What’s New

Read More

Read More

The FBI is searching for a man in connection to a bank robbery Friday in suburban Skokie.

About 2:30 p.m., officers responded to a call of robbery at a TCF bank at 9449 Skokie Blvd., the FBI said.

The suspect entered the bank with a handgun and demanded money before leaving the scene, the FBI said. It wasn’t immediately known how much money he took, according to the FBI.

He was seen wearing a blue and black windbreaker with a half-zip, a blue or black American flag gaiter, dark pants and shoes and a Chicago Cubs baseball hat, according to the FBI.

The man was between 30 to 40 years old and about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, the FBI said.

Anyone with infomation is asked to call 312-421-6700.

Read More

Almost a third of all Illinois residents are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — but the number of people signing up for shots each day has dipped by almost a third over the past three weeks.

Residents were racing to snatch up the coveted shot appointments a month ago, and just as they’ve become readily available statewide, “there are just fewer people that are seeking it out,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday.

The latest challenge in the pandemic of falling vaccine demand is one the governor’s health team anticipated, and now must zero in on to bring the state closer to herd immunity.

State of Illinois livestream

“It’s a national trend, as we’ve reached somewhere in the 50-60% range of vaccinations among our 16-plus population,” Pritzker said during a news conference in downstate Centreville, near East St. Louis.

“That isn’t to say that there aren’t people who still desire to get vaccinated, and that there aren’t people who are not showing up to get vaccinated, but would like to be more convenient to them — they don’t have transportation to it, or in some other way they’re prevented.

“We’re doing everything that we can to reach out to all of those folks. We have mobile operations teams that are all over the state going into communities that we’ve had difficulty getting people vaccinated in, or where people have had difficulty. We have people knocking on doors or at least responding to people who’ve said, ‘Hey, I can’t leave my home. I’m homebound and I need someone to give me a vaccine at my home.’ And so we’ve got people going door to door,” Pritzker said.

About 60% of Illinois adults have gotten at least one shot so far, but with the latest 103,717 shots administered Thursday, the state is averaging just 92,747 inoculations per day over the last week.

That’s the lowest the Illinois’ daily shot rate has been since March 8, back when vaccines were in severely short supply — and more than a month before all residents 16 or older were eligible.

The daily vaccination average has nosedived from an all-time high of nearly 133,000 on April 12 — a 30% decline over a span of just 18 days.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

“We hope many more people will get vaccinated, we continue to try to get them vaccinated in every way that we possibly can, and we’re going to keep doing it as long as we need to,” Pritzker said.

Despite the dwindling injections, Illinois’ coronavirus infection numbers have kept moving in the right direction.

The state Department of Public Health reported 3,207 new cases were diagnosed among 108,063 tests, lowering the average statewide positivity rate to 3.4%. That’s as low as that number has fallen since the end of March.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are also easing down after a spike in cases last month. Hospitals were treating 2,024 coronavirus patients Thursday night, compared to 2,288 on April 19.

But the virus also claimed 33 more Illinois lives, including a Cook County man in his 40s.

The state’s death toll is up to 21,960, among more than 1.3 million residents who have tested positive since last spring.

For help finding a vaccination appointment in Chicago, visit zocdoc.com or call (312) 746-4835.

For suburban Cook County sites, visit vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or call (833) 308-1988.

To find providers elsewhere, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

Read More

Chicago White Sox dominate Detroit Tigers in double header by Jimmy Lynch

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace shocked the football world for the second night in a row when he traded up in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Most Bears fans ran under the assumption that Chicago would come away with the best available offensive tackle with their pick at no. 52. However, Pace couldn’t wait that long. He saw value much earlier, and wasted no time.

The Bears traded up to the 39th overall pick, previously held by the Carolina Panthers. At that spot, they selected Oklahoma State offensive tackle Teven Jenkins — a player often mocked to Chicago in the first round.

For a guy who should have been gone by pick 20 to drop all the way to no. 39 is nothing short of dumb luck. The Bears not only got a steal when Justin Fields fell to no. 11, but now get a locked and loaded starting offensive tackle that fell a good 15-20 spots from where he should have been drafted.

The Chicago Bears and Ryan Pace just proved they’re all in on Justin Fields.

No matter what Pace wants us to believe, Justin Fields will end up being this team’s starting quarterback by Week 1. He can say all the nice things he wants about Andy Dalton, as he did after Day 1 of the draft. But, the fact o the matter is, this trade proves that Fields is going to be QB1 — not Dalton.

Take a look at what the Bears gave up to get Fields a top offensive tackle in Jenkins.

Carolina trades 39 and 151 to Chicago for 52, 83 and 204. https://t.co/7KLce9FmqI

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2021

The Bears will now go 112 selections between picks, barring another trade. That’s how much they loved Jenkins. That’s how much stock they put into protecting Fields not only this year, but going forward into the future.

The 6-foot-6 Jenkins has everything you want in a starting NFL tackle. He’s got the obvious size, paired with excellent strength. Jenkins plays with an edge and is always looking to put his opposing man on their back.

Jenkins is also fairly athletic for his size, allowing him to get out in front on those toss plays or sealing the edge on RPO type plays — i.e., Jenkins is going to be Fields’ best friend going forward.

This is a pick that will likely send Charles Leno over to the right side, seeing as though Jenkins is the far superior player. Jenkins only played one game at left tackle last year, but if they want to best protect Fields’ blind side, he could get a look on that side.

Next: Bears Draft: 3 trades still to make

The 2020 First Team All Big 12 selection joins a franchise that has had new life breathed into it over the last 24 hours. Chicago just landed themselves a franchise quarterback and a top-tier offensive tackle with their first two picks of the draft. It’s officially all about Fields in 2021, no matter what Pace wants you to believe.

Read More

Patrick Murphy’s first Chicago visit was well-timed.

He and his wife, Linda, traveled to the city from their Akron, Ohio home and made Navy Pier one of their stops on Friday — the first day the pier was open to the public after being closed for nearly eight months during the pandemic.

“It was perfect, because we planned the trip about a month ago and the fact that we arrived today, and it’s reopening, and he’s never been here,” said Linda Murphy.

“It’s a beautiful sunny day. We’re just wandering around, sightseeing, and then going to get deep-dish pizza for dinner.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The pier is welcoming visitors as part of its phased reopening plan. The pier’s parking garages are now open, along with tour boats and cruises. A new hotel, Sable, opened last month. Some restaurants are open, though capacity remains limited.

Renata and Matthew King came to the pier Friday to take photos and enjoy the popular waterfront destination’s outdoor attractions, including the Ferris wheel and carousel.

“We heard about it on the news and knew we would have to come,” Renata King said. “It’s almost a little extra windy, but we’re still enjoying it.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Though some visitors were disappointed that more restaurants weren’t open and had hoped for more music, activities and events to celebrate the day, most were happy to get outdoors, be near the water and enjoy the sun.

“We went on the Ferris wheel, and got some funnel cake. We walked the peer, and after this were planning on going to the Disney store. We’re so excited about the reopening, we wanted to go last week but we got the date wrong,” said Elizabeth Bacharach, 18, from Lombard, Ill., who was there with her friend, Aurelia Dominguez.

“I miss stuff like this,” added Dominguez, also from Lombard. “Even if you don’t spend money at restaurants or on overpriced rides, just walking up and down with people you love, people you want to hang out with. The scenery — I miss that kind of vibe. Just getting outside, not being home.”

Zinya Salfiti/Sun-Times

Read More

The latest

Daily COVID-19 vaccinations nosedive across Illinois: ‘We’re doing everything that we can to reach out’

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

Almost a third of all Illinois residents are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — but the number of people signing up for shots each day has dipped by almost a third over the past three weeks.

Residents were racing to snatch up the coveted shot appointments a month ago, and just as they’ve become readily available statewide, “there are just fewer people that are seeking it out,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday.

The latest challenge in the pandemic of falling vaccine demand is one the governor’s health team anticipated, and now must zero in on to bring the state closer to herd immunity.

“It’s a national trend, as we’ve reached somewhere in the 50-60% range of vaccinations among our 16-plus population,” Pritzker said during a news conference in downstate Centreville, near East St. Louis.

Read the complete story by Mitchell Armentrout here.

---

News

6 p.m. Anxiety drove short-term vaccine reactions in 5 states: US officials

NEW YORK — It was anxiety — and not a problem with the shots — that caused reactions in dozens of people at coronavirus vaccine clinics in five states, U.S. health officials have concluded.

Experts say the clusters detailed Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are an example of a phenomenon that’s been chronicled for decades from a variety of different vaccines. Basically, some people get so freaked out by injections that their anxiety spurs a physical reaction.

“We knew we were going to see this” as mass COVID-19 vaccine clinics were set up around the world, said Dr. Noni MacDonald, a Canadian researcher who has studied similar incidents.

Read the complete story here.

4:30 p.m. Marriage ceremonies in Cook County can be conducted on Zoom starting Monday

Couples looking to tie the knot before a Cook County judge can do so starting Monday via a live-streamed Zoom ceremony, Chief Judge Timothy Evans’ office announced Friday.

Ceremonies conducted via telephone are also an option for couples without access to Zoom.

Couples can also get married in person, but they might have to wait since ceremonies are currently booked through May.

Read the complete story here

3:40 p.m. Brazil backs away from the virus brink as deaths top 400,000

RIO DE JANEIRO — For most of this month, intensive care units across Brazil were at or near capacity amid a crush of COVID-19 patients, and sedatives needed to intubate patients dwindled. The nation’s biggest cemetery had so many corpses to bury that gravediggers worked hours past sundown.

But Brazil has stepped back from the edge — at least for now — as burial and hospital services no longer face collapse. It has ceased to be the virus’ global epicenter, as its death toll ebbed and was overtaken by India’s surge. Experts warn, however, that the situation remains precarious, and caution is warranted.

The number of states with ICU capacity above 90% has slipped to 10, from 17 a month ago, according to data from the state-run Fiocruz medical research institute. And nighttime burials at Vila Formosa and three other cemeteries in Sao Paulo were suspended Thursday, after two weeks of declining deaths.

Read the complete story here.

2:50 p.m. March US incomes surge as relief rolls out, spending jumps

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending rose at the fastest pace in nine months while incomes soared by a record amount in March, reflecting billions of dollars in government support payments aimed at putting the country firmly on the road to recovery.

Consumer spending rose 4.2% last month, the Commerce Department said Friday, the best showing since a 6.5% spending increase in June. Spending had fallen 1% in February as frigid winter weather disrupted sales.

Incomes surged by a record-breaking 21.1% in March after having fallen 7% in February. The big gain reflected delivery of billions of dollars in relief payments with individuals getting up to $1,400 payments from the $1.9 trillion support package President Joe Biden pushed through Congress last month.

Read the complete story here.

2 p.m. US to restrict travel from India over COVID starting Tuesday

WASHINGTON — The U.S. will restrict travel from India starting on May 4, the White House said Friday, citing a devastating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden’s administration made the determination on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the complete story here.

1:05 p.m. US closes in on 100 million Americans fully vaccinated

Disneyland reopened on Friday and New York’s mayor predicted the big city will be up and running again at full strength by July 1, as the number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 closed in on 100 million.

Visitors cheered and screamed with delight as the Southern California theme park swung open its gates for the first time in 13 months in a powerful symbol of the U.S. rebound, even though the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth is allowing only in-state guests for now and operating at just 25% capacity.

The reopening and similar steps elsewhere around the country reflect increasing optimism as COVID-19 deaths tumble and the ranks of the vaccinated grow — a stark contrast to the worsening disaster in India and Brazil and the scant availability of vaccines in many poor parts of the world.

While the overall number of lives lost to COVID-19 in the U.S. has eclipsed 575,000, deaths have plummeted to an average of about 670 per day from a peak of around 3,400 in mid-January.

