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* Have a little joy with your coffee by reading this Maura Judkis story at WaPo…

The happiest place in medicine right now is a basketball arena in New Mexico. Or maybe it’s the parking lot of a baseball stadium in Los Angeles, or a Six Flags in Maryland, or a shopping mall in South Dakota.

The happiest place in medicine is anywhere there is vaccine, and the happiest people in medicine are the ones plunging it into the arms of strangers.

“It’s a joy to all of us,” says Akosua “Nana” Poku, a Kaiser Permanente nurse vaccinating people in Northern Virginia.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had an experience in my career that has felt so promising and so fulfilling,” says Christina O’Connell, a clinic director at the University of New Mexico.

* Or, add a little mystery to your morning with this Mick Dumke story…

The man who called me, a long-retired Chicago police officer, was alternately charming and curt. He insisted he had nothing to do with the murder.

“All the things you wrote in your letter to me are not true,” he said, speaking slowly, his voice occasionally shaky. “Everything in there is a f****g lie.”

In the letter, I had asked him about a murder I’d been examining: the unsolved killing of a prominent Black politician in Chicago. I had reason to think he knew something about it.

On Feb. 26, 1963, Ben Lewis, the first Black elected official from Chicago’s West Side, won what was set to be his second full term on the City Council. Lewis, 53, appeared to be climbing the political ladder. Newspapers were reporting talk — encouraged by the alderman himself — that his next stop would be Congress, a move that would have made him one of the highest-profile Black politicians in the country.

Keep it local and be polite to each other.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 2:49 am

Comments

SJ-R has this on a paywall but the Pantagraph reposted the same story for free today. A Cook County resident is boasting about going to the State Fairgrounds’ vaccine site. The story also reports that 400 Cook County residents have already also been vaccinated at the fairgrounds, followed by 200 from DuPage. Yet while DuPage County is not using their entire vaccine supply.

https://www.pantagraph.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/watch-now-residents-from-across-illinois-travel-to-springfield-for-covid-19-vaccine/article_b4a8dde8-fb72-5c65-abaf-898239d57f1a.html#tracking-source=home-trending

Meanwhile, Sangamon County residents that have now been added to 1B can’t get an appointment until at least March 9. Is it time for the state to start county/area residency requirements for vaccinations in your area? (Such as Sangamon and surrounding counties only for the fairgrounds and Sangamon County Dept of Public Health).

Comment by Essential State Employee Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 5:21 am
SJ-R has this on a paywall but the Pantagraph reposted the same story for free today. A Cook County resident is boasting about going to the State Fairgrounds’ vaccine site. The story also reports that 400 Cook County residents have already also been vaccinated at the fairgrounds, followed by 200 from DuPage. Yet while DuPage County is not using their entire vaccine supply

Who cares where they live. This wont end until we get shots in enough arms. The sooner the better regardless of a zip code.

Comment by Masker Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 6:51 am
Lewis Murder Mystery Story - very interesting

Comment by Red Ketcher Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 7:08 am
Where oh where did Illinois’ CAFR go?
Where oh where can it be?
With assets cut short and liabilities cut long,
Where oh where can it be?

Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:11 am
Months ago, my Dr. told me to apply and get on as many lists as possible for the vaccine. Wherever you would be willing to travel to. Then, to take the first one you were offered.
As more doses become available, the wait times will go down, but for now there are more wanting shots, than are available at any time.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:12 am
The whole vaccine thing has been frustrating for a lot of people. Elderly with underlying conditions can’t get scheduled. Others get right in. Some local health care providers say they aren’t scheduling through their doctor’s offices … and then you find out friends who use the same doctors did get scheduled that way. Then they open up the fairgrounds with early appointments when the county health department is only doing so many, and if you have an appointment a week or two out, you don’t know if you should try to switch to get an earlier appointment.

The Marines have a 3 syllable word for when an operation goes awry … and that pretty much describes local conditions.

We know people all over the country. In a few places it is going smoothly, but a lot of places are like Illinois.

Ironically, even with the problems, Illinois and Sangamon County are on the high end of doses administered per population. So I guess we are blessed even though it doesn’t feel like it …

Comment by RNUG Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:18 am
I am with @Masker, shouldn’t matter what your address is you should be able to get the vaccine anywhere. The vaccine was provided by the federal government not the local counties.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:22 am
February is almost over and MLB is just around the corner.

Comment by Not the Dude Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:24 am
I have a question about the Walgreens program. You search on their website. Try different ages,conditions,etc….always says nothing available for months….go into Walgreens ask the pharmacy ..he clicks a few keys. Oh yes we have spits open. Great can you sign me up while I’m here? No, you need to do it online???????

Comment by Jilted Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:25 am
Thank you so much, Rich, for the couple things to make us think this morning.

I’ll probably dig in further to the Mick Dumke story, something I didn’t know, and glad I’m learning about it now.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:27 am
Got more of my official’s schedule for the spring football season today. If you have a child playing HS football, keep in mind this has aggravated the ref shortage so you will likely have first year refs doing Sophomore and even Varsity games.

Comment by OneMan Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:38 am
I’m thinking about whether we’re entering a period of Covid Complacency. Are our numbers really better than they were last summer given the much greater availability of tests? I really don’t know yet - but, as we open up indoor dining, I’m haunted by some of the quotes in this article about restaurant servers… https://www.wbez.org/stories/as-more-customers-go-to-restaurants-workers-are-desperately-waiting-for-the-vaccine/56d33e45-3b4f-4a91-9baa-c794cdf1fce4

Comment by WestBurbs Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:47 am
I have to note the feud between Rep. Newman and Rep. Greene. I’m happy to see Rep. Newman standing up for her daughter and other people who are transgender.

Comment by City Guy Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:53 am
===I have to note the feud===

That’s not really a feud. If U.S. Rep Greene did that as an employee of any fortune 500 company she’d be fired immediately.

My heart goes out to Representative Newman. No one should have to endure that kind of bigotry in their work place, especially when it is intentionally targeted at their family members.

Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 9:11 am
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 8:11 am:

Ever hear of a global pandemic?

https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Comptroller-Internal-Controls-and-Compliance.asp

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 9:22 am
==Months ago, my Dr. told me to apply and get on as many lists as possible for the vaccine. Wherever you would be willing to travel to. Then, to take the first one you were offered.==

With people (understandably) feeling they may need to drive all over the state to get a covid shot I sincerely hope that the records being kept in all the public and private vaccination locations are updated immediately and properly synced up. With so much confusion and the state’s notoriously poor and antiquated systems management, how many of the long wait times on various lists are actually the result of folks trying to get on multiple lists to increase their odds and then not getting removed from the rest of the lists after they’ve already gotten their first shot someplace?

Comment by Responsa Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 9:30 am
=Got more of my official’s schedule for the spring football season today. If you have a child playing HS football, keep in mind this has aggravated the ref shortage so you will likely have first year refs doing Sophomore and even Varsity games.=

That is why it will be nice to have fewer people in the stands complaining about the refs.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 9:33 am
As we read about the Alderman Lewis story and the potential that police were involved in his killing, there is also a story today in the Sun Times about two men released from prison who killed police officers. One case was a killing of two officers in Cabrini Green. It was in 1970 and at least one of the police officers who arrested the man released is still alive. and probably afraid of the 68 year old man released, even against the wishes of Kim Foxx.

Comment by Amalia Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 9:36 am
==RNUG The whole vaccine thing has been frustrating for a lot of people. Elderly with underlying conditions can’t get scheduled. Others get right in. == With the passage of time the spotlight will be on those who used clout and privilege to bypass the ones who really needed the vaccination.

Comment by Frumpy White Guy Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 9:44 am
===The Marines have a 3 syllable word for when an operation goes awry===

Is it Armyandnavy?

Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 10:02 am
“one of the police officers who arrested the man released is still alive. and probably afraid of the 68 year old man released”

“Probably” is doing a helluva lot of work in that sentence.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 10:06 am
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 9:22 am: -

The last Illinois CAFR issued on time (12/31) was the FY 1999 edition. CAFR lateness is about much more than The Global Pandemic.

Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 10:12 am
== Is it Armyandnavy? ==

No.

Comment by RNUG Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 10:23 am
===A Cook County resident is boasting about going===

lol

That’s something we’re supposed to be talking about? How somebody in one part of our state got vaxed in another? Seriously?

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 10:33 am
==That is why it will be nice to have fewer people in the stands complaining about the refs. ==

There is truth to that, the downside is that it is easier to hear the loud ones.

Actually, the crew I did the last full season with had a back judge who was deaf, he could lip read and that was how we communicated with him (he was a good ref). When coaches would start yelling about a pass interference call (or non-call) I would say “Keep yelling if it makes you feel better, but he can’t hear you”.

That would stop them kind of quick.

Comment by OneMan Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 10:33 am
A friend told me to go online to the IDPH website after midnight on Thursday mornings to get a vaccination appointment. I did that on Feb 18 and was able to get an appointment for Feb 25 with the Kroger Pharmacy in Normal.This was after weeks of dealing with the McLean County website and watching their few time slots fill up before my eyes in seconds.

On Feb 23 I got an email that my appointment had been cancelled. My heart sank to my toes. Later that day a pharmacist from Kroger called and told me the software scheduled too many people at the same time. She then rescheduled me for this Saturday for my first and March 30 for my second. I was almost in tears when I thanked her.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be doing my Happy Dance in the aisles of Kroger!

Comment by Nearly Normal Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 10:39 am
Essential State Employee-
I can’t speak to the current situation, but on Wednesday when I went to Walgreens website to sign up for my shots as an individual in the expansion in 1B, they had several appointments open all over Springfield. I got my first shot this morning.

Comment by Election worker Friday, Feb 26, 21 @ 11:43 am