By Steve Rhodes
I’m back!
I’ve said it before – maybe not here, I really can’t remember – but counting people is a lot more complicated than you may think. #CensusSideGig
Posted on July 27, 2020
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Sorry, more census work, we’re training enumerators, probably through Saturday. But I should be able to turn a column out Thursday afternoon.
THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Nope!
Posted on July 22, 2020
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
I’ve got census duty today, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Meanwhile . . .
Posted on July 21, 2020
The [Monday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
The return of sports – baseball in particular – may be a much-needed salve to our wounded hearts, though it may also be a death race of sorts, but our very own David Rutter reminds us this morning that the return of sports brings with it the return of maddening sports media. His dispatch:
Posted on July 20, 2020
The Weekend Desk Report
By Steve Rhodes
Trump adviser tells WaPo that when it comes to the pandemic, the president is “not really working this anymore. He doesn’t want to be distracted by it. He’s not calling and asking about data. He’s not worried about cases.” https://t.co/cMaaFvu1rY
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 18, 2020
Posted on July 18, 2020
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“In the days before the Kane County Health Department ordered Smithfield Foods’ St. Charles meat processing plant to close due to concerns about COVID-19, and before the health department confirmed an employee had died, a call came in to police,” the Tribune-owned Aurora Beacon-News reports.
The caller had concerns about Smithfield, a police transcript of the call shows, and told dispatchers their mom was a COVID-19 patient and an employee.
The 911 call is among several complaints raised about Smithfield’s St. Charles plant, a dry sausage-making facility that employs about 325 people, before the county health department ordered it to close April 24, police reports and documents obtained by the Beacon-News through an open records request show.
The health department received at least two reports, and the 911-caller contacted police twice, once days before the closure and once days afterward. Kane County sheriff’s deputies visited the plant twice before the closure at the request of the health department, following up on complaints, police reports and a spokesman indicated.
The documents paint a picture of mounting concern at the facility in the days before it was ordered closed, as meat processing plants across the country faced pressure over social distancing, protective equipment and COVID-19 safety practices. Workers at some plants nationwide became sick and some facilities temporarily closed, including other locations of Smithfield, which bills itself as the world’s largest pork processor.
And one of the world’s largest purveyors of bullshit.
“In response to specific Beacon-News questions about the St. Charles plant, Smithfield officials issued a statement emphasizing safety precautions the company has taken across the board and highlighting the company’s role in the country’s food system.”
Posted on July 16, 2020
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“A group of Gold Coast residents is opposing plans for a marijuana store near their neighborhood, saying the dispensary would be too close to a park and a nearby school, and would add to congestion in the area,” the Tribune reports.
“Chicago-based PharmaCann wants to open the marijuana store, called Verilife, at 12-14 W. Maple St., less than a block away from Mariano Park at the intersection of State and Rush streets.
“Nobody’s against having a pot dispensary,” said Matthew Newberger, president of the Mariano Park Advisory Board. “It’s just that we think it’s an inappropriate place to put one.”
What a classic case of NIMRABY: Not. In. My. Rich. Ass. Back. Yard.
Posted on July 15, 2020
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“If you see the Census Cowboy coming to your neighborhood [in Chicago], that’s not a good thing,” says @ChicagosMayor Lori Lightfoot. “That means you got to step up and do your part and make sure that you fill out the census.” #OldTownRoad https://t.co/Vmfm54OqPP
— Hansi Lo Wang (@hansilowang) July 13, 2020
Posted on July 14, 2020
The [Monday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration closed a West Loop bar and cited a handful of other venues over the weekend for flouting COVID-19 capacity or social distancing rules, part of her promised crackdown on violators aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus cases throughout the city,” the Tribune reports.
“Wise Owl Drinkery & Cookhouse was shut down because it was over capacity and groups of patrons weren’t at least 6 feet away from each other, wearing masks or seated, according to the city Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.”
Posted on July 13, 2020
The [Friday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“After missing out on cleaner air during the coronavirus lockdown, the Chicago area just suffered its longest streak of high-pollution days in more than a decade,” the Tribune reports.
“Eight consecutive days of bad air swept through the region amid an emerging scientific link between exposure to pollution and COVID-19 death rates. Low-income, predominantly Black and Latino communities are being hit the hardest.
“Air quality has been so poor, the entire Chicago area ended up dirtier than notoriously smog-choked Los Angeles during the beginning of the month, according to a Chicago Tribune review of federal data.”
So I wasn’t imagining an unusual number of “unhealthy air” alerts on my phone’s weather app.
Posted on July 10, 2020