chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Dear Abby: Dad wants young kids never to know of older cousin’s death

DEAR ABBY : My husband ’ s nephew passed away last week .
He was only 26 , and it was a complete shock .
No one realized he was using drugs .
My husband is attending the funeral ( a nine-hour drive ) and will be gone for four days .
We have two children , ages 7 and 9 , and because of the pandemic , we ’ ve decided I will stay home with them .
I ’ m writing to you because my husband doesn ’ t want to tell our kids that their cousin has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t see his family often — maybe once every few years — but the kids remember their cousin , and I ’ m sure they will ask about him next time we visit .
I think we need to tell them , but he is adamant they never know .
Should I fill them in while he ’ s gone or wait until he ’ s ready to break the news ?
— FORTHCOMING IN MAINE DEAR FORTHCOMING : I do not recommend going behind your husband ’ s back with a parenting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be trying to shield the children from the reality that not only old people but also young people are mortal .
When he returns , approach the kids together , and in an age-appropriate manner , explain to them separately what happened .
Many young people experiment with drugs because they think that addiction and death won ’ t happen to them .
Knowing what happened to their cousin could ensure it won ’ t happen to either of them .
DEAR ABBY : I have been in a relationship with a guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We don ’ t live together .
During the pandemic , his regular job shut down .
He finally got another job and bought lawn equipment to keep in my shed .
His behavior has changed , Abby .
I haven ’ t heard from him in weeks .
He says men don ’ t call women anymore , and if I want to talk to him , I should call him .
How do you know if you are in a relationship if there ’ s no communication ?
Plus , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
— NOT RIGHT IN THE EAST DEAR NOT RIGHT : When someone ’ s behavior suddenly changes , there is usually a reason .
What that reason may be , I can ’ t guess and neither can you .
The dynamic in your relationship with this person is definitely different .
Call him and ask him if his feelings for you have changed .
It may be that he is depressed .
It may also be he now has a job and is busy .
That he becomes irritated when you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me he is defensive .
And that ’ s a red flag .
DEAR ABBY : Is it OK for 70-year-olds to get engaged ?
Both of us are widowed after long marriages .
My wife died two years ago .
Her husband passed more than three years ago .
I am 77 , and she is 75 .
We are both active and feel lucky to have found love again .
We have been a couple for seven months now .
I could find nothing about it on the internet .
Also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Could we announce an engagement without setting a wedding date ?
Should I give her an engagement ring ?
I am not experienced .
My last engagement was in 1961 .
That marriage lasted 56 years .
— IN THE DARK IN NEW MEXICO DEAR IN THE DARK : I assume you and this lady are already discussing marriage .
While you are doing that , ask her if she would like a ring and whether she would like to join you in selecting one or would prefer to be “ surprised.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentioning a wedding date , but because you have been a couple for only seven months , consider formalizing your union on the anniversary of your first meeting .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , CA 90069 .
For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person , order “ How to Be Popular.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plus check or money order for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Popularity Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: My husband’s nephew passed away last week. He was only 26, and it was a complete shock. No one realized he was using drugs. My husband is attending the funeral (a nine-hour drive) and will be gone for four days. We have two children, ages 7 and 9, and because of the pandemic, we’ve decided I will stay home with them.
I’m writing to you because my husband doesn’t want to tell our kids that their cousin has died — ever. We don’t see his family often — maybe once every few years — but the kids remember their cousin, and I’m sure they will ask about him next time we visit.
I think we need to tell them, but he is adamant they never know. Should I fill them in while he’s gone or wait until he’s ready to break the news? — FORTHCOMING IN MAINE
DEAR FORTHCOMING: I do not recommend going behind your husband’s back with a parenting decision like this one. He may be trying to shield the children from the reality that not only old people but also young people are mortal.
When he returns, approach the kids together, and in an age-appropriate manner, explain to them separately what happened. Many young people experiment with drugs because they think that addiction and death won’t happen to them. Knowing what happened to their cousin could ensure it won’t happen to either of them.
DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship with a guy for a year and a half. We don’t live together. During the pandemic, his regular job shut down. He finally got another job and bought lawn equipment to keep in my shed.
His behavior has changed, Abby. I haven’t heard from him in weeks. He says men don’t call women anymore, and if I want to talk to him, I should call him. How do you know if you are in a relationship if there’s no communication? Plus, he gets irritated when I bring it up. — NOT RIGHT IN THE EAST
DEAR NOT RIGHT: When someone’s behavior suddenly changes, there is usually a reason. What that reason may be, I can’t guess and neither can you. The dynamic in your relationship with this person is definitely different.
Call him and ask him if his feelings for you have changed. It may be that he is depressed. It may also be he now has a job and is busy. That he becomes irritated when you have tried to raise the subject tells me he is defensive. And that’s a red flag.
DEAR ABBY: Is it OK for 70-year-olds to get engaged? Both of us are widowed after long marriages. My wife died two years ago. Her husband passed more than three years ago. I am 77, and she is 75. We are both active and feel lucky to have found love again. We have been a couple for seven months now. I could find nothing about it on the internet.
Also, how long should we be engaged? Could we announce an engagement without setting a wedding date? Should I give her an engagement ring? I am not experienced. My last engagement was in 1961. That marriage lasted 56 years. — IN THE DARK IN NEW MEXICO
DEAR IN THE DARK: I assume you and this lady are already discussing marriage. While you are doing that, ask her if she would like a ring and whether she would like to join you in selecting one or would prefer to be “surprised.” You can announce an engagement without mentioning a wedding date, but because you have been a couple for only seven months, consider formalizing your union on the anniversary of your first meeting.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order “How to Be Popular.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Stacy Oliver, a luminous personality whose encouragement gave people a boost, dead at 52

She ’ s been doing the same thing in death .
She wrote her own obituary , a life-affirming reminder to those she left behind .
“ I ’ m not telling you what to do , ” the Skokie woman wrote , “ but I am telling you what to do .
Stop worrying about your weight , go live , be , do .
Smile , people don ’ t get to feel them enough .
Enjoy the moment , it might not come again .
If you want to do it give something a try , try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Take it from me , I ’ m dead .
Eat the danish , go to the show , laugh out loud .
Love one another and you ’ ll never know what you ’ ll find.
” Mrs. Oliver , a gifted writer , singer , improviser , jewelry-maker , stylist , decorator , baker and an aficionado of red hair and even redder lipstick , died Sunday at 52 of multiple system atrophy , a degenerative neurological disease , according to her husband Jeff .
“ She was always so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , funny , ” he said .
but MSA “ took everything from her , her ability to use her hands , legs , to speak.
” He said that , when she started needing to use a communication board that tracked her eye movements to spell words , “ I think her favorite phrase to me was , ‘ You ’ re fired.
’ ’ “ We used to kind of crack each other up.
” He operated Riverbend recording studio and used to work in information technology .
But he went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ so I ’ d know enough to help Stacy and understand what the doctors were going to do.
” He stopped working about 18 months ago after a difficult conversation with her doctor .
“ He said to me , ‘ If you can , now ’ s the time to leave what you ’ re doing and be with her.
’ ” She saluted him in the obituary she wrote .
“ While I ’ m on the topic of love and fun , ” she said , “ I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 1999 , truly my best friend and the love of my life .
He ’ s kind , likes a pun , has a super-distinctive laugh ( he gets his giggle on every morning watching funny shows ) , and is so handsome ( he grew his beard for me before we were married and always kept it . )
He ’ d take me anywhere I wanted to go and went to all the events I planned .
I was real with him and forever grateful that he shared his life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urge each other on to new experiences , citing the overachieving Max Fischer character played by Jason Schwartzman in Wes Anderson ’ s 1998 movie “ Rushmore.
” “ We used to say to each other , ‘ Be Max Fischer !
’ ” Jeff Oliver said .
She grew up Stacy Patinkin in West Rogers Park , where she went to Boone grade school and Mather High School .
Her mother Fern Siegel was a teacher and counselor for children with learning differences , her husband said .
“ She grew up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ Her mother was very positive to her.
” As a result , Stacy “ had a way of making people see how special they were.
” She studied at Second City and performed at the New York comedy club Catch a Rising Star .
She sang onstage in Chicago at Buddy Guy ’ s Legends and in the chorus in the Lyric Opera ’ s 1996 production of “ Un Re in Ascolto.
” She also worked at Henri Bendel ’ s on Michigan Avenue , where she gloried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and jewelry , and her customers included Maya Angelou and Harrison Ford .
As Mrs. Oliver wrote : “ I ’ ve done improv , worked at Henri Bendel when it was here , sang in clubs and cabarets , and for 21 years worked at Northwestern University .
In-between for fun I made beaded jewelry , belly-danced and hula-danced , sewed , baked , did some gardening , loved participating at my Temple Beth Israel , and enjoyed plays and musicals.
” She got a journalism degree at the University of Illinois @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of her career , she worked as assistant director of Northwestern ’ s Center for the Writing Arts , helping organize panels and events featuring journalists , novelists and songwriters .
It wasn ’ t in her job description , but she also had a knack for helping people believe in themselves .
Gina DiNunzio , now a nurse-practioner , was a teenager when Mrs. Oliver became friends with her aunt Gina Berardesco and started coming to the family ’ s Jersey Shore vacations on Long Beach Island .
“ She became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DiNunzio said .
When DiNunzio fumbled for confidence , Mrs. Oliver encouraged her , she wrote on Facebook : “ She had me believing that I was the most beautiful , smart , funny and interesting creature on this planet , and I think we all need people in our lives like that.
” When Oriana Schwindt was studying at Northwestern , Mrs. Oliver was her work-study adviser .
About a decade ago , after a move to New York and a breakup , Schwindt said she was feeling down when Mrs. Oliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fan — invited her to volunteer at a fundraiser for her synagogue at which the Chicago band ’ s Jeff Tweedy would appear .
From a few feet away , “ I got to see Jeff Tweedy warm up , ” Schwindt said .
“ I got to just be there .
That was a huge deal to me .
“ She was the most radically kind person that I have ever met in real life , ” Schwindt , who ’ s about to move to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem you had , she was just buoying you up , ” said Liz Conant , a musician .
After a phone call with her , “ You felt , ‘ Oh , I ’ ve got a game plan.
’ ’ ’ “ She took this theater background she had , ” said Emily Miller , a University of Illinois professor , “ and parlayed it into promoting everybody around her.
” Mrs. Oliver ’ s health began to falter about 12 years ago when she was diagnosed with several autoimmune issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writing columns for IG Living , a magazine for people undergoing immunoglobulin therapy .
The MSA diagnosis came about two and a half years ago .
“ We got a nice wheelchair in September last year , but we only got to use it about 15 times because she got bed-bound , ” her husband said .
“ We went to the Chicago Botanic Garden Night of 1,000 Jack-o ’ -lanterns , and she loved that.
” When she still could talk and get around , she ’ d muster the energy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or tell them , “ You ’ re gorgeous.
” She once got to hold a sloth and was enchanted .
Friends started bringing her stuffed sloths .
Soon , she had a sloth clock and pillow .
“ Because she was slowing down , she kind of embraced that , ” her husband said , “ and we have sloths everywhere.
” Before she was buried Tuesday , a photo of her beloved pit bull Lulu was placed over Mrs. Oliver ’ s heart .
She also left behind her pit bull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retriever named Buford that she got to comfort her husband when she was gone .
“ She didn ’ t want me to be alone and to have more love in my life , ” he said .
“ It ’ s been a different relationship for the last year but still lovely — to know that amount of sunshine , how it feels so warm on your face .
”

