chicagotribune--2020-11-07--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,376 new known COVID-19 cases — another record daily high — and 4

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 10,376 new known COVID-19 cases — another record daily high — and 49 additional deaths reported

Just 29 % of consumers said they plan to host or attend a Thanksgiving meal with family they don ’ @ @ @ @ @ , down from 48 % last year , according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI @ @ @ @ @ said they will prepare a meal just for themselves or their household , up from @ @ @ @ @ A median of five people will attend , while last year it was eight .

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 10,376 new known cases of COVID-19 — a new record daily high — and 49 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 465,540 and the statewide death toll to 10,079 since the start of the pandemic.
Officials also reported 98,401 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 9.6%, a jump from Thursday’s rate of 9.1%.
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Meanwhile, Illinois COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising so quickly that, in roughly a week, the number could surpass the highest tally seen in the spring surge, a Tribune analysis has found. And the skyrocketing admissions are raising new concerns that some hospitals could eventually be packed with patients.
Also on Friday, state officials for the first time gave the public a glimpse of the data collected around the state by contact tracers in an effort to understand how the virus spreads through communities. During his daily briefing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker pointed to the data as further evidence that indoor dining and bar service are hot spots for potential exposure.
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Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:10 p.m.: Hundreds of Illinois schools potentially exposed to COVID-19 in last month, new contact tracing data shows
In the last 30 days, people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus reported having recently visited a total of 647 public and private schools statewide, according to Illinois public health data released Friday.
The data also lists 10 schools with current COVID-19 outbreaks, defined as at least five cases among staff or students that were traced to school exposure. Among those sites are a DuPage County religious school and three public schools in McHenry County.
The figures do not include cases related to Chicago Public Schools buildings. Chicago, the state’s largest school district, tracks those separately; data shows 137 COVID-19 cases linked to CPS sites.
The statewide data, obtained through contact tracing, is the first school-related COVID-19 data that Illinois officials have published. It comes after parents and educators urged the state to release information about the virus’s spread in schools. In many parts of Illinois, the school year began nearly three months ago, and people have had to make decisions about in-person learning without comprehensive information.
Read more here. —Jennifer Smith Richards
7 p.m.: Illinois hospitalizations could soon break pandemic record, raising concerns about capacity
Illinois COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising so quickly that, in roughly a week, the number could surpass the highest tally seen in the spring surge, a Tribune analysis has found.
And the skyrocketing admissions are raising new concerns that some hospitals could eventually be packed with patients.
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If the virus can’t be slowed, Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters Thursday, “we are going to experience a surge in hospitalizations much higher than where we are now. And in some areas of our state that will mean that you’ll run out of hospital beds, and nurses and doctors who can treat you.”
Hospitalizations are considered a key metric for tracking the spread of the virus. That’s because the better-known daily case counts are strongly influenced by how many people get tested — something that’s changed dramatically between the spring and fall surges. But, in either surge, infected people who were sick enough to need hospital care typically sought it out and could get tested.
The spring surge flooded Illinois hospitals, reaching more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients on one day in April. The daily count is now over 4,000, and over the past two weeks it has risen by an average of nearly 114 cases a day. At that pace, it would break the hospitalization record on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Read more here. —Joe Mahr, Lisa Schencker and Angie Leventis Lourgos
5:55 p.m.: Pritzker in self-isolation after COVID-19 exposure
Gov. J.B. Pritzker will go into isolation after a potential exposure to COVID-19, his office announced a short time ago. It comes after a briefing at the downtown Thompson Center state office building. The governor has been tested for the virus and once the result comes back, it will be made public, his office said.
—Lisa Donovan
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5:25 p.m.: Illinois releases data pointing to restaurants and bars as potential exposure sites
As Illinois continues setting records for coronavirus cases and experiencing surges in hospitalizations and deaths, state health officials for the first time are giving the public a glimpse of the data collected around the state by contact tracers in an effort to understand how the virus spreads through communities.
The contact tracing data was released during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s daily coronavirus briefing Friday as state health officials reported more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, breaking a record set the previous day.
A short time later, the governor’s office announced it was undergoing its own contact tracing effort after Pritzker was potentially exposed to the virus during an “external meeting” on Monday in conference room at the Thompson Center. Pritzker is going into isolation for the third time pending the results of a test taken after his afternoon briefing, his office said.
Pritzker has faced a strong pushback from the hospitality industry and from some local elected officials for shutting down indoor service at restaurants and bars as the share of coronavirus tests returning positive results has spiked across the state in recent months.
But during Friday’s briefing, Pritzker pointed to the newly released contract tracing data as further evidence that indoor dining and bar service are hot spots for potential exposure.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
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5:10 p.m.: Edward Hospital treating record number of COVID-19 patients as coronavirus grips Naperville area
The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 hit a record high this week at Edward Hospital.
As of Friday, the Naperville hospital was caring for 75 patients admitted with confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Joseph Dant, Edward president and CEO.
“We have already surpassed our spring peak numbers, which is disturbing. Obviously we were hoping that wouldn’t be the case,” Dant said.
The highest number of confirmed patient cases prior to November at Edward was 60 on April 13.
All this week, the hospital has had 61 COVID patients or more, numbers show.
In addition to the spike in people needing treatment, the hospital also reported the deaths of two inpatients, bringing the total number of coronavirus deaths at Edward to 55.
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The numbers at Edward Hospital reflect a trend in Naperville and DuPage and Will counties, where cases continue to surge.
Read more here. —Suzanne Baker
4 p.m.: Wisconsin tops 6,000 coronavirus cases, setting a new record
Wisconsin topped more than 6,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday for the first time, setting a new record as COVID-19 continues to rage across the state.
Also on Friday, a state appeals court ruled that an order from Gov. Tony Evers' administration to limit how many people can gather in bars, restaurants and other indoor venues was invalid and unenforceable. The on again-off again order, first issued on Oct. 6, had not been in effect since an appeals court blocked it on Oct. 23.
The order, had it been in effect, was scheduled to expire on Friday. The appeals court said the order issued by Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm should have gone through the rule-making process, which requires legislative approval.
Evers issued the order as a way to curb the spread of the virus, which has been surging since mid-September.
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Read more here. —Associated Press
3:05 p.m.: Indiana sets COVID-19 case record for third straight day
Indiana set a single-day record of newly reported COVID-19 cases for the third straight day Friday as the state again surpassed 4,000 new cases and coronavirus hospitalizations also surged to a new high, state health officials said.
The 4,714 new infections reported by the Indiana State Department of Health on Friday were the state’s highest single-day level of the pandemic, eclipsing the previous record of 4,462 new cases officials reported Thursday.
The new records came just days after Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has continued resisting calls for reinstating coronavirus limits he largely lifted in September, said following his landslide reelection victory that he’s not making any changes to state policy on handling COVID-19.
Read more here. —Associated Press
1:51 p.m.: Second stimulus check updates: Dueling coronavirus relief bill visions cloud lame-duck outlook
Republicans and Democrats are moving in opposite directions on another coronavirus relief package, lowering the odds of a deal this year.
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Republicans argued Friday that Democrats' loss of House seats and upbeat jobs numbers indicate Congress should approve a smaller package during the lame-duck session set to begin next week.
But Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her party’s continued House majority and probable White House win, as well as the spike in infections throughout the country, argue for a robust package rather than the slimmer versions Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has put forth.
“It doesn’t appeal to me at all because they still have not agreed to crush the virus,” Pelosi said during a news conference. “That isn’t anything that we should even be looking at. It wasn’t the right thing to do before.”
Read more here. —CQ Roll Call
1:46 p.m.: Smaller turkeys. Yams to go. Or a Thanksgiving lobster? COVID-19 will transform holiday meals.
As families grapple with how to spend Thanksgiving in the midst of a pandemic, many are planning for smaller soirees.
Just 29% of consumers said they plan to host or attend a Thanksgiving meal with family they don’t live with this season, down from 48% last year, according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI. More than a third said they will prepare a meal just for themselves or their household, up from 27% last year. A median of five people will attend, while last year it was eight.
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Food businesses are scrambling to guess what that downsizing means for dinner tables on what is traditionally the biggest eating event of the year.
Farmers face higher demand for smaller turkeys. High-end restaurants are introducing Thanksgiving feasts to go. Grocers are keeping lobster at the ready in case the unusual year elicits unusual ideas for main courses.
Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
1:10 p.m.: ‘You got them Trump licks?’ Chicago brothers target COVID-19 stimulus checks in scheme to steal mail, feds say
Akeem Kosoko and his postal carrier brother had allegedly been stealing people’s personal funds from the U.S. mail for months when the federal government rolled out what undoubtedly seemed like the ultimate bonanza: “Trump checks.”
That’s how Kosoko referred to the federal “economic impact payments” — emblazoned with President Donald Trump’s name — that were mailed to financially struggling taxpayers during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, according to criminal charges recently unsealed in Chicago’s federal court.
In early May, the FBI was listening as Kosoko allegedly arranged a meeting on Chicago’s West Side to sell several stimulus checks to an associate for $5,000.
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Read more here. —Jason Meisner
12:17 p.m.: Can you catch COVID-19 twice? Is immunity real? What about ocular transmission? Health and science experts answer reader questions about the coronavirus.
As COVID-19 cases surge in Illinois, the Tribune has been receiving more questions about what to do and how to stay safe. Unlike the spring, when the pandemic first hit, navigating the virus during the winter months seems a bit trickier, since the colder weather usually brings an onslaught of illnesses.
Whether it’s knowing how to safely celebrate the holidays or getting the facts on the possibility of catching COVID-19 twice, we reached out to health and science experts to answer your questions.
Read more here. —Alison Bowen, Christen A. Johnson and Darcel Rockett
12:34 p.m.: Illinois reports more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases, topping previous high set a day earlier
Illinois health officials reported a record number of new coronavirus cases for the second straight day Friday, with newly confirmed infections topping 10,000 for the first time.
The daily case count of 10,376 was up from 9,935 on Thursday. The state is now averaging more than 7,900 newly confirmed cases per day over the past week. A week ago, the seven-day average was just under 5,500 cases per day.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday said he’s considering new statewide restrictions if the current COVID-19 surge continues.
There also were 49 more COVID-19 related deaths reported Friday, bringing the statewide death toll to 10,079 since the pandemic began. The seven-day average for daily deaths is now 53, up from 42 a week earlier.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
10:02 a.m.: Naperville Driver Services office closed until Nov. 19 after employee tests positive for COVID-19
The Naperville Driver Services facility at 931 W. 75th St. has been closed until Nov. 19 because an employee has tested positive for COVID-19, the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office said.
All facility staff will be quarantined for 14 days and the building disinfected and sanitized in accordance with CDC guidelines, a news release said.
Anyone who does not need to go to the facility in person can do some tasks online, such as renewing license plate stickers, obtaining replacement driver’s licenses/ID cards and safe driver renewals, the release said. The website is www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
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The drivers facilities closest to Naperville are at 339 E. Indian Trail in Aurora and 837 S. Westmore Ave. in Lombard.
The closure comes a day after two other suburban driver’s service facilities, in West Chicago and Aurora reopened Thursday after closing for two weeks because of a coronavirus case.
—Naperville Sun
6:55 a.m.: Jacksonville Correctional Center outbreak claims two lives
Two more prisoners have died at Jacksonville Correction Center in Morgan County, part of a larger outbreak at the prison that now has left at least three people dead, according to officials.
The prison deaths were that of a 51-year-old man on Monday and that of a 35-year-old man on Tuesday, according to Morgan County health officials. In addition, one more staff member has tested positive. At least one other prisoner died from coronavirus-related causes in September. Since first reported in early August, an outbreak at the facility has resulted in 375 prisoners and 15 staff members contracting coronavirus.
Illinois Department of Corrections officials are releasing the number of cases in state prison facilities, but do not publicly track the number of deaths.
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—Staff and wire reports
6:50 a.m.: Lincoln College switches early to all-remote classes because of COVID-19 cases
Lincoln College has switched to remote learning for the remainder of the fall semester because of rising COVID-19 case numbers in Logan County and surrounding communities just northwest of Springfield.
Classes were originally scheduled to become remote-only on Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead, the change took effect Thursday in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“In the past 24 hours, an increasing number of our campus population were moved to quarantine,” Lincoln College President David Gerlach said. “Despite having high compliance among faculty, staff, and students in following safety protocols, the data presents an untenable situation.”
The college has 11 active cases and an increasing number of people in quarantine because of exposure to the virus though close contact. In addition, the number of COVID-19 active cases in Logan County is 88, with total cases listed as 726.
—The Pantagraph
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In case you missed it
Here are five stories from Thursday related to COVID-19.


chicagotribune--2020-11-07--‘No sign of slowing’: Illinois hospitalizations could soon break pandemic record, raising concerns a

‘No sign of slowing’: Illinois hospitalizations could soon break pandemic record, raising concerns about capacity

“ What I don ’ t know , and none of us know right now , is what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ next four weeks , ” Hota said .
“ We definitely know that , before @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve had these better outcomes .
… But is that going to hold @ @ @ @ @ going to see a rise in some of these adverse outcomes ?
”

Joe Mahr, Lisa Schencker, Angie Leventis Lourgos

Illinois COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising so quickly that, in roughly a week, the number could surpass the highest tally seen in the spring surge, a Tribune analysis has found.
And the skyrocketing admissions are raising new concerns that some hospitals could eventually be packed with patients.
If the virus can’t be slowed, Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters Thursday, “we are going to experience a surge in hospitalizations much higher than where we are now. And in some areas of our state that will mean that you’ll run out of hospital beds, and nurses and doctors who can treat you.”
Hospitalizations are considered a key metric for tracking the spread of the virus. That’s because the better-known daily case counts are strongly influenced by how many people get tested — something that’s changed dramatically between the spring and fall surges. But, in either surge, infected people who were sick enough to need hospital care typically sought it out and could get tested.
The spring surge flooded Illinois hospitals, reaching more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients on one day in April. The daily count is now over 4,000, and over the past two weeks it has risen by an average of nearly 114 cases a day. At that pace, it would break the hospitalization record on Saturday, Nov. 14.
The Tribune analysis of hospitalization data found that the latest surge is different than the one from the spring, which began and was centered in the Chicago area.
Looking at hospitalization rates — hospitalization numbers per 100,000 area residents — shows that the latest surge initially took off more in rural areas of Illinois and in neighboring states. But in the past weeks, the greater Chicago area has largely caught up to the Downstate regions, while the state as a whole has caught up to its neighbors.
The percentage of the population admitted to Illinois hospitals with COVID-19-like symptoms has tripled in some places in the past month, including the state-designated Region 7, comprising Will and Kankakee Counties.
In the heart of that region is Amita Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet. On Thursday, it had about 70 patients in the hospital with COVID-19 or possible COVID-19 — compared to many days in the 70s and 80s in the spring, said Herbert Buchanan, senior vice president and chief regional officer for Amita Health’s south region.
The Joliet hospital still has space for more patients, but he’s concerned about having enough care providers to treat them, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. In the past week, the hospital began offering extra pay for nurses to pick up more shifts, he said, and “we have really pushed all the limits on recruiting.”
“We are concerned about the rate of increase, and should we hit another surge, things will get tight,” Buchanan said.
More beds in use
Hospitals report their bed usage to the state each day, and the growth in the past month has been significant, turning sharper in the past two weeks.
By 11:59 p.m. Thursday, the tally had climbed to 4,090 either confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in hospitals statewide — the first time the number has been above 4,000 since May, and far above the roughly 1,500 seen for much of the summer.
The number of people hospitalized began a slow rise in mid-September, followed by steeper and steeper hikes, something Pritzker noted in a Thursday news conference.
“We have more than doubled the number of people in our hospital system with this disease in just about five weeks, with no sign of slowing,” he said.
As of Thursday, Illinois overtook Wisconsin to have the highest rate of hospitalized residents compared with neighboring states, according to a Tribune analysis of data collected by the COVID Tracking Project.
By Thursday, Illinois' rate had climbed to 30.7 patients per 100,000 residents. Compare that with a month earlier, when Illinois' rate hovered around 13 and was in the lower tier of the group of states.
The state does not release bed counts by region. The Tribune filed a public records request Oct. 8 seeking the data. The Pritzker administration had a week under state law to respond but has not done so. A Tribune appeal for the data is pending with the state attorney general’s office.
But the state does release regional numbers on a less precise metric: daily hospital admissions for COVID-19-like symptoms. It’s calibrated to catch symptom codes typed into computers rather than people who tested positive or are suspected by doctors of having the disease.
The state’s admittance figures show all regions of the state seeing increases, some more dramatic than others.
Will and Kankakee’s Region 7 saw its average daily admission rate triple over one month, to 2.84 per 100,000 residents. That is the most in the state. Not far behind are the region for DuPage and Kane counties, and the region for suburban Cook County, which each saw rates roughly triple, to 2.65 and 2.60, respectively.
At Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, the hospital reported 104 COVID-19 patients as of Friday, up from 48 just three weeks earlier.
The downstate region with the highest rate is Region 6, which includes much of eastern Illinois, including Champaign-Urbana. That high rate is reflected in the experience of Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. The hospital had about 50 patients with COVID-19 or possible COVID-19 on Thursday, about the same number it saw in the spring, said Allen Rinehart, executive director of the emergency department, ICU and inpatient services at the hospital.
“Depending on the day of the week, we’re running pretty close to capacity on some days,” Rinehart said.
The hospital hasn’t had to add more beds yet but could open up another 45 if needed, he said. The hospital has added more traveling nurses recently.
Dr. Elif Yucebay, seated at center, and other medical staff at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago conduct patient reviews on Nov. 6, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The surges aren’t being felt equally across the state’s hospitals. At Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, considered a bellwether for the spring surge, the latest increases aren’t having as much impact as at its sister hospital in the western suburbs, said Dr. Bala Hota, who is vice president and chief analytics officer at Rush.
“It definitely does feel like the incidents of hospitalization are higher west of the city than it is in the city,” he said.
Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center Chicago had about 80 to 100 COVID-19 patients a day at the height of the pandemic earlier this year. As of Thursday, it had fewer than 40, according to its chief medical officer, Dr. David Bordo.
Running out of space?
A major fear of public health officials has always been that hospitals become overcrowded — such as in Italy and New York City earlier in the year. Illinois reports that, as of Wednesday, it still had more than 11,000 hospital beds open statewide.
It’s difficult to predict how much, and how quickly, a surge could affect Illinois' hospital capacity. That’s because hospitals have ways to increase bed space. In early March, they collectively cut non-COVID-19 patient counts by a fourth over two weeks after canceling or postponing most elective surgeries, the Tribune analysis found.
State health department Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike told reporters Wednesday that some hospitals are slowing elective surgeries again to make more room for COVID-19 patients, and some hospitals told the Tribune it’s a move they are considering, as coronavirus hospitalizations continue to grow.
Hospitals are uneasy about taking that step because, among other reasons, elective surgeries can include important treatments such as heart valve replacements, repairs of herniated discs and certain cancer therapies.
Another option is adding beds. During the first surge, hospitals across the state were able to open up about 8,000 additional beds, beyond those freed up by keeping non-COVID-19 patients away.
Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has already opened an additional negative-pressure unit because of the increase in COVID-19 patients and to keep patients and staff safe, hospital spokeswoman Debra Robbins said in an email. As of Thursday morning, the hospital had 76 patients with COVID-19 and another eight awaiting test results.
Advocate Christ could add more beds and slow elective surgeries if the increases continue, said Dr. Robert Citronberg, executive medical director for infectious disease and prevention for Advocate Aurora Health.
“If everyone is full, we definitely have the ability to dial back elective procedures until the situation gets better, and that may happen,” Citronberg said. “I think we’ll know in the next three to four weeks where this particular surge is going.”
Illinois' first surge was concentrated in the Chicago area, and COVID-19 hospitalizations slid significantly after the region flattened the curve, from a peak of about 5,000 daily patients to roughly 1,500.
That left Illinois in a relatively comfortable spot this summer — with at times thousands more open beds than before the pandemic and the ability to do elective surgeries again. But that comfort level has slowly decreased with the fall surge. In hospitals' intensive care units, about two of every three beds are now occupied with patients, including those with COVID-19.
Ezike warned reporters Thursday that bed space was becoming a concern.
“We are really at the point where we are concerned that, whether you have the flu, whether you have COVID, whether you have chest pains, whether you have strokelike symptoms, we are worried there won’t be a bed enough for everyone,” she told reporters.
For now, state data suggests that although capacity has shrunk somewhat in each region, the drop has not been nearly as dramatic as the rise in hospitalizations. For now, downstate facilities generally have more space available than hospitals in the greater Chicago area.
Better treatments
One bright spot in the latest surge is that hospitals say COVID-19 patients are entering a health care system that’s gotten much better at treating the sickest of the sick.
Back in the spring, doctors say, little was known about how to treat the illness. They’ve learned that, for some patients, ventilators can sometimes do more harm than good. So they’ve used other ways to get oxygen to patients, including positioning them on their stomachs.
That not only helps keeps some patients from getting sicker, it allows community hospitals to keep more patients instead of transferring them to larger hospitals that specialize in more critical care.
At the same time, doctors have identified the more common side effects of COVID-19, such as blood clots, so they can better watch for those conditions and treat them sooner, said Dr. Emily Landon, head of infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medicine.
“We know how to prevent people from having those clotting complications that were really pretty deadly very early on,” Landon said.
Also helpful are new medications, such as the antiviral drug remdesivir to slow the virus and the steroid dexamethasone to suppress an overactive immune system. Antibody treatments are emerging, too, although nothing is even close to being considered a cure.
Dr. Edward Ward, left, an emergency medicine physician, talks to medical student Timothy Lee at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago on Nov. 6, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“There’s certainly not a silver bullet when it comes to the medications that we use,” said Dr. Paul Casey, Rush’s chief medical officer.
Casey and others say they’re also seeing younger, less sick patients in the hospital, helping improve their odds of survival.
For all those reasons, the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has not risen as dramatically in this surge. By late Thursday, the number in Illinois was 786, which was more than double from a month ago but significantly fewer than the record 1,290 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in ICUs on April 28.
But hospital officials also are facing a worsening surge that could stress the system; doctors and nurses can be less effective if they’re exhausted and running from patient to patient. And one thing not captured in the state data is whether hospitals have enough staff with the right skills to handle a steep increase in patients.
“What I don’t know, and none of us know right now, is what’s going to happen in the next four weeks,” Hota said. “We definitely know that, before this spike in cases, we’ve had these better outcomes. … But is that going to hold up? Or are we going to see a rise in some of these adverse outcomes?”
Another unknown, doctors said: Will the community do what it takes to bend one more curve?
“We have cheap, inexpensive, easy prevention measures: Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep social distance,” he said. “It’s still not too late to bend the curve back down again.”
jmahr@chicagotribune.com
lschencker@chicagotribune.com
eleventis@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-07--Trump vs. Biden: Inside Chicago’s lone ward that voted to keep the Republican president: ‘I don’t ta

Trump vs. Biden: Inside Chicago’s lone ward that voted to keep the Republican president: ‘I don’t talk about it, you know?’

The ward is in many ways not demographically representative of the city .
It was about 82 % white in @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Census Bureau .
And it ’ s home to lots of cops , firefighters @ @ @ @ @ are required by residency rules to live in Chicago .

On a quiet street corner on Chicago’s Far Northwest Side, a lone blue-and-white Biden-Harris sign stood on a tidy front lawn late this week. Behind the bungalow’s tan fence, a man grilling burgers in the unseasonably warm November twilight said the sign wasn’t his.
“I actually went with Trump. My wife went for Biden,” Alex Mendez, 51, said with a laugh.
In famously Democratic Chicago, politically divided households might be harder to come by than those split between Cubs and White Sox fans. The 41st Ward isn’t the norm, though.
Centered around the Edison Park neighborhood east of O’Hare International Airport, the ward was among the most narrowly divided in the city.
When the Tribune interviewed residents on Thursday, Trump was running ahead of Biden in unofficial results. By Sunday, Biden had eked ahead, but it was still close.
On Sunday, 50.87% of the vote was going to former Vice President Joe Biden compared with 47.5% for President Donald Trump, according to unofficial results.
Support for President Donald Trump is seen in the 41st Ward on Chicago's Northwest Side on Nov. 6, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Citywide, Trump got 16.15%, according to unofficial tallies. That’s better than the 12.4% of the vote he landed against Hillary Clinton in 2016. But the overall electoral picture was a familiar one.
Fourteen of the city’s 50 wards topped 90% support for former Vice President Joe Biden. The biggest cluster was on the city’s South Side — with the largest support for Biden in the 21st Ward where nearly 96% of voters cast a ballot for the Democratic ticket.
Biden and Kamala Harris got less than 60% of the votes in just three wards, including the 41st.
As of Sunday morning, there were still 60,000 uncounted mail-in ballots in the city, according to a Chicago Board of Elections spokesman.
How rare is a Republican ward-level presidential win in Chicago? The last came in 1992, in the 41st Ward, when about 52% of voters went for President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle over Democratic challengers Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
Ald. Anthony Napolitano said he wasn’t at all surprised with this year’s outcome.
“We’re just as strong Democrat as Republican. This is a strong labor neighborhood,” Napolitano said. “But I do believe everyone up here has a lot of conservative values. And the last three-plus years have been pure chaos, and a lot of people here lay that with the Democrats.”
Signs against Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker are seen at a home in the 41st Ward on Chicago's Northwest Side Nov. 6, 2020. The 41st is the only Chicago ward where a majority of votes went to incumbent Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
“You hear the neighborhood scuttlebutt about all the looting and rioting somewhere in the country, and the Democrats didn’t have law and order on their side,” Napolitano said. “Not once was that behavior called out by the Democrats.”
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Matthew Podgorski chairs the Northwest Side GOP Club that operates in the 41st Ward and parts of some neighboring wards and counts about 400 dues-paying members. He said Trump’s message resonated with voters in the area at a time the Republican Party, long an afterthought in Chicago politics, is putting together a strong apparatus in that part of the city.
“(Trump) has been more vocally pro-police than any president has been in my lifetime, at a moment when it’s needed more than ever,” Podgorski said.
The ward is in many ways not demographically representative of the city. It was about 82% white in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And it’s home to lots of cops, firefighters and other city workers who are required by residency rules to live in Chicago.
But as the rancorous presidential campaign lurches toward a conclusion that likely will leave America as deeply divided as ever, Edison Park residents have perhaps figured out a path forward, even if it sometimes means just treading carefully.
Neighbors there say in the past few years, the president has become a touchy subject and political divisions, though not deep enough to cut through the tightknit feel of the community, have led people to think twice before broaching anything Trump-related.
Sharon Knudtson, 70, said she voted for Trump this year after staying home four years ago. Most of her close friends are Democrats, she said, but it’s no issue to her.
“I don’t know about those divisions,” Knudtson said. “Whenever they talk about politics, I just, I don’t talk about it, you know?”
No matter how the presidential election turns out, Napolitano said he’s confident residents will honor the outcome.
“In the 41st Ward, whether it’s Biden or Trump, people will say ‘He’s our president for the next four years, and we’re going to back him and hope he succeeds for the country,’” he said.
The South Side 21st Ward is in many respects a world away from Edison Park. Made up of middle-class neighborhoods such as Auburn Gresham, West Chatham and Brainerd, the ward was about 98% African American in 2010, according to the census.
Biden and Harris got 95.8% of the vote in the 21st Ward, the highest percentage they received in any ward in the city, according to unofficial tallies.
Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. said Trump’s racially charged rhetoric and knee-jerk support for law enforcement during protests over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police deepened already strong opposition to the president’s policies in the ward.
“In contrast to the 41st Ward, where thousands of police live, my ward is one of the Blackest in the city,” Brookins said. “And I don’t know a Black man who doesn’t have a story of being frightened by police, of being racially profiled by police.”
Block clubs and other politically active community groups form the backbone of an extremely engaged electorate in the ward, he said.
Darnell Owens, 33, of the 21st Ward in Chicago, voted for Biden. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
“And then, my ward has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Brookins said. “People here, it’s personal for them. They see their friends and family suffering, and it’s clear the president’s inability to handle the situation has made it worse.”
Pushing his grand-niece on a tire swing at Foster Park in the 21st Ward, Darnell Owens, 33, said he voted for Biden because the former vice president demonstrates leadership, while Trump tries to sow animosity among Americans.
“The last four years have been not so great,” Owens said. “You can see it. It’s in the attitudes. If we’re a nation of unity, why is there so much division? Why?”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said the 41st Ward was the only one in Chicago to vote for President Donald Trump, based on unofficial vote tallies. The Chicago Board of Election has updated the numbers on its website and that is no longer the case. The ward voted in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden 50.87% to 47.5% for Trump, according to unofficial vote totals. Trump’s support in the city dropped to 16.15%, according to unofficial vote totals.
ayin@chicagotribune.com
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--The Spin: Duckworth, Quigley now leaning on Madigan | Pritzker in self-isolation after COVID-19 expo

The Spin: Duckworth, Quigley now leaning on Madigan | Pritzker in self-isolation after COVID-19 exposure | Will we have a winner soon? | Near record voter turnout and partisan divide

“ I always felt that progress was impaired by the speaker , and I continue to believe that , ” @ @ @ @ @ the two have had differences and that he ’ s spoken up about it in @ @ @ @ @ ’ s my own personal beliefs because of policy differences I have had with the @ @ @ @ @ — I wished he would have done something else and left it to someone else @ @ @ @

Pundits say the nation may be closing in on a decision in the presidential election that, for now, shows Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of Republican President Donald Trump by the narrowest of margins in Georgia and Pennsylvania, key battleground states.
No matter who you’re rooting for, here’s something we can all celebrate: Voter turnout for Tuesday’s election is expected to be one of the largest on record in the nation, says Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor who runs the United States Elections Project, which tracks voter turnout. And it wasn’t because of a Democratic wave of voters some had predicted, McDonald said.
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“You can’t have one political party showing up to vote and see these kinds of numbers. It was Democrats and Republicans — and I think that’s the main story,” McDonald says.
Add U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley to the small chorus of Illinois Democrats nudging state lawmaker Michael Madigan to exit his dual posts as state party leader and state House speaker. While Duckworth said it’s time to consider putting someone else in those leadership roles, Quigley said Madigan has “stayed too long,” and criticized him for getting in the way of government reforms.
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And Gov. J.B. Pritzker will go into isolation after a potential exposure to COVID-19, his office announced a short time ago. It comes after a briefing at the downtown Thompson Center state office building. The governor has been tested for the virus and once the result comes back, it will be made public, his office said.
Welcome to The Spin.
Signs supporting the graduated-rate income tax amendment line a walkway near an early voting site in Palatine on Nov. 2, 2020. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Very preliminary voting data from Tuesday shows 160 million or just under 70% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the United States — the highest turnout rate in 120 years, according to the Election Project’s McDonald.
Illinois numbers show 6.1 million cast a ballot, representing just over 67% of eligible voters in the state, according to preliminary data he obtained from election officials here.
“This is an unprecedented number — better than 2016 and the highest turnout rate we’ve seen since the turn of the last century,” McDonald tells The Spin.
There’s plenty of discussion about the country’s political divisions, and McDonald says that could have been a driver in turnout.
“We focus a lot on the presidential race, but you look at some of the unexpected results down-ballot and I think we’re probably not as divided as the stereotypical characterizations that are out there.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks June 21, 2017, at the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“We need a new speaker, and we need a new head of the Democratic Party,” U.S. Rep. Quigley said on WLS-AM’s “Connected to Chicago” politics podcast, released today.
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The North Side Democrat said that when he was a Cook County commissioner over a decade ago he tried to pass some government reform packages that needed legislative backing that seemingly stalled in the House.
“I always felt that progress was impaired by the speaker, and I continue to believe that,” Quigley said, saying that the two have had differences and that he’s spoken up about it in the past. “It’s my own personal beliefs because of policy differences I have had with the speaker on government and politics — I wished he would have done something else and left it to someone else decades ago.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who was a contender to be Joe Biden’s running mate, was a bit more reserved in a statement: “The ongoing investigation surrounding Speaker Madigan is an unnecessary distraction and makes it harder to carry out the work of helping the people of Illinois. As our nation hopefully embarks on a brighter path with a new president, the Illinois Democratic Party and the Illinois House of Representatives should consider new leadership to continue the progress we’ve made at the state level and build on it.”
Her comments were first reported by the The State Journal-Register.
Madigan said in a statement yesterday he’s not going anywhere. His statements came after U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. J.B. Pritzker blamed Madigan for some of the key losses at the ballot box on Tuesday. Madigan has been under fire by some within his own party since federal prosecutors in July released a deferred prosecution agreement in which ComEd admitted awarding jobs, payments and contracts to Madigan associates in an attempt to win his support for favorable legislation.
As House speaker he sets the legislative agenda, often deciding what issues live and die. And as Democratic Party boss he’s amassed a huge campaign war chest that practically demands loyalty from those in his party who want to keep winning elections. Read my full story here.
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State Rep. Marty Moylan, of Des Plaines, blasted Madigan’s critics for resorting to “the same old political games.”
In a statement, he wrote: “As a Democrat who has faced difficult races and won by being upfront with people, I want to be very clear: To criticize Chairman Madigan while Democrats continue to compete and win in districts that Republicans have held for decades is absurd.”
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Dan McConchie (Handout / HANDOUT)
A day after Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady of Bloomington, a longtime legislator and former candidate for governor, announced he’d step down as caucus leader in the new year, the Senate Republicans on Thursday chose state Sen. Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods as their new leader.
McConchie was appointed to fill the seat vacated by former Sen. Dan Duffy of Lake Barrington when he retired in 2016 and was elected to a full term that fall. He was reelected for his current term in 2018.
Joining McConchie’s leadership team as deputy leader will be Sen. Sue Rezin of Morris, who ran unsuccessfully in the March GOP primary in the 14th Congressional District.
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When the new General Assembly takes office in January, McConchie may be leading a Republican caucus with one fewer member.
According to unofficial election results, Democrat Karina Villa of West Chicago is leading in the race to replace GOP state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove, who ran for Congress in the 14th District rather than seeking reelection. If those results hold, Democrats likely will have a 41-18 majority in the state Senate. (Dan Petrella)
Patricia Pierce swabs her nose at an Illinois Department of Public Health COVID-19 testing site on West 79th Street in Chicago on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Dan Petrella reports: Illinois health officials reported a record number of new coronavirus cases for the second straight day on Friday, with newly confirmed infections topping 10,000 for the first time.
The state is now averaging more than 7,900 newly confirmed cases per day over the past week. A week ago, the seven-day average was just under 5,500 cases per day. The new number, however, comes as the state on Friday began reporting both test confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus in its daily count, based on guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read the full story here.
In a departure from his message in recent weeks, the governor yesterday said he is now considering tougher statewide restrictions to curb the latest resurgence of the coronavirus. Up to now, he had said he would enact tough restrictions on a region by region basis, my Tribune colleague Jamie Munks reported.
Sangamon County judge dismisses lawsuits challenging Pritzker’s coronavirus orders: The plaintiffs claimed COVID-19 does not fit the legal definition of public health emergency in their counties, but didn’t provide sufficient evidence to support their claim that COVID-19 does not fit the legal definition of public health emergency in their counties.
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Chicago Public Schools has yet to publicly announce a date for a return to classrooms, even though yesterday marked the final day of student attendance for the virtual fall quarter beyond its plan to offer in-person learning to students in prekindergarten and special education clusters sometime before 2020 is over, the Tribune’s Hannah Leone writes.
Naperville Driver Services office closed until Nov. 19 after employee tests positive for COVID-19 — Read the story here.
RELATED-Unemployment drops to 6.9% as US adds a solid 638,000 jobs: That’s “a solid pace though far fewer than needed to regain most of the jobs lost to the pandemic recession just as new viral cases are setting record highs,” The Associated Press’ Christopher Rubarger reports. Here’s today’s report from the Labor Department is here.
While that may be good news, a reminder that Illinois is reporting the biggest spike in unemployment claims in the U.S., my Tribune colleague Abdel Jimenez reported this week.
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Watch live: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris make prime-time address

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to deliver a prime-time speech Friday at 7 CST p.m. Democratic vice presidential @ @ @ @ @ expected to deliver remarks Friday alongside Biden .

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chicagotribune--2020-11-06--U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley: Time to consider replacing Michael Madigan as Ill

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley: Time to consider replacing Michael Madigan as Illinois Democratic Party chair, House speaker

Still , Madigan has been under fire by some within his own party since federal prosecutors in July released a @ @ @ @ @ ComEd admitted awarding jobs , payments and contracts to Madigan associates in an attempt to @ @ @ @ @ legislation .
While the speaker has not been accused of wrongdoing , Republicans used it @ @ @ @ @ run-up to Tuesday ’ s election linking him to Democratic candidates and causes on the @ @

Add U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley to the list of top Illinois Democrats nudging Michael Madigan to exit his posts as state party leader and House Speaker.
While Duckworth said it’s time to consider putting someone else in those leadership roles, Quigley said Madigan has “stayed too long,” and accused him of getting in the way of government reforms and not doing enough to boost candidates running for office statewide.
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Quigley and Duckworth, who was a contender to be former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate, are the latest high-profile Illinois Democrats since Tuesday’s election to carefully signal it’s time the Southwest Side lawmaker gives up his party post, after some key losses at the ballot box.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, of Springfield, in an interview Wednesday on WTTW-Ch. 11 suggested that Democratic candidates suffered this election because of Madigan. On Thursday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said “yes” when asked whether he agreed with Durbin that the state party needs new leadership. As chairman, Madigan has been able to amass a huge campaign war chest that for years allowed him to determine which Democratic candidates and causes succeeded.
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Madigan, however, said in a Thursday statement that he’s not going anywhere.
And state Rep. Marty Moylan, of Des Plaines, offered a counterpoint to the criticism in a statement late Friday afternoon: “As a Democrat who has faced difficult races and won by being upfront with people, I want to be very clear: To criticize Chairman Madigan while Democrats continue to compete and win in districts that Republicans have held for decades is absurd.”
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Still, Madigan has been under fire by some within his own party since federal prosecutors in July released a deferred prosecution agreement in which ComEd admitted awarding jobs, payments and contracts to Madigan associates in an attempt to win his support for favorable legislation. While the speaker has not been accused of wrongdoing, Republicans used it as a cudgel in the run-up to Tuesday’s election linking him to Democratic candidates and causes on the ballot.
When it was over, Pritzker lost his signature ballot initiative to enact a graduated income tax and Democratic Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride lost a bid for another 10 years on the bench. For his part, Madigan was reelected Tuesday without opposition to his 26th term in the House.
Pointing to the scandal, Duckworth said Democrats should consider new leadership at the state party and Illinois House.
“The ongoing investigation surrounding Speaker Madigan is an unnecessary distraction and makes it harder to carry out the work of helping the people of Illinois," Duckworth said in a statement. "As our nation hopefully embarks on a brighter path with a new president, the Illinois Democratic Party and the Illinois House of Representatives should consider new leadership to continue the progress we’ve made at the state level and build on it.”
Duckworth’s comments were first reported by the Springfield State Journal-Register.
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“We need a new speaker, and we need a new head of the Democratic Party,” Quigley told reporter Bill Cameron on WLS-AM’s “Connected to Chicago” politics podcast.
The North Side Democrat said when he served as a Cook County commissioner over a decade ago he tried to pass some government reform packages that needed legislative backing that seemingly stalled in the House.
“I always felt that progress was impaired by the speaker, and I continue to believe that,” Quigley said, saying that the two have had differences and that he’s spoken up about it in the past.
Pressed on the issue, the congressman, who won reelection Tuesday night, says he doesn’t have a vote on the matter — that the Democratic House majority will have to decide whether Madigan keeps the speaker’s gavel, but reiterated that it’s time for someone new in the job.
“It’s my own personal beliefs because of policy differences I have had with the speaker on government and politics — I wished he would have done something else and left it to someone else decades ago.”
As for his role as chair of the Democratic Party, Madigan focuses on getting Democrats elected to the House at the expense of statewide races, Quigley opined. He stopped short of saying Madigan was using his political post to amass power in the chamber he runs, something critics have accused Madigan of in the past.
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In January, Madigan’s House peers will vote on the chamber’s leader and he’s already facing competition for the job.
Meanwhile, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, who unseated Madigan ally Joe Berrios in 2018 and whose property tax reform measures hit a roadblock in the Madigan-controlled house last year, was more direct in his call for new party leadership.
In a statement, Kaegi said: “It’s time for Speaker Madigan to step down as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Now more than ever, we need new, reform-oriented leadership that can drive an agenda for working families. The results of Tuesday’s election show Illinois voters are fed up with the drumbeat of corruption stories and the old way of doing business. They’re demanding real ethics and property tax reform, and they’re ready to turn the page to get us there.”
Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Rick Pearson contributed.
Lisa Donovan is the host of The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
ldonovan@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Ring the bells: Salvation Army plans to bring out red kettles next week as organization anticipates

Ring the bells: Salvation Army plans to bring out red kettles next week as organization anticipates 50% decrease in donations

While the Metropolitan Division — which includes sites in Chicago and the suburbs , as well as Rockford and Lake @ @ @ @ @ around 1,100 kettle sites in a typical year , officials say they could see a @ @ @ @ @ season due to fewer bricks and mortar retail stores .
Also , they anticipate a @ @ @ @ @ to make purchases online .

When the Salvation Army rolls out its annual holiday red kettle campaign in the city and suburbs Monday, officials say they fear the economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic could cut donations in half during a time of unprecedented need.
The virus has also resulted in fewer people signing up as volunteer or paid bell ringers this year because of concerns about potential exposure. Adding to the uncertainty is the escalating number of COVID-19 cases in the area, said Katie Heinz Pfingsten, spokeswoman for the Salvation Army Metropolitan Division.
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“We’re seeing as much as a fivefold increase in need, and the kettle donations could be down 50%," Heinz Pfingsten said.
While the Metropolitan Division — which includes sites in Chicago and the suburbs, as well as Rockford and Lake County, Indiana — has around 1,100 kettle sites in a typical year, officials say they could see a reduction in locations this holiday season due to fewer bricks and mortar retail stores. Also, they anticipate a surge of holiday shoppers choosing to make purchases online.
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Still, despite fewer bell ringers this holiday season, officials say the need for help is exponentially higher. The organization is currently serving people who, prior to the pandemic, had never asked for assistance.
“Many individuals are seeking help for the first time ... visiting our food pantries and in need of emergency financial assistance to pay rent, utility bills and help make ends meet,” Heinz Pfingsten said.
Officials say pandemic-related job losses are the primary reason behind both an estimated 50% decline in donations, as well as the fivefold increase in requests for assistance the organization is seeing at some of its 28 area community centers.
While there could be fewer bells ringing this year, Heinz Pfingsten said the crew hired for this year’s “Rescue Christmas” campaign will be following strict COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. They will be wearing masks and social distancing 6 feet each time a donor approaches the kettle.
In addition to being sanitized on a regular basis, this year’s kettles will also be equipped with technology to allow for contactless donations via a smartphone.
The “Rescue Christmas” campaign was launched in mid-September — nearly two months earlier than in a typical year — to meet what officials anticipate will be “unprecedented need.”
“The first population hit by the pandemic are also the people that are already struggling,” said longtime bell ringer Carol Jarzyna, 49, a musician, music teacher and mother of two from Chicago.
Jarzyna said she has been helping with the annual red kettle collections for more than a decade, and during normal times, her volunteering is accompanied by Christmas carols she plays on her flute.
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“I definitely want to help this year, as the need is greater than ever,” Jarzyna said. “I obviously can’t play the flute when I’m wearing a mask, but I’m going to ask if I can bring a miniature keyboard.”
Starting Monday, the kettles will be out at some Jewel-Osco and Hobby Lobby stores. Later in the month, Mariano’s, Macy’s and Walmart stores are expected to join the effort.
The Salvation Army is also accepting donations at salarmychristmas.org.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Illinois reports more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases as state releases data pointing to restauran

Illinois reports more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases as state releases data pointing to restaurants and bars as potential exposure sites

The data has limitations , however .
Contact tracers aren ’ t able to reach everyone who tests positive , @ @ @ @ @ and the health departments in Chicago and Cook County , which have the highest number @ @ @ @ @ t anywhere near meeting the state-set goal of reaching 90 % of infected individuals .
@ @ @ @ @ departments are still working on hiring more contact tracers and integrating their data into the @ @ @

CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
As Illinois continues setting records for coronavirus cases and experiencing surges in hospitalizations and deaths, state health officials for the first time are giving the public a glimpse of the data collected around the state by contact tracers in an effort to understand how the virus spreads through communities.
The contact tracing data was released during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s daily coronavirus briefing Friday as state health officials reported more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, breaking a record set the previous day.
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A short time later, the governor’s office announced it was undergoing its own contact tracing effort after Pritzker was potentially exposed to the virus during an “external meeting” on Monday in conference room at the Thompson Center. Pritzker is going into isolation for the third time pending the results of a test taken after his afternoon briefing, his office said.
Pritzker has faced a strong pushback from the hospitality industry and from some local elected officials for shutting down indoor service at restaurants and bars as the share of coronavirus tests returning positive results has spiked across the state in recent months.
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But during Friday’s briefing, Pritzker pointed to the newly released contract tracing data as further evidence that indoor dining and bar service are hot spots for potential exposure.
Aside from a catchall “other” category, which includes places such as warehouses, funeral homes and hair salons, restaurants and bars were the top spots people with the virus reported having been during the 14-day exposure period. Restaurants and bars accounted for nearly 11% of potential exposure locations, according to data covering the past 30 days collected from the state’s 97 local health departments. That put those locations ahead of schools, workplaces and private homes.
Restaurants and bars come in much lower on the list of confirmed outbreaks, a category that requires at least five linked cases within a 14-day period tied to the same location. Public health officials say it’s harder to tie outbreaks to public locations such as restaurants and bars where people come and go more frequently.
The data has limitations, however. Contact tracers aren’t able to reach everyone who tests positive, especially as cases spike, and the health departments in Chicago and Cook County, which have the highest number of cases, aren’t anywhere near meeting the state-set goal of reaching 90% of infected individuals. The city and county health departments are still working on hiring more contact tracers and integrating their data into the state system.
But Pritzker also made an appeal to the public to help ensure that tracers are able to get more accurate information.
“Just like wearing a mask, answering a contact tracer’s call is a way to help keep your family safe and protect your community,” Pritzker said. “And that’s going to be even more important with community transmission as high as it is right now.”
Local health departments together have been nearing a goal of bringing on 3,800 contact tracers statewide, though officials concede that number likely won’t be enough to keep up with the current surge.
Friday’s daily case count of 10,376 was up from 9,935 on Thursday. The state is averaging more than 7,900 new cases per day over the past week. A week ago, the seven-day average was just under 5,500 cases per day.
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The new number, however, comes as the state on Friday began reporting both test confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus in its daily count, based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Probable cases are those that meet clinical criteria and have an epidemiological link to the virus or those who have a positive antigen test. When those cases are confirmed by testing, they will not be counted a second time.
Pritzker on Thursday said he’s considering new statewide restrictions if the current COVID-19 surge continues.
There also were 49 more COVID-19 related deaths reported Friday, bringing the statewide death toll to 10,079 since the pandemic began. The seven-day average for daily deaths is now 53, up from 42 a week earlier.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 also continue to rise, with 4,090 patients in the hospital as of Thursday night, according to the state. It’s the first time more than 4,000 people have been hospitalized because of the coronavirus since May 20. Daily hospitalizations have doubled over the past three weeks.
In all, there have been 465,540 known COVID-19 cases — confirmed and probable — in Illinois since the start of the outbreak.
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Friday’s new cases came from a batch of 98,401 tests reported in the previous 24 hours, also a record.
The statewide case positivity rate — the percentage of positive cases per test — hit a seven-day average of 9.6% on Thursday, up from 7.3% week earlier and 3.4% a month ago.
The test positivity rate — the percentage of positive tests out of all tests conducted — was at a seven-day average of 11.1%, up from 8.2% since the state began reporting the figure statewide on Oct. 29.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Suspect in shooting of 2 Wisconsin police officers is captured

