chicagotribune--2020-01-14--3 takeaways from the Bulls’ 113-101 loss to the Celtics, including Lauri Markkanen’s stagnant progre

3 takeaways from the Bulls’ 113-101 loss to the Celtics, including Lauri Markkanen’s stagnant progress and some clarity on the bench

“ That ’ s up to coach to look at the film and see if he wants to do something @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ I ’ m always here whenever he needs me to go out @ @ @ @ @ Whatever he tells me to do , I ’ m going to go out there @ @ @ @ @ best of my abilities .
I think it could be something that we try to @ @ @ @ @ right , but like I said it ’ s up to coach to make those @ @ @

BOSTON — The Bulls are officially at the halfway point with a record of 14-27 after a 113-101 loss to the Celtics. Their record was actually identical at the midway point in 2017-18, the first year they embarked on this rebuild that has stalled dramatically so far this season.
Even when there has been an encouraging step forward — Thaddeus Young bullying smaller defenders in the paint — it’s quickly clouded by a troubling step backward — where was Lauri Markkanen? As the team returns home ready to begin the second half of their schedule, here are three takeaways from Monday’s game:
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1. Lauri Markkanen had an up-and-down first half.
One of the main reasons the Bulls had such high aspirations this season was because of Lauri Markkanen’s expected growth in his third NBA season. It’s what makes nights like Monday, where he sits for extended stretches and recedes to the background of the offense, so perplexing.
Markkanen played just 25 minutes, which included sitting for about an entire quarter of game action between the third and fourth quarters. He took just nine shots against the Celtics, finishing with nine points and six rebounds. Yes, he is still bothered by a sprained left ankle, which he was icing after the game, but Markkanen insists he is good enough to play through it.
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Celtics guard Marcus Smart, left, grabs a rebound over Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen during the first half. (Charles Krupa/AP)
And yet, despite a strong December that appeared to have him pointing in the right direction, Markkanen’s inconsistent play continues. He is averaging 15.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in about 30.2 minutes per game, all down from last season and numbers that closely resemble his rookie season (15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds in 29.7 minutes) rather than the step forward toward stardom the Bulls were hoping to see.
“Obviously had my bad stretch in the beginning and kind of picked it up after that,” Markkanen said. “Just don’t know what to say, I’ve had my moments, but obviously I expect more from myself. I’m disappointed with myself because I think at a normal level we would probably have a couple more wins. I think I can do a better job.”
2. Thaddeus Young looked like his old self.
For spurts in Boston, the Bulls allowed Thaddeus Young to play like his old self. He took advantage of his mismatch once the Celtics started to play small, dashing toward the basket on pick-and-rolls, posting up smaller defenders in the paint on his way to converting eight of his first 10 shots, including his first seven two-point field goals.
The Bulls have not run many plays for Young inside the three-point line during a season where he is playing fewer minutes than at any point since his rookie season and attempting the second-most three pointers in his career. Judging by his performance in this game, however, it can still be an effective weapon for the Bulls — and one they could probably benefit from utilizing more often.
[ A hard ask becomes an easy sell: How Thaddeus Young is adjusting to fewer minutes and more 3s with the Bulls ]
“That’s up to coach to look at the film and see if he wants to do something like that,” Young said. “I’m always here whenever he needs me to go out there and do whatever. Whatever he tells me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it to the best of my abilities. I think it could be something that we try to use when the time is right, but like I said it’s up to coach to make those decisions.”
Young’s production was a welcome sight for the Bulls, but it came at the expense of Lauri Markkanen’s playing time.
Perhaps it’s a product of the ankle sprain, or Jim Boylen’s commitment to the way he utilizes his centers, but the Bulls have seemed reluctant to play Markkanen at the five recently instead of using a lineup with both Young and Markkanen together. Instead, Wendell Carter Jr.’s injury has provided an opportunity to give playing time to their traditional big men in Daniel Gafford (who after some early foul trouble finished with 10 points and was +8 on the night) or Luke Kornet (who took a step back after being held scoreless in 22 minutes and finished -24 in 22 minutes).
“I think we can [play together],” Young said. “I played with guys who preferred to be outside a little bit more. Myles [Turner], he wasn’t a post-up player in Indy, so I played inside. Same thing kind of with Brook Lopez. So playing with those guys, it just helped me kind of just deal with my overall game and doing a lot of different things, but one of the biggest things is just understanding who I’m playing with.”
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He added: “I let them make all the decisions how they want to play and what they want to do and it’s my job to go out there and try to execute it to the best of my abilities. So, when they tell me to do something I go out there and try to do it.”
3. Ryan Arcidiacono earned his way back into the rotation with Denzel Valentine out.
As the Bulls search for more consistent production from their bench, Jim Boylen did provide some clarity on a few players in his rotation. Ryan Arcidiacono has regained his standing as a regular member of the bench unit after not playing in four of five games to start the month.
“I think the second group is a little more defined,” Boylen said during Monday’s shootaround. “I got to give Arch credit for helping that group hum a little bit.”
With Arcidiacono in, Denzel Valentine has become the odd man out of the rotation, and Valentine vocalized his displeasure over the weekend to a few reporters.
[ Dwyane Wade takes note of Zach LaVine’s recent scoring stretch: ‘I can’t wait to watch him over the next few years blossom’ ]
“Well, I don’t expect him to be happy about not playing,” Boylen said. “That’s not part of my expectation for him. My expectation for him is to stay ready and when called upon try and produce and try and help us win. That’s what it’s about. Everybody has a choice on how they react to things, their behavior to a situation. He’s a pro. I expect him to be a pro. He’s been great so far. He works, he cares and his job is to stay ready. He will. I think he will.”
Here’s more coverage from Monday’s game:
The Bulls reached the halfway point of the season Monday night, and their 113-101 loss to the Celtics looked like a lot of other nights during a disappointing campaign that started with playoff aspirations.
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The Bulls are on pace for 28 wins at the season’s midpoint, a far cry from the step forward they hoped to take in 2019-20. A weak bottom of the Eastern Conference continues to provide motivation for the Bulls to not count this season as lost just yet, but they’ll need a drastic turnaround in the second half to do so.
“It is motivating, our guys have done a good job of working and caring,” coach Jim Boylen said. “When you go through adversity sometimes it can be difficult to stay the course with our practice and our walkthroughs. Our guys have been terrific.”
If Monday’s game against the Celtics was any indication, however, a postseason appearance would be short-lived, especially considering how badly the Bulls have struggled against teams with a winning record. They are 1-16 against teams over .500.
Boston blitzed the Bulls from the opening tip, beginning the game on a 21-9 run in a first quarter that saw the Bulls score a season-low 14 points. The Bulls never got much going in the first half, shooting just 34% from the field and going just 1-for-13 from beyond the arc. Defensively the Bulls were not much sharper, as the Celtics’ playmakers picked apart the Bulls defense to find open shots and dunks.
After scoring just 37 points in the first half, the Bulls responded with a 34-point third quarter, which has so often been a nightmare period this season. But the Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter, led by a 15-point first half from Enes Kanter and 21 points from from Jayson Tatum.
[ Anthony Davis ... Packers fan? The Chicago native attended Sunday’s playoff game — and Bears fans weren’t happy. ]
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“They came out and jumped on us early in the home floor,” said Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who finished with a game-high 30 points. “We started playing a lot more aggressive, getting to the free-throw line in the second quarter, trying to make a little run, third quarter we came out the right way … but just too little, too late. Hard to sustain that for the whole game.”
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The Bulls’ second-half run was sparked by Thaddeus Young, who took advantage of a small Celtics lineup to make his first seven shots from inside the three-point arc, a different look compared with the way they Bulls have mostly used him this season. He finished with 17 points, but his hot streak came at the expense of Lauri Markkanen, who sat for nearly an entire quarter in favor of Young.
“Our guys understand if somebody’s got it going we’re going to leave them in there,” Boylen said. “If somebody’s playing well, we’re going to figure out how to extend his run a little bit.”
It’s not the first time Markkanen, who is still playing through a sprained left ankle, has sat for an extended stretch during a game this season, but on Monday he played just 25 minutes and took just nine shots.
One of the reasons the Bulls believed they were ready to take a step forward this season is because of Markkanen’s expected growth in his third NBA season, which makes nights like Monday puzzling.
“I look in the mirror, I can rebound the ball better and get out and run, so I think I need to look at myself first," Markkanen said.


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Man, 77, found dead inside burning Wrightwood home on Southwest Side

Chicago police and firefighters were called to the 3000 block of West 85th Street around 3 a.m. for an extra-alarm @ @ @ @ @ It was struck out about an hour and a half later .

Emergency crews responding to a fire in the Wrightwood neighborhood early Tuesday found a 77-year-old man dead inside the home, officials said.
Chicago police and firefighters were called to the 3000 block of West 85th Street around 3 a.m. for an extra-alarm fire, officials said. It was struck out about an hour and a half later.
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Update from the Still and Box at 3029 W 85th St- has been Struck out . 1 fire fatality death fire is under investigation. No other injury's — Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) January 14, 2020
Police spokeswoman Kellie Bartoli said a man, 77, was found dead inside the home. The medical examiner’s office had not released information on his identity early Tuesday.
No other injuries were reported.
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The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Aviation commissioner says O’Hare rehab is on schedule, and will pose minimum fuss for travelers

“ My No .
1 goal is to have someone come through Chicago and not even know we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ Jamie Rhee said .
“ We want to bring this in on time and on @ @ @ @ @ to make sure that we ’ re doing it in a way that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ traveling public as possible . ''

Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee mixes with politicians and business leaders March 20, 2019, before the start of the groundbreaking ceremony for the $1.2 billion expansion of O'Hare International Airport's Terminal 5, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s aviation commissioner is promising that the massive $8.5 billion rehabilitation of O’Hare International Airport will get done on time, and with minimal disruption for both travelers and airlines.
“My No. 1 goal is to have someone come through Chicago and not even know we’re under construction," Commissioner Jamie Rhee said. “We want to bring this in on time and on budget, and we want to make sure that we’re doing it in a way that’s the least disruptive to the traveling public as possible."
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The pledge comes despite a major delay on an ongoing airport project — the reconstruction of the “people mover” light rail system.
Rhee was appointed head of aviation by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2018, after serving nine years as the city’s chief procurement officer under Emanuel and former Mayor Richard M. Daley. She was kept on by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to oversee the largest and most expensive expansion in the airport’s almost 76-year history.
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The O’Hare revamp, which is supposed to be finished by the end of 2028, will include the addition of a new Global Terminal and three new concourses.
The city already has started a $1.2 billion expansion of Terminal 5, which by 2021 will have 10 new gates and 75% more space for passenger amenities. To make way for that, the Chicago Police Department is moving its airport headquarters just west of its current location.
The city also is working on the Runway 9R extension, and finishing a new 11,245-foot east-west runway, known as 9C/27C, which will open before the end of this year.
Rhee said O’Hare passengers will see a lot of amenities coming into the airport over the next few years, including pop-up food and retail concessions from the city’s many neighborhoods.
The $8.5 billion expansion is starting with the selection of design and engineering firms and the signing of major contracts.
In March, Emanuel announced the selection of the “Studio ORD” design team for the new Global Terminal, headed by Chicago architect Jeanne Gang. The city signed a contract with Gang in May worth up to $160 million.
In July, the city picked Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, best known as the architects of Willis Tower, to design two satellite concourses that will connect with the new Global Terminal, but will be built first.
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The contract with Skidmore has not yet been signed, but Rhee said the city is “very close” to getting it done. The city also is close to selecting a lead engineer to design the tunnel to connect the concourses and the Global Terminal, she said.
Ground is scheduled to be broken on the two satellite concourses, which will cost about $1.4 billion, in January 2022. Construction of these satellite concourses will start before the existing Terminal 2 can be torn down and building begins on the Global Terminal and concourse, a Y-shaped, 2.2 million-square-foot structure.
Rhee said she is not concerned that waiting to finalize the contract with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will delay work on the Global Terminal. She said the city focused on Studio ORD first because it will set the “tone and palette” for the satellite concourses and tunnel.
Another big part of the expansion is an employee parking garage to be built on the western end of the airport, which will eventually be accessible through an Illinois Tollway “beltway” around O’Hare, with new entrance and exit ramps.
As part of the Terminal 5 expansion, Rhee said the city will solicit proposals on concessions in the next few months. Westfield Concession Management currently oversees food and merchandise concessions at the terminal.
One significant project that’s been behind schedule at O’Hare has been the renovation of the “people mover,” a light rail system that runs between the airport’s terminals and parking facilities. The project was supposed to be mostly finished by December 2018, but the city pushed back that date until late spring of this year. Passengers have made do with shuttle buses. Parsons Construction is being assessed penalties over the delay, Rhee said.
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Rhee said the train is running on the tracks and being tested.
"We’re not going to put people on there until I know it’s safe ...” said Rhee, noting that the train is automated, rather than driven by engineers. “It is obviously a very critical piece of our airport that we want to bring on as soon as we possibly can.”
Emanuel had picked billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to build a high-speed, underground express transit link from downtown to O’Hare. But Lightfoot was critical of the plan, which now appears dead.
Asked if the city is looking at alternative ways to get to the airport, Rhee said the Aviation Department has talked with Metra about expanding service on its North Central Line. The department is building a covered walkway from the commuter railroad’s O’Hare station to the airport’s multimodal parking facility, which will connect with the people mover, Rhee said.
In addition to the work at O’Hare, the city is continuing its modernization program at Midway Airport, with a new security platform over Cicero Avenue that will double screening capacity, plus 70 new concessions, Rhee said.
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mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-14--Links Hall, a dance survivor in Chicago, is put to the test again with loss of founder and turnover

Links Hall, a dance survivor in Chicago, is put to the test again with loss of founder and turnover in staff

Arriving at Links Hall , Pacheco ’ s first steps were to assess immediate needs and put temporary staff in @ @ @ @ @ continue .
Aaliyah Christina , Keisha Janae and Kelly Anderson have filled in in the @ @ @ @ @ has kept things going in production .
Truong was recently appointed as production manager , @ @ @ @ @ the venue .
“ We ’ ve had some amazing folks who have been part @ @ @ @ @ a long time really step up , even before I walked in the door , @ @ @ @ @ you need ?
How can we help ?
What can we do ?
Let ’ @ @ @ @ @ sleeves , ” said Pacheco .
`` This community is so deeply committed to Links @ @ @ @ @ like I was walking into an empty office or an empty organization .
”

Stephanie Pacheco, executive director of Links Hall, by the bar between her non-profit dance space and the Constellation music venue on Western Avenue in Chicago. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Change is the status quo for Links Hall, the anything-goes dance and performance art venue founded in 1978 when a group of dance artists — Bob Eisen, Carol Bobrow and Charles “Charlie” Vernon — needed space to hold improvisation jams and present their choreography.
For 35 years, Links Hall was contained in a rinky dink space above a Wrigleyville bar at the junction of Clark, Newport and Sheffield. They called it Link’s Hall after the sign on the building’s facade, “Link’s Hall,” so-named for the dentist who owned the building.
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In more recent years, the scrappy dance venue has seen a period of tremendous change, spearheaded in large part by director Roell Schmidt. Links Hall moved from the heart of Lakeview to its outskirts, developing a partnership with music presenter Mike Reed’s listening room, Constellation. Together, Links Hall and Constellation transformed the shuttered Viaduct Theatre on Western Avenue, moving in just as the city began construction tearing down the street’s overpass.
“Other, larger efforts to provide dance and performance art have largely come and gone,” wrote Tribune critic Sid Smith in 1994. “Link’s Hall, largely unsung, survives.” In 2020, these words still hold up.
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“The whole landscape of the dance world in Chicago is much different,” said Eisen in a recent phone interview from New York. “(Links) was folksy for a long time with me, and Charlie, and Carol.”
In addition to choreographing, Vernon was the first to pen dance reviews at the Chicago Reader. He left Links Hall in 1983 to pursue a career in real estate, but remained involved as a board member, supporter and audience member. Last year, he wrote an essay in tribute to the 40th anniversary of the place he helped create. Vernon died Dec. 20, 2019, at age 66.
On Vernon’s impact, Jenai Cutcher, director of the Chicago Dance History Project, said: “Charlie Vernon, with his founding partners at Links Hall, created a venue and a spirit that substantially guides today’s flourishing independent Chicago dance scene.”
“Charlie was, indeed, a major player in the Chicago dance world, even before Links Hall,” said Eisen. “It’s really hard to imagine Charlie not in the world. His presence was rather big; he knew how to take up space.”
Then-director Roell Schmidt, second from left, poses inside Links Hall in Chicago with staff members Anna Trier, Brett Swinney and Felicia Holman in Aug. 2018. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The core of Links Hall as a studio space and rental venue for self-producing dance and performance artists remains, however the last decade has seen a tremendous uptick in the number of shows, the audience experience — the “new Links” space came with a lobby bar, fewer plumbing problems, easier parking and, the piece de resistance, air conditioning — and the organizational capacity to commission and present larger, more ambitious works. Links’ flagship residency program called Co-Missions, developed in 2017 by associate director Anna Trier, evolved from the decades-old LinkUp residency. And Links Hall is now part of the National Performance Network and has facilitated artist touring, and national and international artistic exchanges.
“For whatever reason, Links Hall kept on keeping on,” said Eisen. “There’s no explaining some of that. We didn’t have any more funding than some of the other places. … it just kept going.”
As of last summer, after an exhausting season which fully subsidized dozens of performances as part of a year-long 40th anniversary celebration, Schmidt was gone. So was Trier, and the rest of the staff — Felicia Holman and Brett Swinney — too. Board president Paul Teruel stepped in as interim director, and a nation-wide search brought Stephanie Pacheco as Links Hall’s newest leader in August.
“It’s a new everything, in some ways, and in some ways it’s the same old Links,” said Pacheco in an interview. “It’s interesting to hold space for those two realities at the same time.”
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Mike Reed in the lobby and bar area of Constellation and Links Hall in April 2013. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)
Pacheco is a career administrator, unlike the working artists who founded the place, and spent a decade at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College prior to accepting the job at Links Hall. Before Dartmouth, she worked in Brooklyn and New York City, with a brief period as an arts management fellow at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
“I became a stage manager as soon as I knew that job existed,” she said. “My career sprouted out from there into producing. I like to be a convener, and to build partnerships and make connections between artists, communities and organizations.
Itching to get back to a large city, Pacheco targeted her search on Chicago. “The energy of the Chicago arts and culture community was always really appealing,” she said. “I think Chicago has the best of the small town and the best of the big city, and it has a gorgeous artistic tradition and legacy.”
Arriving at Links Hall, Pacheco’s first steps were to assess immediate needs and put temporary staff in place to ensure operations could continue. Aaliyah Christina, Keisha Janae and Kelly Anderson have filled in in the office, and Giau Truong has kept things going in production. Truong was recently appointed as production manager, a permanent part-time position at the venue. “We’ve had some amazing folks who have been part of the Links family for a long time really step up, even before I walked in the door, to say: What do you need? How can we help? What can we do? Let’s just roll up our sleeves,” said Pacheco. "This community is so deeply committed to Links that I never once felt like I was walking into an empty office or an empty organization.”
Pacheco’s vision tracks with the forward progress Links Hall was making in becoming a more inclusive space that wholly embraces the artistic diversity of Chicago, which last year included a track record of half the shows created by artists of color. “If Links is here to support the creative community of Chicago, then that means the entire creative community, and it’s important that the work that's being done in these studios really reflects the gorgeous diversity that is Chicago,” she said. “We're a hub for the creative community, we're an incubator of new work, and increasingly, we've become this commissioner of artists of color. We're all still committed to continuing that work.”
What that means in terms of programming is still an ongoing question, and Links Hall’s offerings have been scaled back significantly as the organization regroups. “This current iteration of the staff has been here five months,” said Pacheco, “and a lot of what we’ve been doing is, let’s just make sure the show goes on. I feel very grateful that we’ve been able to do that.”
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Ongoing series such as the puppet cabaret Nasty, Brutish and Short and Poonie’s Cabaret will continue on a revolving basis. Running Feb. 7-9, musician Tatsu Aoki and puppeteer Myra Su team up for “String of Echoes,” an original story about a young boy’s journey on the high seas which incorporates digital and analog puppetry techniques set to live experimental music.
The current cohort of six-month Co-Missions fellows just started working. The current round includes Darling Shear and Chloe Johnston, who’s exploring artificial intelligence and video games. “It comes from this personal experience she had in her life many years ago, voicing a fictional video game character that became wildly popular,” said Pacheco. “As a theater artist, she’s looking at this line between art and reality.” Shear’s project examines the Beat Generation, and its impact on movement, fashion and poetry. Their work will be presented in-progress in March and fully produced for a two-week run in June.
And, of course, one night in May is reserved for a performance by Bob Eisen, who still dances at age 73 and returns periodically to give shows in the space he, Carol and Charlie made.
Lauren Warnecke is a freelance critic.
lauren.warnecke@gmail.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Ask Amy: Birth family reunion doesn't go as planned

Look at this group , threatening to get legal with you over what , exactly ?
It seems most likely @ @ @ @ @ existence threatens to upend their ideas about their father , and hence -- about themselves @ @ @ @ @ facts you present -- your birth father does not seem like the greatest guy in @ @ @ @ @ if his family would let you in , you might learn otherwise .

Dear Amy: I am adopted and have been in contact with my birth mother for five years. I have met her husband and their two sons -- my half-brothers. They have also met my husband, and our other family members.
My birth mother was disowned by her parents when she became pregnant. She was sent away to a maternity home. After I was born, she went to live with her grandparents.
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I have learned that my birth father is deceased but was married with four children when I was conceived. According to my birth mother, he didn't know about her pregnancy. His children were very young at the time. After much thought, I reached out to them.
After months of silence, I received a formal, terse letter signed by all four of them. They want nothing to do with me and threaten to contact their attorney. They warned me to "stay away" from their mother (his widow, who is still living).
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They said that given the circumstances (i.e. an extramarital affair), I would be an "embarrassment" to their family. And they wish to "protect" their mother from this knowledge.
I have no desire to hurt these people or intrude upon their lives. I was only hoping for a DNA test to confirm paternity.
I am upset, to say the least. Amy, what do you think?
— Looking for Answers
Dear Looking: When people react the way your birth father's family has, they are acting out of fear.
Look at this group, threatening to get legal with you over what, exactly? It seems most likely that knowledge of your very existence threatens to upend their ideas about their father, and hence -- about themselves. Judging only on the facts you present -- your birth father does not seem like the greatest guy in the world. Ironically, if his family would let you in, you might learn otherwise.
DNA testing has upended many family relationships, because it exposes the truth: that life is complicated, that no family is perfect, and that many of us live comfortably with half-buried secrets and sometimes in outright denial.
None of this complication is at all surprising to those of us who grew up in more openly chaotic and disrupted or dysfunctional homes. We all come from somewhere, and the truth is not always pretty, but beauty is born when you absorb and accept the truth -- and keep going.
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You have every reason to be upset. I think you also have every reason to celebrate your own resilience, the joys of your combined families, and your healthy quest for knowledge.
You should do some legal research of your own to see what your options are, regarding forcing this issue -- if you choose to.
Dear Amy: My husband and I have been blessed with the most loving and caring daughters-in-law.
Unfortunately, one of them has type 1 diabetes.
She and our son were blessed with a beautiful baby girl a few months back. Although she was born prematurely, with the most amazing care that she received in NICU, she is healthy.
Going through this pregnancy and the years of her having diabetes, has taken its toll. She now needs to have a kidney transplant.
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Both my husband and I are organ donors, but we are not a match for her.
We all can't predict what the future holds. All of us will eventually die. But choosing to donate our organs when our time comes gives the gift of life to someone else.
We hope that you will use your column to help us advocate for people to give the gift of life by choosing to become organ donors.
— Grateful
Dear Grateful: It is so easy to register to become an organ donor -- either at the local Department of Motor Vehicles, or online at organdonor.gov. I'm registered.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 100,000 Americans are currently on the waiting list to receive a kidney. Every day, 12 people die waiting for a donated organ.
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For more on "living donation" of a kidney, check kidney.org.
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 >
Dear Amy: Regarding the question from "New-ish Mom" about unsolicited parenting advice, I give more than my share of unsolicited advice -- mostly about cars, appliances, home repair and computers. When I do so, I remind people that it is worth exactly what their paid for it.
My takeaway for a new parent is to do what works for you, your spouse and your child. If it works for you, then it's right!
— Experienced Dad
Dear Dad: Exactly.
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.)
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Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Joe Burrow throws for 5 TDs and runs for another as LSU tops Clemson 42-25 to win the national title

The small-town Ohio kid-turned-Louisiana legend delivered the Tigers ( 15-0 ) their first national title since 2007 and fourth overall @ @ @ @ @ records along the way in what was already an historic season .
The five TD @ @ @ @ @ are the most for a BCS or College Football Playoff title game , as are @ @ @ @ @

NEW ORLEANS — Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes, ran for another score and capped one of the greatest seasons in college football history by leading No. 1 LSU to a 42-25 victory against No. 3 Clemson on Monday to win the national championship.
The small-town Ohio kid-turned-Louisiana legend delivered the Tigers (15-0) their first national title since 2007 and fourth overall, breaking a few more records along the way in what was already an historic season. The five TD passes and 463 yards passing are the most for a BCS or College Football Playoff title game, as are his six total touchdowns.
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He became the first major college quarterback to throw 60 touchdown passes in a season as LSU snapped defending national champion Clemson's 29-game winning streak. For the first time in his college career, Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence was on the losing team. The Tigers (14-1) had won his first 25 starts.
But on this night, Lawrence (18 for 37 for 234 yards) was no match for Burrow — the Ohio State transferred who threw all of 16 TD passes last season with LSU.
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His ascent has been dizzying and unprecedented. Running a version of the New Orleans Saints' offense that was brought to LSU by 30-year-old assistant coach Joe Brady, Burrow and an array of talented receivers transformed these Tigers into one of the most prolific offenses college football has ever seen.
It was coach Ed Orgeron’s vision for LSU when he was promoted from interim coach in 2016. There was plenty of skepticism when LSU tabbed the man who had failed in his first crack as a head coach with Mississippi.
Orgeron has proved the perfect fit for LSU. Just like Burrow.
After tossing his fifth touchdown pass of the night, a perfectly placed ball to Terrace Marshall Jr. from 24 yards out to make it 42-25 with 12:08 left in the fourth, Burrow signaled TD and strolled to the sideline.
Joe Burrow can't stop throwing TDs ... and he's calling for his ring 🔥
(📍 @SamsungUS) pic.twitter.com/cVr3Vs15pT — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 14, 2020
The Superdome is LSU’s home away from home, about 80 miles from the Tigers’ Baton Rouge campus, and it was rocking.
The LSU band broke out its unofficial anthem, "Neck," and as the Tigers bounced and waved towels on the sideline, Burrow just sat on the bench, bobbing his head and waving one arm.
Next stop: The NFL draft, where he will likely be the first pick in April.
The final score was lopsided, but it was far from easy for LSU and Burrow.
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Clemson pushed LSU into the deepest hole it has had to climb out of this season in the first half. Two weeks after Lawrence ran for a career-best 107 yards against Ohio State, he opened the scoring with a 1-yard jaunt around right end in the first quarter.
After B.T. Potter kicked a career-long 52-yard field goal for Clemson to make it 10-7, the Tigers sprung receiver Tee Higgins on a reverse and he raced 36 yards through tacklers for a score to make it 17-7.
It took LSU 5:19 to wipe that out and take the lead, with Burrow and his favorite receiver, Ja'Marr Chase doing most of the damage. The Heisman winner hit the Biletnikoff Award winner with a long ball to set up a quarterback draw from 3 yards out to make it 17-14.
Burrow and Chase hooked up for a 14-yard touchdown with 5:19 left in the second quarter and LSU fans erupted as their Tigers took the lead for the first time, 21-17. They never looked back.
Chase finished with nine catches for 221 yards.
The SEC Tigers weren't done. Burrow led LSU on a 95-yard drive, taking a hard shot on a long run before finding Thaddeus Moss, son of former NFL star receiver Randy Moss, standing alone in the end zone to make it 28-17 with 10 seconds left in the half.
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After Clemson’s defense flummoxed LSU for most of the first quarter, with tight coverage and hard-to-decipher blitzes, Burrow, Chase and Co. put up 269 yards in the second quarter.


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Astros fire manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow after MLB suspends them for the 2020 season in sign-

Astros fire manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow after MLB suspends them for the 2020 season in sign-stealing scandal

`` I am not a cheater , '' the statement said .
`` Anybody who has worked closely with me @ @ @ @ @ and outside baseball can attest to my integrity .
I did not know rules were @ @ @ @ @ commissioner set out in his statement , I did not personally direct , oversee or @ @ @ @ @ The sign-stealing initiative was not planned or directed by baseball management ; the trash-can banging @ @ @ @ @ players , and the video decoding of signs originated and was executed by lower-level employees @ @ @ @ @ .
I am deeply upset that I was n't informed of any misconduct because I @ @ @ @ @ ''

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs, and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora could be next.
Hinch and Luhnow were fired Monday after being suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's illicit use of electronics to steal signs during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.
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In U.S. sports' largest scandal since the New England Patriots' "Spygate," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline and strongly hinted that Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for stealing signs in Cora's first season as manager in 2018, when Boston won the World Series.
Houston was fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution, as punishment. The Astros will also forfeit their next two first- and second-round amateur draft picks.
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The investigation found that the Astros used the video feed from a center field camera to see and decode the opposing catcher's signs. Players banged on a trash can to signal to batters what was coming, believing it would improve the batter's odds of getting a hit.
Sign stealing is a legal and time-honored part of baseball as long as it is done with the naked eye — say, by a baserunner standing on second. Using technology is prohibited.
Astros players disputed whether knowing the pitches seconds in advance helped batters. Houston had fewer wins at home than on the road, winning 94 home games and 110 on the road during the two seasons. There was no sign-stealing system on the road.
"While it is impossible to determine whether the conduct actually impacted the results on the field, the perception of some that it did causes significant harm to the game," Manfred said.
Manfred, in his most significant action since becoming commissioner five years ago, said Hinch failed to stop the sign stealing and Luhnow was responsible for the players' conduct even though he made the dubious claim he was not aware. Manfred said owner Jim Crane was not informed.
An hour after MLB announced its punishment, Crane opened a news conference by saying Hinch and Luhnow were fired.
"I have higher standards for the city and the franchise, and I'm going above and beyond MLB's penalty," he said. "We need to move forward with a clean slate."
Both Luhnow's and Hinch's suspensions for the 2020 season were to be without pay. Crane said he will look outside the organization and internally for candidates to replace Luhnow. If he hires internally, the most likely candidate would be Pete Putila, who was promoted to assistant general manager this offseason.
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Crane, who said he learned of the discipline this weekend, was visibly upset during Monday's news conference and insisted that Houston's championship, which culminated in a seven-game World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, was not tainted.
"We want to be known as playing by the rules," he said. "We broke the rules. We accept the punishment and we're going to move forward ... if you read the report neither (Luhnow or Hinch) implemented this or pushed it through the system and (it) really came from the bottom up."
Hinch's penalty was among the longest for an MLB manager. Brooklyn's Leo Durocher was suspended for one year by Commissioner Happy Chandler in April 1947 for the "accumulation of unpleasant incidents" detrimental to baseball, and Cincinnati's Pete Rose was banned for life by Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in August 1989 for betting on Reds' games while managing the team.
Houston was a big league-best 204-120 during the two years in question, winning its first title. Hinch, a 45-year-old former catcher with a degree from Stanford, was the most successful manager in the history of the Astros, who have won two of the last three AL pennants and came within one victory of another World Series title last year against Washington. Luhnow, 53, earned an MBA at Northwestern and fostered an analytic-based culture during eight seasons as Astros GM, but also a toxic one with high turnover.
"It is very clear to me that the culture of the baseball operations department, manifesting itself in the way its employees are treated, its relations with other clubs, and its relations with the media and external stakeholders, has been very problematic," Manfred wrote in a nine-page statement. "At least in my view, the baseball operations department's insular culture -- one that valued and rewarded results over other considerations, combined with a staff of individuals who often lacked direction or sufficient oversight, led ... finally, to an environment that allowed the conduct described in this report to have occurred."
Crane, who hired Luhnow weeks after buying the Astros, denied a widespread problem, saying "I think there was some isolated situations."
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Luhnow said in a statement that he accepts responsibility "for rules violations that occurred on my watch as president of baseball operations and general manager of the Astros" and apologized to the team and fans for "the shame and embarrassment this has caused."
Then Luhnow defended himself.
"I am not a cheater,'' the statement said. "Anybody who has worked closely with me during my 32-year career inside and outside baseball can attest to my integrity. I did not know rules were being broken. As the commissioner set out in his statement, I did not personally direct, oversee or engage in any misconduct: The sign-stealing initiative was not planned or directed by baseball management; the trash-can banging was driven and executed by players, and the video decoding of signs originated and was executed by lower-level employees working with the bench coach. I am deeply upset that I wasn't informed of any misconduct because I would have stopped it."
Hinch issued a statement through the Astros, saying he was "disappointed in our club's actions within this timeline, and I accept the Commissioner's decision.
"As a leader and major league manager, it is my responsibility to lead players and staff with integrity that represents the game in the best possible way," the statement said. "While the evidence consistently showed I didn't endorse or participate in the sign-stealing practices, I failed to stop them and I am deeply sorry."
Manfred said Hinch was aware of the system but did not tell Luhnow.
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"As the person with responsibility for managing his players and coaches, there simply is no justification for Hinch's failure to act," Manfred said.
The GM told Major League Baseball he was unaware of the system, but Manfred held him accountable for the team's actions.
"Although Luhnow denies having any awareness that his replay review room staff was decoding and transmitting signs, there is both documentary and testimonial evidence that indicates Luhnow had some knowledge of those efforts," Manfred's report said.
Baseball's response was far greater than that of the NFL to a similar infraction. New England coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 in 2007 and the Patriots were penalized $250,000 for using video to capture an opponent's signals. The Patriots also were stripped of a first-round draft choice for punishment in the scandal known as "Spygate." They were penalized again for $1 million eight years later for deflating footballs used in the AFC championship game. The NFL took away a first-round draft pick and suspended quarterback Tom Brady for four games.
Current New York Mets manager Carlos Beltrán, then a player with the Astros, was among the group involved. Manfred said no Astros players will be disciplined because he decided in September 2017 to hold a team's manager and GM responsible for sign-stealing infractions.
"Virtually all of the Astros' players had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme, and I am not in a position based on the investigative record to determine with any degree of certainty every player who should be held accountable."
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Baseball's investigation began when former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, now with Oakland, made the allegations in a report by The Athletic on Nov. 12.
Sign stealing has a long history in baseball — the New York Giants used a military field scope and buzzer during their 1951 tiebreaker playoff against the Brooklyn Dodgers. While decoding with the naked eye is allowed, MLB has enacted increasingly stringent prohibitions in recent years against the use of electronics to spy on opponents.
MLB's Department of Investigations interviewed 68 witnesses, including 23 current and former Houston players, and reviews tens of thousands of emails, Slack communications, text messages, video clips and photographs.
Astros employees in the team's video replay room started to decode signs using a center field camera at the start of the 2017 season. A player would act as a runner to bring the information to the dugout, where a runner on second would be signaled. The runner would decode the catcher's sign and signal the batter. At times, an employee in the replay room would convey the information by text message to the watch or phone of a staff member in the dugout.
Cora began calling the replay room for the information early in the season. After a group of players that included Beltrán discussed how to improve the system about two months into the season, Cora arranged for a video monitor of a center field camera to be installed next to the dugout, and players would communicate pitches by banging a bat or massage gun on a trash can. Two bangs usually were used for off-speed pitches and no sound for fastballs.
Manfred said the banging system was not used in 2018 but that signs were stolen by the replay room and communicated to the dugout in person during at least part of that season. There was no evidence signs were stolen during the 2018 playoffs.
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The Mets and Beltrán declined to comment, spokesman Harold Kaufman said.
Manfred left it to the Astros whether to discipline lower-level employees found to be involved in the sign stealing.
"Lower-level employees were taking direction from senior, either players or coaches," Crane said. "And so in my opinion it can be difficult to hold them to the same standard we hold to the leaders. But we'll review that ... and deal with that shortly."
Also Monday, former Astros assistant GM Brandon Taubman was suspended through the World Series for his conduct during last year's AL Championship Series, when his profane remarks directed at female reporters led to his firing by Houston, which at first denied the incident and later apologized.
Taubman can apply to Manfred for reinstatement after the World Series. Any future violations of Major League Rules by Hinch, Luhnow or Taubman would lead to a lifetime ban.


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Chicago’s interim top cop calls Laquan McDonald scandal a ‘tipping point’ for reform

“ Each of these journeys is defined by the tipping point event that caused major change , ” Beck said @ @ @ @ @ Chicago scandals as well as the 1991 LAPD beating of motorist Rodney King and a @ @ @ @ @ that uncovered dozens of officers had physically abused suspects and tampered with evidence .
“ @ @ @ @ @ same thing .
They resulted in a huge loss of trust and confidence by the @ @ @ @ @ .
... And I think even more dramatically , there ’ s a human cost @ @ @ @ @ cities suffered their most violent years following these tipping point events .
”

In remarks Monday to civic leaders, interim Chicago police Superintendent Charlie Beck called the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald a “tipping point” that must lead the department toward reform and reestablishing trust in minority neighborhoods.
Beck, the former longtime Los Angeles police chief and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s surprise pick to temporarily lead the department, drew comparisons in his speech to the City Club of Chicago between the reform paths that police in LA and Chicago were forced to undertake in the wake of major scandals.
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Beck not only singled out the slaying of 17-year-old McDonald but also what he called the “horrific actions” of disgraced former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge, whose abuse and torture of dozens of African American suspects in the 1970s and ’80s has stained the city’s reputation and cost tens of millions of dollars in litigation.
“Each of these journeys is defined by the tipping point event that caused major change,” Beck said in reference to the two Chicago scandals as well as the 1991 LAPD beating of motorist Rodney King and a scandal in the late 1990s that uncovered dozens of officers had physically abused suspects and tampered with evidence. “They both resulted in the same thing. They resulted in a huge loss of trust and confidence by the community in their police departments. ... And I think even more dramatically, there’s a human cost. Both agencies, both cities suffered their most violent years following these tipping point events.”
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Beck said Chicago police must now commit to reform in order to restore that trust by implementing a federal consent decree intended to fundamentally alter the way officers treat residents.
While heading LAPD, Beck oversaw similar reforms for a department that struggled for about a dozen years to implement the required changes.
While Chicago is better poised than Los Angeles to implement the widespread reforms, Beck said, the Police Department is still struggling to establish a clear reform mission.
“I see CPD walking the exact same path as LA did,” he said. “There is disbelief. There is misunderstanding. There is failure to focus. But we’re changing all that. ... The pieces are here. We have a committed mayor, a committed CPD team.."
Among the first moves made by Beck since taking over as interim superintendent in early December was to fill some 35 positions on the department’s reform team that had gone vacant.
Beck had planned to succeed Superintendent Eddie Johnson on his retirement effective Jan. 1, but that all changed on Dec. 2 when Lightfoot abruptly fired Johnson, saying he had intentionally misled her about his conduct after a late weeknight out in October when he was found asleep in his running vehicle at a stop sign. Beck flew in from LA that afternoon to run the department until Lightfoot announces a permanent successor to Johnson.
The deadline to seek the superintendent’s post passed on Monday with 23 applicants filing, according to the Police Board, which will recommend three finalists to Lightfoot.
The shooting of McDonald has proved to be a seismic shift for Chicago and its Police Department. The white officer shot McDonald 16 times as the black teen, high on PCP, refused police commands to drop a knife while walking away from officers on a Southwest Side street in October 2014.
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Graphic police dashboard camera video of the shooting — ordered released by a judge more than a year later — sparked weeks of chaos and political upheaval, exacerbating the already fraught relationship between Chicago police and minority communities. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation found the department had engaged in widespread civil rights violations for decades, ultimately leading to the federal consent decree laying out a series of mandated reforms.
In a historic trial in 2018, a Cook County jury convicted white Officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder for shooting the black teen 16 times, making him the first Chicago cop in half a century to be convicted of an on-duty killing.
Beck told the couple of hundred business and civic leaders at the downtown luncheon meeting that CPD was “much better positioned for success” than LAPD to enact the consent decree reforms.
He touted Chicago’s nerve centers, located in most of the department’s patrol districts that use real-time crime data to help commanders determine where to deploy officers, a vast network of surveillance cameras and gunshot detection technology that allows cops to respond more quickly to shootings.
“That is beyond what any other major city police department has,” he said.
Beck also credited major citywide anti-violence programming that offered jobs, gang conflict mediation and victim support — programming he said the city plans to boost with funding.
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“People see that you put as much value in constitutional policing as you do in solving crimes, they understand, and that builds trust,” he said.
Beck said he would also expand a pilot program in which some beat officers are freed from responding to 911 calls to personally interact with residents and businesses in order to tackle quality-of-life issues such as troubled buildings, loitering and other nuisance offenses. The work can improve police relations with the community — and lead to more help from residents in the fight against crime, he said.
Beck also touched on his swift decision to suspend the department’s controversial merit promotion system, long criticized by officers for allowing too many less-deserving cops to win promotions because of who they know rather than what they know.
Beck also revealed to the audience he has a long-ago connection to Chicago — his great-grandfather, who grew up on Chicago’s West Side. His grandfather was also born in the city before relocating to the West Coast, but Beck said he told him stories about living in Chicago.
“For me, this is a little bit of a coming home," he said. “... I want to make sure that this city has the best police department it can possibly have in the short time that I’m here. But I also want to make sure that my great-grandfather knows I did the best I could do to make his hometown, and now my adopted hometown, the safest big city in America.”
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
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asweeney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Cops: Boy, 14, shot in South Shore neighborhood

Jones , who said he lost a close friend to gun violence in the early 2000s , felt fear when @ @ @ @ @ got shot a few blocks from his house .
He knew people who lived where @ @ @ @ @ they had children .
But once an hour had passed and no one he knew @ @ @ @ @ incident , he relaxed .

Chicago Police secure a crime scene at 68th Street and Clyde Avenue in Chicago where at least one person reportedly was shot on Jan. 13, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
A 14-year-old boy was hurt Monday afternoon in a shooting in the city’s South Shore neighborhood, Chicago police said.
The boy was walking east in the 2100 block of East 68th Street just before 4:30 p.m. when a gunman approached and opened fire in his direction, police said. Authorities initially said the boy was walking in the block when he heard a gunshot and felt pain.
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The teen was taken to Comer’s Children’s Hospital, where he was treated for a graze wound to the groin, authorities said. Early reports indicated the boy was walking home from school when he was wounded, authorities said.
No arrests had been made as Area Central detectives were just beginning their investigation.
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The 14-year-old was at least the 60th person person shot so far in 2020, according to data kept by the Tribune. At least 15 of them have died.
A double line of yellow police tape ran north and south across 68th Street, where a group of officers stood guard over the southeast corner. A police van faced west next to them. Upon seeing the crime scene blocking their way, neighbors instantly rerouted, turning around or headed down alleys instead.
Multiple shell casings were scattered throughout the intersection of South Clyde Avenue and East 68th Street.
Chicago Police secure a crime scene at 68th Street and Clyde Avenue in Chicago where at least one person reportedly was shot on Jan. 13, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Some nearby residents stood a block away and compared information they knew about the shooting, mostly to make sure it wasn’t someone they knew.
"It’s just sad,” one neighbor, Johnathan Jones, 36, said. “Y’all couldn’t wait till later? Kids are getting home from school.”
Jones, who said he lost a close friend to gun violence in the early 2000s, felt fear when his uncle told him someone got shot a few blocks from his house. He knew people who lived where the shooting occurred, and they had children. But once an hour had passed and no one he knew had reached out about the incident, he relaxed.
“It’s kind of scary to go to a crime scene, but sometimes you have to do that,” he said.
Other neighbors were not so willing to be near the scene. One woman opened the window to an upper-floor apartment and craned her neck out. When she realized a shooting had occurred, she gasped, “oh my goodness,” and slammed the window shut.


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Fewer candidates apply to become Chicago’s next top cop than four years ago

In 2016 , Emanuel bypassed the Police Board ’ s three finalists and had the City Council pass a special @ @ @ @ @ hire Johnson as his superintendent , though he didn ’ t apply for the job @ @ @ @ @ Police Board president at that time , has pledged to make her selection based on @ @ @ @ @ .

Only two dozen people are vying to become Chicago’s next top cop, drawing significantly less interest than the last time the city offered the job four years ago.
The Chicago Police Board, which reviewed the applications, said 23 candidates have applied to be Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s next permanent police superintendent.
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That’s 16 fewer applicants than in late 2015 and early 2016 in the wake of then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s firing of then-Superintendent Garry McCarthy.
Police Board President Ghian Foreman said in a statement Monday that he and the eight other board members received applications from within Chicago and throughout the nation to lead the country’s second largest police force.
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The deadline to apply for the job was 5 p.m. Monday.
“We will now undertake a thorough review of each (candidate), focusing on their experience in leading proactive public safety initiatives, advances in training and accountability, and increasing trust between police officers and the communities they serve,” Foreman said.
The board opened the application process Nov. 21 after then-police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announced plans to retire amid an investigation by the city’s inspector general’s office into an incident in mid-October in which he was found by officers asleep in his vehicle after having a few drinks earlier in the night.
Lightfoot fired Johnson in early December, saying he lied about circumstances surrounding the incident, and immediately hired former Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck as his temporary replacement.
Thirty-nine people applied to be top cop when the job was last offered by the Police Board in December 2015. That was after McCarthy’s firing as part of the fallout of the Laquan McDonald shooting scandal.
What’s more, candidates then had a shorter time frame to apply than during the current selection process.
Why there were fewer applicants this year was unclear. One city official noted a new requirement that could be too labor-intensive for some: Candidates must submit a video essay of up to 20 minutes about their law enforcement experience.
The Police Board will review the applications, interview the candidates and choose three finalists before submitting their names to Lightfoot for her consideration. The board will publicly announce its finalists within a few months.
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In 2016, Emanuel bypassed the Police Board’s three finalists and had the City Council pass a special ordinance to allow him to hire Johnson as his superintendent, though he didn’t apply for the job. Lightfoot, who was Police Board president at that time, has pledged to make her selection based on the board’s finalists.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--‘We finally put a name and a face to this monster.’ DuPage officials ID killer of 16-year-old girl i

‘We finally put a name and a face to this monster.’ DuPage officials ID killer of 16-year-old girl in 1976. Man, now dead, believed to be linked to other cases.

Lindahl , who worked several different jobs including as an instructor at a vocational school in Kaneville , had an @ @ @ @ @ served prison time .
He apparently liked photography .
Police recovered numerous photos of young @ @ @ @ @ apartment , and police are now trying to see if any of the images are @ @ @ @ @ Berlin said .

Clifford Ward, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Robert Mccoppin, Erin Hegarty

A photograph of Pamela Maurer is displayed as law enforcement officials listen to DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin (not pictured) speak at a news conference on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in Wheaton regarding her 1976 slaying. Berlin identified Bruce Lindahl, who died in 1981, as her killer. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
An unsolved string of killings of young suburban women in the 1970s frustrated police for decades. Now authorities in DuPage County believe that by cracking one of those cold cases, they may have uncovered the trail of a serial killer.
By digging up the remains of the suspect, and matching his DNA to the crime, investigators were able to identify Bruce Lindahl as the killer of 16-year-old Pamela Maurer in Lisle in 1976.
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Photos of Bruce Lindahl displayed at the DuPage County state's attorney's office on Jan. 13, 2020, prior to a news conference about the 1976 slaying of Pamela Maurer. The picture at upper right is a composite drawing of what the killer might look like, based on analysis of a DNA sample. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Though Lindahl died a violent death himself long ago, police believe they may have uncovered a series of his victims, and may finally be able to render some measure of justice to his victims and their families.
“We finally put a name and a face to this monster. And that’s pretty much what he was,” Lisle police Detective Chris Loudon said of Lindahl, who was from Aurora.
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Maurer, of Woodridge, a junior at Downers Grove South High School, was found dead along the side of College Road near Maple Avenue on Jan. 13, 1976. She had been visiting a friend the night before when she left to buy a Coke at a nearby McDonald’s and never returned. Authorities said she was sexually assaulted and strangled.
Police said they had always kept the case open, looking for clues. Ultimately, in a first for Illinois, investigators said they used genetic genealogy to solve Maurer’s murder.
By taking a DNA sample from Maurer’s body, investigators used her assailant’s genetic traits such as eye color, build and facial features, to produce an image of what they thought her assailant looked like.
Investigators then searched public genealogy databases to identify potential persons of interest and build a family tree that pointed to Lindahl as a potential suspect. Authorities later obtained a court order and late last year exhumed Lindahl’s body to obtain DNA, which matched samples collected from Maurer.
The sketch they had produced bore an “uncanny resemblance” to a photo of Lindahl in a high school yearbook, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.
Charles Huber, of Naperville, was stabbed to death by Bruce Lindahl in 1981, authorities said. Lindahl bled to death in the same incident, after apparently cutting himself by accident. (DuPage County State's Attorney's Office)
“Today that mystery has finally been solved,” Berlin said at a news conference where he was flanked by police and prosecutors who worked on the case.
Loudon said Lisle police had traveled to Texas over the holidays to tell Maurer’s father and brother that the case had been solved. Evans said Maurer’s family moved away shortly after she was killed. Family members could not be reached for comment on Monday.
“Unfortunately, Pam was not Bruce Lindahl’s only victim,” said Berlin, saying he considered Lindahl a serial killer because authorities believe he killed at least three people.
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Lindahl may be involved in the disappearance of Deb McCall, a Downers Grove North High School student last seen in November 1979. After Lindahl’s death in 1981, police found a photograph of McCall in his Solfisburg Avenue home, Berlin said.
Debra Colliander (DuPage County State's Attorney's Office)
Authorities said they believe Lindahl also killed Deb Colliander, who was last seen leaving her job at Copley Hospital in October 1980. Three months before that, Lindahl was charged in Kane County with kidnapping and sexually assaulting Colliander. He was out on bond and about to stand trial when Colliander disappeared.
Her disappearance forced the eventual dismissal of the charges against Lindahl, Berlin said. Colliander’s body was found in a farm field near Oswego in April 1982. Lindahl, though, had died the year before.
“All of the evidence points to Bruce Lindahl as the person responsible for Deb Colliander’s murder,” Berlin said.
After the case had been dismissed, a friend of Lindahl’s told police that Lindahl had offered him $2,000, a handgun, whiskey and pills to “get rid” of Colliander.
Colliander’s death remains a cold case under active investigation, said Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Briars.
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“These cases are always open," Briars said. "When new information becomes available, we look into them as much as possible. When new information does become available, it does focus new attention on the case.”
Briars said authorities have no information linking Lindahl to other Kendall County cases.
Debra McCall (DuPage County State's Attorney's Office)
Police are actively seeking to see whether Lindahl may be involved in killings and other crimes committed between 1974 and 1981 in the Lisle, Woodridge, Downers Grove and Aurora areas, authorities say.
Lindahl died at age 29. His body was found in 1981 in a Naperville apartment, next to that of 18-year-old Charles Huber. Lindahl stabbed Huber, a high school student, more than two dozen times, and sliced open his own femoral artery in an apparent accident during the attack, Berlin said. Lindahl bled to death. Police do not know why Lindahl killed Huber, the prosecutor said.
Lindahl, who worked several different jobs including as an instructor at a vocational school in Kaneville, had an arrest record but had never served prison time. He apparently liked photography. Police recovered numerous photos of young women in Lindahl’s apartment, and police are now trying to see if any of the images are victims in unsolved crimes, Berlin said.
A Lisle woman named Cindy Evans attended the press briefing, and said she knew Maurer from high school.
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“She was a very happy girl — very shy,” Evans said. “She was not the kind of person who would go with a stranger.”
Anyone with information about unsolved crimes that may involve Lindahl is urged to call the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office at 630-407-8107 or Lisle police at 630-271-4252.
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Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter. Erin Hegarty is a reporter for the Naperville Sun. The Chicago Tribune’s Christy Gutowski and The Beacon-News’ Megan Jones contributed.
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chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Column: Thanks to the cheating Astros, the Black Sox finally have some company on the list of infamo

Column: Thanks to the cheating Astros, the Black Sox finally have some company on the list of infamous baseball scandals

Manfred argued it was too “ difficult and impractical ” to determine which players deserved to be penalized , even @ @ @ @ @ specifically cited Carlos Beltran , now the Mets manager , as one of the instigators @ @ @ @ @ as deep as he ’ s portrayed , he deserves a lengthy suspension as well @

The Black Sox don’t have to worry about their place in baseball history being usurped by the sign-stealing Astros, even as the Houston organization was disciplined, heavily fined and scolded by finger-wagging Commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday in his report from Major League Baseball’s investigation.
The Astros will now carry the stigma of cheaters, of course, and be used as an example of how not to play the game.
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But will their wrongdoing be remembered 100 years from now, as the Black Sox are today, with books and movies and an MLB-marketed game in a cornfield reminding us of the early 20th century scandal?
While the penalties are considered severe, it could’ve been much, much worse for the Astros.
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Unlike the Black Sox, who had eight players banned from baseball after throwing the 1919 World Series to the Reds, the Astros got off relatively easy, with the loss of top draft choices, a record $5 million fine and one-year suspensions for general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch.
Astros owner Jim Crane, who learned the hard way how to move on from a public-relations nightmare by having so many to move on from, quickly tried to turn the page by firing Luhnow and Hinch for not doing anything to stop the scheme.
Astros bench coach Alex Cora, left, and manager A.J. Hinch look on from the dugout during a World Series game against the Dodgers on Oct. 29, 2017. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Next comes the discipline for former Astros bench coach Alex Cora, now the Red Sox manager, who was portrayed as the “mastermind” in the scheme and could receive a draconian penalty when MLB’s sign-stealing investigation into the 2018 Red Sox concludes.
While those three get what they deserve, the Astros players who carried out the scheme escaped scot-free, even though Manfred conceded “most of the position players” on the 2017 team either “received sign information” or “participated in the scheme.” Crane added that no Astros players would be suspended by the organization.
Nothing to see here. Let’s move along.
How does that compute?
Manfred argued it was too “difficult and impractical” to determine which players deserved to be penalized, even though in the report he specifically cited Carlos Beltran, now the Mets manager, as one of the instigators. If Beltran was in as deep as he’s portrayed, he deserves a lengthy suspension as well.
The guess here is that any suspensions of players would’ve led to so many grievances filed through the players union, that it wasn’t worth the trouble for MLB. It’s much easier to blame the leaders, lop off their heads and move on, right?
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One MLB Network host called this a “sad day for baseball and the Astros,” though I’m quite sure both will survive and likely thrive. Five million dollars won’t even get you a decent backup these days, and good managers aren’t as important as they were before “game planning” became a thing.
The bad publicity could work in reverse. Suddenly the Astros are a notorious team, like the Black Sox, albeit without the catchy nickname. While the Black Sox scandal may remain a black mark in baseball history, the upcoming “Field of Dreams” game pitting the White Sox and Yankees playing in an Iowa cornfield proves the legend is still marketable in MLB’s eyes.
The Sox franchise had a difficult time recovering from its scandal, which led to the banning of eight players by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis after the 1920 season. They managed only one winning season over their next 15 years and didn’t make it back to the World Series for 40 years.
The cheating Astros, however, should be be just fine. They still have a lineup filled with All-Stars, many of whom apparently were involved in the sign-stealing scheme, not to mention a rotation with two of the game’s best starters in Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke.
The Astros should win the American League West by a sizable margin even without Hinch or Luhnow. Another World Series title in 2020 is a distinct possibility, and they don’t even have to worry about having an asterisk attached to their 2017 championship, though that season is now tainted.
Crane, naturally, disagreed.
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“I think we’ll have a great season, we’ve got a lot of great players still,” Crane said. “And I don’t think it taints it.”
Tell that to the Dodgers, who lost the ’17 Series to Houston in seven games.
Manfred gets plaudits for dropping the hammer on the organization, even if he let the players off the hook. The penalties should deter future technology-driven crime in baseball, which seemingly is more widespread than anyone knew.
Everyone is looking for any edge these days, and with video technology so prevalent it’s easy to see why teams try to beat the system with elaborate sign-stealing schemes like banging a trash can to tip hitters on off-speed pitches.
MLB began monitoring video replay rooms in 2019 to keep players out, but gaming the system apparently isn’t too difficult. An anonymous “Red Sox person” recently told The Athletic: “We had (the monitors) in our back pocket. If we wanted to whisper something or they walked out, then we could do something if we needed to.”
MLB no doubt will beef up security, but an easier solution is to force all players to stay in the dugout until the game is over.
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That should be punishment enough.


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Bears reportedly hiring former Bengals play caller Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator

It ’ s a new pairing for Nagy , who has not worked with Lazor previously .
Nagy also had @ @ @ @ @ coordinator Mark Helfrich , one of four assistants fired Dec. 30 , a day after @ @ @ @ @ 8-8 with one of the worst offenses in the NFL .

Matt Nagy has found an experienced offensive coordinator to fill the biggest vacancy on his staff, but it’s not the first man the Bears pursued.
Bill Lazor, 47, who has had two two-year stints as an NFL coordinator, is getting the job, NFL Network reported.
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Sources: The #Bears are hiring former #Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor as their new OC. An important hire for Matt Nagy after moving on from Mark Helfrich. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2020
Former Giants coach Pat Shurmur was the Bears’ primary target, but he’s expected to be named offensive coordinator of the Broncos, opting to work with former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in Denver, where he will have play-calling responsibilities and work with second-year quarterback Drew Lock.
With Shurmur off their radar, the Bears turned to Lazor, who was out of the NFL last season.
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Lazor served as offensive coordinator of the Bengals in 2017-18. He was the quarterbacks coach in Cincinnati in 2016 after working as the Dolphins offensive coordinator in 2014-15. He also has worked as quarterbacks coach with the Eagles, Seahawks and Redskins.
It’s a new pairing for Nagy, who has not worked with Lazor previously. Nagy also had no ties to former offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, one of four assistants fired Dec. 30, a day after the Bears ended the season 8-8 with one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
Nagy is expected to retain play-calling duties, and it remains to be seen what Lazor’s responsibilities will be. Helfrich helped oversee the running game that struggled most of the season when it wasn’t ignored altogether.
A three-year starting quarterback at Cornell, Lazor broke into the NFL as an offensive quality control assistant for Dan Reeves in 2003 with the Falcons.
He had success working with the Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill in 2014, when Tannehill passed for 4,045 yards with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Dolphins averaged 4.7 yards per carry that season — a full yard more than what the Bears did in 2019 — to rank second in the NFL.
Lazor was the Eagles quarterbacks coach in 2013, when Nick Foles led the NFL with a 119.2 passer rating.
The Bears are looking to pick up the pieces after finishing 29th in total offense, 31st in yards per play and 29th in scoring last season. The long-term future of Mitch Trubisky is iffy even after Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace tried to paint a picture of a late-developing quarterback.
Now Lazor, newly hired offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone will see what they can add as Nagy seeks significant improvements. The only remaining vacancy is a special teams assistant.
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chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Chicago Archdiocese announces five Catholic elementary schools to close

“ School closures are difficult and complicated and we realize the impact this has on students , their families and @ @ @ @ @ Rigg , superintendent of Catholic Schools , said in a news release .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ transition caused by these closures as seamless as possible .
The archdiocese will be working @ @ @ @ @ employee to assist them in finding places at other Catholic schools .
”

Five Catholic schools in Chicago and suburbs from Round Lake to La Grange Park will close because of low enrollment and financial difficulties, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Monday.
“School closures are difficult and complicated and we realize the impact this has on students, their families and our staff,” Jim Rigg, superintendent of Catholic Schools, said in a news release. “We are committed to making the transition caused by these closures as seamless as possible. The archdiocese will be working with each affected student and employee to assist them in finding places at other Catholic schools.”
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The five schools — St. Jane de Chantal, in Chicago; St. Colette, in Rolling Meadows; St. Joseph, in Round Lake; St. Louise de Marillac, in La Grange Park; and St. Maria Goretti, in Schiller Park — are scheduled to close by June 30. All have lost dozens of students and most are carrying six-figure budget deficits.
According to the archdiocese, St. Jane de Chantal has lost 92 students in the last three years.
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St. Joseph lost 70 students in the last four years and has a $575,000 deficit this year. St. Colette has lost 97 students in the last three years and has a $500,000 deficit. St. Louise de Marillac lost 38 students this school year and faces a $250,000 deficit. St. Maria Goretti has lost 73 students in the last three years.
Each school was either unable to raise enough money to continue operations or failed to meet student enrollment goals, according to the archdiocese.
The archdiocese is in the process of making a sweeping reorganization of the diocese with its Renew My Church program. In the last few years, the archdiocese has closed and consolidated dozens of parishes.
Check back for updates.


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--In wake of winter storm that battered the North Shore, officials gauge the damage: ‘The beach was an

In wake of winter storm that battered the North Shore, officials gauge the damage: ‘The beach was angry this weekend’

Despite this week ’ s damage to North Shore beaches , bluffs and boathouses , many officials said they had @ @ @ @ @ , ranging from building berms to keep the water at bay , to moving sailors @ @ @ @ @ from falling into Lake Michigan .
While officials said it is too early to estimate @ @ @ @ @ storm damaged structures , public officials with many lakefront communities on the North Shore agreed @ @ @ @ @ lot worse .

Karen Ann Cullotta, Karen Berkowitz, Genevieve Bookwalter

Glencoe Park District crews work to clean up Glencoe Beach on Jan. 13, 2019, after weekend storms brought high waves and strong winds. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)
When John Shea visited Winnetka’s Lloyd Park Monday morning, he was not surprised to find the wind and wave battered boardwalk beside the boathouse had sustained extensive damage during the weekend storm.
“The beach was angry this past weekend, but after hearing the National Weather Service forecast of 50 mph winds and waves as high as 23 feet, we were mentally prepared,” said Shea, the superintendent of recreation for the Winnetka Park District.
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After enduring a soggy spring and summer in 2019, with Lake Michigan waters reaching their highest levels in years and wreaking havoc on beaches and bluffs, North Shore officials say they were not fooled by the recent stretch of mild weather. They likened the early winter weeks to the proverbial calm before the storm.
Despite this week’s damage to North Shore beaches, bluffs and boathouses, many officials said they had taken precautions in recent months, ranging from building berms to keep the water at bay, to moving sailors’ lockers to prevent them from falling into Lake Michigan. While officials said it is too early to estimate the cost of repairs to storm damaged structures, public officials with many lakefront communities on the North Shore agreed it could have been a lot worse.
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“We did lose some more of the beach, that’s for sure,” Holly Specht, lakefront manager for the Wilmette Park District said.
“The berms we built are holding it back, but Mother Nature, she just keeps on going,” Specht said.
The village of Winnetka also sustained some damage to the pier at its power plant, which did not have any impact on the operation of the water plant or electric plant, said Steve Saunders, the village’s director of public works.
In Glencoe, park district officials decided to barricade access to the beach last weekend in the interest of public safety, said Erin Classen, a park district spokeswoman.
Glencoe Park District crew members Adam Zicher, from left, Anthony Marx and Brad Janis, work to clean up Glencoe Beach on Jan. 13, 2019, after weekend storms brought high waves and strong winds. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)
“It was very unprecedented, as our residents like to enjoy the beach year-round, but we were worried about the wind and the waves,” Classen said.
While Glencoe Park District crews attempted to protect the boathouse with sandbags, some water still crept in and the beach lost a good amount of sand.
“At this point, we’re not sure of the extent of the damage that has been done, and a lot depends upon what will happen the rest of this winter,” Classen said Monday.
On Monday, the barricades were removed from the beach, but Classen warned residents to remain cautious.
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“The wind and the water can be so dangerous, and people still need to be aware of their surroundings, and listen to authorities when they advise them to stay away,” she said.
In Highland Park, turbulent lakefront conditions Saturday caused a wooden deck at the Park Avenue boat launch to wash away, said Liz Gogola, a spokeswoman for the Park District of Highland Park.
Still, some of the park district’s preventive measures were effective, she said.
A wooden hut that sits on top of the deck, and houses an attendant during boating season, had been moved further inland early last week by park district employees, in anticipation of the winter storm, she said.
At Rosewood Beach, the new sand hauled in last October to protect the erosion-ravaged beach from further damage also served its purpose.
Gogola said Rosewood’s parking lot, boardwalk and other structures were not affected by the storm.
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Most of the damage at the park district’s four lakefront properties was limited to debris washing ashore in the powerful waves, Gogola said.
The park district on Friday preemptively closed Rosewood, Millard Beach and Moraine Park based on predictions of 40- to 50-mile per hour wind gusts and extensive flooding along the lakefront.
The road used to access the Park Avenue boat launch by the city’s water treatment plant also was closed off to the public.
The area around the water plant area accumulated sediment during the storm surges, but there was no damage to city property, Ramesh Kanapareddy, director of public works for the city, said.
Waves crash against rocks at sunrise at Forest Park Beach in Lake Forest on Jan. 11, 2020. The beach was empty of pedestrians and joggers. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)
Further north in Lake Forest, the storm created what a city statement categorized as widespread damage.
Citing the high waves and accompanying storm, Lake Forest officials closed the city’s beaches and the roadways and walkways that lead down to those beaches over the weekend.
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On Monday, Lake Forest crews were working to complete cleanup efforts, a task that was expected to stretch throughout the week, according to a city Facebook post.
Evanston parks and roads were also left to contend with heavy flooding over the weekend. At Elliot and Clarke Square parks near Main Street and Sheridan Road, water rose to meet picnic tables and turned over trash cans on Saturday. Large waves crashed over the rock berm on the shore.
“We definitely had waves crashing in past our shoreline protection,” said Dave Stoneback, director of Evanston Public Works, on Monday.
All of Evanston’s lakefront parks were flooded, he said, and a few erosion-control trees were washed out. The waves were crashing onto Sheridan Road east of Calvary Catholic Cemetery, closing the northbound side of the street. Kedzie Street east of Sheridan also was flooded.
Nine trees around town had limbs down, Stoneback said, and the wind blew down two streetlights.
The water left “all kinds of debris” as it receded, Stoneback said, and crews cleaned up a dozen 55-gallon drums worth of trash. He did not have a dollar estimate on the damages, but said nothing was destroyed.
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“We still have standing water in some of the lakefront parks. I guess they’re skating rinks now,” Stoneback said Monday.


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Column: Tony Romo would be a great addition to ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ — but not at $14 milli

Column: Tony Romo would be a great addition to ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ — but not at $14 million per season

While announcers such as McFarland and Tessitore might well convince a fan on the fence to keep channel surfing , @ @ @ @ @ DVR , few fans tune in to a game just because of who ’ s @ @ @ @ @ one skips a game he or she wants to see just because of who ’ @ @ @ @ @

ESPN is missing the point. Again.
CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo is a fine NFL analyst, and ESPN definitely needs to overhaul its “Monday Night Football” telecast. No question he would improve things.
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But it would be a mistake — on multiple levels — to offer the former Cowboys quarterback $10 million to $14 million a year and make him the highest-paid sports announcer in history, as ESPN reportedly is prepared to do.
According to Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy, the idea is for Romo to join “Monday Night Football” or potentially some other high-profile NFL slot should the company lasso one in the league’s next round of TV negotiations.
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Who knows? There might even be ABC over-the-air simulcasts in there.
Few would object to replacing so-so analyst Booger McFarland — not to mention bombastic play-by-play man Joe Tessitore — on “MNF.” Their work on such a major showcase reflects badly on the ESPN brand.
Going from Booger to Romo is like . . . okay, I don't know how you measure that. — scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) January 5, 2020
Romo, meanwhile, certainly has distinguished himself in three years broadcasting alongside Jim Nantz. The duo is the best NFL announcing team working today.
But throwing all that money at Romo misreads the situation in several ways.
While announcers such as McFarland and Tessitore might well convince a fan on the fence to keep channel surfing, stream something or check the DVR, few fans tune in to a game just because of who’s calling it — and no one skips a game he or she wants to see just because of who’s in the booth.
To wit: Despite the announcers, ratings for “Monday Night Football” rose in 2019 for a second successive season, racking up its best numbers since 2015. “MNF” viewership in ’19 was up 8% over ‘18 and 17% over 2017.
Yet ESPN’s not only going to bypass its army of college and pro football analysts — including the eminently qualified Louis Riddick, who has been biding his time on its “MNF” pregame show — but pay a huge premium to do so?
That’s not going to be good for morale.
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This isn’t a dig at Romo. Everybody has a right to get as much money as they can, and he might be the best NFL analyst on TV at the moment.
Romo is informative, incisive and fun to watch, but he’s no John Madden — not yet anyway. Three years into his broadcast career, there’s no way to know how his work will play over time.
Also, it’s difficult to know how much Nantz, on air and off, has helped Romo be as good as he has been.
Tony Romo and Jim Nantz in the CBS broadcast booth before a game between the Packers and the Bengals on Sept. 24, 2017.
Romo undoubtedly has benefited from working with CBS’ lead NFL crew. The New York Post has reported ESPN is trying to lure Jim Rikhoff, CBS’ top NFL game producer, which would be smart in any case, but these telecasts inevitably are team efforts with huge teams.
One thing is for sure: Romo will get a raise, no matter how this plays out.
CBS has paid him $4 million a year under his rookie TV contract, which clearly undervalues him but also is a reminder of just what a roll of the dice he was for the network as a novice in 2017.
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ESPN could have signed Romo if it believed as much in him. Instead, it bet roughly the same amount — reportedly between $4 million and $4.5 million — on Cowboys teammate Jason Witten, a once-and-future tight end ill-prepared for the trial-by-prime-time spotlight as a rookie announcer alongside McFarland and Tessitore.
Might as well have fed that money into a shredder. Witten’s game notes too.
Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland are the real life version of Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks from Dodgeball. — Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) January 5, 2020
Giving Romo a huge contract hardly erases that hiring gaffe, but it would make a statement to sponsors and the NFL, particularly influential Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, about just how much ESPN prizes “Monday Night Football.” Fine.
But what kind of statement would a free-agent signing worth up to $14 million — dwarfing the $7.5 million Fox pays Troy Aikman and the $6 million Jon Gruden scored in his “MNF” days — make for the sizable ESPN team behind Romo and elsewhere at the multimedia operation?
It wasn’t that long ago ESPN was making deep staff cuts in a cost-cutting binge.
Not knowing when the next downturn is coming to imperil job security, will low- and midlevel workers appreciate what’s being earmarked for this one guy?
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Meanwhile, simply offering such a big-money deal to Romo inevitably will make sports-media stars more expensive at every TV network but especially at ESPN.
If Romo is worth as much as $14 million, what’s the new price for lead college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who seemingly is on camera every few hours for most of the year?
Care to guess the reassessed worth of ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, whose scoops make him a bankable multiplatform star?
(Reminder to all those cable, satellite and streaming customers upset at the prospect of paying to subsidize the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network, you’re already subsidizing ESPN’s spending.)
Anything ESPN offers, CBS has the right to match. But at a certain point, it’s reasonable to wonder if it will.
CBS — which will be paying $55 million a year through 2023 for SEC football, the sport’s most-watched package of college games — dropped out of bidding for a renewal a few weeks back.
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ESPN is poised to pay the SEC $300 million per season.
By that standard, maybe giving Romo $14 million a year isn’t that much. But rest assured, it is.


chicagotribune--2020-01-13--Damaged Lakefront Trail open after weekend of turbulent storms

The Chicago Park District was assessing the extent of the damage along the lakefront , said Michele Lemons , a @ @ @ @ @ .
Damage along the lakefront includes missing asphalt south of Fullerton Avenue and between Ohio @ @ @ @ @ said district crews were working to remove debris from the trail .

Waves continue to batter the lakefront on Jan. 12, 2020, causing erosion near the South Shore Golf Course after storms passed through Chicago. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
After a turbulent weekend of strong storms, the Chicago Park District announced Monday morning that the Lakefront Trail had reopened but was damaged in several spots.
The reopening came after waves reached up to 23 feet on the lakeshore with storms and rain hitting the city starting Friday, forcing the closure of several parts of the trail.
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The Chicago Park District was assessing the extent of the damage along the lakefront, said Michele Lemons, a spokeswoman with the Park District. Damage along the lakefront includes missing asphalt south of Fullerton Avenue and between Ohio and Oak streets. Lemons said district crews were working to remove debris from the trail.
#ChiLFTAlert 🚨: UPDATE (11:45 AM): #ChiLFT is open, but users should heed the warning signs as crews will be working to remove debris from the trail, as needed. Users should be aware of missing asphalt south of Fullerton and also between Ohio and Oak. — Chicago ParkDistrict (@ChicagoParks) January 13, 2020
The lakefront felt the brunt of the weekend storms, with waves and storm surge flooding streets and leaving portions of the lakefront path system in pieces, with crumbling asphalt and piles of sand in several locations.
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“It was rough,” said South Shore resident Herbert Johnson. “Very rough, never seen it that rough.”
After checking damage from the storm, the city’s Transportation Department plans to install additional riprap at Rogers Beach and Howard Beach, said spokesman Michael Claffey, in an email.
On the lakefront near Ohio Street beach Monday afternoon, blue police sawhorses blocked the center of the path. People walked around and through the area with many disregarding the signs.
No debris remained along the lakefront but water slowly crept up to the walking path. Chunks of pavement from the walking path had been chipped off and bikers zooming through the area avoided the large cracks in the pavement.
No one was seriously hurt during the storm and Chicago resident Walter Richard said he’s grateful that officials had about 3,000 tons of rocks placed along the lakeshore just weeks ago.
“Two weeks ago they dumped all those stones on the shore and it completely saved the beaches there,” Richard said.
The Associated Press contributed.