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LaSalle Lake reopens on Monday, some big largemouth are being caught at Braidwood Lake, coho go on southern Lake Michigan, ice-out comes, and river fishing builds for this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

LaSalle Lake reopens Monday, coho are being caught in fits on southern Lake Michigan, some big largemouth bass are being caught at Braidwood Lake, ice-out comes, and river fishing builds for this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

Scott Oglanian messaged the photo at the top and this from Braidwood:

I was looking for a big one and I got 1

I should say so, as he noted:

5.1 at Braidwood!

Caught her in the afternoon on a jig.

14lb fc sniper

Enticer jig with a rage tail trailer

About the biggest I heard of so far from Braidwood.

LaSALLE LAKE OPENER

As usual, the cooling lake south of Seneca reopens on March 15, Monday. My preview will be in Saturday’s Sun-Times. Hours are the usual 6 a.m. to sunset.

LAKEFRONT PARKING

Sale of the Chicago Park District’s parking passes for the two small fisherman’s parking lots on the Chicago lakefront (DuSable and Burnham) are ready to go as soon as official clearance comes.

Readers suggest SpotHero app downtown. Otherwise, here are some basics: Foster (free street parking or pay lot); Montrose (free street parking); Belmont (pay lots on north and south sides); Diversey (pay lot or street parking); DuSable Harbor (pay lot); Northerly Island/Burnham Harbor (meters); 31st/Burnham (meter parking between McCormick Place and 31st Street Harbor); 43rd (limited meters); 63rd Street/Casino Pier (pay lot); Steelworkers Park (free street parking at east end of 87th); Cal Park (free parking).

AREA LAKES

Steve Palmisano at Henry’s Sports and Bait texted:

. . . Waiting for some ice to go away on small lakes. Take care

Andy Hansen

Larry Green tweeted the photo above and this:

My last hurrah for the season was good to get out. Photo by Andy Hansen

Jim Anderson emailed last Wednesday this and the photo below, capturing the essence of the joy of late-season ice fishing:

lake county Ill 54 outside temp great day late ice !

Provided by Jim Anderson

Ken “Husker” O’Malley emailed:

Hey Dale,

Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.

Area lakes-In-between. Ice has been coming off over the past week. On some lakes the shorelines are open and others are soft. Main base under all the slush is eroding and lakes will be open by weeks end with rain in the forecast.

Nows the time to organize tackle, clean and re-spool reels, and get the long rods ready.

Last sentence is words to the wise.

Pete Lamar emailed for the first time in a while:

Hi Dale,

First report in a long time that doesn’t involve chopping a hole in the ice. This is from Sunday afternoon, so it may not be completely relevant even a couple of days later, as things are changing rapidly.

. . .

As far as lakes and ponds, there was still a lot of ice to be melted. The only open water was on some of the ponds on the north sides, where they get the most sun exposure. Again, with luck warm weather and rain will do a lot to open things up soon.

Pete

BRAIDWOOD LAKE

Provided

Den Mierzwa

Hey Dale got this at Braidwood today after work

Also see Scott Oglanian’s beauty at the very top of the post, which may be the biggest caught in the early going.

Steve Palmisano at Henry’s Sports and Bait texted this from customer reports:

. . . Braidwood very good. . . . Take care

Open daily 6 a.m. to sunset.

CHAIN O’LAKES AREA

Proprietor Greg Dickson at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said, “Guys are still ice fishing. Is it a situation where we recommend they go? Probably not. But they will continue fish places like Deep Lake, which holds its ice longer. In all practicality, I think the masses should be buttoning up their ice fishing gear and thinking spring fishing.”

Arden Katz, who ice fished through the weekend on the Chain said, “If I was retired, I would be out there now.” Over the weekend, he caught perch, crappie and bluegills; he fished a lot of holes, key was hole-hoping; a lot of fish were halfway down, so he jigged on the way down. Waxies are the best bait, he used them on tungsten jigs. “But I put my ice fishing gear away, I am done now,” he added.

DOWNSTATE

POWERTON: Shore and boat fishing is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SPRING: Open for fishing.

EMIQUON: Basically, go to the launch. General information at http://experienceemiquon.com/sites/default/files/LakeAccessRules.pdf.

HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed for the year.

SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.

FOX RIVER

Dicky’s Bait Shop in Montgomery reported small catfish on crawlers or shiners Monday at Aurora; a good muskie at Montgomery dam; some small smallmouth, first bites of the season, around Geneva/Batavia. Crawlers are starting to go, supposed to finally get some suckers this week.

Pete Lamar emailed for the first time in a while:

Hi Dale,

First report in a long time that doesn’t involve chopping a hole in the ice. This is from Sunday afternoon, so it may not be completely relevant even a couple of days later, as things are changing rapidly.

