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Biden Summit Draws Climate Vows From Sparring Global Leaders | Chicago News

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President Joe Biden speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, from the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden convened leaders of the world’s most powerful countries on Thursday to try to spur global efforts against climate change, drawing commitments from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate on cutting emissions despite their own sharp rivalries with the United States.

“Meeting this moment is about more than preserving our planet,” Biden declared, speaking from a TV-style set for a virtual summit of 40 world leaders. “It’s about providing a better future for all of us,” he said, calling it “a moment of peril but a moment of opportunity.” 

“The signs are unmistakable. the science is undeniable. the cost of inaction keeps mounting,” he added.

Biden’s own new commitment, timed to the summit, is to cut U.S. fossil fuel emissions up to 52% by 2030. marking a return by the U.S. to global climate efforts after four years of withdrawal under President Donald Trump. Biden’s administration is sketching out a vision of a prosperous, clean-energy United States where factories churn out cutting-edge batteries for export, line workers re-lay an efficient national electrical grid and crews cap abandoned oil and gas rigs and coal mines.

 Japan announced its own new 46% emissions reduction target Thursday, and South Korea said it would stop public financing of new coal-fired power plants, as the U.S. and its allies sought to build momentum via the summit. 

The coronavirus pandemic compelled the summit to play out as a climate telethon-style livestream, limiting opportunities for spontaneous interaction and negotiation. The opening was rife with small technological glitches, including echoes, random beeps and off-screen voices.

But the U.S. summit also marshaled an impressive display of the world’s most powerful leaders speaking on the single cause of climate change. 

China’s Xi, whose country is the world’s biggest emissions culprit, followed by the United States, spoke first among the other global figures. He made no reference to nonclimate disputes that had made it uncertain until Wednesday that he would even take part in the U.S. summit, and said China would work with America in cutting emissions.

“To protect the environment is to protect productivity, and to boost the environment is to boost productivity. It’s as simple as that,” Xi said.

Putin, whose government has been publicly irate over Biden’s characterization of him as a “killer” for Russia’s aggressive moves against its opponents, made no mention of his feuding with Biden in his own climate remarks, a live presentation that also saw moments of dead air among production problems.

“Russia is genuinely interested in galvanizing international cooperation so as to look further for effective solutions to climate change as well as to all other vital challenges,” Putin said. Russia by some measures is the world’s fourth-biggest emitter of climate-damaging fossil fuel fumes.

However, Russia and China announced no specific new emissions cuts themselves. 

The pandemic made gathering world leaders for the climate summit too risky. That didn’t keep the White House from sparing no effort on production quality. The president’s staff built a small set in the East Room that looked like it was ripped from a daytime talk show. 

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the summit from separate lecterns before joining Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and White House climate envoy John Kerry at a horseshoe-shaped table set up around a giant potted plant to watch fellow leaders’ livestreamed speeches. 

The format meant a cavalcade of short speeches by world leaders, some scripted, some apparently more impromptu. “This is not bunny-hugging,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said of the climate efforts. “This is about growth and jobs.”

The Biden administration’s pledge would require by far the most ambitious U.S. climate effort ever, nearly doubling the reductions that the Obama administration had committed to in the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was one of many allies welcoming the U.S. back into the accord after Trump pulled out, boosted oil and gas production and mocked the science underlying climate warnings.

“I’m delighted to see that the United States is back, is back to work together with us in climate politics,” Merkel declared in her virtual appearance. “Because there can be no doubt about the world needing your contribution if we really want to fulfill our ambitious goals.”

The new urgency comes as scientists say that climate change caused by coal plants, car engines and other fossil fuel use is worsening droughts, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters and that humans are running out of time to stave off catastrophic extremes of global warming.

Leaders of smaller states and island nations buffeted by rising seas and worsening hurricanes appealed for aid and fast emissions cuts from world powers.

“We are the least contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, but the most affected by climate change,” said Gaston Alfonso Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He called for debt relief and more international assistance to recover from storms and the pandemic to prevent a flow of climate refugees.

His people he said, are “ teetering on the edge of despair.”

After the stream of solemn pledges on fighting climate change, the talk turned to money. Developing countries were watching for firm financial moves from the United States, which they say still owes $2 billion in aid for transitioning away from fossil fuels that President Barack Obama promised but Trump didn’t pay.

