chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Ask Amy: Family reunion reveals some dirty business

I suggest that you say to her , `` This is hard for me to say , but I believe @ @ @ @ @ visit because of the condition of your house .
You know how picky and antiseptic @ @ @ @ @ think this is why people do n't come over more often .
Your house is @ @ @ @ @ 'm used to , and I 've definitely noticed that over the years , but @ @ @ @ @ it as much as other people might .
But this is NOT a personal thing @ @ @ @ @ I want to assure you how loved you are !
I hope you know that @ @ @ @ @ offer to help her , if she asks for help .
Otherwise , stay close @ @ @ @

Dear Amy: I belong to a large extended family that throws a reunion every five years, back in the old country. Family members travel from around the world (but mostly the USA) to visit this charming place and enjoy a wonderful reunion.
A cousin I've been close to since childhood lives near the airport. She always offers her home for arriving relatives, but she is perplexed because no one (except me) ever takes her up on her offers of dinner or a place to sleep.
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All members of her household are terrible housekeepers, and their house (especially the kitchen) seems to be coated with a layer of grime. They don't seem to see it, and their environmentally friendly way of living prohibits many cleaning chemicals from being used in the house.
They are well-educated, kind and caring people.
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I made peace with this mess years ago, and bring my own scrubby sponge and quietly clean the guest bathroom after I arrive.
My cousin is continually upset when people make excuses to not visit. She is hurt to see on Facebook that family members were only a few miles away and never stopped in for tea.
She thinks it's because of something she must have said or done, but in hearing grumblings from the extended family, it's really about the grime.
I feel caught in the middle, because I certainly understand what they mean. Should I tell my wonderful cousin about how her living situation is perceived?
— Caring Cousin
Dear Caring: You should be gently and kindly honest. You can expect her feelings to be hurt, but she is laboring under a worse assumption than the reality would reveal.
I suggest that you say to her, "This is hard for me to say, but I believe people don't want to visit because of the condition of your house. You know how picky and antiseptic Americans are, and I think this is why people don't come over more often. Your house is very different from what I'm used to, and I've definitely noticed that over the years, but I don't care about it as much as other people might. But this is NOT a personal thing. Everybody adores you. I want to assure you how loved you are! I hope you know that." You could then offer to help her, if she asks for help. Otherwise, stay close and stay kind.
This message is both hard to deliver, and hard to hear. I'd love to hear from readers who might have been on the receiving end of this sort of challenging feedback.
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Dear Amy: I am currently not in school, so I let my (former) good friend borrow an expensive graphing calculator for a semester. I was very clear that I value the calculator and that I expected it back when the semester was over.
Her semester has long been over, and I asked her to return my calculator. At first, she said she would bring it to me, but she never did. Now, whenever I call her or text her, she simply does not reply.
It makes me angry. I don't want to spend money on another graphing calculator. I don't know her address -- only where she works.
What should I do?
— Recalculating
Dear Recalculating: At this point, it seems unlikely that you will see your calculator again. You could try a different tack, by asking your former friend to repay you its approximate value.
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You can text her: "I assume that you are not going to return my calculator. A second-hand calculator of this brand seems to be worth [fill in the amount], and so if you would reimburse me for the cost of replacing it, we can all move on." You can then send her a link to an online "P2P" (person-to-person) money exchange site, and hope that she accepts and responds.
You could also take her to small claims court to try to recover the value of this item.
Doing the math, here, I calculate that your friendship has a 0 percent chance of surviving this episode, unfortunately.
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Dear Amy: A rule on parent-issued punishment being followed through when the kids are at their grandparents' house should be: "When you return home, your punishment will be."
Grandparents should be able to enjoy their grandchildren. That doesn't mean we will be without "house rules," but don't spoil the fun of going to our homes.
— Grandma to 7!
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Dear Grandma: I don't disagree, but first, you would have to work this out with the parents.
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(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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chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Otto Porter Jr. scores 18 in his return to help the Bulls to their 2nd victory over a winning team,

Otto Porter Jr. scores 18 in his return to help the Bulls to their 2nd victory over a winning team, 109-107 vs. the Mavericks

“ I was having fun out there .
It felt good , ” Porter said .
“ There was nothing @ @ @ @ @ , like , rusty or something like that .
I was out there just playing @ @ @ @ @ my rhythm back and going from there .
”

The Bulls entered Monday’s game without Zach LaVine, their leading scorer, and with just one win against a team with a winning record this season.
Yet, boosted by the return of Otto Porter Jr. and one of their best recent defensive efforts, the Bulls edged out a 109-107 victory against the Mavericks, improving to 2-22 against teams over .500 this season. Yes, they nearly coughed up an eight-point lead with 25 seconds left to play and Luka Doncic had a heave from halfcourt at the buzzer, but the Bulls still held on for one of their most impressive wins this season.
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The Bulls’ only other win this year against a team over .500 came against a shorthanded Clippers team.
“I think that’s deceiving because we have been in there a lot with winning teams and we have been right there getting ready to seal the deal,” said forward Denzel Valentine, who finished with a season-high 17 points. “So it actually feels good to come out here and beat a team like that a good team like that.”
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Here are three takeaways from Monday’s game:
1. Otto Porter Jr. showed the Bulls what they have been missing.
Otto Porter Jr., who missed 51 games this season, dropped 18 points in 17 minutes, his second-highest output of the year and the first time he’s scored that many points while playing less than 20 minutes.
“He’s got that skill level that we’ve missed,” coach Jim Boylen said. “Ability to make shots, ability to play in pick and roll. He has positional size. He has a feel, a calmness. I’m happy for him.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 17 Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. blocks a shot by Mavericks forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist during the first half. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The Bulls have been searching all year for a second reliable scoring option to play alongside Zach LaVine and perhaps Porter could have been the answer. He displayed the ability to create his own shot off a pick and roll, knock down shots from beyond the arc and spark the offense when they needed it.
As a few players have returned from injury, the Bulls are working them slowly back into the lineup. Porter said his conditioning felt great in last night’s game and while it seemed he could have played even more minutes, the team didn’t want to push him in his first game back since Nov. 6.
The Bulls have 21 games remaining this season to try and reacclimate Porter back into the rotation, but his goals for the final stretch are rather simple.
“Just stay healthy,” he said. “For me, it’s just staying healthy and just try to get some wins.”
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2. The Bulls frustrated Luke Doncic in the second half.
Mavs superstar Luka Doncic has been a triple-double machine in his breakout second NBA season, and he appeared well on his way to yet another in the first half against the Bulls. But the Bulls made life tough on Doncic in the second half with a pair of tenacious and pesky defensive efforts from two unheralded players, Shaquille Harrison and Adam Mokoka.
As the primary defenders on Doncic, they held him to eight points on 2-for-8 shooting, which included going 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Doncic did not grab a rebound and dished out just two assists in the second half. He finished with 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds — a tame effort.
It was a tale of two halves for Luka pic.twitter.com/pJ5yjSUYzz — Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) March 3, 2020
“I think he was just like getting tired, getting frustrated,” Mokoka said. “We kept switching me and Shaq on him. It’s a different look on defense and we were trying to give him trouble and not give him easy step backs or easy penetration.”
Jim Boylen had been impressed by Mokoka’s defense as his playing time has increased recently out of necessity, so the Bulls coach came into the game planning to give Mokoka a chance at the tall task of defending Doncic. Credit the rookie two-way player for not being intimated by Doncic, and after the game Mokoka said he had not payed much attention to the hype surrounding the MVP candidate.
“We’d been searching for another frontline defender since Kris Dunn went out,” Boylen said. “Shaq did a hell of a job on him for some stretches and then Mokoka’s big and he’s strong and he takes the challenge. He’s learning.”
3. The Bulls were without Zach LaVine.
The Bulls played for the first time this season without their leading score, so how did they manage to pick up the slack without Zach LaVine, who was sidelined with a Grade 1 strain in his left quadriceps? With a combination of players picking up the slack.
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Denzel Valentine made the most of his first start of the season in LaVine’s place, dropping 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter. Rookie Coby White continued his recent hot streak with a team-high 19 points off the bench. And Otto Porter Jr. rounded it out with his strong performance, giving the Bulls multiple scoring threats, something they have lacked badly all season.
“We got a really good, talented team that kind of doesn’t get seen,” Valentine said. “A lot of these opportunities that people are getting, we’re taking advantage of them.”
Valentine is perhaps the poster child for a Bulls player who has struggled to receive his opportunity at times this season, spending the first half of the year trying to crack Jim Boylen’s rotation. But when he steps on the floor he has shown that he belongs.
For a team tha’s scuffled offensively for most of this season, Valentine is one of the Bulls’ biggest threats from beyond the arc and one capable of sparking the offense off the bench. His opportunities have been few and far between, but when given a chance to start, Valentine continues to flourish.
“I kind of lean on my faith, lean on my camp and keep putting in that hard work,” he said. “Sometimes your time isn’t now. But it’s going to come if you continue to be a good teammate and keeping putting in work.”
Here’s more coverage from Monday’s game
Otto Porter Jr. was the first Bulls player back on the court after halftime, a ball tucked under his arm and a wide smile on his face as he bounced toward the free-throw line to start shooting.
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The joy on his face was apparent throughout the game, Porter’s first since Nov. 6, when he suffered what was initially thought to be a sprained left foot before the Bulls discovered it was fractured.
Porter turned and played to the crowd Monday night after knocking down open jumpers. He remained on the floor with his legs spread in the air and began to laugh after getting fouled and knocked down during an eventual four-point play in the third quarter.
The injury cost Porter 51 games, and his return Monday night provided a glimpse of the offensive spark the Bulls have been missing. Porter scored 18 points in 17 minutes off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting (3 of 5 from 3-point range) in a productive return to help the Bulls to a 109-107 upset of the Mavericks on Monday night at the United Center.
“Back in the groove a little bit, back on the court, it’s been a long time,” Porter said. “My emotions, my energy was very high as I was just very excited to play.
“It’s like giving candy to a baby, you’re going to be happy. So I’m definitely happy to get back out and play basketball, get back out there with my teammates, coaches and just get the ‘W.’ ”
His contributions — along with those of Denzel Valentine, who scored a season-high 17 points in his first start of the year, and rookie Coby White, who had a team-high 19 points — led the Bulls to an unlikely victory despite playing without leading scorer Zach LaVine.
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It was the Bulls’ second victory this season over a team with a winning record.
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The Bulls wanted to ease Porter back into action, so coach Jim Boylen decided to use him off the bench instead of inserting him directly back into the starting lineup. Quickly after Porter checked in for his first stint with 4:02 left in the first quarter, he began to ignite the Bulls offense.
Porter scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the first half. He knocked down midrange jump shots coming off screens, drained an open shot from beyond the arc and looked comfortable in the offense despite missing almost four months.
“I was having fun out there. It felt good,” Porter said. “There was nothing out there that I was, like, rusty or something like that. I was out there just playing, just trying to get my rhythm back and going from there.”
Because the Bulls were trying to restrict Porter’s minutes, he was not on the court for the closing moments as the Mavericks made a late rally that made the final margin a little close for comfort. Porter’s 18 points in 17 minutes were the most he has scored in his career while playing less than 20 minutes.
When Porter initially suffered the injury, neither he nor the Bulls could have anticipated he would miss so much time. Monday marked only his 10th game of the season and 25th with the Bulls since they acquired him at the trade deadline last season.
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The Bulls entered with the fourth-worst offense in the NBA and have lacked an offensive identity all season, often relying on LaVine to bail them out of possessions headed nowhere. So Porter’s return to the rotation was a boost they desperately needed and gave them a reason to imagine what could have been had Porter been healthy this season.
“I don’t want to use it as an excuse because the beginning wasn’t ideal even having him on the team,” guard Tomas Satoransky said. “We were still learning a little bit, but he’s just such a huge part for this team. He showed it tonight.”


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Glenbrook SD225 board raises the cost of school bus service to nearly $1K for families with single r

Glenbrook SD225 board raises the cost of school bus service to nearly $1K for families with single rider

At the Feb. 24 meeting , board members voted 5-0 to lessen the impact of that cost increase to parents @ @ @ @ @ $ 212,000 for an across-the-board subsidy that will hold the increase at $ 900 from @ @ @ @ @ otherwise , the new fee could have been $ 1,112 for next year .
The @ @ @ @ @ to siblings who ride the bus , and to families with financial need .

Starting next school year, Glenbrook High School District 225 families will pay $900 for bus service, an increase of $100 because of a new, more expensive tentative contract for transportation that would begin July 1.
The SD225 Board of Education recently accepted a bid from its current bus service company, First Student Inc., that raises the price of busing general education students to and from school by 41.9%, according to district officials. The contact is still being finalized, Assistant Superintendent R.J. Gravel said.
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Currently, the district pays a total of $990,000 to the Cincinatti-based bus company to transport students at Glenbrook North and South high schools. But that would jump to over $1.4 million — a difference of more than $415,000 — with the new bid, Gravel said.
The current contract is set to expire June 30 and Gravel told the school board that First Student’s was only bid the district received. Transportation costs rose primarily because of a shortage of bus drivers, and because First Student needed to repair the bus lot, he said.
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First Student’s initial offer raised the cost of service by 69% but Gravel said the district was able to negotiate down to a 41.9% increase. Though the school board approved accepting the bid, officials said a contract has not been finalized.
At the Feb. 24 meeting, board members voted 5-0 to lessen the impact of that cost increase to parents. The district will pay $212,000 for an across-the-board subsidy that will hold the increase at $900 from the current $800 — otherwise, the new fee could have been $1,112 for next year. The district provides additional fee discounts to siblings who ride the bus, and to families with financial need.
However, the increase comes at a time when an affordable alternative to district buses may be ending. Pace, which provides public bus service to Chicago-area suburbs, is planning a number of changes that would impact routes that serve Glenview, Northbrook and Northfield, the Pioneer Press reported. One of the changes is the elimination of route 210, which serves Glenbrook South High School.
Yvonne Wolf, whose son uses the bus to get to GBS, reached out to Pioneer Press to express her concern about the elimination of the bus route and the increased cost of SD225 bus service.
Pace costs Wolf about $30 per month for her son’s transportation back and forth to school, adding up to about $300 per year, she said. If Pace moves forward with the plan to eliminate it, despite facing criticism from local officials and residents, it will “significantly impact working parents who seek alternative transportation for their GBS students,” Wolf wrote in an email.
She said the school district buses are not affordable, and SD225 has a “responsibility" to manage a bus contract financially “within reason” for parents with more than one child in the district.
“I’m aware of the reasons behind the increased cost, but it doesn’t mean that it is an affordable option,” Wolf said in the email. “Many parents agree that they feel the $800 was already very expensive."
At the board meeting, board members asked about alternatives to bus transportation, such as encouraging students to carpool, and about how to reduce the cost in the future.
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Glenbrook High School District 225 Board of Education President Bruce Doughty discussed at the Feb. 24, 2020 board meeting a subsidy to reduce the impact of transportation cost increases to families. (Anna Kim / Pioneer Press)
“If we let this go another three years without instituting an aggressive approach to looking into what makes more sense than being held hostage by one bus company that can service our needs ... in three years, the next board is going to be facing the same question," Joel Taub, board member, said at Monday’s meeting.
Gravel said the district finance committee is currently working with other local districts to come up with a long-term solution. He expects to have an update in May.
akim@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Man, 19, faces attempted murder charges after shooting at two Chicago officers, police say

After police began chasing after him , he fired “ numerous rounds ” at the two officers , Waller said @ @ @ @ @ hit the man twice , once in the shoulder and once in the leg , @ @ @

A 19-year-old who was shot after firing rounds at Chicago police officers Sunday afternoon in Little Village is now facing two charges of attempted murder, according to Chicago police.
Walter Dennard, of Englewood, was arrested about 3:20 p.m. Sunday in the 2100 block of South California Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood on the West Side, police said.
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Police began following him about 3 p.m. near West 21st Street and South Washtenaw Avenue, Chief of Patrol Fred Waller told reporters at the scene Sunday. He had appeared to be carrying a gun because “he was walking in a suspicious manner, holding his side,” Waller said.
After police began chasing after him, he fired “numerous rounds” at the two officers, Waller said. Officers returned fire and hit the man twice, once in the shoulder and once in the leg, police said.
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He continued to run but was soon found near a home in the 2100 block of South California Avenue, Waller said. Officers used first aid kits to stabilize him before an ambulance came.
A weapon was recovered, police said.
No officers were injured in the gunfire, police said.
Dennard was in critical but stable condition at an area hospital following the shooting, Waller said.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Column: It would be great if Marquee could use Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo the way ESPN did during

Column: It would be great if Marquee could use Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo the way ESPN did during Monday’s Cubs-Angels game

“ I know there ’ s an exhibition game going on and guys are fighting for jobs , but I @ @ @ @ @ of this broadcast and I want to go back and watch , ” Sciambi said @ @ @ @ @ unplugged .
“ I want to go back and watch what they said because they @ @ @ @

So now we know Cubs star Kris Bryant’s alias at hotels on the road has been Hamilton Porter, the name of the catcher in the 1993 movie “The Sandlot.”
And rookie Cubs manager David Ross’ alias as a player? Jake Taylor, the aging catcher from 1989’s “Major League.”
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Then there was Anthony Rizzo, while at first base, recounting how he and his dad used to razz just-hired ESPN analyst Chipper Jones when Jones played for the Braves by chanting, “Lar-ry, Lar-ry.”
These were just some of the insights gleaned from ESPN’s sage decision to stick microphones on Bryant and Rizzo and give them earpieces so they could interact live with announcers Boog Sciambi and Jessica Mendoza during a good chunk of Monday’s Angels-Cubs game.
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“The Emmy’s in the mail, fellas,” Sciambi said as he signed off from Sloan Park.
Let’s hope the folks at Marquee Sports Network were taking notes and that Major League Baseball eventually lets them follow ESPN’s all-access lead.
This is how a spring training exhibition should be covered, specifically how a Cubs exhibition should be covered.
The whole “pin the mic on a player” bit, playing taped snippets of what’s said, is now officially passe. Don’t even bother.
Letting wired-in players become a full-fledged part of the telecast in real time?
There’s no point in going back and expecting anyone to be wowed by your access and technology.
If teammates can’t manage it as well as Bryant and Rizzo did Monday, well, the Cubs and Marquee are lucky to have them in the fold.
So long as both are still on the roster, the channel need not use anyone else.
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Frankly, if MLB only would allow Marquee to plug these two into regular-season telecasts with Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies, the new channel launched by the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group wouldn’t have to bring in all the ex-players it has been touting as guest analysts.
MLB, unfortunately, gets uptight about these things once the games count.
ESPN gets ripped for a lot of things, including the way it sometimes seems to treat its “Sunday Night Baseball” games too casually. But, buoyed by Bryzzo, it nailed this.
Not only were Bryant and Rizzo naturals, but ESPN was smart enough not to cut away to commercials when the conversation was going particularly well.
(Again, Marquee, please write this stuff down.)
"I'm doing some math in my head about where he is going to throw. ... Someone bang for me."
—@ARizzo44 went there pic.twitter.com/m4GOqb8NxL — ESPN (@espn) March 2, 2020
“I know there’s an exhibition game going on and guys are fighting for jobs, but I’m in the middle of this broadcast and I want to go back and watch,” Sciambi said an inning after the duo unplugged. “I want to go back and watch what they said because they were hysterical.”
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They chatted from the field, in the on-deck circle, while they batted and as they chilled on the bench. They chimed in on the in-game interview with their old manager, Joe Maddon.
At one point, while Rizzo was at bat, he contributed both analysis and play-by-play.
"Feeling a heater right here because I've only seen one today from him." @ARizzo44 called it. pic.twitter.com/ebcRqr65RN — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 2, 2020
Rizzo explained he was choking up to reduce strikeouts so he could put the ball in play. He took at a shot at the Astros sign-stealing — “Somebody bang for me” — then correctly anticipated “the heater” he singled to right-center.
“I’m going to go (for) two here — no, I’m not,” Rizzo said as he rounded first, then circled back.
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During one of his at-bats, Bryant deadpanned as he headed back to the batter’s box after a long foul ball, “Now I’m tired.”
Bryant also gamely read a promo for MLB.TV that dugout reporter Jesse Rogers handed to him, a role minimized somewhat seeing as how ESPN has two de facto reporters in the dugout able to talk to those around them while shooting the breeze with Sciambi and Mendoza.
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It was during one of those chats the subject of hotel aliases came up, with Bryant realizing he would need a new one now that he shared Ham Porter (and recounted his wife’s unease with hotel operators calling her Mrs. Porter when she’s with him on the road).
Rizzo opted to keep his fake name secret, but they shouted over to Ross, a former ESPN analyst himself, to learn Grandpa Rossy had appropriated Tom Berenger’s sore-kneed cinematic team leader.
“Fellas, cannot thank you enough for this,” play-by-play man Sciambi said as Bryzzo prepared to give back ESPN’s equipment heading into the bottom of the sixth. “You were brilliant today. Thank you.”
Mendoza said they were “awesome, just awesome,” her analysis beyond dispute.
Hamilton Porter would be proud. So would Jake Taylor.


