chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Would faster service make you more likely to take the bus? The CTA and Pace are rolling out projects

Would faster service make you more likely to take the bus? The CTA and Pace are rolling out projects to speed your commute.

One key to success will be better and fairer enforcement , to keep cars out of bus lanes , said @ @ @ @ @ the Active Transportation Alliance , an advocacy group .
The Loop Link lanes are often @ @ @ @ @ Alliance supports a change in state law that will allow photo enforcement , to ticket @ @ @ @ @ .
The Lightfoot Administration is currently assessing the most effective methods for bus lane enforcement @ @ @ @ @ .

A van is parked in the bus-only lane on North Western Avenue near West Moffat Street in Chicago as a southbound CTA bus makes its way around it on Jan. 7, 2020. CDOT and the CTA will be enforcing AM and PM Rush Hour restrictions on new Chicago and Western Avenue bus only lanes. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
In the last decade, bus ridership has dropped both in the Chicago area and nationwide.
Instead of taking the bus, travelers are choosing ride-share or driving their own cars, aided by lower gas prices. Increasingly clogged roads have made riding on a bus more frustrating, with buses inching through traffic like turtles through molasses.
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To combat the problem and get people back on the bus, both the CTA and Pace are joining transit agencies around the country in finding ways to make buses faster and more reliable. This includes painting red bus lanes on streets to keep cars out, faster boarding, and the use of new transit signal technology to give buses priority at stoplights.
“If you can make the service fast, frequent and reliable, and make it a dignified experience for people, people will start to come back,” said Steven Higashide, a national transit expert who wrote the book “Better Buses, Better Cities” about improving service. “Transit agencies have to make the baseline product attractive, and then market the hell out of it."
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The CTA and the Chicago Department of Transportation are creating bus priority zones on busy routes, while Pace is expanding “on-shoulder” routes on expressways and creating new express routes along major arterials. The first Pace “Pulse” express route is operating on Milwaukee Avenue, and more are planned for Halsted Street on the South Side and south suburbs, and on north suburban Dempster Street.
The fixes cost money — the CTA’s 2015 “Loop Link" system of permanent bus-only lanes and raised boarding platforms on Washington Street and Madison Avenue cost $41 million, while the Pace Milwaukee Avenue “Pulse” route cost $15 million. But they’re cheaper than new rail — the projected cost of extending the CTA Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street is $2.3 billion.
A southbound CTA bus in the bus-only lane on North Western Avenue near West Armitage Avenue in Chicago on Jan. 7, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
One key to success will be better and fairer enforcement, to keep cars out of bus lanes, said Kyle Whitehead, spokesman for the Active Transportation Alliance, an advocacy group. The Loop Link lanes are often invaded by cars. The Alliance supports a change in state law that will allow photo enforcement, to ticket people blocking the bus lane. The Lightfoot Administration is currently assessing the most effective methods for bus lane enforcement, said spokeswoman Hali Levandoski.
The city of Chicago is spending $25 million, including $2 million from new fees on ride-share, to create bus priority zones, starting on Chicago and Western avenues. Priority zoning means creating conditions for faster bus speeds, which can include painting a lane red and banning other traffic during rush hour, and having longer green lights along routes. “Queue jumping” at some intersections will allow buses to get through the light ahead of other traffic.
Bus priority zones are coming to portions of 79th Street this year, followed in 2021 with red-painted bus lanes and other transit-friendly improvements on parts of #8 Halsted Street, #53 Pulaski Road, #63 63rd Street and #77 Belmont Avenue in 2021, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Last week, the city started enforcement of the Chicago and Western rush-hour bus lanes, and the CTA has already issued 50 $100 tickets to car owners caught parked or standing in the red zones during rush hour, spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said.
A bus driver on the Chicago route said the tickets, more than the red paint, will change car drivers’ attitudes.
“It’s Chicago — they don’t care until they have to care,” said the bus driver, who declined to be named.
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Cheryl Carter, waiting downtown for the #66 Chicago bus last week, said she already sees a difference.
“The buses now have their own space to get around,” said Carter, 38, of Austin.
Bus speeds increased on Loop Link routes by 5 to 12% in their first 20 months, which may not seem like much. But Hosinski noted that ridership grew by 4% between 2016 and 2019, compared with a drop of 8% in overall CTA bus ridership over the same period.
“The investments that we’re making are delivering the results," Hosinski said. Cars in the Loop are banned from red-painted bus lanes at all times, not just at rush hour.
Pace is trying something different with its Pulse routes, in that it’s not creating bus lanes, but using other ways to make buses faster.
For its Milwaukee Avenue Pulse route, Pace is equipping buses with “signal priority” technology, which allows a bus to send a signal to a traffic light to allow the bus to go through, said spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken.
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The Pulse makes fewer stops than the regular 270 Milwaukee bus. This helps Pulse buses get from Jefferson Park to Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles in about 21 to 25 minutes, compared with 26-30 minutes for the 270 bus, Skogsbakken said.
Pace is still building Pulse stations along the route, with raised, heated platforms. The stations ease boarding, so finishing them will further trim travel times, along with full implementation of transit signal technology, Skogsbakken said.
Passengers riding the purple Pulse buses during morning rush hour last week said they like it better than the 270.
“It’s definitely faster,” said Tatiana Valenzuela, 23. “Unless there’s a lot of traffic, then there’s not as much of a difference.” Valenzuela said she wished there were more express buses, so she could save time.
Beyond the Pulse routes, Pace wants to expand its “bus-on-shoulder” routes on expressways, which have proved popular with riders. Pace will add new buses and a new garage to its I-55 route, using state capital money. Pace also is studying adding bus service along the under-construction I-294 Tri-State corridor. This would interconnect with Pace routes on I-55 and I-90, and with future Pulse lines, Skogsbakken said.
Adding bus lanes to a busy street can be controversial. The CTA’s attempt to put a bus lane on Ashland Avenue was quashed by local business owners, and some car drivers still gripe about the Loop Link.
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Higashide noted that other cities, like Boston, have had luck doing short-term, “pop-up” style bus lanes, just using cones and paint, to see if the lanes work in an area before making them permanent. This can save years of planning time, he said.
“Often what neighborhoods find is that the sky has not fallen," Higashide said of the bus lane tests. “You can react to an actual proposal on the street, rather than fear of what could happen.”
Transportation song quiz
Last week’s transportation song was about a woman with deep relationship problems, who knows the flight schedule. The song was “5:30 Plane” from the Supremes. Paul Landry, of Shorewood, was first with the right answer.
This ’90s rap hit is about a transit mishap that can cause you to scuff your sneakers, bust your bag and almost break your neck running. What’s the song and who did it? The first person with the right answer gets a Tribune pen, and glory.
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mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--On the largest freshwater island in the world, Lake Huron’s Native Americans warn of the fragility o

On the largest freshwater island in the world, Lake Huron’s Native Americans warn of the fragility of water

“ Every race of man had their own territory , and this was our territory .
The significance of that @ @ @ @ @ t go anywhere else to find our people .
People can leave Chicago or leave @ @ @ @ @ find their roots , to find their homeland .
But these are our homelands .
@ @ @ @ @ anywhere else to look for our language or our culture .
This is it , @ @ @ @ @ chief of the Wiikwemkoong tribe and a cousin of Doris Peltier .

Duke Peltier, 43, stands near his home on the shore of Lake Huron in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on the Manitoulin Island, Ontario, on Nov. 24, 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
MANITOULIN ISLAND, CANADA — In their native tongue, the Anishinaabe people have many words for water.
There’s nibi, the water you drink. There’s gimewan, the water that falls from the sky. There’s nibiiwsh, the water that wells up in your eyes. There’s biinjinoowaanaabo, the water that breaks before a baby is born.
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Even the Anishinaabe word for child literally translates to: Spirit that comes alive from within the water.
“Water is life,” said Doris Peltier, head of one tribe’s heritage organization. “For nine months, before that child came into this earth, where were they? Children are brought into this world through water. Our bodies (at birth) are 80% water. Nothing on Earth can survive without water."
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On Lake Huron’s Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world, the six First Nation tribes that call this land home have an ineffable connection with the waters that surround them.
This profound bond makes it painful for them to witness the drastic ways Lake Huron and its tributaries have been altered and threatened by human activity.
Lake Huron is home to 30,000 of the Great Lakes’ 35,000 islands and its longest shoreline. As the original motherland for Native American and First Nation tribes, these islands and neighboring coastal areas play an important role in their culture, faith and traditions.
[ This series received financial support from the Pulitzer Center's Connected Coastlines initiative. ]
Globally, lands controlled by indigenous people are 22 percent of the world’s surface, yet they contain 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, according to a United Nations climate panel. In the United States and Canada, indigenous communities have been among the first to feel the effects of climate change. While carbon emissions are warming the planet at an alarming pace, indigenous populations pride themselves on striking a balance with nature, but many don’t have the resources to adapt to the effects of a warming planet.
Once abundant fisheries have been plundered by waves of invasive species, including invasive zebra and quagga mussels, which can tolerate warmer waters. According to the climate panel, global warming threatens to alter the habitat of many other species, forcing them to migrate to other areas. For First Nation tribes, this could mean the end of some fish species and severe reductions in the wildlife they hunt for food.
Water quality is also an issue for First Nation communities across Canada, where there are more than 50 long-term drinking water advisories affecting more than 3,000 households. And a recent study raises concerns about the potential for a “worst-case scenario” rupture in an aging pipeline that carries oil and natural gas through the Straits of Mackinac, which connects lakes Michigan and Huron.
But perhaps the greatest blow to First Nation communities is they feel they have little influence over what happens in a region that was once under their control.
[ Homeowners near the Great Lakes face a ‘very scary’ challenge: How do you handle a generation’s worth of water level changes in just a few years? ]
The town of Little Current on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, on Nov. 24, 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
‘Our territory’
In the oral histories of some Native peoples, the Creator lowered the Three Fires — the Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi and Ojibwa (Chippewa) peoples to North America, or what they call “Turtle Island.” They migrated to the Great Lakes, met at the Straits of Mackinac and dispersed.
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“Every race of man had their own territory, and this was our territory. The significance of that is that we can’t go anywhere else to find our people. People can leave Chicago or leave Toronto to go somewhere to find their roots, to find their homeland. But these are our homelands. We can’t go anywhere else to look for our language or our culture. This is it," said Duke Peltier, chief of the Wiikwemkoong tribe and a cousin of Doris Peltier.
After European settlers arrived in the Great Lakes, Native American populations were slowly dispossessed of their lands through force and treaties until many ended up together on Manitoulin Island.
Many tribes signed treaties diminishing the size of their lands, but the Wiikwemkoong kept the title to their land, known as the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, on the eastern peninsula of Manitoulin Island.
Manitoulin Island is a sprawling countryside about the size of Rhode Island but with a population of around 12,000; there are some areas where deer outnumber people. The landscape features steep coastal cliff sides, rugged hills, waterfalls and more than 100 inland lakes — some of which have islands of their own. Historically, this was all native land, but today indigenous populations make up only 40% of residents.
Many First Nation tribes, including the Wiikwemkoong, have filed legal challenges seeking to reestablish claim over many of the islands in Georgian Bay, which are currently under Canadian control.
Decimated fishing grounds
In 1863, the Canadian government began issuing commercial fishing leases in waters near Manitoulin Island. Wiikwemkoong leaders, worried about overfishing, evicted the fishermen, giving rise to a heated standoff between the tribe and Canadian authorities.
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While the tribe was able to retain its historic fishing grounds, today, those waters that they have tried to protect are a vestige of their former selves.
The opening of the Welland Canal between lakes Erie and Ontario in 1932 allowed ocean-faring ships into the Great Lakes from the St. Lawrence River. In the ballast tanks, nonnative species stowed away and slipped into freshwater.
In the past century, sea lampreys, eel-like creatures that latch on to fish and drain their blood, have devastated lake trout populations. Alewives, a small herring, boomed in population, crowding out other small native fish. Fishery managers introduced nonnative salmon to prey on the alewives and boost sport fishing.
[ 5 things you might not know about Lake Huron, the ‘forgotten’ Great Lake ]
But the salmon population collapsed in Lake Huron following the introduction of zebra and quagga mussels. Trillions upon trillions of the fingernail-sized shellfish rapidly colonized the lake. Each can filter a liter of water a day. In doing so, they have devoured much of the lake’s plankton, which serves as the base of the food chain, and sent shock waves through the ecosystem.
“The zebra mussels literally filtered out the lake where there’s no more microorganisms except in pockets," Peltier said. “The rest of the lake is essentially dead water. It’s not a healthy environment.
“My concerns have been some of the same concerns our elders talked about for a number of years. It relates to government policies where they want to play God and start tinkering with the ecosystem when we know we can’t control it.”
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These days, there are few commercial fishermen left. Those still in operation fish as more of a hobby than a profession.
Buzwah Fisheries is an aquaculture site raising rainbow trout on the Lake Huron in the Wikwemikong unceded territory on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
A worker feeds the fish at Buzwah Fisheries fish farm on Lake Huron in the Wikwemikong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
On a weekday, when the nets set by local commercial fishermen came up empty, hundreds of thousands of hearty rainbow trout swam in open-water pens in Manitowaning Bay.
Ben Kanasawe started Buzwah Fisheries as an experiment about 20 years ago. Today, he harvests and sells around 2.5 million pounds of rainbow trout a year.
Peltier believes fish farming operations like Kanasawe’s may be the future. In ocean and freshwater lakes, fish stocks have plummeted due to a combination of overfishing, pollution and invasive species.
Peltier and others worry the next menace is a mere 400 miles away in Chicago, where the voracious Asian carp are swimming up the Illinois River toward Lake Michigan. So far, removal efforts and a series of electric barriers have kept carp at bay, but some fear it may only be a matter of time.
“When you talk fear, the Asian carp potentially has a pathway into the lakes,” Peltier said. “Those species are prolific in reproducing. I’m not sure if they can be stopped.”
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Pipeline fears
The regulation of commercial shipping and the introduction of invasive species has been beyond the control of the First Nations. So, too, are some of the most critical threats to drinking water.
Underwater in the Straits of Mackinac, Enbridge’s Line 5, a pair of pipelines carrying light crude and natural gas, snake between the Upper and Lower peninsulas. While Enbridge has contended that oil and natural gas pipelines have an “indefinite lifespan if they are properly operated, monitored and maintained," environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers are worried about the durability of Line 5, which was built in 1953.
Positioned in one of the most precarious locations in the Great Lakes, the straits also produce an unusual oscillation that was a mystery to locals and scientists alike until a decade ago, according to Eric Anderson, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab.
“They are in one of the craziest spots, current-wise, that you could put a pipeline," Anderson said. "One aspect is the speed — it’s really fast there. The other aspect is the currents oscillate back and forth in the straits, meaning they will move eastward for about a day and a half into Huron and reverse back into Michigan for about a day and a half cycle.”
For these reasons, it’s a tricky area for boats to navigate. Sometimes, ship captains drop anchor to slow their vessels and straighten their course, making anchor strikes among the greatest threats to the pipelines. In 2018, the pipeline was struck by an anchor from a tugboat performing this type of maneuver. There was no rupture, but the incident raised concerns.
A 2018 study commissioned by the state of Michigan revealed that a “worst-case scenario” rupture has the potential to spew contaminants from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in Lake Michigan to Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron.
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Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and environmentalists have called for the pipeline to be shut down. Former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder argued that would raise oil and gas prices in Michigan and has supported legislation to allow Enbridge to build a tunnel to house the pipeline, which the company has said is the most practical solution.
The costs to clean up such a spill could reach over $4.4 billion, according to the 2018 state of Michigan report. But Native Americans fear the damage to their way of life would be immeasurable: wiping out or sullying archaeological sites, coastal wetlands and sand dunes, wildlife and the lake’s remaining fish.
Meanwhile, Peltier said he and other First Nations remain sidelined on the issue.
“In Canada, they continue to say it’s a matter of jurisdiction,” Peltier said. "And (Line 5) is in the jurisdictional authority of the state of Michigan. Yet if something happened to that line, if it were to be breached somehow, the natural current is going to bring that (contamination) in the direction of Manitoulin.
“It’s going to affect the wildlife, ecosystems as well as the tourism industry that live on the island. You would have shorelines covered in oil. It’s going to take a monumental effort to clean that up."
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The pipeline isn’t the only worry.
A year ago, on the mainland shores about a 70-mile drive from Manitoulin Island, Serpent River First Nation was dealing with “do-not-drink” advisories. These advisories have been an ongoing issue in many Native American communities for years for a variety of reasons, including equipment and filtration problems.
Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization has whittled its search to store radioactive waste from spent nuclear fuel to two sites, one of which is in Bruce County, Ontario, a location less than a mile from Lake Huron. If chosen, the radioactive waste would be stored in a deep underground repository.
Water walkers
In the absence of a viable recourse, the Wiikwemkoong have leaned on faith. In their culture, women are the caretakers of water and the guardians of the Earth’s most precious resource.
It’s a responsibility they take seriously.
The late Josephine Mandamin, a 61-year-old grandmother, started a movement in 2003. In her pursuit to raise awareness about the importance and fragility of water, she began walking long stretches of shores along the Great Lakes in a solemn quest for help.
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During these epic treks, Mandamin — known as the Water Walker — and a procession of Annishanaabe women carried sacred clothes. They clutched ceremonial tobacco in one hand, their connection to Gichi-manidoo, the Great Spirit. The women took turns carrying a copper pail filled with lake water.
Through rain, hail, mud and fatigue, the Anishinaabe women have walked thousands of miles, in some instances up to 12 hours a day. A few men join walks in a support role, one leading in case of encounters with wildlife and one in the back in case anyone is struggling. In one of their most rigorous journeys, a trek from Lake Superior’s shoreline in Wisconsin to the St. Lawrence River took more than three months.
Along the way, they gained inspiration from what they saw, including verdant slicks of harmful algae blooms, low water levels and all manner of pollution.
Norma Peltier, an aunt of the Wiikwemkoong chief, has participated in these walks for more than a decade, recalled a particularly trying journey a few years ago.
Within the first hour, one of her boots burst open at the seam. One of her fellow walkers wrapped it with duct tape and string. She kept walking.
“These are long walks and they take a toll emotionally, physically and spiritually," Norma Peltier said. "But one thing we can’t do is look back. We have to keep going.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Death of woman found inside northwest Indiana Hampton Inn ruled a homicide, coroner says

She was pronounced dead about an hour later , and the coroner ruled her death a homicide .
Further details @ @ @ @

A woman was found slain Sunday afternoon at a Hampton Inn in northwest Indiana, authorities said.
About 1 p.m., officials called to Hampton Inn, 8353 Georgia St., in Merrillville, Indiana, found the body of 45-year-old Betty Clavdio, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.
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She was pronounced dead about an hour later, and the coroner ruled her death a homicide. Further details were not available.
Merrillville police also responded to the scene and did not immediately release information on the incident.
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ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--Man, 18, killed in double shooting inside West Humboldt Park alley: police

The crime scene was contained to the middle of the gangway north of Thomas Street , where a black sedan @ @ @ @ @ squad cars .
A pair of neighbors watched from behind the black gates of a @ @ @ @ @ scene , shining flashlights on the slush-covered ground and rolling out red police tape across @ @ @ @ @ .

An 18-year-old man was slain and another man was left wounded Sunday evening after a shooter aimed at a vehicle in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood.
About 7:20 p.m., the two were sitting in the car in the 4300 block of West Thomas Street and when a person walked up to them and opened fire, according to Chicago police.
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The 18-year-old was shot once in the head and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital. He died later that night, police said.
The other man, 19, suffered one gunshot wound to his arm and was also brought to Stroger Hospital, police said. His condition was stabilized.
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The crime scene was contained to the middle of the gangway north of Thomas Street, where a black sedan was sandwiched between Chicago police squad cars. A pair of neighbors watched from behind the black gates of a backyard as officers worked the scene, shining flashlights on the slush-covered ground and rolling out red police tape across the mouth of the alley.
At Stroger Hospital, officers darted in and out of the emergency room for at least five hours. As midnight approached, one man walked toward Ogden Avenue, cussing out the officers and imploring them to “do something.” An ambulance with its sirens flashing rushed into the parking lot, cutting his tirade short.
No one is in custody.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--DePaul student newspaper launches La DePaulia, its Spanish-language news site: ‘We finally have a vo

DePaul student newspaper launches La DePaulia, its Spanish-language news site: ‘We finally have a voice.'

“ DePaul has an interesting relationship with diversity .
But they try to preach that , especially within the journalism @ @ @ @ @ René , a senior .
“ It just seemed like a perfect opportunity to do @ @ @ @ @ all the time but never actually get off the ground .
”

La DePaulia Editor-in-Chief Hillary Flores, left, works with Managing Editor Maria Guerrero in the newspaper's office on Jan. 9, 2020, before launching the Spanish-language sister publication to the DePaul student paper on Jan. 13. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
At the height of evening rush hour, the four-person editing team at DePaul University huddles inside their quiet basement newsroom on the downtown campus. Working in front of their MacBooks, editors Maria Guerrero and Izabella Grimaldo break the stretches of silence as they mull wording and grammatical choices for an upcoming story.
Grimaldo offers: “We can change it to ‘al contrario.' Pero ...”
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“It’s going to change the sentence,” Guerrero finishes.
Though they share the same newsroom, this is not the team behind The DePaulia, the long-running, student-produced campus weekly. This group is producing La DePaulia, a new site showcasing originally reported stories from Latino students in Spanish, which launched Monday.
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“This is a huge win for us,” Editor-in-Chief Hillary Flores said. “We finally have a voice.”
The ambitious project incorporating news and opinion pieces comes at an inflection point for journalism and college campus culture. In both, there is growing urgency for representation, agency and inclusion for people of color.
Part of the impetus for La DePaulia was the recent closing of Hoy, Tribune Publishing’s Spanish-language publication renowned for spotlighting the city’s Latino communities for nearly two decades. La DePaulia not only hopes to pick up where Hoy left off but also to give its leaders and writers more visibility and influence at DePaul.
Latino students make up about 16% of overall enrollment at the campuses in Lincoln Park and the Loop.
“Being in a predominantly white institution, I think it’s super important that the Latinos at DePaul get that opportunity to read about their things,” said Grimaldo, a junior who is the opinions editor. “La DePaulia will amplify their relevance on campus.”
Flores, also a junior, previously worked as the social media editor at The DePaulia. In that role, she said, she pitched ideas such as a Spanish-language Twitter account and a newsletter.
Then came the announcement about Hoy in November.
La DePaulia staffers Maria Guerrero, left, and Hillary Flores work together in the newspaper's DePaul office on Jan. 9, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Guerrero and Flores translated The DePaulia’s story about Hoy’s closure, the first time anyone had written in Spanish for the site. The response to the Spanish-language story was so positive they began wondering whether there was an avenue to build upon it.
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Soon after, Shane René, The DePaulia’s editor-in-chief, approached Flores about leading a Spanish-language reporting team. They found room in the paper’s budget for the senior editing positions and set to work.
In less than two months, La DePaulia has gone live with 11 contributing writers on deck.
“DePaul has an interesting relationship with diversity. But they try to preach that, especially within the journalism community here,” said René, a senior. “It just seemed like a perfect opportunity to do something that we talk about all the time but never actually get off the ground.”
“A lot of students in their journalism classes who could actually speak Spanish, they didn’t have an outlet for them to be published or show any clips in Spanish for future internships,” Flores said. “We do not have Spanish reporting classes, so we’re learning this on our own.”
The launch includes six stories, split across news and opinion. One is about a new music venue in Pilsen, how residents feel about it and whether the new business could affect gentrification in the predominately Latino neighborhood.
One opinion piece discusses Mexican American singer Becky G and whether her new makeup line properly represents “chola” culture. Another examines the rising feminist movement in Latin America, protesting violence against women.
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The aim is to go beyond rote English-to-Spanish translation.
“Our goal for La DePaulia is to be the neighbors of our communities and to report for our neighbors,” said Guerrero, a sophomore who is the managing editor. “Everyone should know what’s going on in Puerto Rico, in Venezuela. We can’t go to Puerto Rico, but we can go to Humboldt Park."
A similar philosophy has driven bilingual student journalism throughout the country.
Borderzine is part of the multimedia journalism degree at University of Texas at El Paso. The site has been in operation since 2008 and has trained students to cover issues such as national immigration, drug trafficking in border cities and bilingual education.
In 2019, the student paper at the University of Nevada at Reno launched a Spanish-language section. Andrew Mendez, the Spanish-language editor for the Nevada Sagebrush, said it is a mix of translated stories as well as stories reported and written only in Spanish.
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“I think it’s important for news organizations to understand there are those individuals who don’t understand English or can’t grasp everything that’s being written,” said Mendez, a sophomore. “It’s one of the first things we’re taught in journalism school — understanding our audience.”
Isabella Villalobos, a senior at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, also is spearheading Spanish-language reporting for her school. Starting in October, she’s been writing around one story a month for Metea Media en Español, focusing on representation of Latinos in AP classes and daily experiences for Latino students.
One story she has planned is the challenges of applying for financial aid and how language barriers can stymie communication between colleges and parents.
Back issues of The DePaulia student newspaper in their office Jan. 9, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“Since I am fluent in Spanish, I can provide the authenticity of the writing and the tone,” Villalobos said. “The qualities of the culture are seen within the writing. It’s good to see it from different approaches and angles than just one generic translated way.”
La DePaulia already is eyeing expansion. The staff eventually want cover sports and entertainment, Flores said. They also want to develop their own team of graphic designers and photographers, and have their own faculty adviser.
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La DePaulia will be the second time students have created an outlet by and for Latinos. In 1998, students launched Ahora DePaul (DePaul Now), a bilingual paper distributed on campus and in several Chicago neighborhoods. Students said it stopped printing after a few years.
It’s especially important to Jonathan Aguilar, a senior, to put La DePaulia on solid footing before he transitions into the professional world.
“I want to make sure this isn’t just a one-off thing,” said Aguilar, who is the multimedia editor. “I want to make sure there is a legacy and something that is going to stay for the long haul.”
drhodes@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rhodes_dawn


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--Ask Amy: Partner contemplates future with awful children

Before moving ahead in selling houses and possibly marriage , I would like to know how to reconcile these differences @ @ @ @ @ and be OK with one set of offspring acting one way and the other one @ @ @ @ @ wonder how I can manage to tolerate this if I stay with my boyfriend .

Dear Amy: My boyfriend of eight years has raised perfectly awful children.
They lack basic kindness and empathy toward their father -- and toward others in general.
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I have raised two children of my own who volunteer, assist with nonprofit organizations, and are wonderful and caring individuals.
We mainly spend time around my family; his children are in college.
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We don't spend any time with his daughter. She won't accept that he is even dating me (I ruin her perfect picture of what a family is), and his boys are very selfish and self-centered.
Their behavior leads my daughters to question why I would stay with my boyfriend and tolerate his kids' behavior.
We don't live together, and I try to distance myself from much interaction. But when I hear his children speak to him disrespectfully, it leads me to doubt whether we can ever be together because of the way they act.
My boyfriend and I are in our 50s and have been working toward a combined life for some time. His kids cause me to question our future.
Before moving ahead in selling houses and possibly marriage, I would like to know how to reconcile these differences in my own little brain and be OK with one set of offspring acting one way and the other one acting completely differently. I wonder how I can manage to tolerate this if I stay with my boyfriend.
— Worried
Dear Worried: Overall, your judgment (your children are wonderful/his are awful) reveals a lack of empathy toward a set of young people who may be hurting, lashing out, or perennially angry. Where is your empathy? Where is your kindness?
If you have been in this man's life for eight years, and his kids are in college, then the two of you have had plenty of time to try to influence these young people.
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If your boyfriend didn't influence them because he let someone else (presumably his ex-wife) raise them, then he's a neglectful parent.
If your boyfriend did raise them, then he's a deeply flawed parent. And in letting his children reject you, he's demonstrating that he's a flawed partner, too.
Many college-age people go through a self-centered jerky phase. It is possible that these young adults are still maturing, and may actually grow and change.
However, the person at the center of this maelstrom is your boyfriend -- not his kids. For whatever reason (probably many different reasons), he has not been an effective and positive influence. And because you are so judgmental and their father is so passive, these young people have no motivation to change.
When you think about your future, take these last eight years and then lay another two decades or so out in front of you. You will be facing a lot of rejection, a lot of frustration, and the burden of your own harsh judgment. That's a lot to manage.
Dear Amy: As we disconnect our land lines, cellphones are the main communication device for most of us.
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There used to be an unwritten rule not to call someone after 10 PM.
What is the proper etiquette on people sending text messages and making cellphone calls?
I get so annoyed with people texting at all hours of the night and early morning hours with nothing of importance, but simply "catching up" messages.
Since my cellphone is my only phone now, I need to keep it on for work and any family emergencies. But I can't stand these early morning and late-night messages. How to handle this?
— So Annoyed
Dear Annoyed: Let me hop onto the bandwagon here concerning group texts. Listening to multiple notifications trickle in (or blast in) is a major annoyance for me.
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Fortunately for both of us, you can very easily turn off the notifications for text messages, so you won't hear them when they come in.
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 >
Get to know the capacities and features of your phone. The "do not disturb" feature (in "settings") will allow you to silence all notifications except for calls from specific people.
Dear Amy: Responding to the question from "New-ish Mom," who didn't want to receive unsolicited advice, the only advice I gave to my daughters when they had children was this: Only take parenting advice from people who have raised perfect children. I haven't met anyone who is qualified for that, yet.
— Older Mom
Dear Mom: Perfect parenting doesn't exist. But some of the best advice I've received is from parents who share their mistakes.
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--2020-01-12--Chiefs rally from 24-0 deficit to beat Texans 51-31 and reach the AFC championship game

`` We 've got full confidence not only in the players but the game plan going into it .
Just @ @ @ @ @ 's going on in the game — what 's real and what 's not — @ @ @ @ @ we were hurting ourselves early , '' Kelce said .
`` With that , you @ @ @ @ @ lean on the leaders of this team and make plays .
That 's what we @ @ @

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes stalked up and down the sideline like a field marshal rallying his troops, the brilliant young quarterback imploring the Kansas City Chiefs to stay together even as the Houston Texans were on the verge of taking them apart.
The Chiefs already faced a 24-0 hole, bigger than any deficit they had overcome in franchise history.
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"The biggest thing I was preaching," Mahomes said later, "was, 'Let's go do something special. Everybody is counting us out. Let's go out there and play by play put it out there.' And play by play, we did what we were supposed to do."
Beginning with the first of his five touchdown passes, Mahomes and the Chiefs slowly chipped away at Houston's seemingly insurmountable lead. They continued to pick up momentum, outscoring the Texans 28-0 during the second quarter alone, and eventually reeled off 41 consecutive points before cruising the rest of the way to a 51-31 victory Sunday that propelled Kansas City back to the AFC championship game for the second consecutive season.
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In doing so, the Chiefs (13-4) became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game by at least 20 points after trailing by at least 20. They matched the fourth-biggest comeback in playoff history while winning a postseason game in back-to-back seasons for the first time. Travis Kelce and Damien Williams scored three touchdowns apiece, joining the 49ers' Jerry Rice and Ricky Waters in Super Bowl 29 as the only teammates to score that many times in a postseason game.
Meanwhile, Mahomes led by example as much as by voice. He finished with 321 yards passing, becoming the first player in postseason history with at least 300 yards passing and five touchdowns while running for at least 50 more yards.
"You saw him going up and down the bench, he was talking to everybody, — 'Just settle down,'" Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "As a head coach, you can't ask for more than that. When he's the leader of your team and he's going, 'Hey, we're going to be fine. Let's not wait for the fourth quarter. Let's go!' And he did that."
Now, after losing to the Patriots in overtime in last year's conference title game, the Chiefs are back on the brink of their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years. They will host Tennessee next Sunday in a rematch from earlier this season after the Titans upset Lamar Jackson and the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night.
"We've already played them and we know they're a tough team," Mahomes said. "They're a team that battles all the way until the end. They're a team that's really hot, playing really good football right now, so we know it's going to take our best effort. And, whatever way, we've got to find a way to win."
Deshaun Watson, meanwhile, threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns while running for another, but not even his heroics could bail out the Texans (11-7) after their calamitous second quarter and dismal third. The result: The reborn Houston franchise is 0-4 in the divisional round and has never won a road playoff game.
"I definitely thought we were going to have to score more than 24," said Texans coach Bill O'Brien, who made a series of debatable calls during the collapse. "I think that they're, obviously, a very explosive team and it just didn't work out."
The Chiefs certainly gave Houston a chance to end their frustrating playoff streak in the first quarter.
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On defense, Kansas City blew coverage on Kenny Stills on the opening possession, allowing him to walk into the end zone from 54 yards. On offense, they wasted timeouts, dropped a series of easy passes and managed just 46 yards. And on special teams, the Chiefs had a punt blocked for a score and fumbled a return that set up another touchdown.
The blocked punt gives the Texans a 14-0 lead in Kansas City, UNBELIEVABLE pic.twitter.com/tQG8iq5OGI — NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) January 12, 2020
Indeed, the Texans kept humming right along after finishing on a 22-3 run to beat Buffalo last week, while the mountain of miscues made by the Chiefs made them only the fourth home playoff team to trail 21-0 after the first quarter.
Things turned around on a series of plays — and a call by O'Brien in particular — that will be debated for a while.
After the Texans stretched the lead to 24-0 early in the second quarter, the Chiefs began to nip into their deficit with a quick touchdown drive. And the comeback really gained momentum when O'Brien called for a fake punt at the Houston 31-yard line and the Chiefs stuffed it, giving them a short field and setting up another easy touchdown.
"We had that play ready for a variety of different teams and situations," said the Texans' Justin Reid, who took the snap and was stopped short of the first down. "Credit to them, they made the play."
As the Chiefs continued to take off, the Texans continued to stumble.
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On the ensuing kickoff, Houston return man DeAndre Carter had the ball pop loose and into the arms of Darwin Thompson, whose recovery set up a second Mahomes-to-Kelce touchdown in a matter of seconds. And their third came after the Chiefs forced a punt — a successful one, for a change — and they drove 90 yards to take a stunning 28-24 halftime lead.
THIS GAME IS BANANAS pic.twitter.com/IbxVMAqnzb — NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) January 12, 2020
"I mean, it was an amazing thing. Everything was working," Mahomes said. "The play calls were open, everybody was getting open against man-coverage which we've been preaching all season long, and guys were making plays."
The comeback became a clobbering by the time the third quarter ended.
The Chiefs breezed downfield to start the second half, and Williams finished the drive with his first TD run. Their overhauled defense under coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sacked Watson on fourth down to get the ball right back, and Mahomes and Co. required just six more plays to position Williams for another TD run and a 41-24 lead.
The 41 consecutive points, spanning most of the second and third quarters, were the most since the Jets had the same against the Colts in the 2002 wild-card round.
Even when the Texans finally cracked the scoreboard, when Watson scrambled to his left and dived over the pylon, the Chiefs rendered the touchdown moot. In four plays they went 72 yards to set up the fifth TD pass by Mahomes, the strike to little-used tight end Blake Bell giving coach Andy Reid's team a postseason-record seven straight TD drives.
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It also gave a festive crowd that turned out early in freezing weather and a slight drizzle a chance to celebrate early.
"We've got full confidence not only in the players but the game plan going into it. Just got to deal with what's going on in the game — what's real and what's not — and what was real was we were hurting ourselves early," Kelce said. "With that, you just rally the troops, lean on the leaders of this team and make plays. That's what we did."


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--Kimia Alizadeh, Iran’s only female Olympic medalist, reportedly defects

There was no immediate reaction from Iranian authorities .
ISNA said Alizadeh had been reported injured and unable to compete @ @ @ @ @ may try to compete under another nation 's flag at the 2020 Olympic games in @ @

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s only female Olympic medalist said she defected from the Islamic Republic in a blistering online letter that describes herself as “one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran.”
Taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh posted the letter on Instagram as Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency said she had fled to the Netherlands. She criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf and accused officials in Iran of sexism and mistreatment.
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"Whatever they said, I wore," Alizadeh wrote in the letter posted Saturday. "Every sentence they ordered, I repeated."
She described the decision to leave Iran as difficult, but necessary.
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There was no immediate reaction from Iranian authorities. ISNA said Alizadeh had been reported injured and unable to compete. Their report suggested Alizadeh may try to compete under another nation's flag at the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.
Alizadeh, 21, won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Her defection comes amid unprecedentedly high tensions between Iran and the United States.
In recent years, many Iranian athletes have left their country, citing government pressure. In September, Saeed Mollaei, an Iranian judoka, left the country for Germany. He said Iranian officials had forced him to not compete with Israeli judoka.
Alireza Faghani, an Iranian international soccer referee, also left Iran for Australia last year.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--'It’s just devastating’ says sister of missing Schaumburg woman found dead in the trunk of her car o

'It’s just devastating’ says sister of missing Schaumburg woman found dead in the trunk of her car on Chicago’s West Side

“ This is someone who had her MBA from Loyola .
I feel like its important for people to know @ @ @ @ @ happen to anybody , not just people living in a dangerous neighborhood or anything like @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It could happen to anyone ’ s sister , mom , kid .
@ @ @ @ @ girl , a very lively person .
It ’ s just devastating .
”

Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Rosemary Sobol

Before her body was found in the trunk of her Lexus sedan on Chicago’s West Side late Monday, Sureel Dabawala, 34, had gone to work out at a gym not far from the Schaumburg home she shared with her parents.
She never came home and wasn’t seen alive again by loved ones, her sister said Tuesday morning.
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Sureel Dabawala, 34, was found dead in the trunk of her car on Chicago's West Side on Jan. 13, 2020, authorities said. (Schaumburg Police Department)
Dabawala’s sister said Dabawala wasn’t just outgoing and bubbly but also a highly educated woman who worked for her parents’ medical practice.
“This is someone who had her MBA from Loyola (University Chicago). I feel like it’s important for people to know that something like this could happen to anybody, not just people living in a dangerous neighborhood or anything like that,” said her sister, who asked not to be named for safety reasons. “It could happen to anyone’s sister, mom, kid. She was a very smart girl, a very lively person. It’s just devastating.”
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Dabawala had been listed as an endangered missing person after failing to return to her family home Dec. 30, according to an alert issued by the Schaumburg Police Department. She was considered endangered because of “a medical condition,” according to the alert.
Around 8:30 p.m. Monday, Chicago police officers were called to the 200 block of North Kilpatrick Avenue in West Garfield Park after private investigators hired by the missing woman’s family located her white 2011 Lexus sedan parked there, according to Chicago police spokeswoman Kellie Bartoli.
The private investigators phoned Dabawala’s father, who had hired them, as well as Chicago police, police sources said. Dabawala’s father arrived with the keys to the car and opened the trunk, where his daughter was found wrapped in a blanket and later pronounced dead.
The medical examiner’s office released Dabawala’s identification Tuesday morning. Although results from an autopsy had been expected later in the day, it could not be completed Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the office said.
[ ‘We finally put a name and a face to this monster.’ DuPage officials ID killer of 16-year-old girl in 1976. Man, now dead, believed to be linked to other cases. ]
Dabawala’s sister said her family was going to the medical examiner’s office to make their own identification Tuesday and that they would spend the day making arrangements for her sister’s services.
“She was a very bubbly person and a very good-spirited person. Just ... she didn’t have a single enemy in her life type of person,” Dabawala’s sister said.
Dabawala’s sister said her family was not yet sure what happened to her sister, and they were awaiting updates from police and information from the autopsy before speculating about Dabawala’s final moments.
“One of the worst parts of this is knowing that the car sat there as long as it did and knowing we could’ve possibly found her sooner. There’s a lot of what-ifs,” her sister said.
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In an email, Bartoli said it wasn’t clear how long the Lexus had been parked at the location, and she could not say whether it had collected parking violation citations. A public city database doesn’t indicate any parking tickets for the car since Dec. 30.
“There’s no information about the car or how long it may have been there. It was towed for further processing,” Bartoli said.
Her sister described Dabawala as someone who enjoyed shopping and socializing. She loved to dine out with her friends and especially enjoyed Asian cuisine. She was also an animal lover, and she had a dog who was “near and dear to her heart,” her sister said.
Dabawala often spent time with friends and family in the city and in nearby suburbs, which is why the Schaumburg alert noted it was possible Dabawala might be in Chicago or nearby, her sister said.
“I don’t know who those friends are, but everyone’s going to be questioned,” Dabawala’s sister said. “We just know very little right now.”
Her family filed a missing person report with Schaumburg on Jan. 1.
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Bartoli could not release details about whether Dabawala had visible injuries but said until the autopsy is completed, the case was being treated as a death investigation rather than a homicide.
Chicago police were expected to review surveillance cameras in the immediate area.
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Authorities from Schaumburg did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Her sister said she was talking about Dabawala’s death because she wants people to know something this tragic could happen to anyone, at any time. Her family has been shocked by the news that the “extremely outgoing” woman they love so much is gone so suddenly.
“You couldn’t not like her after meeting her, that’s how friendly and outgoing she was. She’s just a very likable person,” her sister said. “I do think it’s very important for the public to know, because we’re totally shocked.”
Chicago Tribune’s Rosemary Sobol contributed.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Going to the Cubs Convention? Here’s what to see and what to avoid — and how to get autographs

“ The reason for the creation of the Cubs Convention was to extend the Cubs name and brand to the @ @ @ @ @ months of the year , not ( just ) the baseball season , ” former @ @ @ @ @ President John McDonough told Chicagocubsonline.com in 2006 .
“ The original idea was to break @ @ @ @ @ make it interactive between the fans and the team by inviting old and current Cubs @ @ @ @ @ We also knew that the players enjoy coming to it .
It had a very @ @ @ @

This year, the Cubs Convention is shaping up to be as much about what isn’t happening as what is.
The Cubs have made no significant players moves, apparently stymied by the pending Kris Bryant service-time grievance decision.
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Tom Ricketts is likely to make an appearance at the convention, but it’s unclear if he and his siblings who own the team will appear on any of the weekend’s panels, as they have done in previous years.
And for the first time in five years, the convention follows a non-playoff season and precedes a season with lower expectations, as the rest of the National League Central improves.
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New manager David Ross will generate energy as he gets his runway moment. And the Cubs are expected to announce details about their new TV channel, which debuts in February.
Maybe the Cubs have a few tricks up their sleeves.
The convention returns to the Sheraton Grand for the eighth year, Friday-Sunday.
With crowds and fans eager to get the best seats at panels and long lines for autographs as well as conflicting panels, you’ll need a guide to help you navigate. And we’re here to serve.
Are tickets available?
Three-day passes via the Cubs’ mlb.com convention website are now sold out. But passes are available on the secondary market. StubHub, for instance, has passes for $155.70, including all fees.
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How do you get autographs?
There are three ways. First, when you register, you’ll get an autograph voucher envelope. Inside will be one of two things: A note saying you didn’t win an autograph. Or a note saying you did, with a day, time and location to get that autograph. Typically, the players included in this lottery are the bigger names.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 49 Eileen Geary, center, lends her phone to the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber, for a selfie on Saturday. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Another option is to go to the autograph area downstairs and wait in line. These tend to be former players and coaches, but there also can be some surprises.
Also on Friday, after the opening ceremony, the Cubs say former players and “future stars" will have surprise signings.
Note: Players and coaches will sign only one item per person.
Do the players show up?
They sure do. As of Monday, 36 current players are confirmed, including almost all of the big names: Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant (assuming he hasn’t been traded), Yu Darvish, Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras. Notably absent from the list is Jon Lester.
The full coaching staff also is usually there.
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What’s more, nearly 40 former players will make appearances, including Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins. Also of note: Carlos Zambrano, Bill Madlock and Jody Davis.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 84 Ron Santo meets Cubs players and a crowd of Cubs faithful at the start of the 11th annual Cubs Convention in 1996. (Michael S. Green / Associated Press)
What are the best panels/events?
Good question. The team has not yet released the full schedule of events and panels.
But we do know that on Saturday there will be a “baseball operations update,” “business operations update” and a panel featuring Ross and his coaching staff. Those could all be fascinating.
Also Saturday there will be a “welcome back” panel starring former Cubs Darwin Barney, Reed Johnson, Miguel Montero, Geovany Soto and Travis Wood. Cubs radio analyst Ron Coomer will host that.
One of our favorite events is the “kids-only press conference” hosted by Anthony Rizzo. But the stars are kids. Last year, for instance, there was 9-year-old Parker Murry of Shabbona, Ill.
Parker Murry, 9, of Shabbona IL asks a question during the kids-only press conference at #CubsCon pic.twitter.com/JGHdCcfRFj — Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) January 20, 2019
“I was the next kid last year when you had to stop, so I’ve been standing here for a year,” Parker said, drawing roars of laughter. “I have to go to the bathroom really bad, and here’s my question: My brother’s a big Cardinals fan and he’s in St. Louis right now. So I’m wondering, what can I do to get him and my mom over to the good side?”
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Javier Baez replied: “Get a Kris Bryant jersey, get it signed and send it to him.”
Will the Ricketts family be on a panel this year?
Another good question. The Cubs have not yet released the full convention schedule. But a Ricketts family panel, held each year of their ownership until last year, was not mentioned in the latest press release.
“We had the lowest-rated panel last year, so the guys cut us,” Tom Ricketts said last year explaining why they decided against it. “It’s true. People would rather watch the mascot play bingo than listen to the owners speak.
“It got kind of dull over the years because the questions were the same. If people want us to come back next year, fill out the forms and we’ll be happy to do it next year.”
Our guess that a Ricketts family panel that addresses everything from payroll to ballpark renovations to Marquee would be anything but dull.
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What about Marquee news?
The Cubs are expected to announce more details about their new network, in particular some of the on-air talent as well as some news about programming.
Marquee Sports Network, the TV channel they’re launching with Sinclair Broadcast Group, will have exclusive rights to all the games the team controls.
Marquee has not announced a launch date, but it will carry the complete schedule of Cubs spring training games. The first is set for Feb. 22 versus the Athletics at 2:05 p.m., if you want to put it in your calendar.
Is there anything to avoid?
Yes. Don’t wait with the mob of people who gather early to get into the opening ceremony. They start congregating outside long before the doors open at 6 p.m. The room is huge and there’s usually plenty of room. Also, there are videoboards inside the ballroom that show the festivities, up close.
Where can I park?
Parking at the Sheraton is pricey: $73 per day for valet and $63 for self-park, both including in-and-out privileges. Try SpotHero for nearby alternatives, which can range from $25 to $50 per day. The Grant Park and Millennium Park garages are cheaper, and roughly a five-block walk.
What about public transportation?
We are big believers in not driving downtown and paying for parking. The Red, Green, Brown, Pink, Orange, Purple and Blue lines all have stops within walking distance. Several CTA buses stop nearby. And you can either walk or take an Uber or Lyft from Union Station or Ogilvie.
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How many years have the Cubs been doing this?
The Cubs were the first pro sports team to host a fan convention, pioneering the business of offseason attention-grabbing in 1986.
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“The reason for the creation of the Cubs Convention was to extend the Cubs name and brand to the fans for the entire 12 months of the year, not (just) the baseball season,” former Cubs executive and current Blackhawks President John McDonough told Chicagocubsonline.com in 2006. “The original idea was to break down the barriers and to make it interactive between the fans and the team by inviting old and current Cubs to the convention. ... We also knew that the players enjoy coming to it. It had a very collegiate atmosphere."
What is the Saturday Loews experience?
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the nearby Loews Chicago Hotel, the Cubs will be taping new videos for the team’s YouTube channel as well for Marquee. Among the shows will be “Bae vs. Ballplayer,” similar to the “Newlywed Game,” where a player and his wife or girlfriend competes against a teammate to determine who knows the player best.
It’s @ARizzo44’s turn to put a teammate in the hot seat.
Watch a live taping of Bae vs. Ballplayer featuring @ihapp_1, along with Anthony and Emily Rizzo Saturday at #CubsCon! https://t.co/lP7WcyONoR pic.twitter.com/Cf6WFMlYM0 — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) December 18, 2019
Tickets to this are sold out.
What about food?
Inside the hotel for the convention, there’s ballpark food: hot dogs, pizza, beer.
Also in the hotel, there are three restaurants: Chicago Burger Company and LB Bistro and the pricey Shula’s Steak House.
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But there are a few decent places within walking distance, and if the weather isn’t bad it’s nice to escape the convention crowds.
Across Columbus, there’s City Front Cafe, for quick cafeteria-style fare. Just north, two recommendations: Robert’s Pizza and Dough Company on McClurg Court and Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge on Illinois.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--ESPN’s MegaCast was a success, while Nick Saban was uncomfortable. Winners and losers from the LSU-C

ESPN’s MegaCast was a success, while Nick Saban was uncomfortable. Winners and losers from the LSU-Clemson title game.

Saban offered excellent analysis with Rece Davis and company , but the Alabama coach was sorely tested by all the @ @ @ @ @ and Clemson were .
He had a big smile pasted on his face as Corso @ @ @ @ @ , but the grin vanished into a stony glare once he believed he was no @ @ @ @ @ Spoiler : He was still on camera . )
Can ’ t really blame him @ @ @ @ @ proud guy .

If ESPN wants to improve “Sunday Night Baseball,” “Monday Night Football” or any other game it hopes to showcase, here’s a word of advice:
MegaCast.
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Give the audience options the way it did for LSU’s 42-25 victory Monday over Clemson for the college football national championship.
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit were fine on the regular call of the game, but it was nice to know there were 14 — yes, 14 — other variants available as part of its MegaCast coverage.
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As far as I’m concerned, if you aren’t watching the #NationalChampionship game like this, don’t bother watching pic.twitter.com/gNRX9EiLaA — Eric Stangel (@EricStangel) January 14, 2020
I can’t say I checked them all out, so I can’t say whether they all were all necessary. My suspicion is they were not.
Someone out there might love the idea of the Refcast, for example. But the gathering of former referees on the ESPN app sounded like the premise of a Rob Riggle bit on Fox’s NFL pregame show, and I have no great interest in that either.
Still, it would be great if every game had the option of pairing coverage with the competing teams’ home radio feeds, a Sounds of the Game channel with no announcers and the Command Center offering as many as four simultaneous vantage points with statistics.
What Cubs fan wouldn’t prefer the choice of hearing Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer with ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” video rather than, say, Alex Rodriguez when the team is featured in a national telecast?
Ditto for Bears fans and audio from Jeff Joniak with Tom Thayer instead of the regular “Monday Night Football” TV crew.
It’s probably too much to expect a Coaches Film Room, Field Pass coverage, Skycast, Techcast or many of the other “casts” on a regular basis, but someday maybe if everyone crosses their fingers. Right?
This just might be the future.
The loose, free-wheeling Field Pass approach on ESPN2, in particular, proved a welcome relief to the serious, straightforward approach of Fowler and Herbstreit as the game stretched toward 11 p.m.
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With Adam Amin and Dan Orlovsky on one sideline and Steve Levy and Pat McAfee on the other, it was like hanging out with a bunch of sportscasters and a lot of fun, which is not a bad thing most of the time.
Never did they give a hint of just how much work and choreography had to have gone into making it work as well as it did, which is why it worked so well.
When it comes to the Megacast, I've always been a Command Center stan. The coach isos are just as entertaining as the game. pic.twitter.com/GJvhcIXXq7 — Steve Uhlmann (@SteveUhlmann) January 14, 2020
But the Field Pass and LSU were hardly the only winners Monday, just as Clemson was not the only loser fans saw. Let’s review.
Loser: ESPN streaming.
Demand for big events always seems to pose problems. Some fans who tried streaming the national championship game reported problems on social media. Cutting the cord wasn’t supposed to be the equivalent of pulling the plug. Come on, be better.
Anyone else having issues streaming the game on the ESPN app? — Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 14, 2020
Winner: Lee Corso.
The coach-turned-analyst went for LSU’s tiger head rather than Clemson’s before kickoff, correctly predicting the winner. He scored an LSU jersey with his name spelled “Corseaux” on the back for his trouble.
Loser: Nick Saban.
Saban offered excellent analysis with Rece Davis and company, but the Alabama coach was sorely tested by all the talk of how great LSU and Clemson were. He had a big smile pasted on his face as Corso showed off his LSU jersey, but the grin vanished into a stony glare once he believed he was no longer on camera. (Spoiler: He was still on camera.) Can’t really blame him. He’s a proud guy.
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Lee Corso threw on the LSU Tiger head and Nick Saban wasn’t thrilled. pic.twitter.com/3DRmYmm5CR — HefferBrew (@hefferbrew) January 14, 2020
Winner: Aflac.
The blue jacket Saban wore Monday was a tad darker than the one he wears alongside the duck in his insurance ads, but it was close enough for the company to enjoy subliminal subconscious association.
Am I crazy or is Saban wearing his AFLAC suit? pic.twitter.com/pEMYQ8nWjb — Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) January 14, 2020
Loser: Dodgeball.
Did we need an animated graphic showing Joe Burrow playing dodgeball against other quarterbacks? We did not. No one did. Not even with Vince Vaughn of 2004’s “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” in attendance.
Winner: University of Illinois.
Capping a season-long 150th anniversary celebration of college football, the top 11 all-time player selections were revealed at halftime. The Illini were the only team with two reps to make the cut with No. 6 Red Grange and No. 8 Dick Butkus.
Of course, Grange and Butkus played for the Bears, as did No. 10 Gale Sayers from Kansas. But Chicago also could claim a tie to former White Sox star Bo Jackson of Auburn at No. 3 on the list topped by Syracuse alumnus Jim Brown.
Illinois is home to ✌ of @CFB150's Top 11 players in history. 🐐🐐
6⃣ Red Grange
8⃣ Dick Butkus #Illini x #CFB150 pic.twitter.com/MsAxe1Bf0g — Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) January 14, 2020
Loser: College Football 150 organizers.
Nine of the top 11 players or proxies were in attendance. Conspicuously absent without explanation were Butkus and Jackson. They were missed.
idk kinda weird that a guy named the Galloping Ghost couldn't posthumously show up to this — Anthony Crupi (@crupicrupicrupi) January 14, 2020
Winner: Cameras.
No one will ever accuse ESPN of shorting the audience on the camera front. ESPN boasted it had 100 or so on hand. Its Pylon Cameras in particular seemed to get quite a workout, but there were multiple Skycams, cameras on officials’ hats and the AllCam which showed the entire field and everything on it.
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An example of innovation in ESPN's #NationalChampionship main telecast
Back line pylon cams now have the ability to pan, tilt & zoom - covering more of the end zone than ever before pic.twitter.com/bQzhLvpoe9 — ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 14, 2020
Loser: An unfortunate ESPN crew member.
Speaking of cameras, LSU didn’t just push Clemson around in the Superdome. Burrow and his teammates flattened an ESPN camera person on their way out of the tunnel before the game, leaving viewers momentarily looking at the stadium’s roof.
“They’re so charged up they even knocked over the photographer on the way out to the field,” Fowler remarked.
Winner: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron was a defensive line coach at the University of Miami when he recruited a lineman from Pennsylvania teammates called “Dewey” almost 30 years ago.
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“Dewey” became a pro wrestler, then a Hollywood superstar and he did his old coach a solid by narrating a hype video guaranteed to send LSU and its fans into the title game on an inspired high.
Hype video for tonight’s NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. What many don’t know is @LSUfootball’s head coach @Coach_EdOrgeron was my defensive line coach and early mentor at University of Miami 🙌🏾
He taught me a lot - lessons that I’d finally understand years later as a man. #LetsGeaux pic.twitter.com/17TUioC8wK — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 13, 2020
Loser: Kenny Mayne.
Ads often play on viewers’ emotions. Rarely do they evoke pity. But there’s no getting around the fact the championship-game AT&T commercials featuring Mayne and fashioned to look like interview segments were just … sad. One had to feel even worse for Mayne than the camera person who got run over. Did he lose a bet, draw the short straw or what?
Condolences to Kenny Mayne for having to do these ill-conceived AT&T bits. — Bob Vorwald (@BobVorwald) January 14, 2020
Winner: Dennis Celery.
Now his AT&T ads were funny. “Phil’s legally dead. Fell off a boat. Going by Dennis now. Sell-airy. Long story.” Kudos to actor Bob Stephenson for finding new life, and a new identity, in an ad campaign that rarely seems clever anymore.
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Dennis Celery rates his own show. My new favorite TV character. — Dave Cokin (@davecokin) January 14, 2020
Winner: Scottie Pippen.
The Bulls great made a cameo in a teaser for ESPN’s slate of documentaries on a wide range of figures, including Dwyane Wade, Bruce Lee, Michael Vick, Lance Armstrong and Vince Carter.
“We were the greatest team ever,” Pippen said in a clip from “The Last Dance,” the long-awaited 10-part ESPN Films series on Michael Jordan and the 1990s Bulls set to make its debut in June. No argument there.
Loser: Sammy Sosa.
Also in the ESPN promo was an excerpt from the yet-to-be-scheduled “30 for 30: Sosa/McGwire” on the dubious National League home run race of 1998. Said Sosa, “What Mark and I did in ’98 was incredible.”
It was indeed incredible — as in not to be believed.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Don Gelsomino achieved his dream as a football coach at Ridgewood High School. Then he walked away ‘

Don Gelsomino achieved his dream as a football coach at Ridgewood High School. Then he walked away ‘out of love for his family.’

“ He definitely was emotional about resigning , and why wouldn ’ t he be ?
” St. John said @ @ @ @ @ only giving up a position and a situation he loved , but did it completely @ @ @ @ @ family .
I got it .
I can definitely connect those dots and held no @ @ @ @ @ .
I supported him and his family 100 percent .
That ’ s always the @ @ @ @ @

Don Gelsomino, right, was the head football coach at Ridgewood for three seasons. He resigned in order to spend more time with his wife and young son, Trey Gelsomino, who faced significant health problems. (Kevin Tanaka / Pioneer Press)
Don Gelsomino had a decision to make last spring. It was not an easy decision, but it was also the obvious decision.
Gelsomino had completed his third season as Ridgewood High School’s head football coach. His lifelong dream was to become a head football coach. He worked his way up through the ranks, and Ridgewood hired him prior to the 2016 season. He had been St. Patrick’s defensive coordinator.
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Ridgewood won 14 games in Gelsomino’s first two seasons and reached the playoffs in both years. He also was hired as a science teacher, and he continues to relish that role.
But soon, life got complicated. His young son, Trey Gelsomino, was diagnosed with WAGR syndrome in the fall of 2017. According to WAGR.org, patients often have eye problems and developmental delays and are at a high risk for certain types of cancer.
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Gelsomino and his wife Brittany knew Trey was at an increased risk of developing cancer. Because of this early knowledge, Trey had screenings every month. Eventually, one of the tests came back positive.
York assistant football coach Don Gelsomino and his young son Trey Gelsomino are both cancer survivors. (Gelsomino family photo / HANDOUT)
Two-year-old Trey was diagnosed with cancer in June 2019, two months after his father made the difficult decision to resign from the Ridgewood coaching job.
“We’ve been dating since college, and he used to joke, ‘Well, I just want to be a coach,’ ” Brittany Gelsomino said with a laugh. “And I’d be like, ‘OK, that’s great, but you’ve got to figure out how to get paid for it too.’ ”
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, WAGR syndrome is a rare disease that affects one out of every 500,000 to 1 million individuals. Don Gelsomino said Trey is one of about 400 children in the US with WAGR.
“(Don) made the ultimate sacrifice for our family because he loves football,” Brittany Gelsomino said. “It’s what he lives for. Had he not made the sacrifice now, he would’ve been a head coach going through all of this. It would’ve been extremely challenging. I’m just so proud of him, thankful for the kind of person, husband, father and family man he is.”
Don Gelsomino said he has never regretted his decision to give up coaching at Ridgewood. After all, he could relate to his young son. Gelsomino was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s lymphoma in October 2012. He completed treatment in June 2013.
“It was something that you work really hard for, so it’s tough to step away from,” Gelsomino said. “We’d had some success, too. I know if I would’ve still been a head coach, I would’ve definitely shortchanged a lot of people: a lot of the kids, my son, my wife. It wouldn’t have been fair to anybody.”
Ridgewood stood by Gelsomino. Rebels athletic director Rob St. John said Gelsomino boosted the football program at a time when numbers were down. He connected with the players and created a stable environment for new coach Matt Walsh.
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“He definitely was emotional about resigning, and why wouldn’t he be?” St. John said. “He was not only giving up a position and a situation he loved, but did it completely out of love for his family. I got it. I can definitely connect those dots and held no contempt for any of it. I supported him and his family 100 percent. That’s always the most important thing.”
It helped that Gelsomino was able to find another way to stay involved with football. Last spring, after resigning from Ridgewood, he was put in touch with York Community High School head coach Mike Fitzgerald.
The coaches hit it off, and Fitzgerald offered Gelsomino the roles of linebackers coach and special teams coordinator in late April. It allowed Gelsomino, an Elmhurst resident, to stay in the game while also staying close to home. He also avoided the high demands that are required of a head coach.
“He’s a loyal coach, he connects with the kids,” Fitzgerald said. “They love him. He’s a genuine person, and that resonates with them. He’s a hard worker. He can coach both sides of the ball. He knows what it’s like to be a head coach, so I can bounce things off him. It’s been a huge addition for us.”
The Dukes promote an open forum for their players, so talking about everyday life issues is commonplace in the locker room. When the team discovered more about Trey Gelsomino and the family’s situation, the players rallied around their new linebackers coach.
“I was just blown away about the attitude he has,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t think I could stay that positive about everything; he was so optimistic about it.
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“When you have a coach like that walking the walk — when conditions are adverse in our lives — he’s proof that staying positive is important. Keep fighting through whatever struggle you have. Our kids see it.”
Fitzgerald said he hopes to keep Gelsomino around as long as possible, and Fitzgerald added that he was open to giving Gelsomino increased responsibilities down the road. Gelsomino said he knows he wants to be a head coach again someday, but that goal is likely years away.
Most importantly, the Gelsomino family was able to celebrate on Jan. 2. That’s the day Trey Gelsomino completed his chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free by the doctors at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
Trey will continue to receive cancer screenings about every three months “until he’s old enough to decide for himself,” Brittany Gelsomino said. And while Trey might struggle with certain motor functions, he is in the 99th percentile for height and weight and has an equally large sense of humor. The Gelsomino family has every reason to hope for brighter days ahead.
“He’s funny, man. He really is,” Don Gelsomino said. “He’s really smart. He loves making people laugh. He loves scaring people. He’s just so great to be around. He makes you laugh all day long. Just full of energy, full of life.
"Through this process, he’s been unbelievable. He’s the absolute best.”
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Rich Mayor is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--The Oscar best picture race could be over this weekend. Here’s why

So `` 1917 '' bagged that screenplay nomination .
And it does n't really need the acting noms because everyone @ @ @ @ @ Chapman playing the two British soldiers on a mission to deliver a crucial warning message @ @ @ @ @ into a trap set by the Germans .
Not enough to nominate them , no @ @ @ @ @ to stacked acting categories that did n't even have room for Robert De Niro ( @ @ @ @ @ , Christian Bale ( `` Ford v Ferrari '' ) , Taron Egerton ( `` @ @ @ @ @ Murphy ( `` Dolemite Is My Name '' ) and ( hold on , I @ @ @ @ @ ) Adam Sandler 's live-wire turn in `` Uncut Gems . ''

Talk about a contracted awards season: The Oscar nominations have just arrived and the best picture race may be all but over.
Congratulations to Sam Mendes and the "1917" team. Don't forget to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. again when you accept the Oscar.
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Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Maybe in my haste to wash away the sins from an awards season that roundly ignored movies made by women about women in favor of, oh, two more popes than should have been nominated, I'm anxious to roll up the red carpet, watch "Parasite" win its one measly Oscar and finally get around to binge-watching "Dickinson."
But if Monday’s nominations didn’t settle the Oscar best picture race, Saturday’s Producers Guild Awards could squash the suspense entirely. And after winning the Golden Globe for best picture drama last weekend and over-performing at the box office this weekend ($36.5 million, thanks in part to that Globes bounce), “1917” probably will be celebrating again when the PGA Awards reveal its final winner.
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Mendes' war movie has accrued unstoppable momentum in a brief window of time.
The biggest Oscar nomination this morning wasn't Todd Phillips' nod for directing "Joker" or Kathy Bates slipping in ahead of Jennifer Lopez in the supporting actress category. (Did you not cry along with Bates in "Richard Jewell" when the FBI returned her Tupperware and it was ruined?)
No, the most significant nomination was "1917" earning a spot in the original screenplay category, making Mendes a triple nominee (he produced, directed and co-wrote, with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, the script) and keeping the film safe from some daunting Oscar history.
A movie can win the best picture Oscar without earning any acting nominations. (The list includes "Slumdog Millionaire," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and another war film, "Braveheart.") A movie can win without a screenplay nod. (Remember when "Titanic" was king of the world?) But if it's shut out in both areas, you can forget about writing that acceptance speech. You won't need it.
So "1917" bagged that screenplay nomination. And it doesn't really need the acting noms because everyone loves George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman playing the two British soldiers on a mission to deliver a crucial warning message to comrades about to fall into a trap set by the Germans. Not enough to nominate them, no, but they arrived late to stacked acting categories that didn't even have room for Robert De Niro ("The Irishman"), Christian Bale ("Ford v Ferrari"), Taron Egerton ("Rocketman"), Eddie Murphy ("Dolemite Is My Name") and (hold on, I'm wiping away a tear) Adam Sandler's live-wire turn in "Uncut Gems."
Joaquin Phoenix in a scene from "Joker." On Monday, Jan. 13, Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar for best actor for his role in the film. (Niko Tavernise/AP)
So the acting omission isn't a problem for "1917." The film editors branch shunned the movie as well because its voters apparently respond mostly to manically cut movies ("Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for meeeeeeee!"), and "1917" was constructed to appear as if it takes place in a single shot.
Another movie that came up empty with the editors was Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood," the one film I think that could wrest the best picture Oscar from "1917," even though only 10 movies have won that top award without an editing nomination. ("Birdman," designed, like "1917," to look like it was shot in one take, was the last.)
"Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" earned 10 nominations, just like "1917" and Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," a mob epic that feels fated to repeat the 0-for-10 Oscar run of the filmmaker's 2002 period drama "Gangs of New York."
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"Joker" led the field with 11, and though a best picture trophy would go over on social media about as well as an Arthur Fleck appearance on Murray Franklin's talk show, you can bet that Warner Bros. will go all in on a campaign.
But unlike the other 23 categories in which a popular vote determines the winners, the best picture Oscar is decided on a preferential ballot. Voters will rank the nine nominated movies and then PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants will count the votes and, if one film has more than 50% of the first-place votes, it will win best picture.
If that doesn't happen (and it probably won't), the movie with the fewest first-place votes will be eliminated, with its votes given to that ballot's second-ranked film. The process continues — lowest-ranked movie eliminated, votes redistributed to the next choice down — until one film has more than 50% of the vote.
This means that a divisive movie like "Joker," a bleak and disquieting film that a lot of academy members tell me they won't even watch ("I don't want to invite that character into my life," one tells me), can't win. The system is geared to reward not the "best" picture, but the least disliked. "Green Book," last year's winner, embodies this winner-most-people-can-live-with ethos. Who hates "Green Book" ... other than the internet?
"Joker" and "1917" are both impeccably crafted, reflected in the nominations for production design, cinematography, makeup and hair and sound. But the former wallows in nihilism while the latter offers a moving portrait of bravery, fortitude and friendship. Which movie will be the least disliked?
Maybe neither. Maybe the Oscar will go to “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” a wistful ode to ... Hollywood and its past. But, making these decisions, voters don’t reflect on questions like: Would it be fair and right if Sam Mendes has two Oscars for directing and Quentin Tarantino has none? Voters go with their guts. Voters also like to back a winner. And with a soaring box office and honors piling up, “1917” has the look of a movie about to own the awards season.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--WNBA’s tentative 8-year labor deal will hike a player’s average salary to $130,000

`` I call it historic , '' WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a phone interview .
`` The CBA @ @ @ @ @ increases .
The way we are paying these players is different than the past .
@ @ @ @ @ are tripling ( in pay ) where they were .
Other players are making $ @ @ @ @ @ be over $ 130,000 .
Everyone gets an increase here . ''

NEW YORK — The WNBA and its union announced a tentative eight-year labor deal Tuesday that will allow top players to earn more than $500,000 while the average annual compensation will surpass six figures for the first time.
The contract, which begins this season and runs through 2027, will pay players an average of $130,000 and guarantees full salaries while on maternity leave. The agreement also provides enhanced family benefits, travel standards and other health and wellness improvements.
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"I call it historic," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a phone interview. "The CBA guarantees substantial (financial) increases. The way we are paying these players is different than the past. ... The top couple players are tripling (in pay) where they were. Other players are making $200,000-300,000. The average will be over $130,000. Everyone gets an increase here."
The deal, which must be ratified by owners and players, calls for 50-50 revenue sharing starting in 2021, based on the league achieving revenue growth targets from broadcast agreements, marketing partnerships and licensing deals.
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"I was adamant on the 50-50 target," Engelbert said. "The league and players work together to market this league so we can share revenue with the players. We have to hit some targets."
The salary cap will go up 31% to $1.3 million in the first year — up from $996,000 and another $750,000 in prize money for special competitions arrives in 2021. Under this deal, the maximum base salary would increase to $215,000 from $117,500.
"You can pay your stars. That's how the league grows," Engelbert said.
This will be the fifth CBA for the WNBA, which launched in 1997. Like the last one, there is a mutual opt-out provision after six years.
The CBA also proposes a minimum of $1.6 million in offseason league and team marketing agreements that would create up to $300,000 in additional annual cash for select players.
The rookie scale for the Nos. 1-4 picks will rise to $68,000 — an increase of about $15,000 from this year — plus the ability to qualify for league-guaranteed money under the marketing agreement.
"It was collaborative effort,'" WNBA players' union president Nneka Ogwumike said. "I think that we really all had the same things in mind and had different way of getting there. We really put our heads together and came with some ideas."
Ogwumike said the labor pact provides more financial incentive for players to stay in the offseason instead of playing overseas. Former league MVP Breanna Stewart tore an Achilles tendon overseas last year and missed the entire WNBA season. Diana Taurasi sat out a season a few years ago because her Russian team was paying her more than $1 million and wanted her to rest.
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"This agreement is reflective of the game growing and the league growing and then the revenue share will grow," Ogwumike said. "Revenue sharing is putting your best foot forward."
Engelbert said the additional money needed to fund the CBA will come from a variety of sources.
"Teams and owners are stepping up. The league is stepping up," said the commissioner, who started last July.
She also touted the new "Changemakers" program, with key sponsors supporting the WNBA in its transformation across marketing, branding and player and fan experiences. AT&T, Nike and Deloitte are the inaugural three business partners.
"We're hoping to lift, not just women in sports and women in basketball, but women in society.," Engelbert said.
The league will also expand its schedule by a few games and add an in-season Commissioner's Cup tournament this year. Other highlights of the CBA include: