chicagotribune--2020-04-16--She woke up naked and bloody. 8 months later, she still awaits her evidence. Why Illinois’ rape kit

She woke up naked and bloody. 8 months later, she still awaits her evidence. Why Illinois’ rape kit backlog still hasn’t been fixed.

“ You certainly want someone to have the knowledge that they need , because they ’ re doing such intricate @ @ @ @ @ , who testified at the Senate hearing about how delays impact both victims ’ recovery @ @ @ @ @ I can ’ t help but look at it and think , this is just @ @ @ @ @ waiting .
”

Lisette, 40, poses for a portrait at a gym March 4, 2020, in Chicago. She is a rape survivor who was told her rape kit would take two years to process. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Her bloodstained clothes. A necklace. Her DNA.
Lisette thinks about everything taken from her the night she says she was assaulted. She wonders where it all is. She pictures the evidence box on a shelf, in a warehouse, deteriorating.
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“It’s just going to sit there and rot,” said Lisette, 40, who asked that her first name only be used because she is a sexual assault survivor.
The evidence was collected in a Chicago emergency room last August, after Lisette said she awoke naked and bloody in her apartment. She believes she was drugged.
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A detective told her the wait to get evidence from her rape kit test could be two years.
“I just stared at her and said, ‘What do you mean it’s two years?’”
The rape kit in Lisette’s case is among thousands of pieces of evidence languishing as they await DNA testing in the state of Illinois.
An excruciatingly slow turnaround on evidence processing is not new, but it remains urgently troubling to advocates who say waiting so long compounds trauma and imperils prosecutions as memories fade and victims struggle to move forward.
“We can’t expect victims to do that and to stay engaged in the system,” said Carrie Ward, executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “All everyone wants to do is recapture what was normal,” she added, “and it’s hard to do that if you’re waiting for something to happen.”
The coronavirus pandemic has only increased worry about wait times.
“I’m afraid I’ll never get the results,” Lisette said. “I feel we’re going to be forgotten."
Illinois officials have been promising for years to clear and keep clear a backlog that law enforcement, advocates and lawmakers agree is way too large. Hiring more forensic scientists and utilizing robotics are among efforts to make the process more efficient and transparent.
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Illinois governors have allotted funding toward fixing the problem, dating back to 2002, when Gov. George H. Ryan announced funds to “erase” a backlog that had reached nearly 3,000 cases held up at state forensic labs. In 2004, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced funds to outsource processing. In 2016, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill to boost analyst hiring. In August, Gov. J.B. Pritzker established the Governor’s Task Force on Forensic Science, which met in February and will review evidence processing and provide recommendations by June 1.
The latest effort to streamline a clogged system is tracking rape kits as they move, or don’t move, through evidence processing.
Last spring, Illinois State Police announced it would allow victims to track their rape kit online by the end of 2019. But a year later, the online tracking system still isn’t ready. Officials say they are legally mandated to have it in place by Aug. 16.
Meanwhile, advocates still tell survivors to expect a wait time as long as two years.
At a January Illinois Senate Public Health Committee hearing, Illinois State Police officials said they want to analyze DNA evidence within six months, which ISP Director Brendan Kelly called “an achievable goal.” In February, ISP debuted a website that shows the public the average turnaround times for forensic evidence tested in all cases, including sexual assaults.
“We want to provide accountability and transparency to victims, law enforcement, prosecutors and the general public,” Kelly said in a statement announcing the website. “Addressing the backlog is a top priority.”
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The average processing time for DNA evidence is 247 days, and 7,009 assignments await testing, according to ISP data as of March 31. In February, the average wait time was 194 days. ISP noted it has reduced staffing to meet social distancing guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the lingering cases as of April 15, according to data provided by ISP, 2,797 sexual assault and abuse assignments had not yet been processed.
Before the pandemic, in order to improve processing, officials hired more forensic scientists. A new facility in Will County is planned, and ISP is piloting a way to speed training for new hires, from 24 months to within a year.
“You certainly want someone to have the knowledge that they need, because they’re doing such intricate work,” said Ward, who testified at the Senate hearing about how delays impact both victims’ recovery and prosecution. “But I can’t help but look at it and think, this is just victims waiting and waiting and waiting.”
Even with new hires — 22 people who were hired in 2018 are completing training, and 24 began training in early March — officials say they are still short of the ideal number of analysts necessary to slash the backlog.
Kelly emphasized that officials, too, want to be faster. A 2019 ISP report noted that when evidence languishes, “criminals remain unidentified and able to commit additional crimes, and innocent individuals remain incarcerated as they await forensic results which could clear them.”
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Challenges remain. Some cases are prioritized, which can push others back. A lack of staffers means sometimes forensic scientists fill the roles of clerical staff — answering phones instead of testing evidence. Outsourcing projects requires work of its own; analysts still must prepare evidence for shipment and assess it when it’s returned. For each assignment processed, new ones arrive.
“That’s the constant struggle, that’s the constant battle,” Kelly said. “The number coming in versus the number being completed.”
ISP continues to process evidence during the pandemic, said state police Sgt. Delila Garcia.
“Labs are open, and (we) have staffed all sections and labs with social distancing measures in mind,” she said. “Cases are triaged based on the public safety priorities of the prosecutors and the courts.”
State Sen. Patricia Van Pelt asked state officials what it will take to fix a stubborn backlog. At the Senate hearing in January, she noted the same families attended hearings because they were still, one year later, awaiting information on loved ones’ cases.
“As a result, we walk among murderers,” she said. “We know we’re walking among murderers.”
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Eight months after Lisette’s night in the emergency room, where for hours she endured the intrusive evidence collection process in hopes of seeking justice, she feels stalled. She can’t track her rape kit. After researching how other states work through backlogs, she doesn’t understand why Illinois hasn’t figured it out.
She was so perplexed by how Illinois could be so behind that she sent a letter to police outlining frustrations with her case. Hospital records recount her injuries, and she asked why police were not pushing forward with a case against someone who might be hurting other women.
“It’s mind-boggling,” she said.
She was told that before anything can move forward, they must wait for the evidence to be processed. Chicago Police Department spokesman Luis Agostini confirmed the case is suspended until results are received. The spokesman said DNA results can make the difference between a solved and unsolved case, especially in sexual assault crimes.
In the meantime, Lisette started boxing. The first time she met with her coach, she bruised her foot kicking the bag while picturing the face of the man in her apartment that August night. She thinks about the more than 2,000 pieces of evidence submitted after reported sexual assaults, waiting, somewhere.
If she knew her evidence would be in limbo for so long, she said, she still wouldn’t change walking into the emergency room that night.
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"I still would have, for peace of mind,” she said. “I know a lot of women I’ve spoken to would say no.”
abowen@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--Column: Cleaning up the GarPax mess is a massive task for new Bulls boss Arturas Karnisovas, who now

Column: Cleaning up the GarPax mess is a massive task for new Bulls boss Arturas Karnisovas, who now has to remake the rebuild

Never mind that Rose was the consensus No .
1 pick and already a hometown hero from Simeon when the @ @ @ @ @ Noah was a high-profile college star who was drafted ninth .
Butler was a nice @ @ @ @ @ in 2011 but made himself into a superstar before being traded , and no one @ @ @ @ @ good as he turned out .
And the jury is still out on White , @ @ @ @ @ his rookie season , fourth-worst among qualifying players .

