chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Blackhawks give up 4 goals in the 3rd period of a 5-2 loss to the Jets to open a 5-game trip

`` I just tried to make a quick move and go upstairs , '' Copp said .
`` Great , @ @ @ @ @ That 's a play where guys stay in the slot and look for that one-timer @ @ @ @ @ Erik ) Gustafsson came out and really took that way , so I just saw @ @ @ @ @

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Andrew Copp had the go-ahead score in Winnipeg’s four-goal third period, and the Jets rallied to beat the Blackhawks 5-2 on Sunday.
Copp gave Winnipeg a 3-2 lead when he beat Corey Crawford up high from in close with 6:33 left after taking a perfect pass from forward Jack Roslovic.
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"I just tried to make a quick move and go upstairs," Copp said. "Great, great pass by Jack. That's a play where guys stay in the slot and look for that one-timer a lot, but (Erik) Gustafsson came out and really took that way, so I just saw some space behind him.
"And that pass was just fantastic, just to be on the same page as that. Great play by Rosie."
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Kyle Connor had a pair of goals, and Blake Wheeler and Patrick Laine also scored for the Jets, who trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes. Connor, with his team-leading 28th goal, and Laine added empty-net goals late to secure the two points.
Dominik Kubalik and Brandon Saad scored for the Blackhawks, who opened a five-game trip through western Canada.
Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves for the Jets, who won their third straight, while Crawford stopped 33 shots for the Hawks.
Just 16 seconds after Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews went off for hooking in the third, Wheeler took a pass from defenseman Neil Pionk and snapped the puck past Crawford to tie it at 2.
The Jets had pulled to within a goal at 2-1, scoring while shorthanded. With defenseman Sami Niku off for tripping, Copp pounced on a loose puck inside his own blue line, skated the length of the ice, then backhanded a saucer pass to Connor, who shot the puck on the bounce past Crawford.
"He makes a lot of really good plays, the little detailed plays that keep the puck moving in the right direction," Wheeler said of Copp. "Offensively, he's getting more confidence with that puck and making some good plays."
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Crawford made several sparkling saves in the period, stopping Mark Scheifele in tight and Copp in alone on another shorthanded effort.
Kubalik scored just 15 seconds into the game when he converted a pass from behind the net from Drake Caggiula.
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The Blackhawks were all over the Jets for most of the period, making it 2-0 when Saad finished a perfect pass from Patrick Kane on Hellebuyck's doorstep. Hellebuyck, who stopped Toews on a breakaway, had no chance on either goal.
“We need to play all 60 minutes,” Saad said. “We know how big the game is. Just because we started off well, we obviously took our foot off the gas. They scored a nice shorthanded goal and kind of took it to us the rest of the game.”
Toews recorded his 800th NHL career point but was focused on the end result.
“That’s a nice steppingstone, nice to get a big number like that here in my hometown of Winnipeg, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get the two points,” he said. “We were looking good the first shift of the game. I thought it was going to be one of those nights, but I think they bounced back and obviously played their best late in the game.”
The Blackhawks’ trip continues Tuesday night in Edmonton.


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Oscars 2020: The complete winners list

Oscars 2020: The complete winners list

“ Parasite ” made history on Sunday night at the 92nd Academy Awards , becoming the first foreign-language film ever @ @ @ @ @ Oscar .

Janelle Monae performs onstage at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
“Parasite” made history on Sunday night at the 92nd Academy Awards, becoming the first foreign-language film ever to win a best picture Oscar.
[ The best tweets we saw during the 2020 Oscars ]
Here’s the full list of 2020 Oscar winners:
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Best Picture:
WINNER - ”Parasite"
“Ford v Ferrari”
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“The Irishman"
”Jojo Rabbit"
“Joker"
”Little Women"
“Marriage Story"
”1917″
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Lead Actor:
WINNER - Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
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Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Lead Actress:
WINNER - Renee Zellweger, “Judy”
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
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Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Supporting Actor:
WINNER - Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
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Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Supporting Actress:
WINNER - Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
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Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Director:
WINNER - Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
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Animated Feature:
WINNER - “Toy Story 4,” Josh Cooley
"How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World," Dean DeBlois
“I Lost My Body,” Jeremy Clapin
“Klaus,” Sergio Pablos
“Missing Link,” Chris Butler
Animated Short:
WINNER - “Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry
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"Dcera," Daria Kashcheeva
“Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan
“Memorable,” Bruno Collet
“Sister,” Siqi Song
Adapted Screenplay:
WINNER - “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi
“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian
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“Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
“Little Women,” Greta Gerwig
“The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten
Original Screenplay:
WINNER - “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, Jin Won Han
“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson
“Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach
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“1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino
Cinematography:
WINNER - “1917,” Roger Deakins
“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Joker,” Lawrence Sher
“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke
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“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson
Best Documentary Feature:
WINNER - “American Factory,” Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar
“The Cave,” Feras Fayyad
“The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa
“For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
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Best Documentary Short Subject:
WINNER - “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger
“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
“Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas
“St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
“Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix
Best Live Action Short Film:
WINNER - “The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry
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“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur
“Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat
“Saria,” Bryan Buckley
“A Sister,” Delphine Girard
Best International Feature Film:
WINNER - “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho
“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa
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“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
“Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly
“Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar
Film Editing:
WINNER - “Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
“The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles
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“Joker,” Jeff Groth
“Parasite,” Jinmo Yang
Sound Editing:
WINNER - “Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester
“Joker,” Alan Robert Murray
“1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman
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“Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord
Sound Mixing:
WINNER - “1917″
“Ad Astra”
“Ford v Ferrari"
”Joker"
”Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
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Production Design:
WINNER - “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh
“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves
"Jojo Rabbit," Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova
“1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales
“Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee
Original Score:
WINNER - “Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir
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“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat
“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman
“1917,” Thomas Newman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams
Original Song:
WINNER - ”I’m Gonna Love Me Again," “Rocketman"
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4″
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”I’m Standing With You," “Breakthrough"
”Into the Unknown," “Frozen 2″
”Stand Up," “Harriet”
Makeup and Hair:
WINNER - “Bombshell”
“Joker"
”Judy"
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“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil"
”1917″
Costume Design:
WINNER - “Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran
“The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson
“Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo
“Joker,” Mark Bridges
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“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips
Visual Effects:
WINNER - “1917″
“Avengers Endgame"
”The Irishman"
”The Lion King"
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--The best tweets we saw during the 2020 Oscars

`` To the girls to the women who hear the music bubbling within , please speak up .
We need @ @ @ @ @ That 's the speech we all needed to hear tonight .
Thank you Hildur Guðnadóttir @ @ @

Janelle Monae performs onstage at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” made history, Brad Pitt won his first acting Oscar, Laura Dern collected best supporting actress at a 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Here are the best tweets we saw.
[ Oscars 2020: The complete winners list ]
The moment when history is made. Team #Parasite reacts to their best picture win at the #Oscars https://t.co/HWpYKg8uT5 pic.twitter.com/WP4W8uL7HK — The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 10, 2020
#Parasite SWEEP at the #Oscars
- BEST MOVIE
- BEST DIRECTOR
- BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
- BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1st South Korean movie winning at the #Oscars HISTORY’S BEEN MADE!
So so well deserved! Huge congrats to Bong Joon Ho and the superb cast!pic.twitter.com/tvu3rFbmGG — c̲o̲o̲k̲i̲e̲7̶ ♥ (@ckie_eikc) February 10, 2020
fyi this is what being a true ally looks like!!#Oscars https://t.co/jpYbE3oVXO — Ashley Lee (@cashleelee) February 10, 2020
"To the girls to the women who hear the music bubbling within, please speak up. We need to hear you." That's the speech we all needed to hear tonight. Thank you Hildur Guðnadóttir. #Oscars — ilyse hogue (@ilyseh) February 10, 2020
A lot of babies are about to be named Hildur in 9 months. #oscars — Matt (@Mmonty8six) February 10, 2020
"As cast members of the motion picture #Cats, nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects" | #Oscars pic.twitter.com/vQu6kDZ1UQ — Variety (@Variety) February 10, 2020
why do these cat costumes look better than the damn movie is what i wanna know #oscars — Vulture (@vulture) February 10, 2020
Idina Menzel's face = all of our moms' faces trying to figure out why their spaghetti was on Eminem's shirt. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/XRHKlPyXIL — E! News (@enews) February 10, 2020
Eminem, who did not perform “Lose Yourself” on the ceremony the year it actually won, is here performing it now. #Oscars — Jason Lynch (@jasonlynch) February 10, 2020
And the Oscar goes to @billieeilish’s reaction to the terrible jokes written for Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph #Oscars pic.twitter.com/u1ZOaf3rNL — sara (@srogers_03) February 10, 2020
If there was going to be a host it should have been them! #Oscars #Oscars2020 https://t.co/5PKdPYRqPf — Sarah Terry (@SarahTerry90) February 10, 2020
Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves, nearly 17 years later. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/6SIKrWo8k3 — BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) February 10, 2020
“I thought there was something missing from the list this year.” — @SteveMartinToGo
“Vaginas?” — @ChrisRock
“Yes!”
These two men are taking on sexism AND RACISM head on to start the #Oscars AT the show itself. 👊🏾✊🏽🤛🏿 — Erin Schrode (@ErinSchrode) February 10, 2020
*squints * at least US and MIDSOMMAR made it to the #Oscars ... opening song pic.twitter.com/9Nley1tLgH — FANGORIA (@FANGORIA) February 10, 2020
Brad Pitt is literally all is us when the professor looks at you but you don’t know the answer to their question #Oscars pic.twitter.com/RmuQ86Y5u3 — Nicole Perez (@nicole_perez1) February 10, 2020
Laura Dern is serving cake drip vibes... #Oscars pic.twitter.com/ySFIpDKaYZ — Doug Jamieson (@itsdougjam) February 9, 2020


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--‘Parasite’ makes history as first foreign-language film to win best picture Oscar

The victory for “ Parasite ” — which had echoes of the surprise win by “ Moonlight ” over “ @ @ @ @ @ years ago — came in a year when many criticized the lack of diversity in @ @ @ @ @ of female filmmakers .
But the triumph for “ Parasite , ” the Palme d'Or-winner @ @ @ @ @ Film Festival , enabled Hollywood to flip the script and signal progress , nevertheless .
@ @ @ @ @ won an Oscar before .

