined at home without access to a school library, her idea would be even more useful.
So all summer, Aiden collected diverse children’s books. After she set up a GoFundMe, books, along with money donations for books, poured in. She has 400 so far.
“They’re stacked in my living room,” she says. She laughs. “My husband is not happy.”
If you’ve never thought about the shortage of books depicting kids who aren’t white, think about this: The Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison surveyed diversity in children’s books in 2018. It found that 50% featured white characters and 27% featured animals. Meanwhile, only 10% featured Black characters. Latino, Asian and Indigenous characters were even less represented.
So as books piled up in her living room, Aiden made plans to build eight little libraries in Evanston and Chicago. Her friend Justin Durham — a circus performer doubling as a carpenter during the pandemic — volunteered to build the first four.
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And that’s how it came to pass that on Saturday Aiden traveled from her home in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood to Evanston to inaugurate her first library, not far from where she grew up and where her father, Dennis Drummer, was a longtime alderman.
“That’s where I get my love for children and social justice from,” she says, “watching him create safe spaces for young children.”
Tracy Aiden at a little free library that she set up in Evanston with books featuring diverse characters. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The library is a bright blue box — her favorite color, the color of royalty — and it sits outside the home of a former teaching colleague. They’d reconnected on Instagram and agreed that this block in the town’s 5th Ward would be ideal for the project.
The street is shady and relatively quiet, flanked by small brick houses and a few larger ones, homes once occupied by African American domestic workers employed by the wealthier residents of the North Shore suburbs. In normal times, Aiden says, the kids are bused to schools in white neighborhoods. In COVID times, they’re home. Either way, they could use books that help them see themselves.
At Saturday’s ribbon-cutting, friends and old colleagues gathered around the bright blue box. Inside Aiden had installed 25 crisp, new books, which ranged from picture books for little kids to a few books for older kids. The titles included “Antiracist Baby,” “Woke Baby,” “The King of Kindergarten” and “Merci Suarez Changes Gears.” Next to the books she placed a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Then she snipped the big yellow ribbon on the blue box. One library up. More to come. And her headache was gone.
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mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Man, 40, faces attempted murder charge in Far South shooting, police say

Marvell L. Valentine , who lives in the apartment building where the shooting took place , was taken into custody @ @ @ @ @ a woman was shot three times inside an apartment in the 8300 block of South @ @ @ @ @ Chicago neighborhood , police said .
Valentine is also facing one misdemeanor count of aggravated @ @ @ @ @ .

A 40-year-old man is facing a charge of attempted first-degree murder after a woman was critically injured in a Far South Side shooting on Monday, according to Chicago police.
Marvell Valentine, who lives in the apartment building where the shooting took place, was taken into custody without incident Monday night after a woman was shot three times inside an apartment in the 8300 block of South Colfax Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said. Valentine is also facing one misdemeanor count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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The shooting occurred about 9:20 p.m. after a 44-year-old woman and a man got into an argument, police said. The woman was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the abdomen.
Police have not immediately said what the relationship is between the man and woman or the nature of the argument.
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The man also threatened to shoot another person, police said.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Column: Trump’s toxic debate performance was 90 minutes of disqualifying noise and cruelty

He showed not a shred of decency when Biden brought up his late son , Beau , instead using that @ @ @ @ @ on Biden ’ s other son , Hunter .
It was heartless , and gutless @ @ @ @ @ moment that would only excite the basest of Trump ’ s base , begging the @ @ @ @ @ president trying to accomplish in this debate ?

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Julio Cortez/AP)
Like most Americans who have not spent the past decade broiling their brains in Fox News and right-wing radio, I watched President Donald Trump’s noisily toxic performance in Tuesday’s presidential debate and wondered: Which gods have I angered, and how might I appease them?
It was a concussive 90 minutes. Trump’s relentless, snarling interruptions and refusal to abide by even the rough outlines of the debate’s rules created as disgraceful a display of public behavior as we’ll ever — hopefully — see from a U.S. president.
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That wasn’t a leader prepared to debate policy knowledge and instill confidence in his steady hand. That was a red-faced, snot-nosed kid in the third-row seat of someone’s minivan throwing a wailing temper tantrum, the kid we see in the parking lot and think, “Man, I’m glad that’s not my child.”
The debate was a spectacle. A good one, I suppose, for those who want a president incapable of displaying a shred of human empathy, incapable of spitting five words without lying and unwilling, for seemingly the millionth time, to denounce violent white supremacists.
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But for those less inclined to chaos, it was a grotesque spectacle, one that left me and I’m sure many others slack-jawed, wondering how anyone — anyone! — can watch Trump angrily blather and not see an incompetent, cruel narcissist.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who the Trump camp bizarrely wrote off as “senile” in the run-up to the debate, didn’t need to do much to exceed expectations. And he did as well as can be expected for a man trying to speak in the gale-force winds of a poop hurricane.
Constantly interrupted by Trump in ways that would make the Pope start throwing punches, Biden managed to show the thing he possesses that Trump wholly lacks: compassion.
Biden rarely looked at Trump, but routinely looked directly into the camera, making clear he was talking to the American people. Trump’s focus was always on Biden or the moderator, incessantly angling to get in a jab or a boast. The president’s demeanor never strayed from me-me-me.
Trump expressed zero empathy for the American families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. He only bragged about how he has handled the pandemic, a claim eviscerated by the reality of more than 200,000 dead.
He railed against the election already underway, baselessly claiming massive fraud through mail-in ballots and willfully putting the foundation of our democracy at risk.
He showed not a shred of decency when Biden brought up his late son, Beau, instead using that moment to launch an attack on Biden’s other son, Hunter. It was heartless, and gutless. It was a sickening moment that would only excite the basest of Trump’s base, raising the question: What was the president trying to accomplish in this debate?
Nothing about his behavior will win him a single vote he didn’t already have locked down. So what’s the strategy?
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Rile up his devoted base so they’re ripe for a post-presidency grift? Hope that his “rigged election” nonsense is enough to depress voting or open the door for a spurious legal challenge?
Or maybe there was simply no strategy. Maybe this is just Trump being the person people like me have told you he is all along.
One of the most telling moments of the night was moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News giving Trump a chance to “condemn white supremacists and militia groups” like the Proud Boys and tell them “they need to stand down.”
Trump replied: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left.”
“Stand back and stand by” is not a condemnation. It’s a call to be ready for action. Trump’s own FBI director recently identified white supremacists groups as the largest domestic terrorist threat the country is facing. Trump doesn’t care.
And naturally, the Proud Boys lit up social media after Trump’s debate comment, celebrating what they saw as a call to arms … FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
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It’s unreal. You can criticize Biden for some of his weaker responses to questions regarding the Supreme Court or the filibuster or his plans for climate change. But you cannot compare the two men who were on that stage in Ohio in terms of demeanor and basic human decency.
Trump was a terror, breaking the rules and showing the world America is helmed by a self-obsessed man-child. Biden at least tried to break through the noise and deliver a message to all Americans.
This was not a presidential debate. It was a vivid display of Trump’s inability to inhabit the role of president, and a shameful reminder of how perilously far he has stretched the limits of our democracy in only one term.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Mayor Lori Lightfoot responds to President Trump’s debate dis: ‘Keep Chicago out of your lying mouth

Mayor Lori Lightfoot responds to President Trump’s debate dis: ‘Keep Chicago out of your lying mouth’