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--3 takeaways from White Sox spring training, including an update on Gio Gonzalez’s left shoulder and

3 takeaways from White Sox spring training, including an update on Gio Gonzalez’s left shoulder and Lucas Giolito’s 1st scheduled start

“ I ’ m toying with both of those ( taking turns leading off ) and see how they settle @ @ @ @ @ Renteria said .
“ ( Moncada ) likes to hit in the two slot and @ @ @ @ @ the two slot .
I ’ m trying to see if I can get them @ @ @ @ @ one or the other and giving them as many opportunities to get at-bats to get @ @ @ @ @ season .
”

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Eloy Jimenez went 2-for-3 in the White Sox’s 3-1 loss Monday to the Padres at Camelback Ranch.
Jimenez singled in the second and doubled in the fourth. He’s 4-for-13 in five games this spring with a home run and three RBIs.
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Here are three takeaways from Monday.
1. Gio Gonzalez is ‘moving forward’ in his recovery from left shoulder soreness.
Gio Gonzalez said he threw about 30 pitches Sunday during a bullpen session. The veteran starter is recovering from left shoulder soreness that popped up a couple of weeks before spring training.
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“It felt good,” Gonzalez said Monday about the session. “Curveball is coming out nice, the changeup is feeling good off the hand. It’s a lot of purpose. It’s just building up to fastball.”
Gonzalez has long toss planned for Tuesday and another bullpen session scheduled for Wednesday.
“It’s moving forward,” he said of his status. “That’s the progress I wanted. You don’t want setbacks, especially now, getting into the meat of it in March. Luckily the training staff and the strength coaches have been on me every day, working on my shoulder.
“There’s a lot of positives within the time I’ve been having off. It gives you a more clear perspective with the stuff you want to work on and get yourself in tune. This is almost a mini-reinvention.”
Gonzales, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Sox in the offseason, said the recovery process isn’t about “getting going” but rather “staying there.”
“I don’t want to get going and then have to take three or four steps back and delay it,” Gonzalez said. “This is good progress; we’re making strides forward instead of backward. Luckily we haven’t had a setback yet, so that’s huge. if I can break out of camp with a couple of innings under my belt, I can get going from there.”
2. The White Sox continue to be flexible at the top of the lineup.
Shortstop Tim Anderson returned to the lineup after missing time recovering from a stomach bug. He had led off in his first three games this spring.
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The Sox went with third baseman Yoan Moncada in the top spot Monday and Anderson second.
“I’m toying with both of those (taking turns leading off) and see how they settle in,” manager Rick Renteria said. “(Moncada) likes to hit in the two slot and Timmy likes to hit in the two slot. I’m trying to see if I can get them both to settle in to one or the other and giving them as many opportunities to get at-bats to get them ready to start the season.”
Moncada went 0-for-2 on Monday, flying out to center in the first, walking in the third and grounding out to second in the fifth. Anderson went 0-for-3. He struck out swinging in the first, grounded out to third in the third and flew out to center in the sixth.
3. Lucas Giolito’s first spring training start is set.
Lucas Giolito threw live batting practice for the first time this spring Sunday, facing Yasmani Grandal and James McCann. The Sox ace is making his way back from a muscle strain in the rib-cage area.
He’ll take another step Friday in preparing for the season with his first scheduled start of spring training. He’s lined up to pitch against the Cubs at 2:05 p.m. in Mesa, Ariz.


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--5 takeaways from Cubs spring training, including Joe Maddon’s view of Kris Bryant as a leadoff man

“ We ’ ve had a lot of great ideas the last two years and a lot of great answers @ @ @ @ @ ’ t played well but not much action on those thoughts , ” Bryant said @ @ @ @ @ talk this season about things we want to do better and actually do those and @ @ @ @ @ than continue to give you guys answers .
”

MESA, Ariz. — Here are five takeaways from Cubs spring training Monday.
1. Joe Maddon is curious about Kris Bryant batting leadoff.
Former Cubs manager Joe Maddon, back in Mesa on Monday with the Angels, batted Kris Bryant in the leadoff spot seven times, all in 2018. He said he looks forward to seeing how Bryant fares there on a permanent basis.
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“We always talked about it,” Maddon said. “It’s interesting, based on his skill set. Just like (Kyle) Schwarber, although less strikeouts at that particular time than what Kyle went through. It’s similar with the high on-base percentage, a chance to put the first pitch in the stands.”
Maddon said analytics staffers say the most predictable pitch in baseball is the first pitch — usually a fastball.
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“Anthony (Rizzo) might be the best leadoff hitter I’ve ever had because he did put the ball in the stands often,” Maddon said.
So why didn’t Maddon bat Bryant leadoff more often?
“I loved him in the two spot,” Maddon said. “He was so productive there. In the beginning, it was Dexter Fowler (batting leadoff in 2015). He nailed it, and then I really thought Kyle was the perfect next guy because of his ability to get on base and hit for power, (but) he struggled.”
Bryant was 9-for-28 (.321) with a .387 on-base percentage in seven games in the leadoff spot in 2018. The Cubs used 10 players there that year and produced a .302 average and .366 on-base percentage — both National League highs. But those numbers dropped to a league-low .212 and .294, respectively, in 2019.
“It’s always best if you have a guy you can put there all the time,” Maddon said. “It’s hard to find that guy. They don’t exist like they did in the past.”
2. Kris Bryant is on board with a kangaroo court.
Kris Bryant likes the idea of players holding themselves accountable with a system that penalizes them for specific mistakes.
“We’ve had a lot of great ideas the last two years and a lot of great answers as to why we haven’t played well but not much action on those thoughts,” Bryant said. “Hopefully we can talk this season about things we want to do better and actually do those and act on them, rather than continue to give you guys answers.”
Manager David Ross played on a Padres team that instituted a kangaroo court for fines. He said it brought a blend of fun and accountability.
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“You can get on a guy, make it fun, hit his wallet a little bit and give the guy a chance to argue on what he might have been thinking,” Ross said. “It creates a lot of fun but also creates a system of communication and leadership and holding guys accountable.
“The kangaroo court can be fun as long as it’s done the right way.”
Ross plans to institute some rules, particularly a selective dress code that will include jumpsuits for some trips.
“The theme is professionalism,” Ross said. “I’m not going to tell them exactly what it looks like, but look professional. If you don’t know what it looks like, ask a veteran. They’ll let you know.”
3. Manuel Rodriguez undergoes an MRI.
Cubs relief prospect Manuel Rodriguez was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of an injury to his right biceps.
“I feel soreness,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not my elbow but my biceps and forearm.”
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Manager David Ross said the team expects to learn results of the exam by Tuesday and described the ailment as biceps soreness.
Rodriguez, 23, left Sunday’s game against the Mariners after throwing a pitch to Kyle Lewis with one out in the sixth inning.
In other pitching news, closer Craig Kimbrel threw a bullpen session Monday and is expected to make his exhibition debut Wednesday against the Reds in Goodyear, Ariz.
4. A spike in velocity surprises Dan Winkler.
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A radar-gun reading of 96 mph Thursday pleasantly surprised Dan Winkler, who is trying to regain his effectiveness and land a spot in the bullpen.
“I’ve never seen that this early,” Winkler said. “The things we’ve done so far in the first weeks of camp between me, Tommy (Hottovy) and Chris Young, just with mechanical and grip changes, have been huge for me, and it’s paying dividends right now.”
Winkler struck out 69 in 60⅓ innings in 2018 with the Braves but struggled in the first half of 2019 and was traded to the Giants. He spent the end of the season at Triple-A Sacramento.
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Thanks to videotapes Hottovy sent him this winter, Winkler discovered he wasn’t using his legs enough and was relying on his cut fastball on an estimated 92% of pitches.
“I don’t have a Mariano Rivera cutter,” Winkler said. “So I can’t just keep throwing it all the time.”
5. The Cubs signed the remaining players on the 40-man roster.
The Cubs agreed to terms with 19 players with zero to three years of service time.
Outfielder Ian Happ will receive $624,000, the most among the 19 players. Backup catcher Victor Caratini will earn $592,000.


