Kyle Long has decided to end his one season of retirement and return to the NFL. Long retired from the NFL prior to the 2020 season due to lingering injury issues that he had been struggling with since the 2016 season.
Terence Hannum is perhaps best known as the keyboardist and vocalist of prolific Chicago-born experimental metal trio Locrian, who blend dense, crushing drones and harsh, sweeping black metal to stir up some serious dark energy. But Hannum is also an accomplished visual artist, writer, and solo musician.…Read More
This interactive performance-piece-by-phone offers a daily dose of oddness.
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Volunteer worker Pete Graham, left, helps direct newly arriving volunteers to a health screening station, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, at a mass vaccination clinic at Seattle University in Seattle near the end of his shift. After finishing his shift, Graham was able to get the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in return for his labor. | AP
As states ramp up vaccination distribution in the fight against the coronavirus, volunteers are needed to do everything from direct traffic to check people in so vaccination sites run smoothly. In return for their work, they’re often given a shot.
SEATTLE — When Seattle’s largest health care system got a mandate from Washington state to create a mass COVID-19 vaccination site, organizers knew that gathering enough volunteers would be almost as crucial as the vaccine itself.
“We could not do this without volunteers,” said Renee Rassilyer-Bomers, chief quality officer for Swedish Health Services and head of its vaccination site at Seattle University. “The sheer volume and number of folks that we wanted to be able to serve and bring in requires … 320 individuals each day.”
As states ramp up vaccination distribution in the fight against the coronavirus, volunteers are needed to do everything from direct traffic to check people in so vaccination sites run smoothly. In return for their work, they’re often given a shot. Many people who don’t yet qualify for a vaccine — including those who are young and healthy — have been volunteering in hopes of getting a dose they otherwise may not receive for months. Large vaccination clinics across the country have seen thousands trying to nab limited numbers of volunteer shifts.
It’s raised questions at a time when supplies are limited and some Americans have struggled to get vaccinated even if they are eligible. But medical ethicists say volunteers are key to the public health effort and there’s nothing wrong with them wanting protection from the virus.
Ben Dudden, 35, of Roanoke, Virginia, volunteered at a mass vaccination clinic in the nearby city of Salem on a day off from his part-time job at the Roanoke Pinball Museum. His wife, a nurse practitioner who was administering doses, encouraged him to volunteer in case he could get vaccinated.
He spent that January day helping people fill out questionnaires, not knowing if he might get the coveted dose.
“It wasn’t an official thing like, ‘Everybody who needs a vaccine come this way.’ I kind of had to ask,” Dudden said. “At end of day, I found whoever was in charge of that.”
He got what he was hoping for and still wants to volunteer again.
“It was a little bit of a selfish thing — ‘I’m gonna get the vaccine if I do this’ — but for me, it wasn’t the only factor,” Dudden said.
At the Seattle vaccination clinic, Swedish Health Services considers volunteers part of the state’s Phase 1 vaccination group. About 5,000 have been inoculated, and about 1,000 of them have come back to work again, Rassilyer-Bomer said.
During their shifts, volunteers are handed colored vests matched to their skill level and experience. The majority wear orange for general tasks, which includes sanitizing clipboards, asking people to fill out forms, taking temperatures and monitoring the newly vaccinated to ensure no dangerous side effects.
Some may question whether it’s fair for volunteers to get to the front of the line for what’s often clerical work.
Nancy Berlinger, a bioethicist at the Hastings Center, a research institute in Garrison, New York, said the bottom line is that volunteers are interacting with the public and there’s nothing wrong with them wanting protection.
They also go through training and other obligations.
“There would be easier ways to game the system,” Berlinger said. “If that was really your goal, this could take more work I think than some other routes I can think of.”
While many volunteer shifts are several hours on weekdays, Berlinger said that doesn’t necessarily mean only people of a certain class or demographic can sacrifice that much time.
