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Illinois coronavirus storm rages on: 166 more deaths, 11,028 new cases, hospitalizations climbing

The state has now logged more new coronavirus cases over the first two weeks of November (about 145,000) than it did over the first four months of the pandemic combined (143,000).

Commentary

The opinions in and around Chicago that inform, analyze, hold power accountable and entertain.

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He went to the hospital in the morning. By mid-afternoon, he was dead from COVID-19.

Most people won’t die from coronavirus. But many families will feel its pain. Just as John Sprinkle’s family now does.

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Time for the GOP to tell Trump it’s over

Every day that President Donald Trump drags his heels on acknowledging he lost poses a threat to our democracy.

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We’ve come a long way in America, but Black folks are still not free

If I could speak freely, I’d say that after all the marches and protests this summer and fall, Black Lives still don’t matter to us all.

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Every day Trump refuses to get out of the way he puts our country in danger

Every Republican should be calling Trump out. No more coddling the crybaby, giving him time to come around. Our nation’s best interests can’t wait.

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Lightfoot’s budget threat to Black Caucus makes her ‘no different than Daley or Rahm,’ alderman says

Rookie Ald. Jeanette Taylor (16th) said she was outraged by the threat and told Mayor Lightfoot that she wouldn’t stand for it.

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Give Bears coach Matt Nagy credit for team-first decision to give up play-calling

It’s not only what he did but how he did it. Nagy showed rare accountability and self-awareness in making the move to Bill Lazor.

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Young Chicago actor Rodney L. Jones III learns from ‘Fargo,’ other high-profile roles

In Season 4 of the FX anthology series, the 12-year-old South Side native plays Satchel Cannon, the youngest son of a 1950s Kansas City mobster.

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Biden faces challenging choice: back a short-term national lockdown or not

The coronavirus is blamed for 10.6 million confirmed infections and almost a quarter-million deaths in the U.S., with the closely watched University of Washington model projecting nearly 439,000 dead by March 1. Deaths have climbed to about 1,000 a day on average.

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Chicago outdoors: Jackson Park hassles, Cooper’s hawk, fall turkey harvest fall, outdoors wisdom

Hassling of anglers at Jackson Park, a Cooper’s hawk by a school, the mighty fall of Illinois’ fall turkey harvest and universal wisdom in a specific hunting report are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors.

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Southbound Red Line trains to bypass Jarvis through Bryn Mawr

The planned service interruption is so that repairs can be made to tracks and signals in preparation for the Red and Purple Modernization project.

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Coronavirus live blog, Nov. 13, 2020: Illinois’ public health officials announce 15,415 more people have tested positive for COVID-19

Here’s Friday’s news on how COVID-19 is impacting Chicago and Illinois.

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Nursing home workers give notice: if no deal reached, they strike Nov. 23

Shaba Andrich, vice president for nursing homes at SEIU Healthcare Illinois, said union members aren’t asking for a lot and it’s frustrating that negotiations with Infinity Nursing Homes have been going on since June.

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If only in a mural, Oprah Winfrey is back in the West Loop

‘It took my breath away,’ the former TV talk-show superstar says of how artist Shawn Michael Warren ‘was able to capture a feeling of hope and inspiration and strength.’

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Illinois driver facilities closing Tuesday through early December because of COVID-19

Expiration dates for driver’s licenses and ID cards have been extended to June 1 as a result of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the office said.

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Coronavirus ‘running rampant’ in Illinois with 15,415 new cases — most ever reported by any state in the U.S.

Even during the worst days of the New York crisis in April, that state never topped 13,000 cases. Nor did California during its initial peak in July. Only Florida (15,300) and Texas (15,038) previously hit the staggering mark that has now been surpassed by Illinois.

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How ‘successful’ really are Chicago’s Catholic schools in reopening during the pandemic?

Any school reopening needs to be ready for partial or full remote learning to happen at anytime. Reopening will be unstable.

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Trump hails progress on vaccine, suggests possibility of new administration 

Donald Trump said he refuses to have another lockdown as coronavirus cases surge across the country, but suggested one could be in the offing should he lose his legal challenges to overcome his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden.

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2nd person dies in Lawndale shooting: police

Officers responding to a call of shots fired in the 1300 block of South Homan Avenue found a man, 25, with a gunshot wound to the head and another person with multiple gunshot wounds.

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UIC, DePaul halt in-person classes, but other Illinois colleges take different tack as coronavirus cases spike

The University of Illinois at Chicago and DePaul University suspend in-person activities, but other schools maintain on-campus activities.

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Lightfoot’s budget threat to Black Caucus makes her ‘no different than Daley or Rahm,’ alderman says

Rookie Ald. Jeanette Taylor (16th) said she was outraged by the threat and told Mayor Lightfoot that she wouldn’t stand for it.

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Bulls debut new City Edition jerseys

Chicago’s art deco architecture inspired this season’s version of the alternate uniform.

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FOP: City, CPD not doing enough to protect cops from COVID-19

The Fraternal Order of Police contends officers who attend mandatory in-service training "have the potential of becoming superspreaders of the virus."

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Former McDonald’s worker sues, alleging retaliation for speaking out about COVID-19 concerns

Other McDonald’s workers continue to file complaints about alleged conditions inside certain restaurants.

Latest Videos

Dolton Mayor Riley Rogers speaks to reporters before showing the body camera footage police shooting a man on Oct. 31, 2020.
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Dolton police shooting: video shows man shot by officers had gun, wouldn’t drop it

The footage, released by the village, shows officers telling Carterris Doty to drop the gun dozens of times. Dolton Mayor Riley Rogers said the video "exonerates" the officers, and he commended them for their restraint.
Clifftina Johnson (back, left), Tafara Williams’ mother, cries as her daughter, Sasha Williams, sings during a news conference outside Waukegan’s city hall complex, Tuesday
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Waukegan releases 6 videos of Marcellis Stinnette chase, shooting

However, the officer who fired the shots — which also wounded Stinnette’s girlfriend, 20-year-old Tafara Williams — did not activate his bodyworn camera before opening fire.
A man can be seen hanging off the side of Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave., on Oct. 18, 2020.
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Man in custody after hanging off side of Trump Tower for more than 13 hours

The situation was "resolved peacefully" by negotiators and the man was in police custody with no injuries reported shortly before 7 a.m., police said.
Cannabis consultant Mike Malcolm smokes a joint in a North Side home as he explains what customers can expect at dispensaries now that recreational marijuana is legal in Illinois, Jan. 8, 2020.
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How to buy legal weed like a pro

Cannabis consultant Mike Malcolm answers all your burning questions, like can you use a topical cream if you need to take a drug test? And how fast do edibles hit?
Jeremiah Collier plays the drums as a part of his band Jeremiah Collier and the REUP.
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South Siders revel in Jeremiah Collier’s ‘uplifting’ porch session music jams

A Facebook video of Jeremiah Collier’s Park Manor-based band collective that went viral with the tagline "There’s more Beauty in Chicago than there is Ugly... believe me there is…" has over a million views to date.
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Developer who secretly recorded Mike Madigan for feds pleads guilty to wire fraud

See Wong made a secret 2014 audio and video recording for the feds of then-Ald. Danny Solis and House Speaker Michael Madigan, according to court records and sources. It became part of the investigation that led to the indictment of Ald. Edward M. Burke.

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Burning Nachusa Grasslands: Tagging along on a prescribed burn, trying to pay attention and learn

Tagging along on a prescribed burn at Nachusa Grasslands was a chance to learn and see up close how a well-done burn works.

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María Cerda, first Latina on Chicago Board of Education, dead of coronavirus at 86

She later was a founder of the Latino Institute, Her daughter and 93-year-old husband David Cerda also have COVID-19, complicating her burial plans.

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In-person hearings suspended at federal courthouses in Chicago, Rockford as COVID-19 cases spike

The clerk’s offices in the Northern District of Illinois will also close to the public on Friday afternoon, U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer announced Thursday.

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Chicago hospitals brace for biggest COVID-19 surge yet

Hospitals serving low-income communities of color are already slammed. Latino cases significantly outpace other groups in the city as all virus cases skyrocket.

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Coronavirus live blog, Nov. 12, 2020: Illinois sets more records with 12,702 new COVID-19 cases; ‘Stay home as much as possible’

Here’s Thursday’s news on how COVID-19 is impacting Chicago and Illinois.

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Democrat Lauren Underwood wins in a close call: Kenosha, Trump pumped turnout for Republican Jim Oberweis

"In the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic, a self-funding candidate, historic turnout, we won. And made history one more time," Rep. Underwood told the Chicago Sun-Times.

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Plan to give losing pot shop applicants a 2nd chance moves forward after court victory

A judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order that sought to halt Gov. Pritzker’s decision to regrade applicants.

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Developer shows plans for Moody Bible property

Multiyear plan takes a phased approach for a mostly residential expansion on the Near North Side.

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Legislature should authorize remote voting for as long as COVID-19 burns through Illinois

Legislation is piling up as the pandemic keeps lawmakers from doing their full jobs.

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Home for the holidays? Facing ‘COVID storm,’ Pritzker says stay-at-home order ‘seems like where we are heading’

"We’re running out of time, and we’re running out of options. Our growth in new cases is now exponential," the governor said. "We are seeing current numbers and future projections worse than what we saw in the spring."

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Family, friends of woman found strangled in Midlothian forest preserve send message to killer: ‘We’re coming and we’re not going to stop’

"For the person that did this heinous crime, if you are listening to this, you are a coward, low-life and truly are the scum of the earth for what you have done," the slain 21-year-old’s cousin said.

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Pop-up hotel parties? Now’s no time to look for loopholes in Chicago’s pandemic restrictions

COVID-19 is surging again. Hotels and airbnbs have to do a better job of cracking down on potential super-spreader events.

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COVID-19 to cost University of Illinois campuses $270M this year, budget projects

The costs come from added COVID-19 precautions and testing, as well as lost revenue from lost housing and other fees.

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Mayor playing hardball to get votes for $94 million property tax increase, aldermen say

Lightfoot told the Black Caucus said she’ll play hardball when choosing projects in her $3.7 billion capital plan. She’s also tying the budget to removing loopholes in the Welcoming City ordinance that allow police to assist immigration authorities in some cases.

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Truck sought in fatal Lake Forest hit-and-run

A white two-door Ford F150 struck a man in the 500 block of Mayflower Road, near Rosemary, according to a statement from Lake Forest police.