Janelle Monae performs onstage at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
In a milestone win that instantly expanded the Oscars' horizons, Bong Joon Ho's masterfully devious class satire “Parasite” became the first non-English language film to win best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards.
“Parasite” took Hollywood’s top prize on Sunday night, along with awards for best director, best international film and best screenplay. In a year dominated by period epics — “1917,” “Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood,” “The Irishman” — the film academy instead went overseas, to South Korea, to reward a contemporary and unsettling portrait of social inequality in “Parasite.”
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True to its name, “Parasite” simply got under the skin of Oscar voters, attaching itself to the American awards season and, ultimately, to history. The win was a watershed moment for the Academy Awards, which has long been content to relegate international films to their own category. But in recent years, to diversify its membership, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has invited many more overseas voters.
Multiple standing ovations greeted Bong's several wins. “I am ready to drink tonight,” Bong said, prompting roars from the crowd. Unexpectedly called up again for best director, Bong saluted his fellow nominees, particularly Martin Scorsese, and concluded: “Now I'm ready to drink until tomorrow.”
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After the Dolby Theatre had emptied out, the “Parasite” team still remained on the stage, soaking in their win. Backstage, Bong was still gobsmacked. “It's really f—-ing crazy,” he told reporters, clutching his awards.
The victory for “Parasite” — which had echoes of the surprise win by “Moonlight” over “La La Land” three years ago — came in a year when many criticized the lack of diversity in the nominees and the absence of female filmmakers. But the triumph for “Parasite,” the Palme d'Or-winner at last year's Cannes Film Festival, enabled Hollywood to flip the script and signal progress, nevertheless. No Korean film had ever won an Oscar before.
[ Oscars 2020: The complete winners list ]
In doing so, the film academy turned away another history-making event, again denying Netflix its first best-picture win despite two contenders in “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story,” and a big-spending awards campaign blitz.
Mendes’ audaciously conceived World War I film “1917,” made to seem one continuous shot, had been the clear favorite heading into Oscars, having won nearly all the precursor awards, including top honors from the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. In the end, “1917” went home with three awards for its technical virtuosity: Roger Deakins' cinematography, visual effects and sound mixing.
All of the acting winners — Brad Pitt, Renée Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix and Laura Dern — went as expected. While Pitt, notching his first acting Oscar, had regaled audiences with one-liners in the run-up to Sunday, he began his comments on a political note.
“They told me I have 45 seconds to speak, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” Pitt said, alluding to the impeachment hearings before mentioning director Quentin Tarantino. “I'm thinking maybe Quentin does a movie about it.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 103 Scarlett Johansson attends the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Pitt said the honor had given him reason to reflect on his fairy-tale journey in the film industry, going back to when he moved to Los Angeles from Missouri. “Once upon a time in Hollywood," said Pitt. "Ain’t that the truth.”
Zellweger completed a comeback, winning her second Academy Award for her fragile but indomitable Judy Garland in “Judy.” Dern won for her performance as a divorce attorney in Noah Baumbach's “Marriage Story.” Accepting her first Oscar, Dern thanked her in-attendance parents, “my legends, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern.”
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Phoenix, long one of Hollywood's most respected actors, took best actor for his limber but morose Joker. In his acceptance speech, Phoenix spoke deliberately about a host of issues, including sexism and racism in the film industry, ecological disaster and vegetarianism.
“I've been a scoundrel in my life. I've been selfish, I've been cruel at times and hard to work with. But so many of you in this room have given me a second chance,” Phoenix said. When people guide each other toward redemption, he added, “that is the best of humanity.”
He concluded quoting a lyric of his deceased brother, River Phoenix: “Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow."
For the 87th time, no women were nominated for best director this year, a subject that was woven into the entire ceremony — and even into some attendees' clothing. Natalie Portman wore a cape lined with the names of female filmmakers who weren't nominated for their direction, including Lulu Wang ("The Farewell"), Greta Gerwig ("Little Women") and Mati Diop ("Atlantics").
Coming on a rare rainy day in Los Angeles, the ceremony was soggy and song-heavy. Some performances, like Eminem's performance of “Lose Yourself,” were unexpected (and drew a wan response from Scorsese). All of the song nominees performed, including Elton John who won with his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin for their “Rocketman” tune.
[ The best tweets we saw during the 2020 Oscars ]
The hostless ceremony opened on a note of inclusion, with Janelle Monae performing “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and her own song, “Come Alive,” with an assist from Billy Porter. “I’m so proud to be standing here as a black queer artist telling stories," Monae said. "Happy Black History Month.”
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Two former Oscar hosts, Chris Rock and Steve Martin, provided the opening monologue. "An incredible demotion," Martin called it. Martin also reminded that something was missing from this year's directing nominees. “Vaginas!" Rock replied.
There were milestones beyond “Parasite.” In winning best adapted screenplay for his Nazi satire “Jojo Rabbit,” the New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi became the first indigenous director ever to win an Oscar. He dedicated the award to “all the indigenous kids in the world who want to do art, dance and write stories.”
“We are the original storytellers,” Waititi said.
“Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir became only the third woman to ever win best original score. ”To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters who hear the music opening within, please speak up," said Guðnadóttir. "We need to hear your voices."
Awards were spread around to all of the best picture nominees, with the lone exception being Scorsese's 10-time nominee “The Irishman.” When Bong mentioned his admiration of Scorsese, an impromptu tribute broke out, with the Dolby Theatre giving Scorsese a standing ovation. The car racing throwback “Ford v Ferrari” won both editing and sound editing. Gerwig's Louisa May Alcott adaptation “Little Women” won for Jacqueline Durran's costume design. “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” won for Barbara Ling's production design.
Netflix didn't go home empty handed. Aside from Dern's win for “Marriage Story,” the streamer's “American Factory” won best documentary. The film is the first release from Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions.
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Pixar extended its domination of the best animated film category, winning for “Toy Story 4.” It's the 10th Pixar film to win the award and second “Toy Story” film to do so, following the previous 2010 installment.
It was an early award for the Walt Disney Co., which despite amassing a record $13 billion in worldwide box office last year and owning the network the Oscars are broadcast on, played a minor role in the ceremony. The bulk of its awards came from 20th Century Fox (“Ford v Ferrari”) and Fox Searchlight (“Jojo Rabbit”), both of which the company took control of after its $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox last year.
Disney's ABC hoped a widely watched field of nominees — including the $1 billion-grossing “Joker” — will help viewership. Last year’s show garnered 29.6 million viewers, a 12% uptick.
___
AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report.


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--‘Parasite’ makes history as first Asian winner of a screenplay Oscar

“ Of course , on the surface level , all of the details , the mannerisms , the people and @ @ @ @ @ very Korean , ” Bong said .
“ But the topic of the gap between @ @ @ @ @ to being so universal .
I think every country has their own structures and conflicts @ @ @ @ @ you really delve deep into the cave of capitalism and explore the sort of infinite @ @ @ @ @ find a similar sort of mechanism flows throughout .
”

Among its numerous firsts throughout this awards season, the genre-shredding class satire “Parasite” made history Sunday night by becoming the first Korean — and the first Asian — film ever to claim the original screenplay Oscar, with director Bong Joon Ho and co-writer Han Jin Won beating a field that included Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood”), Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”), Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”) and Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”).
Prior to this year's Oscars, only five foreign-language films had won the original screenplay prize since the award was first given out in 1940 — the most recent being Pedro Almodovar's 2002 drama "Talk to Her." But all of those winners came from European countries: namely, Switzerland, Italy, France and Spain.
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Indeed, of the more than 60 foreign-language films to earn an original screenplay nod in the past 80 years, including last year's "Roma," prior to "Parasite" only three had come from the Asian continent: the 1959 Japanese-French co-production "Hiroshima Mon Amour," the 1959 Soviet film "Ballad of a Soldier" and the 2011 Iranian drama "A Separation."
The only Asian nominee in the adapted screenplay category remains the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
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In the entire history of the Academy Awards, no foreign-language film has ever taken home the best picture Oscar — a precedent that "Parasite," which earned six nominations in all, is hoping to break. Speaking to The Times in September at the Telluride Film Festival, director Bong said he felt the film's exploration of the divide between the haves and have-nots resonated around the globe.
“Of course, on the surface level, all of the details, the mannerisms, the people and the visual elements are all very Korean,” Bong said. “But the topic of the gap between rich and poor lends itself to being so universal. I think every country has their own structures and conflicts regarding class. But when you really delve deep into the cave of capitalism and explore the sort of infinite darkness of it, you find a similar sort of mechanism flows throughout.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Parolee recruited 4 people, including 3 teens, to help with armed robbery that left beloved store ow

Parolee recruited 4 people, including 3 teens, to help with armed robbery that left beloved store owner dead, prosecutors say

A short time later , police arrested three of the teens , including Carter , who was found to have @ @ @ @ @ right side and was also taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment .
@ @ @ @ @ $ 269 cash in his underwear , while a search of the red SUV revealed @ @ @ @ @ name along with two garbage bags full of merchandise , Nevin said .

William Lee, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

Chicago police secure a crime scene on East 71st Street between Michigan Avenue and Wabash Avenue after a store clerk was shot in an attempted armed robbery Feb. 7, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
A South Side parolee with a history of committing armed robberies recruited three teenage relatives and a fourth person to rob a Park Manor convenience store, prosecutors said Sunday.
But the planned-out holdup at the Michigan Dollar Plus store fell apart when the shop’s owner — a popular and beloved business owner on East 71st Street — opened fire with his own weapon, striking two of his assailants before he was mortally wounded, authorities said.
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Sammy Trice, 34, and his cousin, Anthony Carter, 17, remained hospitalized Sunday following surgery and weren’t present for a bail hearing on first-degree murder and armed robbery charges at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
Associate Judge Charles Beach II approved a request to deny bail to both defendants, calling them a danger to the community in connection with the death of shop’s owner, Mohammed I. Maali, 33.
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Trice’s nephews, ages 13 and 15, were charged as juveniles with first-degree murder and armed robbery with a firearm and were also ordered held in custody by a Juvenile Court judge, authorities said. The fourth person remained at large, authorities said.
In a hushed courtroom, prosecutors described how Trice, who is on parole for a felony drug conviction, planned the daylight robbery and recruited the youngsters to participate. Surveillance video captured Trice arriving with three others in his wife’s red SUV behind the shop at 68 E. 71 St. around 1:40 p.m., Assistant State’s Attorney Carolyn Nevin told the court.
Outside the shop, Trice met with the 13-year-old and shared his plan, which kicked off the moment all five entered the business. The 13-year-old locked the front door, and Trice held Maali on the floor at gunpoint while the 15-year-old and the unknown offender stuffed black trash bags with merchandise and loaded them into the SUV’s trunk, authorities said.
But as the robbers fled out a rear door, Maali, a concealed carry license holder, pulled his own 9 mm handgun and fired multiple shots toward the assailants before Trice returned fire, striking the shop owner, prosecutors said. The store’s cameras also captured Trice fleeing the store limping and injured with what appears to be a gun in his hand, Nevin said.
Maali, who was known as “Omar” by many who frequented the store, was shot at least once in his torso and was pronounced dead at 7:40 p.m. Friday after undergoing emergency surgery. His death was ruled a homicide, officials said.
A blood trail and footprints led police to Trice, who was hiding in the basement of an abandoned home about 450 feet from the scene of the shooting, Nevin added. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he underwent surgery for four gunshot wounds to his side.
A short time later, police arrested three of the teens, including Carter, who was found to have a gunshot wound to his right side and was also taken to University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment. The 13-year-old was found with $269 cash in his underwear, while a search of the red SUV revealed paperwork with Trice’s name along with two garbage bags full of merchandise, Nevin said.
In addition to multiple cameras capturing the suspects in the areas, Carter admitted to planning and participating in the robbery, authorities said. Carter was on house arrest for a robbery case from Crown Point, Indiana.
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In addition to his drug conviction, Trice has armed robbery convictions in 2010 and 2004, when he recruited two teenagers to rob someone with a pellet gun, prosecutors said. Citing Trice’s criminal record, the judge ordered him held for violating his parole.
Maali was well-known in the neighborhood as someone who would extend credit to those who were short of money. None of his family appeared for Sunday’s hearing. Trice’s nephews are expected to return to juvenile court Monday morning.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Professional tennis is returning to Chicago in 2020. Here’s what you should know about the Smash and

Professional tennis is returning to Chicago in 2020. Here’s what you should know about the Smash and World TeamTennis.

Organizers hope to draw a couple thousand fans to UIC for each of the matches , which contain five five-game @ @ @ @ @ five with a tiebreaker at 4-4 ) : men ’ s and women ’ s @ @ @ @ @ and women ’ s doubles and mixed doubles .
Service lets are played out , @ @ @ @ @ scoring .

World TeamTennis isn’t Wimbledon. It features NBA-style introductions, music between points, on-court team celebrations and scoring tweaks that produce more immediate results.
And for the first time since 1986, the league will feature a team from Chicago, called the Smash.
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The Tribune has learned that Chicago has been selected for an expansion franchise for the 2020 season, which will begin in mid-July with matches at Credit Union 1 Arena (formerly known as the UIC Pavilion).
Kamau Murray will coach the team, and Chicago native Jocelyn Davie will serve as general manager. Murray is huge in Chicago tennis circles for founding XS Tennis, which contains educational programs and a 112,000-square-foot tennis mecca in Washington Park, and for coaching 2017 U.S Open champion Sloane Stephens.
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“He was an obvious choice in terms of his background and Chicago roots,” Davie said. “What he’s doing for tennis and kids on the South Side is pretty spectacular.”
Davie said her team makeup is being finalized. Former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova will play for Orange County, which visits Chicago on July 16. The massively successful and chest-bumping Bryan brothers — identical twins Bob and Mike — have signed on for a 2020 farewell tour.
#WTTAllStar: It's #WallpaperWednesday and we've got the perfect way to upgrade your phone. Grab our limited edition @MariaSharapova wallpaper and don't miss the WTT Celebrity All-Star Match Mar. 1 @OmniLaCosta & on @CBSSports Apr. 4!
🎟Get tickets now at https://t.co/c7ZUINY7vo pic.twitter.com/aVUpLV8Ppq — World TeamTennis (@WorldTeamTennis) December 11, 2019
Top American men Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson are locked in, and the league is hoping to bring back Stephens, John Isner and Nick Kyrgios, though the Tokyo Olympics could complicate matters.
Chicagoan Donald Young and Illinois alumnus Rajeev Ram, who just won the Australian Open doubles championship with Britain’s Joe Salisbury, are on the short list for the Smash.
WTT organizers are bullish about Chicago, which had a charter franchise, the Aces, in 1973. The league was headquartered in Chicago from 1985 to 2002, but its last Chicago team, the Fire, flamed out in 1986.
Billie Jean King hosted a WTT event in 2018 that drew 1,183 tennis-starved fans to XS Tennis. Two months later, fans stuffed the United Center for the Laver Cup, which featured Roger Federer and Kevin Anderson and captains John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
“Chicago is a great market,” WTT CEO Carlos Silva said. “We’ve been thinking about Chicago for years.”
The Smash will host seven matches from July 14 to 26. Their first visitor will be Springfield, the Missouri franchise that won the 2018 and 2019 titles and is considered the Green Bay Packers of WTT. CBS Sports and ESPN Plus are the league’s broadcast partners.
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Organizers hope to draw a couple thousand fans to UIC for each of the matches, which contain five five-game pro sets (first to five with a tiebreaker at 4-4): men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Service lets are played out, and the games have no-deuce scoring.
Silva said the average ticket will cost about $35 with general admission at $20 and VIP offers in the $150-to-$175 range. Children under 14 can get an autograph on the court from players after the match.
Sections of the arena will be cordoned off to supply a maximum capacity of about 3,500.
“It’s the right size,” Davie said, “and the perfect location.”
2020 CHICAGO SMASH SCHEDULE
All home matches will be played at Credit Union 1 Arena on the UIC campus.
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July 13: at Springfield
July 14: Springfield
July 15: San Diego
July 16: Orange County
July 17: at New York
July 18: Philadelphia
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July 20: at New York
July 21: at Orlando
July 22: Washington
July 23: at Philadelphia
July 25: Orlando
July 26: New York
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July 28: at Orlando
July 30: at Philadelphia


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Natalie Portman’s Oscars dress includes names of snubbed female directors

The “ Black Swan ” star , who is presenting during the ceremony , danced down the red carpet outside @ @ @ @ @ black and gold dress with a floor-length Dior cape , embroidered with the names of @ @ @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Armed man shot and killed by Chicago police officer in Lakeview, police say

According to police , a man shot another man in the neck and cheek as he stood outside near the @ @ @ @ @ took off running .
The male victim was taken to an area hospital in critical @ @ @ @ @ required emergency surgery , according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi .

Paige Fry, Alice Yin, Jessica Villagomez

A Chicago police officer shot and killed an armed man Sunday morning in the North Side neighborhood of Lakeview, authorities said.
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Police were called about 5:15 a.m. to the 3600 block of North Ashland Avenue for a report of a disturbance outside the bar Tai’s til 4, which ended in a man being fatally shot by a police officer, interim police Superintendent Charlie Beck said during a news conference Sunday morning.
According to police, a man shot another man in the neck and cheek as he stood outside near the bar and then the gunman took off running. The male victim was taken to an area hospital in critical condition and authorities said he required emergency surgery, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
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Officers were able to quickly find the gunman, and an “armed confrontation with police resulted,” officials said. The man shot at police officers, at least one of whom returned fire, killing the man. The gunman was pronounced dead at the location, police said.
“It’s been a very tragic night in Chicago,” Guglielmi said.
The officer who fired shots is being treated at a hospital for bumps and bruises, Beck said.
A handgun was recovered at the scene, officials said.
“I just got home and had the windows open. I heard pop, pop, pop and yelling, like I felt the bullets reverberate through the earth. I just saw the police on Addison, so I really didn’t expect anything here,” said a neighbor, who declined to be named.
Police worked the scene at Waveland and Marshfield avenues late into the morning, where evidence markers spread along two blocks off Ashland Avenue. The largely residential area remained quiet as few residents poked their head out onto the street. Several officers scouted the area in what they referred to as a “fluid” investigation.
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The shooting is under investigation by Chicago police and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The officer will be placed on administrative duty for 30 days, as is routine.
Officer Involved Shooting at 3600 BLK of N Ashland. Preliminary: an armed individual encountered officers and was shot by police. Detectives and news affairs are responding to the scene to gather facts and will provide updates. pic.twitter.com/IkL2JNp1pL — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 9, 2020
Chicago Tribune’s Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas contributed.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Libertyville High School takes center stage in NFL’s own Super Bowl commercial: ‘It was a really coo

Libertyville High School takes center stage in NFL’s own Super Bowl commercial: ‘It was a really cool moment for us all.’

