chicagotribune--2020-01-28--‘City So Real’ review: At Sundance, Chicago politics, Lightfoot election and Chicago tribalism comes

‘City So Real’ review: At Sundance, Chicago politics, Lightfoot election and Chicago tribalism comes under Steve James’ microscope

Throughout “ City So Real , ” another story emerges , that of a city in which half the power @ @ @ @ @ loss of control , of the way things used to work , while the other @ @ @ @ @ in the weather .
We see then-mayor Emanuel unable to quiet down student protesters fighting @ @ @ @ @ training project on the West Side .
In a penthouse dinner party scene ( featuring @ @ @ @ @ theater critic Chris Jones ) , ex-CEO of Playboy Enterprises and political strategist Christie Hefner @ @ @ @ @ dinner that , as she puts it , wistfully , “ no one seems to @ @ @ @ @ the ground , in an unexpectedly emotional scene with Lyft driver Tracey Champion , we @ @ @ @ @ the racist abuse she ’ s had to put up with “ ever since Trump @ @ @ @ @

Chicago: “never a lovely so real,” as Nelson Algren wrote, and “never a city so real,” as author Alex Kotlowicz revised Algren’s sentiment about the beautiful woman with a broken nose.
In a further revision of the phrase, this week “City So Real,” the new limited series documentary from “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James, made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, a full time zone west of its subject. The documentary is seeking a buyer for streaming distribution; two of the four hourlong episodes produced by Participant Media and Kartemquin Films screened at Sundance Monday night.
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I saw all four episodes in advance. Together, especially (but not exclusively) for Chicagoans, they make for a fine, expansive, sometimes despairing, cautiously hopeful experience. “City So Real” is a Rorschach inkblot test of how our city perceives itself, not a mosaic designed for easy consensus or agreement. It’s a tale of grubby politics, infamous violence and fortress-like neighborhoods so close together yet so apart, they’re like separate planets orbiting a single city by the lake, on the make and, in many proven instances, on the take.
Director Steve James captures the recent Chicago mayoral election, neighborhood by neighborhood, in "City So Real." (Participant / HANDOUT)
There are many, many strands involved. The opening seconds feature a close-up of the gravestone of Laquan McDonald, fatally shot 16 times in 2014 by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke. Van Dyke’s trial; two-term mayor Rahm Emanuel’s unsuccessful bid to keep the telltale dash-cam video a private matter; the widespread community outrage; all this is more than enough for a four-hour documentary on its own.
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Filmmaker James and co-cinematographer Jackson James, the director’s son and colleague, wind that strand, among others, around the recent, jam-packed Chicago mayoral race and subsequent run-off election. En route to the historic Lori Lightfoot victory, marking the city’s first openly gay and first African-American female mayor, much of the local media sold the developing story as a contest between Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (forever chained to her written notes in “City So Real” footage) vs. Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza.The Tribune endorsed Bill Daley; the Sun-Times backed Lightfoot.
As “City So Real” progresses, Lightfoot’s prominence in the series increases, subtly but naturally. In Episode 3, in and among director James’ patient, sometimes tedious account of petition challenges (some of them hilariously contentious) at the Chicago Board of Elections James and his camera join Lightfoot on a commute from her Logan Square bungalow, as she’s on the phone with a campaign colleague. At one point Lightfoot she goes off on the city’s long, ignoble history of aldermanic corruption and the 1990s federal anti-corruption probe known as the Silver Shovel investigation. “Every single one off those dumb-f---s got caught,” Lightfoot says, coolly, marveling at quid pro quo so epically blatant.
The four episodes traverse a broad array of Chicago neighborhoods, parades, picnic grounds, drugstores, hair emporiums, living rooms, bars and, at one point, the Soldier Field tailgating preceding the playoff game showcasing the unluckiest field goal attempt in recent Bears memory. Locator maps pop up on screen at the start of a new vignette.
Another key strand in “City So Real” connects straight to the racial divisions in the nation at large. James and company strike gold in their contrasting footage of two haircut joints: the South Shore neighborhood’s Sideline Studio salon (now closed) and, in Bridgeport, Joe’s 26th Street Barber Shop, frequented by retired Chicago Police Department employees.
At Sideline, an inflammatory argument breaks out on camera between a postal worker and, a generation younger, his barber, as they debate African-American manhood, discipline, family dynamics. They’re screaming at each other one minute, back to business and in the barber’s chair the next, laughing it off.
In Bridgeport, meanwhile, three regulars stop in for some doughnuts and a little retired-cop humor. (At one point one of them relays a stunningly heartless police shooting joke; “City So Real” will not please most Bridgeport residents, I’m guessing.) One of the men, not identified on screen, starts an anecdote: “I know a guy that shot a guy." In the space of maybe a minute, concluding with the line “So I’m happy now,” James captures the bone-deep bitterness so many in law enforcement feel about the judicial system — as well as the bone-deep fear of police so many Chicagoans experience, every ordinary day.
Throughout “City So Real,” another story emerges, that of a city in which half the power structure and citizenry feels a loss of control, of the way things used to work, while the other half pushes toward a change in the weather. We see then-mayor Emanuel unable to quiet down student protesters fighting a forbidding new police academy training project on the West Side. In a penthouse dinner party scene (featuring, among others, Tribune theater critic Chris Jones), ex-CEO of Playboy Enterprises and political strategist Christie Hefner convenes the sort of salon dinner that, as she puts it, wistfully, “no one seems to do anymore.” Closer to the ground, in an unexpectedly emotional scene with Lyft driver Tracey Champion, we hear a heart-sickening account of the racist abuse she’s had to put up with “ever since Trump got into office.”
This is a lot for one limited series, and I haven’t even gotten to the Lincoln Yards development controversy, or the Lincoln Park interviews in which James asks passers-by about the Jason Van Dyke trial. It may be directorial selectivity, but the first few answers suggest the footage was gathered on “Privileged North Sider Disengagement Day.” Yet little in James’ humane, clear-eyed approach and shaping of all this material suggests an agenda, or an interest in cheap shots. These people are our people; the anger, disdain, love and their often wary coexistence with everybody else is ours, too.
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I love the offhanded details, such as when, 20 minutes into Episode 1, in the midst of a Laquan McDonald street protest, a man confronts, at top volume, a policeman. In the same unbroken shot a younger protester speaks her piece, using an entirely different rhetorical approach. I love the way Ed Burke’s fedora and Lori Lightfoot’s fedora engage in an unspoken battle of the Chicago political fedoras. I love the extended, beautifully escalating square-off, at the Board of Elections, between mayoral candidate Ja’Mal Green and fellow candidate Willie Wilson’s right-hand man, Rickey Hendon.
The fourth and final episode feels both rushed and unfinished, for reasons I’m still trying to figure out; maybe by that point in the multi-strand narrative, the only recourse James had was to focus wholly on Lightfoot’s victory and leave the rest of the city’s issues as a kind of dangling modifier, waiting for the final word that never comes. On the other hand, James knows full well that an easy final word, or a suggestion that any civic improvement is ever easy, is a sucker’s game.
You could argue that “City So Real” demanded a bigger canvas, along the lines of James’ previous documentary series, the 10-hour “America to Me,” dealing with a year in the life of Oak Park River Forest High School. On the other hand, four hours has a better chance of a wider viewership, once the right streaming platform comes calling.
Labeling "City So Real” the Chicago self-portrait of the new century is a start. The finish, as James reminds us throughout, remains up to those who rule, live and die here.
Episodes 1 and 2 of “City So Real” will re-screen Jan. 28-29 in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah, as part of the Sundance Film Festival.
Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
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mjphillips@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @phillipstribune


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Dusty Baker the Astros’ choice as new manager

“ Do you ever make peace with it ?
” he asked then .
“ You make peace , but @ @ @ @ @ lose some faith in mankind , between right and wrong .
And you realize in @ @ @ @ @ this new world , there ’ s always been discrimination , race discrimination , but @ @ @ @ @ new world there ’ s age and salary discrimination , which go hand in hand @ @

Dusty Baker is working to finalize an agreement to become manager of the Houston Astros, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been completed.
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Baker, 70, becomes the oldest manager in the big leagues. He takes over from AJ Hinch, who was fired Jan. 13 just an hour after he was suspended for the season by Major League Baseball for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Baker’s hiring is a sign the AL champions want to bring an old-school mentality and stern presence to a franchise reeling from the dismissal of Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. Baker has 22 years of managerial experience with the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals.
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A three-time National League Manager of the Year, Baker last managed the Nationals, who let him go after a 97-65 season in 2017.
Since 2018 Baker has served as a special adviser to Giants CEO Larry Baer, working in both the baseball and business operations of the club. He regularly attended son Darren's college games at the University of California in Berkeley.
“Dusty has a unique and proven ability to connect with players, be a step ahead with game strategy and provide superior leadership, as he did here for 10 years,” Baer said.
Now Baker will chase his first title as a manager with a team that returns the bulk of its roster that reached the World Series for the second time in three years before losing to the Nationals.
Cubs manager Dusty Baker signs an autograph before a game in 2006. (Charles Cherney, Chicago Tribune)
It's a chance he wondered if he'd ever get. He spoke to The Associated Press about it in 2018 after he left the Nationals.
“Do you ever make peace with it?” he asked then. “You make peace, but it makes you kind of lose some faith in mankind, between right and wrong. And you realize in the world, especially in this new world, there’s always been discrimination, race discrimination, but it seems like in this new world there’s age and salary discrimination, which go hand in hand.”
His hiring is a stark departure from the youth-oriented recent history of the Astros, who hired Hinch when he was just 41. Baker takes over a team that should be a favorite to contend again after winning 100-plus games in three straight seasons.
But it will also be a challenge for a man who hasn’t managed for two seasons and will have to deal with the fallout from the sign-stealing saga that is certain to cast a pall over the Astros’ quest to return to the World Series.
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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred disciplined the Astros after he found the team broke rules by using electronics to steal signs during its run to the 2017 World Series championship and again in the 2018 season.
The Astros were fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution, and forfeited their next two first- and second-round amateur draft picks.
The investigation found that the Astros used the video feed from a center-field camera to view and decode opposing catchers’ signs. Players banged on a trash can to signal to batters what was coming, believing it would improve chances of getting a hit.
The penalties left the Astros scrambling to find a manager with spring training less than a month away.
The Astros also interviewed veteran managers Buck Showalter and John Gibbons, ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez and Cubs coach Will Venable.
Baker has compiled a 1,863-1,636 regular-season record in a career where he spent 10 years with the Giants, four years with the Cubs and six seasons with the Reds before his two-year stint with the Nationals.
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Baker had a 19-year major-league career as an outfielder and was a two-time All-Star. He began his career with the Braves and played for the Dodgers, Athletics and Giants. He was selected MVP of the 1977 NL Championship Series and won a Gold Glove in 1981, when he helped the Dodgers to a World Series title.
He was voted Manager of the Year in his first season with San Francisco in 1993, when he helped the Giants to a 103-59 record. He won the award again in 1997 and 2000 with the Giants, and led the Giants to the 2002 World Series, a seven-game loss to the Angels.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Read the 27-page plea agreement and charging documents against ex-state Sen. Martin Sandoval

Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval was charged in federal court Monday with bribery and filing a false tax return stemming @ @ @ @ @ red-light camera industry when he was head of the powerful Transportation Committee .
Read the @ @ @

Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval pleaded guilty to a bribery charge and agreed to cooperate in a burgeoning, widespread probe of public corruption that has sent shock waves from Chicago’s City Hall to Springfield.
The 27-page plea agreement made clear that federal authorities secretly recorded the longtime Chicago Democrat after a figure at the center of the scheme agreed to work undercover in 2018.
Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval was charged in federal court Monday with bribery and filing a false tax return stemming from his support of the red-light camera industry when he was head of the powerful Transportation Committee. Read the full story.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--‘Devastated’ Vanessa Bryant working very hard ‘to pull it together for the other girls’ since tragic

‘Devastated’ Vanessa Bryant working very hard ‘to pull it together for the other girls’ since tragic death of Kobe and daughter Gianna

On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend , my Queen @ vanessabryant I decided to take @ @ @ @ @ Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style ( pre 4princesses ) I love you my @ @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Plans to turn Six Corners Sears into more than 400 apartments set to move ahead

The former department store building , which has been vacant since Sears closed in 2018 , two months shy of @ @ @ @ @ be turned into 133 apartment units , a fitness club and space for shops and @ @ @ @ @ 288 more units in a new building constructed where the Sears Auto Center used to @ @ @ @ @ be 90 feet tall , down from about 120 feet in the earlier plan .

A rendering shows plans for the site of what was the last Sears store in Chicago, in the Six Corners shopping district on the Northwest Side. A developer plans to use the site for more than 400 apartments and town homes as well as retail space. (Tucker Development)
Plans to turn the site of the last Sears store in Chicago into more than 400 apartments and town homes as well as retail space are set to move forward in the Six Corners shopping district on the Northwest Side.
Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th, said he is “beyond thrilled” with a revised version of a project he said could bring new residents and foot traffic to an intersection that was once one of the city’s major retail hubs but now looks “run down.”
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“I think it’s going to bring a lot of energy,” he said at a community meeting Monday to discuss the proposed project at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue, Cicero Avenue and Irving Park Road.
The updated version of the $200 million project made some changes to the look of the former Sears store, reduced the height of an apartment building, and includes a few more affordable housing units than a version presented at a similar community meeting in December, said Richard Tucker, CEO of Chicago-based Tucker Development. The firm is partnering with Seritage Growth Properties to redevelop the site and another former Sears in the Galewood neighborhood.
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The former department store building, which has been vacant since Sears closed in 2018, two months shy of its 80th anniversary, would be turned into 133 apartment units, a fitness club and space for shops and restaurants. There would be 288 more units in a new building constructed where the Sears Auto Center used to be. That building will be 90 feet tall, down from about 120 feet in the earlier plan.
Developers kept the same number of units despite the lower height by extending some units toward a 790-space parking lot that sits between the buildings. About 75% of the apartments would be studio or one-bedroom units, with the rest a mix of two- and three-bedroom units. Plans also call for 13 townhomes.
Tucker agreed to increase the number of affordable housing units from 11 to 16, which reduces the amount it will be obligated to contribute to fund affordable housing elsewhere from $4 million to $3.5 million.
The Six Corners Sears store is seen July 13, 2018, days before it closed at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue, Cicero Avenue and Irving Park Road in Chicago. It was the last Sears store within Chicago city limits. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
An open space between the two apartment buildings would be set up to host community events, and space behind the large window at the former Sears facing the intersection will be turned into a co-working space, said Aaron Tucker, Tucker’s chief investment officer.
Gardiner’s backing clears the way for developers to seek the city’s approval. Richard Tucker estimated his company could break ground on the project next year and have it completed in about three years.
Community members at the meeting expressed support for the project, though some said the five additional affordable housing units didn’t go far enough and worried longtime residents would find rents too steep.
Prices for the new units haven’t been finalized but rents in studio and one-bedroom apartments could average just under $2,000 per month, Tucker said.
Others asked whether developers had considered adding an entertainment tenant as another source of foot traffic. Tucker said there would be entertainment “in the form of restaurants.” Developers opted not to include a movie theater because of challenges facing that industry and the risk of saddling the project with a hard-to-fill space if the theater were to struggle, he said.
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Joan Krohn, of Portage Park, said she was concerned about how development would affect traffic in an area that can already get congested, but appreciated the revised plan’s lower building height.
“I’ve lived here 70 years, I’ve seen the changes,” she said. “I think it’s interesting, I think it will be a good thing.”
Gale Fabisch, chairman of Special Service Area 28, a local tax district that funds services and programs for businesses in the community, said he backed the plan and thought some of the neighborhood’s issues with empty storefronts came from building owners leaving them “intentionally vacant” while waiting for progress on a couple of major redevelopment projects.
Community members have been eager to see progress on those sites, including the former Sears and a site across the street, known as The Point at Six Corners, which hit a stumbling block last year when Gardiner rejected plans calling for a 10-story building with senior housing and an Aldi grocery store.
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A rendering of the proposed Six Corners shopping district on Chicago's Northwest side. (Tucker Development)
It was a controversial decision in the community, where some saw a chance to bring in new residents, restaurants and shops that would give neighborhood businesses a much-needed boost, while others worried about the project’s scale and potential congestion.
A handful of community members who spoke at Monday’s meeting alluded to contentious discussions about development in the wake of that decision, with one man calling for people to “stop picking fights with each other,” to loud applause. Uniformed security officers were present in the back of the room.
Plans for The Point had appeared stalled, but on Monday Gardiner said he hopes to announce another community meeting regarding The Point this week. He declined to say whether a new proposal would be presented or how the developers had addressed concerns with the earlier proposal.
“The Point is not dead,” he said.
This story has been corrected. An earlier version misidentified the location of Tucker Development’s headquarters. The company is based in Chicago, not Highland Park.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Cubs reportedly agree to a 1-year deal with reliever Jeremy Jeffress

Jeffress missed some time last season because of injuries .
The Brewers placed Jeffress on the injured list March 28 @ @ @ @ @ .
He was activated April 16 .
He went on the IL again Aug. 25 @ @ @ @ @ .
He was activated Sept. 1 , the day the Brewers designated him for assignment @

Veteran reliever Jeremy Jeffress has agreed to join the Cubs on a one-year, $850,000 deal, according to multiple reports.
Jeffress, 32, can earn an additional $200,000 based on games pitched, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who had the initial report.
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Jeffress went 3-4 with a 5.02 ERA in 48 games with the Brewers in 2019. He had 46 strikeouts and 17 walks in 52 innings.
Jeffress joins closer Craig Kimbrel, Kyle Ryan, Rowan Wick and perhaps Brad Wieck as relievers assured of a spot on the opening-day roster.
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Jeffress missed some time last season because of injuries. The Brewers placed Jeffress on the injured list March 28 with a right shoulder injury. He was activated April 16. He went on the IL again Aug. 25 with a strained left hip. He was activated Sept. 1, the day the Brewers designated him for assignment.
Jeffress has a 28-11 record with a 3.16 ERA spanning 392 games (all but one in relief) during a 10-year career with the Brewers, Royals, Blue Jays and Rangers.
He was an All-Star in 2018 and finished with a 1.29 ERA in a career-high 73 games with the Brewers.
Jeffress is the second former Brewer to join the Cubs as a free agent this offseason. Utility player Hernan Perez is non-roster invitee.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Police: Toddler was not hit by stray bullet on the street, as father claimed, but was wounded as par

Police: Toddler was not hit by stray bullet on the street, as father claimed, but was wounded as parents struggled over gun

Soon afterward , however , Guglielmi told reporters that police were having problems verifying the father ’ s story .
@ @ @ @ @ in an elevator of the father ’ s apartment building in the 800 block of @ @ @ @ @ said .
They also found at least one spent shell casing and blood in the @ @ @ @ @ the apartment .

The father’s apartment building in the 800 block of West Eastwood Avenue is shown on Jan 28, 2020. Police said they found blood in an elevator of the building and found at least one spent shell casing and blood in the kitchen and living room of the apartment. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police now say a 1-year-old boy was not shot on the street by a stray bullet, as his father claimed, but was wounded as his parents fought over a gun and it went off in their Uptown apartment Monday evening.
“A bullet ricocheted and hit the boy,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
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The boy was struck in the head, but the bullet did not penetrate his skull, Guglielmi said. The boy was listed in serious but stable condition at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
The boy’s father and mother were both being questioned by police Tuesday morning. No charges have been filed.
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While no crime scene was located at Leland/Clarendon, we are trying to sort through the initial reports on how this child was injured. We have many questions about the timeline of events & will seek physical evidence and video to corroborate the reports. Investigation continues pic.twitter.com/AoVCSVGS6g — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) January 28, 2020
The father had walked into Weiss Memorial Hospital with the boy just before 7:40 p.m., police said. He indicated a gunman had opened fire at him in the 800 block of West Leland Avenue, near the hospital, and hit the child instead. The boy was transferred to Lurie's.
Soon afterward, however, Guglielmi told reporters that police were having problems verifying the father’s story. Officers said they found blood in an elevator of the father’s apartment building in the 800 block of West Eastwood Avenue, Guglielmi said. They also found at least one spent shell casing and blood in the kitchen and living room of the apartment.
“Looks like they were struggling over a weapon and it went off,” Guglielmi said.
Detectives also have seized surveillance video from the building, he said, but did not know what it showed.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Fox 32 anchor says he was fired after messy legal battle involving two ex-girlfriends

According to earlier testimony and court documents , Weigel emailed the Valparaiso woman to tell her Browne had accessed his @ @ @ @ @ the woman sent to him .
Browne allegedly then sent these images to the woman @ @ @ @ @ to her children ’ s school .
The Valparaiso woman also sought an order of @ @ @ @

WFLD-Ch. 32 anchor Rafer Weigel said Monday he has been fired by the station following a legal battle involving two ex-girlfriends and charges of revenge porn.
Rafer Weigel had been suspended from Fox 32 in October 2019. (WLS-Ch. 7)
Weigel was suspended from the station in late October after a Valparaiso, Indiana, woman was granted an order of protection against him and details of her case became public.
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“Today my career at Fox32 has come to an end,” Weigel tweeted Monday. “Despite having my case cleared in court, Fox32 let me go. I absolutely acknowledge I made some poor decisions in my life and have learned from them."
The Valparaiso woman and Weigel had a brief relationship, according to testimony, and she said he continued to harass her after the two had broken up.
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“It’s affected every day. You’re terrified and humiliated. I have a police department, court, lawyers, people in Chicago seeing naked pictures of me,” the woman said during a hearing in October, under questioning from her attorney. “Nobody should go through this hell. Yes, I made a mistake, but I trusted him at the time.”
Dear friends,
Today my career at Fox32 has come to an end. Despite having my case cleared in court, Fox32 let me go. I absolutely acknowledge I made some poor decisions in my life and have learned from them. For the past 90 days I have been in treatment for my addictions...(1/3) — Rafer Weigel (@RaferWeigel) January 27, 2020
Kathy Browne of Richmond, Virginia, another ex-girlfriend, was charged in late September with a misdemeanor count of distribution of an intimate image in the criminal case.
According to earlier testimony and court documents, Weigel emailed the Valparaiso woman to tell her Browne had accessed his phone and downloaded compromising pictures the woman sent to him. Browne allegedly then sent these images to the woman and threatened to send them to her children’s school. The Valparaiso woman also sought an order of protection against Browne.
On Jan. 15, the misdemeanor charge of revenge porn and the order of protection against Browne were dismissed.
Weigel was not charged with any crime. He tweeted Monday that he was grateful for the awareness this case brought him and that he has spent the past 90 days seeking treatment for his addictions, though did not specify to what addictions he was referring.
Fox 32 and Weigel did not respond immediately to a request for comment Tuesday.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Commentary: I can count on one hand how many of my basketball games my father attended. That’s why I

Commentary: I can count on one hand how many of my basketball games my father attended. That’s why I loved watching Kobe Bryant be a ‘girl dad.’

Likewise , my travel team coach , Coach P. , who I ’ ve known since I was 13 , @ @ @ @ @ my development .
He would pick me up for personal workouts in the gym .
@ @ @ @ @ hoarse for me , was there for birthdays , and helped with finances to send @ @ @ @ @ at universities when it was tough on my mom .
He , too , was @ @ @ @ @ He ’ d call after tough losses in college and say , “ Keep your @ @ @ @ @ He always referred to me as one of his daughters , and I made sure @ @ @ @ @ a Father ’ s Day text .
When my husband and I were dating , @ @ @ @ @ vet him .
Which reminds me , Coach just phoned me on Friday and I @ @ @ @ @ back .

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, known as Gigi, along with seven others, died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 27, 2020. (Chris Carlson/AP)
Mr. Daniel was rebounding for me as I got shots up in his St. Louis high school’s gym. My mother and I were visiting the area from Atlanta, Georgia. We would leave in a few days for an elite basketball camp at a university I hoped to attend and I wanted to feel prepared.
My mother and Mr. Daniel grew up together, so he’s always been around and is like an uncle to me. He also coached girls basketball, so he was the natural person to call when I needed to get in the gym.
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My father also lives in St. Louis. My mother, being the amicable peacemaker she is, invited him to the gym session, unbeknownst to me. She didn’t tell me in case he didn’t show up.
“Why’s he here now?” I asked myself when he arrived. In the words of Drake, he literally had never been with me shooting in the gym. My father began to guard me in the paint; I was known for my physical back-to-the-basket playing style down low. Today wouldn’t be any different.
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Mr. Daniel threw the entry passes, I posted up my father but will admit I took hard digs, even some cheap shots, at him as I gained position. It didn’t end well.
My father was mostly absent and uninvolved in my life, seemingly only making efforts when it was convenient for him; so that encounter was years of unprocessed anger, hurt and confusion swelling out.
Fast forward roughly two years later, I finish high school basketball, where I tallied 1,000-plus rebounds, and in my senior year, my team and I won our Georgia high school its first basketball state championship — boys or girls. I signed with Northwestern University and was a two-time team captain. We went to the NCAA tournament in 2015.
I can count on one hand, not using all of my fingers, how many games my father attended — and most of them were in grade school, with one in middle school.
Seeing the bond between NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gigi, rooted in the love of the game, was always so refreshing for me since I so badly wanted something similar as a teenager. That’s part of the reason the news of their tragic deaths in a helicopter ride to a tournament on Sunday was devastating, heartbreaking and completely unreal for me, as it was for countless others.
Kobe loved his four girls out loud, and did everything he could to help them realize their dreams, making no qualms about not having a boy to carry on his legacy. ESPN anchor Elle Duncan summed it up best Monday night in her incredible and heart-wrenching tribute to him on SportsCenter.
In the segment, Duncan talks about the one and only time she met Bryant. She was eight months pregnant with a girl. When she told Bryant her baby’s gender, he high-fived her. “Girls are the best,” Duncan remembered him saying. As the conversation went on, Bryant later said, “I’d have five more girls if I could — I’m a girl dad.”
“When I reflect on the tragedy, and that half an hour I spent with Kobe Bryant, two years ago,” said Duncan as she fought tears, “I suppose that the only small source of comfort for me is knowing he died doing what he loved the most: being a dad, being a girl dad.”
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So many wanted to emulate Kobe for his talents, his incredible work ethic and drive, his championships, his Mamba Mentality, but he was also devoted to being a dad; the way he fathered, loved and supported his girls, especially during his retirement, is what beckons mimicking.
I longed for a bond like that with my father, especially in my teenage years. I envied my teammates who had it and I thought something was wrong with me because I didn’t. I simply yearned for a father who would be there, who’d put time and energy into me and into helping me achieve my dreams.
While I have since resolved many of my feelings regarding my father, Kobe and Gigi’s love on display was always healing to the lingering pieces of the teenage girl inside of me. It’s easy to focus on what we lack, but their bond gently reminded me of the ways other men, like Mr. Daniel, stepped up — simply because they cared.
For instance, my Uncle Josh, who recently walked me down the aisle in my August wedding, coached my very first basketball team, and accompanied my mother and me as we road-tripped to WNBA games when I was a kid. He and his family made my travel tournaments, attended countless high school games, and he was even there to watch me ink my letter of intent on National Signing Day.
Likewise, my travel team coach, Coach P., who I’ve known since I was 13, invested in me early in my development. He would pick me up for personal workouts in the gym. He pushed me, went hoarse for me, was there for birthdays, and helped with finances to send me to summer basketball camps at universities when it was tough on my mom. He, too, was at my signing day. He’d call after tough losses in college and say, “Keep your head up, C.J.” He always referred to me as one of his daughters, and I made sure to never miss sending him a Father’s Day text. When my husband and I were dating, he called my husband to vet him. Which reminds me, Coach just phoned me on Friday and I still need to call him back.
It looked a little different, but I did — and still do — have the bonds I desired with caring men who took the extra steps to let me know that I was important; they cared about me and my dreams, and let me know that my dreams and I were worth the investment and support.
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That’s exactly what Kobe did for his girls, and in true Kobe nature, he did it damn well. He was one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he also was a supreme example of what active fatherhood looks like. Thank you for showing me that, Kobe, and for reminding me of the men who played that role in my life — for reminding me of my own girl dads.
I think I’ll go make that phone call now.
chrjohnson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Melinda Gates wants more women involved in Chicago’s tech industry. And she’s putting money where he

Melinda Gates wants more women involved in Chicago’s tech industry. And she’s putting money where her heart is.

The initiative , called Gender Equality in Tech Cities , will work to increase the percentage of women graduating and @ @ @ @ @ and boost the share of venture capital funding going to Chicago companies that have at @ @ @ @ @ a woman .

