chicagotribune--2020-01-09--5 numbers that help tell the story of the Blackhawks season, including something they haven’t done i

5 numbers that help tell the story of the Blackhawks season, including something they haven’t done in 63 years

“ I like playing with him , ” Keith said after Tuesday night ’ s loss to the Flames .
@ @ @ @ @ well , we read off each other really well , skates good and positioning .
@ @ @ @ @ that we can make plays .
We need to keep it simple sometimes , but @ @ @ @ @ there to pass tape to tape , that complements my game .
We work well @ @ @ @ @ s helped the team .
”

Patrick Kane is seven points from reaching the 1,000 mark for his career, and the Blackhawks are less than three months from missing the postseason for the third year in a row.
But while the numbers 1,000 and three might be the ones this season is most remembered for, that’s in the future.
Advertisement
Here are five numbers that help tell the story of the Hawks season to date.
7
Players lost for at least nine games to injuries.
Advertisement
Blackhawks center Andrew Shaw before a faceoff against the Avalanche on Nov. 30, 2019, in Denver. Shaw has been out since that game because of a concussion. (Jack Dempsey/AP)
Drake Caggiula’s return Thursday against the Predators after missing 27 games because of a concussion was welcome news during an injury-plagued season. Brandon Saad, meanwhile, missed his ninth game with a right ankle injury, becoming the seventh Hawk to be sidelined at least that long.
The list doesn’t include Kirby Dach, who missed the first five games because of a concussion; Dylan Strome, who missed four games with a concussion and at least one with an ankle sprain; or Robin Lehner, who has missed two games with a knee injury.
Calvin de Haan’s season-ending shoulder surgery after just 29 games has been the most damaging loss, although he has competition from Andrew Shaw, out since Nov. 30 with a concussion, and Brent Seabrook, whose season ended last month and who needs two hip surgeries and a shoulder surgery. Connor Murphy (12 games) and Duncan Keith (nine games) lost time to groin injuries that took a toll on an already shaky defense.
Other teams have lost a significant number of players to injury this season — the Penguins, for one, have been without Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang for various lengths without missing a beat — and the Hawks haven’t made excuses.
But with little room for error, these losses have contributed to a trying season.
1957
The last year the Hawks ended a season with only one 20-goal scorer.
Dominik Kubalik, left, celebrates a goal against the Flames with Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews on Jan. 7, 2020, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Ed Litzenberger led the Hawks with 32 goals in 1956-57; Johnny Wilson was second on the team with 18. If the NHL still played a 70-game season, as it did back then, the Hawks would stand a much greater chance of not having two 20-goal scorers for the first time in 63 years.
As it stands, they’re in decent shape, but it might be close. Patrick Kane has 24 goals and Dominik Kubalik scored his 14th on Thursday, putting him on pace to finish with 26 after scoring six in his last 10 games.
Advertisement
But nobody else is on pace to hit the 20-goal mark. Brandon Saad has 11 but is expected to miss several more games at least because of his ankle injury. Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat have only 10 goals apiece despite playing in every game.
DeBrincat’s goal-scoring slump has been one of the season’s biggest stories. After scoring 69 over his first two seasons, including 41 last season, he’s on pace to finish with 18.
It should comfort Hawks fans to know this season is likely an aberration. DeBrincat’s shot totals are similar to his last two seasons, but his shooting percentage — which was 15.5% as a rookie and 18.6% last season — has dipped to 8.1%.
4
Length of the Hawks’ longest winning streak.
If the Hawks have any hope of reaching the postseason, they have to put together a long winning streak. So far, they haven’t come close.
A four-game streak in mid-November is their longest of the season, and they’ve had only one three-game winning streak since. The only thing saving them from falling completely out of the playoff picture has been not going on any long losing streaks. Their longest is four games, which they’ve done twice.
Advertisement
It also has helped that most of the other Western Conference wild-card contenders haven’t had long winning streaks either. The Canucks and Flames have had seven-game streaks, but the longest the Oilers and Wild have put together is five straight, the Predators’ longest is four and the Jets haven’t won more than three straight.
“You probably need one or two (long winning streaks) to really get a bunch of games over .500,” Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “That’s what we need to do to be really in the mix, but you can’t do that all at once. You just focus on the next game.”
24:42
Average ice time Duncan Keith has played since returning from his groin injury.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 138 Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, center, is congratulated by his teammates, including left wing Vinnie Hinostroza, after Keith scored in the second period against the Lightning on April 27, 2021, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
At 36, Keith is still a pretty good defenseman, even if he isn’t the same player as when he was winning Norris Trophies. But he’s being asked to play the kind of minutes he did when he was much younger.
Last season, Keith logged a career-low 23:01 per game. Even at the start of this season, he was playing fewer than 24 minutes per game.
Since Keith returned from a groin injury last month, which coincided with Seabrook leaving the lineup and came just a few games after de Haan was injured, Colliton has relied on Keith even more.
Advertisement
His 24:42 average over his last 10 games before Thursday included logging 26:24, 27:05 and 28:23 in three regulation-length games. The Hawks went 6-4 in that span after going 3-5-1 while Keith was out.
He has been paired with 19-year-old Adam Boqvist, who is starting to come into his own. Boqvist had a three-game point streak heading into Thursday’s game and was averaging 20:40 after playing less than 15 minutes per game over the first 10 games.
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 >
“I like playing with him,” Keith said after Tuesday night’s loss to the Flames. “He moves the puck well, we read off each other really well, skates good and positioning. I just like the fact that we can make plays. We need to keep it simple sometimes, but when the play’s there to pass tape to tape, that complements my game. We work well together, and it’s helped the team.”
14
NHL teams that have made head coaching changes since Jeremy Colliton was hired.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 30 Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton talks with players behind the bench during the third period against the Red Wings at the United Center on Oct. 24 2021. During the period fans chanted "Fire Colliton!" shorty before the Blackhawks lost to the Red Wings, 6-3. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Colliton doesn’t have more NHL head coaching experience than Joel Quenneville, Alain Vigneault, Todd McLellan and Dave Tippett. But he does have more seniority with his current team than any of them.
Since the Hawks hired Colliton on Nov. 6, 2018, 14 teams have made changes behind the bench. That’s nothing new — NHL teams have always resorted to coaching changes for quick fixes — but it’s a reminder Colliton is no longer at the start of his tenure.
Advertisement
The Hawks are 49-47-15 since he took over, including 19-19-6 this season, and they trailed the Predators in the standings when the Preds fired coach Peter Laviolette on Monday. The Preds hired John Hynes on Tuesday, five weeks after the Devils let him go.
Colliton hasn’t had it easy in his 14 months on the job. Replacing Quenneville was a gargantuan task, and he was dealt a difficult hand with all of the injuries this season. Still, he realizes coaches come and go. When Laviolette was fired, he wasn’t surprised.
“It’s never a good thing, of course, when somebody loses their job,” Colliton said. “But that’s the business we’re in.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-09--Bystanders rush to help boy found bleeding from coyote attack in Lincoln Park: ‘We just ran over the

Bystanders rush to help boy found bleeding from coyote attack in Lincoln Park: ‘We just ran over there instinctively’

Ryan Taylor , left , and Dominic Bruce , of the DePaul track and field team , were running near @ @ @ @ @ on Jan. 8 , 2020 , when they heard a child screaming and rushed to @ @ @ @ @ who was bitten by a coyote .
Both runners are 19 and sophomores at the @ @ @ @ @ / Chicago Tribune )

Ryan Taylor, left, and Dominic Bruce, of the DePaul track and field team, were running near the lakefront in Lincoln Park on Jan. 8, 2020, when they heard a child screaming and rushed to the aid of a boy who was bitten by a coyote. Both runners are 19 and sophomores at the school. (Elyssa Cherney / Chicago Tribune)
Andersonville resident Maryanne Metz and a friend were finishing up a stroll through Lincoln Park along a deserted but scenic dirt path Wednesday afternoon when they heard children screaming.
“It sounded like many children. Like a schoolyard would sound … high-pitched voices,“ said Metz, who didn’t think much of it because she assumed they were classmates on a school trip.
Advertisement
As they walked on, suddenly they spotted a woman yelling at the top of her lungs who was slowly walking backward, holding a child in her arms.
Then they saw the “scrawnier than a wolf“ and “limping“ coyote, which didn’t make a sound and had the boy’s little shoe hanging from its jaws.
Advertisement
“It wasn’t that big, and it looked not to be well, actually,“ she said.
“She was just screaming. Screaming. She was trying to scare the coyote away. She didn’t want to turn her back on the coyote,“ Metz said.
“We could see the boy was bleeding very badly,“ she said.
[ Thousands of coyotes live in the Chicago area. But attacks on people are extremely rare. ]
Metz’s friend scooped up a large branch that was lying on the ground and charged toward the coyote.
“She ran, chasing it with the stick,“ Metz said, adding that her friend’s bold move didn’t surprise her. “Adrenaline kicked in, and she was so angry.“
Meanwhile, two runners on DePaul University’s track and field team had nearly finished their 10-mile route in Lincoln Park when they also heard screams coming from a path near the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
They halted their practice and dashed over to find the young boy, crying and bleeding, as a large coyote hovered about 15 feet away and then ran into the bushes.
"We just ran over there instinctively ... and just saw a kid bleeding from his head, all over his jacket, all over his face," said Ryan Taylor, a 19-year-old sophomore, as he recounted the experience Thursday afternoon during an interview in the campus athletic center.
Advertisement
Taylor and Dominic Bruce, also a 19-year-old sophomore, are credited with helping the boy in the aftermath of the attack, thought to be the first in the city in at least a decade.
Bruce said he took off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around the boy’s head to stanch the bleeding. Fearing the coyote might return, he said he swung a stick around to keep the animal away.
[ Coyote bites 5-year-old boy outside Lincoln Park nature museum, officials say ]
Metz spotted a CTA bus that was stopped, and they ran and boarded it. The driver called another driver, who brought a bottle of water. They found some tissues and applied pressure to his head until the paramedics arrived, she said.
After a few minutes, they heard sirens so Metz got off the bus and directed emergency responders to “go into the cul de sac,“ where the bus was parked.
The paramedics cleaned the blood off the boy’s face, wrapped his head in bandages and loaded the boy, whose face was “white as a sheet,“ into an ambulance after contacting his parents.
“He was such a brave little boy. He was scared and bleeding all over. And yet he seemed fairly calm.“
Advertisement
The runners said they hope the boy is recovering well at Lurie Children’s Hospital, though they have not been able to make contact with his family for an update.
“It was terrible to watch this kid go through so much pain. ... I’m really proud of him for just being OK, just getting through it all, just being very patient with authorities,” Taylor said.
Authorities are still searching for the coyote, which eventually emerged from the bushes and ran north. The attack came a day after a different coyote was rescued after falling into the water by Monroe Harbor.


chicagotribune--2020-01-09--Illinois defensive line coach Austin Clark reportedly is leaving for NFL job with Dolphins

The # Dolphins are hiring an assistant from the college ranks : Illinois DL coach Austin Clark is joining Miami @ @ @ @ @ linebackers , source said .
Just 30 years old , Clark is considered a rising @ @ @ @ @ .

Illinois defensive line coach Austin Clark will leave the program to join the Miami Dolphins staff, according to an NFL Network report.
Clark, 30, will coach outside linebackers in his new job under Dolphins coach Brian Flores, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who described Clark as “a rising talent in the coaching world.”
Advertisement
The #Dolphins are hiring an assistant from the college ranks: Illinois DL coach Austin Clark is joining Miami and will coach the outside linebackers, source said. Just 30 years old, Clark is considered a rising talent in the coaching world. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2020
Clark joined Illinois two seasons ago as an unproven graduate assistant from USC. He helped the defense make strong improvements this season and was one of the Illini’s top recruiters.
He helped Illinois bring in USC graduate transfers Josh Imatorbhebhe, Oluwole Betiku Jr. and Trevon Sidney this season.
Advertisement
Betiku, a defensive end, finished third in the Big Ten in sacks per game with nine in 10 games and was a third-team all-conference selection, while defensive tackle Jamal Milan received honorable mention under Clark’s tutelage.
Clark played defensive tackle at California, graduating in 2014 after an injury-plagued career.


chicagotribune--2020-01-09--Chicago Restaurant Week is only a few weeks away. Here’s what you need to know.

Kick-off : The event kicks off with First Bites Bash at the Field Museum on Jan. 23 .
Thai and @ @ @ @ @ Kitchen and Ca Phe Da in Pilsen , will serve as the host chef and @ @ @ @ @ more than 60 restaurants will participate with tasting portions from their Restaurant Week menus .
@ @ @ @ @ until they run out .
Then a limited number of early bird tickets will be @ @ @ @ @ and general admission will go on sale shortly afterward for $ 125 .
For a @ @ @ @ @ and to purchase tickets , visit firstbitesbash.com .
A portion of the proceeds will go @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Chicago EATS Week Scholarship , which helps Chicagoland students pursue a career in @ @ @ @

The 13th annual Chicago Restaurant Week returns Jan. 24 through Feb. 9 and more than 400 restaurants are participating in the 17-day feast this year.
What: Chicago Restaurant Week, despite the name, is more than two weeks of restaurant specials, a promotion to attract diners during what is traditionally the slowest period of the year — indeed, some restaurants say they make a significant amount of their annual revenue during the event — with three- or four-course meals that are often a good deal compared to the menu’s regular prices.
Advertisement
Kick-off: The event kicks off with First Bites Bash at the Field Museum on Jan. 23. Thai and Danielle Dang of HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen and Ca Phe Da in Pilsen, will serve as the host chef and mixologist, respectively, and more than 60 restaurants will participate with tasting portions from their Restaurant Week menus. Tickets currently are $99 until they run out. Then a limited number of early bird tickets will be on sale for $115 and general admission will go on sale shortly afterward for $125. For a complete list of participating restaurants and to purchase tickets, visit firstbitesbash.com. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the James Beard Foundation’s Chicago EATS Week Scholarship, which helps Chicagoland students pursue a career in the culinary arts.
Restaurant Week menus: Each restaurant’s participation varies, but you can expect prix fixe menus with prices set at $24 for brunch and lunch, and $36 or $48 for dinner, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity. More than 350 restaurants in Chicago and 50 in the suburbs, are participating. Here are 30 spots not to miss, according to dining critic Phil Vettel.
Advertisement
New spots: Some new restaurants participating this year include: Tzuco in River North, Il Culaccino in McCormick Square, Cruz Blanca in West Loop, Indie Cafe in Edgewater, and Time Out Market in Fulton Market. New restaurants are being added daily.
Reservations: For updates, menus and to make reservations, go to eatitupchicago.com.
gwong@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Woman rescued after slipping and falling onto CTA’s Red Line tracks

Merritt said the woman was not hit by a train , but said she suffered a `` medical emergency .
@ @ @ @ @ to safety , she was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in an unknown condition .

A woman who fell on the tracks near the Chicago Avenue station was taken to a hospital suffering from a "medical emergency,'' after causing “major” delays to the CTA’s Red Line on Friday evening on the Near North Side.
Red Line trains were back to normal service as of about 8 p.m. after an earlier incident involving a woman who had accidentally slipped and fell onto the tracks at the Chicago station, 800 N. State St., said Chicago Fire Dept. spokesman Larry Merritt and the CTA’s website.
Advertisement
Merritt said the woman was not hit by a train, but said she suffered a "medical emergency.'' After crews pulled her to safety, she was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in an unknown condition.
The incident began about 4:15 p.m.
Advertisement
rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari toss Tennessee mansion back on the market

Cutler , 36 , spent three seasons with the Broncos and eight with the Bears before retiring and coming back @ @ @ @ @ the Dolphins in 2017 .
A Pro Bowler in 2008 , he racked up 227 @ @ @ @ @ .

New year, new price for Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavalarri's Tennessee mansion. The former NFL quarterback and reality TV star have chopped the tag down to $4.95 million, or $2.95 million shy of their original asking price.
Spanning 8.5 acres in the scenic hills of Nashville, the estate regularly appears on Cavallari's reality series "Very Cavallari." The home itself — a Mediterranean-style villa — matches the size of the spacious property, clocking it at roughly 20,000 square feet.
Advertisement
An exterior of stucco and stone draws the eye under a clay tile roof. Inside are 25 living spaces, including seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a living room, a formal dining room, a hobby room, an office and an expansive kitchen with two islands, brick floors and custom backsplashes.
Downstairs, the couple built out the basement to include a stone-clad wet bar, wood-paneled lounge and movie theater. Stone arches line the home's backside, covering dining patios and outdoor living spaces. Up above, decks take in sweeping views of the tree-covered landscape.
Advertisement
Cutler, 36, spent three seasons with the Broncos and eight with the Bears before retiring and coming back for a single season with the Dolphins in 2017. A Pro Bowler in 2008, he racked up 227 touchdowns during his NFL career.
Cavallari, 33, starred on "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County," then went on to join the cast of "The Hills." Her reality show "Very Cavallari" is currently airing its third season.
Three years ago, the couple sought $4.75 million for their home with a basketball court outside Chicago, The Times previously reported.
Marty Warren of Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty and Tim Thompson of Tim Thompson Premier Realtors hold the listing.


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Corona bets big on hard seltzers as parent Constellation Brands pours $40 million into new line

While the fizzy drink has taken market share from beer , wine and spirits , Newlands said it is affecting @ @ @ @ @ flavored malt beverages more than imports , which form the core of Constellation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ hard seltzer market can grow two to three times in size as more people try @ @ @ @ @

Constellation Brands, whose beer business is based in Chicago, is set to launch Corona Hard Seltzers this spring. (Constellation Brands)
Constellation Brands is betting big on its upcoming line of Corona hard seltzers, with a $40 million marketing push it says is its largest-ever investment in a single brand.
Corona Hard Seltzers, which will come in tropical lime, mango, cherry and blackberry lime flavors, are set to launch this spring as Constellation, whose beer business is based in Chicago, taps into the surging market for the boozy bubbles.
Advertisement
Hard seltzer sales in the U.S. jumped 208% over the year that ended Nov. 30, to $1.4 billion, and its share of the beer/cider/flavored malt beverage market grew to 2.6%, from 1.2%, according to Nielsen. Beer behemoths from Molson Coors to Anheuser Busch have launched their own versions as beer sales remain flat.
Though it enters a crowded category, led by Chicago-based White Claw, Constellation believes Corona’s reputation and beachy image will set its hard seltzers apart.
Advertisement
“Corona carries unbelievably strong brand equity as the number-one most-loved brand among both Hispanic and total population drinkers aged 21 to 54, and that’s why we’ve decided to put the Corona brand name on our new seltzer,” Constellation CEO Bill Newlands said this week during an earnings call. “And of course the refreshment characteristics of seltzers perfectly matches with Corona’s refreshment DNA.”
Hard seltzer has been a major disruptor to the alcoholic beverage market as health-focused consumers opt for lower-calorie, lower-sugar drinks with varied flavors. White Claw, owned by Mike’s Hard Lemonade parent Mike Anthony Brands, last summer surpassed sales of stalwarts like Rolling Rock, Guinness and Corona Light.
While the fizzy drink has taken market share from beer, wine and spirits, Newlands said it is affecting domestic premium beers and other flavored malt beverages more than imports, which form the core of Constellation’s business. He expects the hard seltzer market can grow two to three times in size as more people try it, including nondrinkers.
Constellation has launched several brand extensions that cater to the appetite for lighter drinks, including the low-carb Corona Premier and the flavored malt beverage Corona Refresca, which comes in coconut lime, guava lime and passionfruit lime. It also launched canned Modelo Especial Cheladas, which pair beer with tomato juice and lime among other flavors.
Constellation’s beer sales grew 8% in the third quarter, to $1.3 billion, the company reported Wednesday. The company’s overall net sales grew 1%, to $2 billion, as wine and spirits sales declined 10% with divestitures. Victor, New York-based Constellation also owns Svedka Vodka, High West Whiskey and Casa Noble Tequila.
Earnings of $2.14 per share beat Wall Street’s expectations.


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Cubs agree to 1-year deals with Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber and 2 ot

Cubs agree to 1-year deals with Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber and 2 others

The third baseman made his major-league debut April 17 , 2015 , leaving him one day shy of the service @ @ @ @ @ free agent after the 2020 season .
Bryant contends he was held in the minors @ @ @ @ @ delay his eligibility for free agency .

The Cubs agreed to one-year contracts with six players — including All-Stars Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras — before Friday’s deadline to avoid arbitration, sources confirmed to the Tribune.
Bryant and the Cubs agreed to an $18.6 million deal for 2020, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Bryant made $12.9 million in 2019.
Advertisement
Despite the agreement, Bryant’s future with the team remains uncertain amid trade speculation and his pending grievance over alleged service-time manipulation. The deal does not affect the grievance, which the players union filed on the third baseman’s behalf in October.
Advertisement
Bryant made his major-league debut April 17, 2015, leaving him one day shy of the service time needed to become a free agent after the 2020 season. Bryant contends he was held in the minors in a deliberate effort to delay his eligibility for free agency.
If Bryant wins his case, he would be a free agent next offseason. If he loses, he would be under Cubs control through 2021. So the independent arbitrator’s ruling will have a big effect on Bryant’s trade value.
The Cubs are confident they’ll win the case, even if almost everyone agreed Bryant was ready to play in the majors at the start of 2015.
The 2015 National League Rookie of the Year and 2016 MVP, Bryant rebounded last year from an injury-riddled 2018 season to bat .282 with 31 home runs and 77 RBIs.
Third baseman Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs have settled on a one-year, $18.6 million deal, a source familiar with the agreement tells ESPN. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 10, 2020
The Cubs also came to terms on one-year deals with Baez ($10 million), Contreras ($4.5 million), outfielders Kyle Schwarber ($7 million) and Albert Almora Jr. ($1.575 million) and pitcher Kyle Ryan ($975,000).
According to rosterresource.com, the Cubs payroll stands at $194 million, below the luxury-tax threshold of $208 million. The Cubs had baseball’s third-highest payroll in 2019 and paid a $7.6 million penalty for exceeding the limit.
Players and teams had until noon Friday to come to salary agreements or head to arbitration hearings next month.
Advertisement
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 >
Baez nearly doubled his salary from $5.2 million last season, when the shortstop hit .281 with 29 homers and 85 RBIs and made his second straight All-Star team. He finished second in 2018 MVP voting.
Contreras also made his second straight All-Star team at catcher, hitting .272 with a career-high 24 homers and 64 RBIs. He earned $684,000.
Advertisement
Schwarber, who made $3.39 million in 2019, set career highs with a .250 average, 38 homers and 92 RBIs. He was particularly good after the All-Star break, hitting .280 with 20 homers and driving in 49 runs.
The Cubs hope Almora can rebound after his average dropped 50 points to .236 and his on-base percentage fell from .323 to .271. The former first-round pick hit just .213 against left-handers even though he is a righty. And his average on balls in play dropped from .337 to .255.
Ryan made 73 appearances in 2019 with a 3.54 ERA, 58 strikeouts and 29 walks.
Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Neil Peart, Rush drummer, dies at 67

Neil Peart, Rush drummer, dies at 67

The addition of Peart , whose technical chops and use of melodic percussion instruments -- vibes , chimes and later @ @ @ @ @ the band 's musical palette , and he soon assumed the role of the band @ @ @ @ @ he was famously influenced by science-fiction and particularly Ayn Rand , author of `` The @ @ @ @ @ Shrugged . ''
The band embarked on a series of increasingly elaborate albums whose lyrics @ @ @ @ @ as their growing musical ambitions .
`` Necromancer , '' a conceptual song on their @ @ @ @ @ Steel , '' paved the way for the full-blown 1976 concept album `` 2112 , @ @ @ @ @ a future society without music .

Neil Peart, the legendary drummer of Rush, has died, according to an announcement from the band. He was 67. The cause of death, according to a spokesperson, was brain cancer. Peart passed on Tuesday, January 7th, in Santa Monica.
Widely considered one of the most innovative drummers in rock history, Peart was famous for his state-of-the-art drum kits -- more than 40 different drums were not out of the norm -- precise playing style and onstage showmanship. He joined Rush in 1974, after the band’s cofounders, bassist/singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, had released one self-titled album.
Advertisement
The addition of Peart, whose technical chops and use of melodic percussion instruments -- vibes, glockenspiels, chimes and later synthesized percussion -- vastly expanded the band’s musical palette, and he soon assumed the role of the band’s lyricist as well; he was famously influenced by science-fiction and particularly Ayn Rand, author of “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged.” The band embarked on a series of increasingly elaborate albums whose lyrics and storylines were as sophisticated as their growing musical ambitions. “Necromancer,” a conceptual song on their 1975 album “Caress of Steel,” paved the way for the full-blown 1976 concept album “2112,” a dystopian tale about a future society without music.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 131 Dawn Wells, who starred as “good girl” Mary Ann in the popular 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died Dec. 30, 2020, of causes related to COVID-19. She was 82. (AP )
Over the next 15 years, Rush admirably declined to become a heritage act and continually challenged themselves and overhauled their sound, dropping the hard rock and high vocals that marked their early material and pursuing more keyboard-based arrangements and different musical styles. While their commercial popularity declined after the early 1980s they remained a hard-working and extremely popular live act with a deeply dedicated fan base that regularly filled arenas.
Advertisement
In 1997, tragedy struck when Peart's daughter Selena was killed in a car accident, and his wife Jacqueline died from cancer just 10 months later. The band took a nearly four year hiatus while Peart healed by traveling some 55,000 miles across North and Central America on his motorcycle by himself. He chronicled his cathartic journey in his 2002 book, "Ghost Rider: Travels of the Healing Road." Peart remarried in 2000 and the band resumed recording and touring the following year.
On top of being Rush’s drummer and lyricist, Peart was a prolific writer with several non-fiction books to his credit including “The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa,” “Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times.”
Neil Ellwood Peart was born in Hamilton, Ontario on September 12, 1952. While his first exposure to music was via childhood piano lessons, which didn’t have much of an impact on him, Peart had a hankering for drumming on various objects around the house. He first picked up drumming at the age of 13. “I got a pair of sticks, a practice pad, and lessons,” he said in 2012, adding that his parents told him, “Once you show that you’re going to stick with it for a year, then we’ll get drums.' Fair enough.”
When he turned 18, Peart left Canada to pursue a music career in England, which didn't pan out. Eighteen months later he returned home to join his father selling tractor parts. Peart played in local bands before landing with an up and coming Toronto band called Rush. His first gig with the band was on July 29, 1974 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Man.
Over 30 years and 18 albums later, Rush’s final show took place at the Forum in Los Angeles back on August 1, 2015. At the end of Rush’s final concert, Peart stood on his drum riser and snapped a few photos before joining bandmates Lee and Lifeson for what would be the band’s final bow. Some of Peart’s star-studded fans in attendance that night include Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Tool’s Daney Carey, Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, The Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger and Jack Black.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Rush's album sales put them behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for the most consecutive gold or platinum certifications by a rock band. In the U.S., Rush album sales topped 25 million units. Worldwide, the band has moved over 40 million units of their 19 studio albums and live recordings, including the classics "Exit Stage Left," "A Show of Hands," "Different Stages" and "Rush in Rio," which all chronicle the band's incredible and evolving live shows over the years.
Their best-selling album is 1981's "Moving Pictures," on which the hits "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight," as well as fan favorites like "Red Barchetta" and the instrumental "YYZ," appeared.
Rush was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 by Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins. During the event, the usually quiet Peart said, "The highest purpose of art is to inspire, what else can you do for anyone but inspire them? It's gratifying to think of us having inspired these youngsters to pick up a pair of drum sticks, a guitar and a rhyming dictionary and torment their parents as we tormented ours."
Advertisement
Peart is survived by his wife, Carrie Nuttal, and daughter Olivia.


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Coyote caught on North Side, authorities checking if it’s the animal that attacked boy at Notebaert

Coyote caught on North Side, authorities checking if it’s the animal that attacked boy at Notebaert museum

The coyote , which appeared injured , was spotted about 10 p.m. in the 1700 block of North Dayton Street @ @ @ @ @ Care and Control .
Workers from the agency caught up with the animal about a @ @ @ @ @ ” shot it with a tranquilizer dart .
The coyote was about three blocks west @ @ @ @ @ not far from the intersection of North Avenue and Halsted Street .

A Chicago police officer and a Chicago Animal Care and Control worker carry a coyote out in a green bag after tranquilizing the animal behind a home near the corner of Willow and Fremont streets on Jan. 9, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Animal control workers caught a coyote Thursday evening on Chicago’s North Side, but authorities said it might not be known for weeks whether it’s the same animal that attacked a 6-year-old boy the day before about two miles away.
The coyote, which appeared injured, was spotted about 10 p.m. in the 1700 block of North Dayton Street, according to Chicago Animal Care and Control. Workers from the agency caught up with the animal about a block away and “safely” shot it with a tranquilizer dart. The coyote was about three blocks west of the Steppenwolf Theatre, not far from the intersection of North Avenue and Halsted Street.
Advertisement
Animal control officials are attempting to determine if the captured coyote is the same animal that attacked a boy Wednesday afternoon outside the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park, biting him on the head. Two DePaul University track team members were running nearby when the coyote attacked the boy and said they helped kick the animal away.
Animal control said Friday morning that DNA testing and evaluation of the captured coyote was expected to take a few weeks. An agency spokeswoman said the animal was being taken to a local animal rehabilitation center, where the DNA testing and additional evaluation will occur.
Advertisement
THE COYOTE HAS LEFT THE BUILDING Last night, CACC inspectors responded to a call of an injured coyote at the 1700 block... Posted by Chicago Animal Care and Control on Friday, January 10, 2020
The boy was walking along a path in a park area near the museum when he came upon the coyote on a grassy hill, officials said. The boy may have startled the animal, which bit the boy. The child’s nanny and several bystanders came to the boy’s aid.
A spokeswoman for animal control declined to answer what would happen to the captured coyote if it is determined to be the same animal that bit the boy.
Officials said in a statement Friday they “will continue to aggressively patrol the area in response to any potential coyote sightings.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday said she was pleased with how officials handled the situation.
“Never did I think I’d be talking about alligators in one breath and coyote in the next, but I think (animal control’s director has) handled things very well, come up with a good plan, had the right experts in place,” Lightfoot said. “And we’re still out there being diligent because there’s lots of different sightings.”
Animal control, in its “Coyote Management & Coexistence Plan,” reports it receives approximately 450 service requests annually involving coyotes. Coyotes, the report details, “can only be harmed or removed if there is proof of imminent danger to a human’s life or property.”
A Chicago Animal Care and Control officer tranquilizes a coyote behind a home near the corner of Willow and Fremont streets on Jan. 9, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Ald. Brian Hopkins, whose 2nd Ward includes the museum, tweeted that “preliminary indications strongly suggest this is the animal involved ... waiting for DNA test results to confirm.”
The alderman said the coyote may also be the same animal that bit a man in the buttocks later Wednesday in Streeterville. Neither the boy nor the man — who showed up at a hospital with what he said was a coyote bite — suffered life-threatening injuries.
Advertisement
The attack on the boy is believed to be the first by a coyote on a human in the Chicago area in at least a decade, said Kelley Gandurski, executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
poconnell@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Judge refuses to throw out key evidence in killing of Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer

The judge also chastised Kamin for asking to postpone the start of trial on Jan. 27 , saying he ’ @ @ @ @ @ to prepare .
Still , the judge agreed to move the trial to sometime in @ @ @ @ @ , saying she didn ’ t want Legghette to be harmed by his attorney ’ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Officers salute outside the Near North District station Feb. 13, 2020, during a memorial for Cmdr. Paul Bauer, who was killed in 2018. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The foot pursuit that culminated in the daylight slaying of Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer began with a relatively minor infraction: Bauer’s accused killer was approached moments before the shooting for urinating in public, court hearings this week revealed.
That was enough, though, to justify officers giving chase, a Cook County judge ruled Friday, setting the stage for Shomari Legghette, 46, to stand trial for first-degree murder later this winter.
Advertisement
In a series of recent hearings before Judge Erica Reddick, officers recounted the moments leading up to Bauer’s February 2018 death and Legghette’s arrest, including the initial approach by officers who noticed Legghette appearing to relieve himself on Lower Wacker Drive.
Legghette took off running after police tried to stop him, sparking a downtown pursuit that Bauer ultimately joined. Bauer followed Legghette to a stairwell outside the Thompson Center, where Legghette allegedly shot the veteran officer six times.
Advertisement
In an effort to block prosecutors from introducing the gun, drugs and body armor found on Legghette as evidence at the upcoming trial, his attorney, Scott Kamin, had argued that officers didn’t have legal justification to try to question Legghette, let alone chase after him, for what amounted to an ordinance violation.
But Reddick disagreed, finding that the officer was justified to try to question Legghette because he "reasonably believed he was urinating or about to urinate in a public setting.”
The judge also chastised Kamin for asking to postpone the start of trial on Jan. 27, saying he’s had plenty of time to prepare. Still, the judge agreed to move the trial to sometime in late February or early March, saying she didn’t want Legghette to be harmed by his attorney’s “lack of diligence.”
The trial is expected to be lengthy and emotional. Prosecutors said Friday that more than four dozen officers, as well as a dozen civilian witnesses, have been subpoenaed to testify, though far fewer will likely be called to the stand.
At recent court hearings, officers laid out in detail how the incident unfolded.
Officer Raymond Haran testified earlier this week that he was on patrol that afternoon when he noticed Legghette on Lower Wacker Drive appearing to relieve himself against a wall or pillar. When Haran approached and asked to talk to him, Legghette said, “No, I’m good,” and ran up the stairs, the officer said.
Haran gave chase but ultimately lost sight of Legghette, then radioed a description of his clothing and told dispatchers that a shooting had recently taken place in the area.
Bauer, downtown for a meeting with aldermen after attending training for mass shootings earlier in the day, heard a radio call of a fleeing suspect and spotted Legghette running nearby moments later, authorities have said.
Advertisement
Bauer chased Legghette to the top of a stairwell outside the Thompson Center and attempted to detain him, authorities said. The two struggled and tumbled down to a landing below. Legghette, who was wearing body armor, drew a handgun and fired seven shots, fatally wounding Bauer, prosecutors have said.
Officer Deronis Cooper heard the gunshots, ran to the stairwell and saw Legghette not far from Bauer’s body, he testified Thursday.
Cooper said he handcuffed Legghette and found a loaded handgun with an extended magazine in his possession.
Bauer's weapon was still holstered. His police radio and handcuffs were found next to his body.
The 31-year department veteran, commander of the Near North patrol district, was the highest-ranking Chicago cop killed in decades.
Prosecutors have said they would seek a life sentence for Legghette if he is convicted of Bauer’s slaying.
Advertisement
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Abortion opponents prepare for Saturday’s March for Life Chicago: ‘Pro-life is pro-woman’

Illinois has long been considered an oasis for abortion access in the generally more restrictive Midwest , with thousands of @ @ @ @ @ procedure from out of state each year , according to state health department statistics .
@ @ @ @ @ among the most liberal in the United States , women in surrounding states face waiting @ @ @ @ @ other barriers .

People walk along the March for Life route in downtown Chicago on Jan.13, 2019. (Raquel Zaldivar/Chicago Tribune)
The obstetrician of nearly three decades marvels at how technology has advanced over the span of her career, in so many ways confirming her long-held belief that life begins at conception and must be protected, she said.
She has seen tiny hearts beating as early as six weeks gestation, a sight that never ceases to amaze her.
Advertisement
“I do consider this a life, a separate life,” said Dr. Karen Deighan, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Loyola University Medical Center. “I don’t see this as different than a newborn baby who should be protected. I do think this is a continuum of life.”
The physician is one of about a dozen speakers scheduled for Saturday’s annual March for Life Chicago, a gathering billed as “the Midwest’s largest pro-life event.”
Advertisement
Thousands of opponents of abortion are expected to gather at Daley Plaza for the start of the march and rally, as the nation continues to clash over abortion rights amid mounting threats to Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that established a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy.
Last year was pivotal for abortion legislation on opposite ends of the reproductive rights debate spectrum, leaving the country more polarized in terms of access to the procedure.
States like Alabama, Missouri and Georgia in 2019 passed some of the toughest restrictions on terminating a pregnancy in the United States. Others enacted sweeping expansions to abortion provisions, such as the controversial Illinois Reproductive Health Act signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in June, which declared the procedure a “fundamental right.”
Illinois has long been considered an oasis for abortion access in the generally more restrictive Midwest, with thousands of women traveling here for the procedure from out of state each year, according to state health department statistics. While Illinois abortion laws are among the most liberal in the United States, women in surrounding states face waiting periods, gestational limits and other barriers.
“There’s more people in Illinois and the Midwest who recognize the urgency of this,” Dawn Fitzpatrick, March for Life Chicago board president, said. “We recognize that there’s a human being that’s created from the moment of conception. If an abortion happens, that child is destroyed.”
Speakers listed for the rally include Cardinal Blase Cupich, Chicago Bears vice president Pat McCaskey as well as U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, a social conservative Democrat from Western Springs whose anti-abortion stance goes counter to most of his party.
“Every January, I am proud to brave the cold and join the March for Life Chicago,” Lipinski said in a statement provided by March for Life Chicago. “As a member of Congress, I work to protect the most vulnerable, and no one is more vulnerable than the child in the womb and that child’s mother.”
Advertisement
The eight-term lawmaker, who is facing a tough primary contest, was heavily criticized earlier this month by reproductive rights advocates and other Democrats for signing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit and overturn Roe v. Wade.
“I support a big tent but there’s no room under the flaps for anyone who is actively seeking to deny women control over our bodies,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted recently from her political account. “Time to leave @danlipinski.”
Saturday’s march and rally are expected to draw a heated counterprotest organized by more than a dozen reproductive rights groups, as advertised on various social media sites.
“Let’s gather our forces to show that right-wing bigots should not have a say over our bodily autonomy!” states one post on Facebook.
The March for Life Chicago website instructs its supporters to refrain from engaging counterprotesters.
“They are certainly welcome,” Fitzpatrick said. “We hope that they listen to our speakers, hear the joy of the crowd and have a change of heart.”
Advertisement
The event has grown from roughly 1,000 participants in 2014 to a crowd of more than 8,000 in 2019, according to organizer estimates.
Fitzpatrick added that the march theme this year is “Life empowers: Pro-life is pro-woman.”
The concept resonates with Deighan, who knows her position on abortion is fairly counterculture within the medical field and her specialty. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in May issued a statement opposing bans on abortion care, calling on lawmakers to “support health policies based on sound science and evidence.”
Yet Deighan cautioned that “conscience” laws — those designed to prevent health care providers from being forced to make decisions against their faiths or beliefs — must be preserved against increasing attacks.
She added that she treats both the pregnant woman and fetus, and has contended with some particularly agonizing cases in terms of the health and well-being of each category of patient.
“They are equal, we care about both of them,” she said. “Difficult decisions are made every day. But it’s about protecting life and about protecting women.”
Advertisement
Details
What: March for Life Chicago march and rally
When: Saturday, 1-3 p.m.
Where: Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St. The march will head east on Washington Street, then south on Michigan Avenue and end at the Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 520 S. Michigan Ave.
For more information: www.marchforlife-chicago.org
eleventis@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Man dead, another injured trying to help in possible arson fire in Englewood

Shortly before noon , a fire broke out at a house in the 5900 block of South Union Avenue .
@ @ @ @ @ a man who he believed was inside the house and was injured , fire officials @ @

A man was killed, and a second man was injured trying to help him out of a possible arson fire Friday afternoon in the Englewood neighborhood, fire officials said.
Shortly before noon, a fire broke out at a house in the 5900 block of South Union Avenue. A neighbor tried to help a man who he believed was inside the house and was injured, fire officials said.
Advertisement
An adult male was discovered dead on the first floor where firefighters contained the fire in a living room, Chicago police said.
The neighbor was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for smoke inhalation, fire officials said. The deceased man has not yet been identified.
Advertisement
Arson investigators were called to the scene and are investigating the cause of the fire.


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Deadspin moving to Chicago after New York staff walkout shut down sports website

“ In order to restart Deadspin as soon as possible , we have decided to move Deadspin within our corporate @ @ @ @ @ our properties based out of Chicago , where we believe we will be able to @ @ @ @ @ , relaunch the site and help ensure its long-term success , ” G/O Media said @ @ @ @

G/O Media, which runs the sports website Deadspin, announced Friday it is planning to move operations to Chicago after struggling to relaunch the site after its New York editorial staff walked off the job in October. (Sharaf Maksumov / TNS)
Deadspin, the irreverent sports website that was all but shut down by a mass exodus of New York staffers in October, is moving to Chicago to relaunch under the same roof as the co-owned humor site, The Onion.
The decision, announced Friday by G/O Media, follows a months-long standoff between the digital media publisher and the union representing the more than 20 writers and editors who resigned in protest over the website’s direction under private equity ownership.
Advertisement
“In order to restart Deadspin as soon as possible, we have decided to move Deadspin within our corporate structure to be part of our properties based out of Chicago, where we believe we will be able to more quickly rebuild our staff, relaunch the site and help ensure its long-term success,” G/O Media said in a statement.
G/O Media, formerly Gizmodo Media Group, is an assemblage of popular websites that also includes The A.V. Club, Jalopnik, Jezebel and The Root.
Advertisement
Boston-based private equity firm Great Hill Partners bought the digital media portfolio from Spanish-language broadcaster Univision for an undisclosed price in April, installing former Forbes.com CEO and magazine executive Jim Spanfeller as CEO. While new ownership led to a number of changes, including the July departure of longtime Onion CEO Mike McAvoy, the clash of cultures came to a head at the New York offices of Deadspin.
In August, Deadspin published a lengthy article critical of G/O Media and Spanfeller’s leadership, with the site’s editor resigning several weeks later. But it was an October memo from G/O management instructing Deadspin to stick to sports that set off a full-fledged revolt among staffers. By Nov. 1, the entire editorial staff had resigned in protest, leaving the Deadspin website frozen in time, with a patchwork of mid-season NFL stories still at the top of the page.
Spanfeller sent a letter Friday to The Writers Guild of America, East, the union representing Deadspin staffers, claiming efforts to restart the website have been “severely hampered” by the “divisive actions” of former employees and their objections to managerial decisions. He said those actions included harassing a freelancer “incessantly,” to the point where the writer refused to continue working for Deadspin.
“To this end, we have decided to move the Deadspin platform, which will remain a dedicated sports platform, under The Onion corporate structure to ensure the best chance of future success,” Spanfeller said in the letter, which was obtained by the Tribune.
A key point of contention in negotiations between G/O Media and the union is editorial independence in light of the mandate for sports-only content on Deadspin. The union is demanding “more stringent protections” of editorial independence, while G/O Media is not willing to relinquish “full editorial control” of its website.
Deadspin will relocate to The Onion’s offices at 730 N. Franklin St. in Chicago “as soon as possible,” with plans to begin hiring staffers and relaunch the site. Spanfeller said an offer to former Deadspin employees to return to their old positions in the New York office “remains open at this time.”
As part of the move to Chicago, new editorial staffers at Deadspin will be represented by a different local of The Writers Guild of America, East, which The Onion joined in 2018.
The union’s New York-based bargaining unit issued a statement Friday questioning the efficacy of a Chicago relaunch for Deadspin.
Advertisement
“Moving Deadspin to Chicago will not solve the problem that Jim (Spanfeller) never understood Deadspin, and did everything in his power to kill it," the union said. “The members of this bargaining unit vehemently object to this decision.”
The Onion itself made waves when it chose to relocate its editorial offices from New York to Chicago in 2012. At the time, nearly a third of 23 New York-based editorial staffers rejected a relocation package. The Onion moved into its current Chicago headquarters, which also houses The A.V. Club, in 2013.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Robin Lehner won’t give the Blackhawks a discount and is already eyeing next summer’s free-agent mar

Robin Lehner won’t give the Blackhawks a discount and is already eyeing next summer’s free-agent market: ‘There’s a lot of teams that need goalies’

“ ( But ) this is a business , and no matter how good things are going , how well @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s not up to you and it ’ s not in your control @ @ @ @ @ I stand and I really like this team and I still really believe in this @ @ @ @ @ team has .
Would like to be a part of the turnaround .
”

If the Blackhawks expect goaltender Robin Lehner to give them a discount in a contract extension because he likes playing in Chicago, they better guess again.
After an optional practice Friday at Fifth Third Arena, Lehner reiterated how much he enjoys being a Hawk and would like to be part of their future.
Advertisement
But he also made it clear he won’t sell himself short like he feels he did last summer, when he signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Hawks after being a Vezina Trophy finalist with the Islanders.
“I’ve taken discounts my whole life,” Lehner said. “I’m not a guy that wants to be overpaid either. I want to gain some respect that I think I deserve, and we’ll see if that happens or not.”
Advertisement
While Lehner said he is open to signing an extension with the Hawks before free agency begins in July, he seems to have done his research on the impending market for goalies.
Lehner, 28, is the only current starting goalie under 30 scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. The top available UFAs next summer include Braden Holtby (30), Jacob Markstrom (30), Thomas Greiss (34), Anton Khudobin (34) and Jaroslav Halak (35).
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 >
“The market is wide open,” Lehner said. "There’s a lot of teams that need goalies. It’s not that many goalies that are available this (summer). So we’ll see what happens. All I know is I really like it here. I’ve learned enough.
“(But) this is a business, and no matter how good things are going, how well you like it, sometimes it’s not up to you and it’s not in your control. But I know where I stand and I really like this team and I still really believe in this team and the pieces this team has. Would like to be a part of the turnaround.”
Lehner is 12-7-4 with a .922 save percentage in 25 games and had taken over as the No. 1 goalie after alternating starts with Corey Crawford for much of the season. He missed two games this week after injuring his right knee and was available but did not start in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Predators.
Dylan Strome still not ready
A fully dressed Dylan Strome stepped onto the ice minutes before the Hawks were set to start practice.
After skating for less than a minute and appearing to favor his sprained right ankle, Strome headed back to the locker room and didn’t return.
Strome hasn’t practiced since injuring his ankle in Tuesday’s loss to the Flames, and he sat out Thursday’s game.
Advertisement
“Trying to figure it out,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “It seems like it’s day to day, so that’s good. As far as when he’s going to return, I don’t know.”


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Accountant pleads guilty to $65 million fraud to finance homes, jets, yachts, Lamborghini dealership

The plea agreement said Sultan sank another $ 15 million in stolen funds to pay expenses for Global Luxury Imports @ @ @ @ @ in Burr Ridge that sold Lamborghinis and other luxury vehicles .
According to a 2012 @ @ @ @ @ housed the bulletproof 1979 Rolls-Royce that Princess Diana and Prince Charles used during visits to @ @ @ @ @ the 1980s .

Sultan Issa leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. Issa could face up to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Friday to embezzling tens of millions of dollars from a wealthy Chicago-area family. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
An accountant could face up to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Friday to embezzling tens of millions of dollars from a wealthy Chicago-area family and using the money to finance a luxurious lifestyle that included more than two dozen homes, private jets, yachts and a Lamborghini luxury car dealership.
Sultan Issa also admitted in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that he stole millions more from individual investors, including $500,000 from a widow who trusted him to invest funds from her dead husband’s estate.
Advertisement
In all, Sultan admitted to stealing at least $65 million over a seven-year period, but prosecutors warned that they were still tabulating the losses and the final number could go even higher.
Dressed in a dark gray suit and blue striped tie, Issa, 46, of Hinsdale, told U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood that he’s been seeing a psychiatrist and is taking daily prescription medication to treat his anxiety and depression.
Advertisement
[ Chicago pastor charged with bilking federal program to feed needy kids, spending $142,000 on a Bentley for himself ]
When the judge asked him to say in his own words what he did wrong, Issa, who pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud, cleared his throat and said in a firm voice, “I just basically lied to a lot of people.”
Wood set sentencing for May 21. With such extensive losses, Issa faces about 20 to 25 years in prison under preliminary sentencing guidelines.
For years, Issa served as the personal accountant for banker and philanthropist Roger Weston, a life trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, where a wing of the museum bears his name.
According to the plea agreement, Issa began embezzling from the family’s funds in 2010 by forging signatures to gain control of assets and providing banks with fraudulent documents to secure millions of dollars in loans for himself.
[ Feds file criminal charges against four former Outcome Health executives, alleging massive $1 billion fraud ]
One of the accounts Issa stole from was a trust fund that Weston had set up explicitly to pay for his mother’s treatment while she was “suffering from an incapacitating illness,” the plea deal said.
The plea agreement refers to Weston only as Individual A, but details in the court record confirm he was the victim.
For more than seven years, ending in October 2017, Issa regularly lied to Weston about the status of the family’s assets and cooked the books to make it look like investments were earning money, authorities said.
Instead, Issa was using tens of millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains to buy 25 residential properties in Illinois, Montana, Michigan, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, as well as two private jets, four yachts, about 60 firearms, and numerous watches and jewelry, according to the plea agreement.
Advertisement
[ ‘Windy City Rehab’ team facing multiple lawsuits, adding to HGTV show’s troubles ]
Among the Chicago properties Issa bought during the scheme were three condos in the Trump Tower in Chicago, real estate records show. The shell company he set up to purchase them was called Combover LLC — an apparent jab at President Donald Trump’s hairstyle.
The plea agreement said Sultan sank another $15 million in stolen funds to pay expenses for Global Luxury Imports, a dealership he owned in Burr Ridge that sold Lamborghinis and other luxury vehicles. According to a 2012 news release, the dealership housed the bulletproof 1979 Rolls-Royce that Princess Diana and Prince Charles used during visits to Washington, D.C., in the 1980s.
[ Ex-escort gets more than 4 years in prison for nearly $6 million fraud ]
The dealership has since closed, records show.
The charges also alleged Issa used his position to solicit at least another $8.8 million from individual investors by claiming he would invest their money in legitimate opportunities.
In April 2016, prosecutors said, Issa convinced a widow to give him $500,000 to invest even though he knew she “was unusually vulnerable due to the recent loss of her husband." Instead, Issa used the funds “in furtherance of his ongoing scheme to defraud,” according to the plea deal.
Weston, from Winnetka, sold Lisle-based GreatBanc to Charter One for $180 million, according to reports in Crain’s Chicago Business. A collector of Asian art, Weston became a life trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009 and has donated many pieces to the museum.
Advertisement
[ CPS employees caught living outside Chicago limits and lying about it face dismissal: ‘It’s a steady, constant problem’ ]
Weston sued Issa in Cook County Circuit Court in 2018 seeking $100 million in damages, court records show. Weston claimed in a separate lawsuit that Issa forged his name on bank documents as collateral to obtain a $5 million loan using antique Chinese ceramics and other artwork owned by Weston. The lawsuits are pending.
Issa, who remains free on bond pending sentencing, left the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Friday without speaking to reporters. His lawyer, Daniel Collins, also declined to comment.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Staff members at Jones Prep, Lincoln Park high schools in Chicago removed amid investigations

On Thursday , separate emails informed families of students at Lincoln Park High School and Jones College Prep that a @ @ @ @ @ from their schools .
Both emails began the same way : “ The safety of @ @ @ @ @ top priority , which is why I must inform you of a situation that has @ @ @ @ @ ”

Advertisement
Two staff members at Chicago high schools have been removed from their respective campuses amid investigations into activities that had “recently come to light,” according to emails sent to parents Thursday.
On Thursday, separate emails informed families of students at Lincoln Park High School and Jones College Prep that a staff member had been removed from their schools. Both emails began the same way: “The safety of your children is always our top priority, which is why I must inform you of a situation that has recently come to light.”
Advertisement
Addressing the Lincoln Park boys basketball team families, Principal John Thuet wrote he’d been “made aware” that members of the team "took an overnight trip over winter break that was not a school sponsored event.”
“The staff member who led the trip has been removed from the school, and the district is investigating this situation in accordance with CPS policy," Thuet wrote.
Chicago Public Schools officials have not identified either staff member.
At the Lincoln Park varsity basketball game Friday evening against Lane Tech, Lincoln Park coach Pat Gordon was absent from the sidelines. Following the game — which Lincoln Park won 72-65 — an assistant coach declined to comment, and several adults in the crowd said they knew little about what was happening. Those working the gate initially told a Tribune reporter he could not enter.
At Jones, an email from Principal P. Joseph Powers said there’d been “an allegation that one of our staff members engaged inappropriately with students" and that the employee was removed from the school.
The Office of the Inspector General is investigating, according to Powers’ email.
Both principals’ emails ended on the same note: “While I am unable to discuss details regarding the investigation, I am always available to discuss steps the district takes to keep students safe and matters related to your child."
Neither principal has responded to inquiries from the Tribune, and CPS officials did not provide additional information about either case.
Advertisement
Jones is a selective enrollment school in Printers Row, while Lincoln Park is a neighborhood school with a performing arts magnet program as well as honors and International Baccalaureate programs.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--High drama for the Romance Writers of America: A ‘firestorm’ over race and diversity

The public callouts and calls for resignations , and the scale in which it unfolded , caught the attention of @ @ @ @ @ sides , and made writers hopeful that the narrative on inclusion , diversity and equity @ @ @ @ @ .
The series of events led to the cancellation of RWA ’ s 2020 RITA @ @ @ @ @ And when the nonprofit trade association , whose mission is to advance the professional and @ @ @ @ @ writers through networking and advocacy , canceled its annual version of the Academy Awards , @ @ @ @ @ about a lack of diversity in the genre to a head on a global platform @

People wait to attend an autograph-signing event during the Romance Writers of America annual conference in New York on June 28, 2011. The group this week canceled its 2020 RITA awards ceremony. (Tina Fineberg / AP)
If there are soap opera fans out there who aren’t romance novel fans, the events surrounding the Romance Writers of America over the last several weeks could very well convert you.
The public callouts and calls for resignations, and the scale in which it unfolded, caught the attention of publishers, had people choosing sides, and made writers hopeful that the narrative on inclusion, diversity and equity in the genre would change. The series of events led to the cancellation of RWA’s 2020 RITA awards ceremony this week. And when the nonprofit trade association, whose mission is to advance the professional and business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy, canceled its annual version of the Academy Awards, the move brought the complaints about a lack of diversity in the genre to a head on a global platform.
Advertisement
And while this may seem jarring for those who don’t read romance, it’s not so shocking when you understand that authors, fans and professionals have been advocating for more diversity for years. “The State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing” tracks the genre’s publications written by authors of color annually, and the needle isn’t moving dramatically from year to year in the billion-dollar industry.
That’s not to say there aren’t authors out there doing the work, but critics say racism and discrimination remain despite efforts to level the playing field for marginalized writers. Before 2019, no black author had ever won a RITA, the Academy Award of romance novels. As reasons for the canceling of the RITAs, RWA cited on its website “the romance community losing faith in RWA’s ability to administer the 2020 RITA contest fairly” and the contest not reflecting “the breadth and diversity of 2019 romance novels/novellas.”
Advertisement
But let’s look at how the cancellation came to be and why it matters.
If you want the abridged version, the Twitter thread below puts it in context. But if you want the unabridged version. Keep reading.
I want to give a little bit of advice to anybody trying to cover the increasingly wild story of the leadership collapse at the Romance Writers Association. I offer it as a journalist, novelist, reader, and casual acquaintance of quite a few romance writers. — Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) January 8, 2020
Chinese American author Courtney Milan in August called out Kathryn Lynn Davis’s 1999 book “Somewhere Lies the Moon,” saying on Twitter that it was a “racist mess,” highlighting sections that she said depict 19th-century Chinese women as submissive and demure.
Davis, who is white, then filed an ethics complaint with the RWA (one of two against Milan, the other by author Suzan Tisdale) alleging “repeatedly or intentionally engaging in any other acts of a violent, harassing or intimidating conduct that objectively threaten a member’s career, reputation, safety or wellbeing.” Davis went on to say, in the complaint, that the consequence of Milan’s alleged ethics violations was the loss of a three-book contract with a publisher.
According to an RWA statement, at the time of the complaint, Milan served as chair of the ethics committee and was subject to review by the committee. “Milan was asked to voluntarily step down as the Ethics Committee Chair to eliminate any conflict of interest, which she did, and the Board appointed additional Committee members and a new Chair.”
The RWA Ethics Committee then recommended that Milan be censured, be suspended from RWA membership for one year and receive a lifetime ban on holding any position of leadership on the RWA, National Board, or on an RWA Chapter Board. Fellow writers and RWA members spoke out.
One of the reasons I believed in RWA was because I saw how hard my friend, Courtney Milan, worked to push the organization’s inclusiveness. Today, the day before Christmas Eve, RWA notified her they’d agreed with ethics complaints filed against her for calling out racism. — Alyssa!!! Cole (@AlyssaColeLit) December 24, 2019
But then the RWA’s executive deputy director Carol Ritter rescinded the vote on sanctions for Milan. Ritter sent Milan an email saying: “Dear Courtney, at a meeting today that identified a gap between policy and progress, RWA’s Board of Directors rescinded its vote accepting the findings of the Ethics Committee report and its consequent penalties against Courtney Milan pending a legal opinion. RWA reiterates its support for diversity, inclusivity and equity and its commitment to provide an open environment for all members.”
So I just got this in the mail from Carol Ritter. pic.twitter.com/FjOJNS4Ff5 — Courtney!!! Milan 🦖 (@courtneymilan) December 25, 2019
Publishing houses like Avon and Harlequin said Wednesday that they will not attend or sponsor this year’s RWA conference, where the RITAs are awarded. Avon’s statement: “In support of inclusive publishing, Avon Books will not invest in a promotional sponsorship nor have a presence at the Romance Writers of America national conference.”
Advertisement
Numerous RWA members have resigned, including Ritter and RWA’s president, Damon Suede, after a petition to recall him was sent to RWA. Suede had served on the RWA board of directors since 2015 and as president-elect from September 2019 through December 2019.
Author Sonali Dev, of Naperville, whose work has been referred to as Bollywood-style love stories, has been a member of RWA since 2010. She said in an email that the backlash around RWA’s moves is a positive thing.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 Sonali Dev launches a new series about the Rajes — an immigrant Indian family descended from royalty, who have painstakingly built their lives in San Francisco — with this story that is at once a compelling, heartwarming romance between two strangers from completely different worlds, and a poignant exploration of cultural assimilation, identity and the meaning of the word home. Dev's reading recommendations for romance fans: "Soniah Kamal’s 'Unmarriageable,' a 'Pride and Prejudice' set in modern-day Pakistan. Also, Alexis Daria’s 'Dance Off' series and Alisha Rai’s 'Forbidden Hearts' series were two of my favorite romance series in recent years, both with layered storytelling and mad-hot chemistry. I just discovered Kennedy Ryan, and I’ve been inhaling her books because the writing is just so beautiful." (Avon Books)
“I’m personally impressed and heartened by the fact that publishers (including Avon and Kensington, my publishers) have pulled support from the national conference,” she said. “In terms of what it means to the romance industry, any exposure of bigotry is a good thing. It gives voice to those of us who feel marginalized, and it exposes systemic problems for those who’ve been in denial. I can only hope that translates into publishers and readers responding with their wallets.”
Author Beverly Jenkins wrote in an email that she “no longer has confidence in RWA leadership, due to the seemingly unethical methods undertaken in its treatment of Courtney Milan.”
If you think about it. We’ve always looked to RWA to advocate on our behalf. But this time, we’re forced to advocate for ourselves. And no, this isn’t over, but damn I’m proud of us for standing up for what is right and telling the world: THIS IS WHO WE ARE! It matters. — Beverly Jenkins (@authorMsBev) January 9, 2020
As the president of the RWA NYC chapter, writer Adriana Herrera said in an email, this is a pivotal moment for romance as a genre.
“The issue of diversity has been at the forefront for years, and yet, as we have seen over the last couple of weeks, our largest professional organization is so plagued with systemic racism, the leadership seems to prefer to see it collapse than confront these issues,” she said. “I am encouraged by the response of the industry and hope this means we will see publishers invest more in marginalized voices.”
Advertisement
I resigned from RWA. Allowing racists to weaponize RWA's Code of Ethics against someone calling out that racism goes against everything a code of ethics stands for, and this result is appallingly and profoundly wrongheaded. I'm done. #IstandwithCourtney — Alyssa Day is on Hiatus (@Alyssa_Day) December 24, 2019
The fallout from the callout has been referred to by the RWA as “the most painful and tumultuous in its history.” The RWA, in a statement, on its website now acknowledges the “significant failures of RWA over the course of several years to meaningfully address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, and deficiencies in our communications and transparency with membership.”
The organization has since hired an independent law firm to conduct an audit of the ethics matter that will include interviews with key individuals as well as findings and recommendations on improving its process and sharing findings with members; vowed to bring on a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant who could assist RWA with diversifying board and staff recruitment, as well as design and structure future membership programming and events; and launched an evaluation and potential revamping of RWA awards programs with the help of experts and members.
#RWAWhyteSettlerColonizers I started and deleted several threads on my take on RWA (I'm saving the Dante's Inferno for the end😏).The historicity of the RWA is out there, for those who look. Since I'm writing abt romance & white settler colonialism ...
1/ — Elysabeth Grace (@Elysabethgrace) January 9, 2020
“The last few weeks have brought to the forefront issues within RWA that many marginalized members have been alternatively whispering and screaming about for years,” said Laurel Cremant, president of the Cultural, Interracial and Multicultural Special Interest Chapter of Romance Writers of America (CIMRWA), in an email. “The CIMRWA chapter’s very existence is evidence of systemic issues within the organization and publishing, as a whole. The fact that a chapter had to be created focused on promoting diversity and inclusion, and advocating for (our) own voices, works, and authors to be treated fairly and equally is, I think, the best indication of the issues that led up to this recent firestorm. I believe some of the root causes have been a lack of transparency, accountability, empathy, and sincerity.
“For years we’ve had discussions about what needs to be done, but given platitudes when the real work needed to be done. Accountability was always swept aside for some random deadline or event, and we were stuck in an endless cycle. If RWA actually takes the time to address and implement true change, then I see a path forward.”
drockett@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Army Reserve leaders based in suburbs accused of mishandling sexual assault claims

Lt. Anthony Perkins , her unit 's executive officer , wrote in a memo that he notified his commander in @ @ @ @ @ and was told the commander would take care of it .
In the memo , @ @ @ @ @ , Perkins wrote that he reminded his commander that he had to report such complaints @ @ @ @ @ to do anything and warned Perkins to back him up or he would be removed @

Amy Braley Franck, a civilian victims advocate with the 416th Theater Engineer Command, holds more than 800 pages from several sexual abuse reports at her home in Oswego on Jan. 7, 2020. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
WOODRIDGE, Ill. — Leaders of a U.S. Army Reserve unit that controls thousands of soldiers across the western United States have mishandled at least two sexual assault complaints by not referring them for outside investigation, according to victims, their advocate and documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Amy Braley Franck, a civilian victim advocate with the 416th Theater Engineer Command, provided the AP with documents that show the command launched internal investigations into at least two complaints rather than refer them to the Army's criminal investigation division as required by military policy and federal law. In a third case, they placed an alleged victim on a firing range with someone she had accused of sexual harassment, causing her to fear for her safety.
Advertisement
Commanders also have failed to hold monthly sexual assault management meetings, as required by DOD policy since 2006. And they ran the company without a sexual assault response coordinator for nearly a year and suspended Braley Franck after she alerted the Army to the internal investigations, she said.
“I can't with a clear conscience say, ‘Oh, yeah, report your sexual assault. We’ll take care of you," Braley Franck said.
Advertisement
The 416th's spokesman, Jason Proseus, said Army Reserve leaders take sexual misconduct seriously. He declined further comment, saying “the matter” was under investigation. He didn't explain what matter was under investigation or by whom. The Army Reserve Strategic Communications' chief spokesman, Lt. Col. Simon Flake, said the reserve doesn't want to compromise the investigation or influence the outcome by commenting further.
The Illinois-based 416th Theater Engineer Command provides technical and engineering support for U.S. military forces. It serves as headquarters for nearly 11,000 soldiers in 26 states west of the Mississippi River.
Braley Franck said she has discovered multiple sexual assault administrative shortcomings and policy violations since she joined the 416th in February 2019 as a victim advocate. Her duties include supporting victims and connecting them with services .
She said the division went 10 months without a sexual assault response coordinator. Such coordinators ensure victims receive services such as medical care and counseling, help victims navigate the military criminal justice system and oversee victim advocates.
No one held a sexual assault management meeting during her tenure until this month, even though the DOD has required such meetings to be held monthly since 2006 to ensure a coordinated response and that victims are protected and can access services.
She said she has learned of at least two instances in which 416th commanders improperly initiated internal sexual assault investigations.
Federal law and Department of Defense policy require that commanders refer sexual assault complaints to criminal investigators in their respective branches. That's intended to prevent commanders from brushing aside allegations involving their own people and to ensure that experienced investigators handle cases, said Rachel VanLandingham, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who teaches national security law at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.
Commanders who don’t follow proper channels can face reprimand, removal from command or a court-martial, VanLandingham said.
Advertisement
Internal sexual assault investigations cost the Wisconsin National Guard’s top commander his job in December. Gov. Tony Evers demanded Adj. Gen. Donald Dunbar resign after a federal investigation determined he had been launching internal probes rather than forwarding complaints to the National Guard Bureau.
In the first 416th case, Capt. Joseph Runhke of the 739th Engineer Company within the 416th investigated allegations from two soldiers that a male specialist had sexually assaulted a female private during a lunch break at the company's base in Granite City, Illinois, in September 2017 and again outside the woman's workplace in Springfield, Illinois, the following April.
In a memo Braley Franck provided to the AP, Runhke wrote that the woman told him both encounters were consensual, adding that the specialist's tenure was almost up and trust would improve once he was gone. Under DOD policy and federal law, Army criminal investigators should have conducted the investigation.
The second case involves Spc. Sara Joachimstaler. The AP usually doesn't identify sexual assault victims, but Joachimstaler gave permission to use her name.
She told her commanders that a sergeant repeatedly touched her leg during a car ride in March 2019 and groped her a month later while using her to demonstrate how to tie a rope around someone. She said her commanders did nothing.
Lt. Anthony Perkins, her unit's executive officer, wrote in a memo that he notified his commander in April about Joachimstaler's allegations and was told the commander would take care of it. In the memo, which Joachimstaler shared with AP, Perkins wrote that he reminded his commander that he had to report such complaints, but the commander refused to do anything and warned Perkins to back him up or he would be removed.
Advertisement
Joachimstaler took her complaints to the 416th's inspector general but said she felt that office's investigator, Maj. John Hill, tried to minimize her allegations. She told him in June that she wanted to take her complaints elsewhere. Hill sent Braley Franck a memo later that month asking her to initiate an investigation, a violation of the DOD's ban on internal investigations.
Braley Franck referred both the third-party and Joachimstaler cases to the Army's Criminal Investigations Division in June.
A judge advocate ultimately concluded there was no probable cause to believe the alleged perpetrator committed an offense in the third-party case. Braley Franck said Joachimstaler's case is still under CID investigation.
Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Command, said in a statement that he couldn't comment due to “an ongoing investigation.” He didn't elaborate.
Braley Franck was suspended on Nov. 20. Col. Gregory Toth wrote in a memorandum that she may have violated the code of ethics for victim advocates. He didn't say how. Braley Franck maintains command's leaders are retaliating against her for referring the cases to CID.
Human resource records show that Braley Franck was confronted in May 2019 about various alleged infractions, including improperly contacting the 416th's commanding general, Miyako Schanley, directly to obtain an office; taking on coordinator duties and wearing skirts that were too short.
Advertisement
Braley Franck said she was trying to obtain an office where she could lock up victim files and that she wasn't acting as a coordinator, but was providing advocacy because she was the only one who could since the 416th had no coordinator when she arrived. She also denied that she wore skirts that were too short.
Other documents show that Braley Franck took a call days before her suspension from a private concerned that she was being sent to the range for a live-fire exercise alongside the subject of her sexual harassment complaint and she feared for her safety.
According to a memorandum from another victim advocate who listened in on the call, Braley Franck called the new sexual assault coordinator, Regina Taylor, about the situation. Taylor responded “Hmm hmm, well, I guess we will just wait and see and hope for the best" and hung up.
Federal law and DOD regulations say supervisors in a victim's chain of command are required to protect the victim from retaliation and maltreatment.
Proseus, the 416th’s spokesman, didn’t respond to an email seeking comment from Taylor.


chicagotribune--2020-01-10--Highwood Public Library is reconsidering an idea to share space with city and police in hopes of exp

Highwood Public Library is reconsidering an idea to share space with city and police in hopes of expanding programming

“ It would be very difficult for me to get funding , if I say that under the same roof @ @ @ @ @ and the City of Highwood , ” said Patlan , who is new to her @ @ @ @ @ funds for the Waukegan Public Library and the domestic violence organization , A Safe Place @

Supporters of the Highwood Public Library want to raise funds to renovate the library as a standalone facility rather than share a renovated facility with city officials and the Highwood Police Department. (Karen Berkowitz / Pioneer Press)
The Highwood Public Library is no longer interested in sharing space in a new municipal building that also would house city hall and the police station at the library’s current location.
Library supporters want to launch a fundraising campaign to renovate and expand the library, 102 Highwood Ave., as a stand-alone facility, and they’re asking for the city council to support the effort. The library has outgrown its space and can’t wait to see if the shared facility comes to pass, library supporters have said.
Advertisement
But the library’s reversal on sharing space has drawn sharp words from city officials, who are concerned that the cost of relocating city hall will be higher for taxpayers if officials can woo a developer to transform a portion of downtown Highwood, where city hall is located.
Executive Director Carmen Patlan, as well as Library Board President Lucy Hospodarsky and representatives from the newly formed Friends of Highwood Public Library group, said they believe they can raise enough money to cover the full costs of renovation and a small expansion.
Advertisement
Patlan said interested donors like the idea of a facility that can expand the library’s programming and create more space for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities and other educational opportunities. She said library officials would reduce the size of the library’s collection to open more space for learning.
“It would be very difficult for me to get funding, if I say that under the same roof we have a police department and the City of Highwood,” said Patlan, who is new to her Highwood post but previously raised funds for the Waukegan Public Library and the domestic violence organization, A Safe Place.
An architect who represented the library pro bono estimated the project would cost between $1 million and $1.3 million, Patlan said.
Highwood City Council members, however, are concerned the change completely upends the city’s plans for creating a combined municipal building.
“What I worry about is changing on a dime without any proof of when it is going to happen," City Councilman Eric Falberg said of the fundraising campaign.
He also said the library’s renovation costs would end up being much higher than current estimates.
But City Councilman James Hospodarsky, whose wife is president of the library board, expressed confidence the library could raise the money.
“But if it pushes up the cost (for the city), we haven’t helped taxpayers necessarily,” he added.
Advertisement
To make fiscally sound decisions, city and library officials should develop cost projections that factor in higher operating costs, he said.
Three years ago, the library board supported the shared facility concept and city officials hired an architect to develop a plan.
If the library officially backs out of the plan, Highwood officials would need to acquire a new site for city hall and the police station, which could complicate city efforts to redevelop the southwest corner of Waukegan and Highwood avenues for multi-family residential and commercial use.
But Andy Hamilton, a member of the Friends of the Highwood Public Library board, views the risk through a different lens.
“I worry that if we don’t make this investment in the library right now, we are going to be taking a step backwards, and guaranteeing the shrinkage and ultimate demise of the library in Highwood,” said Hamilton, who believes the fundraising goal is “absolutely doable”.
Hamilton said that to raise the funds, the nonprofit needs assurances from the city that they can carry out the library improvements as a separate facility.
Advertisement
“You cannot raise money if you aren’t sure what you are going to do,” Hamilton said.
The organization is dedicated to ensuring the public has equal access to information, both as a constitutional right and as the best way to sustain a democratic way of life.
City Manager Scott Coren said city officials need to accomplish three things before they could actively pursue the redevelopment of the property around Highwood City Hall, which, he says, could add significantly to the tax base.
Because boundary lines between Highland Park and Highwood cut through some of the parcels, the two municipalities had to reach an agreement on boundary changes. The Highland Park City Council approved the adjustments Nov. 25.
The city also needed state approval of a 12-year extension on the term of its Downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, which the city hopes to acquire from state lawmakers this spring with support from North Shore School District 112 and Township High School District 113.
The third prerequisite would be finding a site for city hall and the police station.
Advertisement
“We have two parts done and the one we thought we had in the bank, we no longer have in the bank,” said Mayor Charles Pecaro, who suggested the library’s desire to go it alone was short-sighted.
kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com