Chicago's Election
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EXPANDED SPORTS COVERAGE SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE Questions? Call 1-800-Tribune Monday, April 1, 2019 Breaking news at chicagotribune.com FINAL PUSH FOR VOTES Preckwinkle and Lightfoot fan out across city ahead of historic mayoral election on Tuesday By Bill Ruthhart, Gregory There were no large-scale ral- nantly white, liberal lakefront, but from Montclare on the Northwest on the Northwest Side and has Pratt and Juan Perez Jr. lies or long-winded speeches from has since expanded her coalition Side, Lakeview on the North Side picked up backing from some Chicago Tribune the candidates ahead of Tuesday’s to include key endorsements from to South Chicago on the Southeast Latino aldermen but shown few historic runoff election that will more conservative neighborhoods Side, Roseland on the Far South signs of growing her support more Chicago mayoral candidates result in the city’s first African- along the Northwest and South- Side and Beverly on the Far broadly on the North Side. Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preck- American female mayor. Instead, west sides and among some top Southwest Side. As such, Preckwinkle spent winkle capped a final weekend of it mostly was an exercise in Latino leaders, including U.S. Rep. Preckwinkle, chair of the Cook almost her entire weekend en- campaigning by fanning out get-out-the-vote mobilization, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. She’s also County Democratic Party, fin- couraging voters in the predomi- across the city to reach voters with the state of the race reflected been backed by businessman ished second in February thanks nantly black South and West sides everywhere from behind a bar in by where the candidates chose to Willie Wilson, who won the high- to a base centered on the South to head to the polls. She also South Chicago and on the streets campaign. est number of predominantly Side’s Hyde Park, winning five of visited Little Village and Hum- of Little Village to the tables of a Lightfoot won the February black wards in the first round. the city’s majority black wards boldt Park, heavily Latino neigh- Lakeview restaurant and the aisles first-round election, thanks to a As a result, Lightfoot’s weekend and placing second in the other 13. of a Pullman Walmart. base of voters along the predomi- schedule spanned all over the city, She also won a mostly Latino ward Turn to Mayoral, Page 6 Trump CPD officials credit tech gains, staffing, specialized units and efforts to boost community support for decrease in violence doubles down on closure Conway says threat to shut U.S.-Mexico border ‘isn’t a bluff’ By Joel Achenbach, David J. Lynch and Mary Beth Sheridan The Washington Post WASHINGTON — It would take “something dramatic” in the coming days to persuade Presi- dent Donald Trump not to close the U.S.-Mexico border, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday, and White House counselor Kellyanne Con- way said the president’s threat “certainly isn’t a bluff.” The two senior staffers, appear- ing separately on Sunday morning talk shows, also reiterated the administration’s intention to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance — including pro- grams designed to curb gang violence — to Guatemala, Hon- duras and El Salvador. ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ/CHICAGO TRIBUNE Those countries are the pri- mary source of tens of thousands According to Chicago police statistics on the first three months of 2019, homicides plummeted 38 percent through March 24. of migrants, including caravans of families with children, who have been presenting themselves at ports of entry and asking for political asylum. “Democrats didn’t believe us a Homicides, shootings fall month ago, two months ago when we said what was happening at By Jeremy Gorner Side neighborhoods that tradi- dents in the year-earlier period. what’s going on than we do,” the border was a crisis, a humani- Chicago Tribune tionally struggle with violence, Calumet District Cmdr. Joel Howard told the Tribune in a tarian crisis, a security crisis,” poverty and other social ills. Howard, who was named to the phone interview. Mulvaney said on ABC News’s In a promising start to 2019, Shooting incidents fell by 19 post last summer, knows the true In recent years, Chicago has “This Week.” He said the adminis- homicides and shootings have percent. test will come as the weather — received unflattering national at- tration is talking about closing the dropped sharply over the first Arguably, the biggest improve- and the violence — heats up in tention — particularly from Presi- border because “we need the three months, Chicago police say, ment took place in the Calumet coming weeks. dent Donald Trump — as the big people from the ports of entry to continuing a decline since 2016, District on the Far South Side, Howard has found that much city with the most homicides and go out and patrol in the desert, when violence hit levels not seen which had seen a single homicide of the violence stems from dis- shootings, though other cities where we don’t have any wall.” since the 1990s. and only 10 shooting incidents putes over social media that, he have worse per capita rates. In He also called on the Mexican Homicides plummeted 38 per- through March 24, though a said, can often be discovered recent years, homicides in Chi- government to solidify its south- cent through March 24, the latest shooting a day later left a 33-year- before trouble erupts if police cago have outnumbered both ern border and said Guatemala, department statistics show, as old woman dead and her hus- make inroads with the communi- New York City and Los Angeles Honduras and El Salvador need to most of the city’s 22 patrol band and 1-year-old son ty. combined, despite their consider- do more to prevent their citizens districts reported declines, in- wounded. The district had 11 “More times than not, the from entering Mexico. If they cluding in the South and West homicides and 23 shooting inci- neighborhood knows more about Turn to Decline, Page 6 cannot do that, he said, “it makes very little sense for us to continue to send them aid.” Conway, appearing on “Fox Trooper was the News Sunday,” pushed back against the notion that cutting aid Ill. troopers get tough on distracted ‘best person to those countries would make matters worse. “The conditions you could meet’ are already awful,” she said. “The driving, Chicago tickets plunge Family of state trooper hit by a executive branch has done so truck and killed while on duty much to try to mitigate these describe her as a strong, serv- awful circumstances, and we need ice-driven woman passionate to send a message back to these about her work. Chicagoland countries, too.” Closing the border is a drastic Turn to Border, Page 9 Mary Wisniewski Spartans, Tigers Getting Around in the Final Four State troopers are cracking Duke had a close game, but down hard on distracted drivers, this time the Blue Devils but Chicago police barely en- couldn’t pull it out, falling to force the law against driving Michigan State. Auburn while using a cellphone, accord- punched its ticket with a ing to data from both agencies. victory over Kentucky. Sports The number of tickets issued JOHN J. KIM/CHICAGO TRIBUNE by Illinois State Police for texting Tickets given by the state police to drivers for using a cellphone with- or talking on a cellphone with- out a hands-free device jumped to 14,268 in 2018 from 1,729 in 2017. out the use of a hands-free de- Is Chicago in the vice has jumped more than 700 obtained through the Freedom dence of the dangers of cell- percent, to 14,268 tickets in 2018 of Information Act. The Chicago phone use while driving contin- Twilight Zone? from 1,729 in 2017, a spokesman number is down significantly ues to mount. The number of It’s worth asking: What should said. from 2014, when more than deaths from distraction-affected the latest reboot of the TV ANDREW HARNIK/AP In Chicago, meanwhile, the 45,000 tickets were issued. crashes was 3,166 nationally in series even look like in a social President Donald Trump has number dropped by almost half The big increase in state po- 2017, or 8.5 percent of total fatali- and political moment not called on Mexico to strengthen its last year, to 297 from 531 tickets lice tickets, and the big drop in exactly hurting for border with Guatemala. in 2017, according to figures Chicago tickets, comes as evi- Turn to Wisniewski, Page 4 alternative realities? A+E 50 38 Chicago Weather Center: Complete $2.50 city and suburbs, $3.00 elsewhere Tom Skilling’s forecast High Low forecast on back page of A+E section 171st year No. 91 © Chicago Tribune 2 Chicago Tribune | Section 1 | Monday, April 1, 2019 ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO TRIBUNE Mayor Rahm Emanuel talks about prosecutors’ decision to drop charges against actor Jussie Smollett on Tuesday. Emanuel’s anger over Smollett case THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: isn’t about justice. It’s about revenge. ‘A DECADE-BY-DECADE HISTORY’ change the narrative. The mayor, who has laughed in the In case anyone isn’t familiar with face of accountability, then went on The Blackhawks, one of the NHL’s “Original Six,” have Chicago politics, let me break down national TV promoting the conspira- been building a storied legacy since their founding in what happened last week. cy theory, getting the nation more 1926. The Hawks have produced dozens of standout In our city, the mayor is actually a riled up and drawing the attention of stars, from Hall of Fame goaltender Mike Karakas in the dictator.