“ This is such a great school .
Our students , staff , families and community have so much positive @ @ @ @ @ said in an email .
“ I was really happy that they would see this @ @ @ @ @ shown ( even if only for two seconds ) on one of the biggest stages @ @ @ @ @

Maxwell Young runs onto the field prior to Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Young came to Libertyville to film part of the NFL's "Next 100" commercial. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Who needs 15 minutes of fame when two seconds was priceless?
Fox Sports announced that 102 million people watched Super Bowl LIV, and those people got a brief look at Libertyville High School during the NFL’s own “Next 100” Super Bowl commercial prior to kickoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
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“It was a really cool moment for us all,” Libertyville principal Tom Koulentes said.
The NFL selected Libertyville for a portion of the nearly three-minute commercial that aired to commemorate the NFL’s first 100 years and to kick off the next century. The spot featured 13-year-old Maxwell Young of Los Angeles catching a kickoff in a pickup game and running through various NFL cities, greeted by past and present stars such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jim Brown, Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Rolling Meadows graduate Jimmy Garoppolo, now the 49ers’ quarterback.
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One minute into the commercial, Young was shown holding the ball for a field-goal attempt, then catching the ball and returning a kick on Libertyville’s football field. The scoreboard — containing the phrases “Libertyville High School” and “Home of the Wildcats” — was on the screen as Young caught the kick and began to run again.
Great Super Bowl kickoff... pic.twitter.com/ZKRais8OP4 — LHS Athletics (@Go_LHS_Wildcats) February 2, 2020
“This is such a great school. Our students, staff, families and community have so much positive school spirit," Koulentes said in an email. “I was really happy that they would see this place that they love being shown (even if only for two seconds) on one of the biggest stages in the world.”
A soccer star helped bring the scene to life. U.S. Women’s National Team member Carli Lloyd, who has won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals, came to Libertyville for her role in the commercial. Lloyd was shown place-kicking a football on the Wildcats’ field, and Young caught the ball just in front of the Wildcats’ scoreboard.
After she was done with her one hour of filming on the cold morning of Jan. 16, Lloyd had a treat for the Libertyville girls soccer team. She posed for a picture and had a chance to chat with the Wildcats for a few minutes, then they presented her with a Wildcats scarf and shirt, among other items.
In this photo, the Libertyville football team runs onto the field prior to a 2015 home game. The football field at Libertyville high school was shown briefly during the NFL's own commercial prior to Super Bowl LIV. (Michael Schmidt / Lake County News-Sun)
Libertyville senior Kendall Edwards said varsity coach Daniel De Paz texted his varsity players that he had a surprise for them.
“We were called out of class around 10 (a.m.) and went to the field,” said Edwards, who has been a three-year starter at goalkeeper. “My heart was racing when we walked out on the field and saw Carli kicking. Everybody was chatting up a storm, shaking with excitement.”
“It was surreal seeing a professional soccer player on our field. We were all in shock,” added senior outside midfielder Vicky Villanueva-Guzman. “I was texting everyone saying, ‘You’re not going to believe this.’ ”
De Paz told his players that seeing Lca on their turf would motivate them for the upcoming season. A fifth-grade teacher at Adler Park School, De Paz said he got plenty of surprised reactions from his elementary school students as well.
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The commercial came to a close with a taped shot of Virginia McCaskey, the 97-year-old owner of the Chicago Bears, who handed Young a football. Then Young and other children representing all the NFL teams ran onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in a live shot prior to kickoff.
Besides Lloyd, New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley was on the Libertyville campus, filming his scene in the commercial. Barkley’s spot was shot on the Libertyville tennis courts with a green screen.
According to Mary Todoric, director of communications for Community High School District 128, a production company for the NFL contacted her looking for a school near where they were going to shoot the McCaskey segment, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.
The commercial adds a new chapter to Libertyville’s storied history.
“We were all beyond amazed that our scoreboard and our school’s name was so prominent in that part of the commercial,” Todoric said.
Young might come back to Illinois in a few years. Fighting Illini football coach Lovie Smith offered him a scholarship three years ago.
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Pioneer Press reporter Tom Ackerman contributed to this story.
Mark Perlman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Cicero man gets 20 years for running down ex-girlfriend with SUV in Lombard mall parking lot. Victim

Cicero man gets 20 years for running down ex-girlfriend with SUV in Lombard mall parking lot. Victim told cops he was laughing as he approached her.

About 7:30 a.m. the following day , Aug. 27 , 2018 , Aguirre drove over the woman in a 2003 @ @ @ @ @ across a lot at the Yorktown Center mall in Lombard .
The victim , who @ @ @ @ @ police that she had noticed Aguirre ’ s vehicle and had tried to alter her @ @ @ @ @ way toward an apartment complex where she worked .

A Cicero man who was reportedly laughing behind the wheel as he ran over his former girlfriend in a mall parking lot was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison.
Jose L. Aguirre, 49, had reportedly telephoned his 7-year-old son the night before the August 2018 attack, telling the child that his mother, the victim, did not have long to live, according to testimony in DuPage County court.
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Jose Aguirre got 20 years in prison for running over his ex-girlfriend. (DuPage County state's attorney's office)
About 7:30 a.m. the following day, Aug. 27, 2018, Aguirre drove over the woman in a 2003 Ford SUV as she walked across a lot at the Yorktown Center mall in Lombard. The victim, who suffered extensive injuries, told police that she had noticed Aguirre’s vehicle and had tried to alter her route as she made her way toward an apartment complex where she worked.
Aguirre, though, struck her before driving away. The woman told police she saw him laughing as his vehicle bore down on her. Aguirre was arrested two days later. Police say he was planning to leave the area and drive to Florida.
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The victim and Aguirre had been in a seven-year relationship that produced their son, but she told the court she had twice broken things off because Aguirre was a physically abusive alcoholic. Aguirre had sent threatening texts in the days before the attack, she said.
“I thought he would never do something like that and he was just trying to scare me,” she told the court.
The woman’s injuries included a fractured pelvis and broken ribs and a broken jaw, and she had to undergo three surgeries. She spent a month in a hospital.
As the woman read her statement, Aguirre turned away from the witness stand and did not look at the woman. Prosecutors and his defense attorneys argued over whether the gesture signaled contempt or shame.
Aguirre wrote a long letter to the court that was read before sentencing. In it, he repeatedly said he regretted committing an “error” and was sorry for the mistake. Judge Brian Telander said he was having trouble with Aguirre’s characterizations.
“It was not an error and certainly not a mistake — it was a cold, calculated criminal act,” the judge said.
Aguirre had previously pleaded guilty to attempted murder, and under the terms of the negotiated plea, faced a sentence of six to 23 years in prison. The facts of the case merited a long sentence, Telander said.
“I think courts need to send a strong message to people like the defendant who feel, ‘If I can’t have her, then no one will,'” the judge said. “This conduct should not and cannot be tolerated in our society.”
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Aguirre will be required to serve 85% of his sentence, with credit for about 18 months spent in jail as his case worked through the court system.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--CTA to spend $38 million studying Red Line extension

A less costly and more immediate alternative to increase transit options on the South Side has also been proposed .
@ @ @ @ @ , Cook County outlined a plan to lower fares on the Metra Electric District and @ @ @ @ @ city to $ 2.50 — the same price as the `` L '' — from @ @ @ @ @ 4 to $ 5.50 .

The CTA Board on Monday approved spending $38.3 million to study the environmental impact of a proposed extension of the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The CTA Board on Monday approved spending $38.3 million to study the environmental impact of a proposed extension of the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street.
An environmental impact statement is a necessary step in getting federal funding for the project, which would total about $2.3 billion, according to CTA officials. The $38.3 million contract, awarded to infrastructure services firm T. Y. Lin International Great Lakes, also covers planning and preliminary engineering services, the CTA said.
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The extension of the CTA’s busiest rail line would fill in what activists have called a “transit desert” on the city’s Far South Side. The city has not extended an "L" line since the Orange Line opened in 1993.
The contract is the latest investment in the extension proposal. Last year, the CTA board committed $310 million of the agency’s 2020-2024 capital budget towards the local match needed to secure federal money. In 2018, the board approved a $20.9 million contract with HNTB Corp., which will oversee the final environmental review and preliminary engineering work.
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In a statement, CTA President Dorval Carter called the new contract award a “major step" towards building the long-discussed extension.
“CTA is committed to ensuring that every community has access to public transit and we are focused on following the federally required process to make that a reality,” Carter said.
Getting federal money could be difficult under the current administration, since President Donald Trump’s stated budget priorities do not favor transit.
The city does have the authority under state law to establish tax increment financing districts to fund transit projects, including the Red Line extension. Once the project is funded and construction begins, it could take four years to finish, the CTA said.
A less costly and more immediate alternative to increase transit options on the South Side has also been proposed. In a study last year, Cook County outlined a plan to lower fares on the Metra Electric District and Rock Island lines within the city to $2.50 — the same price as the "L" — from current Metra fares of $4 to $5.50.
Under the proposal, Metra trains would run more often, and Ventra cards could eventually be used to provide free transfers between Pace, Metra and the CTA. The proposed pilot program would allow Cook County to subsidize Metra and the CTA for ridership losses.
However, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has expressed concern that the plan would pull too many riders from the CTA.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Willson Contreras knows trade talk is ‘part of the business,’ but he’s open to discussing an extensi

Willson Contreras knows trade talk is ‘part of the business,’ but he’s open to discussing an extension with the Cubs

“ I talked to my agent a lot .
He told me this is a business .
Even if I @ @ @ @ @ ’ t mean they don ’ t like me anymore because it ’ s part @ @ @ @ @ that I ’ m here in spring training , I feel blessed to be here @ @ @ @ @ one more season with the Cubs .
”

MESA, Ariz. — Willson Contreras said he was merely having fun on social media when he changed his Twitter profile photo Nov. 12 from a Cubs uniform to an All-Star jersey.
“It wasn’t mean,” Contreras said Monday, two days before the Cubs’ first workout for pitchers and catchers. “A lot of people thought I was being traded. I was (posting) All-Star pictures. It didn’t mean anything.
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“It might hurt (to be traded), but it’s part of the business. I’ve been here for 11 years now, and I think nobody has been here for 11 years. I feel blessed to be here. And even if I get traded, I always will love the Cubs.”
Nearly two months after Contreras switched those photos — which occurred at the same time as the general managers meetings, when speculation surfaced that he could be dealt — the two-time All-Star catcher remains a Cub.
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Contreras, 27, understands that the Cubs have long-term issues, such as adding young starting pitching, that they might need to address by trading an established player such as him or Kris Bryant. For now, he expects to stay with the team in 2020, when he’s scheduled to earn $4.5 million, and hopes he can extend the relationship.
“We’re always going to be open to talking about an extension with the Cubs,” Contreras said after taking batting practice. “My agent and I talk a lot about it. We have to wait (for) the right time to talk about it.”
When is that?
“Maybe after this season, who knows?” he said. “It might be at midseason. I think if you want to talk about an extension, it would have to be right before spring training or even after. If after, even better.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 176 Cubs catcher Willson Contreras pops up a pitch during the fifth inning against the Pirates on May 9, 2021, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
That could make sense, especially if the Cubs trade a substantial salary to slide under the competitive balance threshold ($208 million in salaries and benefits) and use some of the savings to acquire younger, cheaper players.
The Cubs have more control with Contreras than they do with Bryant, who will earn $18.6 million this season and is eligible for free agency after 2021.
Contreras, who is under team control through 2022, provided a realistic view of Bryant’s future.
“Everyone knows KB is our MVP, our star third baseman,” Contreras said. “But business is business, and we have to respect that from the front office. They know what they’re doing.
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“Even if (Bryant) gets traded, they’re going to get a huge (return) for him. We all love KB and hope he doesn’t get traded this season.”
Contreras said he was “kind of surprised” to see his name surface in trade speculation and admitted it was hard to ignore the attention every time he checked his social media accounts.
“But at the end of the day, I understand the business,” Contreras said. “From what I read, they were trying to get a better farm (system), and the value I got from last year and my whole career in the big leagues is really good.
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“I talked to my agent a lot. He told me this is a business. Even if I get traded, it doesn’t mean they don’t like me anymore because it’s part of the business. Now that I’m here in spring training, I feel blessed to be here and feel blessed to have one more season with the Cubs.”
Contreras said it wasn’t necessary to contact Cubs President Theo Epstein or general manager Jed Hoyer over the winter to clarify his status. He said he devoted much of his offseason to strengthening his legs after missing at least one month in two of the last three seasons because of right hamstring injuries.
Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said he wants Contreras to work with pitcher Yu Darvish more than he did the last two seasons. Backup Victor Caratini caught 19 of Darvish’s 31 starts in 2019, and the Cubs were somewhat reluctant to change that up because Darvish was in a groove with Caratini.
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“Now you might have tough matchups that you want to have Willie to catch, so having them on the same page in spring training is important,” Hottovy said.
Darvish had a 3.29 ERA and limited opponents to a .210 batting average in 120⅓ innings with Caratini behind the plate. Darvish’s ERA swelled to 6.00 in 39 innings over eight starts with Contreras, though opponents batted only .231.
Contreras believes the Cubs can remain a force in the National League despite returning virtually the same team that has regressed since winning the 2016 World Series and that failed the make the playoffs last year for the first time since 2014 — two seasons before Contreras reached the majors.
“We still can get to the playoffs, for sure,” Contreras said.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--City crews clean up homeless encampment near Dan Ryan Expressway: ‘They’ve got to do it before someo

City crews clean up homeless encampment near Dan Ryan Expressway: ‘They’ve got to do it before someone gets hurt back there’

She said she can only think of one other time the city brought out heavy machinery for a cleaning .
@ @ @ @ @ people ’ s tents get knocked down even though they were not marked as abandoned @

Occupied tents are marked with yellow tape as city workers remove abandoned tents, tree branches and other debris from the homeless encampment along Des Plaines Avenue at Roosevelt Road on Feb. 10, 2020, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
City workers cleared debris and abandoned tents from a homeless encampment near the Dan Ryan Expressway on Monday morning. Some residents of the encampment stood by to ensure only trash was thrown away, while many were relieved the city was actually there to help clean.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation posted notices a week ago near Des Plaines Street and Roosevelt Road, warning residents there would be off-street cleaning Monday.
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In the past, off-street cleanings have caused fear of evictions, especially when city officials fail to communicate what they are doing with the residents. But Monday, residents said that when debris, garbage and dying trees are left in the area, they can pose a real hazard.
Last year, after an off-street cleaning, an old tree fell on the tent of Bobby Lopez and his partner, Mia Garcia. Lopez said they were lucky they were not hurt.
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This year, Lopez said he was relieved that the city actually was removing the old trees during the cleaning.
“It’s about time,” Lopez said. “They’ve got to do it before someone gets hurt back there.”
Bobby Lopez, right, with his partner, Mia Garcia, talks about living in the homeless encampment along Des Plaines Avenue at Roosevelt Road as city workers remove abandoned tents, tree branches and other debris from the area on Feb. 10, 2020, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
After the cleaning notices were posted, outreach workers from the city’s Department of Family and Support Services visited the encampment to warn people to safeguard their personal items Monday.
Residents also worked alongside city workers to label tents that were abandoned.
City crews are only supposed to remove tents labeled as abandoned or items that no one has claimed.
[ In California, the homeless find work evicting the poor: ‘Believe me, we see the irony’ ]
Despite city assurances, members of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless were alarmed when they showed up to the cleaning Monday and saw bulldozers.
A community lawyer with the group, Diane O’Connell, said it was quite scary when the large bulldozers began rolling through the camp.
She said she can only think of one other time the city brought out heavy machinery for a cleaning. That day she saw two people’s tents get knocked down even though they were not marked as abandoned.
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But Alisa Rodriguez, who’s in charge of homeless programs for the Department of Family and Support Services, said residents were given fair warning about the large machinery and told the intention of Monday’s large cleanup was not to kick anyone out.
City workers remove abandoned tents, tree branches and other debris from the homeless encampment along Des Plaines Avenue at Roosevelt Road on Feb. 10, 2020, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
When the city crews left the camp Monday, a couple of residents standing near an entrance gave them a round of applause and thanked them for their work.
In addition to those doing the cleaning, city workers were at the encampment to take people to shelters if they were interested. Rodriguez said Monday morning they had brought one resident of the encampment to a shelter.
“Once all the machinery leaves and the area is clean, we have instructed the clients that they can come right back,” Rodriguez said. “No one is being kicked out, no one is being displaced or forced out.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Niles Leaning Tower YMCA, other Illinois sites added to National Register of Historic Places

The National Park Service has added two sites in Chicago and five in the suburbs to the National Register of @ @ @ @ @ Leaning Tower in Niles , a South Side location that hosted prominent jazz musicians and @ @ @ @ @ the civil rights movement , and a medical campus on the Northwest Side dedicated to @ @ @

The Leaning Tower of Niles is shown on Dec. 2, 2019, as workers reinstall its restored 17th- and 18th-century bronze bells. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The National Park Service has added two sites in Chicago and five in the suburbs to the National Register of Historic Places, including the Leaning Tower in Niles, a South Side location that hosted prominent jazz musicians and was an organizing center during the civil rights movement, and a former medical campus on the Far Northwest Side dedicated to treating tuberculosis, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced Monday.
“Each of these places tells a unique story that is part of the rich fabric of Illinois history,” said Natural Resources Director Colleen Callahan in a news release.
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The Illinois properties that were designated historic sites are:
Chicago Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium District, (now North Park Village) Chicago. The Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium District was a 160-acre campus made up of 12 buildings on the Far Northwest Side. For roughly 60 years, it was a residential treatment center for tuberculosis. The property is now known as North Park Village, home to senior housing, a Chicago Park District gymnastics center and a nature center with 46 acres of land.
Original brickwork adorns the facade of the gymnasium at North Park Village, shown in 2015, in Chicago. The Chicago Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium opened in what is now North Park Village in 1915 and closed in 1974. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
The Forum, Chicago. Built in 1897, the Forum served as the political, social and cultural epicenter of the Bronzeville neighborhood for more than 75 years. The Forum eventually became a popular music scene in Chicago, attracting prominent and jazz and blues musicians, including Nat King Cole, Muddy Waters and Floyd Campbell. The Forum also served as headquarters for pivotal civil rights moments, according to the application. As late as 1961, the Forum hosted a group of Freedom Riders who participated in the efforts to integrate public transportation and facilities.
The 1897 Forum building is shown Feb. 10, 2020, at 318-328 E. 43rd St. in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Leaning Tower of Niles. The Leaning Tower was completed in 1934 and is the only replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It stands 94 feet tall and leans 7 feet toward the south, according to the application for historic registry. The tower was originally built to store the water tanks for two park swimming pools. Recently, village leaders have begun developing the area around the tower. The Niles Village Board voted in 2015 to purchase the Leaning Tower, which had been owned by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and leased by Niles for years.
The Leaning Tower was completed in 1934 and is the only replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It stands 94 feet tall and leans 7 feet toward the south, according to the application for historic registry. The tower was originally built to store the water tanks for two park swimming pools. Recently, village leaders have begun developing the area around the tower. The Niles Village Board voted in 2015 to purchase the Leaning Tower, which had been owned by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and leased by Niles for years. First Congressional Church, Des Plaines. First Congregational Church was designated a historic site because of its unique Arts and Crafts architectural design.
First Congregational Church was designated a historic site because of its unique Arts and Crafts architectural design. Lilacia Park Historic District, Lombard, Du Page County. This district is a 4.8-acre public park and garden. The property was donated to the village of Lombard in 1927 and has been home to the annual Lilac Time festival, which showcases hundreds of blooming lilacs, since 1930, according to the application for historic registry.
Blooming with the lilacs in Lombard's Lilacia Park is this mammoth bed of tulips, shown on May 8, 1952. (Quinn / Chicago Tribune)
Louis Fredrick House, Barrington Hills, Lake County. The Louis Fredrick House was built in 1957 and was the last house built in Illinois by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, according to the application for historic registry. The house is a one-story masonry and wood frame house on a 10-acre property.
The Louis Fredrick House was built in 1957 and was the last house built in Illinois by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, according to the application for historic registry. The house is a one-story masonry and wood frame house on a 10-acre property. Copley Hospital, Aurora, Kane County. The Aurora City Hospital, later renamed the Copley Hospital, opened in 1888. Five years after opening, the hospital established an accredited school of nursing. The nursing school graduated more than 1,100 nurses from 1893 to 1975. Throughout the 1900s, additional sections were added to the hospital to accommodate Aurora’s growing population. In 1957, the hospital built a nurses dormitory with training rooms.
A man walks his dog past old Copley Hospital in Aurora in 2015. (Jon Langham / The Beacon-News)
Alton Gas and Electric Powerhouse, Alton, Madison County
Downtown Urbana Historic District, Urbana, Champaign County
Hunziker Winery Site, Warsaw, Hancock County
Paris High School and Gymnasium, Paris, Edgar County
Rollo Congregational United Church of Christ, Earlville vicinity, DeKalb County
To qualify for the registry, each site had to meet at least one of the following criteria: be associated with an event that has contributed significantly to history; be associated with the lives of significant historical figures; represent or possess distinctive architectural and artistic features; or have produced important historical information, said Barbara Wyatt, historian for the National Register of Historic Places. The physical appearance of each property must also resemble how it looked during its historic period of significance, Wyatt said.
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janderson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Autistic boy seriously injured in hit-and-run crash in Deerfield is improving, father says

