chicagotribune--2020-01-23--One cancer is almost 100% preventable. And Chicago is making a move to eradicate it.

“ We ’ re all thinking through three areas of intervention : working with other groups in regards to vaccinations @ @ @ @ @ own primary care system here in Chicago and how it facilitates or is a barrier @ @ @ @ @ for cervical cancer , and thinking through the treatment side in regards to ensuring women @ @ @ @ @ today ’ s guidelines of care , ” Murphy said .
“ There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ variety of cancers that this will be a model for .
We ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ this , in addition to hopefully eliminating cervical cancer .
”

“It happens when you least expect it. ... It was my last semester before it was time for me to graduate. That’s when I found out.”
Morgan Park resident Angela Williams was 40 years old in 2015 when she received a diagnosis of cervical cancer following a routine gynecological checkup.
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“There are so many emotions when you hear the word cancer the first time around,” she said. “It was like, ‘OK, we can give you a hysterectomy, and then you’ll be OK from there.’ I was upset, but I thought there are a lot of people who don’t make it. So take this surgery, and do what you got to do.”
Williams, 44, now a CTA bus driver, has had cancer two more times since then, both in 2017 — recurrences involving her colon and lymph nodes.
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“The second time I had cancer was the hardest time because I had to go through chemotherapy and radiation treatment. And within weeks, I lost a lot of weight. I went through a lot the second time, so hearing that it came back the same year, only months after was scary,” she said. “It was hard because I did have my days where I felt that I just can’t do it.”
January is cervical cancer awareness month and Williams is just one of many women whom the new initiative Equal Hope (formerly known as the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force) aims to help. Created in 2008, the health equity nonprofit network of health care providers, community leaders and advocates led efforts to reduce breast cancer deaths for the city’s African American female population (down from a 62 percent death gap to a 39 percent gap over the past decade). The group is now setting its sights on eliminating cervical cancer disparities and ultimately eradicating the disease in Chicagoland, according to Anne Marie Murphy, executive director of Equal Hope.
Equal Hope’s growth coincided with the increasing anger of Dr. Summer Dewdney, assistant professor at Rush University’s Medical Center’s Division of Gynecologic Oncology, who was seeing severe cervical cancer cases in her practice.
“A lot of my patients with advanced cervical cancer come through the emergency room, so they come to us already with this giant mass and no idea what’s going on. I just got mad and knew about Dr. David Ansell’s breast cancer work, so I just knocked on his door and said, ‘Hey, can we do this for cervical cancer?’” she said. “Because this shouldn’t be happening. And it was happening to women of color almost all the time.”
Ansell, senior vice president for Health Equity at Rush and Equal Hope’s founder and board president, described the commitment to eradicate cervical cancer in the city as “an achievable goal.” Australia expects to eradicate cervical cancer by 2028, and England is reporting fewer HPV infections since vaccinations were introduced in schools.
Angela Williams drives the CTA's No. 29 State Street bus from Navy Pier at the end of her shift Jan. 15, 2020, in Chicago. “Nobody wants to talk about it, but we should talk about it,” she says of cervical cancer. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Equal Hope’s new campaign will help uninsured, underinsured and publicly insured women get quality screenings, diagnoses and treatment for cervical cancer. And it will engage in quality measurement and improvement around the cervical cancer health system. Equal Hope announced its mission and new name in November with cervical cancer mortality data that showed:
Chicago’s rates of cervical cancer incidence (occurrence) and mortality are higher than national averages. The incidence rate is 39% higher, and the death rate is 60% higher, according to the National Cancer Institute.
There are large disparities within Chicago when it comes to cervical cancer. For instance, a black woman or Latina in Chicago is almost three times more likely to die of cervical cancer than a white woman, per data from the Chicago Department of Health’s Chicago Health Atlas.
“The cervical cancer disparity gap is going in the wrong direction. So we thought it kind of made sense to do this since we already worked with breast cancer,” Murphy said. “A woman in Washington Park is 85 times more likely to die of cervical cancer compared to a woman in Hyde Park.”
“That to us was most striking,” said Dr. Nita Lee, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UChicago Medicine and an Equal Hope board member. “Young African American women are dying of this disease, and they shouldn’t be.”
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According to information provided by Equal Hope:
Cervical cancer, unlike other cancers is not hereditary and is almost 100% preventable.
Almost all cervical cancer is caused by the virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted skin to skin through sexual contact. And no, condoms do not completely eliminate the risk of getting HPV.
It is estimated that 80% of Americans will be exposed to the virus in their lifetimes.
You don’t have to have a lot of sexual partners to be exposed to HPV. About 40 percent of women with just one sexual partner get HPV within two years of becoming sexually active.
HPV can stay hidden in the body and become active up to 20 years after it first entered your body.
There is more than one strain of HPV, but the surest way to prevent cervical cancer and other cancers caused by HPV is vaccination for girls and boys starting at age 9. The virus can also cause cancers in men related to sexual activity. And men can transmit HPV to their sexual partners.
“This is a vaccination to stop patients from getting cancer,” said Dewdney, Williams’ oncologist and an Equal Hope board member. “It’s two shots if you’re under age 15, but if you wait until later, you have to get three shots.”
A combination of vaccination and regular screenings for precancerous lesions of the cervix starting at age 21 (via Pap smears) is recommended. And women over age 45 still need to get regular cervical cancer screens. Forty-one percent of women who die from cervical cancer are over age 65, Dewdney and Lee say.
You had a hysterectomy and don’t think you need to go for a screening? You have to know if your cervix was removed with the hysterectomy. Talk to your doctor.
And even though you’ve received the HPV vaccine, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep up with Pap tests. “As clinicians who see women through their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, having an annual exam really does help you catch a lot of other things that women have, including other cancers and other issues. The PAP is an important part of that,” Lee said.
Most women diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S. have not had a Pap smear in at least five years, and symptoms of cervical cancer can present as vaginal bleeding, bleeding after sex, pelvic pain, leg swelling, blood in urine and renal failure, Lee said.
“Lots of people have this idea that one almost has to be a sex worker to need this. But no, that’s not true. This is like the common cold,” Murphy said.
Angela Williams prepares to drive her CTA bus from Navy Pier on Jan. 15, 2020. She is now cancer-free. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“It’s a below-the-belt cancer that nobody wants to talk about,” Lee adds. “The women that we see with this cancer are either women who haven’t been in for a long time because of (societal) barriers or their lack of thinking that these screenings apply to them.”
“When we find a new cervical cancer diagnosis, one of the questions I ask: ‘Have you been getting routine pelvic exams or Pap smears?’ And close to 100% of the time, they say my last Pap was 10 years or 20 years ago,” said Dewdney. “The reasons for that are many: ‘I lost my insurance; I’ve been taking care of my sick parents. I knew there was something abnormal, but I never followed up.’”
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Lee said people with insurance are also underutilizing screenings. She said that at age 21 Pap tests should begin. After age 30, a Pap test and an HPV test are suggested every three years to five years. After age 65, screenings can stop only if there’s a history of normal Pap smears.
Dewdney adds that a pelvic exam should not be confused with a Pap test. Pelvic exams are about looking for interior problems, but a Pap takes samples of cells for cervical cancer screenings.
“I see these young women who are in their 30s or 40s with these horrible cervical cancers — advanced stage 3, 4,” Dewdney said. “These are diseases you should be seeing in Third World countries or where they don’t have health care. Every woman that we see is a missed opportunity that somehow the system has failed. We want every woman to know that they should be screened.”
And that’s where Lee, Dewdney and Murphy are hoping Equal Hope inspires follow-through with screenings. The physicians reached out to their counterparts and clinicians at other area hospitals to participate in the endeavor. According to Dewdney, over two dozen health care professionals have already attended meetings — people passionate about eradicating cervical cancer in Chicago. The team plans to do outreach, to educate and help those in need, while also capturing information on quality assessment, measurement and improvement for health systems for this form of cancer. In essence, it hopes to change the culture of how cervical cancer is perceived, talked about and treated.
“We’re all thinking through three areas of intervention: working with other groups in regards to vaccinations, trying to understand our own primary care system here in Chicago and how it facilitates or is a barrier to accessing the right care for cervical cancer, and thinking through the treatment side in regards to ensuring women get the highest quality by today’s guidelines of care,” Murphy said. “There’s going to be a whole variety of cancers that this will be a model for. We’re going to learn a lot through this, in addition to hopefully eliminating cervical cancer.”
As for Williams, she’s cancer-free. And given her unique cancer journey, she wants to do what she can to raise awareness about cervical cancer — talking to young people, serving as an advocate so others with questions can come to her, even starting her own foundation.
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“Nobody wants to talk about it, but we should talk about it,” she said. “If people look at me a certain way because I had it, then so what? Because how many lives can it save by me talking about it?”
Her advice to others about cervical cancer: Go to the doctor regularly. She never missed a doctor’s appointment, and she thinks that’s what saved her life.
“Some people are afraid to go to the doctor because they don’t want to know or deal with the results. That’s the worst thing you can do to yourself,” she said. “When you hear the word ‘cancer,’ it’s like am I going to die? But I’m like, ‘No, don’t bury me.’”
Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox will host a free lecture, “HPV 101: Understanding HPV, Cervical Cancer and Beyond," at 5 p.m. Jan. 30 in the hospital’s conference center. Gynecologic oncologist Lee will be in attendance. Registration required.
drockett@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--’Picard’ review: Patrick Stewart steers a confident course for the NEXT next generation of ‘Star Tre

’Picard’ review: Patrick Stewart steers a confident course for the NEXT next generation of ‘Star Trek’

Stewart ’ s just lovely in this .
He has spent his post- '' Next Generation '' and post- '' @ @ @ @ @ various corners of the indie and studio film world , to mixed success .
Picard @ @ @ @ @ .
Just as the first round of “ Star Trek ” movies , the ones @ @ @ @ @ gang , made hay on the old idea of old dogs learning new tricks , @ @ @ @ @ some of that in its synthetic DNA .
And it works , because the actors @ @ @ @ @ and it ’ s treated seriously but without a crushing sense of solemnity .

It takes three full episodes for 79-year-old Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard — the wise, principled man of action too good for Earth as we know it — to board an unauthorized spacecraft, surround himself with an eclectic crew of old allies and new acquisitions, and say the word for which everyone, young and old, has waited a generation:
“Engage.”
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But we’re already plenty engaged by then. “Picard,” the CBS All Access streamer debuting Thursday and rolling out in weekly hourlong increments, is off to a fine start based on the three episodes made available for advance review.
Extending a fiercely loved chapter in the “Star Trek” mythology means a director, practically speaking, cannot win with everyone. The first three “Picard” episodes were directed by Lake Forest College undergraduate alum Hanelle M. Culpepper, who made the feature films “Within” and “Murder on the 13th Floor,” and has racked up dozens of series television credits.
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These first three episodes have been shrewdly tailored to fit Picard’s elder-statesman status, now that he’s a forcibly retired lion in winter, forced by his conscience and sense of duty to take on an authorized, this-time-it’s-personal mission. It’s just like “Rambo: Last Blood,” in other words, without the sadism, the Borg or the cruddy, lowest-common-denominator nostalgia.
At the start, Picard tends his vineyard and lives a quietly swank existence in the home shared by Romulans Zhaban (Jamie McShane) and Laris (Orla Brady), and Picard’s pitbull, Number One. Then — apologies for the intergalactic mixed metaphor — there’s a disturbance in the Force: a young woman, Dahj, shows up to seek help from Picard. Isa Briones plays what is soon revealed to be a crucial dual role. Romulan assassins want Dahj dead; something in Picard’s dreams of his old android friend and second-in-command, Data (Brent Spiner), suggest unfinished business to which Dahj holds the secret.
Some boilerplate: “Picard” connects directly from the Stewart-helmed 1987-1994 “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series. That spun off four feature films, from 1994 through 2002.
Sir Patrick Stewart stars as Jean-Luc Picard in the CBS All Access series "Star Trek: Picard." (Matt Kennedy/CBS / HANDOUT)
On Earth, “Picard” teleports from the Bay Area to Okinawa to high desert country. New characters emerge: Alison Pill in a pale blue overcoat portrays a key Picard ally, while 14-years-earlier flashbacks reveal the Starfleet political machinations leading to Picard’s ill-fated career-ending mission. His trusted colleague Raffi is once again, and very valuably, portrayed by Michelle Hurd, whose bitter desert-rat existence appears to be one road over from “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
The long-view plotting in “Picard” ties into another familiar character: Bruce Maddox, robotics and cybernetics genius with serious ambitions. Jeri Ryan is coming back as Borg drone Seven of Nine, fan favorite from the “Star Trek: Voyager" series. The executive producer ranks for “Picard” are formidable, with Stewart and Michael Chabon among them. The first three episodes build steadily to the moment when Picard and company, including a delightful Santiago Cabrera as a cigar-puffing pilot-for-hire, set their course for adventure and their minds on true romance. “Romance” is evoked by the Bing Crosby version of “Blue Skies” introducing the first episode.
Stewart’s just lovely in this. He has spent his post-"Next Generation" and post-"X-Men" career staking out various corners of the indie and studio film world, to mixed success. Picard suits him wonderfully, still. Just as the first round of “Star Trek” movies, the ones with William Shatner and the gang, made hay on the old idea of old dogs learning new tricks, “Picard” too has some of that in its synthetic DNA. And it works, because the actors are the right actors, and it’s treated seriously but without a crushing sense of solemnity.
We’ll see how the rest of the first season pans out. The effects are sleekly managed, and the interiors have that patented CBS house style of low, flattering light, so much so that you half-expect the cast of “NCIS” to show up in space. The action/dialogue ratio feels about right throughout, though occasionally the writers settle for some banter better left to the imdb.com comments section. By 2399, I’d have hoped the phrase “don’t give up your day job” would’ve run its course. A couple of expositional catch-up sessions in the second episode threaten, briefly, to go on forever.
Small matters. Soon enough we get back to business, and to how “Picard” hooks us in the first place: with an autumnal, dream-haunted mood that is nonetheless full of hope and hard-won optimism. And a first-rate actor embodying the best of the “Star Trek” ethos with every syllable.
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Season 1 episodes of the 10-episode “Star Trek: Picard” will be available Thursdays via CBS All Access in the U.S., on Bell MEdia’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and OTT’s Crave in Canada, and via Amazon Prime Video internationally.
Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
mjphillips@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @phillipstribune


chicagotribune--2020-01-22--New Trier grad stole almost $10 million from investor to bankroll Las Vegas sports gambling, lavish

New Trier grad stole almost $10 million from investor to bankroll Las Vegas sports gambling, lavish lifestyle, feds say

There was also fallout at the sports books , which didn ’ t take kindly to some of Gorodetsky ’ @ @ @ @ @ a follow-up article by USA Today .
On Dec. 29 , 2017 , two days @ @ @ @ @ , USA Today reported that Gorodetsky had been banned for life from MGM Resorts International @ @ @ @ @ William Hill , though the specific reason for the ban was not given .

Robert Gorodetsky monitors the sports he places bets on via his phone in 2017. Gorodetsky was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago with a massive fraud scheme against a single victim who invested millions of dollars with him. (Jason M. Ogulik/USA Today Network)
New Trier High School graduate Robert Gorodetsky made a name for himself as a maverick in the Las Vegas sports betting scene, a brash 20-something with a seemingly bottomless bankroll and the guts to lay it all on the line.
With his custom cap stenciled with the word “GAMBLR,” high-end watches and luxury cars, Gorodetsky carefully cultivated his image on Instagram, regularly posting photos of himself hobnobbing with beautiful women and professional athletes under the moniker “Big Rob.” He claimed his method of picking games was the next big thing.
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But federal charges brought in Chicago this week allege Gorodetsky’s story was just a mirage.
Gorodetsky, 27, of Glencoe, was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago with a massive fraud scheme against a single victim who invested millions of dollars with Gorodetsky in the belief that the funds were wisely invested and earning handsome dividends.
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[ Accountant pleads guilty to $65 million fraud to finance homes, jets, yachts, Lamborghini dealership ]
Instead, Gorodetsky was using the cash to bankroll his operation in Las Vegas, placing reckless bets on sporting events and living a lavish lifestyle that was both celebrated on social media and scorned by some of Sin City’s more seasoned gamblers.
In all, Gorodetsky stole nearly $10 million from the investor — identified only as Victim A — from 2014 to 2017, the charges alleged.
Gorodetsky was charged in a two-count criminal information with executing wire fraud and filing a false tax return. A criminal information is typically an indication the defendant will waive indictment and plead guilty.
U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo on Wednesday scheduled a hearing for Feb. 5 when Gorodetsky is expected to enter a guilty plea, court records show.
His lawyer, Chris Gair, had no comment Wednesday.
Betting ‘on gut instinct’
Gorodetsky had been gambling in Las Vegas for several years when his profile rose dramatically in December 2017 with a lengthy USA Today profile labeling him “one of the most compelling and controversial” figures in sports.
The article described how Gorodetsky bet more than $1 million in one week that fall, dropping $350,000 on a single NFL Sunday and tens of thousands of dollars more on Major League Baseball games, the NBA, tennis, soccer and even high school sports.
[ Chicago pastor charged with bilking federal program to feed needy kids, spending $142,000 on a Bentley for himself ]
Gorodetsky was known for placing wild, high-risk parlays with little or no research on the teams or players, according to the profile. He claimed to have won up to 65% of his sports bets — a figure instantly questioned by gambling experts in online blogs.
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He arrived at casinos “with all the subtlety of a royal flush,” the article said, dressing in $6,000 Louis Vuitton hoodies and $2,500 high-top sneakers. He rolled with a “colorful crew” that included a financial manager, an enforcer and a pickup artist, it said.
"It’s not just gambling. It’s a lifestyle,” Gorodetsky was quoted as saying.
Gorodetsky claimed that his big wins and brash style had bettors flocking to him for advice — and paying big for it. At the time, his handicapping website charged subscribers $500 a month for his picks, he said.
[ Former executive testifies at fraud trial of escort-turned-girlfriend how finances spiraled out of control ]
The article also played up Gorodetsky’s relationships with professional athletes and other celebrities, including singer Drake, then-New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and former NBA player Damon Jones.
The article caused a minor stir in Las Vegas, and both Beckham and Jones later denied knowing Gorodetsky, though he’d provided the newspaper with photos of him together with both athletes.
There was also fallout at the sports books, which didn’t take kindly to some of Gorodetsky’s braggadocio, according to a follow-up article by USA Today. On Dec. 29, 2017, two days after the original article ran, USA Today reported that Gorodetsky had been banned for life from MGM Resorts International and major Nevada sports book William Hill, though the specific reason for the ban was not given.
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Still, Gorodesky managed to maintain a following on Instagram, amassing more than 143,000 followers by early last year. In March 2019, he was voted one of the top five accounts to follow by the blog sportsbettingdime.com.
“Gorodetsky isn’t an analytics junky, he largely bets on gut instinct,” the blog said. “That’s part of what makes @BigRobStyle such an entertaining follow.”
Unafraid to lose
The son of a radiologist father and a mother who works in real estate, Gorodetsky grew up in the North Shore and graduated from New Trier in 2010, records show. He later went on to study at the University of Arizona but dropped out before completing his freshman year.
Gorodetsky told USA Today his interest in gambling started in high school when he would use his father’s Ameritrade account to make trades on his laptop in class.
[ Former Outcome Health analysts change pleas to guilty, are cooperating with investigation ]
Online reports show Gorodetsky’s first foray in the gambling world was as a professional poker player after he turned 21.
In 2013, he was sued in federal court in upstate New York by a mother and son who claimed he mismanaged more than $95,000 in funds they had given to him to invest in securities, court records show. A judge ordered him to pay $59,000 in damages in 2014.
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The mother, Linda Joseph, and her son, Jeremy, who also played professional poker, later filed documents in Las Vegas and Chicago claiming Gorodetsky had not paid them a dime.
At the time he was ordered to come up with the $59,000, Gorodetsky had already begun defrauding Victim A, according to the federal charges filed this week in Chicago.
Over a four-month period beginning in February 2014, he fraudulently obtained more than $953,000 from Victim A “for the purported purpose of investing in the stock market,” according to the six-page criminal information. Instead, he used the vast majority of it — $737,000 — for his own use, the document alleged.
In July 2014, Gorodetsky falsely told the victim that his original investment had increased to $2 million due to successful trades but that “greater returns would be had in sports wagering,” according to the charges.
Over the next three years, Gorodetsky continued to ask Victim A for more money, creating false statements that misstated the balance of the victim’s account, the amount and kind of wagers placed by Gorodetsky, as well as the profits and losses of those bets and Gorodetsky’s spending on luxury items, according to the charges.
[ Hinsdale police: Pawn shop reports fraud after taking watch for $1,500 with fake parts ]
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In that time period, Gorodetsky spent at least $2.2 million of the victim’s funds on items unrelated to sports bets, including to pay his living, travel and entertainment expenses, as well as purchase luxury cars and jewelry, the charges said.
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In addition to the fraud count, Gorodetsky was accused of filing a false tax return with the Internal Revenue Service, claiming that his income totaled only $10,520 in 2016.
The charges carry up to 30 years in prison on conviction.
Efforts to reach Gorodetsky and his parents were unsuccessful Wednesday.
In the USA Today profile, Gorodetsky was quoted as saying he got his edge from being unafraid to lose.
“You’re still going to see me here tomorrow,” he said. “You’re going to see me here the next day. We’re going to be in the game.”
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-22--Ask Amy: Girl wonders how to change custody

Each state operates a little differently when it comes to child custody .
Depending on what state you live in @ @ @ @ @ 15 , the court will listen to what you want and will take your wishes @ @ @ @ @ no guarantee that you will ultimately get to choose which home you will get to @ @ @ @ @ family court judge will note your preference and make the best decision for you .
@ @ @ @ @ , and not your parents -- will make the final decision .

Dear Amy: I am a 15-year-old girl who is in the middle of a custody battle.
My father lives in a different state, and that's who I want to live with, but my mother has custody of me right now, and my mom won't let me go live with my dad.
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Seeing as how I am 15, I feel I should make the decision, and so I told my mother how I feel. She said, "Well, you're not in charge of your life. I am, and so you should just be grateful."
It would seem that I need a better way to approach my mother, but I don't know how. Please give me some advice.
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— It's My Life
Dear My Life: I'm so sorry you are going through this.
Each state operates a little differently when it comes to child custody. Depending on what state you live in, at the age of 15, the court will listen to what you want and will take your wishes into account. There is no guarantee that you will ultimately get to choose which home you will get to live in, but the family court judge will note your preference and make the best decision for you. The court -- not you, and not your parents -- will make the final decision.
When your parents separated, if your father moved out of state, this might be a factor in the court's decision; generally, it is best if separated parents live closer together.
You should make your wishes known to both of your parents. Do not insult your mother, but instead explain your reasons as well as you can. Maybe you want a fresh start? If that is the case, then you should say so. Would she be willing to let you live with your father on a trial basis, perhaps over the summer?
Both parents need to adhere to the parenting plan they currently have in place. Your father should make sure that his lawyer -- and the court -- are aware of your preference.
The court might decide that it is actually best for you to stay where you are. Various factors include your schooling, and both parents' ability to take care of you.
Dear Amy: I'm 64 and have been a widower for over five years.
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I started dating about three years ago.
I have met women through an activity I participate in, then a dating website related to that activity, through business after-hour events, local speed dating, and get-togethers. I've also spent many months happily on my own, because dating is a job, and I'm more comfortable now being single. But, after a couple of brief relationships, I would like companionship again.
I recently put up a profile with Facebook on their new dating app. You get to "like" someone and if they like you back, or vice versa, you can chat.
After a line or two back and forth, I ask if they are interested in getting together to see if there is more than an online attraction.
Twice this has happened, and no response. A third woman was going to meet, but then had a death in the family and had to cancel.
Am I asking too soon? Shouldn't both parties be eager for an in-person meeting?
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Isn't that the whole point of a dating site, to actually date?
— Stumped and Frustrated
Dear Stumped: These sites aren't really "dating" sites, but "matching" sites. All the site does is to create possible matches. Meeting and dating happens later.
Yes, I believe you are asking these women to meet you too soon. The idea is to use the site to see if there is a mutual attraction or interest, and then to use the communication tool to see if you have a rapport.
Many women don't want to meet a stranger before she feels a level of comfort concerning his identity and intentions. For many people, this requires more than a "line or two" of back and forth. Perhaps you should practice building rapport online. Wait to see if the woman suggests meeting. When you do, meet during the day for coffee.
Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Dear Amy: In your answer to "Unsure Grandmother," you gave a call out to grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, calling them "heroes."
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Thank you. My husband and I are currently doing this, and we know others who have sacrificed their own retirements in order to parent young children.
— Tired
Dear Tired: You put the "grand" in grandparents. Heroic, indeed.
Get the latest no-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning with our Ask Amy newsletter. Sign up here.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-01-22--Feds look to block passengers from flying with pets as emotional support animals

That means airlines wouldn ’ t be required to fly other kinds of service animals , such as miniature horses @ @ @ @ @ able to limit passengers to two service animals small enough to fit within the traveler @ @ @ @ @ on the person ’ s lap .
For larger service animals , airlines would be @ @ @ @ @ next to an empty seat in the same class , if available , fly the @ @ @ @ @ or move the passenger to a later flight with more room .

Daniel, an emotional support duck, on board a recent American Airlines flight. Airlines would no longer be required to consider emotional support animals as service animals under new rules proposed Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. (Mark Essig)
Airlines no longer would be required to accommodate emotional support animals under new federal rules proposed Wednesday to rein in passengers who try to bring their pets on board.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said it “wants to ensure that individuals with disabilities can continue using their service animals while also reducing the likelihood that passengers wishing to travel with their pets on aircraft will be able to falsely claim their pets are service animals.”
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[ Service dog versus emotional support animal, explained ]
Federal laws currently require airlines to allow passengers with disabilities to travel with trained service animals as well as emotional support animals in the cabin. Unlike pets, service and support animals fly for free.
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U.S. airlines already had tightened rules for emotional support animals over the past couple of years, as more animals sitting among passengers led to more problems.
Delta Air Lines told the Transportation Department it recorded 136 incidents involving service and support animals in 2017, including an attack by a psychiatric service dog sitting in its owner’s lap that left a fellow passenger with 28 stitches. The following year, an emotional support dog bit a flight attendant and customer service agent, the airline said.
In 2018, U.S. airlines flew more than 1 million passengers with emotional support animals, up about 81% compared with 2016, according to industry group Airlines for America. The number of passengers flying with trained service animals rose only 24% during the same period, and passengers with emotional support animals outnumbered those with service animals nearly 3 to 1 in 2018.
To address problems, airlines have limited the number of emotional support animals passengers could travel with, required passengers to vouch for their animal’s ability to behave and barred more exotic support animals travelers attempted to bring aboard, such as peacocks, turkeys and snakes.
United Airlines said incidents have leveled off, but there are still plenty of animals on board. Southwest Airlines said it flew more than 60,000 trained service animals last year, a fraction of the more than 190,000 emotional support animals it flies in a year.
[ Leave the peacock home: American Airlines says only dogs and cats can fly as emotional support animals ]
Transportation officials said last year they were working on new rules for service animals. Under the proposal, which must undergo a 60-day public comment phase before any rules are adopted, airlines would not be required to treat emotional support animals differently than a household pet. They also wouldn’t be required to transport service animals other than dogs.
The proposal would define a service animal as a dog “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.” The rules on service animals also would apply to animals trained to assist individuals with mental health-related disabilities.
[ An absence of service dog regulation leaves needy families vulnerable to incompetence and fraud ]
That means airlines wouldn’t be required to fly other kinds of service animals, such as miniature horses. They would also be able to limit passengers to two service animals small enough to fit within the traveler’s foot space or on the person’s lap. For larger service animals, airlines would be required to seat the passenger next to an empty seat in the same class, if available, fly the animal in the cargo hold or move the passenger to a later flight with more room.
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Airlines would be allowed to require passengers to submit forms developed by the Transportation Department attesting to the animal’s good behavior, health and ability to either not relieve itself or do so in a sanitary way on long flights.
Carriers also could require travelers with service animals to check in an hour before other passengers to allow time to process the animal’s documents, the department said.
In 2018, 11 disability advocacy organizations signed a letter urging the Transportation Department to continue allowing emotional support animals to fly.
“The mere presence of an emotional support animal accommodates the person’s disability, and may be crucial to allowing a person with a disability to travel by air,” the organizations wrote.
Eric Lipp, executive director of Open Doors Organization, a Chicago-based disability advocacy group, said there are people who have a legitimate need for an emotional support animal, but abuse of rules warrants greater restrictions.
“It’s causing too much disruption and abuse,” he said.
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When untrained animals are in an unfamiliar environment like an airplane, they can react in ways that are unsafe or reflect poorly on other animals on board, including trained service animals, said Molly Schulz, spokeswoman for Canine Companions for Independence’s North Central region. The organization trains and provides service dogs to individuals with disabilities.
But Canine Companions took issue with portions of the proposal that would let airlines require passengers with service animals to arrive early and submit documentation. Travel can be challenging for individuals with disabilities, and having to get to the airport earlier could “add undue stress,” Schulz said.
Airline industry group Airlines for America said the Transportation Department’s move is “a positive step in protecting the legitimate right of passengers to travel with a service animal.”
United said it was reviewing the proposed rules but supports "efforts to build consistent and definitive policies across the industry regarding in-cabin animals and help ensure we are better equipped to provide the best possible service to everyone traveling with us.”
Southwest and American airlines, and the Association of Flight Attendants issued statements supporting the proposal.
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The practice of claiming pets as emotional support animals has “skyrocketed” in recent years, posing a safety risk, Sara Nelson, president of the flight attendants union, said in a statement.
“The days of Noah’s Ark in the air are hopefully coming to an end,” she said.
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chicagotribune--2020-01-22--Uber looks to offload part of its massive Old Post Office space — before it even moves in

San Francisco-based Uber confirmed the 10-year lease in August .
The company ’ s commitment was a key moment in @ @ @ @ @ of the 2.8 million-square-foot former old main post office at 433 W. Van Buren St. @ @ @ @ @ more than two decades before New York-based 601W Cos. took on the project .
The @ @ @ @ @ in October .

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, center, walks Sept. 9, 2019, with the head of Uber Freight Lior Ron as they arrive at the Old Post Office, where Uber Freight will be based in Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The biggest office tenant headed to the redeveloped Old Post Office could be getting a little smaller as Uber looks to offload a block of the massive space it leased last year.
If Uber finds someone to sublease the space, it would reduce the 463,000-square-foot footprint planned by the company and whittle down what was one of the largest leases signed in the Chicago office market in recent years.
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San Francisco-based Uber confirmed the 10-year lease in August. The company’s commitment was a key moment in the $800 million-plus redevelopment of the 2.8 million-square-foot former old main post office at 433 W. Van Buren St., which sat vacant for more than two decades before New York-based 601W Cos. took on the project. The first office tenants moved there in October.
Uber is offering a 10-year sublease on 65,000 square feet, starting Jan. 1 , 2021, according to marketing materials from brokerage CBRE, which represents Uber.
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That is about 14% of Uber’s space. In a sublease, Uber could include rights to eventually take back the space as the company expands in Chicago.
“This is a tactical real estate decision to leverage available space this new year,” Uber spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said in an emailed statement. Quinn added that “Uber retains rights to option additional space in the building in the future, and we remain committed to growing our headcount and investment in Chicago” in several business lines.
Quinn declined to comment beyond the statement.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi speaks at the the Old Post Office in Chicago, where Uber Freight will be located, on Sept. 9, 2019. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
It’s not unheard of for a tenant planning a big expansion in a new space to offer some of it for sublease in the short term. But a long-term downsizing of Uber’s ambitions would be a letdown for Chicago’s tech and real estate sectors.
Local leaders including Mayor Lori Lightfoot attended a September event to trumpet Uber’s ambitious growth plans in the city.
The Tribune first reported Uber’s intention to move there last May.
Uber currently leases about 185,000 square feet combined in office buildings at 225 W. Randolph St. and 111 N. Canal St.
Uber has said the Old Post Office would become the headquarters for its Uber Freight logistics business and home to more than 3,000 total employees, including 2,000 new hires over the next three years.
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The company has grown fast in Chicago. Besides Uber Freight, which connects truck drivers with shippers, the company’s Chicago office also has employees in the Uber Eats, Uber Ride and Uber Works businesses, among other roles.
Companies including Walgreens, PepsiCo and Ferrara Candy also have signed Old Post Office leases, bolstering the nation’s largest reuse project. When it’s fully occupied, the building is expected to have 15,000 to 16,000 daily workers, as well as amenities including a riverfront park, food hall and 3.5-acre rooftop park.
The Old Post Office is part of a broader expansion of the once-sleepy southwest corner of downtown Chicago, near the Chicago River and commuter train stations.
rori@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-01-22--After getting a buzz, Michael Kopech talks about returning from elbow surgery and his place on the W

After getting a buzz, Michael Kopech talks about returning from elbow surgery and his place on the White Sox pitching staff: ‘My plan is to be competitive’

“ Beforehand , I did as much as I could physically to go into spring and do as much as @ @ @ @ @ .
Now I feel like I ’ ve taken what I ’ ve learned from @ @ @ @ @ to apply it .
I feel physically I can compete still , and mentally I @ @ @ @ @ able to withstand whatever is going to come my way .
”

Here's the before picture of White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech as he waits to get his hair cut at Ronald McDonald House in Chicago on Jan. 22, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Michael Kopech noticed a different energy recently while playing catch with White Sox teammates Ryan Burr, Zack Burdi and Yasmani Grandal.
“It was that camaraderie, but more so the underlying competitiveness in all of us,” Kopech said Wednesday. “It felt like a different energy. We were all pulling in the same direction, which is kind of a glimpse to us (of) what the future is going to look like.
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“Not to look too far ahead, but we all are pulling in the same direction, not that that wasn’t the case before. We’re all starting to get that taste, so to speak.”
Kopech, the No. 2 prospect in the organization, is eager to do his part for the revamped Sox after missing all of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He could be in the mix to contribute to a pitching staff that added starters Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez in the offseason.
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“Physically, I feel great,” Kopech said. “Better than I probably have felt my entire baseball career since I was drafted. Mentally, I’m in a place that I think is stable and confident and prepared.
“Beforehand, I did as much as I could physically to go into spring and do as much as I could on the mound. Now I feel like I’ve taken what I’ve learned from this past year and tried to apply it. I feel physically I can compete still, and mentally I’m going to be able to withstand whatever is going to come my way.”
Kopech met with reporters after receiving a haircut as part of the Kopech’s Big Kut sweepstakes, which raised $20,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities and Chicago White Sox Charities.
“It’s much bigger than me,” Kopech said of the event. “I just want to make a contribution to something that has a purpose.”
Kopech also addressed his timetable and whether he’ll have any rust after the long layoff.
“I got to pitch in a couple of games toward the end of the season last year in the instructional league, and really getting to compete there was that taste I was looking for,” he said. “And hopefully this spring we’ll shake off any rust that I might have and I’ll get my chance to at least be in the conversation.”
Kopech anticipates a cautious, unrushed approach to his return.
“I assume that’s what everyone is thinking,” he said, “and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t probably thinking the same thing. But I’m still going to give myself that chance if it presents itself.”
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Kopech could hit 100 mph with his fastball before the surgery. He said he still can, but he’s also making adjustments.
“I don’t know if I’m going to necessarily be that type of power pitcher again in my career,” Kopech said. “I’m going to be a little bit smarter and cautious about how I pitch. That being said, velocity will always be a part of my game.”
When that will be fully on display remains to be seen.
“My plan is to be competitive in the spring and give my team a chance to win, and hopefully that’s giving myself the best chance I can,” Kopech said. “But for what the team has in store for me, I really don’t know those answers. I’m just going to do my best when I get there.”
Note: Pitcher Dylan Covey cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte. He becomes a minor-league free agent.


chicagotribune--2020-01-22--Feds allege R. Kelly still a threat to intimidate witnesses from a federal jail in downtown Chicago

Lanita Carter has since come forward publicly , saying that she went to braid Kelly ’ s hair on the @ @ @ @ @ but that he greeted her with his pants down .
When she resisted , Kelly @ @ @ @ @ in her face several times , prosecutors have alleged .

From left, prosecuting attorneys Tene McCoy Cummings, and Jennifer Gonzalez and defense attorney Steven Greenberg gather before Judge Lawrence Flood's bench during R. Kelly's hearing at the Leighton U.S. Courthouse, in Chicago on Jan. 22, 2020. R. Kelly was not present in court. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
R&B star R. Kelly, awaiting trial on a litany of sex charges in a federal jail in downtown Chicago, used a jail staffer’s phone to make at least one call, circumventing security measures, federal prosecutors in New York City revealed in a court filing.
Prosecutors also alleged that an undisclosed attorney — not affiliated with the New York case — smuggled in a letter during a jail visit in November. The letter was marked “Legal” in an attempt to keep authorities from checking out its contents, according to the filing.
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Prosecutors raised the allegations in hopes they don’t have to reveal the identities of two of Kelly’s accusers in the case against him in federal court in Brooklyn.
If Kelly knows their identities, the prosecution filing said, he likely will attempt to intimidate or tamper with the witnesses — even while he’s locked up in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago.
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“The defendant has, at his disposal, individuals willing to assist him in bypassing the traditional methods used to monitor the defendant’s communications,” the filing warned. “The defendant’s attempt to paint himself as being completely isolated from the outside world ... is simply not credible."
Meanwhile, Cook County prosecutors said Wednesday they intend to take Kelly to trial first on their only indictment involving an accuser who was an adult at the time of the alleged attack.
The decision comes as a bit of a surprise since the other three Cook County indictments facing Kelly involve women who were underage at the time. One of those cases involves four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a more serious charge than the aggravated criminal sexual abuse counts he otherwise faces.
Judge Lawrence Flood presides over R. Kelly's hearing at the Leighton U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Jan. 22, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Kelly did not appear at the brief hearing Wednesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building due to a medical issue, his attorney, Steven Greenberg, said in court.
In their court filing in New York, federal prosecutors did not reveal when Kelly made a call with the jail staffer’s phone, but that allowed him to communicate with someone on the outside without having their conversation monitored — and recorded — by jail officials.
Even R. Kelly’s hasty 1994 wedding to 15-year-old singer Aaliyah was part of a longstanding pattern of witness tampering, prosecutors alleged in the filing.
The R&B singer married his underage protege only because he thought it would keep her from testifying against him if he faced charges for his illegal sexual contact with her, according to prosecutors, citing witnesses cooperating with the federal investigation.
“Simply put, the defendant’s past behavior reveals that if given the opportunity to influence a potential witness, the defendant will take it, and his incarceration may not be enough to prevent such conduct,” the prosecution filing said.
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Kelly’s attorneys have denied that he poses a threat to intimidate anyone while locked up and have demanded the accusers’ names in order to adequately prepare for trial, scheduled for May.
The embattled R&B superstar, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces myriad charges related to sexual misconduct in four jurisdictions across the country.
The New York federal indictment charges him with racketeering conspiracy, alleging he identified underage girls attending his concerts and groomed them for later sexual abuse.
Kelly could face trial as soon as April in Chicago’s federal court on charges of conspiring with two former employees to rig his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County by paying off witnesses and victims to change their stories.
On Wednesday, the Cook County prosecutors said they would go to trial first on a charge alleging Kelly tried to force oral sex on a woman identified in court documents only as L.C., his 24-year-old hairdresser, on Chicago’s Near North Side in 2003. He is charged with a single count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in that case.
The alleged incident occurred while Kelly was out on bond on child pornography charges.
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Lanita Carter has since come forward publicly, saying that she went to braid Kelly’s hair on the Near North Side in 2003 but that he greeted her with his pants down. When she resisted, Kelly ejaculated on her and spit in her face several times, prosecutors have alleged.
In setting the first of potentially four trials for Sept. 14, Judge Lawrence Flood had asked prosecutors last month to reveal at Wednesday’s hearing which indictment they would proceed on first.
Carter recently appeared in the Lifetime documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning,” recounting her accusations in emotional and vivid terms.
She said she had enjoyed a close, platonic relationship with Kelly, saying he was supportive and protective of her, until he surprised her at the 2003 appointment.
Carter said in the series that she reported the attack to police and ultimately appeared before a Cook County grand jury. She said grand jurors disbelieved her story and that charges were rejected.
Carter came forward again after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx made an unusual public plea in early 2019 for Kelly’s accusers to reach out and cooperate with investigators.
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Following Wednesday’s hearing, Greenberg, Kelly’s lead attorney, noted that authorities some years ago rejected charges in connection with Carter’s allegations and said the case remains flawed.
“It hasn’t gotten any better,” he told reporters. “It’s not like wine. It doesn’t get better with age.”
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mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-22--Clarendon Hills moves closer to approving brandy and whiskey distillery

The distillery will be getting special use approval to open in a building that has been vacant since a planned @ @ @ @ @ materialized .
It will be the first distillery for the village and for Getchel and @ @

John Keeley (left) and Brandon Getchel are about ready to open their Tierra Distilling Co. distillery at 211 Burlington Ave. (Chuck Fieldman / Pioneer Press)
A distillery that will produce brandy and whiskey onsite is nearly a done deal in Clarendon Hills.
The Village Board unanimously agreed Tuesday to instruct the village attorney draw up an ordinance for a new liquor license classification for the business. Final approval by the board for the ordinance allowing Tierra Distilling Co. to open is expected to come soon.
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There has been no expressed opposition to the business opening in what now is a vacant building at 211 Burlington Ave.
Distillery owners Brandon Getchel and John Keeley said they hope to open over the summer, although they won’t immediately be fully operational.
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“This is a great business we want to have in our town,” Village Board member Ken Hall said Tuesday.
Getchel and Keeley plan to produce brandy and whiskey. The location would also allow them to sell their products, host tastings, conduct tours and run a small-scale tavern-like operation, which will include some craft beers along with their own products.
Village President Len Austin said he is impressed with what he has heard from Getchel and Keeley and really likes the idea of the business.
The distillery will be getting special use approval to open in a building that has been vacant since a planned restaurant four years ago never materialized. It will be the first distillery for the village and for Getchel and Keeley.
“It started as a hobby for me, and I decided I wanted to make the leap to a distillery,” Getchel said. “It’s a little bit of a different take on home brewing of beer.”
Getchel said he and Keeley looked at several locations before deciding Clarendon Hills was where they wanted to be.
“We really looked all over, between Oak Park and Naperville and found something in Downers Grove that didn’t work out,” Getchel said. “We like the idea of being so close to the train and a retail hub.”
Keeley said he and Getchel believe Tierra Distilling Co. will be a destination business, attracting many customers from outside Clarendon Hills.
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Getchel and Keeley plan to be open to the public between 2 and 10 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.
Getchel said there are no plans to serve any hot food, but he and Keeley would like to have a food truck component.


chicagotribune--2020-01-22--Oak Brook village president will pursue removal of red-light cameras after resignation of Oakbrook T

Oak Brook village president will pursue removal of red-light cameras after resignation of Oakbrook Terrace mayor amid corruption probe

“ I ’ m waiting to see what ’ s going on in Oakbrook Terrace , ” Lalmalani said Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ meet and talk with the new mayor when that gets settled and might reach out @ @ @ @ @ of Transportation ) .
I will try to put gentle pressure on , but I @ @ @ @ @ cameras come down .
”

Oak Brook Village President Gopal Lalmalani hopes to have the red-lights cameras removed from the intersection of Route 83 and 22nd Street. (Chuck Fieldman / Pioneer Press)
Oak Brook Village President Gopal Lalmalani said he plans to work to get the red-light cameras at 22nd Street and Route 83 in neighboring Oakbrook Terrace removed.
Lalmalani’s comments came Tuesday, a day after he learned Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci had resigned from office amid an ongoing federal corruption probe.
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The Chicago Tribune reported that Ragucci was among several elected officials and politically connected contractors embroiled in a federal investigation involving SafeSpeed LLC, a controversial company that operates lucrative red-light cameras at intersections in dozens of area suburbs, including the one in Oakbrook Terrace.
“I’m waiting to see what’s going on in Oakbrook Terrace,” Lalmalani said Tuesday. “I plan to meet and talk with the new mayor when that gets settled and might reach out to IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation). I will try to put gentle pressure on, but I am focused on ensuring the cameras come down.”
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Oakbrook Terrace officials stated in a press release issued Monday that they had "received the resignation” of Ragucci, effective at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 17. By Monday evening, Ragucci’s name and picture had been removed from the homepage of the city’s website.
Lalmalani speculated that Ragucci’s resignation likely was due to the federal corruption probe.
“This must be an outcome of whatever has happened,” he said. “There’s going to be a few heads (that) roll.”
Lalmalani said he had no regrets about Oak Brook’s decision in June 2017 to drop a lawsuit filed in January 2017 that aimed to prevent the installation and operation of the red-light cameras for traffic on southbound Route 83 and eastbound 22nd Street at the intersection just outside of Oakbrook Center. The cameras were activated in August 2017.
Oak Brook announced in a brief statement when it dropped the lawsuit that DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Paul Fullerton had granted its motion to dismiss the suit against the Illinois Department of Transportation, Ragucci and each of the city’s six aldermen, and Nikki Zollar, president and chief executive officer of SafeSpeed, LLC, the company hired by Oakbrook Terrace to install the cameras.
At the time, Oak Brook officials did not explain the reason for dropping the suit.
“We were advised by our attorney at the time that it was not likely to get anywhere, and the majority of the Village Board made the decision to drop the lawsuit,” Lalmalani said.
While the Village Board made a unanimous decision during a public meeting to file the lawsuit, there was no public discussion or board vote when the decision was made to drop it.
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Oakbrook Terrace officials could not be reached for comment on Lalmalani’s plans.


chicagotribune--2020-01-22--Glencoe Park District approves lease agreement that clears way for relocation of endangered Frank Ll

Glencoe Park District approves lease agreement that clears way for relocation of endangered Frank Lloyd Wright cottage

Goodale said he can ’ t specify how much the total project would cost until final pricing is received , @ @ @ @ @ be at least six figures .
He said the organization has sufficient funding in place @ @ @ @ @ complete exterior work , which he sees as the first phase of the project that @ @ @ @ @ .

The Booth Cottage, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, will be moved under a lease agreement between the Glencoe Park District and Glencoe Historical Society. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Glencoe Park District’s Board of Commissioners formally approved a land lease agreement Tuesday with the Glencoe Historical Society, allowing an endangered Frank Lloyd Wright-designed cottage to stay in the village.
Following nearly two hours of sometimes raucous discussion, park commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the recently announced land lease agreement. The move came with some objections from neighbors of the park where the cottage will be relocated.
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Under the plan, the approximate 1,100 square foot structure known as Booth Cottage will be relocated from its current Franklin Road site to Park 7N, located less than a block away at the intersection of Maple Hill and Meadow roads.
The board took the vote amid fears the property’s new owners were in line to acquire a demolition permit from the village. The waiting period elapsed several weeks ago, meaning the village at any time could issue a building permit that would allow demolition to proceed.
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In an effort to save the cottage, the Park District offered to lease the Glencoe Historical Society a portion of the nearby park for the nominal fee of $1 per year. The historical society envisions using the cottage, which was built in 1913, as a research center and museum with a small programming space.
“If this proposal is not accepted, this house will be demolished,” said Peter Van Vechten, a member of the village’s Historic Preservation Commission, who also happens to live in the neighborhood and has been active with the historical society.
However, some neighbors voiced concerns including fears the structure would hinder their view of the park, thereby lowering property values. They also brought up the impact of parking, water detention issues and the late notice they were given about the Park District’s proposal.
There were also complaints about the listed hours of operation in the lease. The terms would allow the building to host programming daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with up to six night events per year.
“They gave no notice and they railroaded this whole situation without talking to people, without solving the flooding, security or parking. There is no hurry at all other than they had a deadline,” neighbor John Martin said. “Normally in this community we debate things for months and months and months and review plans. I saw a rush job.”
As part of the vote, commissioners requested a re-examination of the hours of operation in the lease, possibly making them shorter. Glencoe Historical Society President Ed Goodale and Vice President Karen Ettelson said they would have to discuss amending the hours of operation.
Goodale also said while it was currently unclear how much programming the space would have, he did not anticipate heavy usage.
While some park board commissioners acknowledged the shortened process, they also did not want to risk seeing the cottage moved to another community.
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“This decision required the board to take a broader view of what contributes to residents’ quality of life,” Board President Lisa Brooks said. “Preserving this asset within Glencoe in the Ravine Bluffs area is important to residents appreciative of the character of our village, historical preservation, architecture and culture. The board understands the neighbor’s concerns and will work with GHS to mitigate their concerns regarding parking and hours of operation.”
The lone dissenting vote came from commissioner Stefanie Boron, who said she would have liked a special board meeting called ahead of the potential Feb. 1 deadline.
“It’s no one’s fault,” Boron said. “This has been going on for a long time, but we just finalized the lease and just heard public comments so for me, I would have liked to vote next week. I wanted more time to address the public’s concerns.”
Village Manager Phil Kiraly attended the meeting and expressed support for the vote.
“We have been working toward this to try and maintain this structure,” Kiraly said. “We wanted to see it stay in Glencoe. There were alternatives to move it out of the community. So we are grateful a local option could be found.”
Goodale said he can’t specify how much the total project would cost until final pricing is received, but he believes it would be at least six figures. He said the organization has sufficient funding in place to move the cottage and complete exterior work, which he sees as the first phase of the project that would last about four months.
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However, he added additional funds need to be raised to complete the interior work, which the historical society views as a later phase of the project.
Local architect Scott Javore, who is working with Glencoe Historical Society, estimates that interior work would take another three to four months to complete, depending on the scope of the project.
Barbara Gordon, executive director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, was in attendance and said she was pleased with the vote.
“I think we are one step closer to finding a solution to save this house and this is a public process,” Gordon said. “Unfortunately, we are up against the racing clock so that is what makes this a difficult process.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--West Side shop owner given 7 years in prison for selling synthetic weed laced with rat poison

Doctors initially thought it was kidney stones , but it was later determined he ’ d ingested high concentrations of @ @ @ @ @ testified Thursday in federal court .
Wracked with pain and bleeding uncontrollably , he nearly @ @ @ @ @ The ordeal cost him his job as a union carpenter and led to bouts of @ @ @ @ @ years later , he ’ s still trying to get back on his feet .

King Mini Mart at 1303 S. Kedzie Ave. in Chicago is shown on April 3, 2018. Synthetic pot laced with a toxic substance often used as rat poison was being sold at the West Side convenience store, according to court records. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
One victim started urinating blood soon after smoking illegal synthetic pot he bought at a West Side convenience store.
Doctors initially thought it was kidney stones, but it was later determined he’d ingested high concentrations of rat poison, the victim testified Thursday in federal court. Wracked with pain and bleeding uncontrollably, he nearly died in the hospital. The ordeal cost him his job as a union carpenter and led to bouts of depression. Now nearly two years later, he’s still trying to get back on his feet.
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“After having almost lost my life, I am now fearful of the unknown,” the man, identified only as Victim A, told U.S. District Judge Manish Shah in a hushed voice.
The damage caused to victims of synthetic marijuana — often referred to as K2 — was the focus of an emotional sentencing hearing for convenience store owner Fouad Masoud, who pleaded guilty last year to selling the illegal substance from his King Mini Mart on South Kedzie Avenue.
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In sentencing Masoud to seven years in prison, Shah said the emergence of “greedy black-market profiteers” selling K2 was a “recipe for disaster” and likely contributed to a public health crisis that included dozens of hospitalizations in central and northern Illinois and at least two deaths.
While no deaths were tied directly to drugs sold at Masoud’s store, Shah said it was clear he was taking advantage of unsophisticated addicts who were looking for a cheap high.
“You didn’t know there was rat poison in it, but you also didn’t care what you were selling,” Shah said. “You didn’t care whether it was safe or healthy. ... It was just about money for you.”
Masoud, 49, pleaded guilty in September to drug conspiracy, admitting in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he sold up to 80 packages a day of unregulated synthetic pot that was often manufactured overseas and branded with names such as “Matrix,” “Crazy Monkey” and “Scooby Snax.”
In asking for a sentence of 10 years in prison, prosecutors said that over a 2½-year period beginning in late 2015, customers would line up outside the King Mini Mart every morning waiting for Masoud to arrive with a garbage bag filled with the illegal pot.
Masoud knew the drugs were banned and had even been cited for selling it before by the Chicago police. Employees told investigators he’d since kept the K2 hidden in a bucket buried in the ground behind the shop to avoid detection.
At least three customers — including the victim who testified Thursday — experienced severe symptoms after buying what was believed to be a “bad batch” of K2 from Masoud’s store, causing them to “nearly bleed to death,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing earlier this month.
The victims required blood transfusions and prolonged treatment to keep the poison at bay, including daily high-dosage shots of Vitamin K that cost nearly $400 apiece, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hernandez wrote.
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“Essentially they were being poisoned to death like rodents,” Hernandez said.
Many more victims likely got ill but were either unwilling or unable to testify, according to prosecutors.
Masoud’s attorney, Glenn Seiden, argued for a three-year prison term, saying “no nexus” existed between the rash of hospitalizations and drugs sold at Masoud’s store.
Seiden also noted that Masoud “risked his wealth and his health” to run his store in the disadvantaged Lawndale community for nearly 20 years.
Before he was sentenced, Masoud, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles, made a brief statement to the court. He acknowledged that "maybe I got a bad batch” of K2 at some point but said that many more customers would have been sickened if it were as bad as prosecutors said.
“Only two people got sick. ... Where are the rest of them?” said Masoud, who has been in custody since his arrest in April 2018.
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The Jordanian national, who will likely be deported once he’s done serving his sentence, did not apologize to several victims sitting in the courtroom gallery.
Masoud’s store came under investigation amid an escalating outbreak of K2-related sicknesses in 2018. At the time, nearly 100 people had reported symptoms, and the Cook County medical examiner’s office had confirmed that rat poison was found in the body of a 22-year-old Chicago man found dead in an Oak Lawn hotel room.
Meanwhile, after allegations surfaced about someone who had experienced adverse side effects after using synthetic pot purchased at King Mini Mart, an undercover officer was sent into the store and bought the drug. It was later found to contain rat poison, according to the criminal complaint filed against Masoud.
When authorities went to arrest Masoud at his Justice townhouse, he was carrying a paper grocery bag filled with $344,000 in cash. Police searched his home and recovered about 6.4 pounds of suspected synthetic cannabis labeled “Purple Giant,” according to prosecutors.
Two of Masoud’s employees, Jamil Abdelrahman Jad Allah and Adil Khan Mohammed, were also charged and agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Both pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Jad Allah told agents that customers — who sometimes ordered K2 by asking for “Starbucks” — started to complain in 2018 about the quality of the product, according to an investigative report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration included in court records.
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After agents shut down the store, Jad Allah told Masoud he had shown law enforcement where the synthetic pot was stashed, according to the DEA report.
"You ruined my life!” the report quoted Masoud as telling Jad Allah.
Later, while in a lockup awaiting a court hearing, Masoud allegedly told Jad Allah, “Don’t worry, we will get out. No one dies from K2."
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Where do I walk? Study finds several Metra, and some CTA stations, have a shortage of nearby sidewal

Where do I walk? Study finds several Metra, and some CTA stations, have a shortage of nearby sidewalks

Metra stations on the low-coverage list included the Palos Park SouthWest Service stop , where 89 % of roads within @ @ @ @ @ no sidewalks ; Fox Lake on the Milwaukee District North line , where 77 % @ @ @ @ @ ; and both Ingleside on the Milwaukee District North Line and Medinah on the Milwaukee @ @ @ @ @ of roads had no sidewalks , the report said .

To get cars off the roads and cut congestion and pollution, commuters need to be able to walk to and from the train.
But what if there are busy roads and few sidewalks near the station?
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A lack of sidewalks near several suburban Metra stations and a few CTA stations makes it harder for pedestrians to safely walk to transit, according to a new, first-of-its-kind report by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
“If people don’t feel comfortable walking to the train, they’re not going to use the train,” said Stephanie Levine, associate policy analyst for CMAP.
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The analysis found that within half a mile of stations, just 35 out of 242 Metra stations had “excellent” coverage with sidewalks on one or both sides of almost all roads. Eighteen Metra stations had no sidewalks on 50% of the roads within a half-mile of the station.
Metra stations on the low-coverage list included the Palos Park SouthWest Service stop, where 89% of roads within a half a mile had no sidewalks; Fox Lake on the Milwaukee District North line, where 77% of roads have no sidewalks; and both Ingleside on the Milwaukee District North Line and Medinah on the Milwaukee West, where 83% of roads had no sidewalks, the report said.
The study identified many of these stations as offering “high opportunity” for sidewalk investment, meaning they have a lot of people living and working around the stations, relative to the lack of sidewalks.
Sidewalks are less of an issue along CTA stations, which are built in urban areas. But there were a few stations with problems, especially the Rosemont and Cumberland stations on the Blue Line, and the Ashland Station along the Orange Line.
Near the Cumberland station in Harwood Heights, for example, there’s a mix of high job density, high-speed arterial roads and a lack of sidewalks. Someone walking to a job from the Cumberland station could have a scary odyssey of crossing parking lots and walking along busy streets.
Streets lacking sidewalks around the Ashland Orange Line station are primarily in the industrial area north of the stop, along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the study said.
“Despite good transit access, existing infrastructure near both (Cumberland and Ashland) stations caters to funneling vehicles into adjacent employment destinations rather than creating safe pedestrian pathways,” the study said.
A CMAP interactive map illustrates the issue, showing big holes in the sidewalk network. The study did not take into account expressways, freeways or interstates.
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The study recommends investing in sidewalks where it will help the most people, and taking advantage of local and federal funding. Levine said CMAP hopes municipalities will use the data in the study to help bolster their applications for sidewalk funding.
“People want to walk to commercial areas. They don’t want to be stuck in their cars,” Levine said. She said this is true in rural and suburban communities, as well as in the city.
Transit advocates are currently looking for “clarity” on a state law passed last year that allocates state capital funding for biking and walking — there is confusion as to whether the law allocates $50 million per year, or every other year, said Metropolitan Planning Council transportation director Audrey Wennink.
Wennink said advocates are also pushing for a change in Illinois Department of Transportation policy on funding sidewalks along state roads. Current policy dictates that municipalities must provide a 20% match to pay for sidewalks along an IDOT corridor. The council thinks the state should pay the entire cost, Wennink said.
“This is a question of priorities. We need to prioritize investments in walking more so that our region’s transit system is more accessible and appealing to use ... ” Wennink said in an email. “Investing in the pedestrian realm is low cost compared to building and maintaining roads, and the benefits are massive.”
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Big Ten suspends Illinois guard Alan Griffin for 2 games for stepping on Purdue’s Sasha Stefanovic

“ After a thoughtful and thorough review of this incident we are all extremely fortunate this did not create a @ @ @ @ @ the players , coaches , game officials and fans , ” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It is important for me to emphasize and make it crystal clear that @ @ @ @ @ tolerated , period .
We place the utmost importance on the safety and well-being of @ @ @ @ @ game officials and fans .
The situation provides a teachable moment for all parties involved @ @ @ @ @ as they use their time in the Big Ten to grow as individuals both on @ @ @ @ @ competition .
”

The Big Ten has suspended Illinois guard Alan Griffin for two games, the conference announced Thursday.
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Griffin, a sophomore, was ejected from Tuesday’s 79-62 victory at Purdue for stepping on Sasha Stefanovic after the Boilermakers guard made a layup in the first half.
Griffin has been a spark off the bench for the Illini, averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. Illinois plays at Michigan at 11 a.m. Saturday and hosts Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30. Griffin is eligible to return Feb. 2 at No. 19 Iowa.
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“After a thoughtful and thorough review of this incident, we are all extremely fortunate this did not create a hostile and unsafe environment for the players, coaches, game officials and fans,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. “It is important for me to emphasize and make it crystal clear that such behavior will not be tolerated, period.
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“We place the utmost importance on the safety and well-being of our players, coaches, game officials and fans. The situation provides a teachable moment for all parties involved, especially our student athletes as they use their time in the Big Ten to grow as individuals both on and off the field of competition.”
Illinois coach Brad Underwood released a statement later Thursday, decrying the punishment as “excessive.”
“Alan Griffin is a great young man, and I remain proud of him as a person and as a member of our team. He is a 19-year-old student-athlete who made a mistake — a mistake we don’t condone and that reflects negatively on our program,” Underwood said in the statement. “He showed poor judgment in a moment of emotion and has been remorseful from the outset, meeting with Sasha Stefanovic after the game to apologize and following with a public apology to Sasha, Coach (Matt) Painter and the Purdue team. He was ejected from the contest and essentially missed the entire game as a consequence of his actions.
“I am proud of Alan’s accountability, response and growth from this experience. I feel the further penalty of a two-game suspension is excessive and am disappointed in the timing. But I respect the Big Ten’s decision and am moving on. We will continue to support Alan and help him learn from this situation.”
Griffin issued an apology Wednesday. He posted on Twitter that the incident was “out of character” and “does not reflect who I am as a person.”
“To Sasha, Coach Painter, the rest of the Purdue team, my coaches, teammates and Illini Nation, I am deeply sorry that this incident caused a distraction in what was otherwise a great nigh for our team,” the tweet read. “I promise to Coach Underwood and my teammates that I will be more mindful in the future.”
The Big Ten’s announcement follows the news of suspensions by the Big 12 totaling 25 games for four players involved in a bench-clearing fight during Tuesday’s game between Kansas and Kansas State.


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Wells Fargo’s ex-CEO John Stumpf fined $17.5 million; five other bank execs face regulator lawsuits

This is the first time regulators have punished individual executives for Wells Fargo ’ s wrongdoing .
The San Francisco-based @ @ @ @ @ millions of dollars in fines and penalties for encouraging employees to open up millions of @ @ @ @ @ meet unrealistic sales goals .
Executives like Stumpf did give up tens of millions of @ @ @ @ @ , but those actions were taken by Wells Fargo itself .

Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington Sept. 29, 2016, to testify before the House Financial Services Committee investigating Wells Fargo's opening of unauthorized customer accounts. On Jan. 23, 2020, federal regulators announced they have slapped Stumpf, now the bank's former CEO, with a $17.5 million fine for his role in the sales practices scandal. (Cliff Owen / AP)
New York — Federal regulators have slapped former Wells Fargo Chief Executive John Stumpf with a $17.5 million fine for his role in the bank's sales practices scandal. Stumpf also accepted a lifetime ban from the banking industry.
Along with its fine against Stumpf, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced Thursday it was suing five other former Wells Fargo executives for a combined total of $37.5 million for their roles in the bank’s poor practices. Two other executives also settled with regulators, paying million-dollar fines as well.
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This is the first time regulators have punished individual executives for Wells Fargo’s wrongdoing. The San Francisco-based bank has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and penalties for encouraging employees to open up millions of fake accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals. Executives like Stumpf did give up tens of millions of dollars in bonuses and pay, but those actions were taken by Wells Fargo itself.
In their investigation, regulators laid the blame of Wells Fargo’s failures directly at the feet of its former management in its suit against the executives. As part of their settlements and lawsuits against these Wells’ executives, regulators seek to ban all of them from ever working in the banking industry again.
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“The root cause of the sales practices misconduct problem was the Community Bank’s business model, which imposed intentionally unreasonable sales goals and unreasonable pressure on its employees to meet those goals and fostered an atmosphere that perpetuated improper and illegal conduct,” the OCC said in its complaint.
“Community Bank management intimidated and badgered employees to meet unattainable sales goals year after year, including by monitoring employees daily or hourly and reporting their sales performance to their managers, subjecting employees to hazing-like abuse, and threatening to terminate and actually terminating employees for failure to meet the goals.”
The highest profile former executive regulators are also suing is Carrie Tolstedt, who was head of Wells Fargo's community banking business until her resignation in 2016. Tolstedt was the executive most directly in charge of Wells' consumer bank, and has been largely blamed for Wells' poor banking culture.
The OCC sued Tolstedt for $25 million for her role in the bank's scandal, a suit that Tolstedt's lawyers say they intend to fight. Stumpf's fine of $17.5 million is less than Tolstedt because Stumpf settled with regulators.
“Throughout her career, Ms. Tolstedt acted with the utmost integrity and concern for doing the right thing," said Enu Mainigi, a lawyer who represents Tolstedt. "A full and fair examination of the facts will vindicate Carrie."
The two other executives who settled and will pay a fine include Hope Hardison, the bank's top human resources executive, and Michael Loughlin, who was the bank's chief risk officer. Hardison will pay a $2.25 million fine and Loughlin will pay a $1.25 million fine.
Wells Fargo, which has cycled through two permanent CEOs and a host of interim ones since the scandal occurred, agreed with the government's decision.
“The OCC’s actions are consistent with my belief that we should hold ourselves and individuals accountable," said Charlie Scharf, who became Wells Fargo’s CEO late last year. “They also are consistent with our belief that significant parts of the operating model of our Community Bank were flawed.”
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chicagotribune--2020-01-23--Last Cemitas Puebla, maker of epic Mexican sandwiches, closing in Chicago

Cemita is the name of sandwiches defined by the sesame seeded , crackly crusted , soft crumbed bread rolls upon @ @ @ @ @ .
Anteliz first tasted cemitas during childhood summers spent in his parents ’ hometown of @ @ @ @ @ in Chicago , with so few fellow Poblanos , he could never find his boyhood @ @ @ @ @ helped by going back to Puebla regularly for ingredients , and sharing his grandmother ’ @ @ @ @ @ , brick red chipotle salsa .

Cemitas Puebla, once home to one of the best Mexican sandwiches in Chicago, and immigrant success stories, will close its last location on Friday.
Founding partner Tony Anteliz has not been involved with the day to day operations of the business for more than two years, but the restaurant has used the same family recipes, said operating partner Janelle Weber by phone.
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The restaurant posted on Facebook Wednesday afternoon, “There were multiple factors that led to this difficult decision but ultimately we believe it is the right one for us.”
It is with great sadness that we bring you this message .. #ByeByeCemitasPuebla Posted by Cemitas Puebla on Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Anteliz opened his first restaurant in 2002 in Humboldt Park. At its height, Cemitas Puebla had four stores: the original location, Logan Square, Hyde Park and the West Loop location, which opened in 2014 with owner Seth Hanau. One by one they closed.
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Cemita is the name of sandwiches defined by the sesame seeded, crackly crusted, soft crumbed bread rolls upon which they’re built. Anteliz first tasted cemitas during childhood summers spent in his parents’ hometown of Puebla, Mexico. Back in Chicago, with so few fellow Poblanos, he could never find his boyhood sandwiches. His father Antonio helped by going back to Puebla regularly for ingredients, and sharing his grandmother’s recipe for a thick, brick red chipotle salsa.
The Atomica will be their family legacy, with towering layers of avocado, that chipotle salsa, stringy Oaxaca cheese, breaded and grilled pork, plus ham. In the summer, Anteliz added the herb papalo, which the family grew themselves, for a flavor somewhere between arugula, cilantro and those long lost summers.
The last Cemitas Puebla in Chicago will close permanently Friday at 2 p.m., after its final lunch service. Fifteen current employees have already found other employment, said Weber. No word yet on what will happen to the space or the Cemitas Puebla concept, she added.
Cemitas Puebla, 817 W. Fulton Market, 312-455-9200, cemitaspuebla.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--New details released about Juice Wrld’s death: ‘He let out a gasp and collapsed to the ground’

By the time paramedics arrived around 2 a.m. Dec. 8 , the 21-year-old rapper was still on the floor , @ @ @ @ @ nose and mouth , according to a report filed by the Chicago Fire Department .
@ @ @ @ @ , and paramedics were told he had been given Narcan , an emergency treatment when @ @ @ @ @

Juice Wrld performs during his "Death Race for Love Tour" at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on May 15, 2019. (Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)
Rapper Juice Wrld had just stepped from the Gulfstream jet early last December and was waiting in a private hangar at Midway Airport with his girlfriend when "he let out a gasp and collapsed to the ground," according to new details about his death released Thursday.
By the time paramedics arrived around 2 a.m. Dec. 8, the 21-year-old rapper was still on the floor, moving and bleeding from his nose and mouth, according to a report filed by the Chicago Fire Department. Pills were scattered around him, and paramedics were told he had been given Narcan, an emergency treatment when opioid overdose is suspected.
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The girlfriend said the rapper — whose real name was Jarad Higgins — had a drug problem and took Percocet, which contains acetaminophen and oxycodone, a powerful painkiller and opioid.
Higgins “stopped breathing and became pulseless” after he was brought to the ambulance, according to the report, released after the Tribune filed a Freedom of Information request. The paramedics started CPR and provided Narcan again “with no change.”
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[ Chicago rapper Juice Wrld died from accidental overdose, autopsy finds ]
Higgins was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where more Narcan was administered, again with no change in his condition, the report states. He was transferred to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 3:14 a.m., six days after his birthday. Emergency room doctors found nine pills in his pockets.
The Cook County medical examiner did not release a cause of death until toxicology tests were completed in recent days. They found that Higgins’ death was accidental, caused by an overdose of oxycodone and codeine. Other drugs found in his system included THC (an active ingredient in marijuana), morphine and caffeine.
Higgins, his girlfriend and at least eight other people flew to Chicago from Van Nuys, California. As the plane approached the Atlantic Aviation hangar, they were greeted by federal agents who had been tipped that the group was carrying contraband, according to law enforcement sources.
The search turned up 41 “vacuum-sealed” bags of marijuana, six bottles of prescription codeine cough syrup, two 9 mm pistols, a .40-caliber pistol, a high-capacity ammunition magazine and metal-piercing bullets, according to the sources. Two men identified by police as working security for Higgins were charged with misdemeanor offenses for illegally possessing the guns and ammunition.
The reports released Thursday do not include any documents explaining the tip or detailing interviews with Higgins’ entourage.
[ Federal agents and Chicago police were confiscating drugs and guns from luggage when rapper Juice Wrld suffered seizure at Midway, officials say ]
Chicago police said they were notified while the jet was still en route to Midway that federal agents suspected it was carrying “weapons and narcotics.” Plainclothes tactical and gang crime officers joined the agents at the hangar as the jet landed. A drug-sniffing dog made a “positive alert” for bags on two luggage carts, sources said.
No drug charges were filed. Sources said the marijuana and codeine were found in bags that had no name tags.
Higgins’ music career took off after he gained support from freestyling on his high school’s radio show, according to a 2018 Tribune profile. He racked up millions of streams on SoundCloud for music that blended “elements of meandering, mumble-rap singing against drill-lite percussion and pop-punk melodies … bridging the gap between urban and suburban youth experiences; an angst-riddled adolescence that feels just as romantically rejected and isolated as it wants to turn-up.”
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Higgins’ more emotional rap focusing on the challenges of drug addiction, mental illness and depression struck a chord with young fans, who memorialized him after his death.
Higgins, who grew up in the south suburbs, had landed a $3 million deal with Interscope Records. Last year, he was one of two artists chosen by McDonald’s to be part of a philanthropic campaign, representing their hometowns by partnering with a local charity and performing concerts.
Higgins had been open on social media as well as in media interviews and his music about his struggles with drug use, particularly codeine.


chicagotribune--2020-01-23--'Sopranos’ actress Annabella Sciorra testifies that Harvey Weinstein raped her: ‘It was just so disg

'Sopranos’ actress Annabella Sciorra testifies that Harvey Weinstein raped her: ‘It was just so disgusting’

At other points in the 1990s , she said , Weinstein sent her packages with Valium and a box of @ @ @ @ @ early one morning at her Cannes Film Festival hotel room in his underwear with the @ @ @ @ @ .
She said he left after she started frantically pushing buttons on the room phone @ @ @ @

Michael R. Sistak, Tom Hays, Jennifer Peltz

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--‘Bachelorette’ contestant Tyler Gwozdz dies of suspected overdose

Gwozdz later told Refinery 29 of his exit : `` This was a decision that I came to with producers @ @ @ @ @ 've come to realize what is the best decision that could 've been made .
@

Tyler Gwozdz was on 15th season of "The Bachelorette." (Ed Herrera/ABC / HANDOUT)
Tyler Gwozdz, a former contestant on ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” has died of a suspected drug overdose. He was 29.
Sources confirm to Variety that Gwozdz was initially hospitalized on Jan. 13 following a "medical overdose." He later died in Florida's Palm Beach County after spending a week in the intensive care unit.
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TMZ, which first reported his death, wrote that Gwozdz may have OD’d on heroin after obtaining the 911 emergency call.
Gwozdz, known as "Tyler G." to "Bachelorette" fans, appeared briefly on the show's fifteenth season in 2019. After landing the "first date" with Hannah Brown, Gwozdz abruptly departed the series after three episodes without an explanation from the show's producers.
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Gwozdz later told Refinery 29 of his exit: "This was a decision that I came to with producers, and something that I've come to realize what is the best decision that could've been made."
Gwozdz, who had a side business in Dream Therapy Analysis, according to ABC’s official website, was aspiring to become a clinical psychologist.