Targeted in a hate crime over kid-friendly drag show, Lake in the Hills bakery can no longer host public events

UpRising Bakery and Cafe, 2104 W. Algonquin Road in Lake in the Hills, was targeted July 23 by a vandal who broke out windows and scrawled hateful graffiti on the business.

UpRising Bakery and Cafe/Facebook

A Lake in the Hills bakery that was targeted earlier this month in a hate crime after planning a family-friendly drag show was ordered to stop hosting public events because it isn’t zoned for entertainment — a move the store’s owner called a “conspiracy.”

Corrina Sac, of UpRising Bakery and Cafe, said in a Facebook video posted Saturday that village officials sent a letter a day earlier threatening large fines and the revocation of its business and liquor licenses if any more events are organized.

The ACLU of Illinois vowed to defend Sac and warned the village’s actions “create a victory for hateful, anti-LGBTQ+ voices who attacked the owner and bakery after coverage of the drag brunch.”

Sac said the letter came after a “very threatening meeting” on Thursday, when she claimed she was first informed of the zoning issue and concerns over the public resources being used to protect her business. She insisted the bakery has been holding events since opening last November and now relies on them to meet its financial obligations.

“I feel like this is discrimination and a conspiracy to interfere with my business,” she said. “Unfortunately, when the attention waned from all the hate this week, they shifted gears and started victim blaming me after we were attacked by a known domestic terrorist who committed hate crimes against us just one week ago.”

Joseph I. Collins, 24, of Alsip, was arrested early July 23 after allegedly breaking out windows and spray painting “hateful messages” on the bakery at 2104 W. Algonquin Road, according to Lake in the Hills police. He was hit with felony hate crime and criminal damage to property charges and was later released on a $1,000 bond.

The vandalism followed threats and harassment over the bakery’s planned “Starry Night Drag Brunch,” which was supposed to happen that same evening.

In recent months, the Proud Boys and other far-right agitators have targeted similar pro-LGBTQ+ events across the country. Using language popular among adherents of the unfounded QAnon conspiracy theory — which centers on an alleged cabal of Satanic sexual abusers operating a massive child sex trafficking ring — extremists have claimed kid-friendly drag shows are a tool for “grooming” children.

‘We just need to figure out what we’re gonna do’

Feeling the pressure from the village, Sac said she canceled two events this weekend — a Disney karaoke party and a resume-writing workshop — though she still planned to play Disney music and allow kids to sing along on Saturday.

“We just need to figure out what we’re gonna do here as far as our landlord and the village is concerned,” said Sac, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Village officials wouldn’t immediately provide a copy of the letter sent to the bakery, but they issued a statement pushing back on Sac’s claim that she was the subject of a “conspiracy.”

“This issue is about a business conducting activities it was never permitted to conduct,” officials said in the statement Sunday. “While the potential revenue from these entertainment events may be attractive to the business owner, the Village is seeking compliance with its zoning regulations.”

The zoning designation of the strip mall where UpRising is located “prohibits entertainment in large part due to the close proximity to residential neighborhoods and shared tenant parking,” according to the statement.

Officials said they requested last week’s meeting with Sac to discuss her business “offering continued paid entertainment events.” But they also shared complaints regarding lost business, parking issues, safety concerns and zoning violations. After Sac’s lawyer failed to confirm she would adhere to the zoning rules, officials said they sent the letter “requesting compliance.”

The drag brunch at the center of the controversy “received strong negative criticism” after it was advertised and pushed the village to respond, officials said.

“The Village’s focus was on coordinating the resources necessary to ensure the safety of the business, its neighbors and the community, while also preserving the Constitutional rights of the participants,” the statement noted.

ACLU is ‘prepared to respond appropriately’

Rebecca Glenberg, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Illinois, warned village attorneys that cracking down on the bakery’s events “would be unconstitutional.” She said her organization is now “prepared to respond appropriately.”

“We request the Village’s assurances that it will not take enforcement actions or other retaliatory actions against Ms. Sac or UpRising, directly or indirectly, or otherwise interfere with constitutionally protected speech at UpRising,” Glenberg wrote in a letter Saturday.

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President Biden Tests Positive for COVID for 2nd Day in a Row in Rare ‘Rebound' Case

President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 for the second straight day, in what appears to be in a rare case of “rebound” following treatment with an anti-viral drug.

In a letter noting the positive test, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House physician, said Sunday that the president “continues to feel well” and will keep on working from the executive residence while he isolates.

