chicagotribune--2020-02-05--New Trier grad expected to plead guilty to $10 million fraud to finance gambling and lavish Las Vega

New Trier grad expected to plead guilty to $10 million fraud to finance gambling and lavish Las Vegas lifestyle

Over the next three years , Gorodetsky continued to ask Victim A for more money , creating false statements that @ @ @ @ @ victim ’ s account , the amount and kind of wagers placed by Gorodetsky , @ @ @ @ @ and losses of those bets and Gorodetsky ’ s spending on luxury items , according @ @ @ @

Robert Gorodetsky monitoring sports on his phone in an undated photo. He pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges Wednesday. (Jason M. Ogulik/USA Today Network)
Far from the lights and pizazz of Las Vegas, Robert Gorodetsky stood Wednesday in an austere federal courtroom in Chicago looking nothing like the high-rolling, casino-hopping gambler he’d long portrayed himself to be on social media.
Dressed in a dark suit and black glasses, Gorodetsky, a North Shore native and New Trier High School alum, spoke so softly that the judge asked him to move toward the microphone.
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But when U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo asked Gorodetsky to state what he did for a living, she still couldn’t hear his answer.
“He’s very soft-spoken,” said his lawyer, Chris Gair. “What he said was, ‘Professional gambler.’ ”
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Moments later, Gorodetsky, who once touted himself as the next big thing in sports gambling, pleaded guilty to stunning federal fraud charges alleging he stole nearly $10 million in a fraud scheme and blew it on outrageous bets and a high-end Las Vegas lifestyle.
Gorodetsky, 27, of Northbrook, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false tax return. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces up to six years in prison, according to his plea agreement with prosecutors. He also must repay $7.2 million in outstanding losses.
Bucklo set sentencing for April 29.
With his custom cap stenciled with the word “GAMBLR,” high-end jewelry and luxury cars, Gorodetsky carefully cultivated his image on Instagram, regularly posting photos of himself hobnobbing with beautiful women and professional athletes under the moniker “Big Rob.”
But prosecutors alleged that while Gordetsky was making a name for himself, he was also orchestrating a massive fraud scheme against a single victim who invested millions of dollars with him in the mistaken belief that the funds were wisely invested and earning handsome dividends.
Instead, Gorodetsky was using the cash to fund his Las Vegas operation, placing reckless bets on sporting events and living a lavish lifestyle that was both celebrated on social media and scorned by some veteran gamblers.
In all, Gorodetsky stole nearly $10 million from the investor — identified only as Victim A — from 2014 to 2017, the charges alleged.
The son of a radiologist father and a mother who works in real estate, Gorodetsky grew up in the North Shore and graduated from New Trier in 2010, records show. His interest in gambling started in high school when he would use his father’s Ameritrade account to make trades on his laptop in class, according to news reports.
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He later went on to study at the University of Arizona but dropped out before completing his freshman year.
After a stint as a professional poker player, Gorodetsky’s profile as a maverick sports bettor rose dramatically in December 2017 with a lengthy USA Today profile labeling him “one of the most compelling and controversial” figures in sports.
The article described how Gorodetsky bet more than $1 million in one week that fall, dropping $350,000 on a single NFL Sunday and tens of thousands of dollars more on Major League Baseball games, the NBA, tennis, soccer and even high school sports.
Gorodetsky was known for placing wild, high-risk parlays with little or no research on the teams or players, according to the profile. He claimed to have won up to 65% of his sports bets — a figure instantly questioned by gambling experts in online blogs.
According to the criminal charges, over a four-month period beginning in February 2014, Gorodetsky fraudulently obtained more than $953,000 from Victim A “for the purported purpose of investing in the stock market.” Instead, he used the vast majority of it — $737,000 — for himself.
In July 2014, Gorodetsky falsely told the victim that his original investment had increased to $2 million due to successful trades but that “greater returns would be had in sports wagering,” according to the charges.
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Over the next three years, Gorodetsky continued to ask Victim A for more money, creating false statements that misstated the balance of the victim’s account, the amount and kind of wagers placed by Gorodetsky, as well as the profits and losses of those bets and Gorodetsky’s spending on luxury items, according to the charges.
In that time period, Gorodetsky spent at least $2.2 million of the victim’s money on items unrelated to sports bets, including to pay his living, travel and entertainment expenses, as well as purchase luxury cars and jewelry, the charges said.
According to the USA Today profile, Gorodetsky arrived at casinos wearing $6,000 Louis Vuitton hoodies and $2,500 high-top sneakers. He also rolled with a “colorful crew” that included a financial manager, an enforcer and a pickup artist, it said.
"It’s not just gambling. It’s a lifestyle,” Gorodetsky was quoted as saying.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-05--Lake Michigan water levels break monthly record high for the first time in more than 30 years

Scientists say climate change is ushering in a new reality throughout the world .
Last year was the second-wettest year @ @ @ @ @ , according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
Only in 1973 did the @ @ @ @ @ the course of a year .
Chicago received 49.54 inches of precipitation in 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ wettest year on record and more than 12 inches greater than normal , according to @ @ @ @ @ Since Illinois meteorologists began collecting precipitation records in 1871 , four of the Top 5 @ @ @ @ @ occurred in the last decade .

A bicyclist rides the Lakefront Trail near North Avenue Beach in Chicago as Lake Michigan waves crash along the lakefront on Feb. 4, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Pounding waves, eroding bluffs, submerged trails and disappearing beaches have become a common sight along the Lake Michigan shoreline during the past months. While lake levels usually reach their lowest point in winter, this year the lake has remained stubbornly high.
Persistent Midwestern rains — combined with warmer temperatures that led to earlier and faster snow pack melt — pushed the Lake Michigan water level to a record high for the month of January. This is the first time a new monthly high has been recorded in more than 30 years.
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Lake Michigan water levels averaged about 4 inches above the previous January high set in 1987. The lake, measured together with Lake Huron because the two are connected at the Straits of Mackinac, is still 9 inches below the all-time high, set in October 1986.
The new January record may be just the beginning, scientists say, and is likely a precursor to higher lake levels during the wet months of spring.
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“This is definitely a big deal,” said John Allis, chief of the Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, based in Detroit. “This is going to continue to be a big problem for people.”
Large Lake Michigan waves pound 31st Street Beach in Chicago on Feb. 4, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Just weeks after a winter storm caused major shoreline flooding, the Chicago Park District closed part of the Lakefront Trail on Tuesday as big waves battered the coast again. Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a state disaster proclamation Thursday for damages sustained in Cook and Lake counties from the Jan. 10 storm. This is the first step to allow municipalities to apply for federal funding.
In Wisconsin, officials examined shoreline damage from Milwaukee to Kenosha to see whether the state will seek a federal disaster declaration, and some Michigan lawmakers are pushing for a state of emergency declaration for shoreline communities.
In addition to inundating portions of the Lakefront Trail, lakefront parks and streets in Chicago, the high water level has led to the erosion of picturesque sandy bluffs; damaged lakeside homes, docks and marinas; and left beaches underwater, especially along Michigan’s western coast, Allis said. A South Side portion of the Lakefront Trail was shut down after a storm on Veterans Day and isn’t expected to reopen until spring.
“It’s really been the rain component that has been the real driver of this,” Allis said. “It’s just been wet, and it’s been a sustained wet. Especially in Michigan, many areas kept experiencing wet month after wet month. It’s really as simple as that.”
Scientists say climate change is ushering in a new reality throughout the world. Last year was the second-wettest year on record in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Only in 1973 did the country receive more precipitation over the course of a year. Chicago received 49.54 inches of precipitation in 2019, which ranks as the third wettest year on record and more than 12 inches greater than normal, according to the National Weather Service. Since Illinois meteorologists began collecting precipitation records in 1871, four of the Top 5 wettest years in Chicago have occurred in the last decade.
Waves crash on the breakwater at North Avenue Beach in Chicago on Feb. 4, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
And 2019 also was the second warmest year ever since records began to be collected in 1880. The warmest was 2016, aided by El Nino events. Rising temperatures and increased precipitation are linked, scientists said. For every 1 degree of warming, the atmosphere can hold 4% more water vapor that can turn into precipitation.
January in much of the Great Lakes region was warmer and wetter than normal, conditions that helped push the lake levels higher. Warmer-than-average temperatures in December also led to greater runoff due to snow pack melting, especially on lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron, leading to more water supply, according to the Army Corps. The warm air also caused less evaporation off the lakes’ surface.
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The water levels of each of the Great Lakes peaked during the summer or fall in 2019 and have been in decline since then, but they still remain extremely high, and significant erosion continues in many locations.
To determine the lakes’ water levels, a network of gauges are set up along the shorelines. The Army Corps, which maintains the official record, takes the readings from the Chicago area and all along the Lake Michigan and Huron coastlines, and averages the daily levels to calculate the monthly figure.
Andrew Gronewold, associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, said warmer winter temperatures, even brief bursts of warm weather during a usually cold time for the Great Lakes region, also contribute to high lake levels. When temperatures rise, snow melts earlier, and the runoff in the Great Lakes basin flows into the region’s rivers and streams and eventually into the lakes.
That phenomenon has contributed to the flooding along the Mississippi River and other area rivers and streams in Illinois, as well as the high lake levels on Lake Michigan. The Chicago area straddles the boundary between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. A sliver of northeastern Illinois feeds into Lake Michigan, while most of the rest of the state’s water heads south and west toward the Mississippi. Most of the lower peninsula of Michigan drains into Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, as do portions of Wisconsin, the upper peninsula of Michigan, northern Indiana and Ontario, Canada.
Up north, Lake Superior also set a record for high water level for January, Allis said.
“There’s an awful lot of water and flooding all across the Great Lakes basin,” Gronewold said.
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Gronewold said there is a shift occurring for when water comes through the system. With more precipitation, combined with earlier snow melts, water is making its way into the lake earlier than the typical late February through April period. And there does not appear to be an end to this pattern.
“I think we’re going to continue to see this for the next few months, and maybe the next few years,” Gronewold said.
The lakes’ high level comes seven years after Lake Michigan set a record low in January 2013.
“That’s extraordinary,” Gronewold said. “Fast forward, and here we are at the other extreme.”
Allis said the Army Corps’ forecast for the coming months predicts more monthly records may fall.
As winter wanes and ushers in a warmer and wetter spring, the lakes will likely continue to rise.
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“Looking at the forecasts, there’s a significant probability we’ll be above level highs for the next few months,” Gronewold said, “all the way into June.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Ask Amy: Son's new baby is a poorly kept secret

I assume you plan to follow up and make contact with this child 's mother .
I hope you do @ @ @ @ @ .
There is no need for you to try to explain your son 's behavior @ @ @ @ @ child -- or discuss this further with your son until you are ready .
You @ @ @ @ @ both have the right to engage in whatever relationships you want .
He may eventually @ @ @ @ @ around in some minimal ways , but , as the son of a father who @ @ @ @ @ his own life , he might not ever step up .

Dear Amy: My divorced 45-year-old son, who lives 3,000 miles away, has been keeping a big secret from me for a year: He has a baby daughter and I have a baby granddaughter.
I received a letter with photographs (the resemblance is undeniable) from his then girlfriend, the baby's mother, who is a lovely professional woman with her own business. She asks nothing of me or from me. She wants me to know I am welcome to visit the baby and be a part of the baby's life, if I so choose (which I do).
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She has asked my son to tell me about the baby several times. He refused. She felt I had the right to know.
The pregnancy was a surprise to both of them. He wanted her to terminate the pregnancy, and she didn't, so he walked out. He has nothing to do with the baby or her mother, who went through the pregnancy and childbirth alone.
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I do not know if he contributes any child support.
Meanwhile, he has asked/pressured me three times to get rid of my generation-skipping trust ... with no personal explanation. I did not.
I thought my son and I had a close relationship. I stood by him through several years of a nightmare divorce. He is my only living child (his brother passed away at 19). The baby is my only biological grandchild.
My former husband abandoned us; we don't even know where he is. I am remarried to a wonderful man and through him I am blessed with a loving stepfamily (four grandkids).
My son has either no conscience or a selective conscience, and he is very self-righteous.
I fear the choice to acknowledge my baby granddaughter could end my relationship with my son. I am sad, angry, and ashamed of him.
How should I tell him that I know?
— Anonymous Gran
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Dear Gran: You could send your son the text of this question, which seems to outline exactly how you feel, with a note in the margin: "FYI."
I assume you plan to follow up and make contact with this child's mother. I hope you do. This is a no-brainer. There is no need for you to try to explain your son's behavior to the mother of the child -- or discuss this further with your son until you are ready. You are both adults and you both have the right to engage in whatever relationships you want. He may eventually acknowledge the child and come around in some minimal ways, but, as the son of a father who abandoned him and disappeared from his own life, he might not ever step up.
You should assume that if you choose to acknowledge this child, your relationship with your son will be affected, but that is up to him.
Dear Amy: My wife and I have a 3-year-old son.
My wife's 17-year-old sister "Tessa" is currently living with us.
One day my teenage sister-in-law was tasked to watch our son, because we had an all-day personal appointment.
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However, we finished our appointment by 1 p.m., and upon arriving home we were shocked to find that Tessa had invited four of her high school friends over, when she was watching our 3-year-old son.
I have no issues with her friends being over, yet the fact that she didn't ask (or inform) us has me very concerned.
What say you?
— Upset Dad
Dear Upset: Your concern is completely justified. "Tessa" is a teenager and is demonstrating the judgment typical of her age. But, while she might have thought that having more "help" would be good for everyone concerned, the more people around, the more divided attention toward the child. This presents risks for your son.
Tessa might not be mature enough to take on responsibility for another human. She may need a babysitter, herself.
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If you plan to trust Tessa to continue occasionally watching her nephew, emphasize the absolute need for her to be completely honest with you. You should meet and approve of any other people spending time with your child.
Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Dear Amy: "Jealous? was worried about a newly single female work friend of her boyfriend's, who was driving four hours to their town for a personal visit.
You were wrong to justify her jealousy. Female jealousy has ruined many platonic friendships.
— Upset
Dear Upset: I suggested that this person acknowledge her feelings, and also accept the female friend's invitation to get together in order to see if the feelings were justified. Jealousy is not confined to women.
Get the latest no-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning with our Ask Amy newsletter. Sign up here.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
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Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--2 teens shot, 1 critically, at Wentworth Gardens

The boy was shot in the lower abdomen and taken to Comer Children ’ s Hospital in critical condition , @ @ @ @ @ at University of Chicago Medical Center with gunshot wounds in the right hip and right @ @ @ @ @

Police look down at a walker leaning against a broken glass door at the scene where a 16-year-old boy and a 18-year-old man were shot on the 200 block of West 38th Place in the Wentworth Gardens neighborhood Tuesday Feb. 4, 2020 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Two teenagers were shot on a sidewalk at the Wentworth Gardens housing complex Tuesday night on the South Side.
About 8:20 p.m., the 16-year-old boy and 18-year-old man heard gunfire and felt pain on a sidewalk in the 200 block of West 39th Place, according to Chicago police.
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The boy was shot in the lower abdomen and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition, while the man was stabilized at University of Chicago Medical Center with gunshot wounds in the right hip and right arm, police said.
Red and yellow police tape ran down the brown-bricked rowhouses at the scene, where a group of officers walked out of one of the units and onto a sidewalk with multiple yellow evidence markers. A shattered glass door with a gaping triangle-sized hole was propped open with a red walker.
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No one is in custody.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Red Sox trading Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers

Owner John Henry said in September , after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015 , @ @ @ @ @ need to be under the CBT.
” Team President Sam Kennedy later walked back the @ @ @ @ @ “ a goal but not a mandate.
” After he was hired , Chief Baseball @ @ @ @ @ “ The goal remains to be competitive always ; 2020 is important .
So are @ @ @ @ @ .
”

BOSTON — The Red Sox have agreed to trade 2018 American League MVP Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, packaging the star outfielder with pitcher David Price in a salary dump that is expected to save the team tens of millions of dollars, according to two people with knowledge of the deal.
The people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the trade had not been announced.
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The Dodgers are sending outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Red Sox. The deal also involves the Twins, who are getting pitcher Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers and sending pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to the Red Sox.
The Dodgers also will get cash from the Red Sox to offset some of the $123 million owed to Betts and Price, but the exact amount was not yet known.
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Unable to sign Betts to a long-term deal, the Red Sox decided to move him now rather than let the four-time All-Star leave as a free agent after the 2020 season. He will earn $27 million this season and has expressed eagerness to test the market.
One of baseball’s best all-around talents, the popular Betts should fit nicely into a Dodgers lineup that also includes reigning National League MVP Cody Bellinger. The Dodgers have won seven straight NL West titles but haven’t celebrated a World Series championship since 1988. They lost to Betts and the Red Sox in the 2018 World Series, a year after the Astros defeated them in seven games.
Price is due $96 million over the final three years of a seven-year, $217 million deal the left-hander signed before the 2016 season. The 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner missed time last year with a wrist issue and went 7-5 with a 4.28 ERA in 22 starts.
The Dodgers finally pulled off the kind of splashy offseason deal that has eluded them in recent years. They lost out on two primary offseason pursuits when pitcher Gerrit Cole signed with the Yankees for $324 million over nine years and third baseman Anthony Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the rival Angels.
Until now, the Dodgers’ top addition this winter was reliever Blake Treinen.
Adding Betts’ bat to a lineup that includes Bellinger, Justin Turner, Max Muncy and Corey Seager makes the Dodgers even more fearsome. Their offense led the NL with 886 runs and 279 home runs last year.
Verdugo, a left-handed hitter, batted .294 with 44 RBIs and 12 home runs in 106 games before a back injury in August ended his season early. His outfield defense is average, but at 23 he has time to improve.
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Betts’ departure deepens the disappointment in Boston, where the Patriots sat out the Super Bowl for the first time in four years and face the prospect of quarterback Tom Brady leaving as a free agent. The Red Sox are now without the best player, the top executive and the manager who led them to a franchise-record 108 wins and the World Series championship in 2018.
The deal makes sense only in the complicated economics of baseball’s collective bargaining tax, which penalizes a team for spending over a preset limit — $208 million for 2020. What’s more, a ballclub that surpasses the threshold in three straight years pays a top rate of 95%; on the other hand, if a team goes under the limit for a season, the penalty for its next violation resets to the lowest rate of 20%.
This deal is expected to get the Red Sox below that threshold.
Owner John Henry said in September, after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015, that the Red Sox “need to be under the CBT.” Team President Sam Kennedy later walked back the comments and said that was “a goal but not a mandate.” After he was hired, Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said: “The goal remains to be competitive always; 2020 is important. So are 2021, 2022 and beyond.”
Undoubtedly, the focus is now on the future.
The Red Sox remain without a manager three weeks after firing Alex Cora for his role in the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal; Major League Baseball has not announced the results of its investigation into whether Cora implemented a similar scheme when he took over in Boston in 2018. Pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training in one week.
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The new manager will need to sort out a lineup that is missing a player who batted leadoff and won four straight Gold Gloves in the outfield, as well as Price, a five-time All-Star.
Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez was among the first to react to reports of the deal on social media, sending out only a sad-face emoji.
Graterol is a hard-throwing righty who ranked 83rd on MLB.com’s most recent list of the top 100 prospects in baseball. He made his major-league debut last season with the Twins and posted a 4.66 ERA in 10 relief appearances. A starter in the minors, he faces questions about his durability but could get a chance to pitch in the Red Sox rotation. If not, he has thrown as hard as 102 mph and could be an effective late-inning reliever.
AP’s Mike Fitzpatrick in New York and Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Adam Boqvist and Olli Maatta score 3rd-period goals, but the Blackhawks lose 3-2 in overtime to the

