chicagotribune--2020-01-10--ICE arrests are down in Chicago area and agency blames recent state and local laws aimed at protecti

ICE arrests are down in Chicago area and agency blames recent state and local laws aimed at protecting immigrants

Lucero said his agency no longer has access to databases in Illinois that officers previously used to track noncitizens , @ @ @ @ @ the more than 1,000 detainers the agency issued during the fiscal year 2019 .
He @ @ @ @ @ residents , because local law enforcement agencies will use more resources if this person were @ @ @ @ @

Henry Lucero, a deputy director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, at a news conference in Chicago on Jan. 10, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Immigration advocates in Chicago for months braced for the possibility of large-scale arrests by handing out “know your rights” material and forming networks within neighborhoods.
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Those big immigration enforcement actions never materialized in Chicago. And on Friday, Henry Lucero, a deputy director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, traveled from Washington D.C., to report that arrests were actually down in the area, blaming recent laws passed in Illinois that were aimed at protecting immigrants, such as the Trust Act.
Still, Lucero said that wouldn’t stop the federal agency from trying to tackle immigration enforcement in the area.
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“It does make it much more difficult,” Lucero said. “So our arrests are down in this area because the majority of our arrests used to occur from jails and prisons, a seamless transfer of custody.”
ICE held a rare news conference Friday in Chicago to call for more cooperation with the federal agency, particularly when it comes to detainers it issues for people held in county jails.
In September, Robert Guadian, the newly appointed Chicago field office director for ICE, spoke to the media for the first time, commenting on a national enforcement campaign. But he was quickly upstaged by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and immigration advocates, who had an impromptu news conference outside the agency’s office.
This time, the news conference happened without much fanfare, and there were no activists outside ICE’s office.
Chicago officials and ICE authorities seem at odds over immigration enforcement. Chicago’s sanctuary city ordinance bars police from giving ICE agents access to people in local custody. Among other provisions, the ordinance prohibits on-duty police officers from talking with ICE officials before a person’s release, or allowing ICE agents to use local police facilities for investigations or interviews.
Last year, Lightfoot ordered the Chicago Police Department to deny ICE access to all department databases related to federal civil immigration enforcement amid concerns of large-scale arrests.
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And on Friday, the City Council Health Committee advanced an ordinance that would require local police to document instances when they provide information to ICE. Lightfoot has pushed for the ordinance, calling it, “the first step in a longer process of strengthening the city’s immigration protections, which must include eliminating exceptions in the Welcoming City Ordinance.”
Still, activists and some aldermen have pushed for Lightfoot to do more to close what they say are loopholes in the ordinance, particularly when it comes to local databases that federal agents can access.
Last year, Illinois passed a law prohibiting local and state law enforcement agencies from participating in a federal program that deputizes officers with certain immigration enforcement powers, known as 287(g). The McHenry County sheriff’s office, which has a federal contract to house ICE detainees, had applied for the program before the law passed.
The Trust Act, which Lucero referenced Friday, prevents local law enforcement from detaining anyone solely on the basis of their immigration status without a judicial warrant.
Lucero said his agency no longer has access to databases in Illinois that officers previously used to track noncitizens, and local jails have denied the more than 1,000 detainers the agency issued during the fiscal year 2019. He argued this could be costing residents, because local law enforcement agencies will use more resources if this person were to get arrested again.
President Donald Trump has called for tougher immigration enforcement, and he has said his administration is targeting non-citizens with criminal backgrounds. But an analysis of ICE data from Syracuse University determined that the number of detainees with no criminal convictions has grown. In addition, their analysis found the number of immigrants with serious criminal convictions has been falling.
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In Illinois, as of last April 30, there were 599 people in ICE custody at three county jails that have federal contracts to house immigration detainees, according to another Syracuse analysis. Of those detainees, 249 had no criminal convictions, according to the analysis.
The other 350 did have varying criminal convictions, with the largest group being those who committed a “level 3 crime,” which typically involve misdemeanor offenses, according to Syracuse.
Lucero said ICE doesn’t want to take any chances on when someone might commit a crime.
“Do we have a crystal ball for when someone’s going to commit a crime? No,” Lucero said. “So why take the chance? If you are violating federal (immigration) law, ICE has an interest in you. If you are a criminal, we have more of an interest in you.”
emalagon@chicagotribune.com
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Where will Luis Robert, Yasmani Grandal and Edwin Encarnacion bat in the White Sox order? Breaking d

Where will Luis Robert, Yasmani Grandal and Edwin Encarnacion bat in the White Sox order? Breaking down a possible lineup for 2020.

Encarnacion has hit at least 30 home runs in each of the last eight seasons .
He ’ s most @ @ @ @ @ fourth or fifth , but he does have 39 home runs and 120 RBIs in @ @ @ @ @ .
6 hitter .
The veteran has been effective at Guaranteed Rate Field with a @ @ @ @ @ home runs and 27 RBIs in 32 games .

The White Sox were woeful when it came to drawing walks in 2019, finishing last in the American League with 378.
Enter catcher Yasmani Grandal, who signed a four-year, $73 million contract Nov. 21. The switch hitter does a little bit of everything at the plate, including displaying a good eye. He was fourth in the majors with 109 walks in 2019 with the Brewers.
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The Sox didn’t get much production from their right fielders, a group that combined for six home runs and 40 RBIs.
Enter Nomar Mazara, whom the Sox acquired in a trade with the Rangers on Dec. 10. Mazara had 19 homers and 66 RBIs in 116 games last season.
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The Sox also were looking for a jolt from their designated hitters after the group combined for 17 home runs.
Enter Edwin Encarnacion, whom the Sox signed to one-year, $12 million deal on Thursday. Encarnacion hit 34 home runs in 109 games with the Mariners and Yankees, including 16 homers as a DH.
Encarnacion officially signed Thursday, bolstering what has become an impressive lineup.
Besides the need to upgrade in right field and at DH, general manager Rick Hahn said Thursday that the Sox wanted to bolster the overall offense.
“We needed to improve, as a whole, our ability to get on base and our power,” Hahn said. "And between Yasmani and Mazara and Edwin, we feel like we’re going to take a step forward in that regard, not to mention once Luis Robert gets here.”
Here’s how the batting order could look in 2020.
1. Luis Robert, CF
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 42 White Sox center fielder Luis Robert is helped off the field after being injured while reaching first base with an infield hit in the first inning against the Indians on May 2, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
One of the game’s top prospects, Robert spent a good portion of 2019 leading off for Class A Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He displayed plenty of power with a combined 32 homers at the three levels and also showcased his speed with 36 steals. Robert and the Sox agreed to a six-year, $50 million contract Jan. 2, paving the way for him to be the opening-day center fielder.
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2. Yoan Moncada, 3B
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 141 White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada celebrates his hit in the ninth inning against the Royals on May 16, 2021, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Moncada made huge strides in 2019, finishing with career highs in batting average (.315), home runs (25) and RBIs (79). He placed third in the American League in average, showcasing the skills that made him a prized prospect. The switch hitter had a .344/.401/.604 slash line with 17 homers and 42 RBIs in 68 games batting second.
3. Jose Abreu, 1B
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 169 White Sox first baseman José Abreu celebrates after scoring the winning run on a wild pitch in the ninth inning against the Royals on May 16, 2021, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Abreu and the Sox agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal Nov. 22. He led the AL with 123 RBIs in 2019, becoming the first Sox hitter to lead the league since Dick Allen in 1972. Abreu also led the Sox with 33 home runs and made the All-Star team for the third time. A mainstay in the lineup, he played in a team-leading 159 games.
4. Yasmani Grandal, C
Yasmani Grandal takes batting practice before the Brewers-Nationals National League wild-card game Oct. 1, 2019, in Washington. (Will Newton / Getty Images)
Grandal set career highs in home runs (28) and RBIs (77) in 2019 and made the All-Star team for the second time. He has experience batting cleanup with a .248 average, 25 homers and 83 RBIs in 150 career games. On days James McCann catches, Grandal could move to designated hitter. In those instances, McCann could slide into the No. 8 slot with Mazara batting sixth.
5. Eloy Jimenez, LF
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 91 Injured White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez goofs off in the dugout before a game on May 15, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Jimenez finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and showed he could provide power and protection as the No. 5 hitter. He spent most of his rookie season in the five hole, where he hit 15 of his 31 home runs. Jimenez had a .254/.300/.464 slash line and 48 RBIs in 71 games as the No. 5 hitter.
6. Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Yankees designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion doubles in a run against the Twins during Game 1 of an American League Division Series on Oct. 4, 2019, in New York. (Frank Franklin II/AP)
Encarnacion has hit at least 30 home runs in each of the last eight seasons. He’s most accustomed to batting third, fourth or fifth, but he does have 39 home runs and 120 RBIs in 212 games as a No. 6 hitter. The veteran has been effective at Guaranteed Rate Field with a .283/.387/.475 slash line, seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 32 games.
7. Tim Anderson, SS
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 121 White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson steals second base behind Orioles second baseman Stevie Wilkerson in the seventh inning May 30, 2021, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Anderson hit .335 last season to become the first Sox player since Frank Thomas in 1997 to win the AL batting crown. He improved his average 95 points. Anderson spent his most time in the No. 2 spot, hitting .329 in 277 at-bats (65 games). He also was effective as the No. 7 hitter, batting .325 in 114 at-bats (31 games).
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8. Nomar Mazara, RF
Rangers right fielder Nomar Mazara homers against the White Sox on April 24, 2016, at U.S. Cellular Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The left-handed-hitting Mazara did most of his damage against right-handers in 2019, hitting .288 with 13 home runs and 46 RBIs in 302 at-bats. He hit .220 with six homers and 20 RBIs in 127 at-bats against left-handers. The Sox haven’t ruled out finding a platoon partner, but Hahn also noted Mazara’s projected upside. His type of power potentially in this slot is an example of the lineup’s depth.
9. Nick Madrigal, 2B
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 33 White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal celebrates with Leury Garcia after scoring in the sixth inning against the Cardinals on May 24, 2021, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
It’s unclear when the No. 4 prospect in the organization will join the big-league team. Madrigal had success at Winston-Salem, Birmingham and Charlotte in 2019, combining to hit .311 with 27 doubles, four home runs and 55 RBIs in 120 games. He struck out just 16 times. Madrigal also stood out defensively, winning the minor-league Gold Glove for second base. Leury Garcia could hold down this spot until Madrigal arrives.


chicagotribune--2020-01-11--Ask Amy: A change in faith prompts a change in friends

Perhaps I 'm being a coward , but I just do n't want to discuss this with her .
I @ @ @ @ @ , judgmental , and try to evangelize to me .
She is smart and very @ @ @ @ @ has a quick answer for everything .
Sadly , I stink at that , even @ @ @ @ @ that I 'm right .