Biden tested positive on Saturday, requiring him to cancel travel and in-person events as he isolates for at least five days in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

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After initially testing positive on July 21, Biden, 79, was treated with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. He tested negative for the virus on this past Tuesday and Wednesday, clearing him to leave isolation while wearing a mask indoors.

Research suggests that a minority of those prescribed Paxlovid to experience a rebound case of the virus. The fact that a rebound rather than a reinfection possibly occurred is a positive sign for Biden’s health once he’s clear of the disease.

“The fact that the president has cleared his illness and doesn’t have symptoms is a good sign and makes it less likely he will develop long COVID,” said Dr. Albert Ho, an infectious disease specialist at Yale University’s school of public health.

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Demand legislation that protects drinking water from toxic PFAS chemicals

We need legislation to protect drinking water from toxic chemicals, a reader writes.

Sun-Times file photo

Since I was little, I’d walk down to the creek that runs through the forest in my backyard and would often find oyster shells. Every time, the water looked so inviting that I would love to take a drink, though I never did because I’m sure it wasn’t safe.

What many Americans don’t realize, however, is that our drinking water might not be safe either because of contamination from a class of toxic man-made chemicals called PFAS, which is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

PFAS chemicals have been around since the 1940s and were originally used to coat nonstick cookware. They are known as “forever chemicals” because they never break down and can build up in the environment and our bodies.

Exposure to PFAS is linked to cancer, immune system deficiencies, high cholesterol, low fertility and child development issues. In Illinois, officials have identified potentially different levels of PFAS in Chicago’s drinking water.

SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. We want to hear from our readers. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.

Congress should phase out the use of PFAS in firefighting foams, require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop manufacturers from dumping PFAS in our waterways and require the EPA to create drinking water regulations for PFAS.

Last month, Environment America and U.S. Public Interest Research Group, along with 80 other organizations, including Environment Illinois and Illinois PIRG, submitted a letter to the Senate calling for legislation that protects our drinking water from PFAS. All Illinoisans should seize this moment to call on senators to turn off the tap on toxic PFAS.

Hajrah Jalil, Environment America

Protect birds from collisions

Every year around 1 billion birds die due to window glass collisions. Birds are unable to recognize windows as threats and unknowingly fly into them, resulting in injury and death. These accidents and tragic deaths are preventable. One of the best ways to prevent collisions is by using external insect screens.

The American Bird Conservancy has been a leader in research and advocacy for solutions like these. While scientists, architects and building managers must work together to implement best practices, policymaking is another crucial component in protecting birds from collisions.

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, who represents parts of Cook and DuPage counties, has long been advocating for a federal policy solution and has championed the Bird Safe Buildings Act, which would mandate that certain public buildings must use features, practices and strategies to reduce bird fatalities.

The American Bird Conservancy Action Fund, which works to build political support for the American Bird Conservancy’s mission, is grateful for Quigley’s leadership.

Federal agencies, like the U.S. Department of the Interior and the General Services Administration, are already paying attention to his bill and have begun to implement many of the ideas it promotes.

Now is the time to build on this interest and advocate for Congress to pass the Bird Safe Buildings Act. Other members of Congress should step up and advocate for this bill.

Steve Holmer, vice president of policy at American Bird Conservancy

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Indiana Officer Killed During Traffic Stop; Suspect Arrested

An Indiana police officer was killed early Sunday when a man got out of his car during a traffic stop and opened fire, authorities said.

The suspect was caught roughly 30 minutes later after a car chase, state police said.

The officer worked for the Elwood police department, 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis. Just after 2 a.m., he stopped the driver of a Buick LaCrosse.

“For an unknown reason, the suspect exited the Buick and fired multiple rounds, striking the officer at least one time,” state police said.

The man has a criminal record, which includes a conviction in 2006 for firing a gun at Indianapolis officers, said Andrew Hanna, Madison County’s chief deputy prosecutor.

Sheriff Scott Mellinger told The Herald Bulletin that the shooting made him go “from being prayerful to being angry.”

“Prayers. Senseless act. Please join us in holding up Elwood PD’s officers and their families,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.

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17-Year-Old Killed and 4 Others Hurt in Stabbings While Tubing on Wisconsin River

A Minnesota teenager died and four other people were critically wounded after being stabbed while tubing down a Wisconsin river, authorities said.

St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson the victims and suspect, a 52-year-old Minnesota man, were all on the Apple River when the attack happened Saturday afternoon. Knudson said investigators were working to determine what led to the stabbings and whether the victims and suspect knew each other. They were tubing with two different groups that included about 20 people.

