chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Ford stock hits 52-week low, and CEO Jim Hackett may feel the heat

“ Ford is facing tremendous downside market and financial risk on so many fronts , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ yielded the benefits as soon as promised and expected , and may never do so @ @ @ @ @ American operations are perennial losers and have not improved .
And its China business has @ @ @ @ @ an entry with too little market share , to less than half of that .
@ @ @ @ @ Ford has is North America , and even then it is only in U.S. and @ @ @ @ @ presence has fallen to near irrelevancy .
”

Ford CEO Jim Hackett attends a news conference July 12, 2019 in New York. Hackett turns 65 on April 22. He told reporters Feb. 7, 2020, he has no immediate plans to retire from his CEO role, saying he wants to be part of the new “momentum” that takes Ford into the future. (JOHANNES EISELE/Getty)
A $7.57 price tag is a bargain for just about anything these days.
Including Ford Motor Co. stock.
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“Ford’s stock is at its lowest point since the Great Recession,” said John McElroy, host of “Autoline After Hours” and a longtime automotive analyst. “While this would normally put enormous pressure on CEO Jim Hackett, his recent reshuffling of the management ranks, pushing out Joe Hinrichs and promoting Jim Farley to COO, has bought him time with the board of directors. Hackett is very lucky. The Ford board seems to have the patience of Job.”
Industry observers took notice when the price sunk to a 52-week low Friday after stagnating for months, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average has hit new highs. And on Monday it fell further, closing at $7.57 a share.
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T.R. Reid, Ford spokesman, said the company doesn’t comment on stock price.
“Our underlying business is strong. We’ve got exciting series of new products we’re introducing this year. And I think we’re establishing ourselves as a leader in the emerging era of smart vehicles — including new forms of propulsion and connectivity,” he said. “We’re optimistic. We’re focused, and nobody’s got higher expectations for Ford than we do.”
Ford replaced CEO Mark Fields with Hackett in May 2017 after a dismal stock performance. And the value of Ford stock has continued to wither. Ford hovers around $8 a share. Crosstown rival General Motors has a stock price near $35.
Fields retired at age 56 from Ford after three years as CEO. On the Friday before the company released news of his departure on May 22, 2017, Ford stock closed at $10.87. Its price had declined 36% on Fields’ watch, nearly three times worse than GM during the same period, according to MarketWatch.
“It’s all about investor frustration with the stock performance,” Efraim Levy, then an analyst with CFRA Research, told MarketWatch upon news of Fields’ exit.
Ford’s latest stock dip occurs more than two weeks after reporting a grim $47 million in net profit in 2019 for the global company, down from $3.7 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, GM showed a $2.41 billion net profit in 2019.
“The stock has been on a wild ride and investors’ patience does seem to be wearing thin,” said David Kudla, CEO and chief investment strategist at Mainstay Capital Management, a Grand Blanc investment adviser who manages $2.7 billion in assets. Many of Mainstay’s clients are Ford employees.
He noted, “Hackett’s massive restructuring plan was needed to address overhead, however, it remains to be seen whether it went far enough. The pressure is on this year to recover and show meaningful progress.”
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Challenges aren’t specific to Ford but they may be hitting Ford harder than its competitors, says market economist Jon Gabrielsen, who advises automakers and auto suppliers.
“Ford is facing tremendous downside market and financial risk on so many fronts,” he said. “Its restructuring plans have not yielded the benefits as soon as promised and expected, and may never do so. Its European and South American operations are perennial losers and have not improved. And its China business has gone from too late of an entry with too little market share, to less than half of that. The only strong business that Ford has is North America, and even then it is only in U.S. and Canada, since its Mexico presence has fallen to near irrelevancy.”
Gabrielsen said the company is pinning its hopes on the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV and a new Bronco, but market potential for both remains uncertain. Plus, the company faces ongoing cost issues.
“Even in North America, it has continued to have increasing warranty and recall costs and a looming potential lawsuit of unknown magnitude for the (defective) DPS6 transmission from the Focus and Fiesta,” Gabrielsen said. “And the profits from its financing operations are totally dependent on the success of the auto businesses.”
Marick Masters, a Wayne State University business professor, said the stock dip is “deja vu” to some extent. He pointed to a July 1, 2012, headline that said Ford at that time “reached” a “52-week low of $9.56” and said “Ford’s challenges are structurally and strategically deep.
“Its competitive strategy leaves too much in doubt and fails to show how to break through the vortex of forces buffeting the industry,” Masters said. Hackett “is under enormous pressure to improve operational and financial performance while articulating a clear pathway to success.”
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Clearly, the Ford family is feeling fine for now or they would take action, said Marcus Hudson, executive director of the Calderone Advisory Group based in Birmingham, which advises suppliers in the automotive industry.
“The significant action was putting Farley in the COO position. I have no doubt that was Hackett’s way of showing the family he’s addressing the performance issues that have hampered the company of late,” said Hudson, who worked in revenue management at Ford more than a decade ago. “The family is not shy about getting rid of people when they’re unhappy with them. And the family doesn’t take its cues from Wall Street.”
Meanwhile, all eyes are on the CEO. Hackett turns 65 on April 22. He told reporters Feb. 7 he has no immediate plans to retire from his CEO role, saying he wants to be part of the new “momentum” that takes Ford into the future.
And Ford does not have a CEO age limit, Ford spokesman Reid said.
Alan Mulally, who is widely credited for saving Ford from bankruptcy, left the company in 2014 at age 68 after nearly eight years.
Hackett came out of retirement after a career with Steelcase office furniture. He received a $17.75 million compensation package at Ford in 2018 or more than a third of the net profit the company reported in 2019. The company will reveal his 2019 salary in a regulatory filing in the late spring.
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Farley, 57, whose promotion from president of new business, technology and strategy to chief operating officer was announced three days after the 2019 earnings report, is now in line for the CEO role.
The company’s board of directors notified the Securities and Exchange Commission that it approved a base wage increase from $1.1 million to $1.4 million while growing his overall compensation package about $2 million to $8.29 million.
Farley begins his role officially on March 1. Hinrichs, 54, Ford’s former president of automotive, officially retires the same day, though his company email was discontinued almost immediately after his announced departure.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas issued a cautionary statement to investors on Feb. 10 after recommending Ford stock.
“Owning responsibility,” said the headline of his memo to the investor community. “We upgraded Ford … last August and made it our top pick in US autos. In hindsight, this was the wrong call. Numbers have continued to fall and so has the stock.”
Jonas wrote that “some of our ideas work. Many don’t. But when they don’t work, we have an obligation to explain why it did not work and, in doing so, hopefully achieve a level of value beyond that of just the stock recommendation. We must own the responsibility.”
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He noted: “Our call on Ford was predicated on the company executing on significant redesign and fitness initiatives, strategic partnerships (Volkswagen) and new product introductions in the face of a low starting point of performance and extremely low expectations. For the past 6 months since our upgrade, at least, Ford has not shown the progress we and shareholders expected. … Management changes are, at some level, acknowledgement of the need for change from the company.”
While the 2020 outlook “was disappointing in terms of both direction and transparency, our conversations with investors suggest very low levels of expectations,” Jonas wrote. “Ford is currently lagging peers in operating performance in N. America, Europe, China and S. America at the same time.”
Morgan Stanley said, “The company must earn back the trust of the market by delivering results.” And the analyst will “no longer recommend the stock as our top pick,” instead choosing GM.
Despite concerns, Jonas did not downgrade the stock recommendation — noting that the stock offers value.
The multibillion dollar decline in net profits is blamed, in some part, on higher than expected warranty costs and a botched Ford Explorer launch, which Morgan Stanley estimated in its note to be $1 billion.
Last year, Ford initially denied Free Press reports of the launch problem until the newspaper said it had photos as proof. The Dearborn automaker affirmed the extent of the problem during its Feb. 4 earnings report for 2019.
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On Friday, the market’s valuation of Ford listed at $31.39 billion. By contrast, GM was $49.51 billion and Toyota was $227.05 billion.
©2020 Detroit Free Press
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chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Michael Jordan — with tears streaming down his face — says Kobe Bryant was ‘like a little brother’

Jordan , the Chicago Bulls great whose career was wrapping up as Bryant 's was starting in the late 1990s @ @ @ @ @ one of my dear friends .
He was like a little brother .
... As @ @ @ @ @ , I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be . ''

