chicagotribune--2020-06-11--GOP state senators push to move to next stage of reopening by Friday; Gov. Pritzker says that belies

GOP state senators push to move to next stage of reopening by Friday; Gov. Pritzker says that belies science

“ We ’ ve opened just on May 29th , we moved into phase three .
We ’ re barely @ @ @ @ @ here and the incubation period is 14 days , ” he said .
“ Don @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t really see the bulk of hospitalizations until between 14 and 21 days @ @ @ @ @ another that have COVID-19 .
And so the idea here is to make sure that @ @ @ @ @ the hospital system as we reopen .
”

Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady stands with Senate Republicans at a May 22, 2020, news conference outside the state Capitol in Springfield. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register)
Illinois’ 19 Republican state senators urged Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to move the state to the next phase of his pandemic reopening plan on Friday, two weeks earlier than would be possible under his guidelines.
The senators cited frustrations of some business owners watching the large gatherings of peaceful protesters in the response to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
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But Pritzker, speaking in Moline on Wednesday, said moving too quickly to phase four of his “Restore Illinois” plan belies the science on the spread of the coronavirus.
In a letter, state Senate Republican leader Bill Brady of Bloomington and his colleagues in the 59-member Senate asked Pritzker to move to a 14-day time frame to move between phases rather than the 28-day time period in his plan.
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“As the demonstrations taking place garner much of the media’s attention, we continue to hear the voices of our constituents, those not protesting but who remain worried their businesses, their livelihoods and their communities remain at continued economic risk,” the letter said.
“They are equally confused by their inability to safely reopen and operate their establishments and places of businesses, while at the same time watching as tens of thousands of their fellow residents gather, albeit legally, in public places with little to no regard for recommended distancing,” the GOP letter said.
The Senate Republicans contended Illinois “remains one of the most restrictive states in the nation,” noting bans on most inside dining, pools and gyms while surrounding states have lifted their restrictions.
Metrics on hospital capacity, testing and use of ventilators already meet the levels set for the next phase, they said.
“Illinois residents have sacrificed much to help contain the spread of this disease, but many are nearing the point of no economic return,” the letter said. “We believe that by working together, we can move our state forward.”
The state moved into phase three of Pritzker’s reopening plan on May 29. Pritzker said it remains too early to consider advancing to the next phase.
“The reason that we have phases is because as you reopen and move into a new phase, guess what? You’re going to get more cases. That’s the thinking,” Pritzker said.
“We’ve opened just on May 29th, we moved into phase three. We’re barely a couple of weeks in here and the incubation period is 14 days,” he said. “Don’t forget, you don’t really see the bulk of hospitalizations until between 14 and 21 days after people engage with one another that have COVID-19. And so the idea here is to make sure that we don’t overwhelm the hospital system as we reopen.”
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Pritzker contended most of the state’s business economy is reopened, although dealing with restrictions mandated under his plan.
“I know there are individual circumstances in the industries. For example, we don’t have indoor dining yet, but warehouses, offices, manufacturing, retail, we can go down a whole long list. But the bulk of the economy of the state is open — again, with capacity limits and masks and everything, all the other mitigations,” the governor said.
Pritzker said he believed the state was “reopening as fast as we can.” But he also said he has been willing to make some adjustments to regulations in his phased schedule “where the epidemiologists and the data indicate we can open more and not see an outbreak of cases.”
State health officials on Wednesday announced 625 new known cases of the coronavirus, which included 78 deaths. That brings the total number of known cases since the pandemic began to 129,837 and the death toll to 6,095.
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Column: Just as we were focused on police brutality, voter suppression raised its ugly head

With Donald Trump ’ s presidency at risk , Republicans aren ’ t hesitant to cross the line .
They @ @ @ @ @ all hang out because they know they can not win playing by the rules .
@ @ @ @ @ harder for minorities to vote , it also impacts liberal and moderate whites who believe @ @ @ @ @ .

Georgia voters wait in long lines, at times in the rain, at New Beginnings Full Gospel Church on June 9, 2020. The lines were taking more than three and a half hours. (Jenni Girtman/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)
No one ever said that fighting for social justice would be easy. Before we can get a handle on one problem, another pops up and demands our full attention.
Just as we were immersed in eradicating police brutality, voter suppression raised its ugly head again. Now, we’ve got to figure out how to multitask.
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The voting fiasco in Georgia on Tuesday was a glaring example of the inequities minorities regularly face at the voting booth. The broken machines, missing ballots and long lines that people had to endure were a direct assault on voting rights, designed to stymie participation and manipulate election outcomes.
It was no surprise that people in neighborhoods with large minority populations had to wait for hours in the rain to vote. We’ve become accustomed to seeing such images on Election Day in states across the country. We saw it in Texas in March and Wisconsin in April.
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In Georgia, the stakes are high. The demographics in the once solidly red state have been rapidly changing over the past two decades. As we approach the November elections, Republicans are doing everything in their power to hold on to the electorate, while Democrats are yanking at its tail, trying to turn it blue.
With Donald Trump’s presidency at risk, Republicans aren’t hesitant to cross the line. They have decided to let it all hang out because they know they cannot win playing by the rules. That not only makes it harder for minorities to vote, it also impacts liberal and moderate whites who believe it is time for change.
Republicans in many states have enacted strict voter identification laws under the guise of weeding out voter fraud that, for the most part, is nonexistent. Everyone knows it’s really about keeping poor people and elderly people at home.
On Tuesday, we saw how diligent these voters are, though. They waited patiently while inching their way toward the voting booth, determined not to fall victim to the systemic efforts to oppress them. They chose not to be victims, but rather, warriors.
Their defiance was a rebellion against the organized assault on their basic rights. But they should not have to fight these battles alone. All of us who understand that voting is the foundation of our democracy must stand with them.
A bill introduced in the Senate would implement vote by mail nationwide and expand early voting in every state. The Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act would ensure that states offer 20 days of early in-person voting and no-excuse absentee vote by mail. It also would extend voter registration deadlines up until Election Day or at least 21 days prior to it.
We must demand that Senate Republicans support this legislation.
Illinois is one of several states that have passed similar legislation expanding vote by mail. People who live in states that are still mulling it over must make it clear to their lawmakers that failure to act is not an option.
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Georgia has been a hot spot for voter suppression for a long time. It set itself apart in 2018, when the sitting secretary of state, Republican Brian Kemp, oversaw statewide voting in an election where he was running for governor. Needless to say, Kemp won.
But the standoff began long before most of us on the outside were paying attention.
Between 2012 and 2016, 1.5 million voters were purged from the rolls in Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The blatant cleansing occurred eight months after Kemp announced he was running for governor.
During a single weekend in 2017, Republican officials purged a half-million people from the state voter rolls, many of them for simply failing to vote in a prior election.
Faced with a lawsuit by his Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams, Kemp resigned the post while the election results were still being contested. On the way out the door, he declared himself governor-elect.
It is obvious that Kemp, a supporter of Trump, has no intention of seeing to it that fair elections are held in his state. That goal has been taken up by Abrams, who has positioned herself as a national voice in combating voter suppression.
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It is shameful that such barriers still exist 55 years after Congress passed the Voting Rights Act guaranteeing African Americans the right to vote as provided under the 15th Amendment. It is just as shameful for us to sit back and do nothing.
Protecting voting rights has long been a pillar of social justice. Voting is the one thing that makes every American citizen equal. It is the most efficient tool we have to bring about substantive change in an imbalanced system. Voting also is the right that has most been trampled on.
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There is a real threat that the coronavirus will resurge in the fall, making it more difficult for people to get to the polls. In the worst-case scenario, Trump could wake up one morning and try to declare the election canceled.
Now is the time to hound our elected officials and let them know that we’re watching their every move and that we are holding them accountable.
We must demand that state voting rolls are kept intact, and that every registered American who wants to vote gets to cast a ballot.
We must demand complete access to mail-in voting. We must demand a sufficient number of voting machines to meet the needs of every precinct — and that those machines be fully operational. We must demand that every polling place be stocked with ballots. And we must demand that every vote be fairly counted.
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Too many officials are fixated on making it impossible for everyone to vote. We have to show them that we are just as committed to making sure that everyone can vote.
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Lakeview set to be first in the city to test street closures for pilot dining program this weekend

The event , dubbed Dine Out on Broadway , will repeat again next weekend .
More than 30 restaurants are @ @ @ @ @ , delivery or , for some , dining alfresco .
With streets blocked to vehicles @ @ @ @ @ out additional tables and chairs so neighbors can grab their takeout and enjoy it outside @ @ @ @