“That could apply to students, it could apply to people who are unemployed, people who are retired. It could be people who are family caregivers,” Berlinger said.
On a chilly January night in suburban Phoenix, Lou Ann Lovell, a 67-year-old retiree, got the Pfizer vaccine after volunteering from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. at a state-run site at State Farm Stadium, where the Arizona Cardinals play. Her daughter persuaded her and other relatives to volunteer.
Lovell committed before realizing those 65 and older would be eligible for vaccines days later. Still, she’s glad she did.
“For the first time, I felt I was part of something that was really important and big,” said Lovell, who would like to volunteer again. “You stand there and see all these headlights and people are just continually pouring in there.”
The stadium and another state-run site in metro Phoenix require a combined 3,900 volunteers a week. HandsOn Greater Phoenix, a nonprofit handling online volunteer recruitment, opens 1,400 to 2,000 spots a few times a week, and interest hasn’t waned, CEO Rhonda Oliver said. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people try to sign up every time new spots open, she said.
Volunteers who have nabbed shifts say they shouldn’t be lumped in with those who believe they’re entitled to a vaccine.
In the Seattle area, three King County hospitals came under fire last month after revelations that donors, board members and some hospital volunteers used their connections to get shots. The King County Council approved a measure calling on state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee to make it illegal to grant special access to the vaccine.
Berlinger said there’s a clear delineation between a connected official and a volunteer at a vaccine clinic getting a shot.
“The volunteers we’re talking about at registration centers are people who are part of the public health effort. They are performing a crucial role,” Berlinger said. “It’s easier to help people who already have privilege. The thing about COVID is we have to push away from that and we have to say, ‘No, we must allocate vaccine and vaccination.’”
Lovell, the retired volunteer in Arizona, said critics should target the healthy 20-somethings she saw trying to get the vaccine the night she volunteered.
“If you want to volunteer, volunteer and work,” she said. “If you say, ‘I don’t want to do that,’ then wait until your number comes up.”
In this image from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson left, and defendant, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, right, confer as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over jury selection in Chauvin’s trial, Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. | AP
The 18th-floor courtroom is the largest in the Hennepin County Government Center, and it has been overhauled for the purposes of Derek Chauvin’s trial
MINNEAPOLIS — Because the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death is being held during the coronavirus pandemic, the courtroom has been overhauled for safety.
Gone are the traditional jury box and gallery, replaced with widely spaced seats and desks for a limited contingent of attorneys, jurors and media. Plexiglas barriers and hand sanitizer are everywhere, and the participants – even the judge – wear masks.
The pandemic has upended court systems across the country, delaying jury trials and creating huge backlogs of cases. Video and teleconference hearings have allowed judges to keep the wheels of justice grinding, albeit slowly. Many courts have installed barriers or moved jury orientation and even trials themselves to bigger spaces such as convention centers to get at least some jury trials going again.
In Minnesota, in-person criminal jury trials have been mostly on hold since November. Chief Justice Lorie Gildea last month allowed them to resume effective March 15, with proper safety protocols consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Minnesota Department of Health. Most other proceedings will continue to be held remotely through April 30. A handful of exceptions have been allowed, including for the trial of Derek Chauvin’s trial, the former Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd’s death.
“We are gradually increasing in-person activities in court facilities in a safe and responsible manner that will allow the courts to fulfill our constitutional obligation, while we continue to do all that we can to protect public health and safety,” Gildea said in a statement.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Floyd was declared dead May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against the Black man’s neck for about nine minutes, holding his position even after Floyd went limp. Floyd’s death sparked sometimes violent protests in Minneapolis and beyond, leading to a nationwide reckoning on race and one of the highest-profile trials of a police officer in U.S. history.
Citing the need to comply with social distancing and other safety rules, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill separated Chauvin’s case from that of the three other ex-officers charged in Floyd’s death, who are set for trial in August. Among other things, Cahill concluded in January, no courtroom in the building was big enough to safely accommodate four defense teams and the prosecution team all at once.
