chicagotribune--2020-02-06--Is this very spicy? A guide to the sometimes confusing array of hot sauces on your restaurant table

But spice is also a personal journey .
What I might find mild , others could consider lethal .
That @ @ @ @ @ sauces come to the rescue .
Whether it ’ s a bottle of hot sauce @ @ @ @ @ salsa , they allow each guest to customize the heat experience .
Many places treat @ @ @ @ @ essential , either leaving them on the table or bringing them over after an order @ @ @ @ @ eating an interactive dance of drizzling different sauces to see how they match with the @ @ @ @ @ sauce clashes , and you have to move on .
But more often than not @ @ @ @ @ a whole new way to experience your meal .

I can’t imagine my life without chiles. From breakfast, when I douse my avocado toast with hot sauce (I’m a millennial, after all) to a late-night snack of chips and salsa, chiles manage to find their way into most things I eat. Critics could claim that I’m simply covering up the taste of everything I devour, but I believe that chiles are nothing short of miracle drugs.
Sometimes chiles simply add a helpful counterpunch to overly starchy food. But when administered in the right dosage, chiles heighten my senses, allowing me to sit in the moment and worry about nothing else. Food tastes better, and textures sound louder. Wild sensations curl around my body. My nose runs. Sweat collects around my brow. Finally, a warm glow wraps around my body, like an electric blanket set to high.
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How can chiles do this?
According to Harold McGee in “On Food and Cooking,” the heat we experience from eating chiles comes from capsaicin, which “appears to be a chemical repellent aimed specifically at mammals.” Birds, which swallow chiles whole, feel no pain when snacking on chiles. But since most mammals chew their food, they disperse the capsaicin chemical around their mouths. As McGee writes, “it’s a wonderfully perverse achievement for our mammal species to have fallen in love with this anti-mammalian weapon.”
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No doubt, chile heat is often described in masochistic terms, as if chiles only dish out pain. But that’s not how I see it at all. Chiles have actual flavor, from the bright, tart notes of guajillos to the dark, chocolate aromas contained in pasillas. Chiles are fruits, after all.
But spice is also a personal journey. What I might find mild, others could consider lethal. That’s where table hot sauces come to the rescue. Whether it’s a bottle of hot sauce or a container of spoon-able salsa, they allow each guest to customize the heat experience. Many places treat these condiments as automatic and essential, either leaving them on the table or bringing them over after an order is placed. This makes eating an interactive dance of drizzling different sauces to see how they match with the food. Sometimes the hot sauce clashes, and you have to move on. But more often than not, the sauce opens up a whole new way to experience your meal.
Here’s a condiment-by-condiment breakdown for what to find on the table at some of Chicago’s spiciest restaurants, from Thai and Vietnamese to Peruvian and Mexican.
Khruang phrung from JJ Thai Street Food. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
Few cuisines understand the importance of personal heat customization as Thai cuisine. Sit down at JJ Thai Street Food (1715 W. Chicago Ave.) and a waitress will bring over a green caddy containing five condiments, three of which are spicy. These are called khruang phrung. As chef and cookbook author Andy Ricker writes in “Pok Pok Noodles,” this “isn’t a foreign concept to Westerners — people put mustard and sauerkraut on hot dogs. … Yet it often eludes people who are new to the food of Thailand.” My advice? Sample a little bit of each sauce with some rice. While three of the condiments are spicy, each adds a different profile to the plate. For example, in the top left you’ll see phrik naam som, a vinegar and chile mixture that adds a lively acidity and mild heat. On the bottom right, you’ll find phrik pon khua, a toasted-chile powder that’s smoky and dark.
The condiment options at Pho Viet, including a tall bottle of Sriracha. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
You’ll find a collection of sauces on the table at most Vietnamese restaurants, too, though one condiment stands supreme. Sriracha, which you can find at all kinds of restaurants these days, actually originated in Thailand. But thanks to Huy Fong Foods, a company based in California, it’s now customary to see the sauce in Vietnamese restaurants. The thick, bright red sauce has a moderate heat followed by a pleasing sweetness. It’s on the table at Pho Viet (4941 N. Broadway), along with chile garlic sauce, pickled shallots, hoisin, fish sauce and soy sauce. By the way, while you could cover a bowl of pho with Sriracha, it’s customary to squirt some on a small plate and then dip meat from the bowl in the sauce with your chopsticks. But you do you.
Spicy chile oil at Noodle Deli in Hoffman Estates. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
At some Chinese restaurants you’ll find a small container of chile oil on the table. Made by pouring hot oil over chile flakes and sometimes other seasonings, the sauce is usually blood red, and has a dark roasted chile presence. That’s what you’ll find on the table at Noodle Deli (2 Golf Center) in suburban Hoffman Estates, an exciting new shop that serves complex bowls of beef noodle soup. Just know that you’ll need to stir the contents of the oil, because the chile sediment collects on the bottom, and you’ll want some of those crunchy bits.
Aji verde at D'Candela in Irving Park. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
Asian restaurants aren’t the only place to look. At D’Candela (3449 W. Irving Park Road), a Peruvian restaurant in Irving Park, a server will bring out a tiny cup of aji verde made with the genuinely spicy aji amarillo chiles. But thanks to the addition of mayonnaise, it comes off as only moderately spicy. The sauce is especially great with the restaurant’s pollo a la brasa.
Table full of hot sauce options at Heaven on Seven in the Loop. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
Of course, it’s not unusual to find a bottle of Tabasco on the table of every American diner, but often this feels like an afterthought, instead of an integral part of the eating process. That’s certainly not the case at Heaven on Seven (111 N. Wabash Ave., floor 7) in the Loop, which cares about bottled hot sauce more than any other place in town. I counted 26 kinds of hot sauces on my table, from multiple varieties of Tabasco and Crystal to brands I’d never heard of before (Melinda’s?). While it’s a fun gimmick, the restaurant’s Cajun and Creole food also benefits from a drizzle of at least one of these vinegar-heavy hot sauces.
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Chile sauces of Mexico
But no cuisine puts as much effort into making sure you can customize the spice level of your meal like the food at Mexican restaurants. That’s because no cuisine uses chiles as extensively or as creatively. This makes sense considering the current theory is that chiles were domesticated in the area of current-day Mexico more than 9,000 years ago. The word “chile” even comes from Nahuatl, the language spoken in the Aztec empire (also called the Triple Alliance).
Salsa options at Guapo Taco in Brighton Park. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
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Essentially every Mexican restaurant in the Chicago region dishes out salsa when you sit down. But my favorite places don’t just bring one salsa; they bring loads. Place your order at the tiny Guapo Taco (2430 W. 47th St.) in Brighton Park and the waiter will bring out a lovely red and green ceramic vessel with pickled jalapenos and three salsas, each of which brings the heat.
Salsa options at Restaurante y Taqueria Guerrero in Back of the Yards. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
Restaurante y Taqueria Guerrero (1922 W. 47th St.) in Back of the Yards also serves three salsas, including a salsa roja so incendiary I had to chug a whole glass of water after sampling it.
All the salsa options at La Chaparrita in Little Village. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
All three salsas at La Chaparrita, one of my favorite places to eat in all of Chicago, mean business. An avocado and green chile salsa lends creaminess and a fair amount of fresh heat, while a complex salsa roja pulls your tongue in all directions. But my favorite is the hilariously spicy habanero salsa, which adds a rush of citrus notes before an all-encompassing heat floods your senses.
Tripa taco from La Chaparrita with habanero and avocado salsa drizzled on top. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
With its mix of wild fruity aromas and intense heat, it’s hard to beat the habanero. I’m not the only person who feels this way. I share an affection for the chile with New York chef Alex Stupak, who called the habanero in his cookbook “Tacos: Recipes and Provocations” a “tricky little siren.” He describes the initial aroma of a habanero as “all passion fruit, guava, and fresh-cut grass," before the heat “locks its jaws around your tongue.” As he writes, “nothing in the world tastes so beautiful and is so ephemeral. ... To love the habanero is to be in constant pursuit of those opiate moments just before the capsaicin rolls in.”
At La Chaparrita and plenty of other chile-friendly establishments around the city, this federally legal way to experience sensory overload is available to all who want it.
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nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com
Note: This article has been updated to correct the origin of Sriracha hot sauce.


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Two dead in shootings on South, Southwest sides

The officer glanced at the building and said they couldn ’ t go through the front , near where evidence @ @ @ @ @ asked if they could go through the back , and the officer agreed , escorting @ @ @ @ @ later , the two women were joined by a third on a third-floor balcony overlooking @ @ @ @ @ to go in and out of the apartment until a firetruck arrived , just before @ @ @ @ @ down what was left of the crime scene .

A 19-year-old man was shot and killed Feb. 8, 2020, in the 3800 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood, according to Chicago police (Paige Fry/Chicago Tribune)
A neighbor was sitting in his car when he heard the shots. Four or five, he guessed.
A woman came out of a Lyft car and started screaming. He ran toward her and found a 19-year-old man lying on the street in the 3800 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood on the South Side.
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Two women who he said appeared to be relatives of the young man came out from the apartment building behind the shooting scene. The man then focused his attention on trying to comfort them as they broke down.
An ambulance took the young man who was in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to Chicago police.
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Police said the shooting took place at 5:30 p.m. Saturday when the 19-year-old man was walking down the street. A man got out of a green BMW, pulled out a handgun and began firing. The 19-year-old was shot in the head, leg and hand, police said. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The neighbor, who declined to give his name out of fear of retaliation, stayed an hour after the shooting, as police taped up the area and put down at least 17 evidence markers around two vehicles on the street.
“This is my neighborhood. Something’s not right," he said.
He said he didn’t recognize the 19-year-old man from around the neighborhood, where he has lived for more than three years. He had also never seen a gunshot victim up close. He took a blurry photo of the man on his phone before the ambulance came. He stared at it in disbelief as he tried to guess how many times he had been shot.
“I can’t sleep,” he said. “It’s bugging me.”
After he left, two women walked up to the crime scene tape, provided the name of a woman and told police they needed to see her.
“She’s at the hospital,” an officer responded.
“No, she’s back in there,” one woman said, looking to the building. “We’re her friends. She needs us.”
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The officer glanced at the building and said they couldn’t go through the front, near where evidence technicians were working. They asked if they could go through the back, and the officer agreed, escorting them. A short time later, the two women were joined by a third on a third-floor balcony overlooking the street. They continued to go in and out of the apartment until a firetruck arrived, just before 9 p.m., to hose down what was left of the crime scene.
As the marked police vehicles left one by one, another car pulled up and two tactical unit officers approached the building, shining their flashlights over the surveillance cameras and talking to people who came outside.
Less than two hours after the Oakland shooting, a 29-year-old man was walking on a sidewalk in the 3700 block of West 58th Street in the West Elsdon neighborhood on the Southwest Side when someone in a vehicle began firing shots, police said. The man was shot in the chest and head and he died at the scene.
In other overnight shootings, an 18-year-old man was shot in the right thigh at 8:45 p.m. when he was walking through an alley in the 6700 block of South Rhodes in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized.
About 9:20 p.m., a 23-year-old man walked into Swedish Covenant Hospital with a graze wound to the back of his head, police said. He was listed in serious condition, which was stabilized. Police said he was driving in the 3300 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue in the Hollywood Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side when someone in a black SUV fired shots.
No arrests have been made.
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pfry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--3 teenagers, 1 adult charged in connection with store owner’s slaying

Police said three boys , ages 13 , 15 and 17 , and a 34-year-old man entered the store about @ @ @ @ @ them grabbed a cash drawer from the register .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear @ @ @ @ @ at some point both Maali and at least one of the robbers exchanged gunfire , @ @ @ @ @ spokesman for Chicago police .
The 17-year-old was shot at least once in the leg @ @ @ @ @ shot , he said .

Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, William Lee

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--Plainfield police: Pit bull euthanized after attack that left 4 people injured

On the second floor of the home , firefighters located a 25-year-old man who had suffered “ severe injuries to @ @ @ @ @ was taken to Amita Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet before he was transferred @ @ @ @ @ in Maywood for further treatment , according to police .

Plainfield police and firefighters responded Saturday night to a call of a dog bite and found four people had been attacked by the family’s pet pit bull, which later was euthanized.
About 9:15 p.m., emergency responders were called to a home in the 22900 block of Judith Drive, according to a news release from the Plainfield Police Department. They were able to get hold of the male pit bull, but because it continued acting aggressively, the dog was immediately euthanized, officials said.
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On the second floor of the home, firefighters located a 25-year-old man who had suffered “severe injuries to his arms.” He later was taken to Amita Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet before he was transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood for further treatment, according to police.
Three other residents of the home, a 52-year-old woman, a 25-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man also were bitten by the pit bull, and they were evaluated at a hospital and later released, officials said.
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Police said the dog was owned by the family, who said the animal had not been provoked before it attacked.
The incident remains under investigation by the Plainfield Police Department and Will County Animal Control.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Armed man shot, 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--7-year-old girl injured and 36-year-old man killed in Humboldt Park shooting

The other passengers in the vehicle , who were not injured , did not see who fired the shots or @ @ @ @ @ police said .
The vehicle came to a stop in the 1500 block of North @ @ @

A 7-year-old girl and a 36-year-old man were shot early Feb. 9, 2020, in the 1300 block of North Rockwell Street, according to Chicago police. (Paige Fry/Chicago Tribune)
A 7-year-old girl is hospitalized and a 36-year-old man is dead after they were driving early Sunday and someone fired shots at their vehicle, according to Chicago police.
The shooting happened about 3 a.m. in the 1300 block of North Rockwell Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said. The man was driving a vehicle with the girl and two or three other adults inside.
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They heard gunshots, and the driver was hit in the head and the girl was hit in the back, police said. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where the man was pronounced dead and the girl is in fair condition.
The other passengers in the vehicle, who were not injured, did not see who fired the shots or where they came from, police said. The vehicle came to a stop in the 1500 block of North Rockwell Street.
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No arrests have been made.
Check back for updates.
pfry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Steven Souza Jr. is ready to make the most of his latest opportunity with the Cubs — whatever his ro

