chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends insulting text messages to FOP president: ‘I don’t take back one word t

Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends insulting text messages to FOP president: ‘I don’t take back one word that I said’

“ I don ’ t take back one word that I said , I absolutely wrote those words with the @ @ @ @ @ make them public , ” Lightfoot added .
“ My characterization of him , I @ @ @ @ @ , he proves that every single day .
I will not retreat when I see @ @ @ @ @ , who is not constructive and is refusing to engage in productive dialogue .
He @ @ @ @ @ he is .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday defended sending a series of insulting text messages to Chicago FOP President John Catanzara in which she called him a “clown,” “fraud,” “cartoon character” and “liar,” saying the comments were justified because he supported President Donald Trump sending “troops” into the city.
At an unrelated news conference, Lightfoot acknowledged sending Catanzara the texts and said she sent them with the expectation that he would make them public.
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“In the middle of everything that’s going on, in a craven political move, this man waved his hand to President Trump and invited him to bring federal troops into our city,” Lightfoot said. “Federal troops into our city, a la Portland. How is that responsible? How does that make sense? What he should be doing is focusing on the things that are actually important to his members.”
The FOP posted two copies of letters sent by Catanzara over the weekend, and neither uses the term “troops” nor “Portland.” But Catanzara did note the city’s crime problem and said Lightfoot is a “complete failure” in each of them.
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Catanzara could not immediately be reached for comment.
Catanzara was elected to head the local FOP, which has thousands of members, earlier this year. From the time he started with the department in January 1995 through mid-2017, Catanzara amassed at least 35 complaints alleging misconduct, records obtained by the Tribune show.
But he rode a wave of controversy to popularity with fellow officers, including filing a complaint against then-Superintendent Eddie Johnson accusing him of breaking the law by allowing an anti-violence march to proceed in 2018 along the Dan Ryan Expressway.
Lightfoot said Wednesday she has tried to engage Catanzara “in a constructive way,” but he “refuses to do so because he’s more interested in trying to make himself a political figure, rather than to be a leader.”
“I don’t take back one word that I said, I absolutely wrote those words with the understanding that he would probably make them public,” Lightfoot added. “My characterization of him, I think is 100% accurate, he proves that every single day. I will not retreat when I see someone who’s craven, who is not constructive and is refusing to engage in productive dialogue. He defined himself as to who he is.”
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Lightfoot’s text messages to the FOP president mirror a July 2019 controversy in which she was heard on a hot mic referring to the union’s then-vice president, Patrick Murray, as an “FOP clown.”
As Murray approached the microphone available for people to speak during public comment, Lightfoot was overheard on the dais saying, “Back again. This is this FOP clown.”
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She later acknowledged it was inappropriate for her “to say that out loud,” but wouldn’t apologize for the substance of the remark.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Chicago tightens restrictions on workout class sizes, even as gyms say members aren’t rushing back

Some people have been eagerly returning , especially when it comes to activities tougher to do at home , like @ @ @ @ @ But others are still wary of venturing back to shared workout spaces , especially if @ @ @ @ @ equipment while their gym was closed , or are struggling with new financial pressure .

Daniela Spaid, center, works out with others in a high intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago, July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Gym-goers have been cautiously but steadily returning to health clubs and fitness studios in the 3½ weeks since those businesses were allowed to let members back in for more than personal training.
But gym operators worry a new 10-person cap on the size of indoor fitness classes, which takes effect Friday, will hamper their efforts to rebuild business after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to close temporarily. More stringent rules for bars that also take effect Friday have prompted some to call it quits for good.
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Some fitness clubs and studios were surprised by the more stringent regulations. They’ve already taken precautions like temperature checks and more aggressive cleaning, and in Chicago, members must wear masks during exercise in addition to practicing social distancing.
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Jimmie Penro, front desk receptionist, takes clients' temperatures before they enter to work out at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago, July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Teresa Delgado wipes down doors following a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago on July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“We definitely didn’t think we’d be the subject of being pulled back given all the vigilant measures we’re taking,” said David Blitz, CEO of Chicago-based Studio Three.
In Chicago, workout facilities were capped at 25% of their capacity, and classes had to be small enough to allow for social distancing, with no more than 50 participants. Many businesses made investments to abide by the rules and enlisted members to help, passing out bottles of hand sanitizer or disinfectant at the door.
Chicago Public Health Department Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city focused on group classes because they involve a higher risk than other activities, especially now that the uptick in COVID-19 cases increases the chances a participant might have the virus.
“It’s about trying to take a more surgical approach, and limiting that without totally closing things,” she said.
How big a setback the new class size limit poses depends on the type of gym.
Yan Lazaro joins others in a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago on July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A sign reminds people to stay a measured distance from others during a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago, July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
For Orangetheory Fitness, 10-person classes simply aren’t sustainable, said Brad Ehrlich, CEO of Orangetheory Fitness in Illinois. Studios were designed to accommodate 24 to 40 people, depending on the location. Even allowing for social distancing, they could accommodate 18 to 21.
Ehrlich said he hasn’t decided whether the new limits could force him to shut down studios that reopened about a month ago.
“Unless this changes, you’re going to start to see fitness deserts in the city of Chicago,” he said.
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Larger fitness clubs that offer more ways to work out than group classes are getting by but say they too have to consider more drastic actions.
Daily visits to East Bank Club are down about 70%, and the club may have to lay off some of its more than 600 employees. It’s never had to resort to such measures in its 40-year history, said Mel Kleist, president and executive director.
“We kind of got looped in with the bar and restaurant scene, but we’re not busy,” said Kleist, who estimated the club has been getting about 30% of its usual daily traffic.
Teresa Delgado sanitizes weights following a high-intensity strength and cardio class at FFC Lincoln Park in Chicago on July 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
At Studio Three, which reopened July 1, classes have been drawing only about 10 to 12 people. The studios could accommodate as many as 27 people even with social distancing requirements, so the “slow but steady” growth Studio Three had been seeing would be curtailed, Blitz said.
A new outdoor workout space will provide extra capacity for as long as weather permits, he said.
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Some people have been eagerly returning, especially when it comes to activities tougher to do at home, like strength training or swimming. But others are still wary of venturing back to shared workout spaces, especially if they invested in home exercise equipment while their gym was closed, or are struggling with new financial pressure.
Gale Landers, founder and CEO of Fitness Formula Clubs, with 11 Chicago-area locations, was “pretty pleased” to see traffic at some clubs approaching about half the level they had at this time last year. Locations near offices have been quieter, since many people are working from home.
Jimmie Penro, front desk receptionist, fills bottles with sanitizer that is handed out to clients with a small towel and used to spray down equipment after use. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Landers estimated about 10% of clients have dropped their memberships during the pandemic, though that is roughly in line with the turnover clubs typically see, he said. Meanwhile, new membership sales have been strong since clubs reopened. The number of memberships on pause varies by location, but the “vast majority” of members have resumed paying for access to the clubs, he said.
The city hasn’t seen clusters of cases in Chicago fitness clubs but is aware of the potential for spread, said Arwady, who pointed to a situation in South Korea where 112 COVID-19 cases were linked to fitness dance classes at 12 studios. A separate study in Norway suggested gym-goers were not at greater risk of infection in places where COVID-19 case numbers are low, she said.
That’s why the city wants to respond quickly to increases in case numbers and try to head off the need to reimpose broader restrictions, especially later in the year, when people may have a harder time working out or dining outdoors, she said.
“It’s the moment now to get this as under control as we can,” she said.
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lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Watch live: Trump holds coronavirus briefing

President Trump is holding a coronavirus briefing at the White House .
Get the latest updates on COVID-19 in Illinois @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Suspect’s gun falls, fires at Chicago police during East Chatham pursuit

The officers ran after him and when he dropped it while fleeing , it hit the ground and fired .
@ @ @ @ @ man was taken into custody , police said .

A gun discharged and fired near Chicago police officers after it fell from a man they were chasing Wednesday afternoon on the South Side.
No one was shot during the incident, which happened about 2:45 p.m. in the 8200 block of South Maryland Avenue in the city’s East Chatham neighborhood.
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Officers spotted a man with a gun and when they encountered him on a sidewalk, the man turned and ran away.
The officers ran after him and when he dropped it while fleeing, it hit the ground and fired. Nobody was shot and the man was taken into custody, police said.
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No charges have been announced.
Area Two detectives are investigating.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--‘Perhaps no citizens have suffered more from the menace of violent crime than the wonderful people o

‘Perhaps no citizens have suffered more from the menace of violent crime than the wonderful people of Chicago, a city I know very well.’ When Trump talks about Chicago, we track it.

Since becoming president Trump has returned the theme frequently bashing the city in Tweets and interviews .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ .
In a 2016 interview with Fox ’ s Sean Hannity Trump said : “ @ @ @ @ @ have big investments in Chicago , and I think it ’ s a great city @ @

Chicago and its violence have been a frequent subject of President Donald Trump’s attention. It was a common campaign thread Trump used to hammer Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and now Joe Biden.
Since becoming president Trump has returned the theme frequently bashing the city in Tweets and interviews. It’s not all vinegar, though. In a 2016 interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity Trump said: “I love Chicago. I have big investments in Chicago, and I think it’s a great city.”
Here are Trump’s mentions of Chicago — and the state of Illinois — with annotations where appropriate.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Chicago City Council approves changes to police supervisor contracts allowing anonymous misconduct c

Chicago City Council approves changes to police supervisor contracts allowing anonymous misconduct complaints

The deal with police supervisors stands to have a limited practical impact , since the contracts would cover only about @ @ @ @ @ s roughly 13,000 sworn officers .
The contracts with the brass are a prelude to @ @ @ @ @ reaching an agreement with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police , which represents a wide @ @ @ @ @ including the patrol cops who have frequently been involved in controversial shootings and other uses @ @ @ @ @ ’ s leaders have vowed to fight for their disciplinary protections and generally oppose efforts @ @ @

Chicago’s City Council approved changes to police supervisors’ contracts that would allow anonymous misconduct allegations against high-ranking cops, a move long sought by police reform advocates and opposed by officers.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has cast the new contracts as a victory in her push for police reform, though she remains under pressure from activists to change the city’s accountability structure for cops.
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Police reform advocates have pressed city officials for years to eliminate union contract clauses that hamstring the city’s disciplinary system, and Lightfoot has been under increased pressure to win those changes amid protests against police brutality sparked by George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in May. The protests have revived interest in contract provisions that largely went unnoticed for years before the November 2015 release of video of white Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times.
The crisis gave rise to a 2017 U.S. Department of Justice report that criticized the union contracts. Last year, a federal judge enacted a consent decree, a broad court order requiring an overhaul of police practices and policies. The decree, however, states that it doesn’t override existing union contracts but calls on the city to make its “best efforts” to win changes.
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Lightfoot herself called for changes to the contracts in 2016 when she was the head of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s police reform task force.
The deal with police supervisors stands to have a limited practical impact, since the contracts would cover only about 1,500 of the city’s roughly 13,000 sworn officers. The contracts with the brass are a prelude to the more significant challenge of reaching an agreement with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, which represents a wide majority of the force, including the patrol cops who have frequently been involved in controversial shootings and other uses of force. The union’s leaders have vowed to fight for their disciplinary protections and generally oppose efforts at reform.
Late last month, arbitrator George Roumell Jr. called for a few changes to discipline and supervision for sergeants, lieutenants and captains in a 105-page decision that capped four years of negotiations.
Perhaps the most significant change was the one Roumell recommended as he called for the allowance of some anonymous complaints, changing provisions that previously barred them except when crimes were alleged. Both state law and the contracts, however, will continue to generally require people who complain to sign a sworn affidavit. Roumell’s decision broke from the past in allowing the city to go through a process to override the need for an affidavit when the alleged victim is anonymous.
Police union officials have argued that allowing anonymous complaints would lead to bogus accusations. Reform advocates have countered that requiring people to give their names discourages legitimate complaints.
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The arbitrator’s decision also called for a change to the timing of when cops learn the names of people who have complained about them. In the past, officers would learn the names of complainants days in advance of a disciplinary interview, Roumell wrote. His decision stated that in the future, the city would hold off on giving the names until just before the statement.
The right to confront one’s accuser is a foundational element of criminal law, but those calling for reforms have said that giving cops complainants’ names could lead them to try to intimidate their accusers. Still, the new practice would only delay officers getting the names.
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On the question of how long the city must preserve disciplinary records, the Illinois Supreme Court last month backed the Lightfoot administration’s position with a ruling that negated a provision of the FOP contract that called for the destruction of such records after five years. Roumell’s decision noted that ruling as he cut similar language from the higher-ranking cops’ contracts.
Still, Lightfoot remains in a dispute with activists and community groups over a number of issues, including potential civilian oversight of the Police Department. Activists want more power given to people outside City Hall, but she wants the authority to remain with her administration.
She initially promised a new civilian police oversight body within 100 days of taking office. She entered her second year in office on May 20.
In other news:
· Lightfoot introduced an ordinance that would require new apartment developments in Woodlawn near the proposed Obama Presidential Center to include more affordable housing units for low-income residents as part of a compromise reached between the mayor and a group of community activists supported by South Side Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th.
· Aldermen passed an ordinance pushed by Lightfoot that will to require more notice, and in some cases payments, to renters from landlords. Progressives said the city needs to do more but the measure was criticized, too, for being hard on landlords.
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“We’re just destroying the small guy,” Northwest Side Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, said. The measure passed by a 35-14 vote.
· The City Council also passed the “Senior Safety Ordinance” introduced by Rogers Park Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, which requires frequent cleanings of senior buildings and PPE for all staff, among other new rules.
· Aldermen also approved reforms to the city’s vehicle impoundment program, which Lightfoot pushed as another attempt to make Chicago’s fines and fees system fairer. The ordinance lowers some fines and caps storage fees at $1,000 while eliminating those fees when police have their car during an investigation.
The measure also limits the circumstances under which vehicles can be impounded and ends the practice of taking them into the city’s possession when someone has fireworks or loud music.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
dhinkel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Park District moves to rename Douglas Park, likely for Frederick Douglass

The park ’ s name will not officially be dropped until September , after a 45-day period for public input @ @ @ @ @ then name the park after someone else .
And although a formal decision has not @ @ @ @ @ will most likely be renamed after Douglass .

An extra "S" is painted on a Douglas Park sign as people rest and play on July 22, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Park District Board voted Wednesday to initiate the process to rename Stephen A. Douglas Park on the West Side, likely for Frederick Douglass.
The unprecedented decision comes after a group of students at Village Leadership Academy spent years campaigning to rename the 218-acre park for former slave and renowned orator and abolitionist Douglass rather than Douglas, a U.S. senator from Illinois who lost the 1860 presidential election to Abraham Lincoln.
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“We have not done this before,” said park board President Avis LaVelle. “We have renamed parks named with numbers, we have renamed parks named for trees and flowers, but we have not ever stripped the name of a historical figure from a park, and replaced it with someone else.”
The park’s name will not officially be dropped until September, after a 45-day period for public input ends. The board will then name the park after someone else. And although a formal decision has not been made, the park will most likely be renamed after Douglass.
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“This community has made its voice loud and clear,” LaVelle said.
Tasha Wilson holds a fishing rod as her daughters, Tonya, 8, left, and Toya, 12, wait at Douglas Park, July 22, 2020, in Chicago. The North Lawndale area park, named after U.S. Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, could be renamed after abolitionist Frederick Douglass. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Douglas was an esteemed politician and held a number of local political posts, including state’s attorney, congressman, Illinois Supreme Court justice and secretary of state. He is also credited with helping bring the Illinois Central Railroad to Chicago.
In the mid-1800s, however, Douglas advocated that voters should decide the legality of slavery rather than abolish it. Douglas also profited from his wife’s ownership of a Mississippi slave plantation.
Two years ago, Village Leadership Academy students informally presented the renaming idea to the Park District board. Since then, the students have taken their crusade to the streets, campaigning in parks and subway stations to drum up more support.
The students formally submitted a proposal to the board in December that included at least 4,000 signatures, said Jennifer Pagan, a teacher who has helped the students during their campaign.
The students made another plea to the park board during a February meeting.
An extra "S" is painted on a Douglas Park sign on July 22, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“We’re tired of being ignored and not taken seriously,” Aryn Peterson, a seventh grade student at Village Leadership Academy, told board members in February.
Several signs in the park already have been changed to “Douglass Park” by someone painting another “s” on them.
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The board’s decision comes during a national resurgence of opposition against statues and symbols deemed racist, sparked mainly by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In Chicago, disputes over a controversial statue have turned violent in recent days. Police and protesters clashed Friday evening near the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park when a rally in support of Black and Indigenous people turned chaotic after people began throwing frozen water bottles, cans, fireworks and other projectiles at police.
Earlier this month, the University of Chicago removed two displays honoring Douglas on campus.
Jazzmin Johnson, a 13-year-old student at Village Leadership Academy, said it was “insulting” to have a former slave owner be the namesake of a park in a predominantly Black community, and that she was happy the park board “finally recognized the hard work” the students put into the campaign.
During Wednesday’s meeting, several board members acknowledged the students who have spent years pushing for the change.
“I thank the community for its strong and concerted effort to get this done,” LaVelle said. “It was an effort that, quite frankly, appeared to have been ahead of its time. Children shall lead the way, and in this instance they did.”
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At the park Wednesday, the extra “s” that was added to “Douglas” on some park signs in February was still in place.
Larry Bell, who spent Wednesday afternoon relaxing in a lawn chair at Douglas Park, was surprised to hear of the looming name change.
“I always thought it was (Douglass Park) from the start,” he said.
jaanderson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Seniors hope new ordinance passed by Chicago City Council will protect them during COVID-19: ‘Like l

Seniors hope new ordinance passed by Chicago City Council will protect them during COVID-19: ‘Like living a horror movie’

A new ordinance passed Wednesday by the City Council aims to prevent seniors from having to conduct wellness checks themselves @ @ @ @ @ to check on residents at least twice a week , unless residents choose not to @ @ @ @ @ a wellness call is not answered by a resident , managers must follow up with @ @ @ @ @ ordinance will take effect Aug. 1 .

It was a cold January day when 67-year-old Jackie Reynolds gathered about 60 tenants from two senior buildings.
She called a meeting after one of the residents in her Evergreen Tower building died. A foul smell alerted neighbors to the death. Reynolds organized a team of tenants who were willing to conduct wellness checks on one another.
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Soon after, while doing her own checks, Reynolds noticed a neighbor wouldn’t answer the door. A custodian entered the unit and found the woman dead.
A new ordinance passed Wednesday by the City Council aims to prevent seniors from having to conduct wellness checks themselves. It requires building managers to check on residents at least twice a week, unless residents choose not to be checked on. If a wellness call is not answered by a resident, managers must follow up with a home visit. The ordinance will take effect Aug. 1.
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The ordinance applies to all rental buildings with 24 or more units that house tenants 55 and older. The guidelines are required during any public health emergencies, including COVID-19, declared by the governor, mayor or County Board president.
The council’s Committee on Health and Human Relations recommended the ordinance for approval July 6. Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, sponsored the ordinance. She worked with Reynolds and other members of Jane Addams Senior Caucus, an organization dedicated to social justice issues, to craft and finalize the regulations.
“I think the ordinance is definitely going to save some lives,” said caucus member Linda Armitage, 77.
Clint Malcom, 72, is a Jane Addams member and lives in the Congressman George W. Collins Apartments, a federally subsidized senior building on the Near West Side. He said no one has checked on the residents in his building since COVID-19 emerged. Like Reynolds, he noted the smell of people dying around him.
“It’s like living a horror movie on a daily basis, except it’s real,” Malcom said.
The ordinance calls on managers to restrict unauthorized members of the public from having access to buildings. Employees and contractors in buildings must wear protective equipment provided by managers. Hand sanitizer and washing areas must be provided, and building staff must disinfect at least three times a day areas that are touched frequently.
Managers will be required to deliver food and medicine to residents if needed.
“This ordinance — it’s almost like a cushion to break your fall,” Malcom said. “You’re going to fall, but at least it’ll be softly.”
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Managers must provide residents with information from national, state and local health agencies about what to do during the pandemic. Residents will also receive information about senior programs and support services.
All communication between building staff and residents must be in residents’ primary language. Tenants can request for information to be provided electronically and in a larger font. The ordinance does not require building managers to notify residents when people become sick or die in a building.
“I’m proud to see our city take our first step to protect some of our most vulnerable residents during this pandemic,” Hadden said Wednesday.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Chicago banks, stores ask for spare change as they deal with national coin shortage

Walgreens and Walmart are among the large chains asking customers to use cashless forms of payment or to pay the @ @ @ @ @ , shoppers who pay with cash may get a store gift card for any change @ @ @ @ @ converted some of its self-checkout registers to accept only cards to mitigate the coin shortage @

Cashier Vanessa Flores counts cash from a shopper at Pete's Fresh Market in Chicago, July 22, 2020. To accommodate customers with cash, Pete’s is offering the option of placing the change on a gift card or donating the extra cents to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
First, it was the face masks and hand sanitizer. Then, it was toilet paper. Canned foods. Meat products. Flour.
Now, the latest scarcity brought on by the pandemic: coins.
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Convenience stores, grocers and national retailers like Walgreens and Walmart are asking customers to pay with a debit or credit card or with the exact amount due as they grapple with a national shortage of coins. Some businesses are offering free drinks or buy-back programs to entice people to bring in their spare change.
In June, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers the flow of coins through the economy “kind of stopped” as states enacted stay-at-home orders. Coin deposits from banks to the Fed have declined significantly. Also, production has slowed at the U.S. Mint as it implemented coronavirus safety measures to protect workers and inventory orders from banks picked up.
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The Fed, which manages coin inventory and distributes it to banks, announced last month it would ration coins to banks beginning June 15.
The shortage primarily will affect older people who rely on cash and those who don’t have bank accounts, said Ted Rossman, industry analyst at CreditCards.com.
“Cash is still a big deal. It’s more private. Some people like the privacy aspect of it,” he said.
The Fed announced in late June it would create the U.S. Coin Task Force, comprised of trade organizations, business leaders and government officials, to address the problem. The group hopes to have a set of recommendations by August.
In the meantime, Chicago-area banks and businesses are taking different approaches as they ask customers for assistance.
Fifth Third Bank, based in Cincinnati, is launching a social media campaign to encourage people to bring their rolled coins to the bank to help with the problem, spokesman Larry Magnesen said in an email.
Some laundromats have had to place limits on who can use their change machines.
Lucia Lomeli, a worker at Happy Wash Laundromat in the city’s Sheridan Park neighborhood, said signs were hung on the front doors two weeks ago informing people the laundromat’s change machine was for customers only.
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“People still come in regardless of the sign,” Lomeli said. “Some people get upset. There was a guy who came in the other day to use the change machine. He wasn’t washing his clothes. I tried to stop him, but he left.”
Pete’s Fresh Market started receiving partial orders of coins from banks two weeks ago. It’s been asking customers to pay with exact change when possible. In order to accommodate customers with cash, Pete’s is offering the option of placing the change on a gift card or donating the extra cents to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Vanessa Dremonas, executive officer at Pete’s, said in an email.
“It won’t be long before we completely run out of coins since the banks are unable to fulfill our coin orders. Employees and customers have been kind enough to bring in their jars of coins, which has helped some,” Dremonas said.
The shortage of coins has led to retailers encouraging customers to use other forms of payment.
A sign shows information about the coin shortage at a checkout line at Pete's Fresh Market in Chicago. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Cashier Vanessa Flores asks a customer for coins at Pete's Fresh Market in Chicago. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Walgreens and Walmart are among the large chains asking customers to use cashless forms of payment or to pay the exact amount. At Walgreens, shoppers who pay with cash may get a store gift card for any change due them. Walmart has converted some of its self-checkout registers to accept only cards to mitigate the coin shortage.
Meanwhile, some 7-Eleven stores are giving a free Slurpee to customers who trade $5 in change for $5 in bills.
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Coinstar Inc., the Bellevue, Washington-based company that has 409 self-serve coin-counting kiosks in the Chicago area, has seen a decrease in coin volumes due to lower foot traffic at stores during the pandemic.
In a statement, Coinstar CEO Jim Gaherity said, “As lockdowns end, coin transactions and volumes through Coinstar kiosks are growing and, accordingly, we’ve been making more frequent coin pick-ups to help get coins back in circulation.”
Rossman, with CreditCards.com, predicted the shortage will be short-lived as consumer spending picks up.
“It really only hit Main Street in the past couple of weeks. It’ll take another week to work it out. The Fed is trying to right the ship, and get money where it needs to be,” he said.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Man killed at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor identified

“ ArcelorMittal extends our deepest sympathies , thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of our colleague during this @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ ArcelorMittal strives to ensure every employee returns home from work safely .
@ @ @ @ @ today ’ s incident and will make every effort to understand the cause and take @ @ @ @ @ reoccurrence .
”

A 71-year-old man died Tuesday at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor, officials said.
He was identified as George Salinas, of Gary, by the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
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The injury and cause of death is pending. Salinas was hit by a coil tractor, a company spokesman said.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was called to the steel mill, 3210 Watling St. in East Chicago around 1:30 p.m., it said. He was pronounced dead at 2:40 p.m.
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A representative from United Steelworkers was not immediately available.
“ArcelorMittal is saddened to confirm that we had a fatality at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor early (Tuesday) afternoon when an employee was struck by a coil tractor,” company spokesman Bill Steers said.
“The incident is under investigation by ArcelorMittal and United Steelworkers and the appropriate agencies are being notified,” he said.
“ArcelorMittal extends our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of our colleague during this difficult time,” Steers said. “ArcelorMittal strives to ensure every employee returns home from work safely. We are deeply troubled by today’s incident and will make every effort to understand the cause and take measures to prevent a possible reoccurrence.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--United expands mask requirement at O’Hare and other airports as spike in COVID-19 cases stalls trave

United expands mask requirement at O’Hare and other airports as spike in COVID-19 cases stalls travel rebound

Kirby and American Airlines CEO Doug Parker appealed on Tuesday to Vice President Mike Pence and European Commissioner for Home @ @ @ @ @ more travel between the U.S. and Europe .
The United States and the European Union @ @ @ @ @ ’ s citizens from entering — each side cites fear that visitors from the other @ @ @ @ @ bring the virus with them .

United Airlines gate agent Emma Watt helps passengers scan their boarding passes for a flight to San Francisco at O'Hare International Airport on June 18, 2020. The airline announced Wednesday it is expanding its mask requirement as COVID-19 cases spike. (Brian Cassella / TNS)
United Airlines is broadening requirements for where passengers must wear masks as a surge in COVID-19 cases stalls slowly recovering interest in air travel.
Travelers over age 2 must wear face coverings in gate and baggage claim areas, airline lounges and customer service counters and kiosks, in addition to on board. Those who refuse can be banned from flying United while masks are required, and possibly longer. Travelers who believe “extraordinary circumstances” warrant exception can contact the airline, United said.
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Like other major airlines, United already required passengers wear a mask while flying and pledged to crack down last month after travelers complained not everyone followed the rules. Masks are already required in the terminals at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, according to the airports’ websites.
The move comes as U.S. air travel, which plummeted in mid-April to just 5% of typical traffic a year ago, had started to bounce back, until recent spikes led to new quarantine requirements for travelers from hard-hit states in cities including Chicago.
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Chicago-based United lost $1.63 billion in a second quarter that was “historic for the airline industry for all the wrong reasons,” CEO Scott Kirby said during a call with investors Wednesday to discuss financial results.
Revenue plunged 87%, and United will operate at barely over one-third of capacity through September.
United executives said they expect revenue to plateau at about half of pre-pandemic levels until a vaccine is broadly available, and are preparing for the possibility that may not happen until late next year.
The recent surge in cases has made for emptier flights. Domestic flights, which had been 57% full on average in June, are now expected to be less than half full, said Andrew Nocella, United’s chief commercial officer.
United will continue giving passengers on relatively full flights the option to move to another flight at no fee, though Kirby said fewer than 1% of people given that option choose to switch.
Business and international travel have been even harder hit. United’s revenue from U.S.-Europe flights nosedived 97%, nearly $1.9 billion, in the second quarter.
Kirby and American Airlines CEO Doug Parker appealed on Tuesday to Vice President Mike Pence and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson to allow more travel between the U.S. and Europe. The United States and the European Union block most of each other’s citizens from entering — each side cites fear that visitors from the other side of the Atlantic could bring the virus with them.
Kirby said he expects United to have “the least bad” financial results among its major airline rivals because the airline moved quickly to react to plummeted demand for flights. The airline is planning to slash costs further, aiming to trim losses to $25 million a day after burning through $40 million a day from April through June.
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“Minimizing the depth of the hole we dig in this crisis is critical to preparing United to thrive on the other side,” Kirby said.
Some of those cost-saving measures will come from job cuts. Last week, the airline warned 36,000 employees they could be furloughed in October. United and other airlines that accepted financial assistance through the federal coronavirus aid package can’t lay off workers before Oct. 1.
Executives have said they expect the number of jobs cut to be smaller and are offering employees voluntary separation, leave and furlough options. About 6,000 employees have taken voluntary separation packages. Add employees who volunteered for other programs, including temporary leaves and furloughs, and the total reaches 32,000, Kirby said.
Temporary options will help United reduce payroll costs but keep employees ready to return when demand for travel recovers, he said.
“We wish there was no pain to get through it, but we all now recognize this pandemic is going to be deeper and longer than we hoped, and because of that there is going to be some pain,” he said.
Associated Press contributed.
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lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--CTU members rally as Board of Education meets

Treja Kelley had been hesitant to come forward after witnessing the murder of her 17-year-old cousin .
But she found @ @ @ @ @ stand last year and helped secure a guilty verdict .
Her testimony , though , @ @ @ @ @ head , prosecutors said .
Just a few months after testifying , Kelley was shot @ @ @ @ @ not far from where her cousin had been slain .
She was 18 and pregnant @

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 Ray Elementary School teacher Gabriel Sheridan gives a thumbs-up during a Chicago Teachers Union caravan rally to Chicago Public Schools headquarters Wednesday. The union is protesting plans for a partial school reopening this fall. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Teachers Union members rally outside the Chicago Board of Education’s Loop office as they worry what classrooms could look like if schools open in the fall.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Wisconsin opioid overdoses more than double during the coronavirus pandemic

“ We know that the pandemic as a whole has caused increased stress and anxiety in just about everybody and @ @ @ @ @ during the video conference .
“ And for individuals who have struggled with substance use @ @ @ @ @ treatment for that , this adds an extra layer to the challenges that they are @ @ @ @ @ ”

MADISON, Wis. — There have been more than twice as many suspected opioid overdoses in Wisconsin during the coronavirus pandemic than during the same period last year, which likely can be attributed at least partially to the added stress and isolation many are feeling, health officials said Wednesday.
Preliminary figures from Wisconsin emergency departments show that there were 325 suspected overdoses from March through July 13, compared with 150 during the same time span in 2019, according to the state Department of Health Services.
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Paul Krupski, director of Opioid Initiatives at DHS, said in a news release that the pandemic struck just as the state was making strikes in reducing opioid-related deaths.
The department’s secretary, Andrea Palm, said in the release that financial pressures and isolation stemming from the pandemic can exacerbate behavioral health and substance abuse problems. Krupski told reporters during a video conference that users have been increasingly turning to synthetic opioids fentanyl and isotonitazene.
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“We know that the pandemic as a whole has caused increased stress and anxiety in just about everybody and anybody,” Krupski said during the video conference. “And for individuals who have struggled with substance use and may be currently in treatment for that, this adds an extra layer to the challenges that they are encountering during this pandemic.”
DHS officials noted that their analysis of calls to 211 Wisconsin, a state help line that connects people with services, shows the pandemic and housing are callers’ top two concerns, followed by mental health and addiction. DHS specialists have been following up with callers to ensure that they managed to connect with someone who could help them, they said.
The department reported 712 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state Wednesday, a day after the state set a new record high for daily confirmed cases with 1,117. The state has now seen 44,847 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. The department reported six more people have died of the disease, bringing the total death toll to 865.
In a bit of good news, the percentage of positive tests dipped to 4.8% on Wednesday, down from 7.7% on Tuesday and the lowest daily percentage over the last two weeks.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks in 3 charts

The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories , like restaurants and bars , offices or salons , @ @ @ @ @ specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ s plan here .

Jemal R. Brinson, Nausheen Husain, Jonathon Berlin

Amid an uptick of COVID-19 cases over the past month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker laid out a new approach to managing any resurgence across the state.
The new approach is more surgical, dividing the state into 11 regions — Illinois’ existing Emergency Medical Services regions — and tightening the metrics officials will watch to determine if any action is warranted.
The plan also includes mitigation steps unique to different categories, like restaurants and bars, offices or salons, that could be used to specifically respond to a type of outbreak in a specific part of the state. Read more on Pritzker’s plan here.
Check our tracker for daily metrics for each region.
Here is a breakdown of the plan.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,347 deaths, 165,301 confirmed cases and 2.35 million tests

Illinois announced a 1,598 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Wednesday , the highest daily total since early June when the @ @ @ @ @ the peak of outbreak here .
Also announced were 23 new deaths and the results @ @ @ @

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


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Man arrested in 2003 Gary murder, FBI says

Kevin Pratchett , 48 , was found dead on March 13 , 2003 at home on the 2500 block of @ @ @ @ @ s Black Oak section .
His roommate found him , who left briefly that morning @ @ @ @ @ .
Pratchett ’ s throat had been slashed , police said .

A Merrillville man has been arrested in a 2003 Gary slaying, the FBI said Wednesday.
Robert Alan Orosz Jr, 57, faces a murder charge in Lake Superior Court, FBI spokeswoman Christine Bavender said in a release.
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Online court filings do not yet show charges.
Kevin Pratchett, 48, was found dead on March 13, 2003 at home on the 2500 block of Wright St. in Gary’s Black Oak section. His roommate found him, who left briefly that morning, according to Post-Tribune archives. Pratchett’s throat had been slashed, police said.
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“Mr. Orosz and Mr. Pratchett knew each other and the motive appears to be drug related,” Hobart Police Det. Lt. Nicholas Wardrip said in the release.
Local police and the FBI arrested Orosz in Alliance, Ohio, where he worked. He is awaiting extradition to Lake County.
The arrest was a collaboration by the FBI Gang Response Investigation Team (GRIT), that reopened the case last year, Gary Police, Hobart Police, Lake County Police Dept. Crime Scene Unit, Indiana State Police, LaPorte County Sheriff, New Jersey State Police — Major Crime Bureau, and the Alliance (Ohio) Police Dept.
Since 2018, GRIT has successfully helped solve a half-dozen Lake County cold cases.
Anyone with information is asked to call GRIT at 219-942-4899.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Mick Jenkins and Ric Wilson kick off drive-in show series in Adler parking lot

Both Jenkins and Wilson have released new material this year .
Jenkins ’ “ The Circus ” EP was release @ @ @ @ @ released his “ They Call Me Disco ” EP with Terrace Martini in May , @ @ @ @ @ “ Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P ” in June — the latter in @ @ @ @ @ the Black Lives Matter movement .

Mick Jenkins (pictured) and Ric Wilson will kick off Lakeshore Drive-In, a series of live shows, car-at-the-drive-in style, along the lakefront from the Adler Planetarium parking lot. (Sam Schmieg )
Chicago’s entertainment industry has continued to get creative as it attempts to remain afloat amid COVID-19′s performance restrictions. The latest riff is Lakeshore Drive-In, a series of live shows, car-at-the-drive-in style, along the lakefront from the Adler Planetarium parking lot.
The schedule — which promises shows including live music, comedy, etc. — kicks off July 29 with Chicago musicians Mick Jenkins and Ric Wilson. Additional performers are to be announced.
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Tickets are available now on the website. Ticketing is set up by person and by car. Guests must purchase either a car pass ($110) or Row 1 car pass ($170), which guarantees a spot up front. Along with the car pass, all individuals must purchase a passenger ticket ($25).
The capacity will be 200 cars, spaced apart for appropriate social distancing. There will also be merchandise available via a smartphone purchasing system.
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Both Jenkins and Wilson have released new material this year. Jenkins’ “The Circus” EP was release in January, while Wilson released his “They Call Me Disco” EP with Terrace Martini in May, as well as his single “Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P” in June — the latter in support of Pride Month and the Black Lives Matter movement.
1632 Linn White Drive, lsdrivein.com
adlukach@chicagotribune.com
@lucheezy


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Man seeks to have conviction tossed out, alleging he was framed by two Chicago cops sentenced in fed

Man seeks to have conviction tossed out, alleging he was framed by two Chicago cops sentenced in federal court

The officers went in and arrested Dixon , then his friend Antwon Scott .
Dixon pleaded guilty to a drug @ @ @ @ @ of home confinement when he was about to be kicked out of the place he @ @ @ @ @ states .
He was sentenced to two years ’ probation .

A week after the second of two Chicago police officers got prison time for using sham warrants to steal drugs and cash, a man claiming he was framed by the convicted cops wants his own drug conviction tossed out.
Prosecutors already have dropped dozens of cases connected to the two officers, but this effort is believed to be the first since David Salgado and Xavier Elizondo were sentenced in federal court. Elizondo got more than seven years and Salgado got nearly six.
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Matthew Dixon’s allegations against the now-infamous cops do not relate to the search warrant scheme, but in a petition filed this week, Dixon says their wrongdoing was far broader than the scams for which they were convicted — echoing claims made by federal prosecutors as the officers awaited sentencing.
“Elizondo and Salgado were engaged in systemic corruption during the time period of this case,” Dixon’s petition claims.
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Dixon and a friend were arrested in April 2017 in the South Shore neighborhood. Elizondo and Salgado “burst into the building, detained them, and framed them,” according to a petition filed Wednesday in Cook County court.
The officers claimed they had been watching the house for two days, but could not get a warrant because there was too much drug activity in front of the house to get its address, according to the petition.
They said they followed two men inside the building after surveilling it from about 140 feet away — which is physically impossible, since the heavy door would have automatically locked before the cops could have gotten inside, according to the petition.
The officers went in and arrested Dixon, then his friend Antwon Scott. Dixon pleaded guilty to a drug charge simply to get off of home confinement when he was about to be kicked out of the place he was staying, the petition states. He was sentenced to two years’ probation.
In 2018, a few months after Dixon pleaded, Scott’s case was tossed out after a judge ruled his arrest was unconstitutional. Just days after that, Elizondo and Salgado were indicted in federal court.
Their two-week trial in October 2019 laid bare the shady world of anonymous Chicago police informants who were paid by Elizondo and Salgado to lie on search warrant affidavits presented before Cook County judges.
The verdict marked the latest in a long line of embarrassing cases for the Chicago Police Department in which officers have been caught allegedly profiting from the drug trade they were supposed to be investigating.
Elizondo, who’s been with the department for 23 years, and Salgado, an officer since 2003, were placed on paid desk duty in January 2018 after they were targeted in a pair of elaborate FBI sting operations designed to catch them in the act.
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At trial, several informants testified that after a successful raid, Elizondo and Salgado would pay them in cash, drugs or cigarettes that had been seized, sometimes meeting them in alleys or grocery store parking lots.
In a risky move, Elizondo took the witness stand in his own defense, claiming he always “had a knack” for recruiting informants to tip him off about guns, cash and drugs on the city’s West Side.
To win over cooperators, he often pretended to be a dirty cop who was willing to cut them in on a share of whatever was found in a raid, he told jurors.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Girl, 3, shot in head while riding in back seat of father’s SUV. Chicago police say they have ‘long

Girl, 3, shot in head while riding in back seat of father’s SUV. Chicago police say they have ‘long way to go’ in investigation.

“ Detectives have a long way to go in their investigation and we ’ re trying to get some more @ @ @ @ @ father .
At this time we don ’ t have all the information we need @ @ @ @ @ to gain more cooperation from them .
What they were doing in that area , @ @ @ @ @ that time and what exactly occurred , ” he said .

Paige Fry, Rosemary Sobol, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

A 3-year-old girl was in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the head following a shooting that happened as she rode in the back seat of an SUV after her father got into a dispute at a gas station early Wednesday in the South Shore neighborhood, Chicago police said.
The girl was in the back seat of a white Chevrolet SUV when the shooting occurred at 12:45 a.m. in the 2400 block of East 74th Street, police said. Her parents told police they were driving when two men standing on the corner fired shots in their direction, hitting the child.
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Police viewed security footage from a gas station at 75th Street and Yates Boulevard that show the family had stopped there, where the father was involved in what appeared to be an “illegal transaction” at one of the gas pumps with another man, according to a police report. During the transaction, there was a disagreement and the father got a handgun from his SUV and chased down the man.
In a joint news conference Wednesday morning about a mass shooting that left 15 people injured in Gresham Tuesday and the shooting of the little girl, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown and Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested the girl’s parents are not fully cooperating with the police investigation.
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“A 3-year-old in that back seat of her parents’ car got shot after the father had an encounter with someone. By the grace of God, she is still with us, but she’s in serious condition,” Lightfoot said.
“And I urge the mother and father of that 3-year-old to cooperate to provide substantive information about what transpired at that gas station. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to make headway in that case,” she said.
After the shooting, the parents flagged down another driver, who took them to Jackson Park Hospital, police said in a media notification. The girl was transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital in serious condition. The girl had a bullet lodged in her forehead, the police report indicated. She suffered scratches to the eye, possibly from shattered glass, according to the authorities.
It’s unknown who was the target, police said. The girl’s parents are not “known to police,” according to a media notification, which is police shorthand for saying that someone does not have a known criminal or arrest record.
The police department’s chief of detectives, Brendan Deenihan, said thankfully the girl’s condition was stabilized and she was talking.
“Detectives have a long way to go in their investigation and we’re trying to get some more information on the mother and father. At this time we don’t have all the information we need, we’re trying to gain more cooperation from them. What they were doing in that area, why they were out at that time and what exactly occurred,” he said.
The father’s SUV was found in the 2200 block of East 73rd Street, according to the source. It had bullet holes and there was blood in the back seat.
Soon after the disagreement at the gas station the city’s gunshot monitoring system, ShotSpotter, notified police about 11 rounds fired in the 2400 block of East 74th Street, the source said. Shell casings were found on the sidewalk in the block.
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No arrests have been made.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Calumet Fisheries ‘ambassador’ Carlos Rosas dies at 41 of COVID-19

“ Carlos was our ambassador .
He always had a smile on his face and would greet you with a @ @ @ @ @ a big guy with a heart to match , ” read a message on the @ @ @ @ @ by co-owner Mark Kotlick .
“ I will miss him dearly as an employee and @ @ @ @ @ a message if you knew Carlos for his family to read .
A big part @ @ @ @ @ Fisheries went to heaven yesterday .
”

Carlos Rosas, store manager and "ambassador" at Calumet Fisheries on Chicago's Far South Side, has died. Here he is seen with smoked salmon at the business in 2012. (Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune)
If fish shacks had maitre d’s, then that was Carlos Rosas at Calumet Fisheries, the James Beard award-winning smoke stand on the Far South Side of Chicago.
Rosas was more than a store manager, though that was the title he proudly claimed. He was the storyteller at the site first made famous by “The Blues Brothers” car jump at the bridge next door. He was the history keeper on a visit by Anthony Bourdain, immortalized on the late chef’s food and travel television series “No Reservations.”
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Rosas was the heart, soul and beacon to the red-roofed store to generations of Black, white, Asian and Mexican families like his own, who came for fish, and left imprinted by his larger-than-life hospitality.
Rosas died Monday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after six weeks of hospitalization from complications related to COVID-19. He was 41 years old.
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“Carlos was our ambassador. He always had a smile on his face and would greet you with a warm hello. He was a big guy with a heart to match,” read a message on the Calumet Fisheries Facebook page written by co-owner Mark Kotlick. “I will miss him dearly as an employee and my friend. Please leave a message if you knew Carlos for his family to read. A big part of the spirit of Calumet Fisheries went to heaven yesterday.”
It’s with a heavy heart that I sadly inform all our customers that our long time Store Manager Carlos Rosas passed away... Posted by Calumet Fisheries on Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Hundreds of messages have poured in so far. Some from fellow employees, others from old friends, and more from customers he made feel like family.
“I called him my Lil Brother but he was Mr. Hospitality at the Store,” wrote Rudolph Zavala Jr. “He got a smile out of everyone and made sure you left with a smile and Loved his workers, He was a Big Guy with a Big Smile and a Huge Heart. I will miss him so. Love you Lil Brother.”
“Carlos my friend. We’ve known each other since high school. You’ve always been a kind person. I’m so glad that I got to call you my friend,” wrote Christy Mercado. “You will be missed. Your family will be in my prayers. The fish place will never be the same without you.”
“He was a warm and friendly person. I was without transportation for several months and when I went in for a shrimp dinner after a long absence he said ‘where have you been? We almost took you off the Christmas card list,’” wrote John Gabrysiak. “My condolences to his family and his family of co-workers.”
His family immigrated from the city of Cuerámaro in central Mexico. Rosas was a lifelong resident of the Southeast Side. He graduated from John L. Marsh Elementary School, George Washington High School and The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago.
“Carlos was a line chef on the riverboats over in Indiana,” said Kotlick. That was all before Rosas was hired at Calumet Fisheries on New Year’s Eve in 1997, he added.
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Rosas also studied nursing at Richard J. Daley College.
“He didn’t pass the test,” said older brother Jaime Rosas. “When Carlos finished school, our sister Sanjuana got into a serious car accident going to work, which left her in a coma for about seven months. We thought we were going to lose her. My parents couldn’t take it, so he went through the legal process to take custody of her through that period of time. Carlos couldn’t focus on school and tests. When he got her home, he nursed her himself.
“He said, ‘Maybe there’s a reason God didn’t let me pass it,‘” said Jaime. “So he ended up staying at the fish house.”
Locals call Calumet Fisheries the fish house.
“He loved the fish house,” said Jaime. “He honestly, honestly, honestly loved the fish house. The last thing I remember was he was really worried about the fish house.”
Kotlick shared one of his funniest memories.
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“Bourdain aired on a Monday night,” he said about the Chicago episode in which they appeared. “Saturdays we don’t get anyone in the store until about 10 or 11. We have a little doorbell in case we’re in the back, and that was buzzing off the hook. I thought it was broken. I come out and there’s 50 people waiting for us. We sold out of four to seven days of smoked fish by about 1 o’clock. We called our vendors and had them open up. Carlos was driving his little Toyota Corolla to pick up a couple of hundred pounds of salmon in there.”
Rosas also found love through the fish house.
“We met each other when he was 25,” said Mary Quiroz. “My father and my husband at the time worked right behind Calumet Fisheries. My father would always go to get fish. He would always call Carlos his son. He would tell me this is your brother from another mother, because he was that close to him.
“After I got divorced, and later on when I lost my mom, Carlos was my savior,” said Quiroz, her voice breaking. “He was my rock.
“He was a big casino guy and got a lot of free trips, but would never go because he didn’t have anyone to go with,” she said. They traveled to Nevada, on an Alaskan cruise, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Lake Tahoe. “We were stuck in a hurricane together,” she added laughing.
“His generosity would go above and beyond,” said Quiroz. “If he went to a restaurant and saw an elderly person sitting by themself, countless times he’d tell the waitress give me that person’s bill, but don’t tell them.
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“If you knew him, you couldn’t help but love him.”
Rosas is survived by his parents, Eusebio and Maria DeJesus; sisters Esperanza Frausto and Sanjuana; and brothers Martin, Jaime and Eusebio.
A wake will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Sadowski Funeral Home at 13300 S. Houston Ave. At 10 a.m. Friday, Mass will be held at St. Kevin Church (Iglesia de San Kevin) at 10509 S. Torrence Ave. Burial will follow at St John/St Joseph Cemetery at 1547 167th St. in Hammond.
Masks are required at all the gatherings.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Two men fatally shot in the West Pullman neighborhood overnight, in separate shootings less than two

Two men fatally shot in the West Pullman neighborhood overnight, in separate shootings less than two miles apart

Less than 2 miles away , around 12:10 a.m. Wednesday , a 28-year-old man was getting out of his car @ @ @ @ @ East 121st Place , when a man drove by , firing shots from a gray @ @ @ @ @ .
The 28-year-old was struck in the chest and torso and taken to Christ Hospital @ @ @ @ @ dead .
Information on his identity wasn ’ t immediately released .

Two men were fatally shot and another wounded within an hour in the West Pullman neighborhood overnight in separate attacks less than two miles apart.
The attacks occurred hours after a mass shooting in the Gresham neighborhood that left at least 15 people injured.
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About 11 p.m. Tuesday, two men, 30 and 32, were sitting on a porch in the 12200 Block of South Morgan Street, when two men approached on foot and fired shots, according to a police media notification. The 30-year-old man was shot in the chest and pronounced dead on the scene, while the 32-year-old was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in fair condition.
The man killed was identified as Cordero Robinson, who lived in the same block where he was shot, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
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Less than 2 miles away, around 12:10 a.m. Wednesday, a 28-year-old man was getting out of his car in the 200 Block of East 121st Place, when a man drove by, firing shots from a gray SUV, according to police. The 28-year-old was struck in the chest and torso and taken to Christ Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Information on his identity wasn’t immediately released.
There was no one in custody in connection with either shooting and Area 2 detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--2-year-old girl fatally shot in Milwaukee, police say

Officials have not described the relationship , if any , between the victim and suspect .
Authorities say the case @ @ @ @ @ homicide , but they have not yet provided details on the circumstances surrounding the shooting @

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police have arrested a 24-year-old woman after a 2-year-old girl was fatally shot on the city's northwest side.
The victim was identified Wednesday as Zymeiia Stevens. Police say they are looking for several others as people of interest in Tuesday night's shooting.
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Officials have not described the relationship, if any, between the victim and suspect. Authorities say the case is being investigated as a homicide, but they have not yet provided details on the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy will be done Wednesday.
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Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson expressed his condolences to the victim’s family.
“No family should have to witness the loss of their child, nor should a child be the victim of deadly violence,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “On behalf of the community, I can express the sheer outrage caused by this senseless act.


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Students push back against in-person bar and medical school exams amid coronavirus fears: ‘We’re for

Students push back against in-person bar and medical school exams amid coronavirus fears: ‘We’re forced to choose between our livelihoods and our lives’

One student who took the MCAT exam last month said she thought it was “ horribly hypocritical ” that the @ @ @ @ @ profession expect us to go to these tests in these tiny rooms with people we @ @ @ @ @ six hours and just breathe that in.
” She noted the COVID-19 situation is worse @ @ @ @ @ country than when the AAMC initially canceled exams in March .

Jamie Vogl took the Medical College Admission Test in Chicago this spring. Some prospective medical students want the test moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It certainly just puts another level of stress of people and can become an extra burden," Vogl said. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Designed to measure fitness, character and competence, the bar exam is a grueling 12-hour test typically administered over a two-day period to thousands of recent law school graduates.
But with coronavirus cases still surging in many parts of the nation, some law school graduates view this communal experience not as a shared rite of passage but as a potentially life-threatening risk.
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One person worried about the uncertainties of the in-person bar exam is aspiring child protection lawyer Mollie McGuire of Chicago.
McGuire, along with Dalton Hughes and Steven Tinetti, formally filed a legal petition with the Illinois Supreme Court, asking the state’s highest court to grant 2020 law school graduates diploma privilege, meaning they could practice law without sitting for the bar exam. Nearly 1,400 law school graduates, faculty members, lawyers and health care workers signed on to support the effort.
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In its response, the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar, which administers the state’s bar exam, reiterated the necessity of the in-person exam, citing the board’s “duty to protect the public from dishonesty and incompetency.” The board also said it did not believe diploma privilege “ensures a necessary prerequisite to licensure, that of competence and public protection.”
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday, without explanation, denied the request to grant 2020 law graduates diploma privilege. McGuire said she was devastated. “I can’t believe they replied to a 111-page petition with one sentence,” she said.
Without the option of taking the exam remotely or having it waived, McGuire had a difficult decision: If she didn’t take the exam, she stressed out about not being able to begin her career while still needing to pay living expenses and soon-to-come loan installments.
If she did take the exam, she wondered how she would find child care for her 4-year-old son so she could study, especially with options limited by the pandemic. She worried about accidentally bringing the coronavirus home to her family.
After months of stress, McGuire finally made the decision not to take the in-person bar exam this fall, which had already been postponed from July. She said she does not trust the bar admission board’s ability to keep all test-takers safe.
“The thought of being around that many people is terrifying, but the thought of not becoming an attorney is heartbreaking,” McGuire said. “Every time I say that out loud I cry, because I went to school to do this job. ... We’re forced to choose between our livelihoods and our lives.”
In a different sphere of academia, prospective medical students across the country are fighting a required in-person entrance exam. Organizers of the group Students for Ethical Admissions have asked not to be named publicly because they worry it would jeopardize their admissions chances in a process that, as one of the students put it, “tends to have a heavy focus on ‘professionalism.’”
The Association of American Medical Colleges, the organization that administers the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, canceled many testing dates in March after the coronavirus arrived in United States. Testing resumed in Illinois on June 19, with the test length shortened from seven hours and 30 minutes to five hours and 45 minutes, said Karen Mitchell, the association’s senior director of admissions testing service. Most weekends, three shifts of students begin testing at 6:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. on each testing date.
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Both the AAMC and the Illinois bar admissions board have emphasized that they are implementing precautionary measures, such as limiting the number of test-takers in the room, spacing out participants, requiring face masks, providing hand sanitizer and checking temperatures.
The bar admissions board released its protocols Thursday, saying no remote option was planned. The board said the in-person Sept. 9 and 10 exam will be canceled if Illinois moves back to stage three of its coronavirus restrictions.
The board said it will release testing locations two to three weeks before the test date, assuring students “hotels are abundantly available in all cities where the exam will be given.” If a test-taker displays symptoms during the exam, the admissions board said, all test-takers will be dismissed temporarily “so that the room can be sanitized as quickly as possible,” according to the protocols.
One student who took the MCAT exam last month said she thought it was “horribly hypocritical” that the “gatekeepers of the medical profession expect us to go to these tests in these tiny rooms with people we don’t know for six hours and just breathe that in.” She noted the COVID-19 situation is worse in many parts of the country than when the AAMC initially canceled exams in March.
The student said her MCAT experience during the already-stressful test was “so uncomfortable” because some of the equipment, such as headphones and palm scanners, was not sanitized between uses. She said the room was not cleaned between the three shifts of students.
Mitchell said in an email that AAMC has “received a handful of reports and (has) worked with our testing vendor, Pearson VUE, to review the concerns.”
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Scott Overland, director of media relations at Pearson VUE, said the company’s priority “is the health and safety of test-takers and our employees.”
He added: “Across all of our test centers we have strict sanitization protocols that include the cleaning of testing stations and high touch points between every user. Our teams take these sanitizing protocols very seriously. If we receive any claims that cleaning procedures were not followed, we will investigate immediately.”
Mitchell said the MCAT is an important predictor of success in medical school and a necessary aspect of a holistic admissions review. When asked if the exam could be administered remotely, Mitchell said that “in-person testing helps protect groups with fewer resources,” citing students without a quiet space to concentrate or the technology needed for an online exam.
But others worry requiring in-person standardized testing disproportionately burdens disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, exacerbating existing inequities in the medical and law professions. Both McGuire and the premedical student said it can be difficult for some test-takers to take time off work to study or to continue to purchase study materials indefinitely, especially when test dates are subject to cancellation if the local coronavirus situation worsens.
Jamie Vogl took the MCAT in Chicago last month. She said she felt safe overall, and believes the MCAT can be a valuable tool. At the same time, “in light of a pandemic and (Black Lives Matter) it certainly just puts another level of stress of people and can become an extra burden. It might not accurately reflect the capabilities of the person taking the test,” Vogl said.
The Stanford University School of Medicine in California has made the MCAT optional for admissions. Illinois schools have not followed suit, though many noted their deadline for scores has been extended and told the Tribune the test is one part of admissions process.
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In an email to graduates on Sunday, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Dean Kim Yuracko and Vice Dean Jim Speta wrote that they advocated for diploma privilege in early July but said diploma privilege was unlikely to occur in Illinois.
Nine Illinois law school deans sent a letter to the bar admissions board Sunday asking the organization to cancel the September in-person exam and plan for an October remote exam instead. They pledged to work with the admissions board to resolve any lack of access issues presented by the remote exam.
The deans noted other states have moved to a remote exam.
Melissa Hale, director of academic success and bar programs at Loyola University, said she believes there is value to some parts of the bar exam but called other parts “questionable.” She said she doesn’t think that waiving the bar exam would introduce unqualified attorneys because law schools in Illinois do a good job preparing students.
Hale said Loyola is hopeful the Illinois Supreme Court will make adjustments if it’s unsafe to hold an in-person bar exam in September.
“I’m not a medical professional ... but if things look like they do right now in September, I think it’d be really difficult to conduct an in-person bar exam safely,” Hale said.
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chao@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Column: Should Columbus be knocked off his Chicago pedestal? Don’t let a mob decide the answer.

One course , taken by President Donald Trump in his recently proposed National Garden of American Heroes , is to @ @ @ @ @ history by proposing new statues of figures like Columbus in addition to the 31 Americans @ @ @ @ @ order for the garden .
How utterly , mindlessly nostalgic .
It ’ s as @ @ @ @ @ in 1933 and we had yet to grasp the havoc , as well as the @ @ @ @ @ .

The Christopher Columbus statue is transported after being removed in Grant Park in the early hours of July 24, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
It’s surely not fashionable or politically correct to say so, but I’ve long admired the Grant Park statue of Christopher Columbus that protesters unsuccessfully tried to topple last week.
The statue is just one example of how the controversial Italian explorer is as deeply embedded in American culture as such Founding Fathers as Benjamin Franklin. Columbus is to discovery what Franklin is to ingenuity. Dealing with Columbus’ legacy, which reaches from the Chicago flag to the name of the nation’s capital district, will be no easy task.
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Richly detailed and handsomely proportioned, the bronze statue dates from 1933, when Chicago set aside the hardships of the Great Depression and threw a colorful bash at a world’s fair dubbed “A Century of Progress.”
The sculptor, Milan-born Carl Brioschi, infused the piece with drama. Columbus holds a map and gazes into the distance, as if he were on the deck of the Santa Maria, searching for the first sight of land. Yet even though it belongs to the artistic tradition of narrative realism, the statue was set atop an Art Deco granite base that was in keeping with the fair’s forward-looking, streamlined architecture.
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People celebrate at the Columbus statue in Chicago's Grant Park, circa 1938. (Chicago Tribune)
Proud Italian Americans from Chicago donated the piece, which was dedicated on the fair’s “Italian Day” and located at Grant Park’s south end alongside the “Century of Progress” grounds, guaranteeing visitors would see it. A semicircular seating area around the statue’s base gave visitors a place to rest.
I bring all this up to situate the statue in a particular time and place — and to view the piece as a skillfully handled work of art rather than as a generic tribute.
The attempt to tear down the statue raises an issue that’s much in the air these days: Is Columbus still worthy of veneration or are such works racist anachronisms?
Another issue matters just as much: How will Chicago and other American cities decide to answer such questions — through careful deliberation or mob action?
To his defenders, including many in Chicago’s Italian American community, Columbus is accurately portrayed as a brave, trailblazing explorer who opened the door to prosperity and progress in both America and Europe. Yet recent historical accounts depict him as a ruthless colonizer and exploiter of Indigenous people. To some historians, he is both.
For me, at least, that puts the question of honoring him in a gray area, one that differs from the open-and-shut case of the monuments honoring Confederate leaders who fought both to destroy the Union and perpetuate slavery.
The Grant Park Christopher Columbus statue is shown from the NEMA building in 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Raised to fever pitch by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd, the issue transcends Chicago. Statues of the explorer recently have been taken down or vandalized in cities including Richmond, Virginia; Boston; and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Other, non-statuary tributes to Columbus remain woven into the fabric of American life. They range from Washington, D.C. (the District of Columbia) to the network CBS (which stands for Columbia Broadcasting System) to New York’s Columbia University, which was originally King’s College but was renamed after the Revolution when associations with the British crown fell out of fashion.
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Streets, public squares, even rivers, bear the Columbus name. One of the four stars in the Chicago flag honors the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893, a year after the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ “discovery” of America. Columbia College Chicago draws its name from the fair. The city’s Columbus Park and Columbus Drive both honor the Italian explorer. Another statue of him, in Chicago’s Little Italy, was hit by graffiti, like the one in Grant Park.
What is the proper way to handle this vast, but fraught, legacy?
One course, taken by President Donald Trump in his recently proposed National Garden of American Heroes, is to paper over the complexity of history by proposing new statues of figures like Columbus in addition to the 31 Americans Trump named in his executive order for the garden. How utterly, mindlessly nostalgic. It’s as if the clock had stopped in 1933 and we had yet to grasp the havoc, as well as the advances, that Columbus wrought.
A wiser course, demonstrated by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, is to cool the passions of the moment and take the long view, guided by reason and policy rather than emotion and politics.
A statue of Christopher Columbus is covered before a Juneteenth faith-led peaceful demonstration on Columbus Drive in Grant Park on June 19, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Lightfoot’s administration, she said last week after a battle between police and protesters at the Columbus statue, is engaged in “a comprehensive review of our public icons to identify which should change, and where we need new monuments and icons to be erected to ensure the full, robust history of our city is told.”
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As worthy as that goal sounds, it will be meaningless without the development of clear standards that guide the city as it determines the future of the Columbus statue and other monuments haunted by the ghosts of history.
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They include the Confederate Mound at Oak Woods Cemetery, where a 30-foot granite monument marks the mass grave of more than 4,000 Confederate prisoners who died at Chicago’s notorious Camp Douglas.
Statues and public monuments invariably tell a story: Who is important? What people, values and struggles do we honor? Who should be taken off the pedestal? Aren’t there other ways to celebrate our heroes than to keep putting them up on pedestals?
There is no easy formula for answering such questions. But with Lightfoot’s clearheaded, evenhanded response to last week’s fracas — she also called reports of excessive force by police unacceptable — Chicago is taking a first step toward confronting the issue through deliberate analysis rather than facile groupthink and an ill-considered rush into destruction.
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-07-22--Naperville apartment building fire that displaced 20 people investigated as ‘suspicious’

There were no injuries reported among residents or firefighters , though 18 adults and two children were displaced as a @ @ @ @ @ Six residential units that had been occupied were deemed uninhabitable .
The three-story building has @ @ @ @ @ per address .

Naperville fire and police are investigating a fire that broke out in the apartment building on the 700 block of Inland Circle. (Erin Hegarty / Naperville Sun)
Naperville Fire and Police departments are investigating a fire that broke out in a Naperville apartment building Tuesday afternoon and displaced 20 people as “suspicious in nature,” a news release from the Naperville Fire Department said.
Investigators have determined the cause of the fire was “incendiary pending lab results and Naperville Police Department investigation,” meaning the fire was intentionally set, Naperville Fire Department Bureau Chief Jim Kubinski said in an email.
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The Naperville Fire Department responded to the call of a fire in a first-floor unit in the rear of the residential building on the 700 block Inland Circle about 4 p.m. Tuesday, the news release said.
The response was upgraded to a general alarm assignment and drew a total 24 personnel to the scene, the news release said.
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Firefighters extinguished the fire that spread throughout the first-floor unit, common hallways and a second-floor unit within 30 minutes of arrival. Crews then performed salvage and overhaul operations for 90 minutes after the fire was extinguished, the release said.
The Naperville Fire Investigation Team and Naperville Police Department are investigating, the news release said.
There were no injuries reported among residents or firefighters, though 18 adults and two children were displaced as a result of the blaze. Six residential units that had been occupied were deemed uninhabitable. The three-story building has a total of 12 units per address.
ehegarty@tribpub.com