“We don’t know yet who was connected to who, who knew each other or what precipitated it,” Knudson said.

The knife attack happened on a difficult-to-access section of the river near the town of Somerset, Wisconsin, which is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Minneapolis. The suspect was arrested about an hour and a half later while getting off the river downstream.

“Thank goodness a witness had taken a photo of him,” Knudson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Another witness located him at the exit of the tubing area, where he was taken into custody.”

A 17-year-old boy from Minnesota died. Two of the other victims were flown to a hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, and two others were taken there by ambulance. All four surviving victims — a woman and three men all believed to be in their 20s — were in critical condition.

The names of the victims and the suspect were not immediately released, but St. Croix County jail records show a 52-year-old man was being held without bond on suspicion of first-degree homicide, four counts of aggravated battery and four counts of mayhem.

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Biden tests positive for COVID-19 again, returns to isolation

President Joe Biden speaks about the economy during a meeting with CEOs in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Thursday, July 28, 2022.

Susan Walsh/AP

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again Saturday, slightly more than three days after he was cleared to exit coronavirus isolation, the White House said, in a rare case of “rebound” following treatment with an anti-viral drug.

White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a letter that Biden “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well.”

In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Biden will reenter isolation for at least five full days. The agency says most rebound cases remain mild and that severe disease during that period has not been reported.

Word of Biden’s positive test came — he had been negative Friday morning — just two hours after the White House announced a presidential visit to Michigan this coming Tuesday to highlight the passage of a bill to promote domestic high-tech manufacturing. Biden had also been scheduled to visit his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday morning, where first lady Jill Biden has been staying while the president was positive. Both trips have been canceled as Biden has returned to isolation.

Related

• President Joe Biden tests positive for COVID-19

Biden, 79, was treated with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid, and tested negative for the virus on Tuesday and Wednesday. He was then cleared to leave isolation while wearing a mask indoors. His positive tests puts him among the minority of those prescribed the drug to experience a rebound case of the virus.

Both the Food and Drug Administration and Pfizer point out that 1% to 2% of people in Pfizer’s original study on Paxlovid saw their virus levels rebound after 10 days. The rate was about the same among people taking the drug or dummy pills, “so it is unclear at this point that this is related to drug treatment,” according to the FDA.

While Biden was testing negative, he returned to holding in-person indoor events and meetings with staff at the White House and was wearing a mask, in accordance with CDC guidelines. But the president removed his mask indoors when delivering remarks on Thursday and during a meeting with CEOs on the White House complex.

Asked why Biden appeared to be breaching CDC protocols, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “They were socially distanced. They were far enough apart. So we made it safe for them to be together, to be on that stage.”

Regulators are still studying the prevalence and virulence of rebound cases, but the CDC in May warned doctors that it has been reported to occur within two days to eight days after initially testing negative for the virus.

“Limited information currently available from case reports suggests that persons treated with Paxlovid who experience COVID-19 rebound have had mild illness; there are no reports of severe disease,” the agency said at the time.

When Biden was initially released from isolation on Wednesday, O’Connor said the president would “increase his testing cadence” to catch any potential rebound of the virus.

Patients should re-isolate for at least 5 days. Per CDC guidance, they can end their re-isolation period after 5 full days if fever has resolved for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving. The patient should wear a mask for a total of 10 days after rebound symptoms started.”

Paxlovid has been proven to significantly reduce severe disease and death among those most vulnerable to COVID-19. U.S. health officials have encouraged those who test positive to consult their doctors or pharmacists to see if they should be prescribed the treatment, despite the rebound risk.

Biden is fully vaccinated, after getting two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office, a first booster shot in September and an additional dose March 30.

While patients who have recovered from earlier variants of COVID-19 have tended to have high levels of immunity to future reinfection for 90 days, Jha said that the BA.5 subvariant that infected Biden has proven to be more “immune-evasive.”

“We have seen lots of people get reinfected within 90 days,” he said, adding that officials don’t yet have data on how long those who have recovered from the BA.5 strain have protection from reinfection.

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Nicholas Morrow — not Roquan Smith — to handle huddle responsibilities

Linebacker Nicholas Morrow speaks to the media about joining the Bears in March. | Brian Rich/Sun-Times

Whenever Roquan Smith returns to the field, he won’t be the one relaying in the Bears’ defensive plays in the huddle.  Defensive coordinator Alan Williams said Saturday the team gives that responsibility to the middle linebacker in their scheme. 

That’s Nicholas Morrow, not Smith. The two-time second-team all-pro will play weak-side linebacker whenever his contract dispute — Smith, entering the last year of his deal, wants an extension — gets settled. Until then, he’s not practicing.

“Right now our [middle]  linebacker, he’s directing the fronts, he’s directing the calls,” Williams said. “He has most of the huddle pre-snap communication.”

The play-calling responsibility has gone “pretty smooth,” Morrow said after Saturday’s practice. 

“That’s a pretty standard thing, I think,” Morrow said. “I think the biggest thing is making sure we’re all on the same page and we’re over-communicating. Sometimes you get those young guys in there and there’s certain calls where it’s gotta be communicated consistently. Just getting that together is probably bigger than the calls, I think.”

Smith played inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense during the first four years of his Bears career. Playing weak-side linebacker in a 4-3 scheme will be different. In the past, Smith’s line of sight would show players coming from both his left and right. As a weak-side linebacker, Smith has to worry about blockers coming from the inside toward one sideline. 

Morrow said he and Smith have been able to build a rapport with other during team meetings and film sessions, in which Smith is participating.

“That’s what we can do right now,” Morrow said.

No Jenkins

For the third-straight day, former second-round pick Teven Jenkins did not participate in practice. He hasn’t been spotted watching practice, either. Friday, head coach Matt Eberflus said he was “day-to-day” while “working through something with the trainers.” 

As he has all camp, Smith began practice on an exercise bike and then watched drills. 

Defensive tackle Angelo Blackson, who has an undisclosed injury,  joined him Saturday. Cornerback Thomas Graham remained out.

Center of attention

With Lucas Patrick recovering from a broken right thumb, Sam Mustipher, who started all 17 games for the Bears at center last year, slid over from right guard to handle the snapping duties. Right guard Michael Schofield and left tackle Riley Reiff participated in team drills as they ramp up after signing earlier in the week. 

Left guard Cody Whitehair, who has experience at center, said he hasn’t been asked to move there.

This and that

• Toward the end of practice, Eberflus grabbed the microphone to briefly thank the fans for attending training camp as part of the NFL’s “Back Together Saturday” promotion.

• Bears linemen, tight ends and linebackers are wearing the “guardian cap,” a padded shell on the outside of their helmets, as part of a league-wide mandate for training camp practices. The NFL said studies have shown the padding has produced at least 10 percent reduction in head injury impact. 

• The Bears have their first off day Sunday and return for practice Monday.

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The future for the Bulls’ Coby White remains cloudy into next season

The current Bulls regime knows exactly what they have in Coby White.

That’s why they gave the combo guard a lengthy to-do list to work on this summer.

The rest of the league also knows exactly what White brings to the court, evident by the underwhelming trade packages that were being offered for him leading into the June NBA Draft and free agency.

It now falls on the 22-year-old to start changing minds, and quickly.

“Just continue to work on my ballhandling, continue to make strides in the weight room, it will help me defensively,’’ White said, when asked at the end of the season what the front office wanted him to focus on this summer.

By all accounts he has done just that.

According to a source, White has had a great offseason of work, not only improving his body in the physicality department, but his footwork and ballhandling.

The problem is he’s not the only Bull looking to make strides from last season.

Ayo Dosunmu has been an Advocate Center gym rat since the Bucks sent the Bulls packing in the first round of the playoffs, while rookie Dalen Terry reportedly took no time off after the Las Vegas Summer League, getting right back to work in the gym with his new teammates.

The Bulls’ guard room is suddenly not only crowded but becoming a fire hazard.

Even if starting point guard Lonzo Ball is not ready for the start of training camp — which seems more likely each week — executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas purchased an insurance policy in veteran Goran Dragic earlier this month.

That leaves Zach LaVine the starting off guard, Ball or Dragic at the point, and then Alex Caruso, Dosunmu, Terry and, of course, White all battling for minutes.

The good news for White is it’s a backcourt that has proven to be very fragile, so minutes might come easier than expected.

Besides Ball, LaVine has had his share of missed games the last few seasons, while Caruso’s style of play isn’t sustainable to keep him out of the training room.

That backcourt game of musical chairs was on full display in the five playoff games against Milwaukee.

White was called upon for key minutes in Game 1, especially with Ball sidelined and Dosunmu actually looking like a second-round rookie for one of the rare times.

The North Carolina product responded with 23 minutes and 12 points, finishing that close loss with a plus-four in the plus/minus department.

In the lone Bulls win in Game 2, however, it was just 10 minutes for White, as coach Billy Donovan stayed with his starters for a heavy workload.

White did get a lot of run in Game 5, but that was courtesy of both Caruso and LaVine being sidelined.

Still, White did get 32 minutes of work, scoring 17 points in what was a dominant win for Milwaukee.

So where does that leave White now?

Basically on the outside looking in. He has been on the trade block for the last year, but Karnisovas & Co. did not like the offers and weren’t just looking to give him away. But they also have no intention of extending him this fall when White’s rookie deal starts winding down.

Instead, the Bulls seem poised to keep White for depth purposes, revisit his trade value at the deadline if the backcourt is healthy, and if he is a Bull come next summer, simply let the market set a price on him and decide if the restricted free agent would be worth matching.

Until then, however, White seems to be a willing worker. He better be, because there’s plenty to do.  

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Biden Tests Positive for Covid Again, Will Restart Isolation Despite No New Symptoms

• President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 once again after consecutive days of testing negative for the virus, his physician said.
• Biden is experiencing no new symptoms and “continues to feel quite well,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a memo shared by the White House.
• But he will nevertheless “reinitiate strict isolation procedures,” the presidential physician wrote.

President Joe Biden on Saturday tested positive for Covid-19 once again after consecutive days of testing negative for the virus, his physician said.

Biden, 79, is experiencing no new symptoms and “continues to feel quite well,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a memo shared by the White House.

But he will nevertheless “reinitiate strict isolation procedures,” the presidential physician wrote.

Biden, who is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, tweeted Saturday afternoon that he was asymptomatic but would isolate “for the safety of everyone around me.”

“I’m still at work, and will be back on the road soon,” the president’s tweet said.

O’Connor had previously warned of the potential for a “rebound” in positive test results, a phenomenon among a small percentage of patients who, like Biden, used the antiviral medication Paxlovid as part of their treatment.

Biden had accordingly “increased his testing cadence, both to protect people around him and to assure early detection of any return of viral replication,” O’Connor wrote in the latest memo, which was made public Saturday afternoon.

The president tested negative for Covid on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but tested positive on Saturday morning from an antigen test. “This in fact represents ‘rebound’ positivity,” the doctor wrote.

Biden’s age puts him at higher risk of getting severely ill from Covid. People over age 65 account for more than 81% of deaths from the virus, which has killed more than 1 million people in the U.S. alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The president first tested positive for Covid on July 21. He felt “mild symptoms” including a dry cough, runny nose and fatigue, O’Connor said at the time. Biden began working in isolation but returned to the Oval Office five days later after testing negative for Covid twice over a 24-hour period.

“The President has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well,” O’Connor wrote in Saturday’s memo after Biden’s rebound test. “This being the case, there is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time, but we will obviously continue close observation.”

“However, given his positive antigen test, he will reinitiate strict isolation procedures. As I’ve stated previously, the President continues to be very specifically conscientious to protect any of the Executive Residence, White House, Secret Service and other staff whose duties require any (albeit socially distanced) proximity to him,” O’Connor wrote.

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Cubs trade Chris Martin to Dodgers, deadline exodus begins

Chris Martin was the first Cubs player to be traded leading up to the Aug. 2 trade deadline this year.

Getty

SAN FRANCISCO – Anticipation had been building since the Cubs’ last home series, and on Saturday, the club made their first trade of the deadline. The Cubs sent reliever Chris Martin to the Dodgers for utility man Zach McKinstry, the Sun-Times confirmed. 

The Cubs signed Martin this spring to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. He’s likely the first of a trio of Cubs back-end relievers who the Cubs will deal before the Aug. 2 deadline. Martin posted a 4.31 ERA in his short tenure with the Cubs.

McKinstry, 27, is slashing .335/.417/.487 in Triple-A this season. He’s had just 11 major-league at-bats this year, after playing in 60 games last year

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Man charged with choking Chicago police officer unconscious in Lawndale

Sun-Times file

A man is charged with choking a Chicago police officer in Lawndale on the West Side.

Police had responded to a call of a group who was brandishing firearms while filming a music video in the 3600 block of West 15th Street Wednesday night, according to Chicago police.

Donta Reed, 20, choked one of the officers until the cop lost consciousness, police said.

Reed was charged with aggravated battery to a peace officer and resisting arrest, police said.

The officer was recovering, according to police.

Two guns were recovered at the scene, police said.

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Indiana So Far Has 45 Monkeypox Cases, Including 2 in Kids

A total of 45 monkeypox cases, including two in children, have been reported across Indiana between June 18 and Friday, the state’s Department of Health announced Friday.