Lakeview brewpub DryHop will be among the participating restaurants during Dine Out on Broadway. (DryHop Brewers)
As outdoor dining in Chicago continues into its second weekend, the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce is taking it a step further through Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pilot program, with plans to be the first area in the city to shut down a main street for outdoor dining.
On Friday, from noon until 10 p.m., Broadway will be open only to pedestrians between Belmont Avenue and Diversey Parkway, and again from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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The event, dubbed Dine Out on Broadway, will repeat again next weekend. More than 30 restaurants will be open for takeout, delivery, or for some, dining alfresco. With streets blocked to vehicles, the business can extend their sidewalk cafes farther out to allow for more outdoor seating.
Participating eateries include Black & Caspian, Chilam Balam, Crisp, DryHop Brewers, Fancy Plants Cafe, Johnson’s Real Ice Cream, Maison Marcel, Mortar & Pestle and Wilde Bar & Restaurant. Some will offer reservations, while others are first-come, first-served. It’s recommended to make reservations if possible.
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All social distancing, face covering and other guidelines will be followed, according to the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce. The No. 36 bus on Broadway will be rerouted, and Barry Avenue, Oakdale Avenue and Briar Place will become two-way streets.
[ What you need to know about closing Chicago city streets to make room for more outdoor dining space ]
It has been two weeks since Lightfoot announced a pilot program to close residential streets and commercial corridors in six Chicago neighborhoods so that restaurants can seat guests outside.
The city pilot program identified six major areas in the city where main thoroughfares will close in the hopes of boosting sales for restaurants in that area.
Designated areas included:
75th Street, from Calumet Avenue to Indiana Avenue, in Chatham
Broadway, from Belmont Avenue to Diversey Parkway, in Lakeview
26th Street, from Central Park to Harding Avenue, in Little Village
Rush Street, from Oak Street to Cedar Street, in the Near North area
Taylor Street, from Loomis Street to Ashland Avenue, in Little Italy
Randolph Street, from the Kennedy Expressway no farther than Elizabeth Street, in the West Loop
Have more questions? Check out our breakdown here.
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--In front of backdrop of a dozen gray tents, activists warn Lightfoot of displacement around proposed

In front of backdrop of a dozen gray tents, activists warn Lightfoot of displacement around proposed Obama center without a community benefits agreement in place

About 27 % of vacant lots in Woodlawn are owned by the city .
Under the mayor ’ s proposed @ @ @ @ @ building on city-owned vacant land are required to set aside a certain number of units @ @ @ @ @ means a developer for a building with six to 14 units has to set aside @ @ @ @ @ households earning up to 80 % of the area median income , or about $ @ @ @ @ @ four .

Drummers from the group Ayodele Drum & Dance play for activists calling for the development of affordable housing near the proposed site of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago during a rally at 63rd Street and Blackstone Avenue in Chicago on June 11, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Two men helped ease Sharon Payne out of her chair before she strode toward the news microphones with her walking stick.
With health issues affecting her hip and back, the 71-year-old Payne knew the risks of showing up to a public protest, much less during the coronavirus pandemic. But the longtime Woodlawn resident said she had to speak up as an activist calling for more affordable housing around the planned Obama Presidential Center because she fears the rising rents will push her out of her subsidized, one-bedroom apartment.
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“This community is a black community,” Payne said during the news conference. “Why should they be put out and pulled out because they want to make this Gold Coast?”
Payne joined about 50 other members of the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition and ally groups as they took over a vacant Woodlawn lot with a makeshift settlement of gray tents on Thursday — a symbolic message to Mayor Lori Lightfoot of their concerns that homelessness could worsen there without a community benefits agreement. More than a dozen community groups have joined or allied with the Obama CBA Coalition to clamor for a pause in the city planning process for Woodlawn and surrounding areas until a community benefits agreement can be reached.
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Activists calling for the development of affordable housing in Chicago near the proposed site of the Obama Presidential Center gather at 63rd Street and Blackstone Avenue in Chicago on June 11, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The site of the tent city demonstration on East 63rd Street and South Blackstone Avenue was intentional, being one of 1,200 vacant lots in Woodlawn. These empty lots are one element the city and the Obama CBA Coalition are battling over as both sides push their own plans to protect residents living near the presidential center, with the latter calling for more city-owned lots designated for affordable housing.
“We got excited for our essential workers,” Obama CBA Coalition organizing member Ebonée Green said. “But we don’t want to give them a place to live? But we have to come out and beg? It’s almost like they pretend that we cannot read these ordinances.”
In a Wednesday statement responding to the coalition’s concerns, Department of Housing spokesman Don Terry said the mayor’s proposed ordinance “protects residents against displacement along with mechanisms to encourage the development of new housing stock for both renters and buyers.”
"The Lightfoot administration has worked to include the diverse perspectives found throughout Woodlawn through an in-depth and expansive community engagement process spanning more than 30 community meetings that brought hundreds of renters, homeowners, and other stakeholders together,” Terry added.
About 27% of vacant lots in Woodlawn are owned by the city. Under the mayor’s proposed ordinance, developers who are building on city-owned vacant land are required to set aside a certain number of units for lower-income residents. That means a developer for a building with six to 14 units has to set aside 10% of apartments for households earning up to 80% of the area median income, or about $71,000 for a family of four.
But the Obama CBA Coalition wants 75% of vacant city-owned lots to be affordable, warning that without such safeguards the sprawling presidential center would permanently change the predominantly black neighborhood.
The proposed Obama Presidential Center would be a sprawling campus with buildings to house Obama Foundation offices, a public library branch and have indoor and outdoor recreation areas. The center also would be home to a museum devoted to telling the story of the nation’s first African American president and first lady.
An Obama Foundation spokeswoman did not immediately respond for comment. Former President Barack Obama has said he doesn’t think a benefits agreement was the best approach but released a list of promises to the community and opened a job resource center in South Shore.
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Wading through the gray tents scattered across the lot’s overgrown grass, members of the Obama CBA Coalition hammered in a large black sign that read, “Lightfoot’s Tent City.” Other signs also called for defunding the Chicago Police Department, echoing the hundreds of residents who wrote to City Council with those demands following national anger over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. One pair of signs pointed out the gulf between CPD’s budget at $1.78 billion and the housing development budget at $168 million.
The Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter, the movement that has inspired worldwide protests against police brutality and anti-black racism, spoke out against Lightfoot for refusing to promise to defund Chicago police while suspending the free school lunch program for a day amid unrest last week.
Ariel Atkins, lead organizer of Black Lives Matter Chicago, said she has seen Chicago officers meet anti-police brutality protesters with force in the past three weeks.
“They are ready to assault us,” Atkins said. “They are ready and Lightfoot is consistently putting more and more money into this policing. ... She might care about Lakeview. She doesn’t care about Woodlawn, and she needs to change that.”
Atkins said, however, the tide was turning and “we’ve got Lightfoot up against the wall. She’s out here looking foolish, taking money from the children, telling them that she’s not going to feed them anymore.” Her admonishment of the mayor was echoed by #LetUsBreathe Collective co-founder Kristiana Colón, who repeated throughout her speech, “You’re not listening to the people. You about to lose your job.”
Terry, the Department of Housing spokesman, said the mayor first met with Woodlawn stakeholders last July, and in January the city hosted an open house with more than 200 Woodlawn-area residents attending.
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“The open house was designed to help gain further community input and ensure that all stakeholders have an opportunity to provide feedback,” Terry said.
Three aldermen also showed up to support the demonstration, including Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, who represents the Woodlawn neighborhood. Taylor shared that she herself had to leave the 3rd Ward soon after the Harold Washington Cultural Center caused property taxes in the area to increase.
“As a black woman don’t I deserve to have a roof over my head?” Taylor said at the news conference. “As a mother, don’t my kids deserve to go to quality neighborhood schools? ... As a city who is now saying, ‘We want to protect folks. We want to help them,’ be clear about who they going to help. They’re not talking about folks that look like me or you.”
The Obama CBA Coalition supports an ordinance introduced by Taylor and Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th, in July that mandates 30% of new housing developments be affordable. A community trust fund also would subsidize rents, pay for property tax increases, award grants for homeowners and develop the workforce, among other things.
The mayor has drafted her own ordinance to funnel about $4.5 million toward four housing programs that would assist current and new homeowners and earmark funds to Woodlawn developers who establish affordable housing.
Lastly, the mayor and Obama CBA Coalition differ on the areas included under their plans. While the mayor’s ordinance includes just the Woodlawn neighborhood, the coalition wants protections for all properties within a 2-mile radius of the presidential center, effectively adding parts of South Shore and Washington Park.
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“Even though we talk about reform all the time, that’s not what we’ve seen in City Council,” Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, said at the demonstration. “We have an administration that is deaf to our demands, who is not willing to be at the table. … The question to Mayor Lightfoot: Is she willing to listen? Is she hearing us now?”
During the early evening, the throng grew to a crowd of about 200 people that marched for about 3 miles, drawing some residents out of their houses to join the crowd chanting, “Back up, back up. We want freedom, freedom. All those racist a-- cops we don’t need them, need them.”
Passing cars, some clogged by traffic from the march snaking down 63rd, South Cottage Grove, Midway Plaisance and finally South Stony Island Avenue, honked in unison to the chorus clamoring to defund the police. On both sides of the march, grassy vacant lots surrounded the protestors.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--COVID-19 causes delay in civil trial over Dennis Hastert hush-money pact

