Afternoon Edition: March 20, 2020

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly cloudy with a high near 41 degrees. Tonight, temperatures will drop to chilly 25 degrees. (Good thing all your plans have been canceled!) Temperatures will stay on the cold side throughout the weekend: Saturday’s high will be near 36 degrees and Sunday’s high will be near 43 degrees.

Top story

Funerals and grieving in Chicago being delayed by coronavirus

Funeral directors all over Chicago say in the days of the coronavirus, their jobs of bringing comfort to mourners and their families have “basically come to a screeching halt.”

Brooke Benjamin, a funeral director with the Cremation Society of Illinois, experienced this recently: As a grieving woman sobbed over the loss of her husband, Benjamin had to remain several feet away. “I couldn’t touch her,” she said. She knows social distancing is necessary, but that didn’t allay the sadness and powerlessness she felt.

“I believe in the healing power of a human touch,” she said, “and having to sit six feet away from people … I can’t offer that same comfort.”

“Everybody’s doing the fist bumps and the elbow bumps,” said Ted Ratajczyk, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries, which is recommending funerals be limited to 10 people, standing six feet apart, with graveside rather than chapel services.

If more than 10 people show up at wakes, they’ll probably be urged to wait in the lobby to space themselves out, funeral director Tony Lupo of Cumberland Chaples said: “It’s almost like going to a bar, and they’re at capacity, and it’s one in, one out.”

While some funeral homes livestream memorials, “You can’t livestream the service if there’s no service,” said Barbara Kemmis, executive director of the Cremation Society of North America.

And with the closing of the Cook County clerk’s office, people will have to wait to get copies of death certificates to obtain insurance benefits and access bank accounts.

The psychological impact will be deep, according to grief educator and author Alan D. Wolfelt. “Anything that delays a funeral delays the natural mourning and healing process,” he said.

“You can imagine it’s already difficult losing a loved one,” said Marquita Gatling of Gatling’s Chapel in South Holland. “It’s just added stress.”

Read the full story from Maureen O’Donnell.

More news you need

1. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to order all residents to stay at home beginning Saturday in the most serious effort yet to combat the spread of the coronavirus in Illinois. We’ll have updates after he issues the “stay-at-home” order at 3 p.m.
2. Officials announced today that at least 40 additional people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Cook County, bringing the statewide case total closer to 500. But the number of Illinois patients could shoot up to about 3,400 by next week.
3. As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Chicago, many people are wondering what they can — and can’t — touch. Is it safe to pet a dog? What about receiving a package or checking your mail? Should you be disinfecting your fruits and vegetables from the grocery store? Here are those questions and more, answered by experts.
4. Federal prosecutors are seeking significant prison time for a pair of Zion men found guilty at the end of a lengthy trial last year of a conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State. Edward Schimenti and Joseph D. Jones are set to be sentenced next month.
5. The coronavirus’ impact on Chicago brings to mind the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19, writes Scott Fornek. At the time, kissing was discouraged, public dancing was outlawed, and spitting on sidewalk became a police matter. Read about the other similarities in this story from our archives.
6. It isn’t easy adjusting to working from home — especially with two little kids underfoot, reporter Stefano Esposito has quickly discovered. Read about his relatable journey through mashed blueberries and diaper-less baseball.

A bright one

After making a name for himself on the acclaimed series “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” as Domingo “Krazy-8” Molina, Northwest Side native Max Arciniega wants to prepare would-be actors by opening an acting school.

“It’s something that I wish I would have had prior to going to L.A. because I grew up in the theater and I went to theater school,” said Arciniega, a Columbia College theater alumnus. “When I auditioned for television, it was a different medium, so it took me a long time to get comfortable.”

The MA School of Acting will have a four-part curriculum called “In the Rooms,” which is designed to help actors succeed in the most important part of getting a job in the TV industry — the audition. The school has a tentative start date of June 1.

Arciniega, who grew up in the Hermosa neighborhood and attended Steinmetz High School, credits his parents, who immigrated from Mexico, for developing his work ethic.

“If they came from a different country and not speaking the language and created a life for themselves in the States, it gave me no reason to not pursue something that I was passionate about,” Arciniega said.

Read Evan Moore’s full interview with the actor.

From the press box

The NFL free agency season is underway, with the Bears acquiring quarterback Nick Foles and edge rusher Robert Quinn. Patrick Finley assesses the team’s moves so far.

Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood expected to be coaching in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Instead, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, he’s solving jigsaw puzzles and bingeing “Succession” on HBO, Steve Greenberg writes.

And meet the members of the Sun-Times 2020 All-State high school basketball team.

Your daily question ☕

As we hunker down for a weekend at home, a lot of Chicagoans are playing board games like Pandemic, some game store managers say. What’s your favorite board game or puzzle? Send us photos!

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked if you think Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to mandate that all people infected with the coronavirus or showing symptoms stay home, was the right one. Here’s what some of you said:

“Absolutely! I was out every day walking/bus, library, PT, theatre, shopping, lunch. Now, I haven’t been outside in a week. But it will pass. In the meantime, I have books, computer, cable and a family that cares about me. We are following the guidelines set by those who have a realistic view of the virus situation. I’m 80. When I turn 81, I want my ENTIRE family still with me to celebrate!” wrote Barb Tomko of Edgewater.

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