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s wife offered a poignant portrait of her NBA superstar husband and their daughter Monday at a packed memorial service for the two, who were among nine people killed last month in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles.
Speaking at times through tears, Vanessa Bryant praised her husband's devotion to their family as she addressed thousands of fans gathered at Staples Center to remember Bryant and 13-year-old Gianna.
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"God knew they couldn't be on this Earth without each other," Vanessa Bryant said. "He had to bring them home to have them together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi."
The service took place at the downtown arena where Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for the final 17 seasons of his two-decade NBA career. Thousands of Lakers fans, many wearing Bryant's jersey or team colors, attended the tearful gathering to honor Los Angeles' most popular athlete and a global basketball icon.
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Watch the public memorial below:
The ceremony began with Beyonce performing her songs "XO" and "Halo" with dozens of backup musicians. Alicia Keys performed Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" later in the program, and Christina Aguilera sang "Ave Maria."
The two-hour program concluded with "Dear Basketball," Bryant's Academy Award-winning short film.
After Jimmy Kimmel welcomed the crowd, Vanessa Bryant remembered the family's life with Gianna and her three siblings and then eulogized her husband. They had been together since 1999.
"He was the most amazing husband," she said. "Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. I was fire. He was ice. Vice versa at times. ... He was my everything."
The mourners included Lakers greats such as Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Pau Gasol. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joined Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Phil Jackson and dozens of current NBA players, including Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Los Angeles natives James Harden, Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan. Celebrities such as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez also attended.
Jordan, the Chicago Bulls great whose career was wrapping up as Bryant's was starting in the late 1990s, praised Bryant as "one of my dear friends. He was like a little brother. ... As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be."
"I told my wife I wasn't gonna [cry], because I didn't want to see [another crying meme] for the next three to four years."
Crying Jordan had some warm words for the Mamba. pic.twitter.com/pkCvU4bLoZ — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 24, 2020
O'Neal and Bryant joined the Lakers together in 1996, and they won three consecutive championships during eight tumultuous seasons in purple and gold. Although their relationship was often publicly rocky, Shaq said the two were always friendly in private, even comparing their dynamic to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
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"Kobe and I pushed each other to play some of the greatest basketball of all time," O'Neal said. "I'm proud nobody has accomplished what the threepeat Lakers have done since the Shaq and Kobe Lakers did it."
O'Neal also got the biggest laugh in the somber service with a profane joke about an exchange in which Shaq told Kobe there was no "I" in team, but Bryant responded by noting that there is an "M-E."
Vanessa Bryant was followed on the podium by basketball stars Diana Taurasi and Sabrina Ionescu. Kobe Bryant was a passionate advocate for women's basketball, and Gigi Bryant was a promising young player.
"If I represented the present of the women's game, Gigi represented the future, and Kobe knew it," said Ionescu, the Oregon star who was mentored by Bryant.
Rob Pelinka, Bryant's longtime agent before he became the Lakers' general manager in 2017, referred to the day of the crash as "when the axis of the world seemed to shift forever, for all of us." Pelinka was also Gigi Bryant's godfather, and the families were close.
He also revealed that Bryant had texted him only moments before the crash, asking for help in securing an internship with a baseball agent for teenager Alexis Altobelli, who lost her parents and younger sister in the crash moments later.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 31 Fans line up to get into the Staples Center to attend a public memorial for former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, in Los Angeles, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)
"Kobe lived to make other people's lives better, all the way up to his final text," Pelinka said.
Among the early arriving fans was Alyssa Shapiro, 27, of Huntington Beach, who said she was inspired to become a basketball player after watching countless Lakers games with her father.
The family's love of the game — and Bryant's work in women's sports — prompted her to become a middle school girls' basketball coach. Her team had played Gianna's team and she would watch Bryant cheer for his daughter in the stands. She said she went up to Bryant to introduce herself at a game.
"I just wanted to thank him for being such an inspiration to me," she said. "I grew up watching him on the screen. ... It made me realize he's more than just that guy out on the court."
The concourse was a sea of people dressed in the team colors of purple and yellow and others in black. On the scoreboard, the Bryant family's life flashes by in pictures.
The service began just hours after Vanessa Bryant sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in the fog last month. The wrongful-death lawsuit claimed that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions.
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At the arena, fans were given a program containing photos, a purple KB pin and a T-shirt with photos of the father and daughter.
Money from ticket sales was to be given to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports youth sports programs in underserved communities and teaches sports to girls and women.
Bryant played his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers, who moved from the Forum to Staples Center when it opened in 1999. The five-time NBA champion's two retired jersey numbers — 8 and 24 — hang high above the arena where he became the third-leading scorer in league history. Lakers star LeBron James surpassed him on the night before Bryant's death.
Bryant remained one of the most popular figures in Los Angeles well into retirement. Dozens of public memorials and murals have been installed around the sprawling metropolis.
A private funeral was held Feb. 7 in Orange County.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--The top 2020 NFL quarterback prospects ranked by hand size

For food fanatics and avid restaurant-goers , getting a highly sought-after reservation is like getting the golden ticket to the @ @ @ @ @ wait is a few weeks , a few months or even a year .
At @ @ @ @ @ s not just a plate of food .
It ’ s an experience , an @ @ @ @ @ , data from OpenTable , Michelin ratings and restaurant websites that noted a particularly long @ @ @ @ @ said don ’ t call at all — The Daily Meal rounded up the eateries @ @ @ @ @ to get in America .
( Rosie Siefert , The Daily Meal )

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chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Beyonce kicks off Kobe Bryant memorial with special performance of ‘XO’ and ‘Halo’

The two songs are similar in feel and theme -- and indeed , both were cowritten by Beyonce and Onerepublic @ @ @ @ @ XO '' is featured on Beyonce 's self-titled 2013 album and was cowritten by the @ @ @ @ @ '' Nash , while `` Halo '' comes from her 2009 album `` I Am @ @ @ @ @ was written by Beyonce and Tedder with Evan Bogart .
`` Halo '' peaked at @ @ @ @ @ Billboard Hot 100 and remained on that chart for 30 weeks in 2009 .
While @ @ @ @ @ as big of a radio hit -- reaching No .
45 on the Hot 100 @ @ @ @ @ other charts , reaching Silver status in the U.K. ( for 200,000 sales ) and @ @ @ @ @ Hot R & B/Hip-Hop chart in the U.S .

Beyonce kicked off Monday’s public memorial for Kobe Bryant with a special performance of her songs “XO” and “Halo.”
"I'm here because I love Kobe, and this is one of his favorite songs," she said before launching into a special rendition of "XO." She was accompanied by singers and a string quartet, and wore a gold pantsuit.
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"I want to start that over," Beyonce continued. "But I want us to do it all together, and I want you to sing it so loud that he hears your love."
After the performance, the announcer at Staples Center praised Beyonce for "expressing her love [for Bryant] so beautifully."
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The two songs are similar in feel and theme -- and indeed, both were cowritten by Beyonce and Onerepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. "XO" is featured on Beyonce's self-titled 2013 album and was cowritten by the pair with Terius "The-Dream" Nash, while "Halo" comes from her 2009 album "I Am... Sasha Fierce" and was written by Beyonce and Tedder with Evan Bogart. "Halo" peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on that chart for 30 weeks in 2009. While "XO" was not as big of a radio hit -- reaching No. 45 on the Hot 100 -- it did well on other charts, reaching Silver status in the U.K. (for 200,000 sales) and No. 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart in the U.S.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Review: ‘Stick Fly’ at Writers Theatre spends time amid African American affluence on Martha’s Viney

Review: ‘Stick Fly’ at Writers Theatre spends time amid African American affluence on Martha’s Vineyard

The world has , of course , spun forward a good deal from then and I confess more interest in @ @ @ @ @ whopping talent , is doing now , rather than what was on her mind nearly @ @ @ @ @ when she had to conform more to the expectations of the theater at that time @ @ @ @ @ minor adjustments to the script ( I think ) , but the new production at @ @ @ @ @ play as if it were a contemporary work ; I ’ m not convinced these @ @ @ @ @ these things now , at least not entirely in the language they use .

Since at least the middle of the 20th century, wealthy African Americans have vacationed in Oak Bluffs, a historic town on Martha’s Vineyard synonymous with the summer homes of the likes of Henry Louis Gates, Spike Lee and Barack and Michelle Obama.
Martha’s Vineyard — an idyllic island off the coast of Massachusetts — is the mid-summer setting for Lydia Diamond’s “Stick Fly,” a closely observed and clearly personal drama about what it’s like for an outsider to be thrust into the familial world of African-American affluence, as well as an exploration of the responsibility of that intellectual community to the other side of Oak Bluffs and the Vineyard as a whole — the full-time residents who spend their time caring for those euphemistically named “summer cottages” and the elite denizens thereof.
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Although she spent time in Cambridge, Mass., Diamond has very close ties to Chicago and “Stick Fly” has been produced often in Chicago theaters. I’ve reviewed it several times previously, including productions at the Windy City Playhouse in 2015, and a very early and memorable staging in 2006 from the Congo Square Theatre Company in Chicago, a company then in residence on Chicago’s Near West Side.
Back then, I thought the play had big commercial potential and, indeed, the play subsequently was staged on Broadway in 2011.
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The world has, of course, spun forward a good deal from then and I confess more interest in what Diamond, long a whopping talent, is doing now, rather than what was on her mind nearly two decades ago, back when she had to conform more to the expectations of the theater at that time. I noticed a few minor adjustments to the script (I think), but the new production at Writers Theatre still treats the play as if it were a contemporary work; I’m not convinced these characters would say all of these things now, at least not entirely in the language they use.
Still, director Ron OJ Parson’s typically lively and robust production certainly is the most elegant staging the play has received. Linda Buchanan’s setting has created the kind of summer home we might all aspire to own. Not only do you gape at the boutique African American art on the walls, but Buchanan has added a vista of the bluffs outside and, a couple of times, even a little sailboat traversing the back of the stage.
The highlights of this production are two rich and moving performances from Jennifer Latimore, playing Taylor, a young woman who finds herself dating arty Kent (Eric Gerard), a scion of the great black intellectual Joe LeVay (David Alan Anderson), and from Ayanna Bria Bakari, who plays Cheryl, the daughter of the family’s longtime maid and, depending on your point of view, a recipient of patronage or benign contempt.
I think at least a third of Diamond herself resides in the lines she has given Kimber (Kayla Raelle Holder), the white girlfriend of Joe’s other, more transactional son, Flip (DiMonte Henning), but there’s no question that, viewed together, this trio of young outsider women are where the heart of the play resides.
Diamond really nails what it’s like to find yourself, through love, part (but not part) of a far more affluent family than the one in which you grew up yourself and Holder catches the right blend of awkward intimacy, a character who cannot decide whether to be delighted at her good fortune or best advised to hop a fast ferry to the mainland.
DiMonte Henning, David Alan Anderson, Eric Gerard and Jennifer Latimore in "Stick Fly" at Writers Theatre. (Michael Brosilow photo)
“Stick Fly” (a reference to Taylor being an entomologist) is also interested in class division and gender stereotyping within the African American community and it’s also very adept at capturing one of those relationships common to many wealthy folk: an intimate, playful but fundamentally unequal kind of friendship with someone in their domestic employment. It’s an awkward mix as you might well know, and Diamond is not afraid to make her audience cringe.
Diamond doesn’t discount the kindness of the LeVays, but she still makes her point about the family trait of myopia.
Secrets constantly unravel in “Stick Fly,” very much a piece of domestic realism indebted to revelations of plot. At the performance I saw last weekend, I thought Anderson to be overly passive and not at all easy to read. It’s true that men confronted with his situation often retreat into themselves, but the crises that Diamond puts her characters through here require, I think, a fuller trajectory in the theater.
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Still, “Stick Fly” was, and remains, a sophisticated and complex piece of domestic realism and, to its great credit, a play that was saying many of the things now commonly said on theatrical stages at a time when they were much harder to hear.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
Review: “Stick Fly” (3 stars)
When: Through March 15
Where: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
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Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Tickets: $35-$80 at 847-242-6000 or www.writerstheatre.org


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--7 questions — and answers — with Jason Benetti about his busy sports schedule and his Twitter beef w

7 questions — and answers — with Jason Benetti about his busy sports schedule and his Twitter beef with Steve Stone

Bill has a standing invitation to come to Grateful Dead Night at our ballpark ( Aug. 26 this year ) .
It ’ s on our radar , and as it gets closer , we ’ re going to work on it .
But we may have other tricks up our sleeves too .
I enjoyed the heck out of having assorted guests in the booth who loved baseball and/or life and/or the Sox last year .
I ’ d like to continue that .
We were working Colorado vs. Arizona State ( basketball ) in January .
A long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a couple Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia ties .
They ’ re psychedelic and whatnot , so I don ’ t get much occasion to wear them , but this was the bull ’ s-eye , so I wore the tie and it ’ s got the J. Garcia ( logo ) on the bottom .
I told him , “ Bill , I wore this tie on your behalf .
It ’ s a Jerry Garcia.
” He said , “ How do you know it ’ s a Jerry Garcia tie ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got his name on it.
” He said , “ Let me see.
” Then he grabbed my tie , licked it on camera .
Licked it again and said to the camera , “ Yeah , that ’ s a Jerry.
” I ’ m like , “ So you can taste ties now ?
” On the next telecast , ( ESPN analyst ) Dan Dakich heard about it and he also licked my tie , so it was a week of tie-licking .

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jason Benetti returned to the White Sox booth Monday afternoon for the first of a half-dozen spring training telecasts on NBC Sports Chicago.
The 36-year-old Benetti, who has been doing college football and basketball games for ESPN since 2011, is entering his fifth year on Sox play-by-play and second since Ken “Hawk” Harrelson’s retirement.
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Benetti sat down at Camelback Ranch before Monday’s game against the Dodgers to discuss his thoughts on the Sox rebuild and his other broadcasting gigs.
Any butterflies before your first White Sox call of 2020?
As Elton John said, “Butterflies are free to fly. Fly away.” I was just talking to one of the Sox hitters and he said, “Yeah, I’m always just a little bit nervous before the game.” I try to not be like that. I try to enjoy it for what it is (rather) than think of something that can go wrong. So many performers say, “You’ve got to have those butterflies.” So maybe I’m doing it wrong, but I don’t think that’s the case. I like to enjoy the day instead of worry.
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Is it difficult calling so many sports?
I get ahead as much as I can. I’ve got a couple basketball games this week, so I’ve got most of it built already. Then I’ll dive in specifically on the team for that game when the notes come out the day before. So I try to do as much in advance as possible, and in my spare time during the offseason, I’m doing Sox stuff. I love doing all sports. I love learning from coaches and watching practices and seeing the leadership. There’s a lot of life lessons in that, too, and I grew up loving to do games. That’s where my heart is.
Would you like to do more White Sox spring training games — or is six enough?
I love doing Sox games whenever they’re on the schedule. I don’t like getting in other people’s lanes with their job. It’s not my call, but if I was assigned 210 Sox games, I’d be happy to do 210 Sox games.
After calling the White Sox during the tough part of the rebuild, are you more excited about 2020?
I was in Goodyear (for the Sox spring training opener) and said it’s different to watch even the first game, knowing the goal is to be highly competitive. When you come to spring training and you know the goal is development, I was looking for things the scouts are looking for, those signs of growth, that sort of potential. Then when you’re in a competitive mode, potentially challenging for a division title with reasonable belief, you watch the games differently. I came to spring training with a list of stuff I was interested in: How is Eloy Jimenez going to play in left? What will the injured pitchers look like? How is Dylan Cease’s first outing going to be? Those are the things you start looking for when you’re not in a development mode. After spending so much time in the minors beforehand, where the standings truly don’t matter, it’s like a flip has switched for me in how I watch this team.
Will Bill Walton be joining you in the booth this summer?
Bill has a standing invitation to come to Grateful Dead Night at our ballpark (Aug. 26 this year). It’s on our radar, and as it gets closer, we’re going to work on it. But we may have other tricks up our sleeves too. I enjoyed the heck out of having assorted guests in the booth who loved baseball and/or life and/or the Sox last year. I’d like to continue that. We were working Colorado vs. Arizona State (basketball) in January. A long time ago my mom had gotten me a couple Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia ties. They’re psychedelic and whatnot, so I don’t get much occasion to wear them, but this was the bull’s-eye, so I wore the tie and it’s got the J. Garcia (logo) on the bottom. I told him, “Bill, I wore this tie on your behalf. It’s a Jerry Garcia.” He said, “How do you know it’s a Jerry Garcia tie?” I said, “It’s got his name on it.” He said, “Let me see.” Then he grabbed my tie, licked it on camera. Licked it again and said to the camera, “Yeah, that’s a Jerry.” I’m like, “So you can taste ties now?” On the next telecast, (ESPN analyst) Dan Dakich heard about it and he also licked my tie, so it was a week of tie-licking.
How is your Twitter beef with partner Steve Stone going?
It’s quite an entertaining thing to open your Twitter and have all these mentions. You’re like, where did that come from? Oh, it came from directly next to me in the booth? I actually love that he’s embraced Twitter because it fits his personality really, really well. He’s very clever, and he also likes to throw a jab in. He’s not really a troll, or maybe he’s an intelligent troll. Some of the references he makes, and some of the wording, you can tell he’s a well-read person who is using a medium that doesn’t always demand good punctuation. He loves baseball so much.
You’ve all seen shameless @jasonbenetti using the gigantic WGN morning news to further his ill fated cause. He gets up earlier than I can because he’s always ready to go. He sleeps with his glasses on and he has Ronco spray on hair. He’s on call for a gratuitous plug 24/7. SAD — Steve Stone (@stevestone) January 24, 2020
Who is winning your contest with Stone to have the most followers?
America.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Vanessa Bryant sues helicopter operator in crash that killed Kobe and their daughter Gianna

Under the visual flight rules that Zobayan was following , he was required to see where he was going .
@ @ @ @ @ Federal Aviation Administration in May 2015 for violating those rules by flying into reduced visibility @ @ @ @ @ .

Fans line up to get into the Staples Center to attend a public memorial for former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, in Los Angeles, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s widow sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in fog and killed the former Los Angeles Lakers star and their 13-year-old daughter last month as she publicly mourned their deaths Monday in an emotional public ceremony.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles Superior Court said the pilot was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions Jan. 26 and should have aborted the flight that killed all nine people aboard.
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The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters Inc. and also targets pilot Ara Zobayan's representative or successor, listed only as "Doe 1" until a name can be determined.
The lawsuit asserts Zobayan was negligent in eight different ways, including failing to properly assess the weather, flying into conditions he wasn't cleared for and failing to control the helicopter.
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It was filed the morning that a public memorial service for Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and all the victims, including Zobayan, was held to a sold-out crowd at Staples Center, the arena where Bryant played most of his career.
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel read Zobayan's name among the victims and encouraged donations to a fund set up for their families.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and six of their friends were on their way to a basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy when the helicopter crashed.
Zobayan, Bryant's frequent pilot, had been trying to navigate in heavy fog that limited visibility to the point that the Los Angeles police and sheriff's departments had grounded their helicopter fleets.
Under the visual flight rules that Zobayan was following, he was required to see where he was going. Zobayan was cited by the Federal Aviation Administration in May 2015 for violating those rules by flying into reduced visibility airspace, the lawsuit said.
In his last transmission, Zobayan told air traffic control that he was climbing to 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) to get above the clouds. He was 100 feet (30 meters) short of breaking through the cloud cover when the helicopter banked left and plunged into a grassy hillside, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB hasn't concluded what caused the crash in Calabasas, on the outskirts of Los Angeles County, but said there was no sign of mechanical failure. A final report isn't expected for a year or so.
Calls to Island Express seeking comment were not answered, and its voicemail was full.
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The company issued a statement Jan. 30 on its website saying the shock of the crash had prompted it to suspend service until it was appropriate for staff and customers.
Island Express has had at least three previous helicopter crashes since 1985, two of them fatal, according to the NTSB’s accident database. All involved flights to or from the company’s main destination of Santa Catalina Island, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the Southern California coast.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Woman taken to hospital after car fire in Near North Side garage

Fire officials called a still-and-box high-rise alarm and an Emergency Medical Services Plan 1 , which sends at least five @ @ @ @ @ for the fire , because of it being in a high-rise and because with the @ @ @ @ @ , “ You never know ” what might happen , said Langford .

One woman was taken to the hospital after a car fire in a Near North parking garage brought out a large Fire Department contingent Monday morning.
Emergency crews were called to 10 E. Ontario St. just before 11 a.m. for the car fire, which had to be extinguished using a fire hose, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
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Fire officials called a still-and-box high-rise alarm and an Emergency Medical Services Plan 1, which sends at least five ambulances to a scene, for the fire, because of it being in a high-rise and because with the fire being in a garage, “You never know” what might happen, said Langford.
One woman, who was not the woman whose car caught on fire, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Langford said. She was in good condition.
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The fire was on the second floor of a parking garage connected to a high-rise building, said Chicago police spokeswoman Maggie Huynh.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Lincoln Square’s Bianca Xunise becomes first black cartoonist for ‘Six Chix’ comic strip; Southland

Lincoln Square’s Bianca Xunise becomes first black cartoonist for ‘Six Chix’ comic strip; Southland native to visit C2E2

“ To have the space where you don ’ t have to be less black , you don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ – you can just be yourself ?
It ’ s amazing , ” Xunise said @ @ @ @ @ “ I love a space where I have the freedom to be myself and that @ @ @ @ @ about “ Six Chix . ''
Tea ( Fougner , editorial director of King Features @ @ @ @ @ just want to give you a platform to say whatever you want and to have @ @ @ @ @ .
I know we ’ re making history at “ Six Chix . ''
I @ @ @ @ @ female writer to join the team and they ’ re celebrating 20 years .
It @ @ @ @ @ those things where : We ’ re glad that it changed , but the fact @ @ @ @ @ and there are still black female firsts is bittersweet .
I ’ m glad to @ @ @ @ @ change . ''

A room that houses “Hellboy," “Spawn” and “Aliens” action figures is not one to be missed, but when “John Wick” memorabilia is thrown into the mix, conversation just begins to flow.
That’s what happened when stepping into the studio of comic creator Bianca Xunise, the first black cartoonist to join the nationally syndicated King Features daily comic strip, “Six Chix," which features six female cartoonists (including Xunise, Isabella Bannerman, Susan Camilleri Konar, Mary Lawton, Stephanie Piro and Maritsa Patrinos) writing and drawing on issues impacting female characters. As the strip celebrates its 20th anniversary, Xunise is just the second black woman to work on a nationally syndicated strip (behind Barbara Brandon-Croft, of the ’90s strip “Where I’m Coming From”).
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“To have the space where you don’t have to be less black, you don’t have to be less queer – you can just be yourself? It’s amazing,” Xunise said of her new role. “I love a space where I have the freedom to be myself and that’s the exciting thing about “Six Chix." Tea (Fougner, editorial director of King Features Syndicate) was like we just want to give you a platform to say whatever you want and to have that in the comics world. I know we’re making history at “Six Chix." I’m the first black female writer to join the team and they’re celebrating 20 years. It’s of one of those things where: We’re glad that it changed, but the fact that it’s 2020 and there are still black female firsts is bittersweet. I’m glad to be a part of that change."
Xunise will be at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) this year, connecting with and supporting her comic peers and YA writers during the Feb. 28-March 1 event. In April, she will join a panel at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University’s “Ladies First: A Century of Women’s Innovations in Comics and Cartoon Art,” where she will join Brandon-Croft.
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Local comic creator Bianca Xunise's sketch books at her apartment in Chicago on Feb. 21, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
“I remember reading her comics ... seeing a black woman in comic strip form was the first time I saw that,” Xunise said. “When I was starting in comics, I was primarily just drawing things to post online, I didn’t see this as a career path because I felt like no one cared for my voice. But thanks to the underground comic scene in Chicago that has a lot of women and nonbinary, queer and people of all backgrounds in it has helped me be inspired to really push myself out there.”
Ten years into the comics game, the 32-year-old Southland native and DePaul professor’s comic work has appeared on the pages of Vogue, Washington Post, Riot Fest, and The Nib among others and covers a gamut of topics, including mental health awareness, race relations, police brutality of the CTA Red Line, and pop culture.
“I did a comic recently about how I have Keanu (Reeves) thoughts stuck in my hair and they loved it!," she said. "I really like to get comics out of the realm of just for comics people. I want the average person to consider comics as a regular medium – as they do everything else. I want to show a regularity of black women. I want us to just have the comfortability to exist without us having to feel like we have to fit into a mold of what a black woman should represent, that’s what I hope to do with my work.”
Xunise’s social commentary was also featured on Shondaland.com, (Shonda Rhimes’ online storytelling platform) focused on the daily struggles of a young, black feminist in modern society and shined a light on living while black in America through the lens of Atatiana Jefferson. Xunise’s storytelling garnered her an Ignatz Award, a Golden Globe for the comics industry.
Local comic creator Bianca Xunise's sketch books at her apartment in Chicago on Feb. 21, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
“I’m not really an “illustrator for hire” type of person – either you like my work or you don’t,” Xunise said. “I never fully intended my comics to be seen by the world. It was more something that I did for myself — posting them on Tumblr. My comics used to just be diaries to myself that I would kind of just record what was going on in my day. People would say this is cute, you should share them. I would do it and eventually Hello Giggles saw my work. They offered me a column in 2015. After that moment, everything really took off.”
You can find Xunise’s work at Chicago Comics and Quimby’s. Her advice to those wanting to get into the comic scene: Just stick to it. She added that Chicago is a very heavy comics city, and very supportive of comic artists.
Just how heavy a comics city will be revealed at C2E2 this week. According to event director Kristina Rogers, highlights will be actor Mark Ruffalo, a reveal from DC Comics and Marvel publishing, and a panel with the cast of “Critical Role” – a weekly live-streamed Dungeons & Dragons game set in the fantasy world of Exandria, a world created by voice actor and Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer — in attendance, Rogers said.
“No matter what you’re a fan of, there’s something really incredible happening throughout the weekend," Rogers said. " Once the “Avengers” are done, what’s left is a really incredible amount of geek stuff still left to celebrate."
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C2E2 runs Friday-Sunday at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, South Building. One-day badge prices from $35-$55, three-day prices $85 advance, $95 after Thursday. Visit c2e2.com for more information.
drockett@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Local man among 4 drivers charged with DUI in separate incidents: Barrington police

Jamil Ahmed , 61 , of the 1300 block of Fortune Bay Court , Hoffman Estates , was charged Feb. @ @ @ @ @ influence with a blood alcohol concentration over .08 and failure to yield to an authorized @ @ @ @ @ and Cornell Avenue .
Ahmed is scheduled to appear in court March 25 .

The following items were taken from Barrington and South Barrington police department reports and releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.
DUI
Jamil Ahmed, 61, of the 1300 block of Fortune Bay Court, Hoffman Estates, was charged Feb. 13 with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration over .08 and failure to yield to an authorized emergency vehicle at Barrington Road and Cornell Avenue. Ahmed is scheduled to appear in court March 25.
Samantha Santilli, 25, of the 100 block of North Porter Street, Elgin, was charged Feb. 15 with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration over .08 and having expired registration at Route 14 and Cumnor Avenue. Santilli is scheduled to appear in court March 5.
Roger Blake, 73, of the 100 block of Hidden Oaks Drive, Barrington, was charged Feb. 17 with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration over .08, driving with no lights and improper lane usage at Main Street and Lageschulte Street. Blake is scheduled to appear in court March 5.
Bator Dawid, 29, of the 1000 block of Cove Drive, Prospect Heights, was charged Feb. 19 with driving under the influence, driving on a suspended driver’s license, making an improper turn at an intersection, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and illegal squealing/screeching tires at Barrington Road and Willow Creek Church Drive.
License
Jared M. Miller, 44, of the 100 block of Jill Lane, Streamwood, was charged Feb. 13 with driving while license suspended, disobeying a traffic control device, operating an uninsured vehicle and possession of a narcotic instrument at Route 59 and Penny Road. Miller is scheduled to appear in court March 4.
Allen D. Brown, 56, of the 6000 block of Highland Avenue, Chicago, was charged Feb. 14 with driving while license suspended at Barrington Road and Studio Drive. Brown is scheduled to appear in court March 4.
Harassment
Harassment in the 200 block of Red Barn Lane was reported Feb. 12.
Identity theft
Identity theft in the 100 block of Raymond Avenue was reported Feb. 14.
Damage to property
Criminal damage to property in the 300 block of South Grove Avenue was reported Feb. 16.
kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Read the motions filed with the state’s high court by Jussie Smollett’s lawyers seeking a stay of hi

Read the motions filed with the state’s high court by Jussie Smollett’s lawyers seeking a stay of his criminal case

Almost a year to the day after Jussie Smollett was first brought up on charges accusing him of staging a @ @ @ @ @ , the former “ Empire ” actor pleaded not guilty in a new criminal case @ @ @ @ @ Read the latest here .

Almost a year to the day after Jussie Smollett was first brought up on charges accusing him of staging a bizarre hate crime on himself, the former “Empire” actor pleaded not guilty in a new criminal case connected to the incident. Read the latest here.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Glenview-based JourneyCare cutting 150 jobs, eliminating home health care services

In general , home health care is a booming industry as the population ages and many people prefer to stay @ @ @ @ @ for home health and personal care aides are expected to grow 36 % between 2018 @ @ @ @ @ an average growth rate of 5 % for all occupations , according to the Bureau @ @ @ @

In this 2013 file photo, people walk through the Waud Family Healing Garden at JourneyCare's Glenview inpatient hospice care center. (Michael Tercha, Chicago Tribune 2013)
A Glenview-based nonprofit that cares for people with serious illnesses is cutting about 150 jobs and eliminating its home health care services.
JourneyCare will continue to provide hospice and palliative care — which is care aimed at relieving pain and other symptoms — but it will stop providing in-home care April 30. Patients who receive home care from JourneyCare will be transitioned to other home health agencies before then, JourneyCare said in a news release.
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JourneyCare works with patients across 13 northern Illinois counties, including Cook, Lake, DuPage, and Will counties. It has inpatient hospice centers in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Glenview and in the Illinois Medical District on the city’s West Side.
“Ongoing integration challenges and overall issues facing the home health care industry in general, as well as limited patient enrollment in JourneyCare’s home health program, prompted our decision to close the program,” said JourneyCare President and CEO Kimberly Hobson, in the release.
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“Our strength is in our hospice and palliative care services,” she said. “We intend to grow these service lines and re-invest in our infrastructure, the communities we serve and, most importantly, in our clinical staff, patients and patient families.”
The move will eliminate about 100 home health care positions. About 50 jobs from elsewhere within the organization also will be affected. Some of the affected workers may be offered other jobs within JourneyCare.
In general, home health care is a booming industry as the population ages and many people prefer to stay in their homes. Jobs for home health and personal care aides are expected to grow 36% between 2018 and 2028, compared with an average growth rate of 5% for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But home health agencies face a number of challenges, including low reimbursements from government-backed health insurance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare Advantage, as well as a new federal reimbursement model that’s leading to less money for many agencies, said Tom Threlkeld, a spokesman for the National Association for Home Care and Hospice.
Home health care organizations also often have trouble attracting and retaining workers because of the difficulty of the job and its relatively low pay. Home health care agencies tend to have slim margins, Threlkeld said.
JourneyCare merged with Chicago-based Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care and Glenview-based Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter in 2015 to form the largest provider of hospice and palliative care in Illinois.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--The Black Keys tour dates include Chicagoland concert

The Black Keys , consisting of guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney , have won five Grammy Awards , @ @ @ @ @ “ El Camino ” in 2013 .
The duo released their ninth album , “ @ @ @ @ @ ” in June , and were scheduled to perform at last year ’ s Woodstock @ @ @ @ @ dropped out before it was eventually canceled .

The Black Keys have announced their 2020 tour dates, including a stop in Chicago.
The Grammy-winning rock band will perform at the Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre in Tinley Park, Ill. on July 25. Gary Clark Jr. and The Marcus King Band will open all three shows at 7 p.m.
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Tickets go on sale Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Prices range from $29.50 to $199.50; additional fees may apply.
The Black Keys, consisting of guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, have won five Grammy Awards, including best rock album for “El Camino” in 2013. The duo released their ninth album, “Let’s Rock,” in June, and were scheduled to perform at last year’s Woodstock 50th anniversary concert, but dropped out before it was eventually canceled.
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Patrick Carney, left, and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys pose for a portrait in Nashville, Tenn. Aug. 19, 2019. (Mark Humphrey/AP)
Gary Clark Jr. is a a blues-soul guitarist best known for “Please Come Home,” “Come Together” and collaborations with artists like Foo Fighters and Childish Gambino. Clark won three Grammys this year, including “Best Rock Song” for “This Land” from his album of the same name.


chicagotribune--2020-02-24--Jeremy Jeffress wants to help the Cubs lock down their bullpen — and feed fans with his fried seafoo

Jeremy Jeffress wants to help the Cubs lock down their bullpen — and feed fans with his fried seafood truck

“ He never gave in when we faced him , ” said David Bote , who is 0-for-4 lifetime against @ @ @ @ @ my favorite things about having a guy like him on our side is instead of @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s going out there and will bear down , whether he has his @ @ @ @

MESA, Ariz. —
Fried seafood has been one of Jeremy Jeffress’ lifelong passions, and the new Cubs reliever hopes his food truck can make a visit to Wrigley Field this season.
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“That’s a passion of mine,” Jeffress said. “Bring good food to people and good smiles and good excitement.”
If Jeffress can rekindle the National League All-Star form he displayed in 2018 with the Brewers, the Cubs’ chances of maintaining leads they lost in 2019 can become more appetizing.
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Jeffress, 32, signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with a chance to earn an additional $200,000 in incentives. He became a bargain after he posted a 5.02 ERA and a 1.365 WHIP in 48 appearances last season with the Brewers, and the velocity on his four-seam fastball dropped from 96.2 mph to 94.4, according to Fangraphs.
A right shoulder injury in spring training was the first of many problems for Jeffress, who was released on Sept. 5.
“Last year my hip started to hurt, it didn’t react off a pinch-hit swing, which was kind of weird,” Jeffress said. “But after that, it didn’t heal right and needed more strength. I took care of that this offseason, coming back stronger than ever. It’s going to be good.”
If Jeffress’ velocity returns, he can he help a bullpen that posted only a 23.6 strikeout rate and an 11% walk percentage — 14th in the NL.
Several Cubs hitters believe Jeffress’ 2019 season was an anomaly.
“He never gave in when we faced him,” said David Bote, who is 0-for-4 lifetime against Jeffress. “One of my favorite things about having a guy like him on our side is instead of having to face him, he’s going out there and will bear down, whether he has his stuff or not.
“You’re going to get a bulldog who wants to shove it down somebody. To play defense behind a guy like that and having him in the clubhouse ignites you.”
Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr. Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras and Bote have at least four at-bats against Jeffress and are a combined 0-for-28 with 12 strikeouts against him.
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“One of the first things I told him was that I was glad he’s here because I don’t have to face him anymore,” said Almora, who is hitless in four career at-bats against Jeffress. ”His energy rubs off when you’re around him.”
After being discarded by the Brewers — who selected him in the first round of the 2006 draft and traded twice for him — Jeffress is grateful to remain part of the rivalry — now with Cubs.
“The guys think that they didn’t want to hit off me, well, I didn’t want to face those guys,” Jeffress said. “You’ve got to be on your ‘A’ game. I remember watching the entire nine innings on days I didn’t have to pitch, and those games were intense.
“The bullpen usually helped decide those games, whether it was a pinch-hit blooper or a double play that didn’t get turned usually cost someone the game.”
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Jeffress is aware he’s being asked to help fill the void caused by the loss of three free agents — Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek and Brandon Kintzler. That trio provided the most experience and dependability to a bullpen that posted the eighth lowest ERA (3.98) in the National League and a 58% save rate, ahead of only the Marlins and Rockies.
“Those three guys were part of a huge pen last year,” Jeffress said. “It is all about experience — the guys who have been through the big moments and know how to handle them, how to prepare once they come.
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“There are some guys who have to step up this year. Everybody, including me, has to step up in those big moments because that’s what it’s going to take to win championships.”
Since embarking on a professional career, Jeffress has persevered. He was diagnosed with juvenile epilepsy in 2013, according to MLB.com. He served a 100-game suspension in 2009 for his third violation of minor-league baseball’s program for a drug of abuse, believed to be marijuana.
And in 2016, Jeffress was arrested in the Dallas area for driving while intoxicated while pitching for the Rangers and enrolled in a rehab center to avoid a suspension.
Since then, Jeffress has stayed out of trouble, and his efforts to bring his food truck, named “JJ’s Bread & Butter," is his way of sharing the fried seafood he enjoyed dating to his youth in South Boston, Va.
“I’m trying to bring it around and let people know,” Jeffress said. “A good meal goes a long way, and it’s cheap too. Don’t worry — it’s not expensive.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-28--Face masks, especially the N95, are in demand worldwide as coronavirus spreads

The shortages are being attributed not just to high demand , but to disruptions in supply : An outsize share @ @ @ @ @ surgical masks are made in China — 50 % , by its own estimate .
@ @ @ @ @ have ramped up production say they are hard pressed to meet local demand .
The @ @ @ @ @ , and exports have plunged .

Dee-Ann Durbin, Anne D'Innocenzio, Joseph Pisani

People line up to buy face masks Feb. 5, 2020, in Hong Kong. Fear of the spreading coronavirus has led to a global run on sales of face masks despite medical experts' advice that most people who aren't sick don't need to wear them. (Vincent Yu/AP)
Fear of the spreading coronavirus has led to a global run on sales of face masks despite evidence that most people who aren't sick don't need to wear them.
Many businesses are sold out, while others are limiting how many a customer can buy. Amazon is policing its site, trying to make sure sellers don't gouge panicked buyers.
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In South Korea, hundreds lined up to buy masks from a discount store. Rumors that toilet paper and napkins could be used as masks have emptied store shelves in Asia of paper goods over the past few weeks.
People trying to protect themselves from the outbreak and medical centers alike are facing shortages.
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The shortages are being attributed not just to high demand, but to disruptions in supply: An outsize share of the world’s surgical masks are made in China — 50%, by its own estimate. But even factories there that have ramped up production say they are hard pressed to meet local demand. The government has taken over manufacturers, and exports have plunged.
[ Coronavirus taking a toll on Chicago companies. ‘You know a wave is coming.’ ]
“Before the outbreak of the epidemic, we used to export 600,000 to 700,000 surgical masks a month, but now the amount is zero," said David Peng, manager of Ningbo Buy Best International Trading Co. in Ningbo, south of Shanghai. The company's dozen or so suppliers in Hubei, near the center of the outbreak, have been ordered to prioritize government orders.
Apart from shortages of workers, manufacturers say they are struggling to get enough raw materials to make the masks. Tony Zhou, sales manager for Suzhou Sanical Protective Products Manufacturing Co., said his company is asking overseas customers if masks can be delivered a few months later.
In the U.S., Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowe’s and True Value Hardware are reporting a sharp uptick in sales of masks over the past several weeks and say they are scrambling to get more from suppliers.
Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement chain, has limited sales of N95 respirators to 10 per person. They have a close facial fit and more filtration material than general surgical masks, enabling them to keep out at least 95% of particles.
Marc Jaconski, owner of Stanley’s True Value Hardware and Rental store in Philadelphia, said he saw a surge in demand for masks, particularly the N95, two weeks ago. But since Tuesday, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the virus will almost certainly spread in the U.S., sales went through the roof.
“We would be crazy busy with snow, but we are not getting snow,’’ he said. ‘’We’re crazy busy with respirators.’’
Jaconski said his store has sold 1,000 masks of all kinds in the past two weeks. He has ordered more N95s, but customers are so desperate they are picking up lightweight dust masks or buying heavy-duty respirators used for asbestos cleanup that sell for up to $60.
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“It’s usually the oldest folks who get a little crazed,” he said. ‘’This time, it is everybody.’’
People wear N95 face masks on the Sukhumvit MRT train platform on February 28, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Coronavirus fears have led to a global run on face masks. Rumors that toilet paper and napkins could be used as masks have emptied store shelves in Asia of paper goods over the past few weeks. (Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images)
The virus has sickened more than 82,000 people worldwide and killed more than 2,800, according to international health authorities.
Still, the CDC doesn't recommend that people wear masks to protect themselves from the virus. The CDC says people infected — or those showing symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath — should wear masks to avoid spreading it to others. Health care workers also need masks, the agency says.
Mike Ganio of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists said some hospital pharmacies are saying that they have only a one- to two-week supply of masks and that the major wholesalers are unable to fill orders.
Within hospitals, surgical masks are worn by operating room teams — doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists — and frequently by pharmacists. Staff members caring for patients with dangerous infections wear the N95 masks.
Dr. Sarah Boston, a veterinary surgical oncologist and author in Toronto, uses 10 to 15 surgical masks per week in her practice. She switched to a less comfortable brand when her usual supplier ran out.
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“I've spoken to a lot of people who are worried that we're going to lose supply or not be able to get them,” she said.
Boston sees a lot of people wearing them incorrectly — over their mouths but not their noses, for example — and said they should understand that other things would be more effective, like frequent hand-washing.
Companies that make masks are struggling to keep up.
Medicom Group, a Montreal medical supply company, usually makes 150 million masks per year at its factory near Angers, France. At the beginning of February, the factory had orders for 500 million masks. Orders have only grown since then, the company said, and it has hired new workers and increased capacity at its plants, including two in Shanghai and one in Augusta, Georgia.
3M, the Minnesota-based manufacturer, said it has ramped up production of respirators at its facilities in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Many people in Asia routinely wear masks against allergies, colds and smog, and soaring demand has prompted other manufacturers to retool to begin making masks.
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Taiwan manufacturer Foxconn, a major supplier of electronics to Apple, said it has begun making about 1 million masks a day for its own factories.
A store attendant displays an N-95 mask over a box of disposable surgical masks May 6, 2009, in Manila, Philippines. N95 masks have a close facial fit and more filtration material than general surgical masks, enabling them to keep out at least 95% of particles. (PAT ROQUE / Associated Press)
Dealmed, a New York company that makes and sells medical supplies, said it expects to sell out of face masks next week. It temporarily stopped taking orders from new customers a month ago and ended sales on Amazon and Walmart.com. It now is selling only to buyers that need them most, such as hospitals, doctors’ offices or government agencies.
Sales of gloves, gowns and other items jumped as much as 300% in February from the year before, said Michael Einhorn, Dealmed’s president. Sales of face masks are so astronomical, he said, he hasn’t been able to calculate them.
In Italy, the site of Europe's biggest cluster of cases, the government met with the country’s business lobby to work out a centralized distribution system to get masks to hard-hit areas.
Italy’s financial police announced they busted 20 people based in Turin for selling masks that were falsely said to offer complete protection against the disease. They were selling for as much as 5,000 euro apiece, or about $5,500.
On Amazon, the best-selling item in its health and household section Thursday was a pack of three cotton masks for $19.99. Ten-packs of 3M masks were sold out. And a listing for 100 disposable masks said it would arrive at shoppers’ doorsteps sometime in April or May.
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Prices varied wildly on Amazon. Some sellers were charging $98.50 or more for 50 disposable surgical masks; others were charging $33 for a similar set. Hand sanitizers were also hard to find on the site, with some bottles of Purell and Amazon's own brand sold out.
Dr. John Huber, a clinical psychologist and chairman of the Austin, Texas-based nonprofit Mainstream Mental Health, said retailers need to do a better job of allaying customers' fears and sharing the CDC's advice.
"It’s the fear of the unknown,’’ Huber said. “Once we understand something, we tend not to be so fearful.”
This story has updated to correct the spelling of the last name of the owner of Stanley’s True Value in Philadelphia.
The AP’s Linda A. Johnson, Elaine Kurtenbach and Yu Bing contributed.
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chicagotribune--2020-02-28--Newcomer Nomar Mazara senses the White Sox already are coming together: ‘Winning teams, they stay cl

