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Chicago Tribune: Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State passes 10,000 known cases of COVID-19, with 1,453 new known cases and 33 additional deaths
With more than 1,400 new confirmations across the state, Illinois has now surpassed 10,000 known cases of COVID-19, the state’s public health director said Saturday.
Illinois saw 1,453 new cases and 33 deaths, Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. There now have been 243 deaths attributed to the new coronavirus, she said.
Chicago Sun-Times: Assessor trying to ensure Cook County property values adjusted to reflect ‘coronavirus effect’
Knowing many residents are facing economic uncertainty from the coronavirus pandemic, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi said Friday that all homes, businesses and other real estate parcels could see their property values adjusted due to COVID-19’s effect on the market.
The first-term assessor said analysts in his office are looking for data from natural disasters and other economic crises to understand what could happen to property values in Cook County, but even with those comparisons the challenge coronavirus presents is unmatched.
Belleville News-Democrat: Some Randolph County coronavirus cases can be traced back to the same public gathering BY LEXI CORTES Read more here: https://www.bnd.com/news/coronavirus/article241757416.html#storylink=cpy
At least the first nine of Randolph County’s coronavirus cases can be traced back to the same gathering the weekend before the governor shut down bars and restaurants in Illinois, a health official said.
Randolph County Health Department Administrator Angela Oathout said Wednesday that officials had identified the common thread through interviews with the nine patients at the time: They all either visited the same public place or had contact with someone who did.
Chicago Tribune: Cook County Jail staffers raise complaints about conditions as sheriff’s office assures steps taken to stem COVID-19
Cook County Jail staffers don’t have proper access to personal protective gear and hand sanitizer despite close contact with detainees in a facility where COVID-19 is spreading quickly, according to the correctional officers’ union and attorneys who have represented jail staff — allegations the sheriff’s office strenuously denies.
In one instance, an officer without protective gear escorted a detainee from the jail to the courthouse and back this week, only to realize upon return that the detainee had a confirmed infection, the union said. A few days later, officers opened a box of N95 respirators to find that the elastic that secures the mask to the face had deteriorated, according to the union, leaving them unusable.
Better Government Association: Was Boeing’s Chicago deal worth the taxpayer cost?
To lure Boeing to move its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago nearly two decades ago, the city and state showered the aerospace giant with a package of still partially ongoing tax incentives that have cost taxpayers more than $60 million.
Boeing’s end of the deal was a promise to relocate 500 high-paying, top-level jobs to Chicago, a pledge records show was watered down in the fine print and riddled with loopholes that raise questions about whether it came close to being met. A company spokesman says Boeing is in compliance with state and local incentives requirements.
Chicago Sun-Times: CPS principal investigated for allegedly throwing bottle at lunchroom worker, causing concussion
The principal at a top-rated Chicago elementary school is under investigation after he was accused of throwing a water bottle that hit a lunchroom worker in the face, giving her a concussion and requiring a wound to be closed.
The case is the most troubling incident to take place at Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center over the past few months, but it isn’t the only one, according to several workers, teachers and parents who describe an uncomfortable and sometimes toxic environment at the school.