Dear Amy: "Caroline" has been a dear friend since we were teens 35 years ago. We both came from very religious, conservative families, and have always shared the same beliefs -- until now.
Over the last five years, my way of life has changed a lot. For many reasons, I no longer attend church or believe in her religion. I defend equality rights that she views as sinful, and I even cuss and have a beer on occasion. It has been a long and liberating journey for me.
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I have not explicitly told Caroline that I've changed. I only see her once a year. I realize that I am not what she thinks I am.
Perhaps I'm being a coward, but I just don't want to discuss this with her. I know she will be disappointed, judgmental, and try to evangelize to me. She is smart and very good at debating, and has a quick answer for everything. Sadly, I stink at that, even when I feel very strongly that I'm right.
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She is going to visit me in a few months. Is it necessary to have a conversation with her? If so, do you have any advice on how to have this conversation?
— Losing My Religion
Dear Losing: One of the many benefits of adulthood is that adults get to change.
Another benefit is that you don't have to discuss anything you don't want to discuss. It is not "necessary" to have any particular conversation.
Keep in mind that your old friend has the same benefits (toward change or stasis) that you possess. And, like you, she might have areas of her life that she would prefer to keep off-limits.
If you two spend time together and you find that you want to discuss the change in your faith-status, you should keep it simple. The more detail you overlay onto your point, the more points "Caroline" will find to debate.
Her disappointment regarding your life-change is her burden to bear. You should not assume responsibility for her reactions.
If she feels the need to evangelize to you, ask her to stop, and say, "I'm completely at peace with my point of view, so this really isn't up for discussion," and change the subject.
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There is nothing wrong with engaging in a hearty debate, by the way, if both sides are permitted to express themselves and each of you listen and respond respectfully.
Dear Amy: Like many people, my wife and I send out Christmas cards during the holiday season -- one card to each household on our list.
Some folks who have other household members (age 21 and above) living with them have asked us to send a separate card to each of their adult children in the household.
These are single adults still living in their childhood bedroom, not a family living in separate quarters on the property.
We think "and family" covers everyone under the same roof. By the way, those extra adults do not send out their own cards.
We update addresses, and add or drop folks, in what we believe to be normal Christmas list maintenance. Did some etiquette change?
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— Getting Carded
Dear Carded: I understand that there are circumstances where perhaps an adult child has a special need and will be cohabiting with parents for the duration of their lifetime. In that case, it would be kindest to send the adult child a separate card.
Otherwise -- the idea that these parents would advocate for their babies to receive separate Christmas cards sent to their home address tells me that these parents will be enjoying the company of their adult children in their household for many Christmases to come.
Tell them, "When the kids have their own mailing addresses, we will be delighted to add them to our mailing list."
Dear Amy: I am a university professor of pharmacy science. A recent question from "Wondering," regarding using CBD prompted me to respond.
Anyone using any form of cannabidiol (CBD) should talk with their pharmacist about possible drug to drug interactions and side effects.
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Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Pharmacists are the drug experts. We answer questions about drugs and dietary supplements every day. We are happy to provide correct and scientifically sound information about any drug a patient chooses to use, including cannabidiol.
Thank you for all you do to make people's lives better, and for helping to promote the safe use of medications, even those that may be purchased without a prescription.
— Ally
Dear Ally: My local pharmacist is a font of information -- and a lifesaver.
Get the latest no-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning with our Ask Amy newsletter. Sign up here.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-01-11--Derrick Henry and the Titans stun the Ravens 28-12 to advance to the AFC championship game

A fourth-down stop with less than a yard to go — the first time in nine tries all season the @ @ @ @ @ set up the Titans ’ next touchdown .
Tannehill made it 14-0 with his gorgeous @ @ @ @ @ Raymond ’ s shoulder into his arms behind All-Pro defensive back Marcus Peters .
The @ @ @ @ @ in purple , who hadn ’ t seen their team in such a deep hole @ @ @ @ @ , had gone silent .

With his bright red shoes and relentless running, Derrick Henry grabbed the spotlight and wouldn’t let go.
When he was done leading the Titans into the AFC championship game on Saturday night, he did a lengthy victory lap around the Ravens’ home, slapping hands and taking selfies with Titans fans.
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It has been quite a two-week ride.
“It's not just me,” Henry said after rushing for 195 yards and throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass in a 28-12 upset of the NFL's top team Saturday night. “It's a team effort. We're all playing collectively as an offense, as a whole. We're just locked in. We believe in each other. We communicate. It's working out there.“
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The Titans fear no one, and why should they with Henry rushing — and even throwing — the ball, and a big-play defense making clutch stops and turnovers?
One week after dominating defending the Super Bowl champion Patriots, the Titans (11-7) eliminated the Ravens (14-3). The Ravens had won their last 12 games, with quarterback Lamar Jackson setting records and looking unstoppable.
Ravens defensive players chase Titans running back Derrick Henry on a long run Jan. 11, 2020. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)
On Saturday night, it was Henry who was unstoppable, despite the Ravens stacking eight men up front on almost two-thirds of his runs. At times, Henry used power to create space, at others the holes the line provided were huge.
“Watch us work,” said Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher this season. “We don’t do too much talking. We just go work and believe in each other. That’s our mentality. We’re going to come in here and work. Focus on finishing.”
The Titans defense had two interceptions of All-Pro QB Jackson, who also lost a fumble, and the Titans twice stopped the Ravens on fourth-and-1.
Henry’s jump-pass to Corey Davis displayed yet another of his skills. He has completed three throws in four attempts in his career.
“I put it perfect, man,” he said with a smile. “I haven’t done that pass since high school. I feel l like I’ve still got it.”
But it’s the way he plows over and through opponents that makes Henry — and the Titans — dangerous. Next week, they will go after their second Super Bowl trip and first since the 1999 season, in Kansas City against the Chiefs. The last sixth seed to get to the big game was the Packers in the 2010 season; and they Packers won it all.
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Titans running back Derrick Henry celebrates during the second half of a divisional playoff game against the Ravens on Jan. 11, 2020. (Gail Burton/AP)
The Titans scored all of their points off takeaways or fourth-down stops.
Ryan Tannehill’s throws to Jonnu Smith and Kalif Raymond, who missed the last two games in concussion protocol, gave the Titans a 14-point edge.
Their first score came after tight end Mark Andrews, the Ravens’ top receiver this season, mistimed his leap and had Jackson’s pass deflect into the air. Safety Kevin Byard was there to pick it off.
Byard scooted 31 yards down the left side, and with a 15-yard personal-foul penalty on Jackson added, the Titans were at the Baltimore 35. The hushed crowd then saw five straight Titans runs to the 4 before Earl Thomas came free untouched for an 8-yard sack.
The Titans simply shrugged and Smith made a juggling catch in the left corner of the end zone. Replay determined he landed barely in bounds for a 7-0 lead.
A fourth-down stop with less than a yard to go — the first time in nine tries all season the Ravens failed on fourth-and-1 — set up the Titans’ next touchdown. Tannehill made it 14-0 with his gorgeous long pass that floated over Raymond’s shoulder into his arms behind All-Pro defensive back Marcus Peters for a 45-yard touchdown. That throw accounted for just over half of Tannehill’s yards passing for the entire game: 88.
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The folks in the stands dressed in purple, who hadn't seen their team in such a deep hole since the end of September, had gone silent.
“We just beat ourselves,” Jackson said. “I had a lot of mistakes on my behalf. Three turnovers. That shouldn't happen.”
Henry’s 66-yard romp on third-and-1 led to his passing touchdown on a direct snap in the third quarter, followed one play later by Jurrell Casey forcing Jackson’s fumble, recovered by rookie Jeffery Simmons. Tannehill’s 1-yard run made it 28-6.
“They were beating people with shock and awe in the first quarter,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of the Ravens’ winning streak. “We knew we had to do it with some turnovers and fourth-down stops. That’s the only way you can do it. Make Tucker kick some field goals.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-11--Dominik Kubalik scores twice and Patrick Kane reaches 995 career points in the Blackhawks’ 4-2 victo

Dominik Kubalik scores twice and Patrick Kane reaches 995 career points in the Blackhawks’ 4-2 victory over the Ducks

The Ducks pulled within one early in the third on Rickard Rakell ’ s 11th goal of the season , @ @ @ @ @ later , Olli Maatta fired home a slap shot from the point for his third @ @ @ @ @ the Hawks ’ two-goal lead .

The countdown to Patrick Kane’s 1,000th career point has reached the stage where it can happen now in any game.
Kane needs five points to reach the milestone after getting one assist in the Blackhawks’ 4-2 win over the Ducks on Saturday at the United Center.
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The most points Kane has ever scored in a game? Five.
The team and location he scored it against? The Senators in Ottawa on Jan. 9, 2018.
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The Hawks next game? Against the Senators in Ottawa.
It would be remarkable for Kane to reach 1,000 points Tuesday with a five-point game against the Senators. It’s more likely he’ll need a few games to get there, and it’s possible he’ll hit 1,000 on Jan. 21 when Joel Quenneville’s Panthers visit the United Center.
That would turn what is already likely to be an exciting night into a historic one.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s win:
1. The Ducks are really bad, so don’t get too excited.
OK, get kind of excited since winning is the point of this whole exercise. But keep in mind that the Ducks haven’t won consecutive games in nearly 2½ months.
This was a terrible team the Hawks beat, one of the worst in hockey most of the season. The Red Wings are 8-20-2 in their last 30 games and have as many wins over that span as the Ducks (8-17-5). So while two points is two points, Saturday's victory doesn't necessarily portend that the Hawks are about to turn things around.
That didn't stop coach Jeremy Colliton from making the case that the Hawks are approaching a level that could launch them back into contention despite only breaking even during their four-game homestand.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 21 Robin Lehner pounces on a loose puck as Duncan Keith and Adam Boqvist defend in the third period. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
“Ultimately results-wise (the homestand was a) missed opportunity,” Colliton said. "We would love to get more points. I do think we’re not far away as far as our play. We’re there. We’re close. Not in the standings, and I understand that, but the way you get where you want to go in the standings is you play hard, you play the right way, you’re patient.
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“Our game over a long stretch of time is improved. Doesn’t mean we’re a finished product, but if we keep getting better and the young players continue to develop we can be in the race. Got to win. We got five before the break. We’ve got to have a little push here. We know we’ve been pretty good on the road. We should have confidence in that, but you’ve got to put it together and it has to be for most of 60 minutes. Then we’ll see what happens.”
The first two games of the trip are against the Senators and Canadiens, two of the eight teams in the league with fewer points than the Hawks. After that, the Hawks play 17 straight against teams that currently have more points.
If they come out of that stretch winning far more than they lose, it’ll be OK to get excited. But there’s still a long way go.
2. Dominik Kubalik is turning into the surprise of the season.
The goals Dominik Kubalik has been scoring during his four-game streak have been important, of course. And it was highly entertaining to watch Kubalik’s teammates feed him in the final minute of the game to try to get him a hat trick.
However, this really isn't anything new.
Kubalik has had bouts of inconsistency this season just like any rookie, even one who is 24 and both physically and emotionally mature enough to handle the rigors of the NHL. He has been remarkably consistent all season while scoring 16 goals, including a pair in Saturday’s win over the Ducks.
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He has gone four games without a point only once, and the longest he has gone without a goal is five games. Compare that to Alex DeBrincat, who went 12 games without a goal, and even Patrick Kane, who has had a pair of six-game streaks without a goal.
The more Kubalik shows, the more he looks like the real thing. And the more expensive he’s likely to be when he’s a restricted free agent next summer and the Hawks have to re-sign him.
He’s likely to get a pretty big bump from the $925,000 he’s earning this season — before any potential bonuses — and could be in the $3 million range. It’s too early to say how that fits into the Hawks’ plans for next year’s salary cap, but it’s a better problem than not having a guy who looks like he could be a 30-goal scorer.
Jeremy Colliton has avoided starting Kubalik on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but he has recently started to put them together as the game wore on.
“They’re going to continue to play together at times,” Colliton said. "I’m not going to commit to playing them together all the time. When we don’t spread it out, it’s problematic for playing a four-line game, and we can’t expect them to outscore the other team by two or three every night. But we can spot them in.
"They've done a great job for us when we've done that. Very happy with Kubalik's progression. Does a lot of things away from the puck that allow him to be put in a situation to score. He's going to the net, he's being a shooter, and it's great to see."
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It was also great to see Kubalik’s sense of humor when he was asked about narrowly missing a shot at an empty net while trying to finish the hat trick.
“I was shaking,” he said. “Nervous. Whatever. Then when I missed the first one I was looking to pass that one because my confidence was gone. I didn’t believe in myself.”
3. No more talk about Jonathan Toews having a down year.
Jonathan Toews may have had a slow start with just a goal and an assist in his first 11 games, but he has been nearly a point-per-game player since.
On Saturday, Toews scored his 11th goal of the season and added an assist to give him 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in his last 35 games, including 20 points in his last 17.
He’s on pace for 62 points, which would give him his second-highest point total in the last five seasons. And he’s doing it while playing nearly 20 minutes per night, winning 57% of his faceoffs and taking his regular shifts on the power play and penalty kills.
Essentially, he has been a beast as usual even if he’s not getting the same plaudits as Patrick Kane. The two points Toews scored against the Ducks moved him within 10 of reaching 800 career points.
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“As the year has gone on he’s getting better and better,” Jeremy Colliton said. “Playing a hard game and taking the puck to the net and gaining confidence, he’s going to make a difference for us offensively. He knows he’s a great player and he knows he can make a difference for us, but it’s another thing to see the puck go into the net and get that feeling that he’s producing for the team. Positive to see.”
Here is coverage from Saturday’s game:
Rookie Dominik Kubalik scored for the fourth straight game and the his first multi-goal game to lead the Blackhawks back from an early deficit for a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Saturday night at the United Center.
Kubalik’s 16 goals rank second on the Hawks behind Patrick Kane’s 24 and move him into a tie for the league lead among rookies with the Sabres’ Victor Olofsson, who will miss at least the next month because of a lower-body injury.
Chicago Tribune Sports Weekdays A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Hawks goaltender Robin Lehner stopped 35 shots in his first start since suffering a knee injury on Jan. 2 against the Canucks.
The Hawks (20-20-6) ended their four-game homestand with a 2-2 record. They begin a three-game road trip Tuesday against the Senators.
The Ducks took a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the game after Connor Murphy turned over the puck behind the Hawks net. Ondrej Kase grabbed the puck and backhanded a pass to Max Jones, who one-timed it from the slot past Lehner.
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Less than a minute after Jonathan Toews hit the post for the Hawks, he picked up a loose puck at center ice to start a two-on-one with John Quenneville. Toews held on to the puck and beat goalie John Gibson through the five hole for his 11th goal to make it 1-1.
Kubalik gave the Hawks their first lead with 15:40 left in the second period when he backhanded in a rebound off a Patrick Kane shot to make it 2-1. The assist by Kane moved him within five of 1,000 career points.
Kubalik also scored his second goal on a rebound, this time slamming it home to give the Hawks a 3-1 lead after Gibson stopped Murphy’s shot.
The Ducks pulled within one early in the third on Rickard Rakell’s 11th goal of the season, but less than two minutes later, Olli Maatta fired home a slap shot from the point for his third of the season to restore the Hawks’ two-goal lead.


chicagotribune--2020-01-11--One of R. Kelly’s girlfriends, Azriel Clary, left home at 17. Now she’s back at home with her parent

One of R. Kelly’s girlfriends, Azriel Clary, left home at 17. Now she’s back at home with her parents — and celebrating with White Castle.

No one ever wakes up and says “ today I ’ m going to be manipulated , or taken advantage @ @ @ @ @ .. those are things you just can not control .
I never thought me and @ @ @ @ @ the same sentence because I was too in denial.. but once you realize , your @ @ @

R. Kelly's girlfriends Azriel Clary, left, and Joycelyn Savage leave following Kelly's hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on Sept. 17, 2019. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Azriel Clary was 17 years old when she left her parents, Alice and Angelo Clary, to live with R. Kelly. She and Kelly's other live-in girlfriend, Joycelyn Savage, often spoke publicly in the singer's defense, even as accusations of sexual abuse against him multiplied in the wake of the Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" and he was ultimately arrested on charges in three states; he remains incarcerated in Illinois, awaiting trial.
But after a bizarre physical altercation between Azriel Clary and Savage that was posted on Instagram last week, on Friday, Alice Clary confirmed that her daughter has returned home.
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“The battle is won because she’s still here, she’s still alive, she’s still breathing and though she lost a few years of her life, she’s still here to tell her story,” Alice Clary told People magazine.
Azriel Clary tweeted photographs of her happy reunion with the caption, “This is my face after having White Castles [sic] with my dad.”
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This is my face after having White Castles with my dad!!!!❤🥳 pic.twitter.com/Zl0ncQ7fhx — Azriel Clary (@theonlyazriel) January 10, 2020
Azriel Clary’s grandfather, Angelo Clary Sr., confirmed his granddaughter was back home with his son, her father.
“Yes, she is so happy,” said Clary Sr., reached by phone Saturday night. “I just saw her today. They’re at the house now.”
Before Saturday, Clary Sr. said she’s been back home for “a while,” since around Thanksgiving, when they all had a holiday meal together.
Azriel’s father, Angelo Clary Jr., when reached by phone Saturday night, said “Yes, of course we’re happy" to have her back home.
Father and son declined further comment.
Earlier in the week, Clary said she had gone to Chicago not to support Kelly but in an effort to help Savage, tweeting, “He purposely separated use [sic] because he knew I’d try to make her go home.”
However, the visit ended in a physical altercation between the two that resulted in Savage being arrested for assault. During it, Clary threatened to have Savage arrested for having sexual relations with a minor (Clary was underaged at the time). Kelly's accusers have said frequently that he persuaded them to have sex with other women.
The Instagram Live feed continued the recording up to Savage’s arrest, with Clary engaging with viewers while recording.
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Savage was released on bond Thursday and is due back in court at some point in the coming weeks. According to TMZ, Savage met with her parents for the first time in three years at the courthouse.
Clary tweeted on Friday, “No one ever wakes up and says, 'Today, I’m going to be manipulated or taken advantage of.”
No one ever wakes up and says “today I’m going to be manipulated, or taken advantage of, or kidnapped”.. those are things you just cannot control. I never thought me and victim would ever be in the same sentence because I was too in denial.. but once you realize, your realize. 💫 — Azriel Clary (@theonlyazriel) January 10, 2020
Clary’s parents shared their daughter’s sexual abuse story in “Surviving R. Kelly.” Her mother said she was initially hesitant to be a part of the production.
“To be honest, I didn’t even want to do the documentary,” Alice Clary told People, “and that’s why I didn’t do ‘Part II,’” which aired last week. “Because my daughter is a victim in this situation and unfortunately the media and the world that we live in, they honestly do not favor the victim and unfortunately regardless of what people say, my daughter has always been a victim.”
Chicago Tribune’s Rosemary Sobol contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-01-11--'We wanted it super bad’: Northwestern hangs on for its first Big Ten win, 62-57 over Nebraska in Fr

'We wanted it super bad’: Northwestern hangs on for its first Big Ten win, 62-57 over Nebraska in Fred Hoiberg’s return to the Chicago area

“ A lot of times people don ’ t realize the commitment for these players in between games , ” @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Lifting weights , getting treatment , eating right , sleep and , oh @ @ @ @ @ Northwestern and we started our quarter .
When you put that kind of investment into @ @ @ @ @ get to taste some success , it can be hard .

