chicagotribune--2020-01-15--Why did Emerald City Theatre collapse? Children’s theater is hard.

Nolan , who left Emerald City in 2016 , also said that the Chicago company struggled to find the right @ @ @ @ @ children ’ s theater requires larger venues , if only to mitigate the price resistance @ @ @ @ @ have its own large performance space and , Nolan said , “ a lot of @ @ @ @ @ paying rent.
” Even though he was asked to leave by Cardarelli , who wanted @ @ @ @ @ founded in a “ different artistic direction , ” as she said at the time @ @ @ @ @ back with gratitude on his experiences there and he pointed out that “ many of @ @ @ @ @ theater started at Emerald City .
”

Tia Pinson was Lisa and Jean Claudio was the bear Corduroy in Emerald City Theatre's recent holiday run of "Corduroy" at Broadway Playhouse in Chicago — the theater's final show. (Austin D. Olie photo/HANDOUT)
The news went out quietly on the Friday before Christmas, late in the afternoon: Emerald City Theatre, one of Chicago’s best known children’s theaters, had run out of money and was going out of business. Upcoming productions were cancelled, the phones were not answered and parents who had prepaid for its popular summer theater camp were told that any decisions about refunds would only be made “after the holidays.”
As of January 14, parents like Korey Huyler of Lakeview were still out more than $650, the cost of next summer’s “Addams Family Performance Camp" for her daughter. Huyler (who works in marketing for a unit of Tribune Publishing, which also publishes this newspaper) said her most recent communication from a “patron services manager” had said: “We shall be make (sic) every best effort to issue refunds as funds allow and will follow up on more communication in late January.”
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So what went wrong at Emerald City?
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Interviews with those involved point to a combination of space issues, a lingering debt, programming difficulties, growing too quickly without a cohesive plan, a competitive market in Chicago, founders unwilling to fully empower their successors and the problems endemic to all children’s theaters — the difficulty of selling tickets at a price that actually covers costs.
The collapse of Emerald City was especially surprising, though, since the theater had announced a major gift of $500,000 in 2017. The money, a formidable amount for a non-Equity theater with an annual budget only of about $2 million, was presented by Nina Gonzalez and David May, members of the board of directors of the North Avenue Day Nursery, a provider of childcare and early-childhood education for more than 108 years to low-income families of Chicago. The nursery closed its doors at the end of 2016. The money came from the sale of its building.
“Emerald City Theatre is fully committed to continuing the legacy of service to Chicago’s low-income children,” co-founder and executive director Karen Cardarelli said when the gift, one of several grants made by the board of the Day Nursery, was presented.
Cardarelli, now a program officer at the Illinois Arts Council after leaving Emerald City in October, just a few weeks before the announcement, declined to answer specific questions about Emerald City’s demise, pointing instead to a lengthy statement she had posted to Facebook in December.
The statement praised the company’s artists, staffers and board members, thanked its audiences and recounted its achievements and its influence on the lives of Chicago-area children since its founding in 1996.
“Upon the announcement of Emerald City Theatre’s closure, I was mentally prepared to be sad these past days,” Cardarelli wrote. “But I am finding feelings of gratitude and pride far outweigh my sadness.”
“To be frank,” said the board chair Heike Spahn, “the decision to close came because the board was uncomfortable taking on any additional debt without a viable understanding of how that debt would be paid off."
Spahn said the systemic problem at Emerald City was, in essence, a lack of revenue. “The model didn’t really work without a lot of contributed income,” she said. "Our mission was to remain affordable for families and that meant we were unable to charge ticket prices that covered all our costs, especially since we were committed to paying our staff members and artists at least minimum wage.” Spahn said that the annual show produced downtown at the Broadway Playhouse, in partnership with Broadway in Chicago, generally broke even, but that other productions had begun to lose large sums of money.
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One issue the theater faced, she said, was that most of its shows were aimed at young children. And thus once a kid reached about the age of 10, they “aged out” of the content, meaning that their potential donor parents also likely lost interest. This made it harder to raise money than, say, an adult theater, which can coax supporters over a much longer time frame than a handful of early-childhood years.
The solution to that, says Ernie Nolan, a former artistic director at Emerald City who now runs the highly successful Nashville Children’s Theatre, is to focus on schools. “Eighty percent of my audience in Nashville is school groups,” he said in a recent interview, “and if schools are not interested in a show, then I know I have a problem.”
But in Chicago, Emerald City tended to target individual families, partly because it faced steep competition for school audiences from other children’s theater companies, some of which used union actors and big theatrical names around town. And here, too, the Emerald City focus on younger children likely hurt its ability to attract middle schools and high schools.
Nolan, who left Emerald City in 2016, also said that the Chicago company struggled to find the right space. In general, children’s theater requires larger venues, if only to mitigate the price resistance. Emerald City did not have its own large performance space and, Nolan said, “a lot of its revenue always went to paying rent.” Even though he was asked to leave by Cardarelli, who wanted to take the theater she founded in a “different artistic direction,” as she said at the time, Nolan said he looked back with gratitude on his experiences there and he pointed out that “many of the leading lights in Chicago theater started at Emerald City.”
Spahn allowed that the theater, in hindsight, probably had grown too quickly, given that it “lacked a runway” to raise the contributions it needed to support its coterie of staffers and mostly young artists.
“There will be a huge void,” she said.
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Of course, there also is a hole in some parents’ summer budgets, yet to be plugged.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--Man turns himself in weeks after Brighton Park hit-and-run that left 73-year-old with life-threateni

Man turns himself in weeks after Brighton Park hit-and-run that left 73-year-old with life-threatening injuries, police say

Guillermo Salgado Jr. , 30 , turned himself into authorities on Sunday following the hit-and-run on Dec. 28 , 2019 @ @ @ @ @ 5300 block of South Francisco Avenue , was charged with felony counts of failing to @ @ @ @ @ and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death , according to Chicago @ @

A Chicago man faces multiple felony charges after he allegedly ran over a 73-year-old man last month in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
Guillermo Salgado Jr., 30, turned himself into authorities on Sunday following the hit-and-run on Dec. 28, 2019. Salgado, of the 5300 block of South Francisco Avenue, was charged with felony counts of failing to report an accident causing injury and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death, according to Chicago police.
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Chicago police said that during the night of the crash, Salgado was driving his 2011 Jeep Patriot in the 4400 block of South California Avenue when he allegedly struck a 73-year-old man at the crosswalk. The 73-year-old suffered “life-threatening injuries,” but the driver fled the scene.
Salgado, upon being identified as the suspect, was charged and is due in bond court Thursday.


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--Woman, 20, killed by gunman while sitting inside car in Gresham

Another woman was parked on Loomis Boulevard for at least two hours , watching officers with her window rolled down @ @ @ @ @ declined to be identified , said she found out about the shooting while checking Twitter @ @ @ @ @ what she said was both nosiness and concern .

A gunman walked up to a woman sitting in a car and opened fire, killing her early Wednesday in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.
The 20-year-old woman was in the driver’s seat of a black sedan parked in the 1400 block of West 83rd Street when she was shot in the head and right side of her body just after 12:30 a.m., according to Chicago police.
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She was discovered by officers responding to an alert from a ShotSpotter sensor that picked up the gunfire. An ambulance brought her to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
No one was in custody.
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The car faced west on 83rd Street near Loomis Boulevard, its driver’s seat window rolled down. Red police tape was strewn around it on the ground. The car remained running, exhaust billowing from the tailpipe, as officers worked the scene. Two detectives shined flashlights from all angles at the car as an officer pointed out shell casings on the street.
A man who appeared agitated sat in the back of one of the squad cars inside the crime scene. At times he bickered with the officers, and one of them tried to mollify him, saying, “I understand you’re upset."
Just east of the sedan, neighbors in a four-story apartment complex occasionally peered out windows. One woman shot video of the police activity with her phone after calling out, “Did somebody die?”
Another woman was parked on Loomis for at least two hours, watching officers with her window rolled down. The 28-year-old, who declined to be identified, said she found out about the shooting while checking Twitter and stopped by out of what she said was both curiosity and concern.
While she didn’t hear that the victim was someone she knew, she said she still felt compelled to stay at the scene. “This my neighborhood.”
The gun violence in Gresham has tired her, she said, and she wished she didn’t fear for her safety so much.
“I just think it’s sad, that you can’t even ride wherever you need to go,” she said. “It’s too dangerous to be doing anything in this neighborhood.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 3-2 OT win over the Senators, including Jonathan Toews’ game-winnin

3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 3-2 OT win over the Senators, including Jonathan Toews’ game-winning goal and Patrick Kane’s 997th career point

`` You saw us turn things around in the second period , all four lines were playing with energy , @ @ @ @ @ We were getting those quick changes where the next line can get out and keep @ @ @ @ @ them in their zone and make them play where they do n't want to play @ @ @ @ @ feed off each other when everyone 's going like that and you know what the @ @ @ @ @ going to do and we 're all reading off each other .

OTTAWA, Ontario — When the first period came to a close Tuesday night, the Blackhawks returned to their locker room trailing a terrible Senators team by a pair of goals.
And that’s where they had a little chat.
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“We really can’t afford to lose many games right now,” Jonathan Toews said. “So we weren’t too happy with our start, and I think all the guys came in here — it wasn’t just a few guys, it was everyone — and acknowledged that we’re a lot better than that, that all five guys can go out there and support each other much better and make the job easier on the guy next to you. Lot of hockey left.”
There was just enough hockey left for the Hawks to pull out a 3-2 overtime victory. But is there enough hockey left in the season to make a run at the playoffs?
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The Hawks are six points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot and trail three teams, so the path won’t be easy. But there is a path, and on Tuesday, it included having a little chat between periods.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's win:
1. Until further notice, Dominik Kubalik is the story.
Quick trivia question: Who did the Hawks trade to acquire Dominik Kubalik?
Answer: Goalie Frederik Dichow.
Well, that’s not quite true. The Hawks owned the Coyotes’ fifth-round pick, which they traded to the Kings for Kubalik last January. The Kings in turn flipped the pick to the Canadiens, who selected Dichow, who is still 18 and playing junior hockey in Sweden. He is many years away from reaching the NHL if he makes it all.
Needless to say, the Hawks have come out ahead so far in this one.
How hot is Kubalik? On Tuesday, he scored for a fifth straight game, had his second straight two-goal game and with 18 goals on the season took over the rookie lead from the Sabres’ Victor Olofsson.
How hot is Kubalik? Before Jonathan Toews’ game-winner in OT, Kubalik had scored seven of the Hawks’ previous 10 goals.
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How hot is Kubalik? He's never done anything like this before in any of his previous five professional seasons playing in Europe.
“I remember I had (goals) let’s say 2-3 games in a row but never like this.”
Kubalik has launched himself into the Calder Trophy conversation, and while he’s probably not going to overtake the Avalanche’s Cale Makar or Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, he’s certainly a strong finalist candidate.
Not bad for a guy who was acquired for — what was his name again? — Frederik Dichow.
“I’m just trying to keep going,” said Kubalik, who had a game-high nine shots on goal. "Trying to shoot as much as possible and be in the net. I got so much luck on my stick right now.
"On the first goal it hit my shin pads and the second one I was just trying to shoot and I didn't hit well and it goes five-hole. Obviously, it's nice to keep scoring but just need to keep working hard."
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2. Don’t get too excited, part 2: The Senators are worse than the Ducks.
Any winning streak is a welcome one, but some are better than others. In fact, the Hawks might have just put together the least impressive two-game streak in a long time.
Yes, they did what they had to do to beat the Ducks and the Senators, but their lapses likely would have been fatal against decent teams.
Falling asleep while allowing the Senators to take a 2-0 first-period lead is inexcusable, even if the Hawks controlled play for the majority of the remaining 50 minutes.
And the Hawks did control the game. They had a 57-34 advantage in even-strength shot attempts and held a 26-13 advantage in scoring chances, including 19-7 over the final two periods plus overtime.
But remember these were the Senators, who came into the game 25th in the league in scoring, 29th in goals allowed and by virtue of picking up a point in the OT moved ahead of the Ducks for the league’s third-worst record.
This was a game the Hawks had to have and overall, it was a dominant performance despite needing extra time. But beating up on the Senators won’t matter to a team still safely outside the playoff picture if they can’t beat a mediocre Canadiens team Wednesday and then start taking points against good teams over the final 2½ months of the season.
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“We got to be sharper when we go out there,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We got to understand the game’s on the line. Would have loved to not put ourselves in that hole, but didn’t mind the first few shifts. We just got to be sharp all the time; the game’s always on the line.”
Regardless of who the Hawks have been playing, they’ve shown an ability to not panic. They’ve given up the first goal in each of their last three victories — falling behind 2-0 in two of them — and never quit. That counts for something, even if those three wins were against the Red Wings, Ducks and Senators.
"You saw us turn things around in the second period, all four lines were playing with energy," Toews said. "We were getting those quick changes where the next line can get out and keep pressure on them and keep them in their zone and make them play where they don't want to play. I think we just feed off each other when everyone's going like that and you know what the guy with the puck is going to do and we're all reading off each other.
"It's just fun hockey to play with energy like that. Obviously, there's a few games lately where we don't get the start that we need. So we can try to find ways to generate the energy and be in control in the first 20."
3. Patrick Kane’s 997th career point was 18 seconds in the making.
We’ve reached the point where Patrick Kane realistically can reach 1,000 career points in the next game he plays.
After picking up two assists against the Senators, Kane stands at 997 points. For mere mortals, three points in a game might be a stretch.
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But Kane has had at least three points in a game seven times in 47 games this season, so it should come as no surprise if he gets No. 1,000 Wednesday against the Canadiens. It almost would be a shock if he didn’t get it in Montreal or against the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
It would be more fun if he could somehow wait until Sunday when the Hawks play the Jets at the United Center, and it would be incredible timing if he got it Tuesday against Joel Quenneville’s Panthers.
Whenever and however he gets it, Kane has been an incredible athlete to watch the last 13 seasons. So focusing on the assist he was awarded on Jonathan Toews’ OT goal isn’t anything but pointing out how silly some assists can be.
At the 4:37 mark of overtime, Kane crossed the blue line and sent a little drop pass to Toews.
Over the next 19 seconds, Toews took the puck to the other side of the ice, left the offensive zone completely, crossed center ice while nearly touching his own blue line, skated back into the offensive zone, continued with the puck behind the Senators net, circled around to the slot and, finally, fired in a wrist shot.
Nice assist, Patrick Kane.
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Here is coverage from Tuesday’s game:
Dominik Kubalik had two goals for the second consecutive game and scored in his fifth straight and Jonathan Toews scored 42 seconds into overtime to give the Blackhawks a sorely needed 3-2 overtime victory over the Senators on Tuesday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Hawks’ second consecutive win upped their record to 21-20-6 as they began a three-game swing through eastern Canada. They visit Montreal on Wednesday before closing out the trip Saturday at Toronto.
Toews sprung Kubalik on a breakaway less than four minutes into the third period, and he beat goalie Marcus Hogberg for his second goal of the game — and 18th of the season — to tie the score at 2. Toews also had two assists for his third straight multipoint game.
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Patrick Kane tallied two assists and now has 997 points for his career.
Robin Lehner gave up a pair of first-period goals but stopped 20 shots for his eighth win in nine starts.
It is the year of our Hockey Gods 2020 and Jonathan Toews remains Captain Clutch. @EASportsNHL pic.twitter.com/4HgvdVdpt8 — Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 15, 2020
Kubalik tied Jeremy Roenick, Denis Savard, George Gee and Tom Cook for the longest goal streaks in Hawks history by a rookie. Only Darryl Sutter, who had a seven-game goal streak in 1981, had a longer one.
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The Senators went ahead 1-0 just 3:33 into the game. Jean-Gabriel Pageau won a faceoff in the Hawks’ zone back to the point, where Dylan DeMelo put a shot on goal and Connor Brown was there for the rebound for his eighth goal.
Less than four minutes later, Thomas Chabot and Chris Tierney combined on a give-and-go with Tierney, who easily slipped past Erik Gustafsson to gain position to tip in the pass from Chabot to make it 2-0. It appeared the puck might have hit Tierney’s skate or Gustafsson’s stick before it went in.
Midway through the second period, Toews had a tap-in opportunity into an open net but airmailed the shot over the crossbar. A few minutes later, Alex Nylander was alone in the slot and whiffed on a centering pass.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Ask Amy: Enjoy the lunch, but hold the private details

If someone is engaged in a topic that makes you genuinely uncomfortable , you can gently try to change the @ @ @ @ @ I 'm so sorry to hear all of this .
I seem to remember that @ @ @ @ @ trip this summer .
Will you still be able to do that ? ''
Or @ @ @ @ @ person off of sharing medical details by asking pointed questions about the subject 's life @ @ @ @ @ and how ) they lived , versus how they are dying .

Dear Amy: I will be turning 60 this year, and have noticed a sort of trend among many of my friends, acquaintances, and co-workers.
It seems like every time we get together, someone starts to talk about a loved one who is very ill, dying, or has died.
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This often sets off a morbid competition of who can come up with the most heartbreaking -- and graphic -- details.
Obviously, we're all at an age where we've experienced this type of loss. Both my parents and three of my siblings have passed on, but I would never reveal details of their deaths in a casual, mixed-company setting.
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If we're out having drinks before a concert, at a baby shower, or in the lunchroom at work, I'd rather not hear about a beloved aunt's courageous but losing battle with cancer.
I'm not an unsympathetic person -- quite the opposite. But there is a time and place to reveal this sort of personal information.
My question is: How would you handle this tricky social situation without coming across as a callous jerk?
My next question: Am I being a callous jerk?
— Buzz-killed in Boston
Dear Buzz-killed: I don't know if I would call you a callous jerk, mainly because you got there before me. I exaggerate, but I do believe you sound ... intolerant.
Perhaps you remember your own life about three decades ago, when your peers (and possibly you, also) were all talking about pregnancy, childbirth, the terrible twos, or your terrible bosses.
Yes, back in those days there were probably people who laid on too much graphic detail in recounting their childbirth stories. I'd venture that these might be the same people who offer up too much detail (for you) regarding their loved-ones' illness or death stories.
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However, what your cohorts are doing is not mindless, tactless talk. They are narrating their lives. What you describe as a "morbid competition" might otherwise be seen as "relating."
You may declare that reporting on, recounting and remembering your loved ones is bad form, but (in my view) this is a matter of opinion. I agree that going on and on in a larger social setting and describing (private) medical details about a perfect stranger is not polite or pro-social behavior.
But -- anyone who wants to talk about and/or remember a loved-one is welcome to sit by me (and that includes you).
If someone is engaged in a topic that makes you genuinely uncomfortable, you can gently try to change the subject by saying, "I'm so sorry to hear all of this. I seem to remember that you are planning a long trip this summer. Will you still be able to do that?" Or, you could pull the person off of sharing medical details by asking pointed questions about the subject's life, such as where (and how) they lived, versus how they are dying.
Dear Amy: My sister-in-law had minor surgery.
I made a few frozen casserole "comfort food" dishes for her and my brother-in-law to consume during her recovery.
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Generally, it is acknowledged that I am a good cook.
When I next saw them, they returned one of the casseroles, saying that it is a dish that they don't care for. I know that it is something they eat.
Am I wrong to think it would have been kinder to simply regift the dish, or simply dispose of it, rather than returning it to me?
— Casserolled
Dear Casserolled: Because a casserole is a word describing both a baked dish and also the dish it is baked in, I take it that this dish was returned to you, food intact.
I agree with you that this is strange, and rude. This was a kind and generous gesture on your part. When receiving gifts of food, there is no rule that this food must be consumed and enjoyed, but the dish (sans food) should be returned, clean, and the giver should be thanked.
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Dear Amy: This is for "Disappointed," your reader who thinks that a man grabbing a woman's crotch is a minor infraction.
Any form of sexual misconduct should be called out.
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 >
Public cases show how long an abuser gets away with this behavior when not reported.
Reporting an event can help to prevent this conduct from being forced onto others.
— Upset
Dear Upset: Many readers have reacted to the question similarly. If this sort of behavior goes unchallenged, then it continues. In a worst-case scenario, this sort of drunken groping could escalate into a more serious assault.
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Get the latest no-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning with our Ask Amy newsletter. Sign up here.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--DePaul pushes No. 14 Villanova to OT but falls 79-75 to drop to 0-4 in the Big East

DePaul ( 12-5 , 0-4 ) trailed by 11 points with 2:14 left in regulation , one more loss against @ @ @ @ @ s elite a mere formality .
But the Blue Demons showed grit down the stretch @ @ @ @ @ in the series against the Wildcats .
Moore buried a 3 to start the rally @ @ @ @ @ a corner 3 with 31.5 seconds to go that made it 67-65 and silenced the @ @ @

VILLANOVA, Pa. — Collin Gillespie made four straight free throws in overtime and scored 21 points, and No. 14 Villanova survived a scare to beat DePaul for the 19th straight time, 79-75 on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (13-3, 4-1 Big East) trailed by 13 early and got a fight few expected from one of the perennial worst teams in the conference. DePaul's Charlie Moore made one free throw and intentionally missed the second with about a second left in OT, but the Blue Demons failed to score — or complete the comeback.
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DePaul (12-5, 0-4) trailed by 11 points with 2:14 left in regulation, one more loss against one of the nation’s elite a mere formality. But the Blue Demons showed grit down the stretch they rarely have played with in the series against the Wildcats. Moore buried a 3 to start the rally and Jalen Coleman-Lands connected on a corner 3 with 31.5 seconds to go that made it 67-65 and silenced the Villanova crowd.
Moore scored the tying basket after Villanova threw away the ball on the inbounds play, and Villanova missed a shot to win at the buzzer.
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Gillespie steadied the Wildcats in OT and they won for the 10th time in 11 games. Saddiq Bey scored 18 points, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Wildcats could not shake the pesky Blue Demons and were stuck tied at 40 midway through the second half. Moore hit five 3s and scored 29 points for DePaul and Paul Reed had 18 points and 15 rebounds.
The Wildcats were 10½-point favorites for a reason, undefeated against DePaul since Jan. 3, 2008. To put that in perspective, that was two national titles and a renovated arena ago for the Wildcats.
DePaul showed a flicker of improvement with a 12-1 start to the season, highlighted by an overtime victory against national title game finalist Texas Tech, only to drop the first three games of the Big East play.
Against the Wildcats, DePaul came ready for an upset. The Blue Demons stunned Villanova early, and when Moore buried a 3 from the top of the arc and Nick Ogenda followed with a second-chance layup, they led 21-8 and forced Nova to call timeout. DePaul used a 9-0 run and Villanova missed nine of 10 shots over a 3-minute span to make this one a ballgame.
Villanova's Cole Swider hit a 3 that ended the scoring drought and kickstarted a 22-7 run to close the half. Gillespie hit back-to-back 3s, sank two free throws and buried a 3 after DePaul was whistled for an offensive foul, and suddenly the Wildcats were within two. Swider tied it on two free throws and Bey sent the Pavilion into a frenzy with a big bucket down low that sent the Wildcats into halftime with a 30-28 lead.
Reed had his 12th double-double for the Blue Demons, tops in the Big East. DePaul continues its rugged Big East stretch Saturday against No. 5 Butler.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Woman cited multiple times after fatally running over male pedestrian by Caldwell Woods on NW Side

The male , whose identify has not been released , was pronounced dead at the scene .
The woman , @ @ @ @ @ for not having a driver ’ s license , driving uninsured and not exercising due @ @ @ @ @ the roadway , police said .

An unidentified male pedestrian was killed and a woman was facing citations after she allegedly ran him over Tuesday night on the Northwest Side.
About 7:50 p.m. by Caldwell Woods, the pedestrian was walking east on the roadway in the 6100 block of West Devon Avenue when a woman driving a vehicle west struck him, according to Chicago police.
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The male, whose identify has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman, 36, will be cited for not having a driver’s license, driving uninsured and not exercising due care over a pedestrian in the roadway, police said.
No charges were pending as Chicago police’s Major Accidents Unit continues investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Cubs sign reliever Jason Adam to minor-league deal, report says

Adam , 28 , wasn ’ t tendered a contract by the Blue Jays , with whom he went 3-0 @ @ @ @ @ 21⅔ innings pitched last season .
The right-hander was 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA in @ @ @ @ @ with the Royals in 2018 .

While the Cubs await an arbitrator’s decision on Kris Bryant’s grievance regarding service time, they continue to add low-cost bullpen help.
They reached an agreement on a minor-league contract with Jason Adam, according to a tweet Tuesday night by baseball writer Robert Murray.
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Adam, 28, wasn’t tendered a contract by the Blue Jays, with whom he went 3-0 with a 2.91 ERA in 21⅔ innings pitched last season. The right-hander was 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA in 32⅓ innings as a rookie with the Royals in 2018.
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Adam has struck out 55 but walked 25 in 54 career innings. His fastball averaged 94.5 mph last season, according to Fangraphs.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Anthony Davis ... Packers fan? The Chicago native explains why he attended Sunday’s playoff game.

Chicagoans have long been sensitive to Davis ’ words and actions , perhaps harboring hope that he might someday return @ @ @ @ @ for the Bulls .
As recently as July , Davis called Chicago “ the Mecca @ @ @ @ @ he would “ definitely consider ” playing for the Bulls in his career .

The Packers hosted the Seahawks in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, and as is the case with high-profile postseason games, the sidelines were littered with celebrities, including one controversial sighting.
While Lil Wayne and Danica Patrick drew double takes, it was Chicago native Anthony Davis whose appearance caused the biggest stir. Davis cheered from the sidelines alongside Lakers teammates Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, former Bull Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee, who attended Hales Franciscan.
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Davis grew up on the South Side and attended Perspectives Charter School. He later won a national title at Kentucky and played for the Pelicans and Lakers.
Dressed in an Aaron Rodgers jersey, the 6-foot-10 Davis was an active fan during the Packers’ 28-23 victory. Prior to the game, he shared handshakes with Packers players and was filmed screaming “Go Pack Go" and “Let’s get this win.”
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It should come as no surprise that Davis’ unabashed support of the Packers didn’t go over well with Chicagoans and Bears supporters. Twitter users — including some former Bears — expressed disappointment in a number of ways, with many writing Davis’ Chicago card should be revoked.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!
YOU ARE ACTUALLY FROM CHICAGO!!!
ITS TATTOOED ON YOUR ARM!!! pic.twitter.com/hRQ7tJsUKo — ANTHONY ADAMS (@spiceadams) January 13, 2020
Chicagoans have long been sensitive to Davis’ words and actions, perhaps harboring hope that he might someday return to the city to play for the Bulls. As recently as July, Davis called Chicago “the Mecca of basketball” and said he would “definitely consider” playing for the Bulls in his career.
On Tuesday, Davis explained why he’s a fan of the green and gold.
“I was never a football guy,” he said, according to USA Today’s Mark Medina. “Then I got to the NBA and guys say, ‘You have to have a team.’ I knew guys from the Packers. I get a lot of hate, but I don’t really care. It’s football. It’s not my fault the Bears aren’t playing well.”
Anthony Davis, Chicago native,explains Packers fandom:"I was never a football guy.Then I got to the NBA & guys say, 'You have to have a team.'I knew guys from the Packers.I get a lot of hate, but I don’t really care. It’s football. It’s not my fault the Bears aren’t playing well" — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 14, 2020
It’s hard to argue his point considering the Bears have only six playoff appearances since Davis was born in 1993.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--How much more can Zach LaVine contribute? When will Otto Porter return? 10 questions facing the Bull

How much more can Zach LaVine contribute? When will Otto Porter return? 10 questions facing the Bulls at the NBA midseason.

This question might not be answered for a few years considering rookie guard Coby White does not turn 20 until @ @ @ @ @ makes the flashes he ’ s already shown in his rookie season among the most @ @ @ @ @ ’ s first half .
He has taken over fourth quarters , catching fire by @ @ @ @ @ of them ( the youngest player ever to do so ) and already recording five @ @ @ @ @ most for any teenager in Bulls history .

The Bulls expected to see steps forward. The building blocks were established, and they entered the season in position to make a leap. Not only did the Bulls anticipate a move toward competitiveness, they even dared to dream of a return to the playoffs.
Those aspirations have fallen flat as the Bulls limped to the finish of the first half of the season by dropping seven of their last eight games. Their record through 41 games is 14-27, tied for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and 5½ games back from a playoff spot. Their record is the same as at the halfway point of the 2017-18 season, the beginning of this rebuilding process that now appears stagnant.
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“Obviously, we came into the season with bigger and higher expectations and haven’t lived up to it so far,” Bulls forward Thaddeus Young said. “But there’s still time to try to make up some games and try to get some wins.”
There’s still time left in the season and no shortage of storylines remaining for the Bulls’ second half, which begins Wednesday night against the Wizards — one of the few teams behind the Bulls in the East. Here are 10 questions to consider during the next 41 games.
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1. What else can we expect from Zach LaVine as a scorer?
The Bulls have underachieved as a whole this season, but Zach LaVine is holding up his end of the bargain. He’s averaging a career-best 24.5 points per game while shooting a career-high 39.5% from 3-point range. He’s shown the kind of high-end scoring performances only a handful of players in the league are capable of when they get hot, setting a Bulls record by hitting 13 3s during his 49-point performance on Nov. 23.
The Bulls rank near the bottom of the league in offense (28th), but with LaVine on the floor they’re closer to below average. He does have career highs in usage rate and field-goal attempts, which opens up questions about empty scoring, but consider where this offense would be without him. That alone should earn him All-Star consideration — although that will depend on how much team success means to voters — and he’s even turned his production up a notch since the start of December.
As much as LaVine is worth watching as a scorer, it’s also worth paying attention to whether he can take steps forward in his defense and playmaking, both of which still could use some work.
1B. And will LaVine do the dunk contest next month?
Because he totally should.
DON'T JUMP WITH ZACH pic.twitter.com/WYZKB3gXa1 — Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) January 14, 2020
2. What to make of Lauri Markkanen’s third season?
For those optimistic about the Bulls, the presumed improvement from Lauri Markkanen was among the top reasons.
Instead of a player on the rise, Markkanen’s minutes (30.2), usage rate (21.0) and scoring (15.1 ppg) all closely mirror his rookie season and are a step back from last year. It’s made his season among the most difficult to assess on this roster.
Is Markkanen’s dip in production part of a slow start that he nearly erased in December, only to be hampered by a sprained left ankle? Is this a product of a system not putting him in the best position to succeed, which includes baffling stretches of game action when he sits on the bench? Or are these signs of larger concern for perhaps the most important player for the Bulls' future?
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3. What exactly do the Bulls have in Coby White?
This question might not be answered for a few years considering rookie guard Coby White does not turn 20 until next month. But that makes the flashes he’s already shown in his rookie season among the most encouraging developments of the team’s first half. He has taken over fourth quarters, catching fire by hitting seven 3s in one of them (the youngest player ever to do so) and already recording five 20-point games, the second most for any teenager in Bulls history.
The latest addition to the Bulls’ collection of seventh overall draft picks looks to have a bright future and has proven a capable scoring threat, even if he is still inconsistent on a nightly basis. That should be expected from a 19-year-old rookie, but the scoring spurts give the Bulls reasons for optimism that White will be a factor on the franchise’s next playoff team.
4. Is Jim Boylen the right coach for the Bulls?
Teams who underperform often put their coach directly on the hot seat, and although the organization continues to express confidence in coach Jim Boylen, his tenure as Bulls coach has been rocky from the beginning.
Boylen has spent this season committed to installing his system no matter the growing pains. So when Wendell Carter Jr. goes down, Daniel Gafford and Luke Kornet have been asked to fill his role even though they are not as skilled. Maybe it’ll make Gafford and the rest of the young players better in the long run, but there’s an interesting line between maximizing the strengths of your personnel and fitting them into a system that could pay off in the long run.
Bulls head coach Jim Boylen walks off the court after a Bulls loss to the Trail Blazers, 117-94, at the United Center, Monday Nov. 25, 2019, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The rotation pattern has been puzzling at times, the latest examples including Denzel Valentine being reportedly unhappy with his lack of playing time and Markkanen’s prolonged stretches on the bench. The first-year head coach remains committed to implementing his system and culture, which has been a difficult sell when the team is not having success.
Maybe Boylen has gone too far in some ways, and he has acknowledged that in the future the Bulls might have to adjust. But how quickly he makes those adjustments and how the team responds to them will be worth watching. Boylen's true test will be if he can get the most out of this roster as he attempts to save this season.
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5. How will the Bulls survive without Wendell Carter Jr.?
Carter had been one of the Bulls' biggest bright spots, increasing his points and rebounds per game while being the centerpiece of the team’s defensive scheme. That’s what made his injury a bummer — he’s aiming for a return around the All-Star break — and a potential nightmare for the Bulls, who struggled defensively when Carter got hurt last season.
Rookie center Daniel Gafford has filled in the starting lineup nicely, but the depth behind him is thin, especially if Boylen continues to show a reluctance to play Young and Markkanen together. But the Bulls will be piecing things together until Carter returns to the lineup.
6. When will Otto Porter Jr. return?
Otto Porter Jr. has not played since Nov. 9 because of a fractured left foot that has limited him to nine games. He seems to be on track to return sometime around the All-Star break. Trading for Porter last February was supposed to be a sign that this team was ready to take the next step, and he certainly has been missed.
This Bulls offense could use a spark, and Porter’s return could provide that, especially if he can get back to being the player he looked like last season after the trade — 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Do the Bulls miss Otto Porter? My column: pic.twitter.com/rqEUJgbmSx — Anchorage Man (@SethPartnow) January 14, 2020
7. What’s Kris Dunn’s ceiling in his new role?
Credit to Kris Dunn for the way he has accepted his role change, becoming a reserve and playing on the wing instead of as the main ball handler and focusing on being an elite defender and ballhawk. He leads the NBA in steals per 36 minutes and is only three behind Ben Simmons for the most in the NBA despite playing 380 fewer minutes than the 76ers guard. Before the Bulls played the Celtics on Monday, Boylen compared Dunn’s contributions to Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who plays a key role as a reserve in Boston.
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‘‘His name has come up," Boylen said. ‘‘The greatest comparison of those two guys is they’re team guys. They do whatever it takes to win, role acceptance to help the team play better. Smart has the ability to start, come off the bench, can play (point guard) through (power forward) and help you win. I think they are maybe kindred spirits, in a way.”
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8. What will the Bulls do at the trade deadline?
With the Feb. 6 trade deadline weeks away, the Bulls have a few players who could be attractive to opposing teams if they decide to sell. Valentine seems like an easy trade candidate if he has fallen out of the rotation completely. Perhaps Young, who is playing fewer minutes and scoring fewer points than any season since his rookie year, also could be enticing to a contending team.
It seems unlikely the Bulls would make a drastic move similar to last season’s trade for Porter or dealing one of the centerpieces of their core, but the they have some trade chips should they chose to make a move in the next few weeks.
9. How good is this team defensively?
The Bulls aggressively trap their opponents and generate the most turnovers in the league, making them a top-10 overall defense for most of the season, which Boylen has pointed to as one of the team’s strengths. But the Bulls are falling down the defensive rankings this month, accelerated a bit by Carter’s absence but mostly by the skilled, experienced playmakers who easily have picked apart their scheme during a tougher schedule this month. That should continue as the Bulls face further tests for the next month.
10. What’s the future of the front office?
Rumors and speculation already are circling the Bulls’ offseason and whether they could make some major changes to their front office. That would be welcomed and applauded by a vocal portion of Bulls fans, and if the team cannot improve in important ways, it would be hard to justify staying the course.
Vice President John Paxson appears likely to remain as one of the key decision makers, according to a report by NBC Sports Chicago, but perhaps the Bulls could explore additions to their front office, someone with “fresh eyes and insights from outside the organization.”
A shakeup to the front office would be a drastic change, but after a season falling below everyone’s expectations, changes could be on the horizon.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Matt Mishler resigns from role as Rolling Meadows football coach after nine seasons

“ The one thing I ’ m most proud of is the the relationships that we built with the players @ @ @ @ @ the whole staff and the family atmosphere we were able to cultivate .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ what we were able to do in the conference .
It ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ away , but I ’ m confident it ’ s the right thing to do @ @

Rolling Meadows football coach Matt Mishler announced on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, that he would be stepping down from his role with the Mustangs. (Tim Boyle / Pioneer Press)
Rolling Meadows football coach Matt Mishler milled around the field for quite a while on that cold Saturday afternoon.
After the Mustangs lost to Nazareth 42-14 on Nov. 23 in the Class 7A semifinals, Mishler was among a large number of players, coaches, students and family members who were not ready to leave the field. They wanted to relish the program’s historic run for just a bit longer.
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At the time, Mishler did not know that he had coached his last game for the Mustangs. In a surprising move Tuesday, Mishler announced that he would be stepping down as the Rolling Meadows football coach.
Mishler posted a 72-25 record, including a 37-8 mark in the Mid-Suburban East, in his nine seasons at Rolling Meadows. The Mustangs went 12-1 this fall and reached the state semifinals for the first time since 2004.
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“I started thinking about it after the season,” Mishler said. “It was probably one of the most difficult things for me to make. It was tugging after me. It has nothing to do with my my health and family. They are good. I came to the realization I couldn’t give (the team) what I expected as far as 100 percent effort, physically and mentally.
“It’s not fair for me to ask that kind of commitment from my players and coaches if I’m not willing to do it. My family is getting older, and I’ve been doing it for 18 years. It’s been awesome.”
Rolling Meadows football coach Matt Mishler went 72-25 in his nine seasons with the team. (Tim Boyle / Pioneer Press)
Mishler leaves a lasting legacy at Rolling Meadows. The Mustangs made the playoffs in all nine of his years at the helm, won or tied for the MSL East title in seven of those nine seasons and finished the regular season 9-0 in three of the last four campaigns. Rolling Meadows won 22 of its last 24 games under Mishler.
Mishler said he told the returning players of his decision this morning in an emotional team meeting.
“I had planned on trying to make a decision before the winter break, but I couldn’t figure out what I needed or wanted to do,” he said. “There were so many reasons on both sides of the decision. It became clear in the last week.
“The one thing I’m most proud of is the the relationships that we built with the players, not just me but the whole staff and the family atmosphere we were able to cultivate. I’m also really proud of what we were able to do in the conference. It’s going to be really hard to walk away, but I’m confident it’s the right thing to do.”
Senior defensive end Nate Pedraza, a Ball State recruit, said “Coach Mish” taught him how to become a key leader for the Mustangs in his final two seasons.
“Coach is like a mentor and father figure to me,” Pedraza said. “If I had any problems or needed help, I could go to him. I would say wherever my future takes me, I will continue texting and talking with him. It’s the end of an era for Rolling Meadows football.”
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Senior running back and linebacker Chris DiVito was a major force in the Mustangs’ run to the semifinals this season. DiVito said Mishler was a player’s coach whose door was always open to answer questions about football and life.
“Coach Mish taught me about how much more mental the game of football is than just physical,” he said. “Coach Mish is the kind of role model everyone dreams of having. I’m extremely grateful to have had him as a coach and mentor. The success of this program wouldn’t be possible without him.”
Middle Tennessee starting quarterback Asher O’Hara, a 2017 Rolling Meadows graduate, praised Mishler for helping him develop into a college player. His younger brother, Jace O’Hara, was also a standout player under Mishler.
“Coach Mishler means so much to me and my family,” Asher O’Hara said. “He got the most out of me and my brother and helped us evolve as players. He taught me to so much about the game and prepared me for the next level.
“Besides winning back-to-back conference championships with Coach, my fondest memories with him are our talks on the sideline and in practice. We understood each other and had a great relationship that I will cherish forever.”
Former Rolling Meadows standout Max Sobkowicz credited Mishler for helping him develop into a quality student-athlete.
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“Coach Mishler helped me become the man that I am today,” he said. “He made me earn my starting spot and taught me to never give up. I owe a lot to him and the whole Meadows coaching staff.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Winnetka-Northfield library director out after exodus of dozens of employees and ‘toxic’ work enviro

Winnetka-Northfield library director out after exodus of dozens of employees and ‘toxic’ work environment; officials to launch search for new leader

Ruiz-Funes declined to comment on whether Wolf resigned or was terminated from her position at the library , and would @ @ @ @ @ her departure .
He also declined to comment on whether Wolf is being paid during @ @ @ @ @ as being “ out of the office for an indefinite period of time .
”

Rebecca Wolf is pictured during a Sept. 16, 2019, meeting of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District’s board of trustees. (Brian OMahoney / Pioneer Press)
Following a tumultuous chapter for the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District, which was punctuated by the departure of dozens of employees, officials said Tuesday that the library’s executive director will be replaced.
In a written statement, officials said that Rebecca Wolf, the library’s director, “is out of the office for an indefinite period of time,” adding that effective immediately, Emily Compton-Dzak, assistant director and head of Adult Services, will assume interim direction for the library.
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“During this transition Compton-Dzak will have a direct line of communication with and will report to Jean-Paul Ruiz-Funes, board president,” officials said.
Ruiz-Funes declined to comment on the move, but said in a text message that, “all personnel matters are private and confidential. Acting in taxpayers best interest is a fundamental guiding principle of the library’s approach.”
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Ruiz-Funes declined to comment on whether Wolf resigned or was terminated from her position at the library, and would not explain the reason for her departure. He also declined to comment on whether Wolf is being paid during her time that officials described as being “out of the office for an indefinite period of time.”
According to the statement, the board of trustees will be launching a search for a new director.
“They have full confidence in the staff’s ability to manage a seamless transition and to continue to provide outstanding service to library patrons,” officials said.
Wolf could not be immediately reached for comment.
Former library employee Susan Kelly, one of roughly 88 employees who left in recent years due to what some allege was an increasingly difficult workplace, said she was shocked to learn of Wolf’s departure.
“I was quite surprised, and I think it’s a good thing for the library,” said Kelly, who on Tuesday said she was heading to an afternoon hearing at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Chicago office, where she said she has filed a claim against the library alleging age discrimination.
“With better leadership, we can take the library in a great new direction, still being innovative, but much better for employees,” Kelly said.
Kelly was among the former employees alleging that Wolf, who was hired in April 2013, made dramatic changes at the library in recent years that they say has led to a “toxic” work environment, prompting an exodus of employees.
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According to library documents obtained under a public records request, as of September 2019, 88 employees, including both full-time and part-time workers, have left the library district since Wolf’s hiring in 2013.
Wolf said last year that despite the concerns expressed by some former employees, the library district received high marks from its patrons on a recent community survey.
During her tenure as library director Wolf was credited with creating The Studio, a popular maker-space at the Winnetka library that features the latest technology and equipment, including 3D printers and a laser engraver.
But longtime Northfield resident and former library employee Amy Richmond, who was among the group of patrons and former employees asking for Wolf’s ouster, said despite the announcement that the library board plans to hire a new director, she remains concerned.
“I’m glad this happened, but this is not over at all, as I don’t feel the library board is necessarily being receptive to the public," said Richmond, who worked as a circulation associate at the library for more than eight years.
“I do think there is relief for people who still work at the library, and who have been worried they were going to be fired, so hopefully some of their terror has decreased,” she added.
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Kelly said while she feels compassion for Wolf, she is relieved to learn the library will soon be under new leadership.
“I feel badly for her, but she could have done things differently,” Kelly said.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Brian Kelly promotes Tom Rees to Notre Dame offensive coordinator, citing the former Irish QB’s ‘hum

Brian Kelly promotes Tom Rees to Notre Dame offensive coordinator, citing the former Irish QB’s ‘humble approach’

Also helping Rees ’ cause : He starred as a Notre Dame quarterback under Brian Kelly in 2010-13 ; he @ @ @ @ @ Northwestern officials after his work in 2015 as an offensive graduate assistant ; and he @ @ @ @ @ Chargers as an offensive assistant .
It also can ’ t hurt that his father @ @ @ @ @ Dame ’ s director of scouting .

In the end, Tom Rees might not have needed to sell himself too hard to land the Notre Dame offensive coordinator job.
His work was on display for all to see.
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Rees — who was promoted from quarterbacks coach Tuesday — called plays in Notre Dame’s 33-9 demolition of Iowa State in the Dec. 28 Camping World Bowl. Quarterback Ian Book completed 20 of 28 passes without an interception, and the Irish rushed for 208 yards (5.6 per carry).
A performance like that against an above-average defense can help a guy overcome the fact he’s only 27 years old.
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Also helping Rees’ cause: He starred as a Notre Dame quarterback under Brian Kelly in 2010-13; he earned a glowing assessment from Northwestern officials after his work in 2015 as an offensive graduate assistant; and he spent a season with the Chargers as an offensive assistant. It also can’t hurt that his father, Bill, is Notre Dame’s director of scouting.
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Plus other schools had interest in Rees; Northwestern and Oregon interviewed him for their offensive coordinator jobs. After Kelly dismissed Chip Long on Dec. 14 despite three successful seasons, industry sentiment was that Rees would decline potential opportunities in hopes of getting promoted at Notre Dame.
Kelly said in a statement Tuesday that he conducted an extensive national search before hiring Rees, a Lake Forest High School graduate who went by “Tommy” as a player.
Kelly cited Rees’ ability to connect with players and his “humble approach to his own development and (his) desire to continue to grow.”
Book set a school record for completion percentage (68.2%) in 2018. That number slipped to 60.2% this past season, but Book’s touchdown-to-interception splits improved from 19-7 to 34-6.
“He has a great background,” Kelly said of Rees during bowl preparations.
Rees will have one fewer quarterback to work with after Phil Jurkovec, a four-star recruit in 2018, transferred to Boston College this week. Jurkovec played in eight games over two seasons in South Bend, completing 12 of 18 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 139 yards (5.8 per carry).
Kelly also announced the promotion of Lance Taylor from running backs coach to running game coordinator. He still has two vacancies to fill as cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght is not returning.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--LaGrange Village President Livington stepping down due to demands of his corporate day job: ‘There’s

LaGrange Village President Livington stepping down due to demands of his corporate day job: ‘There’s only 24 hours in the day’

He added that people ’ s first negative impression of a big project is “ that it ’ s going @ @ @ @ @ than it really is .
There are times when you just haveto be strong , @ @ @ @ @ very competitive and make decisions .
You ’ ll never please everyone .
”

With Village President Thomas Livingston announcing that he was stepping down for professional reasons Monday, La Grange will be getting a new leader in the near future.
“I’ll be rotating off the Village Board in the next few weeks,” he said at the beginning of the meeting.
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Livingston, who has held office since 2013 and had planned to retire next year, said his recent promotion to head of community and government affairs for his employer, CSX Transportation – where his territory will be the entire Eastern half of the United States, and his growing family made continuing in office impossible.
“There’s only 24 hours in the day,” he said. “It’s a bridge too far.”
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He was reelected to a second term in an unopposed race in 2017 and that term would have expired in 2021.
Livingston said he has long-standing roots in the community, with his parents and grandmother also growing up in La Grange. He was born in downstate Urbana, but moved to LaGrange Highlands when he was 3, he recounts, and went on to graduate from Lyons Township High School in 1985.
He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and had the distinction as once serving as Chief Illiniwek, the university’s former athletic mascot, which was retired in 2007, he said.
Livingston has recommended that his replacement be Trustee Mark Kuchler, who is the most senior member of the board.
“I appreciate Tom’s support and hope to get all my fellow trustees’ support,” Kuchler said after the meeting.
No date has yet been set for a vote on a replacement, but Livingston indicated that it would be in the first quarter of the year.
Livingston said the decision on the next president would “be up to the board to decide,” and that he thought any of the current trustees would “be terrific” in the job.
Two-term La Grange Village President, pictured, announced at the Jan. 13, 2020 Village Board meeting that he would be stepping down due to demands from a new role at his corporate job with CSX Transportation. (Hank Beckman / Pioneer Press)
Looking back over his tenure as president, Livingston reminisced about the projects and issues faced by the village.
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He said that one of his proudest accomplishments was expanding people who participated in the village.
“We brought a whole lot of people into village government,” he said, pointing to formation of the 2020 Task Force several years ago that helped plan for the village’s future. “We tapped the experts.”
The out-going village leader talked about the challenges faced in tackling big projects, including the 9-acre YMCA facility on LaGrange Road that was vacant for five years after he took office, the closing of Border’s Books, and the shuttered PNC Bank building.
“The first answer you hear on most of these big projects is ‘no,’” he said.
Livingston talked about several big challenges the village faced,
Livingston pointed out that on the old YMCA site now sits Uptown Apartments, the former Border’s bookstore building now houses several businesses – including an AT&T store – and the PNC Bank building is occupied by Anderson’s BookShop.
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“These things worked out,” he said.
He added that people’s first negative impression of a big project is “that it’s going to be 10 times bigger than it really is. There are times when you just haveto be strong, where you need to be very competitive and make decisions. You’ll never please everyone.”
Livingston talked about several of the hot-button issues that came before the board during his tenure, including a 2015 infrastructure referendum, revisiting the issue of video gaming, and considering allowing legalized recreational cannabis sales.
“The video gaming and recreational cannabis issues weren’t that hard,” he said. “The toughest was the approval of the BEDS facility.”
Now open almost two years, the BEDS Plus low-income housing facility, at 9601 E. Ogden Ave., proved to be a tough sell to many in the village, he said.
Livingston said that another time-consuming issue was the now-settled lawsuit involving Material Services Corporation, over the quarry owners seeking to block the village’s 50th Street storm sewer project.
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“That was tough,” he said, calling it a “full-time effort.”
Trustee Lou Gale said that he is a little surprised at the announcement that Livingston is stepping down now because it comes in Livingston’s last year in office.
“But I know how busy he is, so in that sense it’s not surprising,” Gale said. “Tom has served the village very well. He will be missed as our president, but he’ll still be involved in the village.”
Nancy Cummings, CEO of the La Grange Business Association, praised Livingston as a great communicator.
“Tom listens to people. He makes everyone feel like they are the smartest person in the room. And he’s very pro-business and understands the importance of a vibrant business community,” she said.
Hank Beckman is a freelancer.


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--In 2019 — the 2nd wettest year ever in the U.S. — flooding cost Illinois and the Midwest $6.2 billio

In 2019 — the 2nd wettest year ever in the U.S. — flooding cost Illinois and the Midwest $6.2 billion. Scientists predict more waterlogged days ahead

The annual report comes as scientists reported that the U.S. continues to experience rising temperatures and more frequent , drenching @ @ @ @ @ throughout the Midwest and the country .
There is no immediate end in sight to @ @ @ @ @ .
The $ 6.2 billion figure puts the 2019 Midwest flooding as the 51st costliest @ @ @ @ @ tracking the cost of floods , hurricanes , severe storms , droughts , wildfires and @ @ @ @ @

Mark Engle, owner of Les Cheneaux Landing resort in Snows Channel, at Les Cheneaux Islands in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Nov. 20, 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Flooding on the Mississippi River and its tributaries throughout Illinois and the Midwest caused an estimated $6.2 billion in damage in 2019, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. The floods, which overwhelmed towns, farms, roads, bridges, levees and dams, contributed to the deaths of four people across 13 states.
The annual report comes as scientists reported that the U.S. continues to experience rising temperatures, and frequent, drenching rains are becoming more commonplace throughout the Midwest and the country. There is no immediate end in sight to these trends, scientists said. The $6.2 billion figure puts the 2019 Midwest flooding as the 51st costliest climate disaster since NOAA began tracking the cost of floods, hurricanes, severe storms, droughts, wildfires and winter storms in 1980.
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According to Deke Arndt, chief of climate monitoring for NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, 2019 was the second wettest year on record. Only in 1973 did the U.S. receive more precipitation over the course of a year.
In 2019, Chicago was pelted by 49.54 inches of precipitation, which ranks as the third wettest year on record and more than 12 inches greater than normal, according to the National Weather Service. Since Illinois meteorologists began collecting precipitation records in 1871, four of the Top 5 wettest years in Chicago have occurred in the last decade.
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Jennifer Hollenbeck and Zach Connell make their way home from school through their flooded neighborhood along the Rock River on Edgemere Terrace in Roscoe, Ill., March 19, 2019. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Conditions are tilting toward the possibility of more flooding in 2020 because much of the soil in Illinois is already heavily saturated and cannot retain much additional moisture from rain or melting snow, said state climatologist Trent Ford.
To the north, some states have received a heavy snowfall that will eventually melt into swollen tributaries that feed into the Mississippi River along Illinois’ western border or a Lake Michigan that is already nearing record high levels.
“Here, in Illinois, we’re the catchall for all of Midwest water,” Ford said.
Warming world
NOAA also reported Wednesday that 2019 was the second warmest year ever since records began to be collected in 1880. The warmest ever was 2016, aided by El Nino events. Rising temperatures and increased precipitation are linked, scientists said.
For every 1 degree of warming, the atmosphere can hold 4% more water vapor that can turn into precipitation. Illinois has already warmed about 1.2 degrees statewide in the last century, and the state could warm by about 4 degrees by midcentury, said former Illinois state climatologist Jim Angel.
While the United States has seen annual precipitation climb 4% between 1901 and 2015, Great Lakes states, including Illinois, have experienced a 10% rise over this same period, with much of the additional precipitation coming in the form of heavy rainfall.
The costliest floods over the past 40 years occurred in 1993, when persistent heavy rains and thunderstorms deluged the Midwest, establishing new river height records and leaving extensive damage to farms, homes and businesses throughout the region. The floods that summer caused an estimated $37.7 billion worth of damage, NOAA calculated, the eighth costliest climate disaster in the U.S. since the agency began compiling the data.
Flooded fields around Kaskaskia, Illinois on July 1, 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
“A warmer atmosphere can convey more moisture to meteorological systems that develop, meaning they can deliver more rainfall potentially,” Arndt said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters. “We see the largest events getting larger.”
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The Top 6 costliest climate disasters were all hurricanes, with 2005′s Hurricane Katrina, which caused $168.8 billion in damage and 1,833 deaths, as the costliest. No. 7 on the list was a drought and heat wave throughout the country in 1988, conditions that also contributed to the combined direct or indirect deaths of 5,000 people, NOAA calculated.
Since 1980, there have been 258 disasters in the U.S. that cost more than $1 billion. The estimated total costs from these catastrophes exceed $1.75 trillion.
In four decades of tracking these events, the number has trended upward. There have been around a half-dozen billion-dollar disasters each year on average. But the last four years have each witnessed at least 14.
During that time, almost every region of the country has been gripped by extreme weather that captured the nation’s attention. In 2017, a barrage of monstrous hurricanes battered the country’s Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastlines. In 2018, a series of wildfires spread across California. In 2019, historically heavy spring rains in the Midwest combined with a melting thick snowpack that overwhelmed the region’s waterways.
Stranded barges near Miller City Road north of Cairo, Ill., are seen on Nov. 6, 2019. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The flooding in Illinois and the surrounding states last year was the costliest since 2008, when Midwest states suffered $12.1 billion in damage.
Flooding began to plague Illinois in late spring. Persistent rains caused widespread damage to cities and towns along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, particularly in the western and southern parts of the state. The flooding left communities waterlogged for months, delaying or wiping out the planting season of corn and soybeans for farmers, washing over critical roadways and leaving the state’s first-ever capital of Kaskaskia, essentially an island in the Mississippi, cut off from the rest of Illinois.
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NOAA also noted that the flooding had ramifications for river barge traffic and “negatively impacted a variety of dependent industries.”
In addition to the flooding that affected Illinois, states that border the Mississippi River as well as Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska were included in the damage total. NOAA also noted that persistent heavy rainfall affected Indiana and Ohio.
NOAA separately classified 2019 flooding caused by a powerful storm that dropped lots of precipitation and led to intensified snowmelt in the Upper Midwest, primarily on the Missouri River and its tributaries. This flooding throughout March caused $10.8 billion in damage across states from South Dakota to Michigan.
“When you get more of your rain in fewer larger doses, you have to manage things differently,” Arndt said. “It definitely plays into the flooding aspect.”
Flooding on the national stage
Midwest flooding came up as a topic in Tuesday night’s Democratic debate in Des Moines, when the presidential candidates were asked whether they had a plan for communities affected by flooding. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was asked about how to help people who live in high-risk flood areas. After hedging on specifics, Buttigieg eventually spoke about what the government’s role might be.
“We are going to have to use federal funds to make sure that we are supporting those whose lives will inevitably be impacted further by the increased severity and the increased frequency,” Buttigieg said.
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Tom Steyer, the billionaire who has made climate change the central part of his campaign, also weighed in.
“Look, what you’re talking about is what’s called managed retreat,” he said. “It’s basically saying we’re going to have to move things because this crisis is out of control. And it’s unbelievably expensive. And of course we’ll come to the rescue of Americans who are in trouble.”
The near-record precipitation throughout the year also boosted water levels in the Great Lakes, Arndt said. A cold start to the year, combined with a wet spring across the Upper Midwest and southern Ontario and Quebec, led to high water levels across the Great Lakes, Arndt said. Lake Michigan crested nearly 2 feet between January and July.
Precipitation has notably increased in winter and spring. But it’s not only the rise in precipitation that has increased flood risk, it’s also due to the form in which it’s falling.
As Illinois winters become more mild, more precipitation is falling as rain rather than snow, which is more conducive to flooding. When the winter snowpack melts, the water gradually seeps into the soil. When rainfall sweeps over frozen soils, it makes it way into the region’s streams and rivers.
“When soil is frozen, there’s very small infiltration, and rain runs over it like a concrete slab and goes into our streams and creates flooding downstate,” said Ford, the climatologist.
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Scientists also are studying the interplay between ocean temperatures and the seasons, examining how warming seas affect precipitation levels and “climate variability,” swings in changes from one year to the next. In general, climate change is exacerbating extremes.
“In the long run, a warmer atmosphere can convey more water vapor, and generally speaking, looking at the observed record … the wet places and wet seasons are getting wetter,” Arndt said. “And the dry places and dry season are experiencing more intense drought.
“There’s not a large reason,” he said, “to expect that to change.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--Dixmoor cop charged with beating grandmother in dispute captured by surveillance cameras

The elder Burge has himself had a controversial , decadeslong career in law enforcement , especially during several stints as @ @ @ @ @ .
After resigning in 1995 , he was charged with official misconduct after golf clubs @ @ @ @ @ Harvey police were found in the trunk of his car and he was found with @ @ @ @ @ department ’ s drug forfeiture account , authorities said .
A judge later quashed his @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t have cause to stop and search his car .

A Dixmoor police commander dragged a 66-year-old grandmother, her feet dangling off the ground at times, into the suburb’s police station and repeatedly slammed her face into a wall before charging her with resisting an officer, Cook County prosecutors said Wednesday.
But that case was dropped — and now Cmdr. Ronald Burge Jr. faces charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct for the alleged attack last October on the woman who weighed 100 pounds less and stood a foot shorter than Burge, prosecutors said.
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Burge, 31, a son and namesake of Dixmoor’s longtime police chief, turned himself in Wednesday after county investigators obtained a warrant for his arrest. He was ordered held on $20,000 bond by Judge Mary Marubio, records show.
The incident — captured on surveillance video in and around the station — began after the undisclosed woman and her family went there following the arrest of her grandson, a juvenile, prosecutors said.
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Dixmoor police Cmdr. Ronald Burge Jr. is charged with beating a 66-year-old woman. (Cook County state's attorney's office)
After “an encounter” with Burge in the station lobby, prosecutors said, the boy’s father took cellphone photos. Burge demanded the father’s phone and took him into custody when he refused, the charges alleged. The grandmother then tried to take photos as well, prompting Burge to demand she hand over her cellphone, according to prosecutors.
As the grandmother fled from the station, Burge chased her into a parking lot, grabbed her with one arm across her chest as he held his gun in his other hand, prosecutors said. He dragged her back to the station, with her feet dangling above the ground at times, they said.
Inside the station, Burge slammed the woman’s face into a hallway wall three times and then “violently” shoved her into a nearby counter even though the woman gave no resistance, prosecutors said. She reported suffering a scrape to her mouth and pain in her neck and elbow.
Prosecutors said the woman was 5-foot-3 and weighed about 125 pounds compared with Burge, who weighed at least 230 pounds and is 6-foot-3.
She was charged with resisting an officer, a misdemeanor, but prosecutors dropped the charge about a month later, court records show.
Burge, who lives in Hazel Crest, joined the Dixmoor police as a part-time officer in June 2017, took on full-time responsibilities that November and was promoted to commander just one month later.
Reached by telephone Wednesday evening, Burge’s father, Dixmoor police Chief Ronald Burge Sr., said he believed the charges against his son were brought only for political reasons.
The chief said he had viewed the video and disputed that his son slammed the woman into a wall. He also said she assaulted him first, grabbing his groin as she tried to flee.
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The elder Burge has himself had a controversial, decadeslong career in law enforcement, especially during several stints as Harvey’s police chief. After resigning in 1995, he was charged with official misconduct after golf clubs that had been confiscated by Harvey police were found in the trunk of his car and he was found with a blank check from the department’s drug forfeiture account, authorities said. A judge later quashed his arrest, saying Harvey officers didn’t have cause to stop and search his car.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--Police: Man ‘very critical’ following fall from 7th floor at Water Tower Place

The man plunged from the seventh level of the mall , in the 800 block of North Michigan Avenue , @ @ @ @ @ to Officer Anthony Spicuzza , a police spokesman , citing preliminary information .

After a man fell to his death at Water Tower Place the night before, a security guard stood on the seventh floor of the busy mall Thursday morning and shooed away shoppers who stepped too close to the railing.
The deceased man was the second person killed in a fall in the past two months at the popular Magnificent Mile shopping center, which appeared to prompt a stepped-up security presence on the mall’s upper floors.
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But the deaths, ruled suicides by the Cook County medical examiner’s office, raise questions about whether businesses and building owners should take more permanent precautions to prevent suicide deaths. Such measures are in place at some other public sites.
In San Francisco, officials are working on building a net under the Golden Gate Bridge, where hundreds of people have died of suicide since it opened in 1937. Large plastic signs displaying a suicide prevention hotline phone number are a common site at Chicago CTA stations, where some people have died after jumping in front of trains.
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Such measures, though, are less common in private buildings than in public ways, experts say. A request for comment sent to Brookfield Properties, which owns Water Tower Place, went unanswered.
“It’s kind of up to the architects to find something that fits with the design and has some discouragement to it,” said Steve Moore, co-chair of the Illinois chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “For Water Tower Place, they have to look at what they currently have, and what can they do to make it difficult for people.”
Deterrents are especially important, experts say, because research shows that most suicides are impulsive in a moment of crisis. Most people who survive an attempt do not try again, studies show.
“If you take away an easy way, you may save a life,” Moore said.
The latest incident happened about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a 25-year-old man fell from the seventh floor of the mall in the 800 block of North Michigan Avenue, a Chicago police spokesman said. Paramedics took the man to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:42 p.m., according to information from Chicago police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in West Rogers Park.
A 65-year-old woman died Nov. 24 when she also fell from the seventh floor of the mall. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mark Heyrman, a retired University of Chicago Law School professor and a board member of Mental Health America of Illinois, said building owners can install netting to prevent deaths from falls, but many are reluctant to do so because of aesthetic issues. He noted that years of fighting and controversy preceded the official decision to install a net below the Golden Gate Bridge.
“People will think it looks horrible,” he said, adding that the government couldn’t legally compel owners to do it.
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Heyrman also said signs like those in CTA stations can be cheap and effective for building owners to use, but he said there isn’t much research about how many people may be deterred by the signage.
He emphasized, though, that most people do not try again after a suicide is prevented.
That’s why Moore said it’s especially important to work to prevent falling deaths because there is less of a chance in such instances that life-saving attempts from first responders will be successful. A report on suicide lethality from the Harvard School of Public Health notes that “jumping from a great height shares two elements in common with firearms as a suicide method: it is a highly lethal method and once the attempt is begun (the person jumps or pulls the trigger) it cannot be stopped.”
“Reducing access to lethal means is one very effective method of suicide prevention,” Moore said. “You may be able to save life permanently.”
For 24/7 help, call the free and confidential National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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mabuckley@chicagotribune.com
pfry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--‘Our expectation is to win’: After a franchise-altering offseason, White Sox manager Rick Renteria i

‘Our expectation is to win’: After a franchise-altering offseason, White Sox manager Rick Renteria is embracing a win-now mentality

“ It ’ s exciting to be able to have someone you can slot into ( the designated hitter role @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Certainly his experience , his ability over the last few years to do @ @ @ @ @ ’ s great to have somebody to slot in there and feel fairly confident he @ @ @ @ @ the things you need .
”

With all of the moves the White Sox made this offseason, manager Rick Renteria recognizes that — on paper — his team has vastly improved.
Renteria knows the next step is to make sure those improvements show up on the field.
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“We still have to do it and get it done,” Renteria said Wednesday during a conference call.
The Sox signed catcher Yasmani Grandal in November and traded for right fielder Nomar Mazara at the winter meetings. Since leaving San Diego, the Sox have signed starting pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez, designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and reliever Steve Cishek.
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The Sox also announced a six-year, $50 million deal with center fielder Luis Robert, their top prospect.
“My expectations haven’t changed,” Renteria said. “We want to fight for the postseason. We either want to win a division, we want to be a wild card, whatever the case might be. We want to be in a place where we are winning more ballgames and putting ourselves in a relevant position to win.
“If anybody is afraid of setting expectations, this is not a place to be. It’s about winning ultimately, and the organization has done a great job to put us on better footing to be able to do that.”
Luis Robert warms up during White Sox spring training on Feb. 21, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tri / Chicago Tribune)
The mention of Encarnacion’s name brought a smile to Renteria’s face.
“It’s exciting to be able to have someone you can slot into (the designated hitter role),” Renteria said. “Certainly his experience, his ability over the last few years to do what he does ... it’s great to have somebody to slot in there and feel fairly confident he’s going to do the things you need.”
Renteria also noted the experience Keuchel and Gonzalez provide the rotation.
“(They are) guys that have been in a lot of battles and know, again through experience, how to go through them,” Renteria said. "Their presence right now is probably going to be a big part of how we continue to move forward.
“We have, with our young guys that are still developing, a really good core, and these additions are going to put us in a much better place to be able to truly compete (and) win ballgames.”
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The Sox won 72 games in 2019, 10 more than the previous season. Renteria is embracing the expectations of another jump.
“For three years, we talked about high expectations and winning, and they have been grinding and chipping away at that mentality and trying to understand it and trying to perform,” Renteria said. “You have a compilation of younger players who have been developing and learning what it’s like to be at the major-league level.
“And now they are going to have some teammates who are going to help them along the way to ... hopefully win more ballgames. Everyone in major sports wants to win, and that’s what we want to do. Our expectation is to win.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-15--After years of falling ridership, CTA plans major study to improve bus system

“ We haven ’ t seen a holistic look at our entire bus system ever , as far as I @ @ @ @ @ in an interview after Wednesday ’ s meeting .
“ It ’ s a unique @ @ @ @ @ a look at how our service is operating , how it ’ s meeting the @ @ @ @ @ having conversations with them about how that service should look .
”

A rider waits to board as a passenger steps off a westbound bus near the CTA Blue Line station on Chicago Avenue near Milwaukee Avenue on Oct. 31, 2017. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
After years of falling bus ridership, the head of the CTA said Wednesday the agency is planning a first-of-its-kind major study to look at ways to improve the system.
CTA President Dorval Carter announced the plan at the agency’s monthly board meeting, at which the board approved two pilot programs to expand bus service on the No. 157 Streeterville/Taylor route, and realign service on the No. 52 Kedzie/California and No. 94 California routes to reduce crowding on the Blue Line.
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Bus ridership on the CTA has dropped almost 23% since a record high in 2012. The agency has blamed a variety of factors for the losses, including the increase in ride-share use and falling gas prices. Bus ridership also has fallen nationally, and other transit agencies are looking at ways to improve service and turn the trend around.
“We haven’t seen a holistic look at our entire bus system ever, as far as I know,” Carter said in an interview after Wednesday’s meeting. “It’s a unique opportunity for us to take a look at how our service is operating, how it’s meeting the needs of our customers and having conversations with them about how that service should look.”
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Carter said the study would start sometime later this year, and will include customer surveys and focus groups. He emphasized that the study was not about decreasing service, but making it work better.
The CTA is already taking steps to speed up service on some of its busiest routes by creating dedicated bus lanes during rush hour and giving buses priority over other vehicles at some intersections. The Chicago Department of Transportation has created bus-priority zones on portions of Chicago and Western Avenues, and more are planned for Halsted, 63rd and 79th streets, Belmont Avenue and Pulaski Road.
On Wednesday, the CTA board approved a pilot to expand bus service on the No. 157 route from California Avenue to Pulaski in North Lawndale, to accommodate economic growth along the Ogden Avenue corridor, CTA Chief Planning Officer Michael Connelly told the board. The yearlong test of the expanded route will start April 20 and cost the CTA $550,000.
The other change will start April 19 and will extend the No. 94 California route north from Chicago to Addison Street. Currently, the route cuts off at Chicago. The parallel No. 52 Kedzie/California will stop at Chicago, instead of going east and then north along California.
The idea behind the cost-free change is to make it easier for residents of Logan Square and Humboldt Park to choose to ride the California bus south to the California stop of the Green Line station, instead of going north to the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line. The Blue Line, which runs through neighborhoods seeing extensive residential development, is extremely crowded during rush hour, while the Green Line has more room, Connelly said.
CTA spokesman Brian Steele said the realignment would give travelers a “more direct, more convenient” way to get to a less crowded train line. He noted that the current Kedzie and California routes date back to streetcar days, 100 years ago.
Carter said the CTA’s plan for a comprehensive study was inspired in part by a similar study conducted by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, also known as SEPTA. The study looked at topics like duplicative service and congestion issues, according to SEPTA.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com