Because of patient privacy, no other information about the cases will be released, it said.

Since Indiana so far has received only 3,232 doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine, they are prioritized for close contacts of positive cases, the department said. Additional vaccine is expected soon.

“Monkeypox does not easily spread through brief casual contact, but it’s important to remember that anyone can be affected if they are a close contact of a positive case,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said. “Hoosiers who believe they may have been exposed or who develop symptoms consistent with monkeypox are urged to contact a healthcare provider.”

Monkeypox typically begins with fever, headache, chills, muscle aches and exhaustion about five to 21 days after exposure, the health department said. Usually within one to three days after fever appears, the patient develops a rash. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks.

People are considered infectious until all scabs from the rash have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed, the department said.

More information is available on the department’s web site.

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At Least 16 Killed in Ky. Flooding as Governor Warns Death Toll Will ‘Get a Lot Higher'

Search and rescue teams backed by the National Guard looked Friday for people missing in record floods that wiped out entire communities in some of the poorest places in America. Kentucky’s governor said 16 people have died, a toll he expected to grow.

Gov. Andy Beshear told The Associated Press that children were among the victims, and that the death toll could more than double as rescue teams search the disaster area.

“The tough news is 16 confirmed fatalities now, and folks that’s going to get a lot higher,” the governor said later at a briefing. He said the deaths were in four eastern Kentucky counties.

Powerful floodwaters swallowed towns that hug creeks and streams in Appalachian valleys and hollows, swamping homes and businesses, trashing vehicles in useless piles and crunching runaway equipment and debris against bridges. Mudslides marooned people on steep slopes and at least 33,000 customers were without power. Numerous state roads were blocked by high water or mud, and crews were “unable to even get to some of these roadways it is so bad,” Beshear said.

“We’ve still got a lot of searching to do,” said Jerry Stacy, the emergency management director in Kentucky’s hard-hit Perry County. “We still have missing people.”

Emergency crews made dozens of air rescues and hundreds of water rescues, and more people still needed help, Beshear said: “This is not only an ongoing disaster but an ongoing search and rescue. The water is not going to crest in some areas until tomorrow.”

Rachel Patton said floodwaters filled her Floyd County home so quickly that her mother, who is on oxygen, had to be evacuated on a door that was floated across the high water. Patton’s voice faltered as she described their harrowing escape.

“We had to swim out and it was cold. It was over my head so it was, it was scary,” she told WCHS TV.

The water was so swift that some people trapped in their homes couldn’t be reached on Thursday, said Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams.

Just to the west in Perry County, some people remained unaccounted for and almost everyone in the area had suffered some sort of damage, firefighter Glenn Caudil said.

“Probably 95% of the people in this area lost everything — houses, cars, animals. It’s heartbreaking,” Caudil told WCHS.

A home is submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky, on July 28, 2022. (Photo by LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images)

Determining the number of people unaccounted for is tough with cell service and electricity out across the disaster area, Beshear said: “This is so widespread, it’s a challenge on even local officials to put that number together.”

More than 330 people have sought shelter, Beshear said. He deployed National Guard soldiers to the hardest-hit areas. With property damage so extensive, the governor opened an online portal for donations to the victims. President Joe Biden called to express his support for what will be a lengthy recovery effort, Beshear said, predicting it will take more than a year to fully rebuild.

Biden also declared a federal disaster to direct relief money to more than a dozen Kentucky counties, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency appointed an officer to coordinate the recovery. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joined Beshear at a briefing.

“We’re committed to bringing whatever resources are necessary to support the life-saving efforts as well as the ongoing recovery efforts,” Criswell said.

Even the governor had problems reaching the devastation. His plans to tour the disaster area on Friday were initially postponed because conditions at an airport where they planned to land were unsafe, his office said. The governor scheduled a flyover for later in the day.

Days of torrential rainfall in the region sent water gushing from hillsides and surging out of streambeds, inundating roads and forcing rescue crews to use helicopters and boats to reach trapped people. Flooding also damaged parts of western Virginia and southern West Virginia, across a region where poverty is endemic.

“There are hundreds of families that have lost everything,” Beshear said. “And many of these families didn’t have much to begin with. And so it hurts even more. But we’re going to be there for them.”

Poweroutage.us reported more than 33,000 customers remained without electricity Friday in eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, with the bulk of the outages in Kentucky.