Newcomer Nomar Mazara senses the White Sox already are coming together: ‘Winning teams, they stay close throughout the whole year’

“ When you ’ re on another team and you hear the conversation about a team that really wants you @ @ @ @ @ beauty of this game , ” he said .
“ They want you for a @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be really caught up with that .
You ’ ve got to keep @ @ @ @ @ .

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nomar Mazara is adjusting to a new team this spring. But his approach to Cactus League games remains the same.
“You just stick to what you’re working on in the cage,” Mazara said this week. “And if I stick to that, I’ll be fine.”
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The White Sox acquired Mazara, 24, in a trade with the Rangers in December to address a need for more power production in right field.
The left-handed-hitting Mazara is feeling comfortable in the new surroundings.
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“We’ve got a good mix with the veteran guys and the new guys,” he said. “That’s going to be the key. We’ve been really close. That’s really important.
“Winning teams, they stay close throughout the whole year because it’s a long season. There’s a lot of ups and downs, and when there are downs, that’s when we need to come closer and tighter. It’s going to be a fun year.”
Mazara struck out and grounded out to second during Thursday’s 6-5 victory against the Mariners at Camelback Ranch. Sox manager Rick Renteria said there’s a good chance Mazara will be in the lineup again Friday against the Indians.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 12 White Sox center fielder Luis Robert dives for a ball in the third inning. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“He’s continued to work through and try to get himself into some timing,” Renteria said after Thursday’s game. “He’s working very hard on trying to get a sense of his swing.
“It’s like everybody early in the spring, trying to find your timing and get everything going. Thankfully we’ve got another three weeks left in spring training. These guys will have plenty of time to get themselves into a rhythm.”
Mazara hit 20 home runs in each of his first three major-league seasons (2016-18) and finished with 19 homers and 66 RBIs in 116 games in 2019. He established career highs in batting average (.268), slugging percentage (.469), OPS (.786) and runs (69).
When he connects, it goes far, as his 505-foot home run last season against Sox pitcher Reynaldo Lopez illustrated.
Mazara’s success came primarily against right-handed pitchers. He hit .288 in 302 at-bats against right-handers with 13 home runs, 46 RBIs and an .844 OPS and batted .220 in 127 at-bats against left-handers.
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The Sox have made it clear he’ll get some opportunities to see what he can do against lefties.
“The fact that this team wanted me and welcomed me with open arms, that means a lot,” Mazara said. “I’m working really hard to be out there every single day and give everything I’ve got for the team.”
Mazara looks as this opportunity with the Sox as a “fresh start.”
“When you’re on another team and you hear the conversation about a team that really wants you, that’s the beauty of this game,” he said. “They want you for a reason. But you can’t be really caught up with that. You’ve got to keep working and keep proving yourself.
“Everybody, it doesn’t matter what age, you still have room to grow. If you have the potential to play this game for a long time, you’re going to keep learning every year.”
White Sox rotation coming into form
The Sox lined up some of their starting pitchers for next week. Dallas Keuchel is scheduled to start Monday against the Padres, Reynaldo Lopez on Tuesday against the Athletics and Dylan Cease on Wednesday against the Brewers.
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It will be the first appearances for Keuchel and Lopez this spring. Cease pitched two scoreless innings against the Reds on Sunday.


chicagotribune--2020-02-28--Alan Griffin’s career-best 24 points push Illinois to a 74-66 victory at Northwestern, plus 4 takeaw

Alan Griffin’s career-best 24 points push Illinois to a 74-66 victory at Northwestern, plus 4 takeaways from the Illini’s 3rd win in a row

“ How awesome was that ?
It makes you smile when you ’ re a part of it , ” @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s an unbelievable feeling to know how proud our fans are of us @ @ @ @ @ your head held high .
I ’ m damn proud to be part of it @ @ @ @ @ my dream .
For fans to come see these guys , we sure as heck @ @ @ @ @ for granted .
”

A full belly and a clear mind would be the simple way to describe what led to Alan Griffin’s career night.
The sophomore guard scored a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, making 6 of 8 3-pointers, to propel Illinois to a 74-66 victory Thursday night at Northwestern.
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“I put my headphones on, closed my eyes and lay on the bed,” he said. “I had a good meal. … Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and chicken fingers.”
Really, Griffin has been working on altering his mindset since last season, paying more attention to his defense and allowing that to fuel him offensively. He worked on his consistency and getting every second out of every minute he earned on the court.
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“I go into the game with the same mindset, but I felt like today was a little different,” he said. “I’m going to approach every game like this from now on. I was more relaxed.”
Griffin hit three straight 3-pointers in the second half and had a spectacular dunk off a feed from Da’Monte Williams that brought the Illini fans to their feet.
“We see that all the time in practice,” coach Brad Underwood said. “That’s growth, to ride that hot hand, that feeling, that adrenaline. We had some challenges guarding them in the second half, and Alan kept them at bay.”
Griffin added seven rebounds for the Illini (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) and received a standing ovation in Evanston when he checked out in the second half.
“You can’t get too high in the middle of the game,” he said. “I celebrated, but in my mind I was still focused and ready to get stops and head back on the other end. It feels like you’re not just throwing it up there, but every shot you throw up, it’s going in. It’s a good feeling.”
This could be becoming the "Alan Griffin Game"
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
21 pts
7 rebs
8-9 FG
5-6 3FG
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥#Illini up 61-48 | 7:12 2Hpic.twitter.com/XVxfYdGsjU — Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 28, 2020
Northwestern shot 50% in the second half, but the Wildcats (6-21, 1-16) couldn’t stop the Illini’s hot shooters and lost their 12th straight. Pat Spencer led them with 18 points.
Here are four takeaways from Illinois’ victory.
1. Illinois is building steam.
The Illini appear to be an NCAA Tournament lock. Now they’re looking to improve their seeding in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. They picked up their fifth conference road win — the most in the rigorous Big Ten.
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While Northwestern’s horrendous record won’t help Illinois’ standing much, at least the Illini didn’t pick up a “bad” loss to the No. 177 team in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings.
The Illini are one of only 10 teams with at least four Quad 1 road wins and the only team in the nation with four road victories against NET top-40 programs.
They remain tied for second with three other teams behind Maryland in the Big Ten standings, and they’re assured of their first winning conference season since 2009-10.
“We’re getting there,” Brad Underwood said. “Someone mentioned this is arguably the best league in the country. You can forget that. There is no arguing about it. This is the best league in the country. You have to play every single night.”
Illinois players said they feel strong with three regular-season games remaining, beginning Sunday against Indiana at the State Farm Center.
“We’re really confident,” center Kofi Cockburn said. “We’re the best road team out there. We just get more confident each and every game.”
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2. Welsh-Ryan Arena was State Farm Center North.
For most of the game, Alan Griffin said, Welsh-Ryan Arena felt like the State Farm Center. Illinois football coach Lovie Smith sat in the second row. A majority of the fans wore orange.
“It felt like a home game to be honest,” he said. “Great support from the fans.”
Members of the Orange Krush student section traveled north and “revealed” themselves early in the game, showing their pride from the upper deck. The call-and-response “I-L-L,” “I-N-I” chants broke out during the game.
“How awesome was that? It makes you smile when you’re a part of it,” Brad Underwood said. “That’s an unbelievable feeling to know how proud our fans are of us. You walk around with your head held high. I’m damn proud to be part of it. I get to live my dream. For fans to come see these guys, we sure as heck don’t take it for granted.”
3. Kofi Cockburn dominated again.
Because he doesn’t look like a freshman, as Brad Underwood said, “We forget Kofi is a freshman.”
The 7-footer hasn’t been playing like one either.
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Illinois center Kofi Cockburn dunks during the first half against Northwestern on Feb. 27, 2020, in Evanston. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Cockburn had 12 points and 14 rebounds for his 12th double-double. He grabbed five offensive boards, and helped the Illini to a 42-29 overall edge on the boards. And he had three dunks in the first half.
“His dominance early was huge,” Underwood said. “To take over a Big Ten game, really at both ends, his presence at the front of the rim …“
4. Depth makes a difference, and so does having scorers.
Last season Illinois probably couldn’t have survived a slump by Giorgi Bezhanishvili, who is 2-for-15 in his last three games and played only 12 minutes, 36 seconds against Northwestern, scoring two points.
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Erratic 3-point shooting by Trent Frazier, who made 1 of 9 against the Wildcats, could have doomed the Illini. A 1-of-8 shooting performance from point guard Andres Feliz might have been deadly.
Kipper Nichols played only 3:48 after picking up two quick fouls, although Brad Underwood said he had planned to play Nichols extensively.
This season, Illinois has enough horsepower to make up for off nights by others.
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Ayo Dosunmu was steady again with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting to complete a dominant trio with Alan Griffin off the bench and Kofi Cockburn.
Underwood said Illinois’ ability to focus on defense has helped overcome off nights by certain players.
“It’s what we talked about since the spring,” he said. “Let’s not worry about if that thing goes in all the time. Because we know it doesn’t. (Frazier) goes 1-for-9, now Alan goes 6-for-8. Someone is there to pick us up.
“The one thing we can control is what we do on the defensive side and the rebounding side. We made huge strides there.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-28--1 dead after car flies off I-57, crashes on tracks below and starts burning