Prosecutors tried unsuccessfully to persuade Cahill to reconsider his decision to hold two trials. They argued instead for holding a single joint trial sometime this summer when they hoped enough Minnesotans would have been vaccinated to reduce the risk of any participants getting COVID-19.
They submitted an affidavit from prominent University of Minnesota epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, who warned that it could be “extremely dangerous” to try Chauvin this month, with “potentially catastrophic consequences for public heath.” He expressed fear that it could become a “superspreader event,” given the large number of protesters and out-of-town journalists it was likely to draw, especially if more-contagious coronavirus variants cause a spike in cases.
But Cahill provided little explanation for rejecting those arguments, having already ruled that the proceedings would comply with court safety rules, and he kept the case on course for the trial’s opening on Monday.
The 18th-floor courtroom Cahill borrowed is the largest in the Hennepin County Government Center, and it has been overhauled for the purposes of Chauvin’s trial. The seating capacity was sharply reduced in the remodeling. The theater-style seating in what was the gallery was removed to create space. Tall plexiglass dividers separate the judge and court staffers from the limited number of other people in the courtroom. Clear plastic sheets also run down the middle of the defense and prosecution tables. When Chauvin and defense attorney Eric Nelson want to confer, they need to lean back a bit.
The normal jury box has been replaced with two rows of office chairs, spaced out, with small desks. There is no space for the general public. Seats are reserved in the back for just one Floyd family member and just one Chauvin family member. Only two pool reporters are allowed in at a time, plus a member of the Court TV team that’s providing the feed.
The constitutional requirement for a public trial is being satisfied by allowing gavel-to-gavel TV coverage, which is rare in Minnesota courts. Cahill has taken pains to keep the identities of the potential jurors secret, prohibiting them from being shown on camera. But he got a surprise Tuesday when a retired judge watching from home texted him to let him know that he could see a reflection of Juror No. 1 in one of the plexiglass panels. The problem was quickly fixed.
Everyone in the courtroom is required to wear a face mask. The main exceptions are when attorneys speak at the podium, which has plastic panes on three sides, and when potential jurors respond to questions.
When the judge and the attorneys need to conduct a sidebar discussion, they don’t huddle around the judge’s bench like they normally would. Instead they put on headsets so they can hash out legal or procedural issues out of earshot of jurors.
Only four prosecutors and two defense attorneys are in court at any given time; the rest of their teams must participate remotely. So must the defense teams for the three other ex-officers facing trial this summer.
The Austin community’s derelict former Laramie State Bank would be renovated and joined by new residential buildings as part of Chicago’s Invest South/West program. | Provided illustration
It’s good to see City Hall making a serious attempt to revitalize Chicago’s historically neglected South and West side commercial areas.
An architecturally significant, but long-abandoned Austin neighborhood bank could see new life as a vibrant multi-use building featuring a cafe, a blues museum — and even a bank branch.
The proposed $37.5 million transformation of the old Laramie State Bank, 5200 W. Chicago Ave., is one of the first three projects announced this week under the city’s Invest South/West program.
It’s still early — and we certainly reserve permission to criticize Invest South/West if it starts to go sidewise — but for now, we’re glad to see the city making a serious attempt at revitalizing historically disinvested South and West side commercial areas.
No top/down neighborhood planning
Invest South/West has been a signature initiative of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration. Announced in 2019, the three-year plan seeks to invest $750 million in dormant and struggling retail areas in 10 neighborhoods.
The city’s planning department identified parcels and issued requests for proposals for the sites to redevelopment teams. The first three winning teams — selected after their schemes were reviewed by the targeted communities — were announced this week.
We like that city Planning Commissioner Maurice Cox, a transplant who is a newcomer to our ways here, is willing to buck the past and give communities a voice in guiding the selection process.
It’s at least a sign that that Chicago’s typical top-down, “We know what’s best for you,” approach to neighborhood planning might finally be on its way out, as is City Hall’s successor tactic of making a show of holding community meetings — only to do what it wants anyway.
As an apparent result of this transparency and community engagement, the three proposals go far beyond the same-old, same-old proposals for the South and West sides.
In Auburn Gresham, a team composed of Evergreen Real Estate Group and the Imagine Group promises a $19.4 million project of 56 units of affordable housing with ground-floor retail on a now-vacant lot at 838 W. 79th St.
The stylish and contemporary new building would be across the street from a rehabbed 1920s structure — not part of the Invest South/West proposal — that will be home to a fitness center, a pharmacy, a green roof and office space for community organizations.
And in another $10.3 million proposal, the development team Englewood Connect seeks to turn a shuttered 1929 firehouse at 62nd and Green streets into a commercial kitchen.
The Englewood proposal also includes reusing and programming a plaza outside the station and calling for the creation of a second building — an “eco-food hub” — that would house a business incubator, and training and employment facilities. The complex would be able to feed local residents, as well.
West Side benefits
It is encouraging to see Austin on the city’s West Side — a part of town too often overlooked when redevelopment spoils are dealt — as the site of the largest and most expensive of the planned three Invest South/West developments.
In addition to the old Laramie State Bank renovation, the Austin United Alliance team — led by non-profit Oak Park Regional Housing and the Heartland Alliance — seeks to build a multi-story, mixed-income rental building complete with a green roof, public plaza and outdoor art.
“Do you feel the buzz and excitement in this room? I do,” Lightfoot told an audience Monday at the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Austin as the winning plans were announced. “That tells me this is a new day.”
Here’s the latest news on how COVID-19 is impacting Chicago and Illinois.
Latest
Latest statewide vaccine doses below average, but Pritzker sees hope with United Center, other sites in the game
Provided PhotoUnited Center in Chicago
As the first COVID-19 shots went into arms outside the United Center Tuesday, public health officials announced another 75,372 vaccinations had been administered statewide the day before.
Monday’s shot total was nearly double the figure from a day earlier when fewer than 30,000 doses were given out, but it was still barely half the state’s record high of more than 134,000 set last week.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he expects those numbers to consistently increase as vaccine supply grows and as more vaccination sites are up and running like that outside the Near West Side stadium.
Illinois providers are now doling out an average of 92,180 shots per day, “a number that’s already growing every week,” Pritzker said at the United Center.
Twelve weeks since the first vaccine shipments arrived in Illinois, almost 3.5 million shots have been administered. About 1.2 million residents have been fully vaccinated since then, or about 9.4% of the population.
Half of all Illinoisans 65 or older have gotten at least one shot, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Overall, about a fifth of residents 16 or older have gotten a dose, Pritzker said.
6:29 p.m. Volunteers are key at vaccine sites. It pays off with a shot
SEATTLE — When Seattle’s largest health care system got a mandate from Washington state to create a mass COVID-19 vaccination site, organizers knew that gathering enough volunteers would be almost as crucial as the vaccine itself.
“We could not do this without volunteers,” said Renee Rassilyer-Bomers, chief quality officer for Swedish Health Services and head of its vaccination site at Seattle University. “The sheer volume and number of folks that we wanted to be able to serve and bring in requires … 320 individuals each day.”
As states ramp up vaccination distribution in the fight against the coronavirus, volunteers are needed to do everything from direct traffic to check people in so vaccination sites run smoothly. In return for their work, they’re often given a shot. Many people who don’t yet qualify for a vaccine — including those who are young and healthy — have been volunteering in hopes of getting a dose they otherwise may not receive for months. Large vaccination clinics across the country have seen thousands trying to nab limited numbers of volunteer shifts.
It’s raised questions at a time when supplies are limited and some Americans have struggled to get vaccinated even if they are eligible. But medical ethicists say volunteers are key to the public health effort and there’s nothing wrong with them wanting protection from the virus.
Ben Dudden, 35, of Roanoke, Virginia, volunteered at a mass vaccination clinic in the nearby city of Salem on a day off from his part-time job at the Roanoke Pinball Museum. His wife, a nurse practitioner who was administering doses, encouraged him to volunteer in case he could get vaccinated.
3:18 p.m. Illinois’ daily COVID-19 caseload, death count dip to last summer’s numbers
Illinois public health officials announced 1,182 new cases of the coronavirus Monday as well as five deaths — the lowest daily fatality count in nearly six months.
The new cases come from a batch of 39,636 tests. As of Sunday night, 1,178 people with COVID-19 were reported to be in the hospital. Of that number, 266 patients were in intensive care units throughout the state; 118 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The state’s preliminary seven-day statewide case positivity is 2.3%.
The last time the state saw a daily death toll this low was Sept. 14, when the state logged five deaths. Illinois hasn’t seen a single-digit daily death rate since early Oct. 11, when health officials announced nine deaths.
The deaths reported Monday bring the state’s total COVID-19 toll to 20,767 people.
Health officials also reported 3.38 million vaccines have been administered so far, with an average of of 90,135 doses administered daily in the past seven days, slightly less than the 93,183 rolling average of shots reported Sunday.
State health officials on Sunday reported 1,068 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest number of new cases recorded in a day since July 21. Illinois’ daily caseload has surpassed 2,000 only twice so far in March.
9:27 a.m. At Dubai airport, travelers’ eyes become their passports thanks to iris scanner identification
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai’s airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, already can feel surreal, with its cavernous duty-free stores, artificial palm trees, water cascades and near-Arctic levels of air-conditioning.
Now, the key east-west transit hub is rolling out another addition from the realm of science fiction — an iris-scanner to verifies each traveler’s identity, eliminating the need for any human interaction when entering or leaving the country.
It’s the latest artificial intelligence program the United Arab Emirates has launched amid the surging coronavirus pandemic — contact-less technology the government promotes as helping to stem the spread of the virus.
But the efforts also have renewed questions about mass surveillance in the federation of seven sheikhdoms, which experts believe has among the highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras in the world.
Dubai’s airport started offering the program to all passengers last month.
9:20 a.m. Pope weighed Iraq virus risk but believes God will protect
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis said Monday he weighed the risks of a high-profile trip to Iraq during the coronavirus pandemic, but said he decided to go ahead with it after much prayer and belief that God would look out for the Iraqis who might get exposed.
Francis described his decision-making process en route home from Iraq amid concerns that his four-day visit, which featured oftentimes maskless crowds in packed churches, singing — could result in the spread of infections in a country with a fragile health care system and a sustained surge in new cases.
Francis said the idea of a trip “cooks over time in my conscience,” and that the pandemic was the issue that weighed most heavily on him. Francis has experienced close-up the ravages of COVID-19 in Europe given Italy has had one of the worst outbreaks in the world, with the official death toll soon to hit 100,000.
“I prayed a lot about this. And in the end I took the decision freely,” Francis said. “It came from inside. I said ‘He who makes me decide this way will look after the people.’”
“I took the decision this way, but after prayer and knowing the risks,” he said.
The Press Room is a small restaurant with a big heart in Chicago’s West Loop, serving sophisticated but familiar food, friendly wines and classic cocktails. The Press Room runs on attentive service and friendly vibes. It’s on the lower level of a century-old building, originally the Free Methodist Publishing House. It continues to find ways to surprise and delight guests with special experiences amidst the pandemic’s restrictions, most recently with Dead Plants — a 1920s speakeasy brought to life.
Dead Plants at The Press Room brings the speakeasy experience from the 1920s into this century by launching a live music series on the second Saturday of each month. Priced at $45 per person, each ticket will include a 90-minute show and one cocktail. Doors open at 8:30pm and the show will start at 9pm. Only 26 tickets will be available per show, guaranteeing an intimate live-entertainment event.
Starting on the second Saturday of each month, you can experience the ultimate speakeasy feel with special musical acts. The first musical guest will be Brandon Markell Holmes on March 13th, who will be performing a tribute show to Luther Vandross. You can expect to hear songs by Luther Vandross, Smokey Robinson Algreen and many more.
On April 10th, you can enjoy Jazz and pop classics from Sam Fazio. Sam has established a name for himself in the music scene over the past several years and has entertained audiences at some of the most prestigious venues in the country, including Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Andy’s Jazz Club, City Winery, Untitled, and more.
You are more than welcome to enjoy a full evening of revelry at Dead Plants – when making a reservation for dinner, a request to purchase tickets to the event can be made, allowing you to experience dinner and a show.
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Additionally, the team behind The Press Room is behind another new Chicago hot-spot, Dough Daddy’s. Dough Daddy’s, a new virtual restaurant based out of Chicago’s West Loop, opened on Thursday, January 21. Available exclusively for takeout and delivery through GrubHub, this pop-up offers Chicago a chance to experience Detroit-style pizzas created with a special sourdough starter, that has been with Chef Noah Zamler for five years.
Dead Plants The Press Room Featured Image Credit: The Press Room
As the Chicago Cubs and White Sox begin preparing for the final weeks of spring training, the city announced on Monday that they would be softening coronavirus restrictions and allowing 20 percent capacity for Opening Day at both Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field.
*insert any GIF ever of someone saying YESSSSS*
The Cubs are set to open their 2021 campaign at Wrigley Field on April 1st while the White Sox will kick off their home schedule on April 8th. There will be fans in the stands for both games and throughout the 2021 season. Halle-freakin’-lujah!
Mayor Lightfoot’s office used a short 70 second video to announce the news that 20 percent capacity will be allowed at each stadium with at least six-feet distance between standings. Wrigley Field holds about 42,500 fans at full capacity and Guaranteed Rate Field roughly 40,600. Meaning both stadiums will be permitted 8,274 and 8,122 fans respectively.
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Folks, we’ve significantly slowed the spread of COVID, getting our positivity rate down to 2.8%. And now, we can begin to safely welcome fans back to our baseball stands on opening day. Although we’re reopening, masking is still of utmost importance. pic.twitter.com/pkGnMDkSUc
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) March 8, 2021
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Fans entering Guaranteed Rate Field or Wrigley Field will be required to wear masks at the game and there will be “comprehensive screening and sanitation procedures” in place at each ballpark per a news release from the Mayor’s office. Regardless, this is a validation of the hard work all parties have put into combating the COVID-19 virus. In the video, posted on Twitter, the Mayor announced that the city’s positivity rate was down to 2.8 percent and she went out of her way to credit both teams for their cooperation and diligence in working hand in hand with the public health department and city officials to help develop this plan.
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Some other small safety implementations at both stadiums include additional restrooms per guest, entry and amenity zones such as ticketing gates and concourses will have limited-contract entry, all concessions and shops will be cashless, reduced queueing times, and reconfigured indoor spaces to better aid the flow of foot traffic. All in all this is a monumental step towards social normalcy in Chicago. Ballgames in the summer are a staple of the Chicago experience and while it’s just a first step, it’s one in the right direction.
1:20 PM first pitch at Wrigley may not have the same feel as it did in 2019, but an ice cold beer in the bleachers is a language that translates to any day of any year. And just nine miles to the south Chicago White Sox prepare for a 2021 season in which they are legitimate contenders to win a World Series and the opportunity to play in front of 8,000 hungry Sox fans is only going to be more motivating as they chase their first World Series title since 2005.
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Bars and restaurants are permitted up to 50 percent capacity and can remain open until 1 AM, the number of vaccinated Chicagoans continues to increase while the United Center is set to vaccinate 110,000 more in the coming weeks, and in just one short month we’ll see fans in the stands of both Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field.
Featured Image Credit: Guaranteed Rate Field on Facebook
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