With steelhead fishing fast approaching, I wanted to practice two-handed casting. There are some spots on Fox tributaries wide enough to allow it, so I explored a couple of places along the way. There was still a lot of snow on the ground and evidently a lot had already melted: the water was high, turbid and cold-it never got to 40 degrees while I was there. Streams and rivers won’t really start to warm up until all the snow is gone, hopefully later this week. The only fish or wildlife activity I saw was a pair of bufflehead or goldeneye ducks. They saw me before they got close enough for an exact ID. This is about the only time of year I see them around here, when they make a brief stop on their way to their breeding grounds.

. . .

Pete

GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN

Guide Mike Norris emailed:

Fishing Report 3/8/2021

Mike Norris

The Wisconsin general game fishing season closed last weekend but fishing for panfish remains open. Game fish can still be harvested on Lake Puckaway because it is part of the Fox River system, which remains open year-round in my area. We may see the end of safe ice this week with above average air temps early this week and rain predicted for Thursday.

I am keeping my fingers crossed Fox Lake holds up a little longer. Shallow water ice fishing for bluegills and crappie has been exceptional there the past three weeks. Last Sunday my fishing partner caught an 18-inch crappie in 4 ft of water on Fox Lake.

If the ice does not hold up, I will begin to focus on open water fishing on the Fox River in DePere, Wi. Big female walleyes are beginning to enter this river system from lower Green Bay, and it is a great time to vertical jig for walleyes which can exceed 8 lbs. To protect spawning walleyes, the WI DNR has instituted special regulations for the Fox River from the DePere Dam downstream into Lower Green Bay. From March 8 to May 1, the bag limit is one walleye with a minimum length of 28 inches. Afterwards the regulation changes to a daily bag limit of three with no size limit.

GREEN/STURGEON BAYS, WISCONSIN

Click here for the Wisconsin DNR weekly report, if it is updated.

HEIDECKE LAKE

Reopens April 1.

LAKE ERIE

Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.

LAKEFRONT

Provided by Jason “Special One” Le

Jason “Special One” Le on Tuesday messaged on Instagram the photo above and this:

Chicago Powerline

A couple days earlier he captured the feeling of many with this:

At Chicago lakefront

Finally they’re here

At montrose

Jim Shell and his son Casey did steady on lakers and coho Saturday jigging or trolling crankbaits around Chicago Light. They also earned FOTW honors.

Provided by Jim and Casey Shell

Steve Palmisano at Henry’s Sports and Bait texted:

Coho continues w some lake trout deep. Some perch reports at 87th on the lake. . . . Take care

Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor, which formally reopened Saturday, texted:

Hi Dale right now our hours are 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. 7 days a week.There are a few Coho being caught in the area also a few Browns and Steelhead. Most of the reports have been on power lines with nightcrawlers or large minnows about a 50/50 shot. I did have a customer went South to try for Coho around 87th Street and cut some really nice perch Saturday and Sunday.It is great to be back at the shop open and functional.

I love word of the perch.

LaSALLE LAKE

Reopens Monday, March 15. Preview coming Saturday in the Sun-Times.

MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN

Click here for the update from D&S Bait.

MAZONIA

Both units open.

MILLE LACS LAKE, MINNESOTA

Justin Lederer emailed from McQuoids Inn in Isle, Minn.:

Justin Lederer checking in from McQuoids Inn Lake Mille Lacs the pike are in the bays hitting 5-7” suckers. From the guys I have been talking to they are doing the best in 5-8’. You can still get perch out in the 20-30’ range they should be moving in shallower real soon as we trend into the spring thaw. The lake is still holding up pretty well for the weather we have. Open water is just around the corner season opener is May 15.

NORTHERN WISCONSIN

Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:

Finally, a nice send off to the end of the inland gamefish season here in the Northwoods! Usually, it’s ended with little to get excited about, but this weekend anglers got out for a last chance at Walleye, Northern Pike and Largemouth, all with good results and some nice reports of large fish (Walleye to 28”, Pike to 39” and Largemouth to 19”).

Now it’s Panfish time!

Bluegills: Very Good – While some anglers still plying the deeper mud flats with success (as proof, an 11” er brought in over weekend), for the most part the shallower 6-10’ weeds doing best as Gills have been slurping up small dark jigs tipped with waxies, beaver tail or plastics (red, pink, purple, brown top colors).

Crappies: Very Good – Tip-down action picking up as mild temps keeping holes open and a little water flow into holes seems to encourage bites! 8-12’ tall, standing weeds best, using #8 Rockers, Little Cecils and Shrimpos to present waxies, plastics (white, yellow, silver, chartreuse) and Beaver Tail as tempters. Deep mud flat Crappies on tip-downs or glow jigs small fatheads (rosies seem to be done for the season). The deep fish bite, while still good, has slowed as fish filtering back into shallows.

Yellow Perch: Good-Very Good – Congregations starting to show over mud flats. Pinhead spoons, Halis and Pimples to get down quickly – wigglers preferred, but very hard to get. Use red spikes or minnow heads if wigglers not available. Plastics with scent also viable solution.

With ice thickness ranging 24-32” and little snow cover, coming rain and warm temps could eat into thickness. Slush problems from early last week are diminishing as warmth is melting snow cover. Great opportunities for late ice pan fishing in March coming up!

Kurt Justice

Kurt’s Island Sport Shop
Like us on FaceBook

The ice conditions just a few hours to our north fascinate me.

NORTHWEST INDIANA

Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:

Yes very bizy people fishing all over around here all ice gone

Gary light area and up and down the wall outside of pastrick marina good for boat fisherman using thinfish j9 rapalas and dodger and Flys

Shore fishing in portage and Michigan city has been on the slow side last few days

Musky suckers already in stock here.

ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN

Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor boaters made it out for the first time on Tuesday; anglers are able to get out on south pier at St. Joseph (fishing is slow) but not the north pier because of ice; there’s steelhead at Berrien Springs and the camera is going again. Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.

SHABBONA LAKE

March site hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT

Click here for the southern Lake Michigan reports from the Wisconsin DNR.

WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN

When I texted guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont early Tuesday, he texted:

River is open, fishing now, I’ll get back to you later

That made my morning.

Then he added this at noon:

The river is very low for this time of year. Fished 2 1/2 hrs , not a bite. This could change by the weekend, with rain in the forecast tomorrow. Still a few on the ice, but the landings are going fast

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Here’s Tuesday’s news on how COVID-19 is impacting Chicago and Illinois.

News

8:55 p.m. Latest statewide vaccine doses below average, but Pritzker sees hope with United Center, other sites in the game

Provided Photo

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.

Read the full report from Mitchell Armentrout.

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7:48 p.m. One year later, Preckwinkle reflects on navigating through a viral storm — weathering ‘a time of painful loss’

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic as if the county was “about to be hit by a tsunami.”

That’s what the reading she’d done at the time indicated as news of the virus began to dominate headlines. And the former history teacher said it shaped her perspective — and her approach.

“I told my staff early on ‘everybody’s going to know somebody who’s been sick, and everybody’s going to know someone who’s passed away,’” Preckwinkle said. “This is what we’re headed into. Everyone. And that’s surely been true, and so we have to figure out every way that we can to support folks.”

She’d studied the 1918 pandemic, and learned from it.

“What my reading told me was ‘you’re about to be hit by a tsunami, and so that’s the perspective that I took — a tsunami is coming,” Preckwinkle said.

Read more from Rachel Hinton here.

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.

Get the full report here.

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.

Read the full story from Rachel Hinton here.

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.

Read the full story here.

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.

Read the full story here.

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New Cases

• Illinois public health officials announced 1,182 new cases of the coronavirus Monday as well as five deaths.
• The new cases come from a batch of 39,636 tests.
• The state’s preliminary seven-day statewide case positivity is 2.3%.

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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.

The post Former Bears Offensive Lineman Kyle Long Unretires first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

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.

The operatives at The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries (now making their Chicago debut with Bramble Theatre after originating with Toronto’s Outside the March) do not offer your usual interactive show. This is apparent even before their sleuthing properly begins.…Read More

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.

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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.”

___

Tang reported from Phoenix.

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All the scores from Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected]

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

CATHOLIC – BLUE

DePaul at Leo, 7:00

CATHOLIC – CROSSOVER

St. Joseph at Mount Carmel, PPD/CNL

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Maine West at Vernon Hills, 5:30 (Non-Conf)

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – SOUTH

Glenbrook North at Glenbrook South, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Evanston at Highland Park, 5:30

Maine South at Niles North, 5:30

New Trier at Deerfield, 5:30

Niles West at Maine East, 5:30

DU PAGE VALLEY

DeKalb at Naperville Central, 7:00

Metea Valley at Naperville North, 7:00

Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Marist at Benet, 7:00

Nazareth at Marian Central, PPD

Notre Dame at Marian Catholic, 7:00

St. Patrick at Carmel, PPD/CNL

St. Viator at Joliet Catholic, 7:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Plano at Rochelle, 6:00

KISHWAUKEE RIVER

Harvard at Woodstock, 7:30

Johnsburg at Richmond-Burton, 7:30

Marengo at Woodstock North, 7:30

METRO SUBURBAN

Ridgewood at Aurora Central, PPD/CNL

St. Edward at Elmwood Park 6:00

St. Francis at Timothy Christian, 7:30

Westmont at McNamara, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – EAST

Elk Grove at Buffalo Grove, 7:00

Hersey at Rolling Meadows, 7:30

Prospect at Wheeling, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – WEST

Barrington at Fremd, 7:30

Hoffman Estates at Conant, 7:30

Schaumburg at Palatine, 7:00

NIC – 10

Auburn at Boylan, 7:30

Freeport at Belvidere North, 7:30

Guilford at Rockford East, 7:30

Hononegah at Belvidere, 7:30

Jefferson at Harlem, 7:30

NOBLE LEAGUE – WHITE

DRW at ITW-Speer, 7:00

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Grayslake Central at Round Lake, 6:45

Grayslake North at Grant, 7:15

Lakes at Wauconda, 6:45

North Chicago at Antioch, 6:45

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED SOUTH-CENTRAL

Brooks at Phillips, 5:00

Corliss at Morgan Park, 6:00

Hyde Park at Curie, 5:00

Kenwood at Bogan, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-CENTRAL

Catalyst-Maria at Urban Prep-Englewood, 5:00

Hubbard at King, 5:00

Kennedy at Lindblom, 7:00

Solorio at Richards (Chgo), 5:00

Tilden at Dunbar, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-SOUTH

Agricultural Science at Fenger, 5:00

Carver at ACE Amandla, 5:00

Perspectives-Lead at South Shore, 5:00

Urban Prep-Bronzeville at Harlan, 5:00

Vocational at Dyett, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-CENTRAL

Horizon-Southwest at Englewood-STEM, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-SOUTH

Goode at Bowen, 5:00

Washington at Julian, 6:30

RIVER VALLEY

Grant Park at Donovan, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – BLUE

Lemont at Thornton Fr. South, 7:00

Tinley Park at Oak Forest, 5:30

SOUTH SUBURBAN – RED

Evergreen Park at Reavis, 7:30

Oak Lawn at Richards, 6:30

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Bremen at Shepard, 6:00

Hillcrest at Argo, 6:00

Thornton Fr. North at Eisenhower. 6:00

SOUTHLAND

Bloom at Thornwood, 5:00

Thornridge at Crete-Monee, 4:30

Thornton at Kankakee, 7:00

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – BLUE

Lockport at Lincoln-Way East, 6:30

Sandburg at Bolingbrook, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – RED

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Stagg, 6:30

Lincoln-Way Central at Andrew, 6:30

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Addison Trail at Proviso East, 6:00

Downers Grove South at Morton, PPD

Hinsdale South at Leyden, 6:30

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Downers Grove North at Lyons, 6:00

Proviso West at Oak Park-River Forest, 7:00

York at Glenbard West, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Willowbrook at Hinsdale Central, 7:30

NON CONFERENCE

Bulls at Crane, 5:00

Flanagan-Cornell at Yorkville Christian, 6:00

Harvest Christian at IC Catholic, 7:00

Loyola at Marian Central, 6:00

Peotone at Beecher, CNL

Rich at Chicago Christian, 7:00

Ridgewood at Elmwood Park, 7:00

Simeon at Homewood-Flossmoor, 6:30

St. Anne at Herscher, 7:00

Westlake Christian at Christian Liberty, 7:30

Woodland at Tri-Point, PPD/CNL

BIG NORTHERN TOURNAMENT

Mendota at North Boone, 6:00

Rock Falls at Winnebago, 5:00

Dixon at Stillman Valley, 7:15

Byron at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

Rockford Christian at Rockford Lutheran

CHICAGO PREP TOURNAMENT

Quarter-Finals

FOX VALLEY TOURNAMENT

Crystal Lake Central at Burlington Central, 7:00

Prairie Ridge at Jacobs, 7:00

Crystal Lake South at Huntley, 7:00

Dundee-Crown at Cary-Grove, 7:00

NORTH SUBURBAN TOURNAMENT

Lake Zurich at Waukegan, 7:30

Warren at Zion-Benton, 7:30

Libertyville at Mundelein, 7:30

Stevenson at Lake Forest, 7:30

SANGAMON VALLEY TOURNAMENT

Momence at Watseka, 7:00

Dwight at Clifton Central, 7:00

Cissna Park at Iroquois West, 7:00

Gardner-So. Wilmington at Milford, 7:30

UPSTATE EIGHT TOURNAMENT

Glenbard East at Bartlett, 5:30

South Elgin at Streamwood, 6:00

Fenton at East Aurora, 6:00

Glenbard South at Larkin, 6:00

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