chicagotribune--2020-01-30--76 lawsuits have been filed over ethylene oxide emissions at Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook and mo

76 lawsuits have been filed over ethylene oxide emissions at Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook and more may be coming, attorney says

She did not put up all her Christmas decorations because , she said , she could not carry them down @ @ @ @ @ She also has not been able to travel like she would like , she said @

The Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook is pictured Sept. 28, 2018, in this file photo. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Six women who worked at Hinsdale South High School for at least 18 years filed a lawsuit against Sterigenics, alleging they contracted cancer because of ethylene oxide emissions from the company’s plant in Willowbrook.
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 26, marked the 76th one filed against the sterilization company since the controversy over the plant’s emissions of the toxic gas began in 2018, said Bryce Hensley, an attorney with the firm Romanucci and Blandin, which a circuit court judge appointed lead counsel for the lawsuits. More lawsuits likely are to come, he said.
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Carol L. Hanley, a Clarendon Hills resident who is one of the six to file the latest lawsuit, said she was diagnosed with breast cancer this past August. She now is receiving daily radiation treatments after having a partial mastectomy.
“I’m devastated,” Hanley said of her cancer diagnosis. “It has changed my life completely.”
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Hanley said she worked as a French and Spanish teacher from 1980 to 2002 at Hinsdale South, 7401 S. Clarendon Hills Road, Darien, which is less than a mile from the Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook.
She recalled recently how she liked to have the windows open in her classroom because of a lack of air conditioning and, as a sponsor of homecoming activities, she often was outside while the plant was in operation.
Since her surgery last year, she said she cannot walk her two dogs at the same time because her left side is not strong enough.
She did not put up all her Christmas decorations because, she said, she could not carry them down from the second floor. She also has not been able to travel like she would like, she said.
Former Hinsdale South teachers Jeanne Conrad-DeBroeck, of Lisle; Rose Keppler, of Highland; and Mary Margaret Eskey, Marguerite Vahldieck and former counselor Carol Tufo, all of Naperville, have joined Hanley in the lawsuit.
The complaint states Eskey has a type of lymphoma that affects white blood cells. The other women have all been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sterigenics’ operations manager and maintenance supervisor, Sotera Health (formerly known as Sterigenics International) and GTCR, a private investment firm that acquired Sterigenics International in 2011, also are named as defendants in the lawsuit, along with Sterigenics U.S.
In a statement emailed from Sterigenics’ communications firm, Sard Verbinnen and Co., the company said it empathizes with anyone dealing with cancer but that the company is confident it is not responsible for causing the illnesses alleged in any lawsuit.
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“We operate safely to sterilize vital medical products and have consistently complied with and outperformed applicable regulations,” the company said. "We intend to vigorously defend against unfounded and meritless claims.”
About 20 law firms are representing people who have filed suits against Sterigenics related to the company’s operations in Willowbrook, Hensley said.
He said that despite the more than six dozen lawsuits that have been filed, it’s unlikely the individual claims will become a class action suit.
“There are too many differences between each individual case,” Hensley said.
The people involved have had different levels of exposure to ethylene oxide during different periods, different illnesses and different treatments, he said. Each case is expected to proceed as a separate personal injury trial with a jury.
“It’s likely more cases will be filed,” Hensley said. “Thousands of people live in the Willowbrook area.”
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Ethylene oxide was added to the federal list of carcinogens in 1985. It has been used in an industrial area of Willowbrook since 1984, when Griffith Laboratories built a sterilization facility in the village.
In 1999, a Belgium-based technology firm acquired Griffith MicroScience and Sterigenics International and merged the two companies, according to Sterigenics’ website.
In February 2019, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency closed the Sterigenics facilities after concerns were raised about the plants’ ethylene oxide emissions. This past September, the company announced it would not try to reopen in Willowbrook.
The lawsuits against Sterigenics cite the latest National Air Toxics Assessment from the U.S. EPA, which in 2018 reported that the Willowbrook area is among several dozen nationwide where the risk of developing cancer from breathing toxic air pollution over a lifetime exceeds agency guidelines.
The lawsuits claim company officials were negligent in their operations at Sterigenics, including failure to supervise and train employees on how to control, monitor and dispose of hazardous materials, including ethylene oxide.
“Our clients seek damages for personal injuries, medical bills, (and) in some cases, lost wages, pain and suffering, mental anguish, disability, disfigurement, reduced life expectancy and loss of normal life,” said Scott Entin, an attorney with Miner, Barnhill and Galland, one of the law firms representing the group of six former Hinsdale South employees.
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An order issued by the Illinois EPA in February 2019 was posted on the door of Sterigenics' Willowbrook plant, forbidding the company from using ethylene oxide. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Although the Sterigenics plant was in DuPage County, the cases will be heard in Cook County because, among other reasons, GTCR is based in Cook and some of the employees named as defendants live in Cook, Hensley said.
To streamline pre-trial motions and filings, the lawsuits have been consolidated in Judge Christopher Lawler’s courtroom in Chicago.
“We have only just begun the discovery process,” Entin said.
The discovery process, which involves obtaining documents, records and testimony, easily can take a year, according to Hensley.
“In some cases, it can take multiple years," he said.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys say they want to bring their cases to trial as soon as possible. But it remains uncertain on how long that process will take.


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--Joe Mansueto isn’t afraid to spend as the Chicago Fire’s owner. And that’s evident in his investment

Joe Mansueto isn’t afraid to spend as the Chicago Fire’s owner. And that’s evident in his investments in the team’s staff.

“ Nelson and I agreed jointly that it was the right thing to do , ” Mansueto said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ lot as a person .
He ’ s a really warm human being one-on-one and @ @ @ @ @ was a strong player .
But there needs to be some accountability too .
… @ @ @ @ @ want for the long term and the culture we want to create , so that @ @ @ @ @ to make a move .
”

As team owner Joe Mansueto describes it, “it’s as if all the stars lined up” for Raphael Wicky to become the Chicago Fire’s new coach.
Wicky, 42, fit the profile Mansueto and Fire sporting director Georg Heitz wanted in a coach: young but experienced with what Heitz described as “a fresh, modern approach to football.”
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The fact Wicky already was living in Chicago was merely a nice coincidence, Mansueto said.
“What we didn’t want was somebody who wanted to come to the U.S. on vacation and just coach here,” Mansueto told the Tribune this week during an interview at his office in the Wrigley Building. “We wanted somebody hungry and eager for the role, and that was Rapha. ... His personality, his experience, his vision for the game all align with Georg’s and mine.”
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Mansueto’s vision was a decisive factor in the hirings of Heitz and Wicky in December.
And of all the changes the Fire made in the offseason — a return to Soldier Field, a tweaked name, a new crest — the investment in and overhaul of the front office and coaching staff show how Mansueto wants to reestablish the club.
Chicago Fire coach Raphael Wicky holds up a team scarf during a news conference at the CIBC Fire Pitch in North Center on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
The Fire worked with consulting firm Sportsology on what Mansueto described as a “global search” that resulted in Heitz becoming sporting director. Heitz’s track record of identifying talent at Swiss club FC Basel were major positives, Mansueto said.
“Right away Georg stood out,” he said. “What I liked about Georg is he had a demonstrated record of success. He won eight consecutive championships at FC Basel. And moreover, I loved his ability to identify and develop talent. That really just impressed me greatly.”
Mansueto has given Heitz, technical director Sebastian Pelzer and the rest of the staff the freedom — financial and otherwise — to build the roster as they see fit. The Fire lack depth and have filled only one designated player spot in Robert Beric, but Mansueto said the club is prepared to spend on several targets before the March 1 season opener.
One of those targets, however, was not Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who signed with the LA Galaxy after the team reportedly paid about $9 million — not including salary — to sign the Mexican star.
“I’ve not given Georg any financial budget,” Mansueto said. “I said let’s field the best and strongest team we can, so I don’t think the financial number would have derailed it. Georg has a vision for the kind of team he wants to field and the style of play he wants to see.”
But before Heitz was brought in to rebuild the Fire, the club needed to decide on the futures of Nelson Rodriguez and Veljko Paunovic.
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Rodriguez, who oversaw business and soccer operations as team president and general manager, requested to split his role and now oversees only the business side. Paunovic was fired as coach in November after four seasons and only one playoff appearance.
“Nelson and I agreed jointly that it was the right thing to do,” Mansueto said. “We both like Pauno a lot as a person. He’s a really warm human being one on one and a strong soccer mind and was a strong player. But there needs to be some accountability too. … I thought about what we want for the long term and the culture we want to create, so that’s when we decided to make a move.”
Chicago Fire owner and Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto poses for a photo in the tunnel at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Part of the long-term investment Mansueto made is in improvements to the practice facilities at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, where the Fire will continue to practice, and increased data and performance analytics. The Fire in early January hired Ben Donachie from Premier League club AFC Bournemouth to be the performance director.
“If you think about what you spend on players,” Mansueto said, “to spend a little more to make sure that they can perform at their best level, to me it’s a no-brainer. It’s just obvious that you can spend a little more to help the players perform at their peak levels. That didn’t need any argument or discussion.
“We want to invest more in the coaching, analytics, performance, everything we can to maximize the odds that we’re going to have the best players on the pitch and that they can perform to their best abilities.”
One additional change Mansueto hopes to see is greater exposure. The Fire are entering the third and final year of their deal with ESPN Plus but hope to have games on local television. Ten matches this season will be on national television.
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Mansueto said the Fire are in negotiations with several local networks with a preference for games to be on free, over-the-air TV. ESPN Plus would remain the Fire’s streaming partner for the 2020 season.
However, for all of the changes the Fire have made, one in particular has not gone over well with longtime fans: the rebrand. In particular, the new crest featuring what marketing called the “Fire Crown” for “flames inverted to become a crown.”
The Chicago Fire changed their crest from a Florian cross, left, to an oval with what the team called a "Fire Crown" in the center. (Chicago Fire FC photos)
Mansueto said he loves “the passion and concern our fans have for the club” — even if the reaction to the crest on social media has been largely negative.
“It clearly means a lot to them, so we certainly want to get it right,” he said. “It does take time to really get used to a logo, so I urge some patience to see it in context, see it in marketing materials, see it in the stadium, see it on the uniforms.”
And if fans never warm up to the new crest?
“We want a great badge for a great club,” Mansueto said. “If it’s not working for people, we’ll fix it. As a practical matter, we can’t do anything in the short term given the long lead times on uniforms and merchandise, so let’s go through the season and let fans experience it in context. And we’ll take feedback along the way from all different constituencies.
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“So if you’re a fan, you’ve got views, let us know. We’re still open to hearing people’s views. We’ll get it right. Either this will grow on people and they’ll come to love it, or we will fix it.”
Fire sign Bobby Shuttleworth
The Fire on Thursday announced the acquisition of veteran goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, who previously played for MLS sides New England Revolution and Minnesota United and USL side Sacramento Republic.
Shuttleworth, 32, is under contract through the 2021 season and is the fourth goalkeeper on the roster. Kenneth Kronholm, Connor Sparrow and Gabriel Slonina are the others.


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--First U.S. case of person-to-person spread of coronavirus reported in Chicago

Health officials said the man has not attended any large gatherings , taken the `` L '' or a train @ @ @ @ @ details of his activities from the last several weeks .
He mostly uses his car @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Allison Arwady , commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health , at a @ @ @ @

Men take part in a Friday prayer on May 15, 2020 at the Tahara mosque in Marseille southern France, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as France eases lockdown measures. (Clement Mahoudeau/Getty-AFP)
The first U.S. case of the new coronavirus spreading from one person to another, the husband of a woman who caught the disease while in China, was reported in Chicago on Thursday.
It’s the second case that’s been confirmed in Illinois, and the sixth case in the U.S., since the new respiratory virus started to spread in Wuhan, China.
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The announcement of the case by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came shortly before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency. Local health officials said Illinois residents are still at low-risk from the virus, but they are taking steps to contain its spread.
A Chicago woman who returned from caring for her sick father in China earlier this month was the first local person diagnosed with the illness, health officials reported Jan. 24. The woman, who is in her 60s, traveled to Wuhan in late December and returned to Chicago on Jan. 13. Her spouse did not make the trip to China.
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[ What we know so far about the coronavirus in Illinois ]
The man is also in his 60s and has underlying medical conditions, health officials said. He’s in stable condition at Amita Health St. Alexius Medical Center Hoffman Estates and was placed in isolation two days ago.
His wife also remains hospitalized at St. Alexius. But she is “doing quite well,” said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist at the health department. Layden said the woman remains hospitalized “primarily for isolation.”
David White holds a sign reading "Welcome, grandma and grandpa" while waiting for his in-laws to arrive from a flight from Shanghai at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Jan. 30, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
It’s believed that her husband was exposed to the virus while she was having symptoms.
Health officials said the man has not attended any large gatherings, taken the "L" or a train recently, and is sharing details of his activities from the last several weeks. He mostly uses his car to get around, said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, at a news conference Thursday.
Arwady did not answer a question about whether the man had been going to work.
Officials also declined to say how many people they’re monitoring who’ve been in contact with the couple, other than to say they are “actively monitoring all close contacts,” including health care workers who interacted with the woman. The CDC considers close contact to consist of 10 minutes or more of face-to-face time with a person.
In all, health officials are investigating 21 possible cases of the coronavirus in Illinois. People under investigation who are showing symptoms are in isolation, Arwady said.
[ United, American, Delta halt all China flights amid efforts to contain deadly coronavirus ]
Health officials are following up daily with those who’ve come into close contact with the couple to see if they’re showing symptoms, she said. Only those showing symptoms are being isolated, Arwady said.
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“Certainly, at this point, the belief from CDC is that there is not a significant risk of spread before people develop symptoms,” Arwady said. “That is not a setting in which we would want to be thinking about overusing resources where that’s not necessary.”
In outbreaks of other types of coronaviruses, such as MERS and SARS, people didn’t spread the illnesses before they developed symptoms, she said. Other types of coronaviruses often cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, such as the common cold.
A man wears a protective mask while playing Chinese chess at the Chinatown branch of the Chicago Public Library on Jan. 30, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
There was a worldwide outbreak of SARS in 2002-03, with 8,098 probable cases, including 774 deaths, according to the CDC.
Despite the news Thursday, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, said, “We believe people in Illinois are at low risk.”
“This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a husband and wife,” Ezike said in a call with reporters. “The virus is not spreading across the community at this time.”
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[ What is coronavirus and what precautions should people in the Chicago area be taking? ]
It’s not unexpected that the woman’s husband caught the virus from her, Arwady said.
Local health officials say it’s not necessary for Chicagoans to stay home or cancel activities.
"There is no local emergency,” Arwady said.
DuPage County public health officials said Tuesday they are tracking multiple county residents who may have come in contact with the woman, but none had reported symptoms. The couple lives in Chicago but may have come into contact with people in DuPage County, said Don Bolger, a spokesman for the DuPage County Health Department.
There have been 7,818 cases reported worldwide, mostly in China, and 170 deaths from the illness in China, according to the World Health Organization.
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On Wednesday, the U.S. government evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan. The CDC has advised Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to China, and U.S. airlines have canceled many flights to China.
Symptoms of the virus can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. It’s believed symptoms appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure. The CDC has said it’s still unclear how easily the virus spreads from person to person.
The spread of the virus from wife to husband “doesn’t give us really any insight into whether or not we’re going to see widespread transmission across the U.S.,” said Dr. Emily Landon, medical director for infection control at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
If people in the community who are not being monitored by public health officials start to catch the virus, that’s when it might no longer be considered contained, said Dr. Michael Ison, a professor of infectious disease at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
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The best ways to contain the virus, at this point, include screening passengers at airports, tracking people who’ve come into contact with the couple, isolating those with possible cases of the illness, and asking patients who visit hospitals whether they’ve been to Wuhan recently or came into close contact with someone who may have had the virus, she said.
“Those are the things we need to do to prevent spread here,” Landon said. “Whether or not they’re going to be successful is dependent on a lot of factors.”
Though she acknowledged that the virus is worrying many people, Landon said it’s important to keep it in perspective.
“In the end, this is a respiratory virus, and we know a lot about them,” she said. “Influenza has already killed way more people than this virus has.”
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lschencker@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--United Airlines is canceling more China flights as coronavirus outbreak spreads

Other U.S. and international carriers have also reduced flights .
American Airlines on Wednesday said it was suspending flights connecting @ @ @ @ @ Shanghai between Feb. 9 and March 27 .
Delta Air Lines on Wednesday said it @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. and China from 42 to 21 .

Passengers wear protective masks to protect against the spread of a deadly coronavirus from Wuhan, China, as they arrive on a flight from Asia at the Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 29. U.S. airlines are canceling more flights to and from China as the virus spreads. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Update 12:16 p.m. Jan. 31: United joins airlines halting all flights to and from China amid efforts to contain deadly coronavirus
United Airlines is suspending most of its daily flights between the U.S. and China amid the spread of coronavirus.
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There have been 7,818 cases confirmed worldwide, mostly in China, and 170 deaths from the illness in China, according to the World Health Organization.
U.S. health officials have advised Americans to avoid nonessential travel to China and airlines said they are seeing significant declines in demand for travel to the region.
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United said Thursday it would cancel 332 flights between Feb. 9 and March 28, including all direct flights between Chicago and China. That will reduce daily departures between the U.S. and China from 12 to 4.
The airline had already canceled 24 flights between its U.S. hub cities and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai scheduled for the first week of February, including some connecting Chicago to Beijing and Shanghai.
“We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and will adjust our schedule as needed,” United said in a news release.
Other U.S. and international carriers have also reduced flights. American Airlines on Wednesday said it was suspending flights connecting Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai between Feb. 9 and March 27. Delta Air Lines on Wednesday said it would cut weekly flights between the U.S. and China from 42 to 21.
[ Afraid of the coronavirus, American Airlines pilots sue to halt flights to China ]
There have been six confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S., including the first person-to-person transmission in the country from a Chicago woman who recently visited Wuhan to her husband.
Lisa Schencker contributed.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--‘We are completely devastated’: Vanessa Bryant makes her 1st statement since the helicopter crash

My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who ’ ve shown support and love during this horrific time .
Thank you for all the prayers .
We definitely need them .
We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband , Kobe — the amazing father of our children ; and my beautiful , sweet Gianna — a loving , thoughtful , and wonderful daughter , and amazing sister to Natalia , Bianka , and Capri .
We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There aren ’ t enough words to describe our pain right now .
I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved .
We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives .
I wish they were here with us forever .
They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon .
I ’ m not sure what our lives hold beyond today , and it ’ s impossible to imagine life without them .
But we wake up each day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and our baby girl , Gigi , are shining on us to light the way .
Our love for them is endless — and that ’ s to say , immeasurable .
I just wish I could hug them , kiss them and bless them .
Have them here with us , forever .
Thank you for sharing your joy , your grief and your support with us .
We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality .
To honor our Team Mamba @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy .
To donate , please go to MambaOnThree.org .
To further Kobe and Gianna ’ s legacy in youth sports , please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org .
Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers , and for loving Kobe , Gigi , Natalia , Bianka , Capri and me .
# Mamba # Mambacita # GirlsDad # DaddysGirls # Family ❤

Vanessa Bryant made her first public comment Wednesday since the helicopter crash that killed husband Kobe Bryant, one of their daughters and seven other people, taking to Instagram to thank people for the global outpouring of support since the tragedy.
She also announced the formation of a fund to help support the other families that were affected by the crash.
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“Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them,” Vanessa Bryant wrote. “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.”
The Bryants would have celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary this April. They had four daughters including Gianna, the 13-year-old who died in the crash.
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"There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now," Vanessa Bryant wrote. "I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon."
It was the first statement from the Bryant family since the crash. The Los Angeles Lakers — the team that Bryant spent 20 years with, winning five championships — held a media availability Wednesday as well, their first since learning of Bryant's death.
Bryant's Granity Studios also released a statement late Wednesday remembering both Bryant and his daughter as well as the other victims — Alyssa, John and Keri Altobelli; Payton and Sarah Chester; Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.
"Granity is a word Kobe created that is a combination of greater than infinity. How very Kobe," the studio's statement read. "In everything he built, Kobe was driven to teach the next generation how to reach their full potential. He believed in the beauty of the process, in the strength that comes from inner magic, and in achieving the impossible. We honor and will continue Kobe's mission and commitment to using creative education to inspire people to be the best version of themselves."
The Lakers had been scheduled to play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, a game the NBA postponed out of respect to Bryant, the other victims and the grieving process. The Lakers will next play on Friday, at home against Portland.
"I'm not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it's impossible to imagine life without them," Vanessa Bryant wrote. "But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that's to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever."
There has been no announcement on funeral or memorial plans yet for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Vanessa Bryant asked for continued respect of her family’s privacy as it begins to “navigate this new reality.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--Illinois joins lawsuit over Trump’s new food stamp rules that could take benefits from thousands her

Illinois joins lawsuit over Trump’s new food stamp rules that could take benefits from thousands here

The lawsuit claims the rule undermines the nutrition program 's intent and the U.S. Department of Agriculture violated the rulemaking @ @ @ @ @ the loss of SNAP benefits will lead to more homeless as people divert their limited @ @ @ @ @ housing .

From center, volunteers David Posner and Anita Goldstein serve clients at the St. Ignatius Church food pantry in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Dec. 4, 2019 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
CHICAGO — Illinois joined a multi-state lawsuit over proposed Trump administration rules on food stamps that could cause hundreds of thousands of Americans to lose benefits, Attorney General Kwame Raoul confirmed Thursday.
The rule, expected to go into effect in April, limits states from exempting work-eligible adults from having to maintain steady employment in order to receive benefits. The rule is among three targeting the Supplemental Nutrition Program, known as SNAP.
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Illinois could be hit hard. There are over 140,000 residents in the affected category; they’re able-bodied without dependents, according to state officials.
The lawsuit claims the rule undermines the nutrition program's intent and the U.S. Department of Agriculture violated the rulemaking process. The complaint said the loss of SNAP benefits will lead to more homeless as people divert their limited means to food instead of housing.
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“The USDA’s arbitrary rule punishes people who live in poverty and disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable residents and communities of color,” Raoul said in a statement.
The lawsuit, which names the USDA and its secretary, seeks an injunction.
A USDA spokesman declined comment citing pending litigation.
Attorneys general in more than a dozen states, including Michigan, brought the lawsuit, first filed in January in Washington D.C.


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--Chicago police announce major restructuring, moving detectives and specialized cops to patrol distri

Chicago police announce major restructuring, moving detectives and specialized cops to patrol districts to take on violence

“ When you ’ re assigned to a piece of geography , you not only have ownership in the results @ @ @ @ @ is now the turf that you ’ re responsible for , but you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ engender trust if you work with the same community and begin to understand that community @ @ @ @ @ , '' he told the Tribune .
“ Part of community policing is being responsive @ @ @ @ @ way that you police , and our most ‘ response people ’ are the ones @ @ @ @ @ geography .
And I want that to be part of what our detectives feel too @ @

Interim Chicago police Superintendent Charlie Beck unveiled a massive restructuring Thursday that will move hundreds of detectives and narcotics and gang officers from specialized units to police districts, shifting resources to neighborhoods to better combat violence.
The reorganization also creates a new office to carry out policing reforms required by a federal consent decree — headed by the highest-ranking African American woman in the department’s history.
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In another major change, Beck said counterterrorism would be the sole focus of another bureau, an operation that “will get everything that they need," he vowed.
Beck’s plan lays much of the responsibility for the fight against violence on a deputy chief in each of five geographic areas, as well as the commanders in the city’s 22 districts.
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They will oversee the department’s patrol and tactical officers and take on responsibility as well for cops who work on gang and drug investigations and detectives who investigate homicides, shootings, robberies and other crimes.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune ahead of the announcement, Beck said the idea is to give added resources to the department leaders in closest contact with residents and communities where the violence occurs.
But with greater resources comes responsibility. Those who fail to reduce the violence will be held accountable, he said.
“CPD needs to be all in, all about reducing gun violence, reducing shootings and homicides, and the people that we hold most responsible for that are these geographic commands," Beck said of the five area deputy chiefs and 22 district commanders. “And so we have to give them all these resources. If you’re going to hold them accountable for crime, you’ve got to give them, in my opinion, the tools, the full array of tools that can affect that thorough policing.”
Wesley Skogan, a Northwestern University emeritus professor of political science who has studied policing in Chicago, called the reassignment of specialized officers and detectives to the supervision of area and district patrol bosses a “radical decentralization” and said the restructuring marks the most significant one since the department began its community policing strategy in the 1990s.
The plan “takes a risk that area deputy chiefs and the district commanders are capable of managing all these new resources,” he said. “And we’ll see if they can do it.”
The reorganization marks the most significant step taken by Beck since Mayor Lori Lightfoot tapped the former longtime Los Angeles police chief as her surprise choice to temporarily lead the department while the search continues to replace outgoing Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
Beck had planned to succeed Johnson on his retirement on Jan. 1, but Lightfoot abruptly fired Johnson on Dec. 2, saying he had intentionally misled her about his conduct after a late weeknight out in October when he was found asleep in his running vehicle. Beck flew in from LA that afternoon to take charge.
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Chicago police Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck, center, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot sit with new members of the department before a graduation ceremony at Navy Pier on Dec. 18. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
He arrived at a critical moment — the infancy of the Police Department’s efforts to enact reforms in the fallout over the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
The reorganization is considered a critical step toward positioning the department to not only implement the consent decree but also bring Chicago’s violence more in line with Los Angeles and New York City, both bigger cities.
The timing of the reorganization means the next permanent superintendent, who is expected to be named as soon as March, will take over a department that is in the early stages of implementing a complicated new structure that will take months to phase in — without his or her input.
“I think it’s clear the mayor has confidence in Beck,” attorney Thomas Needham, who once served as the department’s general counsel and chief of staff, said of the decision to let an interim leader carry out such a major restructuring.
To overhaul training and enact other reforms, Beck created an Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform, appointing as its head Barbara West, the first African American woman to ascend this high in the department.
In the first six months of implementing the consent decree, the department has failed to meet most of its reform deadlines, leaving critics to question the city’s commitment.
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The reform office will be placed at the very top of the department organization structure with the Office of Operations, which will spearhead the effort to continue to tamp down violence after three consecutive years of declines in shootings and homicides. That office will be led by First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio.
Making the Reform and Operations offices coequals signals that changing how officers engage with citizens is just as important to the department as reducing violence, Beck said.
The department currently divides Chicago into three geographic areas, but the patrol, detective, gang and narcotics functions within those areas have largely operated independently of one another.
“CPD does a lot of great work, and I mean a lot of great work," Beck said. "But unfortunately some of it occurs in silos and not all of it is focused on the same problem. So I think this focuses all of us on what I think is the universal problem that faces Chicago and the CPD, and that is gun violence and murder.”
The 1,100 officers will be moved to districts in two phases by April 1 and will include gang investigation and narcotics officers as well as detectives who investigate homicides, shootings, robberies, sexual assaults and other crimes. A separate citywide homicide detective unit, however, will report to the chief of the detectives, not the area deputy chiefs or district commanders.
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In his two months in office, Beck has repeatedly said the main hurdle for any police department struggling to reform is to win over the community’s trust.
In outlining the key parts of his restructuring, Beck signaled that assigning specialized officers and detectives to the control of the five area deputy chiefs and 22 district commanders was aimed at achieving that goal.
“When you’re assigned to a piece of geography, you not only have ownership in the results that you achieve because that is now the turf that you’re responsible for, but you’re also much more likely to engender trust if you work with the same community and begin to understand that community in a much better way," he told the Tribune. “Part of community policing is being responsive to the community in the way that you police, and our most responsive people are the ones that are tied to that geography. And I want that to be part of what our detectives feel too.”
Despite an improvement in 2019, the department has struggled in recent years with low rates of solving homicides, falling at one point to about 29%, well below the national average and earning the department considerable criticism.
A review by the Police Executive Research Forum, a law enforcement think tank, found several flaws with Chicago’s detective division, including poor supervision and a lack of attention to nonfatal shootings. Among the forum’s myriad recommendations was assigning detectives closer to neighborhoods — a step that Beck’s plan would carry out.
The new counterterrorism bureau would include the SWAT team, bomb squad and other units in which Chicago police work with the FBI.
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Beck made it clear the effort to root out terrorism threats will get beefed-up resources, but he declined to be specific on how many officers will be reassigned to that task.
“They will get everything that they need. … We’re going to make sure that it is robustly staffed,” he said. “It’s really important to have somebody that has their finger on the pulse of what’s going on nationally and internationally."
Beck believes the rank-and-file will be amenable to the structural changes, though that may take a while for some officers.
“Nobody likes change, least of all police officers. We’re naturally conservative people. ... Change is always difficult,” he said. “Once they understand that they will be a bigger part of a larger team working on the problems that really matter to Chicago, I think that they will come around on it.”
When it’s all in place, Beck said the new structure would go a long way in helping the department make Chicago a safer place.
Outsiders who have led the department before Beck have tried to make their mark with organizational changes as well, with varying degrees of success.
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Past superintendents have shifted specialized resources to the districts to respond to violence — but never at this level, Beck said.
And this time, the reassigned officers from specialized teams will answer to the same boss — the deputy area chief — in hopes that all the varying skills can be deployed quickly and in coordination to stop the unrelenting shootings.
At least one veteran supervisor in a violent pocket of the city welcomed the resources and reliance on deputy area chiefs to plan strategies.
“If you have all of your teams, your gang teams, your narcotics teams, your detectives working in lockstep, if they are working together and you have a good strategy and a good leader, you might really have a chance at reducing crime,” said the supervisor, who was not authorized by the department to speak publicly.
asweeney@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--Feds raise scores for Chicago’s top hospitals under controversial rating system