Stacy Oliver made people feel good about themselves.
She’s been doing the same thing in death. She wrote her own obituary, a life-affirming reminder to those she left behind.
“I’m not telling you what to do,” the Skokie woman wrote, “but I am telling you what to do. Stop worrying about your weight, go live, be, do. Smile, people don’t get to feel them enough. Enjoy the moment, it might not come again. If you want to do it give something a try, try it, taste it, go there. Take it from me, I’m dead. Eat the danish, go to the show, laugh out loud. Love one another and you’ll never know what you’ll find.”
Mrs. Oliver, a gifted writer, singer, improviser, jewelry-maker, stylist, decorator, baker and an aficionado of red hair and even redder lipstick, died Sunday at 52 of multiple system atrophy, a degenerative neurological disease, according to her husband Jeff.
“She was always so full of life, bubbly, effusive, funny,” he said. but MSA “took everything from her, her ability to use her hands, legs, to speak.”
He said that, when she started needing to use a communication board that tracked her eye movements to spell words, “I think her favorite phrase to me was, ‘You’re fired.’ ’
“We used to kind of crack each other up.”
Stacy and Jeff Oliver when they got engaged. Duron Studio Photography
He operated Riverbend recording studio and used to work in information technology. But he went back to school to study nursing, “so I’d know enough to help Stacy and understand what the doctors were going to do.”
He stopped working about 18 months ago after a difficult conversation with her doctor. “He said to me, ‘If you can, now’s the time to leave what you’re doing and be with her.’ ”
She saluted him in the obituary she wrote.
“While I’m on the topic of love and fun,” she said, “I was lucky enough to marry Jeff October 9, 1999, truly my best friend and the love of my life. He’s kind, likes a pun, has a super-distinctive laugh (he gets his giggle on every morning watching funny shows), and is so handsome (he grew his beard for me before we were married and always kept it.) He’d take me anywhere I wanted to go and went to all the events I planned. I was real with him and forever grateful that he shared his life with me.”
They’d kiddingly urge each other on to new experiences, citing the overachieving Max Fischer character played by Jason Schwartzman in Wes Anderson’s 1998 movie “Rushmore.”
“We used to say to each other, ‘Be Max Fischer!’ ” Jeff Oliver said.
She grew up Stacy Patinkin in West Rogers Park, where she went to Boone grade school and Mather High School. Her mother Fern Siegel was a teacher and counselor for children with learning differences, her husband said.
“She grew up with a great self image,” he said. “Her mother was very positive to her.”
As a result, Stacy “had a way of making people see how special they were.”
She studied at Second City and performed at the New York comedy club Catch a Rising Star. She sang onstage in Chicago at Buddy Guy’s Legends and in the chorus in the Lyric Opera’s 1996 production of “Un Re in Ascolto.”
She also worked at Henri Bendel’s on Michigan Avenue, where she gloried in being surrounded by makeup, scarves and jewelry, and her customers included Maya Angelou and Harrison Ford.
As Mrs. Oliver wrote: “I’ve done improv, worked at Henri Bendel when it was here, sang in clubs and cabarets, and for 21 years worked at Northwestern University. In-between for fun I made beaded jewelry, belly-danced and hula-danced, sewed, baked, did some gardening, loved participating at my Temple Beth Israel, and enjoyed plays and musicals.”
She got a journalism degree at the University of Illinois. For the last 20 or so years of her career, she worked as assistant director of Northwestern’s Center for the Writing Arts, helping organize panels and events featuring journalists, novelists and songwriters.
It wasn’t in her job description, but she also had a knack for helping people believe in themselves.
Gina DiNunzio, now a nurse-practioner, was a teenager when Mrs. Oliver became friends with her aunt Gina Berardesco and started coming to the family’s Jersey Shore vacations on Long Beach Island. “She became like another aunt to me,” DiNunzio said.
When DiNunzio fumbled for confidence, Mrs. Oliver encouraged her, she wrote on Facebook: “She had me believing that I was the most beautiful, smart, funny and interesting creature on this planet, and I think we all need people in our lives like that.”
When Oriana Schwindt was studying at Northwestern, Mrs. Oliver was her work-study adviser. About a decade ago, after a move to New York and a breakup, Schwindt said she was feeling down when Mrs. Oliver — knowing she was a big Wilco fan — invited her to volunteer at a fundraiser for her synagogue at which the Chicago band’s Jeff Tweedy would appear.
From a few feet away, “I got to see Jeff Tweedy warm up,” Schwindt said. “I got to just be there. That was a huge deal to me.
“She was the most radically kind person that I have ever met in real life,” Schwindt, who’s about to move to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting, said of Mrs. Oliver.
“Whatever problem you had, she was just buoying you up,” said Liz Conant, a musician. After a phone call with her, “You felt, ‘Oh, I’ve got a game plan.’ ’’
“She took this theater background she had,” said Emily Miller, a University of Illinois professor, “and parlayed it into promoting everybody around her.”
Stacy Oliver and her beloved dog Lulu, who died this year. When illness made her unsteady on her feet, she fell, dropping the dog’s leash. Instead of running off, “Lulu spread her legs out like a table and let Stacy pull herself up,” her husband said. Tracy Germaine Sullivan / V House Photography
Mrs. Oliver’s health began to falter about 12 years ago when she was diagnosed with several autoimmune issues. She started receiving plasma treatments and writing columns for IG Living, a magazine for people undergoing immunoglobulin therapy.
The MSA diagnosis came about two and a half years ago.
“We got a nice wheelchair in September last year, but we only got to use it about 15 times because she got bed-bound,” her husband said. “We went to the Chicago Botanic Garden Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-lanterns, and she loved that.”
As illness forced her to slow down, Stacy Oliver felt a kinship with sloths and started collecting their likeness. Provided
When she still could talk and get around, she’d muster the energy to find a friend a colorful new scarf or tell them, “You’re gorgeous.”
She once got to hold a sloth and was enchanted. Friends started bringing her stuffed sloths. Soon, she had a sloth clock and pillow. “Because she was slowing down, she kind of embraced that,” her husband said, “and we have sloths everywhere.”
Before she was buried Tuesday, a photo of her beloved pit bull Lulu was placed over Mrs. Oliver’s heart.
She also left behind her pit bull Tootsie and a new dog, a retriever named Buford that she got to comfort her husband when she was gone.
“She didn’t want me to be alone and to have more love in my life,” he said.
“It’s been a different relationship for the last year but still lovely — to know that amount of sunshine, how it feels so warm on your face.”


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Ex-Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club boss Orvie Cochran: 16 years on the lam was a ‘terrible time’

In his 16 years on the run , there were stories going around that former Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club boss Orville “ Orvie ” Cochran was living the good life , flush with cash from crime and hidden by a network of sympathizers of the notorious biker gang .
But Cochran ’ s time on the lam actually was kind of bleak , as his lawyer described it in a court filing that offers the first glimpse into what Cochran was up to from the time he took off in 2001 until his capture in 2017 — when he got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Meijer store in Evergreen Park .
“ During these long years separated from anyone who ever knew or cared about him , he managed to get by doing landscaping , home repair or any kind of fix-it work that might generate some cash and maybe a bed to sleep in , ” attorney John W. Campion wrote to a judge before Cochran was sentenced in 2019 to five years in federal prison .
“ He spent his time in the Chicago area during warmer months and then in Arizona during winters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment or monitoring , and his health deteriorated .
Toward the end of this terrible time , he often needed to lay flat for long periods to try to calm his racing , arrhythmic heart.
” “ For 16 years he had no contact ” with his fiancée or “ his mother , who died shortly after he ran , or his ex-wife and three children , ” Campion wrote .
“ He feared that any contact would put those people in peril and could get him caught .
During this time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now 70 and being held at a federal prison hospital in Rochester , Minnesota , that isn ’ t allowing interviews with inmates because of the coronavirus pandemic , Cochran believes his arrest “ was about the best thing that could happen to him , ” his lawyer wrote .
“ He suspects he may not have lived much longer without medical intervention.
” Beside heart problems , he was treated after his arrest for “ depression and anxiety ” and had other medical issues including a hernia , “ high blood pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tinnitus , bursitis , blood clots , bronchitis , ” according to court records .
Exactly where he spent his time on the lam isn ’ t spelled out in the court records .
Nor is whether Cochran , who pleaded guilty , cooperated with authorities .
Cochran ’ s fiancée , who lives on the South Side and asked not to be named , said , “ Nobody knows what he was doing .
.
.
and nobody really cares.
” She said she had been talking regularly with Cochran by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic changed that .
Now , “ there ’ s absolutely no communication , ” she said .
He had taken off in response to a racketeering indictment in 2001 .
“ Cochran saw what he thought was writing on the wall , ” his lawyer wrote .
“ He panicked and fled.
” Cochran and five other Outlaws were charged in the case , which accused members of the motorcycle gang in Illinois and Wisconsin of involvement in the 1990s in bombings , drug dealing and the killings of two members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cochran ’ s co-defendants all were convicted and have served their prison sentences .
Cochran pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy to assault and murder rival bikers , and prosecutors dropped the other charges against him .
Cochran could have faced a sentence of as much 20 years in prison and a fine of $ 250,000 .
But his lawyers and federal prosecutors in Milwaukee , where the case was handled , agreed to recommend no fine and 60 months in prison , and that ’ s the sentence a judge imposed last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge in the case in which he cited “ Cochran ’ s difficult and lost years on the run , ” Campion also wrote , “ This joint recommendation is the product of much back-and-forth discussion between Cochran and his counsel and a team of lawyers from the United States attorney ’ s office ” that “ produced an agreement that obviated the need for a trial and its attendant significant consumption of resources on all sides.
” Cochran ’ s lawyer wrote that the former biker boss actually had left the Outlaws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court records indicate Cochran has no plans to return to the biker gang lifestyle , known for crime , partying , brawling and open-road trips on Harley-Davidsons .
His time with the Outlaws is “ long over with , ” Campion wrote .
He also offered some history , explaining how Cochran got involved with the Outlaws : “ He joined the club in the late 1980s after he found himself unmoored and approaching his 40s .
He had just gotten divorced after 17 years of marriage .
And somewhat peevishly , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Outlaws “ had always been a presence in his life in the southwest Chicago suburbs .
His brother , 10 years older , had many OMC friends who often came to the house when Cochran was a teenager .
To a young Orville Cochran , these larger-than-life figures seemed to ride the best bikes , draw the most respect , get the attention from the prettiest girls and live the high life .
“ Adrift and entering his middle ages , he reached out for that childhood image and probated with the Southside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and his world changed.
” In time , he came to run the Outlaws ’ South Side chapter — the club has affiliates around the world , but the South Side chapter is considered the original .
The early years with the Outlaws were “ a self-indulgent ride on the OMC patch of partying and camaraderie , often living for free , ” Campion wrote .
But in the 1990s , Campion wrote , “ with the national struggle for territory and power between OMC and the Hells Angels growing .
.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” In a separate letter from Cochran to the judge , he wrote that “ personally I did not hurt anyone , ” though he said , “ I was with people who did , and for that I do sincerely apologize , for all the anguish it cause the victims and their families.
” Beyond the federal case , the Cook County sheriff ’ s police consider Cochran a suspect in the unsolved 1999 killing of another Outlaws member , Thomas “ West Side Tommy ” Stimac , in Lemont Township .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 arrest to no avail .
In his letter , Cochran said his religious faith played a part in his leadership of the Outlaws .
“ My strong Catholic upbringing carried over as my time as president of the south side Chicago chapter .
Everyone had to have a legitimate job , if you did not , I would get you one .
This was not a chapter to further one ’ s criminal career.
” Cochran told the judge he planned to study and read while in prison , from which it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released next year .
“ If prison is my fate I will continue my education , ” he wrote .
“ For I am a ferocious reader and my hobby is studying the natural sciences of applied physics and geology , in my leisure time .
However I will prioritize accounting and marketing .
This to ensure my fiancée has a competitive edge with her business ” — grooming dogs — “ that she started in my absence .
”