Thad Thompson , who is the father of 12-year-old Chase Thompson , is urging the driver to turn him or @ @ @ @ @ the action would help Chase and help the family begin the process of forgiving the @ @ @ @ @ , Thad Thompson said he is offering a $ 10,000 reward to anyone who provides @ @ @ @ @ to a conviction of the driver , or to the driver if he or she @ @ @ @

Emergency service personnel on the scene of a hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian at Deerfield Road and Beverly Place in Deerfield on Feb. 7. (Joe Shuman / Pioneer Press)
The 12-year-old boy who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash Feb. 7 is “slowly improving,” his father said Monday.
Deerfield police, meanwhile, still are looking to identify the driver involved in the crash, which happened around 7 p.m. Feb. 7 near the intersection of Deerfield Road and Beverly Place.
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Thad Thompson, who is the father of 12-year-old Chase Thompson, is urging the driver to turn him or herself into authorities, saying the action would help Chase and help the family begin the process of forgiving the driver. Over the weekend, Thad Thompson said he is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides police with information that leads to a conviction of the driver, or to the driver if he or she surrenders to police.
“Chase is still critical (condition) but is very slowly improving,” Thad Thompson said Monday.
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Police have determined that a driver struck Chase near Deerfield Road and Beverly Place while headed west on Deerfield Road. The driver did not stop and continued going west, Deerfield police have said.
“The police are seeking the assistance of the public in attempting to locate and identify the driver of a vehicle believed to be a dark colored 2013-2016 Ford Escape with a SEL or Titanium trim package,” police said.
The vehicle may have “extensive damage to the passenger side headlight assembly, fender and grill," police said.
Thad Thompson said his son, a sixth grader at Caruso Middle School in Deerfield, is autistic and non-verbal. The boy managed to get out of the family home Friday evening without a coat or shoes.
Chase Thompson - Original Credit: News-Sun (Courtesy Of The Thompson Family / Handout)
“He went through three doors we didn’t think he was able to get through,” the boy’s father said. “He ran with his speech-assisted iPad and his hands in his ears, and he ran into the street."
On Monday, Thad Thompson said the driver would help out the family if he or she turned into police.
“I want them to fear that someone else might turn them in but know if they turn themselves in, it will help Chase and help with our insurance,” Thompson said.
Chase Thompson was unresponsive in the road when police arrived at the scene of the crash.
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He was taken by authorities to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville before being transferred to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team is assisting Deerfield police with the investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Deerfield Police Department at 847-945-8636, police said.
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Rage Against the Machine announces global tour, including a Chicago stop at United Center

In a brief statement , the band notes that “ Through ticketing , volunteering and band donations , Rage Against @ @ @ @ @ with multiple charities and activist organizations throughout the tour .
In addition , 100 % @ @ @ @ @ Paso , Las Cruces and Phoenix will go to immigrant rights.. ”

Zack de la Rocha, left, and Tom Morello of the band Rage Against the Machine perform during their headlining set at the "L.A. Rising" concert at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Saturday, July 30, 2011, in Los Angeles (Chris Pizzello/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Rage is back in full. Rage Against the Machine announced a 40-date world tour, which stops in Chicago May 19 at United Center (for those wondering about whether the band will headline Lollapalooza, there are tour dates that conflict with the Grant Park festival).
The group announced in November that it was doing a few dates, but the biggest news at that time was a date at Coachella 2020. The Rage Instagram account announced a few dates, the first for the group since 2011.
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During their long hiatus, Zack de la Rocha went solo, last releasing an album in 2016, while three members — Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford — joined forces with Public Enemy’s Chuck D and B-Real of Cypress Hill as Prophets Of Rage.
The seven month run begins March 26th in El Paso, Texas, running through Saturday, September 12th in Vienna, Austria. Rap duo Run the Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P) will open for all of the headliner dates except Chicago.
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In a brief statement, the band notes that “Through ticketing, volunteering and band donations, Rage Against the Machine will be working with multiple charities and activist organizations throughout the tour. In addition, 100% of all proceeds from El Paso, Las Cruces and Phoenix will go to immigrant rights..”
Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Thursday. For more information, visit LiveNation.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Former pitcher sues the Astros, saying their sign-stealing scandal led to the end of his MLB career

According to the suit , Bolsinger , then a reliever with the Toronto Blue Jays , was put into a @ @ @ @ @ 4 , 2017 , and allowed four runs , four hits and three walks in @ @ @ @ @ a 16-7 loss .
The suit said the right-hander `` was immediately terminated and cut @ @ @ @ @ to return to Major League Baseball again . ''

LOS ANGELES — Former major league pitcher Mike Bolsinger sued the Houston Astros on Monday, claiming their sign-stealing scheme contributed to a poor relief appearance in August 2017 that essentially ended his big league career.
Bolsinger's suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeks unspecified damages for interfering with and harming his career. He's also asking that the Astros forfeit their nearly $30 million in postseason shares from their 2017 World Series title, with the money going to children's charities in Los Angeles and a fund for needy retired players.
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According to the suit, Bolsinger, then a reliever with the Toronto Blue Jays, was put into a game at Houston on Aug. 4, 2017, and allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in one-third of an inning in a 16-7 loss. The suit said the right-hander "was immediately terminated and cut from the team, never to return to Major League Baseball again."
He was demoted to Triple-A and hasn't pitched in the major leagues since. He was 0-3 with a 6.31 ERA in 11 appearances with Toronto in 2017. The 32-year-old pitched in Japan in 2018-19, and is seeking a job with a big league club for this season.
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The Astros didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Commissioner Rob Manfred found the Astros broke rules against electronic sign stealing in 2017, including during the postseason. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired last month.
According to MLB's investigation, the Astros used a video feed to steal opposing teams' signs and then tipped off their batters to off-speed pitches by banging on a garbage can.
According to Bolsinger's lawsuit, graphic designer and web developer Tony Adams wrote a web application to document every instance of banging on a trash can during Astros home games in 2017. He found that the most bangs occurred in that Aug. 4, 2017, game, including on 12 of 29 pitches Bolsinger threw, the lawsuit said.
Hinch told the media that night that it was "not unusual for us to have big nights when we put good at-bats together," according to the lawsuit.
Bolsinger also pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers in his four-year career, going 8-19 with a 4.92 ERA.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Brewers ask Wisconsin locals to ‘Defend. Your. Turf.’ from Cubs fans at Miller Park as resident-only

Brewers ask Wisconsin locals to ‘Defend. Your. Turf.’ from Cubs fans at Miller Park as resident-only tickets go on sale

Defend .
Your .
Turf .
The Wisconsin resident only presale starts tomorrow at 9 a.m. CT .
Fans may @ @ @ @ @ for opening day and up to 8 tickets to any of the other regular-season home @ @ @ @ @ season .
Details : https : //t.co/qJjhicT3OY pic.twitter.com/pqo5X7kpHP

The Milwaukee Brewers are at it again.
The National League Central team hopes to have Miller Park stocked with more Brewers fans than Cubs fans for the nine regular-season meetings in Milwaukee in 2020 — including opening day on March 26.
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The team’s Twitter account touted the Wisconsin-resident-only sale that starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday with three simple words: “Defend. Your. Turf.”
Defend. Your. Turf.
The Wisconsin resident only presale starts tomorrow at 9 a.m. CT.
Fans may purchase up to 4 tickets for opening day and up to 8 tickets to any of the other regular-season home games against the Cubs this season.
Details: https://t.co/qJjhicT3OY pic.twitter.com/pqo5X7kpHP — Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) February 10, 2020
Those eligible can purchase up to four tickets for opening day and up to eight for any of the other regular-season games against the Cubs (March 28-29, May 22-24 and Aug. 7-9).
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This is the third year in a row the Brewers have held this promotion.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Gucci opens West Loop pop-up with Chicago collection and custom basketball for NBA All-Star Weekend

The Chicago pop-up is under construction , but promises to be an uber-hip , immersive experience described by the brand @ @ @ @ @ nocturnal refractions and reflections , taking us into a fantastical night club where visitors are @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Gucci brings its latest themed “Pin” pop-up store to Chicago, with a West Loop installment, debuting an exclusive collection.
The Gucci Pins are a series of ephemeral stores inspired by the pins seen on interactive digital maps. And as the third wave of the series lands, it includes a Gucci-personalized pin that will appear on Google Maps.
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The Chicago GG Psychedelic Gucci Pin is also home to an exclusive printed basketball in celebration of NBA All-Star Weekend. (Gucci)
The Chicago pop-up is under construction, but promises to be an uber-hip, immersive experience described by the brand as “a dreamscape of nocturnal refractions and reflections, taking us into a fantastical night club where visitors are welcome to join the party.”
Each of the Gucci Pin shops are built around one concept, where the brand debuts a site-specific collection of products. For Chicago, Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele has taken the iconic GG logo and playfully reinterpreted it with a streetwear attitude.
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Gucci's hooded tracksuit jacket is emblazoned with multicolor stars and GG logos. (Gucci)
A hip, multicolor star motif blended with the iconic GG logo covers everything from men’s and women’s clothes to shoes, handbags and luggage. For women, the ready-to-wear pieces include a dress featuring a drawstring at the waist, a shirt and pleated skirt ensemble, and a pajama set. For guys, the sporty collection includes a washed silk twill bowling shirt and shorts, a long nylon windbreaker, and a swimsuit.
Gucci’s psychedelic themed West Loop pop-up shop even has it’s own Gucci-themed pin showing up on Google Maps. (Pablo Enriquez / HANDOUT)
A highlight in the collection is an exclusive basketball ($1,980) also emblazoned with the GG logo and rainbow stars, in celebration of NBA All-Star Weekend.
To kick off the Chicago run, Gucci celebrated Gucci Changemakers North America, a social impact initiative focused on increasing inclusion and diversity within the fashion industry and across communities and cities. Changemakers North America
The Gucci Pin is at 160 N. Morgan St. and runs from Feb. 14 through March 2.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Plane briefly detained at Midway after report of sick passengers who had recently been to China

All people on board Southwest Flight 953 , including the three passengers , were found to be all right .
@ @ @ @ @ a hospital and there was no indication of coronavirus , according to Chicago Fire Department @ @ @ @

A plane was detained at Midway Airport about noon Monday after paramedics were called for three sick passengers, including two women who had recently been in China and an unrelated man, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said.
All people on board Southwest Flight 953, including the three passengers, were found to be all right. No one was taken to a hospital and there was no indication of coronavirus, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt.
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The two female passengers flew in from New York City and had been in the United States since Jan. 28, Merritt said.
One of the female passengers complained of a stomachache. Merritt said he did not have information on the other female passenger or the male passenger.
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According to a statement from Southwest Airlines, the crew followed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure everyone on board received the assistance they needed.
The two female passengers were sent along to their final destination of Cincinnati, Merritt said.
Check back for updates.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--‘Notorious RBG’ now a museum exhibit in Skokie, too

It ’ s not only the story of a mid-century woman finding her voice to help other women — and @ @ @ @ @ the next century .
Before becoming the second female Supreme Court justice in 1993 , @ @ @ @ @ and confirmed by a 96-3 U.S. Senate vote , the justice taught law and then @ @ @ @ @ levels , arguing a series of cases winning equal legal protection for the sexes .
@ @ @ @ @ course , she has transitioned from a consensus seeker to a leader of the dwindling @ @ @ @ @

You might have thought there would be a medium that would not, possibly could not, celebrate Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the left-leaning Supreme Court justice whose health is watched more closely than the timer counting to the end of a Peloton workout.
You might have thought that medium would be museum exhibitions, because, well, how? How would you turn the story of a studious Jewish girl who rises through law schools and equal rights advocacy onto the highest court into a set of information and artifacts worth walking through?
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You would have been wrong, as “Notorious RBG: The Life an Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” freshly mounted at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, demonstrates. Joining the Bader Ginsburg books and the Bader Ginsburg movies, the exhibit’s tightly organized collection of RBG garments, RBG yearbooks and RBG court arguments and life tales is as inspiring and hopeful as these things get.
It’s not only the story of a mid-century woman finding her voice to help other women — and remaining supremely relevant well into the next century. Before becoming the second female Supreme Court justice in 1993, nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by a 96-3 U.S. Senate vote, the justice taught law and then practiced it at the highest levels, arguing a series of cases winning equal legal protection for the sexes. On the court, of course, she has transitioned from a consensus seeker to a leader of the dwindling group of non-conservative jurists.
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It’s also a love story between the justice and her late spouse Marty Ginsburg, an apparently first-rate tax lawyer who is mostly celebrated here for being an early example of woke husband-hood, a fellow who took infectious delight in appearing in public as Mr. Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The exhibition is based on the hit 2015 book of the same title. It derived from a viral Tumblr account merging Ginsburg’s persona, especially her fierce Supreme Court dissents, with fragments from the late rapper the Notorious B.I.G. Then came the hit 2018 documentary “RBG” and the feature film “On the Basis of Sex.” And there are enough RBG tchtochkes in the marketplace — tote bags, bobbleheads, homages to her famous “dissent collar” — to fill a couple of tables in a museum gift shop. And they do.
But not everybody reads, goes to a movies or uses Tumblr so L.A.’s Skirball Cultural Center, a leading Jewish cultural institution, decided to take the book into three dimensions as an exhibit for its galleries, developed in 2018 by curator Cate Thurston with the book’s authors Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (who started the Tumblr).
“it’s been such a treat to have the book come to life in the form of a museum exhibition — first in Los Angeles, then Philadelphia (at the National Museum of American Jewish History), and now Chicago,” said Carmon via email. “Probably our favorite part is watching people of all ages and backgrounds put on robes and RBG-style collars and sit behind the recreated Supreme Court bench.”
In December in Philadelphia, she said, “we had the opportunity to give the Justice herself a tour of the exhibition. We’ll never forget watching her pause in front of the portrait of her mother, who died when she was a teenager, as RBG’s favorite opera played, and the footage of her husband and her on their honeymoon in Europe.”
The recreated court bench sits outside the exhibit proper. Inside its walls it offers the kind of intimate look at RBG that Carmon alludes to. This comes through in the glimpses of the domestic life: “The Ginsburgs on vacation in the Virgin Islands,” says the caption for one family photo.
Marty was the cook in the family, and a whisk he used is on display, right alongside a heartbreaking letter he wrote his wife before his final, 2010 trip to the hospital, where cancer would take his life.
“You are the only person I have loved in my life, setting aside, a bit, parents and kids and their kids, and I have admired and loved you almost since the day we first met at Cornell some 56 years ago,” he wrote.
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But the exhibit is also packed with top-level takes on key legal cases in the justice’s career. It’s especially good at laying out the methodical way Ginsburg argued for women’s rights in the 1970s as an ACLU lawyer. Part of her strategy was to bring to the Supreme Court cases where men were being discriminated against due to their sex — because she suspected that might find a more sympathetic ear.
“I don’t say women’s rights,” Ginsburg explains in quote printed large on an exhibition wall. “I say the constitutional principle of the the equal citizenship stature of men and women.
You can not only read but hear Ginsburg herself throughout, in TV interviews and at public programs, not to mention when she took the stage for a guest opera role. And you meet some of her mentors and role models, including the pioneering African-American lawyer Pauli Murray.
“We just knew that it was something that would resonate with our audience here and would be a really nice complement to the work that we’re doing to... empower people to use their voices and capacity to create positive change in our world,” said Susan Abrams, the Skokie museum’s CEO.
Added Arielle Weininger, chief curator, “the exhibition begins with Shelby County v. Holder (the landmark case that stripped voting rights protections), which is where she gained this hashtag Notorious RBG and the Tumblr. And it’s the fiery dissent that she gave from the bench in 2013 that really started that change from an older female justice on the court to being this super pop icon.”
Indeed, the final sections of the exhibition addresses the emergence of Ginsburg, who’ll turn 87 in March, as a pop star, a twist that she has worn gracefully.
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“Notorious B.I.G. and I had something in common,” she tells PBS’s Gwen Ifill in a clip that shows in this section. “We were both born and bred in Brooklyn, New York.”
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson
When: Through Aug. 16
Where: Illinois Holocaust Museum, 9603 Woods Dr., Skokie
Tickets: Included in $15 general admission; ilholocaustmuseum.org/rbg or 847-967-4800


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Breaking down the connections in the Martin Sandoval investigation

With the guilty plea of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval , the onetime head of the Senate ’ s Transportation @ @ @ @ @ to be convicted in an ongoing corruption probe that has touched on a who ’ @ @ @ @ @ players .
Those have included a handful of other elected officials ; magnates in the @ @ @ @ @ industries ; lobbyists ; transportation officials ; and Commonwealth Edison executives .
Prosecutors said the @ @ @ @ @ over ” but declined to discuss where the investigation might be headed .

Jason Meisner, Jemal R. Brinson, Chad Yoder

With the guilty plea of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, the onetime head of the Senate’s Transportation Committee became the first person to be convicted in an ongoing corruption probe that has touched on a who’s who of state power players. Those have included a handful of other elected officials; magnates in the construction, asphalt and casino industries; lobbyists; transportation officials; and Commonwealth Edison executives. Prosecutors said the probe was “far from over” but declined to discuss where the investigation might be headed.
To make sense of the sprawling case, the Tribune diagrammed the relationships between the key players. Among the key players, only Sandoval has been charged. No others have been accused of wrongdoing.
Source: Court filings, news reports, Tribune reporting
Created by the Chicago Tribune Dataviz team. On Twitter @ChiTribGraphics
A headline from an earlier version of this story has been revised and an explanation added that only Sandoval has been charged.


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Chicago native Matthew Cherry wins Oscar for short animated film ‘Hair Love’

“ It was a labor of love ” said Rupert Toliver about making the short film in her acceptance speech @ @ @ @ @ it was because we have a firm belief that representation matters deeply , especially in @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s when we first see our movies and that ’ s how we @ @ @ @ @ ’ s how we think about how we see the world .
”

Matthew A. Cherry, left, and Karen Rupert Toliver, winners of the award for best animated short film for "Hair Love", pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
When Matthew Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver walked onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre at the 92nd annual Academy Awards, both donning glistening headfulls of locs, it was a powerful sight.
The duo — one a Chicago native and NFL retiree turned entertainment sensation, and the other a Sony executive and producer — accepted the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for the charming and heartwarming movie “Hair Love,” a story about a black father doing his young daughter’s hair for the first time.
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“Hair Love” was released this summer in theaters with “The Angry Birds Movie 2” and came out in December 2019 on social platforms. The film has received more than 16 million views on YouTube alone, and has an accompanying picture book that became a New York Times bestseller.
Originally started as a Kickstarter, “Hair Love” is not a story about a little black girl falling in love with her natural hair — her mother has already fostered that — but of a black father displaying his love for his daughter by doing her hair in the midst of his own intimidation and ignorance.
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In the film, the little girl, who we know as Zuri, has a palpable excitement for a marked day on her calendar. She slides on an outfit already laid out, then approaches her bathroom sink with a wide-tooth comb in hand, ready to tackle the full head of hair we soon see is hidden underneath her bonnet.
She pulls up her favorite hair influencer on a video streaming website and swipes through the looks until she finds one satisfying for the occasion. When she does, we’re taken to a flashback of a woman, presumably Zuri’s mother, doing the child’s hair in the style she just eyed.
Zuri attempts the style and fails miserably, shocking her father to the point of him dropping a basket full of laundry to the ground. After his own multiple attempts and failures, Zuri’s dad tries to resolve the issue by shoving a red beanie on top of her untamed curls. She runs out of the room in tears after she sees how she looks.
Some would say Cherry was clairvoyant, since he tweeted twice about winning an Oscar. In 2012, he made a general claim of wanting to win an Academy Award, but four years ago, he specifically hinted at “Hair Love” being in the works. Cherry resurfaced the tweet last night after his win.
I'm gonna be nominated for an Oscar one day. Already claiming it — Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) June 2, 2012
For Cherry, the purpose behind making “Hair Love" was twofold: “we wanted to see more representation in animation (and) we wanted to normalize black hair,” he said in his acceptance speech, echoing Rupert Toliver’s sentiments in the short speech she gave right before him.
“It was a labor of love” said Rupert Toliver about making the short film in her acceptance speech Sunday night. “And it was because we have a firm belief that representation matters deeply, especially in cartoons, because in cartoons that’s when we first see our movies and that’s how we shape our lives and that’s how we think about how we see the world.”
In terms of normalizing black hair, Cherry used the second half of his speech to urge the passing of the CROWN Act, “a law that prohibits discrimination based on hair style and hair texture,” according to the legislation’s website. Three states have adopted the law, as well as one county.
“There’s a very important issue that’s out there, the CROWN Act, and if we can help to get this passed in all 50 states,” he said, “it would help stories like DeAndre Arnold’s, who’s our special guest tonight, stop to happen.”
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Arnold, the Texas teen who was suspended and barred from graduation because of his locs, attended the weekend’s festivities with the Hair Love team. His mother also attended.
To close his speech, Cherry dedicated his award to NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a tragic helicopter crash at the end of January. Cherry is the second former professional athlete to receive an Oscar — the first was Bryant who won in the same category as Cherry for “Dear Basketball” in 2018.
“May we all have a second act as great as his was,” Cherry said.
A screening of “Hair Love” followed by a discussion with Cherry and a reception will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at Macy’s, 111 N. State St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged as seating is first come, first serve. RSVP here.
chrjohnson@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-10--Former Chicago police officer sentenced to 10 years in fatal shooting of unarmed man

“ We could sit here and debate what he should have done or what he could have done or what @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Houser chose possibly the most extreme choices in that list of alternatives , '' @ @ @ @ @ the sentence .

Angelica Nieves took the witness stand in Cook County court Monday, looked at the ex-Chicago cop who killed her brother, and addressed him directly. His actions had shattered her family, and she would use his full name.
“You took him away from us, and why? What did he do to you, Lowell Houser?” she asked Monday at the former officer’s sentencing. “We are forever heartbroken ... Maybe one day my family will be able to truly forgive you, Lowell Houser."
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Lowell Houser appeared unmoved. He sat stone-faced as he waited to learn his punishment.
Moments later, Judge William Gamboney sentenced Houser to 10 years in prison for second-degree murder in the death of Jose Nieves, an unarmed man Houser fatally shot after a 2017 encounter on a Northwest Side street.
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“We could sit here and debate what he should have done or what he could have done or what could have happened, but Mr. Houser chose possibly the most extreme choices in that list of alternatives," Gamboney said before handing down the sentence.
“As a consequence, a 38-year-old man, Jose Nieves, who was minding his own business, lies dead.”
Houser, 60, will get credit for nearly three years he spent on an ankle monitor awaiting trial. And since inmates convicted of second-degree murder must serve only half their sentence, Houser is expected to be released from custody in about two years.
Former Chicago police Officer Lowell Houser. (Cook County sheriff's office)
Houser, who had nearly 30 years on the force, left the department a few weeks after the 2017 shooting.
He was charged with first-degree murder for shooting Nieves as the two argued on a Northwest Side street in January 2017. At trial in October, prosecutors argued the slaying was unprovoked, while Houser’s attorneys maintained he fired in self-defense.
Gamboney in December rejected a first-degree murder conviction — finding that Houser had “an actual, subjective belief” that he faced a deadly threat when he opened fire. The judge ruled, however, that Houser wasn’t justified in shooting Nieves, and found him guilty of a lesser charge.
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Prosecutors on Monday asked for a 15-year sentence, while Houser’s attorneys argued for probation. Houser has been in Cook County Jail since his conviction in December.
“He’s 60 years old with health issues, he had never committed a crime up to this point,” attorney William Fahy said. “(The shooting was) a split-second decision and he got it wrong. A split-second decision made out of fear and he did get it wrong, judge.”
To bolster the argument for Houser’s release, attorneys called his son to the stand, who described him as a “lovely, caring, supportive dad” and worried for his health behind bars. Houser was on medical leave for cancer treatment at the time of the shooting.
And some of Houser’s former colleagues testified he was a responsible cop with a calm presence.
“I know for a fact that as a police officer, the city of Chicago is a safer place because of Lowell’s service,” said retired officer Bruce Askew.
Houser, wearing a black and white striped jail uniform, rose to speak on his own behalf, offering condolences to the Nieves family but stopping short of an apology.
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“Many times I went over in my mind, was there something else I could have done to prevent this, but unfortunately I can only look in hindsight,” he said.
Criminal charges against Chicago police officers in shootings, on- or off-duty, are rare. Convictions are even more so. Houser’s case was a major test for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who was elected on a reform plank and took office just a month before Nieves was shot.
During the three-day trial, witnesses said Houser shot Nieves after an argument escalated outside Nieves’ apartment building in the 2500 block of North Lowell Avenue.
Prosecutors have previously said that the two had fought in the past, in particular about a month before the shooting when Houser allegedly brandished a gun at Nieves.
Like most officers charged with wrongdoing, Houser opted to have his fate decided by a judge rather than a jury, leaving his case in Gamboney’s hands.
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The two men were arguing, and Nieves had taken his coat off, but that was not enough for Houser to reasonably believe his life was in danger, Gamboney said in his decision last year.
"Even though Nieves may have been aggressive, the evidence suggests he was ready for a fistfight," the judge said. "But Houser brought a gun."
Angelica Nieves-Figureroa, the sister of Jose Nieves, weeps while praying during a news conference regarding the death of her brother before the trial begins on Oct. 29, 2019. (Camille Fine / Chicago Tribune)
In his decision, Gamboney said prosecutors had not put on any evidence to refute Houser’s claim that Nieves threatened to shoot him and reached for his waistband. The judge noted that two eyewitnesses for the prosecution didn’t observe the shooting, “only before and after.”
But Nieves did not have a gun, Gamboney said, and Houser never claimed to have actually seen him with a weapon. He only inferred that Nieves was armed, he said.
Houser faced a sentence of four to 20 years behind bars, though Gamboney also could have sentenced him to probation.
A first-degree murder conviction could have meant life in prison.
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In an unusual move for a murder defendant, Houser was allowed to remain on electronic monitoring since the case progressed, instead of spending time in Cook County Jail. That means he earned about three years of credit against his sentence.
Houser was the first Chicago cop to be found guilty of murder since the historic 2018 conviction of then-Officer Jason Van Dyke. A Cook County jury convicted Van Dyke on one count of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery — one for each bullet that hit 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in October 2014 as the teen walked away from police while holding a knife. Van Dyke was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. He is slated for release in about two years; an appeal is pending.
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Much like Van Dyke, prosecutors had charged Houser with first-degree murder, but Gamboney opted to convict him of second-degree murder.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com