Rescue crews also worked in Virginia and West Virginia to reach people in places where roads weren’t passable. Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for six counties in West Virginia where the flooding downed trees, power outages and blocked roads. Gov. Glenn Youngkin also made an emergency declaration, enabling Virginia to mobilize resources across flooded areas of southwest Virginia.

“With more rainfall forecasted over the next few days, we want to lean forward in providing as many resources possible to assist those affected,” Youngkin said in a statement.

The National Weather Service said another storm front adding misery to flood victims in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday could bring more thunderstorms to the Appalachians, where flash flooding remained possible through Friday evening in places across the region.

Brandon Bonds, a weather service meteorologist in Jackson, said some places could see more rain Friday afternoon and begin to dry out on Saturday “before things pick back up Sunday and into next week.”

The hardest hit areas of eastern Kentucky received between 8 and 10 1/2 inches (20-27 centimeters) over a 48-hour period ending Thursday, Bonds said. Some areas got more rain overnight, including Martin County, which was pounded with another 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) or so leading to the new flood warning.

The North Fork of the Kentucky River rose to broke records in at least two places. A river gauge recorded 20.9 feet (6.4 meters) in Whitesburg, more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) over the previous record, and the river crested at a record 43.47 feet (13.25 meters) in Jackson, Bonds said.

In Whitesburg, Kentucky, floodwaters seeped into Appalshop, an arts and education center renowned for promoting and preserving the region's history and culture.

“We’re not sure exactly the full damage because we haven’t been able to safely go into the building or really get too close to it," said Meredith Scalos, its communications director. “We do know that some of our archival materials have flooded out of the building into Whitesburg streets.”

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Contributors include Rebecca Reynolds in Louisville, Ky., Timothy D. Easley in Jackson, Ky., and Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Md.,

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Health insurance provider directories often have errors; what to do, a health consumer guide

Health insurers’ directories often have errors and outdated information despite state and federal regulations that require insurers to take steps to make them more accurate.

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If you have medical insurance, chances are you’ve become exasperated at some point trying to find an available doctor or mental health practitioner in your health plan’s network.

You find multiple providers in your plan’s directory, and you call them. All of them. But the number is wrong. Or the doctor has moved or retired or isn’t accepting new patients. Or the next available appointment is three months away. Or the provider isn’t actually in your network.

Despite state and federal regulations that require more accurate health plan directories, they still can contain errors and often are outdated.

Flawed directories not only impede our ability to get care. They also signal that health insurers aren’t meeting requirements to provide timely care — even if they tell regulators they are.

Worse, patients who rely on erroneous directory information can face inflated bills from doctors or hospitals that turn out to be outside their network.

In 2016, California implemented a law to regulate the accuracy of provider directories. The state was trying to address long-standing problems, illustrated by an embarrassing debacle in 2014, when Covered California, the insurance marketplace the state formed after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, was forced to pull its error-riddled directory within its first year.

Also in 2016, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services demanded more accurate directories for Medicare Advantage health plans and policies sold through the federal ACA marketplace. The federal No Surprises Act, which took effect this year, extends similar rules to employer-based and individual health plans.

The No Surprises Act stipulates that patients who rely on information in their provider directories and end up unwittingly seeing doctors outside their networks cannot be required to pay more than they would have paid for an in-network provider.

Unfortunately, inaccurate directories continue to plague the health care system.

A study published in June in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law analyzed data from the California Department of Managed Health Care on directory accuracy and timely access to care. It found that, in the best case, consumers could get timely appointments in urgent cases with just 54% of the doctors listed in a directory. In the worst case: 28%. For general care appointments, the best case was 64% and the worst case 35%.

A key takeaway, the authors wrote, is that “even progressive and pro-consumer legislation and regulations have effectively failed to offer substantial protection for consumers.”

Few know this better than Dan O’Neill. The San Francisco health care executive called primary care doctors listed in the directory of his health plan, through a major national carrier, and couldn’t get an appointment. Nobody he talked to could tell him whether UCSF Health, one of the city’s premier health systems, was in his network.

“I spent close to a week trying to solve this problem and eventually had to give up and pay the $75 copay to go to urgent care because it was the only option,” O’Neill says. “I now live a seven- or eight-minute walk from the main UCSF buildings, and, to this day, I have no idea whether they are in my network or not, which is crazy because I do this professionally.”

Consumer health advocates say insurers aren’t taking directory accuracy seriously. 

“We have health plans with millions of enrollees and hundreds of millions in reserves,” says Beth Capell, a lobbyist for Health Access California. “These people have the resources to do this if they thought it was a priority.”

Industry analysts and academic researchers say it’s more complicated than that.

Health plans contract with hundreds of thousands of providers and must hound them to send updates. Are they still with the same practice? At the same address? Accepting new patients?

For doctors and other practitioners, responding to such surveys — sometimes from dozens of health plans — is hardly at the top of their to-do list. Insurers typically offer multiple health plans, each with a different constellation of providers, who don’t always know which ones they’re in.

The law gives insurers some leverage to induce providers to respond, and an industry has sprung up around collecting provider updates through a centralized portal and selling the information to health plans. Yet health plans and providers often have outdated data systems that don’t communicate with each other.

A significant improvement in health plan directories will require “more connectivity and interoperability,” says Simon Haeder of Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health, a co-author of the study on directory accuracy and timely access.

Until that happens, you need to fend for yourself. Use your health plan’s provider directory as your first stop or to check whether a doctor recommended by a friend is in your network.

Remember the laws that say you can’t be charged out-of-network rates if the doctor you visit was listed in your health plan’s directory? You’ll have to prove that was the case. So take a screenshot of the directory showing the provider’s name — and save it.

Call the doctor’s office to double-check. Take notes. Get the name of the person you talked to. If there’s a discrepancy or you find an inaccurate entry, report it to your health plan. 

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism on  health issues. 

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Raising Cane's CEOs Buy 50K More Mega Millions Tickets for Employees. Will That Help Their Odds?

After the CEO of Raising Cane’s dropped $100,000 on 50,000 Mega Millions lottery tickets for Tuesday’s drawing, vowing to split the winnings with its 50,000 employees, the company’s co-founder shelled out another $100,000 for Friday’s drawing.

The fast food chicken chain’s first attempt at hitting the jackpot was unsuccessful, after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on July 26. But as the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, buy, buy again.

With the jackpot jumping to $1.28 billion ahead of Friday’s drawing, COO AJ Kumaran told The Washington Post they are hedging their bets on another 50,000 lottery tickets.

“Our crew was very excited last time,” Kumaran told the Post. “So we decided to try our luck again. Now we are all excited, waiting and cutting our fingers to win.”

The $1.28 billion prize is for players who get their winnings through an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners take the cash option, which for Friday’s drawing is an estimated $747.2 million. That would work out to about 13,000 per employee.

Kumaran acknowledges that while the odds of winning — one in 302.5 million — is staggering, the game gives the team something to rally around and “have fun.”

Still, many wonder if more tickets increases the chances of winning.

The short answer is, yes. But not by much. That’s because in the big scheme of things, 50,000 chances out of 302.5 million isn’t that much better than one, as proven earlier this week when their first attempt at winning yielded no jackpot.

Earlier this week, Kumaran told TODAY it took “seven or eight hours” total to print out all the tickets at two 7-Eleven stores for Tuesday’s drawing. It’s not clear how Kumaran bought the tickets for Friday’s drawing.

He told the Post that Raising Cane’s employees are gathering Friday night to scan through the tickets to see if there’s a winner.

The Mega Millions drawing is Friday at 11 p.m ET. Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is overseen by state lottery officials.

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Highland Park businesses affected by July 4 parade massacre eligible for SBA loans

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday announced disaster recovery help in the wake of Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade massacre.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday announced the federal Small Business Administration approved the state of Illinois’ request for businesses affected by the July 4 parade massacre in Highland Park to be eligible to apply for low-interest loans.

Pritzker said in a statement, “With the SBA’s assistance, Highland Park residents can focus on healing — knowing that the state and nation has their back.”

The loans would come from the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans program.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said in a statement, “We greatly appreciate the support being provided by Governor J.B. Pritzker, Congressman Brad Schneider, and Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration.”

“Through their efforts, a safety net is being offered to respond to the unique needs of our valued business community and not-for-profit organizations in the wake of the July 4 massacre that shook our community to its core. The SBA has been a valued resource in the past, and we are grateful that they are providing a swift and impactful response during this difficult time.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For a limited time, a business recovery center will be set up at the First Bank of Highland Park, 1835 First St. The hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The center is closed Sunday.

The center will close at 4 p.m. on Aug. 11.

Applicants may apply online using the electronic loan application via SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/ela/s and should apply under SBA declaration No. 17536.

From the state: Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for people with hearing impairments) or emailing DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications may be downloaded at sba.gov/disaster.

The filing deadline to return economic injury applications is April 25, 2023.

Additional information about the state’s recovery efforts is available at https://www2.illinois.gov/ready/Pages/default.aspx.

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