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Chicago housewares trade show, expected to draw 60,000 to McCormick Place, canceled over coronavirus

Chicago housewares trade show, expected to draw 60,000 to McCormick Place, canceled over coronavirus concerns

“ For the last several weeks , we have been watching this situation very carefully , with our primary concern @ @ @ @ @ of the home + housewares industry , ” said Derek Miller , housewares association president @ @ @ @ @ “ The IHA Board of Directors made this decision after consulting with industry constituents including @ @ @ @ @ the end , the global nature of our event , combined with the worldwide concern @ @ @ @ @ ongoing travel restrictions make it impossible for us to hold The Inspired Home Show next @ @ @

Abdel Jimenez, Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, Robert Channick

People walk in between the booths at the International Housewares Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on March 9, 2015. The 2020 show has been canceled. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
A March trade show expected to bring 60,000 people to Chicago’s McCormick Place — as well as the city’s hotels and restaurants — has been canceled amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The International Housewares Association on Monday announced the decision to cancel the annual trade-only event, The Inspired Home Show, which was scheduled for March 14-17 and was expected to attract 2,200 exhibitors from 45 countries. The show was expected to bring $77 million in spending to Chicago, including on hotels, restaurants, transportation and entertainment, said association spokesman Leana Salamah.
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It is the first major trade show in Chicago to be canceled as reports of coronavirus cases spread around the U.S. Virus concerns also have canceled industry events in Denver and Houston, as large companies opt out of even domestic events.
It was estimated the Inspired Home Show was responsible for 47,155 hotel room nights that would have been used during the show, McCormick Place spokeswoman Cynthia McCafferty said.
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Several other groups are monitoring the outbreak, but none have announced cancellations for upcoming events scheduled at McCormick Place. Colorado Springs-based USA Volleyball said it plans to host the Adidas Windy City National Qualifier from April 10-12, which is expected to attract 63,000 people.
“In analyzing all of the data, USA Volleyball has determined that it would be premature to cancel our tournaments at this time as the risk is still very low in the United States,” USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis said in a statement.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo, expected to bring 16,750 attendees to Chicago in May, is following guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Last month, the expo announced Chinese companies would not attend the event.
McCormick Place is stepping up its cleaning and safety standards through public spaces, McCafferty said.
[ Canceled International Housewares Association show puts a dent in revenue for charities ]
Natural Products Expo West, a food show set to start this week in Anaheim, Calif., announced Tuesday that it would be postponed, with a new date announced by mid-April, after dozens of companies including Kraft Heinz, which is co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh, pulled out. The event was expecting to draw 86,000 people and 3,600 exhibitors.
“It is now clear, despite continued advice from local government and health authorities that the City of Anaheim remains open, that the majority of our Community want the show, but they do not want it now,” organizer New Hope Network said in a posting on its website.
Some 600 exhibitors had dropped out of The Inspired Home Show over health concerns, according to the housewares association. The show will not be rescheduled.
“For the last several weeks, we have been watching this situation very carefully, with our primary concern being the safety and well-being of the home + housewares industry,” said Derek Miller, housewares association president, in a statement. “The IHA Board of Directors made this decision after consulting with industry constituents including exhibitors and retailers. In the end, the global nature of our event, combined with the worldwide concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak and ongoing travel restrictions make it impossible for us to hold The Inspired Home Show next week.”
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 70 Men take part in a Friday prayer on May 15, 2020 at the Tahara mosque in Marseille southern France, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as France eases lockdown measures. (Clement Mahoudeau/Getty-AFP)
The Rosemont-based association spent the last month planning precautionary measures like offering pocket-sized bottles of hand sanitizer to attendees and warning those coming from China they may be denied entry into the U.S. The trade group said it will determine the financial impact on the industry and the association. The group will provide more information about refunds to exhibitors at a later time, spokeswoman Debbie Teschke said.
Last month, the Inspired Home show scrapped one of its five expos because of travel limitations tied to the viral outbreak, known as COVID-19. After consulting with Chinese organizers and exhibitors, the association decided not to include an International Sourcing Expo, where Chinese companies showcase various products like dishes, flatware and other household products.
PittCon, an annual convention for laboratory sciences, is being held at McCormick Place this week through Thursday. Attendance at the event is lower due to coronavirus travel restrictions from certain countries, said Rocco Pacella, head of marketing for PittCon. Nearly a fifth of participants travel from abroad, with the biggest international contingent from China.
Organizers had long conversations about whether to move forward with the conference for fear it would be disrespectful to those who couldn’t attend, but “we found they were completely fine with it,” Pacella said. Chinese lecturers who were scheduled to present at the conference have given permission to U.S. colleagues to deliver their presentations for them.
Still, program attendance has dipped and the absence of key lecturers is disappointing to those who rely on the event to exchange ideas, Pacella said.
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“To not have them here is certainly affecting us in more ways than just attendance numbers,” Pacella said. The convention usually draws 10,000 to 12,000 people, he said. Organizers are still determining turnout for this year.
Chicago was counting on a big convention year to boost tourism. There are 38 citywide conventions scheduled this year and expected to draw nearly 1.26 million attendees, a projected 10% increase over last year, according to David Whitaker, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism arm.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of questions about coronavirus,” Whitaker said Monday before the home show cancellation.
Nine major conventions are scheduled in the next 90 days, representing about 180,000 attendees, Whitaker said. The loss of the Inspired Home Show reduces that total by nearly a third. Choose Chicago estimated the economic impact of those shows at $460 million, including the cancelled home show.
Anywhere from 2% to 15% of those attending the next nine conventions are coming from outside the U.S., adding a degree of “uncertainty,” Whitaker said.
Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels said Monday it had withdrawn its 2020 financial outlook and earnings as temporary travel restrictions implemented by countries and companies affect the hotel chain.
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In recent years, several major conventions have been on a biennial cycle, making even years stronger than odd. Most notable is the International Manufacturing Technology Show, the city’s largest trade show, which in 2018 brought more than 129,000 attendees to Chicago. This year’s show is scheduled for September.
“Any group that is heavily dependent on international travel may be vulnerable,” Whitaker said. “We’re just going to have to continue to monitor it.”


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Charles Freeman, first African American justice on Illinois Supreme Court, dies at 86

Freeman was elected an appellate judge in 1986 and then was elected a state Supreme Court justice in 1990 .
@ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s chief justice in May 1997when Heiple resigned after being censured by @ @ @ @ @ from being one of Heiple ’ s allies on the court to being one of @ @ @ @ @ Heiple came under investigation for misconduct .

Charles E. Freeman capped a long career of public service in Illinois by becoming the first African American to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court.
“Justice Freeman was … a trailblazer,” Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said in a statement. “He was the first African American to become a member of the court and the first African American chief justice, positions he held with dignity and integrity.”
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Freeman, 86, died Monday , according to a statement from the state Supreme Court. He was a Chicago resident.
Born in December 1933 in Richmond, Virginia, Freeman was a descendant of enslaved people freed by Quakers before the Civil War. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Union University in 1954 and then a law degree from the Chicago’s John Marshall Law School in 1962.
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Freeman worked in private legal practice in Chicago from 1962 until 1976, sharing his law office with future Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. While in private practice, Freeman began working as an arbitrator for the Illinois Industrial Commission in 1965. Then-Gov. Dan Walker appointed Freeman to serve on the Illinois Commerce Commission in 1973.
In 1976, Freeman won election to the Cook County Circuit Court and was assigned to hear cases in the Law Division. He was a county judge for 10 years, and he became the first African American judge to swear in a Chicago mayor when he administered the oath of office in 1983 to Washington, a longtime friend.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Charles Freeman, in 2006. (Heather Stone / Chicago Tribune)
Freeman was elected an appellate judge in 1986 and then was elected a state Supreme Court justice in 1990. He succeeded James Heiple as the state’s chief justice in May 1997when Heiple resigned after being censured by fellow justices. Freeman went from being one of Heiple’s allies on the court to being one of his most vocal critics after Heiple came under investigation for misconduct.
As chief justice, Freeman reorganized the rotation of appellate judges in the First Judicial District, which previously had permitted Cook County’s appellate judges to sit on the same panels for their entire careers. He also established a judicial website, oversaw the improved efficiency of the Family Violence Prevention program, improved an educational program for judges statewide and pushed for the creation of a special committee to study the death penalty and suggest reforms.
Though quiet and unassuming, Freeman was effective at managing the inherent political divide found on the state Supreme Court. In 1994, he wrote the court’s majority opinion reversing the conviction of Rolando Cruz, who had been convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of DuPage County.
In his opinion, Freeman wrote that the jury had heard some improper evidence and also had not been allowed to hear other evidence about another man, Brian Dugan, that could have bolstered Cruz’s defense. Dugan later admitted to the murder and was sentenced to death, although his sentence later was commuted to life in prison after Illinois abolished capital punishment in 2011.
Freeman remained on the bench after stepping down as chief justice and continued to author opinions.
“He always came well-prepared for the oral arguments and the conferences,” said former Illinois state Supreme Court Justice S. Louis Rathje, who served alongside Freeman from 1999 until 2000.
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Freeman retired from the state Supreme Court in 2018.
Outside work, Freeman had been an active member of the Jackson Park Yacht Cluband also enjoyed photography and collecting cameo glass and soapstone.
Freeman’s wife, Marylee, died in 2013. He is survived by his son, Kevin; two grandchildren; and a brother, James.
Services are pending.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Joe Maddon’s only regret during his 5 seasons with the Cubs wasn’t baseball-related: ‘I would have p

Joe Maddon’s only regret during his 5 seasons with the Cubs wasn’t baseball-related: ‘I would have put Maddon’s Post downtown’

“ I would have put Maddon ’ s Post downtown , ” Maddon said Monday , when he returned to @ @ @ @ @ , about his restaurant adjacent to Wrigley Field .
`` That ’ s my biggest @ @ @ @ @ to put it where we did .

