A community in western Illinois has officially disbanded its police department over budget concerns.

East Galesburg has been without its police force since November of 2019, when the entire department resigned. Since then emergency calls in the community of about 600 people have been handled by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department, but there’s no contract for sheriff’s deputies to patrol there, according to The (Galesburg) Register-Mail.

“Of course we support our police,” village trustee Sandi Corbin said. “The problem lies with the cost involved. Period.”

A village audit for 2019 expenses show $113,000 was spent for the police department, including some state funds. If there was a police department, the community would also be expected to pay for body cameras and additional officer training under new rules for law enforcement.

The village will have an ordinance enforcer who’ll be able to cite residents for violations.

One trustee, Debra Cassens, voted against the plan.

Cassens said that prior to officers’ resigning, village police responded to as many as 90 calls a month, including for drug busts.

“We’re not seeing those now because we’re not protected,” Cassens said.

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This April 5, 2020, photo shows a 2020 census letter mailed to a U.S. resident in Detroit. (AP Photo / Paul Sancya)

Census Bureau statisticians and outside experts are trying to unravel a mystery: Why were so many questions about households in the 2020 census left unanswered?

Residents did not respond to a multitude of questions about sex, race, Hispanic background, family relationships and age, even when providing a count of the number of people living in the home, according to documents released by the agency. Statisticians had to fill in the gaps.

Reflecting an early stage in the number crunching, the documents show that 10% to 20% of questions were not answered in the 2020 census, depending on the question and state. According to the Census Bureau, later phases of processing show the actual rates were lower.

The rates have averaged 1% to 3% in 170 years of previous U.S. censuses, according to University of Minnesota demographer Steven Ruggles.

The information is important because data with demographic details will be used for drawing congressional and legislative districts. That data, which the Census Bureau will release Thursday, also is used to distribute $1.5 trillion in federal spending each year.

The documents, made public in response to an open records request from a Republican redistricting advocacy group, don’t shed much light on why questions were left unanswered, though theories abound. Some observers say software used in the first census in which most Americans could respond online allowed people to skip questions. Others say the pandemic made it harder to reach people who didn’t respond.

Confusion over some questions, including traditional uncertainty among Hispanics about how to answer the race question, may have been a factor, but some experts hint at a more sinister possibility. They say the Trump administration’s attempt to end the count early and failed efforts to put a citizenship question on the form and exclude people who were in the U.S. illegally had a chilling effect.

“I think it’s the pandemic and Trump. The very threat that citizenship was on the questionnaire, the very notion it might have been on it, may have deterred some Latinos from filling it out,” said Andrew Beveridge, a sociologist at Queens College and the City University of New York Graduate School and University Center. “I think a lot of us are flabbergasted by it. It is a very high number.”

Ruggles initially thought it had to do with the software used by people who answered online — about two-thirds of U.S. households. Other countries such as Australia and Canada, which have used similar software for censuses, saw the number of unanswered questions drop to almost zero because respondents couldn’t proceed if they didn’t answer a question.

“I guess in the U.S. version they must just have accepted incomplete responses,” Ruggles said. “If the non-response rate was consistently high across response mode, that is just strange.”

Acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin said recently in a blog post that the blank answers spanned all categories of questions and all modes of responding — online, by paper, by phone or face-to-face interviews.

“These blank responses left holes in the data which we had to fill,” Jarmin said.

In a statement last week to The Associated Press, Jarmin declined to go into details, saying only that the bureau would release updated rates later this month “based on the correct numbers.”

To fill in the holes, Census Bureau statisticians searched other administrative records such as tax forms, Social Security card applications or previous censuses to find people’s race, age, sex and Hispanic background.

If available records didn’t turn up the information needed, they turned to the statistical technique called imputation that the Census Bureau has used for 60 years. The technique has been challenged and upheld in courts after past censuses.