Melinda Gates during an interview in Kirkland, Wash. on Feb. 1, 2019. (Elaine Thompson/AP)
Melinda Gates’ investment company Pivotal Ventures is putting $50 million into Chicago and two other cities over the next five years to boost women’s involvement in the tech industry.
The initiative, called Gender Equality in Tech Cities, will work to increase the percentage of women graduating and working in computing-related fields, and boost the share of venture capital funding going to Chicago companies that have at least one founder who is a woman.
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Women made up 22% of tech workers in the Chicago metro area in 2019, according to Downers Grove-based trade association CompTIA.
Pivotal is working with two other national organizations — Break Through Tech and SecondMuse — on the initiative. It also will team up with local groups, including Penny Pritzker’s P33 and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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“Our intent is to grow the tech workforce with women and really change the dynamics in the tech industry,” said Carrie Freeman, co-CEO at SecondMuse.
The initiative officially launches in Chicago on Tuesday. The other two cities have not been announced.
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @AllyMarotti


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Northfield school officials relied on vendor background check for man with criminal record accused o

Northfield school officials relied on vendor background check for man with criminal record accused of planting camera in bathroom

The worker , whose previous criminal history was not uncovered on those background checks , is suspected of recording a @ @ @ @ @ members in a faculty bathroom at the Northfield school .
A felony warrant was issued @ @ @ @ @ arrest of David Garcia-Espinal , 40 , of Highwood , who worked as a custodian @ @ @ @ @ the lunchroom at Sunset Ridge starting in August 2015 while employed by two separate private @ @

Sunset Ridge School District 29 officials relied on outside vendors to oversee background checks on a maintenance and lunchroom worker who is accused of planting a cellphone camera in a school restroom, a decision that was in apparent violation of state law.
The worker, whose previous criminal history was not uncovered on those background checks, is suspected of recording a number of students and staff members in a faculty bathroom at the Northfield school. A felony warrant was issued earlier this month for the arrest of David Garcia-Espinal, 40, of Highwood, who worked as a custodian since July 2016 and in the lunchroom at Sunset Ridge starting in August 2015 while employed by two separate private vendors.
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Superintendent Ed Stange said in an email Monday that the school district relied on the two private vendors Garcia-Espinal worked for, Smith Maintenance and OrganicLife, to conduct criminal background checks on their employees, “and those did not show any criminal activity.”
Stange said last week that district officials had only recently learned of Garcia-Espinal’s criminal history after reviewing police documents they received through a public records request.
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Officials at Smith Maintenance Company did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for Organic Life declined to answer questions about the background check that was conducted, but said the company is working to help police in any way possible.
Northfield police have also declined to comment on the details of the case, citing an open investigation.
According to police and court records, Garcia-Espinal was charged in 2012 with felony possession of fraudulent ID cards and disorderly conduct in connection with alleged lewd conduct in a women’s restroom at a Glenview movie theater.
According to court records, Garcia-Espinal, who was then known by the name David Garcia, pleaded guilty to the ID charge on Sept. 11, 2012. An official with Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown’s office said she was unable to locate a record that shows the disposition of the disorderly conduct charge against Garcia-Espinal.
Stange has previously said that the district is trying to determine why that information did not show up in the vendors’ background checks on Garcia-Espinal.
Authorities continue to search for Garcia-Espinal, and police say his current location is unknown. He could not be reached for comment.
A spokeswoman for the Illinois State Board of Education confirmed Monday that according to state law, “the school district needed to conduct the background check and should not have relied on the background check and/or assurances from the vendor.”
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In regards to school districts that are found to be in violation of the state law, “the first step is to identify the problem and take corrective action,” ISBE spokeswoman Jackie Matthews said.
School districts that repeatedly fail to address violations of state code can risk losing state funding, she said.
“Our goal is that all districts are in compliance with the law to protect our students health and safety,” Matthews said.
In a Monday email to parents, Stange said district officials plan to hire an independent expert to, “provide an objective review of the district’s human resources/employment practices, and make recommendations for improvement.”
Among the district’s other planned improvements is to, “exceed the state’s minimum requirements by mandating that all private vendor staff who have consistent presence in our schools complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check initiated and managed by the district prior to beginning employment, which is consistent with our existing practice for District employees,” Stange said.
Northfield police have issued an arrest warrant for David Garcia-Espinal of Highwood as a suspect in connection with an incident at Sunset Ridge School. (Northfield police / Pioneer Press)
Stange said last week that the district is conducting additional fingerprint-based criminal background checks for all current vendor employees, and "have again reviewed the Illinois sex offender database, the national sex offender database, and the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth database. None of the employees of our vendors were listed on any database.”
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Dozens of parents and teachers attended a special board meeting Sunday night to demand answers on how Garcia-Espinal was allowed to work in the school. The district called the special board meeting to evaluate policies and plot out potential steps forward.
Michele Widdes, an eighth grade teacher at Sunset Ridge, and fifth grade teacher Susan Stonequist asked district officials how an employee with a criminal record was able to obtain a job working in a public school.
They urged those in attendance to push for changes that would require even more comprehensive background checks for anyone working inside a school building.
District 29 school board vice president Nancy Detlefsen said officials called the special meeting to, “dig deep and evaluate issues, options and potential actions we should take,” following what she called, “the very disturbing news we have been reeling from.”
“It is horrible and tragic that one person with such ill-intent can cause all of us to feel unsettled, uncomfortable and filled with questions and concerns,” Detlefsen said, adding that district officials are, “heartbroken” by what they are calling “a violating and upsetting event.”
Northfield police have told district officials that they have “confirmed the identification of and interviewed all the individuals or parents/guardians of minors who appear on this cellphone footage,” Detlefsen said on Sunday.
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“The police have not shared any additional details regarding how many individuals were filmed, how long this might have been going on, or what charges will be filed when Mr. Garcia-Espinal is brought into custody,” Detlefsen said.
Parent Tom Whittaker, a village trustee, said while his children were not among the students who were filmed, he attended Sunday’s meeting to learn more about what he called a devastating situation that has saddened the entire community.
“I hope the district will get through this, because I know there are parents who have a lot of questions,” Whittaker said. “It’s such a beautiful school ... I think everyone is asking, ‘How can this have happened?’ The community really needs to stand behind the students and teachers who were victims, because they are the ones who have been really affected by this.”
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-01-29--Artist finds new meaning in portrait he painted months before his younger brother was slain. ‘We get

Artist finds new meaning in portrait he painted months before his younger brother was slain. ‘We get to write his last story’

“ We don ’ t allow the world to write his last story , ” Cooper said .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ story .
… The funny ones , when he was 3 .
The not-so-funny ones @ @ @ @ @ and 23 .
It ’ s up to us to make sure that the part @ @ @ @ @ s going to say he ( was ) another black boy killed on the streets @ @ @ @ @ , that he was a king ’ s kid .
”

Jamiah Calvin with his painting of his brother, Jordan Cooper, that is on display as part of the Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on Jan. 25, 2020. Calvin's painting, titled "Summer '89", was created in April 2019 and Cooper was shot and killed on Sept. 16, 2019. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The crowd of people meandering around the rows of framed art was so heavy that it was difficult to see more than a few faces in front of you.
It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the opening of the Museum of Science and Industry’s Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition, featuring artwork from professional and amateur black artists in America. In the thick of the swarmed west pavilion, Zonia Cooper stood glued in front of the same painting, her endearment toward it apparent enough that visitors stopped by with questions and comments.
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“He got a Jordan! He’s holding some Jordans,” said a giddy boy, referring to the white Air Jordan 4 sneaker the man in the painting cradled with both hands.
“Yeah, and his name is Jordan,” said Cooper.
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“Yeah, how do you know?” the boy responded.
“Because that’s my baby boy,” Cooper, 56, responded. “But he’s not here anymore because he died.
“And he was 23, like the number 23 on (Michael) Jordan’s jersey,” she continued, referring to the Chicago basketball superstar her son was named after.
Cooper then began the story behind the portrait, one she would repeat to countless others that Monday.
A painting depicting Jordan Cooper, by his brother Jamiah Calvin, on display at the Museum of Science and Industry. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The oil painting of her son Jordan Cooper, created by his older brother, was one of the over 200 works at the exhibit, which runs until the end of Black History Month this February. Jamiah Calvin painted it last year before his brother’s slaying and said he hopes the portrait brings healing to others who are also hurting.
“Even though it represents a culture of me growing up, it also represents my brother and our relationship,” Calvin, 38, said. “He believed in me and my art and my journey before he died. He was one of my number one fans. So that’s an amazing thing.”
Jordan Cooper was killed in a shooting Sept. 16, 2019, in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. Chicago police said the 23-year-old was standing on a street about 1 a.m. in the 700 block of North St. Louis Avenue when someone shot him in the head.
Over four months later, no one was in custody, police said Saturday night.
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A portrait of Jordan Cooper — and Chicago culture
Calvin’s artwork teems with imagination and heart, often portraying black people with a fantastical quality: a luminescent blue skin, a pink heart painted over a man’s chest or a giant-size child peering down at two miniature SWAT police officers in the foreground. But there is a rawness to his subjects as well. Calvin draws profoundly from his experiences growing up in the Austin neighborhood in the 1980s and ’90s, experiences that range from the joys of playing outside to the anguish of burying loved ones too soon.
Jamiah Calvin talks about his painting titled “Summer ‘89,” which depicts his brother, Jordan Cooper. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The portrait of Cooper, titled “Summer ’89,” is Calvin’s most personal. It shows the 23-year-old ogling one Air Jordan shoe with a look of humbled wonder. His hat and pants pop out in bright red, Cooper’s favorite color, from the black background.
Calvin drummed up the idea while Cooper was still alive and could model for the portrait. He wanted to capture the sneaker craze surrounding Chicago in 1989, when the Air Jordan 4 came out and all the young men and boys he knew, including him, coveted a pair.
“ ‘Summer ’89,’ it represents our culture growing up in Chicago,” Calvin said. “It represents black culture. Before social media, when everything wasn’t just handed to you, when you literally had to go out and seek and find the flyest gear, that was fun.”
Cooper hadn’t been born back then, but he loved the painting’s concept and the Air Jordan 4 shoes. He kept bragging to friends, predicting, “Yeah I’ma be in a museum. Y’all ain’t got no oil painting of you.”
Calvin laughed at his brother’s eagerness, which only multiplied when the painting was done. At the time, the two were living together in DeKalb, and Calvin often stumbled upon his brother standing in front of the canvas in the garage, wearing the same expression of marvel in the portrait. “OK, you going to keep staring at this painting?” Calvin teased.
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“That painting also was a full-circle moment,” said Zonia Cooper, who is a pastor at the Dignity Integrity and Grace Outreach Ministry. “The joy that the painting brought to Jordan was the joy that Jordan brought to my family. He was the light that walked into the room.”
‘We get to write his last story’
Jordan Cooper worked at a food factory but started delivering food, too, to make some extra cash. His mother last saw him at her Austin house when he dropped by to pick up a delivery bag.
“Ma, you ain’t got five dollars?” he asked.
“I don’t have it, son,” she said. “Well, here is your bag. You finna make some money.”
Then he walked out the door and into the rain, calling out, “I love you, ma.” Days later, his body was found. A bag of food, never delivered, was still propped up in the backseat of his car.
The funeral, as Zonia Cooper described it, was “fire-hazard packed,” a reflection of all the connections her son made. He was a stickler for showing up to every family function, once even driving all the way to a birthday party with his arm in a cast. When he was a young boy, he was so devoted to being with his older siblings that when he saw them scurry to the kitchen to do homework, he begged his aunt, “Would you buy me some homework please?”
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Cooper is survived by two sons, ages 2 and 4, and a 2-month-old daughter. For them, Zonia Cooper said, the family must keep her son’s memory alive.
“We don’t allow the world to write his last story,” Cooper said. “We get to write his last story. … The funny ones, when he was 3. The not-so-funny ones, when he was 18 and 23. It’s up to us to make sure that the part of the world that’s going to say he (was) another black boy killed on the streets of Chicago knows the reality, that he was a king’s kid.”
For her, the painting reinforces the belief that Jordan’s life has not ended, only transitioned. She repeated a sentence she said at the funeral: “Even in the ground, he’ll continue to outshine y’all.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-29--Column: Donald Trump looms large in the theater at the moment, and theater is biting him back

The title of that show refers to Nancy Pelosi , the Speaker of the House and the subject of this @ @ @ @ @ I was most struck by how much Trump loomed over the show — every time @ @ @ @ @ , even if just via an outraged Pelosi reading his tweets , audience members would @ @ @ @ @ , slumped bodies suddenly sitting more erect .
Heck , the show not only started @ @ @ @ @ , but ended with Pelosi in full battle formation on impeachment eve , ready to @ @ @ @ @ .
And you know what were the most theatrically exciting parts of the show ?
@ @ @ @ @ .

The 45th President of the United States, currently the center of an impeachment trial in the United States Senate, looms large over the American theater.
That doesn’t mean that our fine cultural institutions are rushing to produce plays about Donald J. Trump, even if Trump actually had a brief career as a Broadway producer himself. That, I assume, is for the future. And it is hard even to get your head around all the potential content.
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So many possibilities.
It is just that Trump suddenly seems to be popping up in plays, uninvited.
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It’s rather like the way one of the most famous songs from the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” known as “The Room Where It Happens,” made an unscheduled appearance as the near-title of John Bolton’s yet-to-be-published book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” the leaked content of which has significantly upended the aforementioned impeachment trial. There you had the most famous current show of the American theater intruding on political history in the making.
Bolton’s change of tense is telling. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s song, of course, is optimistic and lightly muses on how American consensus somehow was conceived. Bolton’s thesis bespeaks of the Machiavellian. If Bolton is quoting “Hamilton,” a musical written during the heart of the Obama administration, that is a pretty sure indication that the spirit and milieu of its creation is fast retreating into the past.
But not Trump. There he was on Sunday at the Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theatre in “The Adult in the Room.”
The title of that show refers to Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House and the subject of this lively one-woman show. But I was most struck by how much Trump loomed over the show — every time he appeared in the narrative, even if just via an outraged Pelosi reading his tweets, audience members would move around in their seats, slumped bodies suddenly sitting more erect. Heck, the show not only started with Trump’s voice, but ended with Pelosi in full battle formation on impeachment eve, ready to vanquish her most infamous foe. And you know what were the most theatrically exciting parts of the show? The beginning and the end.
I struggled with how to view these Trump intrusions. Should the playwright Bill McMahon avoid them and thus focus more on the totality of Pelosi, who is, after all, the subject of his play and a heroine for years to most of his intended audience? Or should he accept that the fame of Pelosi, the reason for the play, inextricably is linked with her efforts to impeach Trump, her formidable adversary in this unfinished battle?
I started to see the whole thing as a metaphor for one of the central problems of the Democratic Party, which is combating Trump’s innate sense of how to exploit his own phenomenal celebrity, a point telling raised back in 2016 by the monologist Mike Daisey, who was on to the theatricality of Trump’s appeal while most of his peers still were dazed and confused. Trump gets the pulse raising in the theater.
One night later, at the Goodman Theatre production of “Roe,” a play about the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, there he was again. In the last few minutes of the play, the author Lisa Loomer abandoned the mostly nuanced argument she had been making and sounded an alarm about what the Trump administration might yet do to a woman’s right to choose. As soon as she did so, you could feel the energy in the theater start to rise.
This was a very reasonable position to take — Loomer clearly is a pro-choice person writing about a decision that Trump publicly has vowed to try and overturn. But here, in another play about women, was another Trump intrusion. Frankly, it felt like a hijacking.
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What to do? There is nothing to do. Certainly, you can choose theatrical entertainment that ostensibly at least stays away from politics and the judiciary, or that comes from another time or place. This might explain why “The Mousetrap” is one of the best selling shows in Court Theatre history, even though this venerable Hyde Park establishment normally does much better plays. You could eat, drink and cavort at Teatro ZinZanni. Or you could head to “Grease” and wander back to the times when life seemed simpler, maybe, for some.
But many of the most interesting and worthwhile shows right now (such as “Sheepdog”) in Chicago are about political issues. This is as it should be. Escapism has its place but it does not, and should not, define art.
Nor should Trump. But he does have certain inescapable talents. And his name doesn’t need to be in the program.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Man, 37, killed after argument in West Pullman house

A day ago , the 37-year-old had been planning a Super Bowl party for the same house he would be @ @ @ @ @ where Wilson also used to live , she said .
The two of them planned @ @ @ @ @ party snacks later this week .

Nelly Wilson stood in front of a pale yellow house late Tuesday night, tearing up with survivor’s guilt.
It was the second instance in which the 48-year-old had to comfort her mother-in-law over losing a child. This time, Wilson’s 37-year-old brother-in-law had been shot inside a house in West Pullman, and the family eventually found out he died at the hospital.
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In the aftermath, Wilson couldn’t help but feel that she played a hand in the tragedy by being the messenger, that she somehow bore responsibility for her mother-in-law’s pain, though she knew deep down it wasn’t true. “It’s terrible. It’s terrible," she repeated.
About 7:10 p.m., the 37-year-old man got into an argument with another male inside a residence in the 11900 block of South Lafayette Avenue. The male left and came back armed with a gun and opened fire at him, striking the 37-year-old in the torso, Chicago police said.
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Quentin Paxton, of Dolton, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, according to information from police and the medical examiner’s office.
A day ago, Paxton had been planning a Super Bowl party for the same house he would be shot at — a residence where Wilson also used to live, she said. The two of them planned to go grocery shopping for party snacks later this week.
Now Wilson was standing in front of a Chicago police Forensic Services van, discussing with an officer when her family could gain access to Paxton’s car. Behind them, flashes of light from an evidence technician’s camera jumped around a black sedan sandwiched between crime tape and around the front porch of the yellow house, where red tape lined the porch.
“Deva-freaking-stating,” Wilson said about the shooting. “I feel like I’m numb or something. This is unbelievable.”
Ron Johnson, a childhood friend of Paxton’s, said the two of them grew up near each other in West Pullman. The 37-year-old also recently talked with Johnson about future plans, such as buying a truck.
Johnson said Paxton was a hard worker and a generous man.
“It’s still hard to believe, 'cause when you’ve just seen somebody the day before, and this happens ...” he said, trailing off.
No one is in custody, police said.
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ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Ask Amy: Boyfriend's politics might be a deal-breaker

Dear Amy : I have a co-worker who became a friend .
We would get coffee , have lunch , @ @ @ @ @ But she and I seem to have misunderstandings .
We got into a fight , @ @ @ @ @ told me never to text or call her again .
She said that all she @ @ @ @ @ .
She told me , `` We ca n't be friends , or she will @ @ @ @ @ the boss . ''

Dear Amy: My boyfriend of a few months is one of the most caring, sweetest, and genuine guys I have ever met. He's not just nice to me, but I've observed his behavior toward strangers, waitresses, friends, colleagues, etc. He is lovely and kind.
He also supports the current president and loathes the Democratic Party. He is a permanent resident whose family emigrated from a country led by a dictator 52 years ago.
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I am the opposite. I was born in this country 47 years ago. I'm not too political, yet I do speak up, rally, and let elected officials know when the causes I support are being infringed upon.
I do not agree with the current administration on anything. He and I do not talk politics much, but we do talk daily about common interests, our respective days, and we spend our available time with one another.
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Our chemistry is undeniably intense and while we have not said "I love you" to one another, he has both written and said how much he cares about me.
The only other supporter of this president I allow in my life is a family member who is like a mom to me.
Do you think I am crazy if I continue this relationship?
— SDJ in the Northeast
Dear SDJ: I don't think you're crazy at all. He might eventually wonder what he is doing with someone who is so closed-minded, however.
He "loathes the Democratic party." That's covering a pretty broad spectrum, but according to you, he hates the ideology -- not necessarily the people.
You, however, seem to say that you ought to reject any individual who supports the current administration. You've made an exception for two people -- both of whom you love. So, if you love a person, you will give them a pass regarding their political beliefs.
Headed into this heated political year, ask yourself: What if I loved everyone? What if I reflexively loved everyone, and let everyone into my life, even people who hold opinions I loathe?
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Granted, there are people who espouse hatred and violence toward fellow humans. If you believe that support for the administration automatically places your boyfriend into this category, then you should steer clear of him.
One of the (many) unfortunate aspects of the current political divisiveness in our country is the way both sides characterize the other as "bad, evil, disgusting," etc. Because this is the incendiary language the president uses, the country seems to have followed suit. But, maybe you're better than that. And maybe your guy is, too.
Dear Amy: I have a co-worker who became a friend. We would get coffee, have lunch, and take breaks together. But she and I seem to have misunderstandings. We got into a fight, to a point where she told me never to text or call her again. She said that all she wants is a business relationship. She told me, "We can't be friends, or she will escalate things and report to the boss."
I gave in and let her have her space. We didn't talk for about a month.
Then she came back from a trip and offered me cookies she brought from her trip. She came to my desk and told me to pick whichever I wanted.
From that day on, she started talking to me again. She started texting me for favors. I still have not texted her back.
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I don't know what to think. I asked her recently if she sees me as a friend and she said yes, but I don't really believe her. I don't want to get hurt again, but I do miss her.
What should I do?
— Workfriend
Dear Workfriend: Your pal seems to be trying to make amends, without actually addressing the direct threat she made to you. No, I don't think you should trust her. If she overreacted when she promised to report you to the boss, then she should acknowledge this and ask you to forgive her.
Until then, consider yourself burned, and keep your contact strictly professional.
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: "Looking for Answers" was an adopted woman who was rebuffed after contacting her birth family.
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I was disgusted by your response to her. You suggested that she get a lawyer involved. Why, exactly?
— Disgusted
Dear Disgusted: My answer was long and nuanced. At the end, I suggested that if she wanted to explore her legal options, if any, she should contact a lawyer. For someone seeking answers, this would be the last resort.
Get the latest no-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning with our Ask Amy newsletter. Sign up here.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Kobe Bryant helicopter lacked recommended safety device

`` Somebody who 's a wealthy celebrity who can afford a helicopter to go places , the reason they take @ @ @ @ @ can get from A to B quickly with no hassle , '' Waldman said .
@ @ @ @ @ a living there 's sort of an inherent pressure to get the job done because @ @ @ @ @ go , 'No , I do n't think I can fly , the weather 's @ @ @ @ @ too windy , ' ... they 're going to lose their job . ''

Brian Melley, David Koenig, Bernard Condon

LOS ANGELES — The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant didn’t have a recommended warning system to alert the pilot he was too close to land, but it’s not clear it would have averted the crash that killed nine because the pilot may have lost control as the aircraft plunged into a fog-shrouded mountain, federal investigators said Tuesday.
Pilot Ara Zobayan had been climbing out of the clouds when the aircraft banked left and began a sudden and terrifying 1,200-foot descent that lasted nearly a minute.
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"This is a pretty steep descent at high speed," said Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board. "We know that this was a high-energy impact crash."
The aircraft was intact when it hit the ground, but the impact spread debris over more than 500 feet. Remains of the final victims were recovered Tuesday and so far the remains of Bryant, Zobayan and two other passengers have been identified using fingerprints.
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Determining what caused the crash will take months, but investigators may again recommend that to avoid future crashes helicopters carrying six or more passenger seats be equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System that would have sounded an alarm if the aircraft was in danger of crashing.
[ Kobe Bryant and his daughter. A baseball coach. Teenage girls and their parents. A pilot. These were the 9 helicopter crash victims. ]
The agency made that recommendation after a similar helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76A carrying workers to an offshore drilling ship, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston, Texas, killing all 10 people on board in 2004.
The NTSB concluded if TAWS had been installed, pilots would have been warned in time to prevent hitting the water. The board recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration require the warning systems. Ten years later, the FAA eventually required such systems on air ambulances, but not other helicopters.
FAA officials had questioned whether the technology would work on helicopters, which fly lower and could trigger too many false alarms that might detract from safety.
The NTSB said FAA's response was unacceptable, but dropped the matter.
While TAWS was not installed on the helicopter flying Bryant, the aircraft did have a warning system using GPS, said pilot Kurt Deetz, who flew Bryant dozens of times in the chopper over a two-year period ending in 2017.
NTSB investigator Bill English said they're looking to document whether there was a GPS-based terrain avoidance system, but said it "doesn't look to be part of the scenario."
Zobayan, 50, was well-acquainted with the skies over Los Angeles and accustomed to flying Bryant and other celebrities.
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He had spent thousands of hours ferrying passengers through one of the nation's busiest air spaces and training students how to fly a helicopter. Friends and colleagues described him as skilled, cool and collected, the very qualities you want in a pilot.
Zobayan had flown the day before the crash on a route with the same departure and destination — Orange County to Ventura County. But on Sunday, he had to divert because of heavy fog.
His decision to proceed in deteriorating visibility, though, has experts and fellow pilots wondering if he flew beyond the boundaries of good judgment and whether pressure to get his superstar client where he wanted to go played a role in the crash.
Jerry Kidrick, a retired Army colonel who flew helicopters in Iraq and now teaches at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, said there can be pressure to fly VIPs despite poor conditions, a situation he experienced when flying military brass.
"The perceived pressure is, 'Man, if I don't go, they're going to find somebody who will fly this thing,' " Kidrick said.
The chartered Sikorsky S-76B plowed into a cloud-shrouded hillside as the retired NBA star was on his way to a youth basketball basketball tournament in which his daughter Gianna was playing. Two of her teammates also were on the helicopter with parents.
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NTSB investigators have said Zobayan asked for and received permission from air traffic controllers to proceed in the fog. In his last radio transmission before the helicopter went down, he reported that he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer.
Investigators have not faulted his decision. or determined why he made it. The FAA warns helicopter pilots that it is their job to decide whether to cancel a flight because of bad weather or other risks, and to have a backup plan in case weather worsens during the flight.
Randy Waldman, a Los Angeles helicopter flight instructor who viewed tracking data of the flight's path and saw a photo of the dense fog in the area at the time, speculated that Zobayan got disoriented in the clouds, a common danger for pilots.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 24 Members of the Bulls and Spurs as well as fans observe a tribute a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant before a game Jan. 27, 2020, at the United Center. The NBA superstar, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others were killed Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in California. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
He said Zobayan should have turned around or landed but may have felt the pressure to reach his destination, an occupational hazard for pilots often referred to as "got-to-get-there-itis" or "get-home-itis."
"Somebody who's a wealthy celebrity who can afford a helicopter to go places, the reason they take the helicopter is so they can get from A to B quickly with no hassle," Waldman said. "Anybody that flies for a living there's sort of an inherent pressure to get the job done because if too many times they go, 'No, I don't think I can fly, the weather's getting bad or it's too windy,' ... they're going to lose their job."
Deetz said he often flew Bryant to games at Staples Center, and never remembered the Lakers star or his assistants pressing him to fly in bad weather.
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"There was never any pressure Kobe put on any pilot to get somewhere — never, never," Deetz said.
Deetz said that he flew with Zobayan a half-dozen times and that he was familiar with airspace and terrain around Los Angeles and knew “the back doors” — alternative routes in case of trouble, such weather changes.
Others who knew Zobayan praised him as unflappable and skilled at the controls.
"Helicopters are scary machines, but he really knew what he was doing," said Gary Johnson, vice president of airplane parts manufacturer Ace Clearwater Enterprises, who had flown with Zobayan about 30 times in roughly eight years. "I wouldn't do it unless he was the pilot."
Zobayan was chief pilot for the craft's owner, Island Express Helicopters. He also was a flight instructor, had more than 8,000 hours of flight time and had flown Bryant and other celebrities, including Kylie Jenner.
Ara Zobayan was at the controls of the helicopter that crashed in Southern California on Jan. 26, 2020, killing all nine aboard including former Lakers star Kobe Bryant. (AP)
He even had a bit TV part when he and actor Lorenzo Lamas, a fellow pilot, flew the ex-girlfriend of comedian Andy Dick around in a chopper for an episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap."
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Island Express has had three previous helicopter crashes since 1985, two of them fatal, according to the NTSB''s accident database. All involved flights to or from the company's main destination of Santa Catalina Island, about 20 miles off the Southern California coast.
In 2008, three people were killed and three injured when an Island Express helicopter was destroyed as it came in for a landing on the island. Investigators said the chopper lost power, probably as a result of cracking in turbine blades inside the engine.
Fatal helicopter accidents have fluctuated between 17 and 30 a year since 2013, according to a safety group that includes representatives of the helicopter industry and the Federal Aviation Administration. The rate of accidents per hours flown has declined slightly over that time.
Inclement weather has been cited as a cause of other deadly celebrity helicopter crashes.
Grammy-winning blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was among five people killed in 1990 when their helicopter slammed into a hill in dense fog after leaving a concert in Wisconsin. Music promoter Bill Graham and two others, including the pilot, were killed when the pilot ignored warnings not to fly in rain and fog and flew into power lines outside San Francisco in 1991.
On Tuesday, the last of the bodies and the wreckage were recovered from the weekend crash in Calabasas.
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Fingerprints were used to confirm the identity of Bryant, 41; Zobayan; John Altobelli, 56; and Sarah Chester, 45. While the the coroner has not identified five other victims, relatives and acquaintances have identified them as Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; Sarah Chester's 13-year-old daughter Payton; Altobelli's wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa; and Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter's team.
Associated Press writers Justin Pritchard, Robert Jablon, Christopher Weber and Stefanie Dazio contributed to this report.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Bears add cornerback depth by signing CFL All-Star Tre Roberson, a former Illinois State quarterback

Roberson , who helped lead the Calgary Stampeders to the Grey Cup title in 2018 , announced via Twitter that @ @ @ @ @ Bears .
The 6-foot , 190-pound Roberson drew interest from more than half the teams @ @ @ @ @ on an extended tryout tour before agreeing to a two-year contract with the Bears .
@ @ @ @ @ said on Twitter it will be the richest deal for a CFL-to-NFL player since defensive @ @ @ @ @ the BC Lions to the Dolphins on a four-year contract in 2009 .

The Bears got an early start on one of their offseason goals Tuesday night when they improved their depth at cornerback by agreeing to a contract with CFL All-Star Tre Roberson.
Roberson, who helped lead the Calgary Stampeders to the Grey Cup title in 2018, announced via Twitter that he will sign with the Bears. The 6-foot, 190-pound Roberson drew interest from more than half the teams in the league and was on an extended tryout tour before agreeing to a two-year contract with the Bears.
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Twitter it will be the richest deal for a CFL-to-NFL player since defensive end Cameron Wake went from the BC Lions to the Dolphins on a four-year contract in 2009.
So blessed to be @ChicagoBears thank you for the opportunity in allowing me to help this organization get to the goal of winning a super bowl. Thank you to my agent for fighting hard for me through this whole process @camRONweiss @DynamicSportGrp#beardown — Tre Roberson (@tre5_roberson) January 29, 2020
Roberson, 27, spent time on the Vikings practice squad in 2016 and 2017, but his career didn’t take off until he reached the CFL. He intercepted seven passes in 2019, returning two for touchdowns. During the second half of the season, opponents rarely threw his way.
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Roberson, an Indianapolis native, was a star quarterback at Illinois State after transferring from Indiana. He led the Redbirds to the 2014 FCS championship game, where they lost 29-27 to North Dakota State. ISU finished that season 13-2, then went 10-3 with a trip to the FCS quarterfinals in 2015 for a 23-5 record with Roberson.
He wasn’t invited to the scouting combine in 2016 but caught the attention of the Vikings in a rookie minicamp tryout after showing up without a position. He was converted to cornerback and spent significant time on the practice squad.
Roberson had contract offers from 10 NFL teams and worked out for the Bears earlier in the month. The Bears didn’t have a lot of depth behind starters Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara in 2019. Amukamara is entering the final year of his contract and is due to earn $9 million.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--CPD commander relieved of powers, demoted following Indiana traffic stop investigation

Edward Wodnicki , a former commander of the Area Central detective division , was reassigned to paid desk duty without @ @ @ @ @ or carry a gun during the course of his police duties following the June incident @ @ @ @ @ Indiana .
The department said Wodnicki has also voluntarily stepped down as a commander , @ @ @ @ @ service rank of lieutenant .

Edward Wodnicki speaks with the media about the details of the arrest and charges against Jussie Smollett at Chicago police headquarters on Feb. 21, 2019, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
A high-ranking Chicago police official was relieved of his police powers on Tuesday as part of an investigation into allegations that he refused to stop when an Indiana State Police trooper tried to pull him over for speeding last year, officials said.
Edward Wodnicki, a former commander of the Area Central detective division, was reassigned to paid desk duty without the authority to make arrests or carry a gun during the course of his police duties following the June incident on Interstate 94 in northwest Indiana. The department said Wodnicki has also voluntarily stepped down as a commander, taking a demotion to his service rank of lieutenant.
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The decision to take away Wodnicki’s police powers is the latest high-profile staffing move by interim police Superintendent Charlie Beck since he was put in charge temporarily in December by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
The department said there were possible inconsistencies with statements Wodnicki made to police Internal Affairs investigators as they tried to learn why he was in Indiana when he sped back to Chicago in his city-issued vehicle.
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“Superintendent Beck was recently briefed on the Internal Affairs investigation concerning the former commander’s traffic stop in Indiana, and based on that investigation, which is not formally completed, the superintendent ordered that the now-lieutenant be relieved of his police powers,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Wodnicki, who was Area Central commander at the time of the traffic stop, could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
Wodnicki was headed west on Interstate 94 in an unmarked department car, his blue lights flashing, when a trooper tried to stop him near Chesterton, about 45 miles east of Chicago, according to the Indiana State Police.
“While patrolling I-94, I observed a vehicle having emergency blue lights on at a high rate of speed with Illinois plates,” a trooper wrote in a report. “The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued.”
Wodnicki’s Ford Fusion was clocked at more than 100 mph at one point while the commander was on a cellphone, dispatch records show.
“Not stopping,” a trooper reported. “On his cell phone. He is not stopping. Passing. Waved at me when I pulled up next to him.”
State police deployed spike strips, but the commander stopped before driving over them, records show.
“Request supervisor come to the scene,” a trooper reported. “This is a Chicago PD unit. ... Driver advised he was enroute to his office in Chicago.”
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The records show Wodnicki was detained by state police for about an hour before being released. He was ticketed for speeding. It was unclear why he was in Indiana.
At the time of the traffic stop, Wodnicki was on his way to Area Central headquarters on Chicago’s South Side to supervise an ongoing case, Guglielmi has said. He could not specify what case it was.
“The superintendent’s office requested Commander Wodnicki to oversee interviews about a recent death investigation,” Guglielmi said in July. “Where he was in Indiana and all that part, the traffic stop itself, all of that will be a focus of the Internal Affairs investigation.”
Before making the traffic stop, the trooper thought Wodnicki’s car might be from a local volunteer fire department, authorities said. Like Chicago police cars, that fire department’s vehicles are known for their distinctive blue emergency lights, Gary Germann, prosecuting attorney for Porter County in Indiana, has told the Tribune.
But when the trooper learned the fire department wasn’t on any emergency calls at the time, the trooper decided to pull the car over, Germann said, not knowing its occupant, Wodnicki, was a police officer from Chicago.
Wodnicki still was issued a speeding ticket for traveling 80 mph in a 70-mph zone, even though dispatch records show he was actually traveling at speeds higher than 100 mph. Germann explained the ticket was amended to a less serious infraction after authorities learned Wodnicki wasn’t trying to flee the police and was trying to get to work.
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“Once we got everything organized, we weren’t overly concerned with it,” Germann said.
Germann said Wodnicki paid $252.50 in court costs for the ticket. And instead of pleading guilty, the commander qualified for Porter County’s “ticket deferral program,” which allows motorists caught speeding to avoid a traffic conviction if they don’t commit another moving violation for a year.
Before demoting himself to lieutenant, Wodnicki had been reassigned as a commander in the Chicago police’s Bureau of Technical Services, which oversees several administrative functions within the department.
Wodnicki was also in the news over the last year because he oversaw the investigation of Jussie Smollett. The “Empire” actor was charged in February 2019 with falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a hate crime.
In late March, Wodnicki aired his frustrations to reporters after learning Cook County prosecutors dropped the charges against the actor in exchange for community service and forfeiture of $10,000 posted for bond.
“To get to this point now opens the door for people to say that we didn’t do the job right,” Wodnicki said at that time. “It is absolutely a punch in the gut. We worked very, very closely throughout our three-week investigation to get to the point where we arrested the offender.”
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A special prosecutor is now reviewing the case again to see if Smollett should indeed face criminal charges and whether State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office mishandled the case.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Outfielder Steven Souza Jr. agrees to join Cubs on a 1-year deal

While the team did not disclose terms of the contract , a source told the Tribune it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ guaranteed deal with up to $ 1 million in possible roster bonuses and up to @ @ @ @ @ performance bonuses .

Steven Souza Jr. missed all of 2019 because of a devastating left knee injury.
He’ll look to bounce back in 2020 with the Cubs.
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The Cubs agreed to a deal with outfielder Tuesday.
While the team did not disclose terms of the contract, a source told the Tribune it’s a one-year, $1 million guaranteed deal with up to $1 million in possible roster bonuses and up to $1 million in possible performance bonuses.
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The move, which was first described as close on Friday, became official one day after the Reds officially signed former Cubs outfielder Nicholas Castellanos.
Souza, 30, suffered the knee injury at the end of spring training on March 25. He had season-ending surgery to repair an ACL tear, LCL tear, partial PCL tear and posterior lateral capsule tear. He was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks on Dec. 2.
He has a career slash line of .233/.323/.417 with 68 doubles, 70 home runs, 198 RBIs and 41 stolen bases in 471 games during five seasons with the Nationals, Rays and Diamondbacks.
Souza set single-season career highs with 30 home runs, 78 RBIs, 21 doubles and 16 stolen bases in 148 games with the Rays in 2017. He was limited to 72 games in 2018 with the Diamondbacks because of a right pectoral injury.
With the signing, the Cubs’ 40-man roster is at 40 players.


chicagotribune--2020-01-28--Guilty plea lays bare ex-state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s greed in red-light camera bribery scheme. ‘So

Guilty plea lays bare ex-state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s greed in red-light camera bribery scheme. ‘So why don’t I get that offer?’

He was more subdued during the hourlong hearing , standing at the lectern with his hands folded in front of @ @ @ @ @ his pockets .
His voice cracked a bit as he said , “ I plead @ @ @ @ @ ” to each of the two counts .
At one point as the hearing neared @ @ @ @ @ to wipe away a tear .

Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after pleading guilty to bribery and tax charges on Jan. 28, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
State Sen. Martin Sandoval had already taken tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from a clout-heavy red-light camera company when he complained to one of its representatives in 2018 that he was getting stiffed.
After all, as the head of the Senate’s Transportation Committee, Sandoval was the one sticking out his neck on behalf of the company in Springfield, the senator told the executive during a meeting at a Burr Ridge restaurant, according to federal prosecutors.
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Yet the company, SafeSpeed LLC, was giving far more lucrative deals to other politically connected “consultants,” cutting them in on a percentage of the camera revenue that kept cash rolling every month, Sandoval told the representative, who was secretly recording the conversation for the FBI.
“So why don’t I get that offer?” Sandoval griped. “'Cause you know I’ll go balls to the walls for anything you ask me. ... It’s hard for me to swallow how (people) make so much off of you. Right? And I gotta do the work.”
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That conversation was one of several revealing moments made public as Sandoval pleaded guilty Tuesday to bribery and tax charges, and agreed to cooperate in a burgeoning, widespread probe of public corruption that has sent shock waves from Chicago’s City Hall to Springfield.
Sandoval’s 27-page plea agreement laid bare a striking level of greed, even in a state accustomed to elected officials going off to prison for trading political power for cash.
During the lengthy hearing in federal court, Sandoval admitted taking more than a combined quarter of a million dollars in bribes in exchange for his political influence or official action, including at least $70,000 in government-supplied cash from a SafeSpeed representative who was working with authorities in return for Sandoval acting as its “protector” in the state Senate.
The agreement did not divulge how Sandoval pocketed the other $180,000 other than saying he "engaged in corrupt activities with other public officials and accepted money from other people in return for using his position to benefit those people and their business interests.” Sandoval’s criminal activity “involved more than five participants,” prosecutors said.
Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago following his arraignment on Jan. 28, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
In pleading guilty, Sandoval became the first to be convicted in an ongoing corruption probe that has touched on a who’s who of state power players, including a handful of other elected officials; magnates in the construction, asphalt and casino industries; lobbyists; transportation officials; and Commonwealth Edison executives.
Speaking to reporters in the lobby of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, U.S. Attorney John Lausch said prosecutors’ work in the widespread probe was “far from over" but declined to discuss who else might be in their crosshairs.
Sandoval, who was released on his own recognizance, made a brief statement to reporters as he left the courthouse, saying he was “ashamed” and took “full responsibility” for his actions.
“I apologize to the people of Illinois and most importantly the constituents that I’ve served over the last 17 years," he said. "... I intend to fully cooperate with the government, and because of that, I can no longer provide any further comments.”
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Under preliminary sentencing guidelines, Sandoval, who resigned from office effective Jan. 1, faces up to about 12 ½ years in federal prison, according to his plea deal. But in exchange for his continued cooperation in the probe, prosecutors agreed to recommend a reduced sentence of unspecified length.
Dressed in a dark gray suit and blue tie, Sandoval chatted with his attorney before the hearing, smiling at reporters and spectators filing into U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood’s 19th-floor courtroom.
He was more subdued during the hourlong hearing, standing at the lectern with his hands folded in front of him and occasionally shoved in his pockets. His voice cracked a bit as he said, “I plead guilty, your honor,” to each of the two counts. At one point as the hearing neared the end, Sandoval appeared to wipe away a tear.
Wood set a status hearing for July. Sandoval won’t be sentenced until he completes his cooperation — a potentially lengthy period.
The plea deal did not identify the red-light camera business involved in the bribery scheme, referring to it only as “Company A.” But Sandoval slipped up by referring to Safe Speed LLC when Wood asked him in court to explain his misconduct in his own words.
“I used my office as state senator to help SafeSpeed — er, company A ... (and) be its protector in the Illinois Senate and influence other officials to roll out the red-light camera program in Illinois,” Sandoval said.
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Prosecutors did not name the SafeSpeed representative who bribed Sandoval, referring to him in the plea agreement only as Cooperating Witness-1. Several sources familiar with the investigation identified the informant for the Tribune as Omar Maani, a Burr Ridge businessman who is one of SafeSpeed’s founders and biggest rainmakers.
SafeSpeed released a statement through a publicist Tuesday saying the company was “shocked and saddened” at the betrayal of public trust by Sandoval and CW-1, saying the bribe payments were not authorized by anyone at the company.
“It appears both individuals committed crimes without SafeSpeed’s knowledge and in violation not only of the law but of SafeSpeed’s culture,” the statement read.
SafeSpeed, however, declined to answer any questions from the Tribune about the extent of CEO Nikki Zollar’s awareness of the political donations being made on the company’s behalf.
Sandoval’s guilty plea at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in downtown Chicago came just a day after he was charged. He also pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return that underreported his 2017 income as $125,905 when he, in fact, made more than double that, according to the plea deal. Sandoval failed to report more than $10,000 stemming from criminal activity, prosecutors said.
Sandoval admitted in the plea agreement that he first agreed in 2016 to receive $20,000 in annual campaign contributions from SafeSpeed in exchange for his official support in Springfield, including blocking any attempted legislation that would be harmful to the red-light camera industry.
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Campaign finance records analyzed by the Tribune show that the $20,000 was doled out in two separate payments in September 2016 The first $10,000 donation came from a separate firm run by Zollar, Triad Consulting Services, followed three weeks later by a $10,000 donation made by SafeSpeed itself, the records show.
In August 2017, Sandoval spoke with CW-1, the SafeSpeed representative, about splitting up the annual donation into smaller amounts, according to the plea deal. CW-1 told Sandoval it wouldn’t be a problem because the firm’s president “did not want the contribution to ‘shout out,’ meaning raise a red flag,” the plea agreement said.
Several months after that conversation, the Tribune published an investigation documenting how Sandoval intervened on behalf of SafeSpeed to push state transportation officials to change their stance and allow the company’s cameras to be installed at the relatively safe intersection of Illinois Route 83 and 22nd Street in Oakbrook Terrace.
The push came even though the Illinois Department of Transportation’s policies required that cameras target dangerous corners to improve safety, the Tribune found.
Details in the plea agreement seemed to indicate that Sandoval was worried about the Tribune’s report, saying he “tore up" a check provided by CW-1 "following publicity regarding Sandoval’s relationship with Company A."
To better disguise the money trail, Sandoval then arranged for an entity unrelated to SafeSpeed to make a $10,000 contribution to a campaign associated with the senator while agreeing to “explore other ways for the company to make its annual campaign contribution,” the plea agreement said.
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In March 2018, Sandoval arranged to have a colleague — identified in the plea agreement only as “Co-Schemer A” — collect $10,000 in cash from the SafeSpeed representative in exchange for blocking a proposed bill in Springfield to ban red-light cameras.
Despite the regular contributions, Sandoval was clearly unhappy with the amount he was being paid, especially since he knew SafeSpeed was paying a monthly percentage of camera revenue to “consultants” for helping convince suburbs to have them installed, according to the plea deal.
In the July 2018 meeting in Burr Ridge, Sandoval told the SafeSpeed representative that he was aware others were getting cash “on a monthly basis, infinitum,” for providing essentially the same assistance he did in helping land the company the camera deal in Oakbrook Terrace.
Later in the same discussion, Sandoval discussed receiving regular “protection” money from SafeSpeed to help fend off legislation that would harm its business, the plea deal said.
“I’m not trying to be dramatic, but I’m telling you the vultures would be all over that s--- if you had the wrong person there,” Sandoval allegedly told CW-1 of the Senate.
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Sandoval initially insisted that CW-1 would have to decide how much to pay for protection, saying that naming figures was “just not my style,” according to the plea deal.
When the representative asked him to pick a figure “off the top of your head,” Sandoval responded, “Five,” meaning $5,000 a month, prosecutors said.
The two also discussed how to disguise the payments as campaign contributions, with Sandoval at one point asking CW-1, “Do you have a bologna company or something innocuous?" to help funnel the cash, according to the plea agreement.
The next month, CW-1 again met Sandoval at a restaurant and handed over $15,000 in cash supplied by the government — a transaction likely captured on video by federal authorities.
[ Ex-state Sen. Martin Sandoval charged with bribery in red-light camera scheme ]
Sandoval was the fourth elected official to be charged in a series of sweeping political corruption investigations that first came to light 14 months ago when the FBI descended upon the City Hall offices of Ald. Edward Burke.
In pleading guilty to a felony related to his public duties, Sandoval is by law ineligible to collect his state pension. Unless the court directs the state pension system to garnish his contributions, however, Sandoval could apply for a refund of the $142,575.22 he has paid into the system. He had not applied for a refund as of Tuesday.
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The investigation of Sandoval went public in September when federal agents executed a high-profile search of his office in Springfield and his home on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
The warrant showed the FBI was looking for items related to so-called Asphalt King Michael Vondra, a major Sandoval political donor whose offices in Bartlett were also visited by agents that day. The warrant named Vondra and about 20 of his businesses and associates, including John Harris, former chief of staff to imprisoned ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Sandoval’s connections to ComEd — where his daughter, Angie, works as a senior account representative — have also been probed.
Authorities have also sought evidence from Sandoval’s office about Rick Heidner, a major video gambling operator. Heidner had planned to build a southwest suburban horse track and casino, but the plan was scuttled in October after the Tribune reported that Heidner has long-standing business relationships with a mob-connected banker and a convicted bookie.
Three days later after hitting Sandoval’s office, the FBI and Internal Revenue Service also raided government buildings in a number of suburbs in Sandoval’s district, including Lyons and McCook. Authorities have also sought records on the towns of Cicero, Bridgeview and Summit.
Records show the FBI has sought information on Cook County Commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski and Lyons Mayor Christopher Getty as part of the probe.
Also under investigation is Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci, who resigned earlier this month on the same day the Tribune reported that he’d recently paid $30,000 from his campaign fund to a lawyer representing him in the probe.
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None of the mayors has been charged with wrongdoing.
A separate probe delving into the lobbying practices of utility giant ComEd has led to FBI raids on current and former lawmakers and political operatives, including several who are close confidants of House Speaker Michael Madigan.
A paragraph has been revised to include the information that the source of the $70,000 in bribery money was the government.
Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella and David Heinzmann contributed.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
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jmahr@chicagotribune.com