MESA, Ariz. — Joe Maddon was criticized by some Cubs fans for his multiple lineups and got barbecued for some of his moves in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
But Maddon, the only Cubs manager to win a World Series title since 1908, had only one regret during his five seasons in Chicago. And it was unrelated to baseball.
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“I would have put Maddon’s Post downtown,” Maddon said Monday, when he returned to Sloan Park as Angels manager, about his restaurant adjacent to Wrigley Field. "That’s my biggest regret, that we chose to put it where we did.
“That restaurant, in the proper setting, would have killed it there. And we’d still be killing it.”
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Maddon’s Post opened in mid-May at the corner of Clark Street and Waveland Avenue. The Cubs severed ties with Maddon after the 2019 season, and Tony Montuano, Maddon’s business partner and former chef and founder of Spiaggia, decided in December to move to Italy.
Maddon’s Post, which featured Polish and Italian dishes, closed at the end of December.
Maddon said the location had much to do with the sudden closing.
“We were warned about (the location), but we screwed up,” Maddon said. “Everyone thinks they’re going to be different.”


chicagotribune--2020-03-02--Photos: The best cosplay from C2E2 in Chicago

The eight-bedroom , Middle Eastern-influenced Burr Ridge mansion once known as `` Villa Taj '' was relisted this week for @ @ @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-03-03--Jury finds Chicago police sergeant was unjustified in shooting fleeing suspect in 2016, awards famil

Jury finds Chicago police sergeant was unjustified in shooting fleeing suspect in 2016, awards family $1 million

Two reports issued by different firearms experts — one hired by attorneys for Raye ’ s family and the other @ @ @ @ @ — came to the same conclusion : A bullet that struck Raye went through his @ @ @ @ @ and damaged the gun as it rested in the front pocket of the coat .

Police work the scene where Kajuan Raye was fatally shot by Chicago police Sgt. John Poulos in November 2016. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
A federal jury on Tuesday found that a Chicago police sergeant was unjustified in fatally shooting a 19-year-old man during a South Side foot chase in 2016, awarding the man’s family more than $1 million in damages.
After a weeklong trial and more than 12 hours of deliberations that began Friday, the jury found that Sgt. John Poulos committed a battery when he shot Kajuan Raye as they ran through an alley in the West Englewood neighborhood.
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The same jury, however, ruled that Poulos, who had claimed Raye pointed a gun at him during the chase, did not use excessive force.
As part of its split verdict, the panel awarded $1 million to Raye’s mother, Karonisha Ramsey, as well as $25,000 in compensatory damages and $11,586 to cover the costs of her son’s funeral.
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Seated at the plaintiff’s table, Ramsey let out an audible sigh and wiped away tears as the verdict was read. Across the courtroom, Poulos had no discernible reaction.
Ramsey’s lead attorney, Michael Oppenheimer, said after court that although the jury found in favor of Poulos on excessive force, the verdict was a clear message that Poulos’ version of events didn’t add up.
Kajuan Raye (Family photo)
“It doesn’t bring Kajuan back. They feel his loss every day,” Oppenheimer said. “But they are happy that the jury saw this for what it was, which is an unjustified shooting.”
Poulos and his attorneys declined to comment as they left Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. A spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department said they were assessing what to do next.
[ Ex-city investigator meddled in police shooting case in hopes of profiting, city watchdog says ]
Poulos fatally shot Raye on Nov. 23, 2016, after the African American teen ran from a street stop.
Poulos told investigators with the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability he opened fire on Raye after the teen twice pointed a gun at him.
But immediately after Raye was fatally wounded, responding police found no gun near him or along the approximately two-block route of the chase.
Then nearly three months later, a resident raking leaves outside his home, which was located along the circuitous path taken by Raye, found a silver and black semi-automatic handgun under his bushes.
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This discovery helped COPA clear Poulos of wrongdoing. It was a decision that hinged largely on broken handgun parts found in the front pocket of Raye’s jacket, parts that appeared to have been missing from the silver and black gun that was recovered.
Two reports issued by different firearms experts — one hired by attorneys for Raye’s family and the other by Poulos’ legal team — came to the same conclusion: A bullet that struck Raye went through his back, exited his chest and damaged the gun as it rested in the front pocket of the coat.
Based on the experts’ findings, lawyers for Raye’s family conceded at trial that he was armed. But the lawyers also argued that Poulos lied to COPA about the teen pointing the gun at him since the weapon was likely in his pocket when he was shot.
“He shot Kajuan Raye on a hunch, and then he lied to cover it up,” Oppenheimer said in his closing argument Friday.
Prior to the trial, those lawyers were not only asking a federal judge to decide the case in their favor, but they asked COPA to reopen its investigation.
“Both parties’ experts confirm Poulos’ account is not scientifically possible in light of the physical evidence, and COPA would have reached the same conclusion armed with more accurate information about the recovered firearm,” Jared Kosoglad, one of the lawyers for the Raye family, wrote in a letter to COPA.
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The verdict Tuesday was the latest mark in Poulos’ troubled career with the Chicago Police Department — much of which was barred from mention during the trial to avoid prejudicing the jury.
Raye was the second African American man in three years to be shot by Poulos, who is white. In 2013, Poulos was off-duty when he shot and killed Rickey Rozelle, a 28-year-old burglary suspect who was unarmed during the encounter.
Weeks after the Raye shooting, the Tribune reported that Poulos could have been fired in the 2000s, but that disciplinary case fell through the cracks for reasons the Chicago Police Department was unable to explain.
In 2007, CPD’s internal affairs division found that Poulos violated department rules by being a part owner of a bar and lying on his job application to become a cop when he concealed that he had once been arrested. Poulos faced a penalty as severe as firing, but IAD’s investigation for some reason was never officially closed.
During COPA’s probe of the Raye shooting, CPD filed department charges against Poulos in connection with the disciplinary case from the 2000s.
Facing firing on those before the Chicago Police Board, the board eventually dismissed the case, citing CPD’s yearslong delay in charging Poulos.
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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-03--Demolition of AJ Freund home in Crystal Lake scheduled to begin Wednesday morning

“ I ’ m thrilled it ’ s coming down , ” said Janelle Butler , who lives across the @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t want to watch it come down .
It just bothers me for @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t think I ’ m the only one .
I think there are @ @ @ @ @ that , but I ’ m really glad .
It ’ s time to move @ @ @

Crews begin the process, March 4, 2020, to tear down the home where 5-year-old AJ Freund was killed by his parents Andrew Freund and JoAnn Cunningham.. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The white, two-story house with green shutters in Crystal Lake where, authorities say, 5-year-old AJ Freund was killed by his parents less than a year ago was demolished Wednesday morning.
As dozens watched, demolition equipment took the first chunk out of the dilapidated house at 94 Dole Ave. about 7:45 a.m. About an hour later, the structure was in shambles. Odors from what appeared to be musty wood and mold filled the freezing air.
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At one point as the house was being taken down, the blue walls of AJ’s bedroom were visible. Other items from life inside the home were also visible: a laundry basket, mattress, clothing.
Green Demolition Contractors of Chicago provided its services virtually for free along with other companies needed to complete the work. The city opted to pay the company just $10 to ensure a legal, binding contract.
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Three and a half hours after demolition began and the house was leveled, debris was being dropped into dumpster trucks. The hole where the house stood was being filled in.
The house, which has been foreclosed on and sold at auction, had more than $100,000 in violation codes, according to city officials. It is unknown what the site will be used for.
As the huge metal claw of an excavator nearly drowned out her voice, neighbor Amy Paulus described the demolition as “closure.”
“It’s sad that this had to happen,” said Paulus, who lives behind the lot where AJ’s home stood. “Hopefully people in our neighborhood will be able to move on from a horrific situation.”
She said if she could talk to AJ, she would tell him, “Bless you. ... Hopefully you are at peace and know that many people love you.”
Authorities said AJ was fatally beaten in the home in April 2019.
Police agencies from across the state and community members searched for the child for about a week after his father, Andrew Freund, called 911 to report him missing the morning of April 18. Freund eventually led authorities to the child’s body, which was wrapped in plastic and buried in a shallow grave in a field near Woodstock.
AJ Freund was the subject of many child welfare calls over his short life, and police were called to the Dole Avenue home several times. In one report, police described the home as "cluttered, dirty and in disrepair.”
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Andrew Freund, 61, and the boy’s mom, JoAnn Cunningham, 37, were each charged with murder and other crimes related to the child’s death.
In December, Cunningham pleaded guilty to murder. A sentencing hearing is set for April 30. Andrew Freund recently waived a jury trial and opted to have his case heard by a judge. A trial date has not been set.
Both remain in the McHenry County Jail.
Brandon Chaples, of McHenry, looked on Wednesday as the house was being torn down. He said he came to see the demolition because he wanted to pay his respects to AJ, whose story he followed in the news.
“Crystal Lake will be able to sleep now,” Chaples said.
Dawn Fortin, of Lake in the Hills, said she wanted to be present to “watch the final stage” of a story of a boy she did not know.
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The house being gone will help people heal, Fortin said.
“They don’t have to look out and see the house and be reminded of what happened,” she said.
Janelle Butler looked out the window from her home across the street during the deconstruction. She said the house being gone is “the beginning of a fresh start.”
“It makes me feel good it’s not going to (be there and) be a daily reminder of something so horrific,” Butler said. “This has affected the neighborhood so bad.”
Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-03-03--Suspected coronavirus case being treated at University of Chicago Medical Center as four other cases

Suspected coronavirus case being treated at University of Chicago Medical Center as four other cases reported in Illinois

On Monday , the third and fourth cases in Illinois were reported : A husband and wife in their 70s @ @ @ @ @ , but the results still needed to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control @ @ @ @ @ was being treated at Northwest Community Hospital and his wife was under quarantine at home @ @ @ @ @ other cases in Illinois have been confirmed by the CDC .

Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Lisa Schencker

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
A patient being treated at the University of Chicago Medical Center for a suspected coronavirus case has tested negative for the virus, hospital officials said Tuesday night. That leaves a total of four reported COVID-19 cases in Illinois.
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On Monday, the third and fourth cases in Illinois were reported: A husband and wife in their 70s both tested positive for coronavirus, but the results still needed to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The man was being treated at Northwest Community Hospital and his wife was under quarantine at home, officials said. Two other cases in Illinois have been confirmed by the CDC.
University of Chicago Medical Center spokeswoman Lorna Wong said the hospital has been “preparing for this eventuality” since coronavirus first became a global public health threat in January.
“Senior hospital leadership and leaders from our infectious diseases and infection prevention teams, along with other expert clinicians, are working closely with local, state and federal health officials and continue to apply up to date recommended guidelines,” she said in an emailed statement.
[ Got thoughts, questions or concerns about the coronavirus? Share them here. ]
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 13 There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to the CDC, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. (Brenda Clarke/Dreamstime/TNS)
On Monday, Arlington Heights School District 25 said two staffers and two students would be staying home as a result of possible exposure to a person who is related to a hospital worker who encountered a patient with coronavirus.
At least 15 states have reported cases of coronavirus. At least nine people have died from the disease in Washington state, officials announced Tuesday. Several of the cases, and deaths, in Washington state have been among patients at a nursing facility.
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[ Field Museum, Art Institute enact COVID-19 travel bans for staff ]
The disease has hit at least 70 countries, with 90,000 cases and 3,100 deaths. The vast majority of cases and deaths have been in China. While the number of new cases recorded daily in that epicenter country has declined for weeks, the virus continues to spread fast in South Korea, Iran and Italy, prompting increased travel warnings and restrictions.
Most cases of COVID-19 seem to be mild, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, during a call with reporters Tuesday. A report out of China suggests that serious illness occurs in about 16% of cases, though people who are older and have underlying health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are about twice as likely to develop serious cases as younger, healthier people, she said.
As of Monday evening, there were more than 100 cases of coronavirus in the U.S., including those who tested positive by their local health departments and those whose positive results have been confirmed by the CDC.
Of those cases, 22 were travel-related, 11 were spread person-to-person and the causes of 27 others were still under investigation. An additional 48 cases were among repatriated Americans, such as from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
As of Monday, 102 people in Illinois had been tested for the virus. The state health department said Tuesday it was watching a total of about 250 people for symptoms, including some of those who’ve already been tested.
The state has a hotline people can call with questions or to report suspected cases, 800-889-3931. They can call the Office of Consumer Health Insurance at 877-527-9431 about their insurance coverage.
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Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews
[ Surfaces? Sneezes? Sex? Here’s how the coronavirus can and cannot spread. ]


chicagotribune--2020-03-03--Lauri Markkanen is hopeful to return to the Bulls on Wednesday, but Zach LaVine will miss his 2nd st

Lauri Markkanen is hopeful to return to the Bulls on Wednesday, but Zach LaVine will miss his 2nd straight game

“ Physically , I feel ready to go , ” he said .
“ From what we did , I @ @ @ @ @ of it .
It sucks to sit out , so you ’ re always excited @ @ @ @ @ on the court , knowing you can help the team .
Sitting on the sideline @ @ @ @ @ ’ re really anxious to get playing .
”

The Bulls appear likely to get a key player back for the third straight game after forward Lauri Markkanen said he feels physically ready to return Wednesday against the Timberwolves.
Markkanen has been sidelined since Jan. 24 with a stress reaction in his right pelvis, but he practiced on back-to-back days: first with the G League Windy City Bulls on Monday and then with the Bulls on Tuesday before they departed to Minnesota.
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As long as he comes out of those practices without issue, coach Jim Boylen confirmed Markkanen will return to the lineup after missing the last 15 games.
Markkanen’s return would be especially welcome considering leading scorer Zach LaVine has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game as he continues to recover from a Grade 1 strain in his left quadriceps.
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It will be LaVine’s second straight game on the sideline, and he estimated he will miss about a week — a cruel irony for a player who played in the first 60 games while trying to keep the Bulls afloat as the injuries piled up.
“I was just upset that everybody’s coming back and then, you know, I’m exiting stage left,” LaVine said at practice Tuesday. “It’s a little weird. It’s just the way our season’s been going, though.”
LaVine initially believed he could play through his injury, as he did Saturday night against the Knicks, before an MRI showed he has a minor strain. Rather than risk further injury, he and the Bulls decided it was best to proceed with caution, even though LaVine had a goal to play in all 82 games.
“I know mine isn’t a lengthy injury like they had, so I’ll be back out there soon,” he said. “And this might give them a good opportunity to try to get that rhythm back. Then I’ll step right back in to try to help out as well.”
Injuries have once again become a dominant storyline of this Bulls season, but they are finally beginning to get healthy again after weeks of piecing together rotations with whatever healthy bodies they could find.
Wendell Carter Jr. still is getting back into the swing of things after returning Saturday night against the Knicks. Otto Porter Jr. scored 18 points in 17 minutes in his first game back Monday night against the Mavericks.
Both are expected to receive more playing time against the Timberwolves, said Boylen, who also might have Markkanen available, albeit on a minutes restriction.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 141 Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen makes a 3-pointer over Nets forward Jeff Green during the first quarter May 11, 2021, at the United Center. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Perhaps no Bulls player has more left to prove this season than Markkanen after an uneven first 46 games. Before the injury, he was averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds and shooting 42.4% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range — all the lowest marks of his career.
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The Bulls were counting on a step forward from Markkanen in his third season and instead have questions about whether one of the main members of their core has regressed.
It’s unclear how much Markkanen’s injury limited him on the court or for how long. He also played through a nagging ankle injury for weeks that had a chance to heal during the time off.
“Physically, I feel ready to go,” he said. “From what we did, I was able to do all of it. It sucks to sit out, so you’re always excited to come back and get on the court, knowing you can help the team. Sitting on the sideline for five weeks, you’re really anxious to get playing.”
It could be one of the healthiest rotations in months with Markkanen, Porter and Carter back together for the first time since early November.
Those three and LaVine have played in only nine games together since the Bulls acquired Porter last February, derailing their plans of playoff contention this season.
One player the Bulls can officially rule out is guard Kris Dunn, who Boylen said is out for the rest of the season with a sprained MCL in his right knee. Dunn still is walking on crutches.
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The Bulls had circled this final stretch of the season as an evaluation period before they head into a critical offseason. With 21 games remaining, they’re finally inching closer to having their best players on the floor to evaluate.


chicagotribune--2020-03-03--Ben Zobrist will be at Cubs spring training all week, ‘just taking it in,’ as David Ross embraces ha

Ben Zobrist will be at Cubs spring training all week, ‘just taking it in,’ as David Ross embraces having ‘family’ around

Zobrist left the Cubs last May to tend to his family while going through divorce proceedings with his wife , @ @ @ @ @ in September for one last hurrah .
He hit .284 with a .377 on-base percentage @ @ @ @ @ games but couldn ’ t help the Cubs avoid their end-of-season collapse .

Ben Zobrist celebrates after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Pirates at Wrigley Field on Sept. 14, 2019. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ben Zobrist hasn’t officially retired, so his pop-in at Cubs camp Tuesday was greeted with the raised-eyebrow emoji by curious media types.
Was Zobrist making another comeback or just starting his post-playing career as a motivational speaker?
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The answer, it turns out, was neither.
“No, he’s here just observing,” manager David Ross said. “He’s just taking it in, being around family. Nice to have a World Series MVP floating around. Never hurts anybody.”
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Ross said Zobrist will be in camp all week, just as John Lackey was last week, to be around the players and give them any advice he feels like dispensing.
Zobrist wasn’t in uniform Tuesday but will be dressed and ready to go Wednesday morning.
“Really good to see him,” third baseman Kris Bryant said. “He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever played with. He’s so positive and open and welcoming and just a family man. It’s really cool I got a chance to play with him for (four) years.
“The guy had an unbelievable career, too, and a professional at-bat every time. Seeing him now, as relaxed as he is, makes me very happy.”
Zobrist left the Cubs last May to tend to his family while going through divorce proceedings with his wife, Julianna, only to return in September for one last hurrah. He hit .284 with a .377 on-base percentage and seven RBIs in 21 games but couldn’t help the Cubs avoid their end-of-season collapse.
Zobrist was unavailable to meet with the media Tuesday.
While he never said 2019 would be the final season of a 14-year-career, most felt it was the end of the line.
“I know if he still wanted to play, he could play,” Ross said.
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Ross joked he would “give (Zobrist) a uniform and put him in the lineup if they let me.”
But he reiterated that won’t happen after realizing his facetious remarks could be misconstrued.
Zobrist, the only World Series MVP in Cubs history (the award wasn’t presented until 1955), will go down as one of the more popular players in recent memory.
“We love to have him here,” Bryant said. “He definitely can teach us a lot about the game too. I don’t know what he’s doing here. I don’t know if he’s trying out or what.”
Bryant also was joking.
“Maybe he’s trying out,” he continued. “He can still play, 100%. He’s been doing it for so long. I don’t know his plans, but it’s great to see him.”
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Ross wants every former Cub to feel like a member of an extended family.
“When you get family to come around, it’s kind of nice,” he said. “It’s like Lack and these guys that have been around. (Zobrist has) been a part of winning back-to-back world championships on his resume (also with the 2015 Royals).
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“What he’s done with Joe Maddon, how he changed the game moving guys around (to different positions). He’s done some pretty special things in this game, so having him here is really amazing. He’s put a smile on my face, and he gave me some nice feedback after the meeting today.”
So after Lackey and Zobrist, who’s next from the 2016 Cubs? Miguel Montero lives in Scottsdale and always has something interesting to say.
What about Miggy?
“Whoever wants to call my phone is welcome,” Ross replied. “It’s family. When you get the head spot, you get to make these calls.
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“If not for the players, for me at least, I get somebody to hang out with in my downtime, and I don’t have to talk to you guys.”
Ross said Travis Wood is a possibility, adding “we’re going to make him wear a shirt” in camp. Wood had a reputation for partying shirtless in 2016.
“But he’s not allowed to have a beer in his hand,” Ross added.


chicagotribune--2020-03-03--State panel recommends ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich be disbarred for corruption convictions

The four-page decision , which still must be approved by the Illinois Supreme Court , noted that Blagojevich sought to @ @ @ @ @ ” as governor despite his oath of office and that to this day , “ @ @ @ @ @ his conduct was wrongful or expressed any remorse .
”

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, with his wife Patti at his side, speaks to supporters and the media in front of their Ravenswood Manor home on Feb. 19, 2020. (Jose Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
In a swift decision, a state panel on Tuesday recommended former Gov. Rod Blagojevich should be disbarred for his conviction in an array of brazen corruption schemes when he was in office.
The ruling by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission came just one week after the three-member panel heard evidence of Blagojevich’s worst hits as governor, including his convictions for attempting to sell a U.S. Senate seat, shaking down the CEO of a children’s hospital for campaign cash and lying to the FBI.
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The four-page decision, which still must be approved by the Illinois Supreme Court, noted that Blagojevich sought to “further his own interests” as governor despite his oath of office and that to this day, “he has not acknowledged that his conduct was wrongful or expressed any remorse.”
“His failure to appear for his disciplinary hearing demonstrates a lack of respect for the disciplinary process and the legal profession,” the ruling stated. Blagojevich does have an opportunity to appeal the decision.
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In a statement after the ruling was issued, Blagojevich noted he hasn’t practiced law since 1995.
“Imagine yourself sitting on a plane and then the pilot announces before takeoff that he hasn’t flown in 25 years,” Blagojevich said. "Wouldn’t you want to get off that plane? I don’t want to hurt anybody.”
Blagojevich’s likely disbarment has been nearly a decade in the making and comes just weeks after President Donald Trump commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence, springing him from prison more than four years early.
[ Rod Blagojevich saga timeline: From arrest to Trump's commutation ]
The ARDC’s formal complaint, filed last August, was delayed for years because, by Illinois law, regulators have to wait until all appellate options are over before moving to permanently revoke a lawyer’s license.
In April 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the former governor’s appeal, marking the end of a decadelong legal road.
[ In his first days home, Blagojevich spun a web of half-truths and — to some — hypocrisy ]
Since the only evidence against Blagojevich are the facts behind his criminal conviction — something he’s not allowed to relitigate before the disciplinary board — the hearing last week was in large part a formality.
Blagojevich’s longtime attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, said the ex-governor was in a “damned if he did, damned if he didn’t” situation in defending his law license, knowing that if he showed up to defend himself he would have been accused of lying all over again.
[ What’s next for Rod Blagojevich? Can he practice law? Run for office? Become a poet? ]
Blagojevich, 63, graduated from law school at Pepperdine University in 1983 and was admitted to the Illinois bar a year later, records show.
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His only legal experience came as a young assistant Cook County state’s attorney years before entering politics.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-03--Laura Caldwell, lawyer, novelist and advocate for the wrongly convicted, dies at 52

She also wrote articles for such publications as the Illinois Bar Journal and began , tentatively , to write fiction @ @ @ @ @ a child , she was the first to admit that she had never had an @ @ @ @ @ But she kept at it for more than seven years , taking a leave of @ @ @ @ @ the faculty of Loyola University ’ s law school in 2001 .
Her first novel @ @ @ @ @ , and “ Burning the Map ” became a New York Times bestseller and gathered @ @ @ @ @ & Noble naming it one on the best books of the year .

Laura Caldwell was the founder of the Life After Innocence program at Loyola. (Kristan Lieb/for the Chicago Tribune)
Every morning before school in northwest suburban Woodstock, Laura Caldwell and her three younger siblings were told by their dad, “Take a big breath. Fill in your lungs with air.” She took those words to heart, making for herself a life that was as full and fruitful as one could wish.
Her hair a fiery red and her passions and energies seemingly without limits or boundaries, Caldwell was a talented trial attorney, revered legal professor, author of 15 books and an ardent advocate for the lives of former prisoners through the Life After Innocence project she founded.
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Caldwell, 52, died Sunday in River Forest, where she had been living in hospice care at the home of her friend, attorney Elizabeth Kaveny. The cause was breast cancer, which she had been battling for some years.
“She told me during these last weeks, when she knew the end was inevitable, that she had no regrets,” said Kaveny. “She said, ‘My life has exceeded my wildest dreams.’
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“Very near the end, her sister Christie and I would talk to her, and we told her that she was one of those rare people who would be leaving the world a better place than she found it.”
The death was jolting to many of her friends and admirers, most believing that she had won her first bout with the disease.
“Laura was pretty straightforward about her illness, so much so that I assumed it was more or less under control,” said her friend, attorney and bestselling author Scott Turow. “Her death is a shock to me, especially since she was such a spirited fighter of the things that deserve to be fought that I took it for granted that she’d hold cancer at bay too.”
Caldwell was born Oct. 24, 1967, in Woodstock, the eldest of the four children of William I. and Margaret Caldwell. The law was in her blood: Her father, grandfather William I. Caldwell Sr., and her uncle Michael T. Caldwell, all practiced law at the family firm Caldwell, Berner & Caldwell, which was in continual practice for more than a century before closing last summer. One of Laura’s proudest moments was when the firm affixed her name in gold stencil to the door, which faced Woodstock’s historic town square.
She attended Marian Central Catholic High School and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Iowa, where she also was a cheerleader for the football team. After earning her law degree from Loyola University Chicago’s School of Law, she practiced in the fields of insurance, medical malpractice and entertainment at a number of Chicago-area firms, eventually making partner.
She also wrote articles for such publications as the Illinois Bar Journal and began, tentatively, to write fiction. A voracious reader as a child, she was the first to admit that she had never had an interest in writing before. But she kept at it for more than seven years, taking a leave of absence from courtrooms to join the faculty of Loyola University’s law school in 2001. Her first novel was published the next year, and “Burning the Map” became a New York Times bestseller and gathered much praise, with Barnes & Noble naming it one on the best books of the year.
It certainly empowered Caldwell, who followed that book with a stream of nearly annual novels with such titles as “The Year of Living Famously,” and “The Night I Got Lucky.” Those and her other books fell neatly under the umbrella of what’s known as “chick lit.”
She then switched gears, releasing a trilogy of mysteries (“Red Hot Lies,” “Red Blooded Murder” and “Red White & Dead”) in 2009, all featuring a Chicago-based attorney/private investigator named Izzy McNeil, who would appear in three subsequent books.
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Many writers were in awe of her productivity.
“Laura was an accomplished novelist, which is incredibly hard and time-consuming,” said bestselling novelist Kevin Guilfoile. “I marveled how she had the time to write novels and dedicate herself completely to the complicated and critically important cause of After Innocence. I could never figure out how she did it all.”
The seeds of Life After Innocence were planted when Caldwell’s friend Cathy O’Daniel, a criminal defense attorney, told her of being cornered by inmates as she tried to make her way out of Cook County Jail.
To O’Daniel’s rescue came Jovan Mosley, a detainee, who gently led her out of harm’s way. O’Daniel, understandably grateful, asked Mosley why he was in jail and was shocked that he had been held without trial for more than five years. He also told her he was innocent of the first-degree murder charge he was facing.
O’Daniel and Caldwell began to fight for Mosley, at first with Caldwell doing research and writing motions. In time she became co-counsel. The case ended in a courtroom in late 2005 with a not-guilty verdict, and only then did Caldwell think there was a book in their story, which also included Caldwell’s being “best man” at Mosley’s wedding.
“Long Way Home: A Young Man Lost in the System and the Two Women Who Found Him” is a remarkable and moving book, published in 2010. In seeing the struggles Mosley faced after his release, Caldwell was inspired to found Life After Innocence in 2009 at Loyola. Its aim was to help the wrongfully convicted mend their lives and reclaim their rights as citizens. The nonprofit runs on private donations and doubles as an experiential clinic at Loyola, with law school students getting course credit for consulting one-on-one with exonerees, pursuing legislation, litigation and fundraising.
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“There were just no services available to the innocent,” Caldwell once told a reporter. “No assistance, no guidance, not even a bus ticket the day he got out of jail. For those ex-offenders who had been convicted and served their time, there are all manner of programs available … halfway houses, counseling, job training. That list is long.”
Maury Possley, a former Tribune reporter and prominent legal affairs journalist, said: “The world inhabited by the wrongfully convicted, whose lives were stolen often for decades, is less bright with the loss of Laura. She gave so much to so many upon their release from prison, guiding them through an often strange and mystifying world that left them behind while they were behind bars. Her devotion to the wrongfully convicted was singular.”
In person Caldwell was stylish, lively and lovely.
“She was a joy to be around,” said Guilfoile. “So funny and so invested in other people and their interests, and so quick with a laugh. I am not alone in my heartbreak.”
Turow adds, “She was brilliant, determined — and always a hell of a lot of fun. Our paths crossed in the legal and mystery worlds. I had sky-high respect for her in both universes, and her commitment to the wrongfully convicted was boundless. They had no more effective advocate.”
Caldwell, who was divorced, most recently lived on the Near North Side, in an apartment filled with books, sunlight and a playful mini goldendoodle named Shafer, an inspiration for her 14th and final novel, “The Dog Park,” published in 2014.
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But wait, in typically prolific Caldwell fashion, there is more.
In 2017, she and Leslie Klinger compiled an anthology, “Anatomy of Innocence,” that paired high-profile mystery and thriller writers, including Chicagoans Sara Paretsky, Michael Harvey and Jamie Freveletti) with recent exonerees and their narratives.
Said Paretsky: “When Laura came into a room you knew you were in a presence: dynamic, vibrant, smart. She leaves an important legacy in her After Innocence work. The book we worked on together served as a fundraiser for the project. She dug deep into the lives of the exonerees with whom her team worked. I wrote the chapter on David Bates’ experience of torture (in Chicago police custody.) It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to listen to, but Laura listened over and over to make sure these people got the support they so very much needed.”
The book is chilling and was highly praised, with bestselling author Michael Connelly writing, “Filled with the triumphs and tragedies of the wrongfully convicted, (this) is an important book. Every story barrels at us and should both challenge and scare us. They are haunting, harrowing and hopeful.”
Caldwell’s cancer returned aggressively late in 2019, and she fought it with experimental drugs. In a cruel twist of fate, in January she lost her father when attorney William “Bill” Caldwell died at 77.
Some years ago, Caldwell was asked by a reporter what, if she were able to go back in time, she might tell her younger self.
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“I would have told her to experience everything possible,” she said. “There’s so much to do and see in this world … and so little time.”
Caldwell is survived by her mother; sisters Kathleen Caldwell Kuhn and Christine Caldwell Smith; and a brother Matthew.
A memorial service is planned for April 4 at Loyola University.
rkogan@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-03--On board the Brown Line, Geoffrey Baer talks about his new special ‘Chicago by 'L"’

“ I thought it was going to take weeks and you can do it in a couple days , ” @ @ @ @ @ to Evanston with his family from Lincoln Square , in part because it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ line .
“ And I was sitting on the train with my yellow legal pad @ @ @ @ @ windows madly scribbling .
A lot of what ’ s in the show really did @ @ @ @ @ things out the window .
As much as I ’ ve been riding the ‘ @ @ @ @ @ , I would see things out the window and would just think , ‘ What @ @ @ @ @

WTTW's Geoffrey Baer, who has a new series called "Chicago By 'L'" rides the Brown Line in the Loop on Feb. 27, 2020, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Geoffrey Baer and I reboard the CTA Brown Line at Fullerton, this time heading south. We’ve already circled the Loop, the structure of train tracks atop great metal girders obscuring downtown streets that manages not to be an eyesore but a sort of urban mascot, a second Chicago flag.
We’ve headed north, and Baer has held forth on the early subsidized housing along the way, the Marshall Field Garden Apartments, and the way the tracks take a quick detour that only makes sense if you know a building used to occupy the space being circumvented.
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Now we’re talking about the three astronomical observatories along the routes and the way they were rendered unusable by the rumbling of the elevated trains.
The couple that has been sitting in the row right beside us gets up to get off at their stop. The man looks at Baer, says, “Love your shows.”
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What he means, of course, is Baer’s long-running series of Chicago travelogues for PBS station WTTW-Ch. 11, where last year he also became the station’s vice president of original content production for television. His shows include more than 20 pledge-period mainstays that find new hooks to explore and explain the lore of the city and its suburbs. He’s done “Chicago River Tour" and “Biking the Boulevards,” which are what they sound like, “Chicago Time Machine,” about the layers of history in Chicago locations, and so many more that, well, people recognize him in the midst of doing publicity for the newest one.
“Thank you, thanks a lot,” Baer tells the couple. “I’m being interviewed by the Tribune.”
“Chicago By ‘L’” premieres Wednesday (7:30 p.m.), and it’s two hours of moseying along the city’s many-colored transit lines, sometimes in vintage Chicago Transit Authority cars, sometimes with the guy who is the voice of the on-car station announcements, sometimes with a camera pointed out the front so you can see just what the Blue Line tunnel looks like. (It’s surprisingly ready for its closeup, more intriguing ancient vault than ratty subterranean tube.)
The trains and their evolution from a series of private rail lines into today’s municipal behemoth are part of the story, of course. But Baer is an urbanist and an architectural docent at heart; he got discovered, more or less, leading river tours for the Chicago Architecture Foundation and he still does fill-in shifts for that organization talking to boatloads of mostly out-of-towners who wouldn’t know Geoffrey Baer from a Chicago Bear.
He says he likes it that way: “I’m just the tour guide, which is infinitely preferable.”
Anyway, because of his love for the city and its buildings, he uses the train lines in large measure as excuses to get off, talk to people, tell neighborhood stories old and new, and, always, spotlight the architecture.
“It’s particularly important to me and to us at WTTW to really be out in every community and not just narrowly focusing on certain communities,” he says during our Brown Line ride, at this point still on the east side of the Loop. “So the ‘L’ is just such a fantastic way to do that because its origins are from an earlier time, and so many of those neighborhoods have completely changed now. But the ‘L’ is still there.
“If you follow the ‘L,’ you can really talk about white flight, disinvestment, racist housing policies. I mean, you see it right out the window. We really want to tell the story: not a gushy valentine like, ‘Isn’t everything in Chicago wonderful?,’ but the real story.”
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To begin the tale, he and director Eddie Griffin around the middle of last year rode every single ‘L’ line, from the Purple Line way up in Wilmette to the gleaming new Red Line station at 95th and State. They rode both South Side spurs of the Green Line, to Englewood and 63rd and Cottage Grove, and they took the odd little two-stop Yellow Line, formerly the Skokie Swift.
“I thought it was going to take weeks and you can do it in a couple days,” says Baer, who moved to Evanston with his family from Lincoln Square, in part because it’s on the ‘L’ line. “And I was sitting on the train with my yellow legal pad, just looking out the windows madly scribbling. A lot of what’s in the show really did draw from me just spotting things out the window. As much as I’ve been riding the ‘L’ my whole life, I would see things out the window and would just think, ‘What’s that?’
“Do you know about Boxville at 51st Street on the Green Line? It’s a shipping container mall that’s incubating startup entrepreneurs around Bronzeville. And I just spotted it out the window. And then a few blocks away is a building called the Forum that I had never seen in my life.”
Boxville and the Forum, now owned by a community group hoping to revive the historic building, make the show. So do the Argyle Night Market, an Asian street food extravaganza on the North Side (Red Line), the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings of Oak Park (Green Line), and the Jumping Bean Cafe’s “Cafecito” in the 18th Street station in Pilsen (Pink Line).
Both major league ballparks are included. Baer is a lifelong Cubs fan, but while his team wouldn’t let the crew shoot inside Wrigley Field (Addison Street station), the White Sox (either of two 35th Street stations) allowed Baer to work a game with the grounds crew — and throw out the first pitch. It was high and very inside, to a lefty, but not in the dirt, as the host points out.
A lot of this material will be at least a little bit familiar to veteran Chicagoans, but there’s usually a new twist, or an image you haven’t seen in a while. These specials are not cutting-edge documentary filmmaking, but Baer’s writing and Griffin’s direction do an excellent job layering in information, both spoken and visual.
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And as I wrote about a previous Baer special, “If you come away from it without a lot of new knowledge, and a fair amount of vague old knowledge turned specific, then you’re a more learned Chicagoan than I am.”
WTTW's Geoffrey Baer, who has a new series called "Chicago By 'L'," enters the Brown Line station on Feb. 27, 2020, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
This is, as mentioned, a fundraising tool for the station. Baer notes with pride that “they are typically among the highest grossing and highest rated programs in our pledge drives, and they are the kinds of programs that we want and need to be doing. So it’s kind of a win-win.”
But with pledge period come interruptions and cajoling. A way around that -- assuming you’ve already donated, if you’re a user of WTTW -- is to watch it on the website, wttw.com/L, which also features much supplementary information, organized by neighborhood.
It would be easy to tweak this show for starting off at the top of the Purple Line, in Wilmette. The old joke, of course, is that WTTW stands for “Wilmette Talks to Winnetka.”
But even there, Baer tells of a history that’s not very North Shore, of Wilmette being named for fur trader Francis Ouilmette and his part-Potawatomi wife, Archange Chevallier, who were deeded the lakefront land by the government in exchange for helping persuade Native Americans to sign an 1829 treaty that ceded most of the north of the state to the U.S. government.
And, as the host says is the aim, this train-based tour of Chicago is relentlessly catholic in its interests, as intrigued by a vegan soul food restaurant as it is by an Evanston golf course or a historic Chicago basilica.
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Baer and I exit the train at the stop where we started, Washington and Wells on the west side of the Loop. As we go down the stairs he can’t help pointing out we’re right by one of the earliest downtown buildings and that the modern building beside it used to have its monumental Louise Nevelson sculpture Dawn Shadows in an outdoor plaza but has since enclosed it in an atrium.
Between tidbits like that and the fact that neither of us left any belongings on the train, it’s been a good ‘L’ ride, especially considering that we didn’t actually get anywhere.
Oh, and the host has a line about the train system that he shares both in the program and on our journey. “One of the old jokes that I always say is, In New York they call it the ‘subway’ even when it’s elevated," Baer says. "And in Chicago we call it the 'L' even when it’s underground.”
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson