Illinois

Numbers tell Illinois’ dismal COVID story, early voting begins and more in your Chicago news roundup

Published

2 years ago

March 20, 2023

Numbers tell Illinois’ dismal COVID story, early voting begins and more in your Chicago news roundup

Good afternoon. Right here’s the most recent information you might want to know in Chicago. It’s about an eight-minute learn that may transient you on right this moment’s largest tales.

— Matt Moore (@MattKenMoore)

Climate ⛅

This afternoon shall be partly sunny with a excessive close to 51 levels. Tonight shall be cloudy with some remoted sprinkles and a low close to 36. Tomorrow shall be principally cloudy with a excessive close to 53.

Because the world marks the three-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, Solar-Occasions reporters have been speaking with residents, enterprise house owners and front-line staff to color a fuller image of how COVID-19 has modified our metropolis and past — protection that we’re highlighting all week in Afternoon Version, along with different very important reporting on this metropolis that we’ll proceed to highlight to maintain you within the know.

We start this week with a narrative from our Mitchell Armentrout on assessing our state’s devastating pandemic information.

High story

3 years, 4 million circumstances, greater than 36,000 deaths: Numbers form Illinois’ dismal COVID-19 story

Mountainous bar graphs of each day case numbers can illustrate how shortly COVID-19 swept throughout Illinois in 2020. However they’ll’t seize the isolation felt by folks in Chicago and past who have been advised to remain at house within the early days of the pandemic.

Hospital admission figures mirror the waves of sufferers who’ve crowded into coronavirus wards with critical sickness. However they don’t reveal something concerning the exhaustion of well being care staff who’ve switched to new careers.

And whereas the statewide dying toll of a minimum of 36,494 supplies a devastating indication of what the virus has ripped away over the previous three years, that quantity doesn’t strategy the total breadth of grief rippling out from every loss.

Statistics don’t inform the entire story of the pandemic. However consultants say the information they’ve collected supplies very important insights into how the outbreak has hit totally different communities — and what everybody ought to take into consideration as we be taught to stay with the virus completely.

“This previous winter exhibits we could also be getting to some extent the place we will make it by way of a 12 months with out crushing the well being care system,” mentioned Dr. Arti Barnes, chief medical officer of the Illinois Division of Public Well being. “That’s one of many first optimistic indicators that we’re reaching a degree the place we’re beginning to heal.”

The scars stay vivid.

Greater than 4 million COVID infections have been confirmed within the state since early 2020. The precise quantity is probably going a minimum of a number of occasions greater, consultants say, since tens of millions of circumstances have gone undiagnosed, and the official determine doesn’t embrace at-home checks.

Mitchell Armentrout has extra on Illinois’ dismal COVID-19 story.

Extra information you want

Family members and followers are mourning the lack of JoJo Child, a cherished drag queen, membership child, hairstylist and doll maker who “broke the mould.” JoJo Child died on March 14 from most cancers at age 51. Our Mitch Dudek has extra on their outstanding legacy.
A brand new invoice might give Illinois one of many nation’s strongest protections for whistleblowers in opposition to retaliation from employers threatening to research their immigration standing. The Work With out Worry Act, pending within the statehouse, would additionally develop protections for staff who report sexual harassment or file complaints outdoors of official channels.
A lawsuit by a white North Aspect businessman has compelled Cook dinner County officers to revamp a program that might have paid out $10,000 grants to minority- and women-owned companies damage by the pandemic. This system will now settle for new purposes after an Edison Park chiropractor claimed bias in how the county would distribute the grants.
Early voting for Chicago’s runoff election kicked off this morning and can stay open by way of the April 4 election day. Right here’s the place you’ll be able to vote in all 50 wards.
Paul Vallas, a former Chicago Public Faculties CEO, and Brandon Johnson, a Chicago Lecturers Union official, are each mayoral candidates whose tales can’t be advised with out public training. Our Nader Issa and Lauren FitzPatrick and WBEZ’s Sarah Karp look into the candidates’ backgrounds and their radically totally different approaches to fixing public colleges.
Millionaire businessman Willie Wilson endorsed Paul Vallas for mayor of Chicago earlier this month. And yesterday, he implored dozens of Black pastors to do the identical, in an try to shore up Vallas’ help on the South and West sides earlier than the April 4 runoff.
Within the newly-redrawn thirty sixth Ward, Ald. Gilbert “Gil” Villegas is dealing with a runoff problem from Chicago Lecturers Union-backed candidate Lori Torres Whitt. Our Elvia Malagón has extra on the heated contest and what’s on voters’ minds.
A 3-year Kennedy Expressway building mission begins tonight that’s positive to wreak havoc with commutes because the work is finished all the way in which from the junction with the Edens Expressway to Ohio Road. Anticipate main delays.
Pitchfork Music Competition right this moment introduced the lineup for its return to Chicago this summer season, with The Smile, Huge Thief and Bon Iver among the many headlining acts set to carry out in Union Park. Additionally on the invoice are native mainstays like Ric Wilson, Sen Morimoto and Deeper. Tickets for the July 21-23 fest are on sale now.

A vibrant one

Black lady friendships on the coronary heart of Disney’s made-in-Chicago skating present ‘Saturdays’

Inside Markham Curler Rink, amid flashing neon lights, a way of gravity and urgency is unfolding. Fifteen-year-old Danielle Jalade and her mates Daria Johns and Peyton Basnight try to nail down a posh roller-skating flip. After, the women let loose a piercing cheer and a hug.

The trio make up the We-B-Girlz skate crew that practices and performs on the perfect day of the week — Saturdays! When the director yells lower, the youngsters giggle to one another between scenes, their change in demeanor nearly imperceptible.

The younger actresses are the core of Disney Channel’s new comedy collection “Saturdays,” set on the South Aspect of Chicago.

Stars Peyton Basnight (from left), Daria Johns and Danielle Jalade shoot a “Saturdays” scene on the closed Markham Curler Rink.

Jalade performs 14-year-old Paris Johnson, the chief of the group, with Johns and Basnight as Simone and Ari, her greatest mates. Collectively the teenagers are decided to show they’re the highest skating crew on the rink, regardless of their age. The remainder of the solid is rounded out by a bunch of Black actors with lengthy resumes — amongst them Golden Brooks as Jalade’s mother, Deb; Omar Gooding as Jalade’s dad, Cal, and rapper Yo-Yo Whitaker because the legendary chief of the curler skating rink.

Curler skating has lengthy been a staple of the Black group. Civil rights protests have been typically held at skating rinks, the place music blared and youngsters and adults alike might let unfastened. Now, roller-skating rinks are an endangered locale. “Saturdays” was capable of lease the Markham Curler Rink from town as a result of it’s been closed for years. The crew behind “Saturdays” consists of 18-year-old former “black-ish” actress Marsai Martin, in her first tv government producer credit score.

“Disney got here to us and was like, ‘We would like a roller-skating present,’ ” Martin advised the Solar-Occasions. “It was additionally like, ‘OK, so we’re placing their ideas into consideration,’ but additionally too it simply is smart as a result of it’s not solely a giant deal in our Black group, but additionally Chicago on the whole.”

Our Mariah Rush has extra on “Saturdays” right here.

From the press field

Your each day query☕

What was the very last thing you probably did earlier than Illinois’ enacted the shelter-in-place order?

Ship us an e mail at newsletters@suntimes.com and we would characteristic your reply within the subsequent Afternoon Version.

On Friday, we requested you: How have your face mask-wearing habits advanced over the course of the pandemic?

Right here’s what a few of you mentioned…

“My habits haven’t modified in any respect for the reason that starting of the pandemic. I put on my masks each time I’m out in public: grocery shops, live shows, exhibits, and so on. I do know there’s a danger with public occasions, however I attempt to decrease it with the masks. Heck, I used to be a germaphobe then, you higher imagine I nonetheless am now! — Kayla Palmisano

“By no means wore one.” — Wealthy Sierecki

“I used to be militant about mask-wearing for a very long time, however now I solely put on it on the CTA. I’m one of many fortunate ones who hasn’t — but — gotten COVID.” — Jennifer Brown

“I put on a face masks each time I am going out in public. Contemplating my questionable breath, not-so-white enamel, menopausal girl beard having the audacity to develop in grey, my propensity for inadvertently spitting on folks after I’m speaking to them and the truth that I’m merely not as cute as I was, the fixed sporting of a face masks is the perfect factor that would have occurred to me! Plus, I actually, actually like the truth that I haven’t caught any communicable illnesses — together with the frequent chilly — in three years!” — Therese Roberson

“I didn’t put on them then and I’m not sporting them now.” — John Shreve

“I nonetheless put on a masks on public transit. Normally within the grocery retailer if it’s crowded and/or if I’ve one in my pocket. We’re going to bars and eating places once more although, in order that in all probability throws every little thing else I do out the window.” — Mary Gowlewski

“We nonetheless put on N95s round anybody outdoors our family, indoors or out, as we now have for the reason that begin of the pandemic. We don’t care concerning the seems we get once we go to a play or live performance and we’re within the 1% sporting masks. We don’t dine in eating places (however we order a number of supply!). Our habits have stayed the identical although the pandemic for 4 causes: it isn’t over, though we’re vaccinated we all know we might nonetheless catch COVID, we would like COVID to finish, and we don’t need to get lengthy COVID.” — Alex P.

“All the time put on my masks on the CTA and planes and in airports. I’ve seen a number of COVID circumstances previously two months amongst coworkers and mates.” — Tracy Ito

“I nonetheless put on a Okay-N95 face masks in public settings and at work.” — Wendy C.

“I nonetheless put on mine after I go into shops, nail salons, magnificence salons for hair cuts or wherever I believe it’s mandatory everybody needs to be cautious as a result of covid just isn’t going away.” — Janice Valenzio

“I put on my masks when visiting my mother and mother-in-law at their assisted dwelling residence, in crowds, in physician’s workplace, and in anywhere that asks folks to be masked. It’s a easy factor.” — Carmie Daugird Callobre

Thanks for studying the Chicago Solar-Occasions Afternoon Version. Received a narrative you suppose we missed? E-mail us right here.

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Illinois

Illinois lands $100M federal grant for EV truck chargers

Published

2 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Illinois lands 0M federal grant for EV truck chargers

Public charging for electric trucks — including the largest semi-trailers — is on the way in Illinois.

The state has landed a $100 million federal grant for the construction of 14 public charging stations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Located at strategic points along major truck routes, the charging stations will have a total of 345 ports — enough to charge up to 3,500 trucks a day, according to Illinois electric vehicle officer Megha Lakhchaura.

“Illinois can be a critical connecting node for (electric) trucks going across the county,” said Lakhchaura, noting there is already some charging infrastructure on the East Coast and in the West.

“This would be that critical node that helps trucks actually go across the country, north to south and east to west,” she said.

Charging station locations will include the Chicago area, Springfield, and the Metro East and Quad Cities regions.

Medium- and heavy-duty trucks are responsible for 21% of the country’s transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, although they account for just 5% of vehicles on the road.

In addition, most of these trucks run on diesel fuel, a growing health concern in neighborhoods such as Little Village, which experience heavy truck traffic.

Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to asthma and respiratory illnesses and worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency considers diesel exhaust a likely carcinogen.

At the Chicago-based Respiratory Health Association, Brian Urbaszewski, environmental health programs director, said 14 truck-charging stations is a good start for Illinois.

“It’s really encouraging that the state went for this money, got this money, and is working with businesses to get (the chargers) into the ground,” he said.

Urbaszewski noted that the state also landed a $430 million EPA climate pollution reduction grant in July, of which $115 million will be aimed at truck electrification. And in November, the EPA awarded the state $95 million to electrify transportation and equipment at ports, including the Illinois International Port in the East Side neighborhood.

“This is another piece to a larger puzzle,” Urbaszewski said of the truck-charging grant, “and more funding aimed at things like electrifying trucks.”

Electric trucks remain less than 1% of the medium- and heavy-duty trucks on the road, but sales have been rising.

Lakhchaura said that the future of big electric trucks in Illinois is hard to predict, and a lot is going to depend on the broader market.

“The big problem has been that battery costs haven’t gone down, which is why the long-range (option) hasn’t taken off,” she said.

Medium-duty trucks with ranges of 150 to 160 miles are selling, she said, but for long-distance hauls you need a semi with a range of 500 miles and an attractive price.

Among the companies in the race to produce that truck is Tesla, which has announced plans to begin high-volume production of its semi in late 2025. The Tesla semi has an advertised range of up to 500 miles.

Lakhchaura noted that Tesla’s breakthrough electric cars — the Model 3 and Model Y — changed consumer perceptions of EVs, and she said she’s hoping that a similarly game-changing semi is on the horizon.

In the meantime, she is encouraged by the private sector’s response to Illinois’ grant proposal for the 14 truck charging stations.

Illinois applied for the funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation, but private companies will build the stations and pay some of the cost.

“The state said, ‘Who’s interested in building these chargers?’ and the private sector came, so that gives me a lot of confidence. It’s them coming to us and saying, ‘Yes, we see this (coming),’” she said.

The companies building the charging stations include Tesla, Prologis, Gage Zero and Pilot.

The truck charging stations — some of which will have onsite solar and batteries — should start appearing within two or three years, Lakhchaura said, although that’s a conservative estimate.

“I think (the companies building them) would like to do it sooner,” she said.

nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com

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Illinois

How Booked is building a community one stellar reading recommendation at a time

Published

10 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

How Booked is building a community one stellar reading recommendation at a time

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way, and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities.

Each week we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations.

This week we have Booked in Evanston, Illinois!

What’s your store’s story?

Chelsea Elward, a lifelong Evanstonian, opened Booked in 2018 as Chicagoland’s first children’s focused independent bookstore — and the only one with a tiny door just for kids. Today, the store is owned by two employees, Abby Dan and Betsy Haberl.

Recently, we’ve filled the shelves, launched weekly kids’ programming (including two trans and nonbinary Dungeons & Dragons Groups for tweens and teens), expanded the adult section, and added adult book clubs!

Our aim is to be a community space and a community asset, helping Evanston’s families, schools, congregations and businesses connect through books.

What makes your independent bookstore unique?

We’re the store with the tiny door! (Technically, our door is called a “wicket,” but Evanstonians and visitors know that we’ve got a little door within a door just for kids.)

We love to see them confidently (or nervously) striding through our tiny door to find a magical space with books at their level, a cozy rainbow rug, as well as puzzles and toys.

We’re a storytime spot for a fleet of toddler parents and caregivers, thanks to our musically talented and enthusiastic staff. We also host our trans and nonbinary Dungeons & Dragons group, began with four kids and has expanded to a weekly after-hours event for tweens and teens. And as we’ve grown and curated our adult shelves, we’ve built two enthusiastic, committed book clubs: Booked Club (which reads literary fiction and nonfiction) and Sunday Smut (which reads modern romance).

Many community members come in to talk books with us, and we love building these relationships. Most importantly, we are all hand-sellers. You tell us what you need, what you’re feeling, what you want to feel or communicate with a gift, and we can find you the right title.

What’s your favorite section in your store?

I love our Middle Grade section — there is just so much depth there! Middle Grade authors are doing everything from talking dogs to neurodivergent narrators in verse to dragon flights to dust bowl family sagas to elite private schools and everything in between.

I love it when parents or grandparents come in with a great idea of who their kid is but no idea what they should read next. We always have something new or different, and we love it when they come back to tell us we nailed it!

Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important?

Evanston is everything to Abby and Betsy — we both live here, send our kids to schools here, employ fellow Evanstonians, spend our own money at local businesses.

Booked is a physical place where kids and adults can come to gather and shop, but we’re also a community entity that gets diverse books into classrooms, homes, shelters and other community spaces. We bring authors to the community and its schools, and we bring people of all ages together. Without customers, we can’t add this layer of richness to Evanston, enrich the lives we touch, and we can’t be a cool spot to pick out great stickers. We just won’t be here.

Check out these titles recommended by Booked owner, Abby Dan:

“The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich
“Shark Heart” by Emily Habeck
“Finally Heard” by Kelly Yang
“The Other Valley” by Scott Alexander Howard
“Sheine Lende” by Darcie Little Badger
“Funny Story” by Emily Henry
“The Birchbark House” by Louise Erdrich
“Pretty Ugly” by David Sedaris

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Illinois

Illinois counties exploring succession would be welcomed in Indiana: House speaker

Published

18 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Illinois counties exploring succession would be welcomed in Indiana: House speaker

Several Illinois counties that have explored the idea of secession might be welcomed with open arms in Indiana.

Legislators in Indiana’s Republican-majority General Assembly have introduced a house bill that would establish a commission to discuss whether it’s advisable to adjust the boundary between Illinois and Indiana.

The House Republicans included the bill on a list of their top priorities for the 2025 session, which specifically noted that dozens of counties in Illinois have voted since 2020 “to secede from their high-tax state,” the Indianapolis Star reported.

“To all of our neighbors in the West, we hear your frustrations and invite you to join us in low-cost, low-tax Indiana,” House Speaker Todd Huston said, according to the newspaper.

In the November election, a total of seven counties in Illinois faced a ballot question on exploring the idea of secession, and all seven voted in favor of the proposal, according to county clerks’ offices. The group includes: Iroquois, Calhoun, Clinton, Green, Jersey, Madison and Perry counties.

Prior to the 2024 election cycle, at least two dozen counties voted affirmatively on the non-binding initiatives.

The reasoning behind the referendums, according to supporters, is that the city of Chicago and Cook County have a sizable impact on the policies enacted by the state legislature, and rural counties share different interests that are not being represented by the actions of the General Assembly.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called Indiana’s proposal “a stunt” earlier this week.

“…It’s not going to happen, he said. “But I’ll just that say Indiana is a low-wage state that doesn’t protect workers, a state that does not provide health care for people when they’re in need and so I don’t think it’s very attractive for anybody in Illinois…”

Many legal experts have expressed skepticism that such an effort could ever be successful. That group includes Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who penned a letter to the state’s attorney of Jersey County on the issue in 2023.

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