Now that the Bulls are done patting themselves on the back for making a long-overdue move, it’s time to watch Arturas Karnisovas’ first dance as rebuilder-in-chief.
The new head of the Bulls front office is off to a strong start, firing general manager Gar Forman against all odds and citing the time-honored excuse of “philosophical differences” as his reason.
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The decision was a no-brainer. But the fact Karnisovas managed to dismiss Forman without having to offer him some phony consulting role in the organization shows he’s his own man and not just a mouthpiece for the Reinsdorfs — Chairman Jerry and President and Chief Operating Officer Michael.
How much consulting he’ll need from John Paxson remains to be seen, but as long as no one calls it KarPax, I’m OK with Paxson sticking around in the shadows as a senior adviser.
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Naturally, the Bulls couldn’t let Forman go without Jerry Reinsdorf crediting him for bringing in “some of the brightest young basketball talent to our team, from Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson to Jimmy Butler and Coby White.”
Never mind that Rose was the consensus No. 1 pick and already a hometown hero from Simeon when the Bulls chose him or that Noah was a high-profile college star who was drafted ninth. Butler was a nice find at No. 30 in 2011 but made himself into a superstar before being traded, and no one knew he would be as good as he turned out. And the jury is still out on White, who shot 39.4% in his rookie season, fourth-worst among qualifying players.
Curiously, Reinsdorf neglected to mention Lauri Markkanen, who regressed in his third season, or Wendell Carter Jr., who has been set back by injuries his first two years and has played only 87 games. White, Markkanen and Carter were keys to Forman’s rebuild, but now it’s up to Karnisovas to decide whether that rebuild needs a new foundation.
The next order of business is hiring a general manager he trusts who can help decide who stays and who goes. The first question Karnisovas needs to ask when interviewing prospective candidates is, “Would you keep Jim Boylen as head coach?”
If the answer is “Yes,” the follow-up question should be, “Did you hear me correctly?”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 27 Bulls coach Jim Boylen argues with the referees in the first half against the Jazz on Jan. 2, 2020, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
It doesn’t take a great basketball mind to see Boylen is not the right man for this Bulls team, or any NBA team for that matter. One needs only to read the body language of his players when he’s “teaching” them during one of his legendary timeouts.
I’m not disputing Boylen’s knowledge of the game or his work ethic. But a leader of any team needs to have the total respect of the players or else he cannot truly lead.
It’s unfair to compare Boylen to the boorish, overmatched Terry Bevington, the former White Sox manager whom Jerry Reinsdorf shockingly retained after the 1996 season even after Bevington’s players revolted against him. Boylen, by most accounts, is at least a decent guy.
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But if the Bulls retain Boylen, it’s basically Bevington redux. They would be wasting another valuable year and turning off the fan base until they eventually send him packing.
Not even the Reinsdorfs can ignore the fans on this one. The empty seats at the United Center this season are evidence of the lack of faith in Boylen’s ability to turn the corner with this bunch.
Arturas Karnisovas with the Denver Nuggets in 2016. (AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post via Getty Images)
Once Karnisovas has a new GM and head coach in place, he can go about fixing the mess GarPax made. And what a mess it is.
The Bulls don’t shoot, rebound, defend or handle the ball well, and they can’t even compete in the vastly inferior Eastern Conference, where a sub-.500 team can make the playoffs. Their biggest star and go-to guy, Zach LaVine, isn’t anyone’s definition of a clutch shooter, though he seemingly gets to take the last shot in any game that comes down to the final seconds.
While he can score inside and may be talented enough to win at H-O-R-S-E on ESPN, LaVine is only an average 3-point shooter, ranking 63rd this season at 38%. You can’t build a championship team around him, though he’s a nice complementary player.
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Nevertheless, Karnisovas has to play the hand he’s dealt, unless he makes the bold move of dealing LaVine and starting Rebuild 2.0. No one else on the roster would bring anything of value back, and because LaVine has a team-friendly deal, it’s an option Karnisovas should seriously consider, assuming he has the patience to take another step back before moving forward.
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During his introductory teleconference, Karnisovas said he likes “multipositional players, guys with high basketball IQs that play off each other. That takes time.”
That bodes well for those of us who would like to see a significant transformation of the roster and not a Band-Aid approach to see whether the young core of Markkanen, Carter and White can stay healthy and improve together.
But we’ll see. With the season on hold, it’s tough to look that far ahead,
Either way, it’s a shame Karnisovas’ arrival coincides with the airing of ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” the long-awaited documentary on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls. Watching the 10-part series will remind us of a time when the Bulls were must-see TV and the epitome of a championship team, with a coach in Phil Jackson who had everyone’s respect.
Now they’re close to rock bottom, and the onus is on Karnisovas to give the organization a heart transplant.
He seems up to the challenge, which is all you can really ask.


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--Shootings overnight in Chicago leave two people dead and two wounded, including 17-year-old girl

Officers responded to a double shooting around 7:35 p.m. Wednesday .
A 52-year-old man was shot once in the lower @ @ @ @ @ Holy Cross Hospital , where he was listed in good condition .
A 17-year-old girl @ @ @ @ @ right thigh and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn , where @ @ @ @ @ condition .

Shootings overnight in Chicago left two people dead and two wounded, including a 17-year-old girl, according to Chicago police.
About 2:40 a.m. Thursday, officers responded to the 7000 block of South Clyde Avenue in South Shore after hearing gunshots. They found a 22-year-old woman who had been shot to death, authorities said.
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The woman apparently had been “arguing with unknown individuals who were inside of a black vehicle at which point someone inside shot her,” according to a statement from police. She was found unresponsive on the sidewalk with several wounds to the chest.
Police said she was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Hospital and she has not yet been identified. No arrests have been made.
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About 1 a.m., officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 700 block of North Lotus Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood. They found a 36-year-old man unresponsive on the street with gunshot wounds to his head, chest, and back, police said.
The man was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital. No arrests have been made.
Officers responded to a double shooting around 7:35 p.m. Wednesday. A 52-year-old man was shot once in the lower right leg and taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was listed in good condition. A 17-year-old girl was shot once in her right thigh and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was also in good condition.
Both the man and the girl told police they were on the sidewalk when they saw a man exit an alley and begin shooting at them. He fled back through the alley and no arrests have been made.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--Wicker Park couple suing ‘Windy City Rehab’ team, HGTV’s parent company over ‘defective and incomple

Wicker Park couple suing ‘Windy City Rehab’ team, HGTV’s parent company over ‘defective and incomplete’ work

“ We paid for the garage to be renovated so I could stream classes and provide private training sessions , @ @ @ @ @ well aware of and promised to help me design the space .
They knew one @ @ @ @ @ were purchasing the home was so that I could continue working while taking care of @ @ @ @ @ said in an email .
“ We were hopeful in the beginning and very patient @ @ @ @ @ process of us waiting .
Now we are being taken advantage of and it is @ @ @ @ @

A Wicker Park couple is suing “Windy City Rehab” host Alison Victoria Gramenos, contractors Donovan Eckhardt and Ermin Pajazetovic and the parent company of HGTV, which airs the popular Chicago home flip series, for fraud over work done to their $1.3 million single-family home.
The renovation of 1700 W. Wabansia Ave. was shown on a “Windy City Rehab” Season 1 episode titled “House of Horrors.” Shane Jones and Samantha Mostaccio, who purchased the home after the episode aired in January 2019, say they agreed to pay extra so Gramenos could turn the garage into a workout studio for Mostaccio, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Cook County court.
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The couple said Gramenos initially quoted $15,000 for the garage work before upping that price to about $37,000 three days later. The homeowners say they were provided an estimated completion date of June 2019 for the garage. Not only did the “Windy City Rehab” team not complete the work on time, they caused water damage in the garage, according to the lawsuit. The homeowners allege the team didn’t have proper permits when it started demolishing the garage in April 2019, and a stop-work order was issued the following month.
The home at 1700 W. Wabansia Ave. was featured on the first season of the HGTV series "Windy City Rehab." A lawsuit over the home's renovation was filed in April 2020. (Tracy Swartz / Chicago Tribune)
The couple says because the garage roof remained open from the demolition, the garage door stopped working and the gas lines rusted, among other issues. Jones and Mostaccio say they went back and forth with the team for months about the garage work. The homeowners claim on Jan. 14, 2020, Pajazetovic or one of his agents painted over the rust in the garage, without their permission, to hide it from the city inspector. The couple says the garage work failed city inspection.
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“Alison Victoria was disappointed by the filing of the complaint by Mr. Jones. The dispute centers on a garage project that was not part of the original design of the house but was added at the request of Mr. Jones,” Gramenos’ attorney, Daniel Lynch, said in a statement.
“The contractor employed to complete that job worked at Mr. Jones’ direction and was in the process of finishing his work when Mr. Jones called it off and ordered the contractor out of his home. Mr. Jones then decided to make unwarranted demands for money, and after he retained his current lawyer came up with a brand-new list of demands he had never advanced before to justify a higher figure.”
A spokeswoman for Discovery Inc., the parent company of HGTV, said the company does not comment on pending litigation. Representatives for Eckhardt and Pajazetovic did not immediately return a Tribune request for comment.
The homeowners allege that 10 days after closing on the home in April 2019 rainwater seeped into their home. They claim their home has a litany of issues, including mold in their basement and bathroom and cracking concrete columns.
“We filed the complaint because we were left with no other choice. We waited in hope until the very last day for Alison to make things right, and she forced us to take this route. While the garage is part of the dispute, there are numerous issues within the home,” Jones said in an email.
The couple is seeking to return the home in exchange for the full purchase price and the cost of repairs plus attorneys fees. The homeowners also want an injunction that would prohibit Discovery from promoting Gramenos and Eckhardt on their media platforms or TV stations. The couple will incur more than $100,000 in out-of-pocket expenses to fix the “defective and incomplete work,” according to the lawsuit. The homeowners estimate $4,000 per month in income was lost because Mostaccio, a Pilates instructor and personal trainer, didn’t have a studio.
“We paid for the garage to be renovated so I could stream classes and provide private training sessions, which Alison and Donovan were well aware of and promised to help me design the space. They knew one of the main reasons we were purchasing the home was so that I could continue working while taking care of our daughter,” Mostaccio said in an email. “We were hopeful in the beginning and very patient and kind during the entire process of us waiting. Now we are being taken advantage of and it is hurting our family.”
Said Lynch: “Among other claims of damage, plaintiffs seek recovery for the alleged inability to conduct a gym business in the garage. Notably the complaint fails to allege that plaintiffs obtained a business license to conduct a gym business or that Chicago’s zoning laws allow such a business to operate in a residential neighborhood. If the zoning laws do not allow a gym business, it’s hard to see how such claims could be a legitimate damage.”
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A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11. The lawsuit was filed by Nicole Daniel, of Dinsmore & Shohl, who also represents a Lincoln Square couple suing the “Windy City Rehab” team over renovation of their $1.3 million home also featured on the first season of the show.
A second season of “Windy City Rehab” was greenlit in early 2019. The team ran into permit problems with the city Department of Buildings last year. Gramenos said on a podcast last week that the second season premiere has been pushed to July.
tswartz@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-15--How much tension and uncertainty was smothering the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls? Director of ‘Last Dance’

How much tension and uncertainty was smothering the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls? Director of ‘Last Dance’ weighs in on the massive ESPN documentary.

There is more depth there to him than that .
Competition and winning is clearly central to his core being .
I asked him at the beginning of our second interview — during the playoffs last year — and we just started rolling cameras and I asked him if he was watching the playoffs .
And he said , “ Oh , yeah.
” And I asked , “ What do you miss the most ?
” And he immediately said , “ Proving people wrong.
” Now this is a guy who if there ’ s anyone who doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s Michael Jordan .
He has had the most prolific , successful , dominant career of any modern NBA player .
No one is really ( doubting him ) .
You wonder , what is it within him that makes him feel like he is being wronged or doubted by anybody ?
No one doubts Michael Jordan .
So that was fascinating to see .
And this is where we had the luxury of time and resources and cooperation from him where we could go back and see what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see that it was him competing with his brothers for his dad ’ s attention and growing up in a family where winning was the only option .
Losing wasn ’ t truly accepted .
Doing your best , I should say , was the only option .
Because I do think that Michael handled losing very well .
It was never like he was a sore loser or a crybaby .
He showed a lot of poise .
You can tell that he wants to break down after that 1990 playoff loss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he handles himself well .
But it ’ s been instilled in him from before he ever picked up a basketball .
He was taught that you always do your best .
And that ’ s with him to that day .

In the opening scenes, Michael Jordan has the microphone. He’s standing near midcourt at the United Center with the lights down and an overhead spotlight engulfing him and only him. Naturally.
It’s Nov. 1, 1997, the night of the Bulls home opener and the pregame ring and banner ceremony to further celebrate the organization’s fifth championship in seven years.
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Jordan is addressing a sold-out crowd that he has already captivated, entertained and spoiled for most of the previous 13 years.
Their journey together, though, is not over.
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“To all the fans in the city of Chicago,” Jordan says, “if you guys remember in 1984 when they drafted Michael Jordan, I said then when I got here that we’d be champions by the time I leave. Well, we’re a five-time champion going for six. And we’ll need your support.”
That’s your cue. Buckle in.
“The Last Dance,” a 10-episode documentary that will premier at 8 p.m. Sunday night on ESPN, should be a thrill ride for Chicagoans eager to take a time machine back to the 1990s to relive the exhilaration of the greatest run of success in the city’s rich sports history. The film zeroes in on the last of the Bulls’ six championship seasons, the 1997-98 campaign with carefully chosen flashbacks and subplots explored throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s to give the story its needed depth and context.
Everyone knows how the story ends — with Jordan and the Bulls digging deep to win that sixth championship. But it’s everything along the way — the tension and the laughter, the unity and the fatigue — that steers the story in such a compelling manner.
This week the documentary’s director, Jason Hehir, took time out to visit with the Tribune’s Dan Wiederer for a deeper discussion about his approach to the film, the overall wiring of Jordan and the Bulls and the most enthralling things he learned throughout the process of completing “The Last Dance.”
(Some questions and answers are edited for clarity and space.)
As you started this project, what was the extent of the prep work needed before conducting even a single interview so that you had the appropriate knowledge base for all you wanted to explore? What did you read? What did you watch? What went into that massive homework assignment?
Thank God for YouTube, because I could watch just about anything that has ever been produced about the Bulls or Michael. I could watch specific games. But more importantly, it was just a matter of burying myself in my apartment and reading every single thing I could get my hands on. I still have a stack of books in my apartment that goes up above my waist that I read about this team. Some were incredibly insightful, some not so much. But I just read and watched everything I could possibly get my hands on. There were well over 10,000 pages of research that I read. The NBA was generous with its library visually and with transcripts from their past interviews. I just wanted to be sure I knew as much as I could possibly know going into this process so that we could (make progress). It’s difficult enough to storyboard out a one-hour documentary. But to storyboard out 10 hours and to determine what our arc was going to be, I wanted to make sure. I knew this was going to be so busy and such a race to the finish line — even a little bit faster here than we thought — to get this done that we had to have a 10-episode plan in place when we started shooting. We had to have a vision for what this was going to be. And then if we had to deviate from that, that only meant that something went so well that it had to be included in the doc. And luckily that happened dozens of times over the course of two years of shooting.
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You’ve talked about this big documentary basically having so many mini-documentaries folded within it. In many ways, you’re basically walking into this big ’90s Bulls museum in which you have all these different artifacts and subplots and anecdotes to check out. How, as a director, did you choose when to stop and more deeply explore a specific exhibit or topic?
It’s a good analogy. A lot of times it was dictated by the ’97-’98 season. That was the main highway that we kept coming back to. And we would refer to taking exits and taking little detours off of that main highway. But the highway was the ’97-’98 season. And we could get off on an exit and study somebody’s story. But we had to get back to that highway. I used to always say to our editors, “We can stop to eat but we can’t stay overnight.” So we have to get in and out and tell a story thoroughly if it’s a back story we need to tell, but we have to get back to that season. So when you look at the chronology of that season, you identify who your main characters are on that team, and then when did they do something significant enough during that season that it warrants telling the story in the moment and then also warrants going back and telling their back story. So Steve Kerr hits some big shots in the Eastern Conference finals, which happens in Episode 9. That’s when we go back and tell the story of Steve and his father and that whole story. With Dennis Rodman, once Scottie returned (to playing) about a third of the way through the season, Dennis goes off the deep end. And that seemed like a good time to delve into Dennis’ back story. That happens in Episode 3, chronologically in our series. So that dictated when we were going to tell Dennis’ story. Then Phil has to rein Dennis back in and manage this team now that Scottie is back on the floor. So telling Phil’s story in Episode 4 made sense. Really, with that, we really just used the ’97-’98 season as our North Star and went from there.
Here in Chicago, so much of that team’s success is remembered as such a feel-good fairy tale. But one of the jarring reminders in the film is how much tension there was between management — Jerry Krause in particular — and the team, whether it was Phil or Scottie or to some extent Michael. It seems almost surreal in retrospect to think that after championship No. 5 with the greatest player of all time that there was serious discussion within the organization of starting over and tearing it apart. What struck you about the heaviness of the weight on that team for the last leg of its journey?
It was clear when you asked any of the players on that team to describe the atmosphere in the locker room on Day 1 of the 1997-98 season, none of them say anything except tense, unsteady, uncertain, ominous. This was a team that had just won five titles in seven years. You would think that the only pitfall would be complacency. But it was clear to everyone in that offseason that this was going to be it. The end. So there was almost a sense of dread at the beginning of that season. I’ll put a period on it there. But it was very clear from Bill Wennington to Steve Kerr to Dennis to Scottie to Michael that this was not something that they were enjoying anymore. It almost seemed like a chore. And it was only through bonding during that season that you start to see the joy emerge again in the second half of the year.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 87 Michael Jordan flies through the air to dunk against the Jazz in a playoff game in Utah on June 5, 1998. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
From what you learned and what you experienced with these guys, that finality seems pretty intense, right?
Yeah. When your head coach who has won you five titles in the last seven years comes in with a laminated packet that says “The Last Dance” on it on the first day of your season, it’s going to raise some eyebrows. And I’m sure everyone in that room when Phil did that was stunned. This was Phil Jackson expressing to that team (how he felt). He had just come out of Jerry Krause’s office where Jerry Krause had told him “You could go 82-0 and you’re not coming back to coach this team next year.” Which seems like such a sophomoric, heady thing to say. But I think that’s how deep that schism was at that point. That chasm was there between them. And it was all about credit.
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If Jerry had still been around, what is it you would have wanted to ask or explore with him?
I would have asked him what he would have done differently to salvage the core of that team. How many titles did he think they could have won if he had made different decisions in his relationships with Phil and Michael and Scottie? Jerry is a polarizing character, especially there in Chicago. But he is No. 1 on my list where if there is one person I wish we could have interviewed for this documentary, it’s Jerry Krause. Because he was such a central figure in both the rise and the fall of this dynasty. And I think that as polarizing as he is — and he’s not a people person, he’s not camera-friendly — he was still the architect of that team. And I do feel like he is unfairly cast as a 100% villain when it’s not always black and white. There’s a lot more gray area there. But I will also say that in Episode 10, he does get his due from, of all people, Scottie Pippen.
One of the things that truly stands out as a thread throughout the film is just how intensely personal Michael took winning. With your opportunity to sit with him for so much time, what was your lasting takeaway from exploring that part of his DNA? And is there much more depth to him beyond that intensely personal pursuit of winning?
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There is more depth there to him than that. Competition and winning is clearly central to his core being. I asked him at the beginning of our second interview — during the playoffs last year — and we just started rolling cameras and I asked him if he was watching the playoffs. And he said, “Oh, yeah.” And I asked, “What do you miss the most?” And he immediately said, “Proving people wrong.” Now this is a guy who if there’s anyone who doesn’t need to be proven right, it’s Michael Jordan. He has had the most prolific, successful, dominant career of any modern NBA player. No one is really (doubting him). You wonder, what is it within him that makes him feel like he is being wronged or doubted by anybody? No one doubts Michael Jordan. So that was fascinating to see. And this is where we had the luxury of time and resources and cooperation from him where we could go back and see what the roots of that were. And we see that it was him competing with his brothers for his dad’s attention and growing up in a family where winning was the only option. Losing wasn’t truly accepted. Doing your best, I should say, was the only option. Because I do think that Michael handled losing very well. It was never like he was a sore loser or a crybaby. He showed a lot of poise. You can tell that he wants to break down after that 1990 playoff loss (to the Pistons). Yet he handles himself well. But it’s been instilled in him from before he ever picked up a basketball. He was taught that you always do your best. And that’s with him to that day.
That’s why LaBradford Smith, George Karl and even B.J. Armstrong get a bit of special treatment and are woven in as sort of targets of a Jordan grudge. I imagine that resonated with you accordingly, right?
I wish we could have dedicated four episodes to those stories. Because everyone who played against him has a story like that that either happened to them or to someone they know. He was that (intense). And sometimes he would have to conjure it. Like the LaBradford Smith thing didn’t even really exist. He made that up. Because he was so dominant he had to start making things up (in his head). He dominated Dan Majerle in the 1993 Finals in big part because Jerry Krause said Dan Majerle was a good defender. OK, then that’s what I’m going to take. Karl Malone was the MVP in 1997. And you’ll see in Episode 9. When Michael gives immediate answers, I loved it. Because that’s the most transparent glimpse into his psyche. Because you can see him respond verbally but you can also see his facial expressions. For instance, when you see Gary Payton say that he could have made (the ’96 Finals) a different series if he had been able to guard Michael the whole way, it’s so revealing to see his facial expression. He’s so emotive and generous with his emotion there. So I said to him, “What was the motivating factor going into the ’97 Finals?” And I barely got the question out of my mouth, and he said, “Karl Malone winning MVP.” He always had to make it personal. And that was because he accepted nothing but the best out of himself. And if that meant making things personal and creating a vindictiveness where none was warranted, he was willing to do that.
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There was a point during Michael’s rise to superstardom at which the black light came out to try to find the stains on who he was. Whether it was “The Jordan Rules” book (by Sam Smith) or the Atlantic City trip (during the 1993 playoffs) or his unwillingness to speak up during the (racially charged) North Carolina Senate race in 1990, there are reminders of him being human and having imperfections. What would you identify as Jordan’s imperfections or blind spots or those things that are sort of part of him?
It’s tough to call it imperfections. He’s not a perfect person. None of us are. Michael is well aware of that. But his blind spot around that time was ... he thought he could win at being perfect or being perceived as perfect. And he realized that even he is not immune to the toll that that spotlight takes on a person — that you can’t just get up and take a ride with your dad and go play blackjack for a few hours in Atlantic City without it becoming a national event. And for people to be flying in from all corners of the country to camp out in front of your hotel to get a comment on it. So he probably thought he could exude this image of perfection and be human behind the scenes. But ultimately? His rise came at a time where his rise paralleled the rise of tabloid journalism in our pop culture in a lot of ways. So what better piece of meat than this person who is perceived as being perfect to start picking away at and trying to tear down than Michael Jordan? I think he realized that nobody is immune to that kind of scrutiny.
One thing that really strikes me throughout the film that I’m not sure Chicago truly appreciated in real time was the very real fatigue and intense test of stamina the team faced along the road. When the audience gets to the end of Episode 10, what do you hope it realize about how that group managed to both survive and thrive amid all that pressure?
I don’t want to give you some canned answer about how hard it is and how you always have to work your hardest to succeed. Just from a purely mathematical perspective, consider the amount of games that these guys were playing. That was increased by 20 games per year, increased by 25% each year just due to the fact they were so great that they didn’t lose and they kept winning deeper and deeper into the year. So one of the reasons it’s so hard to repeat as a champion is because you have less time off to recover in between seasons. Because you have played an extra two months if you make it all the way to the Finals. They did that six times in eight years. It’s astounding. This is long before the era we have now with superteams where the greatest players in the league can decide to play together. None of those teams from the present era have done what the Bulls did. And the Bulls were not a contrived superteam. They were built from the ground up within their own system. So the amount of dedication and stamina and fortitude it took to do this year after year, I hope that people appreciate that when they come away from this. Just understand how difficult it is to even win two in a row let alone six out of eight. I asked Michael, “Had you stayed around through those baseball years, could you be talking about eight in a row?” And he said, “I don’t think so.” He needed to leave for those two years to even have the opportunity for a second three-peat. Because he was gassed. Eight in a row is impossible. Unless you’re Bill Russell. But that is part of this.


chicagotribune--2020-04-17--Listen: Bob Dylan shares another new song, ‘I Contain Multitudes’

On `` Multitudes , '' Dylan sighs into the microphone like an exhausted reaper .
`` I got a tell-tale @ @ @ @ @ Got skeletons in the walls of people you know , '' he sings to sparse @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I drink to the truth / And the things we said / I @ @ @ @ @ who shares your bed . ''
Elsewhere he rhymes `` frolic with all the young @ @ @ @ @ contain multitudes . ''
He name-checks Anne Frank and couples `` Indiana Jones '' with @ @ @ @ @ ''

Bob Dylan is on a roll.
After the surprise release last month of the 17-minute song “A Murder Most Foul,” the 78-year-old singer-songwriter has dropped “I Contain Multitudes.” The creeping meditation clocks at a far less imposing 4:38, but Dylan packs odd accents into every measure.
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“Today, tomorrow and yesterday too / The floors are dying / Like all things do,” sings Dylan, he phrasing casual, his graveled delivery just above a whisper, ending the opening verse with a typically inventive turn of phrase: “I fuss with my hair / And I fight blood feuds / I contain multitudes.”
Dylan's hide-and-seek approach to new music suggests an artist perfectly content doling out single-song releases minus the typical fanfare that comes with an Official New Bob Dylan Album. The last one of those he released — excluding a series of covers albums — was "Tempest," eight years ago. He's also been dipping into his vaults.
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Details are sparse for now on when and where "I Contain Multitudes" was recorded. The song, a reference to a line from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass," arrived without a press release, notes on instrumentation or musicians.
On "Multitudes," Dylan sighs into the microphone like an exhausted reaper. "I got a tell-tale heart like Mr. Poe / Got skeletons in the walls of people you know," he sings to sparse, clean electric guitar accompaniment. "I drink to the truth / And the things we said / I'll drink to the man who shares your bed." Elsewhere he rhymes "frolic with all the young dudes" with "I contain multitudes." He name-checks Anne Frank and couples "Indiana Jones" with "the Rolling Stones."
“I Contain Multitudes” crawls along like a gunshot victim abandoned outside the emergency room. But lyrically, Dylan’s having fun with his lines, and phrases them with a devil-may-care joyfulness. Multitudes indeed.


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--Cops: Second suspect charged for Red Line attack that left former Marine dead

Balde struggled to free himself as he was dragged along the platform and into a tunnel , where his head @ @ @ @ @ a metal partition , according to authorities .
Following his arrest last Friday , Munn @ @ @ @ @ Balde out of loyalty to his friend , but said he was only trying to @ @ @ @ @ ground .

A Humboldt Park man was held without bail Friday on charges he attacked a former Marine who was shoved between Red Line train cars and dragged to his death earlier this month.
Fajour Hodges, 19, of the 1200 block of North Artesian Avenue, was arrested on a murder warrant Thursday and charged with first-degree murder for the April 6 death of Mamadou Balde, according to Chicago police.
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Fajour Hodges, 19, was charged with first-degree murder for the April 6 death of Mamadou Balde, 29. - Original Credit: Chicago police (HANDOUT)
Prosecutors have already charged Ryan Munn in Balde’s death, a crime that shocked the city trying to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home order. The attack was captured on CTA surveillance cameras, and three witnesses identified Munn and Hodges as the assailants, prosecutors have said.
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Prosecutors said Near North District police officers recognized Munn and Hodges from prior contact they’d had with both. Police had been seeking Hodges since shortly after the attack, but the arrest warrant was issued this week after he missed a hearing at the Skokie courthouse on an unrelated retail theft case, according to records.
In court Friday, prosecutors said Hodges was standing on the platform with Munn when Balde, who was intoxicated, struck up a conversation with him. During the brief exchange, Balde appeared to be smiling and joking with Hodges, despite momentarily raising his fists to his chin “as if he was jokingly putting up his dukes,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.
As Balde was smiling, Hodges allegedly punched Balde in the face, knocking him backward toward a stopped train. Prosecutors said Munn joined in, throwing punches and shoving Balde until he fell between the cars of the slow-moving train.
Fatoumata Balde, sister of Mamadou Balde, holds a cellphone showing an image of her brother as a Marine. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Balde struggled to free himself as he was dragged along the platform and into a tunnel, where his head and upper body violently struck a metal partition, according to authorities. Following his arrest last Friday, Munn admitted taking a swing at Balde out of loyalty to his friend, but said he was only trying to push the victim to the ground.
Hodges’ attorney William Wolf said in court Friday that first-degree murder was an inappropriate charge, since there was no indication of “an intention or even a knowledge that they were taking an action that was going to kill him.”
Hodges has asthma, Wolf said, indicating that he had “medical concerns” about keeping him at the jail during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Judge Arthur Wesley Willis ordered Hodges held without bail, saying it seemed Hodges initiated the contact when he started punching the victim. Munn was also held without bail over the weekend.


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--Zach LaVine eliminates Allie Quigley in an all-Chicago semifinal but falls to Mike Conley in the fin

Zach LaVine eliminates Allie Quigley in an all-Chicago semifinal but falls to Mike Conley in the final of ESPN’s HORSE tournament

“ It ’ s definitely a unique situation ; not many spouses go to work together , come home together @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s just kind of all we ’ ve known and it @ @ @ @ @ .
We get to live our dreams together , travel the world together .
We @ @ @ @ @ many different countries together and experience so much .
So , ( I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ able to do this with her .
”

The rules prevented Zach LaVine from dunking, but his athleticism took him to the final of the HORSE tournament between stars from the NBA and WNBA on Thursday night on ESPN.
The Bulls guard advanced past the Sky’s Allie Quiqley in an-all Chicago semifinal to start the night, using his combination of trick layups to get past the sharpshooting Quiqley, a two-time winner of the WNBA 3-point contest. But LaVine lost in the final to Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr.
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Shooting from his home gym with a bag of trick shots in his arsenal, Conley and his ambidextrous shooting prevailed over LaVine, who endured a light drizzle on his outdoor court in suburban Seattle by the end of the competition.
🏀 NBA HORSE Challenge 🏀@MCONLEY10 spins the ball on his finger and punches it in to get @ZachLaVine to H-O-R-S!
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/HApOEAZdzA — NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2020
LaVine’s strategy was clear from the start of the tournament, when he defeated Paul Pierce in the quarterfinals Sunday. The former back-to-back winner of the dunk contest dipped into some of his more acrobatic moves, and that continued against Quigley. In the semifinal matchup, he went between the legs and hit a reverse layup and also hit a reverse layup after tossing the ball off the backboard.
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Before the start of LaVine’s matchup against Conley, ESPN brought in referee Steve Javie to determine whether LaVine was breaking the no-dunking rule.
Zach "playing it safe" in HORSE = off the backboard between-the-legs layup 😅
🎥: @espn pic.twitter.com/V93dozxgPT — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 17, 2020
Quigley also got a chance to shine.
She eliminated Chris Paul in her matchup Sunday with the most creative shot-making in the tournament. The three-time WNBA All-Star also took a lead on LaVine, knocking down another shot while sitting on the ground before LaVine rallied. In the background of each of Quigley’s shots, her wife and Sky teammate, Courtney Vandersloot, held a phone to film the competition.
“It’s definitely a unique situation; not many spouses go to work together, come home together 24/7,” Quigley said. “It’s just kind of all we’ve known and it’s really amazing actually. We get to live our dreams together, travel the world together. We’ve been to so many different countries together and experience so much. So (I’m) really lucky to be able to do this with her.”


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--COVID-19 death of ‘hardworking and dedicated’ CTA bus mechanic is agency’s 3rd

“ I join the entire CTA family in extending our sincerest condolences to his family , friends and loved ones @ @ @ @ @ R. Carter Jr. said in a statement from the agency .
“ For nearly 20 @ @ @ @ @ dedicated gentleman was committed to making sure our customers had the best transit experience possible @ @ @

A veteran bus mechanic who began working for the CTA in 2000 has become the third staffer to pass away after becoming stricken with the virus.
“I join the entire CTA family in extending our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. said in a statement from the agency. “For nearly 20 years, this hardworking and dedicated gentleman was committed to making sure our customers had the best transit experience possible.’’
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Earlier this week, on April 14, the CTA announced it had lost its second staffer to the disease, a bus driver who joined the CTA in 2018.
He was a “dedicated professional” who was “committed to providing the essential transit service that people rely on,” Carter Jr. said in an earlier statement. “We hope everyone will remember and honor this employee’s service to CTA and Chicago.”
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On April 11, the CTA announced its first worker had died of the disease. Antonio Martinez, a 14-year veteran of the CTA, was a machinist who worked out of the Skokie Shops heavy maintenance facility and who had no contact with the public, a CTA spokeswoman confirmed.
Of the CTA’s 11,000 staffers, just under 90 have taken ill with the disease.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--Morton Grove joins suburbs requiring face coverings in public; Niles mayor plans similar order

Mayor Dan DiMaria signed an executive directive Wednesday requiring face coverings for anyone “ engaging in any activity outside their @ @ @ @ @ people are present.
” The order allows business owners and operators to refuse service or @ @ @ @ @ a face covering , and failing to follow the rules can lead to a warning @ @ @ @ @

The villages of Morton Grove and Niles have become the latest suburbs to require citizens to wear face coverings in public places due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morton Grove Mayor Dan DiMaria signed an executive directive Wednesday requiring face coverings for anyone “engaging in any activity outside their place of residence while other people are present," and a similar order was made by Niles Mayor Andrew Przybylo on Friday.
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Both of the directives allow business owners and operators to refuse service or admission to anyone not wearing a face covering. DiMaria’s directive allows for police to issue a warning or citation to someone who does not comply, while Przybylo’s does not establish a fine for non-compliance.
“All members of the public are expected to comply,” a statement from the village of Niles said.
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Face coverings are defined as non-medical masks, cloth, plastic masks, scarves, bandannas and handkerchiefs that cover the nose and mouth.
The directives were issued to "protect the health, safety and welfare of persons within the village,” the documents from the Morton Grove and Niles mayors say.
According to the directives, face covers are not necessary while riding in a personal vehicle, while eating or drinking, or for anyone engaged in solitary activity like walking, running or biking.
Neither specify a minimum age requirement.
Messages left for DiMaria were not returned.
As of April 17, there were 80 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Morton Grove and 135 reported in Niles, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.
The number of cases in Niles has gone up more than 230% since April 7, according to the data.
“I’m aware of it and I’m concerned,” Przybylo said. “That’s one of the reasons why we are issuing this executive order.”
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Przybylo described the order as focusing on “encouragement and education.”
“If anybody enforces it, it’s going to be the grocery stores or other retail stores,” Przybylo said.
These businesses would have the right to contact the police if customers refuse to cover their faces and refuse to leave the premises, he said.
“I think most people will get it,” he said.
The requirements for face coverings in Morton Grove and Niles come on the heels of Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen issuing an executive order on April 15 requiring everyone over the age of 5 to wear face coverings in public. That order took effect at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Skokie has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within suburban Cook County, with a total of 276 reported as of April 15, according to the Skokie Health Department. There have been 12 deaths due to COVID-19 within the village, the health department reported.
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The village of Glenview, which also borders Morton Grove, has had a face cover requirement in place since April 12.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-04-16--The new Peter Cottontale isn’t religious, but it is spiritual as it calls upon artists from Kirk Fra

The new Peter Cottontale isn’t religious, but it is spiritual as it calls upon artists from Kirk Franklin and Chance the Rapper to Jamila Woods, to present inspirational music in the form of beautiful stories

“ She was like , ‘ The best version of your singing is when you ’ re relaxed.
’ Once @ @ @ @ @ started to formulate audio and manifest songs , ” Wilkins remembers .
“ I realized @ @ @ @ @ lot of things in my life that could be relevant to things in other people @ @ @ @ @ I had a choir and a group of people really understanding what I was saying @ @ @ @ @ Like , ‘ I want to work on this .
I want to see this @ @ @ @ @ s when I was like , this is not just important to me .
This @ @ @ @ @ that are also in it , so I want to make it the best thing @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t sure of everything he wanted to say in that moment , but @ @ @ @ @ to say .
In the process , he figured out more about himself .

“We talk a lot about what inspires us. I was actually trying to put that in this music,” says producer, musical director, and musician Peter Wilkins. “This is inspirational music.”
What exactly is “inspirational” music? For Wilkins (who creates under the moniker Peter CottonTale), “inspiration” encompasses a few interpretations. There is the literal definition of the word, of course. “CATCH,” Wilkins’s debut album out this week, is a cross-genre work rooted in the gospel and hip-hop worlds.
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But the record is also a poignant letter to the people like Wilkins and the communities where they live. In this testimonial, Wilkins aims not just to share his particular story, but to serve as a point of reference of what one can do with their life and with art. Placed within boxes of what he could and could not be, Wilkins sifted through his personal experiences to make a gorgeous creative statement about his life. Maybe, after a few spins of “CATCH,” other people will too.
“I want to say set an example, but I’m not somebody you should follow,” Wilkins begins. “But the things that I do, I would hope that people would feel free to express what they believe and who they are. So that’s the biggest thing I found myself interested in right now: community — building and seeing somebody else like me succeed.”
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“CATCH” has been a long time coming. When not performing in groups like The Social Experiment, Wilkins is best known for his production and musical direction for artists like Chance the Rapper, SZA, and Jamila Woods. It was in the middle of his other obligations that “CATCH” began to take shape.
“I found out in the world of creating things, it goes into one pool,” he says. “Based on the timing, you can be writing for something and it applies to something totally different the next day.”
Chicago musician Peter Cottontale poses for a portrait in his studio Tuesday. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Slipping away to rooms by himself, Wilkins began to formulate some of his initial thought processes into songs. Bits and pieces began to form, although Wilkins had no initial intention of creating a definitive piece of work. A key breakthrough moment, he said, occurred while working on the track “When I Get There” in New York. Featuring a number of artists — from Woods and Jeremih to PJ Morton, and Jon Baptiste — the track, the true heart of the record, is a deeply vulnerable reflection of being alive and what comes next.
Wilkins gained a sense of clarity while working in the studio with his friend Grace Weber, a singer-songwriter.
“She was like, ‘The best version of your singing is when you’re relaxed.’ Once I got relaxed, I started to formulate audio and manifest songs,” Wilkins remembers. “I realized I was speaking to a lot of things in my life that could be relevant to things in other people’s lives. Once I had a choir and a group of people really understanding what I was saying … People were enticed. Like, ‘I want to work on this. I want to see this get better.’ That’s when I was like, this is not just important to me. This is important to other people that are also in it, so I want to make it the best thing that I can.” Wilkins wasn’t sure of everything he wanted to say in that moment, but he knew he had something to say. In the process, he figured out more about himself.
Yet, despite the album’s consistent use of gospel stylings, Wilkins said “CATCH” is not a religious album. “I think if it was a religious album, it would be way more traditional,” he said. Traditional, in this sense, meaning a work solely about testimony. CATCH is not merely a work of how he personally practices, and instead a generational reflection of the practice of spirituality.
“What really helped me in my walk in trying to formulate this album was my experiences with Jesus, my testimonials with God, and my faith, and formulating how those things look to me as someone 28 (years old), born in 1991, versus how those things used to look to my mom or my dad or my grandparents or somebody else’s grandparents,” said Wilkins. “We go through a lot of things that are relatable faith-wise, but they don’t always look the same. So it wasn’t the practice of doing the same thing religiously, it was really just relating to what’s happening, breaking that tradition and being like, ‘Hey, this is me of faith.' Jesus and God say come as you are. This is me presenting myself as I am.’”
The result is a record unlike anything else released this year. Featuring additional appearances by new collaborators like Kirk Franklin and Tiff Joy, “CATCH” is a long overdue and gorgeous statement setting Wilkins far apart from his peers. Here is an artist sure of himself, his beliefs, his artistry, and his perspective on life. In a world increasingly driven by algorithms and charts, Wilkins radically takes a stand for clarity of vision. And in the end, it all works.
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“The story doesn’t end with ‘God’s Plan.’ It doesn’t end with ‘Jesus Walks.’ It doesn’t end with ‘Jesus is King.’ It’s pretty much starting and people are starting to realize what they’re talking about belief wise is very important. It’s okay to express what you believe in and don’t be afraid to put that into your art,” said Wilkins. “We shouldn’t be held back or told we can only make certain types of music. This is the only thing that can be successful. Not really, not if we as a community construct our own lane.”
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
brittjulious@gmail.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-17--NBA players to receive 25% less in paychecks starting May 15

“ All these team owners are in this business because they love the game , ” Silver said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ and I know from my conversations with players they feel the same way .
But @ @ @ @ @ with human life , that trumps anything else we could possibly talk about .
That @ @ @ @ @ conversation began and ended today .
”

Commissioner Adam Silver said it remains impossible for the NBA to make any decisions about whether to resume this season and that it is unclear when that will change.
But in a clear sign that at least some of the 259 remaining regular-season games that were not played because of the coronavirus pandemic will not be rescheduled, the league announced Friday it will withhold 25% of player pay starting with their May 15 checks.
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Silver, speaking after the league’s regularly scheduled April board of governors meeting — one that took place through video conferencing and not the usual in-person setting in New York — said all options remain on the table for trying to resume play and eventually crowning a champion.
“I think there is a sense that we can continue to take the leading role as we learn more in coming up with an appropriate regimen and protocol for returning to business,” Silver said. “There’s a recognition from (owners) that this is bigger than our business; certainly, bigger than sports.”
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The salary decision was made in concert with the National Basketball Players Association, the league saying it would “provide players with a more gradual salary reduction schedule” if games are officially canceled or the rest of the season is totally lost.
Players will be paid in full on May 1. The cutback in salary has been expected for some time in response to the NBA’s shutdown that started March 11, and has no end in sight.
Silver said the league will weigh several factors as it continues to try to save the season, among them whether the infection rate of COVID-19 comes down nationally, the availability of large-scale testing and progress on the path toward a vaccine.
“All these team owners are in this business because they love the game,” Silver said. “They love the competition, and I know from my conversations with players they feel the same way. But when you’re dealing with human life, that trumps anything else we could possibly talk about. That’s really where the conversation began and ended today.”
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Team owners and NBA officials heard from Disney chairman Bob Iger during the call to discuss his company’s response to the pandemic, as well as from Dr. David Ho of Columbia University. Ho is an expert on viral epidemics and worked with the NBA when Magic Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in 1991.
Silver said Iger shared that he’s been often asked about a return to normalcy.
“To steal a line from Bob, when he was asked by several people about particular timelines, he said from his standpoint ‘it’s about the data, and not the date,’” Silver said.
The NBA playoffs would have started Saturday. If none of the 259 outstanding regular season games are played, the league’s players would lose about $800 million in gross salary.
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Taking 25% out of checks on May 15 — and, presumably, checks on June 1 and June 15 should play not resume by then — would amount to players across the league missing $40 million in each pay period.
The reduction in pay is in anticipation of what the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players describes as a “Force Majeure Event” — the legal term for unforeseeable circumstances, such as an epidemic or pandemic. Per the CBA, players could lose 1.08% of their annual salary for each game that is canceled.
Silver said the shutdown means “revenues, in essence, have dropped to zero. That’s having a huge financial impact on team business and arena business.”


chicagotribune--2020-04-17--Luke Goode, a top-100 basketball recruit in the Class of 2021, commits to Illinois

Assuming Miller does sign , Illinois has at least one vacant scholarship for 2020-21 and up to three if Ayo @ @ @ @ @ in the NBA draft .
A 247Sports report in early March said Miller has been @ @ @ @ @ teammate , four-star junior forward Brandon Weston , to commit to Illinois and reclassify into @ @ @ @ @

While Illinois awaits a signed letter of intent from Mr. Basketball winner Adam Miller, the top-rated member of its 2020 recruiting class, coach Brad Underwood got started Friday on the 2021 class.
Luke Goode, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Fort Wayne, Ind., announced on Twitter that he has committed to the Illini. A four-star prospect ranked 97th in the country and seventh in Indiana in his class, per the 247Sports.com composite, Goode had an offer list that included Northwestern, Michigan State, Maryland, Iowa, Louisville, Butler and Stanford.
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Goode averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a junior at Homestead High School, according to Max Preps. He is the first member of Illinois’ 2021 recruiting class.
Underwood’s three-player 2020 class is ranked 15th nationally and second in the Big Ten, with four-star New York point guard Andre Curbelo and three-star California forward Coleman Hawkins signing in November.
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The prize of the class, four-star Morgan Park guard and top-40 national recruit Miller, committed to Illinois the day after the early signing period ended in November. The spring signing period opened Wednesday, but as of Friday afternoon, Illinois had not announced a Miller signing.
The Tribune on Friday announced Miller as the winner of the state’s Mr. Basketball award, as voted on by high school coaches and media.
Assuming Miller does sign, Illinois has at least one vacant scholarship for 2020-21 and up to three if Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn remain in the NBA draft. A 247Sports report in early March said Miller has been pushing for his Morgan Park teammate, four-star junior forward Brandon Weston, to commit to Illinois and reclassify into the Class of 2020.


chicagotribune--2020-04-17--Woman shot in head on Far South Side, man critically wounded in shooting in Albany Park

A 23-year-old old woman who was shot in the head and ended up crashing into six vehicles Friday afternoon in @ @ @ @ @ the Far South Side , Chicago police said .

A 23-year-old old woman who was shot in the head and ended up crashing into six vehicles Friday afternoon in the Eden Green neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago police said.
About 3 p.m., the woman was in a vehicle in the 13000 block of South King Drive, when someone began shooting a firearm and she accelerated, crashing into six cars, police said.
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She suffered a head wound, and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where her condition was stabilized.
Earlier Friday afternoon, a 26-year-old man was critically wounded while he sat in a parked vehicle in the Albany Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, Chicago police said.
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Shortly before 12:30 p.m., the victim seated in a parked vehicle in the 4900 block of North Drake Avenue, when someone approached a vehicle, produced a firearm and opened fire, striking him in the back, police said.
He was taken in critical condition to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
No one was in custody and police were investigating.