“ The plaintiff is anxious to move forward and have this matter heard and resolved , as is the defendant @ @ @ @ @ you I ’ d like to have it resolved as well , ” the judge @ @ @ @ @ the only thing I can tell you with any degree of certainty is we ’ @ @ @ @ @ a trial in July .
”

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert leaves Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago after sentencing on April 27, 2016. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
The trial over hush-money payments by former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert to a man who accused him of sexual abuse won’t begin this summer after all because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus.
Kendall County Chief Judge Robert Pilmer, who is presiding over the long-simmering lawsuit, cited social distancing concerns for potential jurors as the reason for the delay during a court hearing Thursday.
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Lawyers had been expected to begin jury selection next month.
“The plaintiff is anxious to move forward and have this matter heard and resolved, as is the defendant, and I can assure you I’d like to have it resolved as well,” the judge said. “But today the only thing I can tell you with any degree of certainty is we’re not going to have a trial in July.”
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This is at least the second time the trial has been postponed. Pilmer did not immediately set a new date. He noted continued concerns, such as a second wave of the virus causing further disruptions. The Yorkville courthouse resumed operations June 1, though some restrictions remain in place.
Lawyers in the lawsuit are due back in court Sept. 25, when another trial date may be set.
“It’s kind of a moving target,” Pilmer said Thursday. “So we just want to make sure that when we do bring in people to sit as jurors that we can assure their safety and well-being.”
Neither Hastert, 78, nor the man who is suing him has appeared in court since the lawsuit was filed in April 2016. Attempts to settle the case were unsuccessful, and both sides have said they anticipate it will go to trial.
Hastert was a Yorkville High School teacher and state champion wrestling coach before entering politics in the early 1980s. The former student-athlete who filed the lawsuit alleged that Hastert sexually abused him one night when the two stayed in a motel during an out-of-state wrestling camp in the 1970s. The student was 14 at the time.
The man is identified in the lawsuit only as James Doe. His unwritten $3.5 million hush-money pact with Hastert led to the disgraced politician’s federal indictment in 2015. Federal prosecutors described the man as “Individual A.” He has declined repeated Tribune requests for interviews.
Hastert paid the man $1.7 million but stopped payments in late 2014 after federal authorities, aware of suspicious bank withdrawals, approached Hastert to investigate whether the once-powerful Republican was being victimized. The investigation instead revealed decades-old allegations that Hastert had sexual contact with the former student and a handful of other male teens connected to the high school wrestling program.
Hastert was not charged with sex crimes, in part because the statute of limitations had expired. He later admitted in a plea deal that he was guilty of making illegally structured bank withdrawals to avoid reporting requirements.
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At his 2016 sentencing hearing, Hastert was apologetic, saying he “mistreated” and “took advantage” of some of the boys when he was their coach. But in a 2018 deposition in the lawsuit, Hastert denied anything sexual occurred with the man who sued and said he simply helped the boy with a pulled groin injury.
The former speaker was released from federal prison in summer 2017 after serving 13 months.
The man who sued Hastert is seeking the remaining $1.8 million plus interest on a breach-of-contract claim. Both men are expected to testify when the civil suit goes to trial.
Pilmer said a larger pool of potential jurors will likely be assembled given the notoriety of the case.
“A lot of things are just in play at this point,” the judge said Thursday. "One, obviously, is the ongoing nature of this pandemic, if there is in fact a second wave later this year that could have an impact on this. So we just don’t know at this point what’s going to happen.”
cmgutowski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 766 new known COVID-19 cases and 91 additional deaths reported as v

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 766 new known COVID-19 cases and 91 additional deaths reported as virus survivor in Chicago receives double lung transplant

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A person rides the Metra Electric District line, May 11, 2021, in Chicago. With some coronavirus pandemic restrictions lifted, some people may be returning to public transit. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
State officials announced Thursday there had been 91 additional fatalities related to COVID-19 confirmed, for a statewide death toll of 6,185.
Officials also reported 766 new known cases, pushing the statewide total to 130,603.
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Earlier Thursday, it was announced that about 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that many Americans are still losing their jobs even as the economy appears to be slowly recovering with more businesses partially reopening.
In Illinois, 44,814 people filed initial claims for jobless benefits in the week ended June 6, a slight decline from the 46,385 claims filed the previous week.
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[ When can Illinois move to phase 4? Here's where each region stands. ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
10:50 p.m.: Chicago’s Riverwalk set to reopen on Friday with restrictions
The city of Chicago’s Riverwalk will officially reopen on Friday, with restrictions aimed at limiting activity and crowds, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office announced.
Lightfoot ordered the Riverwalk closed in March as part of a broader effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. Now, with the city easing restrictions on the public and allowing more businesses to reopen, the mayor’s office said it will allow people to visit the Riverwalk through limited access points on Lake Street. Read more here. — Gregory Pratt
7:32 p.m.: Lakeview set to be first in the city to test street closures for pilot dining program this weekend
As outdoor dining in Chicago continues into its second weekend, the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce is taking it a step further through Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pilot program, with plans to be the first area in the city to shut down a main street for outdoor dining.
Tomorrow, from noon until 10 p.m., Broadway will be open only to pedestrians between Belmont Avenue and Diversey Parkway, and again from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Read more here. — Grace Wong
5:29 p.m.: Trial in Dennis Hastert hush-money lawsuit delayed by coronavirus
The trial over hush-money payments by former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert to a man who accused him of sexual abuse won’t begin this summer after all because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus.
Kendall County Chief Judge Robert Pilmer, who is presiding over the long-simmering lawsuit, cited social distancing concerns for potential jurors as the reason for the delay during a court hearing Thursday.
Lawyer had been expected to begin jury selection next month.
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“The plaintiff is anxious to move forward and have this matter heard and resolved, as is the defendant, and I can assure you I’d like to have it resolved as well,” the judge said. “But today the only thing I can tell you with any degree of certainty is we’re not going to have a trial in July.”
This is at least the second time the trial has been postponed. Pilmer did not immediately set a new date. He noted continued concerns, such as a second wave of the virus causing further disruptions. The Yorkville courthouse resumed operations June 1, though some restrictions remain in place.
Lawyers in the lawsuit are due back in court Sept. 25, when another trial date may be set. Read more here. — Christy Gutowski
5:28 p.m. (Updated): Advocates call for more permanent housing units for vulnerable homeless Chicagoans as COVID-19 crisis eases: ‘An issue of racial justice’
More rental units are needed to shield vulnerable Chicagoans without a home from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released by a coalition of doctors and advocates for homeless people.
The city of Chicago proposed spending a total of almost $40 million in federal funding, combining money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and federal block grants. The money would go toward homelessness services including prevention efforts, emergency rental assistance and spacing out of current shelters to maintain social distance measures. The city earmarked $15.7 million for 1,250 “shield housing” units to prevent COVID-19 infection among older or medically vulnerable homeless individuals.
But the proposal falls 500 units short of recommendations by the Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity, which includes doctors who work in homeless shelters where people sleep in gymlike dormitories.
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“The ask of 500 additional rapid rehousing units is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the need,” David Ansell, president of Rush University Medical Center’s community health equity, said during a news conference Thursday. “We should not leave the opportunity to house these 500 additional households on the table.” Read more here. — Cecilia Reyes
5:24 p.m.: Woman on the brink of death receives first known double lung transplant due to COVID-19 in US
Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday performed the first known double lung transplant in the United States for a COVID-19 patient whose lungs were severely damaged by the disease, saving the woman in her 20s from almost certain death.
Speaking outside of the Prentice Women’s Hospital on Thursday, the doctors called the surgery a “milestone" in care for patients who are critically ill from the virus which has killed more than 6,000 people in Illinois. The hospital has already received calls from across the country about the procedure.
At least two other transplants have been performed in Austria and China.
“This is an important development that could help a number of patients who have sustained severe and irreversible lung damage as a result of COVID-19,” said Ankit Bharat , chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Program. Read more here. — Madeline Buckley
5:23 p.m.: As US lockdowns roll back, there’s been an alarming rise in coronavirus cases. Here’s what’s driving surges in some states.
States are rolling back lockdowns, but the coronavirus isn't done with the U.S.
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Cases are rising in nearly half the states, according to an Associated Press analysis, a worrying trend that could intensify as people return to work and venture out during the summer. Read more here. — Associated Press
4:18 p.m.: Chicago’s farmers markets start to reopen with new safety protocols, beginning in neighborhoods with less access to food
Slowly, and under strict COVID-19 safety protocols, Chicago’s city-run and independent farmers markets are opening.
“It’s happening more slowly than we would have liked it, or would in a normal year, but everybody has to adjust to what they’re doing, and how they’re doing it,” said city markets program director Alisa Baum. “It’s been slow rolling, but we’re getting there.”
A couple of independent markets — in Andersonville and Back of the Yards — have opened this week. Starting Saturday, the city-operated markets will start opening, specifically targeting areas designated as low-income, low-access by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
First up is the West Humboldt Park market (3601 W. Chicago Ave.) on Saturday, followed by the Division Street market (30 W. Division St.) on June 20 and the Pullman Market City market (11100 S. Cottage Grove Ave.) on July 1. Eight more city-run markets will open in the following weeks. Read more here. — Phil Vettel
3:21 p.m.: Cook County to spend $41 million on COVID-19 contact tracing, but won’t be fully staffed until fall
Cook County will spend nearly $41 million to dramatically beef up its contact tracing program in an effort to limit future COVID-19 case surges, but won’t have the program fully staffed until fall, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Thursday.
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The program — which involves identifying people afflicted with the disease, ensuring they can isolate and asking people with whom they recently had significant contact to quarantine themselves — is widely viewed as a key element in limiting future outbreaks of the disease. Read more here. — Hal Dardick
3:11 p.m.: Some south suburban pools are reopening, but you might need a reservation
With new guidelines laid out by state health officials, some south suburban public pools are reopening, but with a bevy of restrictions.
Oak Lawn Park District officials recently reopened the district’s Central Park pool, and Orland Park is opening its indoor pool at its Health & Fitness Center on Friday followed by the outdoor pool at Centennial Park on Monday. Read more here. — Mike Nolan
2:38 p.m.: 766 new known COVID-19 cases, 91 additional deaths
State officials announced Thursday there had been 91 additional fatalities related to COVID-19 confirmed, for a statewide death toll of 6,185.
Officials also reported 766 new known cases, pushing the statewide total to 130,603.
12:23 p.m.: Advocates call for more permanent housing units for vulnerable homeless Chicagoans as COVID-19 crisis eases: ‘An issue of racial justice’
More rental units are needed to shield vulnerable Chicagoans without a home from the pandemic, according to a report released by a coalition of doctors and advocates for the homeless.
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The city of Chicago proposed spending $23.7 million from federal funding for homelessness services, which includes prevention efforts and spacing out of current shelters to maintain social distance measures. The city destined $15.7 million for 1,250 “shield housing” units to prevent COVID-19 infection among older or medically vulnerable homeless individuals.
But the proposal falls 500 units short of recommendations by the Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity, which includes doctors who work in homeless shelters where people sleep in gymlike dormitories.
“The ask of 500 additional rapid rehousing units is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the need,” David Ansell, president of Rush Universtity Medical Center’s community health equity, said. “We should not leave the opportunity to house these 500 additional household on the table.” Read more here. —Cecilia Reyes
10:29 a.m.: Musicians, local sports stars fill lineup for Chicago’s citywide virtual graduation
As Chicago prepares to honors its high school graduates with a virtual ceremony, DJ Khaled, Common and a host of other celebrities and sports figures have joined the lineup, with Oprah Winfrey headlining.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the additional participants Thursday, ahead of the hourlong citywide commencement airing at 1 p.m. Sunday, to be followed by a party with an array of musical performances. Read more here. —Ariel Cheung
9:48 a.m.: Food prices jump in May, led by 40% surge in meat costs, as US wholesale prices rise
U.S. wholesale prices rose 0.4% in May, led by gains in the cost of food and energy.
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The Labor Department said Thursday that its Producer Price Index, which measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer, showed an increase after three straight months of declines. Those declines had reflected in part the steep drop in demand caused by government-ordered shutdowns to deal with the coronavirus.
The cost of food rose a sharp 6%. Food costs have been rising due to high demand from Americans cooking more at home, but also because of lost production following virus outbreaks at food processing facilities. Energy prices, which had fallen for three straight months, increased 4.5%. Read more here. —Associated Press
7:49 a.m.: 1.5 million new unemployment claims — a high number of layoffs, but 10th straight weekly decline
About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that many Americans are still losing their jobs even as the economy appears to be slowly recovering with more businesses partially reopening.
The latest figure from the Labor Department marked the 10th straight weekly decline in applications for jobless aid since they peaked in mid-March when the coronavirus hit hard. Still, the pace of layoffs remains historically high.
In Illinois, 44,814 people filed initial claims for jobless benefits in the week ended June 6, a slight decline from the 46,385 claims filed the previous week.
Nationally, the total number of people who are receiving unemployment aid fell slightly, a sign that some people who were laid off when restaurants, retail chains and small businesses suddenly shut down have been recalled to work. Read more here. —Associated Press
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7:02 a.m.: Coronavirus survivor in Chicago receives double lung transplant
Surgeons in Chicago have given a new set of lungs to a young woman with severe lung damage from the coronavirus.
Only a few other COVID-19 survivors, in China and Europe, have received lung transplants.
The patient, who is her 20s, was on a ventilator and heart-lung machine for almost two months before her operation last Friday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Read more here. —Associated Press
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Wednesday in the Chicago area related to coronavirus:


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Woman on the brink of death receives first known double lung transplant due to COVID-19 in US

Speaking outside of the Prentice Women ’ s Hospital on Thursday , the doctors called the surgery a “ milestone @ @ @ @ @ who are critically ill from the virus which has killed more than 6,000 people in @ @ @ @ @ already received calls from across the country about the procedure .

Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery, announces on June 11, 2020, that a successful double lung transplant was done on a patient recovering from COVID-19 last week at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday performed the first known double lung transplant in the United States for a COVID-19 patient whose lungs were severely damaged by the disease, saving the woman in her 20s from almost certain death.
Speaking outside of the Prentice Women’s Hospital on Thursday, the doctors called the surgery a “milestone" in care for patients who are critically ill from the virus which has killed more than 6,000 people in Illinois. The hospital has already received calls from across the country about the procedure.
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At least two other transplants have been performed in Austria and China.
“This is an important development that could help a number of patients who have sustained severe and irreversible lung damage as a result of COVID-19,” said Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Program.
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Though lung transplants are not new on their own, the damage to the woman’s lung from COVID-19 made the surgery “technically much more complex,” said Bharat, who performed the surgery with a team.
The doctors also had to wait for the virus to clear the woman’s system while mechanically supporting her body, which was on the brink of multi-organ failure.
“If she didn’t get the transplant, she would not be alive,” Bharat said.
The woman, among the youngest patients at Northwestern with that degree of lung damage, spent about six weeks in the COVID-19 intensive care unit on a ventilator and another life support machine to support her heart, doctors said.
“Many days, she was the sickest patient in our COVID-19 ICU, and possibly the entire hospital,” said Elizabeth Malsin, pulmonary and critical care specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The woman required a ventilator “almost immediately” after arriving at the hospital, Malsin said, an indication of how quickly the virus overwhelmed her lungs.
Machines supported her body for over a month, as doctors hoped her lungs would eventually heal and allow her to breathe on her own, Malsin said. Hundreds of health care workers provided care for her over several weeks.
The woman was not able to have her family beside her through the ordeal due to COVID-19 visitor restrictions, leaving health care workers to take up roles of comfort and support, Malsin said.
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“Even on her sickest days, she was never alone,” she said.
By early June, her lungs were showing signs of irreversible damage, leaving a transplant as the only option.
Generally doctors try to wake up transplant patients so they can be made aware of the surgery, but in this case, the hospital had to rely on her family for consent, Bharat said.
“Her lungs were so badly injured we could not wake her up,” he said.
About 48 hours after listing her for a transplant, the team found a matching donor, Bharat said.
A normal double lung transplant generally takes six to seven hours, but this transplant was complicated by extensive scarring on the lungs, Bharat said, highlighting how much doctors still don’t know about the impact of the virus.
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“COVID-19 is a disease unlike anything we’ve seen before,” he said. “One minute the patient is talking to you and looks comfortable, and the next minute, the patient’s oxygen starts to drop and the patient suddenly requires ventilation and intubation.”
There are about 113,000 people in the United States waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, said Rafael Garza-Castillon, a thoracic surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, who asked people to consider becoming a donor.
“Please consider checking that box on your driver’s license,” he said.
The woman is currently in stable condition. Though she has a long road ahead, Bharat said he hopes she will make a full recovery.
“Yesterday she smiled and told me just one sentence,” he said. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


Corrections and clarifications

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· A review of a new book about Tiger Woods in Thursday’s A&E section included an incorrect byline. The writer of the review is Craig Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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chicagotribune--2020-06-11--2 CTA bus drivers removed from service after video appears to show one of them slamming a person to

2 CTA bus drivers removed from service after video appears to show one of them slamming a person to the pavement

The driver who slammed the person to the ground then appears to say , `` You better get your ( @ @ @ @ @ , ” pointing to him as he backs away .

Two CTA bus drivers have been removed from service after a video surfaced appearing to show one of them slamming a person to the pavement during an altercation outside a parked bus.
The 10-second video was posted on Facebook early Thursday, but it’s not clear when or where it happened.
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It begins with one of the drivers facing a person alongside the bus. A voice is heard saying, “Stop that (expletive), man."
The other driver comes up and grabs the person by the leg and shoulder and throws him to the pavement.
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“Damn,” someone is heard saying.
The driver who slammed the person to the ground then appears to say, "You better get your (expletive) home, boy,” pointing to him as he backs away.
The video ends with the first driver walking around the front of the bus.
“CTA is aware of the video and is investigating the circumstances surrounding it,” agency spokesman Brian Steele said. “We find this incident deeply disturbing and have removed the involved employees from service, pending the completion of our investigation.”
Keith Hill, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, said the video "raises a lot of questions about who, what, why and where.”
"They’re both great guys," he said. "They both have impeccable manners. They’re mild-mannered, laid-back great guys.
“Everyone’s still putting the pieces together,” he added. "We don’t condone violence unless it’s in self-defense. People have a right to defend themselves. ... We have to stand with our operators.”
Chicago police said they were not investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Gunmen in red truck fatally shoot man, wound another, late Thursday morning on South Side

The victims fled the scene to 81st and Loomis Boulevard where an ambulance was called .
The younger victim suffered @ @ @ @ @ neck , and was pronounced dead .
The older victim was struck in the forearm @ @ @ @ @ Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn , police said .

A 35 year-old man was listed in critical condition Thursday evening, following a shooting in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, Chicago police said.
About 6 p.m., the man was in the 1600 block of South Homan Avenue, when he was approached by someone who pulled out a gun and fired shots, striking him three times to the neck. He was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.
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Earlier Thursday, two gunmen traveling in a red truck opened fire, fatally shooting a 19-year-old man and wounding another on the South Side in the Englewood neighborhood, police said.
Shortly before noon, two men, 19 and 21, were sitting in a vehicle in the 1100 block of West 71st Street, when a red truck approached and two gunmen opened fire in their direction, Chicago police said.
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The victims fled the scene to 81st and Loomis Boulevard where an ambulance was called. The younger victim suffered wounds to his face and neck, and was pronounced dead. The older victim was struck in the forearm, and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said.
No one was in custody, and detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Chicago’s farmers markets start to reopen with new safety protocols, beginning in neighborhoods with

Chicago’s farmers markets start to reopen with new safety protocols, beginning in neighborhoods with less access to food

“ It ’ s happening more slowly than we would have liked it , or would in a normal year @ @ @ @ @ adjust to what they ’ re doing , and how they ’ re doing it @ @ @ @ @ program director Alisa Baum .
“ It ’ s been slow rolling , but we @ @ @ @ @ ”

Ambrose Erkenswick of River Valley Kitchens unloads a basket of mushrooms for shoppers at the City Markets Kickoff at Daley Plaza, Thursday, May 9, 2019. Chicago City Markets sell fresh seasonal produce, flowers, prepared foods, unique Chicago-made products and rare finds ? at Chicago's longest running farmers market on Daley Plaza, the historic Maxwell Street Market and a dozen more community markets in neighborhoods across Chicago.(Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Slowly, and under strict COVID-19 safety protocols, Chicago’s city-run and independent farmers markets are opening.
“It’s happening more slowly than we would have liked it, or would in a normal year, but everybody has to adjust to what they’re doing, and how they’re doing it,” said city markets program director Alisa Baum. “It’s been slow rolling, but we’re getting there.”
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A couple of independent markets — in Andersonville and Back of the Yards — have opened this week. Starting Saturday, the city-operated markets will start opening, specifically targeting areas designated as low-income, low-access by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
First up is the West Humboldt Park market (3601 W. Chicago Ave.) on Saturday, followed by the Division Street market (30 W. Division St.) on June 20 and the Pullman Market City market (11100 S. Cottage Grove Ave.) on July 1. Eight more city-run markets will open in the following weeks.
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All markets will accept LINK cards. A LINK Match incentive will give a $1 coupon for every $1 spent with a LINK card (maximum $25); last year, the coupon redemption rate was 99%, Baum said. The coupons will be good at the same farmers market and other participants in the match program.
“A lot of people think the downtown markets aren’t for food accessibility, but the highest number of LINK purchases are downtown,” Baum said. “Obviously, it’ll be different this year, with fewer people working downtown, but there probably are more people qualifying for LINK right now.”
The new safety protocols, which can be viewed at chicagocitymarkets.us, require that farmers’ booths be 6 feet apart, and that customers maintain the same distance. Impermeable barriers will protect counters and registers. Face coverings will be mandated for staff, vendors and guests. Hand sanitizer or hand-washing facilities will be available.
Customers will not be allowed to touch the produce; it’ll be point-and-buy only. Vendors and staff will wear gloves. Vendors are encouraged to practice cashless and contactless payment when possible; the Andersonville market, for example, will initially require preordering.
By next week, more opening dates will be announced, and the program is compiling a directory of all farmers markets — including independents — which will be posted on the Chicago City Markets site.
“We’ll be doing that soon,” Baum said. “It’s hard to do in advance, because the approvals have been coming in so late. We’ll have it up on the site ASAP, and continue to roll.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Advocates call for more permanent housing units for vulnerable homeless Chicagoans as COVID-19 crisi

Advocates call for more permanent housing units for vulnerable homeless Chicagoans as COVID-19 crisis eases: ‘An issue of racial justice’

As parts of the city reopen and hotels return to normal operations , advocates for homeless people worry that momentum @ @ @ @ @ will wane .
Carolyn Ross , president and CEO of All Chicago Making Homelessness History @ @ @ @ @ identified about 70 move-in ready units as of this week and prioritized placement for people @ @ @

A man crosses the street in front of Hotel One Sixty-Six on March 23, 2020. More than 260 people from 18 homeless shelters have stayed there. (Raquel Zaldivar / Chicago Tribune)
More rental units are needed to shield vulnerable Chicagoans without a home from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released by a coalition of doctors and advocates for homeless people.
The city of Chicago proposed spending a total of almost $40 million in federal funding, combining money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and federal block grants. The money would go toward homelessness services including prevention efforts, emergency rental assistance and spacing out of current shelters to maintain social distance measures. The city earmarked $15.7 million for 1,250 “shield housing” units to prevent COVID-19 infection among older or medically vulnerable homeless individuals.
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But the proposal falls 500 units short of recommendations by the Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity, which includes doctors who work in homeless shelters where people sleep in gymlike dormitories.
“The ask of 500 additional rapid rehousing units is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the need,” David Ansell, president of Rush University Medical Center’s community health equity, said during a news conference Thursday. “We should not leave the opportunity to house these 500 additional households on the table.”
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In a statement, the mayor’s office said the Department of Family and Support Services recommended the amount spent on quickly putting people in new housing and said it was “committed to preventing homelessness,” but did not address the shortfall identified by the homelessness group.
“Rapid re-housing is a critical tool to support a sustained, decompressed shelter system and move vulnerable households into the stability of a home,” the statement said.
In April, the city started moving at-risk individuals out of homeless shelters and into downtown’s Hotel One Sixty-Six Magnificent Mile. Dr. Thomas Huggett, lead physician of the Lawndale Christian Health Center’s medical team, coordinates care for people at the hotel. More than 260 people from 18 shelters have stayed there, and improved mentally and physically, Huggett said.
“It would make no sense if those we have shielded at the hotel would have to return to a large shelter or the streets,” he said.
As parts of the city reopen and hotels return to normal operations, advocates for homeless people worry that momentum to house those at risk will wane. Carolyn Ross, president and CEO of All Chicago Making Homelessness History, said the nonprofit has identified about 70 move-in ready units as of this week and prioritized placement for people in hotels.
Ansell of Rush called on the city to not move anyone out of hotel rooms without permanent housing first. In its report, the group calls for the city to maintain pre-pandemic totals of shelter beds and for the creation of a chief homelessness officer within the mayor’s office.
“As a doctor, the idea that we’re being put in a situation of who should live and who should die by who gets housing creates a huge dilemma,” Ansell said, saying the risks are bigger for black residents, who make up over 70% of homeless individuals in Chicago. “This is clearly an issue of racial justice."
As of May 10, a group of doctors conducting coronavirus testing at shelters in the city found 471 shelter staff and residents had tested positive for COVID-19, out of 1,853 tested at 27 shelters, or 25%.


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Illinois recreational marijuana sales set another record in May with more than $44 million in transa

Illinois recreational marijuana sales set another record in May with more than $44 million in transactions despite the coronavirus

Cultivators are also harvesting an increasing supply of pot , which retailers said allowed them to raise or remove limits @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic , they said , people off work or working from home also @ @ @ @ @ and more reasons , to get high .

Customers at The Herbal Care Center keep their distance as they wait in line for their orders on March 31, 2020. Marijuana dispensaries were deemed essential businesses and were able to keep operating during Gov. J. B. Pritzker's coronavirus stay-at-home order. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Recreational marijuana sales in May set another monthly record in Illinois, with more than $44 million in transactions, state officials reported Thursday, despite limitations due to the coronavirus.
State residents spent about $34 million on cannabis, and out-of-state visitors purchased an additional $10 million, for a total of $44.3 million.
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That surpassed the previous record of $39 million set in January, the first month of legal adult use recreational sales.
Nearly 1 million individual products were sold, also a record, according to figures provided by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
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The sales came despite restrictions caused by the spread of COVID-19, which prompted some shops to close and others to require advance online ordering so customers could be spaced apart, with curbside pickup.
The industry gained a huge advantage when Gov J.B. Pritzker deemed it an essential business, able to keep operating during his coronavirus stay-at-home order, while most other businesses shut down.
The recreational sales were in addition to $32 million in sales of medical cannabis in May, keeping the state on pace to set a new annual record for medical pot sales this year.
One reason for the rise in sales is the growing number of retail sites as existing license holders open more stores, even as the Pritzker administration indefinitely delays awarding 75 new dispensary licenses to minority and other applicants.
Cultivators are also harvesting an increasing supply of pot, which retailers said allowed them to raise or remove limits on purchase amounts. During the coronavirus pandemic, they said, people off work or working from home also may have more time, and more reasons, to get high.
At Mission South Shore in Chicago, Kris Krane, president of 4Front Ventures, said there seemed to be fewer customers but they were making bigger purchases.
Just as alcohol sales increased in the great recession that began in 2007, it seems the demand for marijuana is increasing during the current recession.
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Because people were able to spend more time shopping online during the pandemic shutdown, their trips to retailers were often expedited, said Cresco Labs spokesman Jason Erkes. “There was more for people to buy, and it was easier to buy,” he said.
People are relying on cannabis more these days to deal with anxiety and sleep issues, he said. Increased sales to out-of-state residents comes as no adjacent states allow recreational marijuana sales, he said.
At Green Thumb Industries, which operates eight stores in Illinois, including its newest in Niles, sales were helped by the state allowing curbside pickup, said Brendan Blume, vice president of store development.
While the demand by smokers seeking marijuana flower still exceeds supply, Blume said, there are generally no longer limits on other products.
rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--When can Illinois move to phase 4 of reopening plan? Here’s where each region stands.

With each of the state ’ s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s Restore @ @ @ @ @ starts on moving on to Phase 4 , where more businesses and activities are allowed @ @ @ @ @ Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital @ @ @ @ @ depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker .

Chad Yoder, Nausheen Husain, Jennifer Smith Richards, Jonathon Berlin

With each of the state’s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, the clock starts on moving on to Phase 4, where more businesses and activities are allowed. The plan to reopen Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital to concerts and festivals — depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker.
The metrics focus on a rolling average of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to keep track of the direction of the outbreak as well as availability of hospital beds and ventilators that would be needed to handle a possible surge. There are also benchmarks for testing and tracing positive tests.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
A key element of the plan is that a region can move both forward and backward, where more parts of society can open and shut depending on the seriousness of the outbreak.
Here is a breakdown of where each region stands.


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 6,185 deaths, 130,603 confirmed cases, 1.12 million tests,  8.42% pos

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 6,185 deaths, 130,603 confirmed cases, 1.12 million tests,  8.42% positivity rate for Northeast region

As the coronavirus spreads and local , state and national governments work to contain and mitigate the outbreak , the @ @ @ @ @ .

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


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Chicago police allegedly lounge inside Rep. Bobby Rush's campaign office

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chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Cook County to spend $41 million on COVID-19 contact tracing, but won’t be fully staffed until fall

“ While we ’ ve made tremendous progress , the pandemic is far from over , '' Preckwinkle said at @ @ @ @ @ `` We know that we are months , if not a year or more , @ @ @ @ @ .
As we move forward , it ’ s crucial that individuals who are exposed @ @ @ @ @ so that they can isolate themselves , seek medical care if they need it and @ @ @ @ @ virus .
”

Pedestrians are seen at Belmont Avenue and Clark Street in Chicago on May 26, 2020. Cook County will spend nearly $41 million to dramatically beef up its contact tracing program. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Cook County will spend nearly $41 million to dramatically beef up its contact tracing program in an effort to limit future COVID-19 case surges, but won’t have the program fully staffed until fall, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Thursday.
The program — which involves identifying people afflicted with the disease, ensuring they can isolate and asking people with whom they recently had significant contact to quarantine themselves — is widely viewed as a key element in limiting future outbreaks of the disease.
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“While we’ve made tremendous progress, the pandemic is far from over," Preckwinkle said at a virtual news conference. "We know that we are months, if not a year or more, away from a COVID-19 vaccine. As we move forward, it’s crucial that individuals who are exposed to the disease are notified so that they can isolate themselves, seek medical care if they need it and prevent further spread of the virus.”
Preckwinkle said the efforts, funded with a grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health, would focus extensively on disproportionately affected groups that have “experienced systemic racism,” including African Americans and Latinos, both in terms of tracing and hiring of new contact tracers. The program also will be bilingual so hundreds of thousands of Spanish-speaking residents are not left out.
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“This grant is so important for those who have been most impacted by COVID-19," said Dr. Kiran Joshi, one of two senior medical officers running the county Department of Public Health, who said blacks in the county have been affected at three times the rate of whites and Latinos at four times the rate. “We intend to hire suburban Cook County residents for these jobs who are culturally competent, multilingual and have great communication skills.”
The county, however, will take several months to ramp up the program, even though many social-distancing restrictions have been lifted by the state and there’s concern that a future surge could occur soon because of recent crowded conditions during protests over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
“We have not yet seen a surge of cases from the recent move into phase three of the Illinois opening and also as a consequence of the demonstrations, but we are watching for any mini-surges that may occur over the next few days or weeks," said Dr. Rachel Rubin, the public health department’s other chief medical officer.
Joshi said the county currently has 25 people involved on contact tracing, which to date has been focused on vulnerable communities including minorities and those in congregate care settings such as nursing homes and homeless shelters. About 375 more people will be hired, for a total of 400.
For now, though, only program supervisors are being hired, and actual contact tracers won’t be hired until late July and won’t be in place until early August. They will be hired in groups of 50 people to 100, a process that will be completed sometime in the fall, he said.
“I would concur that speed is of the essence, but I would also argue that given the significant size of this kind of initiative, it’s important to ensure that we’re being thoughtful about how we establish the processes and operations and management structure," Joshi said. “I think that is absolutely fundamental.”
And, if there’s a surge before hiring commences, there are contingency plans to quickly bring more tracers into the program, Joshi added.
In addition to finding people with COVID-19 and reaching out to their contacts, the program also will link people with medical care, housing, food and social services needed to make it possible for folks to isolate or quarantine.
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The county is not yet taking applications, but it has set up a website explaining the program, with a link to the state Department of Public Health’s form for expressing interest in becoming a contact tracer.
The county’s program would serve residents who live in suburban Cook County, with the exception of Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park and Stickney Township, which have their own health departments. About 2.5 million people fall under the county public health department’s jurisdiction.
The Chicago Department of Public Health, which serves about 2.7 million city residents, announced in late May its own plans to bring on 600 additional contact tracers by mid-September. That’s a $56 million effort.
hdardick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Chicago police made coffee and popcorn in US Rep. Bobby Rush’s office while shopping plaza was being

Chicago police made coffee and popcorn in US Rep. Bobby Rush’s office while shopping plaza was being looted; Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologizes

“ We haven ’ t always agreed on every issue , but today , we are in total alignment in @ @ @ @ @ steadfast determination , and I want to make sure that ’ s very clear , @ @ @ @ @ What I know of Congressman Rush is this — he has committed his life to @ @ @ @ @ injustice and this presents exactly one of those moments .
”

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announces during a news conference at City Hall on June 11, 2020, that video shows Chicago police officers making popcorn and "lounging" in his office while nearby businesses were being looted. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush on Thursday condemned images they said depicted Chicago police officers making popcorn, drinking coffee and sleeping on a couch in the congressman’s campaign office while nearby businesses were being looted amid unrest nearly two weeks ago.
The revelation came at an unusual City Hall news conference where the former political enemies stood united, with Rush praising Lightfoot’s leadership and the mayor apologizing to the veteran congressman on behalf of the city.
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“That’s a personal embarrassment to me,” Lightfoot said of the scene that played out inside Rush’s Fuller Park political office. “I’m sorry that you and your staff even had to deal with this incredible indignity."
Police brass also ripped the officers’ conduct as “absolutely indefensible,” saying that at the same time the officers were inside Rush’s office, others were standing shoulder to shoulder with colleagues being pelted with rocks.
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While the Police Department says it is still piecing together a timeline and trying to identify the officers, Lightfoot pledged to hold them accountable for their actions.
“Not one of these officers will be allowed to hide behind the badge and go on and act like nothing ever happened,” she said.
New Chicago police union President John Catanzara called the news conference “despicable” and said the looting at the shopping center was done by the time the officers shown in the images arrived.
Lightfoot stopped short of calling for the cops to be fired, saying only that she supports the strongest possible action being taken against them. That contrasted with the mayor’s recent call to fire an officer who flipped the middle finger at protesters.
Still, the mayor said, “There will be a reckoning for the FOP,” and used the setting to call for licensing of police officers, saying she knows she’ll run into opposition in Springfield but the time is now.
“I think we’re at a moment where the things that we felt like were impossible, that, politically, just weren’t feasible, I think we’re in a moment where we have an opportunity to make this happen,” Lightfoot said. “And, look, even when it may be difficult, if it’s right and righteous, we must act.”
For Rush, the episode is another in his long history with the Chicago Police Department. In 1969, Chicago police raided the home of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, shooting and killing him and member Mark Clark. Rush, who was a Panther leader alongside Hampton, went into hiding at a church following the raid.
Rush later started a political career that saw him elected alderman and then to Congress. In 2016, police pulled over Rush in a traffic stop. The congressman said he had been racially profiled, but police cleared the officers.
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Rush told reporters he got a call that his campaign offices had been burglarized and later saw surveillance footage of officers “lounging in my office,” including three supervisors, with their feet up on desks and another asleep on the couch.
“They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn, my popcorn, in my microwave while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sight and within their reach,” Rush said.
City Hall did not release the video from inside Rush’s office, providing only selected screenshots in a slideshow that played behind the mayor during the news conference. CPD did not provide a timeline and would not say when the officers were inside Rush’s campaign office.
Here’s what’s known so far: The shopping center at 54th Street and Wentworth Avenue where Rush’s campaign office is located was looted on Sunday, May 31 during widespread civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police.
Lightfoot had said the video picks up at about 1 a.m. Monday, June 1, and the officers were there four or five hours.
A Rush spokesman said the office learned about the building being burglarized on May 31, when the alarm system went off, but did not discover the police presence until two days later when a security service provided video footage that was reviewed on June 3.
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Rush said he was busy dealing with a death in the family and did not talk to Lightfoot until about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.
New police Superintendent David Brown condemned the officers recorded on video at Rush’s office.
“This kind of conduct means that if you sleep during a riot, what do you do on a regular shift when there’s no riot? What are you doing when there’s no crisis?” said Brown, who was known for his clashes with the Dallas police union when he was that city’s chief. “What makes you comfortable enough that supervisors won’t hold you accountable?”
First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio, a longtime Chicago cop, also called the officers’ conduct “absolutely indefensible.” At the same time the officers were popping popcorn and napping, Riccio said, he was standing shoulder to shoulder with colleagues downtown being pelted with rocks.
“They didn’t just let down the community,” Riccio said. “They let down fellow officers.”
Catanzara, the police union president, suggested police brass had bad information. He said based on the light outside the windows in the images, it was the early morning hours, and the officers were bored and exhausted from guarding the office all night.
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“It’s disgusting that they would challenge the honor of those (officers) that were in the office that night, as if they would stand there and let people die,” he said. “The rioting was done. The whole mall was looted on Sunday.”
Lightfoot used the news conference Thursday to wholeheartedly throw her support behind the idea of pursuing some kind of state licensing for local police officers.
While the mayor has spoken favorably in recent days of perhaps certifying police the way other professions are in Illinois, such as nail salons, on Thursday she was all in.
“Now is the time to act on licensing for police officers once and for all,” Lightfoot said, with Rush standing beside her, and the head of the Illinois Municipal League on hand as well. “I’m here to tell you today that I’ve directed my legal team to do the research and to draft the legislation. I am ready, I am ready to work with the governor and our other great partners in Springfield to forge a change in state law to require licensing and certification of police officers.”
But Lightfoot also acknowledged the difficulty she will face getting sufficient support for licensing in the state legislature, where police unions are powerful and many Downstate legislators represent more conservative districts where constituent support of police departments is especially strong.
Complicating matters is Lightfoot’s increasingly tense relationship with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. Negotiations on a new police union contract are at a standstill, and Catanzara has been roundly critical of the mayor’s leadership. Lightfoot targeting the officers seen in Rush’s office for the “strongest possible action that we can take” is likely to harden those positions.
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The FOP also is certain to vehemently oppose any efforts to force Chicago officers to maintain state certification requirements that could expose members to losing their jobs if they can’t meet the standards.
Lightfoot also said she may seek criminal charges against the officers who went into Rush’s office, but she didn’t know what kind of charges could be pursued.
“That’s a question that we’re asking, and we’ll certainly make sure that this is given scrutiny by the state’s attorney and the U.S. attorney,” the mayor said.
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney John Lausch declined comment Thursday. A spokeswoman for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx could not be reached for comment.
Before Thursday, Lightfoot and Rush were at odds stemming from the 2019 mayoral campaign. While campaigning on behalf of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Rush said those who voted for Lightfoot would have “the blood of the next young black man or black woman who is killed by the police” on their hands.
Alluding to that history, Lightfoot said they were together against the alleged police misconduct.
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“We haven’t always agreed on every issue, but today, we are in total alignment in our righteous anger and our steadfast determination, and I want to make sure that’s very clear,” Lightfoot said. “What I know of Congressman Rush is this — he has committed his life to calling out and fighting against injustice, and this presents exactly one of those moments.”
Rush also said he didn’t give her the benefit of the doubt before but now stands “without any doubt, any doubt, any doubt in my heart, in my mind and in my spirit that she is absolutely committed to the well-being of all Chicagoans, bar none.”
The allegations of police misconduct at Rush’s office come as some Chicago police officers are being scrutinized for their conduct during the protests and civil unrest that followed Floyd’s killing. Lightfoot and police leaders have praised most Chicago cops for being respectful and restrained with the public but have pledged zero tolerance for those who don’t.
The state’s attorney’s office and the FBI are reviewing allegations that Chicago police pulled a woman from a car by her hair and placed a knee on her neck.
Chicago Police Board President Ghian Foreman, who oversees the panel in charge of serious officer discipline, said cops hit him with batons as they clashed with protesters who marched on the South Side over Floyd’s killing.
And a Chicago cop who was called out by Lightfoot after being photographed making an obscene gesture at protesters last week has been stripped of his police powers and moved to administrative tasks, according to the Police Department.
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The looting at the mall has left small business owners struggling.
A manager of the nearby JJ Fish and Chicken said he was “shocked” by the allegations of police misconduct at Rush’s office. The manager was not on-site that Sunday night, but said a few managers called 911 after they were alerted to break-ins at the restaurant to ask for police help.
The manager said the restaurant’s damages were minimal compared with other stores in the plaza.
“I don’t know if the responsibility lies on those officers and their supervisors in particular or if it’s just how the city of Chicago wanted to deal with it,” he said. But “the impact that looting had was very negative on the shopping center itself and the community in particular, which is what I think the Police Department and the city of Chicago need to really take into consideration."
Dr. Stephanie Johnson-Brown, who owns the Plano Vision Center near Rush’s office, said she is working on getting her business back up and running.
A lot of frames were stolen, she said, and although the business has insurance, “it’s a very slow process.” Patients visited the office Thursday, though, and Johnson said she hopes to be back on her feet within a month.
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But Johnson-Brown also said she hopes the looting — and the incident with police at Rush’s office — don’t cloud the underlying purpose of the protests.
“Injustice has been going on too long,” she said. “And I’m not going to let this little negative stop me — this little bump in the road — stop me from being positive. You just gotta pray. And be patient.”
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chicagotribune--2020-06-11--1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at Robbins house party

The shooting occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the 13600 block of Central Park Avenue , where a large party @ @ @ @ @ hours , the Cook County sheriff ’ s office said in a statement .

One man was killed and three others were wounded Sunday after shots were fired at a large house party in Robbins, police said.
The shooting occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the 13600 block of Central Park Avenue, where a large party had been ongoing for several hours, the Cook County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
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Sheriff’s police responded at the request of Robbins police, which asked for assistance dealing with a large crowd and multiple gunshot victims, according to the statement.
By the time deputies arrived, all four victims had already been taken to area hospitals.
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One of the victims, James Barnes, 24, of Chicago, died at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey a short time later, officials said.
The other three victims suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. At least one has been released from the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office, which is leading the investigation into the shooting, could not immediately provide any additional information.
It’s not clear what sparked the shooting or whether there was a lone gunman or multiple shooters, a spokesman said.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Patchwork reopening of Chicago-area bars and breweries allow some to thrive, while others say they’r

Patchwork reopening of Chicago-area bars and breweries allow some to thrive, while others say they’re left behind

“ What is the least helpful and most frustrating about this is this lack of clarity and reasoning in the @ @ @ @ @ Laffler , co-founder of Off Color Brewing .
“ Nothing about being able to make @ @ @ @ @ a responsible operator , and yet that ’ s what the mayor ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ the litmus test .
A thought out , responsible and practicable opening plan for everyone @ @ @ @ @ to prepare is what we needed .
”