Read the complete story here.

12:10 p.m. Scarred by pandemic, labor and allies mourn, then mobilize

As May Day 2021 approached, registered nurse Kathy Haff thought about the trials she and co-workers have faced over the past year and was moved to speak out.

Haff, who works at Community First Medical Center in Portage Park, wrote down her thoughts about three co-workers who succumbed to COVID-19. She touched on their humor, professionalism and generosity.

In a local observation of the International Workers’ Memorial Day, Haff talked Wednesday about her late colleagues during an online prayer service memorializing those who have died. Her point wasn’t to elevate them above others being remembered but to address the grief and sense of injustice that inhabits many workplaces because of the pandemic.

Haff told the Chicago Sun-Times the deaths shook the small hospital’s staff, where workers have organized with the National Nurses United union and pressed administrators to provide more personal protective equipment. “We finally have a voice with the union and the hospital isn’t happy because we’re airing their dirty laundry. They’re oblivious,” she said.

Read the full story by David Roeder here.

11:30 a.m. Response to coronavirus outbreak ‘inefficient and chaotic’ at LaSalle Veterans’ Home where 36 died, report finds

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Consistent statewide procedures and ongoing drills that target infection response and other emergencies will be routine at Illinois veterans’ homes after COVID-19 caught the LaSalle Veterans’ Home unprepared and claimed 36 lives last fall, the state’s newly appointed director said.

Terry Prince, a 31-year Navy veteran and former senior adviser to the U.S. Surgeon General, has issued a six-point plan for improving readiness at the state’s veterans’ homes in Anna, Manteno, Quincy and LaSalle. The plan follows a blistering investigative report that laid out a string of miscommunications, lax policy and missed opportunities when the pandemic hit the home in LaSalle, 94 miles west of Chicago.

The report by the inspector general of the Illinois Department of Human Services, released Friday, noted that despite escaping all traces of the deadly respiratory illness for eight months after it entered Illinois, there was little done to devise protocols for preventing or managing infections. After the first four cases were reported Nov. 1, the virus spread to 60 residents and 43 employees as confused staff operated in an environment that was “inefficient, reactive and chaotic,” the report said.

Read the complete story here.

10:45 a.m. Blackhawks excited for fans’ return to United Center, albeit for only 2 games

Four players in the Blackhawks’ lineup Thursday have never played in front of fans at the United Center.

Four others have never done so as a member of the Hawks. Another three have done so only once. That adds up to 11 players — more than half the team.

But come May 9 and 10 against the Stars, the last two games of the regular season, that will change. The City of Chicago announced Thursday the UC can be filled to 25% capacity starting with the Bulls’ May 7 game, although Hawks spokesperson said the Hawks would actually have around 20% capacity — approximately 4,000 fans.

Read the full story by Ben Pope here.

9:15 a.m. State Senate sends Pritzker COVID-19 relief bill designed to ‘keep people in the state of Illinois in their homes’

SPRINGFIELD — A bill distributing $1.4 billion of federal relief to those in need of COVID-19 emergency housing assistance was sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk on Thursday over Republican objections that the measure does not target those who are in real need of help.

“This bill essentially is trying to keep people in the state of Illinois in their homes,” said state Sen. Omar Aquino, the bill’s sponsor. “It tries to prioritize and surgically utilize the one-time money that we’re getting from the federal government to assist those people that truly need it the most.”

The bill “prioritizes disproportionately affected areas” based on “positive COVID-19 cases” or by “a history of homelessness,” according to the Near Northwest Side Democrat.

But state Sen. Jason Barickman said the money does not go to those who need it the most because it prioritizes “not based on their individual circumstances but based on the ZIP code in which they live.”

Read the complete story here.

8 a.m. Fans allowed at Bulls, Blackhawks games as Chicago continues to ease restrictions

With two million vaccine doses administered and health metrics improving, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is reopening Chicago a little bit more — this time to let restaurants and theaters serve more patrons and allow fans inside the United Center for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The new Phase Four rules, effective immediately, allow the Bulls and Blackhawks to close their seasons before roughly 5,250 fans per game — 25% of the United Center’s capacity.

The Blackhawks play at home Thursday and Saturday against the Florida Panthers, then finish their regular-season home schedule with two games in May. The Bulls have a home game Friday, the first of six regular-season games left.

That 25% rule also applies to Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field and Soldier Field, an increase from the current 20%. The 25% also includes churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship.

Restaurants and bars can increase indoor capacity to 50% or 100 people, whichever is less. The cap had been 50% or 50 people.

Meetings, conferences and conventions held at large indoor venues like McCormick Place now can operate at 25% capacity or 250 people, whichever is less.

Festivals and, what the city calls “general admission outdoor spectator events” get the green light to welcome 15 people for every 1,000 square feet.

The same rules apply to flea markets, which can operate at 25% capacity.

Fran Spielman has the full story here.

7:15 a.m. Shot, please! Preckwinkle pushes vaccinations for restaurant workers as indoor capacity expands

Public health officials in Cook County are serving up COVID-19 vaccines to bar and restaurant workers as the suburbs follow in lockstep with Chicago’s latest round of eased coronavirus restrictions.

Mondays in May will be designated “restaurant days” at the county’s six suburban mass vaccination sites, Cook County Board Presidents Toni Preckwinkle announced Thursday.

Anyone can sign up for an appointment or walk up to the six sites in Tinley Park, Matteson, River Grove, South Holland, Des Plaines or Forest Park. But officials want to vaccinate as many of the “essential heroes” in the hospitality industry as possible with indoor capacity expanding to the lesser of 50% or 100 people per room.

“Restaurant staff people worked tirelessly, even as they were asked to pivot to new roles to meet new demands, even as hours were cut, doors were closed, and their own life livelihoods were in jeopardy,” Preckwinkle said. “Now we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and people are returning toward cafes and restaurants for a sense of normal normalcy and camaraderie that we all have craved.”

An estimated 20% of restaurants statewide won’t survive the pandemic, according to Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia, shuttering about 5,000 businesses and leaving more than 100,000 out of work.

Mitchell Armentrout has the full story here.

---

New cases and vaccination rates

• A total of 3,394 new cases of COVID-19 and 38 additional deaths were reported by Illinois health officials Thursday.
• The latest cases were among 89,057 specimens tested over the last 24 hours, bringing the state’s positivity rate to 4%, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
• A total of 107,689 vaccine doses were administered in the state Thursday, health officials said. An average of 97,434 vaccine doses have been administered per day over the last week.
• Since the pandemic began, over 1.3 million people in Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19 and 21,927 have died, officials said.

---

Analysis & Commentary

2 p.m. The birds have been helping us through this pandemic. Let’s help them

During the COVID-19 pandemic, birds enriched the lives of many Illinoisans who saw them out their windows or when going for a walk

Now Illinois should do something to help the birds.

Last month, Virginia became the first state to restore protections for migratory birds from unintended but predictable killings resulting from human activities. Such so-called “incidental take” will be banned under a regulation approved by the state’s Department of Wildlife Resources.

Illinois should adopt a similar rule.

Read the full Editorial by the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board here.

Read More

See Red Fred and Doug Thonus, interview Mark K from Australia about the future of the team. They also talk about the disappointing loss to Thibs and the Knicks.

The post The Big Red Bus Chicago Bulls Podcast – Episode 64 – Two Legends and Mark K from Australia first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

Join Keepin It 100’s Draft Dr. Phil and Shayne “The Smartest Man” Marsaw as the draft unfolds, bringing you coverage of every pick of the first round! Get ready for twists, turns, and surprises as the best Bears coverage on the planet!

The post Keepin It 100: A Chicago Bears Podcast; NFL Draft Live Show first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

New Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields has his first bobblehead as part of the 2021 NFL Draft series.

The post Justin Fields’ first Chicago Bears bobblehead first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More