“ He wants to show failures on the part of Democratic local leaders , to throw red meat to his @ @ @ @ @ at the time .
“ His goal is to polarize , to destabilize local government @ @ @ @ @ We can absolutely not let him prevail .
And I will code what I really @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
It ’ s two words .
It begins with F and it ends @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Julio Cortez/AP)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot quickly fired back at President Donald Trump after he invoked Chicago’s gun violence to criticize Democrats during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, tweeting: “Keep Chicago out of your lying mouth.”
Lightfoot shared her thoughts on Tuesday’s presidential debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in a series of tweets. As Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden, Lightfoot posted that Trump wanted to “create chaos and pandemonium, to confuse and frustrate voters to the point that they throw up their hands and walk away.”
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.@realDonaldTrump, keep "Chicago" out of your lying mouth. — Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) September 30, 2020
“It is stunning to watch and listen to the lies roll off (Trump’s) tongue so effortlessly,” she also tweeted. “It is pathetic that this man lies, while people are dying of COVID-19.”
At one point during the wide-ranging debate, Trump said “Look at Chicago, what’s going on in Chicago,” and pointed to the city’s gun violence.
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As mayor, Lightfoot has been quick to defend Chicago from critics including Trump, who regularly invokes the city to bolster his “law and order” campaign theme as he seeks reelection.
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After Trump mentioned Chicago during the debate, she tweeted the line telling the president to keep Chicago’s name out of his mouth — a similar phrase to one she also used to rip Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in 2019.
Although the mayor has sparred with Trump, she also has made attempts to work with him and his family. He called her after she defeated Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle with congratulations.
Before she was sworn in as mayor, Lightfoot went to Washington and had a meeting with Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and a White House adviser.
1) It is stunning to watch and listen to the lies roll off @realDonaldTrump's tongue so effortlessly. It is pathetic that this man lies, while people are dying of COVID-19. — Lori Lightfoot (@LoriLightfoot) September 30, 2020
But the relationship between Lightfoot and the Trumps has coarsened over time. Lightfoot ripped Ivanka Trump last year for a tweet about Chicago violence. The mayor also slammed Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, earlier this year.
Lightfoot in May responded to Trump tweeting a message that included, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” in reply to rioting in Minneapolis and elsewhere following George Floyd’s death by accusing the president of destabilizing the country and using a thinly veiled profanity.
“He wants to show failures on the part of Democratic local leaders, to throw red meat to his base,” Lightfoot said at the time. “His goal is to polarize, to destabilize local government and inflame racist urges. We can absolutely not let him prevail. And I will code what I really want to say to Donald Trump. It’s two words. It begins with F and it ends with U.”
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gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Democrats stifle GOP attempt to subpoena Madigan, others in House investigation of ComEd scandal

In one example , ComEd admitted in court documents to hiring “ Law Firm A ” in 2011 “ in @ @ @ @ @ to influence and reward ” Madigan .
When the firm ’ s contract was up @ @ @ @ @ a lawyer with the firm — “ Lawyer A ” — allegedly complained to McClain @ @ @ @ @ the firm ’ s hours , according to court records .
McClain took the complaint @ @ @ @ @ “ I am sure you know how valuable [ Lawyer A ] is to our @ @ @ @ @ to Madigan .
Pramaggiore saw to it the contract was renewed , court records allege @

The Democratic chairman of the Illinois House special committee investigating Speaker Michael Madigan’s conduct in connection with an alleged Commonwealth Edison bribery scheme blocked an effort by Republicans to legally compel the powerful Democrat and others to testify.
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside ruled Tuesday that a motion by Republicans to subpoena witnesses was out of order, and didn’t allow a vote. The move comes after Madigan and several other potential witnesses declined invitations to appear voluntarily.
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“The issuance of subpoenas is premature,” Welch said. “You’re asking this committee to vote to approve subpoenas that we haven’t even seen.”
The partisan spat capped an hourslong hearing in Springfield that featured testimony from David Glockner, ComEd parent Exelon’s executive vice president for compliance and audit. Glockner said the state’s largest utility agreed to make payments to Madigan associates in an effort to influence speaker.
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Glockner hewed closely to the deferred prosecution agreement ComEd entered into in July with federal prosecutors, but avoided comment on whether the utility’s efforts had the intended effect on Madigan.
“ComEd acknowledges repeatedly through the agreement that it believed or it intended to influence the speaker through its conduct,” Glockner told the six-member special investigating committee. “Whether it, in fact, influenced the speaker, whether the speaker was aware of its intent to influence, those are questions I don’t think I’m in a position to comment on.”
The committee, formed this summer after federal prosecutors alleged ComEd engaged in a “yearslong bribery scheme” aimed at currying favor with Madigan, has become a partisan flashpoint ahead of the November election.
The panel was formed at the request of House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs to determine whether Madigan engaged in “conduct unbecoming to a legislator” and should face potential discipline. Madigan and Welch have accused the GOP of political posturing. Republicans accuse Democrats of acting in defense of Madigan, who has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing.
Tuesday’s hearing got underway less than an hour after former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to conspiracy to commit bribery.
Marquez, who oversaw the utility’s extensive lobbying efforts at the Capitol as senior vice president of governmental and external affairs, admitted that he offered jobs, contracts and payments to Madigan associates in hopes of winning the speaker’s support for favorable legislation. He has agreed to cooperate in the ongoing investigation in a plea deal that could keep him out of prison.
Welch said the committee would discuss the logistics of possible testimony from Marquez in light of his guilty plea.
In an opening statement, Durkin said that if Democrats set partisan interests aside, they would see there was sufficient evidence to support a charge that would send Madigan before a disciplinary committee.
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“In order to discredit ComEd’s admissions, you would have to believe that Michael Madigan didn’t know what was going on around him,” Durkin said. “You know Michael Madigan. He’s not ignorant of what’s going on around him. He is not naive. And he is not easily surprised.”
Durkin urged the committee’s three Democrats to be “impartial arbiters of the facts."
“If you do that, there will only be one possible conclusion,” he said.
In their questioning, however, Democrats on the committee sought to deflect scrutiny from Madigan, asking Glockner repeatedly about whether other lawmakers, including Durkin, had recommended people for jobs with ComEd. Their questions closely followed the defense Madigan laid out in a letter last week declining the invitation to testify before the committee.
Madigan and Marquez were among the several witnesses the committee’s three Republicans asked to testify, but all declined the invitation, with the exception of ComEd. Among those Republicans want to hear from are longtime Madigan confidant and former ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain, and former ComEd and Exelon CEO Anne Pramaggiore, both of whom figured prominently in the court documents outlining ComEd’s admissions.
David Glockner, Exelon’s executive vice president for compliance and audit, answers questions during the House Special Investigating Committee II hearing in Springfield on Sept. 29, 2020. The committee is looking into House Speaker Michael Madigan's role in a bribery scandal involving utility giant Commonwealth Edison. (Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register)
The panel could subpoena witnesses, but that would require one of three Democrats to vote with the three Republicans to compel testimony. One Democrat also would have to side with Republicans for the special committee to approve a charge against Madigan.
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While the deferred prosecution agreement has been public since mid-July, Glockner’s sworn testimony publicly identified some figures who aren’t named in court documents.
In one example, ComEd admitted in court documents to hiring “Law Firm A” in 2011 “in part, with the intent to influence and reward” Madigan. When the firm’s contract was up for renewal in 2016, a lawyer with the firm — “Lawyer A” — allegedly complained to McClain that ComEd sought to reduce the firm’s hours, according to court records. McClain took the complaint to Pramaggiore, writing, “I am sure you know how valuable [Lawyer A] is to our Friend,” a reference to Madigan. Pramaggiore saw to it the contract was renewed, court records allege.
In his testimony, Glockner identified the law firm in question as Reyes Kurson and lawyer as Victor Reyes. Reyes was patronage chief for former Mayor Richard M. Daley and founder of the Hispanic Democratic Organization.
ComEd’s agreement with federal prosecutors focuses specifically on two major pieces of energy legislation approved in the legislature in the past decade: the 2011 Energy Infrastructure and Modernization Act and the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act, both of which resulted in major benefits for the state’s largest utility.
In his letter declining the invitation to testify, Madigan argued that “House Democrats won significant concessions, much to the chagrin of ComEd and Exelon, likely costing the companies millions of dollars in profits.”
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Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, discusses his request to make an opening statement during the House Special Investigating Committee II hearing in Springfield on Sept. 29, 2020. (Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register)
Seeking to turn the tables on Durkin, Madigan noted the key role the House GOP leader and then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner played in negotiating the 2016 legislation, which opponents characterized as a bailout for two Exelon nuclear power plants.
“If Rep. Durkin were to put aside his current political agenda and speak honestly about his experiences with this energy legislation in which he was personally involved, I am certain he would attest that the process of negotiating that bill was bipartisan and his input was likely more valuable than mine,” Madigan wrote.
Following Madigan’s cue, Welch said after Durkin’s opening statement that he looked forward to welcoming him back to testify.
Tuesday’s fight over subpoenas was the latest in weeks of partisan squabbling since the committee first met Sept. 10.
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dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-30--Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she’ll work with aldermen on civilian oversight plan after negotiations wi

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she’ll work with aldermen on civilian oversight plan after negotiations with community coalition stall

“ We ’ re moving on from GAPA , but I expect to work with aldermen to propose an alternative @ @ @ @ @ we will introduce either October or November , '' Lightfoot said .
`` We ’ @ @ @ @ @ done , we ’ ve waited too long , we need to move forward and @ @ @ @ @ the GAPA folks have not come forward to us with a concrete proposal that solves @ @ @ @ @ , but the time is now for us to act .
We can ’ t @ @ @ @ @

Mayor Lori Lightfoot at a news conference at the Greater Western Community Development Project in Chicago on Sept. 14, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot will negotiate with aldermen on a plan for civilian oversight of Chicago police after negotiations with a community coalition stalled, she said during a virtual town hall with journalists.
Lightfoot was asked about civilian oversight of police during a town hall hosted by The TRiiBE, a digital media platform focused on Black Chicago, and said she had been working with the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability. Those talks ultimately didn’t work out, Lightfoot said, blaming GAPA.
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“We’re moving on from GAPA, but I expect to work with aldermen to propose an alternative form of civilian oversight that we will introduce in either October or November," Lightfoot said. "We’ve got to get it done, we’ve waited too long, we need to move forward and it’s unfortunate that the GAPA folks have not come forward to us with a concrete proposal that solves some of these outstanding issues, but the time is now for us to act. We can’t wait any longer.”
Earlier in September, GAPA sent Lightfoot a letter blaming her for being unwilling “to create something (transformational), despite the promises you made as candidate for mayor.”
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“Chicago will not abide another band-aid on the gaping wound caused by history of police violence, cover-ups, lack of accountability and policies that enable/encourage targeting of Black and Brown communities,” GAPA wrote.
Lightfoot’s comments drew criticism from some aldermen, including allies. North Side Ald. Harry Osterman, 48th, and South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, released a joint statement saying they are “disappointed in Mayor Lightfoot’s comments regarding ‘moving on’ from the GAPA ordinance.”
“Civilian oversight of the police is long overdue and urgently needed. Chicagoans who are committed to and believe in civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department and the important role it plays in re-establishing trust between community residents and the police should be concerned by the mayor’s shift in position,” the aldermen said.
Lightfoot has long been a proponent of civilian oversight but as mayor has disagreed with activists over how it would work. Negotiations between Lightfoot and community groups stalled in March over who would ultimately approve Police Department policy.
Activists want as much say-so as they can get on policies, while police officials want to keep that power in-house.
Lightfoot identified civilian oversight of police as a 100-day goal for her administration but has not yet been able to forge a deal that satisfies activists or the City Council.
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Citizen oversight was first proposed by the Police Accountability Task Force that Lightfoot chaired for Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting scandal.
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As the city reeled from the release of disturbing footage of a white officer shooting McDonald 16 times as the teen, armed with a pocket knife, appeared to walk away, Emanuel announced several reforms.
Emanuel vowed to create an oversight board but deferred to community groups' requests that they help design it.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-10-01--Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx won’t debate GOP opponent anymore, citing ‘Trump-like name cal

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx won’t debate GOP opponent anymore, citing ‘Trump-like name calling and fear mongering’

“ This campaign is one of the most important and high-profile races in the state , ” O ’ Brien @ @ @ @ @ “ It is my belief that voters deserve to know the substantial differences between the @ @ @ @ @ and eager to debate Ms. Foxx on the record .
After last night ’ s @ @ @ @ @ voters of Cook County want and deserve nothing less than a real debate on the @ @ @

Kim Foxx said “no” this week to a debate against her Republican opponent in the Cook County state’s attorney’s race and will not sit on a stage with him at all as she campaigns for reelection.
The incumbent is bowing out of debates because of past editorial board interviews in which each candidate argued their case to be Cook County’s top prosecutor, Foxx’s spokeswoman Alex Sims wrote in a statement.
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Sims said Pat O’Brien, Foxx’s challenger, opted for “Trump-like name calling and fear mongering” during these interviews. Thus, there will be no debates between them for now, Sims said, pointing to the chaos of Tuesday night’s debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
“We learned during the recent Ed board interviews, that the State’s Attorney participated in with Mr. O’Brien, that he will instead use the time for Trump-like name calling and fear mongering,” Sims wrote. “During this nationwide crisis, she will not sit across the stage from a Republican that exploits tragedy to win a campaign. We had plenty of that last night. Voters deserve better.”
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[ Early voting kicks off Thursday in Chicago, suburban Cook County later in October ]
O’Brien quickly pounced on Foxx’s turndown, which he said was “a disservice to the people of Cook County.”
“This campaign is one of the most important and high-profile races in the state,” O’Brien wrote in a statement. “It is my belief that voters deserve to know the substantial differences between the candidates. I am ready and eager to debate Ms. Foxx on the record. After last night’s chaotic presidential debate, the voters of Cook County want and deserve nothing less than a real debate on the issues.”
When asked about the accusation of Trump-style debate tactics, O’Brien spokesman Brad Goodman said, “Ms. Foxx doesn’t want to debate Judge O’Brien because he has successfully and publicly exposed her failures when it comes to prosecuting violent crime and her role in the Jussie Smollett case.”
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The debate, scheduled for mid-October and hosted by ABC-7 and other groups, was called off Tuesday afternoon, according to an email obtained by the Tribune.
“I wanted to circle back and let you know that State’s Attorney Foxx has declined our invitation to debate, so we will not be producing a debate,” an ABC news director wrote. “That said, we would like to feature the race in our Sunday morning interview segments. In those, the candidates are interviewed separately.”
Goodman said another debate was scheduled with WTTW on Oct. 26, to which O’Brien accepted.
A producer at WTTW said the Foxx campaign has not responded to emails asking whether she would attend.
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The candidates have debated each other before the Sun-Times, the Daily Herald and the Chicago Tribune.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-10-01--Cook County Board commissioner tests positive for COVID-19

She took the test on Tuesday after a staffer for Gov .
J.B. Pritzker , with whom she attended another @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for thecoronavirus .
Also on Tuesday , she canceled her public appearances .

County Board Commissioner Kevin B. Morrison, D-15th, at the Cook County Board meeting in Chicago on Jan. 16, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
A Cook County commissioner who appeared in a news conference with board President Toni Preckwinkle last week announced on Wednesday he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Commissioner Kevin Morrison, D-15th, released a statement late afternoon that he will self-isolate for 14 days and not resume activities until he tests negative. He said he is mostly without symptoms.
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“Unfortunately, I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Morrison wrote. “Fortunately, I am feeling well with very little symptoms. … I encourage everyone to continue to follow public health guidance and to stay safe.”
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Preckwinkle, who appeared at an event with him last week, received negative test results on Wednesday, a spokesman said. The news conference, announcing a small business recovery fund, was joined by three other political officials.
She took the test on Tuesday after a staffer for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, with whom she attended another news conference last week, tested positive for thecoronavirus. Also on Tuesday, she canceled her public appearances.
“I wish Commissioner Kevin Morrison a speedy recovery,” Preckwinkle tweeted. “All of us at Cook County look forward to having you back and healthy very soon.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com