Law enforcement officers had been looking for the suspect for about nine hours after he fled from the shooting about @ @ @ @ @ Inn , which is less than a mile from where he was arrested .

A surveillance photo of a suspect in the Delafield, Wisconsin, shooting of two police officers Nov. 6, 2020 (left) and a photo of Nathaniel Ray Benton, 23, (right), wanted in a Fargo, North Dakota, attempted murder warrant. Benton also has been identified by police as the suspect in the shooting of the two officers in Delafield. (Delafield, Wisconsin, police photos/Delafield, Wisconsin, police photos)
A man suspected of wounding two police officers in a shooting in Wisconsin on Friday and who is wanted in North Dakota for attempted murder has been arrested following a large-scale manhunt, police said.
Delafield Police Chief Erik Kehl said the man was arrested without resistance in a field not far from the Holiday Inn where the officers were shot in Waukesha County, about 27 miles (43 kilometers) west of Milwaukee.
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Police earlier identified the man as 23-year-old Nathanael Benton, wanted in Fargo for a shooting.
“Yeah, I want this guy,” Kehl told reporters during an impromptu news conference in a nearby parking lot. “I want him in custody. I want him to face justice for what he’s done and then I can tell the community it’s safe.”
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Aerial video of the arrest taken by WISN-TV shows the suspect walking across the field near a residential cul-de-sac with his hands up. Several tactical officers with guns trained on him began to close in.
The man drops to his knees, then lies flat on his stomach and puts his hands behind his back. Officers place him in handcuffs and remove his pants for a search.
Law enforcement officers had been looking for the suspect for about nine hours after he fled from the shooting about 1:40 a.m. outside the Holiday Inn, which is less than a mile from where he was arrested.
Kehl said that one of his officers and another from nearby Hartland confronted the man, suspected in a hit-and-run crash, outside the hotel at Interstate 94 and Highway 83.
Shots were exchanged and the two officers were hit, Kehl said. The officers' wounds are not believed to be life-threatening, the chief said.
Fargo police, in a Facebook post, said they were notified Friday morning that the shooting in Delafield involved Benton, a man wanted in their city for attempted murder.
According to Fargo police, a man called police about 2:30 a.m. Sunday and said he thought he had been shot. He said he had taken a ride share to Moorhead, Minnesota, and then experienced head pain.
He returned to Fargo and called police. He was taken to the hospital, where medical personnel found bullet fragments in his head, police said.


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Where Chicago’s official Christmas tree comes from

Throughout the years the city ’ s official tree frequently has consisted of many smaller trees .
Since 2009 , @ @ @ @ @ has been chosen by either a contest or nominations .
Though the tree ’ s @ @ @ @ @ times since then — including a move in 2015 to Millennium Park — the lighting @ @ @ @ @ highlight of the holiday season , though the Nov. 19 event will be virtual this @ @

