EXPANDED SPORTS COVERAGE SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE Questions? Call 1-800-Tribune Thursday, November 12, 2020 Breaking news at chicagotribune.com CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Daily deaths spiking again Officials urge people to stay home as another case record set By Dan Petrella More coverage understanding the spread of the and John Keilman virus because case counts are a Illinois hospitals delay elective function of how many people are Illinois public health officials surgeries, add beds as COVID-19 tested. on Wednesday reported 145 co- cases climb. Chicagoland, Page 6 Wednesday’s figures include ronavirus-related deaths, the most the death of the seventh resident in a single day since late May and at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in the first time the daily death toll 523,840 cases and 10,434 co- LaSalle since the pandemic began. has reached triple digits since ronavirus-related deaths in Illi- Officials reported three deaths at early June. nois since the pandemic began. the state-run long-term care facil- Officials urged residents to stay Hospitalizations for COVID-19 ity on Tuesday. home — while stopping short of a also have reached an all-time high, In a letter to residents and stay-at-home order — as they with 5,042 patients reported in families Wednesday, the facility’s reported 12,657 new confirmed the hospital as of Tuesday night. administrator wrote that 81 resi- STACEY WESCOTT/CHICAGO TRIBUNE and probable cases of COVID-19, The previous high was 5,037 dents and 88 employees at the Hundreds line up at the drive-thru COVID-19 mobile testing location at topping the record of 12,623 set a patients on April 28. The number Arlington International Racecourse on Wednesday. day earlier. There have now been of people in the hospital is key to Turn to Virus, Page 2 Fulton Market Assn. rues restrictions Data in hand, it says restaurants unfairly targeted in virus fight By Grace Wong The Fulton Market Association in Chicago joined calls across the state of Illinois for more financial aid for the hurting restaurant and bar industry, adding that more transparency was needed in deci- sions it says threatens their sur- vival. On Wednesday, the association criticized the city for what it alleges is unfair targeting of restaurants with COVID-19 re- strictions, and shared a list of demands the association believes will help restaurants survive the winter. “We can’t put the blame on restaurants who really don’t de- serve it, based on the data,” said Executive Director Roger Ro- manelli, referring to city figures the association received from a Freedom of Information Act re- quest seeking statistics on restau- rant-related COVID-19 infections. In his call to action, Romanelli said new financial aid Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Friday will only help a fraction of the city’s thousands of restaurants. His association and supporting restaurateurs gathered Wednes- day to call for more grant money STACEY WESCOTT/CHICAGO TRIBUNE from the city and other measures like exempting restaurants from paying rent for the rest of 2020 — a power the city likely does not have over private transactions between ‘Today still means a lot’ nongovernmental parties. The complaint came one day With America still suffering in a pandemic, many Veterans Day ceremonies were smaller than in past years. This year at Soldier Field there after the Illinois Restaurant Asso- was no crowd, just a humble ceremony during which five veterans placed a wreath in front of the Doughboy statue inside the stadium’s south ciation launched a new push of its #fightforillinoisrestaurants cam- gate. “It’s not big events (this year), but today still means a lot to us at heart,” said Marine veteran Robert Pineda. Above, Korean War veteran Roy Halvorsen waves from a 1929 Model A Ford during Wednesday’s Veterans Day parade in Arlington Heights. Chicagoland, Page 4 Turn to Fulton, Page 7 Beat pandemic blues with video games Public outing presents air of normalcy Consumers spent $11.2 billion on Yet Trump skips many more than a week. He’s spent the video games in the third quarter. past few days in private, tweet- Now, the hunt is on for the new duties as he blocks ing angry, unsupported claims of Xbox and PlayStation. Business transition, aides say voter fraud. The president has made no By Jonathan Lemire, comments in person since Sat- Zeke Miller urday when Democrat Joe Biden and Aamer Madhani clinched the 270 electoral votes For the Bears, it can Associated Press needed to win the presidency. be the longest yard All the while, his aides grow WASHINGTON — President more certain that legal chal- Why, too often, do the Chicago Donald Trump spent 10 minutes lenges won’t change the out- Bears’ efforts to gain one measly in public Wednesday honoring come of the election, according yard feel excessively challenging? America’s war veterans — a to seven campaign and White Dan Wiederer in Chicago Sports veneer of normalcy for a White House officials who spoke on the House that has appeared frozen condition of anonymity to dis- by a defeated president mulling cuss the thinking of the presi- his options, mostly forgoing the dent and others in the executive mechanics of governing and mansion. It’s time for holiday blocking his inevitable succes- Before setting off for the lights to shine sor. solemn commemoration at Ar- Trump’s appearance at the lington, Trump took to Twitter Tis the season for Christmas ERIN SCHAFF/THE NEW YORK TIMES annual Veterans Day commemo- Wednesday to slam “fake poll- lights (already) — and a new- President Donald Trump takes part in a wreath-laying Tuesday at ration at Arlington National sters” and grouse that a Republi- comer, Kohl Children’s Museum, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the annual Veterans Day Cemetery was his first public joins the holiday displays. A+E commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. outing for official business in Turn to Trump, Page 2 Chicago Weather Center: Complete $2.50 city and suburbs, $3.00 elsewhere High Low Tom Skilling’s forecast 53 32 forecast on back page of A+E section 173rd year No. 317 © Chicago Tribune 2 Chicago Tribune | Section 1 | Thursday, November 12, 2020 BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/GETTY-AFP President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Trump is shirking his presi- recounts. But there is a governors — in red states Trump dential duties. growing recognition among like Arizona, Texas and “The president is out most that the election is lost Florida — and influential Continued from Page 1 there as much as he’s ever and the building will be confidants in the conserva- been on Twitter, and the vacated by Jan. 20. tive media, like Sean Han- can city commissioner who White House team are mov- Trump’s moods have vac- nity. But he has not been as defended the vote tabula- ing ahead with budget and illated over recent days. At responsive to Republican THE STORY BEHIND ‘CHICAGO’ tion in Philadelphia wasn’t a staffing priorities,” said Dan times, he has seethed with lawmakers as before the true Republican. He also Eberhart, a prominent Re- anger, fuming that he lost to election. Always an obses- “He Had It Coming: Four sought to draw attention to publican donor and Trump a candidate he doesn’t re- sive cable news viewer, he Murderous Women and the a Pennsylvania poll worker backer. spect and believing that the has been watching even Reporter Who Immortalized who recanted allegations of He added, “The presi- media — including what he more TV than usual in Their Stories” “Chicago The voter fraud Tuesday before dent is understandably fo- views as typically friendly recent weeks, often from his Musical” has played on Broad- reasserting his allegations cused on the ballot count- Fox News — worked against private dining room just off way for more than 9,600 per- Wednesday. ing, but at some point soon him. the Oval Office. formances since it premiered Trump later posted a he needs to turn his atten- But aides say he has been Trump has also begun on Nov. 14, 1996, yet not many debunked video that had tion back to the lame duck calmer than his tweets sug- talking about his own future people know the characters of purported to show poll session and putting a cap- gest, showing greater upon leaving office. He has Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly and workers collecting ballots stone on his first four years.” understanding of his pre- mused about declaring he others are inspired by real wom- too late. However, few senior dicament and believing that will run again in 2024,and en. Their stories were captured “You are looking at BAL- staffers have been around he needs to keep fighting aides believe that he will at by Tribune reporters including Maurine Watkins, who LOTS! Is this what our the president in recent days, almost as performance, as a least openly flirt with the worked at the newspaper for just eight months in 1924. Country has come to?” with many either in quaran- show to the more than 70 idea to enhance his rele- Watkins drew on her access to women accused of mur- Trump fumed. tine after testing positive for million people who voted vance and raise interest in der inside Cook County Jail to write a three-act play that Although his official COVID-19 or in isolation for him that he is still whatever money-making later became “Chicago.” For the first time in almost a schedule has been bare of after a confirmed exposure battling.