One person was killed after a crash on outbound Interstate 57 caused a vehicle to veer off the expressway and @ @ @ @ @ where it caught fire on Feb.28 , 2020 .
The crash between two cars occurred @ @ @ @ @ and 147th streets , according to the Illinois State Police .
( Antonio Perez / @ @ @

One person was killed Feb. 28, 2020, after a crash on outbound Interstate 57 caused a car to veer off the expressway and plunge onto the railroad tracks below, where it caught fire. The crash occurred around 2:10 a.m. between 127th and 147th streets, according to the Illinois State Police. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Alcohol use was being blamed for a deadly early morning crash on outbound Interstate 57 that caused a car to veer off the expressway and plunge onto railroad tracks, where it caught fire.
The two-car crash occurred around 2:10 a.m. between 127th and 147th streets, according to the Illinois State Police.
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One person was killed Feb. 28, 2020, after a crash on outbound Interstate 57 caused a car to veer off the expressway and plunge onto the railroad tracks below, where it caught fire. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
One of the cars flew off the road, landed on tracks below the overpass and became engulfed in flames, police said.
State police said a 2016 white Dodge car being driven by a 25-year-old Chicago Heights man was traveling at high rate of speed when it slammed into a 1999 silver Jeep. The Jeep spun out of control, rolled over a concrete barrier wall and tumbled onto railroad tracks and burst into flames, leaving the still-unidentified driver dead, state police said.
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The driver indicated by police as the apparent at-fault driver was the one driving at high speed, and alcohol was believed to be a factor in the crash.
Traffic on the outbound I-57 was diverted at 127th Street, but all lanes were re-opened by 8:25 a.m.


chicagotribune--2020-02-28--Coronavirus is slowing production in China. Chicago companies must figure out how to cope.

Less than half of the products for Macy ’ s-owned brands are made in China , but some of its @ @ @ @ @ percentage of their goods from there , he said .
The company is also expecting @ @ @ @ @ States to affect sales , but Gennette said it ’ s too soon to estimate @ @ @ @ @ .

Ally Marotti, Lauren Zumbach, Lisa Schencker, Robert Channick

AllCell Technologies employees Barry Kirkman, left, and Robert Mallett work on rechargeable battery cells on Feb. 26, 2020, in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. Kirkman wraps each cell with a plastic layer while Mallett wraps the cell brick with a fire retardant material. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
At AllCell Technologies’ facility in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, dozens of employees are cranking out lithium-ion batteries, destined to power drones, electric vehicles and more.
The key component of the rechargeable batteries comes from China and other Asian countries, where the coronavirus has caused factories to shut down or operate at reduced capacity, and travel restrictions have hindered shipping.
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Knowing the flow of parts could soon dry up, AllCell stocked up on materials to keep production going. That’s “a big financial burden” for a 40-employee company, said CEO Said Al-Hallaj.
“Who would have thought a small company from the South Side of Chicago would be impacted?” he said. “World trade wars, viruses, global epidemics. You would think, ‘I don’t have to plan for this, I’m not that big.’ … But that’s not the case.”
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AllCell Technologies' rechargeable battery cells come directly from China and other Asian countries, according to CEO Said Al-Hallaj. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
The spread of the coronavirus — and the effort to contain it — is rocking supply chains around the world, and Chicago-area companies are not immune. They are searching for alternative suppliers while they worry about how much slowed — or stopped — production will affect their bottom lines and their workforces.
Drug and medical device manufacturers in China are also being disrupted, causing shortages of certain medicines in the U.S.
Disruptions from the coronavirus are predicted to limit the growth of the global average gross domestic product to 2.3% this year, its weakest mark since 2009, according to financial forecaster Oxford Economics. In the U.S., GDP growth is expected to slow to 1.5%.
In a report, titled “No mask can prevent financial market contagion,” Oxford Economics predicts that if the coronavirus outbreak becomes a global pandemic, it could lead to a recession.
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Few expect a quick resolution.
Initially, the Lunar New Year celebration cushioned the economic fallout of the outbreak, as many factories and businesses in China typically close for one to two weeks for the holiday and workers travel home to visit family. American companies placed orders in advance of the holiday to ensure a steady supply. But that cushion is eroding.
“We’ve been lulled into a false sense of security,” said Justin Formella, chief strategy officer at MBX Systems, which provides server and computing equipment for streaming services, security companies and other customers.
The Libertyville-based company stocked up on storage and graphic processing hardware from U.S. distributors. But Formella said access to those products is becoming constrained.
“It’s like when there’s a tsunami, and you know a wave is coming," Formella said. “It’s just delayed in how it’s going to hit.”
The World Health Organization has confirmed more than 80,200 cases of the new coronavirus, called COVID-19, and about 2,800 people have died. Most of the cases have been in China.
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Though the epidemic appears to be slowing in China’s Hubei province, the virus’ epicenter, clusters of cases have popped up in Iran, South Korea and Italy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised travelers to avoid China and South Korea, and told older adults and those with chronic medical conditions to postpone nonessential travel to Iran, Italy and Japan.
In the U.S., stocks tumbled for seven consecutive days over fears coronavirus might become a pandemic, marking its worst week since 2008.
On Wednesday, health officials warned Americans to prepare for an outbreak. A total of 61 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S., and no one has died, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Saturday, health officials in Washington state reported the death of a person from COVID-19, the first such reported death in the United States.
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U.S. consumers are just beginning to see the effects of a disrupted global supply chain, but it’s evident at companies of all sizes and in multiple industries. Apple, Microsoft and Macy’s are among the large companies that have warned about the effects of the virus on their business. How quickly they, as well as small local businesses, can recover remains to be seen.
The outbreak is affecting supplies of drugs and other medical products as well. The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement Thursday that a coronavirus-related disruption at a manufacturer in China is causing at least one drug shortage, though it did not say which drug.
Northfield-based Medline Industries makes hospital supplies such as masks and gowns, among other products. A spokesman declined to give specifics about how the virus is affecting its business, but it said in a statement that restrictions on exporting certain items, such as face masks, could lead to shortages or delayed shipments throughout the industry.
A large percentage of the protective equipment made in China is manufactured in the Hubei province, and the province has extended a mandatory factory closure through March 10, Medline said.
“Other medical supplies manufactured in the Hubei province — traditional wound care products, surgical drapes and gowns and some surgical pack components — likely will be impacted by the events in China if the restrictions continue for an extended time,” Medline said.
Abbott Laboratories’ manufacturing and research and development facilities in China are operational, spokeswoman Darcy Ross said in a statement. She declined to comment on whether the virus was affecting the north suburban-based company’s supplies or sales.
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Much of Abbott’s manufacturing in China focuses on its nutritional products, and China is a significant market for Abbott’s infant formula business, said Debbie Wang, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar.
She said Abbott’s overall sales in the first quarter could be soft as a result of the virus. It’s also possible that Abbott, which sells generic drugs outside the U.S., could, like other companies selling pharmaceuticals, have a tough time making those drugs because a number of active ingredients for medications come from China, she said.
It’s also possible, however, that Abbott could benefit, if it succeeds in making a test to diagnose the virus, she said. Abbott has confirmed it is working to develop a test.
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Outside of the medical industry, Logan Square-based Shop4ties had to turn away more than a dozen orders for apparel like ties and shirts because it wouldn’t be able to deliver orders on time, including one $18,000 order due March 13, said CEO and co-owner Becky Feinberg-Galvez.
AllCell Technologies employee Jerlene Jackson uses a heat gun to wrap rechargeable battery cells. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
All of the company’s products are made in China. Though Feinberg-Galvez has been in regular contact with her suppliers, some factories didn’t reopen until Feb. 17 or 18 and with only half their normal workforce, she said. A dye factory still hasn’t reopened, she said.
Shop4ties received its first shipment in about six weeks Monday and was able to fill two orders. In a typical month, the company would handle about 70 orders, Feinberg-Galvez said.
“We were looking at big growth this year, but our first quarter is going to be 25 to 30% of what it was last year,” she said. “It’s hard to know what the long-term effect will be.”
Shop4ties’ six full-time employees and three contracted graphic designers are fully aware of the situation, Feinberg-Galvez said. Without knowing how the outbreak will affect sales this year, they’re working to mitigate what they can. she said.
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Managing the situation is about the only thing U.S. companies can do at this point, said Phillip Braun, a clinical professor of finance at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. It’s still unclear whether employers will resort to layoffs.
“If this becomes a global pandemic, the results on economic growth are going to be even worse,” he said.
In South Elgin at Hoffer Plastics, the family owned custom injection molding company is awaiting four orders from a Chinese tool shop that was temporarily closed by the epidemic.
The Shenzhen factory has only recently reopened with a reduced staff, likely delaying delivery of metal molds needed to make plastic components used in everything from dishwashers to auto engines. “From a production standpoint, we need one mold to make millions of parts,” said Alex Hoffer, chief revenue officer.
Among the orders Hoffer Plastics is awaiting is a mold to make a plastic tube for an oral hygiene product used in hospitals. The mold was to be delivered by March 30, with Hoffer set to begin production on a “hot timeline” for a Chicago-area medical equipment manufacturer.
Delays on the $500,000 medical tube order could prove costly. “It won’t jeopardize the whole order, but it will be lost revenue for us in 2020,” Hoffer said.
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Hoffer Plastics employs 380 people working three shifts to produce about 3 billion parts a year, generating about $90 million in annual sales. The company is telling employees to stay vigilant and communicate about any changes in production or demand, Hoffer said. It’s business as usual, but there’s a heightened threat level in terms of uncertainty.
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Even companies with production in the U.S. have experienced coronavirus-related disruptions.
Hazel Technologies, which makes a product that extends the shelf life of produce and other foods, was awaiting delivery on a machine needed to make some of its products when the travel restrictions hit, said co-founder and CEO Aidan Mouat.
Unwilling to wait months, the Chicago company spent 10 times as much to buy the machine elsewhere, Mouat said. He said he had to reallocate resources from other projects to make that happen.
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Problems associated with the virus come at an inopportune time for companies that already have been forced to deal with tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by the Trump administration.
“It’s kind of a one-two punch,” said Joe Born, CEO of Chicago-based Bluetooth speaker brand Aiwa.
Born said he’s seen prices that consumers pay for electronics hiked — likely a result of the tariffs coupled with coronavirus issues — and his company might have to do the same.
A shipment of wireless earbuds that was set to arrive in early March will be delayed at least a month because of the coronavirus, Born said. Aiwa had to adjust marketing budgets and stop advertising that product.
For some companies, lessons learned from the tariffs or changes made to ease their blow have proved helpful.
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Best Buy has seen a dip in inventory due to coronavirus disruptions in the supply chain, but its suppliers are prepared after handling uncertainty around the tariffs, CEO Corie Barry told CNBC.
Vernon Hills toymaker Learning Resources stocked up on goods before the tariffs went into effect, reducing the coronavirus’ interruption on all but a handful of new items, said CEO Rick Woldenberg. Factories the company works with in China are opening back up and restarting production.
Some economists say tariffs could deliver a more serious blow to companies in Chicago and elsewhere because they are more permanent.
“The virus is a temporary thing," said Lawrence Officer, an economics professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “In a few months, all will be back to normal.”
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Experts say it is difficult to predict how long the effects of the supply chain disruption will ripple through the global economy. Those that haven’t been hit hard are being cautious.
During a call with investors Tuesday, Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette said the company had felt delays in production of merchandise made in China but “nothing concerning yet.”
Less than half of the products for Macy’s-owned brands are made in China, but some of its vendors also source a significant percentage of their goods from there, he said. The company is also expecting reduced tourism in the United States to affect sales, but Gennette said it’s too soon to estimate the outbreak’s impact.
“We’re watching this one very, very carefully,” he said.
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chicagotribune--2020-02-28--Goodbye, Columbus Day. CPS ends the holiday in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day — and parade organize

Goodbye, Columbus Day. CPS ends the holiday in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day — and parade organizers call it ‘a slap in the face.’

Celebrating Columbus was perceived as an affirmation for descendants of ethnic European immigrants , who faced discrimination and marginalization when @ @ @ @ @ United States .
Over the years , though , Native Americans gained recognition , with @ @ @ @ @ to Native American Day in 1990 .
Berkeley , California , changed it to Indigenous @ @ @ @ @ the city ’ s calendar , and in the ensuing years many communities have followed @ @ @ @

Columbus Day has long caused controversy in Chicago. In the 1970s, Native Americans walked through the Loop in protest after they were refused participation in the Columbus Day parade. Now CPS is doing away with the holiday. (William Yates / Chicago Tribune)
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Columbus Day will no longer be observed in Chicago Public Schools — and the group behind the city’s annual Columbus Day parade is already pushing to reverse that decision.
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“This is a slap in the face of the more than 500,000 Italian Americans in Chicago, and the 135 million Italian Americans worldwide," said Sergio Giangrande, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, in a statement provided to the Tribune.
Giangrande said the group “is challenging CPS’s decision and has mounted a campaign to reverse this action.”
Following similar moves in other school districts and cities, the Chicago Board of Education voted Wednesday to drop Columbus’ name from the October school holiday in favor of an observance of Indigenous Peoples Day.
CPS had been using both names in its calendar to refer to the day off.
“I’m asking for this amendment because I believe it’s the board’s responsibility to lead on this issue," board member Elizabeth Todd-Breland said. “While I know that CPS has been in talks and is working on responsive curriculum, I would like to accelerate the full transition to Indigenous Peoples Day.”
Todd-Breland said that as a historian, the name is both personally and professionally important to her, adding, “I believe in the transformative potential of culturally responsive education.”
Though no other board members spoke against the name change, two voted against it: Lucino Sotelo and Dwayne Truss both voted no. The other five board members, including President Miguel del Valle, backed the move.
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Chicago Ald. Nick Sposato, of the 38th Ward on the Northwest Side, predicted backlash from the Italian American community, whose members have been among the most critical of the movement to stop celebrating Christopher Columbus. Sposato said removing Columbus from the holiday is erasing history and misguided, adding, “It’s time for war.”
Andrea Mitchell, a CPS parent who spoke in favor of the change in CPS on Wednesday, addressed that viewpoint, noting she herself is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, so she empathizes with "the objections to renaming Columbus Day that are rooted in wanting to celebrate our heritage.”
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But Mitchell said there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate Italian Americans who represent “core Chicago values,” ticking off a list of scientists, labor and civil rights leaders, artists and musicians who can be studied in schools for contributions to history they’ve made “without the erasure and decimation of the history and culture of others.”
In Chicago, Columbus still has a large presence, which includes Columbus Drive, the annual Columbus Day parade, and prominent statues of him in Grant Park and in Little Italy.
“For Italian Americans, who endured horrific discrimination and continue to be the subject of stereotypical degradation in popular culture, Christopher Columbus is a symbol for the resilience of a people that have helped shape the cultural landscape of this great nation,” Giangrande said.
“This effort is in no way anti-Italian or in any way intended to bring any ill will to our Italian sisters and brothers who were wrongly discriminated against in previous decades," said Sarah Dennis, a CPS alumna and adjunct professor of education who spoke in favor of the change.
Giangrande, however, pointed out many historical figures’ past actions have more recently come under scrutiny, and said anyone’s historical legacy should be up to debate.
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“That debate should not give license to the wholesale removal of a symbol ... that was a beacon of hope for millions of maligned Italians who helped create the beauty of this country,” he said.
The public debate over the name of the October holiday is not much newer than the tradition itself.
In 1892, a joint congressional resolution led President Benjamin Harrison to mark the “discovery of America by Columbus.” But Columbus Day only became a federal holiday in 1934, under President Franklin Roosevelt.
Celebrating Columbus was perceived as an affirmation for descendants of ethnic European immigrants, who faced discrimination and marginalization when they first arrived in the United States. Over the years, though, Native Americans gained recognition, with South Dakota changing Columbus Day to Native American Day in 1990. Berkeley, California, changed it to Indigenous Peoples Day in 1992 on the city’s calendar, and in the ensuing years many communities have followed, including Evanston.
Chicago still promotes the Columbus Day Parade, sponsored by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, which falls on Oct. 12 this year.
On last year’s holiday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted about the holiday’s history and how the conversation around it has changed over time.
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“Columbus Day became a federally recognized holiday over eight decades ago to commemorate Christopher Columbus’ landing in what for him was the New World, as well as to celebrate our nation’s Italian-American heritage and its impact on the American experience," Lightfoot tweeted. "... Many across the nation have begun to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day — honoring the lives and cultures of the indigenous nations, acknowledging the devastation that resulted from Columbus’ arrival and subsequent European colonization, and celebrating the resiliency of indigenous communities throughout the country today.
THREAD: Columbus Day became a federally recognized holiday over eight decades ago to commemorate Christopher Columbus’ landing in what for him was the New World, as well as to celebrate our nation’s Italian-American heritage and its impact on the American experience. — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) October 14, 2019
“Here in Chicago,” she continued, "while we still formally recognize Columbus Day, we also celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, taking both as a challenge to clearly and honestly face our history, as we move forward together to create a more just future for ourselves, our city, and our society.”
Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt contributed.
hleone@chicagotribune.com