Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
My sidewalk has turned into a lazy river, and it won’t be going back to normal anytime soon: Rain is in the forecast every day until Monday. This afternoon, we’ll get more rain and thunderstorms as the high climbs to 71 degrees. Tonight, even more severe thunderstorms are expected, with a risk of large hail. (!) The low will be around 62 degrees. Tomorrow morning: More rain, but it should clear up later in the day as you kick off your weekend.
Top story
Politicians pushing to reopen faster are ‘idiots,’ says expert, blaming rule-breakers for continued rise in COVID-19 cases
An infectious disease expert from Chicago has a simple explanation for why the number of COVID-19 cases has continued to mount after strict social restrictions have been in place for nearly two months: “People aren’t following the rules.”
Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of Northwestern University’s Institute of Global Health, warned that those disobeying the statewide stay-at-home order are exacerbating the public health crisis as he blasted the forces pushing to immediately reopen the economy.
“Look on the street. Only half of the people are wearing a mask,” Murphy said. “There’s data from the phone companies about how people move. They’re moving around more. There’s definitely more traffic.”
We’re making our vital coronavirus coverage free for all readers. See the latest news here.
While he said the rising infection rate is also attributable in part to increased testing and workers returning to their jobs, Murphy noted that keeping social distancing measures in place longer — and following them — is vitally important for beating back the coronavirus. Recent figures have shown the disease is still spreading rapidly through communities. Yesterday, the 192 reported deaths marked another grim benchmark.
“The same thing happened in northern Italy and in Spain, where they just felt like they were not getting ahead,” Murphy said. “It finally turned around there when they got serious with all the shelter-in-place … But I mean, everybody here seems to be just ready to chuck it and just go back to doing what they’re doing.”
Murphy specifically took aim at leaders pushing to relax restrictions locally. As he sees it, the clearest way to vanquish the disease is actually to “tighten it up.”
“They should not be loosening up. You know, like McHenry County and DuPage County want to have their own rules,” he said, apparently referencing a push by leaders in the collar counties to be reclassified into regions in the governor’s Restore Illinois plan that exclude Cook County to potentially reopen businesses sooner. “Idiots!”
Read the full story from Tom Schuba.
More news you need
- A 12-year-old boy who died early this morning is the youngest known COVID-19 victim in Cook County, officials said. He was seven years younger than the next youngest COVID-19 patient to die in the county.
- Chicago taxpayers will pay a $2.25 million settlement to an unarmed, developmentally disabled man shot by a Chicago Police sergeant in 2017. Ricardo Hayes was 18 when he was shot in August 2017 on the Far South Side.
- Another 138 people have died of COVID-19 in Illinois, raising the state’s death toll to 3,928. Officials today reported 3,239 new cases among the 22,678 test results received by the state a day earlier.
- The Adler Planetarium, celebrating its 90th anniversary this week, announced that it has laid off 120 part-time and full-time employees as the organization seeks to survive in “the post-pandemic future.” The layoffs have been distributed “organization-wide” and touch “all departments.”
- City officials said they have awarded $5,000 grants to 959 microbusinesses in dire straits due to the shutdown. They hope the grants will help the smallest of small businesses in low- to moderate-income communities.
- As part of Chicago Public Library’s “Live from the Library” series, Barack and Michelle Obama read “The Word Collector” by Peter H. Reynolds in a video posted today. Watch it here.
A bright one
Chicago Public Schools teacher surprised with Golden Apple award
In what has become her new daily routine, Mary Kovats logged on yesterday morning for a virtual assembly with her fifth grade class at Linné Elementary in Avondale.
Little did Kovats know, the assembly was for her. Within seconds, Kovats was in tears, surprised by colleagues, family and her students congratulating the veteran teacher for winning a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
“One minute I was scolding my kids to make sure they were sitting up because the principal was going to come online, and then the next thing I knew there were 100 people on the call,” Kovats said a few hours later.
“It was more than I ever expected,” she said. “It was overwhelming and I was overcome with a lot of gratitude and love.”
Kovats, a reading, writing and social studies teacher, is one of 10 recipients of this year’s Golden Apple award, a prestigious honor for Illinois educators. Winners receive a free sabbatical at Northwestern University, a $5,000 cash reward and become mentors with Golden Apple for young teachers.
From the press box
One thing that comes across very clearly in “The Last Dance” is the high cost of being Michael Jordan. Columnist Rick Morrissey was struck by “how alone [Jordan] sometimes seems. Alone with his memories, his accomplishments, his slights and his private wars.”
Deputy sports editor Jeff Agrest also looks at the remarkable surge in coverage of the documentary and Jordan during the sports shutdown.
Your daily question ☕
Is there a movie you’ve finally gotten around to watching during the quarantine? What was is, and what did you think about it?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you how you think you will have changed once the pandemic is over. Here’s what some of you said…
“I’m hoping that cooking at home, and family game, puzzle, movie nights will be more of a thing. When folks do go out, I hope they patronize small, local businesses and restaurants.” — Catherine Swisher
“I’ve been eating better, exercising daily and praying more. I will appreciate being alive more.” — Genevieve Williams
“I won’t take going out for granted anymore.” — Jerry Blaylock
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