chicagotribune--2020-01-27--Whether you’re hired may depend on how an algorithm rates your video job interview. A new state law

Whether you’re hired may depend on how an algorithm rates your video job interview. A new state law on AI screening gives you rights.

Employers in a variety of industries increasingly are turning to video interviews as a way to cut through the piles @ @ @ @ @ In some cases , AI software is used to analyze the candidate ’ s facial @ @ @ @ @ , although many of the algorithms behind the technology remain concealed by the companies that @ @ @ @ @ the practice say it results in biased evaluations of applicants .

Jobseeker Anita Erickson sits with Mike Munger, of Career Transitions Center, as she prepares for possible video interviews. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
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Illinois residents who made finding a new job one of their 2020 resolutions will have a better understanding of how employers use artificial intelligence to assess video interviews, under a new state law that is the first of its kind.
The Illinois Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act, which took effect Jan. 1, requires companies to notify applicants when AI will be used to screen them. Video interviews typically involve candidates recording responses at a computer and algorithms are used to analyze the answers.
Under the new law, companies must explain how the technology works and how the tools evaluate a candidate. Employers must obtain consent from applicants before using AI to assess their videos. The legislation also prohibits businesses from sharing submitted videos except with “persons whose expertise or technology” are required to screen applicants. Job applicants can ask to have submitted videos destroyed, and companies, including any individual with copies, must comply within 30 days.
Some career counseling groups say it’s unclear whether the law will protect job applicants because its provisions are vague.
“Candidates can decline to have the video interview, but the law doesn’t require that employers provide an alternative. A lot of the responsibility is being put on the candidate,” said Anita Jenke, executive director of Career Transitions Center of Chicago, a nonprofit career coaching organization.
Jenke said job applicants might feel obligated to do the video interview so they don’t lose out on an employment opportunity.
Employers in a variety of industries increasingly are turning to video interviews as a way to cut through the piles of applications they receive. In some cases, AI software is used to analyze the candidate’s facial expression, tone and language, although many of the algorithms behind the technology remain concealed by the companies that design them. Critics of the practice say it results in biased evaluations of applicants.
Rep. Jaime Andrade Jr., D-Chicago, who sponsored the bill, said the legislation is meant to bring transparency to how applicant videos are evaluated.
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“The technology hasn’t been vetted fully yet. There are some concerns regarding bias. (The software) is only as good as the data it is given,” Andrade said.
Andrade said he is working on another bill that will explain provisions of the law and protect job applicants who don’t consent to the interviews from automatic disqualification.
“This is the first law of its kind in the nation. It’s a work in progress,” Andrade said.
Video interviews are just one of the tools that employers are turning to as they incorporate technology into the hiring process. Resume filters scan for keywords and phrases on resumes, chatbots schedule interviews and algorithms help predict a job candidate’s future success.
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With video interviews in particular, job seekers need to be more conscious about how they present themselves because it’s uncertain what the algorithms are looking for, said Jenke, who has worked at Career Transitions Center for 10 years.
“I think what they need to do is think about how do you compellingly and concisely tell your story? What makes you stand out? Applicants have to use keywords and learn to be concise because we don’t know what they (employers) are measuring,” Jenke said.
The new technologies make it harder for applicants to make a personal connection with hiring managers, said Jeffrey Blumenfeld, director of career services for JVS Career and Employment, a career counseling program of Jewish Child & Family Services in Chicago.
“Quite frankly the two reasons people secure employment is that they have the qualifications needed to perform the job they are applying for and they fit within the company culture," Blumenfeld said.
The JVS program helps job seekers by conducting practice video interviews. “We work with our clients to prevent them from sounding mechanical and help them become more conversational in their recorded interviews,” Blumenfeld said.
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One company that offers an AI-enhanced video interview platform supports the Illinois law.
“We are in favor of it. There should be transparency with the candidate,” said Kevin Parker, CEO and chairman of HireVue.
The South Jordan, Utah-based company employs a team of data scientists and industrial and organizational psychologists who build the algorithms that screen candidates. The team also designs interview questions alongside employers. HireVue creates a different AI-driven assessment for each position. Parker said HireVue’s technology evaluates job applicants’ answers, tone of voice and the choice of words individuals use.
For example, if a company is hiring a sales representative, the algorithm is trained to look for certain things a candidate says about being empathetic or compassionate. Parker said the technology takes into account each response when evaluating job applicants, and there is no way to cheat the system by repeating keywords.
"Are they talking in first or third person, using the past or present tense ... we are looking for those sorts of things,” Parker said.
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HireVue counts Unilever and Hilton Hotels and Resorts as clients. Parker said the technology can give more options to employers, and reduce human biases that can occur in traditional in-person interviews, such as recruiters liking candidates based on similar alma maters.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit privacy rights group, filed a complaint on Nov. 6 with the Federal Trade Commission, asking the agency to investigate HireVue’s technology. The organization alleges HireVue committed unfair and deceptive practices by denying it uses facial recognition technology to asses job applicants “employability."
Nicole Drayton, an FTC spokesperson, confirmed the agency received the complaint but declined further comment.
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Parker said the allegations from the complaint are without merit.
Jeremy Gillula, technology projects director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for consumer privacy rights, said AI’s use in the interview process is flawed and could perpetuate discriminatory assessments of candidates.
Gillula said the law has good intentions, but doesn’t go far enough to protect job applicants.
Businesses that ask applicants to submit video interviews but don’t use AI to evaluate them are not affected by the new law.
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Anita Erickson, who is seeking a job, sits with Mike Munger, of Career Transitions Center, as she prepares for potential video interviews. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Still, some job seekers find it hard to interview through videos because they aren’t able to make first impressions like in typical in-person interviews. Anita Erickson, 57, who is seeking career coaching advice from the Career Transitions Center, said she has interviewed with eight companies through different web-based and video platforms.
Erickson said she has to focus more on how she is presenting herself rather than what she is saying.
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“It’s not about the content of the interview anymore because you are worried about things like finding the right lighting and dealing with technological glitches,” Erickson said.
The law’s provision that allows applicants to request to have video submissions deleted is an important one for Erickson, who values her privacy.
“How long does that information live? Are companies sharing videos to third parties? I think it’s important that we have a right to ask to have these videos erased,” Erickson said.
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abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--The Bears’ Super Bowl XX rings are one of a kind — as is each player’s story behind their jewelry

“ The only way they could beat us was by throwing the ball over the top of us when we @ @ @ @ @ ( with the pass rush ) .
And you know why we couldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ rush ?
Let me tell you a little story .
You know what Don Shula @ @ @ @ @ damn field to slow us down .
I know he did it because I was @ @ @ @ @ whole night before and it didn ’ t rain .
Not a drop .
Then @ @ @ @ @ pregame warm-ups and my cleats are sinking .
How do you think we didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Running in mud .
”

Through 100 seasons of Bears football, there is only one Super Bowl championship ring. One version of that highly sought symbol of football immortality. It is almost 34 years old but as spectacular as ever.
It’s 10 karat gold with a white gold insert and 40 diamonds, highlighted by one 50-point brilliant-cut round diamond in the center of the iconic wishbone "C" logo.
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On May 23, 1986, members of the Super Bowl XX champions received their rings during a boisterous dinner at a suburban hotel. Over time, the mementos have, in a sense, taken on lives of their own. For one thing, their increasing rarity in team annals makes them even more special. And in some instances, that value has perpetuated their colorful existences.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 28 Bears head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan are carried around the field after they defeated New England 46-10 to win Super Bowl XX in New Orleans. (Ed Wagner Jr. / Chicago Tribune)
Like how a college student famously found Walter Payton’s lost Super Bowl ring in his hand-me-down sofa in 2001.
Or how a Bears scout needed less than a year to lose his ring at the bottom of a Texas lake and recovered it with the help of a scuba diver.
William “Refrigerator” Perry’s size-23 ring — about the size of a half-dollar — was the largest Jostens ever made. (The average man wears a 10.) In August 1986, the Tribune reported that Perry left his ring as collateral at a BMW dealer in Lake Forest to return home to grab his checkbook, which he had forgotten.
Fridge’s ring fetched $170,000 at auction in 2015. Now anyone can buy a replica on Amazon for $29.90.
As the NFL’s 100th season climaxes Sunday with the 49ers and Chiefs meeting in Super Bowl LIV, players on both teams are training their crosshairs on the ring. Meanwhile, the Tribune spoke to members of the ’85 Bears about what their rings mean to them, how such prized keepsakes have endured and, apparently, how Hall of Fame Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino is the team’s greatest troll.
Mike Ditka, coach (Hall of Fame Class of 1988)
The word "TEAM" can be seen with the score of Super Bowl XX on former Bears safety Gary Fencik's ring. "ATTITUDE" appears on the other side with the player's name and the team's 18-1 record. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
“I’m very proud of my Super Bowl ring,” Ditka said. “I wear it. I don’t have it on all the time, but I wear it a lot. The more I think about it, I think I’m going to wear it all the time now. Why wouldn’t I? It’s the thing I’m most proud of, that I was with all those guys and we came together that one year and made something special happen.”
When several players designed the ring early in 1986, Ditka insisted the words “TEAM” and “ATTITUDE” be inscribed on it.
[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 11, Mike Ditka ]
“When I speak (publicly), I talk about being an ace with attitude, character and enthusiasm,” he said. “Those three things are important to develop as a person. Your attitude determines who you’re going to be. If you’ve got a bad attitude, I don’t care what kind of a person you are, you’re not going to be very good.
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“I played for pretty good coaches in Coach (George) Halas and Coach (Tom) Landry. That’s something I learned from them too. If you have a bad attitude, it’s hard to do anything good. If you have a positive attitude and you’re willing to pay the price of work and to discipline yourself, then you’ve got a chance. That’s why those words were so important to me.”
Jimbo Covert, left tackle (Hall of Fame Class of 2020)
“It really hit when they had the Super Bowl ring ceremony and we all got our rings,” Covert said. “I was on the committee to help design it, so we saw a couple mock-ups. But until you get it on your finger, it’s a completely different perspective when it has your name on the side of it. It’s pretty cool.”
Covert explained that team captains received an inscription on the inner part of the ring that has the player’s name, jersey number and the words “Captain” and “Louisiana Superdome January 26.”
[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 21, Jimbo Covert ]
“One little funny thing is Dan Marino and I are best friends,” Covert said, noting he and Marino were college roommates at Pittsburgh. “When they beat us (in the 1985 season), that’s a huge deal in Miami. That’s up there with their ’72 team. That’s all they talk about.
“On the ring, under your name, it has the record: 18-1. We were out having a couple cocktails one time, and people were around. Dan goes: ‘See that ring? That ‘1’ is mine.’ I said: ‘Well, what would you rather have, bro? The ‘1’ or the ring?’ And that was the end of it.”
Dan Hampton, defensive end (Hall of Fame Class of 2002)
Hampton, like most players, doesn’t wear his ring often.
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“I’ve got beat-up fingers that I really don’t need to draw attention to,” he said. “It means a lot to me. It does. But it’s like a trophy. It goes in a case. I’m looking at it right now. It’s up on a shelf and it’s in the little wooden box that the Bears presented it to us in.
[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 9, Dan Hampton ]
“Still, at the end of the day, in my heart, I know what we were. I know who we were. But also, my deal is we should have had three of them. Or four. We should have had three or four. So in a way, to me, it’s kind of an unfortunate reminder that we didn’t get it done the next year or the next year or the next year. There were reasons, and I’m still bothered by it. Obviously it’s good to have. But I wanted four of them.”
Gary Fencik, safety
The Chicago Bears Super Bowl ring belonging to Gary Fencik, photographed on Jan. 20, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“It’s your lifelong dream, but it’s the ultimate team accomplishment,” Fencik said. “Every individual went up to get their ring, and when you opened it up, it’s like, ‘Wow, this is the physical identity of what we all wanted and hoped we could get to.’
“You think about the games that led up to it. Like the NFC championship that we lost the year before. I had two interceptions against (49ers quarterback Joe) Montana in the first half. I was like, ‘Oh, I own this guy.’ And (then) we were crying in the locker room like kids. You think of all of that as you look back and go, ‘Wow.’ That wasn’t just a season. It’s really a process, and it goes beyond a season.
“I think how devastating it must be to lose a Super Bowl. You’re so close, and then nobody says: ‘Hey, let’s see your AFC championship ring. Can you wear the AFC or NFC championship ring?’ It’s like, ‘Uh, so, I guess you didn’t win, huh?’ ”
[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 39, Gary Fencik ]
Fencik’s ring once disappeared from his home but was returned anonymously.
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“It was after, ‘Hey, who has got beer at their place?’ when they closed down the bar,” he recalled. “I was out of football at the time. The next day I looked, and I couldn’t find that ring. I had put it on my kitchen table in my condo. You have a really tough decision to make. Either someone is going to bring it back, or not.
“I called up a friend of mine, an undercover cop. I said: ‘Look, I don’t want to press charges. I don’t care who it is. I just want that ring back.’ I got to know the detective squad a little bit better than I should have. It was one of things, hey, maybe somebody just had too many drinks, they were looking at it and stuck it in their pocket and forgot. But you can’t wait too long on that because they had to pull people in.
“I go, look, I have five people I know didn’t take it. But there were people I didn’t know. So you had to just bring them in, and some people were really ticked. But I said, hey, I’m ticked too. So I got it back. I’m much more careful.”
Gary Fencik's display of his Super Bowl ring from the 1985 season. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears granted Fencik permission to have a second ring made so he could display it in a glass globe that magnifies it to make it appear like the gigantic championship rings modern teams get.
“I would want that big bling thing,” Fencik said. “I want it as big as a pro wrestler’s belt.”
Mike Singletary, linebacker (Hall of Fame Class of 1998)
“The strongest memory I get from wearing it is realizing what it took to get it,” Singletary said. “It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice, and it was really a process. It was pretty amazing. When I first got to the Bears and realized where we were, just a lot of guys playing a game, and we really formed ourselves into a team that was so much more than that.
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[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 12, Mike Singletary ]
“A lot of that was because of Coach Ditka and his vision and his dream of what it really meant to be a part of something. He always said nothing ever really matters unless you win a Super Bowl. In many, many ways, he’s right.”
Steve McMichael, defensive tackle
“Many years ago, Ditka was at his restaurant with Dan Marino, and he called me up, telling me, ‘Get your ass over here,’ ” McMichael recalled. “And I said, ‘What do you need from me, Tight End?’ But I went down there and sat down with those guys, and the first thing Marino did was he grabbed my hand and pointed at my ring.
“ ‘Right here (on the side) where it says 18-1?’ he said. ‘You see that 1 right there? That’s me!’ I told him I would take his ass out right then. I told him he was lucky I never put a bounty out on him. Sure, he never won a Super Bowl. But he gets to brag that he beat what everybody considered to be the best team of all time. In their heyday. You understand why that’s important to him? Personally, I’d rather have this ring. But that one game, man. ... That one game.
[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 18, Steve McMichael ]
“The only way they could beat us was by throwing the ball over the top of us when we couldn’t get there (with the pass rush). And you know why we couldn’t get there with the pass rush? Let me tell you a little story. You know what Don Shula did? He watered that damn field to slow us down. I know he did it because I was out on South Beach that whole night before and it didn’t rain. Not a drop. Then I get out there for pregame warm-ups and my cleats are sinking. How do you think we didn’t get to Dan Marino? Running in mud.”
Jim McMahon, quarterback
Never one to miss a chance to crack wise, McMahon publicly needled Bears ownership in 1986 about potentially skimping on the championship rings.
At the Pro Bowl on Feb. 2 of that year, the Tribune quoted him as saying: “Hope management does it right. You know the Bears. We might get things like you find in the bottom of those Cracker Jack boxes.”
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Then, the day before the ring presentation dinner, McMahon was quoted as saying: “If we get them Friday night, then we can take them to be appraised Saturday morning.”
[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 56, Jim McMahon ]
At the Bears100 convention in June, McMahon said he still has his ring but isn’t sure where it is. He wondered aloud if it’s in a safe or in a drawer at home.
“I’m not big on jewelry,” he said.
He was wearing an earring at the time.
Tom Thayer, right guard
“The Super Bowl ring is not about the value, it’s about its worth,” Thayer said. “If you look at the value of the ring, there’s value to everything out there. It’s really irrelevant in the big picture. It’s what did it take to get the opportunity to get that ring? The value of that, the worth of that throughout your lifetime and how it stretches out to your family.
“My brother started playing football, and I just wanted to be like him. And then when I found out that I really did love football, what I always wanted it to be in my life, you think of the worth of that. The weightlifting sessions. The people that were so instrumental in your development over the course of life.”
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[ Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 98, Tom Thayer ]
Thayer almost never wears his ring, instead keeping it in a safe deposit box.
“You know what’s funny about it?” he said. “You get fitted for your ring within a couple weeks of winning the Super Bowl, and you’re 300 pounds. Now it spins around my finger like a high school girl wearing her boyfriend’s ring. You are cognizant that when you do have an event or when you’re going to go out, have it handy and bring it with you because it’s really neat for people to see. But wearing it on an everyday basis, it wouldn’t be fitting because it just doesn’t fit.”
George McCaskey, current chairman
A view of the top of Gary Fencik's Bears Super Bowl ring. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
McCaskey once lost his ring on a trip to a preseason game in Cincinnati in the early 1990s.
“At some point on the return flight, I realized that I didn't have my ring with me, and I was sick to my stomach,” McCaskey recalled in March.
“Bob Laskowski, who at the time was our United Airlines rep and since came to work for the Bears and has been with us for many, many years, tore the plane apart for me. I was very embarrassed, and our doctors were looking under their seats and the overhead bins and the seat backs and the pockets. It couldn’t be found anywhere. The fact of the matter was it wasn’t on the plane, and I thought it was hopelessly lost.
“I don’t remember how much time passed, but I got a call from a firefighter with whatever the local fire department is that services that airport, and he said: ‘Hey, I was on a vehicle on the jetway, and we’re trained to look for debris on the tarmacs that could be sucked into a jet engine. And I’ve got your ring.’
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“He returned the ring. He didn’t want any money, didn’t want any reward. He wound up coming to a Bears game. The ring was smashed. It had gotten run over by one of the airport vehicles. So since then, I don’t wear it all the time. And I’ve got my dad’s ring from 1963, so they’re both in a safe place.”
Chicago Tribune’s Colleen Kane and Dan Wiederer contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--How Chicago fails to enforce one of the most annoying rush-hour problems as other cities try to prev

How Chicago fails to enforce one of the most annoying rush-hour problems as other cities try to prevent it

This song may be about efficiently parking your limo .
Or not .
It ’ s considered one of the @ @ @ @ @ all time .
What ’ s the song , and who did it ?
The @ @ @ @ @ answer gets a Tribune pen , and glory .

Pedestrians and a bicyclist on a Divvy bike weave between cars blocking the crosswalks Jan. 21, 2020, at the intersection of LaSalle and Randolph streets in downtown Chicago. The taxi, at right, blocked the street and crosswalks for a whole traffic light cycle, from green to red and back to green, before the driver was able to finally move forward. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
It’s one of the most annoying rush-hour problems — the blocked box.
Cars and buses enter an intersection with the green light, but are unable to move past it before the light changes because of backed-up traffic on the other side.
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So vehicles get stuck in the intersection, in the way of cars moving in the other direction and pedestrians in the crosswalk. The scenario is most often seen on busy downtown streets, but it can also ruin your day at three-way lights near big city and suburban shopping centers.
“At least once a day, I see where traffic is tied up because of vehicles blocking the intersection,” said Judith Aiello, a pedestrian and longtime Streeterville resident.
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[ What's the best way to get to O'Hare? We sent reporters by car, ride-share, CTA and Metra to find out. ]
Other cities, including Baltimore, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City and Austin, Texas, have increased enforcement and public education efforts to keep cars from blocking intersections. But in Chicago, enforcement of the municipal code that prohibits blocking an intersection is light. The city has not yet offered new solutions, though the Department of Transportation said it is working on it.
“This is a subject that’s very frustrating for me,” said Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, whose ward includes downtown.
He said the problem has gotten worse in recent years, due to the sharp rise in the number of ride-hailing vehicles. “Every budget session in the last 12 years, I’ve been asking the city to enforce ‘Don’t Block the Box.'"
Pedestrians weave between cars blocking the crosswalks Jan. 21, 2020, at the intersection of Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The city is working on the intersection-blocking problem as part of its larger focus on mitigating traffic congestion in busy parts of the city, according to Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Claffey.
The city plans to launch a study to examine traffic conditions and look at new ways to reduce congestion, Claffey said.
“CDOT is leading the administration’s efforts to develop a comprehensive congestion mitigation plan," Claffey said. He said the plan will build on ongoing strategies, such as the new increased fees on solo ride-share trips, and the creation of “priority zones" for CTA buses.
[ Where do I walk? Study finds several Metra, and some CTA stations, have a shortage of nearby sidewalks ]
Reilly has suggested using photo enforcement to ticket vehicles that block intersections, though he admits that isn’t “terribly popular” with everyone. He plans to discuss the intersection issue with Mayor Lori Lightfoot at a meeting this week.
Photo enforcement, which also could be used to ticket vehicles that drive or park in bus lanes, would require a change in state law, said Kyle Whitehead, spokesman for the Active Transportation Alliance, an advocacy group for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users.
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Whitehead said the alliance has some concerns about any proposal to issue more tickets, since it has a disproportionate impact on low-income people. Another option might be more traffic aides who could guide vehicles through intersections, preventing blockages before they happen, Whitehead said.
Currently, traffic aides, who can’t issue tickets, are deployed primarily for special events. Costs are often reimbursed by the event sponsor, said Melissa Stratton, spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
[ Metra tells customers to make sure they pay their fare — or risk being booted off the train ]
The office has asked to fill an additional 125 hourly positions this year, on top of its 58 full-time and 381 part-time employees. The annual budget for traffic aides is $4.7 million.
Other cities have been more aggressive about unclogging intersections.
New York City, for example, announced a series of anti-congestion initiatives in the fall of 2017 to fight the problem. Focusing on 50 intersections citywide, the New York City Department of Transportation installed “Don’t Block the Box” markings and signs, while New York Police hired an additional 50 officers to enforce the rules.
Some residents have complained, however, that enforcement makes traffic worse, because police pull cars over on clogged streets.
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[ Would faster service make you more likely to take the bus? The CTA and Pace are rolling out projects to speed your commute. ]
The Baltimore City Council passed legislation in 2017 to allow Department of Transportation personnel, as well as police, to issue tickets to motorists blocking intersections, said German Vigil, a department spokesman. The program started with 600 warnings to drivers in the first month, and 200 citations in the second month, he said.
Baltimore is hiring more enforcement officers, Vigil said.
Austin started enforcing “Don’t Block the Box” in 2015, both with an educational video and stepped-up police presence at problem intersections, said Jen Duthie, manager for the traffic signals division of the Austin Department of Transportation. Officers talk to drivers, write warnings and issue tickets “at their discretion," Duthie said.
Duthie agreed that pulling drivers over can temporarily make traffic worse, but can also lead to better behavior. She noted that even having a police car in the area can be a deterrent.
“Nobody wants to get a ticket,” she said. “We definitely see a change for the better.”
Two vehicles block the roadway as they wait for pedestrians and other vehicles to move Jan. 21, 2020, at the intersection of Randolph Street and Wabash Avenue in downtown Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Police were not able to provide numbers on how often they issue tickets for blocked intersections or crosswalks. A 2019 CBS report found that 274 drivers were cited over four years.
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Dedicated traffic units in the 1st and 18th police districts, which cover the Loop and Near North Side, mostly handle crashes, said spokesman Howard Ludwig. Police do pull drivers over for traffic violations, like running red lights, but use their discretion because it could cause a bigger backup, he said
"You have to weigh it to see if it’s worth the enforcement effort. In case it makes the problem worse,” Ludwig said.
Reilly said he “respectfully disagrees."
“We have laws on the books for a reason. We need them to be enforced,” Reilly said. “I’m not suggesting this be prioritized over more serious calls for service, but I do think a targeted mission over the next several months could accomplish our goal of driving compliance.”
Reilly said he’d like to see sworn officers managing 30 of the most problematic intersections, and then move to other intersections as needed.
“If you issue enough citations in the course of the next few months, I think most people would change their behavior," Reilly said. The fine is $200, and also may require community service.
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CTA buses also can be seen blocking intersections during rush hour. CTA spokesman Brian Steele said drivers are instructed not to enter the intersection unless there is enough space on the other side to clear it.
However, he noted that sometimes buses are impeded by ride-share vehicles pulling up to the curb to make a pickup or drop-off, which can prevent buses from moving through an intersection.
A Tribune analysis of city data found that almost half of Chicago’s millions of monthly ride-share trips are taking place in just a few crowded areas, including the Loop and the Near North Side. Concerns about congestion inspired new taxes of as much as $3 for a solo ride-share trip downtown during peak hours.
“Ride-hailing drop-offs and pickups at the curb are a real challenge, especially for buses,” said Audrey Wennink, transportation director for the Metropolitan Planning Council, which tracks regional transit and infrastructure matters.
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My two cents: Until any improvements in enforcement are made, drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians should do what they can to be good traffic citizens. If it’s not your light, let others through.
And if you’re driving and have the green but know you can’t clear the intersection, stay out of it. Don’t worry about the knuckleheads behind you, blowing their horns. They’re wrong and you’re right.
Transportation song quiz
Our last song was about a transit mishap that can cause you to scuff your sneakers, bust your bag and almost break your neck running. The song was “I Missed the Bus" by Kris Kross. Tom Kotarac, of Lincoln Park, got it first.
This song may be about efficiently parking your limo. Or not. It’s considered one of the top disco/dance club songs of all time. What’s the song, and who did it? The first person with the right answer gets a Tribune pen, and glory.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--Carol Stream, whose father developed DuPage County town that bears her name, dies at 77

“ In 2008 , my family had a chance to visit her and her mother and brother at their house @ @ @ @ @ she was warm , funny and clever , and she was very interested in what @ @ @ @ @ ” said Carol Stream village trustee Rick Gieser .
“ She was very , very @ @ @ @ @ the town was named after her .
She was disappointed that Glenbard North High School @ @ @ @ @ was not named for her , and I reminded her that an elementary school also @ @ @ @ @ she said , ‘ I want both .
’ ”

Carol Stream was the namesake of the DuPage County village developed by her father, Jay.
A Wheaton native who spent all of her adult life in Arizona, she returned periodically to Carol Stream, which today has a population of 40,000.
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“When I go back, I’m so proud that people have taken such good care of the town,” Stream told the Tribune in 1991. “It’s like they’re taking good care of me.”
Stream, 77, died of respiratory failure Jan. 18 at HonorHealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, said her cousin, Debra Campbell. A longtime resident of nearby Paradise Valley, Stream had suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and pneumonia.
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Carol Jayne Stream grew up on the north side of Wheaton, along Geneva Road. Her father, Jay, was a developer in DuPage County during the 1950s, building homes in Wheaton and Naperville through his company, Durable Construction.
At one point, Jay Stream was frustrated by the red tape and required infrastructure improvements related to a 350- to 400-home subdivision he had been proposing in Naperville. According to the 1984 history of Carol Stream, “Build Your Own Town, the Carol Stream Story,” written by historian Jean Moore, an employee at Naperville’s City Hall reportedly told Stream, “Why don’t you go build your own town?”
Stream started to buy large plots of unincorporated farmland north of Wheaton and proceed to do just that, complete with large, industrial employers in areas served by rail spurs extending south from the Illinois Central Railroad and north from what then was the Chicago Great Western Railway.
Stream’s marriage to his wife, Dorothy, came undone in 1957, prompting Dorothy Stream to move with her two children, Carol and Jim, to Arizona. They returned to spend the summer at the family’s vacation home in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.
In August 1957, Carol Stream was traveling in a 1949 Studebaker with other teenagers on U.S. Highway 45, about 15 miles west of Kenosha, Wisconsin. The car’s brakes failed, and it collided with another car. A 15-year-old boy in Stream’s car was killed, while all other passengers were injured, including Stream, who was critically hurt.
“The other car hit us in the right rear fender,” Stream told the Tribune in 1991. “The boy in the back was crushed to death instantly. The other two in the front seat had minor injuries, and I was thrown out through the windshield and would have been fine except I ended up hitting the telephone pole. The whole area, and I had to hit the telephone pole.”
Stream eventually emerged from a coma, and initially she communicated by blinking her eyes. The accident required more than a dozen corrective operations, and years later, Stream remained weak on her right side. As an adult, she could walk short distances, such as inside her home, but she required a wheelchair for traveling any distance.
Stream lived with her mother, who died in 2010, and later with her brother, who died in 2018. Jay Stream died in California in 2006.
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Carol Stream — the village — was incorporated in January 1959, but Stream’s father first had used the name in 1958 for a subdivision that formed the nucleus of the village.
“It seemed very odd and silly, especially on those advertising signs that said, ‘Have you seen Carol Stream?’ Of course I had. Dad just liked good copy,” she told the Tribune in 1991.
Stream’s final visit to the suburb was in 2010.
“In 2008, my family had a chance to visit her and her mother and brother at their house in Paradise Valley, and she was warm, funny and clever, and she was very interested in what happened in Carol Stream,” said Carol Stream village trustee Rick Gieser. “She was very, very proud of the fact that the town was named after her. She was disappointed that Glenbard North High School (in Carol Stream) was not named for her, and I reminded her that an elementary school also is named after her and she said, ‘I want both.’”
Retired Carol Stream Park District Director Barb O’Rahilly, who is on the board of the Carol Stream Historical Society, met Stream several times, including during the village’s 25th anniversary celebration in 1984 and also in 2010.
“She was just a lovely lady,” O’Rahilly said. “She had an endearing smile and considering that she had health issues and a hard time getting around, it just never seemed to deter her. She was interested in how nice the school and parks were and how her town was doing. She was very proud of being Carol Stream in Carol Stream.”
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Sherry Kuhn attended junior high school in Wheaton with Stream and kept in touch with her over the years. Kuhn, who lives in California, visited Stream in Arizona four or five times a year.
“Carol was the most positive person I’ve ever seen,” Kuhn said. “When you think about living like she lived, ever since her accident, I never heard her say, ‘Poor me.’ She made light of everything and could laugh at everything, including at herself. She was just a special human being.”
Stream had no immediate survivors.
No services are planned.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--‘I never knew him to have anything against anybody.’ Mother at a loss after retired state trooper ki

‘I never knew him to have anything against anybody.’ Mother at a loss after retired state trooper killed in Lisle shooting that wounded another retired trooper and an off-duty trooper.

McMullan and Rieves went to Proviso East High School in Maywood together in the 1980s .
Police still have not @ @ @ @ @ more than just acquaintances , but they also both have been known to frequent the @ @ @ @ @ same time , according to officials .

The parking lot of Humidor cigar lounge in Lisle, where a shooting on Jan. 24, 2020, left several current and former Illinois State Police troopers dead or wounded. The shooter, a 51-year-old woman, died by suicide at the lounge, according to police. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Gregory Rieves wanted to become an Illinois State Police trooper since he was a boy.
“I don’t know why,” his mother, Hattie Rieves, said Saturday. “He always wanted to be a state trooper. ... He loved his job, he was always happy.”
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Retired Illinois State Police Trooper Gregory Rieves was killed in a shooting at a Lisle cigar lounge on Jan. 24, 2020. ( Illinois State Police)
Rieves retired last year after a 22-year career with the Illinois State Police. Friday night, he was in a cigar lounge in Lisle with another retired trooper and an off-duty trooper when a woman behind them stood up and started firing, according to police.
Rieves, 51, was shot dead. The two men with him were seriously wounded: retired Trooper Lloyd Graham, 55, and off-duty Trooper Kaiton Bullock, 48.
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The shooter, Lisa V. McMullan, 51, turned the gun on herself and died at the scene, police said.
“We have no idea why this happened,” Lisle’s acting police chief, Ron Wilke, told reporters outside the Humidor, at 1600 Ogden Ave., hours after the shooting. “I believe they know each other.”
McMullan, of Hyde Park, has no known criminal history, according to the Lisle Police Department. She had a valid firearm owner’s identification card and concealed carry license through the Illinois State Police.
McMullan and Rieves went to Proviso East High School in Maywood together in the 1980s. Police still have not determined if they were ever more than just acquaintances, but they also both have been known to frequent the Humidor of Lisle at the same time, according to officials.
Brendan Kelly, director of Illinois State Police, right, confirms the death of retired Trooper Gregory Rieves, who was shot and killed by a woman Friday night at a cigar lounge in Lisle. Kelly spoke at a news conference at the DuPage County coroner's office in Wheaton on Jan. 25, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Surveillance video shows McMullan sitting behind the three men in a “media room,” watching a big-screen television. Around 10:10 p.m., she stands up, draws a handgun and fires shots at the three “without apparent provocation,” according to the Lisle Police Department.
McMullan shot one of the men in the back of the head and then fired several rounds at the two others before shooting herself.
Seven bullets, including one she used on herself, were fired by McMullan during the incident, police said.
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Lisa V. McMullan, 51, has been identified as the suspect in a shooting that killed retired Illinois State Police trooper Gregory Rieves and wounded another retired trooper and an off-duty trooper in Lisle Friday night. (Lisle Police Department)
Rieves was pronounced dead at a hospital. Graham and Bullock were taken to Edward Hospital and Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in serious condition. State police Director Brendan F. Kelly said Saturday that they were recovering and were “surrounded by loved ones."
He said Rieves was “well-loved by all those who worked with him." Rieves was the father of a 23-year-old son.
Rieves' mother said she does not know McMullan or why she would have shot her son. "I only know what I saw on the news. I have no idea what happened," she said. "I never knew him to have anything against anybody.
“He had a tough job, I was very concerned about it,” she added. “But he didn’t worry.”
Rieves said she last saw her son three weeks ago. “The last time I saw him was on my birthday when he brought me a bouquet.”
She said his friends have been calling the family home all day Saturday. “He was a very, very good guy,” said Rieves, 81.
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Her son had another passion in life: baseball. “When he was little, I would take him to games.” Rieves continued to play on teams after finishing school.
“He did have a good life,” she said. “A life that he loved.”
Chicago Tribune’s Paige Fry contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Daywatch: The Jussie Smollett case hovers over Kim Foxx’s candidacy, elite private school nears cont

Daywatch: The Jussie Smollett case hovers over Kim Foxx’s candidacy, elite private school nears control over Lincoln Park condos and how one Northwestern grad wants to fix housing discrimination

The new allocation is the latest wave of funding meant to help Illinois get a large turnout for the 2020 @ @ @ @ @ stake for Illinois , which is estimated to have lost residents for the past six @ @ @ @ @ the state is poised to lose one or two congressional seats after the 2020 count @ @ @ @ @ a scramble among groups and officials on the state , county and local level .

Want Daywatch delivered to your inbox? Sign up here. | Get the top Tribune stories of the day on your smart speaker | Here’s how to get the most out of your Tribune subscription | Got something to say? Join the conversation on our Facebook page
Good morning, Chicago. Here are some of the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx, second from left, speaks with members of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board in Chicago on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. Bob Fioretti, left, Donna More, second from right, and Bill Conway, right, also spoke to members of the board. (Raquel Zaldivar / Chicago Tribune)
The four Democrats vying for Cook County state’s attorney butted heads yesterday over the best way to use the office to ensure public safety and tackle crime while also pushing systemic reforms to help vulnerable populations during a meeting before the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.
But in a wide-ranging interview that touched on how the candidates would use the office to weed out government corruption, stem improper political influence and improve morale in the prosecutors office, the talk kept coming back to current State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case and why the 16 charges initially brought against him were dropped.
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Editorial: Kim Foxx says she can’t fully discuss the Jussie Smollett case. Her challengers sure can.
Column: Kim Foxx’s ever-evolving excuses in Jussie Smollett case leave questions hovering over state’s attorney’s race
Kim Foxx, Bill Conway release new campaign ads in Cook County state’s attorney’s race
State Senator Martin Sandoval outside the new 16 classroom annex at Byrne Elementary in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune)
Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval is scheduled to be arraigned today in U.S. District Court, after prosecutors charged him yesterday in a criminal information. The longtime Chicago Democrat was charged with bribery and tax offenses stemming from his support of the red-light camera industry when he served as the powerful head of the Senate Transportation Committee.
Read the charges against ex-state Sen. Martin Sandoval
Editorial: The feds charge Sen. Martin Sandoval. Where does the red-light scandal turn next?
A Bar Louie restaurant near Wrigley Field is pictured in 2008. (Bonnie Trafelet / Chicago Tribune)
Bar Louie, the Texas-based gastropub chain founded in Chicago 30 years ago, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed more than a third of its corporate-owned locations, including several in the Chicago area. Restaurants in Naperville and Chicago’s Near North neighborhood are among 38 corporate-owned locations that were closed over the weekend due to “accelerating” sales declines.
The original Bar Louie opened in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood in 1990, on West Chicago Avenue near Franklin Street. More than a dozen Chicago-area locations remain open as of Monday, according to the Bar Louie website.
According to other media sources, maroon vehicle park in the parking lot of Humidor cigar lounge in Lisle, belongs to the woman who shot three retire state troopers, killing one, and then turn the gun to herself, Friday night, Jan. 24, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
The woman who shot and killed a retired Illinois State Police trooper Friday at a Lisle cigar bar and fatally shot herself had written “I hate you … hope you two die!” along with the officer’s name on the wall of her Chicago condo, Lisle police said yesterday.
The new evidence indicates Lisa V. McMullan may have targeted retired ISP Trooper Greg Rieves and another man, who was not at the Humidor of Lisle when McMullan killed Rieves and wounded another retired ISP trooper and an off-duty trooper. McMullan then used her pistol to fatally shoot herself. The two wounded men were still hospitalized Monday and had been stabilized, state police said.
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of "Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership," talks about her book during a conversation with Elizabeth Todd-Breland, UIC associate professor of history and author at the University of Illinois at Chicago in October 2019. (Matthew Alan Lang)
Among Chicago’s many notable histories, one narrative in particular stems from real estate. Issues like redlining, housing projects and segregation persist within that space — and their effects still resonate.
It was this space in particular that Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an assistant professor of African American studies at Princeton University, wanted to explore in her recent book, “Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership.” The issue — and Chicago’s part in it — is something Taylor grappled with while studying at Northwestern University.
Family support specialist Roxanne Flores, left, speaks to parent Marie Payne about census information at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Groups in the Chicago area have started gearing up for the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau will start sending mailings to households across the country by March 12. Last summer, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he was allocating $29 million of state money for census outreach.
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The new allocation is the latest wave of funding meant to help Illinois get a large turnout for the 2020 census. Much is at stake for Illinois, which is estimated to have lost residents for the past six years, and experts say the state is poised to lose one or two congressional seats after the 2020 count. That has led to a scramble among groups and officials on the state, county and local level.
Condo buildings in 317-325 of West Belden Avenue, left, and 327-335 West Belden Avenue, north of Francis W. Parker School, photographed Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Francis W. Parker School near Lincoln Park Zoo has moved closer to owning and eventually demolishing two century-old condominium buildings to make way for a campus expansion. The elite private school has a letter of intent to buy the entire 19-unit building and is negotiating a formal contract, the school confirmed in a statement. The preliminary offer for the building is $13.5 million, said sources familiar with the negotiations, which is significantly higher than a $9 million offer that was rejected last year.
However, some neighbors aren’t going quietly. An informal group called the East Lincoln Park Neighbors has distributed thousands of flyers and collected more than 1,100 signatures on a petition to maintain residential zoning around the school.
Gianna Bryant and her father, former NBA player Kobe Bryant, were tragically killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images North)
Gianna Bryant’s hoop dreams were well and truly documented, columnist Heidi Stevens writes. Her death is, in every single way, a monumental tragedy. For the hole it leaves in her mother’s heart. For the holes it leaves in her sisters’ hearts. For her young friends who are now grieving, for the fans who revered her who are now mourning, for her dreams that will go unfulfilled.
A friend posted on my Facebook page Sunday night, “How about a deserving girls basketball team/club where we can send donations in Gigi’s name?” Honoring all of it with an investment in girls basketball strikes me as fitting.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--This Chicago software firm hired 300 people last year. It just raised $100 million and plans to hire

This Chicago software firm hired 300 people last year. It just raised $100 million and plans to hire more.

ActiveCampaign launched in 2003 but has grown significantly since 2016 , when it raised its first round of funding .
@ @ @ @ @ of its headquarters at 1 N. Dearborn , and employs about 550 people .

Jason VandeBoom, CEO and founder of ActiveCampaign, is seen May 8, 2017, at the company's old office in Riverside Plaza in Chicago. ActiveCampaign moved to 1 N. Dearborn St. later in 2017, and subsequently expanded at that building. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Software firm ActiveCampaign said it raised $100 million in venture capital funding and plans to continue a hiring spree that added 300 people in the past year.
“We’re not slowing down,” said CEO and founder Jason VandeBoom.
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The Chicago company makes software for targeted marketing and managing customer data. Demand for those types of tools is growing as consumers become accustomed to receiving individualized attention from companies.
ActiveCampaign launched in 2003 but has grown significantly since 2016, when it raised its first round of funding. It recently doubled the footprint of its headquarters at 1 N. Dearborn St., and employs about 550 people.
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VandeBoom declined to disclose a specific hiring goal for 2020, but said the company will continue on a similar pace to last year. It also plans to continue expanding internationally.
The round of funding was led by private equity firm Susquehanna Growth Equity. Boston-based Silversmith Capital Partners also participated.
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @AllyMarotti


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--After slow start, work to promote 2020 census in Illinois gets underway, but some groups still await

After slow start, work to promote 2020 census in Illinois gets underway, but some groups still await funding

“ This is something that has brought us all together , ” Booker , who is also on the Maywood @ @ @ @ @ Tribune last month .
“ But here ’ s the thing , we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ So we are here in December and ( we ’ re ) still talking .
@ @ @ @ @ light of everybody being , ‘ Yeah , we are going to do it , @ @ @ @ @ it right , ’ is slowly but surely dimming every day that the funding is @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Family support specialist Roxanne Flores, left, speaks to parent Marie Payne in December 2019 about the upcoming 2020 census at Chicago's Carole Robertson Center for Learning, The center is among community organizations helping to get the word out about the census. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Armed with a clipboard, a script and a phone app, three workers from Mano a Mano Family Resource Center set out on a Chicago block to begin the daunting task of ensuring every resident in Illinois participates in the 2020 census.
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They walked up the snow-covered steps of an apartment building in the Pilsen neighborhood and stopped those arriving home. One of the workers, Sandra Diaz, spoke in Spanish with the residents, hoping households would make a pledge to participate and allow them to follow-up in March.
“I feel like the first one is the hardest one,” said Yessica Diaz, wearing a yellow vest with the logo of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, after one resident gave them her contact information.
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Another resident, trying to calm her two small dogs, told Sandra Diaz she wanted to fill out the questionnaire on a paper form but needed help writing. The woman gave them her phone number — she didn’t have an email address — so someone could later help her with the form.
In less than an hour, just four residents gave them their information. In the coming weeks, Diaz and her colleagues from Mano a Mano will repeat the task in Lake and McHenry counties. The door-knocking in Pilsen served as part of their training through the coalition, a group receiving funding from the state to do this kind of census outreach.
It’s one of the ways groups in the Chicago area have started gearing up for the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau will start sending mailings to households across the country by March 12.
Last summer, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he was allocating $29 million of state money for census outreach.
Alicia Castaneda-Rodriguez, left, of Chicago's Carole Robertson Center for Learning, speaks to Saadia Thomas and her daughters Zahara Boyd, 5, and Aara Boyd, 1. The center is helping get the word out about the 2020 census. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
“We need to get the funds out the door as soon as possible,” Pritzker said. At the time, he blamed his Republican predecessor, Bruce Rauner, for why the state was behind on doing more census outreach.
The new allocation is the latest wave of funding meant to help Illinois get a large turnout for the 2020 census. Much is at stake for Illinois, which is estimated to have lost residents for the past six years, and experts say the state is poised to lose one or two congressional seats after the 2020 count. That has led to a scramble among groups and officials on the state, county and local level.
As just one example, at Chicago Public Schools, teachers plan to incorporate resources about the census into the classrooms and send home information, CEO Janice Jackson said at a recent board of education meeting.
While some have been critical that the money from the state hasn’t gotten to the hands of the organizers soon enough, others think Illinois has been doing as much as it can on public outreach.
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So far, a few of the nine regional intermediary outreach groups in the Chicago region have received funding. The Illinois Department of Human Services, which is overseeing census efforts, said the remainder of the funding will be sent as soon as possible.
Family support specialist Roxanne Flores holds 10-month-old Victoria Payne at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago, where parents were learning the importance of including their young children in the 2020 census. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
“Governor Pritzker and his administration have focused on bringing Illinois up to speed as quickly and efficiently as possible to make up for years of under-investment by the previous administrations,” IDHS said in an email.
The regional intermediaries serve as large umbrella organizations covering various parts of the state. From there, the funding will trickle down to smaller organizations like Mano a Mano.
The goal is to do community education, outreach and eventually questionnaire assistance across the state, targeting especially hard-to-count demographics, such as children younger than 5 or those experiencing homelessness.
The regional intermediaries will be required to submit monthly reports to IDHS that include details on how money was spent and which programs were implemented.
Some of that money will also to go the University of Illinois at Chicago where researchers will provide technical assistance around data analysis to support the various groups, said Kathleen Yang-Clayton, the co-principal investigator for the 2020 Census Program at UIC. She would have liked to have started the work in 2018, but now she is focused on what she can do to ensure an even better count for the 2030 census.
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Karina Alvarez, left, and Ambar Marquez, volunteers with the group Mano a Mano Family Resource Center, discuss their list of addresses to visit in Round Lake Park on Jan. 27, 2020, as they conduct outreach for the upcoming 2020 census. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is one of the organizations that has already received a portion of its funding. Maria Fitzsimmons, the coalition’s 2020 census director, said it requested funding in advance to avoid a financial burden on smaller organizations to wait for reimbursement. Dozens of other groups will eventually get some of the state funds through the coalition for outreach.
“Any program that is designated to reach communities that are hard to reach, it’s going to be difficult to run,” Fitzsimmons said. “... Because it’s a little late, many organizations need to get up and running quite quickly. That always results in quickly trying to get any new programming. It’s always going to result in gaps.”
On Wednesday, coalition workers crammed into Casa Michoacán in Pilsen to launch the group’s census efforts by hosting a two-day training for community organizers. Various state and local leaders were on hand to praise the push to get everyone to participate in the census, particularly immigrant communities. The crowd often chanted in Spanish, “Yo cuento, tu cuentas, todos contamos," which means, “I count, you count, we all count.”
“We need everyone to understand and know the importance of the census and know why we should all be counted,” Oswaldo Alvarez, one of the state’s census co-coordinators, told the crowd in Spanish. “We are from here, we are here and we aren’t leaving.”
Still, other groups involved in census outreach wish the funding would have come sooner.
Though he would have liked to see the outreach funding come sooner, Nathaniel Booker, the census educator for suburban Proviso Township, said local efforts have helped break down silos. And while organizations have already begun working to get the word out, he’s worried not enough is being done.
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“This is something that has brought us all together,” Booker, who is also on the Maywood village council, told the Tribune last month. “But here’s the thing, we’ve been talking since July. So we are here in December and (we’re) still talking. ... And I think that light of everybody being, ‘Yeah, we are going to do it, we are going to get it right,’ is slowly but surely dimming every day that the funding is not actually given to us.”
The Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks, executive director of A Just Harvest, is another organization doing census outreach with financial help from the state. Pagán-Banks also wanted to see the money go to the smaller organizations sooner.
“With all that’s happening in the world right now and what’s happening in our communities, the urgency of the things that our folks are facing, to be caught up in bureaucracy and paperwork is kind of ridiculous,” Pagán-Banks said. “It’s not like the government didn’t know that this was going to happen. It’s not like the state didn’t know that this was going to happen.”
But Andy Kang, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said the state Department of Human Services was probably the best government entity to divvy up the grant money.
“Everyone would have loved (the money) sooner, I think it’s about as quick and soon as they could have done it,” Kang said.
A Just Harvest, based on the Far North Side in Rogers Park, has already started having conversations about the census with people who use the organization’s services. And while the group also plans a social media campaign, Pagán-Banks said she still thinks the most important thing will be to talk to people one-on-one, particularly because many disenfranchised people don’t trust any system.
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U.S. Census Bureau worker Cristina Romero, right, helps Marlene Nambo sign up to be a potential census taker at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago in December 2019. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
“Face-to-face conversations and really looking people in the eye and hearing their stories and understanding their fears and having them see that you are there with them,” Pagán-Banks said. “That they can trust you. So building relationships is key. It’s always going to be the thing that makes a difference.”
At the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, workers tried to share information about the census even before the center received state funding. Eventually, the nonprofit organization focused on child development programs on Chicago’s West Side wants to have laptops or tablets available to parents who haven’t filled out the census. They’ve also thought of doing pledge cards with the parents. During a parent night in December, parents and children munched on pizza and filled out a worksheet to reflect on what makes up their community.
It was meant to trigger conversations about the 2020 census, and a worker from the U.S. Census Bureau was on hand to talk to parents interested in part-time jobs as census takers. Alicia Casteñeda-Rodriguez, the director of family engagement and support services at the center, knew this was just one of the many times the organization would have to explain why it’s important to fill out the questionnaire used to count the entire population.
“This shouldn’t be the first time that they are hearing this,” Casteñeda-Rodriguez said.
One of the parents who attended, Mayra Cepeda, still hasn’t forgotten when her high school teachers talked to her about the 2010 census. Cepeda, a mother of three, applied for a part-time job as a census taker.
“They actually told us in high school about this so that we can tell our parents, ‘Don’t be scared, it’s OK. They just need a count so they could know how much money goes to the state,’” Cepeda said.
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Chicago Tribune’s Hannah Leone contributed.
emalagon@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--Ask Amy: Colleague worries about co-worker's return

I realize that the doctor has a right to privacy .
But the abrupt nature of her departure , and @ @ @ @ @ office as to the cause , makes me suspect that she may have been suffering @ @ @ @ @ or perhaps drug or alcohol addiction .
Obviously , this is all speculation on my @ @ @ @ @ have thought if she had a serious illness -- even cancer -- that this information @ @ @ @ @ her patients .

Dear Amy: I work at a small law firm where we are treated more as family than employees. One of our hardest working, most dedicated, and passionate employees tried to kill himself a few days ago.
We are all saddened by the news, relieved that he wasn't successful, and shocked because we had no idea he was suffering.
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His job here is secure, and hopefully he will be coming back.
My question is selfish. What do I say to him the next time we meet? We are friendly, but not exactly close. I want to be respectful of his privacy, but I also want to let him know he is valued. Should I just pretend that nothing happened?
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— Tightrope Walker
Dear Walker: If your colleague returns to work, I assume that he will feel more on a tightrope than anyone. He might be most relieved to be greeted with a sincere: "Wow, we missed you. Welcome back, pal. I'm so happy you're here."
After a mental health crisis, people feel on stage. It can be a relief to step back into the world and reintegrate into life's more normal rhythms and quotidian concerns.
You want to be the person who doesn't dwell on his personal drama -- the person who will allow him to move forward, without a lot of prurient curiosity or judgment attached.
Of course, if he initiates a conversation about his challenges, listen sympathetically, don't offer up any comparisons to other people or situations, don't pile on any advice, and simply -- accept him as he is.
Dear Amy: Several months ago, my personal physician abruptly canceled all her appointments and was absent from the office for three months.
I saw one of her partners several times in the interim, but all my inquiries about the health of my personal MD were met by shrugged shoulders -- no one in the office seemed to know what was wrong or when or if my doctor would return. Apparently, she is now back.
I realize that the doctor has a right to privacy. But the abrupt nature of her departure, and the strange silence within the office as to the cause, makes me suspect that she may have been suffering from a mental health condition or perhaps drug or alcohol addiction. Obviously, this is all speculation on my part, but I would have thought if she had a serious illness -- even cancer -- that this information would have been shared with her patients.
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Should I continue to entrust my care to her? I don't want to judge her, but at the same time, I want a physician who is mentally astute. I know mental health and substance abuse conditions are treatable and I also know the relapse rate is high. Should I come right out and ask her?
— Concerned Patient
Dear Concerned: Trust your physician. If you trusted her before, you should trust her now. She might have been absent due to a family obligation. Cancer, depression, alcoholism -- or any physical, mental or emotional malady you could imagine -- is treatable. Furthermore, your assumption that a person cannot competently work despite grappling with illness (or after recovery) is flawed.
If your physician is back at work, then she is back at work. The only real issue (in my mind) would be if she had been suspended for legal or professional reasons. You can check on any possible suspensions or disciplinary actions by going to your state's Health Department website and following the link for the Office of Professional Medical Conduct.
If you continue to be curious about your doctor's absence, you should ask. Whether she chooses to disclose the reason behind her absence, she should offer you reassurance that her abilities are not diminished.
Dear Amy: The letter from "Buzz Killed in Boston" brought back a memory.
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I was a teen and was in the shop owned by a couple. The woman's mother had recently died, and I expressed my sympathy.
She then related the entire sequence of events, beginning to end, of her mom's last moments. I listened ... it lasted for at least 20 minutes. I then gave her a hug and repeated my comment.
Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
About 10 years later, home for a visit, I met her on the street downtown. She gave me a hug, and said, "I have never forgotten how you patiently listened to me back then as I unloaded on you. Thank you for that."
Sometimes, a sympathetic ear is all one needs to make it one more day.
— No Regrets
Dear No Regrets: Exactly.
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chicagotribune--2020-01-27--Cops: Toddler in serious condition after being shot in head as police search for crime scene

While no crime scene was located at Leland/Clarendon , we are trying to sort through the initial reports on how @ @ @ @ @ We have many questions about the timeline of events & will seek physical evidence and @ @ @ @ @ .
Investigation continues pic.twitter.com/AoVCSVGS6g

The father’s apartment building in the 800 block of West Eastwood Avenue is shown on Jan 28, 2020. Police said they found blood in an elevator of the building and found at least one spent shell casing and blood in the kitchen and living room of the apartment. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police now say a 1-year-old boy was not shot on the street by a stray bullet, as his father claimed, but was wounded as his parents fought over a gun and it went off in their Uptown apartment Monday evening.
“A bullet ricocheted and hit the boy,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
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The boy was struck in the head, but the bullet did not penetrate his skull, Guglielmi said. The boy was listed in serious but stable condition at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
The boy’s father and mother were both being questioned by police Tuesday morning. No charges have been filed.
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While no crime scene was located at Leland/Clarendon, we are trying to sort through the initial reports on how this child was injured. We have many questions about the timeline of events & will seek physical evidence and video to corroborate the reports. Investigation continues pic.twitter.com/AoVCSVGS6g — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) January 28, 2020
The father had walked into Weiss Memorial Hospital with the boy just before 7:40 p.m., police said. He indicated a gunman had opened fire at him in the 800 block of West Leland Avenue, near the hospital, and hit the child instead. The boy was transferred to Lurie's.
Soon afterward, however, Guglielmi told reporters that police were having problems verifying the father’s story. Officers said they found blood in an elevator of the father’s apartment building in the 800 block of West Eastwood Avenue, Guglielmi said. They also found at least one spent shell casing and blood in the kitchen and living room of the apartment.
“Looks like they were struggling over a weapon and it went off,” Guglielmi said.
Detectives also have seized surveillance video from the building, he said, but did not know what it showed.


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--After tributes to Kobe Bryant, Zach LaVine outduels DeMar DeRozan to lead the Bulls to a 110-109 win

After tributes to Kobe Bryant, Zach LaVine outduels DeMar DeRozan to lead the Bulls to a 110-109 win over the Spurs

“ I think it ’ s something that he would have wanted , for people to get back into the @ @ @ @ @ LaVine said before the game .
“ I feel like that ’ s how he @ @ @ @ @ ’ m going to go out there and play the way I do : play @ @ @ @ @ everybody is going to have a heavy heart , but we still have a job @ @ @ @ @ s terrible you have to play under those circumstances , but I feel like it @ @ @ @ @ want as well . ''

On an emotional and surreal night at the United Center, with both the Bulls and Spurs having to set aside a whirlwind of feelings less than 24 hours after the death of Kobe Bryant, the Bulls were able to pick up a 110-109 victory by using Bryant as a sort of rallying cry.
“When Kobe goes on the court, he left it all on the floor and (coach Jim Boylen) talked about it,” guard Kris Dunn said. “What Kobe would want us to do is to just go out there and play our hearts out.”
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And the Bulls did, rallying after falling behind in the third quarter to charge past the Spurs for another victory. The Bulls have now suddenly won three of their last four to creep back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Up next: A daunting road trip against three playoff contenders in Indiana, Brooklyn and Toronto this week.
That road trip could provide a much clearer picture of where the Bulls stand as the trade deadline approaches. But before the Bulls hit the road, here are three takeaways from their victory against the Spurs.
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1. Kobe Bryant leaves his footprint across the league.
It’s amazing to consider how many people around the NBA felt some sort of impact from Kobe Bryant.
From the players and coaches who competed against him for years, the fans who loved him and booed him and generation who grew up emulating him, there was an outpouring of emotion for Bryant at the United Center Monday.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 24 Members of the Bulls and Spurs as well as fans observe a tribute a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant before a game Jan. 27, 2020, at the United Center. The NBA superstar, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others were killed Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in California. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The messages in chalk outside the arena extended further and further along the entrances on Madison Street with fans pulling over to get out of their car to write something or leave behind flowers, candles and Bulls and Lakers memorabilia. Or maybe they just wanted to take a photo or get a glimpse of this tribute to Bryant.
“We all have special thoughts of him to varying degrees, no matter whether you knew him a little bit or not at all,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Even the millions who admired and cherished just knowing they could watch a game with him in it. You feel like he was your own. That's what happens when you're iconic and you're basically a superhero.”
2. Zach LaVine plays closer.
The Bulls were able to hang in the game even though Zach LaVine got off to a rough start, starting 1-for-9 and then going 3-of-14 through three quarters with just nine points. He finished with 23 points, going 4-for-8 in the final period for 14 points. With 2.1 seconds remaining, he split two defenders, got fouled at the rim and knocked down the final two free throws.
It’s a slight sign of progress for the Bulls to remain competitive in a stretch when LaVine is not producing and a sign of LaVine’s maturation as a player that he is able to turn it on late in a game even when he is not at his best.
LaVine has now scored at least 20 points in 15 straight games, something only one other player in a Bulls uniform has accomplished — Michael Jordan.
3. Denzel Valentine proves he can contribute to the Bulls (or some team).
For weeks, Denzel Valentine could not escape the end of Jim Boylen’s bench, despite the Bulls’ desperate need for scoring and a lethargic second unit. But a plethora of injuries have forced Valentine into the rotation for the past few games, and Valentine is proving he can help a team win.
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His performance against the Spurs was probably his best game of the season. He matched a season high with 16 points in 19 minutes, going 6-of-10 from the field and four of six from beyond the arc and finishing at +19.
It’s a credit to Valentine for staying ready despite weeks of inaction.
“Man, Denzel is a true professional,” Zach LaVine said. “We’re thankful to have him on this team. I think any team would love to have him. It’s someone that is beneficial to us because he got put in a tough situation where he came off the bench. He’s a player that’s a regular rotation guy. That’s not up to him to play his minutes, but he came in and he’s the biggest reason why we won the game I think…. It was big and I appreciate having him as my teammate.”
Maybe Valentine is playing his way into a bigger role with the Bulls, even after they get a few players back from injury. Or maybe these games are an audition for Valentine’s next team with the trade deadline less than two weeks away. Either way, Valentine looks like he belongs on the floor, not at the end of the bench, relegated to garbage time minutes.
Here’s more coverage from Monday’s game:
Zach LaVine modeled his game after Kobe Bryant, chose his jersey No.8 after Bryant and even wore a pair of purple shoes he later admitted to being not too fond to start Monday’s game against the Spurs, all in Bryant’s honor.
But the way he closed out the Bulls 110-109 victory against the Spurs on Monday night, by scoring 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, was perhaps the best way of all to pay tribute to Bryant, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash that killed him and eight others.
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“Anyway you can honor him on a day like this, I’ll take it,” LaVine said.
LaVine bounced back from a rough start to the game, starting just 3 of 14 from the field through the first three quarters with nine points. But he rallied to record his 15th consecutive game with at least 20-points, matching the longest streak of his career from earlier this season (Oct. 30-Dec.21).
He scored or assisted on 16 of the Bulls’ final 21 points, hitting a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds left to seal the win. Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan finished with 36 points but missed a free throw with 0.2 seconds remaining that likely would have sent the game to overtime.
“I think it just comes with repetition and the territory, my confidence and where I’m at right now,” LaVine said. “I’ve always been confident, but it takes practice. Like I say this a lot, but I’m not scared to fail or miss any shot, so give me the ball, I think I’ll make any of them. I’m ready to take them, good or bad.”
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The win capped off an emotional night and a surreal scene at the United Center, with both teams still reeling from the Bryant’s death the day before.
Before the game, stories about Bryant were shared and both teams paid tribute to the NBA superstar as teams around the league have done the last two days. The game began with Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky dribbling out an eight-second backcourt violation to start the game as cheers of “Kobe! Kobe!” rang through the arena. When DeRozan waited out a 24-second shot clock violation, the cheers grew louder.
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Then, both teams had a game to play, a task both coaches knew would be difficult for so many players who grew up idolizing Bryant. So, Bulls coach Jim Boylen attempted to rally his team behind Bryant’s legacy.
“We’ve lost one of the greatest competitors ever in any sport,” Boylen said. “And to honor him, I thought what we need to do is to go out and compete and play as hard as we could.”
Denzel Valentine matched a season-high with 16 points off the bench to help provide some scoring while LaVine struggled as the Bulls notched their third win in their past four games.
Zach LaVine made this look much easier than it was.@nbcschicago | #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/lpIL5usw0i — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 28, 2020
The impact of Bryant’s death was still raw even in the Bulls locker room after Monday’s win, but perhaps this was a chance to begin the healing process for members of both teams who felt Bryant’s influence.
“I think it’s something that he would have wanted, for people to get back into the game and play," LaVine said before the game. “I feel like that’s how he would approach it. I’m going to go out there and play the way I do: play my heart out. Obviously everybody is going to have a heavy heart, but we still


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--‘City So Real’ review: At Sundance, Chicago politics and Chicago tribalism comes under Steve James’

‘City So Real’ review: At Sundance, Chicago politics and Chicago tribalism comes under Steve James’ microscope

Throughout “ City So Real , ” another story emerges , that of a city in which half the power @ @ @ @ @ loss of control , of the way things used to work , while the other @ @ @ @ @ in the weather .
We see then-mayor Emanuel unable to quiet down student protesters fighting @ @ @ @ @ training project on the West Side .
In a penthouse dinner party scene ( featuring @ @ @ @ @ theater critic Chris Jones ) , ex-CEO of Playboy Enterprises and political strategist Christie Hefner @ @ @ @ @ dinner that , as she puts it , wistfully , “ no one seems to @ @ @ @ @ the ground , in an unexpectedly emotional scene with Lyft driver Tracey Champion , we @ @ @ @ @ the racist abuse she ’ s had to put up with “ ever since Trump @ @ @ @ @

Chicago: “never a lovely so real,” as Nelson Algren wrote, and “never a city so real,” as author Alex Kotlowicz revised Algren’s sentiment about the beautiful woman with a broken nose.
In a further revision of the phrase, this week “City So Real,” the new limited series documentary from “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James, made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, a full time zone west of its subject. The documentary is seeking a buyer for streaming distribution; two of the four hourlong episodes produced by Participant Media and Kartemquin Films screened at Sundance Monday night.
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I saw all four episodes in advance. Together, especially (but not exclusively) for Chicagoans, they make for a fine, expansive, sometimes despairing, cautiously hopeful experience. “City So Real” is a Rorschach inkblot test of how our city perceives itself, not a mosaic designed for easy consensus or agreement. It’s a tale of grubby politics, infamous violence and fortress-like neighborhoods so close together yet so apart, they’re like separate planets orbiting a single city by the lake, on the make and, in many proven instances, on the take.
Director Steve James captures the recent Chicago mayoral election, neighborhood by neighborhood, in "City So Real." (Participant / HANDOUT)
There are many, many strands involved. The opening seconds feature a close-up of the gravestone of Laquan McDonald, fatally shot 16 times in 2014 by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke. Van Dyke’s trial; two-term mayor Rahm Emanuel’s unsuccessful bid to keep the telltale dash-cam video a private matter; the widespread community outrage; all this is more than enough for a four-hour documentary on its own.
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Filmmaker James and co-cinematographer Jackson James, the director’s son and colleague, wind that strand, among others, around the recent, jam-packed Chicago mayoral race and subsequent run-off election. En route to the historic Lori Lightfoot victory, marking the city’s first openly gay and first African-American female mayor, much of the local media sold the developing story as a contest between Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (forever chained to her written notes in “City So Real” footage) vs. Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza.The Tribune endorsed Bill Daley; the Sun-Times backed Lightfoot.
As “City So Real” progresses, Lightfoot’s prominence in the series increases, subtly but naturally. In Episode 3, in and among director James’ patient, sometimes tedious account of petition challenges (some of them hilariously contentious) at the Chicago Board of Elections James and his camera join Lightfoot on a commute from her Logan Square bungalow, as she’s on the phone with a campaign colleague. At one point Lightfoot she goes off on the city’s long, ignoble history of aldermanic corruption and the 1990s federal anti-corruption probe known as the Silver Shovel investigation. “Every single one off those dumb-f---s got caught,” Lightfoot says, coolly, marveling at quid pro quo so epically blatant.
The four episodes traverse a broad array of Chicago neighborhoods, parades, picnic grounds, drugstores, hair emporiums, living rooms, bars and, at one point, the Soldier Field tailgating preceding the playoff game showcasing the unluckiest field goal attempt in recent Bears memory. Locator maps pop up on screen at the start of a new vignette.
Another key strand in “City So Real” connects straight to the racial divisions in the nation at large. James and company strike gold in their contrasting footage of two haircut joints: the South Shore neighborhood’s Sideline Studio salon (now closed) and, in Bridgeport, Joe’s 26th Street Barber Shop, frequented by retired Chicago Police Department employees.
At Sideline, an inflammatory argument breaks out on camera between a postal worker and, a generation younger, his barber, as they debate African-American manhood, discipline, family dynamics. They’re screaming at each other one minute, back to business and in the barber’s chair the next, laughing it off.
In Bridgeport, meanwhile, three regulars stop in for some doughnuts and a little retired-cop humor. (At one point one of them relays a stunningly heartless police shooting joke; “City So Real” will not please most Bridgeport residents, I’m guessing.) One of the men, not identified on screen, starts an anecdote: “I know a guy that shot a guy." In the space of maybe a minute, concluding with the line “So I’m happy now,” James captures the bone-deep bitterness so many in law enforcement feel about the judicial system — as well as the bone-deep fear of police so many Chicagoans experience, every ordinary day.
Throughout “City So Real,” another story emerges, that of a city in which half the power structure and citizenry feels a loss of control, of the way things used to work, while the other half pushes toward a change in the weather. We see then-mayor Emanuel unable to quiet down student protesters fighting a forbidding new police academy training project on the West Side. In a penthouse dinner party scene (featuring, among others, Tribune theater critic Chris Jones), ex-CEO of Playboy Enterprises and political strategist Christie Hefner convenes the sort of salon dinner that, as she puts it, wistfully, “no one seems to do anymore.” Closer to the ground, in an unexpectedly emotional scene with Lyft driver Tracey Champion, we hear a heart-sickening account of the racist abuse she’s had to put up with “ever since Trump got into office.”
This is a lot for one limited series, and I haven’t even gotten to the Lincoln Yards development controversy, or the Lincoln Park interviews in which James asks passers-by about the Jason Van Dyke trial. It may be directorial selectivity, but the first few answers suggest the footage was gathered on “Privileged North Sider Disengagement Day.” Yet little in James’ humane, clear-eyed approach and shaping of all this material suggests an agenda, or an interest in cheap shots. These people are our people; the anger, disdain, love and their often wary coexistence with everybody else is ours, too.
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I love the offhanded details, such as when, 20 minutes into Episode 1, in the midst of a Laquan McDonald street protest, a man confronts, at top volume, a policeman. In the same unbroken shot a younger protester speaks her piece, using an entirely different rhetorical approach. I love the way Ed Burke’s fedora and Lori Lightfoot’s fedora engage in an unspoken battle of the Chicago political fedoras. I love the extended, beautifully escalating square-off, at the Board of Elections, between mayoral candidate Ja’Mal Green and fellow candidate Willie Wilson’s right-hand man, Rickey Hendon.
The fourth and final episode feels both rushed and unfinished, for reasons I’m still trying to figure out; maybe by that point in the multi-strand narrative, the only recourse James had was to focus wholly on Lightfoot’s victory and leave the rest of the city’s issues as a kind of dangling modifier, waiting for the final word that never comes. On the other hand, James knows full well that an easy final word, or a suggestion that any civic improvement is ever easy, is a sucker’s game.
You could argue that “City So Real” demanded a bigger canvas, along the lines of James’ previous documentary series, the 10-hour “America to Me,” dealing with a year in the life of Oak Park River Forest High School. On the other hand, four hours has a better chance of a wider viewership, once the right streaming platform comes calling.
Labeling "City So Real” the Chicago self-portrait of the new century is a start. The finish, as James reminds us throughout, remains up to those who rule, live and die here.
Episodes 1 and 2 of “City So Real” will re-screen Jan. 28-29 in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah, as part of the Sundance Film Festival.
Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
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mjphillips@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @phillipstribune


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--LeBron James, Michael Jordan and others react to Kobe Bryant’s death: ‘Words can’t describe the pain

LeBron James, Michael Jordan and others react to Kobe Bryant’s death: ‘Words can’t describe the pain I’m feeling’

I ’ m Not Ready but here I go .
Man I sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again just thinking about you , niece Gigi and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had !
I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA .
Didn ’ t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we ’ d have .
WTF !
!
I ’ m heartbroken and devastated my brother !
!
😢😢😢😢💔 .
Man I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes to Vanessa and the kids .
I promise you I ’ ll continue your legacy man !
You mean so much to us all here especially # LakerNation💜💛 and it ’ s my responsibility to put this shit on my back and keep it going !
!
Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me !
I got US here !
There ’ s so much more I want to say but just can ’ t right now because I can ’ t get through it !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
# Mamba4Life❤🙏🏾 # Gigi4Life❤🙏🏾

Kobe Bryant was not only one of the greatest basketball players ever, he was also the hardest working player I’ve ever been around. I was so fortunate to have known him and coached him with Team USA. Our thoughts and our prayers are with his wife, Vanessa, and the Bryant family.


chicagotribune--2020-01-27--Kobe Bryant’s helicopter tried to climb to avoid clouds before it crashed

`` It 's a common thing that happens in airplanes and helicopters with people flying with poor visibility , '' @ @ @ @ @ you 're flying visually , if you get caught in a situation where you ca @ @ @ @ @ , the life expectancy of the pilot and the aircraft is maybe 10 , 15 @ @ @ @ @ all the time , and it 's really a shame . ''

Stefanie Dazio, David Koenig, Bernard Condon

CALABASAS, Calif. — The pilot of the helicopter that crashed near Los Angeles, killing former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and eight others, told air traffic controllers in his last radio message that he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer before plunging more than 1,000 feet into a hillside, an accident investigator said.
Radar indicated the helicopter reached a height of 2,300 feet Sunday morning before descending, and the wreckage was found at 1,085 feet, Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board said during a news conference Monday afternoon.
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NTSB investigators went to the crash site Monday to collect evidence.
“The debris field is pretty extensive,” Homendy said.
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“A piece of the tail is down the hill," she said. “The fuselage is on the other side of that hill. And then the main rotor is about 100 yards beyond that.”
Some experts suggested that the pilot might have gotten disoriented because of fog but Homendy said investigating teams would look at everything from the pilot's history to the engines.
“We look at man, machine and the environment,” she said. “And weather is just a small portion of that.”
The pilot had asked for and received special clearance to fly in heavy fog just minutes before the crash and was flying at 1,400 feet when he went south and then west, Homendy said.
The pilot then asked for air traffic controllers to provide “flight following” radar assistance but was told the craft was too low for that assistance, Homendy said.
About four minutes later, “the pilot advised they were climbing to avoid a cloud layer," she said. “When ATC asked what the pilot planned to do, there was no reply. Radar data indicates the helicopter climbed to 2,300 feet and then began a left descending turn. Last radar contact was around 9:45 a.m."
Two minutes later, someone on the ground called 911 to report the crash.
[ The basketball legacy of Kobe Bryant, from high school phenom to NBA legend ]
Randy Waldman, a helicopter flight instructor who teaches at the nearby Van Nuys airport, said it’s likely the pilot got disoriented in the fog and the helicopter went into a fatal dive.
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"It's a common thing that happens in airplanes and helicopters with people flying with poor visibility," Waldman said. "If you're flying visually, if you get caught in a situation where you can't see out the windshield, the life expectancy of the pilot and the aircraft is maybe 10, 15 seconds, and it happens all the time, and it's really a shame."
Some experts raised questions of whether the helicopter should have even been flying. The weather was so foggy that the Los Angeles Police Department and the county sheriff's department had grounded their own choppers.
The Sikorsky S-76 killed the retired athlete along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and everyone else aboard and scattering debris over an area the size of a football field.
Crews recovered three bodies on Sunday and resumed the effort on Monday amid an outpouring of grief and shock around the world over the loss of the basketball great who helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles during his dazzling 20-year career.
The pilot was identified as Ara Zobayan. Several aviation experts said it is not uncommon for helicopter pilots to be given such permission, though some thought it unusual that it would be granted in airspace as busy as that over Los Angeles.
But Kurt Deetz, who flew for Bryant dozens of times in the same chopper that went down, said permission is often granted in the area.
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"It happened all the time in the winter months in LA," Deetz said. “You get fog.”
The helicopter left Santa Ana in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, shortly after 9 a.m., heading north and then west. Bryant was believed to be headed for his youth sports academy in nearby Thousand Oaks, which was holding a basketball tournament Sunday in which Bryant's daughter, known as Gigi, was competing.
Air traffic controllers noted poor visibility around Burbank to the north and Van Nuys to the northwest. At one point, the controllers instructed the chopper to circle because of other planes in the area before proceeding.
The aircraft crashed in Calabasas, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. When it struck the ground, it was flying at about 184 mph and descending at a rate of more than 4,000 feet per minute, according to data from Flightradar24.
[ Kobe Bryant and his daughter. A baseball coach. Teenage girls and their parents. A pilot. These were the 9 helicopter crash victims. ]
Waldman said the same thing happened to John F. Kennedy Jr. when his plane dropped out of the sky near Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., in 1999.
“A lot of times somebody who’s doing it for a living is pressured to get their client to where they have to go,” Waldman said. “They take chances that maybe they shouldn’t take.”
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Bryant had been known since his playing days for taking helicopters instead of braving the notoriously snarled Los Angeles traffic. “I'm not going into LA without the Mamba chopper,” he joked on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in 2018, referring to his own nickname, Black Mamba.
David Hoeppner, an expert on helicopter design, said he won't fly on helicopters.
“Part of it is the way they certify and design these things," said Hoeppner, a retired engineering professor at the University of Utah. "But the other part is helicopter pilots often fly in conditions where they shouldn’t be flying.”
Jerry Kidrick, a retired Army colonel who flew helicopters in Iraq and now teaches at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, said the helicopter's rapid climb and fast descent suggest the pilot was disoriented.
When that happens, he said, pilots must instantly switch from visual cues to flying the aircraft using only the machine’s instruments.
“It’s one of the most dangerous conditions you can be in,” Kidrick said. “Oftentimes, your body is telling you something different than what the instruments are telling you. You can feel like you’re leaning to the left or the right when you’re not. If the pilot isn’t trained well enough to believe the instruments, you get in a panic situation."
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On Sunday, firefighters hiked in with medical equipment and hoses, and medical personnel rappelled to the site from a helicopter. About 20 investigators were on the site early Monday. The Los Angeles County medical examiner, Dr. Jonathan Lucas, said it could take at least a couple of days to to recover the remains.
Among those killed in the crash were John Altobelli, 56, longtime head coach of Southern California’s Orange Coast College baseball team; his wife, Keri; and daughter, Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Bryant’s daughter; and Christina Mauser, a girls basketball coach at a Southern California elementary school.
Associated Press writer Brian Melley also contributed to this report.