(WTTW News)
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Sheriff Tom Dart’s office said it has begun complying with a court order mandating additional protective measures inside the Cook County Jail, but it estimates its supply of surgical masks for detainees and employees will run out in “six to seven more days.”

(WTTW News)

Leslie Pieroni, 51, was pronounced dead Thursday evening at St. Anthony’s Hospital. He had been hospitalized since April 3 after he tested positive for COVID-19.

(WTTW News)

The Cook County sheriff must begin implementing additional sanitation and precaution measures at the jail, but a federal judge rejected calls for the release of large numbers of detainees.

(WTTW News)
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New York Times calls jail ‘the largest-known source of U.S. infections’

Data released by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office shows 251 detainees have so far tested positive for COVID-19, as have 150 Sheriff’s Office employees. On Sunday, the jail recorded its first virus-related death.

(WTTW News)

Advocacy group: “Cook County officials have blood on their hands”

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.

(WTTW News)
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More than 150 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Cook County Jail. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the situation poses the “biggest health problem in the county.”

(WTTW News)

Nearly 40 detainees have so far tested positive for the virus at Cook County Jail. Officials on Friday discussed those rapidly changing circumstances and said they’re working to “safely” reduce the detainee population.

(WTTW News)

By Wednesday evening, 17 detainees had tested positive

The number of Cook County Jail detainees who have tested positive for COVID-19 nearly tripled between Wednesday morning and evening, according to the sheriff’s office, which has now tested 50 individuals who have begun exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

(WTTW News)
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Among those most vulnerable to the coronavirus are jail and prison populations, where people live in tight quarters, with potentially limited health care and access to basic needs like soap.

(WTTW News)

The two detainees, ages 18 and 42, each began exhibiting flu-like symptoms last Friday. They are each being held in isolation at the jail’s Cermak Hospital, officials said Monday.

(WTTW News)

A correctional officer who works in the Cook County Jail has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting additional calls for the mass release of some detainees by activists who want to prevent an outbreak within the jail.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx appears on “Chicago Tonight” on March 18, 2020. (WTTW News)

“Everyone deserves to be protected, especially during these uncertain times, and we are obligated to ensure all members of our community feel safe, including those behind bars,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

(WTTW News)
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Sheriff’s Department looking to release some nonviolent, low-level detainees

The Sheriff’s Department says it has placed a “high priority” on reducing the number of nonviolent, low-level offenders in its custody, particularly those who are at an increased risk of the new coronavirus.

(WTTW News)

If you needed to build a business, how quickly could you pull together a plan? What if you had to do it without access to the internet? These men did just that – in an atypical setting. Here’s how.

(Thomas Hawk / Flickr)

Leticia Ruiz says the Cook County sheriff failed to protect her son from a reputed gang member who allegedly beat him to death inside the jail earlier this month, and that the “vicious and violent” beating was avoidable.

Cook County Jail inmate Harris Coteus, standing, fills the biodiesel processor with used vegetable oil from the jail’s officer dining hall. (Evan Garcia / WTTW News)

A small group of detainees are learning how to make biodiesel fuel from reclaimed cooking oil. Hundreds of gallons have so far been produced – and thousands of dollars saved – but officials also tout the program’s rehabilitative value.