Biden delivered new pledges, saying the U.S. would double climate funding help for less wealthy countries by 2024. That cost would be more than made up for when “disasters and conflicts are avoided,” he said. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation would make a third of all its new investments climate-focused within two years, he said.

Other speakers urged hefty taxes on climate-damaging polluters and a slashing of government programs that amount to subsidies for oil, gas and coal.

Longtime climate policy experts, no strangers to climate summits with solemn pledges, watched some speeches with skepticism. After Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro promised an end to clearcutting in the Amazon, Dan Wilkinson of Human Rights Watch’s environmental programs noted, “It is going to be hard for anyone to take it seriously until they actually start taking steps.”

“Any number of them could be done right away,” Wilkinson said. 

U.S. officials, in previewing the new administration target, disclosed aspirations and vignettes rather than specific plans, budget lines or legislative proposals for getting there. 

As of 2019, before the pandemic, the U.S. had reduced 13% of its greenhouse gases compared with 2005 levels, which is about halfway to the Obama administration goals of 26% to 28%, said climate scientist Niklas Hohne of Climate Action Tracker. That’s owing largely to market forces that have made solar and wind, and natural gas, much cheaper

Biden, a Democrat, campaigned partly on a pledge to confront climate change. He has sketched out some elements of his $2 trillion approach for transforming U.S. transportation systems and electrical grids in his campaign climate plan and in his infrastructure proposals for Congress.

His administration insists the transformation will mean millions of well-paying jobs. Republicans say the effort will throw oil, gas and coal workers off the job. They call his infrastructure proposal too costly.

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All City-Run Mass Vaccination Sites In Chicago To Open For Walk-Ins Starting Friday As Supply Catches Up To Demand – CBS Chicago

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CHICAGO (CBS) — With Chicago’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines exceeding demand for the first time during the pandemic, all city-operated vaccination sites will open to walk-ins starting on Friday.

During a question-and-answer session on Facebook on Thursday, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city is finally receiving an ample supply of vaccines, after months of not being able to meet demand for shots.

READ MORE: 1,250 New COVID-19 Cases In Indiana Thursday

“Our supply has just not been up to our demand month after month after month, and I know how frustrating that has been for many people, but as of now, we have enough vaccine,” Arwady said. “If you want a vaccine in Chicago, you can absolutely get one. You can get one today. No excuses.”

As a result, starting Friday, every city-run vaccination site in Chicago, including the United Center mass vaccination site, will accept walk-ins in addition to scheduled appointments.

“We still encourage people to make an appointment. That’s going to be the best way. Go on zocdoc, or call the call center. If you make an appointment, you won’t need to be standing in long lines, you’ll know for sure you have an appointment,” she said. “But we know that a lot of people are still having challenges getting appointments, and we know there’s digital divides, and we know there’s people who maybe, spur of the moment, might say, ‘Let’s get a vaccine.’”

In addition, all city-run vaccination sites will be open anyone 16 and older, because all city clinics are currently offering the Pfizer vaccine, which is the only inoculation approved for 16- and 17-year-olds. Anyone under age 18 must have a parent or guardian with them to get a vaccination.

Appointments at city-run vaccination sites are available online at zocdoc.com/vaccine or by calling 312-746-4835.

READ MORE: COVID-19 In Illinois: New Coronavirus Cases Down Over The Past Week, But Hospitalizations Still Climbing

Arwady said the increase in vaccine supply comes as Chicago appears to be turning the corner on the latest surge, with the city’s test positivity rate now at 5.4%, down from 5.8% one week ago. The city is also averaging 631 new COVID-19 cases per day, down 13% from one week ago.

“Those case rates are still higher than we’d like them to be. Ideally, we want to get that back down under 400, and eventually back down under 200. We want to get that positivity back down under 5%, but continued progress in the right direction is what is going to let us move toward reopening … even more reopening,” Arwady said.

Cook County Health also has started offering walk-in vaccinations at two suburban mass vaccination sites, in Tinley Park and Matteson, as part of a pilot program that will operate through Saturday.

The Tinley Park mass vaccination site is administering the Moderna vaccine, which requires a second dose four weeks after your first. The Matteson mass vaccination site is giving out the Pfizer vaccine, which requires a second dose after three weeks.

Both sites are open for walk-in vaccinations from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. You’ll need a photo ID to register on-site.

MORE NEWS: Over 15,000 Unemployment Claims Filed In Illinois Last Week Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

You can still make appointments for a vaccine at any suburban Cook County site online at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling 833-308-1988, Monday – Friday from 7AM – 10PM and Saturday from 8AM – 10PM.

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Senate OKs Bill to Fight Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans | Chicago News

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., accompanied by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., speaks at a news conference after the Senate passed a COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act on Capitol Hill, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would help combat the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a bipartisan denunciation of such violence during the coronavirus pandemic and a modest step toward legislating in a chamber where most of President Joe Biden’s agenda has stalled.

The measure would expedite the review of hate crimes and provide support for local law enforcement in response to thousands of reported violent incidents in the past year. Police have seen a noted uptick in such crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. That includes the February death of an 84 year-old man who was pushed to the ground near his home in San Francisco; a young family that was attacked in a Texas grocery store last year; and deadly shootings last month in Atlanta, where six of the victims were of Asian descent.

The names of the six women killed in Georgia are listed in the bill, which passed the Senate on a 94-1 vote. The House is expected to consider a similar bill in the coming weeks.

“These unprovoked, random attacks and incidents are happening in supermarkets, on our streets, in takeout restaurants — basically, wherever we are,” said Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, the legislation’s lead sponsor. She said the attacks are “a predictable and foreseeable consequence” of racist and inflammatory language that has been used against Asians during the pandemic, including slurs used by former President Donald Trump.

Republicans said last week that they agreed with the premise of the legislation and signaled they were willing to back it with minor changes, an unusual sign of comity amid frequent standstills in the polarized Senate. Hirono worked closely with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to incorporate some additional Republican and bipartisan provisions, including better reporting of hate crimes nationally and grant money for states to set up hate crime hotlines.

The changes would replace language in the original bill that called for “guidance describing best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID–19 pandemic.” The legislation would require the government to issue guidance aimed at “raising awareness of hate crimes during the pandemic” to address some GOP concerns about policing speech.

It’s unclear whether the bipartisan bill is a sign of things to come in the Senate, where Republicans and Democrats have fundamental differences and often struggle to work together. Under an agreement struck by Senate leaders at the start of the year, Republicans and Democrats pledged to try to at least try to debate bills and see if they could reach agreement through the legislative process. The hate crimes legislation is the first byproduct of that agreement. Some said it need not be the last.

Hirono said it is her “sincere hope that we can channel and sustain the bipartisan work done on this important piece of legislation” to a larger bill that would change policing laws, which Senate Republicans are negotiating with House Democrats. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the bill approved Thursday is “proof that when the Senate is given the opportunity to work, the Senate can work to solve important issues.”

Unlike many of the larger policy issues Democrats hope to tackle in their new majority, efforts to combat the rising violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have almost universal backing. More than 3,000 incidents have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based reporting center for such crimes, and its partner advocacy groups, since mid-March 2020.

“For more than a year, the Asian American community has been fighting two crises — the COVID-19 pandemic and the anti-Asian hate,” Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., a co-author of the bill, said last week at the Capitol.

Republicans agreed to back the bill after the Senate also voted on and rejected a series of GOP amendments, including efforts to prevent discrimination against Asian Americans in college admissions and reporting about restrictions on religious exercise during the pandemic.

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George Floyd and Emmett Till Families See Parallels in Loss | Chicago News

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In this Feb 24, 2006, file photo, Deborah Watts, left, and Ollie Gordon, right, both cousins of Emmett Till, accompany Principal Mary Rogers as they walk through a hallway at Emmett Louis Till Math & Science Academy, in Chicago, honoring the 14-year-old former student. Till’s lynching galvanized the civil rights movement. (AP Photo / M. Spencer Green, File)

CHICAGO (AP) — A Black Chicago teen’s lynching in 1955 galvanized the civil rights movement. A Black Minneapolis man’s killing by police last year propelled a worldwide call for racial justice and ending police brutality.

The murders of Emmett Till and George Floyd were separated by more than six decades, contrasting circumstances and countless protests, but their families say they feel an intimate connection in their grief and what comes next.

For Floyd’s brother, Till immediately came to mind on Tuesday after now-fired white police Officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of multiple murder charges and manslaughter in George Floyd’s death.

“People forgot about him,” Philonise Floyd said of Till, who was 14 when he was killed. “But he was the first George Floyd.”

Both families recount similar anguish in mourning deaths that became flashpoints in American history.

Disturbing bystander video of Chauvin pressing his knee into George Floyd’s neck prompted demonstrations around the globe and an examination of policing and racial discrimination, including a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Minneapolis policing practices announced Wednesday.

“You have the cameras all around the world to see and show what happened to my brother. It was a motion picture,” Philonise Floyd said at a news conference Tuesday after the Chauvin verdicts were announced. “The world seen his life being extinguished. And I could do nothing but watch, especially in that courtroom, over and over and over again as my brother was murdered.”

When Ollie Gordon saw the footage, she thought of her cousin Emmett Till. They were close as siblings and lived in the same Chicago house for a time.

“The tactics that were used were still an atrocity. It was still a lynching, but we were able to see and view it,” she told The Associated Press. “He took the breath from George Floyd.”

She was 7 when her cousin, visiting relatives in Mississippi, was accused of whistling at a white woman and brutally killed by two white men. His body was found weighted down in the Tallahatchie River. Till’s mother insisted on an open-casket funeral, and tens of thousands of people attended. Graphic images of his mutilated body appeared in Jet magazine.

An all-white jury acquitted both men in the killing, which energized the civil rights movement.

Till’s family is still waiting for answers in the case

The Justice Department closed its investigation into Till’s death in 2007, but it was reopened after a 2017 book detailed how a key witness lied. Federal officials didn’t respond to a message Wednesday seeking information on the status of the investigation.

In contrast, the verdicts in Floyd’s killing — less than a year after his death — brought tears to her eyes.

“I didn’t think we would get the verdict that we got,” she said. “I am very elated that justice has been served in this case, and rapidly when we think about Emmett Till and still fighting some 66 years later.”

Both families said they would continue to protest and march for others killed by police. They include the recent deaths of Daunte Wright, a Black 20-year-old motorist who was shot by a white suburban Minneapolis officer during a traffic stop, and Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latino boy who was fatally shot by Chicago police.

However, Gordon, who lives in suburban Chicago and runs a foundation named for Till’s mother, said the Chauvin verdict was perhaps a turning point.

After Floyd’s death sparked a reckoning on racial justice, a racially-mixed jury took 10 hours to deliver guilty verdicts.

“I feel hope. I feel that maybe the world is starting to change a bit,” she said. “Maybe.”

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Lightfoot Starts the Bidding on Chicago’s ‘Casino-Resort’ | Chicago News

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(stokpic / Pixabay)

Chicago officials took another step Thursday toward making the long-planned Chicago casino a reality, asking firms interested in building and operating not just a casino but a casino-resort to make a formal proposal to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago City Council.

A permanent casino could open as soon as 2025 in Chicago, although slot machines could start ringing at O’Hare and Midway airports much sooner — with tentative plans for a temporary casino also in play. 

Lightfoot’s wide-ranging plan calls for the casino to be one part of “a premier entertainment destination that will catalyze growth in our dynamic economy, create sustainable, good-paying jobs for our workforce and bring new financial opportunities to our businesses,” she said in a statement.

Proposals must include plans for a 500-room hotel, meeting space, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues to create “an entertainment and gaming destination to enhance the urban fabric of the surrounding neighborhood,” officials said.

City projections estimate that the casino will ring up $200 million in revenue for the city annually, which is already earmarked for Chicago’s underfunded police and fire pension funds.

The winning proposal — which also needs the approval of the Illinois Gaming Board — “will be able to incorporate its property into the city’s vibrant cultural scene, robust public transit infrastructure and highly diversified economy,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

In addition, whichever firm wins the right to build the casino must agree to set aside at least 26% of the construction contracts for firms owned Black and Latino Chicagoans, and another 6% for firms owned by Chicago women.

Half of all hours worked to build the casino must be performed by Chicagoans and 7.5% of the total time must be performed by residents “of the area surrounding the project in the construction of the project,” officials said.

In August 2020, city officials gauged interest in a Chicago casino by soliciting informal proposals from gaming firms. Eleven firms responded, and eight said the casino should be built downtown.

However, that could present a quandary for Lightfoot, who will face pressure from South and West side aldermen who want a casino in their wards. A casino could mean hundreds of jobs in areas of the city that have long been passed over for both private and public investments.

In addition, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he’d rather not place a Chicago casino anywhere near McCormick Place or the city’s central business district, telling newspaper editorial boards in September 2019 that he’d like to see the casino developed in an area of Chicago that has not benefited from the pre-pandemic development boom downtown.

State lawmakers agreed to change the rules for a Chicago casino in spring 2019 after a study validated Lightfoot’s repeated warnings that a law giving the green light to a statewide gaming expansion would make it impossible for a Chicago casino to get off the ground.

The feasibility study determined that a Chicago casino would pay an effective tax rate of 72%, while the revised law has an effective tax rate of about 40%.

Proposals are due Aug. 23, and city officials scheduled public presentations of finalists in late September. A winner is not likely to be picked until early 2022, officials said.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]

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Wrigleyville bar Guthries Tavern is reopening under new ownership

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For fans of drinking beer and playing board games, no Chicago restaurant and bar permanent closure was more painful than the demise of Wrigleyville institution Guthries Tavern. Management announced the bar’s closure via an Instagram post last July, noting that with “ongoing COVID restrictions, we don’t see a way we can survive.” The bar served its final pints on July 23 before the 34-year-old tavern was shuttered for good.

But it’s hard to kill a legend, and Guthries Tavern seems to being coming back from the dead. Block Club Chicago was the first to report a message posted on the bar’s website, announcing “Guthries is now under new management. Stay tuned…” Another banner on the website reads, “Stay tuned for the reopening of Guthrie’s Tavern!” According the Chicago Tribune, the new owner of the bar is Matt Baldino, who also owns Roscoe Village bar Commonwealth Tavern—and he’s aiming to welcome back customers on June 1.

The reopening is great news for anyone who has ever cherished an evening spent in the Wrigleyville haunt playing Scrabble while sipping a beer from local breweries like Half Acre or Dovetail. And the reopening will hopefully set a precedent for the revival of other gone-too-soon local businesses. If places like Guthries, California Clipper and Crown Liquors can find new ownership willing to revive them, why not Fountainhead, Danny’s Tavern or Jeri’s Grill?

Here’s hoping that the new owners of Guthries Tavern keep the expansive collection of board games, the great selection of local beer, the ivy that blankets the building’s facade and the coffee can crammed with menus from nearby restaurants. We’re looking forward to having a drink and showing off our Boggle skills inside the tavern someday soon.

Have a few minutes to share how much you love Chicago? Take the Time Out Index survey here!

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How Long Does Protection From COVID-19 Vaccines Last? | Chicago News

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(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)

NEW YORK (AP) — How long does protection from COVID-19 vaccines last?

Experts don’t know yet because they’re still studying vaccinated people to see when protection might wear off. How well the vaccines work against emerging variants will also determine if, when and how often additional shots might be needed.

“We only have information for as long as the vaccines have been studied,” said Deborah Fuller, a vaccine researcher at the University of Washington. “We have to study the vaccinated population and start to see, at what point do people become vulnerable again to the virus?”

So far, Pfizer’s ongoing trial indicates the company’s two-dose vaccine remains highly effective for at least six months, and likely longer. People who got Moderna’s vaccine also still had notable levels of virus-fighting antibodies six months after the second required shot. 

Antibodies also don’t tell the whole story. To fight off intruders like viruses, our immune systems also have another line of defense called B and T cells, some of which can hang around long after antibody levels dwindle. If they encounter the same virus in the future, those battle-tested cells could potentially spring into action more quickly. 

Even if they don’t prevent illness entirely, they could help blunt its severity. But exactly what role such “memory” cells might play with the coronavirus — and for how long — isn’t yet known.

While the current COVID-19 vaccines will likely last for at least about a year, they probably won’t offer lifelong protection, as with measles shots, said Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, a vaccine expert at the University of Maryland. 

“It’s going to be somewhere in the middle of that very wide range,” she said.

Variants are another reason we might need an additional shot.

The current vaccines are designed to work against a particular spike protein on the coronavirus, said Mehul Suthar of the Emory Vaccine Center. If the virus mutates enough over time, vaccines might need to be updated to boost their effectiveness.

So far, the vaccines appear protective against the notable variants that have emerged, though somewhat less so on the one first detected in South Africa.

If it turns out we need another shot, a single dose could extend protection of the current shots or contain vaccination for one or more variants.

The need for follow-up shots will also depend partly on the success of the vaccination push globally, and tamping down transmission of the virus and emerging variants.

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Memorable draft day quotes about current and former Chicago Bears, including Walter Payton, Devin Hester, Roquan Smith

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How it played out: With the first pick, the Giants considered Butkus before choosing Auburn’s Tucker Frederickson “because he is the best all-around fullback in the country,” Giants vice president Wellington Mara said at the time.

After the 49ers selected North Carolina running back Ken Williard, the Bears chose Butkus third with a pick they had acquired in a trade with the Steelers and Sayers fourth with their own selection.

After the Cowboys drafted California quarterback Craig Morton fifth overall, the Bears chose DeLong at No. 6 with a pick they had acquired from Washington.

Butkus and Sayers became Hall of Famers who remain among the best players at their respective positions in NFL history. DeLong signed with the Chargers in the rival AFL and later played his final pro season with the Bears in 1972.

1975

Running back Walter Payton after being selected by the Bears fourth overall in the 1975 draft:

“When I get through with Chicago, they’ll be loving me.”

How it played out: Payton was clairvoyant; he quickly became a fan favorite and remains arguably the most beloved player in Bears history in 2021—34 years following his retirement in 1987 and 22 years after he passed away due to bile duct cancer in 1999 at the age of 45.

Sweetness spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Bears. He was voted to nine Pro Bowls, set the NFL rushing record with 16,726 yards and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 in his first year of eligibility.

1975

George Halas following a successful 1975 draft:

“We certainly did one thing. We helped our needs. I’m so enthused with the whole thing. I think it’s the finest Bear draft in 10 years.”

How it played out: The 1975 draft produced nine starters who would help form the core of Bears teams that reached the playoffs as wild cards in 1977 and ’79. In addition to Payton, the crop included defensive end Mike Hartenstine (second round), cornerback Virgil Livers (fourth), guard Revie Sorey (fifth), quarterback Bob Avellini (sixth), linebacker Tom Hicks (sixth), defensive tackle Roger Stillwell (ninth), safety Doug Plank (12th) and fullback Roland Harper (17th).

1980

Linebacker Otis Wilson after being chosen with the 19th pick in the 1980 draft:

“I idolize Dick Butkus. He intimidated the opponent. That’s my style. I move sideline to sideline and destroy everything that moves with the ball. Blockers? I don’t know. I’ve never been blocked.”

How it played out: The brash and ultra-confident Wilson put his money where his mouth was, emerging as a destructive outside linebacker who delivered devastating hits on receivers over the middle and quarterbacks on well-timed blitzes.

Wilson played the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Bears, registering 36.0 sacks and 10 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1985 when he registered a career-high 10.5 sacks and helped the Bears win their first Super Bowl championship.

1981

The aforementioned Hicks, the Bears’ starting middle linebacker, after the team selected middle linebacker Mike Singletary in the second round of the 1981 draft:

“The North Pole would warm over and melt before a rookie is going to come in and run our defense. I’ve been through all the game situations. I feel secure.”

How it played out: It didn’t take long before Santa Claus was sporting a nice tan; Singletary assumed the starting job midway through his rookie season and didn’t relinquish it until he had completed his Hall of Fame career in Chicago more than a decade later.

The Baylor product was voted to a Bears-record 10 Pro Bowls, was selected NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and ’88 and was named to the league’s All-Decade Team for the 1980s. An integral part of a dominant defense, Singletary helped lead the Bears to six NFC Central titles and the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

1983

Coach Mike Ditka after the Bears selected left tackle Jimbo Covert with the sixth pick in the 1983 draft out of Pittsburgh:

“He’s good at setting up short and stopping ends from the left side. In films, he looks like he was toying with people.”

How it played out: A Day 1 starter, Covert played his entire NFL career with the Bears from 1983-90, anchoring some of the top offensive lines in league history. A two-time first-team All-Pro, Covert helped the Bears win six division championships, one conference title and one Super Bowl. He was part of an offensive line that helped the Bears lead the NFL in rushing for four consecutive seasons from 1983-86.

Covert will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame later this year.

1985

Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, a starting defensive tackle alongside Steve McMichael at the time, was bewildered when the Bears addressed the position in the first round of the 1985 draft when they selected William “Refrigerator” Perry at No. 22:

“I was dumbfounded. What are we going to do with him? They must be thinking of a trade.”

How it played out: Coach Mike Ditka loved Perry; defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan initially did not. So while Perry played little on defense early in his rookie season, he became a national overnight sensation when Ditka employed him as the world’s largest fullback. In a Monday night win over the rival Packers, Perry rushed for one touchdown and cleared a wide path for Payton on two other short scoring runs.

Ryan eventually warmed to the idea of playing Perry on defense, so Hampton moved to defensive end and the Fridge eventually started nine games as a rookie for the 1985 Super Bowl champions. Perry remained a full-time Bears starter on defense through the 1992 season.

2000

Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, after being chosen by the Bears with the ninth pick in the 2000 draft out of New Mexico:

“All you ever hear about is Singletary and Butkus and how good they were. It’s a dream come true. Hopefully I can carry on the tradition.”

How it played out: Urlacher continued the Hall of Fame legacy at the position while playing his entire 13-year NFL career with the Bears. Fueled by a rare combination of size, speed and toughness, he was voted to eight Pro Bowls, was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 2000 and was selected NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005.

Urlacher was a four-time All-Pro who helped the Bears win four division titles and reach the Super Bowl in 2006. He started 180 of 182 games played, recording 1,779 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 22 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries and 11 forced fumbles. The only players who’ve started more games for the Bears are Payton (184) and center Olin Kreutz (183).

Urlacher was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2018.

2006

Bears college scouting director Greg Gabriel after the team picked Devin Hester in the second round of the 2006 draft out of Miami (57th overall):

“He is going to scare other teams. He’s great with the ball in his hands. He’s very, very dangerous, real fast.”

How it played out: Spending his first nine NFL seasons with the Bears, Hester emerged as the most prolific return specialist in league history. He became the NFL’s all-time leader with 18 kick return touchdowns and 13 punt return TDs, was voted to three Pro Bowls, won 13 special teams player of the week awards and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2000s.

Hester is eligible for the Hall of Fame this year for the first time.

2008

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo after choosing running back Matt Forte in the second round of the 2008 draft out of Tulane (44th overall):

“What he gives us is a big back, a three-down back. He has enough speed to get to the outside. And he has the ability to make people miss at the second level. And those were two areas where we never really could find any consistency [in 2007], which made us an easy team to defend.”

How it played out: During Forte’s eight seasons with the Bears, he led all NFL players with 12,718 yards from scrimmage while becoming the second fastest player in league history to compile 8,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards receiving behind only Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk.

Forte ranks second on the Bears’ all-time list behind Payton in rushing yards (8,602), receptions (487), receiving yards by a running back (4,116), yards from scrimmage (12,718), 100-yard rushing games (24) and games with at least 150 yards from scrimmage (25).

2017

Safety Eddie Jackson, after the Bears traded up to pick him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of Alabama (112th overall), on his knack for getting into the end zone:

“When I get the ball in my hands, I feel like I turn into a receiver. Honestly, I don’t think about going out of bounds or think about going down. I think about touchdowns.”

How it played out: Jackson scored five defensive touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Bears in 2017-18, tying for the most by a player in his first two NFL seasons with the Jets’ Erick McMillan in 1988-89.

Jackson added a sixth defensive TD last year on an 8-yard fumble return against the Rams, tying Lance Briggs for the third most in Bears history behind Charles Tillman (9) and Mike Brown (7).

2018

Bears general manager Ryan Pace after selecting linebacker Roquan Smith with the eighth pick in the first round of the 2018 draft out of Georgia:

“The first thing that comes to mind is his instincts, his play speed and his physicality. I mean, he hits with impact. Those are things that jump out. Every game you watch, he’s just so explosive. This guy’s flying around, making plays.”

How it played out: Smith has been just as impressive as advertised. He’s recorded at least 100 tackles in each of his first three seasons, the first player to have at least three consecutive years with at least 100 tackles since Lance Briggs did so for six years from 2004-09.

Last season Smith was named second-team All-Pro after finishing the season as the only NFL player to record at least 100 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, two sacks and two interceptions. His career-high 18 tackles-for-loss tied for the second most in the NFL.

2020

Receiver Darnell Mooney, after being chosen by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2020 draft out of Tulane (173rd overall), on continuing to embrace the underdog role:

“Same thing over and over; I’ve just got to prove myself. I’ve been living through heart all my life, so I don’t expect it to change. Just know as soon as I get in, I’m going to make a lot of noise and there are going to be some things to talk about in the future.”

How it played out: Even with no offseason workouts or preseason games due to COVID-19, Mooney still emerged as a consistent playmaker as a rookie. One of the most pleasant surprises for the Bears in 2020, he set a franchise record for most receptions by a rookie wide receiver with 61 while amassing 631 yards and scoring four touchdowns.

Mooney’s 61 catches were the second most by a Bears rookie regardless of position behind Forte’s 63 in 2008 and tied for the fourth most ever by an NFL rookie drafted in the fifth round or later.

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Chicago’s mass vaccination sites to offer walk-in appointments

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Sick of refreshing Zocdoc in the hopes of snagging a Covid-19 vaccine appointment? Now Chicagoans have yet another option for getting their shot: Beginning on Friday, April 23, all five of Chicago’s mass vaccination sites, including the United Center, will be open for a select number of daily walk-in appointments. 

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, credits an uptick in vaccine supply for the new development, which is meant to serve Chicagoans who haven’t been able to easily obtain an appointment online or using the city’s hotline.

“We know that a lot of people are still having challenges getting appointments, and we know there are digital divides, and we know there are some people who might spur-of-the-moment say, ‘Let’s get a vaccine,'” Arwady said during a Q&A session on Thursday. 

Still, you might not want to ditch your appointment-booking efforts just yet. Officials haven’t released information about how many doses will be available per day, which leaves the potential for long lines and some degree of uncertainty as to whether you’ll actually get a shot when you show up—that means securing an appointment ahead of time is still your safest bet. Arwady said the city will continue to evaluate the number of doses earmarked for walk-up distribution based on supply and demand in the coming weeks. Eventually, though, the goal is for people to be able to walk in and get a Covid-19 vaccine as easily as they might get a dose for the seasonal flu. 

“We’ve talked a lot about how when there’s finally enough availability, this is going to feel more like getting a flu shot,” Arwady said. “You don’t fight the crowds to get a flu shot.”

Here’s a complete list of the city’s mass vaccination sites:

  • Apostolic Faith Church, 3823 S. Indiana Ave
  • Richard J. Daley College, 7500 S Pulaski Road
  • Chicago State University, 9501 South King Drive
  • United Center, 1724 W Madison
  • American Airlines Conference Center at Gallagher Way next to Wrigley Field, 1119 W Waveland Ave

Have a few minutes to share how much you love Chicago? Take the Time Out Index survey here!

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Filed Under: Chicago News - Google, LOCAL NEWS

COVID-19 Cases at Suburban Chicago School Send 147 Students to Quarantine – NBC Chicago

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Health officials are seeing an uptick in positive COVID-19 cases as Chicago-area high schools resume in-person learning, but the origin of the cases varies by school.

There are currently 12 active cases at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, according to school officials. They said 147 students are in quarantine.

“Everybody that’s reported positive infections has told us they were with groups of kids without masks on in basements or in eating places, like a sandwich shop or something like that,” said principal Gordie Sisson.

Sisson said no one is seriously ill and there have been no hospitalizations. He said what is happening at Hersey High School does not meet Cook County’s definition of an outbreak, because there are not five or more linked cases.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is currently monitoring 21 school outbreaks and some may be linked to sports.

“While it is difficult to determine where an exposure occurred, we are hearing during investigations about people unmasked in locker rooms, weight rooms, social gatherings, bus rides and even on the field [not wearing or improperly worn masks],” said IDPH spokesperson Melaney Arnold. “Additionally, some athletes are playing while symptomatic and not getting tested for fear of missing playing time or quarantine.”

The Lake County Health Department said cases have recently doubled among children who are between 14 and 18 years old and spread could lead to infection in family members.

“We really need to make sure that our children, if they are eligible to get vaccinated, are vaccinated,” said Dr. Sana Ahmed of the Lake County Health Department. “That in the interim, we are very cognizant that we are practicing those three W’s of wearing a mask, washing your hands and watching your distance.”

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