Younger Voters Stay Away Down, Said Durbin, Who Praised Anderson’S Honesty
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C Questions? Call 1-800-Tribune Saturday, March 2, 2019 Breaking news at chicagotribune.com ELECTION 2019 ‘Human error’ cited as cause of Metra mess Delays result of worker falling on circuit board, which shut computers By Mary Wisniewski and Elvia Malagon Chicago Tribune The commuting debacle at Union Station on Thursday was caused by Amtrak’s decision to upgrade its servers during peak service hours and a worker falling on a circuit board, which turned off the computers and led to delays that affected more than 60,000 Chicago-area commuters. The cause of Thursday’s inci- dent was provided by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who spoke to Amtrak CEO and President Rich- ard Anderson. Amtrak spokes- man Marc Magliari did not dis- pute Durbin’s characterization. Durbin said Anderson admit- ted that Amtrak made a series of errors, the most significant of TERRENCE ANTONIO JAMES/CHICAGO TRIBUNE which was upgrading servers Natalia Alonso, 19, is a University of Illinois at Chicago freshman who did not vote in Tuesday’s citywide election; she had an exam. during its peak hours of service, rather than in the middle of the night when fewer trains are running. “They tried to do a server upgrade, sadly, in the middle of a Turnoffs and the turnout: busy day, exactly the wrong time to do it,” Durbin said in a phone interview Friday. A workman fell off a ladder and bumped against a panel, which caused the shut- Younger voters stay away down, said Durbin, who praised Anderson’s honesty. A former CEO of Northwest By Dawn Rhodes turnout from the November Airlines and Delta Air Lines, and Lolly Bowean Ignorance? Apathy? The weather? midterm election. Anderson told Durbin that Am- Chicago Tribune Under-25 demographic a low show Even support from Chance trak decentralized its communi- the Rapper and Kanye West — cations system, which was “not a Since he turned 18, Berto at the polls Tuesday in Chicago along with an effort to bus high smart thing to do,” Durbin said. Aguayo has made it his busi- school and college students to Each of the servers across the ness to show up at the polls for early balloting sites — failed to country is facing maintenance, national and local elections. generate enough votes to lift and fragmentation does not make So when he decided to run mayoral candidate Amara things easier, Durbin said. Durbin for Chicago City Council him- Enyia above a sixth-place finish said Anderson plans to look at self this year at age 24, it was a in unofficial totals. centralizing Amtrak’s communi- younger constituency he hoped Another reason may be that cations system. to inspire — and for a while it young people are turned off by Durbin and U.S. Sen. Tammy seemed like the strategy was or intimidated about having to Duckworth, D-Ill., on Friday sent working: There was enthusi- navigate the bureaucracies of a joint letter calling on Amtrak to asm on social media, he had a registration and voting — let immediately implement neces- horde of teenage and young alone learning about the candi- sary changes. adult volunteers and first-time dates and their stances. “The significant impact of voters were showing their sup- Christopher Mooney, a polit- yesterday’s signaling failure raises port. ical science professor at the questions about the reliability of “I felt like we were winning,” University of Illinois at Chi- Union Station’s computer and said Aguayo, who ran in the cago, said it takes time to build signaling system and the policies West Side’s 15th Ward, “before ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO TRIBUNE the expertise and confidence to and procedures in place to pre- election day.” Akarachi Alilonu, a University of Chicago student, didn’t vote be an informed, consistently vent and respond to these types of But Tuesday, Aguayo came Tuesday but helped with an aldermanic campaign. engaged voter. First-time vot- emergencies,” the letter said. in third, missing the runoff by ers must learn where, when Earlier Friday, Amtrak said the about 280 votes. He thinks he but there were so many candi- And while Tuesday’s local and how to register and to cast root cause of the incident, which came up short in part because dates this time, I think young election in Chicago saw overall their ballots, which often is not affected switches and signals, was younger voters were turned off people thought, ‘I’ll just sit this turnout hit a near-record low of intuitive. Residents who are “human error.” by negative messages and the one out and vote when it really 34 percent, participation was older, more settled, more in- “We failed to provide the large pool of candidates to sort matters.’ ” particularly weak among vested in their communities service that Amtrak customers, through in the mayoral and Younger adults are notori- younger people. Of all the votes and more practiced in the Metra commuters and the gen- aldermanic contests. ously bad at turning out to vote cast, only about 3.5 percent process are more likely to show eral public expect of us,” Amtrak “As a young person myself, I — only 43 percent of 18- to were by people younger than up to the polls. said in a statement. “We own the know people will say, ‘Screw 24-year-old citizens reported 25, according to preliminary Throw in “probably the cra- system. We will fix this problem.” that, I’ll just stay home,’ ” he having voted in the last presi- figures from the Chicago Board ziest field of candidates any- Metra and Amtrak service re- said. “Then add in the fact that dential election, by far the of Election Commissioners, body is going to see outside of turned to normal for Friday it was cold. Young people may lowest of any age group, ac- and the age group saw the mobilize to vote for a president, cording to U.S. Census data. sharpest percentage drop in Turn to Voters,Page4 Turn to Metra, Page 2 Fateful text message: Cloud over Kushner ‘I’m in a bad situation’ security clearance Refusal to produce then-chief of staff, John Kelly, Underage victim of going to take me home, but now he to approve the application — a won’t let me leave.” documents could move Kelly, who had ex- alleged sex trafficker tells Testifying in a federal court- lead to subpoenas pressed concerns about the friend days before killing room, Burks, now 21, began to entire process, later detailed in blink tears from his eyes as prose- By Rachael Bade a memo. By Jason Meisner cutors asked him if he ever saw and John Wagner House Oversight Commit- Chicago Tribune Robinson again. ANDREW HOLMES PHOTO The Washington Post tee Chairman Elijah Cum- “No,” he said softly, reaching for mings, D-Md., in a letter to the When Tobijah Burks hadn’t a box of tissues. Joseph Hazley, WASHINGTON — Top White House on Friday, urged heard from his 16-year-old friend Prosecutors say Robinson was left, is on trial in House investigators are de- “full and immediate compli- Desiree in a while, he reached out slain on Christmas Eve 2016 – just federal court for manding that the White ance” with outstanding re- to her on Facebook in December nine days after she’d texted with sex trafficking House turn over documents quests the panel had made 2016 to ask if anything was wrong. Burks — allegedly by a man who’d that led to the related to its security clearanc- related to security clearances “Everything,” wrote Desiree answered a sex ad posted by her death of Desiree es process by Monday, an for much of the past two years. Robinson in a chilling response. alleged pimp, Joseph Hazley, on Robinson, above. escalation of the yearslong “I am now writing a final “I’m in a bad situation.” the now-shuttered site Backpage- fight between congressional time to request your voluntary Robinson told Burks she was .com. federal sex-trafficking charges. He Democrats and the Trump cooperation with this investi- being “pimped” by a man who was Hazley drove Robinson to the could face life in prison if con- administration that could lead gation,” Cummings said in the holding her against her will. In a appointment in south suburban victed. to subpoenas. letter to White House counsel series of brief texts, she said she Markham and waited in the car, Since Hazley is not charged with The move follows an explo- Pat Cipollone. was being held at a house on prosecutors charge. When she Robinson’s killing, U.S. District sive report that President While Cummings did not Chicago’s South Side. She didn’t didn’t return, he went looking and Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman Donald Trump interceded to use the word subpoena in his have any money and didn’t think found her body, they said. She’d has sharply limited what prose- give his son-in-law Jared letter, his recent correspond- her bus card worked. been beaten, strangled and had her cutors can say about the circum- Kushner a top-secret security ence with the White House “I don’t have anywhere else to throat slit. stances of her death. Earlier this clearance despite concerns suggested he is open to one: go,” wrote Robinson. “I came here Burks’ emotional testimony from top intelligence officials. for a party. … He told me he was came Thursday at Hazley’s trial on Turn to Trafficker, Page 2 The president directed his Turn to Clearance, Page 4 Chicago Weather Center: Complete $2.50 city and suburbs, $3.00 elsewhere High Low Tom Skilling’s forecast 34 19 forecast on back of Chicago Sports 171st year No.