Stories by Angel Idowu
Virtual Play Offers Night Out at the Theater, Without Leaving Home
| Angel Idowu
As you work through your list of at-home entertainment options, don’t forget to consider a night of theater. Chicago’s Theater Wit is now livestreaming the play “Teenage Dick.” Here’s how it works.
Lightfoot: COVID-19 Executive Order Protecting Immigrants Reflects City’s Values
| Kristen Thometz
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an executive order Tuesday ensuring all residents regardless of citizenship status have equal access to COVID-19 aid programs, saying the order is “statement of our values as a city and as Americans.”
Cook County Jail Reports First Coronavirus-Related Death
Advocacy group: “Cook County officials have blood on their hands”
| Matt Masterson
Detainee Jeffery Pendleton, 59, was pronounced dead late Sunday, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. He had been hospitalized since March 30 after he tested positive for COVID-19.
It’s a Beautiful Day. Let’s Not Go Nuts, Chicago, And Lose Our Parks
| Patty Wetli
Juanita Irizarry, executive director of Friends of the Parks, is worried that if Chicagoans flocks to the city’s parks on this warm spring day, officials will crack down on access to all our green spaces.
Dispatches from the Block, Week 3: What’s Keeping Your Spirits Up?
| Erica Gunderson
As Chicagoans hunker down amid the pandemic, we check in with some familiar faces on how they’re weathering the storm – and what music they’re listening to.
Tonight’s ‘Super Pink Moon’ is Going to be The Year’s Best
| Patty Wetli
There hasn’t been a whole lot of good news in 2020, but here’s something to get excited about: Tuesday’s supermoon will be the closest the full moon gets to Earth in 2020, meaning it will look bigger and brighter than any other full moon this year.
COVID-19 Across Chicago: Chatham
| Paris Schutz
The pandemic is causing extreme distress in communities all across Chicago. Chatham, on the city’s South Side, is home to a high population of African American senior citizens – a group that is doubly vulnerable to severe complications from the disease.
Cook County Medical Examiner Acquires Warehouse to Serve as COVID-19 Surge Center
| Amanda Vinicky
So far, 307 people have died in Illinois after testing positive for the coronavirus — numbers which stand to strain not only the health care system, but the system for dealing with the deceased.
Illinois Hospitals Strained But Largely Coping Ahead of Anticipated COVID-19 Surge
| Paul Caine
With cases of COVID-19 expected to peak in Illinois later this month, are hospitals and health care workers in the state going to have what they need when they really need it?
Off Campus and Online: College Students Seeking Tuition Refunds
| Blair Paddock
College students across Illinois are asking their universities for some amount of tuition refund as schools move their students off campus and their classes online due to the coronavirus.
Pritzker Slams Federal Government, Touts Illinois’ Efforts to Acquire Protective Gear
Officials urge people to stay inside, attend virtual religious services
| Kristen Thometz
Illinois has only received a fraction of the personal protective equipment it requested from the federal government. “It’s our own state procurement initiative that’s making a difference” in the fight against COVID-19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday.
Lightfoot Activates Rapid Response Team to Stem ‘Unacceptable’ Racial Disparity in COVID-19 Deaths
| Patty Wetli
Black Chicagoans make up 30% of the city’s population, but 72% of its COVID-19 deaths, according to newly released data. “Those numbers take your breath away,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “It’s unacceptable. No one should think this is OK.”
Ald. Roderick Sawyer on COVID-19’s Disproportionate Impact on Black Chicagoans
| Quinn Myers
Black Chicagoans account for 72% of COVID-19 deaths in the city, while only making up 30% of the overall population, public health officials announced Monday. “It is something we’re following very closely,” said 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer.
Chicago Community Trust Raises $20 Million for COVID-19 Efforts
| Evan Garcia
A Chicago community foundation is raising millions for dozens of local nonprofits on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. We speak with Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust.
It’s Official: Chicagoan Jenny Doan Sets New World Record for Hula-Hooping
| Kristen Thometz
The Wicker Park resident hula hooped for 100 hours last fall, hoping to set a new world record and raising nearly $5,000 for the nonprofit Mental Health America along the way. “It’s a big relief,” the 29-year-old said.
Chicago Athletes, Lightfoot Urge Folks to Stay Home: ‘We Are Not Playing’
| Kristen Thometz
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is joining forces with the city’s professional sports teams to encourage people to stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “They’re not playing and neither are we,” Lightfoot said.
Surgeon General Has the Best Hack for Making No-Sew Masks
| Patty Wetli
No sewing machine? No problem. The surgeon general demonstrates how to make a no-sew cloth mask.
Singing Frogs Are Music to Our Ears, And a Positive Sign of Habitat Restoration
| Patty Wetli
The chorus frog has been filling forest preserves with the sound of its mating calls. Here’s why that’s such good news.
Chicago Showdown, Round Four: Everyday Icons
| Nick Blumberg
Missing that chatty CTA conductor from your morning commute? Have a hankering for an old fashioned mixed up by your favorite bartender? So are we. Join us as we pay tribute to the everyday folks who make Chicago great.
Lightfoot’s Office Introduces City to New Top Cop
| Amanda Vinicky
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s choice for the next superintendent of the city’s police department still has to be confirmed by the City Council and he’s got no official start date, but David Brown is “at your service,” Chicago.
41% of Illinois Residents Dying from COVID-19 are Black
| Amanda Vinicky
The novel coronavirus is believed to more severely impact those who are elderly, immunocompromised or have underlying health conditions. But demographic data points to another group that appears to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Curfew, Temperature Checks Potential Next Steps for Illinois as COVID-19 Spreads
| Amanda Vinicky
Just over two weeks into a mandatory stay-at-home order, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he is considering additional steps to curb the spread of COVID-19. Cases across the state now stand at 11,256.
Tiger at NYC’s Bronx Zoo Tests Positive for Coronavirus
| Associated Press
A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the new coronavirus, in what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the U.S. or a tiger anywhere, federal officials and the zoo said Sunday.
Biden Raises Idea of Democrats Holding an Online Convention
| Associated Press
Joe Biden said Sunday that the Democratic National Convention, already delayed until August because of the coronavirus, may need to take place online as the pandemic continues to reshape the race for the White House.
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