A Christmas tree along the 300 block of East Garfield Boulevard in the Washington Park neighborhood on Christmas Eve. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Throughout the years the city’s official tree frequently has consisted of many smaller trees. Since 2009, however, a single tree has been chosen by either a contest or nominations. Though the tree’s location has been changed several times since then — including a move in 2015 to Millennium Park — the lighting ceremony has always been a highlight of the holiday season.
This year’s tree — donated by the Glisovic family in Morton Grove — was chosen by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The city’s tree lighting ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 in Millennium Park.
[ Chicago’s official Christmas tree cut down from Morton Grove family’s front yard ]
Mike and Vesna Glisovic stand beside their 53-year-old Colorado spruce tree in the 6600 block of Church Street in Morton Grove Friday. The tree had been cut and was ready for transport to Chicago as the city’s official Christmas tree in Millennium Park. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
History of Chicago’s Christmas tree
The city’s first official Christmas tree was lit on Christmas Eve 1913 by Mayor Carter H. Harrison Jr., as heralding trumpets played atop the balcony of the Chicago Athletic Association building on Michigan Avenue.
The tree was placed in Grant Park atop 40-foot poles — studded with smaller trees to give the appearance of a much larger tree — and decorated with 600 multi-colored lights. The 35-foot Douglas spruce was a gift of F.J. Jordan, in honor of his deceased friend Capt. Herman Scheunemann. Scheunemann commanded the vessel known as the Christmas tree ship.
Municipal Christmas tree in Chicago, circa 1913. (Chicago History Museum) Mandatory credit, Chicago Tribune use only. User Upload Caption: - Original Credit: (Chicago History Museum)
Where Chicago’s official Christmas trees have come from (since 2009)
2009: The Weivoda family, Palos Heights
Santa Claus waves to the crowd after lighting the 96th Annual Christmas tree at Daley Plaza on Nov. 25, 2009. The tree was donated by the Weivoda family, left, of Palos Heights. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 5, 2009:
The 60-year-old, 57-foot spruce that will become Chicago’s official Christmas tree was cut down this morning in Harlan Weivoda’s front yard in southwest suburban Palos Heights.
It will be erected in Daley Plaza at about 8 p.m.
“I knew they (the city) always put a big tree up on top of all the other trees, but I had no idea it would be THE tree,” Weivoda said. In late September, he went on the city’s official Web site and offered to donate the tree.
He soon heard back from the Office of Special Events, which sent out a Long Grove landscaper to size it up.
“When they finished, they told me it was smaller than they had hoped. I told them, well, maybe next year,” Weivoda said. “They said there were four other trees they were looking at.”
But a few days later he received an e-mail saying the city wanted the tree. Read more >>>
2010: The Colomer family, McHenry County
A crowd braved the weather to watch as a Christmas tree was lit Nov. 24, 2010, at Daley Plaza. Mayor Richard Daley and his wife, Maggie, were joined for the festivities by their grandchildren as well as actress Joan Cusak and John and Pat Colomer (John is shown on the right), who own the farm where the tree came from. More than 5,000 votes were cast for the 70-foot blue spruce from McHenry County. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Chicago Tribune story from Oct. 26, 2010:
After a four-month-long campaign, Chicagoans have weighed in for the first time on an issue that — for the sentimental, at least — outshines who gets to be the next governor, U.S. senator or mayor: The Daley Plaza Christmas tree.
The winner, after 5,182 votes were cast, is a 70-foot blue spruce on property in McHenry County owned by the Colomer family.
With 2,678 votes, the 80- to 90-year-old tree beat out the other candidates in a city-sponsored contest that began in July. The second-place tree received about 1,300 votes. About 60 other entrants were shorter than the required 55 feet.
In keeping with contest rules, John Colomer nominated the tree with a story about how generations of children at Montini Catholic Middle School have watched the tree grow across from their school.
“It would be a great experience for the schoolchildren to see the removal of the tree from the site and to know its fate would be to site in a place of prominence,” Colomer wrote.
In one way or another, though, the tree’s days were numbered.
Its current home, on the northeast corner of Richmond Road and Pearl Street in downtown McHenry, is scheduled for eventual commercial development. Read more >>>
2011: The Spangler family, Western Springs
Mayor Rahm Emanuel waves on Nov. 23, 2011, in Daley Plaza after the lights for Chicago's official holiday tree are activated. The tree, a 55-foot blue spruce, was chosen as the best among 38 entries to become the winner in the city's Christmas tree contest, and is courtesy of the Spangler family in Western Springs, right. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Chicago Tribune story from Oct. 27, 2011:
Ever since her family moved in 18 years ago, the giant blue spruce in Klaudia Spangler’s Western Springs yard has been a venue for celebrating birthdays, a landmark for directing visitors and a fortress providing shade.
But the tree’s size also made it too cumbersome to decorate, so it never truly became the light-covered holiday centerpiece the self-proclaimed “Christmas maniac” had envisioned. This year, though, it will get its chance to shine.
Voters have selected the Spanglers' spruce to adorn Daley Plaza as Chicago’s Christmas tree, the city was set to announce Thursday morning.
“The exciting thing is it will be all lit up for everyone to see and kind of how I envisioned it when we first moved here,” Spangler said. Read more >>>
2012: The Theiszmann family, Prospect Heights
Megan Theiszmann, 17, from left, her father Tony Theiszmann, Tony's mother Barbara Theiszmann and Tony's sister Kathy Patton watch on Nov. 1, 2012, from the front yard of the family home, where Barbara now lives in Prospect Heights, as a giant, 63-year-old Colorado spruce is removed, to be erected in Daley Plaza in Chicago as this year's Chicago Christmas tree. The tree is 64-feet-tall, and the 99th annual tree-lighting ceremony will be held at the plaza on Nov. 20, 2012. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 19, 2012:
This year’s tree, donated by the Theiszmann family of Prospect Heights, is a 64-foot-tall Colorado Spruce tree estimated to be 63 to 65 years old and weighs 12,000 pounds, according to the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
It was among 25 trees considered to be Chicago’s tree and fit the criteria of being at least 55 feet tall, a spruce or fir tree and within 100 miles of the Loop.
The tree will be decorated with 14,600 multi-colored lights and topped with a brightly lit star. Read more >>>
2013: The Moore family, South Holland
Homeowner Terri Moore, right, poses for a family photo with her daughters Kirsten, 11, and Taylor, 8, on a stump as workers from La Grange Crane Service and Brickman Group landscaping move their freshly cut 57-foot Colorado blue Spruce tree, which was chosen as the Christmas tree for Daley Plaza, to an awaiting flatbed truck on Nov. 7, 2013 from her yard in South Holland, Ill. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Chicago's Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony which took place on Nov. 26, 2013, left, at Daley Plaza. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Click here to see photos from the 2013 tree lighting ceremony.
2014: The Atkinson family, Elgin
In the shadow of the newly lit Christmas tree, which came from the Atkinson family's front yard in Elgin, right, people shop at the Christkindlmarket in Chicago's Daley Plaza on Nov. 25, 2014. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 5, 2014:
When Donna Atkinson first moved into her Elgin home more than two decades ago, her friends and family all pressed her to decorate the billowing Colorado blue spruce tree in her front yard in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
“I told them, how?” Atkinson said. “Even 20 years ago, it was way too big to decorate. It was huge when I moved in.”
Atkinson will at last see her tree decorated and illuminated, as it’s been chosen as this year’s official Chicago Christmas tree. The 57-foot tree will be wrapped up and cut down from her South Worth Avenue home Thursday morning and delivered to Daley Plaza on Friday. On Nov. 25, it will be the focus of the city’s 101st annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
This is Atkinson’s fourth year nominating her tree for the Daley Plaza display. She was selected as the runner up the past three years. Read more >>>
2015: The Voelker family, Northlake
Fireworks illuminate the audience after Mayor Rahm Emanuel orders the lighting of the tree during the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Millennium Park on Nov. 24 2015, in Chicago. The Colorado blue spruce was donated by the Voelker family of Northlake. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 9, 2015:
Two weeks ahead of Chicago’s 102nd annual Christmas tree lighting, city officials announced they have picked out the tree they’ve been pining for: a 63-foot Colorado blue spruce.
After receiving 130 nominations for trees, which had to be at least 55 feet and within 100 miles of the Loop, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events selected the mammoth spruce, which was donated by a Northlake family.
The tree, which towers over the family home in the front yard, is scheduled to be cut down Monday morning and delivered to Millennium Park on Tuesday night, according to the department.
The official tree lighting is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 24 in Millennium Park near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street, city officials said. The lighting will follow a performance by opera singer Renee Fleming, who will sing holiday classics.
For almost 50 years, Chicago has held its tree lighting in Daley Plaza. However, city officials said this year it would be combined with holiday activities, including special visits with Santa Claus after the tree-lighting ceremony. Read more >>>
2016: The Scholla family, Wauconda
People take and pose for pictures in front of the Chicago Christmas following the annual tree lighting ceremony at Millennium Park, on Nov. 18, 2016. (Alyssa Pointer/ Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 9, 2016:
Chicago has chosen a Norway spruce to light up as its official Christmas tree in Millennium Park on Michigan Avenue.
The city announced Wednesday the tree is a 69-footer donated by a Wauconda, Illinois, family. The Scholla family’s tree was selected from 129 submissions received. Read more >>>
2017: The Dorfler family, Grayslake
A portrait of Frank and Darlene Dorfler sits on the stump of the Norway spruce tree that the Dorfler family donated to the city of Chicago for its annual Christmas tree in Millennium Park, right, on Nov. 2, 2017 in Grayslake. The tree is 62 feet long and weighs about 9500 pounds. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 2, 2017:
Two Christmas wishes were granted Thursday morning when a 62-foot Norway spruce growing in the northern suburbs was chopped down to become Chicago’s Christmas tree in Millennium Park.
The Dorfler family tree in Grayslake was selected from a field of 71 candidates submitted for consideration to the city of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for its 104th Christmas tree. After being taken down on Thursday, the donated spruce is scheduled to be installed Friday night at Millennium Park in Chicago, and the tree lighting is set for Nov. 17.
“It was my husband’s dream for it to go somewhere to be used as a Christmas tree, like Washington D.C.,” Darlene Dorfler said, but this was the perfect opportunity for their beautiful tree. Her husband, Frank, passed away in 2016.
Dorfler added that her neighbor and part of the family who originally planted the spruce — Arlene Olsen, who also has since passed — had a similar dream for the tree.
“She always said it was such a perfect tree that it should be lit up. She probably planted it as a sapling. So we have a combination of dreams,” Dorfler said. Read more >>>
2018: The Orth family, Elmhurst
Workers lift and remove a 60 foot Norway spruce from the home of Deborah Orth, of Elmhurst, on Nov. 1, 2018, to become Chicago's 105th Christmas tree. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Crowds attend the annual Christmas tree lighting at Millennium Park in 2018. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
2019: The Nelson family, Elgin
With his 5-year-old brother, Jace Melton, looking on, Adam Melton, 8, jumps off of the stump of their grandparents Connie and Gene Nelson's 55-foot-tall, 7,000-pound blue spruce which will be this year's Chicago city Christmas Tree on Nov. 7, 2019 in Elgin. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
A person documents the moment while attending the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Chicago's Millennium Park on Nov. 22, 2019. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 7, 2019:
Connie and Gene Nelson and their family watched Thursday morning as the 55-foot blue spruce tree in front of their Elgin home was cut down.
The 46-year-old tree, older than the Lyle Avenue home they moved into 23 years ago, was the backdrop for many family photos and memories, they said. Its new role as the city of Chicago’s Millennium Park Christmas tree means it will be doing the same for the thousands who will gaze upon it this holiday season.
“The last family picture in front of the tree will probably be downtown (in Chicago),” said Jennifer Melton, Gene and Connie’s daughter.
The Nelsons joined neighbors and onlookers to watch a landscaping crew saw through the trunk of the 7,000-pound tree and lift it via crane onto a flatbed truck for its two-day journey first to Long Grove and then to Chicago.
The family’s tree was selected from among 41 submitted for the honor this year, according to the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Read more >>>
2020: The Townsend family, Chicago
Catherine Townsend, 85, watches as workers cut and transport her 45-foot Blue Spruce tree from her yard in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2020. The tree is going to be the Chicago’s “official” Christmas tree. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Workers prepare to transport the 45-foot Blue Spruce tree donated by Catherine Townsend, 85, of Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune story from Nov. 6, 2020:
In 1985, Catherine Townsend bought seeds to plant three blue spruce trees in the yard of her home, a two-flat, red brick building in Morgan Park.
The home had a fairly large lot, and Townsend, a gardener, filled it with plants and flowers. Two of the three trees ended up sprouting, and, through the years, grew to a towering 45 feet.
The twin spruces were a beloved part of her garden, adding a “touch of elegance,” to her yard, said Townsend, an 85-year-old retired Chicago Public Schools teacher.
As Townsend prepares to sell her home, one of her spruces will take on a new life as Millennium Park’s Christmas tree.
“They really are beautiful,” Townsend said of the spruces, though the sale of her longtime home is bittersweet. Read more >>>
2021: The Benavides family, Logan Park
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 11 The giant 51-foot-high blue spruce is lifted in the air with the help of a crane before being loaded onto a truck on Nov. 5, 2021. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
2022: The Glisovic family, Morton Grove
A 53-year-old Colorado spruce tree from the home of Mike and Vesna Glisovic, in the 6600 block of Church Street, Morton Grove, lies on a flatbed truck for transport to Chicago as the city’s official Christmas tree in Millennium Park. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Mike and Vesna Glisovic gave up the majestic tree in front of their home so it can be seen by many more people than pass by their corner in Morton Grove. Read more >>>
Sources: Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; Chicago Tribune archive photos and stories; pine tree by Mark McCormick from the Noun Project


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Unseasonably warm weather forecast to continue in Chicago, with near record-breaking temperatures

Dry , pleasant conditions will likely stay with us throughout the weekend and potentially into early next week , dropping @ @ @ @ @ If warm days persist until Monday , Chicago could see its longest stretch of 70-degree @ @ @ @ @

