chicagotribune--2020-03-25--‘Do you have the corona?’: Asians in Chicago worry about damage done after Trump repeatedly called C

‘Do you have the corona?’: Asians in Chicago worry about damage done after Trump repeatedly called COVID-19 the ‘Chinese virus’

Nguyen , who is of Vietnamese and Filipino descent , had imagined this moment .
Having read news stories about @ @ @ @ @ as coronavirus cases rose , he wondered if he would be next .
If he @ @ @ @ @ would take a stand on behalf of himself and other Asians .

Ro Nguyen thought it would play out differently.
The 30-year-old had just watched a movie at a Streeterville cinema with a friend on March 12 and was strolling down East Grand Avenue around 8 p.m., the two of them marveling at the deserted streets.
Advertisement
As they headed toward the Red Line station, Nguyen said a man walking nearby saw them and yelled out, “F--- China!”
Then the man spat on Nguyen, he said. The saliva splattered on his jacket.
Advertisement
Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese and Filipino descent, had imagined this moment. Having read news stories about harassment and attacks against Asians as coronavirus cases rose, he wondered if he would be next. If he was, he thought he would take a stand on behalf of himself and other Asians.
But as he wiped the spit off with his sleeve, he and his friend — of South Asian descent — hurried away without a word to the assailant.
“In that instance, I was just kind of shocked, or dumbfounded, of what occurred,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen worries that East Asians in the United States will face even more harassment and attacks as coronavirus cases continue to rise. He said he believes President Donald Trump stoked such hate-filled reaction during a news briefing last week when he defended his use of “Chinese virus.”
“It’s not racist at all,” Trump said. “I think they probably would agree with it 100%. It comes from China.” He also said he was using the expression to fight back against Beijing officials who were blaming the U.S. military for the introduction of the disease.
The World Health Organization has recommended people use coronavirus or COVID-19, stating that other characterizations spread negative stereotypes.
On Monday, Trump appeared to walk back his earlier position, using the word “coronavirus” and stressing it was important to “totally protect our Asian American community.”
“Yes, it seems that there could be a little bit of nasty language toward the Asian Americans in our country,” he admitted. “I don’t like that at all. These are incredible people, they love our country and I’m not going to let it happen.”
Advertisement
But Nguyen fears it’s too late. Since the president and other politicians first used the term, Nguyen and other Asians in Chicago said they have felt growing apprehension that people take the president’s comments as a license for racism.
Elsewhere in the U.S., reports of hate crimes have cropped up from New York to San Francisco, some caught on video and circulated through social media. In California’s San Fernando Valley, a 16-year-old was sent to the emergency room after being beat up and accused of having the coronavirus at his high school, CBS News reported.
“It’s outrageous,” said state Rep. Theresa Mah from the 2nd District, which includes Chicago’s Chinatown. “Chinese Americans and constituents of mine understand this is a situation in which they could potentially be scapegoats for the uncertainty people feel.”
‘History is repeating itself’
Mabel Menard was sitting alone at her favorite neighborhood tavern in Old Town earlier this month when she noticed an unfamiliar face.
A man, very intoxicated, made eye contact with her and said, “Do you have the corona?”
Menard, a 58-year-old Chinese American, said she didn’t think twice before quipping, “I’m having a wine.”
Advertisement
The bar’s staff kicked the man out.
Mabel Menard, an advocacy leader, encountered racism while visiting a tavern in Old Town in March 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
“I kind of thought he was an idiot,” Menard said. “That’s the kind of mentality that you walk around with, thinking that you’re better than anybody else, and the way to make you feel better is to be nasty to other people. I think that’s pretty sad.”
Tuyet Anh, 20, said she was sitting alone on a Red Line train one day late in February, headed south from Lakeview to DePaul University, where she is a junior, when she noticed two men whispering.
“Got to get our masks on,” one of them said.
Tuyet Anh, who did not want her last name used, looked away. One of the men wondered aloud, “Oh, do you think she heard us?”
“I felt at first just very shocked,” Tuyet Anh said. “Really? Someone would say that? But then processing it more, I just felt a little nervous and that feeling of being under surveillance, almost.”
Advertisement
Tuyet Anh, who is of Vietnamese descent, has since been saddened to read social media comments from her fellow classmates using the terms “Chinese virus” and “Wu flu.” She wasn’t surprised, given that the first phrase was picked up by Trump.
“It makes me and other Asian Americans feel as if we are the virus,” Tuyet Anh said. “We are labeled and demonized as this threat to white American safety.”
Menard, president of Chicago’s chapter of the advocacy group OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, said the tense environment reminds her of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act barring Chinese immigrants from entering the country, the first immigration law to exclude an ethnic group, as well as the World War II Japanese internment camps forcing Japanese Americans into incarceration.
“History is repeating itself,” Menard said. “If we looked at the history of Asian Americans in the U.S., we’ve always been either held up as a model minority — that despite the discrimination, we’re still doing well — or we’re demonized because when something like this happens, it’s all our fault.”
Asian American organizations last week launched the #WashTheHate campaign on social media, highlighting stories of coronavirus-related racism. The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and Chinese for Affirmative Action groups also started collecting reports of incidents of hostility against Asians.
In less than a week, more than 400 reports surfaced, said the council’s executive director, Manjusha Kulkarni.
Advertisement
But Chicago police say they have not seen an increase in hate crimes against people of Asian descent.
“There is absolutely no place in Chicago for hatred or bigotry of any kind,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. “We strongly urge anyone who may be a victim of threatening or harassing behavior to contact Chicago police, as we will investigate and work with our partners to prosecute these acts.”
Businesses hit hard
The last hour before Illinois’ statewide stay-at-home order mandating the closure of nonessential stores, the Dongs were in their family-owned bonsai and restaurant supply store Q Ideas at 1134 W. Argyle St.
Shopping along Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood on March 23, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Like many shops on the colorful street known as Little Vietnam, Q Ideas had its doors open on Saturday, ready for customers. But they did not come. “Oh, my God, it’s been nothing,” said Ellen Dong, 29.
Dong, who is Chinese and Vietnamese, wonders whether the rhetoric against China has curbed business on Argyle and in Chinatown. “I’m really concerned that people are going to lose their jobs."
Though Chicagoans led efforts to draw customers through a restaurant crawl in Chinatown, business owners saw steep declines the past few months, compounded by the governor’s order to close all restaurants for dining in.
Advertisement
For the Dongs, this year has encapsulated the long-standing paradox of being Asian American: of both being invisible, blending in the background, and still being alien in the eyes of others.
“Asian Americans are forgotten until — and I don’t know why — until there’s something to blame,” Ellen Dong said. “Then we remember them.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Watch live: White House coronavirus task force holds press briefing

The White House coronavirus task force is expected to hold a press briefing at 4:30 p.m. CDT .
Get the @ @ @ @

This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as marketing, personalization, and analytics. By remaining on this website, you indicate your consent.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Oak Brook faces challenge with loss of sales tax revenue due to coronavirus causing closing of busin

Oak Brook faces challenge with loss of sales tax revenue due to coronavirus causing closing of businesses

“ This is not going to last forever , and , hopefully , it will be over sooner than later @ @ @ @ @ time to tighten our belt and cut the cloth , ” he said .
Lalmalan @ @ @ @ @ of the federal money being issued for assistance will make its way to Oak Brook @

The temporary closing of Oakbrook Center because of the coronavirus will have a negative impact on the village's sales tax revenue. (Chuck Fieldman / Pioneer Press)
Being among a small percentage of Illinois municipalities that doesn’t levy a property tax has been both a savings for residents and source of pride in Oak Brook.
A strong sales tax base usually accounts for slightly more than half of the village’s general fund revenue each year, which has allowed for residents to receive tax bills without a line item for the village to remain as the status quo.
Advertisement
But the temporary closing of Oakbrook Center and many other businesses in Oak Brook because of the coronavirus means there won’t be any sales tax revenue for the village from sales that normally would be taking place. Sales tax revenue for the village comes in three months after sales are made, said Jason Paprocki, Oak Brook’s finance director.
“It’s a concern,” Paprocki said of the shutdown of businesses. “How serious it is depends on how long this lasts, and it probably will take a little bit of time after businesses open again before things get back to normal.”
Advertisement
Paprocki said Oak Brook typically collects an average of $1-$1.1 million for each month of sales tax. A year ago, sales in March 2019 resulted in collections of $975,000 in sales tax revenue for the village, which was paid in June 2019.
Village Board member Moin Saiyed called the situation “a very serious issue.”
“Now, we have to plan things out for when we have a drop in income,” he said.
Saiyed said he believes the current village budget should be cut by 3 to 4% across the board to help save money.
“We need to make sure we don’t spend money on capital projects that aren’t necessary this year, and we need to identify areas where we can convert some full-time positions into part-time,” he said.
Saiyed said he expects having many businesses closed will result in a 70-80% loss in sales tax revenue for collections in June and July.
Oak Brook Village President Gopal Lalmalani also said he believes some reductions in expenditures will be necessary.
“This is not going to last forever, and, hopefully, it will be over sooner than later, but it is a time to tighten our belt and cut the cloth,” he said. Lalmalan said he is hopeful some of the federal money being issued for assistance will make its way to Oak Brook.
Advertisement
“It’s a long way to trickle down, but hopefully we’ll get a small piece,” he said.
There are a couple of positive factors for Oak Brook, one being that Costco, the village’s largest sales tax generator, has remained open and is busier than normal because so many people have been stocking up on items.
Another positive factor for Oak Brook is that it has the amount of 10.9 months, or about $21.1 million, of its annual General Fund budget in reserve, which is more than the six months called for by village ordinance.
“That definitely is helpful,” Paprocki said. “That policy to have a reserve is so that funds are available for emergencies or unexpected situations, but you don’t’ want to dip into the reserves too much.”
The General Fund, which is used to cover regular operations, such as police, fire and public works, has 2020 expected revenues of $26.1 million and projected expenditures of $25.5 million.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--‘Puppy laundering ring’ that helped pass off designer dogs as rescues in Chicago pet stores is buste

‘Puppy laundering ring’ that helped pass off designer dogs as rescues in Chicago pet stores is busted up following Tribune investigation

Both entities used the same storefront along Britt ’ s Main Street as their business address on veterinary inspection certificates @ @ @ @ @ the door identified it only as the J.A.K.
’ S office .
The rescue puppies @ @ @ @ @ time , examined by the same veterinarians and often transported on the same day as @ @ @ @ @ suburban pet shops , state records show .
The vast majority came to the Chicago @ @ @ @ @ — the earliest a puppy can be separated from its mother under Illinois law .

A Tribune investigation found that a loophole in the city ordinance allowed three Chicago pet stores to sell puppies supplied by rescues that were closely linked to longtime commercial dealers. Here's an example of how one out-of-state dealer provided a city pet store with purebred and designer-mix puppies. (Chicago Tribune Graphics/Chicago Tribune)
An alleged “national puppy laundering ring” that supplied dogs to Chicago pet shops has been shut down following a Chicago Tribune report that exposed how the stores were selling purebred and designer pets as rescues, despite the city’s anti-puppy mill ordinance.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced Wednesday that two so-called rescue shelters have agreed to cease operations as part of settlement with the state, which had sued the nonprofit rescue groups, a commercial broker and their officers for fraudulent practices in March 2019. The two groups must also pay the state $60,000, permanently cease deceptive practices and agree to other restrictions as part of the settlement.
Advertisement
Miller’s investigation found that the two nonprofits — Hobo K-9 Rescue of Britt, Iowa, and Rescue Pets Iowa Corp. of Ottumwa — transferred at least 3,600 dogs to entities in Illinois, California, Florida, Missouri and New Jersey from September 2016 to September 2019. They included Pomeranians, Shar-Peis, Alaskan malamutes, Yorkiepoos and other high-priced purebred and designer breeds.
Iowa officials alleged the owners J.A.K.’S Puppies started Hobo K-9 Rescue in 2016 as a way to provide pricey pups to businesses in California and Chicago, where laws require pet stores to sell only shelter animals. Pet Luv Pet Center, a store in the Scottsdale neighborhood on the Southwest Side, acquired about 765 purebred and designer puppies from Hobo K-9 and sold them for more than $1.1 million between 2016 and November 2018, according to the attorney general’s findings.
Advertisement
The property for J.A.K.'S Puppies where the dogs were kept before transport was located in the small farming community of Britt, Iowa, (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Pet Luv’s written “puppy guarantees” provided to its customers claimed that the “breeder” of these dogs was “Hobo K-9 Rescue," not the actual for-profit breeders from whom Hobo K-9 brokered the puppies, Miller said. Pet Luv sold most of the dogs — which included Yorkshire terriers, Teddy bears, bichon frises and German shepherds — for more than $1,000 each.
The store’s owners, who could not be reached for comment, were not a defendant in the complaint.
Another Chicago pet store that sourced its puppies from Hobo K-9 was paid $3,600 by a customer who “adopted” a “rescued” goldendoodle.
The nonprofit shelter owners — Jolyn D. Noethe and Kimberly K. Dolphin of Hobo K-9 and Russell Kirk of Rescue Pets — did not admit any wrongdoing under the terms of the deal, but they agreed to the restrictions imposed by the state. The companies may continue to transfer dogs commercially and can provide puppies to legitimate shelters, but they cannot organize any new nonprofit operations, Miller said.
The defendants also must provide a quarterly report to the attorney general for three years, documenting the animals they transfer, sell or donate, as well as the destination of the animals to ensure they comply with the settlement.
Attorneys for the individuals and their respective businesses did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday.
In the civil complaint the Iowa attorney general filed against the defendants last year, Miller called them “integral actors of a national puppy laundering ring.”
The settlement does not give them immunity from any future legal actions by other government agencies or consumers.
Advertisement
“This case was the first of its kind brought by any state attorney general, and this settlement will ensure the defendants never again attempt to evade ‘puppy mill’ bans,” Miller said in a statement. “This outcome should send a strong message to others who are thinking about engaging in similar fraudulent activities in Iowa.”
This storefront in Britt, Iowa, was the listed address for Hobo K-9 Rescue in public records, but a sign on the door identified it only as the for-profit J.A.K.'S Puppies. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Iowa attorney’s general’s office opened its investigation in June 2018 after the Tribune found that a loophole in Chicago’s anti-puppy mill ordinance allowed three city pet stores to sell puppies supplied by rescues that are closely linked to longtime commercial dealers.
In an arrangement that is not an express violation of the city ordinance but runs counter to the spirit of the ban, records show these rescues provided city shops each year with hundreds of purebred and designer-mix puppies — all of which came through kennels and properties owned by for-profit businesses or dealers.
J.A.K.’S and Hobo K-9 were heavily cited in the Tribune report, as public records showed there was little distinction between the two north-central Iowa operations.
Both entities used the same storefront along Britt’s Main Street as their business address on veterinary inspection certificates, though a sign on the door identified it only as the J.A.K.’S office. The rescue puppies were fed at the same time, examined by the same veterinarians and often transported on the same day as the commercial ones sold to suburban pet shops, state records show. The vast majority came to the Chicago area at 8 weeks old — the earliest a puppy can be separated from its mother under Illinois law.
J.A.K.’S exported 805 dogs to Illinois between January 2015 and November 2017, according to certificates of veterinary inspection filed with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The records show 71% of the puppies were purebred, while the remaining 29% were considered designer mixes. The J.A.K.’S puppies had a median age of 61 days at the time of their inspections, which typically occurred a few days before transport.
Advertisement
Hobo K-9 Rescue, which was formed in September 2016, exported 512 dogs between its inception and December 2017, according to the inspection certificates. About 73% of the puppies were pure breeds, while 27% were designer mixes.
The median age for the Hobo rescue puppies was 61 days at the time of inspection, just like the dogs that J.A.K.’S sold to suburban pet stores.
Hobo sent all 512 puppies labeled as rescues to Pet Luv Pet Center just south of Midway Airport, records show. The Tribune investigation found none of the exported animals was older than 16 weeks or mutts, an unusual inventory for a rescue organization.
Chicago passed an ordinance in 2015 banning shops from selling the commercially bred pets. At the time of its passage, pet shop owners criticized the law and said typical rescue groups could never provide the kind of high-end, purebred and designer mix puppies customers wanted.
The measure was intended to prevent Chicago businesses from sourcing dogs from so-called puppy mills, large-scale breeding facilities often criticized for deplorable conditions and mistreatment of the mother dogs.
By misrepresenting a dog’s origins, critics say the businesses hinder the Chicago ordinance’s goal to reduce the number of shelter dogs euthanized in the city each year.
Advertisement
The practice also misleads customers, some of whom may have only wanted a rescue puppy, the attorney general said.
“Legitimate rescue groups have told us the activities of these sham nonprofits discredited and demeaned the good work that they do,” Miller said.
Cari Meyers, founder of Chicago-based The Puppy Mill Project, which was behind the 2015 Chicago ordinance and has long complained about the Iowa puppy provider, said such judgments are long overdue.
She encouraged attorneys general in Illinois and Missouri, where the Tribune found another provider of purebred puppies to the Chicago area is based, to take similar action. Meyers said attempts to close the loophole in the city’s ordinance that has allowed such purebred sales to continue are moving frustratingly slowly.
She is cautiously optimistic the Iowa settlement may lead to real change, though she pointed out that some providers in the industry simply reopen later under a different name.
“I honestly feel like I could cry,” she said after reading terms of the settlement. “It’s certainly a moment I’ve been waiting for, and the fact Iowa didn’t waste time and was able to get something done this quickly will help protect consumers who are buying these dogs without knowing they are not from rescues. Hopefully it’s a watershed moment in our fight and others will follow.”
Advertisement
The Humane Society of the United States also applauded the Iowa judgment.
sstclair@chicagotribune.com
cmgutowski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Woman tells police her dog was snatched from her arms in Lakeview East by man who’d been stalking he

Woman tells police her dog was snatched from her arms in Lakeview East by man who’d been stalking her since last year

After taking him to the vet , she discovered he ’ d had an owner from 2011 who lived in @ @ @ @ @ touch with him , but the man said he hadn ’ t seen the dog @ @ @ @ @ was happy they were trying to find him a good home .
She spent the @ @ @ @ @ up flyers around the city and posting in lost animal groups online .

Nadia Alexandra and her husband, Paul Brown, stand with their dog, Addy, in the alley where Alexandra said a woman and man with a baseball bat threatened her and took her other dog as she walked both dogs late Monday evening, in Chicago's Lakeview East neighborhood. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Nadia Alexandra doesn’t know how long the man had been following her.
The black SUV suddenly slid by her in a North Side alley late Monday and stopped, Alexandra said. A man got out with a wooden bat raised over his head — the same man who had been stalking her online and over the phone, she was certain of it, “100% sure.”
Advertisement
It had started a year ago when she found a badly malnourished dog. Later, the man claimed it was his. He couldn’t prove it, and Alexandra ended up nursing the Manchester mixed terrier back to health and naming him Bear.
Now she held the dog in her arms as the man with the bat approached around 10 p.m. in the 500 block of West Addison Street. She had been out for 10 minutes walking Bear and her other dog, a medium-size pit bull mix named Addy.
Advertisement
Nadia Alexandra shows a photo of her dog Bear She says a man and woman took the dog from her. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Alexandra, 26, said the SUV turned into the alley after she did. She moved to the side, next to a residential building, and the SUV sped up to the end of the alley. A woman jumped out and came toward her, shouting, “(Expletive), you know that’s my dog.”
Alexandra said she picked up Bear, who was wearing a pizza-patterned fleece jacket, while Addy stayed frozen by her feet.
The woman tried to pull Bear out of her arms, but Alexandra said she hung on to him until the man with the bat also came toward her. Then she let Bear go, fearing the man would hit her and her other dog.
“I realized I lost control, so I started screaming,” she said. “It was truly a ‘what the (expletive) is happening’ moment.”
At least a dozen neighbors came outside. One man in his underwear kept a watch on where the SUV fled after Bear was thrown into the back seat. Others called the police.
Alexandra’s husband, Paul Brown, was at their home nearby and thought he heard someone whistling outside. After their cat Mussi jumped at the noise, Brown opened the window and heard his wife’s screams. Then a neighbor knocked on his door to tell him a man had come at Alexandra with a bat. He ran outside.
“I didn’t know from her screaming,” Brown said. “Anything could be happening.”
As of Wednesday, no one was in custody and Bear was still missing, police said.
Advertisement
Alexandra said she became aware of the man shortly after she found the scrawny dog with pointy ears near 79th Street and South Shore Drive in the South Shore neighborhood over Memorial Day weekend.
He didn’t look good. She could see the outline of his ribs through his scruffy fur. She asked two men nearby if they knew whose dog it was and they said no. She couldn’t leave him alone on a hot day, so she took him home.
After taking him to the vet, she discovered he’d had an owner from 2011 who lived in Kentucky. They got in touch with him, but the man said he hadn’t seen the dog in years — and that was happy they were trying to find him a good home. She spent the rest of the weekend putting up flyers around the city and posting in lost animal groups online.
After a few days, she received a text message and email from a man about the dog. Alexandra called him and asked for proof of ownership, such as documentation of a rabies shot or other pet bills, and the man said he didn’t have any. When she asked for photos, he sent three that looked somewhat like Bear, but the dog in the pictures was much younger and healthier.
And when he said the dog’s name was Valentino, the dog didn’t respond to it. She told him he didn’t have enough proof and that she didn’t feel comfortable handing him over.
So she kept the dog with asymmetrical eyes and a heart murmur who loved to hide under blankets, snuggle with Addy and chase a laser. She chose the name Bear because he was a fighter with a big spirit in a tiny body, she said.
Advertisement
The day after the phone call, the license plate from her car disappeared, she said. Then a man started to look her up on social media and discovered where she volunteered, she said. He would call and ask if she worked there.
Chicago police detectives began asking her about the dog, she said. They left their cards with her supervisor at work and at her door. She didn’t respond to them. After June, the calls stopped and she thought things were OK.
But about a month ago, the man sent her a request on LinkedIn, which she denied. “I had a really bad feeling this might be something,” she said.
A day after the attack, Alexandra and her husband and Addy stood in the alley. “Give back the dog, that’s not yours," she said, addressing the people who took Bear. "We want him back as soon as possible” ”
Her husband added, “Obviously, take care of him. But we’re going to get him back.”
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Advertisement
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--At least 3 wounded in shootings on West, South sides

Police said shortly before 7:30 a.m. , the man was walking to the store when three people on foot opened @ @ @ @ @ striking him in the legs .
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical @ @ @ @ @ in good condition .

At least three people were wounded Wednesday in separate shootings in the Humboldt Park and Burnside neighborhoods, Chicago police said.
In the latest shooting, shortly after 11 a.m., a 21-year-old man was shot while he was walking in the 1100 block of North Christiana Avenue. Police said a vehicle pulled up and someone inside pulled out a firearm, and opened fire.
Advertisement
The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition with a wound to the right arm, police said.
A 24-year-old woman was wounded about an hour earlier in the same neighborhood.
Advertisement
About 10 a.m., the victim was standing on the sidewalk with two other people in the 900 block of North Trumbull Avenue, when a vehicle pulled up and someone fired shots in their direction, police said.
The victim was struck in the wrist, and was taken in good condition to Norwegian-American Hospital.
Earlier Wednesday, a 30-year-old man was shot in the Burnside neighborhood in the 9100 block of Dauphin Avenue, police said.
Police said shortly before 7:30 a.m., the man was walking to the store when three people on foot opened fire in his direction, striking him in the legs. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was listed in good condition.
No one was in custody, and detectives were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Virtuoso musicians bring Oak Park block together amid COVID-19 ‘stay-at-home’ order

“ One of our neighbors , Carol Ferguson , mentioned a lot of different communities are having these ‘ clap @ @ @ @ @ on their porch to clap and make noise to reassure each other , ” Warner @ @ @ @ @ week ago , we tried that for the first time .
It was wonderful to @ @ @ @ @ one really knew when to end it .
We ’ re a family of musicians @ @ @ @ @ organize something fun for everybody .
”

David Griffin, Susan Warner, and their son Henry Griffin perform "Over the Rainbow" for neighbors on their street. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)
Though it is not paved with yellow bricks, the 500 block of North Elmwood Avenue in Oak Park has led residents to several magical performances in recent days.
On Tuesday night, 19-year-old vocalist Henry Griffin stood in the middle of the residential street, joined by his professional musician parents, to entertain his neighbors by singing the classic “Over the Rainbow.”
Advertisement
Amid the state’s order to shelter-in-place in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, a new tradition has sprung up on the block.
Dave Griffin (from left), Susan Warner and their son Henry Griffin after their performance on Elmwood Avenue in Oak Park the night of March 24. Each night at 8 p.m. the family has been performing for their neighbors. (Brian OMahoney / Pioneer Press)
Griffin’s mother, Susan Warner, plays clarinet for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and father, Dave Griffin, is a horn player for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Their daughter, Pearl, is a pianist and harp player, and son Henry is a trained vocalist who attends the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
Advertisement
“One of our neighbors, Carol Ferguson, mentioned a lot of different communities are having these ‘clap outs’ where everyone goes on their porch to clap and make noise to reassure each other,” Warner said. “About a week ago, we tried that for the first time. It was wonderful to see everyone, but no one really knew when to end it. We’re a family of musicians, so we wanted to organize something fun for everybody.”
At 8 p.m. each night, neighbors come outside from their homes and greet each other from afar, to keep with social distancing requirements. After a couple minutes, the performances begin.
“For our first song, we played ‘Old McDonald’ together,” Warner said. “Everyone came out, we do two minutes of greeting and yelling across to our neighbors, we bang on pots and pans and use noisemakers, and then we play and sing.”
Since that first performance of “Old McDonald” on March 20, the family has led the block in singing other musical numbers, including “Auld Lang Syne,” “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and “Twist and Shout.”
“We had a request from a neighbor that we keep it loud and upbeat,” Warner said. “One of our neighbors blasted ‘Twist and Shout’ from a speaker and [for ‘Over the Rainbow’], we’ll park ourselves in the middle of the block.”
Each night at 8 p.m., residents like Angela Thompson have been coming out to enjoy a performance by the one of the neighborhood families on Elmwood Avenue in Oak Park. On March 24, Henry Griffin, 19, sang "Over the Rainbow," accompanied by his parents, Susan Warner and Dave Griffin. (Brian OMahoney / Pioneer Press)
Henry Griffin, who came home to his parents’ house from New York more than a week ago, is no stranger to performing for his neighbors.
“One of my first times singing was for a block party gathering when I was three around Christmas,” Griffin said. “I sang ‘Away in a Manger.’ I sang before I talked. Having such a nurturing, musical family always developed that passion in me.”
Advertisement
Staying inside the Oak Park home with his parents is Griffin’s girlfriend Tian Qin, who is also a pianist. Qin could not make it home to her native China, but is joining the family in keeping their talents sharp.
“It’s a very noisy house with all the music going on,” Warner said. "The thing my husband and I are missing most is going to work. We can’t play for large groups of people anymore, but we’re all under one roof. As a musician, I feel our job is nonessential, but one of the ways to help is reach out to neighbors and lift some spirits.”
As the state remains sheltered in place for several weeks, the family intends to continue the tradition to keep bringing the community together, one performance at a time.
“Even though it’s nonessential, music is a language we all can understand,” Griffin said. “It’s a way to better our world.”
sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Lake County food pantries roll out curbside pickup, prepackaged goods to keep serving residents amid

Lake County food pantries roll out curbside pickup, prepackaged goods to keep serving residents amid coronavirus pandemic

“ Anyone in need can stop by and pick up food , ” she said .
“ They just have @ @ @ @ @ .
We are seeing more people who are in need on a more frequent basis @ @ @ @ @ too .
Some people bring us prepared bags .
”

Nancy Urice, a general assistance caseworker at Vernon Township, closes the back of a food pantry delivery van during a route to Vernon Hills. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)
Township food pantries throughout Lake County still are serving residents in need of food and other household items during the coronavirus pandemic but under new protocols, including curbside pickup and prepackaged bags to go.
The changes are meant to minimize health risks and prevent the spread of COVID-19, officials have said.
Advertisement
Pantries, such as Fremont, Libertyville, Moraine, Shields, Vernon and West Deerfield townships, all have rolled out different practices as suburban communities continue to adapt to the many disruptions that have happened since the start of the pandemic.
At the West Deerfield Township pantry, workers now are packing food for residents along with other supplies that meet the needs of the household involved.
Advertisement
The pantry also started using curbside pick up, allowing patrons to grab the packages directly from their cars during designated time windows, said Supervisor Alyson Feiger.
“They tell us if they want us to put it in the trunk or back seat,” Feiger said. “There is no touching. We deliver to seniors and anyone else who needs it.”
Residents who don’t regularly use the the West Deerfield pantry also are able to receive a three-day emergency package of food during the coronavirus outbreak, Feiger said.
“Anyone in need can stop by and pick up food,” she said. “They just have to be a township resident. We are seeing more people who are in need on a more frequent basis. Donations are up, too. Some people bring us prepared bags.”
The pantry at Moraine Township, which serves the Highland Park area, started distributing prepackaged food bags that include produce for residents, said Supervisor Anne Bassi.
Before the start of the pandemic, the pantry operated three days a week for patrons. Service since has been reduced to one day a week as volunteers have cut back because of the public health crisis, Bassi said.
Libertyville Township Supervisor Kathleen O’Connor said the low-income individuals who use the pantry typically receive a combination of prepackaged bags and can pick some produce, along with meat or fish. Participants usually came twice a month.
O’Connor said distributions now are made weekly with individual families receiving less quantities of food, as part of an effort to try and serve more residents and ease the burden on staff.
Advertisement
“In the bag(s), there will be some meat or poultry or fish and produce,” O’Connor said. “Normally, we get 40 to 50 people but (March 17), 84 came by. There seems to be a greater sense of urgency.”
Patrons who use the Fremont Township Food Pantry in Mundelein used to be able to call for an appointment five days a week.
But because of the pandemic, patrons can no longer enter the building, which prompted the pantry to start doing curbside pickup, said Supervisor Diana O’Kelly. The pantry also has been delivering items directly to senior citizens at their homes, she said.
Shields Township in the Lake Forest area also has switched to only doing curbside pickup at its pantry.
“It’s for the health and safety of everyone,” O’Kelly said.
Vernon Township Supervisor Jonathan Altenberg said the pantry also needed to transition to drive-through service because of public health reasons. Most township participants receive two prepackaged bags of food that are placed in their car by township staff, he said.
Advertisement
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Our favorite TikToks by celebs during quarantine

Quarantine tiktok .
Hope you ’ re all staying safe out there .
🙏🏼❤ Let ’ s all try and @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ll all get through it .

Yes, we are all stuck inside during this coronavirus quarantine time. And we are all looking for ways to keep ourselves entertained. Some celebrities have taken to TikTok to try and keep busy. Here are some of our favorites.
From “High School Musical” costars Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens reminding us that “we’re all in this together”, Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas showing off their Lego Hogwarts creation and Chicago native Chance the Rapper sharing a dance with his wife Kirsten Corley, there’s something for every bored person stuck at home to watch and ejoy.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--ESPN’s Sean Harrington found a way to fill the March Madness void with a simulated tournament — comp

ESPN’s Sean Harrington found a way to fill the March Madness void with a simulated tournament — complete with faux box scores. So how did the Illini, his former team, fare?

“ Everything is canceled .
What are we going to fill our time with ?
” Harrington said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ , how can we have this in our lives and have fun with it ?
@ @ @ @ @ the real thing , but it ’ s kind of exciting to see the outcome @ @

A Cubs fan, Sean Harrington used the WhatIfSports app over the years to see if he could simulate a 2003 National League Championship Series in which the Cubs would win.
While the app provides statistics and results for faux matchups, it was oddly satisfying for Harrington to alter history and see the Cubs hang on to beat the Marlins.
Advertisement
He “messed around” with the app through the years to simulate games. As it turned out, the only games now are the ones in our imaginations.
The NCAA Tournament was canceled March 12 amid concerns about the coronavirus, leaving a void for sports fans like Harrington.
Advertisement
The former Illini guard (1999-2003) and ESPN analyst decided to help fill that absence with a hypothetical tournament.
“Everything is canceled. What are we going to fill our time with?” Harrington said. “Being a college basketball junkie, how can we have this in our lives and have fun with it? It’s nowhere near the real thing, but it’s kind of exciting to see the outcome.”
In between taking his kids outside to play in the pool at their family home in Florida, Harrington worked on his brackets. He posted game results on Twitter. He took photos of his brackets, based on ESPN Joe Lunardi’s final scenario, drawn on white boards Harrington keeps in his office to help with scouting.
The field is set. Going to simulate the NCAA tourney starting tonight. Follow along to have some fun. Predictions? Upsets? Send me your Final 4, Champion. pic.twitter.com/nsgNoWmhLI — Sean Harrington (@smharrington24) March 16, 2020
Harrington’s hypothetical tournament came to an end Thursday with Duke as the 2020 NCAA Tournament champions.
The third-seeded Blue Devils beat top-seeded Gonzaga 91-71. Tre Jones and Cassius Stanley scored 19 points each while Vernon Carey grabbed 12 rebounds.
Sounded like it would have been fun.
There you have it. The 2020 tournament is complete. Had a lot of fun. Duke is your champion. Can’t believe there will be no real games tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/wBnqNyst2M — Sean Harrington (@smharrington24) March 19, 2020
Harrington’s simulated Final Four included No. 10 seed Utah State and No. 1 seed Baylor.
How did his seventh-seeded Illini do?
Advertisement
Harrington said despite his rooting interest, “there was no fudging.” Whatever the first result of games popped up, he went with his brackets.
It was a good run for the Illini, who beat No. 10 seed USC, No. 2 seed Creighton and No. 3 seed Michigan State to advance to the Elite Eight in his hypothetical.
5 players score in double figures for the Illini. Illinois dominates the boards 50-35. @IlliniMBB is moving on to round 2. pic.twitter.com/KQJvvBRwlK — Sean Harrington (@smharrington24) March 17, 2020
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 >
Illinois outrebounded USC 50-35 for a 72-59 victory behind 17 points from Alan Griffin. He came up big again in the second round of Harrington’s simulation, an 82-81 victory.
Harrington tweeted: “Alan Griffin makes 1 of 2 free throws with 2 seconds left to give Illini the win (over Creighton). Dosunmu leads the way with 19 points.”
Alan Griffin makes 1 of 2 free throws with 2 seconds left to give Illini the win. Dosunmu leads the way with 19 points. @IlliniMBB is headed to the Sweet 16. pic.twitter.com/y1y4zGcxbF — Sean Harrington (@smharrington24) March 18, 2020
The Illini endured another close game in the Sweet 16 with a 66-64 victory against Michigan State, thanks to 17 points from Andres Feliz.
Illini get 17 from Feliz and the go ahead basket from Dosunmu with 20 seconds to play. @IlliniMBB is heading to the Elite 8. pic.twitter.com/xETBQ3FFAy — Sean Harrington (@smharrington24) March 18, 2020
Harrington was impressed with the real-life Illini too.
Advertisement
“They had a shot to win a couple games,” he said. “In the NCAA Tournament, you never know. The biggest thing with the team this year is you could see that they believed that they could win. That’s the last thing to come when trying to do a rebuild.”
Harrington said the bracket was a time-filler and distraction for fans who are inside because of social distancing. He knew once his brackets were full, he would have to turn his attention to something else.
“We’ll have to find something else to do,” he said.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Nurse says she was fired by Northwestern Memorial Hospital after warning co-workers that face masks

Nurse says she was fired by Northwestern Memorial Hospital after warning co-workers that face masks being used were not the safest

Mazurkiewicz said she had her own box of N95 masks at home but did not see any available in her @ @ @ @ @ “ Hospitals should have been better prepared , ” she said .
“ They should @ @ @ @ @ the front line .
”

Particulate respirator N95 masks are shown in a supply area at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida, on March 10, 2020. (Eve Edelheit/The New York Times)
A nurse is suing Northwestern Memorial Hospital, saying she was fired after warning fellow employees the masks provided by the hospital would not properly protect them against the coronavirus.
Lauri Mazurkiewicz alleges that Northwestern required staff to wear a type of mask “less safe and less effective” than the N95 model. In fact, she says, staff were specifically not allowed to wear the N95 mask on hospital grounds.
Advertisement
Mazurkiewicz said she raised concerns when the hospital began treating patients for the coronavirus this month and she was exposed to people diagnosed with the highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease.
Mazurkiewicz said she sent an email to about 50 fellow employees last Wednesday, warning them that the N95 face masks were “safer and more effective” than masks provided by the hospital. The next day, Mazurkiewicz said she wore an N95 mask to the hospital and was fired.
Advertisement
“I just wanted to be a good nurse,” Mazurkiewicz said at a news conference Tuesday held with reporters on Skype.
The hospital said it would have no comment on the lawsuit except to say “we take these matters seriously and we are currently reviewing the complaint.
The “Particulate Respirator N95,” as it’s formally called, can filter out at least 95% of particles in the air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N95 masks adhere tightly to the face and require annual fittings to ensure the mask is properly sealed.
Surgical masks, on the other hand, are loosefitting and only protect against large droplets, according to the CDC. Worldwide, doctors have reported a shortage of personal protective equipment, including N95 masks. In the Chicago area, a number of stores have sold out of N95 masks and are struggling to restock.
Mazurkiewicz said she had her own box of N95 masks at home but did not see any available in her unit at the hospital. “Hospitals should have been better prepared,” she said. “They should have been able to protect the front line.”
Mazurkiewicz said she began experiencing coronaviruslike symptoms last week and went to the hospital Sunday because of difficulty breathing. She did not test positive for coronavirus but said she is still concerned about her health.
Mazurkiewicz’s lawyers filed the lawsuit against the hospital and a number of employees Monday in Cook County Circuit Court. The lawsuit asks for at least $50,000 in damages.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Stuart Gordon, founder of Chicago’s Organic Theater, director 'Bleacher Bums’ and horror movie class

Stuart Gordon, founder of Chicago’s Organic Theater, director 'Bleacher Bums’ and horror movie classic ‘Re-Animator,’ dies at 72

Under Gordon ’ s direction came such hits as the fabled Cubs comedy “ Bleacher Bums ” ; “ The @ @ @ @ @ ” by Ray Bradbury , with Franz and Mantegna in the cast ; the original @ @ @ @ @ E/R , ” and “ Warp , ” the 1972 sci-fi trilogy that preceded “ @ @ @ @ @ years .
David Mamet ’ s first full-length play , “ Sexual Perversity in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ being by Gordon in 1974 , and Franz got his first break in the movies @ @ @ @ @ appearance as a corrupt policeman in “ Cops ” at the Organic in 1976 .

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 )
Stuart Gordon, founder of Chicago’s Organic Theater Company and known as the filmmaker behind such cult classics as “Re-Animator” and “From Beyond,” has died, his family confirmed to Variety Tuesday night. He was 72.
Although best known for his seminal work in independent horror movies, Gordon had a varied career that included founding the Organic with his wife, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon. The Organic premiered such prominent works as David Mamet’s “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” and “Bleacher Bums,” which starred Dennis Franz and Joe Mantegna.
Advertisement
William H. Macy (left) with director Stuart Gordon at the Venice Film Festival in 2005. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
During his days in the ’60s at the University of Wisconsin, he was a free spirit in the arts including for the “Peter Pan,” with nudity, that he produced there with his fledgling Organic Theater Company; and in Chicago, where he re-established the Organic, he was a pioneering innovator of off-Loop theater.
Under Gordon’s direction came such hits as the fabled Cubs comedy “Bleacher Bums”; “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit,” by Ray Bradbury, with Franz and Mantegna in the cast; the original long-run emergency room comedy “E/R,” and “Warp,” the 1972 sci-fi trilogy that preceded “Star Wars” by five years. David Mamet’s first full-length play, “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” was guided into being by Gordon in 1974, and Franz got his first break in the movies as the result of his appearance as a corrupt policeman in “Cops” at the Organic in 1976.
Advertisement
He was a co-creator of the “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” franchise, for which he shared a story credit, and produced the film’s sequel and directed an episode of the TV spin-off. In 2005, he directed a film adaptation of Mamet’s “Edmond,” starring William H. Macy. Other films include “Fortress,” “Castle Freak” and “King of the Ants.”
In recent years, Gordon was active in L.A. theater, finding success directing the solo show “Nevermore…An Evening with Edgar Allen Poe” starring his “Re-Animator” star Jeffrey Combs. He also directed and co-wrote the book for “Re-Animator: The Musical,” which won several awards and was praised by a Variety critic, who wrote, “not since ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ has a screamfest tuner so deftly balanced seriousness and camp.”
Joe Mantegna (foreground) and Dennis Farina (behind) join other members of the cast of "Bleacher Bums" in right field bleachers at Wrigley Field on May 16, 1989.
Gordon also won a Stage Raw Award for directing "Taste," a two-person drama that premiered in 2014, based on a true story where one man agrees to be eaten by another.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, daughters Suzanna, Jillian and Margaret Gordon, four grandchildren and his brother, David George Gordon.
Tribune archives contributed to this report.


chicagotribune--2020-03-24--Review: On ‘3.15.20,’ Childish Gambino is the anxious, freaked-out, no-chill rock star we need right

Review: On ‘3.15.20,’ Childish Gambino is the anxious, freaked-out, no-chill rock star we need right now

Following a queasy-trippy introduction of stacked harmony vocals , the album opens with the twitchy `` Algorhythm , '' in @ @ @ @ @ of an online existence — `` So very scary , so binary , zero or @ @ @ @ @ , coal-mine canary '' — over a throbbing digital groove that seems to speed up @ @ @ @ @ You can forgive the pun in the song 's title since it really does conjure @ @ @ @ @ .
machine . )
`` Time , '' with typically ornate guest vocals from Ariana @ @ @ @ @ electro-pop tune about how the only thing more sure than the end is that we @ @ @ @ @ it when it comes .

What's Donald Glover worried about right now? Well, what do you got?
On his fourth studio album as Childish Gambino, the singer-rapper-songwriter-producer-comedian-actor — count on the guy for pretty much everything but tweeting — vividly conveys his anxieties regarding racism, aging, mass incarceration, climate change, parenthood and how people can't walk down the street without tripping anymore because they're always staring at their phones.
Advertisement
Indeed, the only thing he doesn’t seem freaked out by on “3.15.20” is the global health crisis that erupted after the record was completed, though even that seemed to play into its rollout: Two Sunday mornings ago, on the date indicated in the album’s title, Glover’s new music appeared without warning as a looped stream on the website DonaldGloverPresents.com; hours later, after fans hailed the 12-song collection as a welcome distraction from the coronavirus, it disappeared just as quickly — one more mystery in an age of escalating uncertainty.
The jitters on "3.15.20," now available on streaming services and in its entirety on YouTube, share some unsettled air with "This Is America," Childish Gambino's Grammy-winning 2018 single about gun violence and the commodification of black suffering. (A No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 thanks mostly to its YouTube views, the song is still best experienced in the form of its brutal and meticulous music video, which was directed by Hiro Murai, one of Glover's primary creative partners on the brilliant FX series "Atlanta.")
Advertisement
Yet this project, which Glover, 36, has suggested will be his last under the Childish Gambino name, also feels like a breakthrough — his first album that does more than merely honor his various inspirations. Early on those included Drake and Kanye West, whose melodic hip-hop sound he borrowed for proudly nerdy pop-rap tunes like "3005"; later, as heard in 2016's "Redbone," he turned to the grimy '70s funk of Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic.
That's not to say you can't easily spot the singer's lodestars on "3.15.20," which carries serious Prince and Stevie Wonder vibes and can still evoke Kanye now and again. But just in time for him to retire this guise, Glover has finally figured out how to make music that puts across his specific viewpoint as a funny, thoughtful, self-aware family man with a gnawing sense of unease about what kind of world his two young sons will inherit.
Following a queasy-trippy introduction of stacked harmony vocals, the album opens with the twitchy "Algorhythm," in which Glover describes the limitations of an online existence — "So very scary, so binary, zero or one / Like or dislike, coal-mine canary" — over a throbbing digital groove that seems to speed up as it moves. (You can forgive the pun in the song's title since it really does conjure a feeling of man vs. machine.) "Time," with typically ornate guest vocals from Ariana Grande, is an icy electro-pop tune about how the only thing more sure than the end is that we won't be ready for it when it comes.
In "19.10" — the remaining songs are titled after the point at which they begin in the album's 57-minute runtime — Glover remembers being prepared by his father, who died in late 2018, for the heavy reality of black excellence: "To be beautiful is to be hunted," he sings in a voice streaked with both pain and pride. "32.22" layers Glover's chanting vocals, processed nearly beyond recognition, atop tribal drums that recall his longtime producer Ludwig Göransson's score for "Black Panther." (In addition to Göransson, Glover's studio collaborators here include DJ Dahi, Chukwudi Hodge and 21 Savage, who contributes a sly verse to "12.38" about eating Popeye's chicken on a private plane.)
In "47.48," which nods to the chattering, hand-played soul music of Wonder's "Talking Book," Glover uses an appearance by his son Legend to punctuate a touching homily on the importance of self-love at a moment of fear and distrust. And despite all the darkness the singer alludes to, that soothing quality is actually what ends up defining "3.15.20."
There's something oddly reassuring about these songs — not just "12.38," a laidback R&B slow jam about a drug-addled sexual encounter, or the sweetly romantic "24.19," but all 12 of them, even those in which Glover sounds close to overwhelmed by his many misgivings.
Maybe it’s his strong melodies; maybe it’s the instrumental textures that invite you to get lost for a while. Or maybe it’s the idea that somebody else is scared too.


chicagotribune--2020-03-26--Did one person invent Chicago theater? If so, it was Stuart Gordon

Gordon , who died Tuesday at the age of 72 , founded Organic in 1969 , fresh from the University @ @ @ @ @ a graduate of Lane Tech , and he ’ d hung out at Second City @ @ @ @ @ school , gaining a taste for improvised originality before heading to Madison .
His college @ @ @ @ @ were infamous : “ The Game Show ” was an early and prescient spoof of @ @ @ @ @ featuring cash-hungry contestants placed in degrading situations , and his collegiate version of “ Peter @ @ @ @ @ of nudity and an acid trip on the way to Neverland .
It got closed @ @ @ @ @ and an irritated Gordon headed as fast he could to Chicago .

Which is the quintessential Chicago theater? These days, most people would say the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, our most famous dramatic brand. But in reality, the mothership was Organic Theater Company and the captain was Stuart Gordon.
Gordon, who died Tuesday at the age of 72, founded Organic in 1969, fresh from the University of Wisconsin. He was a graduate of Lane Tech, and he’d hung out at Second City while he was in high school, gaining a taste for improvised originality before heading to Madison. His college shows in the late 1960s were infamous: “The Game Show” was an early and prescient spoof of the nascent materialistic genre, featuring cash-hungry contestants placed in degrading situations, and his collegiate version of “Peter Pan” included copious amounts of nudity and an acid trip on the way to Neverland. It got closed down by the campus cops and an irritated Gordon headed as fast he could to Chicago.
Advertisement
As the story goes, often recounted by Richard Christiansen, the former chief theater critic of the Tribune, Gordon had a conversation with Paul Sills, who had already founded a theater called the Body Politic in Lincoln Park, then a hippie enclave. Sills told Gordon that the Chicago cops wouldn’t hassle him like they did in Madison and that he could be part of something bigger, joining Body Politic and another theater called Kingston Mines. “When you get here,” Sills purportedly said of this growing community on Lincoln Avenue, “we’ll have a scene.”
And did they ever. Did they ever.
Advertisement
Gordon, whose hippyish company included Carolyn Purdy Gordon, who would become his wife, first produced George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” inside the Holy Covenant Church at 925 W. Diversey Avenue. They found new actors, including William J. Norris, helpfully the son of a Chicago police officer.
By 1970, they’d taken over the old Body Politic space on Lincoln Avenue (it’s now the Greenhouse Theater Center, hugged by bars).
That era in the early 1970s represented the peak of Organic’s innovative influence. Notable shows included the incomprehensible sci-fi parody “Warp!,” penned by Gordon and a man named Lenny Kleinfeld who doubled as a critic at the Chicago Reader writing sometimes withering reviews under the pen name Bury St. Edmund. The show was a huge hit, even improbably moving to Broadway, where nobody knew what the heck it was about. But that was just New York ignorance. If you were here then and thought yourself part of Chicago’s happening set, you were in the audience.
“Warp!” deserves credit for all kinds of things (Christiansen often claimed it anticipated the rise of “Star Wars" and its Hollywood genre and he had a good case), and it certainly influenced the rise of such other edgy companies as Annoyance Theatre and Defiant Theatre, not to mention similar youthful, gung-ho directors like Robert Falls.
At the time Second City was pretty square — a lot of erudite University of Chicago graduates with skinny ties, glasses and clever lines — but Gordon and his crew represented something else entirely. These were cool cats, down from Wisconsin, getting high, getting naked and getting to do whatever crazy stuff on the stage they wanted. And nobody was even close to 30 years old.
By 1973, Gordon had licked his Broadway wounds, regrouped, taken out more loans and found a new home at the Hull House at 4520 N. Beacon St. in Uptown (thereafter, the home for a while of the Black Ensemble Theatre). On that leafy street, he staged Ray Bradbury’s “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit,” with a cast that included the future TV and film stars Dennis Franz, Meshach Taylor and Joe Mantegna. All playing Latinos in East Los Angeles. It was 1973 all right.
(In 1988, Gordon directed a film version with Edward James Olmos.)
In 1974, Gordon produced the first full-length work of a playwright named David Mamet. The play was “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” (later filmed as “About Last Night”) and it was inspired by the singles bars on Division Street and the then-growing phenomenon known as the one-night stand. Mamet had been hanging around at Second City and had penned the piece as, in essence, a series of Second City-style sketches.
Advertisement
Gordon understood that the perversity in the title didn’t reference sexual habit or positions. Mamet was actually writing about emotional perversity in the nation’s second city.
Gordon turned “Sexual Perversity” into a show and maybe even Mamet into a playwright: the play begins with a man bragging about his sexual prowess but it ends with an expression of desperate loneliness. And, of course, it was full of profanity. It was Mamet. And Gordon. And Organic.
Critics did not love it (in the Tribune, Linda Winer huffed that it said “nothing new” about the singles lifestyle and called it “X-rated”). But the play launched the career of one of Chicago’s most important writers.
Thereafter, the legendary shows kept coming, including in 1977, “Bleacher Bums,” maybe the most famous of all the Organic shows and a portrait of the denizens of the (then) cheap seats at Wrigley Field. Mantegna, a Chicago Cubs fan, had decided that this was a way to attract sports fans to the theater. All Organic did was head to the bleachers, write down what they heard there, move stuff around a bit and stick it on the stage.
They’d also had cameras with them at the day game, photographing the characters in the bleachers before going back to the rehearsal room and making up fictional identities. But that wasn’t what made the show so great: “Bleacher Bums,” had a Beckettian quality, it was a picture of the constantly heart-broken, trapped in a Sisyphean time-warp that meant they had no choice but to go back to the well of misery, again and again and again.
The show’s other great device was its close observation of the baseball fan experience: the long lulls between action spent drinking and talking about nothing with friends, with brief but all-important injections of tension, triumph and catastrophe. Few shows had more accurately expressed a crucial slice of life in Chicago.
Advertisement
And so it continued. By the 1980s, the Organic had moved again to 3319 N. Clark Street (now the home of a building with condos and a bank). In 1982, the company produced “E/R: Emergency Room," a serious look at the most dramatic room in a hospital, another prescient idea that came long before the TV show of that name, also set in Chicago, not to mention the procedurals like “Chicago Fire” that would take up residence in Chicago a generation later. “E/R" was a huge hit, but soon afterward, Gordon was gone. He moved to the West Coast and a new career as a movie director with a specialty in horror.
Those later achievements were notable, of course, being as they included “Re-Animator” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."
But in Chicago, Gordon had invented something far bigger than himself.
He improvised. He parodied. He originated. He made art without fear. He took risks. He rose and fall. He told the truth. He allowed for escape. He made little or no money. Above all, he built an aesthetic known as Chicago-style ensemble theater.
You know, so Steppenwolf, and all the followed, did not have to start from scratch.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Advertisement
cjones5@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-26--Woman, critically wounded in Little Village, one of 12 shot Wednesday in Chicago

Officers watched closely as two women , consoling each other , sat on the sidewalk on the north end of @ @ @ @ @ woman , in a black jacket , was just barely inside the yellow tape-cordoned crime @ @ @ @ @ do not allow .
But though distraught , she wasn ’ t moving from her @ @ @ @ @ was on the other side of the street as the black SUV that was part @ @ @ @

As Chicago’s mayor and top cop upbraided people for flouting a stay-at-home order, the city experienced its most violent day since the directive went into effect four days ago, with 12 people shot.
Half of those wounded by gunfire were in the Ogden and Harrison districts on the West Side, traditionally the most violent areas of the city that had been relatively quiet since the stay-at-home order went into effect Saturday evening because of the widening coronavirus outbreak.
Advertisement
Three people were hit in a drive-by shooting in the Englewood District on the South Side. The other shootings were reported in the Grand-Central District on the Northwest Side and the Gresham and Wentworth districts on the South Side.
No more than four people were shot during previous days since the order was imposed. There has not been a fatal shooting in Chicago since shortly after midnight Sunday.
Advertisement
The burst of violence came as people ventured outside to enjoy the spring weather, crowding streets and packing parks and trails despite the stay-at-home order issued to control the spread of the coronavirus. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and interim police Superintendent Charlie Beck called a news conference and warned residents that those who don’t listen could be ticketed $500 for a first offense while repeat offenders could be arrested.
In one of the shootings on the West Side on Wednesday, a 24-year-old woman was shot in the head around 11:50 p.m. while sitting in the back of a car in the 3100 block of West 25th Street in Little Village, according to police. She was shot by someone in a white SUV that sped off and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition.
No one was in custody.
Officers watched closely as two women, consoling each other, sat on the sidewalk on the north end of West 25th Street. One woman, in a black jacket, was just barely inside the yellow tape marking the crime scene, which police usually do not allow. Distraught, she sat near a gangway across the street from a black SUV that was part of the investigation.
Soon, the women stood up and hugged. They waited around until a man drove up, his car skidding to a halt in front of a parked car on 25th Street.
“They shot at us!” one of the women shouted as they ran up to the man.
“Where?” the man asked.
“On Albany,” she said.
Advertisement
The three drove away and the scene became quiet except for the hum of a squad car’s engine.
Earlier Wednesday night, a 17-year-old boy was shot in the Washington Park neighborhood on the South Side. Around 10:20 p.m., he was walking on the sidewalk in the 5700 block of South Michigan Avenue when he was shot in the abdomen and leg, police said. Friends drove him to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was stabilized in serious condition.
A 31-year-old man was shot in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. He was on the sidewalk around 6:40 p.m. when he heard gunfire and was hit in the bicep, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition.
That same hour, three people were shot in a drive-by attack in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. Around 6:10 p.m., a dark SUV sped past three people and someone inside fired at them in the 7400 block of South Stewart Avenue, police said. A 42-year-old man, a 43-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man were taken to University of Chicago Medical Center. The two men were in serious condition, while the woman’s condition was fair, police said.
A 15-year-old boy was wounded in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side. He was on the sidewalk in the 2800 block of South Komensky Avenue around 4:40 p.m. when he was shot in the leg, police said. The boy was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition. A witness told officers the boy returned fire, but no weapon was recovered, police said. No one else was injured.
In the afternoon, a 25-year-old man was shot by a gunman in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. Two people walked up to him around 3:40 p.m. as he was on a sidewalk in the 1700 block of North Long Avenue, police said. One of them took out a handgun and fired, hitting the man in the left arm, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.
Three more people were shot in the morning between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., and another person, a 29-year-old man was shot shortly after midnight. Police said someone in a gray sedan opened fire at him, striking him in the left leg, about 12:10 a.m. in the 4700 block of West Harrison Street.
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--David Ross’ managerial debut with the Cubs — and the critique of it — waits indefinitely during the

David Ross’ managerial debut with the Cubs — and the critique of it — waits indefinitely during the coronavirus shutdown

But the anticipation surrounding the Cubs opener — Ross ’ task of changing the culture and replacing Joe Maddon , @ @ @ @ @ to remain competitive while building for the future and Darvish looking to sustain his 2019 @ @ @ @ @ after the coronavirus pandemic caused Major League Baseball to delay the start of the season @

David Ross’ honeymoon was scheduled to end Thursday with decisions about how long to let Yu Darvish pitch, how to combat the Brewers’ bullpenning and how to limit the damage of Christian Yelich.
And that’s just a sampling of what his daily script was supposed to be like in his first game as Cubs manager against the Brewers at Miller Park.
Advertisement
But the anticipation surrounding the Cubs opener — Ross’ task of changing the culture and replacing Joe Maddon, the team’s attempt to remain competitive while building for the future and Darvish looking to sustain his 2019 second-half dominance — quickly vanished after the coronavirus pandemic caused Major League Baseball to delay the start of the season.
The hype of opening day, as usual, overshadows the reality that the first game is just one of 162.
Advertisement
Thursday’s postponed season opener, however, likely would have presented a sampling of Ross’ tendencies with spring training no longer serving as a laboratory for his options.
To Ross’ credit, the return to sharpness and a renewed focus he preached after being hired in late October was evident in spring training as the Cubs executed a few rundowns with precision.
Before spring training was halted, Ross narrowed his opening-day starter options to Darvish and Kyle Hendricks, but Darvish was lined up to pitch Thursday after making his last spring appearance March 11.
Darvish was 1-0 with an 0.90 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 10 innings against the Brewers last season, and Ross cited Darvish’s strong second half (2.76 ERA, 118 strikeouts, seven walks in 81⅔ innings) as reasons to make him a candidate.
Hendricks is 8-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 21 career starts against the Brewers, including a 4-2 record and 2.97 ERA in 11 career games at Miller Park.
With Friday serving as a day off, the Cubs might have opted to have fourth starter Jose Quintana piggyback Darvish in the opener as they did in the second game of the 2019 season against the Rangers.
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 >
That would have been a distinct possibility had Kyle Ryan started the season as the lone left-handed reliever while Brad Wieck recovered from surgery.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 14 Cubs manager David Ross in the dugout before the game. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Ross hinted during spring training he was in favor of a set lineup rather than lean heavily on batting orders presenting the most favorable matchups against a starting pitcher.
Advertisement
But toward the end of spring training, Ian Happ and Albert Almora Jr. were in an intriguing battle for the center-field position, and Nico Hoerner presented a pleasant problem with impressive plate discipline and emerging as the second-best defensive shortstop behind Javier Baez.
Happ might have earned the start against Brandon Woodruff or Freddy Peralta, but the presence of hard-throwing Josh Hader might have changed the landscape in the later innings — especially if the Cubs trailed.
The Cubs also were going to face a revamped Brewers roster that took seven of 10 games from them at Miller Park last season but lost Yasmani Grandal (White Sox), Mike Moustakas (Reds), Eric Thames (Nationals) and Travis Shaw (Blue Jays) from a lineup that won 13 of 15 games after Yelich was lost to a fractured kneecap Sept. 10.
But the Brewers have proved in each of the last two seasons that they can survive without sole contributions from Yelich. The additions of Avisail Garcia and Justin Smoak add power to both sides of the plate.
Until the coronavirus shutdown, Friday’s projected day off could have provided Cubs fans and media with a forum to analyze Ross’ moves. But the hope of eventually starting the season likely won’t allow enough time for endless analysis — just a greater sense of urgency for Ross, the Cubs and the 29 other teams to succeed quickly.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--Ask Amy: It's hard to party with 'one-party' rule

When I put microphones on people , I try to make small talk about whatever common subjects I can think @ @ @ @ @ , kids , where they 're from , etc. )
.
The goal is to @ @ @ @ @ they have to talk on camera and to alleviate some tension regarding me , a @ @ @ @ @ clothes to properly place the mic and hide the cable .
( I do always @ @ @ @ @ putting the mic here , is that OK ? ''
)

Dear Amy: I am an intellectual conservative, living in liberal and one-party Berkeley, California.
Time after time at dinner parties (even my own), the guests just assume that I am a liberal like they are.
Advertisement
When I tell them that I'm fairly conservative, they just don't get it. They freely disparage "right-wing hillbillies" and say that all conservatives are "evil people."
One time I countered, "Forty percent of the people in this country are not evil. They are good people. They just have different values from yours."
Advertisement
The table became silent, they all glared at me, and the dinner party was ruined.
What is one to do? Must one just smile faintly and bear it? What can one say?
— Frustrated Republican in Berkeley
Dear Frustrated: Whenever I try to tackle a politics-adjacent question, the reader-responses range the gamut from people decrying my conservative hot takes, my liberal views, or my "both-sides-ism." This tells me that people are avoiding nuance, context, or subtext.
My take on the phenomenon you describe is that one unexpected and unfortunate consequence of our president's personal and public comportment is that it seems to have inspired a parallel mindset in the opposition. I do not lay the blame for the close-minded attitude of many progressives on the current administration; I simply note the parallels.
Each of us is entirely responsible for our own behavior. But the stereotyping and overall narrow-minded attitude you describe is something you might want to gently ask these liberal intellectuals to reflect upon. Practice a question: "Are you interested in learning more about how conservatives like me view current events -- and what we are thinking about?"
Yes, it might be easier for you to simply sit through this sort of group-think, but you should not take the blame for "ruining" a gathering simply because you have asked people to be open-minded and rational. Nor do I think that you (or anyone) should feel forced to stay silent when others are being rude, crude, or reactionary.
Surely anyone worthy of being called a "liberal" should defend your right to speak your own mind, and should maintain an attitude of open-minded curiosity about people who think differently than they do.
Advertisement
Dear Amy: I'm a media producer with an emphasis on video production. I mainly work on documentaries, so I usually work with people who don't have on-camera experience.
When I put microphones on people, I try to make small talk about whatever common subjects I can think of (sports, pets, kids, where they're from, etc.). The goal is to loosen them up for when they have to talk on camera and to alleviate some tension regarding me, a stranger touching their body and clothes to properly place the mic and hide the cable. (I do always say, "I'm putting the mic here, is that OK?")
Recently I put a mic on a very pregnant woman. I was going to say, "Congratulations on the pending arrival, I have a daughter myself and it's great..."
Instead, I made a comment about the weather because I thought if I mentioned the pregnancy it would be akin to commenting on her body and I'm "woke" enough to know that people, especially women, don't like that.
Was I correct in not acknowledging the pregnancy, or would using the pregnancy to relate on a "I'm a parent too" level be acceptable? Trying to make people comfortable and relaxed is my number one priority.
— Too Woke in Chicago?
Advertisement
Dear Too Woke: You understand the important role you have in helping to calm jittery nerves during what can be a nerve-wracking process. Your sensitivity is commendable.
No, you should not mention a woman's pregnancy as you are helping to affix her mic. The main reason for this is because a person getting ready to be interviewed on camera should be concentrating on their own preparation. Pregnancy is a diverting topic to discuss just before being interviewed.
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 >
If a woman makes a reference to her own pregnancy, then yes -- congratulate and briefly share your positive parenting experience with her, but the time for more leisurely chit chat is after the interview is wrapped.
Dear Amy: "Just Wondering" was worried about his girlfriend's habit of texting a (male) co-worker after work-hours. I agree with you that any of us has the right to maintain friendships outside of the love-relationship, but Wondering's girlfriend should show him her texts and reassure him. Secrecy makes all of this worse, maybe for no reason.
— Been There
Dear Been There: I agree.
Advertisement
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--2020-03-25--New Orleans father here for visitation with his daughter now charged with abducting her after he unl

New Orleans father here for visitation with his daughter now charged with abducting her after he unlawfully took the girl out of state: Arlington Heights police

When she returned to the motel Feb. 23 to pick up the child , Romero , the girl and another @ @ @ @ @ different woman were gone , Blevins said .
The Waukegan mother contacted Arlington Heights police @ @ @ @ @ Romero had left the motel about 6 a.m. Feb. 22 — the day after the @ @ @ @ @

A 40-year-old father from New Orleans is being held in Cook County Jail on child abduction charges after Arlington Heights police said he kept his daughter longer than he should have during a scheduled visitation and illegally left the state with her.
Jason L. Romero, 40, of the 2300 block of St. Nick Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged March 13 with child abduction, concealment and detainment of his daughter for an incident police said happened Feb. 22.
Advertisement
Arlington Heights police Sgt. Andrew Blevins said Romero has a daughter with a woman who lives in Waukegan. He had visitation one weekend out of each month.
Police said Romero had made arrangements to stay at a Red Roof Inn in Arlington Heights the weekend of Feb. 21, and the mother dropped the girl off there, as planned.
Advertisement
When she returned to the motel Feb. 23 to pick up the child, Romero, the girl and another child he has with a different woman were gone, Blevins said. The Waukegan mother contacted Arlington Heights police who investigated and learned that Romero had left the motel about 6 a.m. Feb. 22 — the day after the child was dropped off.
Police discovered Romero had taken a flight from O’Hare Airport to San Diego. Arlington Heights police contacted the FBI, San Diego police the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and U.S. Border Patrol.
“His phone had pinged at a hotel,” Blevins said. A couple of days after that, a warrant was issued for his arrest and San Diego County sheriff’s deputies picked him up.
The child was found healthy and unharmed, police said.
“Everything was fine. Everybody was healthy. He was taken into custody without incident. The children were taken by the sheriff’s office," Blevins explained.
The girl was returned to the custody of the Waukegan mother. The other child was turned over to her maternal grandmother who lives near San Diego, he explained.
After being taken into custody, Romero waived extradition, Blevins said, and was brought back here by the Cook County sheriff’s office and interviewed.
“He admitted he planned to take child out of state,” Blevins said.
Advertisement
Police said Romero had bought the airline ticket before he came to Chicago.
“His excuse was that the [Waukegan] mother was not doing a good job, which we found no evidence of,” said Blevins.
Romero is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond and he is scheduled to appear in court April 2. However, all felony court hearings have currently been postponed due to COVID-19, according to authorities.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.


chicagotribune--2020-03-25--How the coronavirus will change book publishing, now and forever

Allison Hill took over as chief executive of the American Booksellers Association , the trade group that represents some 1,880 @ @ @ @ @ .
Prior to working for the ABA , Hill was the president and CEO of @ @ @ @ @ and BookSoup in West Hollywood .
Now , she spends her days lobbying the government @ @ @ @ @ bookstores , many of which are now under threat of closing permanently .
Despite what @ @ @ @ @ touted as a resurgence of independent booksellers , only a third of indie bookstores were @ @ @ @ @ according to the ABA , which said several were “ getting killed in the retail @ @ @ @ @ successful and beloved bookstores are desperate .
Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor , Michigan — @ @ @ @ @ Bookstore of the Year — just crowdfunded $ 100,000 in working capital to ensure its @ @

On Monday night, the literary agent, editor and publisher Andrew Blauner sent his contacts a PDF of “The Patient’s Checklist” by Elizabeth Bailey. The book is currently out of print, and with no digital copies available, Blauner wanted people to have access to the text should they fall ill and have to go to the hospital. “You can send this version to anyone you’d like, anyone you think might be helped by it. It’s the book which (doctor and author) Atul Gawande said 'could save your life.’ ”
Blauner is just one member of the homebound publishing community still trying to find a way to work, even if it means giving away a book that sold a respectable 17,000 copies when it was published in 2011. The editors and writers who create books, most based in the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, New York, and the retailers across the country who put them into customers’ hands are not considered essential businesses. They are effectively on hiatus.
Advertisement
A visitor is framed by a portal surrounded by books in the Labyrinth on the second floor of the Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Genaro Molina)
And yet this crisis should be an opportunity for book publishing, a period of high demand from readers stuck at home. Ebooks and digital audiobooks are selling better than usual, alongside the print books Amazon and a few others manage to deliver. So what does the overall picture look like for publishing at a moment when readers need the industry the most? And just as important, what might it look like on the other side of the pandemic?
First, there is the short-term tragedy of the independent bookstores, which some segment of the population considers essential — especially store owners themselves. Nancy Bass Wyden, owner of the Strand bookstore in Manhattan, filed a request with the New York governor’s office to stay open just a day after laying off 188 booksellers. “We strongly believe that our 18 miles of books are a vital resource the world could really use right now,” she said in a statement posted online. If anyone understands the levers of government power, she does: her husband is Ronald Lee Wyden, the senior U.S. Senator from Oregon, whom she is said to have met while visiting the famous Powell’s Books in Portland, Ore. — a bookstore chain that, incidentally, laid off more than 360 of its own unionized employees last week.
Advertisement
Bookstores outside of shelter-in-place zones have done their best to shift to telephone or online orders (though many still don't offer online ordering). To sell a book, they generally have two options: They can pull one from their own shelves and deliver it curbside or to the customer's home; or if it isn't in stock, they can have it shipped by one of the handful of national book distribution companies, which have been deemed essential and remain open but are equally vulnerable to illnesses or further lockdowns.
“If (the book distributors) shut down, it’s going to be a nightmare for us,” said Mitchell Kaplan, who runs Books & Books, which has five stores in Miami and is now online-only after letting 90 employees go.
Like most others, the industry is holding its breath and counting its meager blessings. The booksellers who have managed to keep things going by shifting to online orders and deliveries have seen a small surge in sales, but the majority report that the volume doesn't come close to that of a typical day. There's also widespread skepticism that customers will keep it up — fear that this is just a temporary show of collective goodwill.
Allison Hill took over as chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, the trade group that represents some 1,880 companies, on March 1. Prior to working for the ABA, Hill was the president and CEO of Vroman’s in Pasadena and BookSoup in West Hollywood. Now, she spends her days lobbying the government for relief and support for bookstores, many of which are now under threat of closing permanently. Despite what has for several years been touted as a resurgence of independent booksellers, only a third of indie bookstores were profitable before the coronavirus, according to the ABA, which said several were “getting killed in the retail apocalypse.” Even the most successful and beloved bookstores are desperate. Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan — Publishers Weekly’s 2019 Bookstore of the Year — just crowdfunded $100,000 in working capital to ensure its survival.
How bad is it for bookstores, really? Just ask the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a modest nonprofit that offers help to booksellers in need. They have raised $700,000 since the start of the crisis and anticipate a minimum of one thousand booksellers needing at least $1,000 each in the near term.
So with stores closed and thousands of booksellers unemployed, who might step up to serve increasing demand? Online retailers are reporting a surge in demand for print books. The ABA's own online bookselling sites clocked a 250% increase in traffic; Bookshop.org, which just launched in February and partners with indies and media, reported a 400% increase in sales, which put $100,000 back into bookstores' bank accounts.
Presumably, this surge extends to Walmart and Amazon.com, though the latter, which accounts for as much as 50% of U.S. book sales, has officially "deprioritized" delivering books and now lists many bestsellers as not shipping for several weeks. Barnes & Noble, still the nation's biggest bookstore chain, has managed to keep its stores open wherever it can. Last week, CEO James Daunt said, "Our sales are up very strongly but we're necessarily preparing our company and our booksellers for the potential that it could come to a standstill." Were that to happen, mass layoffs might dwarf those of the indies.
The big question in publishing is whether this is the moment people turn to ebooks. Book lovers have never quite embraced them to the extent that was predicted when Jeff Bezos first introduced the Kindle in 2007. Sales have been in a slow, steady decline, partly due to the fast-rising popularity of downloadable audiobooks.
Advertisement
Since the beginning of the pandemic, ebooks are selling at “about the level we would see during the holidays,” Michael Tamblyn, CEO of ebook and audiobook seller Rakuten Kobo, told this reporter for a piece in Publishers Weekly. Libro.fm, which sells downloadable audiobooks through independent bookstores, reported “record sales” since the start of the crisis. If these smaller retailers are seeing such a big boost, major digital platforms like Apple, Google, Amazon and its subsidiary Audible surely are as well. (Big tech is cagey about releasing sales numbers.) Libraries across the United States, also shuttered, are shifting resources away from print books and pouring money into ebooks.
Despite the shift in habits, temporary as it may be, the industry as a whole — never a fast-moving one — is now frozen. Author tours are canceled; book printings are on hold; layoffs may be coming. Publishers are pulling out of springtime industry gatherings such as New York's BookExpo — now postponed until summer while its venue, the Javits Center, becomes a temporary hospital.
The great debate is over what to do with forthcoming books: Do you move them, like the new James Bond movie, at the risk of doing the once-unthinkable — putting out a big book in the middle of a presidential election? Or do you plow ahead, and hope the social media gods will look kindly on your efforts (provided the publishers don’t lay off their Gen Z social media marketing team under a “last-in, first-out” policy)?
Publishing's glacial production and sales schedule, in which even a hot book takes a year or two to reach the market, means that some of the most urgent stories will not get told as quickly. And because of its complicated business model, it will be well into the latter half of this year before we know whether or not gains in ebook sales will mitigate lost print revenue.
Looking ahead, only one thing is certain: Writers now have a lot more time on their hands to write. The end of the crisis may find literary agents inundated with fresh manuscripts. The problem is that by then, there may not be enough agents — or booksellers or publishers — left in the business to absorb all the submissions.
"While the coming months will provide more writing time for a lot of people, many will see their time reduced," said literary agent Jennifer Carlson, partner at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency. "Many of us will bear excruciating grief and hardship, while others of us may get away more with discomfort and upheaval."
Advertisement
Still, she was looking forward to the forthcoming material: in nonfiction, "even more about our ever-deepening systemwide global and domestic sinkholes"; while in fiction, "I suspect that magical realism and genre bending could do a lot to address current reality — a 'Calgon take me away' setup with a firm grip on human ingenuity and undiluted rage."
And who is likely to benefit most from all this chaos, ingenuity and undiluted rage?
The last publisher assured to be left standing, the one that has a built-in audience and will never have a shortage of customers, the one with a parent company that is actually benefiting in this dire moment, the inventor of the Kindle and unagented self-publishing: Amazon.
Ed Nawotka is the bookselling and international editor of Publishers Weekly.


chicagotribune--2020-03-24--Home schooling due to the coronavirus? Ease up and try this instead.

So while children need to be occupied and we should strive to help them learn and grow as the developing @ @ @ @ @ is no utility in trying to replicate school — particularly when parents are under strain @ @ @ @ @ precarious time .
It is neither warranted nor will it be effective .

Struggling with home schooling during the coronavirus lockdown? Try something else, says Biblioracle columnist John Warner. (Getty photo / Getty photo/Getty)
We are in the midst of scary and unsettled times, and from my perspective as a college instructor with more than 20 years of experience, I want to give parents some advice: Forget school.
Seriously. Spending time trying to replicate school at home under these circumstances is not worth it.
Advertisement
Yes, children need to be occupied and stimulated, safe and secure, but there’s nothing inherent in school and schooling that achieves these goals — particularly not in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that is upsetting to all.
Working with first-year college students has convinced me that their “schooling” has been actively damaging to their spirits. They are curious and eager, but their educational experience doesn’t seem to have been oriented around actual learning — certainly not around learning to write. That’s why I was motivated to write “Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.”
Advertisement
There’s evidence beyond my anecdotal experience. A 2018 Gallup survey found that more than half of students are either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” from school. Engagement declines every year of schooling from fifth through 10th grade.
A 2019 Pew survey found that nearly 90% of teens feel at least some pressure to get good grades; 61% feel “a lot” of pressure. This is against a backdrop where 70% of teens see anxiety and depression as a “major problem” among their peers.
Getting rid of homework and standardized tests for the rest of the school year doesn’t sound like a wholly bad thing in this context.
So while children need to be occupied and we should strive to help them learn and grow as the developing humans they are, there is no utility in trying to replicate school — particularly when parents are under strain of their own during this precarious time. It is neither warranted nor will it be effective.
Young people can learn things without getting bogged down in schooling. To that end, here is a writing experience that works for children of just about any age — I first did it in third grade — which teaches them important and lasting principles about effective writing. And it also ends with lunch. It is the first exercise in my book of writing experiences, “The Writer’s Practice.”
Step 1: Ask a child to write instructions for making a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. (Feel free to substitute a favored sandwich.)
Step 2: Instruct the child to try to make the sandwich strictly according to their own instructions. If they forget to write that you need a knife to spread the peanut butter, use what God gave them. (Their hands.) If they didn’t specify an amount, have fun with it: Really glop it on.
Step 3: Throw that mess away or give it to the dog. (Sorry for the waste, but failure is a great teacher.)
Advertisement
Step 4: Help the child, revise the instructions, so each step reflects what is necessary to make a successful sandwich.
Step 5: Make sandwich according to revised instructions.
Step 6: Enjoy sandwich!
When I completed this for Mrs. Goldman in third grade at Greenbriar School, in Northbrook, I became a writer. I realized that writing has a purpose, that we must consider our audience before writing, and that we must take care as we write.
Take care of yourselves and each other. School will still be there on the other side.
For parents who need useful writing activities to occupy their children (sixth grade and up), I’m giving away 40 copies of “The Writer’s Practice.” Email the books@chicagotribune.com with “homestay" in the subject line; include your name and address in the body of the message. Books will be sent onh a first-come, first-served basis.
Advertisement
John Warner is the author of “Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.”
Twitter @biblioracle
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett
2. “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson
3. “The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai
Advertisement
4. “The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border” by Francisco Cantú
5. “Ask Again, Yes” by Mary Beth Keane
— Bill H., Chicago
This is for a book club, so I hope I didn’t mess this up. This novel has some elements that bug me a little, but I can’t deny that it’s stuck in my brain in interesting ways over the years: “The Marriage Plot” by Jeffrey Eugenides.
1. “Angels Burning” by Tawni O’Dell
2. “The Stories of John Cheever” by John Cheever
Advertisement
3. “Bangkok 8” by John Burdett
4. “The Island of the Sea Women” by Lisa See
5. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity” by Katherine Boo
— Cindy J., Chicago
I was recently acquainted with the Commissaire Adamsberg mysteries from Fred Vargas. Set in France, it’s a quirky crime/mystery series. Cindy should start with “The Chalk Circle Man.”
1. “Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties” by Tom O’Neill
Advertisement
2. “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown
3. “The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire” by John Eisenberg
4. “Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood With Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour” by Lynne Olson
5. “A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father” by David Maraniss
— Mike D., Darien
This lists indicates that Mike likes nonfiction and sports, so I’m going with “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN" by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, an oral history of the sports network that for now is stuck with reruns.
Advertisement
Get a reading from the Biblioracle
Send a list of the last five books you’ve read to books@chicagotribune.com.