In his 16 years on the run, there were stories going around that former Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club boss Orville “Orvie” Cochran was living the good life, flush with cash from crime and hidden by a network of sympathizers of the notorious biker gang.
But Cochran’s time on the lam actually was kind of bleak, as his lawyer described it in a court filing that offers the first glimpse into what Cochran was up to from the time he took off in 2001 until his capture in 2017 — when he got busted for shoplifting a back brace from a Meijer store in Evergreen Park.
“During these long years separated from anyone who ever knew or cared about him, he managed to get by doing landscaping, home repair or any kind of fix-it work that might generate some cash and maybe a bed to sleep in,” attorney John W. Campion wrote to a judge before Cochran was sentenced in 2019 to five years in federal prison.
“He spent his time in the Chicago area during warmer months and then in Arizona during winters. During those years he received no medical treatment or monitoring, and his health deteriorated. Toward the end of this terrible time, he often needed to lay flat for long periods to try to calm his racing, arrhythmic heart.”
“For 16 years he had no contact” with his fiancée or “his mother, who died shortly after he ran, or his ex-wife and three children,” Campion wrote. “He feared that any contact would put those people in peril and could get him caught. During this time, his two sons would also die.”
Now 70 and being held at a federal prison hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, that isn’t allowing interviews with inmates because of the coronavirus pandemic, Cochran believes his arrest “was about the best thing that could happen to him,” his lawyer wrote. “He suspects he may not have lived much longer without medical intervention.”
Beside heart problems, he was treated after his arrest for “depression and anxiety” and had other medical issues including a hernia, “high blood pressure, acid reflux, chronic back pain, tinnitus, bursitis, blood clots, bronchitis,” according to court records.
Exactly where he spent his time on the lam isn’t spelled out in the court records. Neither is whether Cochran, who pleaded guilty, cooperated with authorities.
Campion wouldn’t comment.
Cochran’s fiancée, who lives on the South Side and asked not to be named, said, “Nobody knows what he was doing . . . and nobody really cares.”
She said she had been talking regularly with Cochran by phone after his arrest but that the pandemic changed that. Now, “there’s absolutely no communication,” she said.
He had taken off in response to a racketeering indictment in 2001.
“Cochran saw what he thought was writing on the wall,” his lawyer wrote. “He panicked and fled.”
Former South Side Outlaws boss Orville Cochran, shown years before he fled in the wake of a federal indictment. Provided
Cochran and five other Outlaws were charged in the case, which accused members of the motorcycle gang in Illinois and Wisconsin of involvement in the 1990s in bombings, drug dealing and the killings of two members of the rival Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
Cochran’s co-defendants all were convicted and have served their prison sentences.
Cochran pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy to assault and murder rival bikers, and prosecutors dropped the other charges against him.
Cochran could have faced a sentence of as much 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. But his lawyers and federal prosecutors in Milwaukee, where the case was handled, agreed to recommend no fine and 60 months in prison, and that’s the sentence a judge imposed last year.
The U.S. attorney’s office didn’t return calls.
In his filing with the judge in the case in which he cited “Cochran’s difficult and lost years on the run,” Campion also wrote, “This joint recommendation is the product of much back-and-forth discussion between Cochran and his counsel and a team of lawyers from the United States attorney’s office” that “produced an agreement that obviated the need for a trial and its attendant significant consumption of resources on all sides.”
The wanted poster when Orville Cochran was on the run. U.S. Marshals Service
Cochran’s lawyer wrote that the former biker boss actually had left the Outlaws a year before his indictment. And court records indicate Cochran has no plans to return to the biker gang lifestyle, known for crime, partying, brawling and open-road trips on Harley-Davidsons.
His time with the Outlaws is “long over with,” Campion wrote.
He also offered some history, explaining how Cochran got involved with the Outlaws: “He joined the club in the late 1980s after he found himself unmoored and approaching his 40s. He had just gotten divorced after 17 years of marriage. And somewhat peevishly, he had quit a good job.”
The Outlaws “had always been a presence in his life in the southwest Chicago suburbs. His brother, 10 years older, had many OMC friends who often came to the house when Cochran was a teenager. To a young Orville Cochran, these larger-than-life figures seemed to ride the best bikes, draw the most respect, get the attention from the prettiest girls and live the high life.
“Adrift and entering his middle ages, he reached out for that childhood image and probated with the Southside Chapter. He was soon a member, and his world changed.”
In time, he came to run the Outlaws’ South Side chapter — the club has affiliates around the world, but the South Side chapter is considered the original.
The early years with the Outlaws were “a self-indulgent ride on the OMC patch of partying and camaraderie, often living for free,” Campion wrote.
The federal prison facility in Rochester, Minnesota, where former Chicago Outlaws boss Orville Cochran is being held. He’s likely to be released next year. U.S. Bureau of Prisons
But in the 1990s, Campion wrote, “with the national struggle for territory and power between OMC and the Hells Angels growing . . . things went to the dark side.”
In a separate letter from Cochran to the judge, he wrote that “personally I did not hurt anyone,” though he said, “I was with people who did, and for that I do sincerely apologize, for all the anguish it cause the victims and their families.”
Beyond the federal case, the Cook County sheriff’s police consider Cochran a suspect in the unsolved 1999 killing of another Outlaws member, Thomas “West Side Tommy” Stimac, in Lemont Township. Investigators tried to question him after his 2017 arrest to no avail.
A portion of Orville Cochran’s letter, submitted Dec. 31, 2018, to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in Milwaukee.
In his letter, Cochran said his religious faith played a part in his leadership of the Outlaws.
“My strong Catholic upbringing carried over as my time as president of the south side Chicago chapter. Everyone had to have a legitimate job, if you did not, I would get you one. This was not a chapter to further one’s criminal career.”
Cochran told the judge he planned to study and read while in prison, from which it’s likely he’ll be released next year.
“If prison is my fate I will continue my education,” he wrote. “For I am a ferocious reader and my hobby is studying the natural sciences of applied physics and geology, in my leisure time. However I will prioritize accounting and marketing. This to ensure my fiancée has a competitive edge with her business” — grooming dogs — “that she started in my absence.”


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Push to unseat Judge Michael Toomin is nothing but an unsupported hit led by Toni Preckwinkle’s Cook

Push to unseat Judge Michael Toomin is nothing but an unsupported hit led by Toni Preckwinkle’s Cook County Dems

I ’ ve never seen anything quite like the character assassination campaign that ’ s being waged against Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin .
Using misinformation , half-truths and outright whoppers , the Cook County Democratic Party and a hit team of “ advocates ” are teaming up in an effort to remove Toomin from the bench .
I ’ d be the first to attest that there are plenty of judges who don ’ t deserve to wear the robe .
But Toomin is not one of them .
In fact , during a 40-year career on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reputation as one of the best , most thoughtful judges in the system , someone who knows the law and follows it without fear or favor .
For the past 10 years , Toomin has served as presiding judge of the Juvenile Court , where he ’ s assembled a conscientious team of judges who handle some of the most challenging cases in the court system .
Toomin is up for retention in November , and all of the major bar associations agree he deserves to be retained .
I hope you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Yes ” by his name before turning in your ballot .
But Cook County Democrats , under party chair Toni Preckwinkle , the Cook County Board president , have other ideas .
They ’ ve singled out Toomin for termination .
They are doing so primarily in retaliation for Toomin embarrassing State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx by appointing a special prosecutor to reopen the botched Jussie Smollett investigation .
The special prosecutor , former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb , further embarrassed Foxx by re-indicting Smollett and issuing a report that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ botched the investigation .
By happy coincidence , the Democrats have been joined in their campaign against Toomin by the Judicial Accountability PAC , which made its bones in local politics two years ago by helping take out Judge Matthew Coghlan in its first such alliance with the party .
Brendan Shiller , son of former Ald .
Helen Shiller , runs the group , which conducted a lengthy process of its own before deciding to target Toomin .
I accept that Toomin indeed has enemies and detractors beyond the political ones .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ group did not allow Toomin to respond to the allegations against him .
In another coincidence , someone convinced the influential and respected Chicago Council of Lawyers to blackball Toomin this year , too .
Unlike the Judicial Accountability PAC , though , the lawyers council ’ s procedures required it to inform Toomin of its preliminary finding and offer him an opportunity to appeal .
He did , correcting the misinformation that had been used to smear him , and the council reversed its finding before publishing its ratings .
Rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its allies in the Coalition to Toss Toomin , let ’ s focus on the “ evidence ” they ’ ve put forward to justify their attacks .
One of the main complaints is that Toomin wrote an opinion overturning a Preckwinkle-backed county ordinance that sought to prevent children under 13 from being placed in juvenile detention .
Toomin ruled that the ordinance exceeded the county ’ s home-rule powers because it was trumped by a state law that allows children as young as 10 to be locked up .
The Illinois Appellate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take the case , which settled the matter from a legal perspective .
I ’ ve never heard of lawyers personally attacking a judge on the basis of a ruling that was found by higher courts to be proper and lawful just because they didn ’ t like it .
But that ’ s what ’ s happening here .
Toomin ’ s ruling arose from a pair of cases in which judges in his division decided to detain 12-year-old boys facing serious charges who previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The judge ’ s detractors have spun this into a narrative that Toomin is a racist who doesn ’ t care about Black and Latino youth .
Something they don ’ t mention : The two judges who made the initial rulings to lock up the boys were African American women .
They believed it wasn ’ t smart to just send the boys back home again .
In his findings , Toomin offered a reasoned and heartfelt explanation for why judges , on rare occasions , would find it necessary to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed out the county had not provided the juvenile court with any viable alternatives for handling such situations .
Toomin and his judges have an idea about that , which relates to the next accusation against him — that he “ singlehandedly ” blocked the county ’ s participation in Redeploy Illinois , a program that funds alternatives to incarceration .
It ’ s true the Juvenile Court has been unable to come to an agreement with Redeploy .
But Judge Terrence Sharkey , who has served in the juvenile division longer than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s tenure .
The problem , Sharkey said , relates to the organization ’ s requirement that the county reduce the number of offenders put into the state ’ s juvenile jail system by 25 % — or give back the grant money .
Sharkey said Cook County judges , who over the past two decades have drastically reduced the number of juveniles placed in detention , did not think they could responsibly make that commitment .
Under Toomin , they suggested that Redeploy fund creation of a respite center — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offenders from their home neighborhoods and be provided with educational and rehabilitative services — as an alternative to sending them to a state youth center .
Redeploy rejected the idea .
It seems a shame the two sides can ’ t get together .
But I don ’ t see how you can blame one person for that .
Another count in the social media indictment against Toomin is that he callously blocked efforts to release young people being held in the county ’ s juvenile detention center during the early days of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not true .
After examining the evidence , even the Democratic Party ’ s hatchet crew backed off that accusation .
But it keeps getting repeated .
Both the public defender ’ s office and the state ’ s attorney ’ s office submitted detailed explanations of how Toomin worked closely with their offices to release as many youths as possible from the detention center in an effort to protect from the spread of the coronavirus .
As I said , I ’ ve never seen anything like the misplaced hit job on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to again .

I’ve never seen anything quite like the character assassination campaign that’s being waged against Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin.
Using misinformation, half-truths and outright whoppers, the Cook County Democratic Party and a hit team of “advocates” are teaming up in an effort to remove Toomin from the bench.
I’d be the first to attest that there are plenty of judges who don’t deserve to wear the robe. But Toomin is not one of them.
In fact, during a 40-year career on the bench, he’s earned a reputation as one of the best, most thoughtful judges in the system, someone who knows the law and follows it without fear or favor.
For the past 10 years, Toomin has served as presiding judge of the Juvenile Court, where he’s assembled a conscientious team of judges who handle some of the most challenging cases in the court system.
Opinion bug Opinion
Toomin is up for retention in November, and all of the major bar associations agree he deserves to be retained. I hope you’ll take a second to mark the “Yes” by his name before turning in your ballot.
But Cook County Democrats, under party chair Toni Preckwinkle, the Cook County Board president, have other ideas. They’ve singled out Toomin for termination.
They are doing so primarily in retaliation for Toomin embarrassing State’s Attorney Kim Foxx by appointing a special prosecutor to reopen the botched Jussie Smollett investigation. The special prosecutor, former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, further embarrassed Foxx by re-indicting Smollett and issuing a report that, surprise, said Foxx and her office botched the investigation.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times file
By happy coincidence, the Democrats have been joined in their campaign against Toomin by the Judicial Accountability PAC, which made its bones in local politics two years ago by helping take out Judge Matthew Coghlan in its first such alliance with the party.
Brendan Shiller, son of former Ald. Helen Shiller, runs the group, which conducted a lengthy process of its own before deciding to target Toomin.
I accept that Toomin indeed has enemies and detractors beyond the political ones. Notably, though, Shiller’s group did not allow Toomin to respond to the allegations against him.
In another coincidence, someone convinced the influential and respected Chicago Council of Lawyers to blackball Toomin this year, too.
Unlike the Judicial Accountability PAC, though, the lawyers council’s procedures required it to inform Toomin of its preliminary finding and offer him an opportunity to appeal. He did, correcting the misinformation that had been used to smear him, and the council reversed its finding before publishing its ratings.
Rather than repeat the over-the-top slanders from JAPAC and its allies in the Coalition to Toss Toomin, let’s focus on the “evidence” they’ve put forward to justify their attacks.
One of the main complaints is that Toomin wrote an opinion overturning a Preckwinkle-backed county ordinance that sought to prevent children under 13 from being placed in juvenile detention. Toomin ruled that the ordinance exceeded the county’s home-rule powers because it was trumped by a state law that allows children as young as 10 to be locked up.
The Illinois Appellate Court upheld Toomin’s ruling. And the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take the case, which settled the matter from a legal perspective.
I’ve never heard of lawyers personally attacking a judge on the basis of a ruling that was found by higher courts to be proper and lawful just because they didn’t like it. But that’s what’s happening here.
Toomin’s ruling arose from a pair of cases in which judges in his division decided to detain 12-year-old boys facing serious charges who previously had evaded their home electronic-monitoring devices.
The judge’s detractors have spun this into a narrative that Toomin is a racist who doesn’t care about Black and Latino youth. Something they don’t mention: The two judges who made the initial rulings to lock up the boys were African American women. They believed it wasn’t smart to just send the boys back home again.
In his findings, Toomin offered a reasoned and heartfelt explanation for why judges, on rare occasions, would find it necessary to take such an extreme step. He also pointed out the county had not provided the juvenile court with any viable alternatives for handling such situations.
Toomin and his judges have an idea about that, which relates to the next accusation against him — that he “singlehandedly” blocked the county’s participation in Redeploy Illinois, a program that funds alternatives to incarceration.
It’s true the Juvenile Court has been unable to come to an agreement with Redeploy. But Judge Terrence Sharkey, who has served in the juvenile division longer than Toomin, said the disagreement predates Toomin’s tenure.
The problem, Sharkey said, relates to the organization’s requirement that the county reduce the number of offenders put into the state’s juvenile jail system by 25% — or give back the grant money. Sharkey said Cook County judges, who over the past two decades have drastically reduced the number of juveniles placed in detention, did not think they could responsibly make that commitment.
Under Toomin, they suggested that Redeploy fund creation of a respite center — a residential setting where authorities could separate juvenile offenders from their home neighborhoods and be provided with educational and rehabilitative services — as an alternative to sending them to a state youth center. Redeploy rejected the idea.
It seems a shame the two sides can’t get together. But I don’t see how you can blame one person for that.
Another count in the social media indictment against Toomin is that he callously blocked efforts to release young people being held in the county’s juvenile detention center during the early days of the COVID-19.
That’s just not true. After examining the evidence, even the Democratic Party’s hatchet crew backed off that accusation. But it keeps getting repeated.
Both the public defender’s office and the state’s attorney’s office submitted detailed explanations of how Toomin worked closely with their offices to release as many youths as possible from the detention center in an effort to protect from the spread of the coronavirus.
As I said, I’ve never seen anything like the misplaced hit job on Toomin. And I hope never to again.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Car crashes into Englewood church

Car crashes into Englewood church

A church was damaged in a crash Friday in Englewood on the South Side .
A Chevrolet sedan was speeding @ @ @ @ @ the 1200 block of West 59th Street when the driver lost control and the car @ @ @ @ @ church , according to Chicago police .
Mt .
Sinai Missionary Baptist Church is located @ @ @ @ @ W. 59th .
The driver was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital in fair @ @ @ @ @ The building sustained structural damage , but no other injuries were reported , police said @

A church was damaged in a crash Friday in Englewood on the South Side.
A Chevrolet sedan was speeding west about 3:40 a.m. in the 1200 block of West 59th Street when the driver lost control and the car hit the side of the church, according to Chicago police.
Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church is located in that block at 1235 W. 59th.
The driver was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital in fair condition, police said.
The building sustained structural damage, but no other injuries were reported, police said.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Halas Intrigue Episode 126: Bears pull the upset

The owner thinks her lower home appraisal was skewed by her race and her neighborhood — and a recent study @ @ @ @ @ of a role in appraisals now than in 1980 .

The conversation continues in our “Halas Intrigue” Facebook group
Join experts including Patrick Finley, Mark Potash, Jason Lieser, Rick Morrissey and Rick Telander after each game to make predictions, share insights and analyze the day’s big stories. This is insight you won’t be able to get anywhere else.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Child luring attempt reported in Garfield Ridge

Police are looking for someone who tried to lure a child to a van Wednesday in Garfield Ridge on the @ @ @ @ @ was in a backyard about 2 p.m. in the 5200 block of South Mulligan Avenue @ @ @ @ @ through the alley in a white van , according to a community alert from Chicago @ @ @ @ @ later , the van drove back heading north and stopped behind the house , police @ @ @ @ @ for the girl to come to the van , but drove away when she ran @ @ @ @ @ suspect was described as a male with curly hair who may have been wearing a @ @ @ @ @ .
Police released a surveillance photo of the van and are asking anyone with information @ @ @ @ @ at 312-747-8380 .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides @

Police are looking for someone who tried to lure a child to a van Wednesday in Garfield Ridge on the Southwest Side.
The girl was in a backyard about 2 p.m. in the 5200 block of South Mulligan Avenue when the suspect drove south through the alley in a white van, according to a community alert from Chicago police.
A short time later, the van drove back heading north and stopped behind the house, police said. The suspect shouted for the girl to come to the van, but drove away when she ran into the house.
The suspect was described as a male with curly hair who may have been wearing a blue T-shirt, police said.
Police released a surveillance photo of the van and are asking anyone with information to call Area One detectives at 312-747-8380.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Bears K Cairo Santos nails game-winner, 1 year after career low

Before Cairo Santos made the game-winner Thursday night , he made one from 10 yards further out in the fourth quarter .
And that made all the difference .
“ It happened in the fourth quarter in the same direction , same wind , ” Santos said .
“ I kicked most of the night in that direction , which helps — because I didn ’ t have to do back and just rely on my pregame warmup.
” Santos made a 38-yard field goal into the north end zone to give the Bears a 20-19 lead against the Buccaneers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes earlier , he made one from 47 yards .
“ It ’ s amazing , ” he said after beating the Buccaneers , who cut him in November 2018 .
“ Sometimes it just shocks me the way careers and stories happen .
I got released last year [ by the Titans ] the fifth game of the season on a bad game and here we are with a chance to play against my former team .
“ As an athlete , you always want to have that .
I used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their former teams .
There is something special about it.
” A year ago Tuesday , he was cut for missing four field goals .
Thursday night , he was the toast of a national broadcast .
“ I really wanted the opportunity , ” Santos said .
“ I felt like I was due to have something like that .
I just wanted to have a streak of games and of makes to get it going , and I knew I couldn ’ t kind of take off from there.
” Santos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bears ’ kicker .
Eddy Pineiro is still nursing a groin injury and hasn ’ t practiced with the team since early during preseason camp .
“ For him to make a 47-yard field goal , which was big , ” Bears coach Matt Nagy said .
“ And then that 37-yard field goal game winner , I think that just speaks to him as a person .
”

Before Cairo Santos made the game-winner Thursday night, he made one from 10 yards farther out in the fourth quarter. And that made all the difference.
“It happened in the fourth quarter in the same direction, same wind,” Santos said. “I kicked most of the night in that direction, which helps — because I didn’t have to do back and just rely on my pregame warmup.”
Santos made a 38-yard field goal into the north end zone to give the Bears a 20-19 lead against the Buccaneers with 1:13 to play. About nine minutes earlier, he made one from 47 yards.
“It’s amazing,” he said after beating the Buccaneers, who cut him last preseason. “Sometimes it just shocks me the way careers and stories happen. I got released last year [by the Titans] the fifth game of the season on a bad game and here we are with a chance to play against my former team.
“As an athlete, you always want to have that. I used to watch soccer players have big games against their former teams. There is something special about it.”
A year ago Tuesday, he was cut for missing four field goals. Thursday night, he was the toast of a national broadcast.
“I really wanted the opportunity,” Santos said. “I felt like I was due to have something like that. I just wanted to have a streak of games and of makes to get it going, and I knew I couldn’t kind of take off from there.”
Santos might have secured his spot as the Bears’ kicker. Eddy Pineiro is still nursing a groin injury and hasn’t practiced with the team since early during preseason camp.
“For him to make a 47-yard field goal, which was big,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “And then that 37-yard field goal game winner, I think that just speaks to him as a person.”


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Haki Madhubuti: honored worldwide except in his home state of Illinois

We hear them for a generation , then they fade into the wind .
That ’ s not the case with Haki R. Madhubuti .
Known as Don L. Lee in his youth , some might remember him as a tall , skinny .
high-yellow brother who peddled his poems on the same South Side streets where brothers sling drugs .
Many more will remember him as the dashiki-clad poet whose poems helped give birth to the Black Arts Movement , a culturual revolution that turned the South Side into a mecca for black writers and artists in the 1960s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , Madhubuti spoke on it .
the motel , from under bushes and cars , from around corners and across streets , out of garbage cans and from rat all of them was going to fire back .
His poems became more than hashtags and slogans .
Madhubuti turned Black thought into Third-World Press , the largest and oldest Black-owned publishing company in the country .
His poems became the Institute of Positive Education , New Concept School , Betty Shabazz International Charter School and the Barbara A. Sizemore Academy , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-founded .
Last month , Madhubuti , 78 , published his 15th book of poetry .
He also has published more than 30 books and contributed poetry and essays to more than 100 anthologies and journals .
“ Taught by Women — Poems as Resistance Language ” pays tribute to the women activists , poets , arts , writers who shaped him as a husband , father , activist , publisher , institution-builder and poet .
In a review by Patrick T. Reardon for Third Coast Review , the writer pointed out that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White and Black , Madhubuti remains a leading Black artistic , political , and social revolutionary — a poet who still writes for other blacks about the Black experience from deep inside the community.
” The Damage We Do so that he would not tire he sought the weakest & the smallest their heads up against refrigerators , stepping on them like roaches .
kicking them in their centers of life , all of his women was not an exception in america .
So it is particularly disheartening that , at a time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inclusiveness , this cultural and literary treasure did not make the final cut to become the next Illinois poet laureate .
There have been just three other poets to be given that title since Howard B. Austin was honored in 1936 .
Carl Sandburg served from 1962 to 1967 , Gwendolyn Brooks , the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize , held the title from 1968 to 2000 , and Bradley University professor Kevin Stein served from 2003 to 2017 .
After a search committee sifted through numerous nominations , Madhubuti @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Search Committee will select 3 finalists , based on the video responses to be submitted to the First Lady and Governor for final consideration as the next Illinois Poet Laureate , ” Madhubuti was advised in a communication from Lee LoBue , deputy chief of staff for Gov .
J.B. Pritzker .
Madhubuti was not among the three .
LoBue and the committee chair , Norah Brooks Blakely , the daughter of Gwendolyn Brooks and president of Brooks Permissions , didn ’ t return my call regarding this matter .
After so long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corner selling books out of a box to New Delhi , India , in 2006 as the only poet chosen to represent the United States at the International Valmiki World Poetry Festival — Madhubuti is understandably disappointed .
Poetry saved his life .
Through it , he has tried to save the lives of others .
You can ’ t do any better than that .

Most voices are seasonal.
We hear them for a generation, then they fade into the wind.
That’s not the case with Haki R. Madhubuti.
Known as Don L. Lee in his youth, some might remember him as a tall, skinny, high-yellow brother who peddled his poems on the same South Side streets where brothers sling drugs.
Many more will remember him as the dashiki-clad poet whose poems helped give birth to the Black Arts Movement, a cultural revolution that turned the South Side into a mecca for Black writers and artists in the 1960s.
If it was happening to Black people, Madhubuti spoke on it.
Assassination
it was wild.
the bullet hit high.
(the throat-neck)
&from everywhere:
the motel, from under bushes and cars,
from around corners and across streets,
out of garbage cans and from rat
holes
in the earth
they came running
toward the king—
all of them
fast and sure—
as if
the King
was going to fire back.
they came running,
fast and sure,
in the
wrong direction.
His poems became more than hashtags and slogans. Madhubuti turned Black thought into Third-World Press, the largest and oldest Black-owned publishing company in the country.
His poems became the Institute of Positive Education, New Concept School, Betty Shabazz International Charter School and the Barbara A. Sizemore Academy, all schools and cultural institutions he founded or co-founded.
Last month, Madhubuti, 78, published his 15th book of poetry. He also has published more than 30 books and contributed poetry and essays to more than 100 anthologies and journals.
“Taught by Women — Poems as Resistance Language” pays tribute to the female activists, poets, artists and writers who shaped him as a husband, father, activist, publisher, institution-builder and poet.
In a review by Patrick T. Reardon for Third Coast Review, the writer pointed out that, “unlike many 1960s radicals, white and Black, Madhubuti remains a leading Black artistic, political and social revolutionary — a poet who still writes for other Blacks about the Black experience from deep inside the community.”
For instance:
The Damage We Do
he loved his women
weak & small
so that he would not tire
of
beating them.
he sought the weakest & the smallest
his rage of boxing
their heads up against refrigerators,
slamming their hands in doors,
stepping on them like roaches.
kicking them in their centers of life,
all of his women
were
weak and small and sick
&he an
embarrassment to the human form
was not an exception in america.
So it is particularly disheartening that, at a time the entire country is reflecting on racial inclusiveness, this cultural and literary treasure did not make the final cut to become the next Illinois poet laureate.
There have been just three other poets to be given that title since Howard B. Austin was honored in 1936. Carl Sandburg served from 1962 to 1967, Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize, held the title from 1968 to 2000, and Bradley University professor Kevin Stein served from 2003 to 2017.
After a search committee sifted through numerous nominations, Madhubuti was among five semifinalists.
“The search committee will select three finalists, based on the video responses to be submitted to the first lady and governor for final consideration as the next Illinois poet laureate,” Madhubuti was advised in a communication from Lee LoBue, deputy chief of staff for Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Madhubuti was not among the three.
LoBue and the committee chair, Norah Brooks Blakely, the daughter of Gwendolyn Brooks and president of Brooks Permissions, didn’t return my call regarding this matter.
After so long a journey — from a 43rd Street corner selling books out of a box to New Delhi, India, in 2006, as the only poet chosen to represent the United States at the International Valmiki World Poetry Festival — Madhubuti is understandably disappointed.
Poetry saved his life. Through it, he has tried to save the lives of others.
You can’t do any better than that.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Blackhawks notebook: Many top free agents remain, but Hawks likely won’t be calling

With the five-day ‘ ‘ talking period ’ ’ between teams and other teams ’ pending free agents eliminated this year because of the delayed and condensed offseason schedule , relatively little happened once the window officially opened at 11 a.m. As a result , the vast majority of the unrestricted-free-agent class ( outside of the goaltenders ) this year remains on the market entering the weekend .
None among Alex Pietrangelo , Taylor Hall , Mike Hoffman , Evgenii Dadonov , Tyson Barrie or Tyler Toffoli had signed contracts as of Friday evening .
Among skaters , new Blues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defenseman T.J. Brodie were the biggest names to sign .
But while tracking each of their eventual landing places will be interesting , one city can be crossed off the list : Chicago .
After committing to a youth movement or a full rebuild — depending on one ’ s interpretation of general manager Stan Bowman ’ s words — the Hawks almost certainly won ’ t even sniff around that group of pricey veterans .
Bowman wasn ’ t the most active suitor for big-name free agents the last few offseasons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lehner and acquisitions of Calvin de Haan , Olli Maatta and Alex Nylander probably qualify the summer of 2019 as an active period nonetheless .
The fall of 2020 won ’ t be a repeat of that .
It remains to be seen how wholeheartedly Bowman will commit to this rebuild .
Whether players such as Brandon Saad and de Haan are traded in the coming weeks will determine that .
And after the re-signings Friday of Dominik Kubalik and Malcolm Subban , Dylan Strome is now the Hawks ’ only restricted free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect any splashy outside acquisitions to happen , even if the pickings around the league remain plentiful .
The goalie market was the one area of free agency that was busy Friday .
Henrik Lundqvist signed with the Capitals , Braden Holtby bounced to the Canucks , Jacob Markstrom shuffled to the Flames and Anton Khudobin returned to the Stars .
But Corey Crawford , after parting ways Thursday with the Hawks , hasn ’ t picked a new team yet .
The Hurricanes , Avalanche and Oilers are the three teams reportedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not do so Friday , making those the most logical landing places for Crawford moving forward .
The Hawks presumably will need to add some defensive depth , at least at the minor-league level , this month .
Veteran American Hockey League defensemen Ian McCoshen , T.J. Brennan and Joni Tuulola departed the Rockford IceHogs as free agents , and they ’ ll need some replacements .
The Hawks have only 13 defensemen under contract in the entire organization , and only five — de Haan , Duncan Keith , Connor Murphy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are older than 23 years old .
The Hawks want their many prospects to fight for vacant NHL spots next season , so they might not seek any unrestricted-free-agent defensemen looking for one-way contracts to keep those spots open .
But they should add at least a couple on two-way contracts who can be stashed in the AHL and provide injury insurance .
Hawks scouting director Mark Kelley said Tuesday the Hawks ( picking 17th ) tried to trade up with the Jets ( picking 10th ) , Predators ( 11th ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ round of the draft but weren ’ t able to come to an agreement .
‘ ‘ We were trying , but there just wasn ’ t that much interest , ’ ’ he said .
‘ ‘ The feedback I was getting was : ‘ We ’ re not interested in going that far back.
’ When that happens , then you call around and see if there ’ s any other opportunities .
When there isn ’ t , you focus on your list .
’ ’

The so-called NHL free-agent frenzy Friday lacked the frenzy.
With the five-day ‘‘talking period’’ between teams and other teams’ pending free agents eliminated this year because of the delayed and condensed offseason schedule, relatively little happened once the window officially opened at 11 a.m.
As a result, the vast majority of the unrestricted-free-agent class (outside of the goaltenders) this year remains on the market entering the weekend.
None among Alex Pietrangelo, Taylor Hall, Mike Hoffman, Evgenii Dadonov, Tyson Barrie or Tyler Toffoli had signed contracts as of Friday evening. Among skaters, new Blues defenseman Torey Krug and new Maple Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie were the biggest names to sign.
But while tracking each of their eventual landing places will be interesting, one city can be crossed off the list: Chicago.
After committing to a youth movement or a full rebuild — depending on one’s interpretation of general manager Stan Bowman’s words — the Hawks almost certainly won’t even sniff around that group of pricey veterans.
Bowman wasn’t the most active suitor for big-name free agents the last few offseasons, either, but his signing of Robin Lehner and acquisitions of Calvin de Haan, Olli Maatta and Alex Nylander probably qualify the summer of 2019 as an active period nonetheless.
The fall of 2020 won’t be a repeat of that.
It remains to be seen how wholeheartedly Bowman will commit to this rebuild. Whether players such as Brandon Saad and de Haan are traded in the coming weeks will determine that. And after the re-signings Friday of Dominik Kubalik and Malcolm Subban, Dylan Strome is now the Hawks’ only restricted free agent.
Regardless, don’t expect any splashy outside acquisitions to happen, even if the pickings around the league remain plentiful.
Crawford’s destination unknown
The goalie market was the one area of free agency that was busy Friday. Henrik Lundqvist signed with the Capitals, Braden Holtby bounced to the Canucks, Jacob Markstrom shuffled to the Flames and Anton Khudobin returned to the Stars.
But Corey Crawford, after parting ways Thursday with the Hawks, hasn’t picked a new team yet.
The Hurricanes, Avalanche and Oilers are the three teams reportedly most eager to add a goalie who did not do so Friday, making those the most logical landing places for Crawford moving forward.
Defensive depth needed
The Hawks presumably will need to add some defensive depth, at least at the minor-league level, this month.
Veteran American Hockey League defensemen Ian McCoshen, T.J. Brennan and Joni Tuulola departed the Rockford IceHogs as free agents, and they’ll need some replacements.
The Hawks have only 13 defensemen under contract in the entire organization, and only five — de Haan, Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Brent Seabrook and Nick Seeler — are older than 23 years old.
The Hawks want their many prospects to fight for vacant NHL spots next season, so they might not seek any unrestricted-free-agent defensemen looking for one-way contracts to keep those spots open. But they should add at least a couple on two-way contracts who can be stashed in the AHL and provide injury insurance.
Trade-up attempt failed
Hawks scouting director Mark Kelley said Tuesday the Hawks (picking 17th) tried to trade up with the Jets (picking 10th), Predators (11th) and Panthers (12th) during the first round of the draft but weren’t able to come to an agreement.
Bowman expounded on the situation Thursday.
‘‘We were trying, but there just wasn’t that much interest,’’ he said. ‘‘The feedback I was getting was: ‘We’re not interested in going that far back.’ When that happens, then you call around and see if there’s any other opportunities. When there isn’t, you focus on your list.’’


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Downstate Rep. Mike Bost, an Illinois Trump campaign chair, tests positive for COVID-19

Downstate Rep. Mike Bost announced Friday he ’ s tested positive for COVID-19 after coming down with “ a mild cough and a rapid loss of both taste and smell.
” The Republican congressman said in a statement that his public schedule is on hold and his meetings will go virtual as he isolates at home just a few weeks ahead of Election Day .
“ We are taking this situation seriously and will continue to serve the people of Southern Illinois while doing our best to ensure their health and safety , ” Bost said .
“ I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and am anxious to get back to work as soon as I make a full recovery.
” Bost staffers are quarantining and awaiting test results of their own .
His office is also “ beginning the process of reaching out to any constituents I ’ ve met with in recent days.
” Among his contacts was fellow GOP congressman Rep. Rodney Davis , with whom Bost appeared at a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville event on Tuesday .
Davis himself previously tested positive for the coronavirus in early August .
As a result , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ does not need to quarantine because he falls under the category of having a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in the previous 3 months .
He follows the CDC guidelines as best as he can and will continue to adhere to them.
” Bost is seeking a fourth term representing the 12th Congressional District , facing Democratic challenger Ray Lenzi .
Davis , whose 13th Congressional District spans the central-southwest portion of the state including Springfield , faces a tight race to hold on for a fifth term against Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Illinois campaign of President Donald Trump , who has routinely flouted public health guidelines while recovering from his own case of COVID-19 .

Downstate Rep. Mike Bost announced Friday he’s tested positive for COVID-19 after coming down with “a mild cough and a rapid loss of both taste and smell.”
The Republican congressman said in a statement that his public schedule is on hold and his meetings will go virtual as he isolates at home just a few weeks ahead of Election Day.
Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., and his wife, Tracy, at the White House in August to hear President Donald Trump accept the nomination during the Republican National Convention. From Facebook.
“We are taking this situation seriously and will continue to serve the people of Southern Illinois while doing our best to ensure their health and safety,” Bost said. “I will provide additional updates in the days ahead and am anxious to get back to work as soon as I make a full recovery.”
Bost staffers are quarantining and awaiting test results of their own. His office is also “beginning the process of reaching out to any constituents I’ve met with in recent days.”
Among his contacts was fellow GOP congressman Rep. Rodney Davis, with whom Bost appeared at a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville event on Tuesday.
Davis himself previously tested positive for the coronavirus in early August. As a result, a spokesman for Davis said the congressman “does not need to quarantine because he falls under the category of having a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in the previous 3 months. He follows the CDC guidelines as best as he can and will continue to adhere to them.”
Republican Rep. Rodney Davis at the Illinois State Fair last year. Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP file
Bost is seeking a fourth term representing the 12th Congressional District, facing Democratic challenger Ray Lenzi. Davis, whose 13th Congressional District spans the central-southwest portion of the state including Springfield, faces a tight race to hold on for a fifth term against Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.
Both Bost and Davis are honorary chairs of the Illinois campaign of President Donald Trump, who has routinely flouted public health guidelines while recovering from his own case of COVID-19.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Annual Chicago Christmas tree contest is underway

The city of Chicago is getting into the holiday spirit in a big way .
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events ( DCASE ) on Friday announced the annual search for the massive tree to grace Millennium Park and serve as the City ’ s 107th “ official ” Christmas tree .
Nominations must come from a Chicago-area location and are being accepted at at dcase @ cityofchicago.org through Oct. 23 .
The tree will be set up in Millennium Park near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Washington Street .
Nominated trees must meet the following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feet or taller ; • be located less than 50 miles from Chicago ’ s Loop ( preference will be given to trees within 15 miles of Chicago ) • preferably a Norway Spruce or Fir ( pine trees are ineligible , as they are not sturdy enough ) All submissions must include the owner ( s ) name , address , phone and email ; a brief description of why the tree should be Chicago ’ s official Christmas tree including any background information on the tree that makes it special ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tree .
( one from afar and one up-close ) Details on the official tree lighting will be announced at a later date .
Complete rules and information can be found at MillenniumPark.org .

The city of Chicago is getting into the holiday spirit in a big way.
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events on Friday announced the annual search for the massive tree to grace Millennium Park and serve as the City’s 107th “official” Christmas tree.
Nominations must come from a Chicago-area location and are being accepted at at dcase@cityofchicago.org through Oct. 23.
The tree will be set up in Millennium Park near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Washington Street.
Nominated trees must meet the following specifications:
Be at least 45 feet tall.
Be located less than 50 miles from Chicago’s Loop, with preference given to trees within 15 miles of Chicago.
Preferably be a Norway Spruce or Fir; pine trees are ineligible, as they are not sturdy enough.
All submissions must include the owner(s) name, address, phone and email; a brief description of why the tree should be Chicago’s official Christmas tree, including any information about what makes the tree special; and at least two photographs of the tree — one from afar, one up-close.
Details on the official tree lighting will be announced at a later date.
Complete rules and information can be found at MillenniumPark.org.


chicagosun-times--2020-10-09--Looking pretty good so far, Bears. Please keep it going until this awful year ends

In Chicago sports , this has been the Year of Living Semi-Dangerously .
It was the case with the White Sox , who were menacing enough to throw real scares into most opponents — until the time came to fade down the stretch , as young teams often do , and then to be bounced from the playoffs by the grittier , more experienced Athletics .
We saw it with the Cubs , too , who were good enough to lead their division essentially wire to wire — even though it eventually became as unignorable as a mischief of skittering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We even caught a whiff of it with the Blackhawks , who — though history might remember it as thoroughly undeserved — reached the expanded Stanley Cup playoffs as the Western Conference ’ s No .
12 seed and even upset the Oilers in a best-of-five .
The Sox , Cubs and Hawks weren ’ t good enough to make serious runs at ultimate glory .
We know this because the teams that ended their seasons — the A ’ s , Marlins and Golden Knights , respectively — were knocked out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least our guys made it interesting , didn ’ t they ?
A little ?
Maybe even more than a little .
In a year far crummier than most — perhaps you ’ ve noticed — sports has been , for many of us , at least somewhat of a respite .
And the city ’ s baseball and hockey teams did their parts to make it so .
Our football team is doing it , too , and that ’ s really the point here .
In a word or six : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Talk about a slogan worthy of T-shirts and bumper stickers .
The Bears are 4-1 after Thursday ’ s 20-19 victory against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at Soldier Field , and we ’ re delighted to be able to say it : They don ’ t stink .
Heck , we ’ re all but shouting from the rooftops : We ’ re No .
10 or so !
You think this is some kind of a joke ?
It ’ s not .
The season will go on , the playoffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in those other sports , the better , more dangerous teams will separate themselves from the rest .
But it ’ s looking pretty good that , by then , the Bears will have performed the useful , wonderful task of giving many of us some respite from our concerns and our troubles until the clock has run out on , again , a crummy year .
You know what ’ s fun ?
Losing the rushing battle , losing the passing battle , losing the time-of-possession battle and winning anyway .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the impressive Bucs , whose ceiling might be a tad higher given the whole best-quarterback-ever-to-walk-the-planet factor .
Four days after the Bears were knocked around in a lopsided loss against the Colts , vulnerability hung all around them .
To lose again wouldn ’ t merely be to fall to 3-2 , still a decent record .
But — after the Bears barely beat three awful teams to open the season — it would ’ ve been a reality check .
It could ’ ve swayed public sentiment against coach Matt Nagy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and new starting quarterback Nick Foles .
It probably would ’ ve felt a lot like the beginning of the end .
There was a moment — a shocker , really — in the second quarter when the Bucs , leading 10-0 , went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 19-yard line .
Was that declaring their utter lack of respect for the Bears ’ defense or the Bears ’ offense ?
Probably both .
Brady picked up the first down and , yep , it felt a bit like the game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the Bears picked up the pieces and delivered a mighty response .
Brady apparently didn ’ t think enough of Foles to shake his hand after the game .
It wasn ’ t the first time .
Brady has had Foles on the pay-no-mind list since the journeyman beat him in the Super Bowl a few years back .
That ’ s OK .
The Bears will play on .
So let ’ s stretch this thing out and see how far it goes .
The end of the year is right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get us there , it ’ ll be just what the doctor ordered .

In Chicago sports, this has been the Year of Living Semi-Dangerously.
It was the case with the White Sox, who were menacing enough to throw real scares into most opponents — until the time came to fade down the stretch, as young teams often do, and then to be bounced from the playoffs by the grittier, more experienced Athletics.
We saw it with the Cubs, too, who were good enough to lead their division essentially wire to wire — even though it eventually became as unignorable as a mischief of skittering rats that their offense was fatally flawed.
We even caught a whiff of it with the Blackhawks, who — though history might remember it as thoroughly undeserved — reached the expanded Stanley Cup playoffs as the Western Conference’s No. 12 seed and even upset the Oilers in a best-of-five.
The Sox, Cubs and Hawks weren’t good enough to make serious runs at ultimate glory. We know this because the teams that ended their seasons — the A’s, Marlins and Golden Knights, respectively — were knocked out themselves by superior opponents. But at least our guys made it interesting, didn’t they? A little? Maybe even more than a little.
In a year far crummier than most — perhaps you’ve noticed — sports has been, for many of us, at least somewhat of a respite. And the city’s baseball and hockey teams did their parts to make it so.
Our football team is doing it, too, and that’s really the point here. In a word or six: How ’bout those semi-dangerous Bears? Talk about a slogan worthy of T-shirts and bumper stickers.
The Bears are 4-1 after Thursday’s 20-19 victory against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at Soldier Field, and we’re delighted to be able to say it: They don’t stink. Heck, we’re all but shouting from the rooftops: We’re No. 10 or so!
You think this is some kind of a joke? It’s not. The season will go on, the playoffs will come around and, just like in those other sports, the better, more dangerous teams will separate themselves from the rest. But it’s looking pretty good that, by then, the Bears will have performed the useful, wonderful task of giving many of us some respite from our concerns and our troubles until the clock has run out on, again, a crummy year.
And that’s pretty semi-great.
You know what’s fun? Losing the rushing battle, losing the passing battle, losing the time-of-possession battle and winning anyway. That’s what the Bears did against the impressive Bucs, whose ceiling might be a tad higher given the whole best-quarterback-ever-to-walk-the-planet factor.
Four days after the Bears were knocked around in a lopsided loss to the Colts, vulnerability hung all around them. To lose again wouldn’t merely be to fall to 3-2, still a decent record. But — after the Bears barely beat three awful teams to open the season — it would’ve been a reality check. It could’ve swayed public sentiment against coach Matt Nagy, the team’s supposedly playoff-caliber defense and new starting quarterback Nick Foles. It probably would’ve felt a lot like the beginning of the end.
There was a moment — a shocker, really — in the second quarter when the Bucs, leading 10-0, went for it on fourth-and-one from their 19-yard line. Was that declaring their utter lack of respect for the Bears’ defense or the Bears’ offense? Probably both. Brady picked up the first down, and, yep, it felt a bit like the game was over right then and there. But the Bears picked up the pieces and delivered a mighty response.
Brady apparently didn’t think enough of Foles to shake his hand after the game. It wasn’t the first time. Brady has had Foles on the pay-no-mind list since the journeyman beat him in the Super Bowl a few years back. That’s OK. The Bears will play on.
So let’s stretch this thing out and see how far it goes. The end of the year is right over yonder. If the Bears can get us there, it’ll be just what the doctor ordered.