Sorry, Fred Hoiberg, but Northwestern needed this win in your return to Chicagoland.
The analytics site KenPom.com had Saturday’s game against Nebraska as the only remaining one (of 16!) the Wildcats had a better than 50% chance to win.
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And they did. Northwestern made 10 3-pointers in its 62-57 victory against the Cornhuskers, its first Big Ten win after four losses. The Wildcats improved to 6-9 overall as Miller Kopp scored 15 points and Pat Spencer added 14 points and eight rebounds.
“A lot of times people don’t realize the commitment for these players in between games,” NU coach Chris Collins said. “Lifting weights, getting treatment, eating right, sleep and, oh yeah, they go to Northwestern and we started our quarter. When you put that kind of investment into it and don’t get to taste some success, it can be hard.
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“So it was great to see those guys dancing and chest-bumping and throwing water (in the locker room afterward).”
Kopp put it succinctly: “We wanted it super bad.”
Hoiberg’s Huskers have been better than expected this season, entering Saturday 7-8 but 2-2 in Big Ten play with solid home victories over Purdue and Iowa.
They entered the weekend leading the Big Ten in turnover margin at plus 2.9. Not too shabby considering Hoiberg built the team on the fly. Nebraska returned only 50 total points from last season, all from Thorir Thorbjarnarson.
All those newbies force Hoiberg to take the good with the bad.
Two instances of bad Saturday: A brutal possession to end the first half, with Cam Mack dribbling incessantly before taking a long, challenged 3 at the buzzer, and Thorbjarnarson fouling low-scoring Ryan Greer on the perimeter with two on the shot clock.
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But the Huskers reflect what Hoiberg tried to accomplish in his three-plus seasons with the Bulls; they entered the game 13th nationally in offensive tempo, with an average possession of 15.2 seconds.
“Our goal this year is to try to establish a style of play we feel can bring sustained success,” Hoiberg said. “That’s how I’ve always wanted to play.”
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And then he half-joked to a Chicago reporter: “Quit asking me about the Bulls.”
And after falling behind 60-48 with 3:47 to play, the Huskers made two 3s to give Northwestern a scare.
Ryan Young, Kopp and Spencer all missed the front end of one-on-ones, and Mack banked home a 3. Nebraska’s Dachon Burke Jr. attempted a tying 3, but Spencer got a piece of it and Kopp got fouled and sank both free throws.
Asked how he handled the missed foul shots, Collins shot back: “Outwardly or inwardly?”
With observers chuckling, Collins added: “I want it so bad for the guys and when you’re a young player, you can’t practice that. We can put three minutes on the clock in practice but it’s not the same when you’re tired from playing (big) minutes and there’s game pressure. The only way to get better is by doing it.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-11--Blackhawks veteran Duncan Keith is mentoring rookie Adam Boqvist, 19, on and off the ice: ‘Trying to

Blackhawks veteran Duncan Keith is mentoring rookie Adam Boqvist, 19, on and off the ice: ‘Trying to be the eyes in the back of his head’

“ I think that adds to it , ” Keith said .
`` You look at how young they are @ @ @ @ @ things that happen just with mannerisms ... where you can realize this is a pretty @ @ @ @ @ in the NHL .
You see where their mindset is from talking to them and @ @ @ @ @ are .

The time Blackhawks defensemen Duncan Keith and Adam Boqvist spend talking about hockey can be divided into three categories.
1. During games.
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2. Between periods.
3. All other instances.
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They talk about hockey a lot, which makes sense because it’s their livelihood, they’re defensive partners and Boqvist, the 19-year-old rookie, views Keith, the 36-year-old three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Norris Trophy winner, as his mentor.
But sometimes they both just shut up and play. That's when the real learning takes place.
“Do you want to get talking about something after every shift?” Keith said. “At some point you’ve got to just play. For me when I was young, I didn’t want to hear about everything I could have done better every single time. Sometimes you got to play.”
If Keith’s longtime teammate and frequent defensive partner Brent Seabrook hadn’t required season-ending surgery to both hips and his right shoulder, there’s a good chance Boqvist would still be developing in Rockford instead of with the Hawks.
But once Seabrook was ruled done — and after the Hawks determined Calvin de Haan also would require season-ending right shoulder surgery — a permanent spot in the lineup opened for Boqvist, and school was immediately in session.
“It’s really good for me,” Boqvist said. “I think every young player in the league needs a mentor, and Duncs has been mine.”
The conversations that take place on the ice between the two are a sharp contrast to when Boqvist was playing in the Ontario Hockey League last season with the London Knights. It was a learning experience for everyone with London, and there wasn’t a lot of chatter.
Keith isn’t the most talkative player, but with 14½ seasons and 1,1113 NHL games under his belt, he understands that Boqvist — who played in his 21st career game Saturday night against the Ducks at the United Center — needs some direction.
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"Sometimes when you’re under pressure and you have to chip (the puck), up he’s like, ‘Glass! Glass! Glass!’ Boqvist said. "And if I have time (to make a play), he’s like, ‘Time! Time! Time!’ But sometimes it’s going so quick out there you don’t even know what he’s going to do. You just have to get open and do something.
"You just can't stand there with your stick in two hands. You always have to be open."
At 19, Keith was beginning his sophomore season at Michigan State and still three years from making his NHL debut. He sympathizes with Boqvist and has tried his best to help the rookie acclimate to the locker room.
“I think that adds to it,” Keith said. "You look at how young they are and you can see some things that happen just with mannerisms ... where you can realize this is a pretty young guy to be playing in the NHL. You see where their mindset is from talking to them and realize just how young they are.
“You can feel for that situation and know to make things easier and make them more comfortable any way I can.”
While the 17-year age gap seems big, it’s not as large when you understand what an overgrown kid Keith can be. Nobody in the NHL takes his job more seriously than Keith, but he has a lot of fun, such as during a recent practice when he, Boqvist and Dennis Gilbert erupted with mock hugs and celebrations after an inconsequential triumph.
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Keith remembers being around veterans Adrian Aucoin, Jim Dowd and Martin Lapointe when he was a rookie and how much that benefited him. Being a good teammate — not just to rookies but everyone — is part of what he expects from himself.
But nothing is more important to Keith than teaching by doing.
“The biggest thing is being as good as I can be out on the ice,” Keith said. "That helps his game, makes it easier on him. Some of those things would be communicating a lot out on the ice, in the game while we’re on the ice. Trying to be the eyes in the back of his head.
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"Being in good position to give him an outlet pass so he's not caught in a spot where nobody's available for him and then somebody's on him. Just making his game easier."
Keith isn’t the only one in Boqvist’s ear. After Thursday’s loss to the Predators, during which Boqvist had a turnover that led to a goal and was undressed by Roman Josi in front of the Hawks net immediately before another, coach Jeremy Colltion made sure the mistakes were addressed.
"He had a conversation with a few of us," Colliton said. "It's not surprising that that happens from time to time. He's been playing really well, and I thought his last two periods (against the Predators) were better. And we need him — we need him to play well, we need him to be consistent, and that's part of his growth as a player."
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The Hawks don’t play Boqvist and Keith together just because they want to accelerate the rookie’s development. The pairing has been working. Over the last 10 games entering Saturday, they were on the ice for 121 shots for at even strength and 105 against for a strong 53.54 Corsi percentage. Boqvist even had the first three-game point streak of his career that ended against the Predators.
The mentoring part of their relationship is important to both players. But with Boqvist just starting his career and Keith under contract through the 2022-23 season, they have a chance to move beyond being teacher-pupil and simply known as teammates.
“It’s important to be a good teammate, first and foremost,” Keith said. "I’m one of the older guys, if not the oldest, and he’s one of the youngest. Maybe it gets looked at like (a mentorship), but I try to be a good teammate to all my teammates. Certainly a special spot because he’s a defenseman, he’s a young guy and I like the way he plays. (He) thinks the game, and I enjoy playing with him.
“(I) just want him to keep getting better. And me too.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Marijuana dispensary looks to open in Niles

“ It ’ s there , but I regret it ’ s there because there is no money for education @ @ @ @ @ the proposed dispensary .
“ And I know damn well those edibles are going make @ @ @ @ @ youth in the community ] and I wish I could stop it .
On the @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s good for the village economically , but I think it ’ s @ @ @ @ @

