chicagotribune--2020-01-21--Top White Sox prospects Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn are among 27 non-roster invitees to spring t

Top White Sox prospects Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn are among 27 non-roster invitees to spring training

Vaughn , a first baseman , is the No .
3 prospect .
Picked third in the 2019 draft out @ @ @ @ @ , he played for the Arizona League White Sox and Class A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem @ @ @

Highly touted prospects Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn are among 27 non-roster invitees to spring training, the White Sox announced Tuesday.
The group includes 15 free agents: pitchers Drew Anderson, Ryan Burr, Ross Detwiler, Caleb Frare, Brady Lail, Jacob Lindgren, Alex McRae, Adalberto Mejia, Bryan Mitchell and Matt Tomshaw; infielders Cheslor Cuthbert, Andrew Romine and Matt Skole; and outfielders Jaycob Brugman and Nicky Delmonico.
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Madrigal and Vaughn are among 12 players from the organization to receive invitations. The list also includes pitchers Tayron Guerrero, Codi Heuer, Tyler Johnson, Kodi Medeiros, Hunter Schryver and Jonathan Stiever; catcher Carlos Perez; infielder Gavin Sheets; and outfielders Luis Gonzalez and Daniel Palka.
Burr, Detwiler, Frare, Skole, Delmonico and Palka saw time with the Sox in 2019.
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Seven of the 12 organizational invitees rank among the top 30 Sox prospects entering 2020, according to MLB.com.
Vaughn, a first baseman, is the No. 3 prospect. Picked third in the 2019 draft out of the University of California, he played for the Arizona League White Sox and Class A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem last season.
Madrigal, a second baseman whom the Sox drafted with the No. 4 pick in 2018 from Oregon State, is their fourth-ranked prospect. He spent time at Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2019.
Stiever (No. 6), Gonzalez (No. 11), Sheets (No. 12), Johnson (No. 18) and Heuer (No. 23) also are ranked among the top 30 Sox prospects.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz. Position players report Feb. 17, also the date of the first full-squad workout.


chicagotribune--2020-01-21--Column: The Kris Bryant saga drags on — but with Nolan Arenado off the market, the pieces of the puz

Column: The Kris Bryant saga drags on — but with Nolan Arenado off the market, the pieces of the puzzle might be falling into place

“ With the season coming up and spring training on the horizon , we are going to start focusing on @ @ @ @ @ Jeff Bridich told the Denver Post .
“ We have listened to teams regarding Nolan @ @ @ @ @ come of it .
We are going to move forward pretty much as we expected @ @ @ @ @ purple and black and as our third baseman .
So we can put this to @ @ @ @ @ to the upcoming season and work toward that .
”

The Cubs have one fewer obstacle in the way of their offseason plan to deal third baseman Kris Bryant now that Nolan Arenado is off the market.
The Rockies dangled their star third baseman in trade talks the last couple of months, then pulled back Monday, saying they wanted to focus on the season with no distractions.
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With no other difference-making third basemen available, Bryant is the best option for teams seeking to upgrade at the position in the next three weeks. The big question for any team considering Bryant is whether he’ll be a free agent after 2020 or ’21, a decision to be settled by an arbitrator of Bryant’s service-time grievance against the Cubs.
The Cubs originally believed a decision would be made before the winter meetings in early December, but the case has dragged on longer than anyone predicted.
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“It’s an important case. A lot of work goes into it,” Cubs President Theo Epstein said Friday at the Cubs Convention. “An arbitrator has to sit through weeks of testimony, sift through hundreds of pages of briefs. He’s got an important job, and I’m sure he’s moving as quickly as he can. But we’d rather that they get it right and not rush to any judgment.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 74 Kris Bryant is introduced. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
When it does happen, the Cubs will have a better idea of how much they can get in return, considering only one year of team control — if Bryant wins the grievance — would greatly reduce his trade value. The Braves and Diamondbacks appear to be the most likely suitors, though the likeliest result of the Bryant saga, according to Epstein, is the “status quo.”
That means no trade, and the Cubs offseason will have morphed into a “Seinfeld” episode — a show about nothing.
“Maybe we’re just doing an Ali rope-a-dope on everybody and there will be some stuff later,” Epstein said, referring to Muhammad Ali’s winning strategy against George Foreman in their 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight title bout.
That tactic — letting your opponent wear himself out by taking an early pummeling — might work on the media that have pummeled the Cubs during this silent winter. How it has affected Bryant’s psyche is a more important issue.
Epstein doesn’t believe Bryant would let the trade rumors affect him if he stays.
“This is the business of baseball,” he said. “And you come together in spring training.”
If the Cubs don’t trade Bryant before spring training begins Feb. 12 in Mesa, Ariz., he presumably will reveal if he felt “disrespected a lot” by the organization, as Arenado said about the Rockies’ treatment of him.
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In February the Rockies signed Arenado to an eight-year, $260 million deal with an opt-out clause after 2021 and a no-trade clause. He was the face of the franchise. But less than a year later, they tried to trade him … until Monday.
“With the season coming up and spring training on the horizon, we are going to start focusing on that,” general manager Jeff Bridich told the Denver Post. “We have listened to teams regarding Nolan, and really nothing has come of it. We are going to move forward pretty much as we expected — with Nolan in the purple and black and as our third baseman. So we can put this to bed and collectively look forward to the upcoming season and work toward that.”
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the Rockies’ price tag for Arenado was intentionally ridiculous, and they were hoping a desperate team pursuing free agent Josh Donaldson would give up the house when Donaldson signed with the Twins. Despite rumors of a possible deal with the Cardinals, no one bit, so Bridich publicly took Arenado off the market.
The Cubs could do likewise and announce they won’t trade Bryant. But Epstein doesn’t feel the need to squelch a rumor he never has acknowledged publicly.
“Kris is an important guy here, and we expect him to be our opening third baseman,” Epstein said. “But we’ve been open and transparent about the fact we’ll talk about all our players this year."
Bryant declined to speak with the media over the weekend, citing a bout of the flu, which sparked a Twitter debate that his wife, Jessica, joined in on to defend her husband’s integrity. He hasn’t addressed the trade rumors publicly or on social media.
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Because it makes so much sense to fly all the way to Chicago to fake the flu. Not to mention leaving his pregnant wife who also has the flu at home because he truly loves being at the convention every year. But yep totally faking it🙄 — Jessica Bryant (@Jess__bryant) January 18, 2020
Epstein said there were no hard feelings between the two despite the grievance, the lack of an extension and trade rumors that popped up as often as a Baker Mayfield commercial.
“I have all the respect in the world for Kris Bryant,” Epstein said. “I appreciate everything that he’s done as a Cub. I’m very proud of what he’s done as a Cub. Proud that we drafted and developed him, though he didn’t need much development at all.”
Then why did Epstein send Bryant back to Triple-A Iowa on March 30, 2015, when the 2014 minor-league player of the year was leading all players in spring training with nine home runs and hitting .425?
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The answer: Having seven years of team control of Bryant was much preferable to six.
Most fans have forgotten that on the fateful day the Cubs sent Bryant to the minors, they also sent down Javier Baez and Addison Russell, buying an extra year of team control for another future MVP candidate and a prospect who at the time seemed headed toward stardom.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 167 Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant stand at the plate during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on July 26, 2021. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The players union immediately got involved on Bryant’s behalf, sending out a statement calling his demotion a “bad day for baseball.”
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“I think we all know that even if Kris Bryant were a combination of the greatest players to play our game, and perhaps he will be before it’s all said and done, the Cubs still would have made the decision they made today,” the statement said. “This decision, and other similar decisions made by clubs, will be addressed in litigation, bargaining or both.”
But the union didn’t get the rule changed in negotiations with owners over the next collective bargaining agreement in 2017. Five years after the union’s strong denunciation of the Cubs’ decision, the issue has yet to be resolved.
Meanwhile, manager David Ross said he expects to have Bryant in the lineup come spring training, and Bryant’s teammates are hoping the rumors are just rumors.
“I don’t know about the truth, but all the players (feel) the same way,” pitcher Yu Darvish said. “We don’t want him to go anywhere. But it’s a business, right? He’s a great person and a great player, so I hope he stays.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-21--Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer sues band for ‘devastating’ decision to block his return ahead of Gram

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer sues band for ‘devastating’ decision to block his return ahead of Grammy honors

`` We have missed him and have encouraged him to rejoin us to play many times but apparently he has @ @ @ @ @ so .
Joey has now waited until the last moment to accept our invitation , @ @ @ @ @ time for necessary rehearsals during Grammys week , the statement said .

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chicagotribune--2020-01-21--‘Chicago Fire,’ ‘Chicago Med,’ ‘Chicago P.D.’ casts to play in charity table tennis tournament

Besides the tournament , DeVitto shot an indie thriller — “ Divertimento , ” with “ Twilight ” alum Kellan @ @ @ @ @ is due out soon .
She is also looking forward to the 100th episode of @ @ @ @ @ s set to air in a few weeks .
She said the “ P.D.
” @ @ @ @ @ got themed cakes for their 100th episodes , and “ I ’ m sure we @ @ @ @ @ medical cake.
” She was vague about what ’ s next for her character , @ @ @ @ @ teased a major development coming this season .
“ People are going to be like @ @ @ @ @ , ’ ” she said .

You wouldn’t know it by meeting him or watching him on TV, but apparently “Chicago Fire” star David Eigenberg likes to talk trash when he plays Ping-Pong against cast members from “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med.”
“David Eigenberg is competitive. Yeah, he gets pretty competitive,” “Med” star Torrey DeVitto told the Tribune by phone. “Yes, he trash talks. All the guys on ‘Fire’ trash talk, in a fun way.”
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DeVitto and her “Med” castmates are set to face off against “P.D.” and “Fire” stars at 3 p.m. Sunday in their second charity table tennis tournament at Spin Chicago in River North. “Fire” won the first team tournament, and the TV stars played singles tennis as well, with “Med” star Nick Gehlfuss defeating DeVitto in a squeaker.
DeVitto said the “Med” team hasn’t practiced together this year, but she’s not worried. “I feel like I do best just coming in hot under pressure,” said DeVitto, who played tennis while attending high school in Florida and now at the East Bank Club in River North. “I have to remember not to hit (the ball) too hard like a tennis ball.”
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"Chicago Med" star Torrey DeVitto plays at a charity table tennis tournament for "Chicago Med," "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." cast members at Spin Chicago in September 2018. (Daniel Boczarski/Handout)
“Chicago Today” hosts Matthew Rodrigues and Cortney Hall are set to emcee this weekend’s tournament. “Fire” castmates Eigenberg, Eamonn Walker, Jesse Spencer and Joe Minoso; “Med” stars DeVitto, Dominic Rains, Roland Buck III and Marlyne Barrett; and “P.D.” cast members Tracy Spiridakos and Lisseth Chavez are expected to participate.
Tickets, which are $30 now and $40 on Sunday, include play time with the casts, Hornitos Tequila cocktails, Crook & Marker spiked seltzer and plant-based bites by Beyond Meat. Proceeds are slated to go to the 100 Club of Chicago, an organization that provides for the families of first responders who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“We obviously portray these people on TV, so we love being able to give back to that community whenever we can,” DeVitto said. Local police officers, firefighters and medics are also set to play their TV counterparts on Sunday.
Besides the tournament, DeVitto shot an indie thriller — “Divertimento,” with “Twilight” alum Kellan Lutz — that she said is due out soon. She is also looking forward to the 100th episode of “Med” that’s set to air in a few weeks. She said the “P.D.” and “Fire” casts got themed cakes for their 100th episodes, and “I’m sure we’ll have a cool medical cake.” She was vague about what’s next for her character, Dr. Natalie Manning, but teased a major development coming this season. “People are going to be like, ‘Oh, no,’” she said.
“Med,” which airs at 7 p.m. Wednesdays on NBC, has not been renewed for a sixth season, but the chances of renewal are good since the medical drama typically pulls in 7 to 9 million viewers each episode. DeVitto said she has no plans to leave the series: “The day that this show gets canceled, I’m going to really, really miss Chicago. I feel like I’ve built a really great community here, so I am so down to ride it out.”
tswartz@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Look out, Michelob Ultra. Light craft beer Saint Archer Gold is coming for you.

A premium light beer needs to be defined not only by what it isn ’ t ( lots of calories @ @ @ @ @ by what it is ( crisp and refreshing ) .
Saint Archer Gold trumps Michelob @ @ @ @ @ clean refreshment and vaguely interesting yeast character that veers toward mild fruitiness .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ with nary a wasted note .

The words “Light craft lager,” center, were replaced on the can with a far more robust declaration: “Ultimate light beer,” left. ( Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune; Shannon Kinsella/food styling)
Saint Archer Gold began life last year as a “Light craft lager.” It said so right there on the slim 12-ounce can.
But after several months in four test markets, Molson Coors, the nation’s second-largest beer company, came to a surprising conclusion: Saint Archer Gold performed better with consumers as a challenger to low-calorie workhorse Michelob Ultra — a leading brand for chief rival Anheuser-Busch — than as a craft beer.
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So ahead of Saint Archer Gold’s national roll out this month, the words “Light craft lager” were replaced on the can with a far more robust declaration: “Ultimate light beer.”
Becoming the “ultimate” light beer in a nation of light beer drinkers is a massive undertaking. But so is taking on Michelob Ultra, which became the nation’s second-biggest selling beer in 2019 (behind Bud Light) after a sales jump of nearly 17 percent, according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI Worldwide.
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Molson Coors knew it needed to get into the burgeoning “better for you” beer space, though, and it is investing heavily. The effort includes the ultimate stamp of modern affirmation: an ad during next month’s Super Bowl.
Saint Archer Gold is a bold foray into the better for you beer space, and one of several for Molson Coors, along with Blue Moon Light Sky (a 95-calories wheat beer made with tangerine peel), Coors Peak (92 calories, made with organic ingredients) and Leinenkugel’s Spritzen (93-calorie beer made with a splash of flavored seltzer).
But Molson Coors especially hopes for untapped potential in San Diego-based Saint Archer, a craft brewery the company bought in 2015. (Despite the Saint Archer branding, Gold is made at Molson Coors’ breweries in Albany, Georgia, and Fort Worth, Texas.)
“It’s bold and creative and taking a brand we believe has strong credentials in the active lifestyle space and making a big bet against it,” said Paul Verdu, a Molson Coors vice president of sales and marketing.
As for the most important question — how does it compare to Michelob Ultra? — they’re equals on the better for you scale: both 95 calories and 2.6 grams of carbohydrates.
As far as taste, good news for Saint Archer Gold. In a kitchen counter blind tasting, it was my clear preference.
A premium light beer needs to be defined not only by what it isn’t (lots of calories and carbs), but by what it is (crisp and refreshing). Saint Archer Gold trumps Michelob Ultra by offering bright, clean refreshment and vaguely interesting yeast character that veers toward mild fruitiness. It’s a finely tuned beer with nary a wasted note.
When icy cold, Michelob Ultra is passable. But just a few minutes past the refrigerator door, it takes on a flabby vegetal tone. Saint Archer Gold remains crisp and clean.
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While it may or may not be the “ultimate” light beer, Saint Archer Gold is certainly preferable to the Ultra light beer.
jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Metra Electric resolves ‘wire problems’ that prevented trains from leaving or arriving at Millennium

Metra Electric resolves ‘wire problems’ that prevented trains from leaving or arriving at Millennium Station

Earlier , as of about 8:45 a.m. , Metra said on its website that trains were being delayed more than @ @ @ @ @ to resolve the issue .

About 30 minutes after Metra officials resolved an issue causing extensive delays Thursday morning at Millennium Station, a siren blared and everyone inside was told to leave the building, according to passengers and a Metra spokesman.
A fire alarm was going off at the station about 9:35 a.m., according to Tom Miller, a spokesman for Metra, but he wasn’t immediately sure what caused it.
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The evacuation of the station came after earlier issues that kept trains from entering or leaving the station for about an hour.
Larry Merritt, a spokesman for Chicago fire, said he could not confirm that a fire alarm was going off, but said there was no fire at the station that might have prompted the evacuation.
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Passengers reported a woman’s voice coming through the station’s speaker system, telling all employees, customers, and occupants to leave the building, as well as a recorded message saying there was an emergency situation.
The issue at Millennium Station was causing delays elsewhere, according to an email from the South Shore Line at 9:55 a.m..
“Westbound train 214 is stopped at Van Buren Station on account of a fire alarm at Millennium Station,” it said. “Millennium Station has been evacuated.” At 10:34 a.m. officials said the train was finally on the move, some 90 minutes late.
Others said office workers trying to use the Pedway and commuters turned away from Millennium Station were waiting inside the lobby of One Prudential Plaza, which houses the Tribune. Others waited outside the Chicago Cultural Center.
The issues with the fire alarm were not the first problems at the station Thursday morning. For nearly an hour, Metra Electric trains were unable to leave or arrive at Millennium Station, apparently because of “wire problems,” the agency said. Miller said he did not know whether the two issues were related.
That problem was resolved around 9:05 a.m., according to Metra, which said that although tracks had been reopened, delays of more than 30 minutes persisted.
Metra Alert ME - Inbound and outbound trains may be operating up to 35 minutes behind schedule, wire problems. All depot tracks are now open. (UPDATE #2) — Metra Electric (@metraMED) January 23, 2020
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By 10:30 a.m., some trains remained delayed by as much as 90 minutes, according to Metra.
Passengers were asked to listen to platform announcements for updated delay information, or visit metrarail.com for details.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--'Sopranos’ actress Annabella Sciorra set to testify against Harvey Weinstein at his sex assault tria

'Sopranos’ actress Annabella Sciorra set to testify against Harvey Weinstein at his sex assault trial

“ The evidence will show that despite her protests , despite her fight , despite her body revolting , Harvey @ @ @ @ @ to take what he wanted from Annabella forcing her to live in terror of him @ @ @ @ @ Meghan Hast told jurors in her opening statement .

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for his trial on rape and sexual assault charges on Jan. 23, 2020 in New York. (Mark Lennihan / AP)
NEW YORK — “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra confronted Harvey Weinstein from the witness stand Thursday, testifying that the former Hollywood studio boss overpowered and raped her and made other crude overtures that included sending her X-rated chocolates and showing up uninvited in his underwear with a bottle of baby oil in one hand and a video in the other.
In a quivering voice, Sciorra told the jury that the burly Weinstein barged into her apartment in the mid-1990s, threw her on a bed and forced himself on her as she tried to fight him off by kicking and punching him.
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She said that roughly a month later, she ran into him and confronted him about what happened, and he replied: “That’s what all the nice Catholic girls say."
Then, she told the jury, Weinstein leaned toward her and added menacingly: “This remains between you and I.”
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“His eyes went black and I thought he was going to hit me right there,” Sciorra testified.
The 59-year-old actress became the first of Weinstein's accusers to testify at his trial, where the movie mogul whose downfall gave rise to the #MeToo movement is charged with forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in his New York apartment in 2006 and raping an aspiring actress in a hotel room in 2013.
Weinstein's lawyers sought to sow doubts about Sciorra's story, raising questions about her actions after the alleged rape and asking whether she had once described the encounter as “awkward sex,” which she denied.
Weinstein is not charged with attacking Sciorra, whose accusations date too far back to be prosecuted. Instead, she testified as one of four additional accusers prosecutors intend to put on the stand to show that the powerful Hollywood producer had a habit of preying on women.
Generally, prosecutors cannot bring up alleged crimes beyond the charges at a trial, but such evidence can be allowed if it shows a certain pattern of behavior. Five additional accusers were allowed to testify against Bill Cosby at the Pennsylvania trial that led to his 2018 conviction for sexually assaulting a woman.
Weinstein, 67, could get life in prison if convicted.
Actress Annabella Sciorra, right, arrives as a witness in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial, in New York, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) (Richard Drew / AP)
The executive behind such Oscar-winning movies as “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love" has insisted any sexual encounters were consensual.
Recounting an accusation she said she kept largely secret for decades, Sciorra testified that after raping her, Weinstein went on to try to perform oral sex on her, saying, “This is for you," as her body “shut down."
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“It was just so disgusting,” she said. She said she started to shake: “I didn’t even know what was happening. It was like a seizure or something.”
At other points in the 1990s, she said, Weinstein sent her packages with Valium and a box of chocolate penises and turned up early one morning at her Cannes Film Festival hotel room in his underwear with the body oil and the videotape. She said he left after she frantically pushed buttons on the room phone to summon help.
The jury of seven men and five women listened keenly and took notes on her testimony. Weinstein was mostly expressionless, sometimes appearing to purse his lips as he chewed mints.
During cross-examination, Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno noted that Sciorra never went to police or a doctor about the alleged rape.
“At the time, I didn’t understand that that was rape," Sciorra said. She testified earlier that she once thought rape was a crime of strangers.
“I thought he was an OK guy. I felt confused. I felt like I wished I never opened the door,” she said.
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Rotunno also suggested that Sciorra’s judgment and recollection were clouded by drinking — the actress replied that she remembered having only a glass of wine with dinner — and played a 1997 clip of Sciorra playfully telling late-night host David Letterman that she sometimes had fun with the media by making up stories such as her father raising iguanas for circuses.
Sciorra said she would never lie about something as serious as sexual assault.
The defense also highlighted an August 2017 text message in which Sciorra told a friend she was broke and was “hoping Harvey has a job for me.”
The actress said she was just “fishing” to try to find out through the friend whether Weinstein knew that a reporter had gotten wind of her accusations. They were first published in The New Yorker two months later.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault, unless they come forward publicly.
Sciorra drew acclaim for her part in Spike Lee’s 1991 movie “Jungle Fever” and her role as a pregnant woman molested by her doctor in 1992's “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.” She later appeared in a few episodes of “The Sopranos."
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She said she met Weinstein at an industry event in Los Angeles in 1990 or 1991. By 1993, she had starred in one of his company's movies, the romantic comedy “The Night We Never Met.”
She said the rape happened in late 1993 or early 1994, after Weinstein dropped her off from a movie-business dinner and then appeared, uninvited, at her door minutes later.
Sciorra later acted in another Weinstein-produced picture, 1997's “Cop Land,” though she said she didn't realize when auditioning that his studio was involved.
She told no one at first about the alleged rape, not even her brothers, she said.
“I wanted to pretend it never happened," she said. “I wanted to get back to my life.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Zion Williamson scores 22 points in 18 minutes for his NBA debut: ‘The energy was crazy’

“ It was everything I dreamed of , except for the losing part , ” Williamson said .
“ Just @ @ @ @ @ , the energy the city brought , it was electric and I 'm just grateful @ @ @ @ @ So it was a dream come true to finally get out there , but at @ @ @ @ @ I did want to win , so we 've got to look to the next @ @ @

NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson scored the final point of his first NBA regular season game as a packed and standing crowd belted out chants of “M-V-P!”
Then the NBA's No. 1 overall draft pick went to the bench — as mandated by medical staff — and watched the game slip away from the Pelicans while unheeded chants of, “We want Zion!” echoed around the Smoothie King Center.
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Williamson capped his long-awaited NBA debut by scoring 17 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and stirring the crowd into a frenzy — but the savvy and composed San Antonio Spurs weathered the surge for a 121-117 victory Wednesday night.
The celebrated rookie out of Duke, whose maiden regular season appearance was delayed three months by arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, said watching the final five minutes from the bench out of caution was “very hard.”
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“I'm 19, honestly. In that moment, I'm not thinking about longevity,” Williamson continued. “I'm thinking about winning that game, so it was very tough.”
LaMarcus Aldridge had 32 points and 14 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 20 points, and the San Antonio Spurs withstood Williamson's late surge for a 121-117 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday night.
“The crowd got into it. We didn’t let it rattle us,” DeRozan said, adding that Williamson “went on a hell of a run.”
.@Zionwilliamson didn't miss from distance, going 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter during his 17-point scoring stretch! pic.twitter.com/vylmrTvSLD — New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 23, 2020
"It was great that we held our composure, executed when we needed to, and came up with stops when we needed to,” DeRozan added.
With Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sending double-teams at Williamson, the rookie struggled to find his shot during the first three quarters. When the fourth quarter began, he had just five points, four rebounds, an assist and four turnovers in a little less than 12 minutes.
But when the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Williamson found himself open for a straight-on 3 with about nine minutes to go, he let it fly and it went down, infusing the stadium with energy. He followed that up with a torrid three-minute stretch in which he laid in an alley-oop lob, put back a missed shot with a reverse layup and hit three more 3s.
Williamson wasn't known for shooting 3s when he starred at Duke. He was so often able to dominate inside. But Williamson noted that his long rehabilitation probably helped him refine his outside shot.
“When you're not able to move around and do athletic movements for a while, the only thing you can do is just shoot spot-up jumpers, I guess that was the result of that.”
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His teammates loved it.
“The first one, I was like, ‘All right. Cool,' ” guard Jrue Holiday said. “Then the second three I was like, ‘All right, boy, you’ve been practicing.’ And the third one, and from that point on, the energy was crazy."
Williamson came into the game knowing his playing time would be limited — even though he started. He had played a total of 18:18 when he was subbed out for good with the Pelicans — who trailed by 12 to start the final period — down 109-108.
Soon after, DeRozan began San Antonio's decisive surge with a finger roll and pull-up jumper. Aldridge followed with a tip-in and jumper shortly after.
New Orleans got as close as 119-117 on Josh Hart's 3, but Aldridge responded with two free throws and the Spurs did not give up another basket.
“I was really proud of our guys,” Popovich said. “We took a huge blow. We stayed the course and just played.”
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Brandon Ingram scored 22 for New Orleans but missed 16 of 22 shots, while Lonzo Ball had 14 points and 12 assists.
Williamson entered the Smoothie King Center wearing a black suit with a blue design and blue basketball sneakers. Written in pink on the black T-shirt he wore under his sport coat was the expression, “Let's Dance,” which was his message to New Orleans the night the Pelicans drafted him.
He certainly found his rhythm in the fourth quarter of his first game, raising hopes for what lies ahead in New Orleans' remaining 37 games.
“It was everything I dreamed of, except for the losing part,” Williamson said. “Just the energy the crowd brought, the energy the city brought, it was electric and I'm just grateful that they did that. So it was a dream come true to finally get out there, but at the end of the day I did want to win, so we've got to look to the next game.”
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Popovich sounded genuinely enthused to be in the building for Williamson's first game.
“You just feel like you’re seeing a new generation come in and you get to see it. You get to be right in the middle of it," Popovich said before tip-off.
The 24th-year Spurs head coach, who has won five championships, began to reminisce about his first NBA job as a San Antonio assistant under Larry Brown in the 1988-89 season, which was the heart of the Michael Jordan era.
“I can remember my first days as an assistant for Larry and being mesmerized sitting on the bench watching Michael go up and down the court. I don’t even know if I knew what was going on in the game. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of him,” Popovich said. “So, I think about that and now we’ve got this generation coming in and it’s been a lot of fun to see.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Column: 12 changes the White Sox should make for the 2020 season

If the Sox were to start games at 6:40 p.m. instead of at 7:10 , more fans would stick around @ @ @ @ @ of leaving early from a 3½-hour game because of work or getting the kids in @ @ @ @ @ day .
Plus the ballpark won ’ t look so empty on TV at the @ @ @ @

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn revealed his wish list after the 2019 season and basically got everything he had hoped for this offseason, suddenly creating high expectations for a rebuilding team that finished 28½ games behind the division-winning Twins.
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There’s not much else Sox fans can ask for, but with SoxFest this weekend unofficially kicking off the new season, we present 12 resolutions we would like to see in 2020:
1. Officially pronounce it the 'Summer of Hawk.’
He already has had Hawk Harrelson day, Hawk Harrelson bobblehead day and Hawk Harrelson alarm-clock day. Why not a whole summer dedicated to the Hall of Fame broadcaster? And maybe a Hall of Fame edition of the Hawk alarm-clock giveaway. A classic promotion deserves an encore during the Summer of Hawk.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 39 White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson acknowledges the crowd on Hawk Day as he was honored by the White Sox before the game between the White Sox and the Red Sox on September 2, 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field. (David Banks / Getty Images)
2. Start weekday night games a half-hour earlier.
If the Sox were to start games at 6:40 p.m. instead of at 7:10, more fans would stick around until the final out instead of leaving early from a 3½-hour game because of work or getting the kids in bed for school the next day. Plus the ballpark won’t look so empty on TV at the end of games.
3. Stop worrying about what’s said on Sox blogs and Twitter accounts.
The venting by Sox fans online isn’t a whole lot different than the venting on other teams’ fan-related blogs or Twitter accounts. You can’t stop it, so just ignore it.
4. Unveil a Dick Allen statue.
The former Sox slugger almost single-handedly revived interest in the Sox with his American League MVP season in 1972. He lasted only three years on the South Side but became one of the most important players in franchise history. Respect should be paid.
5. Admit a playoff spot is the goal, and anything less is unacceptable.
It has been a long time since 2008, when the Sox last made the playoffs, and many fans are tired of waiting for the year after next year. “If anybody is afraid of setting expectations, this is not a place to be,” manager Rick Renteria said recently. Well, that’s a start. Now if only Renteria would retire his catchphrase: “We’re chipping away.”
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and first baseman Jose Abreu speak in the dugout at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
6. Put an end to Sox math during broadcasts.
The clues are too difficult to answer without a lot of googling. Who has time for that when you’re lying on the couch watching baseball? Perhaps a Sox trivia spelling bee would suffice. Question: Popular Sox shortstop whose baserunning gaffe helped sink their 1983 World Series dream? Answer: “D-Y-B-Z-I-N-S-K-I.”
7. Resurrect the Go-Go Sox.
Nick Madrigal stole 35 bases last year in 48 attempts in the minors, while Luis Robert stole 36 bases in 47 attempts. Imagine the two Sox rookies batting 1-2 in the order, just like Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox did back in “Go-Go” era. The first-inning buzz at Sox Park would be off the charts.
8. Change the starting times for the July 7-8 Cubs games to late afternoon.
Mayhem typically ensues at night games when the City Series moves to the South Side, thanks to big crowds, alcohol consumption and a longtime hatred for all things Cubs. Both home games against the North Siders are scheduled to be played at night. Why tempt fate again?
9. Invite former Sox great Jack McDowell to Camelback Ranch as a guest instructor.
Just don’t invite former Sox manager Tony La Russa at the same time. On second thought, please do.
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10. Stage a salute to 80 years of the Bossards at Sox Park.
Gene Bossard became head groundskeeper at Comiskey Park in 1940 and continued through 1983. His son, Roger, commonly known as “The Sodfather,” replaced Gene and is entering his 54th year in the organization. The first family of sod deserves a day of recognition.
Head groundskeeper Roger Bossard works on the infield the day before a home opener against the Minnesota Twins. (Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune)
11. Pop-up McCuddy’s.
Pop-up bars are a growing trend, as we saw during the holidays. The one long-gone establishment old-school Sox fans truly miss is McCuddy’s Tavern, which was located on 35th Street across from old Comiskey and was torn down for the new ballpark. Babe Ruth used to drink there. So did your parents and maybe your grandparents. That’s enough reason for a pop-up McCuddy’s at Sox Park.
12. End the rebuild and begin the renaissance.
Hahn already started it by winning the offseason. Now it’s up to Renteria and the players to make it happen. Time’s up.


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Southern Thai favorites in Roscoe Village, another big food hall opening in Loop, plus more Chicago

Southern Thai favorites in Roscoe Village, another big food hall opening in Loop, plus more Chicago restaurant news

Six years ago , Kris Henry and his wife , Christen , bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok because they @ @ @ @ @ winter .
When they arrived , it was love at first tom yum soup .
@ @ @ @ @ its food was so intense that they ended up visiting many times , until their @ @ @ @ @ Southeast Asia totaled more than a year .
While overseas , Kris Henry learned how @ @ @ @ @ southern Thai street food dishes that he frequently ate , and now he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Roscoe Village neighborhood at his restaurant Same Same .

Same Same is cooking up southern Thai street foods in Roscoe Village, inspired by the owners' travels. (Grace Wong / Chicago Tribune)
Six years ago, Kris Henry and his wife, Christen, bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok because they wanted to escape the Chicago winter. When they arrived, it was love at first tom yum soup. Their obsession with Thailand and its food was so intense that they ended up visiting many times, until their time in the country and Southeast Asia totaled more than a year. While overseas, Kris Henry learned how to cook some of the southern Thai street food dishes that he frequently ate, and now he’s bringing those dishes to the Roscoe Village neighborhood at his restaurant Same Same.
“It was such an eye-opening experience and those fresh flavors that I never really tried before,” Kris Henry said. “I’ll never forget the first time we were at a street stall and something as simple as tom yum soup tasted so fresh and I was like ‘this is incredible.’”
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Tom yum soup changes often as Kris Henry tries to achieve the same flavor as the one he had on his first trip to Thailand. (Grace Wong / Chicago Tribune)
The name Same Same comes from a phrase that English-speaking foreigners like the Henrys often hear from Thai food vendors, who use the term to describe something that may be similar, but still different.
Kris Henry emphasized that he’s not trying to edge out other Thai restaurants in Chicago, but is sharing his personal experiences through cooking his favorite Southeast Asian street dishes.
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One of the dishes Kris Henry was most excited to bring back to Chicago was hat yai, a southern Thai-style fried chicken with white pepper, garlic, coriander root, crispy shallots and chile honey. There’s also tom yum soup, a recipe that Henry is continually improving in hopes of one day achieving the same flavor as the one he had on his first trip to Thailand. Other dishes include phat Thai, made with rice noodles, shrimp, egg, tamarind, radish, tofu, peanut and chile lime, and green curry, with chicken, basil, makrut lime, cilantro, jalapeno and Thai eggplant. Dishes like nuea naam tok, grilled steak with toasted rice powder, shallots, chile, mint and cilantro, are meant to be shared.
Phat Thai is made with rice noodles, shrimp, egg, tamarind, radish, tofu, peanut and chile lime. (Grace Wong / Chicago Tribune)
Henry has also used his background in bartending to create a tropical drinks menu, with options like Monkey Business, made with gin, banana, honey and lime; the My Thai, made with rum, orgeat, lime and curacao; or the Same Old, made with bourbon, Thai tea and bitters. Once the weather is warmer, Henry plans to open a dog-friendly beer garden in the back, where he’ll also host special events, such as a full moon festival with large format cocktails.
The drinks menu features tropical cocktails like the Fly Royale, from left, Monkey Business, My Thai and Same Old. (Grace Wong / Chicago Tribune)
“I’ve loved sourcing all these ingredients and meeting people from Thailand and Vietnam who are so enthusiastic about me cooking this food,” Henry said. “I’m importing a lot of stuff from Thailand so in a way, that’s going back to the families and the economy there as well.”
A giant macaque monkey mural is inspired by a rock climbing trip where Kris Henry met the critters. (Grace Wong / Chicago Tribune)
Henry hopes the restaurant will capture the atmosphere he experienced while eating on the streets of Thailand, and that the food will be approachable while staying true to his experiences overseas. Even the giant macaque monkey mural on the wall is inspired by a rock climbing trip where he met the critters. Because small businesses are so interwoven into Thai society, Henry hopes Same Same will become an integral part of the Roscoe Village community as well.
“I’m just so passionate about the food," he said. “It’s just taking that street atmosphere and capturing as much as I could of that fun energy that I had when I was over in Thailand.”
2022 W. Roscoe St., 773-697-8688, samesamechicago.com
Same Same's owners hope the restaurant captures the atmosphere they experienced while eating on the streets of Thailand. (Grace Wong / Chicago Tribune)
Openings
THE LOOP — Heaven on Seven is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a pop-up called Jimmy’s Po Boy Shop, where guests can try 10 varieties of the classic New Orleans sandwich, including shrimp, oyster and Nashville hot chicken. The pop-up will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Feb. 4, 11 and 18. Orders are taken at the counter and are only available for carry out. Sides like gumbo, coleslaw and corn muffins are available a la carte. 111 N. Wabash Ave., 312-263-6443, heavenonseven.com
THE LOOP — Hayden Hall is slated to open the first week of February, bringing one of the city’s largest food halls to the Big Red tower, former home of CNA Financial. The food hall’s roster of stands will include 10Q (from the team behind bopNgrill, serving fried chicken sandwiches with togarashi mayo and Korean radish), Brown Bag Seafood Co. Test Kitchen, County BBQ (from the team behind DMK and Erick Williams, chef/owner of Virtue), Great Lake Meat Co. (hot sandwich concept from DMK), Julia Coffee & Brioche, Love Foods (prepared food and salad bar), and Mana Food Bar (vegetarian-friendly sliders and noodles), plus recently announced Anaba Handroll Bar (made-to-order handrolls and matcha crepes), Taqueria Decolores (tacos, burritos and bowls) and Victory Italian (meatballs, pasta, Sicilian style and thin crust pizzas). The food hall will also feature one full-service restaurant, Ada St., a second location of the West Town restaurant, and Sophia Wine Bar, featuring natural wines. 333 S. Wabash Ave., 312-763-3336, haydenhall.com
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PULLMAN — Lexington Betty joins the ranks of Majani Soulful Vegan Cuisine and Laine’s Bake Shop, bringing smoked meats and soul food sides to One Eleven, the South Side food hall. This will be its second location outside of its original restaurant in Oak Park and is slated to open Feb. 1. 756 E. 111th St., oneelevenfoodhall.com
ICYMI
CHICAGO — Jean Banchet Awards give top honors to Anna and David Posey, Smyth restaurant, Oriole group
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FULTON RIVER DISTRICT — Blommer Chocolate’s outlet store is closing at the end of February
BRIDGEPORT — Bridgeport Bakery will reopen with a new owner — in time for Paczki Day — and add Chinese treats
LAKE ZURICH — Phase Three, one of Chicago’s trendiest breweries, finds a home of its own in the northwest suburbs
BUCKTOWN — Upscale cocktails and Chinese American food memories: Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar debuts
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WEST LOOP — Review: Michelin-winning chef nails okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes) at Gaijin in the West Loop
Closings
LAKEVIEW — The local location of Cafe L’Appetito is moving to the West Loop at 1258 W. Jackson Blvd. Its last day in the Lakeview location was Jan. 12. The new space is focused on carry out, catering, online ordering and third-party delivery services, according to a Facebook post. “It is so difficult to stay afloat in a sea of big box corporate chains,” the post says. “In our case, regardless of those big chains, we made a promise to our late father that we would keep his business alive and that’s what we intend to do. We are fighting for him and for his vision of bringing an authentic taste of Italy to the city of Chicago.” The restaurant’s locations in Gold Coast and Northwestern Memorial Hospital will remain open.
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--The official portraits of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are going on tour for

The official portraits of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are going on tour for the first time, starting in Chicago

“ There ’ s a very special relationship between not only the City of Chicago , but between our museum @ @ @ @ @ first lady , ” he said .
“ We ’ re still , especially in @ @ @ @ @ the present tense with the President and Mrs. Obama .
So , yes , this @ @ @ @ @ history feels very , very powerful to me .
”

The official portraits of President Barack and first lady Michelle Obama are coming to Chicago.
The hugely popular paintings will leave the National Portrait Gallery for the first time since they were unveiled almost two years ago, beginning their yearlong, five-city tour at the Art Institute in June of 2021, the Washington, D.C. institution announced Thursday.
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Calling the portraits’ scheduled, two-month visit “a narrative homecoming that we’re excited about,” Art Institute President and Eloise W. Martin Director James Rondeau cited the couple’s first official date to the Art Institute and the 2008 presidential election night celebration “in our backyard” in Grant Park as key moments linking the couple to the institution and the city.
“There’s a very special relationship between not only the City of Chicago, but between our museum and the President and the first lady,” he said. “We’re still, especially in Chicago, very much in the present tense with the President and Mrs. Obama. So, yes, this notion of kind of living history feels very, very powerful to me.”
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To give visitors a taste of the Art Institute’s treasures, the museum plans to hang the portraits in the first gallery beyond the Grand Staircase in view of the institution’s iconic, and enormous, “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884” by the French artist Georges Seurat.
“We very much wanted to embed them within a uniquely Chicago, uniquely Art Institute context,” Rondeau said. “You’ll see them in all of their individual, autonomous glory, but they’ll be ... surrounded by Renoir and Monet and Pissarro, et cetera, some of our institutional DNA. And then with absolutely the iconic sight lines to ‘La Grand Jatte.’”
"A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884," painted in 1884/86 by the French artist Georges Seurat. The Art Institute of Chicago, Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection.
The non-traditional official portraits by Kehinde Wiley (Barack) and Amy Sherald (Michelle) have stood out amid the more standard tradition of presidential portraiture on view in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery, and have been key factors in roughly doubling the gallery’s attendance since their unveiling in Feb., 2018, the gallery director said.
Barack Obama was, of course, the United States’ first African-American president, and Wiley and Sherald are the first African-American artists chosen for the gallery’s official president and first lady portraits.
“We’re excited that it’s coming to Chicago,” said Kim Sajet, director of the museum where images not only of American presidents but American artists, activists, rogues and heroes hang and tell aspects of the nation’s story. When the NPG began organizing the tour, “the Art Institute was one of our first calls, and they were like, ‘Absolutely. We are there,’” she said.
Well ahead of the portraits’ tour, both artists are scheduled to be in Chicago for the Feb. 13 launch of a new NPG book about the paintings called “The Obama Portraits,” at the Stony Island Arts Bank, Sajet said.
Barack Obama, president from 2009 to 2017, began his political career in Chicago, and the couple met and began their family here. They lived in the South Side Kenwood neighborhood when he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and the Obama Presidential Center is planned for near that neighborhood, in Jackson Park.
The popularity of the paintings speaks to the couple’s personal popularity, but also to the treatment of them by the artists, said Sajet.
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“The (Barack) Obama portrait is hung in the gallery of America’s presidents. It’s pretty stark how different it is compared to some of the traditional portraits,” she said.
Wiley painted the 44th president against and amidst a vibrant backdrop of green leaves and symbolic flowers. Sherald painted Michelle Obama in a gray skin tone that references “the first egalitarian portraiture of African Americans,” in black-and-white photos, Sajet said.
“There are so many sort of hints in those portraits that lead to other conversations about where we are at this particular time in history,” she said.
The paintings were a sensation when they were unveiled and even last year, their first full year on view, the portrait gallery drew 2.3 million visitors, compared to 1.2 million in her first year, 2013, said Sajet.
“We call it ‘the Obama effect,’ but I think it was a little bit more than just those pictures. I think what happened was there was so much interest in them, but there was also an awakening across the country that the portrait gallery exists” — as well as, she said, something of a renaissance taking place in interest in portraiture.
After leaving the Art Institute in Aug. 2021, the Obama portraits will visit the Brooklyn Museum in New York City (Aug. - Oct.), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Nov. - Jan., 2022), the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (Jan. - March), and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (March - May).
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The portrait gallery is still contemplating what to hang in their absence, the director said.
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--3 takeaways from the Bulls’ 117-110 win over the Timberwolves, including Zach LaVine and Lauri Markk

3 takeaways from the Bulls’ 117-110 win over the Timberwolves, including Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen playing well at the same time

“ That nose thing was effecting me really significantly , ” he said .
“ Like you ’ re not @ @ @ @ @ is , why your body doesn ’ t feel good or it feels tired .
@ @ @ @ @ having trouble sleeping , but it ended up being because of that .
With some @ @ @ @ @ does feel way better and being able to sleep better .
It ’ s one @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know how bad it was until you kind of like got it done @ @

This is how the Bulls envisioned they’d take a step forward this season.
With Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen making a leap in their development, giving them, if not a full-fledged pair of stars, at least a solid pair of cornerstones. When it works like it did in Wednesday night’s 117-110 victory over the Timberwolves, the Bulls look like a much more capable team and offense.
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“(Defenses) can’t help because it’s going to be an automatic 3-pointer for you right there,” LaVine said. (Markkanen) played real aggressive tonight. We love that. He was able to get to the free-throw line with driving. He was taking his shots. We need that from him.”
On a night when six Bulls finished in double figures, there was a lot to take away from the Bulls victory against the Wolves. But here are three key takeaways, starting with the team’s two most important players performing well at the same time.
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1. Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine carried the Bulls down the stretch.
In most games this season, the Bulls offense has gone only as far as Zach LaVine can carry them.
And while has proved he’s capable of carrying them, Wednesday offered a glimpse of how successful the Bulls can be when LaVine has help.
Enter Lauri Markkanen, who provided a capable second scoring threat, finishing with 21 points to back up LaVine’s 25 as the Bulls improved to 4-2 on the season when both players score at least 20 points. Although this is the first game since Jan. 6 they did so in the same game.
Markkanen has been prone to fading down the stretch in the second half this season, but at least for a night, that wasn’t an issue as the Bulls did a much better job of getting him involved early and keeping him involved in the offense all game.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 15 Bulls guard Zach LaVine smiles after making a shot against the Timberwolves during the second half. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
“Lauri was terrific in the fourth quarter,” coach Jim Boylen said. “I thought he set the tone for us in the fourth quarter. I thought his activity, his ability to spread the floor and make shots, we played him at five a little toward the end there and I thought it was big. I thought we executed and I thought he was really good.”
LaVine has evolved into a pretty consistent scorer and the Bulls have been able to count on him on a nightly basis. This was his 12th consecutive game with at least 20 points and his 25th game with at least 25 points, the second most among players in the conference behind the Hawks’ Trae Young (28).
Markkanen, meanwhile, brings uncertainty each night during an up-and-down season. He scored more than 20 points for the first time in two weeks Wednesday, and even though he still took 10 of his 14 shots from beyond the arc, he drove to the basket for a few shot attempts in the first half and got to the line to shoot six free throws, his highest total in a single game this month.
“I think it opens up if I get a couple of looks early and have been making them,” Markkanen said. “Then they have to guard me different and I’m going to drive to the basket. I think I have a lot more options than just if I’m spotting up in the corner. It opens up the game a lot, not just for me, but I think the way they help on me, it creates space for other guys too."
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2. The big men provided an unexpected boost.
The Bulls gave up 40 points to Karl-Anthony Towns and yet somehow, they still came away feeling good about the play of their two centers from this game.
That’s because Luke Kornet and Cristiano Felicio combined to score 27 points and Felicio recorded his first double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) since April 2018. Both players ended up as a positive (+3) on the night when they were on the floor. Not bad for the team’s third- and fourth-string big men, who had fallen out of the rotation earlier this month but have been inserted into the lineup because of injuries to Wendell Carter Jr. (foot) and Daniel Gafford (thumb).
“I’m thankful for it,” Jim Boylen said. “We kind of had that in Detroit, when Daniel and Kornet had that kind of night for us and we won. The center position in our system is very important.”
Kornet has raised his play since being thrown into the starting lineup at center, averaging double figures in scoring to go along with three rebounds and three assists. He pointed to the sinus obstruction surgery he had earlier in the year as the reason for his improvement.
“That nose thing was affecting me really significantly,” he said. “Like you’re not really sure what the reason is, why your body doesn’t feel good or it feels tired. You have no energy and having trouble sleeping, but it ended up being because of that. With some time and separation my body does feel way better and being able to sleep better. It’s one of those things you didn’t know how bad it was until you kind of like got it done.”
3. There were contributions from everyone.
Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine did the heaviest lifting, and the Bulls big men provided some unexpected scoring. But the Bulls got a little something from everyone to beat the Timberwolves.
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Take Kris Dunn, who was acquired in the same trade as LaVine and Markkanen that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, scoring 14 points despite only taking four shots (8-for-9 on free throws). Coby White came off the bench with 12 points, and his 26 double-digit scoring games are the most among rookies in a reserve role. Or the four-guard lineups Jim Boylen has started to use to close out games, which included Markkanen at the five with LaVine, Dunn, White and Tomas Satoransky to go extra-small.
The Bulls got help from all over their roster and then used their best players to close the game out, often a winning recipe in the NBA.
Here’s more coverage from Wednesday’s game:
More than 2½ years have passed since the Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves on draft night in 2017, a move that changed the trajectory of both organizations. The trade started the Bulls down their current rebuilding path, while the Wolves were hopeful it would catapult them toward contention.
The Bulls wanted to be further along by now in a rebuilding process that is starting to show cracks in the foundation this season. They expected more nights to resemble Wednesday, when Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen, the two pillars acquired in the Butler trade, carried them to a 117-110 victory.
LaVine (25 points) and Markkanen (21) led the Bulls in scoring with Markkanen putting together his first 20-point game since Jan. 6. The Bulls improved to 4-2 this season when both players score 20.
“They’re two important pieces to what we’re building,” Bulls coach Jim Boylen said. “And they’re two guys that are developing. They have the responsibility to grow and get better, but also to help us win.”
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The Wolves arrived at the United Center scuffling in their first full season without Butler, now with the Heat, who began the day second in the Eastern Conference. The Wolves, meanwhile, sit 13th in the Western Conference and dropped their seventh straight game.
“Young, developing teams, teams that at times in the year have played really good basketball and at times played poor basketball,” Boylen said, drawing parallels between the teams before the game. “A team that’s had a losing streak; we’ve had a losing streak. A team that’s had injury to a primary guy. We’ve had injuries to a primary guy.”
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Those comparisons are not the most optimistic for the Wolves, who hope they won’t find themselves in a similar situation as the Bulls, still waiting to take the next step in the third year of their rebuild.
One reason for encouragement in Minnesota is the Wolves have at least one bona fide star in Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with a game-high 40 points, to go with the inconsistent Andrew Wiggins, who scored 22 of his 25 in the second half. They helped erase a 19-point Bulls first-half lead by the third quarter.
But the Bulls countered with contributions from all over, including six players who finished in double figures. The third player the Bulls received in the Butler trade, Kris Dunn, had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Cristiano Felicio had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in 22 minutes off the bench.
Down the stretch, however, the Bulls were able to lean on their two centerpieces.
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Markkanen, who went scoreless in the second half in two of his last three games, was much more involved in the offense, scoring 11 second-half points on 3-of-8 shooting. LaVine took over with 10 points in the fourth quarter to help close out the win.
It was the kind of encouraging performance the Bulls are hoping for more of during the final few months.
“We saw it a lot during February and March last year,” LaVine said. “Hopefully we can get back to that. With the guard-big combo, I think it’s real lethal.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--3 takeaways from DePaul’s 83-68 loss to Creighton, including a lack of fight that dropped the Blue D

3 takeaways from DePaul’s 83-68 loss to Creighton, including a lack of fight that dropped the Blue Demons to 1-5 in the Big East

“ Our passion , when it ’ s at a high level , we play really well , ” Leitao @ @ @ @ @ ’ t today .
It ended up being one step two steps away from where @ @ @ @ @ Our ball-screen coverage has been really good .
It wasn ’ t good today .
@ @ @ @ @ good .
They weren ’ t good today .
It happens when you don ’ @ @ @ @ @ the highest level .
”

In four days, DePaul went from turning heads with an impressive upset to making fans shake their heads in disappointment.
Creighton overwhelmed the Blue Demons 83-68 on Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena after DePaul had upset then-No. 5 Butler 79-66 on Saturday for its first Big East victory.
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DePaul (14-6, 1-5) is now swimming upstream in a powerful league.
Paul Reed led DePaul with 22 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Jalen Coleman-Lands and freshman Romeo Weems were active on offense, too, with 11 points apiece.
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Point guard Charlie Moore scored 13 points, making all seven of his free throws while dishing out seven assists. But he shot only 3 of 15 from the field, missing all four 3-point attempts and turning over the ball four times.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Where was the fight?
Upsetting Butler could have been a turning point for the Blue Demons. What a perfect time to go on a run, considering they’re in the middle of a three-game hometand in a rugged Big East.
Instead of coming out to fight, they were flat.
“That’s the million-dollar question: handling success,” coach Dave Leitao said. “You have to act the same way through prosperity as you do through adversity. We haven’t learned that yet.”
[ ‘We can beat anybody’: DePaul stuns No. 5 Butler 79-66 behind Paul Reed’s 23 points ]
DePaul closed to within 37-34 at halftime from a nine-point deficit, but Creighton came out with a burst. The Bluejays took a 22-point lead in the second half, when they shot 56.5% from the field.
The Blue Demons have alternated this season, teasing that they’re a team with a future one moment and then looking like a team of yesteryear the next.
They started the season 12-1 but then fell to 0-4 in the Big East.
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They had narrow losses to Providence and took Villanova to overtime before convincingly defeating the Bulldogs 79-66.
This looked like a different team against Creighton.
“Our execution and our energy wasn’t what it needed to be,” Leitao said. “I was asking for it essentially the whole game through, every dead ball, every timeout. When we play well, it’s because we play energized and with passion. We didn’t do that.”
2. DePaul can’t afford to be shorthanded for long.
DePaul often looked like it was down more than two players.
But the absence of Devin Gage and Jaylen Butz hurt. Reserve guard Gage suffered a hand injury, and starting forward Butz was ill.
Losing a combined 16 points per game put the Blue Demons in a hole. Creighton’s bench outscored DePaul’s 18-5.
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[ Charlie Moore is back in Chicago, where his father developed his love of basketball. Now the DePaul guard is helping coach his dad back from a stroke. ]
But the Blue Demons especially can’t afford to be without their full roster. They don’t play with a long rotation as only eight players receive more than 10 minutes per game.
Butz ranks fourth on the team with 11.2 points per game while shooting 61.7% from the floor. Gage comes off the bench to average 4.9 points in 17.4 minutes per game.
Together, they played 53 minutes and combined for 12 points against Butler.
Freshman Nick Ongenda, a 6-foot-11 center, made his first start and finished with six points and four rebounds.
Forward D.J. Williams, a recent transfer from George Washington and a former Illinois player, competed in his first Blue Demons game and finished with two points and two rebounds in almost 11 minutes.
3. DePaul needs to lock down on 3-point defense.
When a banked 3-pointer by Mitch Ballock, one of five 3s for the guard, went in, it was clear that Creighton’s long-range shots were going to be a problem for DePaul.
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The Bluejays hit 10 of 25 3-pointers, while the Blue Demons made only 3 of 16.
Butler shot just 33.3% (7 of 21) against the Demons, but Villanova made 11 of 28 and Providence shot 10 of 25. DePaul allows Big East opponents to make 37% of their 3-pointers.
But Leitao had been mostly pleased with DePaul’s ability to guard the perimeter. That wasn’t the case against Creighton, which shot 47.2% overall.
[ Ranking the state’s Division I basketball teams: Illinois looks to end another road skid, while DePaul tries to maintain momentum ]
DePaul has found success when it feeds off its defense. Against Creighton, it was starving.
“Our passion, when it’s at a high level, we play really well,” Leitao said. “It wasn’t today. It ended up being one step two steps away from where you normally would be. Our ball-screen coverage has been really good. It wasn’t good today. Our closeouts have been really good. They weren’t good today. It happens when you don’t have your motor at the highest level.”
Here is coverage from Wednesday’s game:
In four days, DePaul went from turning heads with an impressive upset to making fans shake their heads in disappointment.
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Creighton overwhelmed the Blue Demons 83-68 on Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena after DePaul had upset then-No. 5 Butler 79-66 on Saturday for its first Big East victory.
Any hope of momentum vanished soon after tipoff.
DePaul (14-6, 1-5 Big East) was without two key players in starting forward Jaylen Butz, who averages 11 points, and guard Devin Gage, who averages five points off the bench. Coach Dave Leitao said after the game that Butz had an illness and Gage had a hand injury.
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Creighton’s bench outscored DePaul’s 18-5. But the Blue Demons looked like they would have needed an army to beat Creighton — or at least better 3-point defense.
The Bluejays, who led by as many as 22, hit 10 of 25 3-pointers and got five from Mitch Ballock, including one that banked in. DePaul made only 3 of 16 3s.
Creighton (15-5, 4-3) missed its last eight shots before halftime as DePaul closed to within 37-34 after trailing by nine. DePaul’s defense withered after the break as the Bluejays were hitting 70% midway through the second half.
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Paul Reed led DePaul with 22 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Jalen Coleman-Lands and freshman Romeo Weems were active on offense, too, with 11 points apiece.
Point guard Charlie Moore scored 13 points, making all seven of his free throws while dishing out seven assists. But he shot only 3 of 15 from the field, missing all four 3-point attempts and turning the ball over four times.
DePaul and Creighton players wore shirts reading “#SahiStrong” for the Coaches vs. Cancer game to raise awareness for a nerve sarcoma that former DePaul student manager Aameer Sahi suffered from last year.
#DePaul & creighton wearing #SahiStrong shirts in warmups for coaches v cancer game to raise awareness for @CureSarcoma Aameer Sahi was a @DePaulHoops student manager who passed away in August. pic.twitter.com/TNyVzwddMT — Shannon Ryan (@sryantribune) January 23, 2020
Sahi, 21, died in August after battling the disease.


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Amtrak ends policy that resulted in $25,000 bill for activists who use wheelchairs

“ It was never meant to be applied to this situation and we apologize for that mistake , ” Amtrak @ @ @ @ @ an emailed statement Wednesday .
“ We are glad it has all worked out and @ @ @ @ @ our customers ’ trip .
We will do better next time .
We are America @ @ @ @ @ want to provide more trips , not fewer .
”

Amtrak has suspended a pricing policy that resulted in a $25,000 travel bill for a group of activists who use wheelchairs heading to an Illinois conference and rally on disability rights.
The passenger rail agency had told Chicago-based Access Living its policy was to charge extra to reconfigure train cars to accommodate wheelchair users.
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“It was never meant to be applied to this situation and we apologize for that mistake,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari wrote in an email Wednesday. “We are glad it has all worked out and we were able to accommodate our customers’ trip. We will do better next time. We are America’s Railroad and we want to provide more trips, not fewer.”
On Monday, Amtrak apologized to Access Living and agreed to accommodate everyone at the regular rate of $16 per person.
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Access Living spokeswoman Bridget Hayman said five members of the group got "royal treatment'' on their trip Wednesday to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, from Chicago.
An Amtrak sales agent had informed Access Living of a new pricing policy that meant the group would be charged for seats that have to be removed to fit more wheelchairs, resulting in the $25,000 bill.
News of the policy sparked an outcry led by U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who uses a wheelchair due to injuries suffered in combat in Iraq. She requested a meeting with Amtrak executives over the charge she said was “outrageous.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--3 teens shot, 1 fatally, while trying to rob West Side heroin spot, police say

The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. near Kilpatrick Avenue and Jackson Boulevard .
Three people approached an area known for @ @ @ @ @ one of them was armed with a gun , authorities said .

Deanese Williams-Harris, Jeremy Gorner, William Lee

An officer picks up a gun as Chicago police collect evidence at the scene of a shooting at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Kilpatrick Avenue in Chicago on Jan. 22. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
A teen was killed and two others were wounded, including a 15-year-old, when they tried to rob an illegal drug spot in the West Garfield Park neighborhood Wednesday, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. near Kilpatrick Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. Three people approached an area known for heroin sales and at least one of them was armed with a gun, authorities said.
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Someone acting as security for the drug spot then shot all three, authorities said. They rode off in a car before it crashed down the block.
The driver, 19-year-old Tyrese Hearon, was killed and the two others — 15 and 19 — were taken to Stroger Hospital with gunshot wounds to the legs.
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Surveillance video from the area captured the shooting. At least one gun tied to the incident was confiscated by police.
An hour after the shooting, blocks were mostly absent of neighbors and onlookers as blue police lights flickered at the north and south ends of Kilpatrick Avenue.
Yellow police tape blocked off pedestrian and auto traffic to the area between two derelict buildings where the shooting occurred.
Officer Michael Carroll, a police spokesman, said police suspected the shooting was related to a “narcotics related robbery,” and that shots were fired after a verbal altercation between the three people in the car and a person on the street.
No arrests had been made as the investigation got underway late Wednesday afternoon.


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Going to SoxFest at McCormick Place? Here’s what to see, what to avoid — and how to get autographs.

There are three parking lots at McCormick Place .
The indoor Lot A is closest to SoxFest .
To find @ @ @ @ @ map search , use the address 2301 S. Prairie Ave .
The fee is $ @ @ @ @ @ hours .
If you want a better deal , you can try the neighborhood streets @ @ @ @ @ read the parking-restriction signs carefully — they can be confusing .
Here ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s wise to try SpotHero or other parking apps to see if @ @ @ @ @ .

For this year’s SoxFest, fans will need a scorecard — and a map.
First, there are the new faces: Dallas Keuchel, Yasmani Grandal, Nomar Mazara and Steve Cishek. (New players Edwin Encarnacion and Gio Gonzales will not be there.)
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And then there’s the new venue: McCormick Place.
Fans also will have one fewer day than last year to cover all the sights and sessions in the 100,000-square-foot convention space.
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To help them navigate, here’s a guide.
Why the switch to McCormick Place?
The White Sox said the larger event space at McCormick Place West (2301 S. Indiana Ave.) will provide more chances for fans to connect with the team’s past, present and future players, adding that the 2020 edition — the 28th installment of SoxFest — “will feature more opportunities for autographs, photos, fan engagements and unique experiences.”
“The new venue at McCormick Place West provides even better opportunities for fan engagement with current and former team members, as well as increased space for fun interactions, autographs, photos and everything else SoxFest features,” Scott Reifert, senior vice president of communications, said in an email statement.
SoxFest was at the Hilton Chicago the last several years.
Who will be there?
Players scheduled to attend are Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Cease, Zack Collins, Leury Garcia, Lucas Giolito, Yasmani Grandal, Eloy Jimenez, Dallas Keuchel, Michael Kopech, Evan Marshall, Nomar Mazara, Danny Mendick and Yoan Moncada.
White Sox fans, from left, AJ Melendez, 8, Jaxson Rubio, 5, Liam Rubio, 7, and Isius Maciel, 7, pose for a photo with Yoan Moncada at SoxFest at the Hilton Chicago on Jan. 26, 2019. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Fans will be eager to see top prospects Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn. Other minor-leaguers include Micker Adolfo, Dane Dunning, Luis Gonzalez, Tyler Johnson, Blake Rutherford, Gavin Sheets and Jonathan Stiever.
Alumni scheduled to appear are Harold Baines, Jose Contreras, Danny Farquhar, Carlton Fisk, Ozzie Guillen, Bo Jackson, Ron Kittle, Tom Paciorek, Tim Raines, Mike Sirotka and Frank Thomas.
Are passes still available?
No. They sold out Friday. And no passes are available on the secondary market. SoxFest also sold out last year.
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What are the hours?
The convention runs from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
How do you get autographs?
Many current and former Sox stars, from Yoan Moncada to Harold Baines, will be available for autographs. The autograph sessions are free, but some are limited to the first 200 fans and others to the first 250. Some photo sessions (Dylan Cease and Ron Kittle for example) are limited to the first 125 or 150 fans, depending on the player.
Also, there are three autograph and photo stages for kids 4 to 13.
New this year, organizers will use two lanes to streamline back-to-back autograph sessions. Once the first line’s session begins, wristbands will be distributed for the second line.
Eloy Jimenez (left) signs autographs for fans at the 2018 SoxFest. (Lou Foglia / Chicago Tribune)
What are the best panels and events?
General manager Rick Hahn will appear in sessions Friday evening and Saturday morning.
First, he’ll discuss the busy offseason and the team’s vision for 2020 with moderator Jason Benetti at the White Sox Town Hall on the main stage at 6 p.m. Friday. Hahn and Benetti will talk about spring training and opening day at the town hall at 11 a.m. Saturday.
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Bingo with Jose Abreu at 8 p.m. Friday sounds interesting. At the same time, film critics Leo Brady and Don Shanahan will discuss “Field of Dreams” during a seminar at the White Sox Museum (near the exhibitor booths and Beggars Pizza).
Players never know what quirky questions they’ll be asked at the kids-only news conference. NBC Sports Chicago’s Leila Rahimi will moderate the panel at 10 a.m. Saturday; it features Eloy Jimenez, Nomar Mazara and Yasmani Grandal.
At 11 a.m. at the museum, pitcher Michael Kopech, former pitcher Danny Farquhar and head trainer Brian Ball will talk to moderator Chuck Garfien about what it takes to come back from injury. Kopech spent all of last season recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. Farquhar, a reliever who suffered an aneurysm in the Sox dugout during a 2018 game, is now a pitching coach for Class A Winston-Salem.
Kopech will join Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease and pitching coach Don Cooper for “The Starting Pitcher” session, hosted by Steve Stone on the main stage at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Similar to last year, “Building the Next Generation” at 1 p.m. Saturday at the museum will give fans a peek into the thinking behind how the front office built the roster.
What else is different?
The Sox have added a few new tricks, including a celebrity-style black carpet and ribbon-cutting ceremony, airing live on NBC Sports Chicago at 3 p.m. Friday. The first fans in line will be invited to an exclusive experience in the White Sox fan pit.
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New family-friendly programs include a Legoland Discovery Center and a video-game area and interactive bingo.
One new feature stands out: a Sox-themed escape room.
“Sox fans can test their wits in a race against time,” organizers say.
Can I watch from home?
NBC Sports Chicago, the cable carrier of Sox games, will air several sessions.
At 5 p.m. Friday, “Sports Talk Live” will start the first night of events with a panel featuring the network’s anchors, pitcher Aaron Bummer and outfielder Nomar Mazara. They’ll discuss the latest happenings with the team and this season’s aspirations.
Then at 7, NBCSCH commentator Chuck Garfien and Sox play-by-play man Jason Benetti will look back at the top broadcast moments of 2019, then discuss what’s in store from the booth this season.
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Chicago White Sox broadcasters Jason Benetti (left) and Steve Stone before a game at Guaranteed Rate Field in July. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
At noon Saturday, pitcher Dylan Cease will revisit his debut season with Garfien and senior producer Ryan McGuffey on the “White Sox Talk Podcast.” Cease also will look ahead to spring training and the season.
Garfien and McGuffey will host another podcast at 2 p.m. featuring pitcher Michael Kopech, who discusses his expectations returning to the mound after missing all of last season while he recovered from surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Where can I park?
There are three parking lots at McCormick Place. The indoor Lot A is closest to SoxFest. To find the lot on a GPS map search, use the address 2301 S. Prairie Ave. The fee is $25 for up to 16 hours. If you want a better deal, you can try the neighborhood streets, but be sure to read the parking-restriction signs carefully — they can be confusing. Here’s a handy map to street parking. It’s wise to try SpotHero or other parking apps to see if a better deal is nearby.
What should I avoid?
Parking, if at all possible, especially if you’re not familiar with McCormick Place.
Depending on which of the three lots you’re trying to get to, you’ll have different exits or different streets to turn onto, and you easily could miss your turn. SoxFest attendees primarily will use Lot A (2301 S. Prairie Ave.), so make sure you’re using the right set of directions.
And, of course, with large events like this, the lines even getting into the lot can be long. Organizers are encouraging fans to pay for parking in advance. Lot A admission is $38.
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Also, avoid uncomfortable shoes. It’s one thing to walk down all spruced up from your hotel room at the Hilton (last year’s location), but first-time visitors to McCormick Place might be shocked by the amount of walking they may have to do at the convention complex.
Is public transportation an option?
It sure is.
Via CTA bus, the No. 3 King Drive, which runs along Michigan Avenue, is your best bet. But there’s also the No. 21 Cermak Road and the No. 4 Cottage Grove.
Via CTA train, you can take the Green Line and get off at the Cermak-McCormick Place stop, three blocks from the arena. Or take the Red Line and exit at the Cermak-Chinatown stop, four blocks away.
Fans using CTA, ride share or private drop-off will enter through Gate 40, 2401 S. Indiana Ave.
There’s also a Metra train from Millennium Station downtown to McCormick Place’s Grand Concourse in the South Building.
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What about food?
McCormick Place’s food court will replicate Guaranteed Rate Field’s menu, including hot dogs, Cuban Comet sandwiches, Garrett popcorn, Italian beef, pizza and Irish nacho fries. You can use cash or credit.
For fare outside the venue, Chinatown is a 15- to 20-minute walk or five minutes by car. Here are three of our favorites there: Go 4 Food, 212 W. 23rd St.; Seven Treasures, 2312 S. Wentworth Ave.; and BBQ King House, 2148 S. Archer Ave.
A few options closer to McCormick Place are Fatpour Tap Works, 2206 S. Indiana Ave.; Pizano’s Pizza, 2106 S. Indiana Ave.; Chicago Oyster House, 1933 S. Indiana Ave.; and Motor Row Brewing, 2337 S. Michigan Ave.
Nearby nightlife options include Reggies Live, 2105 S. State St.; and Bar 22, 2244 S. Michigan Ave.


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Father questions security at South Side high school after son robbed, classmate shot after swim meet

Father questions security at South Side high school after son robbed, classmate shot after swim meet: ‘They didn’t do anything to prevent this’

He said it was the second time in about a month that his son has been robbed outside the school @ @ @ @ @ after swim practice , he said .
“ It was right outside the school .
@ @ @ @ @ robbed him after swimming competition and he was on his way home , ’ ’ @ @ @

Police work the scene where a 17-year-old boy was shot during an attempted robbery near Lindblom Math & Science Academy on the 6100 block of South Wolcott Avenue on Jan. 21, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
A father said he is furious about the lack of security at Lindblom Math & Science Academy after his 15-year-old son was robbed and the boy’s 17-year-old classmate was shot while leaving a swim meet at the South Side school.
“They didn’t do anything to prevent this,” complained Ray Markowski. “They don’t have anything.”
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The boys were lugging their swim gear and walking back to a car outside the school at 6130 S. Wolcott Ave. when a car pulled up, and two people got out and confronted them around 6:50 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
The 17-year-old took off running, and one of the people from the car chased and shot him in the left side, below his ribs, police said. The other attacker snatched the boys’ gym bags, then both jumped back into the car and sped off, police said.
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The 17-year-old was able to run back into the school, and an ambulance was called. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was in good condition.
Police recovered a shell casing from the scene and were looking for the getaway car, which may be a Lincoln, police said. No arrests have been made.
Markowski said he thought the worst when someone from the school contacted him and said there had been a shooting. “He’s OK, he didn’t get shot,’’ the person from the school told Markowski.
“I almost had a heart attack,’’ the father said.
Later in the night, the 15-year-old called police after he began tracking a tablet that was in the bag through its GPS. “They moved. Everything stopped for an hour. Then the location changed, and my son called (police) again," Markowski said.
“They never caught anyone,’’ Markowski said.
He said it was the second time in about a month that his son has been robbed outside the school. The other incident happened after swim practice, he said. “It was right outside the school. Two guys jumped him and robbed him after swimming competition and he was on his way home,’’ Markowski said.
That time, the robbers took an earpiece worth $200. “This time is was $700 in his wallet and a tablet, which I bought for $2,000,’’ Markowski said.
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“I allowed him to go to the swimming team because I heard someone was watching,’’ Markowski said. “If one more incident happens, even the smallest one, I will hire my own security for him."
He believes it’s wrong that teachers are allowed to park close to the school, but students who stay late for school activities are not. “Why can’t they park right across the street? How hard is it to put cones on parking stalls for team players that are coming late?"
Markowski said he thought the coach is supposed to watch the students “until they get into a vehicle and go off."
His son will turn 16 on Monday, and the money was from a birthday celebration, he said. “I don’t care about the money. I care for his life."
Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Emily Bolton wrote in an email, “We take this incident very seriously and are coordinating with CPD on the investigation, as well as having extra police presence to support student safety.”
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--A teacher sued when she was denied fall maternity leave for the baby she had in the spring. The Illi

A teacher sued when she was denied fall maternity leave for the baby she had in the spring. The Illinois Supreme Court will decide the case.

Corbett told Dynak she could use 1½ days of sick time for the birth to make up for the days @ @ @ @ @ wouldn ’ t be allowed to transfer the paid sick time to the next school @ @ @ @ @ .
When Dynak took 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the FMLA at the start @ @ @ @ @ , she was docked 58 days of pay , the lawsuit said .
Had she @ @ @ @ @ paid sick time , she would only have lost out on 29 ½ days of @ @ @ @ @ paychecks during the summer , if they choose to have their wages divided evenly among @ @ @ @ @ are not considered to be working .

Suburban schoolteacher Margaret Dynak, pictured with two of her three children, sued her employer after she was denied fall paid maternity leave for her daughter, who was born the previous spring. (Family photo)
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Like many new mothers, Margaret Dynak wanted to stay at home with her baby for as long as possible, to soak up what she calls all “those precious moments," no matter how small, like the infant’s first smile.
Had Dynak, a teacher in suburban Chicago, given birth at almost any other time of the year, she might have been able to do that while also collecting paid sick time from her employer, Wood Dale School District 7.
But since Dynak’s baby arrived just before summer break, district officials didn’t allow her to use up to 30 days of paid leave when work resumed in August, according to a lawsuit filed on Dynak’s behalf by her union, the Illinois Education Association. As a result, Dynak lost about $8,000 in wages when she took 12 weeks off during the next school year, all unpaid, through the Family and Medical Leave Act, court records in the case state.
Dynak’s case, which has the potential to affect parental leave policies for thousands of school employees across Illinois, reached the state Supreme Court on Wednesday, with both sides making oral arguments about whether the 30 days of paid sick leave must begin right after a birth or whether it starts on the soonest subsequent workday.
A measure in the Illinois School Code entitling employees to 30 days of paid sick leave for the birth or adoption of a child does not say whether the benefit must be used within a specific amount of time, but the Wood Dale school district has argued it cannot apply after the lengthy summer break.
“The question, in this case, is whether paid sick leave is available for use four months after the birth of the child when neither the teacher, spouse, or child presents a medical issue that requires the teacher be absent," Superintendent John Corbett said in an emailed statement. "While the legislature is free to change the law, and the union is free to bargain for such a benefit, the present law does not support Ms. Dynak’s claim to paid parental leave, as the lower courts have held.”
Chicago Public Schools is exempt from regulations in the Illinois School Code and allowed to make its own. A CPS spokeswoman did not provide information about how the district handles parental leave when a birth occurs in the summer.
Dynak, who teaches at Westview Elementary School in Wood Dale, did not attend the arguments in Springfield, reporting to her classroom instead. But on the eve of the hearing, she said she felt both nervous and hopeful the justices could help end the dispute, which started with the birth of her daughter in June 2016, and provide more clarity for the future.
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Justices are expected to issue a ruling in the coming months.
“I just want to see that it’s resolved,” Dynak, 35, of Palatine, said by phone Tuesday night. “I want all teachers or anyone to be treated fairly with being able to get to use your time, your earned time that you have, so that you can spend it with your child.”
The situation that led to the lawsuit began in March 2016 when Dynak alerted her employer that she was scheduled to have a C-section on June 6 and that she wanted to apply her paid sick time for the following school year. School ended with a half day on June 7, and Dynak had accumulated 71 paid sick days over her years working at the district, according to the lawsuit.
Corbett told Dynak she could use 1½ days of sick time for the birth to make up for the days in June but that she wouldn’t be allowed to transfer the paid sick time to the next school year, the lawsuit states. When Dynak took 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the FMLA at the start of the new school year, she was docked 58 days of pay, the lawsuit said. Had she been able to apply her paid sick time, she would only have lost out on 29 ½ days of pay. Teachers typically receive paychecks during the summer, if they choose to have their wages divided evenly among the calendar months, though are not considered to be working.
Unlike the state law, the FMLA, which is a federal provision, specifies that parents are entitled to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave “for birth and bonding” within a year of the birth or adoption. Many teachers take paid sick leave and FMLA leave concurrently, said Ryan Thoma, the IEA attorney representing Dynak.
While most school districts allow employees to use paid sick leave in the way Dynak proposed, policies might change when the state Supreme Court issues its decision, Thoma said.
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“There are other districts that are suddenly looking to be more restrictive,” Thoma said Wednesday after the oral arguments. “This could have a broad effect depending on how it comes out.”
Before Dynak’s case reached the Illinois Supreme Court, judges in DuPage County and the appellate court ruled against her.
In a majority opinion issued this summer, 2nd District Appellate Judge Joseph Birkett wrote it was unreasonable for Dynak to be eligible for paid sick leave after having ample time to recover and bond with her child during the 10-week summer break.
Birkett wrote that the “triggering event” for the benefit is the arrival of a child.
“In its wisdom, the legislature decreed that an employee is entitled to a 30-work-day leave for the event of a birth, and, as with illness-related leave, divorcing the leave from the triggering event would render the provision absurd," Birkett wrote.
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But in a dissenting opinion, Appellate Judge Donald Hudson wrote that his colleagues misinterpreted the statute and in doing so imposed additional restrictions on the language. The law, he wrote, does not mention any exception to the 30-day rule for summer break and should not prevent an employee from utilizing the paid sick time during workdays, even if the days are not consecutive.
At the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the IEA attorney presented his case first, underscoring the fact that the paid sick leave provision of the Illinois School Code does not require employees to take the leave within a specified time period. The law, Thoma said, entitles Dynak to use paid leave at any reasonable time, as long as it relates to the birth of her child.
“She did not lose that right based on the happenstance of when her child was born, and she does not lose that right by any intervening period of nonwork days, whether that be summer break in this case or whether that be spring break, winter break or another holiday period,” Thoma said Wednesday.
Adam Dauksas, an attorney representing the school district, rejected that notion and warned that school districts could be inundated with absurd requests to take paid sick leave weeks, months or years after childbirth if the statute is interpreted too broadly.
“The school district’s argument … is that sick leave must be used at a time when an employee is unable to attend work because of the birth, or illness or other qualifying event,” Dauksas said. “That is, sick leave use must be tethered to the event causing the need to be absent from work. It can’t be delayed 10 weeks or 10 months later down the road.”
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Even when this case is over, Dynak’s fight might not be. Dynak has since given birth to another child who was born over the summer break. That led to another lawsuit against District 7, which is pending in circuit court, according to an IEA spokeswoman.
echerney@chicagotribune.com