Rush has been one of the most outspoken hospitals in the country in recent years when it comes to identifying @ @ @ @ @ ’ s rating system .
The American Hospital Association also has criticized the system , @ @ @ @ @ , that it tends to penalize academic medical centers , such as Rush , University @ @ @ @ @ because they treat more medically complex patients than other hospitals .

Northwestern Memorial Hospital earned four stars, up from three last year, in ratings released by the federal government Wednesday. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Several of Chicago’s most prestigious hospitals saw their scores for quality climb this year in controversial ratings released by the federal government Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medical Center earned three out of five stars for quality, up from two last year. Northwestern Memorial Hospital earned four stars, up from three last year. And Rush University Medical Center earned five stars, up from four last year.
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The ratings are based on a number of factors, including patient experience surveys, complications, deaths and readmission rates, which are how often patients have to be readmitted to a hospital after leaving it.
Rush has been one of the most outspoken hospitals in the country in recent years when it comes to identifying flaws in the federal government’s rating system. The American Hospital Association also has criticized the system, saying, among other things, that it tends to penalize academic medical centers, such as Rush, University of Chicago and Northwestern, because they treat more medically complex patients than other hospitals.
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Critics also say the current system can be tough on hospitals in poor areas, where many patients may need to be readmitted because they lack the resources at home to properly recover.
Chicago’s Stroger and Mount Sinai hospitals, each of which earned one out of five stars in the latest ratings, echoed those concerns in statements Thursday. Mount Sinai said much of the data the government uses is two or more years old, and that the hospital has seen improvements in several areas, including in the areas of hospital-acquired infections and readmissions.
University of Illinois, which the government also rated one out of five stars, did not respond to a request for comment.
The federal government previously said that it plans to change the system’s methodology. Proposals on how that methodology might change will be released in the spring, Seema Verma, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, said Wednesday in a blog post.
“While we look ahead to new Star Ratings proposals, today’s updated Star Ratings use the existing methodology to ensure patients have the information they need,” Verma said. "The American people deserve up-to-date information on how hospitals are performing."
A number of other hospitals in the Chicago area got five stars, including Amita Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Chicago, Rush Oak Park Hospital, Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center Chicago, Amita Health Adventist Medical Center La Grange, Elmhurst Hospital, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Amita Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center Elk Grove Village, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Edward Hospital in Naperville and Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital.
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Several different organizations release hospital ratings each year, and each group uses its own methodology, leading to varying rankings. For example, Northwestern Memorial has been named the No. 1 hospital in the state by U.S. News & World Report for eight consecutive years though it earned a lower star rating from the federal government than Rush.
lschencker@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--Brexit is Friday. But as Britain leaves the EU, not much will change immediately.

Britain ’ s prime minister and his Conservative Party may have won election last month on a promise to “ @ @ @ @ @ but he knows his country is almost as divided today as it was in June @ @ @ @ @ to walk away from the bloc after more than four decades .
The 52 % @ @ @ @ @ for the “ leave ” side was so tight that it tore at the fabric @ @ @ @ @ parties and families , split big cities from small towns and pitted England against Scotland @

An anti-Brexit campaigner waves European Union and Union Jack flags Jan. 29, 2020, outside Parliament in London. Britain officially leaves the European Union on Friday after a debilitating political period that has bitterly divided the nation since the 2016 Brexit referendum. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP)
Brussels — Friday will mark a truly historic moment, but almost nothing will happen.
A few Union Jack flags will be lowered from European Union buildings in Brussels, more will be waved in jubilation by Brexiteers in London at the moment of Britain's departure — at 11 p.m. in the U.K., midnight in much of the EU (2300 GMT).
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But for most of the half a billion people in Britain and the bloc, it will be a normal Friday night.
Britain and the bloc fought tooth and nail for the best part of four years — with insults flying across the English Channel — over the terms of their divorce. Now, on the eve of one of the most significant events in European Union history, the political eruptions have ceased and an uneasy quiet reigns: the calm before the next storm.
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Both sides are spent and drained from the Brexit fight, and neither has much appetite for an extravaganza to mark the occasion.
The EU would prefer the night to pass without anyone noticing. After all, it is losing one of its biggest members, a diplomatic, military and economic power on a par with Germany and France. The U.K. is the first nation ever to turn its back on the EU in the 62-year history of this experiment in political union.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke this week of “the agony of parting.”
“We will always love you and we will never be far,” she said at the last session of the European Parliament with British participation.
Even British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an energetic champion of Brexit, promised a “dignified exit” that is “mindful of everybody's feelings."
Arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage and his band of devotees will gather for patriotic songs and speeches in London’s Parliament Square. But Johnson is staying away from triumphalism and won’t be gloating, at least in public. Union Jacks will flutter in the streets around Parliament and buildings will be lit up in red, white and blue. But there won’t be fireworks.
Britain’s prime minister and his Conservative Party may have won election last month on a promise to “Get Brexit Done,” but he knows his country is almost as divided today as it was in June 2016, when voters decided to walk away from the bloc after more than four decades. The 52%-48% margin of victory for the “leave” side was so tight that it tore at the fabric of the nation, divided parties and families, split big cities from small towns and pitted England against Scotland.
In the years since, it has pitted a divided Britain against the EU's united 27 remaining nations.
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British politicians struggled to agree on what they wanted from Brexit and what it looked like — as was made clear by Britain's previous prime minister, Theresa May, who coined and endlessly repeated the empty phrase “Brexit means Brexit.”
Britain’s Parliament and government were riven by deep divisions over Brexit, pitting “remainers” against “leavers,” and setting those who wanted a sharp break with Europe against factions favoring a softer departure, or even no Brexit at all.
The EU's 27 other nations, in contrast, knew what they wanted and stuck together, led by the formidable negotiator Michel Barnier. While Britain cycled through several Brexit ministers and negotiators, Barnier remained — and the EU is keeping the silver-haired diplomat on to lead the talks on its future trade and security deals with Britain.
Barnier's steadfastness in preserving the EU's single market and core principles meant that when the two sides finally struck a deal on Britain's departure terms in late 2018, it contained little of the cherry-picking of membership perks that Britain had sought. And it included a major concession by the U.K. to maintain an open border between the EU’s Republic of Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland.
Yet the EU divorce agreement agreed upon by May immediately ran into trouble in Britain’s Parliament, where lawmakers rejected it three times. Pro-Brexit legislators thought the terms too cozy with the bloc; pro-EU lawmakers said they were too harsh.
As Britain bickered, the actual Brexit date kept getting pushed back: March 29, 2019 became Oct. 31. May fell and as replaced by Johnson, who vowed that Britain would leave the bloc at Halloween “do or die.” Again, lawmakers blocked him.
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Businesses on both sides of the channel grew increasingly frustrated as officials were unable to tell them what trading conditions they would face after Brexit. The danger grew that Britain would crash out of the bloc without a Brexit deal, leaving a chaotic landscape for firms that trade between the U.K. and the EU.
In the end, sheer exhaustion helped break the logjam. Many Britons — whether they wanted to leave the EU or remain — were so exasperated by the interminable wrangling that they voted in last month’s election for the politician who promised to get it all over with: Johnson.
Armed with a big majority in Parliament, Johnson succeeded where May had failed and got Parliament to approve a rejigged EU divorce deal. Brexit was re-scheduled for Jan. 31 -- and this time, it’s for real.
On Saturday the EU will be smaller — a failure for which the bloc's leaders know they are partly to blame. The United Kingdom will no longer be part of EU summits and ministerial meetings. Its 73 EU parliamentarians have lost their jobs and cleared out their offices.
Initially, residents in the U.K. and the EU will notice few changes. Feb. 1 marks the start of a transition period until the end of the year, in which Britain will continue to follow EU rules and pay into the bloc’s coffers. People and businesses can carry on as usual while the two sides negotiate a new relationship on trade, security and a host of other issues.
Johnson insists he won’t allow the transition period to last more than 11 months, and says that's ample time to strike a free trade agreement. The EU says otherwise, pointing out that similar deals with Canada, Japan or South Korea took years, not months.
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So yet again, the two sides appear on a collision course. Britain says it will not agree to follow an EU rule book in return for unfettered trade. The bloc insists there can be no trade deal unless Britain agrees to a “level playing field” and does not undercut EU regulations.
And the issue of fishing looms large once again. Britain insists it will take control of its fishing waters after Brexit. The EU says it will want access to British waters for European fishermen in return for a deal in other areas.
And Britain's dreaded cliff-edge economic split is still very much on the cards at the end of 2020.
Lawless reported from London.
Follow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter.


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--5 key dates in a daunting February that could decide the Blackhawks’ postseason fate

Every game matters the rest of the way , especially those against the other Western Conference wild-card contenders .
The @ @ @ @ @ the break comes Saturday against the Coyotes , who heading into Wednesday ’ s action @ @ @ @ @ were three points ahead of the Hawks for the last wild-card spot .

Put Blackhawks games in March and April out of your mind for now; they don’t matter yet.
Not when there’s so much at stake in February.
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It feels as if eight months have passed since the Hawks last played, so as a reminder, a lot was happening when they last hit the ice.
On Jan. 21, the Hawks held a pregame ceremony to commemorate Patrick Kane reaching the 1,000-point milestone, then honored Joel Quenneville during his return to the United Center for his legendary 2008-19 run as coach. The Hawks — despite a blip against Quenneville’s Panthers — were one of the hottest teams in the league.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 14 Joel Quenneville waves to the crowd as the former Blackhawks coach is honored during a timeout in the first period. Quenneville currently coaches the Panthers. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Even with their 4-3 loss to the Panthers in the final game before the All-Star break, the Hawks are 11-5 in their last 16, and talk of a playoff run is back in the locker room — unless a daunting stretch of 11 of 14 road games in February takes them out of it.
Here’s a look at key dates and what the Hawks need to do to survive a hellish month:
1. Feb. 1: at Coyotes
Every game matters the rest of the way, especially those against the other Western Conference wild-card contenders. The Hawks’ first game after the break comes Saturday against the Coyotes, who heading into Wednesday’s action were among three teams that were three points ahead of the Hawks for the last wild-card spot.
Keep in mind that each of the contenders plays at least once before the Hawks return to the ice Saturday, so they could be even further back, putting even more importance on getting off to a good start against the Coyotes.
How have the Hawks fared on the road against the Coyotes recently? Well, pretty awful. They were outscored 12-3 in losing three straight, including a 5-2 defeat last month in which the Coyotes lit up goalie Robin Lehner. The Hawks were shut out 1-0 in their one game in Glendale, Ariz., last season and 6-1 in February 2018.
Blackhawks goaltender Robin Lehner gives up a goal to Coyotes left wing Michael Grabner during a game on Dec. 12, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ross D. Franklin / AP)
Kane hasn’t had a point at Gila River Arena since 2017. It hasn’t been pretty.
There’s a decent chance former Coyotes forward Dylan Strome will return from a right ankle injury that cost him seven games before the break.
2. Feb. 9-16: at Jets, Oilers, Canucks, Flames and Jets
The five-game swing through Western Canada is the first of two long February trips that could be a killer — or propel the Hawks toward their first postseason berth in three years.
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The Hawks open and close the trip with games against the Jets and face the Oilers, Canucks and Flames in between. All those teams are in the same boat as the Hawks: fighting for playoff spots and needing every point they can get.
The upside is that the Hawks are 5-2-1 against the four teams this season, including road wins over the Jets and Flames.
3. Feb. 21: vs. Predators
This is one of only three games at the United Center this month and the only one against a Western Conference contender, although the Predators are fading and also have a hellish post-break schedule with eight of 12 on the road, including at the Capitals and Blues.
Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews battles the Predators' Matt Duchene, left, and Mattias Ekholm during a game on Jan. 9, 2020, at the United Center. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The Hawks have been inconsistent against the Predators, losing 3-0 and 5-2 and winning 7-2. It’s a microcosm of their season: You never know which Hawks team is going to show up on a given night.
4. Feb. 23-29: at Stars, Blues, Lightning, Panthers
If the Hawks can survive the first 10 games of the month, they have quite a reward waiting for them.
They finish February with four road games against two legitimate Stanley Cup contenders — the defending-champion Blues and Lightning — and two likely playoff teams in the Stars and Panthers that entered Wednesday a combined 32-15-4 at home.
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As scary as this stretch and the earlier one against their West rivals look, the Hawks are 12-9-3 on the road after going 7-1 in their last eight games before the break.
5. Feb. 24: NHL trade deadline
The best bar conversation lately regarding the Hawks is whether they’ll be buyers or sellers — or neither — at the trade deadline.
With 11 games remaining before the deadline, the Hawks have time to move in one direction or the other, and general manager Stan Bowman has salary-cap room available to make some deals because of season-ending injuries to Calvin de Haan and Brent Seabrook.
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman addresses the media at a news conference on Oct. 3, 2019, in Prague. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Given their precarious spot in the standings, the Hawks are in no-man’s land. They’re not going to be sellers as long as the playoffs are a possibility. They’ve gone to great lengths to send a message to fans that they’re not in a rebuild, so there’s no reason to believe they’ll bail at this point.
But are the Hawks willing to be buyers with such a treacherous February schedule? They could use a veteran forward to guard against injuries or allow them to sit Alex Nylander if he remains unproductive. The Hawks gave no indication before the break that Andrew Shaw was close to returning from a concussion.
As strong as Slater Koekkoek has played for seven straight games, would Bowman pass up a chance to land Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen if he doesn’t have to give up a first-round pick?
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Many questions remain. The Hawks will start to get answers Saturday.


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--Here are 54 things all Chicago fans should know about Super Bowl LIV

The sting of that loss still sits with Kyle Shanahan , who was criticized harshly for his play calling down @ @ @ @ @ has made it clear he was able to move on from that setback .
“ @ @ @ @ @ that Super Bowl that I would love to have back and stuff I was very @ @ @ @ @ ) , ” he said .
“ But the whole narrative of , ‘ If @ @ @ @ @ ran it , we would ’ ve won … ’ I know that wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ know what went into that game and all the stuff that happened , so that @ @ @ @ @ me .
You ’ ve got to deal with that and listen to other people @ @ @ @ @ to be able to move on and move out here and just keep working .
@

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will meet in the Super Bowl at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (FOX).
As the NFL world readies for the season finale, here are 54 things for those in the Chicago area to know about Super Bowl LIV.
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I
The 49ers are making their seventh Super Bowl appearance, second-most of any NFC team. The Cowboys have made an NFC-high eight Super Bowl trips. In the AFC, the Patriots (11), Steelers (8) and Broncos (8) also have reached the sport’s biggest stage at least seven times. The 49ers are 5-1 in Super Bowls.
II
The Chiefs are making their third appearance in the Super Bowl, one of 22 franchises to play in the game multiple times. Teams that have played in the Super Bowl only once are the Saints, Cardinals, Titans, Buccaneers, Chargers and Jets. Those still waiting for their first trip are the Browns, Lions, Jaguars and Texans.
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III
The Chiefs’ first Super Bowl appearance was in 1966, in what is now known as Super Bowl I. The Chiefs lost to the Packers 35-10. At the time, the game was referred to as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The Super Bowl moniker wasn’t formally added to the event until 1969, before the third playing of the title game.
IV
The Super Bowl title is widely credited to Chiefs and AFL founder Lamar Hunt. Hunt, as legend has it, threw the name out as a brainstorming idea in a memo to Commissioner Pete Rozelle. The title stuck better than other suggestions from Rozelle, such as “The Big One” or “World Series of Football.” The roman numerals accompanying the championship matchups became a thing beginning with Super Bowl V, in which the Colts beat the Cowboys 16-13.
V
This Super Bowl will feature two of the fastest offenses in the NFL. According to Next Gen Stats, Chiefs ball carriers had an average top speed of 13.36 mph, ranked first, while 49ers ball carriers had an average top speed of 13.35 mph, ranked second. Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill is the fastest of all. He has reached 20-plus mph 24 times over the last two years, ahead of Giants running back Saquon Barkley (14) and Bears kick returner/receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (11).
Tyreek Hill has reached 20+ MPH 24 times as a ball carrier over the last two seasons, 10 more than the next closest player in that span (Saquon Barkley, 14).#SBLIV | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/YWYptXf7gO — Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 28, 2020
VI
Players on the winning team will receive $124,000 this year, while players on the losing team will receive $62,000. Players on the 49ers and Chiefs already have earned $87,000 for their participation in the divisional-round and conference championship games. Oddly, players on the AFC Pro Bowl team, which beat the NFC team 38-33 on Sunday, received $70,000 for the win — more than the Super Bowl losers.
VII
Since the start of the 2018 season, the Chiefs have averaged 401 yards per game and scored 132 offensive touchdowns (postseason included). For comparison’s sake, the Bears have averaged 310 yards per game with 73 offensive touchdowns.
VIII
The 49ers defensive line includes five first-round draft picks: Dee Ford (Chiefs, 2014), Arik Armstead (49ers, 2015), DeForest Buckner (49ers, 2016), Solomon Thomas (49ers, 2017) and Nick Bosa (49ers, 2019). The 49ers were the only team to have four or more players with 6½ sacks or more in 2019: Armstead (10), Bosa (nine), Buckner (7½) and Ford (6½). The group also helped limit the Vikings and Packers to 83 combined rushing yards in the two playoff games, the second-lowest total in the Super Bowl era (minimum two games) behind the 2014 Ravens, who allowed 82 yards.
IX
The 49ers’ last Super Bowl victory came 25 years ago, on Jan. 29, 1995, in Super Bowl XXIX at what was then called Joe Robbie Stadium and now is Hard Rock Stadium. Behind Super Bowl MVP Steve Young, the 49ers scored on four of their first five possessions to build a 28-10 first-half lead and cruised to a 49-26 thrashing of the Chargers. Young threw for 325 yards and six touchdowns. Jerry Rice caught 10 passes for 149 yards with three TDs.
X
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was drafted with the No. 10 pick in 2017. The Chiefs traded up 17 spots, sending the No. 27 pick plus a third-round selection and a 2018 first-rounder to the Bills to land their franchise quarterback. The selection of Mahomes came eight picks after the Bears traded from No. 3 to No. 2 to draft Mitch Trubisky.
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[ Why did the Bears draft Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson? ]
XI
With the three picks acquired from the Chiefs in the Patrick Mahomes deal, the Bills first drafted cornerback Tre’Davious White at No. 27 in 2017. They traded the third-round selection (No. 91) as part of a four-pick swap that allowed them to jump from No. 44 to No. 37 to select receiver Zay Jones. And in 2018, the Bills traded the first-round pick that originally belonged to the Chiefs to the Ravens as part of a deal to move up to select outside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
XII
Patrick Mahomes, at 23, was the league MVP in 2018 after throwing for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns. That made him the fourth player in NFL history to win the MVP award before turning 24. The others were Jim Brown, Walter Payton and Dan Marino.
XIII
Only two quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl before turning 25. Ben Roethlisberger was 23 and in his second season in 2005 when he helped propel the Steelers to a win in Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger remains the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl. Tom Brady was 24 years old when he won the first of his six Super Bowls, sparking a 20-17 Patriots upset of the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Patrick Mahomes could become the second-youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl on Sunday.
XIV
In 35 career starts (including playoffs), here is Patrick Mahomes’ per-game stat line: 23 of 35, 303 yards, 2.5 touchdowns, 0.5 interceptions and a 109.6 passer rating.
XV
During the Chiefs’ eight-game winning streak that started in Week 11, Patrick Mahomes has thrown 16 touchdown passes. Bears quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Chase Daniel combined for 20 touchdown passes for the entire season.
XVI
Over the last two seasons, Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 25 touchdowns on deep passes — measured as throws with 20 or more air yards — the most in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. In the 2019 regular season, he had 50 pass plays that gained 20 or more yards and 15 of 40-plus yards. The 49ers and Bills were tied in the regular season by allowing a league-low 34 passes of 20 yards or more and five of 40-plus yards.
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Since 2018, no QB has thrown more deep TD than Patrick Mahomes (25).
During the regular season, no defense allowed fewer deep completions than the @49ers (9).
In a showdown of team strengths, the winner of this matchup will have an edge in #SBLIV.#ChiefsKingdom | #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/5LxTtuFNMF — Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 27, 2020
XVII
Patrick Mahomes has connected with tight end Travis Kelce 13 times for 164 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs. In the regular season, Kelce caught 97 passes for 1,229 yards and five touchdowns. Over the last six seasons, Kelce has averaged 85 catches, 1,078 yards and six touchdowns.
XVIII
Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers quarterback, is an Arlington Heights native who played at Rolling Meadows High School and starred at Eastern Illinois.
XIX
The Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers in October 2017 for a second-round pick. Garoppolo’s first victory as the 49ers starter came in December of that season, a 15-14 win over the Bears at Soldier Field. Including the playoffs, Garoppolo has a 21-5 record as the 49ers starter.
XX
Jimmy Garoppolo’s 3,987 passing yards this season would have broken the Bears single-season record. His 27 touchdown passes would have placed him third on the Bears single-season list behind Erik Kramer (29 in 1995) and Jay Cutler (28 in 2014).
XXI
The Bears were high on Jimmy Garoppolo heading into the 2014 draft, with key talent evaluators and front-office executives lauding his quick release, accuracy and self-confidence. Leaguewide, the curiosity around Garoppolo’s potential was high. Ultimately, the Bears passed on Garoppolo in the second round, selecting defensive lineman Ego Ferguson at No. 51. The Patriots, with Tom Brady entrenched as their starter, rolled the dice on Garoppolo 11 picks later. Ferguson played 20 games in two seasons with the Bears, recording 13 tackles and two sacks. He was waived in the spring of 2017 and never played another down in the league.
XXII
The Bears didn’t seem desperate for quarterback help leading into the 2014 draft. Just 3½ months earlier, general manager Phil Emery had given Jay Cutler $54 million guaranteed in a seven-year contract extension that Emery hoped would keep Cutler in the organization through 2020. The Bears did draft a quarterback in 2014, choosing David Fales out of San Jose State with the 183rd pick in Round 6. Four weeks later, they signed free agent Jimmy Clausen to be their backup.
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XXIII
Jimmy Garoppolo appeared in 17 games and made two starts during 3½ seasons with the Patriots. He started the first two games of 2016, wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins, while Tom Brady was serving a four-game suspension. In his second start, Garoppolo threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the first half before suffering a game-ending shoulder injury.
XXIV
Saints quarterback Drew Brees greets Jimmy Garoppolo after the 49ers' 48-46 victory Dec. 8, 2019, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Arguably the most impressive performance of Jimmy Garoppolo’s 2019 season was a 349-yard, four-touchdown outing in a 48-46 road win over the Saints in early December. Garoppolo capped that victory by leading the 49ers 63 yards in six plays in the final minute to set up a winning field goal as time expired. The 49ers, Saints and Packers finished the regular season with 13-3 records, and the 49ers earned the top seed in the NFC via tiebreaker.
XXV
Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 741 yards and eight touchdowns in two wins over the Cardinals in Weeks 9 and 11.
XXVI
Any notion that Jimmy Garoppolo is merely a game manager is misguided. Garoppolo finished the regular season ranked third in passing yards per attempt (8.36) and eighth in passer rating (102.0).
XXVII
Chiefs coach Andy Reid is making his second trip to the Super Bowl in his 21st season and 15th playoff appearance as a head coach. Reid, 61, last went to the Super Bowl 15 years ago, when his Eagles fell 24-21 to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.
XXVIII
Bears coach Matt Nagy talks with Chiefs coach Andy Reid after a preseason game at Soldier Field on Aug. 25, 2018. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Andy Reid is a mentor to Bears coach Matt Nagy, and the two remain close. Nagy and Reid were in constant communication this season. “He’s just a calming presence,” Nagy said. “He’s somebody that I trust as a friend, as a mentor. … He’s taught me to be who I am as a coach and taught me to be myself as a human being. So when those times arise where you need a little bit of advice from somebody who’s been through something, he’s the guy I go to.”
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[ Matt Nagy and Andy Reid are close friends — friends who text each other Bitmojis. Here’s the story of their relationship, as told through their custom cartoons. ]
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Mentor got the best of protege in Week 16. Andy Reid’s Chiefs hammered Matt Nagy’s Bears 26-3 at Soldier Field.
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Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is also a close friend of Matt Nagy’s. The two were college teammates at Delaware. Nagy has repeatedly credited Veach for helping to get him into professional coaching. Nagy was working in real estate in 2009 when Veach persuaded him to take time off for a second internship with the Eagles. That led to Nagy’s first full-time coaching job in Philadelphia the next season.
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Andy Reid’s coaching tree has many limbs beyond Matt Nagy. Among Reid’s former assistants who recently have had head coaching jobs are Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Bills coach Sean McDermott, Eagles coach Doug Pederson, Redskins coach Ron Rivera and former Giants coach Pat Shurmur.
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Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers coach, is back at the Super Bowl three seasons after one of his greatest career heartbreaks. Shanahan was the Falcons offensive coordinator in 2016 and helped them to a 28-3 second-half lead in Super Bowl LI. But the Falcons sputtered on offense over the final quarter and a half and blew the lead. The Patriots won 34-28 in overtime.
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The sting of that loss still sits with Kyle Shanahan, who was criticized harshly for his play calling down the stretch. But Shanahan has made it clear he was able to move on from that setback. “There were definitely parts in that Super Bowl that I would love to have back and stuff I was very hard on myself (about),” he said. “But the whole narrative of, ‘If I would’ve just ran it, we would’ve won …’ I know that wasn’t the case. I know what went into that game and all the stuff that happened, so that stuff didn’t bother me. You’ve got to deal with that and listen to other people. But it was nice to be able to move on and move out here and just keep working.”
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Kyle Shanahan’s dad, Mike, won two Super Bowls as the Broncos head coach. Mike Shanahan is from Oak Park, attended East Leyden High School and went on to Eastern Illinois. They are the first father-son duo to lead teams to the Super Bowl as head coaches.
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Two former Bears will figure prominently into the special teams battle. Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub was with the Bears for nine seasons as an assistant to Lovie Smith. And 49ers kicker Robbie Gould worked under Toub for his first eight seasons in the league. Both were with the Bears in 2006 when they made it to Super Bowl XLI — played at the same stadium, then called Dolphin Stadium. Gould made a 44-yard field goal and two extra points in the 29-17 loss to the Colts. Toub helped design the return that produced Devin Hester’s 92-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff. “Greatest moment of my life coaching,” Toub said this week.
[ 'Please let them kick it to me!’: The oral history of Devin Hester’s Super Bowl XLI kickoff return touchdown — and the coverage team that dared to stop him ]
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Robbie Gould has never missed a field goal in the postseason, a perfect 13-for-13 with makes from (in chronological order) 41, 49, 19, 43, 24, 44, 26, 40, 35, 21, 54, 27 and 42 yards. In January 2007, Gould made a tying 41-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ playoff opener against the Seahawks. In overtime of that game, he nailed a 49-yarder to send the Bears to the NFC championship game with a 27-24 win.
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This will be Robbie Gould’s 10th career postseason game and second Super Bowl appearance. He played in six playoff games with the Bears, one with the Giants and this will be his third with the 49ers.
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Robbie Gould’s 12-season run with the Bears ended on Labor Day weekend in 2016. The Bears’ all-time leading scorer was a surprise cut by general manager Ryan Pace, who replaced him with journeyman Connor Barth. “Every decision we make is about improving our team,” Pace said. “These are all carefully discussed and these decisions never happen just on a whim. But when a player comes available that we feel good about, we have to consider it. And sometimes we have to make the hard decisions.”
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Robbie Gould celebrates his game-winning field goal for the 49ers, his fifth field goal of the day, to defeat the Bears on Dec. 3, 2017, at Soldier Field.
The Bears have had 11 kickers under contract since Robbie Gould’s departure, including five who have kicked in a regular-season game. That quintet — Connor Barth, Cairo Santos, Mike Nugent, Cody Parkey and Eddy Pineiro — has gone 83-for-104 (79.8%) on field goals, including playoffs, and 98-for-106 (92.5%) on PATs since the start of the 2016 season. In that same span, Gould is 105-for-116 (90.5%) on field goals and 116-for-124 (93.5%) on extra points.
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Robbie Gould missed eight field goals during the 2019 regular season, his 74.2% accuracy registering as the worst of his 15-year career.
[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 74, Robbie Gould ]
XLI
George Kittle was the ninth tight end selected in the 2017 draft, taken in the fifth round with the 146th pick. Tight ends chosen ahead of Kittle that year were O.J. Howard (Buccaneers), Evan Engram (Giants), David Njoku (Browns), Gerald Everett (Rams), Adam Shaheen (Bears), Jonnu Smith (Titans), Michael Roberts (Lions) and Jake Butt (Broncos).
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George Kittle has 2,945 career receiving yards, the most by a tight end in his first three seasons. Mike Ditka held the previous record with 2,774 yards in his first three seasons with the Bears (1961-63). The only tight end with more receiving yards over the last three seasons is the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce with 3,603.
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Katie Sowers, a 49ers offensive assistant, will be the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl. She also will be the first openly LGBTQ coach, according to NFL Research. She is in her fourth season in the NFL and second in her current role. She played in the Women’s Football Alliance for eight years.
49ers offensive assistant @KatieSowers will be the first woman and first openly LGBT coach in #SuperBowl history.
This is her 4th season in the NFL and 2nd as a full-time offensive assistant with the @49ers.
Sowers is a former player & GM of the @KCTitans of the @WFAfootball. — NFL Research (@NFLResearch) January 28, 2020
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Tevin Coleman, a 49ers running back, played at Oak Forest High School and could play in his second Super Bowl in four seasons. He had seven carries for 29 yards and a touchdown catch in the Falcons’ 34-28 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. In his first season in San Francisco, Coleman had 137 carries for 544 yards and six touchdowns, and he added a big game in the playoff victory over the Vikings with 22 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. But he dislocated his right shoulder against the Packers in the NFC championship game, and his status for the Super Bowl remains in question.
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Laken Tomlinson, the 49ers left guard, played in high school at Lane Tech. Tomlinson, a first-round pick by the Lions in 2015, has started 47 games over three seasons in San Francisco. A double major in psychology and evolutionary anthropology at Duke, he told the San Francisco Chronicle that after his playing career he wants to attend medical school, become a neurosurgeon and build a hospital in his native Jamaica.
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Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka played at St. Rita High School and Northwestern. He totaled 3,725 yards of offense in his senior season with the Wildcats and finished his college career by throwing for 532 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in an overtime loss to Auburn in the Outback Bowl. He has made a quick ascent through the coaching ranks, going from Northwestern graduate assistant to Chiefs offensive quality control coach to quarterbacks coach, with recent rumors about offensive coordinator possibilities.
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Other players participating in this year’s Super Bowl who played high school football in the Chicago area include Chiefs offensive lineman Nick Allegretti (Lincoln-Way East) and Chiefs linebacker Ben Niemann (Sycamore). Allegretti was a three-year starter at Illinois.
XLVIII
Running back Raheem Mostert is coming off a 220-yard, four-touchdown performance in the 49ers’ 37-20 NFC championship game drubbing of the Packers. The 49ers have totaled 371 rushing yards in their two playoff wins. Mostert’s 220 yards were a single-game franchise record for the regular season or playoffs.
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Raheem Mostert has been with seven NFL teams since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Purdue in 2015. Mostert was with the Bears in 2016, primarily a member of the practice squad who was promoted to the 53-man roster in September of that season. He played in two regular-season games for the Bears on special teams.
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In the 49ers’ last Super Bowl appearance, a 34-31 loss to the Ravens on Feb. 3, 2013, Jim Harbaugh was the coach and Colin Kaepernick was the quarterback. Harbaugh was forced out of San Francisco two seasons later and returned to the college ranks at his alma mater, Michigan. Kaepernick, who threw for 302 yards with a touchdown and an interception and ran for a touchdown, lasted only four more seasons in the NFL as his activism became a public focal point. However, running back Frank Gore, who rushed for 110 yards in the game, just finished his 15th season, now with the Bills.
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Nick Bosa, the 49ers defensive end and the Pro Football Writers of America’s Rookie of the Year, is the great-grandson of former Chicago mobster Tony Accardo. Nicknamed “Joe Batters” by his former boss, Al Capone, Accardo rose to become a Chicago mob boss for decades. Bosa was born after Accardo’s death in 1992. Bosa has many notable football ties, too, including great-uncle Mike Pyle, who played for the Bears for nine seasons.
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LII
Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller breaks up a pass to Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett on Dec. 8, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. (Elise Amendola/AP)
Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller is the younger brother of Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller. All four Fuller brothers, who grew up in Baltimore, have played in the NFL. Vincent, a defensive back, played in 76 games with the Titans and Lions from 2005 to 2011. Corey, a wide receiver, played in 28 games for the Lions in 2014-15. Kyle has spent all five of his seasons with the Bears. Kendall has played two seasons with the Redskins and two with the Chiefs.
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Jimmie Ward, the 49ers free safety, was the first Northern Illinois defender to garner first-team All-America honors. USA Today and SI.com named him to their teams in 2013 after he had seven interceptions and 17 passes defensed during his senior season. A 2014 first-round pick by the 49ers, Ward has battled injuries for much of his six-year career but put together one of his most complete seasons in 2019.
LIV
In addition to special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who served in the same role with the Bears from 2004 to 2012, other Chiefs coaches with Chicago connections include wide receivers coach Greg Lewis, who played at Rich South and Illinois, and offensive line coach Andy Heck, who played at Notre Dame and for the Bears from 1994 to ’98. Among the 49ers coaching connections are passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur, a former Elmhurst College player and assistant and brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur, and quarterbacks coach Shane Day, who coached Bears quarterbacks in 2010-11.


chicagotribune--2020-01-30--Bud Light hopes to cash in on seltzer trend. Should White Claw be worried? We take a taste.

Which was exactly the point of slapping the Bud Light name on it .
With that instant familiarity , many @ @ @ @ @ least once .
And while lending the name “ Bud Light ” to a seltzer @ @ @ @ @ Light the beer , so what ?
Bud Light the beer is already being chipped @ @

Bud Light Seltzer comes in strawberry, lemon-lime, mango and black cherry, but none of the flavors meets the basic standard of being refreshing. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune; Shannon Kinsella/food styling)
If you tried to affix the word “seltzer” to “Bud Light” 15 years ago, you would have been laughed out of the hallowed halls of Anheuser-Busch.
Back then, Bud Light was the unrivaled king of American beer. It not only sold far more than any other brand in the U.S. — it continued to grow.
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While Bud Light is still the nation’s top-selling beer, it’s hardly the unrivaled king these days. After sales peaked in 2007, they’ve shrunk every year since, including a nearly 5 percent drop in 2019 according to market research firm IRI Worldwide.
Bud Light has therefore fallen into a strange middle ground: It remains a ubiquitous force, but atrophies before our eyes. Its best days as a beer brand are long past. Yet it retains vast power and name recognition.
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Hence Bud Light Seltzer.
Though Bud Light Seltzer elicited all sorts of smirks and sideways glances when announced in November, we’ve been here before.
Back in 2012, Anheuser-Busch farmed out the Bud Light name to another unlikely product: Bud Light Lime and its extension of sugary “Rita” drinks: Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita, Bud Light Lime Berry-A-Rita, Bud Light Lime Coco-Nut-Rita, Bud Light Lime Mang-O-Rita and so on. The flavor profiles — fruity, sickly sweet — were miles from what we knew of the once ascendant Bud Light beer.
But behind the Bud Light name, the Ritas became a healthy brand family; not top tier for the nation’s largest beer company, but firmly in the middle of the pack.
Upon the release of Bud Light Lime Lime-a-Rita, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of innovation explained the strategy: “It has the Bud Light name on it so it attracts people who are interested in the Bud Light brand, but it also attracts people who may not have been in our franchise before.”
That’s why in recent years we’ve also seen Bud Light Apple, Bud Light Orange and the new Bud Light Lemonade Radler.
It’s also why we’re seeing Bud Light Seltzer, for which an online ad minces no words: “Whether you love Bud Light or hate Bud Light, you’re going to love Bud Light Seltzer.” (Is that true? We’ll get to that.)
The point ultimately isn’t what you think of Bud Light; it’s that you’ve heard of Bud Light. And with that name, a connection is immediately forged in a hard seltzer space where Anheuser-Busch is playing desperate catch up.
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Hard seltzer has become a rocket ship of a category, led by the ascendant White Claw, introduced in 2016 by Chicago-based Mark Anthony Group. Anheuser-Busch has at least three other hard seltzers in its portfolio — Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer, Natural Light hard seltzer and the forthcoming Social Club — but Bud Light Seltzer is its strongest bid yet to disrupt a landscape where it is in the rare position of trailing. The company is investing a reported $100 million in hard seltzer in 2020.
Harry Schuhmacher, editor and publisher of Beer Business Daily, reported last week that Bud Light Seltzer is off to a strong start. Distributors described the launch as “‘incredible,’ ‘exceptional,’ and as one colorfully put it, ‘f***ing killing it,’” Schuhmacher wrote.
Which was exactly the point of slapping the Bud Light name on it. With that instant familiarity, many people will try it at least once. And while lending the name “Bud Light” to a seltzer may chip away at Bud Light the beer, so what? Bud Light the beer is already being chipped away.
Schuhmacher noted, though, that Anheuser-Busch’s long play remains unclear. Is Bud Light Seltzer “just aggressive pipe fill” to chip away at White Claw while Anheuser-Busch hopes the bottom falls out of hard seltzer?
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“Or will repeat buys prove this to be a ‘game changer?’” Schuhmacher wrote.
We will see.
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In the meantime, Bud Light Seltzer underscores a grim truth: Hard seltzers tend to be middling, soulless beverages. And, like most of its competitors, Bud Light Seltzer is devoid of any experience. It’s just some bubbles and flavor.
The best hard seltzers are refreshing; none of the four flavors sold in the Bud Light Seltzer mixed 12-pack — mango, lemon-lime, black cherry and strawberry — meet that basic standard. Yet only one is egregiously bad. The other three are fine, and nothing more. The flavors come across as reasonably authentic, though a bit robust. Bud Light Seltzer would do well to trade some of that robustness for more crispness and refreshment.
The mango flavor is passable, adequately approximating mango aroma. It has a decent “juicy” character, though it is too juicy to be worth drinking a full 12 ounces. Lemon-lime has some citrus juice character and some rind character, both of which are admirable, but it also comes off a touch cloying. Same, too, for black cherry, which is wounded by an aroma veering into cough syrup territory. The only irredeemable dud is the strawberry flavor, which smells like a seventh grader’s lip balm and doesn’t taste much better. It’s baffling it even exists.
While there may be some runway for Bud Light Seltzer to threaten a brand such as Boston Beer’s Truly Hard Seltzer, it’ll face an uphill climb to do any better. In the world of hard seltzer, the words “White Claw” are likely to continue to hold far more sway than the words “Bud Light.”
jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-05--‘Folk music’ means more than ‘acoustic’ or ‘past,’ come to the 60th Folk Festival and find out

`` Bottom line is that doors to folk music have always been wide open — you want to sing , @ @ @ @ @ beat on a drum , pick up a banjo , play the bagpipes — why @ @ @ @ @ world of folk music , as exemplified by U of C for the past 60 @ @ @ @ @ traditions of human expression , coming from the heart of the folks .
But beyond @ @ @ @ @ and the traditions — folk music can echo its origins and honor its elders .
@ @ @ @ @ , vaudeville hoofers , Muntu dancers — they all represent the same thing — who @ @ @ @ @ are , where their roots are .

When the University of Chicago’s Folklore Society launched its first Folk Festival, the president of this student-run organization, a banjo-playing undergraduate majoring in anthropology named Mike Fleischer, said, “Mass entertainment is murdering tradition and individualism. As many people as possible must be exposed to our folk traditions before they die — before TV reaches into the backwoods of Kentucky.”
I wonder what he would think now, since he spoke those words in 1961. But I have no doubt that he would be amazed and pleased to find that the Folk Festival is still fighting the good fight all these decades later and against all manner of foes more dangerous than TV.
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“Our intention is not only to preserve but to showcase this music, to allow musicians to connect with one another and with audiences,” says Eli Haber, a University of Chicago sophomore who is co-president of the society which hosts the 60th Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival Feb. 14-15 on the university’s leafy Hyde Park campus. There is to be a concert each night and Saturday is filled with workshops, dance lessons, impromptu musical sessions and other folk-friendly activities.
“Folk is so much more diverse and vibrant that most would imagine,” said Haber.
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Haber was sitting with a former society co-president, Kate Early, who served in that position in 1980 and has remained involved ever since. “I got hooked as a little kid listening to the festival’s live broadcasts on radio. Then I sold T-shirts at the fest my first year at the university and then I was president of the society and, well, I’ve been hooked ever since.”
The first folk festival — aired live (and on tape for many years afterward) on WFMT-FM 98.7 and hosted by that station’s resident star Studs Terkel — arrived at a time when folk was afire, fueled by such popular performers as Woody Guthrie; Pete Seeger; Harry Belafonte; Josh White; the Weavers; Odetta; Peter, Paul and Mary … it was a long list.
Here, the Old Town School of Folk Music, which had opened in 1957 with a concert featuring a bagpipe performance and a sing-along, has been a constant oasis. In 1966 a bar called the Earl of Old Town decided to feature folk and in no time at all became the capital of the folk music world, rightfully so since its stage launched the career of such artists as John Prine, Bonnie Koloc, the brothers Holstein (Fred and Ed), Jim Post, Steve Goodman … it was a long list.
But the boom had already begun to go bust by the late 1960s after Bob Dylan picked up an electric guitar at Newport Folk Festival, the Beatles crossed the ocean and, well, you’ve heard the rest. Folk wandered off into the musical shadows in part, as one performer put it, “times became so much more hectic and so did the music.”
Those words came from Bob Shane, once at the folk forefront as a founder of the Kingston Trio (with Nick Reynolds and John Stewart), best remembered for such hits as “Tom Dooley.” He died last month. He was 85.
Kalia Yeagle, Kris Truelsen and Helena Hunt of Johnson City, Tenn., are Bill and the Belles, performing at the 60th Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival. (Bill and the Belles photo)
“The folk boom was a great thing,” says Early, who has also been a performer, currently with the Bittersweet Christmas Band, while pursuing a career working for such associations as the Ravinia Festival and the American College of Surgeons. “But there’s always something coming along to give the music a boost.”
She mentions the folk-influenced soundtrack for the 2000 movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (More recently there was last year’s Ken Burns’ “Country Music” documentary series).
“Some of the performers in that film had performed over the years at our festival,” said Early.
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When you think “folk” some of you probably have in mind an image of a shaggy-haired character strumming a guitar in a dark coffee house and singing songs of chain gangs and broken hearts. But others are more enlightened.
Ron Pen, a native Chicagoan, was for decades a professor of musicology at the University of Kentucky and the director of its John Jacob Niles Center for American Music. He tells me, “The term ‘folk music’ doesn’t mean much anymore since it has been usurped as a word for generally acoustic music as a marketing and Grammy category.
“I love Aunt Molly Jackson’s definition the best.”
He gave me something written by Jackson, who was a Kentucky coal union activist in the 1920s and 1930s, a midwife, song writer and do-it-yourself speller: “This is what a folk song realy (sic) is the folks that composes there (sic) own songs about there (sic) own lifes (sic) an there own home folks that live around them.”
Pen then said, “Folk song is sustainability, recycling the dusty past into a vibrant present through shared music and poetry.”
Deborah Lader, Bill Brickey, Al Ehich, composer Michael Miles and John Brennan at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square in 2019. (Kristan Lieb / Chicago Tribune)
Michael Miles is an acclaimed local musician, composer and teacher, named by the Old Town School its 2018 Musician and Educator of the Year. He had a long and impactful relationship with Pete Seeger, one of the titans of folk, however one chooses to define that word. He tells me, “folk music is the ultimate proletariat phrase, because what I mean when I say ‘folk music’ will inevitably pass through the filter of what you think it means when you hear those words — and those two spheres may be at opposite ends of musical spectrum. The result is anarchy or democracy or nirvana.
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"Bottom line is that doors to folk music have always been wide open — you want to sing, you want to dance, beat on a drum, pick up a banjo, play the bagpipes — why the hell not? The world of folk music, as exemplified by U of C for the past 60 years, celebrates the world-wide traditions of human expression, coming from the heart of the folks. But beyond that it includes the where and the traditions — folk music can echo its origins and honor its elders. Flamenco dancers, Argentinian tango, vaudeville hoofers, Muntu dancers — they all represent the same thing — who they are, why they are, where their roots are.
"Hip-hop can join those ranks as well — born on the streets, reflective of the culture. The Indian raga of Ravi Shankar and the blues scales of Buddy Guy have the same elements — trumpeting an identity, amplifying its pride, and passing it along to the next generation.”
Pen and Miles have never met. I must make that happen soon. To prove their point, look at the list of the performers at this weekend’s festival. They come from all over the country and here in town.
“I have never liked the idea of America as a melting pot, of everything getting lumped together and all ending up the same,” says Early. “I rather like to think of this world as a musical mosaic, all these separate identities able to be distinctive within the whole.”
I read to Early and Haber something else that Fleischer said when he founded the festival long ago: “Popular music today gives people no credit for brains.”
The 20-year-old Haber smiled and said, “Well, we don’t have that sort of antagonistic attitude. We just want people to listen and enjoy.”
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rkogan@chicagotribune.com