In some cases, statisticians looked for information answered about one member of a family, such as race, and applied it to another member that had blank answers. Or they assigned a sex based on the respondent’s first name. In other cases, when the entire household had no information, they filled it in using data of similar neighbors.

“Imputation has been shown to improve data quality and accuracy compared to leaving these fields blank, or without information from respondents,” Census Bureau officials Roberto Ramirez and Christine Borman wrote recently in a blog post.

The Census Bureau in April released state population totals from the 2020 census. Those are used to divvy up the number of congressional seats in each state during a once-a-decade process known as apportionment.

The agency released a slide deck presentation about the high rate of unanswered questions, along with group housing records and the first details about the rate of non-responses, in response to an open records request from Fair Lines American Foundation. The Republican advocacy group sued the Census Bureau for information about how the count was conducted in dorms, prisons, nursing homes and other places where people live in groups. Fair Lines says it’s concerned about the accuracy of the group housing count and wants to make sure anomalies didn’t affect the state population figures.

With the information showing high rates of imputation, some Republican-controlled states may try to leave college students out of redistricting data, claiming they were also counted at their parents’ homes, to get a partisan edge, said Jeffrey Wice, a Democratic redistricting expert.

“That will be hard to prove but would inject more uncertainty and possible delay into redistricting,” Wice said.

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The city’s transportation department has been installing a new grid of bike routes in Belmont Cragin and Hermosa, two predominantly Latino neighborhoods on the West Side, as part of the Chicago Works Capital Plan launched in April.

“These processes for transportation improvements can often seem very opaque and feel inaccessible to local residents,” said Lynda Lopez,  Advocacy Manager for Active Transportation Alliance, and Transportation Equity Network co-chair. “I think the Belmont Cragin project had a lot of engagement from community residents, and they were leading with their own ideas and had a lot of say in the process.”

Lopez says the collaborative process behind this project – which also included the Northwest Side Housing Center  – has been unique. She says residents who were a part of the planning process had a chance to look at their community maps and weigh in on biking and walking in the area.

“That was really valuable to have residents share that with transportation planners who are going to be bringing these improvements into their community but might not have that lived experience,” Lopez said.

The city’s transportation department has been installing a new grid of bike routes in Belmont Cragin and Hermosa, two predominantly Latino neighborhoods on the West Side, as part of the Chicago Works Capital Plan launched in April. (Courtesy of CDOT)

This expansion also includes installations of new Divvy bikes in the area.

“I think CDOT is trying to address the inequities that exist with the distribution of the divvy bikes and costs,” said Jacky Grimshaw, vice president of government affairs at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and The Transportation Equity Network co-chair. “They have made accommodations lowering the cost for low-income communities to be able to afford Divvy.”

Grimshaw believes the South and West Sides are areas that need more transportation options including biking.

The Transportation Equity Network was involved with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) in developing its strategic plan. The organizations that advised CDOT indicated they needed more protected bike lanes on the South and West Sides and according to Grimshaw, CDOT has committed to implement these recommendations.

“Hopefully with the Capital funding that’s available already, as well as the funds coming in from the federal government, we’ll be able to create those highways on the South and West Side,” Grimshaw said.

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CHICAGO — Hospitals around the United States, especially in the South, are starting to fill back up again as the delta variant tears though the country. With previous waves of infection, we’ve been most worried about the elderly being vulnerable. Now, it’s younger people — even children — starting to show up in hospital beds.

Nearly 72,000 kids and teens were infected with COVID-19 last week, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That’s 19% of all cases and a huge jump from the week before, when 39,000 kids and teens were diagnosed.

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Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. (AP Photo / Susan Walsh)

The Biden administration on Friday issued what it says will be the final extension to a student loan moratorium that has allowed millions of Americans to put off debt payments during the pandemic.

Under the action, payments on federal student loans will remain paused through Jan. 31, 2022. Interest rates will remain at 0% during that period, and debt collection efforts will be suspended. Those measures have been in place since early in the pandemic but were set to expire Sept. 30.

In announcing the decision, President Joe Biden said the economy is recovering “at a record rate.” But he said the road to recovery will be longer for some Americans, especially those with student loans.

“This will give the Department of Education and borrowers more time and more certainty as they prepare to restart student loan payments,” Biden said in a statement. “It will also ensure a smoother transition that minimizes loan defaults and delinquencies that hurt families and undermine our economic recovery.”

The policy applies to more than 36 million Americans who have student loans that are held by the federal government. Their collective debt totals more than $1.3 trillion, according to the latest Education Department data.

Questions about the moratorium had been swirling in recent weeks as its expiration date approached. Even as the economy improves, there have been concerns that borrowers are not ready to start payments again. Once the moratorium ends, those who were already behind on payments could have wages and benefits taken away as part of debt collection efforts.

Several Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mass., urged Biden to extend the moratorium through at least March 2022. In a June letter, they said restarting payments now would “drag down the pace of our economic recovery.”

Schumer, Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., applauded the extension in a joint statement Friday, saying it provides relief to millions of borrowers facing a “disastrous financial cliff.”

“The payment pause has saved the average borrower hundreds of dollars per month, allowing them to invest in their futures and support their families’ needs,” the Democrats said.

The Trump administration initially suspended federal student loan payments in March 2020 and later extended it through January 2021. Biden moved to continue it through Sept. 30 soon after taking office.

The Education Department itself has raised concerns about administrative hurdles around suddenly restarting loan payments. In a November 2020 report, the department said it would be a “heavy burden” to reactivate millions of loans at the same time. It warned that some borrowers would likely fall behind on their payments, “at least initially.”

On Friday , the Education Department said the final extension provides enough time to restart the process smoothly, and it gives borrowers a “definitive end date” to plan for.

“As our nation’s economy continues to recover from a deep hole, this final extension will give students and borrowers the time they need to plan for restart and ensure a smooth pathway back to repayment,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.

Student advocates welcomed the extension, saying it’s a victory for borrowers who have suffered financial hardship during the pandemic. But Republicans criticized the move, saying the economy has rebounded strongly enough to resume payments.

“Students and families faced immense challenges last year, but the American economy continues to recover and there is no rational excuse for continued extensions of non-payment on student loans,” said Sen. Richard Burr, the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

The Biden administration announced the relief as it faces mounting pressure from some Democrats to erase huge swaths of student debt. Schumer and Warren have urged Biden to use his authority to cancel $50,000 in student debt for all borrowers, saying it would jumpstart the economy and help families hit hard by the pandemic.

They repeated that call in their statement on Friday, saying debt cancellation is “one of the most significant actions that President Biden can take right now to build a more just economy and address racial inequity.”

But Biden has questioned whether he has the authority for that kind of mass cancellation, and legal scholars have come to differing conclusions. Earlier this year, Biden asked the Education and Justice departments to study the issue. Officials have said that work is still underway.

Biden has previously said he supports canceling up to $10,000 in student debt, but he has argued it should be done by Congress.

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In this July 2, 2021 file photo, United Airlines jet liners take off from Denver International Airport in Denver by taxiing down the runway. (AP photo / David Zalubowski, file)

United Airlines plans to require US employees to be vaccinated with COVID-19 by late October, in addition to the growing number of large corporations responding to the surge in virus cases.

Company leaders called it a safety issue, citing “incredibly compelling” evidence of vaccine efficacy.

CEO Scott Kirby and president Bret Hart told employees on Friday. But they added, “The facts are very clear. When everyone is vaccinated, everyone is safer.”

United Airlines, which has 67,000 employees in the United States, is the first major US airline to announce that workers will need to be vaccinated. Airlines have been requesting vaccinations for new employees since mid-June. Unvaccinated workers should wear a face mask in the company office.

Chicago-based airlines estimate that up to 90% of pilots and nearly 80% of flight attendants are already vaccinated. They get an incentive to do so.

The airline told US employees on Friday that it would need to be fully vaccinated by October 25 or five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to one of the vaccines. So far, the FDA has only approved emergency use approvals for Pfizer, Modana, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Full approval is expected shortly.

Each employee must send an image of the vaccine card to the company. Tax exemptions are granted only for religious or health reasons, and those who do not terminate will be dismissed, officials said.

Employees who have already been vaccinated or who have been vaccinated by September 20 will receive an additional day’s worth of vaccine, according to notes from Kirby and Hart.

Like United, Delta operates a vaccination center for employees and has recently begun demanding vaccinations for new employees. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said this week 73% of airline employees are vaccinated. Executives at other airlines likewise encourage workers to vaccinate, offer bonuses and take vacations to take shots, but do not mandate them.

Airlines and other companies in the travel industry have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, which has led to strict travel restrictions. The U.S. requires immigrants, including U.S. citizens, to show proof that the COVID-19 test is negative, and the Byden administration requires non-U.S. citizens to be vaccinated before entering the country. It’s a schedule.

United executives called for a government decision, saying the airline has no plans to require passengers to be vaccinated. Delta and American Airlines CEOs likewise exclude passenger mandates.

Microsoft, Google and Facebook have stated that employees and visitors to US offices will need vaccination certification starting this fall.

This week, Tyson Foods announced that all US employees need to be vaccinated by November. This is because, unlike tech companies, Tyson relies on many low-wage workers who cannot work remotely. The President of the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Union has criticized Tyson for imposing requirements, even though the vaccine still has only urgent FDA approval.

Several governments are involved. In California and New York City, employees must be vaccinated or tested weekly, and California’s obligations extend to workers in public and private hospitals and nursing homes.

The new rules come when the United States is suffering from a proliferation of infections caused by the highly contagious delta mutant of COVID-19. The seven-day average of newly reported coronavirus cases has surged from about 12,000 a month ago to more than 90,000 per day, albeit with a slow increase in hospitalizations and deaths.

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Chicago’s Rogers Park community sits on the city’s Far North Side, with Evanston to its north and Lake Michigan to the east. The neighborhood is home to Loyola University Chicago and has a healthy arts community and diverse dining options.

As the delta variant spreads and COVID-19 case counts rise across the city and state, community leaders in Rogers Park are working on vaccine outreach. Meanwhile, small businesses are in recovery mode after months of pandemic restrictions and residents are preparing for new developments in the neighborhood.

Interactive map: More from our community reporting series

Ald. Maria Hadden (49th Ward), who represents much of Rogers Park, says the area was hit hard by infections early on in the pandemic.

“Before there was a lot of access to vaccines, we had some pretty high infection rates and we lost a lot of people here,” Hadden said.

The community includes a lot of older residents who are vaccinated, though the immigrant population and residents of color report lower vaccination rates, Hadden said. Her office has been partnering with community organizations to do outreach, working to build trust among residents about the vaccine.

“We know delta is highly contagious. We know things are happening again here,” Hadden said. “People have been back to work, people have been back in stores. It’s wonderful to see all the activity and also, knowing what we are learning about delta, it’s more important than ever for us to get people vaccinated.”

Video: Watch our full interview with Ald. Maria Hadden

One organization helping to get residents vaccinated is Centro Romero Community Center. It’s been in the community for more than 30 years, offering immigration services, family services and youth programs.

Throughout the pandemic, the center’s work has significantly increased. Executive Director Daysi Funes said it typically helps around 14,000 families a year. Now, it’s assisting about 25,000 families.

“Our community, we were not ready to be virtual,” Funes said. “I can tell you that Centro Romero is doing everything to have information available, vaccines available and offering our kids classes.”

The center is now focused on bringing back regular services like in-person legal help and youth programs. In the meantime, it is continuing to fundraise for families in need of rental assistance, jobs and food.

“I think everyone is afraid and we are nervous because how can we provide enough to keep a family above the pandemic?” Funes said.

‘Food shouldn’t be a luxury’

Honey Bear Café on Clark Street opened in February 2020 — just weeks before the governor issued a stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Owner Prudence Faklaris, said with help from the community they were able to stay open. They also found ways to give back to the community, offering free meals to chilldren and linking up with Love Fridge Chicago to offer free food from their restaurant in a fridge next to their building.

“I and my husband believe that food shouldn’t be a luxury,” Faklaris said. “Some people take it for granted and it should be something that people should be able to eat.”

New developments coming

The Rogers Park Business Alliance is working to create two community spaces as part of the city’s Alfresco program, which aims to give neighborhoods an opportunity to get creative with family friendly outdoor public spaces.

The alliance has proposed layouts for two spaces to City Council. Once approved, construction is expected to begin by the end of August.

“There will be sitting and community tables where you can buy food from the restaurants and come sit at the tables,” said Sandi Price of the Rogers Park Business Alliance. “We plan to have a stage and one of the businesses plans to have some gazebos and we will have some events planned during the year for both of our Alfresco areas. One here on Glenwood and another one is in Jarvis Square.”

Another development is coming to the corner of Western and Touhy avenues, replacing the Bakers Square restaurant that closed in 2019.

“The people in this community were really sad to see Bakers Square shut down. It’s been around for a really, really long time and it was really sad to see it go,” said Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th Ward), which includes Rogers Park and West Ridge.

A strip mall will replace the Bakers Square with a Starbucks, Buffalo Wild Wings, GO and Athletico, she said. There’s a fourth spot open for another business yet to be determined.

“Everyone has been asking me for a long time for a coffee shop, so when the opportunity came around, everyone was very excited about that,” Silverstein said.

Video: Watch our full interview with Ald. Debra Silverstein

Community Reporting Series

“Chicago Tonight” is expanding its community reporting. We’re hitting the streets to speak with your neighbors, local businesses, agencies and leaders about COVID-19, the economy, racial justice, education and more. See where we’ve been and what we’ve learned by using the map below. Or select a community using the drop-down menu. Points in red represent our series COVID-19 Across Chicago; blue marks our series “Chicago Tonight” in Your Neighborhood.

Choose a Community:Albany Park (4/15/20)Albany Park (3/25/21)Archer Heights (1/21/20)Armour Square (Chinatown) (3/23/20)Armour Square (Chinatown) (6/25/20)Armour Square (Chinatown) (2/11/21)Ashburn (10/22/20)Auburn Gresham (4/28/20)Auburn Gresham (7/2/20)Aurora (4/16/20)Aurora (6/1/20)new c
Austin (4/14/20)Austin (7/30/20)Belmont Cragin (5/11/20)Belmont Cragin (1/7/20)Beverly (3/30/20)Beverly (3/11/21)Blue Island (4/20/20)Bridgeport (and Armour Square) (4/8/21)Brighton Park (4/23/20)Chatham (4/6/20)Chatham (12/3/20)Chicago Lawn (Marquette Park) (5/27/20)Chicago Police Headquarters (4/8/20)Chicago River/”Downtown” (6/10/2021)Cicero (4/27/20)Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities) (5/21/20)Douglas (Bronzeville) (6/15/20)East Garfield Park (4/1/20)Edison Park (5/26/20)Edgewater (Andersonville) (6/22/20)Elgin (6/24/20)Englewood (5/20/20)Englewood (8/13/20)Englewood (4/22/21)Evanston (6/11/20)Evanston (5/6/2021)Forest Glen (Sauganash) (12/17/20)Gage Park 7/23/20Gage Park 2/4/2021Gary, IN (4/30/20)Geneva (11/5/20)Greater Grand Crossing (10/8/20)Hegewisch (4/22/20)Hermosa (7/16/20)Highwood (4/2/20)Humboldt Park (5/27/2021)Hyde Park (5/6/20)Jefferson Park (1/28/21)Kankakee (5/14/20)Kenosha, WI (4/7/20)Kenosha, WI (8/27/20)Kenosha (10/29/20)Lake View (Boystown) (4/9/20)Lake View (Wrigleyville) (4/1/21)Lake View (Northalsted) (6/3/2021)Lincoln Square (7/9/20)Lisle (6/17/2021)Logan Square (5/19/20)Logan Square/West Town (Bucktown/Wicker Park) (6/18/20)Logan Square (5/20/2021)Lower West Side (Pilsen) (12/10/20)Maywood (9/10/20)Milwaukee, WI (8/20/20)McKinley Park (5/13/20)Montclare (4/21/20)Mount Greenwood (9/17/20)Near South Side (Mercy Hospital) (9/3/20)Near West Side (Greektown) (2/25/2021)New City (Back of the Yards) (6/10/20) North Lawndale (1/14/20)North Lawndale (7/1/21)Oak Park (6/24/20)O’Hare (and Rosemont) (4/29/20)Portage Park (6/16/20)Pullman/Roseland (5/12/20)River North (6/3/20)Riverdale (5/13/2021)Rogers Park (5/5/20)Rogers Park (11/25/20)Skokie (5/18/20)South Chicago (6/9/20)South Deering (2/18/21)South Lawndale (Little Village) (3/26/20)South Lawndale (Little Village, Crawford Power Plant) (4/13/20)South Lawndale (Little Village) (9/24/20)South Lawndale (Little Village) (4/15/2021)South Shore (3/25/20)Streeterville (Navy Pier) (6/9/20)Streeterville (Navy Pier) (4/29/2021)St. Joseph, MI (5/28/20)The Loop (6/1/20)The Loop/Near South Side (South Loop)(7/8/21)Uptown (3/31/20)Waukegan (5/4/20)West Chicago (3/4/2021)West Garfield Park (10/1/20)West Lawn (11/12/20)West Ridge (Little India) (3/24/20)West Ridge (8/6/20)Wheaton (10/15/20)WTTW Studios (Wrap-up) (6/29/20)Woodlawn (6/17/20)Woodridge (6/24/2021)

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(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)

Can I get a “long COVID” if I get infected after vaccination?

Although unclear, researchers are studying the potential for long-term symptoms in people who may become infected after vaccination.

The COVID-19 vaccine, which is used worldwide, is effective in preventing serious illness and death from the coronavirus, but some people get infected after the shot. In these “breakthrough” cases, health experts say vaccines should help reduce the severity of the illness people experience.

However, researchers are also investigating whether these breakthrough cases can lead to long-term COVID-19. This is when people experience persistent, recurrent, or new symptoms for more than a month after infection. This condition can develop after a severe initial infection, or even in people who are initially mild or asymptomatic.

Some estimates indicate that approximately 30% of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients develop long-term symptoms such as shortness of breath, malaise, poor concentration, insomnia, and brain fog. Similar symptoms can occur after infection with other viruses.

A small Israeli study recently published found a clearly long COVID-19 in several healthcare workers with breakthrough infections. They developed mild symptoms such as cough, malaise, and weakness that lasted for at least 6 weeks.

Larger research is underway.

Researchers do not know why the symptoms are prolonged, but some do believe that they reflect damage to other organs due to scarring of the lungs or severe early infections. Another theory suggests that the virus can remain in the body and trigger an immune response that leads to symptoms.

Can I get a “long COVID” if I get infected after vaccination? | Chicago News

Source link Can I get a “long COVID” if I get infected after vaccination? | Chicago News

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Housing advocate Jabari Brisport protests outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office on the eviction moratorium on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo / Brittainy Newman)

BOSTON (AP) — After a federal eviction moratorium was allowed to lapse this weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new moratorium Tuesday on evictions that would last until Oct. 3.

The new moratorium aims to keep millions in their homes and prevent the spread of the coronavirus’ delta variant. The order cites the fact that there are lower vaccination rates in areas most at risk for eviction. 

The moratorium also give states additional time to get out nearly $47 billion in rental assistance, most of which has yet to be distributed to tenants and landlords. 

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE NEW MORATORIUM?

Most tenants facing eviction and who counted on the CDC moratorium in the past should be protected. The new ban would temporarily halt evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmission and is expected to cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives. 

The number of tenants protected is likely to change, however, since it would stop being applicable in counties that go 14 days without seeing substantial or high levels of coronavirus transmission. Counties that are not covered now, but later experience spikes, would also fall under the moratorium when that happens. 

There are concerns among advocates that judges, especially in rural areas, may ignore the CDC moratorium as some did earlier in the pandemic. Already, a lawyer in North Carolina said Wednesday that a judge refused to accept it as a defense because the Administrative Office of the Courts has not provided any guidance on it. 

HOW CAN A TENANT USE THE MORATORIUM TO PREVENT AN EVICTION?

Just like the original CDC moratorium, a tenant facing eviction for nonpayment of rent must fill out a form and present it to their landlord or the owner of the property. 

The new order makes clear that someone protected by the original CDC order would still be protected. It also says that anyone in court for nonpayment of rent but whose case has not yet been completed would be protected by the order. 

But as was the case previously, the order would not protect someone who engaged in criminal activities, damaged their apartment or threatened the health and safety of other residents among other violations

WILL THIS ORDER SURVIVE LEGAL CHALLENGES?

After pushing the CDC to reconsider its options, President Joe Biden acknowledged Tuesday that he wasn’t sure the new moratorium could withstand lawsuits about its constitutionality. Landlords had successfully challenge the original order in court.

When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the eviction ban to remain in place through the end of July by a 5-4 vote, one justice in the majority, Brett Kavanaugh, wrote that Congress would have to act to extend it further. 

Landlords groups reacted to the new order as they did the old one, criticizing it as an unfunded government mandate. They have yet to detail their legal strategy, though most housing advocates are counting on more lawsuits. Even if the order is overturned in court, advocates are hopeful it gives states enough time to get rental assistance out.

WHAT MORE COULD BE DONE FOR TENANTS?

Housing advocates have called the extension the best option given the current situation. Most would have liked Congress to take up the issue and pass a comprehensive eviction moratorium. But that is unlikely in the current political climate. 

The other option is for states and cities to pass their own moratoriums, as many did during the pandemic. California, New York and New Jersey are among a handful of states that still have moratoriums in place. 

But it’s unlikely that states or cities will enact their own, especially with the CDC extension in place. For most advocates, the focus remains on getting states to speed up the distribution of rental assistance — seen as the best long-term option to keeping tenants housed over the long-term and making landlords whole.

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Everyone has heard the sound — the unmistakable sound of a bird hitting the glass. Think about what that means in terms of scale. Everyone I’ve heard that.

In North America, nearly 600 million birds are killed each year, not only in skyscrapers, but also in collisions with buildings. According to the Audubon Association, homes up to the fourth floor account for 250 million of the total 600 million.

Among the main causes of these deadly collisions are artificial light at night (turning the bird) and glass due to both transparency and mirror-like reflections.

With the pen stroke of Governor JB Pritzker, Illinois has become the latest organization to enact legislation aimed at stopping the genocide.

under Bird Safe Building Law, Newly constructed state buildings need to be incorporated Bird-friendly design.. The same rules apply to the renovation of state buildings where more than half of the façade has changed significantly, with a few exceptions.

Wildlife advocates supported the move.

“By making simple adjustments to the new Illinois construction project, the new law will help mitigate the unnecessary deaths of countless migratory birds each year,” said Christine Murphy of the Great Lakes of Audubon in a statement. increase.

According to the law, up to 40 feet above ground, 90% of the exposed façade of the target building must be made of a material other than glass or “glass with elements that prevent bird collisions”. I have.

These elements include, among other things, nets, screens, or patterned glass. Birds need these visual cues or physical barriers to warn of the presence of glass.

The law requires similar restrictions on glass for buildings over 40 feet, but only applies to 60% of the façade of buildings. The Bird Safe Buildings Act also covers lighting, and lighting should be minimized or reduced as needed.

Migratory birds often collide with Chicago buildings and are injured or stunned. (Courtesy of Chicago Bird Collision Monitor)

The plight of the made bird 2019 Global HeadlineWhen one study found that North America had lost more than a quarter of its net bird population (about 3 billion birds) since 1970.

Climate change is by far the greatest threat to birds, but man-made structures have played an important role in bird decline.How to improve building risk factors was the subject of a recent webinar hosted by AIA Illinois (American Institute of Architects State Branch). The discussion brought together panelists with expertise in the areas of bird protection, building design and glassmaking.

Carl Giometti, project architect at Perkins & Will and former president of the Chicago Ornithological Society, explained the spillover effect of the death of a bird on the environment. 1 person Blackpoll Warbler Nearly two acres of devastated northern forests, thousands of insects (including mosquitoes), countless seeds undispersed, and wildlife (small bird-eating birds of prey) at the top of the food chain when killed in a building crash There is a shortage of food (including mosquitoes). ..

He said these ecosystem considerations need to be part of the building’s site impact analysis.

Progress has progressed in several ways as the declining bird population has been alerted. Cities are increasingly adopting a “light out” policy for large buildings during the migration season. Studies have shown that bird collisions can be reduced by more than 80%. And native plants, which provide food and rest for birds in stripped natural habitats, are gaining popularity in landscaping.

But moving birds closer to dangerous buildings invalidates these positive steps, said John Roden, senior director of the Audubon Society’s bird-friendly community.

Glass is still used in many façades and problems remain.

Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, said her organization met with various glass makers a few years ago to raise the issue of bird clashes and explore options. According to her, the two companies were willing to make bird-friendly changes to their products, but only if there was an off-the-shelf market. Probably due to a government order. Otherwise, the cost was too high, potentially adding 15% to 20% to the material price tag.

That’s where Illinois-like legislation comes into play, Prince said. Demanding architects to design bird-friendly buildings and contractors to procure bird-friendly glass helps manufacturers create markets where costs need to be reduced.

Experts agreed that federal standards would go further.

The current fragmented approach by states and municipalities — a combination of law and other means such as zoning and building code changes — is a mixed bag, the height of the building and what percentage of the building it targets for maximum impact. There is no consensus on whether or not. The façade should be bird-friendly glass.

John Just, Architectural Manager at Walker Glass, based in Montreal, said:

The National Glass Association is developing a standard for bird-friendly applications, which will be released by the end of the year, but at this point it relies heavily on best practices.

Dead birds collected by the Chicago Bird Collision Monitor were handed over to the Bird Department of the Field Museum. (Josh Engel / Field Museum)

For Jometti, who spans both birdwatching and architectural communities, the promotion of bird-friendly glass does not have to result in bird victory and architectural loss.

“We don’t want a brick box,” he said. “It’s a design opportunity.”

Bird-friendly glass can be used as a decoration or as a focal point, says Jometti. It can also get people to talk and even generate positive PR for building owners.

The ultimate goal is to reach the point where bird-friendly design is just design.

Roden said he wanted a paradigm shift to make bird-friendly elements as common as accessibility considerations.

We have made the building safer and more comfortable for humans, advocates said, now it’s time to do the same for our feathered friends.

“Bird migration is one of the wonderful natural sights of Illinois,” said Murphy of the Great Lakes of Audubon. “But when a bird hits a building, these incredible journeys that can cover thousands of miles are often shortened.”

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]

Illinois’ new bird-friendly law calls for reducing the “transparency” of government buildings | Chicago News

Source link Illinois’ new bird-friendly law calls for reducing the “transparency” of government buildings | Chicago News

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