Adam Boqvist and Olli Maatta score 3rd-period goals, but the Blackhawks lose 3-2 in overtime to the Wild

The Hawks almost caught an enormous break when Wild goalie Alex Stalock abandoned his net while mistakenly believing a delayed @ @ @ @ @ He made it all the way to the Wild bench and was gone for at @ @ @ @ @ was alerted to his mistake .
But the Hawks weren ’ t able to control @ @ @ @ @ of the empty net before he returned .

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Waiting for the Blackhawks to make their push when they’re trailing can be excruciating, especially when it’s this late in the season and each point can be the difference between making the playoffs and going home early.
But they’ve proven time and again it’s not a matter of if the push will come, but when.
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On Tuesday, after floundering for the better part of two periods, the Hawks pulled themselves together in time to score a pair of third-period goals and steal a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild. Despite the loss, the Hawks extended their road point streak to five consecutive games.
The next opponent was already on the minds of the Hawks, who return to the United Center tonight to play the Bruins after concluding their brief road trip with a 1-0-1 record.
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"It was a good comeback by us," Corey Crawford said. "I don’t think it was our best hockey in the first half, but it seems like there’s a lot of lead changes this year and a lot of comebacks. We were able to find a way to get a point. So that’s a really good positive right there. Just trying to carry that into tomorrow."
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's loss:
1. Point taken or point lost?
Jeremy Colliton wasn't angry or upset after watching his team put forth its worst effort since a 7-1 loss to the Devils on Dec. 23. He seemed more surprised than anything.
"It's been a while since we played that poorly," Colliton said.
As happy as the Hawks were to come away with a point, if they had picked up their game for just a portion of the second period they might have come away with two.
For most of the first two periods, the Hawks just didn’t seem in sync. Players had a hard time getting out of each other’s way and their passing was as bad as it’s been all season.
Maybe Duncan Keith will feel differently in April if the Hawks miss out on the playoffs by a point. But for now, he's content to get one point on a night when it seemed like even that was too much to ask for.
“Sometimes it’s not going to be pretty," Keith said. We did a good job finding a way to get one.”
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Colliton needed more time decide how to define the point the Hawks got against the Wild.
"Depends how we play (Wednesday)," he said. "If we're great then it's a great point. But if we follow it up with another flat performance, then it's just not playing well enough in an important time of year."
2. The power play still needs work.
The Hawks are 12-5-1 since beginning their turnaround on Dec. 19 against the Jets. But their record could be even better if their power play hadn’t been plodding along with a 12.7 percent conversion rate (7-for-55) over their last 18 games, including an 0-for-3 effort Tuesday.
The power play has consisted of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat along with rookies Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist for several games now and it hasn't been productive.
Jeremy Colliton has resisted putting Dominik Kubalik on the top unit, but it might be time to give him a shot.
"(The power play) is something we're working on all the time and talking about all the time," Colliton said. "Tonight was a step back as far as the performance. Some of the games previously we've done everything but score. We need one to go in the net — we need a couple to go in the net — to get some momentum."
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3. The defense saved the day.
Every defensemen had at least one shot on goal. Four of the six blueliners had a point, including Adam Boqvist and Olli Maatta, who scored the Hawks’ only goals.
On a day when Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik didn't show up on the scoresheet, it was the defense who led the way offensively.
Boqvist and Maatta scored on floaters to the net that found their way in through screens.
“We got to do what we can to press the issue and keep pucks in and create,” Duncan Keith said. “They were up two so needed to find a way to get one.”
Here is coverage from Tuesday’s game:
The comeback kids almost did it again.
After a miserable first two periods, the Blackhawks scored a pair of third-period goals, but Matt Dumba scored in overtime to give the Wild a 3-2 victory Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center.
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The Hawks fell to 25-21-7, and their four-game road win streak came to an end as did Patrick Kane’s 12-game point streak. Jonathan Toews nearly won it in overtime, but his shot caromed off the crossbar.
Adam Boqvist scored his third goal of the season early in the third period to pull the Hawks within one, and Olli Maatta tied it with 3:10 remaining. Corey Crawford was in net for the second straight game and was impressive while stopping 31 shots. Kevin Fiala’s two second-period goals were all Crawford allowed in regulation.
🗣 Olli Olli oxen free
We're all tied up and heading to overtime. #CHIvsMIN pic.twitter.com/cX9ne0JXv1 — Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 5, 2020
The Hawks had a terrible time connecting on even the simplest passes early and made some inexplicably poor decisions. One example came in the second period when Brandon Saad bypassed an open net in favor of a pass he didn’t need to make.
The first period ended without either team cracking the scoreboard, but it was decidedly in the Wild’s favor. They held a 26-10 lead in shot attempts, a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal, and the Hawks didn’t get their first shot on goal until nearly 13 minutes had elapsed.
The Hawks almost caught an enormous break when Wild goalie Alex Stalock abandoned his net while mistakenly believing a delayed penalty had been called. He made it all the way to the Wild bench and was gone for at least 10 seconds before he was alerted to his mistake. But the Hawks weren’t able to control the puck and take advantage of the empty net before he returned.
Fiala’s wrist shot from the slot gave the Wild a 1-0 lead early in the second period. The Hawks’ Ryan Carpenter had a chance to tie it on a shorthanded breakaway midway through the period, but with Mats Zuccarello gaining on him he fired early and right at Stalock.
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Moments later, Fiala raced down the left side and beat Crawford for his 11th goal of the season to make it 2-0.


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Suspect in weekend killing of Cook County inmate accused of beating another detainee in November att

Suspect in weekend killing of Cook County inmate accused of beating another detainee in November attack captured on video

Asked why Ruiz was placed in the same cell with a rival gang member less than three months after he @ @ @ @ @ the other inmate , Joseph Ryan , a spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart ’ s @ @ @ @ @ other than to say that the department was reviewing “ every facet ” of the @ @ @

A reputed member of the Satan Disciples street gang who allegedly took part in the vicious beating of an inmate in Cook County Jail less than three months ago is under investigation for the weekend killing of his cellmate, the Chicago Tribune has learned.
Sheriff’s investigators were questioning the inmate in the fatal beating of 19-year-old Pedro Ruiz, a reputed member of the rival Almighty Saints street gang, in their two-man cell early Saturday, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation. The Tribune is not identifying him because he has not been charged in the weekend killing.
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The 24-year-old inmate, who has been locked up in the jail since early June on charges he used a rifle to shoot and wound a man in 2017, was among five detainees who attacked a lone inmate Nov. 19 in a day room of a maximum-security wing of the jail, authorities said.
Surveillance video obtained by the Tribune shows the inmate punched and kicked the 41-year-old victim before the other detainees stabbed him with a shank, beat him and stomped on his head.
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In a clip of surveillance video, five men are seen attacking a fellow inmate in November 2019 in a day room of Cook County Jail. (Cook County sheriff's office) (Chicago Tribune Handout)
About seven minutes passed after the attack before correctional officers came to the aid of the victim in the day room, the video showed.
The five inmates were each charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and mob action, court records show.
Asked why Ruiz was placed in the same cell with a rival gang member less than three months after he was alleged to viciously beat the other inmate, Joseph Ryan, a spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart’s office, declined to comment other than to say that the department was reviewing “every facet” of the weekend killing.
“We take all acts of violence in the jail extremely seriously and work tirelessly to prevent those intent on committing harm from being able to do so,” he said.
The sheriff’s office was still conducting its own internal review of the November beating when Ruiz was found beaten to death in his Division 9 two-man cell early Saturday, authorities said.
Now the office has launched a separate internal review of the killing to determine if corrections officers followed proper protocol, Ryan said.
Ruiz was ordered held at the jail without bond Friday after his arrest in the shooting of a 21-year-old man on Jan. 28 in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.
The department generally has intelligence sources within the jail to inform them about gang rivalries, officials said, and gang rivals have been housed together in the same cell before without incident.
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Pedro Ruiz. (Cook County Sheriff's Office)
Correctional officers found Ruiz unresponsive in his cell with head trauma shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, and “immediately began lifesaving measures,” Ryan has said. Ruiz was transported by Chicago Fire Department paramedics to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Ruiz’s cellmate had been taken into custody for the 2017 shooting on the same day last year that he was to be released on parole from state prison after serving time for a felony gun conviction, records show.
He is awaiting trial on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and possession of an illegal gun in connection with the 2017 shooting.
The victim in that case was walking south in the 4400 block of South Wood Street when one of two assailants who exited a small black truck opened fire, police said. The two fled the scene and the victim collapsed in a gangway, police said.
The victim was driven to Stroger Hospital by an acquaintance and treated for bullet wounds to his left leg and right hip, police said.
Police also found 7.62-caliber shell casings from a semi-automatic rifle at the scene.
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The Saints and the Satan Disciples gangs have feuded periodically in the Back of the Yards community and neighboring areas, including during a spate of rifle shootings about three years ago.
According to data kept by the Tribune, more than 140 people were shot -- 50 of them fatally -- from spring 2016 to the end of 2017 by gang members wielding rifles as their use spread across the South and Southwest sides.
Ryan, the sheriff’s spokesman, noted that inmate-on-inmate killings in the jail "are exceedingly rare, with the last one occurring more than five years ago.”
Tony Purnell died about a month after another inmate in his crowded cell in the jail’s psychiatric ward threw him against a wall and stomped on him in June 2014.
A front-page story in the Chicago Tribune revealed that Purnell, 42, shouldn’t have even been in Cook County Jail. He was supposed to be in state prison serving a 20-year sentence for threatening to harm a downstate judge but had mistakenly been released from custody.
Purnell, who had struggled for years with mental illness after surviving Chicago’s tough Henry Horner Homes to serve in the Army and earn a college degree, had ended up in county jail after he swore at a judge and was given a six-month sentence.
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In June 2017, a Cook County judge found Jason Robles not guilty by reason of insanity in Purnell’s murder.
Chicago Tribune’s Annie Sweeney, Megan Crepeau and Rosemary Sobol contributed.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Suspended basketball players at Lincoln Park High fail in last-ditch effort to enter city playoffs a

Suspended basketball players at Lincoln Park High fail in last-ditch effort to enter city playoffs as misconduct scandal engulfs school

The suspension of the varsity team ’ s season was part of the fallout from wide-ranging investigations by CPS into @ @ @ @ @ “ multiple allegations of serious misconduct involving the athletics program.
” The district said Friday @ @ @ @ @ and Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield have been “ removed ... from their positions , ” @ @ @ @ @ dean have been removed or reassigned pending the outcome of the investigations .

Flyers taped on the fence outside Lincoln Park High School in Chicago on Feb. 3, 2020, prior to a student walkout and march to protest sudden staff changes at the school. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
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First they went to the Chicago Public Schools headquarters in the Loop. Then they tried another CPS office.
Turned away twice, the group of Lincoln Park High School basketball players and supporters eventually made their way back to campus, holding out hope that the varsity boys team’s suspension would be lifted in time to play in Tuesday evening’s city playoff game against Perspectives/IIT Math and Science Academy.
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The last-ditch efforts to save their season proved unsuccessful, despite a student walkout Monday, impassioned statements at a community meeting and continued pleas on social media, where one player, Romelle Howard, even tried tweeting at Chicago rappers Chance, Common, Polo G and G Herbo.
“We are at school ... nothing else we can do at this point,” junior player Ismail Habib said by phone from the library. Some varsity players did show up to support the junior varsity team in its game, which went ahead Tuesday evening and ended with a Lincoln Park victory.
The suspension of the varsity team’s season was part of the fallout from wide-ranging investigations by CPS into what a district official called “multiple allegations of serious misconduct involving the athletics program.” The district said Friday that interim Principal John Thuet and Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield have been “removed ... from their positions,” and three coaches and a dean have been removed or reassigned pending the outcome of the investigations.
Perspectives coach Waybon McConnell said a CPS official confirmed Tuesday morning that the varsity game was canceled. It was a disappointment for McConnell, who graduated from and played at Lincoln Park High.
“I’ve never been able to take the team that I coach to my old high school, so we were definitely looking forward to that,” McConnell said. “Of course, Chicago basketball, nobody wants to just get a forfeit win, but it’s out of our control.”
As for the CPS decision to suspend the Lincoln Park team, he said, “I feel for those kids, especially the ones that are not involved, but, like I said, that’s something that is above us.”
During a packed and heated community meeting Monday night at the high school’s auditorium, CPS officials presented a summary of their wide-ranging investigations into alleged misconduct at the school, including claims of sexual misconduct, retaliation against witnesses, athletic recruiting violations and financial misconduct involving athletic program accounts.
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Parents, students and community members listen on Feb. 3, 2020, during a Chicago Public Schools meeting after leadership changes were announced at Lincoln Park High School. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Asked about which allegations prompted the suspension of the team’s season, CPS spokesman Michael Passman said: “There are allegations involving both student misconduct and adult misconduct. The season would not have been suspended if the district was only reviewing allegations of adult misconduct."
School officials said the alleged misconduct also included failure to follow sexual misconduct reporting procedures, improper student discipline, dishonesty to families, allowing suspended employees to work, failure to create safety plans for students and interference with and withholding evidence from investigations.
Among the claims are that school leaders were aware of “student-on-student retaliation” against those who spoke to investigators and that it was not properly reported.
The Friday letter informing families of Thuet’s and Brumfield’s removal also states that Dean John Johnson and boys basketball coach Donovan Robinson “have been reassigned from their duties pending the outcome of these investigations.”
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Head boys basketball coach Pat Gordon was removed earlier in January, CPS officials confirmed. The boys basketball team’s families at the time were informed that an unidentified staff member had been removed from the school in a letter, in which Thuet wrote he’d been “made aware” that members of the team “took an overnight trip over winter break that was not a school sponsored event.”
Games that aren’t played as scheduled will be forfeited, Passman said, adding that the season is suspended “indefinitely” at this time.
Citing ongoing investigations, Passman said the district couldn’t provide additional information about “the potential policy allegations that are being investigated.” Given the pending investigations, as well the need to protect the privacy of victims and legal restrictions on the release of student information, he said CPS was unable to provide other details about allegations.
Students from Lincoln Park High School walk back to school after they stage a walkout and march to protest sudden staff changes at the school on Feb. 3, 2020, in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
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Marcus Spencer, who described himself as a volunteer coach for the basketball program, spoke at Monday’s meeting in support of the team. Several other community members spoke in support of the suspended school administrators.
“A lot of this stuff was new to me last night," Spencer told the Tribune on Tuesday. "... It’s a big mess. I just think it was handled wrong.”
Spencer said he only was recently informed he hadn’t completed the district’s volunteer application process as required. He said he has since submitted the paperwork and believes his application is pending.
Spencer said he had no knowledge of the recruiting violation allegations cited by CPS officials Monday evening.
“I know for a fact we don’t recruit kids,” Spencer said. “... We don’t have to recruit. We have a pool of athletes here in the school.”
Tuesday marked the beginning of the Chicago Public League playoffs. While participation in the city tournament doesn’t affect a team’s eligibility for state postseason play, CPS has informed the Illinois High School Association that it has withdrawn Lincoln Park from the state basketball tournament, IHSA Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha said.
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If the school or CPS sought reentry, it “would be reviewed and considered by the IHSA director,” though there’s no official process for that, he said. In order for reentry to be considered, that would likely need to happen before Feb. 20, when the tournament is seeded, he said.
Though it became clear Tuesday afternoon that Lincoln Park was out of Tuesday’s game in the single-elimination city competition, Spencer said he and the team were holding out hope for the state tournament.
“There is some hope," Spencer said. "I think the powers that be just have to be open to listen to both sides.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Column: Jimmy Butler must be laughing about Karl-Anthony Towns being ‘disrespected’

Butler had 20 points in a highly competitive first half , poured in a few more down the stretch and @ @ @ @ @ points .
Humorously after the game , Butler said the ball was going in the @ @ @ @ @ ( 14 of 20 ) that he felt “ like Luka , ” as in @ @ @ @ @ .

MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA’s Eastern Conference, often maligned as inferior to the West, is very stout with its top six this season. The order through Monday’s games was the runaway Bucks followed by the surprising defending champion Raptors, then the Celtics, Heat, Pacers and 76ers.
The 76ers have been playing without Josh Richardson recently, his second disruption due to injury this season. The Heat have been playing without Justise Winslow for weeks, James Johnson has been on the outs most of the season and the talented but goofy Dion Waiters has been suspended three times.
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No problem. The Heat have Jimmy Butler. And with his all-around play and leadership of a young team, the Heat are 34-15 after Monday’s 137-106 blowout of the 76ers.
Butler had 20 points in a highly competitive first half, poured in a few more down the stretch and finished with a season-high 38 points. Humorously after the game, Butler said the ball was going in the basket so well for him (14 of 20) that he felt “like Luka,” as in the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.
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Miami basketball fans love Butler, and why not? The Heat are headed back to the playoffs after a 39-43 flop in 2018-19. And Butler is headed back to the All-Star Game in Chicago after missing it last season — the tormented campaign split between the Timberwolves and the 76ers.
He wanted out of Philadelphia, as he wanted out of Minnesota more loudly, to the point that he allegedly turned down the 76ers’ offer of a five-year, $190 million maximum deal to wind up with a four-year, $142 million deal in Miami.
This came after a four-team trade July 6 in which Richardson wound up in Philly and Butler wound up in Miami, with other pieces moving hither and yon. One of those was Meyers Leonard, a 7-foot center from Illinois and a seven-year backup for the Trail Blazers.
A key part of the deal for the Heat was getting rid of Hassan Whiteside at the same time they were bringing in Butler. The over-under for wins in sports books before the season was 43½ for the Heat. And that was based on having Winslow.
Now the Heat’s victory total will be in the 50s, and Butler and 22-year-old Bam Adebayo are among the East’s 12 All-Stars. The other starters are Leonard and two undrafted producers: Kendrick Nunn, a rookie who played at Simeon, and Duncan Robinson, with only 15 games played entering this season.
That leaves no mystery as to how Butler quickly has become a hero in South Florida. Speaking of which: The Heat also have Tyler Herro, a 3-point shooter from Kentucky and the No. 13 selection in the 2019 draft.
That was two spots after the Timberwolves were scheduled to draft, but they traded up to No. 6 to draft a non-shooter in Jarrett Culver.
We can only imagine the glee that has been added to Butler’s life since Thursday:
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Going to the All-Star Game, taking his man Bam with him, making shots “like Luka” against the team he ended the previous season with — and this as the kicker: getting to read the hallucinatory quotes from his Timberwolves rival, Karl-Anthony Towns, about not making the West All-Star squad.
“I’m desensitized to being disrespected in this league,” Towns said. “I’ve been disrespected since I came in. It’s nothing new when I didn’t see my name up there.
“When you’re a person who’s been disrespected like me so much, it’s something you expect honestly. You’re kind of shocked when you do get it.“
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Butler scored 24 in the Heat’s 102-89 victory Saturday in Orlando. Monday, he had those 38 in 29 minutes against the 76ers. He also defended mightily, rebounded and passed.
It’s shocking that Butler was able to play in either of these games. It can’t be easy to play with a split gut, which he had to have from howling in laughter when he saw Towns’ quotes on disrespect.
I mean, Rodney Dangerfield made a comedic career out of jokes on the subject, but nothing Rodney ever said about disrespect was funnier than last week’s self-pity from Towns.
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And if that quote wasn’t enough of a belly buster for Butler, he can always look up Towns’ team in the standings, go to the “Streak“ column and see, “L-12.“
2020 Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Can Mitch Trubisky follow Patrick Mahomes’ lead? The Bear Download podcast breaks down the Super Bow

Can Mitch Trubisky follow Patrick Mahomes’ lead? The Bear Download podcast breaks down the Super Bowl and talks quarterbacks.

Super Bowl LIV is in the books , and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes left quite an impression — again .
@ @ @ @ @ gather in a hotel lobby , of all places , and break down the game @ @ @ @ @ highlights why the Chiefs are in the NFL driver ’ s seat .
Naturally , @ @ @ @ @ the Bears ’ plans with Mitch Trubisky and the questions about his ability to handle @ @ @ @ @ Then they mash up this episode ’ s Crown 'Em and That ’ s Just @ @ @ @ @ some personal news .
And that leads to a nostalgic journey through the duo ’ @ @ @ @ @ the Bears .

Welcome to the Bear Download podcast.
Listen below or subscribe and listen on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play
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Super Bowl LIV is in the books, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes left quite an impression — again. Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer gather in a hotel lobby, of all places, and break down the game and how Mahomes’ brilliance highlights why the Chiefs are in the NFL driver’s seat. Naturally, Rich and Dan segue into the Bears’ plans with Mitch Trubisky and the questions about his ability to handle everything asked of him. Then they mash up this episode’s Crown 'Em and That’s Just Stupid segments as Rich drops some personal news. And that leads to a nostalgic journey through the duo’s last seven seasons covering the Bears.


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Ford full-year profit plunges. CEO blames flubbed launch of new Explorer SUV made in Chicago.

Ford CEO Jim Hackett said on a conference call with analysts that the company fell short of its expectations for @ @ @ @ @ blamed the drop primarily on the flubbed launch of the new Ford Explorer SUV at @ @ @ @

Ford Motor Co.'s profit last year plunged by more than $3.6 billion, weighed down by slowing U.S. sales, the cost of a botched SUV launch and some big pension expenses. (David Zalubowski/AP)
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co.'s profit last year plunged by more than $3.6 billion, weighed down by slowing U.S. sales, the cost of a botched SUV launch and some big pension expenses.
The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker on said it made $47 million in 2019, down from a $3.68 billion profit a year earlier. For the fourth quarter the company lost $1.7 billion, or 42 cents per share, hit by $2.2 billion in one-time pension costs.
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Excluding one-time items, Ford made 12 cents per share for the quarter, falling short of Wall Street's expectations. Analysts polled by FactSet predicted 17 cents per share.
Quarterly revenue fell 5% to $39.7 billion, about even with Wall Street estimates.
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Shares of Ford, which released results after the markets closed Tuesday, tumbled 9.3% to $8.33 n extended trading.
Ford CEO Jim Hackett said on a conference call with analysts that the company fell short of its expectations for the year, and he blamed the drop primarily on the flubbed launch of the new Ford Explorer SUV at its factory in Chicago.
New Explorers came off the assembly line with multiple problems and had to be shipped to a Detroit-area factory for repairs.
[ Tesla, which has never had a profitable year, is now worth more than GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler. Combined. ]
Hackett also referred to higher warranty costs during the year, especially for a flawed six-speed automatic transmission in the Ford Focus compact car.
He said the Explorer production is now fixed and the SUVs are selling well.
“Our leadership team is determined to return to world class levels of operational execution,” he said.
He said 2019 was a year of restructuring for the company as it downsized its white-collar workforce and shifted its products to higher-growth, higher-margin SUV and truck segments while exiting lower-growth sedans.
The company also announced that blue-collar workers represented by the United Auto Workers union will get profit-sharing checks of $6,600, based on North American pretax profits of just over $6.6 billion.


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--MLBPA vows to fight service-time manipulation after Kris Bryant’s loss in his grievance case against

MLBPA vows to fight service-time manipulation after Kris Bryant’s loss in his grievance case against the Cubs

The Cubs optioned Bryant to Triple-A Iowa to start the 2015 season despite a .425 batting average with nine home @ @ @ @ @ spring training and didn ’ t recall him until third baseman Mike Olt was diagnosed @ @ @ @ @ April 16 .
The Cubs insisted that they wanted Bryant to work on his defense @ @ @ @ @ his game .

Kris Bryant’s grievance case against the Cubs could have changed the landscape of free agency and the way teams handle young players’ service-time schedules. After Bryant lost the case in a decision that was made official Tuesday, the MLB Players Association says it will continue to challenge the manipulation of their members’ service time.
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Tony Clark, executive director of the MLBPA, issued a statement after an arbitrator officially ruled the Cubs didn’t manipulate Bryant’s service time in 2015, when they promoted him to the major leagues after the Cubs had played eight games. That move made Bryant eligible for free agency after the 2021 season instead of 2020.
“The Players Association disagrees with the decision issued today in the Kris Bryant service-time grievance,” Clark said. "While we respect the finality of that decision, we will continue to pursue any and all measures that incentivize competition, discourage service-time manipulation and ensure clubs field their best players.
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"We applaud Kris’ courage and determination in challenging the Cubs’ actions and seeing the grievance through to the end.”
Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today issued the following statement regarding the decision made in the Kris Bryant service-time grievance:https://t.co/mRy4OAqaq9 pic.twitter.com/soHi195VHZ — MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) February 4, 2020
All parties learned last week of the ruling. A source said Bryant, who will remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible player for two more seasons, “is totally fine" and not angry at the Cubs.
Clark’s comments indicate that the MLBPA will continue to monitor every case in which a player falls barely short of the 172 days of service time needed to constitute a full major league season of service time. Bryant currently has four years, 171 days of service time.
The Cubs optioned Bryant to Triple-A Iowa to start the 2015 season despite a .425 batting average with nine home run in 40 at-bats in spring training and didn’t recall him until third baseman Mike Olt was diagnosed with a wrist fracture on April 16. The Cubs insisted that they wanted Bryant to work on his defense and polish all phases of his game.
The service-time topic is expected to be a major issue in the next round of negotiations before the collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA expires shortly after the 2021 season.


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Flu a bigger threat in U.S. than coronavirus, Mayo expert says

Despite the low prevalence of the coronavirus , many people are concerned about their risk of developing it .
According @ @ @ @ @ account , interest in “ coronavirus symptoms ” increased by more than 1,000 % the @ @ @ @ @ In the U.S. , searches for terms like “ corona beer virus , ” and @ @ @ @ @ jumped in several states .
The disease , however , has nothing to do with @ @ @ @ @ with the name instead being a nod to the crown-like spikes that appear on the @ @

A woman with a facial mask passes the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 3, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City. (Johannes/AFP via Getty Images/TNS) (Johannes Eisele/TNS)
Despite widespread fear and uncertainty over coronavirus, a vaccine expert says the bigger threat to Americans is an illness that millions of people in the country catch every year.
“The three biggest risks to Americans: No. 1 influenza, No. 2 influenza, No. 3 influenza,” said Dr. Greg Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group.
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Poland said that the flu is a bigger immediate concern to Americans who don’t have to travel or won’t come into contact with someone who was recently in an area of China where there’s a high occurrence of coronavirus. China’s Health Commission reported Sunday that there are 475 recoveries and 361 deaths in the country so far.
“The risk of coming into contact with this novel coronavirus at this time in the U.S. is unquantifiably low,” Poland said.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced a second seasonal wave of the influenza virus. The 2019-2020 flu season alone has seen an estimated 10,000 deaths and 180,000 hospitalizations, according to the CDC. There are currently fewer than 20 known coronavirus cases in the United States.
But with the international focus on coronavirus, Poland noted, legitimate concerns about influenza could be conflated with fear about coronavirus.
“It’s going to cause concern because everyone’s thinking it’s (an illness) coronavirus, but it isn’t coronavirus, it’s influenza” Poland said.
Getting a flu vaccine is one of the most important preventive steps people can take, he said. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Most flu vaccines in the U.S. protect against four flu viruses, the CDC notes.
Despite the low prevalence of the coronavirus, many people are concerned about their risk of developing it. According to Google Trends’ Twitter account, interest in “coronavirus symptoms” increased by more than 1,000% the week of Jan. 20. In the U.S., searches for terms like “corona beer virus,” and “beer virus” have jumped in several states. The disease, however, has nothing to do with the popular beer brand, with the name instead being a nod to the crown-like spikes that appear on the virus.
Poland said the safety measures that have been taken in China, which include closing local offices and urging employees to work from home, are warranted given the country’s population density. But those measures don’t necessarily make sense in the United States.
“We’re not talking about you and I driving to work. We’re talking about 11 million people jammed … into buses and subways and malls and buildings.”
Stateside, Poland says coronavirus can and should be managed in a manner similar to how the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003 was handled.
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“It was controlled with the most inexpensive, but highly efficacious, public health maneuvers.”
These maneuvers, Poland said, included wearing surgical masks, social distancing, common sense hygiene and “respiratory etiquette,” which includes coughing and sneezing into the crook of the arm. It also makes sense, Poland said, to advise against nonessential travel to China right now.
Influenza A and B viruses travel through the air in droplets when someone with the infection coughs, sneezes or talks. You can inhale the droplets directly, or you can pick up the germs from an object — such as a phone or computer keyboard — and then transfer them to your eyes, nose or mouth, Mayo reports.
Poland said common sense hygiene and health practices can protect people from the flu. Poland believes preventing influenza, in turn, will help decrease misplaced panic about coronavirus.
“Stay away from people who are ill. Wash your hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. … If you’re ill, don’t go to work, don’t go to school,” he said.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--‘The Lost Book of Adana Moreau’ marks Chicago novelist Michael Zapata’s strong debut

Plenty of writers have responded to our current political moment with depictions of various dystopian near-futures , but Zapata ’ @ @ @ @ @ to set his book in the dystopian near-past .
By portraying such recent apocalypses as @ @ @ @ @ 2001 , for instance , Zapata offers the insight that the world is not merely @ @ @ @ @ already has ended countless times and is perpetually ending all of the time , especially @ @ @ @ @ rich , not white , not powerful ( but also even if you are ) @ @ @ @ @ the future , ” as a newspaper editor in Argentina puts it .
The concept @ @ @ @ @ with multifarious storylines — recurs throughout , and that ’ s where the book derives @ @ @ @ @ hope : the thought that no matter how remote and unlikely , there are always @ @ @ @ @ choices that could be made that don ’ t have to be bad .

What reader would fail to be enticed by a book whose theme is the irresistible enticement of books? For Michael Zapata’s expansive, big-hearted and time-hopping debut novel, “The Lost Book of Adana Moreau,” is about many things, but its overarching subject is the sensation one sometimes gets as a reader that one has “stumbled upon the presence of something extraordinary.”
The Adana Moreau of the title hails from the Dominican Republic, a country she is forced to leave in 1916 after invading Americans murder her parents. She ends up in New Orleans, married to “The Last Pirate of the New World,” and there they raise their son, Maxwell, as she writes a gorgeous and weird science-fiction novel called “The Lost City.” On the heels of that book’s modest success, she writes a sequel called “A Model Earth,” the only copy of which she chooses to destroy just before she dies in a cholera epidemic on the eve of the Great Depression.
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Or does she? When the manuscript turns up in Chicago in the early 21st century, protagonist Saul Drower finds himself charged with the fulfillment of his grandfather Benjamin’s dying wish: that the book be returned to Maxwell Moreau. The quest takes Saul and his journalist friend, Javier, to New Orleans in the ghastly aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The dispersing forces of exile and displacement recur throughout, but so too do the binding powers of friendship and love. If life is, as one minor character thinks, “marked by random and often meaningless events,” then Zapata’s book is an eloquent argument that stories let humans shape what happens to and around them into significant patterns.
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Full of stories within stories, Zapata builds his layers with a light touch, so that the found documents — like a newspaper story from 1999 about “a group of elderly women in Chile who had spent the better part of two and a half decades combing the Atacama Desert for the preserved remains and bone fragments of their husbands and children ‘disappeared’ by the brutal Pinochet regime” —do not impede but rather enhance the flow and add to the texture.
Politically engaged, the book is deeply critical of betrayals and injustices of all kinds and in all parts of the globe, reckoning unsparingly with humanity’s hard-wired propensity both to destroy and to self-destruct. As Maxwell Moreau thinks when he’s a boy, trying to make sense of the sorrows and violence that have already marked his young existence: “On one hand, the past was starlight. On the other, there was no such thing as the Incas, the Mongols, the Romans, or the British. Only variations of the same bloodthirsty (expletive) repeated through time.”
Remarkably, Zapata’s tone is frequently gently or even absurdly comic and his sensibility is one of great love for human beings and for life itself. This seeming contradiction operates as the central tension that animates the entire novel, the source of the “unusual and acute joy” that the book preserves “in the face of idleness and horror.”
Plenty of writers have responded to our current political moment with depictions of various dystopian near-futures, but Zapata’s stroke of brilliance is to set his book in the dystopian near-past. By portraying such recent apocalypses as the Argentine financial crisis of 2001, for instance, Zapata offers the insight that the world is not merely going to end, but already has ended countless times and is perpetually ending all of the time, especially if you’re not rich, not white, not powerful (but also even if you are). “The past devours the future,” as a newspaper editor in Argentina puts it. The concept of parallel Earths — multiverses with multifarious storylines — recurs throughout, and that’s where the book derives its well-earned underlying sense of hope: the thought that no matter how remote and unlikely, there are always other possibilities and opportunities, choices that could be made that don’t have to be bad.
Saul’s grandfather Benjamin says, “Every telling of an event is a portrait of the teller and not the event itself.” The events Zapata recounts here deliver an indelible portrait of a jubilant and generous story-teller — one from whom readers should look eagerly forward to hearing more.
Kathleen Rooney’s latest novel, “Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey,” is forthcoming in August.
‘The Lost Book of Adana Moreau’
By Michael Zapata, Hanover Square, 272 pages, $26.99


chicagotribune--2020-02-04--Lincoln Park High School investigations include claims of sexual misconduct, retaliation, recruiting

Lincoln Park High School investigations include claims of sexual misconduct, retaliation, recruiting violations: CPS

“ CPS references serious allegations , and while we understand privacy , they are not telling anyone what these allegations @ @ @ @ @ , and the school community will be looking for answers to that tonight , ” @ @ @ @ @ of Monday ’ s community meeting .

Students from Chicago's Lincoln Park High School stage a walkout Feb. 3, 2020, to protest the suspension of school leaders and the boys varsity basketball season. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
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The investigations into alleged misconduct at Lincoln Park High School are wide-ranging and include claims of athletic recruiting violations, retaliation against witnesses, sexual misconduct and financial misconduct involving athletic program accounts.
In outlining the reasons why several school administrators were suspended and the boys varsity basketball season was abruptly halted late last week, school officials told hundreds of community members gathered Monday night that the moves were the result of “egregious and systemic policy violations.”
School officials said the alleged misconduct involved both students and adults, and also included failure to follow sexual misconduct reporting procedures, improper student discipline, dishonesty to families, allowing suspended employees to work, failure to create safety plans for students and interference with and withholding evidence from investigations.
Among the claims are that school leaders were aware of “student-on-student retaliation” against those who spoke to investigators and that it was not properly reported.
The school’s current leadership turmoil — with the principal, assistant principal, a dean and three basketball coaches now suspended or reassigned — began Jan. 2 when the district’s Office of Student Protections received a report of alleged misconduct during an “unauthorized” school basketball trip over winter break days earlier.
Audience members respond to speakers at a community meeting at Lincoln Park High School Monday evening following a rash of misconduct claims against staff members and students. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“While conducting the investigation, OSP finds additional serious policy violations and failures to follow proper protocols by adults to ensure student safety,” school officials said in a written presentation Monday evening.
In recent weeks, CPS investigators have uncovered “greater systemic policy violations by adults” as well as two separate complaints of sexual misconduct, one related to the girls basketball team, officials said. Both have prompted separate investigations.
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“I personally come in here with a heavy heart” knowing that “students were harmed” during alleged misconduct, Chief Schools Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova told the crowd.
Students in the audience pressed the chief of schools on whether decisions were reversible and some raised their voices when she said said they were not.
“I understand that this is not something that you would like to hear... This is not something I can change,” she said.
Despite the new revelations, many parents and students expressed anger toward school officials’ handling of the situation. The meeting was marked by emotional and sometimes heated exchanges, and after it concluded some community members angrily confronted CPS safety chief Jadine Chou, prompting security to escort her out.
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The meeting came hours after Lincoln Park High students walked out of classes Monday morning in protest of the removal of their school leaders and the suspension of the boys varsity basketball season just before playoffs are due to begin Tuesday.
About 10:30 a.m., teens began to emerge in droves from school buildings, pausing for a news conference at the edge of campus, where several students spoke publicly in support of interim Principal John Thuet, Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield and Dean John Johnson, who were among those removed from their positions, Chicago Public Schools announced late Friday.
Outside school Monday morning, Romelle Howard, co-captain of the varsity basketball team, told the crowd he felt “disappointment, stress, confused” over the team’s suspension. He said the number of students who joined the protest shows “a lot of people support us.”
Howard said seniors like him might lose out on chances to be seen by recruiters. He also said students were given no specifics about the reasons behind the decisions.
“I hope we get our season back, get our coach back, (that) everything goes back to normal," Howard said.
Students from Lincoln Park High School walk back to school after staging a walkout and march Feb. 3, 2020, to protest sudden staff changes at the school amid misconduct allegations. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Students from Lincoln Park High School head back to school after walking out of class Feb. 3, 2020, in protest of the suspension of school leaders and the basketball season. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Hundreds of students participated in the walkout and, after the news conference, marched off school grounds, weaving through television crews and police officers and spilling out onto Armitage Avenue. Many toted hand-lettered signs asking that leaders be reinstated and that the basketball team be allowed to play this week, chanting, “What do we want? Answers” and, “Let them play! Let them play!”
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Parents have also been clamoring for more information about the staff removals, and many new details about the scope of the probe were revealed Monday evening by school officials, including that there are now four separate investigations underway.
But Marybeth Jones, a member of the Lincoln Park Local School Council, said fellow members were “shocked and blindsided” about the leadership suspensions when they received the news hours before it went public.
Jones — whose remarks prompted a standing ovation from fellow audience members — said she was dismayed such a “rash decision” was made privately, contrasting it with the “highly public principal selection process.”
Some students said they felt disrespected and chanted, “Where is the due process?”
Several speakers made reference to an alleged encounter involving students during the overnight basketball team trip to Detroit.
But one person commented: “I find it troubling people have so much to say about what they know so little about.”
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One person in the crowd questioned why the girls basketball team is allowed to play but the boys were suspended.
At the news conference during the walkout Monday, Lincoln Park junior Ella Wong, 17, said that the ousted leaders “made so many drastic differences ... in students’ lives. If that wasn’t true, we wouldn’t be walking out for them.”
CPS Chief Schools Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova speaks during a meeting Feb. 3, 2020, after leadership changes were announced at Lincoln Park High School. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Wong told the crowd that the school seemed to have “upped the security” Monday and had warned students there could be serious consequences for leaving campus. Students participating in the walkout would have to take an unexcused absence, she said.
But a CPS spokesman later said no students were going to be disciplined as a result of the walkout.
Student speakers said they’ve been reaching out to CPS officials and are prepared to protest at district headquarters in pursuit of answers and changes.
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The announcement late Friday of a leadership shake-up also included the news that Johnson, the dean, and boys basketball coach Donovan Robinson had been reassigned pending the outcome of investigations.
The moves followed the suspension of boys basketball coach Pat Gordon last month over a trip taken by members of the boys basketball team during winter break.
That was followed by a Jan. 25 announcement of an allegation that another staff member, the girls basketball coach, “engaged inappropriately with a student.”
Besides the walkout, an online petition seeks to allow the boys basketball team to resume play. The varsity team is due to play Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy on Tuesday in the Chicago Public Leagueplayoffs.
Lincoln Park parent John Moser also said he’s concerned about the lack of information provided by school officials about what’s going on.
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“CPS references serious allegations, and while we understand privacy, they are not telling anyone what these allegations are or what they involve, and the school community will be looking for answers to that tonight,” he told the Tribune ahead of Monday’s community meeting.
Moser said he wanted to emphasize the “incredible work” Thuet, Brumfield and Johnson had done in a relatively short time.
“It’s why the students walked out today, it’s why the students, teachers, parents and school community are upset,” Moser said. “It’s why almost 2,000 people have signed the petition supporting the administrators."
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-05--Kirk Douglas, legendary ‘Spartacus’ star, dies at 103

He suffered a stroke in 1995 and had to teach himself to speak all over again .
He was left @ @ @ @ @ face .
Self-conscious about his now-slurred speech , he avoided public appearances for months and @ @ @ @ @ film until 1999 's `` Diamonds , '' then took four more years before fulfilling @ @ @ @ @ with son Michael , ex-wife Diana and grandson Cameron in `` It Runs in the @ @ @ @ @ use the pic as a farewell , though , he stepped into the lead in @ @ @ @ @ The Illusion . ''

Kirk Douglas, the dimple-chinned "Spartacus" star with the larger-than-life persona, died Wednesday. He was 103.
He was the father of actor Michael Douglas and paterfamilias of a Hollywood family that included his sons, producers Joel and Peter and grandson Cameron Douglas.
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Michael Douglas posted about his father on Instagram, saying, “It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103.
"To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.
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"But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.
"Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet.
“Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son. #KirkDouglas”
As an actor, Douglas excelled in playing men fighting for their honor ("Spartacus," "Seven Days in May") and cocky protagonists who were sometimes likable ("20,000 Leagues Under the Sea") and sometimes hateful ("Champion," "The Bad and the Beautiful"). Oscar-nommed three times, he was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1996.
With his clenched throat and intense volatility, he was an easy target for comic impressionists. But his big, macho persona sometimes made people forget his subtle sensitivity in films like "Lust for Life," "Paths of Glory" and "Lonely Are the Brave."
Along with his longtime friend and occasional co-star Burt Lancaster, he personified the image of the manly man, a tough guy with flashes of style and humor. Though he wasn't prolific as a producer, he was responsible for intelligent and offbeat fare including two great films directed by Stanley Kubrick, "Paths of Glory" and "Spartacus."
Offscreen, Douglas had a reputation for being demanding during his heyday in the '50s and '60s. But there were other sides to him as well: a political activist, charity benefactor, family man, a funny and thoughtful storyteller and an author.
Douglas is credited with helping break the 1950s blacklist when he insisted that Dalton Trumbo (one of the Hollywood 10) be credited for his screenplay on the film "Spartacus." (Trumbo had written a number of scripts during the '50s, but always under pseudonyms. Douglas insisted on WGA arbitration to get Trumbo credit in 1960, while earlier that year, Otto Preminger announced that Trumbo had scripted "Exodus.") Douglas was honored by the ACLU with a Bill of Rights Award "for having the courage and conviction to break the infamous Hollywood blacklist and forcing the full recognition of one of its victims."
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Born Issur Danielovitch (later changed to Demsky) in Amsterdam, N.Y., Douglas was the only son of Russian Jewish immigrants. In his autobiography "The Ragman's Son," he described the abject poverty in which he was raised. "Even on Eagle Street, the poorest section of town ... the ragman was on the lowest rung on the ladder. And I was the ragman's son."
FILE - FEBRUARY 05: Actor Kirk Douglas, whose career spanned more than 60 years, passed away on February 5, 2020. He was 103 years old. circa 1963: The actor Kirk Douglas with his wife Anne Buydens and their son Peter Vincent Douglas. (Keystone / Getty Images)
With help from loans and scholarships, Douglas attended St. Lawrence U., where, between wrestling matches, he took an interest in dramatics. He worked odd jobs after college — usher, professional wrestler, soda jerk — to pay his way through the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It was at AADA that he met Diana Dill, who became his first wife and the mother of sons Michael and Joel.
After working in summer stock, Douglas made his Broadway debut in 1941 as a singing Western Union messenger in "Spring Again."
During his WWII stint in the Navy, Douglas was hit with amoebic dysentery and honorably discharged in June 1944.
He returned to Broadway — he’d had a walk-on role before the war — replacing Richard Widmark in the comedy “Kiss and Tell” and the drama “Trio.” He had to drop out of the original production of the musical “On the Town,” citing “psychosomatic laryngitis.”
On the recommendation of a classmate, Lauren Bacall, he was auditioned and signed by producer Hal Wallis at $500 a week. He made his film bow opposite Barbara Stanwyck in "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers," after which he returned briefly to Broadway to appear in Sam and Bella Spewack's farce "Woman Bites Dog."
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Wallis loaned him out for “Mourning Becomes Electra” and the film noir “Out of the Past.” On “I Walk Alone,” co-starring Lancaster, Douglas clashed with Wallis. According to the actor, “This was the beginning of my reputation for being difficult.”
Rather than reup with Wallis for another seven years at Paramount, Douglas decided to freelance, appearing in Fox's sophisticated Joseph Mankiewicz comedy "A Letter to Three Wives," among other films.
The film that catapulted him to stardom, and forever cast him as a brooding, explosive personality, was 1949's "Champion." For his performance as an unscrupulous boxer he gained his first Academy Award nomination.
That led to a seven-year deal with Warner Bros., where he appeared in "Young Man With a Horn" and "The Glass Menagerie" (in an affable role as the Gentleman Caller).
1967’s “The War Wagon” featured John Wayne once again teaming up with the likes of Kirk Douglas — this time to tell the story of a man on a quest for revenge. Wayne’s character Taw Jackson hatches a plot to steal back the gold and land that had been taken from him. Helping him pull it off is a former enemy Lomax (played by Douglas), who had shot Jackson five years earlier. (Universal Picture)
Established as a star, Douglas scored several major acting triumphs over the next few years. For RKO he toplined Howard Hawks' Western "The Big Sky." At Paramount he appeared as an immoral reporter in Billy Wilder's acidic "The Big Carnival" (aka "Ace in the Hole") and as a nakedly ambitious police detective in "Detective Story."
Jumping over to MGM, he notched his second Oscar nom as the monomaniacal producer in Vincente Minnelli's 1952 "The Bad and the Beautiful."
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He and Diana had divorced in 1951, but while working in Europe on such films as "The Juggler" and "Ulysses," Douglas met publicist Anne Buydens, whom he married in 1954. They had two sons, Peter and Eric. That same year, he scored another triumph in Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." In 1955 he founded his own production company, Bryna (named after his mother).
Minnelli said Douglas was "the only choice" to play Vincent Van Gogh in "Lust for Life," for which the actor picked up his third Oscar nomination. The 1956 film was not a commercial success, but the next year, "Gunfight at the OK Corral" was a hit.
Also in 1957, he gave one of the top performances of his career in "Paths of Glory," produced by Bryna and directed by relative novice Stanley Kubrick. "It was a truly great film with a truly great theme: the insanity and brutality of war," Douglas wrote in his autobiography. "As I had predicted, it made no money."
After producing the successful but critically panned "The Vikings," Douglas hired Kubrick for "Spartacus," replacing Anthony Mann two weeks into production. Kubrick distanced himself from the Roman epic, which is nonetheless considered one of the best of its kind.
"I think one of the most important things in my career was the breaking of the blacklist," Douglas said of his insistence that Trumbo's name be listed as scenarist for "Spartacus." Otto Preminger in January 1960 had listed Trumbo's name for screenplay adaptation on "Exodus" that same year, credited in Variety as being the first producer to do so. Also in 1960, the European film "Blind Date" was distributed by Paramount, with the director (Joseph Losey) and writer getting onscreen credit.
Douglas and many critics consider the modern-day Western "Lonely Are the Brave" (which he also produced) to be one of his finest moments. Also written by Trumbo, it was not a commercial success, nor was his next effort for Minnelli, "Two Weeks in Another Town."
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In 1964 Douglas starred with Burt Lancaster in one of the great political thrillers of the 1960s, John Frankenheimer's "Seven Days in May."
A year earlier he had returned to the stage in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Dale Wasserman's adaptation of the Ken Kesey novel, which he tried valiantly to get made into a film over the next decade. His son, Michael, finally succeeded. But by then Kirk Douglas was too old for the role of McMurphy, which was played by Jack Nicholson.
In 1975, "Cuckoo's Nest" became the second film (after "It Happened One Night") to win the top five Oscars: best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay. Kirk Douglas, who owned the rights to the novel, recalled, "I made more money from that film than any I acted in. And I would gladly give back every cent, if I could have played that role."
His roles during the '70s included Joseph L. Mankiewicz's "There Was a Crooked Man" and the horror thriller "The Fury." (He turned down "Patton" and a co-starring role in the first Rambo film, "First Blood"). In the early '70s he directed "Scalawag" and "Posse," neither of which turned his career around.
Douglas made his TV debut in 1973's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," in which he insisted on doing the famous transformation scene without special effects. Subsequent TV appearances included "Victory at Entebbe," "The Moneychangers," "Amos," "Inherit the Wind" and a miniseries adaptation of Michael Korda's "Queenie."
In 1981, he toured in "The Boys in Autumn," co-starring Lancaster (with whom he appeared in films including "Seven Days in May" and "The List of Adrian Messenger"), but left the play before it came to Broadway. They reunited for the last time in the 1986 heist comedy "Tough Guys."
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After penning “Ragman’s Son,” Douglas wrote several more books, including “Dance with the Devil,” “Let’s Face It — 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning” in 2007 and “I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist,” about the making of “Spartacus,” in 2012.
In 1991, he was honored with the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, and by the Writers Guild of America for breaking the blacklist. Early that year, Douglas had a close brush with death after he was injured in the collision of a helicopter in which he was a passenger and a stunt plane.
FILE - FEBRUARY 05: Actor Kirk Douglas, whose career spanned more than 60 years, passed away on February 5, 2020. Here, Douglas (L) and son and actor Michael Douglas attend SBIFF's 2011 Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence In Film on October 13, 2011 in Santa Barbara, California. (Michael Buckner / Getty Images)
He suffered a stroke in 1995 and had to teach himself to speak all over again. He was left with some paralysis in his face. Self-conscious about his now-slurred speech, he avoided public appearances for months and did not appear in another film until 1999's "Diamonds," then took four more years before fulfilling a longtime dream by performing with son Michael, ex-wife Diana and grandson Cameron in "It Runs in the Family." Rather than use the pic as a farewell, though, he stepped into the lead in an indie pic, "The Illusion."
And after his public shyness, Douglas embraced his new role as an unofficial spokesman for stroke victims, penning and appearing in a one-man show, "Before I Forget," in 2009, and accepting speaking engagements, such as the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony for Michael in 2010, an AFI luncheon in early 2011 ("Kirk Douglas steals the show" was the New York Times headline) and presenting best supporting actress Oscar at Academy Awards that year to Melissa Leo, milking his laughs and flirting with her.
In July 2012, Douglas and his wife Anne announced a total of $50 million in pledges to five nonprofit organizations through the Douglas Foundation, founded by the couple in 1964. They also sponsored more than 240 playgrounds around Southern California.
Douglas and his wife Anne donated millions for the construction of the Kirk Douglas Care Pavilion at the Motion Picture & Television Fund for residents with Alzheimer's. Funds were also donated to the Anne Douglas Center for Women at the Los Angeles Mission; the Center Theater Group's Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City; Sinai Temple in Westwood; and the Kirk Douglas Scholarship fund at Douglas alma mater St. Lawrence U.
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Survivors include his wife Anne; three sons: actor-producer Michael and producers Joel and Peter; and at least seven grandchildren. His youngest son, Eric, died in July 2004.


chicagotribune--2020-02-05--Chicago firefighters protest promotion exam ‘debacle’: ‘We just want a fair shake’

“ We expect nothing less than a seamless administration of its examinations , which is why we require vendors to @ @ @ @ @ tested to prevent technological issues and any undue burden caused to firefighters devoting their time @ @ @ @ @ who cover their shifts , ” the Fire Department statement continued .
`` We understand @ @ @ @ @ time and effort that our firefighters spent studying for this exam and we are working @ @ @ @ @ vendor to reschedule the remaining exam component to the extent necessary as quickly as possible @ @

Chicago firefighters rally in front of the city's public safety headquarters in protest of problems during a recent promotional exam. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
About 70 Chicago firefighters protested the city’s handling of a recent promotional exam that had to be canceled because of technical issues.
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The group gathered at 35th and State streets, about a block from the city’s public safety headquarters. They carried signs and stopped outside the headquarters to sing union solidarity songs and called for an end to oral exams.
About 1,600 Chicago Fire Department members took the oral exam last week for promotion to the rank of lieutenant. About another 120 were due to test for battalion chief, but that exam was canceled because of the glitches.
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Many of those who did take the exam also encountered problems. It was the first one given for the rank of lieutenant since 2009, and the situation irked some members who may only get one chance at promotion during a 20-year career.
“Men and women studied for two years,” Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 President Jim Tracy said. “We just want them to get a fair shake.”
Chicago firefighter Collis Maddox, center, rallies with co-workers Wednesday in protest of a promotional exam that they called "plagued by errors." (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
For the lieutenant’s test, firefighters were divided into four groups of 400 and given a start time of either 8 a.m. or 2 p.m. on Monday or Tuesday, according to Mark Egan, a business agent in the union and a firefighter who took the exam. Firefighters waited until they were put in a room with computers, where they were to watch a video and record their answers.
But in what firefighters called a “debacle,” delays grew longer as the day went on. Some members said they didn’t get out until after midnight on the first day and, because they weren’t allowed to have a phone, couldn’t communicate with their families.
“Lori Lightfoot came to our executive board promising accountability and professionalism, now we have our administrators pointing fingers at some company in California,” Egan said.
Firefighters were offered bottled water and a deck of cards while they waited, he said.
“We equally share the disappointment expressed by our firefighters and paramedics for the technical difficulties that occurred during last week’s testing process,” said Larry Langford, a Fire Department spokesman, in a written statement.
“We expect nothing less than a seamless administration of its examinations, which is why we require vendors to ensure their equipment is vigorously tested to prevent technological issues and any undue burden caused to firefighters devoting their time to participate, and those who cover their shifts,” the Fire Department statement continued. "We understand and appreciate the amount of time and effort that our firefighters spent studying for this exam and we are working diligently with the City and vendor to reschedule the remaining exam component to the extent necessary as quickly as possible.”
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Jerry Hughes, center, and other Chicago firefighters protest problems that occurred during department promotional exams last week. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Langford could not be reached for comment on the demand for an end to oral exams. The city has for more than 10 years used the same company, CPS HR Consulting, which issued an apology for last week’s problems.
In the past, Tracy said, firefighters who knew the chiefs administering the oral exams would fare better than others. Hiring an outside company to administer the exams was a way to guard against that.
Egan said he would prefer a system where a written exam is graded by scanning the test, letting members find out their score soon after they’re finished.
pnickeas@chicagotribune.com