An empty patio sits outside the Off Color Brewing taproom June 10, 2020, in Chicago. Because the brewery doesn't serve food, it hasn't been allowed to reopen under the city's guidelines. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
As the state began allowing bars and breweries to reopen for outdoor business in late May, Naperville’s Solemn Oath Brewery sprung into action.
A lean staff that stayed on during the COVID-19 pandemic spent five days and $7,000 building a 4,200-square-foot patio in Solemn Oath’s parking lot — tables spaced 9 feet apart — to accommodate beer drinkers anxious to shake off months of quarantine.
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The patio opened Friday. It had paid for itself by the end of the night.
“People were ready to be social,” said Eric Hobbs, the brewery’s chief operating officer.
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Solemn Oath Brewery in Naperville hastily built an outdoor beer garden, dubbed the Solemn Oath Community Beer Garden, in its parking lot in early June to accommodate customers during the third phase of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Solemn Oath Brewery)
Yet across Chicago, dozens of bars and breweries continue to sit idle due to tougher restrictions from City Hall during the third phase of reopening amid the pandemic, even as many competitors are able to begin outdoor business.
The city has allowed bars and restaurants to reopen only if they meet two criteria: They must have a food license and offer outdoor seating, or indoor seating within 8 feet of retractable windows, panels or doors that take up at least 50% of a wall space.
While breweries such as Eris and Haymarket meet that criteria and have already reopened — followed by Spiteful and District Brew Yards, which reopen Thursday — the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has identified 20 of approximately 58 breweries in Chicago that don’t qualify. Among them are Dovetail, Off Color, Metropolitan, Whiner, Hopewell, Begyle and Marz.
On Wednesday, the guild sent a letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, asking the city to reconsider its restrictions and saying those 20 breweries are “at a significant disadvantage.” The guild is asking the city to waive the food license requirement and expedite outdoor dining permits so that nearly any brewery could operate outside.
“Our argument is that they’ve allowed other establishments to open with outdoor dining and that impacts the businesses that can’t open,” said Danielle D’Alessandro, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. “Their business is already down and an additional hit like this just won’t be sustainable.”
Lightfoot, however, has said that bars or taprooms that don’t sell food can’t reopen because people become uninhibited when they drink alcohol and are less likely to follow social distancing guidelines.
Though Solemn Oath doesn’t have a food service license, the city of Naperville has embraced the brewery’s reopening, Hobbs said: “They’ve been lockstep with us to be sure we can operate the best we can, but with respect to CDC guidelines.”
Customers took social distancing seriously last weekend at Solemn Oath, Hobbs said, wearing masks whenever not at their tables.
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“Everyone was extremely responsible,” he said.
Critics of Chicago’s policy question the relationship between an ability to serve food and proper social distancing among customers. As they note, patrons aren’t required to order food.
Orders wait to be picked up at the Off Color Brewing taproom June 10, 2020, in Chicago. A patio sits outside the taproom, but under the city's guidelines it hasn't been allowed to open because the brewery doesn't serve food. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
“I don’t believe there’s any magical properties in Buffalo wings or taco salad that will make people behave differently,” said Pat Doerr, managing director of the Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, which represents more than 200 Chicago bars, restaurants and music venues.
The patchwork approach to reopening hampers businesses that have already endured plummeting sales since the COVID-19 stay-at-home order took effect in mid-March, Doerr said. About 50 bars are affected by the restrictions in addition to the 20 breweries, he said.
“We’ve lost the whole convention business and tourism is going to be down, so outdoor seating is a lifeline to make some revenue and bring some people back before fall and winter, when outdoor seating won’t be an option at all,” Doerr said.
Several brewery owners who are unable to reopen said last week’s to-go sales were the lowest they have seen since the pandemic began. The likely culprit: competition from taprooms now open for outdoor sit-down business.
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Compounding concern, they say, is a lack of clarity about how or when they can reopen.
Co-founder John Laffler, 39, stands in the Off Color Brewing taproom June 10, 2020. A patio sits outside the taproom, but under the city's guidelines it hasn't been allowed to open because the brewery doesn't serve food. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
“What is the least helpful and most frustrating about this is this lack of clarity and reasoning in the rules,” said John Laffler, co-founder of Off Color Brewing. “Nothing about being able to make nachos means anything about being a responsible operator, and yet that’s what the mayor’s office has chosen so far as the litmus test. A thought out, responsible and practicable opening plan for everyone with guidance and proper time to prepare is what we needed.”
Most brewery owners said they need at least a week to reopen once they know they’re able.
“We have no desire to rush into anything and do things haphazardly,” Laffler said. “(We) certainly have been discussing best practices, potential minimal-contact ordering systems and physical layouts as well as observing what other folks have been doing well — and what others having been doing egregiously poorly, of which there is ample example from last weekend.”
While complimenting Lightfoot’s overall approach to the health crisis, Dovetail Brewery co-founder Hagen Dost said he wants the mayor to assume breweries will operate responsibly.
At Dovetail, he said, that could include limiting customers to 75 minutes at the brewery and inviting food trucks to be onsite. Dost said he would like to establish two outdoor seating areas: on the sidewalk outside the Ravenswood brewery and in an adjacent parking lot.
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“Part of our job normally is making sure people stay in control,” Dost said. “I think we should be trusted to do that, especially since there’s nothing to say you can’t go to a restaurant and just order drinks.”
jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Watch live: Mayor Lori Lightfoot joins CPD, Rep. Bobby Rush to make an announcement

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will join the Chicago Police Department and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush to make an announcement at 1 @ @ @


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--1 injured, 2 cats saved after fire performers ignite Volo townhouse, fight breaks out between woman

1 injured, 2 cats saved after fire performers ignite Volo townhouse, fight breaks out between woman and photographer taking pictures, officials say

Despite support from about a dozen area fire districts , the blaze could not be quickly extinguished .
There are @ @ @ @ @ the one that caught fire was one of the ones in the middle , he @ @ @ @ @ t extend into the neighboring homes , but one of the other units next to @ @ @ @ @ on enough smoke that firefighters deemed it uninhabitable .
Two families were displaced by the @ @

A group of “fire performers” practicing their craft in far north suburban Volo apparently lost control of their tools Wednesday night, setting on fire the townhouse they were practicing in as well as a neighboring home, Lake County officials said.
Firefighters from the Fox Lake Fire Protection District called a box alarm, summoning nearly a dozen nearby agencies and deputies from the Lake County sheriff’s office about 7 p.m. Wednesday to the 100 block of Terra Vista Court in Volo.
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“We got on scene and had a whole front end of a middle unit of a condo-type building up in flames from the garage all the way up towards the roof,” said Battalion Chief Tom Preidis.
The sheriff’s office was called to assist the fire department, and while there, deputies saw a male freelance photojournalist, who was taking pictures of the blaze, attacked by a woman who was involved with the fire performers, said sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli. There were two performers rehearsing and two other people inside the home, Covelli said.
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The attack is being investigated as a battery, he said, noting the only injury requiring hospital care was another woman who was in the townhouse when it caught fire as the performers rehearsed in a garage.
“An accident happened during a practice session and the fire tools used by a performer were dropped. Additional fire was created when the tool used by the performer ignited nearby accelerants, which were being stored in the area,” Covelli said in an email.
The woman was taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with burns that were not considered life-threatening.
An adjoining unit sustained smoke damage, but the fire was contained to the initial home and was shooting up to the second-floor roof from the ground level when personnel arrived, Preidis said. Residents of the four-unit building also were treated at the location for smoke inhalation, but fire crews did not transport anyone else, he said.
Two cats also were saved from the fire, he said.
“They had two cats that were — you know how family pets are to people — it’s their kids, their actual family. We’re happy when we’re able to make rescues like that for people," Preidis said.
It wasn’t certain what accelerants were used, but the term applies to flammable chemicals such as gasoline or lighter fluid that help fire move quickly, as it did in this case. Preidis said there is an investigation that will both seek to identify the exact agents involved as well as a total damage estimate.
“There was just a lot of chemicals, and stuff that would be in a garage, really,” Preidis said. “That helped get the fire going.”
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One person was hospitalized after a fire performer accidentally caused a fire during a practice routine inside a garage in Volo Wednesday evening.https://t.co/6AOGpM4dep pic.twitter.com/C4u4VThkQe — Lake & McHenry County Scanner (@LMCScanner) June 11, 2020
Despite support from about a dozen area fire districts, the blaze could not be quickly extinguished. There are four attached homes, and the one that caught fire was one of the ones in the middle, he said. Flames didn’t extend into the neighboring homes, but one of the other units next to the one that burned took on enough smoke that firefighters deemed it uninhabitable. Two families were displaced by the fire.
Two vehicles in the driveway of the burning home also were damaged, possibly unsalvageable.
Covelli said deputies were on hand to assist firefighters but also were needed to investigate an alleged battery by a woman on the photojournalist. The photographer was a freelance worker who was taking pictures of the fire, which apparently angered the woman, who shoved the man to the ground, Covelli said.
“Our deputies were on the scene when the fight broke out and took immediate action to intervene. The victim did give an account of what occurred,” he said.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews