What’s New

On Saturday, Jon Lester will make his second start at Wrigley Field since leaving the Cubs. And despite his advanced age and diminished stuff, Lester is still getting outs for a Cardinals team streaking to the postseason.

Cubs manager David Ross – who has a well-documented history with Lester – said that’s because the 37-year-old lefty has been able to adjust.

“He’s turned himself into a different pitcher and found success in that way,” Ross said. “Being out there, being able to take the ball every fifth day, staying healthy, allows you to continue to work through competition and being able to adjust and find a way to win. He’s been a winner his whole life, so there’s no secret that he was going to find a way to have success.”

Lester enters Saturday’s start 4-1 with a 4.02 ERA since the Nationals traded him to St. Louis. His previous start was his 200th win, when he beat the Brewers 5-2.

Ross doesn’t want Lester to get 201 against his team.

“I love Jon Lester like a brother,” Ross said, “but I want to kick his tail every time he’s out there.”

Adam’s return
Reliever Jason Adam took quite a path to striking out the side in the seventh inning of Friday’s first game, an 8-5 Cubs loss to the Cardinals.

“Honestly, it’s kind of restored the joy of playing baseball in a lot of ways,” Adam said.

On May 21 with Triple-A Iowa, Adam suffered an open dislocation of his left ankle during batting practice and required surgery. Adam was subsequently designated for assignment and returned to Iowa after clearing waivers, though it was unclear when he would pitch again.

Adam did return to the mound this month, putting up a 1.80 ERA between the Cubs’ team in the Arizona Complex League and Triple-A Iowa. Then on Friday, Adam was selected from Iowa, optioned back but then recalled to serve as the 29th man for the doubleheader.

“Huge,” Ross said. “What this guy has gone through this year and what the doctors and trainers were saying about his season… they were almost limited to a 0% chance of him being back. Pretty impressive, look at where he’s come from this year.”

In other roster moves, catcher Robinson Chirinos was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Thursday) with a left oblique strain. Outfielder Greg Deichmann was recalled from Triple-A Iowa.

Steele melts late
Lefty Justin Steele continued his audition for a spot in next year’s rotation but allowed three homers and six earned runs over five innings in the Cubs’ Game 1 loss.

Since joining the rotation in August, Steele is 1-4 with a 5.89 ERA. On Friday, his day was blown up by a four-run fifth – including two of the homers – when Ross said he ran out of steam.

“This is an outing that’s easy to decipher the good from the bad,” Steele said.

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Go outside and have some fun, Chicago — not only to capitalize on the fleeting days of warmth before another brutal winter, but to take advantage of a break in the COVID-19 storm.

That’s the prescription from one of Chicago’s top infectious disease specialists, who said that while she expects a seasonal bump in cases when people are forced inside, Illinois’ improving coronavirus numbers mean most residents can safely enjoy some “normal” activities right now.

“Now is the time for people who are looking to get out and do stuff, for those who have been risk-averse,” University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said Friday. “If you’re looking for a little getaway, a trip to the movie theater, some of those fun things that you might have been avoiding — now is the time.”

Unless, of course, if you’re unvaccinated.

“Then you should stay inside. There’s no getting around Delta,” Landon said, who added that masking up indoors is still an essential for all.

As leaves begin to turn, the latest figures released Friday show the state closed out its second COVID-19 summer in a more encouraging fashion than its first, as the Delta variant surge wanes.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 21,787 new cases were diagnosed over the past week, or about 3,112 per day. That marked a 16% decrease in daily infections from the previous week, and a third straight week with declining cases numbers after about two months of exponential increases.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

COVID-19 deaths also dipped about 16% compared to the previous week, with the virus claiming an average of 34 Illinois lives each day.

Hospitals saw an 8% decline in coronavirus patients, with 1,926 beds occupied Thursday night. Even southern Illinois — the region with the state’s highest positivity rate and lowest vaccination rate — reported a modest improvement in availability. Its intensive care unit beds were filled to capacity most of last week, forcing some patients to travel out of state for critical care, but five ICU beds were available Friday across the entire 20-county region.

But just two of those ICU beds were available for the 60,000-plus residents of the seven counties that make up the southern tip of the state.

“That’s still not a great statistic to be staring at, but our total cases have been trending down, so we’re hoping we’ll see that number of available beds trend upward here in the next week,” said Nathan Ryder, community outreach coordinator for the Southern 7 Health Department.

Statewide, the seven-day average case positivity rate has shrunk from 4.1% last week down to 2.7%, suggesting the virus is spreading at the slowest pace seen in two months.

That’s better than Illinois was doing this time last year, when the positivity rate was at 3.5% and on the rise toward the state’s worst surge of the pandemic, which peaked in mid-November.

Now, with three highly effective vaccines available and nearly 80% of eligible residents having received a dose, the threat of a winter spike still looms as more people crowd indoors, but not as greatly, Landon said.

Dr. Emily Landon of the University of Chicago.Cortesia

“It would be overly optimistic to think there’s not going to be a winter bump. It could possibly be a big bump in some areas with low vaccination rates. We just don’t know how big it’ll be,” she said.

“It could be a major surge if the vaccines start wearing off, if a dangerous new variant emerges or something else horrible happens. But we’re heading into this winter with more protection [through vaccination].”

With flu season approaching, Landon urged residents to keep masking up, washing hands, staying home when they get sick and getting tested if they do. “Coming inside, that’s when we’re going to see large groups of people exposed,” she said.

Flu shots, like COVID-19 shots, are free and available at most pharmacies. For help finding a dose, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Friday in the Burnside on the South Side.

About 7:45 p.m., he was near the street in the 700 block of East 92nd Place, when he was approached by two males who pulled out guns and fired shots, Chicago police said.

He was struck in the abdomen and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.

Police continue to investigate.

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Go outside and have some fun, Chicago — not only to capitalize on the fleeting days of warmth before another brutal winter, but to take advantage of a break in the COVID-19 storm.

That’s the prescription from one of the city’s top infectious disease specialists, who said that while she expects a seasonal bump in cases when people are forced inside, Illinois’ improving coronavirus numbers mean most residents can safely enjoy some “normal” activities right now.

“Now is the time for people who are looking to get out and do stuff, for those who have been risk-averse,” University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said Friday. “If you’re looking for a little getaway, a trip to the movie theater, some of those fun things that you might have been avoiding — now is the time.”

Unless, of course, if you’re unvaccinated.

“Then you should stay inside. There’s no getting around Delta,” Landon said, who added that masking up indoors is still an essential for all.

As leaves begin to turn, the latest figures released Friday show the state closed out its second COVID-19 summer in a more encouraging fashion than its first, as the Delta variant surge wanes.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 21,787 new cases were diagnosed over the past week, or about 3,112 per day. That marked a 16% decrease in daily infections from the previous week, and a third straight week with declining cases numbers after about two months of exponential increases.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

COVID-19 deaths also dipped about 16% compared to the previous week, with the virus claiming an average of 34 Illinois lives each day.

Hospitals saw an 8% decline in coronavirus patients, with 1,926 beds occupied Thursday night. Even southern Illinois — the region with the state’s highest positivity rate and lowest vaccination rate — reported a modest improvement in availability. Its intensive care unit beds were filled to capacity most of last week, forcing some patients to travel out of state for critical care, but five ICU beds were available Friday across the entire 20-county region.

But just two of those ICU beds were available for the 60,000-plus residents of the seven counties that make up the southern tip of the state.

“That’s still not a great statistic to be staring at, but our total cases have been trending down, so we’re hoping we’ll see that number of available beds trend upward here in the next week,” said Nathan Ryder, community outreach coordinator for the Southern 7 Health Department.

Statewide, the seven-day average case positivity rate has shrunk from 4.1% last week down to 2.7%, suggesting the virus is spreading at the slowest pace seen in two months.

That’s better than Illinois was doing this time last year, when the positivity rate was at 3.5% and on the rise toward the state’s worst surge of the pandemic, which peaked in mid-November.

Now, with three highly effective vaccines available and nearly 80% of eligible residents having received a dose, the threat of a winter spike still looms as more people crowd indoors, but not as greatly, Landon said.

Dr. Emily Landon of the University of Chicago.Cortesia

“It would be overly optimistic to think there’s not going to be a winter bump. It could possibly be a big bump in some areas with low vaccination rates. We just don’t know how big it’ll be,” she said.

“It could be a major surge if the vaccines start wearing off, if a dangerous new variant emerges or something else horrible happens. But we’re heading into this winter with more protection [through vaccination].”

With flu season approaching, Landon urged residents to keep masking up, washing hands, staying home when they get sick and getting tested if they do. “Coming inside, that’s when we’re going to see large groups of people exposed,” she said.

Flu shots, like COVID-19 shots, are free and available at most pharmacies. For help finding a dose, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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Please send scores or corrections to [email protected]

Thursday, September 23

NONCONFERENCE

Bulls Prep vs. Rauner at Lane, 7:15

Hyde Park vs. Mather at Winnemac, 4:15

King vs. Lake View at Lane, 4:15

Marine vs. Crane at Rockne, 4:15

Raby vs. North Lawndale at Rockne, 7:15

South Shore vs. Ag. Science at Gately, 4:15

Washington vs. Johnson at Gately, 7:15

Friday, September 24

MICHIGAN AVENUE

Chicago Richards at Englewood STEM, 7:15

CENTRAL SUBURBAN NORTH

Maine East at Maine West, 7

Niles North at Highland Park, 7

Vernon Hills at Deerfield, 7

CENTRAL SUBURBAN SOUTH

Maine South at Glenbrook North, 7

New Trier at Evanston, 7:30

Niles West at Glenbrook South, 7

DUKANE

Geneva at St. Charles North, 7:30

Glenbard North at Batavia, 7:30

Lake Park at Wheaton North, 7:30

St. Charles East at Wheaton-Warrenville South, 7:30

DUPAGE VALLEY

Metea Valley at Waubonsie Valley, 7

Naperville Central at Neuqua Valley, 7:30

Naperville North at DeKalb, 7

FOX VALLEY

Crystal Lake Central at Dundee-Crown, 7

Crystal Lake South at Burlington Central, 7

Huntley at Jacobs, 7

McHenry at Hampshire, 7

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Lisle at Coal City, 7

Manteno at Streator, 7

Peotone at Reed-Custer, 7

Wilmington at Herscher, 7

INDEPENDENT

Hope Academy at Ottawa Marquette, 7

KISHWAUKEE I-8 BLUE

Plano at Johnsburg, 7:15

Rochelle at Harvard, 7

Sandwich at Richmond-Burton, 7

KISHWAUKEE I-8 WHITE

Kaneland at Woodstock, 7

LaSalle-Peru at Sycamore, 7

Ottawa at Woodstock North, 7

METRO SUBURBAN BLUE

Aurora Central at IC Catholic, 7:15

Elmwood Park at Bishop McNamara, 7

Wheaton Academy at Ridgewood, 7:15

METRO SUBURBAN RED

Aurora Christian at Chicago Christian, 7:15

St. Edward at Riverside-Brookfield, 7:15

Westmont at St. Francis, 7

MID-SUBURBAN EAST

Buffalo Grove at Prospect, 7

Hersey at Elk Grove, 7:30

Wheeling at Rolling Meadows, 7

MID-SUBURBAN WEST

Barrington at Hoffman Estates, 7:30

Fremd at Conant, 7:30

Palatine at Schaumburg, 7:30

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Forest 2, Waukegan 0 (forfeit)

Lake Zurich at Zion-Benton, 7:30

Libertyville at Mundelein, 7

Stevenson at Warren, 7:30

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Antioch at Wauconda, 7

Grant at Grayslake Central, 7

Lakes at Grayslake North, 7

North Chicago at Round Lake, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN BLUE

Hillcrest at Tinley Park, 6

Oak Forest at Bremen, 6

TF North at Lemont, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN RED

Argo at Evergreen Park, 7

Eisenhower at Shepard, 7

Richards at Oak Lawn, 7

SOUTHLAND

Kankakee at Thornwood, 6

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE EAST

Joliet Central at Plainfield East, 7

Joliet West at Plainfield Central, 7

Romeoville at Plainfield South, 7

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE WEST

Minooka at Oswego, 7

Oswego East at West Aurora, 7

Yorkville at Plainfield North, 7

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN BLUE

Lincoln-Way East at Bolingbrook, 6

Lockport at Sandburg, 6

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN RED

Andrew at Lincoln-Way Central, 7:30

Stagg at Lincoln-Way West, 7:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

Fenton at Bartlett, 7:30

Larkin at Glenbard South, 7:30

South Elgin at Glenbard East, 7:30

Streamwood at East Aurora, 7:30

West Chicago at Elgin, 7:30

VERMILION VALLEY NORTH

Clifton Central at Watseka, 7

Dwight at Momence, 7

Iroquois West at Seneca, 7

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Morton at Hinsdale South, 7

Proviso East at Downers Grove South, 6:30

Willowbrook at Leyden, 7

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

Downers Grove North at Proviso West, 7

Hinsdale Central at Oak Park-River Forest, 7:30

Lyons at York, 7

NONCONFERENCE

Brother Rice at De La Salle, 7:30

Carmel at Nazareth, 7

Clark at Speer, 7:30

Corliss vs. Little Village at Stagg, 4:15

Crete-Monee at Joliet Catholic, 7:30

Curie at Lane, 7:15

DePaul Prep at St. Laurence, 7:30

Foreman vs. Clemente at Lane, 4:15

Glenbard West at Addison Trail, 7

Homewood-Flossmoor at Bradley-Bourbonnais, TBA

Leo at Montini, 7:30

Loyola at Fenwick, 7:30

Marengo at Morris, 7

Marian Catholic at Benet, 7:30

Marian Central at Providence, 7:30

Marist at Marmion, 7:30

Morgan Park at Taft, 7:30

Mount Carmel at St. Ignatius, 7:30

Orr at Steinmetz, 4:15

Payton vs. Kennedy at Rockne, 7:15

Perspectives vs. Young at Rockne, 4:15

St. Patrick at St. Rita, 7:30

St. Viator at Notre Dame, 7:30

UP-Bronzeville vs. Amundsen at Winnemac, 4:15

Saturday, September 25

MICHIGAN AVENUE

Chicago Military vs. Dyett at Eckersall, 4

Hansberry vs. DuSable at Eckersall, 10 a.m.

FOX VALLEY

Prairie Ridge at Cary-Grove, 1

SOUTHLAND

Rich Township at Bloom, noon

Thornridge at Thornton, noon

NONCONFERENCE

Back of the Yards vs. Prosser at Rockne, 1

Bowen vs. Collins at Rockne, 4

Brooks vs. Von Steuben at Winnemac, 4

Butler vs. Gage Park at Stagg, 10 a.m.

Carver at Goode, 3

Chicago Academy vs. Phoenix at Rockne, 7

Christ the King at Walther Christian, 1

Dunbar vs. Schurz at Lane, 4

Fenger vs. Tilden at Stagg, 1

Hubbard vs. Lincoln Park at Lane, 1

Julian vs. Catalyst-Maria at Gately, 10 a.m.

Kenwood at Westinghouse, 1

Lindblom vs. Sullivan at Winnemac, 1

Longwood at Kelly, noon

Pritzker vs. Rowe-Clark at Lane, 10 a.m.

Roosevelt at Marshall, 4

Senn vs. UIC Prep at Lane, 7

Simeon vs. Phillips at Gately, 4

Solorio vs. Comer at Eckersall, 1

TF South at Reavis, 1

Vocational vs. Bogan at Gately, 1

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Three months ago, we said the Lightfoot administration should prepare Soldier Field for a future without the Chicago Bears as the stadium’s anchor tenant.

And now a story on Thursday by Sun-Times reporters Fran Spielman and David Roeder seems to bear that out.

Spielman and Roeder reported that experts believe the team wants a venue with substantially expanded seating and possibly a dome, but making those types of changes to Soldier Field would be structurally impossible, prohibitively expensive and politically difficult — or a mix of all three.

Which brings into sharper focus the Bears’ bid for the Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights. A deal there would move the Bears from 61,500-seat Soldier Field — the smallest stadium in the NFL — and allow them to build the larger venue the team has always coveted.

It would be unfortunate for Chicago if the Bears decamp for suburbia. But their departure, or even a plan to keep them in Soldier Field, presents Chicago with an opportunity to rethink the stadium and the nearby Museum Campus.

Massive Soldier Field changes won’t ‘come easy’

Of the NFL’s newest venues, Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium, built in 2020 as the home of the Rams and the Chargers, seats 70,000, while the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium has a capacity of 71,800.

Both have roofs. But covering Soldier Field, particularly with a retractable lid, would be a tall, expensive order. Dirk Lohan, the architect who led the $660 million Soldier Field renovation in 2003, told us that “anything is possible for money,” but it won’t “come easy” because Soldier Field is “not laid out to receive a roof.”

Lohan said the 2003 rebuild of Soldier Field, which essentially placed a new stadium within — and bulging out the top of — the old venue means the stadium is essentially a mix of two structures.

“If you put a roof on it, you would have three different structures,” Lohan said.

Expanding the seating capacity would be tough slog also, he said.

“[W]hat do you have to do to expand the seating?”

“Do you have to tear down half of [the stadium]? Do you have to remove the old colonnades, for instance?” Lohan asked. “Chicago would not stand for damaging or changing the historic architecture. It’s a monument to the soldiers of World War I.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, after initially dismissing the Bears nod toward Arlington Heights, told the Sun-Times editorial board last week that her team is “evaluating ways in which we can enhance the fan experience at Soldier Field.”

But when asked by Spielman whether she would consider a retractable roof for the stadium, Lightfoot quoted The Rolling Stones: “You can’t always get what you want. But you can try sometimes and get what you need.”

To our mind, the approach of separating wants from needs is the best way to assure some, well, satisfaction, when it comes to Soldier Field’s future.

Rethinking the stadium and Museum Campus

During the Sun-Times editorial board meeting last week, Lightfoot hinted that she is looking at Soldier Field as an integral part of the Museum Campus, rather than as a stand-alone entity.

This is a good move. Because if Soldier Field is showing its age, programmatically, almost 20 years after its renovation, then the nearly 25-year-old Museum Campus also needs a refresh, including the possibility of a restaurant and better public transportation access.

And at Soldier Field, we think the Chicago Park District might’ve been rash when it stiff-armed the Bears’ request to add a sports betting lounge on the premises, as reported last week by Chicago public radio station WBEZ.

Betting wouldn’t be allowed in the lounge or the stadium, but patrons could watch live NFL games on TV and see betting lines. The Bears would make money from advertising and give the park district a 20 percent cut.

Seems reasonable to us to add this now — if it’s not too late.

No Chicago mayor wants to lose a storied sports franchise such as Bears, so we understand Lightfoot’s wish to figure out what kind of improvements would keep the team at Soldier Field.

But there’s no need to give away the store, either. Chicago has survived fires, floods, economic downturns and more. If the Bears wind up in Arlington Heights after their Solder Field lease ends in 2033, we’ll survive that too.

Send letters to [email protected].

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Patrick Kane looks around the Blackhawks locker room with mixed emotions.

On one hand, many of his longtime teammates — his closest friends throughout the greatest heights of his career — are now gone.

Corey Crawford, Brent Seabrook, Andrew Shaw and Duncan Keith have all left the organization in the past year. Even Jonathan Toews is different than the old Toews, having endured a year in “outer space” to potentially return this season.

“It feels different, for sure, especially this year,” Kane said Thursday. “Even last year, ‘Duncs’ was here and ‘Seabs’ was around. Those two guys are such good players, but also their voice carries a lot of weight in the locker room. You’d wake up and be excited to see Seabrook at the rink, just to hear what he had to say — [like] his stupid little jokes all the time. I definitely miss that. But you stay in touch with those guys.”

On the other hand, the new guys brought in to flesh out the Hawks’ reconstructed core have introduced excitement, freshness and renewed belief that the team can re-reach those great heights. Kane described the 2021-22 Hawks as a “relevant team again.”

“It seems like, the way the team is built this year, it can do some special things,” he said. “I was personally really excited about the opportunity to play with Seth Jones. [General manager] Stan [Bowman] had mentioned to me that they were going to go after him, with one year left on his deal. It’s amazing. When they mention something like that and they go and get it done, it’s a great feeling. He’s going to help us so much.”

Kane himself remains the Hawks’ one largely untouched centerpiece. When the 32-year-old winger celebrated his 1,000-career-games milestone last March, well on his way to leading the Hawks in scoring for the sixth consecutive season, he still seemed unaffected by aging.

That immunity has started to change over the past six months, though. An undisclosed yet nagging injury sprang up during the 2021 stretch run, slowing his production from 40 points in the season’s first half to 26 points (including only four goals) in the second half.

And even after a restful offseason — he admitted the first two days of training camp Thursday and Friday were the first times in a while that he’d “skated hard” — that injury continues to hang around.

“It’s something that’s not completely healed,” Kane said Thursday, admitting he did have some worries about it over the summer. “But I’m optimistic with where I’m going, and happy after today’s skate with how I felt.”

Bowman downplayed concerns, pointing out most players feel discomfort in some part of their body at any given time and clarifying Kane’s injury hasn’t and won’t need surgery.

“You want to always feel 100% all the time, so you can be at your best, but if you were to talk to all of our players, it’s rare when they feel 100%,” the GM said. “There’s usually something that’s a little bit off… But Patrick never complained about it at all. He’s one of those guys that just wants to show up and play and not complain about anything.”

The issue also hasn’t prevented Kane from continuing to perfect the nuances of his game.

In his work with trainer Brian Keane this summer, he focused on “weight shifting to deceive the defenders” while skating, as well as “changing the angle and point of attack” of his shot to get pucks through traffic more easily.

The end result should be another season of dangerous, dynamic Kane, taking full advantage of the extra space and support the Hawks’ strengthened lineup — including Jones and apparent new first-line center Tyler Johnson — will offer.

But as he approaches his 15th NHL season, his and the Hawks’ evolution over time has become impossible to ignore.

Lankinen, Hardman on COVID list

Despite being 100% vaccinated, the Hawks will still be affected by the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols this season, and they didn’t have to wait long to realize that.

Goalie Kevin Lankinen and forward Mike Hardman were added Friday to the COVID-19 protocol list, meaning they either tested positive, received an unconfirmed positive or had a close contact test positive.

Goalie plan unclear

With Lankinen and Marc-Andre Fleury established as the Hawks’ NHL goalie rotation this season — “It’s pretty clear right now who the top two guys are,” Bowman said, in case there was any confusion — the Hawks have a dilemma with Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia.

Both will require waivers to be sent to the AHL, and both — particularly Subban — have enough previous NHL experience that another team could be intrigued enough to claim them.

The Hawks could either try to trade one or simply hope they slip through waivers. Bowman seemed to favor the latter plan Thursday.

“We’ll see how it shakes out; we’ll see how health goes,” he said. “You’re going to need to use at least three goalies this year — some years we’ve used four and five goalies — so having depth there is not a bad thing. But we haven’t spent too much time really listing them out in order.”

His reasoning was immediately backed up Friday by Lankinen’s news and by Delia — filling in for Lankinen with the first practice group — leaving the ice in discomfort after some laps.

Prospect goalie Arvid Soderblom is also in camp, but won’t require waivers.

Local TV schedule

NBC Sports Chicago will televise all 69 regular-season Hawks games not already chosen for national TV or exclusive online streaming rights, the team announced Friday.

Five of six preseason games will also air on NBC Sports Chicago, excluding the Oct. 2 game against the Blues in Kansas City (which is radio only).

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Go outside and have some fun, Chicago — not only to capitalize on the fleeting days of warmth before another brutal winter, but to take advantage of a break in the COVID-19 storm.

That’s the prescription from one of the city’s top infectious disease specialists, who said that while she expects a seasonal bump in cases when people are forced inside, Illinois’ improving coronavirus numbers mean most residents can safely enjoy some “normal” activities right now.

“Now is the time for people who are looking to get out and do stuff, for those who have been risk-averse,” University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said Friday. “If you’re looking for a little getaway, a trip to the movie theater, some of those fun things that you might have been avoiding — now is the time.”

Unless, of course, if you’re unvaccinated.

“Then you should stay inside. There’s no getting around Delta,” Landon said, who added that masking up indoors is still an essential for all.

As leaves begin to turn, the latest figures released Friday show the state closed out its second COVID-19 summer in a more encouraging fashion than its first, as the Delta variant surge wanes.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 21,787 new cases were diagnosed over the past week, or about 3,112 per day. That marked a 16% decrease in daily infections from the previous week, and a third straight week with declining cases numbers after about two months of exponential increases.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

COVID-19 deaths also dipped about 16% compared to the previous week, with the virus claiming an average of 34 Illinois lives each day.

Hospitals saw an 8% decline in coronavirus patients, with 1,926 beds occupied Thursday night. Even southern Illinois — the region with the state’s highest positivity rate and lowest vaccination rate — reported a modest improvement in availability. Its intensive care unit beds were filled to capacity most of last week, forcing some patients to travel out of state for critical care, but five ICU beds were available Friday across the entire 20-county region.

But just two of those ICU beds were available for the 60,000-plus residents of the seven counties that make up the southern tip of the state.

“That’s still not a great statistic to be staring at, but our total cases have been trending down, so we’re hoping we’ll see that number of available beds trend upward here in the next week,” said Nathan Ryder, community outreach coordinator for the Southern 7 Health Department.

Statewide, the seven-day average case positivity rate has shrunk from 4.1% last week down to 2.7%, suggesting the virus is spreading at the slowest pace seen in two months.

That’s better than Illinois was doing this time last year, when the positivity rate was at 3.5% and on the rise toward the state’s worst surge of the pandemic, which peaked in mid-November.

Now, with three highly effective vaccines available and nearly 80% of eligible residents having received a dose, the threat of a winter spike still looms as more people crowd indoors, but not as greatly, Landon said.

Dr. Emily Landon of the University of Chicago.Cortesia

“It would be overly optimistic to think there’s not going to be a winter bump. It could possibly be a big bump in some areas with low vaccination rates. We just don’t know how big it’ll be,” she said.

“It could be a major surge if the vaccines start wearing off, if a dangerous new variant emerges or something else horrible happens. But we’re heading into this winter with more protection [through vaccination].”

With flu season approaching, Landon urged residents to keep masking up, washing hands, staying home when they get sick and getting tested if they do. “Coming inside, that’s when we’re going to see large groups of people exposed,” she said.

Flu shots, like COVID-19 shots, are free and available at most pharmacies. For help finding a dose, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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NEW YORK — R. Kelly’s fate is now in a jury’s hands after weeks of lurid testimony in his sexual misconduct trial.

The panel of seven men and five women began deliberating racketeering and sex trafficking charges against the R&B superstar Friday afternoon, ending the day without reaching a verdict They are due back in court on Monday to resume their work.

A couple hours into the deliberations, the jurors sent the judge a note asking to review a transcript of testimony and evidence regarding a woman who claimed Kelly sexually assaulted her in 2003 when she was a 21-year-old radio station intern. She testified she was kept locked up in a recording studio for days and drugged before the assault.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys finished their closing arguments this week. The 54-year-old singer is accused of running a Chicago-based criminal enterprise that recruited his accusers for unwanted sex and mental torment.

The witnesses said Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Kelly “believed the music, the fame and the celebrity meant he could do whatever he wanted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadia Shihata said in federal court in Brooklyn in a fiery rebuttal to the defense’s closing argument that portrayed Kelly as a victim of false accusations.

But, she added, “He’s not a genius, he’s a criminal. A predator.” She added that his alleged victims “aren’t groupies or gold diggers. They’re human beings.”

Kelly, perhaps best known for the 1996 smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly, ” has pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges accusing him of abusing women, girls and boys for more than two decades.

He is also charged with multiple violations of the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport anyone across state lines “for any immoral purpose.”

Prosecutors say their evidence proves how Kelly, with the help of some loyal members of his entourage, used tactics from “the predator playbook” to sexually exploit his victims.

The tactics included isolating them in hotel rooms or his recording studio, subjecting them to degrading rules like making them call him “Daddy” and shooting video recordings — some seen by the jury at trial — of them having sex with him and others as a means to control them, prosecutors said.

In his closing, defense attorney Deveraux Cannick told the jury that testimony by several accusers was full of lies, and that “the government let them lie.”

Cannick argued there was no evidence Kelly’s accusers were ever forced to do anything against their will. Instead, Cannick said, Kelly’s girlfriends stuck around because he spoiled them with free air travel, shopping sprees and fancy dinners — treatment that belied the predator label.

“He gave them a lavish lifestyle,” he said. “That’s not what a predator is supposed to do.”

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Two 16-year-old boys were shot by a motorist they tried to carjack at gunpoint Friday morning at a gas station in suburban Hoffman Estates, police said.

As the teens were stealing the car, the man — a concealed carry license holder — took out a gun and shot at the pair.

The wounded teens ditched the stolen car a short distance away and were gone by the time police arrived, police said.

The carjacking happened around 5:40 a.m. at a Mobil station at Golf and Roselle roads, police said.

Later that morning, the teens showed up at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park with gunshot wounds they claimed they got in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, Chicago police said.

But police determined they had actually been shot in Hoffman Estates.

The pair were being questioned as persons of interest in the carjacking, Hoffman Estates Sgt. John Bending said.

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