People on Belmont and Sheffield Ave. try to shield themselves from the rain as a cold front moves into Chicago on Nov. 10, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Near record-breaking temperatures in the 70s are forecast to continue in the Chicago area possibly into early next week, says the National Weather Service.
As of 3:15 p.m., it was 74 degrees at O’Hare International Airport, one degree away from Nov. 6′s all-time high of 75, weather service meteorologist Lee Carlaw said.
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“We’ve flirted with it each day here, getting close,” said Carlaw said of the records, adding that on Wednesday temps soared to 74 degrees at O’Hare, tying a record set in 1978.
"Can’t rule out an extra degree or so today, but it’s hard this time of year, the sun’s angle is getting low and the amount of time to warm up is limited,'' Carlaw said.
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But as of 5:20 p.m., the National Weather Service said we never made it higher than 74, which ended up to be the day’s high.
Dry, pleasant conditions will likely stay with us throughout the weekend and potentially into early next week, dropping to the 50′s overnight. If warm days persist until Monday, Chicago could see its longest stretch of 70-degree days ever for November.
Low to mid-70s are predicted on Monday and Tuesday, as again we will get lose to exceeding the record high.
"Sunday the record is 73 degrees at O’Hare, and we are forecasting 74 or 75,'' Carlaw said.
The next chance of rain could be late Monday or Tuesday night when a relatively strong autumn storm will "slice through the area,'' Carlaw said.
The bouts of warmth have planted themselves here because of high pressure to our south and east, Carlaw said. "It has been bottled up and is heading to us.''
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Morgan Park woman, 85, donates tree she planted 35 years ago to city for Millennium Park Christmas t

Morgan Park woman, 85, donates tree she planted 35 years ago to city for Millennium Park Christmas tree

Mitchell knew her family would likely have to cut down the spruce before selling the home , as it was @ @ @ @ @ yard .
So when she saw the city was soliciting nominations for its annual Christmas @ @ @ @ @ mother entered it .

Chicago's Christmas tree is delivered and installed at Millennium Park in Chicago on Nov. 9, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
In 1985, Catherine Townsend bought seeds to plant three blue spruce trees in the yard of her home, a two-flat, red brick building in Morgan Park.
The home had a fairly large lot, and Townsend, a gardener, filled it with plants and flowers. Two of the three trees ended up sprouting, and, through the years, grew to a towering 45 feet.
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The twin spruces were a beloved part of her garden, adding a “touch of elegance,” to her yard, said Townsend, an 85-year-old retired Chicago Public Schools teacher.
As Townsend prepares to sell her home, one of her spruces will take on a new life as Millennium Park’s Christmas tree.
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“They really are beautiful,” Townsend said of the spruces, though the sale of her longtime home is bittersweet.
Catherine Townsend, 85, watches as workers cut and transport her 45-foot blue spruce tree from her yard in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2020. The tree will be Chicago’s official Christmas tree. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The city will not have its annual lighting ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic but workers will drape Townsend’s tree with lights and hold a number of virtual holiday programs.
[ Where Chicago’s official Christmas tree comes from ]
“We are extremely excited to be continuing our city’s beloved winter traditions this season in a safe and healthy way,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a news release.
The holiday virtual programming will begin at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at YouTube.com/ChicagoDCASE, while the tree will be lit in the park at Michigan Avenue and Washington Street from Nov. 20 to Jan. 7.
Townsend’s daughter, Sherri Mitchell, always thought one of the spruces would make a good Christmas tree for Chicago but she knew her mother would never want to cut them down.
“She loved her yard and they were a big part of the yard,” Mitchell said.
About four years ago, Townsend moved to an assisted living community but still couldn’t part with her home. Earlier this year, though, she decided it was time to put it up for sale.
Workers cut and transport a 45-foot blue spruce tree from a yard in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Mitchell knew her family would likely have to cut down the spruce before selling the home, as it was growing too large for the yard. So when she saw the city was soliciting nominations for its annual Christmas tree, Mitchell and her mother entered it.
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Now, they will get to see their tree twinkling grandly in Millennium Park — a moment that will be especially meaningful this year.
“We will not be gathering for Thanksgiving, and we will likely not be gathering for Christmas,” because of the increasing spread COVID-19 this fall, Mitchell said.
Instead, the family plans visit their tree in the park.
“They are going to take their mom to see that tree,” Townsend said, laughing.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Boy, 15, ordered held in custody, accused of fatally shooting man over backpack in Buena Park

When Guaman refused to hand it over , one of the robbers drew a gun and shot Guaman once in @ @ @ @ @ .
The two fled east to Broadway in a Jeep Cherokee with temporary plates , @ @ @

A judge on Friday ruled a 15-year-old Englewood neighborhood boy be held in custody after being charged with murder in the death of a 20-year-old man in the Buena Park neighborhood late last month.
The boy, who is not being identified because of his age, appeared briefly before Judge Kathryn M. Vahey during a hearing at the Juvenile Justice Center, said Cook County state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton.
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He will return to court Monday for a status hearing.
Earlier this week, the boy was cited in a juvenile petition with first-degree murder after being identified as the person who robbed and fatally shot Johnny Guaman in the 900 block of West Belle Plaine Avenue, Chicago police said.
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Guaman was on a sidewalk about 2:10 p.m. on Oct. 29 when, according to witnesses, two males confronted him and tried to grab his backpack, police said.
When Guaman refused to hand it over, one of the robbers drew a gun and shot Guaman once in the chest, killing him. The two fled east to Broadway in a Jeep Cherokee with temporary plates, police said.
Guaman, of the same neighborhood where he was shot, was pronounced dead at 2:41 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy determined Guaman died of a gunshot wound to the chest, and his death was ruled a homicide.
It was unclear if police were still seeking the accomplice.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Man held without bail in fatal shootings of his girlfriend, her mother and sister

Frances and Jasmine Neal were pronounced dead at the scene .
Harris was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in @ @ @ @ @ gave police an extensive videotaped statement .
Not only did she identify Matthews as the @ @ @ @ @ about past instances of his violence against her and said he had disabled her cellphone @ @ @ @ @ could not call police on him .

A Chicago police officer escorts a distraught woman to a police vehicle near where three women were shot June 22, 2020, in the 8600 block of South Wood Street. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago man killed his girlfriend, her mother and her sister in an eruption of rage after his girlfriend declined to cook him breakfast and braid his hair one morning this summer, Cook County prosecutors said Friday.
John Matthews' girlfriend gave police a videotaped statement identifying him as the shooter before she succumbed to a gunshot wound. And Matthews' own grandmother — who witnessed the whole attack — also told authorities that he was the killer, prosecutors alleged.
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John Matthews, 25, was identified as the man who shot and killed three women in the 8600 block of South Wood Street in a domestic-related incident on June 22, 2020, in Chicago. (Chicago Police Department)
Matthews, 25, fled to Iowa after the triple shooting in June and was only arrested after getting into a car accident there in August, authorities said. He was extradited back to Illinois this week on the murder warrant.
Judge Charles Beach II ordered him held without bail Friday on three counts of first-degree murder, noting that “his own flesh and blood has identified him as the shooter.” Matthews' attorney, Assistant Public Defender Rocio Armendariz, said in court Matthews has no previous criminal history and had worked for Amazon.
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Matthews and his girlfriend, Shonta Harris, had been dating for two years, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said in court. They had a son, who was 4 months old at the time of the attack in June.
Harris was at Matthews' home in the 8600 block of South Wood Street for Father’s Day and stayed over that night, Murphy said. The next morning, Matthews told Harris to cook for him, but she declined since she wasn’t feeling well. He then asked her to braid his hair, which she also declined.
He went into a rage, started yelling and punched Harris in the eye, Murphy said.
Matthews' grandmother tried to intervene, bringing Harris outside to defuse the situation. But Matthews followed, yelling that he hated Harris and that she “doesn’t do it for him,” Murphy said.
Harris tried to call her mother for help, but Matthews grabbed her phone and broke it. Matthews' grandmother let Harris use her phone; soon, her mother Frances Neal and her sister Jasmine Neal were outside to pick up Harris, prosecutors said.
Matthews yelled at them to get off his property and refused to let them inside to get the baby, Murphy said.
A Chicago police officer escorts a distraught woman at the scene where three women were shot, two fatally, in the 8600 block of South Wood Street, June 22, 2020, in the Gresham neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Jasmine Neal called 911, telling the calltaker that Matthews had given her sister a black eye and was refusing to hand over their son, Murphy said. The arguing continued as Matthews pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Frances Neal seven times, then shot Harris once in the chest, according to prosecutors.
Jasmine Neal ran into the street, “running for her life with her hands up,” but Matthews chased her down and shot her in the head, Murphy said.
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Matthews' grandmother called 911 as Matthews fled; she identified Matthews as the shooter.
Frances and Jasmine Neal were pronounced dead at the scene. Harris was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she gave police an extensive videotaped statement. Not only did she identify Matthews as the shooter, she told police about past instances of his violence against her and said he had disabled her cellphone 28 times so that she could not call police on him.
Harris was pronounced dead at a rehab facility in the Little Village neighborhood on Sept. 5, records show. The death was determined to be a homicide.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-11-06--Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 49 new deaths, 10,376 new confirmed cases and 86,015 new test res

Daily Illinois coronavirus graphs: 49 new deaths, 10,376 new confirmed cases and 86,015 new test results

Illinois announced 10,376 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Friday for a total of 465,540 .
The state also announced 49 @ @ @ @ @ of 10,079 and 98,401 new test results for a total of 8.22 million .

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