chicagotribune--2020-04-02--Pregnant Chicago teen was gunned down after $5,000 bounty was placed on her head for testifying in m

Pregnant Chicago teen was gunned down after $5,000 bounty was placed on her head for testifying in murder trial, prosecutors say

She fled after a few seconds , but in her panic stumbled and fell .
While on the ground , @ @ @ @ @ the shooter as he continued to fire away .
She got up and ran to @ @ @ @ @ ’ s home on the same block , waiting there until the gunfire stopped and @ @ @ @ @

A memorial for witness Treja Kelley in the 5200 block of South Sangamon Street on Sept. 12, 2019, in Chicago. Kelley was shot and killed after testifying in a murder trial. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Treja Kelley had been hesitant to come forward after witnessing the murder of her 17-year-old cousin.
But she found the courage to take the stand at the trial last year. She helped secure a guilty verdict. And then a $5,000 bounty was placed on her head, Cook County prosecutors said Thursday.
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In September, just a few months after testifying, Kelley was shot dead not far from where her cousin had been slain. She was 18 years old and pregnant.
Kavarian Rogers later bragged that "he got $5,000 for nailing a girl who testified against somebody,” prosecutors said as Rogers appeared in court on first-degree murder charges.
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He posted Facebook videos showing off his expensive new shoes and fanning himself with $100 bills, prosecutors said. After his arrest, he told police he knew who Kelley was, and knew there was a price on her head.
People bow their heads in prayer during a nonviolence gathering in response to the fatal shooting of Treja Kelley in the 5200 block of South Sangamon Street on Sept. 12, 2019, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Rogers, 22, was ordered held without bail for Kelley’s murder, which Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy described as an execution.
Kelley had been the only eyewitness who testified against her cousin’s accused killer, Deonte Davis. Jurors found Davis, 30, guilty on June 26 of six counts of murder and a single count of aggravated battery with a firearm. He is awaiting sentencing and remains in Cook County Jail.
Prosecutors did not name Davis in court, instead calling him “as-of-yet uncharged co-offender.” He and Rogers were members of the same faction of the Black P Stones, prosecutors said.
Davis was recorded on phone calls from Cook County Jail talking about a female witness who testified in his trial, wanting to find out where she is and “discussing how, when he gets a new trial, she can’t be a witness against him,” Murphy said.
Prosecutors did not say when the calls took place or who Davis was calling.
Jennifer Blagg, Davis’ attorney, noted that he has not been charged with wrongdoing in connection with Kelley’s murder. In fact, Blagg said, she often stressed to Davis that Kelley’s testimony was not reliable, which could make her a useful witness in his effort to get a new trial.
Kaywon Leonard, 19, was on the phone with his pregnant girlfriend Treja Kelley when she was fatally shot in 5200 South Sangamon Street on Sept. 8, 2019, after she testified during a trial of a person convicted of killing her cousin. (Family photo / HANDOUT)
“He knows my opinion is, she was not harmful to his case,” Blagg said.
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She said the phone calls from the jail can only be correctly interpreted in their full context, which prosecutors did not provide.
Prosecutors described the attack on Kelley as a targeted hit.
She was walking with a friend that night in September after Kelley finished her shift at a nearby grocery store. Her friend saw Rogers in an alley appearing to relieve himself, and then apparently talking on the phone, prosecutors said.
As the two got closer, Rogers pulled a gun from his waistband, walked around Kelley’s friend and fired directly at Kelley, prosecutors said. She was shot five times, including twice in the back of the head, prosecutors said. Her friend hid in the bushes nearby, and later identified Rogers as the gunman.
A few weeks later, Rogers began flaunting his wealth on Facebook, prosecutors said. In one video, he fans himself with $100 bills. In another, he shows off his pricey new Yeezy shoes. Another video shows him driving past the scene of the shooting.
At the time of Kelley’s death, Rogers was out on bond on an attempted armed robbery charge, records show.
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Rogers’ attorney, Assistant Public Defender Theodore Thomas, said his client lives with his mother and has a 2-year-old child. While Thomas said Rogers graduated from Urban Prep Academy, Urban Prep founder Tim King said in fact Rogers attended for two months his freshman year and then transferred.
Thomas asked that Rogers be given a bond in part due to “what’s going on in the world” — that is, the novel coronavirus that has spread among detainees in the Cook County Jail.
Judge Mary Marubio denied the request, citing the “murder for compensation" scheme that was allegedly hatched after Kelley testified.
A transcript of her testimony shows she didn’t waver in her identification of Davis as the man with shoulder-length dreadlocks who announced, “What’s up now,” before opening fire on Christopher Fields.
Kelley told jurors she was about 15 feet away when Davis jumped out of a silver car, perhaps an Audi, and opened fire as she, her cousin and several friends talked outside one of their homes in the 5200 block of South Sangamon Street in the South Side’s Back of the Yards neighborhood on June 11, 2016.
As the others took off running, Kelley, then 15, said she froze with fear. “I was in shock,” she told jurors.
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She fled after a few seconds, but in her panic stumbled and fell. While on the ground, she said she focused on the shooter as he continued to fire away. She got up and ran to the backyard of her grandmother’s home on the same block, waiting there until the gunfire stopped and a car sped off.
It was then she discovered her cousin lying face down in the street by a curb.
“We were very close,” testified Kelley, who had called Fields to walk her from a bus stop to her home that night.
About half an hour later, police drove her several blocks away for a “show-up” — a controversial identification on the street in which officers had her check out first one man with dreadlocks and then a second. Critics say these differ from police lineups in which witnesses are asked to view several individuals with similar physical appearances at the same time.
Blagg plans to argue that Davis deserves a new trial, in part because Kelley’s identification was shaky.
Kelley at first only tentatively identified Davis as the shooter. And despite being arrested shortly after the shooting, Davis did not test positive for any gunshot residue, Blagg said.
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An allegation of retaliation against a witness has the potential to harm the entire criminal justice system, particularly if the allegation is false, she said.
“It’s difficult as a defense attorney to get witnesses to come forward when I’m trying to prove my clients innocent, because of street rules. And it’s difficult for prosecution to secure a conviction for the same reason,” she said. “This has the potential to discourage people to come forward, to the detriment of the defense and prosecutors.”
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-02--A Netflix series predicted a global pandemic. It was dismissed as ‘a show about the flu’

Filmed over the course of the 2018-2019 flu season , “ Pandemic ” is full of what-if scenarios — many @ @ @ @ @ in New York City — that have now come to fruition .
Minutes into the @ @ @ @ @ of medical workers covered head to toe in protective gear run through a simulation to @ @ @ @ @ major flu outbreak in the city .
Madad , who is overseeing the drill , @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re not protected , if you can ’ t protect yourself , then @ @ @ @ @ protect others ?
” Later , she lays out a hypothetical scenario in which a @ @ @ @ @ in New York City could trigger an overwhelming outbreak that would , within weeks , @ @ @ @ @ ’ s also seen pleading with politicians about resources for pandemic preparedness .

Not if but when.
It’s the rallying cry uttered over and over again by the doctors, scientists, humanitarian workers and public health officials profiled in “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak.” Structured like a globe-trotting thriller, the Netflix documentary series follows dedicated men and women on the front lines of the battle against the next devastating disease to ravage the human population — an event they are all certain is just around the corner.
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Turns out they were right.
In a freakish coincidence of timing, "Pandemic" premiered on Netflix in late January, just as the novel coronavirus was beginning its rampage. Over six episodes, the series issues uncomfortably prescient warnings about the risk of a new respiratory virus that could, within a matter of months, overwhelm the planet. It brings epidemiological science to life in unexpected ways — not with dry data but through compelling characters located in far-flung, seemingly unconnected places, from a crowded animal market in Vietnam to an under-resourced hospital in rural Oklahoma.
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A scene from an episode of "Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak". (Netflix / HANDOUT)
"There were already a lot of scary science documentaries where you had people sitting in a room talking about the potential for a new virus to spread around the world," says executive producer Sheri Fink, a reporter for the New York Times with experience in infectious disease. (She covered the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009 and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.) "We thought we would try to go around the world and give a sense of the lives of these people who felt passionate (about) and devoted their lives to trying to detect pandemics."
These subjects include Susan Flis, a retired nurse who volunteers to give out flu shots at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona; Jacob Glanville, an entrepreneur trying to develop a universal flu vaccine; Michel Yao, a doctor with the World Health Organization attempting to contain an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Dr. Syra Madad, the infectious disease specialist preparing New York's municipal hospitals for the next pandemic.
Scientists and health care workers are the story's heroes but there are also antagonists: One story line follows Caylan Wagar, a home-schooling mother of five and anti-vaccine activist in Oregon who, in the midst of a historic measles outbreak, fights against stricter immunization laws. The documentary shows how a constellation of distinct forces including a growing distrust of scientific authority, global instability and a lack of funding for public health infrastructure makes us more vulnerable to a deadly new disease.
Filmed over the course of the 2018-2019 flu season, “Pandemic” is full of what-if scenarios — many involving Madad’s work in New York City — that have now come to fruition. Minutes into the first episode, a team of medical workers covered head to toe in protective gear run through a simulation to test their readiness for a major flu outbreak in the city. Madad, who is overseeing the drill, warns them: “If you’re not protected, if you can’t protect yourself, then how are you going to protect others?” Later, she lays out a hypothetical scenario in which a single traveler arriving by plane in New York City could trigger an overwhelming outbreak that would, within weeks, incapacitate the city. She’s also seen pleading with politicians about resources for pandemic preparedness.
Sound familiar?
"The work of prevention and preparedness — it's challenging to make that real to people before the bad thing happens and makes people care about it," says Fink.
Isabel Castro, one of the series' directors, recalls the apathetic response she got from friends and family when she told them about the project she was working on. "Everyone would be like, 'Oh you're making a show about the flu?' They would talk about it dismissively and I would be like, 'No, this is a big deal.' So it's very surreal for these same people now to be watching the show and to be like, 'Oh my God. I can't believe it happened in our lifetime.' "
Production wrapped a few months before the coronavirus outbreak began in China. Ironically, it was a relatively mild flu season in the United States, but even a mild flu season is enough to overwhelm Holly Goracke, the only doctor at a hospital in Jefferson County, Okla.
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A scene from an episode of "Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak". (Netflix / HANDOUT)
"We didn't want the flu season to be bad," says Castro. "But at the same time it was difficult because we were talking about all of these worst-case scenarios and then not necessarily seeing it on the ground."
Still, Castro adds, "I remember feeling a growing paranoia over the course of filming." Director Doug Shultz documented an outbreak of H1N1 in Rajasthan, India. He had to wear a mask while filming doctors and patients in crowded isolation wards. "It's very strange (to) look back and see that we sort of took this trip through exactly what is happening right now," he says.
One memory has stuck with Shultz even though it didn't make the final cut of the documentary: He followed hospital workers as they took buses to poor areas of the region and put on plays to teach proper hand-washing techniques and other basic hygiene to children. "I keep being haunted by that," he says. "I feel like those lessons are going to be around for a long time, for all of us."
The filmmakers have been in touch with the scientists and health care workers profiled in "Pandemic," nearly all of whom have trained their efforts on fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Castro says she's gotten text messages from Flis, a retired nurse who has 16 years of working with ventilators and is contemplating returning to the border. Glanville has reoriented his focus to the coronavirus and says his company has made strides toward a cure. Madad has been on the front lines in New York City.
For her part, Fink is not exactly surprised to witness the most dire predictions in the documentary come true. “It’s strange to hear people saying, ‘Oh my God, we never could have imagined it.’ The experts were very aware this could happen at any time.” But, she concedes, “It feels different to be in it than to imagine it.”


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--Woman wounded in shooting on Dan Ryan Expressway

Theshooting occurred about 2 a.m. on in the northbound express lanes at 43rd street , state police said .
The @ @ @ @ @ nearby Chicago fire station with an apparent gunshot wound , police said .
She was @ @ @ @ @ with injuries that were not life-threatening .

A woman riding in a car was shot and wounded on the Dan Ryan Expressway early Sunday, according to Illinois State Police.
Theshooting occurred about 2 a.m. on in the northbound express lanes at 43rd street, state police said. The 27-year-old woman went to a nearby Chicago fire station with an apparent gunshot wound, police said. She was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
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The driver and other passengers were not injured, state police said.
The northbound express lanes were closed at 43rd street until about 6 a.m.


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--Watch live: Members of the coronavirus task force hold a press briefing

Watch live as President Trump and members of the coronavirus task force hold a press briefing scheduled for 4:45 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ updates here .

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chicagotribune--2020-04-19--NBC Sports Chicago will replay all of the 1998 Chicago Bulls ‘Last Dance’ postseason games

Many media outlets are looking to capitalize on interest in “ The Last Dance , ” ESPN ’ s 10-part @ @ @ @ @ his six NBA championships and era with the Chicago Bulls .

The Chicago Bulls celebrate their 6th NBA title during a rally in Grant Park on June 16, 1998. From left; Tony Kukoc, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Mayor Richard M. Daley, coach Phil Jackson and Gov. Jim Edgar. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)
Many media outlets are looking to capitalize on interest in “The Last Dance,” ESPN’s 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan and his six NBA championships and era with the Chicago Bulls.
Among them are these:


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--5 positions of need for the Chicago Bears in the NFL draft

Why there ’ s a need : It might seem silly that tight end is a position of need when @ @ @ @ @ their roster .
But look at that list again and pick out the established playmakers @ @ @ @ @ to do .
The Bears paid big money for Graham this offseason .
He ’ @ @ @ @ @ dipped in 2019 , but he ’ s at least likely to be a bigger @ @ @ @ @ Bears tight ends last year .
Trey Burton ’ s injury-plagued 2019 season was a @ @ @ @ @ him Friday .
Shaheen has been a nonfactor over three seasons .
The Bears added @ @ @ @ @ fill their need for a Y tight end .
Braunecker , Holtz and Horsted contributed @ @ @ @ @ promising rookie could make the Bears feel a lot better about this group .
Edge @ @ @ @ @ because the Bears have little depth there .
But at least the front end is @ @ @ @ @ Robert Quinn .

The Bears enter the NFL draft with several roster holes to fill with their seven picks.
Here’s a look at their biggest needs and which players might be available for their second-round selections at Nos. 43 and 50.
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1. Offensive line
Bears starters: C Cody Whitehair, LG James Daniels, RG Rashaad Coward OR Germain Ifedi, LT Charles Leno, RT Bobby Massie.
Others: Alex Bars, Jason Spriggs, Dino Boyd, Corey Levin, Sam Mustipher.
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Why there’s a need: At the end of the 2019 season, general manager Ryan Pace stressed the need to upgrade the line after the Bears ranked 27th in the league with 91.1 rushing yards per game. So far Pace has added Ifedi, who is likely to compete for the right guard spot with Coward. Ifedi, 25, is a 2016 first-round draft pick and brings 60 games of experience over four seasons with the Seahawks. His one-year deal could be a motivator for a big season. But the Bears need depth beyond him. They lost swing tackle Cornelius Lucas to the Redskins in free agency and need a replacement, though they did sign former Packers second-round pick Jason Spriggs to a one-year deal. Ifedi also can play tackle, so there’s some flexibility should the Bears be eyeing an interior line prospect in the draft.
Top prospects: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa, and Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama.
Second-round possibilities: Austin Jackson, OT, USC; Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State; Josh Jones, OT, Houston; Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia; Cesar Ruiz, C/G, Michigan; Lloyd Cushenberry III, C, LSU; Robert Hunt, G, Louisiana-Lafayette.
Michigan's Ceasar Ruiz escorts running back Karan Higdon (22) during a 2018 game against Western Michigan. (Kirthmon F. Dozier / TNS)
Of note: There’s a possibility the four tackles above will be off the board by the time the Bears pick at No. 43, but various mock drafts have one or two slipping. Ruiz, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, could be intriguing if he gets to 43, and the Tribune’s Brad Biggs liked him for the Bears in his second mock draft. Ruiz started five games at right guard as a Michigan freshman and 26 games over the next two seasons at center. Pro Football Focus named him the best pass-blocking center in the country in 2019, with eight pressures allowed in 447 snaps in pass protection.
2. Cornerback
Bears starters: Kyle Fuller, Buster Skrine.
Others: Kevin Toliver, Tre Roberson, Artie Burns, Duke Shelley, Stephen Denmark, Michael Joseph, Xavier Crawford.
Why there’s a need: The Bears cut veteran Prince Amukamara after three seasons in Chicago and need a replacement to play opposite Fuller and slot cornerback Skrine. They have several options, but none is a surefire starter. Toliver started two games in his first two seasons and has four passes defended. Roberson joins the Bears on a two-year contract after spending two seasons with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. Burns was a Steelers 2016 first-round pick and started 25 games in his first two seasons. But he started just seven over the last two years, injured a knee in the middle of the 2019 season and was a healthy scratch for the last month of his career in Pittsburgh.
Top prospect: Jeff Okudah, Ohio State.
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Second-round possibilities: Jeff Gladney, TCU; Trevon Diggs, Alabama; A.J. Terrell, Clemson; Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn; Kristian Fulton, LSU; Jaylon Johnson, Utah; Damon Arnette, Ohio State.
TCU defensive back Jeff Gladney runs a drill at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on March 1, 2020. (Michael Conroy/AP)
Of note: NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranks Gladney as his 46th overall player and sixth cornerback, calling him quick, feisty and fluid. Gladney had five career interceptions and 43 passes defended as a four-year starter at TCU, and Biggs thinks he could be an option at No. 50 for the Bears. But Gladney is a bit undersized at 5-foot-10, 191 pounds and is coming off March meniscus surgery.
3. Wide receiver
Bears starters: Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller.
Others: Cordarrelle Patterson, Javon Wims, Riley Ridley, Thomas Ives, Reggie Davis, Alex Wesley.
Why there’s a need: The Bears need a speedy replacement for Taylor Gabriel, whom they cut after he missed seven games in 2019 with a pair of concussions. Beyond Robinson, who is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, there are a lot of questions. Miller is recovering from his second left shoulder surgery in as many years. The Bears targeted Patterson only 17 times in 2019. Wims had 18 catches on 39 targets for 186 yards in his second season, and Ridley, a 2019 fourth-round pick, had only six catches on seven targets for 69 yards. If the Bears are going to make strides on offense, they need more production behind Robinson.
Top prospects: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama, and CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma.
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Second-round possibilities: Denzel Mims, Baylor; Jalen Reagor, TCU; Michael Pittman Jr., USC; KJ Hamler, Penn State; Chase Claypool, Notre Dame.
Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler looks to elude an Idaho defender during the first quarter on Aug. 31, 2019. (Barry Reeger / AP)
Of note: ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. predicted in his most recent mock draft the Bears would use the No. 50 pick on Hamler, who hails from Robinson’s high school (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Michigan) and college. Hamler tweaked a hamstring before the combine and had his pro day canceled, so he couldn’t show teams what he can do in person. His explosive speed is well-known, but there are concerns he dropped too many passes in 2019.
4. Safety
Bears starters: Eddie Jackson.
Others: Deon Bush, Sherrick McManis, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Jordan Lucas, Kentrell Brice.
Why there’s a need: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix moved on to the Cowboys after one season in Chicago, and the Bears need a starter to play alongside Jackson. Bush is an option after re-signing on a one-year, $1.4 million deal. The 2016 fourth-round pick started six games in his rookie year, but he played behind Adrian Amos and Clinton-Dix the next three seasons. Bush started only three games in the last three years, including a playoff appearance in place of an injured Jackson. Bush had two passes defended in 2019. Last month, the Bears signed Lucas, who played two of his four seasons with the Chiefs. But he has started just four career games and has more experience as a special teamer. Pace had success drafting Jackson, Amos and Bush in the middle rounds, so it would make sense for him to take another shot on a safety.
Top prospect: Xavier McKinney, Alabama.
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Second-round possibilities: Grant Delpit, LSU; Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota; Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois; Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne; Ashtyn Davis, California.
Southern Illinois defensive back Jeremy Chinn runs a drill at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on March 1, 2020. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
Of note: Chinn was an FCS All-American in his senior season and had four interceptions. The native of Fishers, Ind., had 243 tackles, 13 interceptions, 31 passes defended and six forced fumbles in his four-year SIU career. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranks Chinn as the second-best safety because of his range, size, speed and versatility, while ESPN analyst Todd McShay ranks him fourth among safeties.
5. Tight end
Bears starters: Jimmy Graham.
Others: Demetrius Harris, Adam Shaheen, Ben Braunecker, J.P. Holtz, Jesper Horsted, Eric Saubert, Dax Raymond, Darion Clark.
Why there’s a need: It might seem silly that tight end is a position of need when the Bears have nine on their roster. But look at that list again and pick out the established playmakers. That’s difficult to do. The Bears paid big money for Graham this offseason. He’s 33 and his production dipped in 2019, but he’s at least likely to be a bigger factor than most of the Bears tight ends last year. Trey Burton’s injury-plagued 2019 season was a factor in the Bears releasing him Friday. Shaheen has been a nonfactor over three seasons. The Bears added Harris in the offseason to fill their need for a Y tight end. Braunecker, Holtz and Horsted contributed in 2019, but a promising rookie could make the Bears feel a lot better about this group. Edge rusher is also a need because the Bears have little depth there. But at least the front end is stacked with Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn.
Top prospect: Cole Kmet, Notre Dame.
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Second-round possibilities: Kmet; Adam Trautman, Dayton; Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic.
Notre Dame's Cole Kmet celebrates after an 11-yard touchdown reception against Boston College on Nov. 23, 2019. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images / Getty Images)
Of note: Kmet was a two-sport standout at St. Viator, leading the Lions baseball team to the Class 3A state championship in 2017 as a left-handed pitcher and center fielder. He also played baseball at Notre Dame. The 6-foot-6, 262-pound Kmet had 43 catches for 515 yards and six touchdowns in his junior season for the Irish. Analysts note his need to improve his blocking and route running, but his size and pass-catching ability make him the top prospect in a thin class. Many predict he will be available for the Bears when they make their first pick.
2020 NFL draft
Thursday-Saturday, ABC-7, ESPN, NFL Network
Round 1: 7 p.m. Thursday
Rounds 2-3: 6 p.m. Friday
Rounds 4-7: 11 a.m. Saturday
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BEARS PICKS


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--Cubs Q&A: Is Ben Zobrist retired? How would the Cubs fare in a Florida-Arizona split? Any Marquee Sp

Cubs Q&A: Is Ben Zobrist retired? How would the Cubs fare in a Florida-Arizona split? Any Marquee Sports updates?

A few White Sox observers felt it was unfair for their team to compete against the likes of the Dodgers @ @ @ @ @ well as the Indians ) .
I ’ m glad their competitive juices are flowing @ @ @ @ @ a unique set of circumstances if there is a regular season , and playing against @ @ @ @ @ season will help them in the long run .

The Tribune’s Mark Gonzales answers readers’ questions about whether Ben Zobrist has retired, Craig Kimbrel’s struggles and the Cubs’ playoff chances under proposed division formats:
Do we know yet if Ben Zobrist has retired? I would think the coronavirus delay might push him into retirement. If the season resumed around, say, the All-Star break, who on the Cubs would benefit, if anyone, from the extra time off? — Dave T.
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Zobrist was a guest instructor in spring training. He told reporters he hadn’t official retired but had no plans to play in 2020. His main focus was devoted to his three children, and you can’t blame him for that.
I would say he’s finished. He was a terrific, unselfish player who set a great example for his younger teammates. But he turned 39 on May 26, and I’ve seen a dwindling number of position players at 35 and older in the major leagues over the last five seasons, even though those players still possessed major league-caliber talent.
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Ben made himself a better hitter early in his career and earned every dollar he’s made. His versatility increased his value. He’ll be remembered as one of the more underrated players of his era.
And with the season suspended, left-hander Brad Wieck and reliever Brandon Morrow stand to benefit the most from the extra time off.
Wieck underwent a procedure in February to address an irregular heartbeat and had resumed playing catch prior to the suspension of spring training. His effectiveness against right-handers could play an important role if we have some semblance of a regular season. I would hate to think that Morrow is finally healthy but relegated to waiting for the resumption of spring training.
Any worry that Craig Kimbrel starting up again in the summer will once again be ineffective with the yips? — Tim G.
I’m careful with using the word “yips” to describe his struggles in 2019, but he did walk seven in his first 12 appearances and five in his final six games.
I think it took him longer than usual to find a rhythm because of the lack of a normal spring training and minor injuries that disrupted his timing. But the bigger issues involved fastball location and his velocity dipping by 2 mph.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 18 Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel pumps his fist after securing a victory over the White Sox in the ninth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday, July 6, 2019. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The final 10 days of spring training were going to be important for Kimbrel before play was suspended. If there is a regular season, you’re going to find out right away as Mike Krukow observed after the 1981 strike, who stayed in shape and who didn’t.
What are the implications on player contracts if MLB has to cancel the 2020 season? — Bill S.
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Players will be credited for service time in the same amount they earned in 2019.
It’s been documented recently that Mookie Betts could become a free agent after the 2020 season without playing a game for the Dodgers, who traded for him from the Red Sox in February.
From the Cubs’ standpoint, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood would be eligible for free agency after 2020. So would Jon Lester if the Cubs don’t pick up his option. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber would be eligible for free agency after 2021.
Players also split up a pool of $170 million, with players on major league contracts receiving $4,775 a day in advance pay through the first 60 days of the regular season during the coronavirus stoppage.
Players on split contracts who were scheduled to earn more than $150,000 in the minors will receive $1,000 a day during the same length. Players below the $150,000 mark in the minors will receive $500 a day, and those with minor league contracts less than $91,800 will receive $275 a day through the 60-day window.
Regarding your support of MLB’s proposal using the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues — even if the Cubs and Cardinals don’t play each other — anything is better than having to watch the “Ryne Sandberg Game” again and again. — JP
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I hope more of the regional sports networks unlock their entire library of games they televise locally. I’ve watched many interesting games on the YES Network and NESN, as well as on SportsTimeOhio. Unfortunately, many networks elect to black out games in other markets.
It’s time for Spectrum SportsNet LA to unlock some of those games on Dodger Rewind that are currently blacked out, especially now that Charter Communications reached an agreement with AT&T. I wouldn’t mind watching an occasional game on Texas Rangers Classic if it wasn’t blacked out.
I loved hearing the candidness of Harry Caray and Jimmy Pearsall calling Carlton Fisk’s first game with the White Sox in his return to Fenway Park (Piersall: “You didn’t give us one (call) all day, Springstead, you homer!)” on the MLB Network.
With the idea of the Arizona/Florida realignment, what are your picks for the winners from each division if MLB goes that route? — Philip H.
Cactus League: Athletics (Northeast), Dodgers (West), Brewers (Northwest)
Grapefruit League: Yankees (North), Braves (South), Nationals (East)
A few White Sox observers felt it was unfair for their team to compete against the likes of the Dodgers and rebuilt Reds (as well as the Indians). I’m glad their competitive juices are flowing but this already will be a unique set of circumstances if there is a regular season, and playing against those tough teams for one season will help them in the long run.
There’s a ridiculous imbalance between the strength of teams in the East (Nationals, Astros, Cardinals and Mets) and the West (Padres, Mariners and Royals). But we’re looking at ways to salvage a season while ensuring the health and safety of everyone involved. I don’t think anyone is talking about 2020 World Series rings right now.
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Would the Cubs have better chances of making the postseason in their possible new division in Arizona? — Garry W.
The Cubs certainly would benefit from having access to the designated hitter, especially if they want to keep outfielders Ian Happ, Albert Almora Jr. and Steven Souza Jr. sharp.
I would think the Athletics would present the biggest challenge to the Cubs because of their young pitching, and general manager Mike Hazen has done a terrific job of keeping the Diamondbacks competitive after trading Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 21 Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Any word on the likelihood of either Arizona or Arizona-Florida split actually happening? Any word on the time frame? June 1? And the MLB would go to a shortened season, I presume? — Nimbus C.
Give MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association credit for exploring various proposals. I’m not a doctor, but health and safety remain paramount if a season is to be played.
There has to be a cutoff point to determine whether a regular season (much less than 162 games) will be played. My sense is they could wait until late June to determine if they can play a regular season.
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The Florida-Arizona proposal provides a nice perk for those going through baseball withdrawals with the opportunity to watch games in Florida during the day and games in Arizona at night.
But everything is fluid at this point, and I’ve written recently about the hurdles that need to be cleared to make an all-Arizona regular season possible.
Playing games in empty stadiums in Arizona is dumb and won’t work. It’s about the money, period. Players want their dough. Please propose this: All the players play for the MLB minimum for the shortened season since it’s “for the country,” owners can donate any profits to charities. See how well that is received. Please smoke out the disingenuousness. — Dan C.
Sorry, Dan. We could be headed toward another economic showdown if the regular season is to be played without fans, which seems highly likely if we have a season.
Multiple reports state Major League Baseball may ask players for an adjusted salary structure because there would be no gate receipts or revenue from concessions and parking.
This comes three weeks after MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association reached an agreement on their 2020 salaries to be prorated. That would mean a player with a $10 million contract would receive $5 million in an 81-game schedule.
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But an MLB spokesman told the New York Post: “Both parties understood that the deal was premised on playing in stadiums with fans, and the agreement makes that clear,” with an MLBPA official responding: “We have an agreement that already says how players get paid in a partial season.”
No doubt money has a lot to do with the urge on both sides to play. Regaining some of the money already lost helps everyone — from owners to players to stadium workers.
And networks are eager to televise these games, especially with the lack of alternative live programming in the summer months. That’s why you’ve seen large television contracts given to teams in small to middle markets. And television money is a big reason why MLB has been eager to expand the playoffs.
If the season is cancelled, the top-paid players will receive $286,500 — slightly more than half of the minimum major-league salary of $563,500 for 2020.
But a few of the players I’ve communicated with in the early days of the stoppage want more answers about their health and safety before feeling comfortable about starting a season.
Mike Trout, who stands to lose a lot of money if the season is canceled, told NBC Sports that he thought the Arizona plan was “pretty crazy.” He’s going to be a father this summer, so it isn’t all about money to him.
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Despite the agreement last month, the MLBPA has been leery of MLB, especially with the slow-developing free-agent market in two of the last three winters, and a revelation in The Athletic last year regarding a belt awarded at the general managers meetings to the team that best curbed salaries in arbitration infuriated many free-agent players who were stymied for long periods.
This could be very troubling through at least Dec. 1, 2021 — when the Collective Basic Agreement expires.
Any updates in the Comcast and Marquee fiasco? — Ken B.
No. I heard there was some progress prior to the stoppage of spring training, but I have no movement to report.
A sign for the Marquee Network in Gallagher Plaza at Wrigley Field on Thursday, April 16, 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Any chance we will still try to trade Kris Bryant? — Sweet Mike
I think the stoppage allows the Cubs more time to re-assess their options, which could mean cleaning the slate and re-setting the books without some of the potential free agents I mentioned earlier.
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That could include not only trading Bryant but others as well. For now, the intent is to compete for a championship with Bryant and Co. But I think the Cubs and other teams are looking much deeper at their options, especially with the possibility that this season could be lost and there could be a significant dent in revenues.
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Is Nico Hoerner the answer at second base? Does he need more seasoning? — Kevin H.
One of the more encouraging developments of spring training was watching Jason Kipnis perform infield work as if he was a rookie and chatting up with Hoerner during drills.
Kipnis has plenty of knowledge he can share with Hoerner since he originally was an outfielder before shifting to the infield and enhancing his chances of reaching the majors and become an exceptional player.
I think Hoerner’s defense at second base is satisfactory with a chance to become much better. He played second base during his freshman season at Stanford (with Tommy Edman of the Cardinals at shortstop).
I’m sure Hoerner’s muscle memory helped him regained his footwork, but the slightest pause can make a big difference in not turning a double play. He should be able to play second base now, but it might be safer for him to start at Triple-A Iowa if Kipnis stays healthy and Hoerner isn’t assured of sufficient playing time.
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Will we play baseball this year? — All in Illinois
I’m not as optimistic as I once was. I’m not a doctor or a politician, but I cannot emphasize that health and safety must be ensured for the regular season to resume. Trying to accomplish this while attempting to finalize a regular schedule and limiting large groups of traveling parties and security staffers to hotels and ballparks is a daunting task.


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--We know Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. What other players were on the 1997-98 Chi

We know Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. What other players were on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls roster?

Bulls center Luc Longley goes up to the basket as the Charlotte Hornets ' Matt Geiger tries to defend him @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 21 , 1998 , at the United Center .
( José Osorio/Chicago Tribune )

The Chicago Bulls celebrate their 6th NBA title during a rally in Grant Park on June 16, 1998. From left; Tony Kukoc, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Mayor Richard M. Daley, coach Phil Jackson and Gov. Jim Edgar. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)
Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen. Dennis Rodman.
Those are the three biggest names on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls roster, but the team was much deeper than that.
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ESPN’s massive documentary series “The Last Dance” — set to debut Sunday night at 8 p.m. — is bound to reignite interest in the Bulls and their historic drive to win their sixth NBA title in eight seasons.
Here’s a breakdown of that squad — the last Bulls team to win an NBA championship.
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1 — Randy Brown
Bulls guard Randy Brown goes to the basket against the Knicks' Patrick Ewing and Buck Williams at the United Center on Dec. 9, 1997. (Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 29
Position: Point guard
Experience: 6 seasons
College: Houston, New Mexico State
1997-98 stats: 71 games (6 starts), 4.1 points per game, 1.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.2 blocks
Career with Bulls: 5 seasons (1995-2000)
5 — Rusty LaRue
Bulls guard Rusty LaRue (5) drives around the Super Sonics' Gary Payton in the first quarter Monday, Dec. 20, 1999 in Chicago. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)
Age: 24
Position: Point guard
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Experience: Rookie
College: Wake Forest
1997-98 stats: 14 games (0 starts), 3.5 points per game, 0.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Career with Bulls: 3 seasons (1997-2000)
7 — Toni Kukoc
Bulls forward Toni Kukoc (7) drives in for a basket against the Pacers' Dale Davis (32) during the first quarter Sunday, May 31, 1998, at the United Center. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 29
Position: Small forward
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Experience: 4 seasons
College: N/A — Europe
1997-98 stats: 74 games (52 starts), 13.3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks
Career with Bulls: 7 seasons (1993-2000)
8 — Dickey Simpkins
Bulls forward Dickey Simpkins slams over the Nets' Jayson Williams in the 2nd quarter on March 24, 1998, at the United Center. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 25
Position: Power forward
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Experience: 3 years
College: Providence
1997-98 stats: 21 games (0 starts), 3.7 points per game, 1.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Career with Bulls: 6 seasons (1994-2000)
Notes: Simpkins was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Scott Burrell before the season but was waived in February 1998. He re-signed with the Bulls in March.
9 — Ron Harper
Bulls guard Ron Harper celebrates after the Bulls won their sixth championship after defeating the Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, June 14, 1998. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 34
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Position: Point guard
Experience: 11 years
College: Miami (Ohio)
1997-98 stats: 82 games (82 starts), 9.3 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks
Career with Bulls: 5 seasons (1994-99)
13 — Luc Longley
Bulls center Luc Longley goes up to the basket as the Charlotte Hornets' Matt Geiger tries to defend him in the second half on Jan. 21, 1998, at the United Center. (José Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 29
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Position: Center
Experience: 6 years
College: New Mexico
1997-98 stats: 58 games (58 starts), 11.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.1 blocks
Career with Bulls: 5 seasons (1993-98)
22 — Keith Booth
Bulls forward Keith Booth stands under the rim after a play during a preseason game against the Hawks. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 23
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Position: Small forward
Experience: Rookie
College: Maryland
1997-98 stats: 6 games (0 starts), 1.7 points per game, 0.7 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.0 steals, 0.0 blocks
Career with Bulls: 2 seasons (1997-99)
23 — Michael Jordan
Bulls guard Michael Jordan smiles while adjusting his jersey during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hornets at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, May 8, 1998. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 34
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Position: Shooting guard
Experience: 12 years
College: North Carolina
1997-98 stats: 82 games (82 starts), 28.7 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.5 blocks
Career with Bulls: 13 seasons (1984-93; 1994-98)
Season honors: MVP, 1st team All-NBA, 1st team All-Defensive, NBA Finals MVP, scoring champion, All-Star Game starter, All-Star Game MVP
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24 — Scott Burrell
Bulls forward Scott Burrell watches the action during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 25, 1998. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 27
Position: Small forward
Experience: 4 years
College: Connecticut
1997-98 stats: 80 games (3 starts), 5.2 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks
Career with Bulls: 1 season (1997-98)
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25 — Steve Kerr
Bulls guard Steve Kerr (25) keeps an eye on the Pacers' Travis Best (4) during the second quarter of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday, May 31, 1998, at the United Center. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 32
Position: Point guard
Experience: 9 years
College: Arizona
1997-98 stats: 50 games (0 starts), 7.5 points per game, 1.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks
Career with Bulls: 5 seasons (1993-98)
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30 — Jud Buechler
Bulls forward Jud Buechler passes the ball while being defended by Utah Jazz's Shandon Anderson during the 2nd quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 5, 1998. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 29
Position: Small forward
Experience: 7 years
College: Arizona
1997-98 stats: 74 games (0 starts), 2.7 points per game, 1.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.2 blocks
Career with Bulls: 4 seasons (1994-98)
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33 — Scottie Pippen
Bulls forward Scottie Pippen stands on the United Center court at the end of Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Jazz on June 12, 1998. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 32
Position: Small forward
Experience: 10 years
College: Central Arkansas
1997-98 stats: 44 games (44 starts), 19.1 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks
Career with Bulls: 12 seasons (1987-98; 2003-04)
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Season honors: 1st team All-Defensive, 3rd team All-NBA
34 — Bill Wennington
Bulls guard Steve Kerr (25) is congratulated by teammate Bill Wennington after scoring a 3-pointer in the final minutes of Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs against the New Jersey Nets on April 26, 1998. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 34
Position: Center
Experience: 10 years
College: St. John’s
1997-98 stats: 48 games (8 starts), 3.5 points per game, 1.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.1 blocks
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Career with Bulls: 6 seasons (1993-99)
35 — Jason Caffey
Bulls forward Jason Caffey stumbles after a loose ball during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on May 6, 1997, at the United Center. (Jim Prisching/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 24
Position: Power forward
Experience: 2 years
College: Alabama
1997-98 stats: 51 games (8 starts), 5.3 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 blocks
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Career with Bulls: 3 seasons (1995-98)
Notes: Caffey was traded to the Golden State Warriors in February 1998 for David Vaughn and two second-round picks.
42 — David Vaughn
Injured Warriors player David Vaughn sits on the bench in his street clothes during the first half of a game against the Timberwolves, Friday, Oct. 31, 1997, in Minneapolis. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)
Age: 24
Position: Power forward
Experience: 2 years
College: Memphis
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1997-98 stats: 3 games (0 starts), 1.3 points per game, 0.3 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 0.0 steals, 0.0 blocks
Career with Bulls: 1 season (1997-98)
Notes: Acquired via trade with the Golden State Warriors in February 1998, Vaughan was waived in March and signed with the New Jersey Nets. He would face the Bulls in the ’98 playoffs but played less than 1 minute.
53 — Joe Kleine
Bulls center Joe Kleine shoots over the Vancouver Grizzlies' Bryant "Big Country" Reeves on March, 20, 1998, in Chicago. (Bonnie Trafelet/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 36
Position: Center
Experience: 12 years
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College: Notre Dame, Arkansas
1997-98 stats: 46 games (1 start), 2.0 points per game, 1.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.1 blocks
Career with Bulls: 1 season (1997-98)
91 — Dennis Rodman
Bulls forward Dennis Rodman reacts after getting called for a technical foul for taunting the Hornets' Vlade Divac during the fourth quarter on May 3, 1998, at the United Center. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Age: 36
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Position: Power forward
Experience: 11 years
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College: Southeastern Oklahoma State
1997-98 stats: 80 games (66 starts), 4.7 points per game, 15.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks
Career with Bulls: 3 seasons (1995-98)
Season honors: Rebounding champion
Sources: Tribune archives, basketball-reference.com, NBA.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-18--An Illini basketball player is learning handstands. A DePaul sprinter is reading novels. How interna

An Illini basketball player is learning handstands. A DePaul sprinter is reading novels. How international athletes stuck on mostly empty campuses are dealing — and waiting.

“ I would tell people to try to sit down and relax and think about stuff , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ own soul .
What are they looking for ?
Maybe some people don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ .
Get to know them .
I know pretty much every little detail about my @ @ @ @ @ my grandparents .

When DePaul’s track and field season was canceled and classes transitioned to online learning, most students returned to their parents’ homes.
Rutendo Chimbaru called her family in Zimbabwe.
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“They had the same sentiments,” she said. “We all knew I was going to be away awhile anyway. I haven’t been home in a year.”
Chimbaru remained in Chicago, and many international college athletes made the same choice to stay put during the global coronavirus pandemic. Their considerations were plentiful: Conditions in their native countries. Cost of travel. Time differences. Whether borders would open for them to return to the United States when sports resume.
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Frequent power outages in Zimbabwe would have made completing Chimbaru’s coursework as a community and public health major frustrating, if not impossible.
It’s an eerie feeling to be trapped at school without teammates or classmates. Chimbaru was moved to another dormitory with spacing between students’ rooms.
“There’s some other people, but you rarely see each other because we’re advised to practice social distancing,” she said. “It’s been challenging. Going from spending so much time with teammates to being by yourself is an adjustment. There’s a lot of FaceTime calls with teammates and friends.
“But it’s weird when I walk past athletic facilities. It’s essentially a ghost town.”
Most housing remains open at colleges for students unable to return home for a number of reasons. Some athletes continue to live in off-campus apartments. Many still can grab boxed meals to go at campus cafeterias.
They participate in video conferencing with coaches and teammates and receive online workouts from athletic trainers.
After deciding against flying home, international athletes are learning to adapt to the unusual circumstances.
Bruno Skokna, a senior on Loyola’s men’s basketball team, throws himself into schoolwork as a necessary distraction. He considered returning to his family in Croatia when in-person classes were canceled.
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When he realized what time he would be expected to be online for his graduate course, he understood it was best to stay in Rogers Park. His 6-9 p.m. classes at Loyola would have required logging on from 1-4 a.m. in Croatia.
He also wondered about the complications of returning to the U.S. as travel restrictions can vary from country to country.
“It was a pretty easy decision,” Skokna said.
Bruno Skokna, a Loyola basketball player from Croatia, remains at his home near the university. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
His three roommates returned to their family homes, leaving him feeling isolated.
“It is odd,” Skokna said. “Human nature is to be around people. I am missing human touch, talking to people. Trying to stay in touch with people back home and my friends.
“It came as a blessing kind of because I focus on studies. No one is bothering me here. But when the day is over, I do feel like I need someone’s presence.”
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In late March, he learned a 5.5-magnitude earthquake damaged his home city of Zagreb as the nation also grappled with the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I was pretty worried,” Skokna said. “It was a scary situation. People were asking: ‘Is it the end of the world coming to us? What did we do wrong?’ ”
He was relieved to learn his family was safe. Skokna is trying to make daily life feel as normal as possible. A Loyola assistant coach drives him and teammate Franklin Agunanne to the grocery store every week or so.
Loyola's Bruno Skokna (4) and Franklin Agunanne (33) defend Bradley's Ja'Shon Henry (22) during a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament game March 9, 2019, in St. Louis. (Jeff Roberson / AP)
Agunanne wanted to return to Nigeria. His sister planned to marry later this month, but that might be postponed because of safety precautions to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
His mom suggested he stay with his host family in Texas, but he has been staying alone in his Loyola dorm room. He ran the stairs to his 16th-floor room for exercise until it hurt his knees.
“Sometimes I go out to a field and do some running with my cousin,” he said.
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Agunanne caught up on the popular Netflix documentary miniseries “Tiger King.” Skokna looks for YouTube workouts to stay in shape. Chimbaru is using the time to rest and catch up on reading, such as the novel “Little Fires Everywhere.”
Illinois golfers Jerry Ji, from the Netherlands, and Adrien Dumont de Chassart, from Belgium, remained on campus and live together.
They practice by hitting balls into a mattress propped against a window. One benefit of being a Division I athlete: confidence you won’t crack a pane with an errant swing.
Having to stay indoors doesn't stop #illini golfers Jerry Ji and Adrien Dumont de Chassart from getting in their cuts: https://t.co/zsghYRbdkh pic.twitter.com/pvpieFAxsC — Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) March 20, 2020
Both wanted to stay in Champaign because at the time golf courses were still open. Even after courses were closed statewide — which Ji called “annoying” — the duo decided to remain.
Ji made a list of goals revolving around staying on a routine, with his parents helping him remain focused and driven during this time.
“If I do that, I’ll be on the right track,” he said. “I definitely don’t regret this decision. I’m staying with a good teammate. And it’s easier for classes.”
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Illinois basketball forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili is making the best of his isolation. A native of the former Soviet republic Georgia, he talks to his mom and brother in Austria every day.
Remaining in Champaign was a matter of safety and logistics, he said. Foreign travelers have been banned from entering Austria, and those who have permission to enter must quarantine for 14 days.
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The country’s borders with Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland and Italy are blocked, according to Al Jazeera.
“If (Illinois) started summer workouts and if I couldn’t come back, it would be really hard,” Bezhanishvili said. “Overall, it was the safest decision.”
So he is in his Champaign apartment, perfecting handstands and posting dance moves on Instagram.
“I haven’t done a lot of relaxing in my life in general,” he said. “What else can you do? I’m all by myself and I’m trying to have fun.”
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Bezhanishvili urged others to use the time to reflect and remain positive — no matter where they are.
“I would tell people to try to sit down and relax and think about stuff,” he said. “Think about their own soul. What are they looking for? Maybe some people don’t know their families well enough. Get to know them. I know pretty much every little detail about my brother and my mom or my grandparents.
“Just spend time with your family. I think time will be able to take care of all.”


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--How the Chicago Tribune covered the events you saw in Episode 1 of ‘The Last Dance’

The first couple of times it bothered me .
It really used to bother ( his wife Thelma ) .
@ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t bother you .
I just do my job .
The people who @ @ @ @ @ the people who understand what I do don ’ t boo .

The Chicago Bulls celebrate their 6th NBA title during a rally in Grant Park on June 16, 1998. From left; Tony Kukoc, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Mayor Richard M. Daley, coach Phil Jackson and Gov. Jim Edgar. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)
Episode 1 of “The Last Dance” — ESPN’s 10-part documentary on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls — covered everything from the franchise drafting Michael Jordan in 1984 to Jerry Krause’s infamous quote that “organizations win championships.”
Here’s how the Chicago Tribune wrote about those events.
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[ ‘The Last Dance’ Episode 1 recap: And now ... Introducing Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ chase for their 6th NBA title ]
October 1997
Chicago Tribune, Oct. 5, 1997. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
There are beginnings and there are beginnings, and the Bulls will get around to theirs eventually. But this thing is starting out like convicts and wardens. You figure which is which.
Jerry Krause is not sly enough to use his assertion that “Players and coaches don’t win championships, organizations do” to challenge the Bulls. Krause believes that as surely as he believes in pastry.
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But it got a bemused reaction from Phil Jackson — “He would say that, wouldn’t he?” — and a little stronger response from Jordan.
"I didn't see the organization playing sick last year," Jordan said.
That would be a reference to Michael Jordan’s own signature heroics against Utah in Game 5 of the Finals.
“I saw a team out there,” Jordan said. “The organization paid for the plane to get us there. Jerry does his job, whatever that may be, and we do ours.”
Read the story: “Bickering Bulls will be the life of the NBA” by Bernie Lincicome (Oct. 5, 1997)
Organizations win championships. Players and coaches don’t win championships. — Jerry Krause, Bulls general manager, Oct. 2, 1997
I didn’t see the organization playing sick last year in Game 5. — Michael Jordan, Oct. 3, 1997
Michael Jordan talks with the media after his workout at the Berto Center on Oct. 23, 1997. (CHARLES BENNETT / Associated Press)
Oct. 17-18, 1997
Chicago Tribune, Oct. 19, 1997. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
In the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, the ornate Byzantine-style church here that sits atop the highest point in Paris, there is a statue of the Archangel Michel — Michael as he is known in the United States.
He is slaying a dragon.
He did it for the Bulls again Friday.
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The dragon this time came in the form of the French league champions, PSG Racing, a little-thought-of team in Europe because it doesn’t have even one former NBA player. Its best player from last season’s championship, J.R. Reid, is now back in the NBA.
But the dragon really was embarrassment and ignominy, for that’s what the Bulls were facing had Jordan not come up with 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals to carry the Bulls into the finals of this McDonald’s tournament here Saturday against Olympiakos Piraeus with an 89-82 victory.
Read the story: “Another artist finds a place in Paris” by Sam Smith (Oct. 19, 1997)
Michael Jordan holds up the best player trophy after winning the final of the McDonald's Championship against Olympiakos Piraeus of Greece at the Paris Bercy stadium on Oct. 18, 1997. (MICHEL LIPCHITZ / AP)
June 19, 1984
Chicago Tribune, June 20, 1984. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
The Chicago Bulls send their regrets. They ask forgiveness. Please understand. They really wanted to do better in the draft than the best college basketball player in America, but they couldn’t.
They got stuck with Michael Jordan of North Carolina, maybe the greatest natural basketball talent, inch for inch, in this young decade. Nothing they could do. They want you to know that.
They tried to avoid Jordan, tried hard. But nobody wanted to trade with them, swap some big fossil of a center for the third pick in the draft. It was like they were under quarantine or something. So, they were forced to do the intelligent thing Tuesday.
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They had to take Jordan, even though he is already famous, has had quality coaching, is not a social disgrace and may likely become the next Julius Erving before the old one is in the Hall of Fame.
It was a hard choice.
"We wish he were seven feet, but he isn't," said Bulls general manager Rod Thorn.
Sigh.
"There just wasn't a center available," said Thorn. "What can you do?"
Counting your blessings doesn’t seem inappropriate.
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Read the story: “Apologetic Chicago Bulls ‘stuck’ with Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft” by Bernie Lincicome (June 20, 1984)
I don’t think the Bulls will go undefeated next season. — Michael Jordan, June 19, 1984
Nov. 1, 1997
Chicago Tribune sports front, Nov. 2, 1997. (Chicago Tribune Archives)
In the broad scheme of things, the Bulls’ annual ring ceremony doesn’t mean much.
They get a chance to show off and, sometimes, annoy whatever opponent happens to be on hand for the party. But when all the hoopla is done, there always remains a game to be played.
And after losing their season opener Friday in Boston, the Bulls viewed Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers as an important one.
Making sure this losing business doesn’t become habit-forming early in the season, the Bulls got the month of November off to a good start by crushing the Sixers 94-74 at the United Center.
For those who keep track of such things, the Bulls (1-1) are now 3-2 in games played on the night of a ring ceremony.
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Read the story: “Nov. 1, 1997: Chicago Bulls rout Philadelphia 76ers at home after ring ceremony” by Terry Armour (Nov. 2, 1997)
Michael Jordanshakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern as he is presented with his 1997 NBA Championship ring. (VINCENT LAFORET / AFP)


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Daywatch: Pritzker pushes back on shutdown protests, state nursing homes hit hard by virus and Chica

Daywatch: Pritzker pushes back on shutdown protests, state nursing homes hit hard by virus and Chicago-made glasses designed to block facial recognition

“ I think I would say to all of those folks who legitimately want to get back to work that @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said at his daily briefing .
“ I want people to @ @ @ @ @ I want people to go back to school .
And I want us to have @ @ @ @ @ so I ’ m looking for all of the best ways to make that happen @ @ @ @ @ in the middle of an emergency , a pandemic . ''

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Illinois officials on Sunday reported there were 1,197 new known cases of coronavirus in Illinois and at least 31 new deaths, bringing the state’s total to 30,357 new cases and 1,290 deaths
In the U.S., there have been nearly 750,000 known cases reported and more than 40,000 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University count on Sunday
Worldwide, more than 2.4 million cases and 165,000 deaths have been confirmed, according to Johns Hopkins University on Sunday
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks Sunday, April 19, 2020 at the Thompson Center during the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A small group of protesters holding “Don’t tread on me” flags and chanting “Open Illinois!” demonstrated outside the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Sunday, the latest in a series of protests across the country against stay-at-home orders designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
About 50 people gathered on the steps of the Capitol, holding signs that read “Open our state,” “Freedom is essential” and “No one is safe when rights are infringed.” Others waved “Trump 2020” and “Recall Pritzker.”
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One counterprotester stood among them, wearing a face mask and holding a sign that read “These guys are idiots.”
“I think I would say to all of those folks who legitimately want to get back to work that I do too,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at his daily briefing. “I want people to get back to work, I want people to go back to school. And I want us to have a great summer. And so I’m looking for all of the best ways to make that happen. But we’re in the middle of an emergency, a pandemic."
Trump says he’s close to a deal with Congress on $450 billion aid package for small businesses, hospitals, testing
A man sits outside the main doors of Symphony of Joliet, which has seen the most coronavirus cases among Illinois nursing homes. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Amid revelations of alarming and deadly COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes, the Pritzker administration on Sunday released for the first time details of the number of cases and deaths tied to each long-term care facility in Illinois.
The data highlights the extent of the pandemic’s reach inside the state’s nursing homes, showing at least 186 long-term care facilities in 22 counties reporting at least one case. In all, at least 1,860 cases can be tied to nursing homes, with 286 deaths. That’s nearly a fourth of all coronavirus deaths reported in Illinois.
Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: Search for one near you
Cameron Wright, 6, does schoolwork on her iPad as brother Dominic, 8, works on an assignment in their dining room in their Westmont home on April 16, 2020. Their district, Maercker 60, transitioned with relative ease to an all-online school day. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Long before the coronavirus crisis shut down Illinois schools, state education officials had encouraged districts to prepare for circumstances when they would have to teach remotely. But most of the state’s 852 school districts didn’t have e-learning plans in place when schools closed in mid-March, a ProPublica Illinois-Chicago Tribune analysis has found.
Kim Wilson poses for a portrait in her home in Lansing on April 16, 2020. Her daughter Ninaa Edwards was allegedly slain by her boyfriend in their Chicago apartment. Her family is now honoring her memory by establishing scholarships and providing resources for domestic violence victims through Ninaa Cares Foundation. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
Ninaa Edwards was always helping. Whether welcoming customers at her childhood hair salon or taking steps toward her dream of becoming a homicide detective, the 23-year-old wanted to be there for others.
The mother of a toddler girl, Edwards had started applying to the Chicago Police Academy when she was allegedly killed by her boyfriend in January 2019 at their South Side apartment. Her family still sometimes talks about her in the present tense, as if her radiant smile were just around the corner. This year, the family launched the Ninaa Cares Foundation, an organization dedicated to upholding Edwards’ legacy and supporting domestic violence victims
Scott Urban's reflectacles glasses can thwart facial recognition software by reflecting or blocking the infrared light of security cameras. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The chunky, thick-framed glasses Scott Urban makes in his Humboldt Park workshop look like normal eye glasses, but when viewed on a security camera, the wearer’s face becomes a shining orb. Reflectacles, as the glasses are called, are among a growing number of devices developed to protect individual privacy as facial recognition technology becomes cheaper, faster and more commonplace.


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Ninaa Edwards was killed, allegedly by her boyfriend. Now a foundation in her honor is reaching out

Ninaa Edwards was killed, allegedly by her boyfriend. Now a foundation in her honor is reaching out to domestic violence victims.

“ It gives us a hope that if we can be that piece to get that information out there , @ @ @ @ @ life or have gone through so much trauma , ” said her mother , Kim @ @ @ @ @ re another voice out there letting people know , hey , you can get away @ @ @ @ @ the life that you want , that you dreamed of .
”

Kim Wilson poses for a portrait in her home in Lansing on April 16, 2020. Her daughter Ninaa Edwards was allegedly slain by her boyfriend in their Chicago apartment. Her family is now honoring her memory by establishing scholarships and providing resources for domestic violence victims through Ninaa Cares Foundation. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
Ninaa Edwards was always helping. Whether welcoming customers at her childhood hair salon or taking steps toward her dream of becoming a homicide detective, the 23-year-old wanted to be there for others.
The mother of a toddler girl, Edwards had started applying to the Chicago Police Academy when she was allegedly killed by her boyfriend in January 2019 at their South Side apartment.
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Her family still sometimes talks about her in the present tense, as if her radiant smile were just around the corner. And in many ways, she does live on. This year, the family launched the Ninaa Cares Foundation, an organization dedicated to upholding Edwards’ legacy and supporting domestic violence victims.
“Ninaa — I always hate to say ‘was’ — Ninaa was the most helpful person,” said Stephanie Luster, owner of the Sophia Brandon Boutique Salon where Ninaa worked in high school. “You could imagine that you needed to do something and before it can come out of your mouth, Ninaa was trying to help.”
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A photo of Ninaa Edwards is seen framed in her mother Kim Wilson's home in Lansing on April 16, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
To start, the foundation is planning scholarships for young women and girls sharing Edwards’ interests: $1,000 for a single mother pursuing a criminal justice degree, and $500 for a female athlete participating in a summer track and field program.
Edwards’ family is also spreading awareness through social media while donating money, toys and clothes to other domestic violence organizations. Fundraising events, such as 5K runs, are slated for once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, Wilson said.
And like other domestic violence organizations, Ninaa Cares is mobilizing during the outbreak’s stay-at-home order, which advocates fear will lead to an increase in domestic abuse.
“It gives us a hope that if we can be that piece to get that information out there, less people will lose their life or have gone through so much trauma,” said her mother, Kim Wilson. “We’re another voice out there letting people know, hey, you can get away and you can still have the life that you want, that you dreamed of.”
Edwards was a track and field star at both Rich South High School in south suburban Richton Park and Wichita State University in Kansas. Her younger sister Nyasha Wilson remembers seeing her kick her legs up with enough power during the high jump event that she soared above her height of 5-foot-2. Outside of competitions, she spent summers coaching other young track and field athletes.
“I describe her as kind of like a little firecracker because she’s so small, but she has so much energy,” said Wilson, 19. “She definitely was real and genuine at the same time.”
Kim Wilson believes her daughter could have gone to the Olympics if she wanted, but her desire to help bring justice to others led her to set her sights on the Chicago Police Academy. Edwards yelped in delight when she learned last year that she had passed the written exam. She was riding in a car with her mom, who pulled over to celebrate the moment.
“Yes, I did it, Mom. I did it,” she beamed.
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Her goal of being a homicide detective meshed well with Edwards’ personality. She was magnanimous but blunt when friends came to her for advice. She became a doting mother who organized daily schedules for her daughter’s lessons and TV programming. And as a wrestler in high school, she wasn’t easily intimidated.
“She’s got that toughness to her,” Wilson said. “She wouldn’t stop until she got results. If she wanted to go after that bad guy, I could really see her giving it her all.”
Edwards was looking out for her daughter, born in September 2017, until the end of her life. One of Wilson’s last memories with Edwards was FaceTiming during the polar vortex of 2019. Worried over the city’s bitter cold and wind, Wilson asked her daughter to come stay with her in the suburbs. Edwards reassured her mother that the apartment was plenty toasty: “Don’t worry, everything is good. I got this.”
Luster saw Edwards mature throughout her visits to the hair salon, whether as customer or employee. At first, the high schooler’s resilient outlook reminded Luster of her younger self “trying to be strong.” So she invited Edwards to come work at the salon, long regarded to be a place for sharing vulnerabilities.
“I could see straight through to this very soft inside, this loving, caring, just warm spirit,” Luster said.
Over the years, Edwards became that mentor for others. She was known for giving spiritual counsel to other Christians and, after overcoming a depressive episode, joined and eventually became a leader at a mental health support group in Chicago.
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Back at the salon, Luster did Edwards’ hair for the last time in 2018. Edwards insisted on waiting until the honey blond highlights, layers and silk press were done before the big reveal in the mirror. While they hugged goodbye on the train platform before Edwards returned to Chicago, Luster reflected on the woman she had become.
“She felt beautiful,” Luster said. “It was almost like she was standing there forever.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Chicago banker Jesse Binga opened doors for fellow African Americans and once was the king of State

Chicago banker Jesse Binga opened doors for fellow African Americans and once was the king of State Street. Now he’s forgotten.

What follows is a rags-to-riches story worthy of the most inventive novelist .
Competing against what Hayner estimates were 30,000 @ @ @ @ @ scratched out a living , rented space in his own quarters to others , saved @ @ @ @ @ buy what would become the foundation of a real estate empire ; founded the Binga @ @ @ @ @ first black-owned bank in the city ; with his second with Eudora , the sister @ @ @ @ @ Mushmouth ” V. Johnson , practiced devout Catholicism and helped promote the city ’ s @ @ @ @ @ unimaginably lavish Christmas parties , taking over an entire hotel , understandably becoming the Black @ @ @ @ @ year .

The Arcade Building at 35th Street and State Street (on loan from Illinois Institute of Technology Archives) and Binga State Bank, Capital Stock Shares, 1920, on display at "Raw Material: Uncovering Chicago's Historical Collections" at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago in 2015. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Of all the Chicago names to have faded away, to be buried by history’s dust, Jesse Binga’s is among the most baffling.
That is because for a time “in the 1920s just hearing the strange and poetic sound of his name conjured up an image as constant and permanent as the chiseled letters on the front of (his) bank.”
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Those words were written by Don Hayner and Binga’s name has been wandering around the head of this retired newspaperman for decades.
“I first came across it in the 1980s when I was researching a story about Chicago’s oldest white and black families,” he says. “So many of the names I knew, but when I came to Binga’s, I said to myself ‘How could I have never heard of this guy?’”
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He began to explore the history of the man, at first at the slower pace available to one with full-time and demanding jobs as reporter, editor and eventually editor-in-chief for the Sun-Times.
After his retirement from the paper in 2012 , Hayner was able to devote more time to Binga’s life and times, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he now knows more about the man than anyone alive.
The proof is between the covers of “Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago’s First Black Banker” (Northwestern University Press, 2019), a book peppered with Hayner’s sharp reporter’s instincts, stylish writing and, yes, a good editor’s keen awareness of what’s important and what is not.
His book does Binga proud, filling out the portrait of this fascinating and driven man. There will always remain mysteries surrounding him — he had few close friends and never courted publicity — but the Binga who pops from these pages is unforgettable.
The book also provides a compelling and enlightening look at the colorful and vibrant neighborhood where he was, for a time, a king and, as Hayner writes, “a symbol of success in the Black Belt, someone who embodied the possibility of the American Dream. ”
"Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago's First Black Banker" by Don Hayner, Northwestern University Press (2019). (Northwestern University Press)
He arrived as a 27-year-old. Born and raised in relatively pleasant circumstances in Detroit, he was married, had worked for an attorney and then hit the road as a Pullman porter, years later explaining that he did so “in order to get a general idea of the conditions about the nation and also acquaint himself with the different cities and to satisfy a desire to travel.”
Of all those “different cities,” Chicago exerted a strong pull and he arrived for keeps in 1892 with, Hayner writes (quietly displaying his attention to details) “a shoe-shine kit, some well-worn luggage, and ten dollars in his pocket.”
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What follows is a rags-to-riches story worthy of the most inventive novelist. Competing against what Hayner estimates were 30,000 other street peddlers, Binga scratched out a living, rented space in his own quarters to others, saved money and eventually started to buy what would become the foundation of a real estate empire; founded the Binga Bank in 1908, the first black-owned bank in the city; with his second with Eudora, the sister of crime boss John “Mushmouth” V. Johnson, practiced devout Catholicism and helped promote the city’s cultural landscape; threw almost unimaginably lavish Christmas parties, taking over an entire hotel, understandably becoming the Black Belt social events of the year.
His “kingdom” was roughly the area extending blocks on either side of State Street , from 22nd St. south to 39th St. Known as the Black Belt and later (and today) as Bronzeville, it was, Hayner says, a "section where wealth and poverty existed side by side … sometime uneasily.”
He sold homes to blacks in what were then predominantly white neighborhoods, enraging racists factions who made him the target of almost monthly bombings of his home and offices for a couple of years and put him at the center of the city’s ugly race riots of 1919.
It’s all here, finely detailed and told with narrative force. In describing the Black Belt, Hayner writes, “The world of Jesse Binga’s State Street could be a harrowing place. … Despite the gambling and prostitution, the dangers, the poverty and housing woes … Jesse Binga was one of a growing class of people who were bringing business to State Street. … Binga was the future. Binga represented success.”
It is obvious that Hayner came to know Binga on an intimate level. “I interviewed a few people who had known him, and I learned that he could be a cold guy,” Hayner says. “He was an unapologetic capitalist and I have come to admire that.”
As a lifelong South Sider, for decades in the Beverly neighborhood, Hayner has a solid grasp of the racial tensions that have long marked this city. He believed that may be one reason why Binga and his story has faded, his legacy lost.
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“He was such an inspiration for others,” says Hayner. “A symbol of self-sufficiency and self-worth. But he left are few papers, letters and other materials to fully explain this man. Also, there is a tendency — and I say this as a former newspaperman — to overlook the history of the South Side. That, of course, has a great deal to do with race and our ongoing struggle to deal with it.”
Hayner did relish digging into the past for his book, pouring over microfilm and dusty files. Not everything is available through Google, you know. He did the same in the mid-1980s when he and Tom McNamee (still ink-stained as a Sun-Times writer/editor) wrote ''Streetwise Chicago'' (Loyola University Press ), a charmingly informative catalog of the origins of the names of every street in the city, from Abbott Avenue through more than 1,100 other byways.
There is no Binga Boulevard here. His majestic house still stands on what is now Martin Luther King Drive. His bank was razed long ago, and its former site is now part of the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology.
His fall — which included time in jail — was fast and hard. You can, as did Hayner, find his grave. But you will not find his name there.
rkogan@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-20--Fourth detainee with COVID-19 at Cook County Jail dies

Battiste has been in the jail since Jan. 15 , 2019 , after a judge ordered him to be held @ @ @ @ @ murder charge .
He was accused of shooting and killing a man on Jan. 12 @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office said .

A 64-year-old man is the fourth person incarcerated at the Cook County Jail to die after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.
Karl Battiste died Sunday afternoon at Stroger Hospital, where he had been since April 14, the sheriff’s office said. While Battiste did test positive for COVID-19, his official cause of death is pending an autopsy.
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Battiste has been in the jail since Jan. 15, 2019, after a judge ordered him held without bond on a first-degree murder charge. He was accused of shooting and killing a man on Jan. 12, 2019, the sheriff’s office said.
Battiste’s death comes a week after detainee Nicholas Lee, 42, also died after testing positive for COVID-19.
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Earlier this month, the family of the first Cook County Jail detainee to die after testing positive for COVID-19 filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the sheriff’s office violated Jeffery Pendleton’s rights by shackling him to his hospital bed before he died.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, there were 194 detainees with “mild-to-moderate” COVID-19 symptoms being treated by Cermak Health Services, a division of Cook County Health and Hospitals System, and 21 who were being treated at local hospitals, the sheriff’s office said.
There are also 180 detainees who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and are now in recovery, the sheriff’s office said.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--Ask Amy: Niece's outbursts terrify aunt

Ask Amy: Niece's outbursts terrify aunt

You do n't have to be physically near her in order to have a relationship .
If she is active @ @ @ @ @ might be able to re-establish a rapport .
If she accepts a `` friend '' @ @ @ @ @ from you , an occasional `` like '' or comment on a photo might help @ @ @ @ @ more at ease .
I believe you should try .

Dear Amy: I see my adult niece once or twice a year. She has had different diagnoses for mental illness through the years, including depression and bipolar disorder.
Years ago, when she was 19, she yelled at me in a public place with great intensity. Please believe me that I didn't do anything to bring on this outburst. She exploded without warning. It was upsetting to me, but I decided to overlook it because she was a teenager.
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Seven months ago, at the age of 37, she was very hostile and verbally abusive toward me during a family weekend. Everyone was aware of it and her parents apologized to me. It culminated in her alternatively screaming at me and then crying for over an hour.
I should have just extracted myself after about one minute, but I was too shocked. I was very afraid of her.
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I am not angry with her, but saddened by the event.
In my heart I have forgiven her, but I feel that it WILL happen again if I am around her. I can't imagine being around her, trying to watch every word I say in order to avoid "triggering" her. Any contact with her, at this point, would be upsetting to me.
I am getting gentle pressure from her father (my brother) to re-establish a friendly relationship with her for her sake. I don't want to. I wish the best for her and I will always love her, but I do feel that seeing her would take a huge emotional toll on me.
Am I making the wrong decision?
— Frightened Aunt
Dear Frightened: Your niece has a brain disorder that affects her moods and behavior. Cognitively, you understand that, but emotionally, these outbursts are frightening, upsetting, and impossible to forget.
If any of the involved parties acknowledged how traumatic and frightening this episode was for you, it would help you to recover.
Her parents want you to re-establish a friendly relationship with her, but does she want this? Rather than gently nudge you to move on, her folks should engage you in a deeper conversation about her illness and behavior, triggers and reactions. Understand that if you were willing to be with her, it would benefit her parents, as well.
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Your niece went almost two decades between these attacks on you. I wonder if there are better memories from that in-between time that you can attach to, in order to try and measure the reward versus risk of being in her presence.
You don't have to be physically near her in order to have a relationship. If she is active on social media, you might be able to re-establish a rapport. If she accepts a "friend" or "follow" request from you, an occasional "like" or comment on a photo might help both of you to feel more at ease. I believe you should try.
Dear Amy: Ugh. Spring is here, and the people up and down my street enjoy walking their dogs.
The problem is, some of these humans don't clean up after them! I hate looking out my window and witnessing this. More than that, I hate picking up these "deposits."
How should I respond?
— Curb Appeal
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Dear Curb: Knee-high garden fencing along the front of your property might deter dogs and owners.
I recently saw a photo of a cardboard box set on a lawn near the sidewalk. The box sported a sign saying, "Dog treats here!" with an arrow pointing into the open box. Inside the box was - you guessed it - about a dozen doggy "deposits."
That might work, also.
Dear Amy: "Annoyed by Chaos" described her workplace frustration due to "a certain level of OCD."
After I retired 10 years ago, my wife read an article about ADHD symptoms and showed it to me.
I read it and ticked off at least five items. I saw a specialist and was diagnosed and am now taking medication. If only I had been diagnosed earlier.
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After talking to family members, one of my sons and two of my grandchildren were also diagnosed. The grandchildren will receive the help they need earlier than I did.
My joke is that ADHD might not excuse my actions over my life, but it does explain them. Like any other problem, ADHD is what I have -- it is not me.
— Much Better
Dear Better: A correct diagnosis can explain behavior which is otherwise baffling. Your attitude is commendable; I'm happy your treatment is working.
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
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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--Man from Massachusetts among 6 charged with speeding more than 26 mph in Lincolnshire: Police

Sebastian Robles , 19 , of the 2700 block of Lauretta Place , Highland Park , was charged April 16 @ @ @ @ @ mph over the limit and having no valid driver ’ s license at Half Day @ @ @ @ @ Robles is scheduled to appear in court June 5 .

The following items were taken from Lincolnshire Police Department reports and releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.
DUI
Steven R. Haynes, 30, of the 150 block of Glen Road, Hawthorne Woods, was charged April 12 with driving under the influence at Half Day Road and Stevenson Drive. Haynes is scheduled to appear in court June 5.
Speeding
Christian O. Imonina, 61, of the 2200 block of Jethro Avenue, Zion, was charged April 7 with speeding more than 26 mph over the limit at Half Day Road and Old Mill Road. Imonina is scheduled to appear in court May 13.
Barbara K. Castillo, 35, of the 400 block of Candlewood Court, Algonquin, was charged April 10 with speeding more than 26 mph over the limit at Half Day Road and Hotz Road. Castillo is scheduled to appear in court May 13.
Takyra L. Washington, 20, of the 38900 block of Marguerite Avenue, Beach Park, was charged April 10 with speeding more than 26 mph over the limit at Riverwoods Road and Buckingham Place. Washington is scheduled to appear in court May 20.
Pierre A. Mingot, 44, of the 30th block of Briarwood Lane, Marlborough, Massachusetts, was charged April 11 with speeding more than 26 mph over the limit at Half Day Road and Stevenson Drive. Mingot is scheduled to appear in court June 10.
Latoya Harper, 42, of the 12800 block of Irving Avenue, Calumet Park, was charged April 12 with speeding more than 26 mph over the limit at Half Day Road and Berkshire Lane. Harper is scheduled to appear in court June 10.
Sebastian Robles, 19, of the 2700 block of Lauretta Place, Highland Park, was charged April 16 with speeding more than 26 mph over the limit and having no valid driver’s license at Half Day Road and Oakwood Lane. Robles is scheduled to appear in court June 5.
Driver’s license
Sirjuan D. Milan Thompson, 23, of the 7900 block of South May Street, Chicago, was charged April 7 with driving while license suspended and operating an uninsured vehicle at Half Day Road and Oakwood Lane. Milan Thompson is scheduled to appear in court May 13.
Catalan E. Jimenez, 20, of the 10th block of East Old Willow, Prospect Heights, was charged April 10 with driving while license suspended at Half Day Road and Stevenson Drive. Jimenez is scheduled to appear in court May 13.
Philipp C. Zadlo, 40, of the 3700 block of Salem Walk, Northbrook, was charged April 12 with driving while license suspended at Milwaukee Avenue and Knightsbridge Parkway. Zadlo is scheduled to appear in court June 10.
kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist


chicagotribune--2020-04-19--Upset by the foul language aired in ‘The Last Dance’ on ESPN? The FCC has no say, but ESPN2 has a ve

Upset by the foul language aired in ‘The Last Dance’ on ESPN? The FCC has no say, but ESPN2 has a version with bleeps.

To accommodate a wide range of viewers , especially those who might be sensitive to swear words , a version @ @ @ @ @ on ESPN2 .
Mature language has been bleeped or otherwise obscured .

The Chicago Bulls celebrate their 6th NBA title during a rally in Grant Park on June 16, 1998. From left; Tony Kukoc, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Mayor Richard M. Daley, coach Phil Jackson and Gov. Jim Edgar. (Chuck Berman / Chicago Tribune)
Thinking of complaining to the Federal Communications Commission about the curse words heard in “The Last Dance,” ESPN’s 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan, the 1997-98 NBA championship season and the Chicago Bulls era it brought to a close?
Forget about it.
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The FCC has no jurisdiction over basic cable content, only broadcast television and radio. It is not empowered to address vulgarities in the series.
To accommodate a wide range of viewers, especially those who might be sensitive to swear words, a version rated TV-14-L is running simultaneously on ESPN2. Mature language has been bleeped or otherwise obscured.
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Episode 4 is rated TV-14-DL, which means there’s also suggestive dialogue.
The unedited version on ESPN is rated TV-MA for mature audiences. It carries a warning that the program contains mature language and viewer discretion is advised.