The village of Niles could be getting its very first recreational marijuana shop.
Green Thumb Industries has submitted applications to the village to open a marijuana dispensary at 9621 N. Milwaukee Ave., a former Pearle Vision Center just north of Golf Road, said Mitchell Johnson, spokesman for the village of Niles.
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Building plans have been submitted and the business has received a “conditional approval” from the village, pending the issuance of a cannabis dispensary license from the state of Illinois, said Nathan Bruemmer, Niles planning technician.
The shop will not require a public hearing or approval from the Niles Village Board, Bruemmer said.
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“The business did not need to receive zoning approval because it is located in one of our Cannabis Establishment Overlay Districts, which permits dispensaries by right, but limits one per district,” he explained.
If it obtains a state license and passes all inspections and reviews, the shop could open this summer, Johnson said. Under state law, it will be able to sell marijuana products to adults 21 years and over.
Linda Marsicano, spokeswoman for Green Thumb Industries, confirmed that the company is looking to open a cannabis store called Rise in Niles, but has not yet applied for a state permit. That will take place “in the near future,” she said.
“Generally we look for communities that are eager to host a cannabis store and are interested in the tax revenue and jobs that we can offer,” Marsicano said. “We chose Niles because in addition to it being welcoming to regulated cannabis stores, it also has a thriving retail corridor and a well-regarded local government.”
According to its website, GTI operates 96 retail marijuana shops across 12 states, including Rise stores in Mundelein and Joliet. They also operate a 3C Compassionate Care Center medical marijuana dispensary in Naperville. That city voted last year to ban recreational marijuana businesses.
Thousands of people line up outside of Rise Mundelein, a marijuana dispensary, on Jan. 1. The company that operates Rise is looking to open a similar dispensary in Niles. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The location of the proposed Niles dispensary is in a shopping center that includes Walmart, several restaurants and shops, a night club and a bank. It is located at the northeast corner of Golf Road and Milwaukee Avenue, which puts it northeast of Golf Mill Shopping Center and north of the Four Flags Shopping Center.
Bruemmer said GTI initially contacted the village on Nov. 13, a month after the Village Board narrowly voted to create two zoning districts where recreational marijuana dispensaries would be allowed to operate. The second district is located on the southeast end of the village.
Niles Mayor Andrew Przybylo said the proposed shop will have economic benefits for the village, but he expressed frustration that the Village Board did not endorse his proposal to earmark a portion of sales tax revenues for drug education purposes in local schools.
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“It’s there, but I regret it’s there because there is no money for education,” Przybylo said of the proposed dispensary. “And I know damn well those edibles are going make their way in [to youth in the community] and I wish I could stop it. On the other hand, I know it’s good for the village economically, but I think it’s a poor trade-off.”
The Niles Village Board in September voted to establish a 3% local tax on recreational marijuana sales.
Przybylo said he plans to again ask the Village Board to formally dedicate funding to drug education, which he said would be in the form of a grant for which schools could apply.
“The fact is that marijuana is out there, and sooner or later it’s going to be a problem,” he said.
When asked if he was concerned that a marijuana dispensary at the already-busy Golf and Milwaukee intersection would further impact traffic and parking in the area, Przybylo said he was not.
“If there are health and safety issues, we will address them as they come up,” he said.
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The closest existing marijuana dispensary to Niles is Zen Leaf Chicago, which is located about five miles southeast at 6428 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Park Ridge, Morton Grove and Glenview, neighboring communities of Niles, all voted to ban recreational marijuana sales when the state law legalizing the sale for adults 21 and over took effect Jan. 1. Morton Grove’s ban is set to run no later than June 2021, though it could end earlier.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--Shaggy the dog disappeared from a Chicago yard 8 years ago. Last week, he was reunited with his owne

Shaggy the dog disappeared from a Chicago yard 8 years ago. Last week, he was reunited with his owners.

Tina ’ s daughter Daisha , who had a close bond with Shaggy before he got loose , said she @ @ @ @ @ “ super excited ” about his return .
Now 24 , Daisha was at work @ @ @ @ @ to be there when the family picked up the dog .
But she got to @ @ @ @ @

Tina Anderson, left, and her daughter Daisha Anderson with their dog Shaggy, who was lost eight years ago but recently returned to his family through a rescue group, at their home on Jan. 12, 2020, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
When Tina Anderson got a call last week asking if she’d lost her dog, she told them the animal was safe in her kitchen.
When they asked her if her dog’s name was Shaggy, Anderson said she was so shocked she almost dropped the phone.
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Shaggy, it turns out, had gone missing from the Andersons’ backyard more than eight years ago, prompting a frantic search by the family.
“I was outside at 2 and 3 o’clock in the morning putting up posters, going to people’s houses,” she said. “I just couldn’t find him.”
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Shaggy had gotten loose before but had returned. This time, though, Anderson and her children were heartbroken that their little dog never turned up.
Until now, that is.
Shaggy, a Yorkie-cocker spaniel mix, was turned in as a stray at the Chicago Police Department’s 16th District headquarters on Jan. 6.
Shaggy was lost for eight years, but was recently returned to his family after it was found that his microchip had shifted and gone undetected. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
At first, no identifying microchip could be found inside the dog, and his photo was added to the gallery of unclaimed pets on the website of Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation, run by police Lt. John Garrido, and his wife, Anna.
Then a full-body scan of the dog revealed Shaggy did have a microchip; it had just shifted inside the dog’s body. With that, rescuers were able to get in touch with Anderson.
“All microchips are usually inserted between the shoulder blades on the back of the dog. Some of the older ones will move, and this one moved," Garrido said.
Anderson said she and her family, who’ve moved twice in Chicago since losing Shaggy, are still in disbelief that the now 12-year-old pooch has been returned to them.
“I’m like, ‘No way!’” she said. “We were so excited. But we thought we were going to see him with one leg. We just thought he was going to be all messed up.”
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She also said she’s been calling family to tell them about his unexpected homecoming.
Tina Anderson, right, and her daughter Daisha Anderson prepare their dog Shaggy before going for a walk in the snow. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
“I called my family in Missouri and told them I had Shaggy and they said, ‘No way! Girl, stop playing. You don’t have Shaggy!’” Anderson said.
Losing the dog, she said, was “like a child that got kidnapped … like one of your family members goes missing."
No one knows for sure where Shaggy has been for the past eight years, but Anderson said she suspects that after he escaped from her yard, someone nearby found and kept him.
“They didn’t care,” she said. “We had a dog chain on him. Yorkies are not rare, but many people love small dogs.”
Anderson suspects Shaggy might have recently escaped from whoever had him, or that he was abandoned to the streets and eventually found and turned in at police station.
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Tina’s daughter Daisha, who had a close bond with Shaggy before he got loose, said she and her sister Toyri are “super excited” about his return. Now 24, Daisha was at work and didn’t get to be there when the family picked up the dog. But she got to watch it on video.
“It didn’t seem real until they did the video,” she said.
Shaggy walks outside his home after being returned to his family. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Shaggy didn’t remember his name and “seemed a little tentative” on his first night back with the Andersons, Daisha said. “But by the next day, he was never leaving my side.”
He also is getting along so far with the Andersons’ other dog, Ebony.
But Shaggy’s troubles aren’t over yet.
Tina Anderson said she took him to the vet on Thursday and was told he is blind in one eye, has a cataract in the other eye and infections in both ears. He’s also overweight, has bad teeth and walks very slowly. She said he needs costly blood tests, X-rays and other veterinary care.
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“I was scared we’d have to give the dog up, but my daughter loves animals and swore she’d raise the money for vet bills,” said Anderson.
Garrido also said his rescue group also plans to help with Shaggy’s medical bills.
“We’re going to get the dog back where he needs to be,” he said.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--Column: 12 changes the Cubs should make for the 2020 season

The Cubs famously had optional batting practice for much of the Joe Maddon era .
But even when they did @ @ @ @ @ was too early for most kids to get to the park in time to watch @ @ @ @ @ of the Wrigley tradition , especially on summer days with the wind blowing out .
@ @ @ @ @ more autographs before games , though that may be a lost cause in this era @

With one month to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training and no real movement this offseason, the Cubs have a lot of questions to answer at this weekend’s annual fan convention, the unofficial kickoff to the new season.
And since a new year provides everyone with a chance to make some changes, here are 12 resolutions we’d like to see the Cubs make in 2020:
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1. Stop saying ‘we don’t have any money.’
There’s a difference between not having any money and not intending to spend more money than necessary to avoid the luxury-tax threshold. No one believes Chairman Tom Ricketts when he says the Cubs don’t have any money. It’s a ludicrous claim.
2. End the elaborate bullpen dances after home runs.
It was fun while it lasted and it served its purpose, but this tradition needs to die a quick death. The Cubs bullpen had a combined 28 blown saves in 2019, tied for fourth worst in the majors. Many of the dancing relievers are gone, and the new bullpen needs to focus on pitching instead of dancing.
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3. Cancel the weekly radio show with Cubs management.
If they can’t be totally candid, what purpose does it serve? Team President Theo Epstein threatened a “ton” of changes in an interview in early July but has made only a few. General manager Jed Hoyer took umbrage last year with a question from WSCR-AM 670’s Dan Bernstein about a Twitter rumor stating the Cubs likely would let Joe Maddon go after the season and hire David Ross in his place. Of course, that’s exactly what happened. More pregame briefings with the full media corps would be welcome too.
4. Explain the payroll issue to fans.
Most fans really don’t understand why the Cubs haven’t made any moves and why the team feels the need to trade Kris Bryant or other stars to get under the luxury tax. If the Cubs don’t feel they can sign them to long-term deals to remain within their budget, be transparent about it and say so.
5. Fix the Wrigley Field sound system.
When you can’t hear the person right next to you, it’s time to turn down the volume, at least during the game. Pregame music is fine, but no one came to listen to the DJ.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 21 Windows frame the view past the outfield at the new Catalina Club in the upper deck behind home plate at Wrigley Field on April 6, 2019, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
6. Bring back batting practice for home games and let fans in early to watch.
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The Cubs famously had optional batting practice for much of the Joe Maddon era. But even when they did hold it, it usually was too early for most kids to get to the park in time to watch. B.P. is part of the Wrigley tradition, especially on summer days with the wind blowing out. The players also should sign more autographs before games, though that may be a lost cause in this era.
7. Provide a product worth the high ticket prices.
This is a no-brainer. When you have some of the highest ticket and concession prices in baseball, you need to do everything possible to provide fans with a championship-caliber team.
8. Stop inviting seventh-inning stretch singers to talk about themselves during games.
The new Marquee Sports Network gives the Cubs a chance to rethink their broadcasts. While inviting celebrities to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is a tradition that’s too entrenched to ditch, we don’t need to hear from every one of them in the booth with Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies. Many have nothing of interest to say and are only promoting themselves.
9. Repaint the Grace Street parking lot to allow cars bigger than a 1980 Yugo.
The Cubs crammed as many parking spaces as possible into their main lot north of Wrigley Field, so fans have little room to get in and out of their cars while also risking having their doors dinged by adjacent cars. Every space should be able to fit an SUV-sized vehicle with enough space to open the doors. This is an easy fix.
10. Upgrade the Wrigley Field press box for the 21st century.
It amuses many Cubs executives when media members complain about the poor conditions of the Wrigley Field press box. Last year one exec cracked they’d slap a coat of paint on it after being asked asked about potential renovation plans. The Cubs need to treat the press box as though their own employees work there every day — which, in fact, they do. It also might help get the Cubs an All-Star Game down the road.
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11. Make Yu Darvish stop clapping back at Twitter trolls.
Yu Darvish responded to TV/radio host David Kaplan’s criticism on Twitter during the summer and later said he has done likewise with the media since he started his career in Japan. It’s silly for a major leaguer to act so thin-skinned. Forget about what others say and focus on pitching.
12. Raise a Joe Maddon flag on the Wrigley Field roof.
Joe Maddon’s contribution to the only Cubs championship since 1908 needs to be acknowledged, even if they unceremoniously let him go at the end of last season. A flag is the least they can do.


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--Review: Revised Teatro ZinZanni has a new, quirky banquet of veteran talents

And let us not forget the Anastasini Brothers , whom I profiled years ago when they showed up in the @ @ @ @ @ of “ Hephaestus , ” when Fabio Anastasini , the flyer in the act , @ @ @ @ @ old .
On Friday , Fabio was out with an injury ( although I saw @ @ @ @ @ to get back in the show ) and he had been replaced temporarily by Gordo @ @ @ @ @ the high-wires and a youthful member of the venerable Flying Poemas , an Argentinian circus @ @ @ @ @ the 18th century .
To say that circus people have each other ’ s backs @ @ @ @ @ as absolutist truth .

Alseny Sylla and Liv Warfield in "Teatro ZinZanni," which has a new cast at the Cambria Hotel in Chicago. (Sandy Morris photo)
Back in 2002, the grand drag artist Kevin Kent told the Seattle Stranger that his favorite audiences were those who came in on a Friday night, “beat and a little cranky after their work week. Then they have a cocktail, the dinner’s good, there’s this show, and you see them blossom. By the end, they’re exhilarated.”
And, 18 years later, that’s a pretty accurate description of what happened at the circus-cabaret-dinner composite known as Teatro ZinZanni on, yes, a wet, post-holiday Friday night in downtown Chicago, 14 stories above the theater currently housing “Mean Girls.”
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There is nothing plastic about Kent, the veteran emcee who is newly at the center of Chicago’s ZinZanni — Frank Ferrante, aka Caesar, having exited to tyrannize audiences elsewhere, although he threatens to return. The smart business model at ZinZanni, which hopes to be in Chicago for a decade or more, is to completely change the show about every three months, thus attracting repeat business and cultivating superfans, some of whom, one of the foot jugglers told me with a raised eyebrow after the show, now are appearing in the indoor tent every couple of weeks. Bacchanals can be addictive, especially when it’s consistently miserable out.
Version 2.0 of ZinZanni’s “Love, Chaos and Dinner," for the record, has an authentic, 6 foot, 7 inch (in heels) Austrian yodeler-dominatrix named Manuela Horn, a veteran of “America’s Got Talent”; a vocalist from Peoria named Liv Warfield who once was part of Prince’s New Power Generation; a soprano-dancer-cartoonist named Kelly Britt, who comes with an operatic voice trained at the San Fransisco Conservatory of Music; the creepy, Ukrainian-born illusionist Voronin; the Argentinian hand-balancer Elayne Kramer; the African aerial-straps acrobat Alseny Sylla from “Cavalia”; the middle-aged-but-super-buff Parisian all-rounder Domitil Aillot; and, exquisitely on the aerial hoop, Elena Gatilova, whom I remember from the Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity” in Las Vegas.
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"Teatro ZinZanni" has a new cast at the Cambria Hotel in Chicago. (Michael Brosilow photo/HANDOUT)
Liv Warfield in "Teatro ZinZanni." The cirque-style show has a new cast at the Cambria Hotel in Chicago. (Sandy Morris photo)
All that talent and more, up close and personal, and dinner too.
And let us not forget the Anastasini Brothers, whom I profiled years ago when they showed up in the Lookingglass Theatre’s production of “Hephaestus,” when Fabio Anastasini, the flyer in the act, was all of 12 years old. On Friday, Fabio was out with an injury (although I saw him in the lobby itching to get back in the show) and he had been replaced temporarily by Gordo Poema, a veteran of the high-wires and a youthful member of the venerable Flying Poemas, an Argentinian circus family with roots back into the 18th century. To say that circus people have each other’s backs is to render a cliche as absolutist truth.
You have to like the peculiarly intimate euro-esque ZinZanni hybrid of circus, vaudeville and baked chicken, of course, but you can probably discern by now that I was sold on all that years ago. This is not the show for you if, say, your head is bald and you would prefer it not be shined like a bowling ball by a performer who waiteth not for your permission.
ZinZanni now is a much tighter show than at my last viewing, when everything was just getting started. But the real reason to go, or go back, to my mind, is to watch the superlative work of Kent, who has been been interacting with the tired bankers and frazzled teachers and worn-out administrators of this choking planet for decades. He has been at ZinZanni in Seattle and elsewhere for 22 years and, in all those nights of spontaneous interaction, he clearly has learned that job one is to listen.
His kind of performer has a lot in common with those well placed to offer us succor on a Friday night: bartenders, waiters, spouses, Metra conductors, dogs, therapists.
Kent might mess with you but he won’t let you down.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
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Review: Teatro ZinZanni’s “Love, Chaos and Dinner” (3.5 stars)
When: Open run
Where: Cambria Hotel, 32 W. Randolph St.
Running time: About 3 hours (with food service during show)
Tickets: $119-$184 (dinner included) at 312-488-0900 or www.zinzanni.com/chicago


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--Patriots star Julian Edelman gets arrested after allegedly jumping on the hood of a car in Beverly H

Patriots star Julian Edelman gets arrested after allegedly jumping on the hood of a car in Beverly Hills

Edelman was released on a citation and is scheduled to appear in court April 13 .
It was n't known @ @ @ @ @ attorney , and the Patriots had no immediate comment .

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman stands on the sidelines during a game against the Bengals in Cincinnati on Dec. 15, 2019. Edelman was arrested Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in Southern California on suspicion of misdemeanor vandalism after allegedly jumping on the hood of someone's car. (Gary Landers / AP)
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — New England Patriots star Julian Edelman was arrested in Southern California on suspicion of misdemeanor vandalism after jumping on the hood of someone's car, authorities said Sunday.
Edelman, 33, caused unspecified damage when he jumped on the vehicle Saturday night on a commercial block of Beverly Hills, police Lt. Elisabeth Albanese said in a statement.
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Edelman was released on a citation and is scheduled to appear in court April 13. It wasn't known Sunday if he had an attorney, and the Patriots had no immediate comment.
The wide receiver made huge plays during the Patriots' historic comeback against Atlanta in the Super Bowl following the 2016 season, which New England won 34-28. He won Super Bowl MVP honors in New England's 20-17 victory last season against the Rams.
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Edelman led the Patriots during the 2019 regular season with 100 receptions, 1,117 yards and six touchdowns. But nagging injuries took a toll. He was mostly a non-factor in New England’s 20-13 wild-card upset loss to the Tennessee Titans.


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 4-2 win over the Ducks, including why Dominik Kubalik is turning in

3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 4-2 win over the Ducks, including why Dominik Kubalik is turning into the surprise of the season

“ Our game over a long stretch of time is improved .
Doesn ’ t mean we ’ re a @ @ @ @ @ we keep getting better and the young players continue to develop we can be in @ @ @ @ @ win .
We got five before the break .
We ’ ve got to have @ @ @ @ @ We know we ’ ve been pretty good on the road .
We should have @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve got to put it together and it has to be for most @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll see what happens .
”


chicagotribune--2020-01-12--The Deshaun Watson vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup might be tough to watch. But it should be appointment

The Deshaun Watson vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup might be tough to watch. But it should be appointment TV for Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace.

“ That ’ s a part of it , ” Nagy said .
“ There ’ s realness to that @ @ @ @ @ m in there and we ’ re going through a play and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m going to tell you it ’ s a bad play call .
@ @ @ @ @ better .
And that it ’ s my fault .
But then on the other @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re going to get this thing right , you better be honest with @ @ @ @

Some NFL coaches and players choose not to watch the playoffs if they’re not involved. Too painful, perhaps. Better ways to decompress. It just feels like a repellent.
Bears coach Matt Nagy is not a member of that fraternity.
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Nope, Nagy needs the playoffs in his veins. Even as a spectator, it provides a fix. He can’t look away.
“I watch it,” Nagy said late last month. “I do. Some people just shut it off. They don’t want to be a part of it. To each their own. I just think you learn from it.
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“For me, it burns me up the fact that I’m sitting at home and watching. I use that as my own personal motivation to get back there.”
You wonder then what Nagy was thinking and feeling as he watched on the Saturday evening of wild-card weekend. You wonder how he reacted as Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson hauled his team out of a 16-0 hole in the second half, rallying it into overtime with a combination of calm and confidence.
You wonder whether Nagy sprang from his seat like most of the audience when Watson faced an all-out Bills blitz on the final drive in overtime, got hit hard from his left and then his right, yet somehow managed to spin and stay on his feet, scrambling and dropping a clutch completion to running back Taiwan Jones.
The magic act produced a 34-yard gain that set up the Texans’ winning 28-yard field goal. It was, perhaps, the signature moment of wild-card weekend.
And now it gives Nagy another game to dial in on Sunday afternoon. Watson’s Texans move on to face Nagy’s mentor, Andy Reid, and Nagy’s former team, the Chiefs. The Chiefs are led by a superstar quarterback Nagy helped groom: Patrick Mahomes.
Watson versus Mahomes.
With a trip to the AFC championship game on the line.
With the Bears in the very uncomfortable role as subtext.
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How could Nagy not watch?
One more time
Yes, this dead horse has been beaten to a pulp. The Bears passed on Watson and Mahomes in the 2017 draft, trading up to No. 2 to select Mitch Trubisky instead. It was a decision far more layered and complicated than many knee-jerk critics want to acknowledge. And it’s a landmark moment that can become unfairly twisted by revisionist history.
Still, this is Chicago’s reality. And if Bears fans have already grown tired of the leaguewide admiration showered on Watson and Mahomes, if they have become agitated and exhausted by the constant “What might have been” lament, imagine if this is only the beginning.
What if Watson versus Mahomes becomes a regular January duel on the playoff stage?
What if Sunday is just the opening act of a decade-long rivalry in which two top-tier quarterbacks continue to run into each other on their chase for a Lombardi Trophy?
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, left, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes meet after the Texans beat the Chiefs 31-24 on Oct. 13, 2019, in Kansas City. (Colin E. Braley/AP)
And what if the Bears remain curious couch potatoes left to envy it all?
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Given all we know about Nagy’s tight relationship with general manager Ryan Pace and what we know about Nagy’s attraction to playoff football, one can guess the two Bears leaders will speak this weekend or at least send a flurry of texts as the postseason action continues.
Both men have promised to fix the problems with Trubisky and the Bears offense that turned 2019 into, in Pace’s words, “a season of regression.”
And that’s where Sunday’s Texans-Chiefs game could have real value if the Bears’ biggest decision makers can view it through honest eyes.
That play Watson made in overtime to help secure his first playoff victory wasn’t how it was drawn up in the Texans playbook. And it certainly didn’t unfold in the way it was practiced at any point that week.
Quite simply, it was a dynamic playmaker digging deep and making a play when his team needed him to. When his blockers failed him. When his athleticism and competitiveness helped him avoid a sack and a third-and-long and instead produced a game-winning play. In the playoffs.
“I just told myself to stay up,” Watson told ESPN’s Lisa Salters immediately after the game. “It’s do-or-die right now, and with all of that work I’ve been putting in in the offseason, I just had to make a play. I told the guys before the game, I put a card in their lockers and I said, ‘Let’s be great today.’ So somebody had to be great. Why not me?”
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‘When a play is there to be made’
Scan the highlights of Mahomes’ two seasons as a starter — the 17 300-yard games, the 76 regular-season touchdown passes, the 23 Chiefs victories in his 30 starts — and it’s easy to find examples of similar playmaking wizardry, of a star who has a knack for turning nothing into something on a consistent basis.
Patrick Mahomes hit 'em with the jump pass and Mecole Hardman TOOK OFF 🏃♂💨
(via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/5NqCZIsotl — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 10, 2019
Read those last eight words again with emphasis. Turning nothing into something. On a consistent basis.
That’s what the Bears admit Trubisky has lacked in so many areas. Consistency.
“You see moments this year: ‘Aha! There it is!’ ” Pace said Dec. 31 at his end-of-season news conference. “And then we see the inconsistencies and the dips. You know? We need to figure out why that’s happening and work hard to solve that.”
As it relates to playmaking prowess, the inconsistency has become too jarring to ignore, the quality that has widened the gap between Trubisky and his two more accomplished draft classmates.
Trubisky’s flashes this season were the exception, not the rule. Too many examples exist where Trubisky had first downs or big plays or game-changing touchdown passes waiting but didn’t hit them.
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Sometimes he didn’t see the opportunity and didn’t throw.
At times he threw too far.
Or not far enough.
Against the Chiefs in Week 16, Trubisky overshot Allen Robinson on what should have been a 46-yard touchdown pass, and Nagy was left to deliver the cold truth on why that play — well-designed, well-timed, well-blocked — didn’t connect.
Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky throws a pass against the Chiefs on Dec. 22, 2019. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“I know it’s simple,” Nagy said. “I’m just saying when you get opportunities in a game, those are ones there where we all want to do our job.”
Later that week, after detailing the reality that the Bears need to get Trubisky more help on the offensive line and at tight end and with the way plays are called, Nagy was asked whether the best way of lifting the offense relied on the quarterback to make more plays when there are plays to be made.
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After all, on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit and a week later against the Cowboys, when Trubisky flashed his playmaking ability, the Bears won. Suddenly everyone in the organization and around town felt great.
Aha!
Right?
So isn’t some of this as simple as that? That the most important player on the roster just needs to make more plays when there are plays to be made?
“That’s a part of it,” Nagy said. “There’s realness to that. … If I’m in there and we’re going through a play and it’s a bad play call, I’m going to tell you it’s a bad play call. And that it could be better. And that it’s my fault. But then on the other end, OK, if we’re going to get this thing right, you better be honest with your side too.
“When a play is there to be made, you’ve got to make it. That’s the part where we’ve got to get both of those fixed. And we will. It takes good people and a collaboration and understanding the whys to do that. And that’s going to be our No. 1 focus.”
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The stage is set
Unfortunately for the Bears, the Texans and Chiefs aren’t experiencing those same growing pains.
While Nagy and Pace are busy collaborating to help Trubisky become, in Nagy’s words, “a master at understanding coverages,” while they are looking for ways to improve Trubisky’s footwork and trust in the pocket, Watson and Mahomes have reached a more advanced stage.
They’re immersed in the highs of playoff football, eyeing the next big play that ignites the next big win.
Mahomes’ ascent hit a speed bump this year when he dislocated his right kneecap in October, a serious injury that came on the heels of a sprained left ankle. He missed 2½ games.
But since his return, he has completed 66.7% of his passes, thrown for 1,851 yards and 11 touchdowns and posted a 99.3 passer rating. The Chiefs finished the regular season on a six-game tear that earned them a first-round playoff bye.
Bears fans saw firsthand in Week 16 what it looks like when Mahomes takes control of a game and doesn’t let go. The Chiefs came to Chicago and bounced the Bears out of the playoff hunt with a 26-3 tail-kicking.
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Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes runs for a touchdown against the Bears on Dec. 22, 2019. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
After Watson’s own struggles contributed to that 16-0 deficit last Saturday against the Bills, he rallied to lead four scoring drives in his final six possessions. During that span, he went 13-for-14 passing for 193 yards and a touchdown. He added a 20-yard touchdown run, a two-point conversion run and a two-point conversion pass.
Somebody had to be great, right?
Watson and Mahomes have helped their teams win back-to-back division championships. Both have earned consecutive invitations to the Pro Bowl. Both of their teams believe they can reach the Super Bowl next month.
This is the sustained success — frequently sparked by great quarterback play — that so often eludes the Bears, who are left clinging to flashes.
Yet that’s where Sunday’s Texans-Chiefs game can prove illuminating, offering a lens into what the Bears are seeking.
The more plays Watson and Mahomes make, the more opportunity Pace will have to see what top-tier quarterback play looks like. And if he can’t see it, Nagy will have to remind him.
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These are the things we need out of our quarterback. And if Trubisky can’t provide them soon, then we better have urgent plans to find someone who can.
Publicly, anyway, Pace has been unwilling to concede that his decision to pick Trubisky over Watson and Mahomes was a misstep. Asked last week where the Bears missed in their pre-draft evaluation of Trubisky, Pace bobbed and weaved.
A special Bear Download podcast Get more www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-chicago-bears-mitch-trubisky-podcast-20191114-eo72vwdtgnaztob5vzrycm4u6u-story.html' target="_blank">analysis and behind-the-scenes scoop on the Trubisky-Watson-Mahomes story from Rich and Dan on the podcast
“I don’t think we’re there yet,” he said. “We’re still watching the guy grow. Again, he knows he needs to be more consistent. He knows he needs to play better. We know that too.”
Pressed on how he views Trubisky’s ceiling as an NFL starter after this turbulent and inconsistency-riddled third season, Pace said Trubisky’s potential is “wide open.”
“If we go back and look at a lot of young quarterbacks in the league,” Pace said, “historically, these (low) moments have occurred. It's just part of the growth process sometimes.”
Pace isn’t wrong. Not all young quarterbacks arrive in the NFL and hit the moving walkway to prolonged excellence. It’s just that the two quarterbacks the Bears passed on three years ago did.
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And now they’re facing each other in the playoffs. With the Bears and their success-starved fan base watching from home and possibly compiling more reasons to be burned up.
It promises to be an entertaining and revealing show. Depending on how you look at it.


chicagotribune--2020-01-11--Blackhawks veteran Duncan Keith mentoring rookie Adam Boqvist on — and off — the ice: ‘Trying to be

Blackhawks veteran Duncan Keith mentoring rookie Adam Boqvist on — and off — the ice: ‘Trying to be the eyes in the back of his head’


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--‘Self-defense?’ Family wants to know why guard was cleared of fatal shooting in Roscoe Village when

‘Self-defense?’ Family wants to know why guard was cleared of fatal shooting in Roscoe Village when no gun was found

“ I ’ m not trying to make my son out to be an angel , a perfect upstanding citizen @ @ @ @ @ good guy and he had a good heart , '' she said .
“ He @ @ @ @ @ of us together as a family .
...
They ’ ve portrayed him to be @ @ @ @ @ ve portrayed Mario to be a bully , a gangster .
That was not Mario @ @ @ @ @ that . ''

Sandra Dingillo wiped away tears as she sat at a rest stop off the Tri-State Tollway. A few feet away, her 4-year-old grandson quietly ate a doughnut and watched the cars speed by.
“It’s still so fresh,” Dingillo said, her voice breaking as she talked about her son Mario, shot and killed by a security guard near a bar on Chicago’s North Side. “It’s such a horrific situation that you don’t even want to get up in the morning, and then you don’t sleep. I just don’t think that this ever needed to be something that should’ve happened.”
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There are conflicting stories about what happened to her son in the early morning hours of Nov. 3 around the corner from the Bluelight, a small bar in Roscoe Village that regularly draws complaints from neighbors about noise and fights and vandalism.
According to police, several people began arguing around 3:30 a.m. and security guards from the bar tried to break it up. There was a struggle and a guard fired his gun, hitting Dingillo four times.
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The guard said Dingillo pulled a gun, but none was found and police say there’s no indication anyone other than the guard fired shots. Police sought murder charges against the guard, but they were rejected by prosecutors who concluded “there was no evidence to refute self-defense,” according to police records.
Mario Dingillo in an undated photo. (Family photo)
"Self-defense?" protested Sandra Dingillo. "All I know is that he (the guard) followed them and he killed my son.”
Her suspicions are fueled by the fact that the guard works for a company owned by a police officer assigned to the district where the Bluelight is located.
Both Chicago police and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office have declined to release many details about the shooting and the decision not to prosecute. The following is pieced together largely from police reports, state records and witness statements obtained by the Tribune.
‘No other choice’
Sandra Dingillo said she agreed to watch her son’s two young boys at her home in Lakemoor so Mario and his wife could spend time with friends in the city. Mario, a truck driver, was born in Chicago and lived in Wisconsin with his wife and two young boys.
The couple, along with Dingillo’s brother-in-law, got into an argument with another group outside the Bluelight and were barred from entering, according to police reports. At least one security guard walked them back to their car on School Street, around the block.
Dingillo’s brother-in-law told police they started arguing with the guard and he began pepper-spraying them. A fight broke out in the 2300 block of West School Street, and the brother-in-law said he was punched in the face and fell to the ground. He heard gunshots.
The guard told police Dingillo grabbed a gun from his waistband, so the guard drew his own weapon and fired. The first officers on the scene saw an empty brown leather holster clipped to Dingillo’s belt but no gun.
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Sandra Dingillo visits her son Mario Dingillo's grave at Warren Cemetery in Gurnee on Dec. 27, 2019. Mario was killed by a security guard at Bluelight, a bar in Roscoe Village, on Nov. 3, 2019. (Camille Fine / Chicago Tribune)
In a statement filed with the state Division of Professional Regulation, the guard said he had pulled up to work at the bar when he “saw two groups fighting.” The guard said he left his truck and waved for backup from bouncers at the bar.
“Both groups refused to stop fighting,” the statement said. “One group started getting aggressive with security, one male attempted to punch (the guard)” and the guard pushed back.
“The attacker then reached in his waistband and draws a handgun. (The guard) immediately had no other choice but to defend himself and co-workers and everyone else in the vicinity,” according to the statement.
As Dingillo collapsed on the ground, the guard said he walked back to his truck to get his phone and call police, but officers were already arriving, and he walked up and “let them know that he was the one who discharged his weapon,” the statement reads.
Detectives sought murder charges against the guard but prosecutors found the shooting was a “justifiable homicide,” according to Chris Papaioannou, the commander of the Town Hall District, which includes the bar.
According to a police report, the facts of the case were presented to the felony review unit of the state’s attorney’s office. An assistant state’s attorney rejected charges. Papaioannou said police consider the case closed, though a spokesman for the department said the shooting remained under investigation.
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Dingillo insisted her son did not have a gun on him and noted that none of his guns are missing from his home. She said he had a license to carry a concealed handgun in Wisconsin and would often wear a holster even when he wasn’t carrying a gun.
Dingillo said she has a concealed carry license too and does the same thing. “My holster stays on my belt 24/7,” she said. "When I’m ready to put my belt on and carry, my holster is already there.”
She added that her son would never carry a gun into Illinois.
Dingillo said she has become frustrated trying to find out what really happened. “Right now I’m pretty furious that there’s not more to know.”
‘Everyone knows it’s the Bluelight’
Neighbors around the Bluelight have long feared someone would be killed on their block. Many blame the shooting on the failure of police and the city to deal with the bar.
One of the neighbors who called 911 on the night of the shooting said she’s gotten used to hearing fights outside her home and tends to stay away from her windows at night.
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“I don’t understand how the police don’t sit out there,” the neighbor said. “There’s literally a police station right across the street. It boggles the mind that this continues to be such a hot spot for people.
“Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.,” she added. “Everyone should just go home.”
Nearby residents regularly complain about drunk driving, property damage, sidewalks littered with broken glass and condoms, large brawls in front of their homes. Petitions have been signed, a hearing was held and neighbors say the problems haven’t stopped.
Katherine Donnelly voices anger over a shooting by a security guard outside Bluelight, a bar on Western Avenue. She was speaking during a community meeting with Chicago police on Nov. 19, 2019, at the Area North police station on Belmont Avenue. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
After the shooting, more than 100 people showed up for a tense meeting at the Area North police station where both the commander and the ward’s alderman, Scott Waguespack, were pressed about closing the bar.
Papaioannou said there have been around 29,000 calls for service in the Town Hall District over the past year and only 14 have come from the area around Bluelight.
“That must be just from my house,” a woman yelled out.
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Others said they have simply stopped calling police. "We’ve called for a decade and no one ever shows up, and when they show up nothing happens,” Sarie Keller, who lives close to the bar, told the commander and the alderman.
“So those of us with children at the very least have decided that it’s more important to get our children back to sleep than for us to pick up the phone to call the police for them to not show, for the call to not be logged, or the officers to eventually show up and do nothing," she added.
Ald. Scott Waguespack, center, and police Cmdr. Chris Papaioannou, right, take questions from Roscoe Village residents at a community meeting with Chicago police on Nov. 19, 2019, at the Area North police station on Belmont Avenue. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
A few years ago, a car drove into the side of her house and caused thousands of dollars in damage to a brick fence, she said. Another time her security cameras were ripped from the mounting.
Keller said she recently spent thousands more on double-pane glass windows to mute the noise from the bar.
“Large-scale fights in the street, people slugging each other, throwing bricks and nothing,” she said. “Police show up and they just go, ‘Disperse.’ We don’t know why they won’t write tickets. ... Everyone knows it’s the Bluelight.”
Questions were also raised about the security company that employs the guard who shot Mario Dingillo. Walsh Security is owned by a police officer, Thomas Walsh, who works in the Town Hall District where the bar is located.
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Walsh is facing a 20-day suspension for allegedly punching a security guard at the Lucky Horseshoe Lounge on the North Side and calling him racial slurs. The guard said he tried to break up a fight between the officer and someone else in November 2013 when Walsh pushed him to the floor, injuring his shoulder.
Walsh “used profanity and directed racially motivated language” at the guard, according to a finding by the Independent Police Review Authority. IPRA recommended the suspension, which is still being arbitrated, according to police officials. Walsh could not be reached for comment.
Bluelight is required to have three security guards on Friday and Saturday from 1 a.m. until closing time to patrol the area, including on School Street where the shooting occurred.
The exterior of Bluelight, a 4 a.m. bar on Western Avenue in Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The bar has been found in violation of its security plan several times for various reasons and has been fined, according to the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
Even with Dingillo’s death, the city’s legal team told residents there isn’t much that can be done in the near future without security footage directly linking Bluelight patrons to illegal activity.
Waguespack said there’s a moratorium on late-night licenses, like the 4 a.m. permit Bluelight has, but current ones are grandfathered in. He offered residents little help, even while describing the bar as a threat to neighbors. "Those shots could’ve easily gone into somebody’s house,” he said.
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The owner of the bar could not be reached for comment.
‘A good guy ... a good heart’
Dingillo’s family takes issue with the guard’s description of what happened, saying Dingillo was not a violent person and never had any ties to crime or gangs. Records checked by the Tribune show no criminal background.
Dingillo had a wife and two sons, 4 and 8. His mother said he worked hard and was “full of life.”
Sandra Dingillo showed a hint of a smile as she talked about her son barbecuing in the front yard and offering food to neighbors who passed by. A talented cook, he had a dream of starting a taco food truck.
“I’m not trying to make my son out to be an angel, a perfect upstanding citizen, but he was a good guy and he had a good heart," she said. “He always tried to keep all of us together as a family. ... They’ve portrayed him to be a monster. They’ve portrayed Mario to be a bully, a gangster. That was not Mario, Mario was none of that."
She tries to visit her son’s grave once a week and worries about his two young sons growing up without a father.
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“No matter what anyone says or thinks, I will continue to fight for justice for my son because that’s what a mother does,” she said. “I want my son to be able to rest. I want his afterlife to be peaceful and for him to rest and for us to have the truth and peace for ourselves as well.”
Twitter @MarieCFazio