Steven Souza Jr. is ready to make the most of his latest opportunity with the Cubs — whatever his role is

“ We ’ ve had ambiguous discussions , but I ’ m not worried about that as much , ” @ @ @ @ @ role with the Cubs .
“ I ’ m just thankful to be out here @ @ @ @ @ the chips fall where they do .
I can just control how hard I work @ @ @ @ @ .
And whatever my role is and whatever they see me needing to do , @ @ @ @ @ do it .
”

MESA, Ariz. — Steven Souza Jr. produced his three most impressive seasons with the Rays at the same time the Cubs were making three consecutive National League Championship Series appearances in 2015-17.
So Souza easily recognized the parallel between his attempt to rebound from two injury-plagued seasons and the Cubs’ attempt to end their recent regression since their NLCS run.
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“I’m thankful I’ve been able to put a reputation out there to be able to earn chances, and there comes a point where you’ve got to perform,” Souza said. “I’m probably getting to that point where a team has to see some stuff, and I’m ready to go out there and do it.
“It’s definitely nice to be wanted, and obviously Chicago showed tremendous interest in the beginning and we felt like this was a perfect place for me, my family and the opportunity.”
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Souza, 30, repeatedly expressed his appreciation for the Cubs’ interest after he missed all of the 2019 season with three torn knee ligaments and a torn posterior lateral capsule he suffered slipping on home plate in the Diamondbacks’ final exhibition game.
He was cleared to run without any restrictions in mid-December and said he’s undecided about wearing a knee brace.
Souza, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract with a chance to earn an additional $2 million in roster and performance bonuses, could strengthen the Cubs offense if Jason Heyward continues to struggle against left-handers.
“We’ve had ambiguous discussions, but I’m not worried about that as much,” Souza said of his projected role. “I’m just thankful to be out here and run around and let the chips fall where they do. I can just control how hard I work and how hard I play. And whatever my role is and whatever they see me needing to do, I’m ready to do it.”
Souza’s best season was with the Rays in 2017, when he hit 30 home runs, drove in 78 runs and posted an .810 OPS. He was the centerpiece of a three-way trade that sent him to the Diamondbacks in 2018, but a right shoulder injury in spring training limited him to five home runs and a .369 slugging percentage in only 72 games that season.
The Diamondbacks' Steven Souza Jr. hits an RBI double against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 24, 2018. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
He believed he was at full strength again before tearing the knee ligaments in 2019.
“I was getting in a groove. It’s unfortunate we can’t control a lot of the injuries that happen to us,” Souza said.
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“I use it as a chance to get better, not only physically and different parts of my body but mentally. I felt like I’ve been through the grind mentally the last few years, so it’s definitely helped my perspective. I felt like I was right there. I feel like I’m right there now.”
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The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Souza received a $346,000 signing bonus as a third-round pick by the Nationals in the 2007 draft that got him out of his commitment to play football and baseball at Washington State.
But frustration mounted to the point where he quit baseball after the 2011 season and considered joining the University of Washington football team as a walk-on defensive back, only to rejoin the Nationals organization the following spring.
The decision paid off as his baseball career, which once stagnated at Class A for four seasons, ascended to the point where he made his major-league debut with the Nationals in 2014.
Despite a .233 career batting average, glimpses of his power and athleticism have retained the attention of scouts.
Five of Souza’s homers in 2017 traveled at least 442 feet, including a 455-foot shot that hit the D-ring at Tropicana Field. And then there’s the thought of playing summer games at Wrigley Field.
“I was excited to go to Arizona, and then they put a humidor in there and it had some big effects on guys there,” Souza said. “I’ve never played in a true hitters’ park, (but) that won’t change my game. I’ve got to stick to my game plan and let the wind take it where it wants to.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Chicago Opera Theater review: ‘Freedom Ride’ illuminates a battle for civil rights

“ Freedom Ride ” achieves its deepest impact not via such twists of plot , however , but from its @ @ @ @ @ .
When the future Freedom Riders rehearse what a confrontation on a bus might be @ @ @ @ @ us how deeply they suffer at the thought of encountering not only violence but humiliation @ @ @ @ @ leads to a character ’ s death , the doomed Freedom Rider expresses neither sorrow @ @ @ @ @ moments of life but faith in a higher power .
When a Jewish character explains @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s becoming a Freedom Rider , his aria subtly evokes his family ’ @ @ @ @ @ – one reason , among many , that young people became Freedom Riders .

Why did they do it?
Why did young men and women in the summer of 1961 climb onto buses and trains in the name of integration, whites sitting next to blacks in a Deep South that hated them for it?
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They knew they would be greeted by clubs and bludgeons, that they’d end up in hospitals or prisons or worse. Yet the Freedom Riders, as they were known, would not be deterred, fighting for civil rights in the noblest way possible: by risking their own lives.
Their ordeals nearly have been forgotten by our popular culture, notwithstanding the national profile of former Freedom Rider and U.S. Representative John Lewis, D-Ga. But their struggle was stage center Saturday evening at the Studebaker Theater, where Chicago Opera Theater presented the world premiere of composer-librettist Dan Shore’s “Freedom Ride.” The opera, nine years in the making, sought not to re-imagine historic battles but to search for something more profound: what motivated these brave young souls to risk everything, despite violent opposition.
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It did so through the fictional story of Sylvie Davenport, a college student drawn to the Freedom Riders not by social conscience but by romantic attraction to one of its charismatic leaders, Clayton Thomas. He lures impressionable young people to his cause in the opera’s extended opening scene, set on the quad of an unnamed historically black college in New Orleans.
In baritone Robert Sims’ portrayal, Thomas exuded both righteous indignation at pervasive racism and unyielding determination to fight it. Composer Shore gave the character long, heroic lines, as well as ample time in which to entice students gathered around him, none more smitten by his plea than the innocent Davenport (soprano Dara Rahming in a role originally to have featured Lauren Michelle, who left “for personal reasons,” according to a COT representative).
No sooner does Davenport express her interest in becoming a Freedom Rider than she’s confronted by her mother, Georgia (mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams), who’s horrified at what lies ahead and excoriates her in their turbulent, angry duet. Davenport’s troubles only deepen when Thomas rebuffs her romantic overtures, forcing her to acknowledge her true reasons for having toyed with becoming a Freedom Rider.
From this point forth, we see and hear Davenport struggling to decide a question that will determine her future: whether to get on board. Her search for the answer will be made more difficult by a church bombing in which many will be injured and a friend will die.
“Freedom Ride” achieves its deepest impact not via such twists of plot, however, but from its characters’ reactions to them. When the future Freedom Riders rehearse what a confrontation on a bus might be like, the opera shows us how deeply they suffer at the thought of encountering not only violence but humiliation. When the church bombing leads to a character’s death, the doomed Freedom Rider expresses neither sorrow nor hate in her last moments of life but faith in a higher power. When a Jewish character explains to his black comrades why he’s becoming a Freedom Rider, his aria subtly evokes his family’s tragic past in Europe – one reason, among many, that young people became Freedom Riders.
At its heart, “Freedom Ride” focuses on how and why Davenport makes her choice. Her evolution from naive student to hopeful protester proved compelling, thanks to the poetry of Shore’s score, which elegantly merged high-flown operatic melody with gospel-tinged ensemble writing. True, this music broke no new ground, but it clearly wasn’t designed to. Shore instead chose to revel in classical African American musical idioms – the very sounds that Freedom Riders in 1960s New Orleans would have encountered in church on any Sunday morning.
Soprano Dara Rahming (center) as Sylvie Davenport, with children’s chorus in Chicago Opera Theater's production of "Freedom Ride." (Michael Brosilow / Handout)
Nowhere was this verismo-meets-vernacular approach more powerful than in “I Been Tryin’ to Get to Jackson for Three Days,” a shattering train station aria in which a character named Leonie Baker decries the Freedom Riders. “I seen people die,” sang soprano Whitney Morrison, emotion rising with each phrase. “I seen my brother die. So why do I care where I sit on that bus?”
Composer Shore has structured the opera shrewdly, solos and duets alternating with large ensemble pieces, introspective soliloquies juxtaposed with throaty gospel exhortations. A long and majestic church sequence featured a heaven-storming sermon from Rev. Jerome Mitchell, sublimely paced and passionately sung by tenor Cornelius Johnson.
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The work’s only structural flaw concerned a children’s choir scene. Though such angelic tones are impossible to resist, the sequence was dramatically extraneous, with little connection to the story’s progress.
Yet the original hymns and spirituals that composer Shore has written sound as if they could have been handed down through the ages. And “Tikkun Olam,” the aria sung by tenor Blake Friedman as the Jewish character Marc, drew upon Hebraic inflections without exaggerating them.
Soprano Rahming carried considerable responsibility as Davenport, expressing her character’s psychological anguish via a vocal performance that gained heft and ferocity as the evening unfolded. In a final triumphant sequence, the opera’s black-and-white costumery (designed by Harry Nadal) gave way to her bright, life-affirming orange dress, signaling a moment of arrival. Well done.
By conceiving a stripped-down production with minimal props, stage director Tazewell Thompson in effect focused attention on the score and the singing. The historic film footage that served as backdrop gave the production a real-world urgency. So did the staging of the church bombing scene, which conveyed confusion and terror amid so much shattering glass. Thompson moved his soloists and choir fluidly from one scene to the next, no easy task considering the number of people and settings involved.
Conductor and COT music director Lidiya Yankovskaya led the soloists, choirs and the Chicago Sinfonietta in a crisp performance that served populist and classical idioms with equal aplomb.
But the star was Shore’s music, which carried obvious influences of George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein and made the most of them.
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It’s not difficult to envision a long future for “Freedom Ride,” which at 90 minutes would be quite manageable for a wide range of opera companies, especially student troupes that might inspire young new activists.
If so, Shore will have accomplished something significant.
3.5 stars
“Freedom Ride” plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave.; $45-$150; 312-704-8414 or www.chicagooperatheater.org.
Howard Reich is a Tribune critic.
hreich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-09--Police: 2 men who resisted a South Loop armed robbery were shot to death, woman who complied was spa

Police: 2 men who resisted a South Loop armed robbery were shot to death, woman who complied was spared

The woman did what the man said but the two men she was with resisted , police said .
The @ @ @ @ @ at the two men .
A 39-year-old man was shot in the head and he @ @ @ @ @ location .
The second man , 38 , also was shot in the head and @ @ @ @ @ according to police .

An armed robber shot two men dead when they refused to turn over their belongings in the South Loop, but spared a woman who complied with his demands, according to Chicago police.
Police were called to the 2000 block of South Wells Street about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, police said. The three victims had been in a residential parking lot when the robber came up and demanded their belongings, officials said.
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The woman did what the man said but the two men with her resisted, police said. The gunman fired several times at the men. A 39-year-old man was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the location. The second man, 38, also was shot in the head and pronounced dead on scene, according to police.
The gunman took off running but police caught up with him in the 2200 block of South Princeton Avenue in nearby Chinatown. A weapon was recovered and the man was arrested, officials said.
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No charges had been announced Sunday morning.
Check back for updates.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--Off-duty Chicago detective dies in apparent suicide, police say

This is the first Chicago officer suicide reported this year .
Most recently , Officer Paul O. Escamilla , 40 @ @ @ @ @ he was found dead Sept. 16 in the Bunker Hill Forest Preserve on the Northwest @ @ @ @ @ later ruled a suicide by the Cook County medical examiner ’ s office .
He @ @ @ @ @ four officers who died by suicide in 2019 .

A Chicago police detective died Saturday afternoon in what appears to have been a suicide, according to Chicago police.
The incident occurred at 4:22 p.m. Saturday in the 6300 block of North La Crosse Avenue in the Edgebrook neighborhood on the Northwest Side, said police spokesman Officer Ronald Westbrooks.
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The officer, whose name has not been released, was a 51-year-old female, Westbrooks said.
“We are (devastated) tonight about the passing of an off-duty CPD detective who died of an apparent suicide. Everyday life can be daunting for anyone — especially police officers who (selflessly) dedicate their lives to safeguarding strangers. Deepest condolences to her family & friends,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a tweet.
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We are devasted tonight about the passing of an off-duty CPD detective who died of an apparent suicide. Everyday life can be daunting for anyone - especially police officers who selfessly dedicate their lives to safeguarding strangers. Deepest condolences to her family & friends. pic.twitter.com/lJflNvY1ev — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 9, 2020
Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote in a tweet that she and interim Superintendent Charlie Beck are working with health experts and advocacy organizations “to ensure each one of our officers has every measure of support they need and deserve.”
Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a Chicago Police detective who passed away today from an apparent suicide. — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) February 9, 2020
This is the first Chicago officer suicide reported this year. Most recently, Officer Paul O. Escamilla, 40, was off duty when he was found dead Sept. 16 in the Bunker Hill Forest Preserve on the Northwest Side. His death was later ruled a suicide by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He was one of at least four officers who died by suicide in 2019.
Check back for updates.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-02-08--Ask Amy: Flustered hosts seek rules for houseguests

You may want a less literal and more emotional response .
You should bring this up , not in a @ @ @ @ @ behaving in a particular way , but with a goal to make some changes in @ @ @ @ @ .
Do you have particular responses that frustrate him ?
You should ask .

Dear Amy: Recently, we hosted a couple as weekend guests. The wife and my wife were friends in college.
I picked them up at the airport on Friday afternoon and brought them to our house, showed them to the guest room, and we all sat down to the dinner that my wife had prepared.
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On Saturday, after breakfast they spent the day with some friends of theirs, and returned to our house for another homecooked meal.
On Sunday, our guests suggested that we go to a nice restaurant for dinner, which we did. During dinner they ordered and drank a $40 bottle of wine. My wife and I don't drink.
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When the waiter placed the check on the table, nobody moved for a few seconds. I thought, "Does he expect me to pick that up?" Finally, he said, "Hey, buddy, whaddaya say we split the check?"
I wanted to say, "No, I don't want to split the check. I want you to pay for all the food, the wine, the tip, and the tax," but not wanting to make a scene, I mumbled, "OK."
On Monday, we drove them back to the airport. They thanked us for the weekend, but never sent an email or a thank you note.
My question is: What are roles and responsibilities of houseguests and hosts?
— Disgruntled Host
Dear Disgruntled: A good houseguest brings a small gift to present to the host upon their arrival. They express interest in their surroundings and enthusiasm for any plans the host has made.
A good houseguest will be tidy, quiet, and respectful of the hosts' household schedule.
Yes, they should take the host out for a meal or an outing during their stay and offer to pick up the check.
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They should leave their sleeping area tidy (offering to strip the bed), thank the host warmly before they leave, and follow up with a note and/or an enthusiastic phone call when they return home.
That's how guests behave when they want to be invited back (your houseguests quite obviously don't).
You said that you didn't want to make a scene at the restaurant, but stating your own needs, plainly and politely, doesn't qualify as making a scene. At the very least, you could have responded: "How about you pay for your bottle of wine, and we'll split the cost of the food bill, buddy."
Dear Amy: It just happened again. I told my husband that a distant relative of mine died from cancer and in return, he spent the next 10 minutes describing to me how cancer is detected and spreads.
I've recently become aware that many of our conversations go like this -- with me making a comment and my hubby of 40 years explaining how things work.
Honestly, I don't know if this is a new thing between the two of us, or if I'm just now waking up to it.
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When he does this, I get angry and feel shut down. Is this what they mean by the term, "mansplaining?" It's exhausting.
Explain, please!
— Exhausted
Dear Exhausted: "Mansplaining" in this context would be if you were a world-renowned cancer specialist, and yet your husband felt the need to patiently explain to you how cancer works.
The way I read your situation your husband believes that he is communicating effectively with you. You bring something up, and he spends time telling you about it. This is his way of trying to connect.
You may want a less literal and more emotional response. You should bring this up, not in a way that blames him for behaving in a particular way, but with a goal to make some changes in the way you two communicate. Do you have particular responses that frustrate him? You should ask.
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It's OK to say what you need: "Honey, when I told you about my relative's cancer, I want you to know that, honestly, I wanted to talk about my relative, not the disease. There are times when I want a hug, not an explanation."
Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Dear Amy: I was offended by the letter from "Embarrassed," as well as your response.
Embarrassed has a father who is expressing his own views on social media. There is nothing wrong with that! He has the right to express himself however he wants!
— Upset
Dear Upset: According to "Embarrassed," Dad was insulting and offending people who attempted to respond to his rants. One consequence of that behavior is that others would be both insulted and embarrassed by it.
Get the latest no-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning with our Ask Amy newsletter. Sign up here.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
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Copyright 2019 by Amy Dickinson
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--Former Cubs outfielder Angel Echevarria dies at 48

Echevarria , who played the last of his seven major-league seasons with the Cubs in 2002 , died at Bridgeport @ @ @ @ @ to the Connecticut Post .
Echevarria felt ill for about a week and hit his @ @ @ @ @ his girlfriend , Jazmine Cox , told the Post .

Angel Echevarria, who played for the Cubs in 2002, reportedly died Friday at age 48. The Bridgeport, Conn., native played for three teams in seven major-league seasons from 1996-2002. (PHIL VELASQUEZ / CHICAGO TRIBUNE)
Former Cubs outfielder-first baseman Angel Echevarria died Friday night at 48.
Rutgers, where he set a career home run record that has since been broken, announced his death Saturday but didn’t provide further details.
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Echevarria, who played the last of his seven major-league seasons with the Cubs in 2002, died at Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Post. Echevarria felt ill for about a week and hit his head during a fall, his girlfriend, Jazmine Cox, told the Post.
Echevarria, a native of Bridgeport, Conn., who was a Rockies 17th-round draft pick in 1992 out of Rutgers, hit .306 in 50 games for the Cubs. He had a .280 career average in 328 games with the Rockies (1996-2000), Brewers (2000-01) and Cubs.
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His best MLB season was 1999 when he batted .293 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 102 games. He finished with a career .280 average.
Echevarria hit 31 home runs for Rutgers. He currently is fourth in career home runs for the Scarlet Knights, sixth with 145 career RBIs and 10th with 329 total bases.
Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--Bob Knight returns to Indiana basketball for the 1st time since his firing in 2000: ‘This is where y

Bob Knight returns to Indiana basketball for the 1st time since his firing in 2000: ‘This is where you belong’

“ It was one of the greatest and most emotional things for me , ” said former player Randy Wittman @ @ @ @ @ role in the reunion .
“ I do n't know if we 'll see something @ @ @ @ @ basketball .
When he moved back here , I told him you 're back here @ @ @ @ @ belong .
”

Bloomington, IND. — Bob Knight's short stroll from the practice gym to Assembly Hall ended a 20-year journey home.
It seemed as if he never left.
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When the former Indiana Hoosiers coach walked through the tunnel Saturday and onto his old court for the first time since his firing in September 2000, the crowd went wild — chanting his name, roaring with approval, thanking him for all the success and banners he brought to Bloomington.
“It was one of the greatest and most emotional things for me,” said former player Randy Wittman, who had a key role in the reunion. “I don't know if we'll see something like this again in college basketball. When he moved back here, I told him you're back here because this is where you belong.”
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The sellout crowd and dozens of former players lauded Knight after watching a video detailing Knight's contributions.
The General Returns.
Bob Knight took the floor at Assembly Hall with his former players to a standing ovation: pic.twitter.com/ipq47fqbCu — Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 8, 2020
He walked in with his son, Pat. He hugged Isiah Thomas. He was assisted into the arena by Quinn Buckner. And Knight, 79, reveled in the moment, pumping his fist, pretending to direct Scott May in a practice drill and even leading fans in a chorus of “de-fense, de-fense.”
No, he didn't wear his trademark red sweater or throw a chair. But he did appear to get a little misty-eyed as the fans cheered.
“We love you, Bobby,” one shouted.
Knight did not speak to the crowd over the public address system. He didn't need to.
Everyone in attendance understood what the combustible coach had on his 29-season resume: A school record 662 victories, 11 Big Ten championships, five Final Four appearances and, yes, three national titles.
They knew some of the stories, too — the Olympic gold medal he won in 1984 with Michael Jordan after cutting Charles Barkley; the infamous chair-throwing incident in 1985; and the firing that took place Sept. 10, 2000, causing the rift between Knight and the university.
University officials put Knight on a zero-tolerance policy earlier that year following an investigation into whether he had choked a former player, the late Neil Reed, during a practice. Then, in September, a student accused Knight of grabbing him in a hallway.
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Knight responded by calling his own news conference, bringing witnesses to help explain his version. Two days later, the late Myles Brand announced Knight's firing.
That was his last public appearance in the building — until Saturday.
An Indiana basketball fan holds up a sign welcoming former coach Bob Knight before the game against Purdue on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
Despite the tireless efforts of university officials, led by athletic director Fred Glass, Knight refused every chance to come back.
He skipped championship team reunions and even declined to attend his own induction into the school's athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 because he said he didn't want his presence to detract from other class members.
The thaw began in earnest last spring when he made a surprise appearance at an Indiana baseball game. In July, he bought a house three miles from the basketball arena.
“I visited Coach in Montana and Texas,” former player Mike Woodson said. “This is home. I've spent the last month back here in Bloomington with him and had dinners a few times with him and we were happy as hell he wanted to come back.”
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Knight hadn't exactly been invisible around Bloomington or the state after the firing.
He took the Texas Tech job, and then retired in 2008 with a then-record 902 career wins. He worked on ESPN as a color analyst. He gave speeches, attended fundraisers, signed autographs and attended basketball games and practices around Indiana.
He just didn't associate himself with the Hoosiers.
He also spoke at a Donald Trump rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., in October 2016 and at another Trump rally on the south side of Indianapolis in November 2018.
And yet everyone associated with Indiana basketball still had one question: Will he ever come back?
Former Indiana coach Bob Knight and former player Isaiah Thomas acknowledge the Assembly Hall crowd at halftime of a game against Purdue on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. It was Knight's first appearance at Assembly Hall since his firing in September 2000. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
“When he moved back here, I knew he was in a good place,” Wittman said. “I knew he was happy here, living, and I told him you belong here.”
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It didn't take long for the rumors to start.
Some expected his return to come against Ohio State, his alma mater, on Jan. 11. Instead, he attended a game that day at Marian University, an NAIA school in Indianapolis, where another former player, Steve Downing, is the athletic director.
But with the Hoosiers playing their biggest rival, Purdue, longtime friend and rival Gene Keady seated in the front row and his 1980 Big Ten championship team being honored Saturday, Knight made it to Assembly Hall and delivered one of his traditional pregame speeches to the current Hoosiers before their 74-62 loss to the Boilermakers.
“I was standing there and he was Coach Knight,” Wittman said. “It was like he hadn’t left that locker room. The words he gave to those players before they went out on the floor, it was fabulous.”
The fans thought so, too, sending Knight home with one lasting chant: “Thank you, Coach. Thank you, Coach.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--New XFL kicks off with an entertaining debut, including a blocked punt returned for a touchdown — an

New XFL kicks off with an entertaining debut, including a blocked punt returned for a touchdown — and an F-bomb dropped on national TV

“ For us , if the fans who attend and watch at home feel as though it was a good @ @ @ @ @ a fun time either watching or being in this awesome venue with us , that @ @ @ @ @ chief operating officer Jeffrey Pollack said .
“ We 're taking a long term view @ @ @ @ @ will not be measured in the first game or the first weekend or the first @ @ @

WASHINGTON —
The debut of the new XFL had a punt blocked for a touchdown, a juiced-up crowd roaring for big plays and a player swearing during an in-game television interview.
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The actual football was hit and miss. National championship-winning former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones was the biggest star on the field and took the microphone to address fans before the start of the brand-new football league.
“This is for the love of football,” Jones said. “Enjoy.”
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Jones’ D.C. Defenders beat the Seattle Dragons 31-19 on Saturday afternoon in the opener of the new XFL that provided plenty of entertainment in person and on TV. It’s far too early to tell if the XFL can take a foothold where its previous incarnation and the recently unsuccessful Alliance of American Football failed, but executives are willing to wait and see.
“For us, if the fans who attend and watch at home feel as though it was a good football game and they had a fun time either watching or being in this awesome venue with us, that's success,” XFL chief operating officer Jeffrey Pollack said. “We're taking a long term view in this. Success ultimately will not be measured in the first game or the first weekend or the first season.”
DC Defenders fans celebrate during the second half of an XFL game against the Seattle Dragons on Saturday in Washington. (Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
The first weekend is a chance for football fans to catch a glimpse of some of the few players they might recognize. There’s former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones with Dallas, former NFL quarterabck Josh Johnson with San Diego and ex-Navy standout Keenan Reynolds playing for Seattle.
It's not the star power of the NFL, but billionaire Vince McMahon's latest venture is an attempt to capture the attention of hardcore football fans in the aftermath of the Super Bowl.
“Our expectation for this first season is for football fans to simply give us a look, give us a chance, sample us,” Pollack said. “We understand that fandom is earned. It's not given. We think that if you love football, you're going to love the XFL.”
In the league opener, a crowd of 17,163 almost filled up Audi Field, home of Major League Soccer's D.C. United. There was a buzz around the stadium in the hours before the XFL's debut, with cars lining up to enter parking lots and fans checking out a league-sponsored tailgate. Fans were already sporting Dragons and Defenders gear and queued up in long concession lines at halftime.
“I didn’t have real expectations going into the game as far as what the experience was going to be like,” Cardale Jones said. “If I did they would’ve been blown away.”
TRICK PLAY ALERT @xfl2020 🚨
Cardale Jones ➡ Donnel Pumphrey ➡ Eli Rogers ➡ Cardale Jones ➡ Khari Lee pic.twitter.com/FtV2egjmin — ESPN (@espn) February 8, 2020
The location of the first game made sense in the neighborhood of the NFL’s Washington Redskins, who haven’t won the Super Bowl since 1992 and have just one playoff victory in the last 20 seasons. Fan-made signs mocking the “Hail to the Redskins” slogan and asking Redskins owner Dan Snyder to sell the team were draped from a balcony at the 50-yard line.
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The broadcast included in-game interviews with a kicker seconds after he missed a field-goal attempt and a defender involved in a scrum that led to a penalty. Seattle’s Dillon Day dropped an F-bomb that made it to the airwaves and went viral.
On the field, the play was a mix of traditional college and pro style with some different twists.
There was no coin toss, and when Reynolds fielded the opening kickoff, he did so with everyone else on the field standing still as part of a rule implemented for safety. The clock ran for all but the time inside each two minute warning, and some other tweaks were different for players.
“It was definitely an adjustment for some of the stuff,” said Seattle’s Austin Proehl, son of former NFL receiver Ricky Proehl, who caught the first touchdown pass in the new XFL. “It’s something we’ve got to get used to.”
With no extra-point attempts, teams had the option of trying one-, two- or three-point conversions, but each coach in the first XFL game opted only for one-point attempts.
“The only difference for I think a coach calling plays is deciding to go for one, two or three,” Seattle coach Jim Zorn said. “That was surprising to me was that rule change, being able to go to one, two or three with your extra-point try. There’s a lot of strategy in that.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--Man, 28, hit by Red Line train after slipping off platform in Wrigleyville; trains back on move

A 28-year-old man was taken to a hospital in critical condition Saturday afternoon after he jumped over a handicap gate @ @ @ @ @ station , slipped on the platform and fell onto the train tracks where a train @ @ @ @ @ Chicago police .

A 28-year-old man died after being hit by a Red Line train in Wrigleyville, according to officials.
The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition Saturday afternoon after he jumped over a handicap gate at the Red Line Addison station, slipped on the platform and fell onto the train tracks where a train hit him, according to Chicago police.
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The man, who police said was intoxicated, was hit by a train in the 900 block of West Addison Street in the Wrigleyville neighborhood about 4:55 p.m. on the northbound tracks, said police and CTA spokesman Jon Kaplan.
The man was taken about 6:15 p.m. to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, said Frank Velez, a commander for the Chicago Fire Department.
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The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled the man’s death an accident.
Northbound and southbound Red Line trains between the Belmont and Howard stations were suspended following the incident, but they were back on the move again by 6:25 p.m., according to Kaplan.
pfry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--‘I feel like I’m in a good spot’: Nico Hoerner eyes second-base job while focusing on his long-term

‘I feel like I’m in a good spot’: Nico Hoerner eyes second-base job while focusing on his long-term development with the Cubs

“ I think my perspective as a player is more long term in development , ” Hoerner said Saturday near @ @ @ @ @ workout at the Cubs ’ spring training complex .
“ I want to be on @ @ @ @ @ that guy , but I don ’ t think it helps me that much as @ @ @ @ @ short-term goal because there are so many factors outside of what I can control .
@ @ @ @ @ that development ( theme ) and I think I ’ ll give myself a good @ @ @ @ @

Mesa, Ariz. —
After missing a full year of college to devote his full-time attention to a professional baseball career, Nico Hoerner realized he was too close to earning his bachelor’s degree not to fulfill his requirements.
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“It’s something that was kind of hanging over my head, and I didn’t know when I was going to get to do,” said Hoerner, 22, who returned to Stanford in the fall to earn his American Studies degree. “It was a lot easier to get it done when there were still people I know.
“If you’re the 28-year-old in the classroom, it’s not as fun. I can still connect a little bit.”
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Hoerner doesn’t feel rushed in his effort to earn the Cubs’ second-base job, realizing that his promotion to the majors in September was accelerated because of injuries to Javier Baez and Addison Russell and that he hasn’t played a full pro season because of injuries.
“I think my perspective as a player is more long term in development,” Hoerner said Saturday near the end of a voluntary workout at the Cubs’ spring training complex. “I want to be on the opening-day roster and be that guy, but I don’t think it helps me that much as a player to make that short-term goal because there are so many factors outside of what I can control. So I’ll keep that development (theme) and I think I’ll give myself a good chance that way.”
With the Cubs desperately trying to remain in contention for a playoff berth, Hoerner was promoted to the majors for the first time Sept. 9 — one week after his season with Double-A Tennessee ended.
Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner is congratulated after hitting a home run against the Pirates on Sept. 13, 2019, at Wrigley Field. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Despite no seasoning in Triple A, Hoerner played near-flawless baseball during a 20-game stretch, hitting .282 while striking out in only 13.4% of his 82 plate appearances and committing two errors in 71 chances at shortstop.
The Cubs, however, are careful not to guarantee the second-base job to Hoerner with a healthy Baez returning to shortstop.
They’re trying to load up on left-handed-hitting second-base candidates, recently contacting former Indians All-Star Jason Kipnis two months after signing Carlos Asuaje and having Daniel Descalso under contract at $2.5 million.
David Bote and Hernan Perez also are in the mix.
“I try to stay away from all that stuff,” Hoerner said of the Cubs’ pursuit of upgrades. “They’re going to do what they feel gives them the best chance to help the team win, and I’m going to do the same, and hopefully they’ll line up.”
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Besides, Hoerner knows he has room for improvement. After signing a $2.724 million bonus, he played in only 14 games in 2018 because of a ligament strain in his left elbow after diving for a grounder with Class-A South Bend.
After an impressive 2019 spring training as a non-roster invitee that carried over to a .300 start with Tennessee, Hoerner missed two months because of a hairline fracture of his left wrist suffered in April.
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Hoerner appears stronger than his listed 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame, but he said he devoted much more to his offseason training thanks to his three-week stint in the majors.
“It’s nice to have an offseason where the stuff I was working on is based on what I experienced and not just what I think the major leagues are like.” Hoerner said. “I know it’s a small sample size. I definitely had a good sense of things that I did well and things that I can really work on, and that’s a good place to start.”
The added muscle shouldn’t suggest that improving his power numbers was his point of emphasis this winter.
“From life off the field to preparation before the game, the at-bats themselves,” said Hoerner, who trained at Stanford with several of his former teammates. “Just a general approach to the whole thing, because it is different (than college or the minor leagues).
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“I feel stronger. Most guys feel like doing that. I feel like I’m in a good spot to start the year.”
Hoerner said he arrived nearly two weeks ahead of the first full-squad workout to get into a routine and get acclimated to the major-league staff.
“(I’ve) got to get everything going before the madness starts,” Hoerner said.


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--Forced to find higher-rent apartment, behind on medical bills, 72-year-old West Side street vendor k

Forced to find higher-rent apartment, behind on medical bills, 72-year-old West Side street vendor keeps selling corn in winter: ‘I’m not the only one’

Out of about 12 paleteros who sell her ice pops as contract vendors , Rios said , nine of them @ @ @ @ @ .
The majority of the paleta men from Paletería Los Magos , 1700 W. 19th @ @ @ @ @ immigrants , said owner Norma Ayala .
Since she opened 30 years ago , most @ @ @ @ @ her paletas as independent vendors have been seniors in the country illegally who can not @ @ @ @ @ to age or illness , Ayala said .

Street vendor Arnulfo Tovar boils ears of corn for elotes to sell from his food cart near the National Museum of Mexican Art on 19th Street in Chicago on Jan. 31. 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
For nearly three decades, Arnulfo Tovar saved enough money selling corn on the streets of Pilsen each summer to pay his rent during the winter months. This year it was not enough.
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In December, the now 72-year-old was forced out of his longtime apartment. He had to move into a new one for which he pays nearly double the rent, leaving him with no other option than to continue selling outside, despite the cold weather and his deteriorating health, he said.
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Tovar has been caught up in a more than two-decade process of gentrification in the West Side neighborhood. His fellow street vendors, or eloteros, are a staple of the Mexican American neighborhoods in Chicago, and many of them, like Tovar, face an uncertain future because of their immigration status, their advanced age and complex regulations that often hamper their ability to make a living.
“I need to find a way to make some money because otherwise, I don’t know how I would survive,” said Tovar, who is missing most of his front teeth and can no longer see from his right eye because of diabetes and cataracts.
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He sets up a small, old grill next to his cart to keep himself and the corn warm. In recent months, Tovar said, there’s been days when he makes almost $40, but other times he only sells one or three elotes, making about $12 a day.
Regardless of it all, he must continue working.
Street vendor Arnulfo Tovar, left, who sells food from a cart near the National Museum of Mexican Art on 19th Street in Chicago, gets a hug from a customer Dinorah Gomez, on Jan. 31. 2020. Gomez works in the Back of the Yards neighborhood but came to Pilsen to buy from Tovar because she learned on social media about his financial struggles. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Entangled in a series of low-wage jobs his whole time in the United States because he is living in the country without legal authorization, Tovar was never able to save enough money to retire. And he does not qualify for health insurance or public aid.
He spent his last $2,000 in savings to move into his one-bedroom basement apartment, for which he pays about $800 a month, after his old building was slated for renovation. He had never paid more than $500 since he moved to Pilsen.
“And it was because I know the owner of the building and he was compassionate,” said Tovar, in Spanish. “Otherwise, I don’t know what I would have done because there’s nothing else I can afford.”
When Tovar immigrated to Chicago from Puebla, Mexico, in 1977, leaving his family behind, he had dreams of working to save enough to open a restaurant and eventually return. He said he settled in the Pilsen area because he was attracted and welcomed by the culture of Mexican immigrants already there. Today, the changes in the neighborhood mean much of that culture is at risk.
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“Eloteros like Don Arnulfo are some of the last ones standing who make up the essence of Latino communities like Little Village and Pilsen, which are now drastically changing,” said Leone Jose Bicchieri, executive director of Working Family Solidarity, an organization that advocates for affordable housing.
In 2017 Tovar approached Bicchieri for guidance on housing, translations and other documentation because Tovar can’t read or write.
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Street vendor Arnulfo Tovar boils ears of corn for elotes to sell from his food cart near the National Museum of Mexican Art on 19th Street in Chicago on Friday, Jan. 31. 2020. He continues to sell during the winter despite his old age and the cold weather because he has no other way to pay for food or rent. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“These street vendors are immigrants that have lived in these neighborhoods for decades, who made the community and they are at risk of being homeless because they are often overlooked,” Bicchieri said.
Like the nearly 2,000 street vendors who sell elotes, tamales and fresh fruit, most concentrated in the South and West sides of the city, Tovar only speaks Spanish. The majority of them are immigrants and more than 30% of them are 55 years and older, according to a 2015 study by the Illinois Policy Institute.
About 10% of vendors are 65 years and older, said Martin Unzueta, the executive director of Chicago Community and Worker’s Rights. Unzueta has worked with street vendors for more than a decade in the Street Vendors Association of Chicago advocating for the rights and just policies for eloteros and tamaleros, who regardless of legalities, make up the strong visual culture of some predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
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“They must find a way to continue selling because they are in extreme need,” and the majority are “undocumented,” Unzueta said.
When Tovar decided to become an elotero, he hoped to kick-start his goal of becoming a small business owner. Now, it’s pure survival mode.
In 2010, Tovar separated from his wife and lost all his savings in a business venture that failed. Since then, he hasn’t been able to get back on his feet. Over the years, his health has deteriorated and he spent most of his money on medicine, food and rent. And although he filed federal taxes every year, he does not qualify for Social Security benefits.
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Just last year he lost the sight in his right eye because he didn’t have the money to have his sarcoma treated, he said. Last month he found himself with no money after paying to move when he was evicted.
“I’m not the only one" going through this, Tovar said. “I’m sure some of my colleagues are suffering to get through the winter with little or no money.”
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Selling corn, fruit, tamales or the ice pops known as paletas is a common way for seniors without the ability to work legally who cannot get another job to earn money, said Dolores Castañeda, a research assistant at the University of Illinois in Chicago currently working on an investigation about the way precarious work affects the health of seniors who lack the legal ability to work in the United States.
Some have the support of family, but many do not, she said. There are seniors who make food, sew clothes, sell gum, and even clean homes to try to make some money, Castañeda said.
Street vendor Arnulfo Tovar waits for customers at his food cart near the National Museum of Mexican Art. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Up until last winter, Ananias Ocampo, 75, sold cheese from door to door while using a walker. During the summer he sold ice cream seven days a week at 18th and Paulina streets.
When Marta Rios, owner of Cafe Emmanuel, 1915 W. 19th St., who provided Ocampo with the cart and supplied the ice cream, noticed the man’s pain and struggle, she called for the community’s support. They raised more than $10,000 and Ocampo now is being treated for his severe arthritis, said Hilda Burgos, a community activist who has helped to care for him.
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Out of about 12 paleteros who sell her ice pops as contract vendors, Rios said, nine of them are seniors without legal status. The majority of the paleta men from Paletería Los Magos, 1700 W. 19th St., are also older immigrants, said owner Norma Ayala. Since she opened 30 years ago, most of the vendors who sell her paletas as independent vendors have been seniors in the country illegally who cannot get a job elsewhere due to age or illness, Ayala said.
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“It is heartbreaking to see these grandparents out in the street, barely able to walk, still working,” Castañeda said. “The reality is that unfortunately, there are absolutely no resources for them and some end up dying alone.”
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Even as Tovar struggles to pay the rent, sales have drastically decreased because of the changing makeup of his neighborhood and other parts of the West Side. Once an epicenter of Mexican American families, Pilsen for years has been transitioning to being the home of younger, upper-income whites, according to John J. Betancur, a UIC professor who conducted a 2015 study on gentrification in the neighborhood.
During some of the “good days,” Tovar used to make $650 to $750 a week in sales, he said. It left him enough money to restock, pay rent and save money to get through the winter months.
Those good days are gone, he said. Last summer, he made around $200 a week. The average vendor in Chicago makes $330 in profit a week, according to the Illinois Policy Institute study. Betancur said that the decrease in sales likely is a result of gentrification in the area, much like the closing of small immigrant-owned businesses.
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Complicating the matter, Tovar says that throughout his time as an elotero, he has constantly feared being scolded by police or city officials because he was never able to get a city license.
Although street vendors take to the streets in the summer outside of schools, in front of churches and near parks, most operate without proper licenses from the city. The process to get a license is “extremely” complicated, costly and insensitive, said Beth Kregor, director of IJ Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago and attorney for the Street Vendors Association of Chicago.
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“I think police officers understand us,” Tovar said. “Most don’t bother us because they know we’re not doing anything wrong.”
Kregor said most of the time, how street vendors are dealt with is up to the discretion of police officers and local aldermen.
The city works “closely” with street vendors and other micro-enterprises and through recent policy changes, the city has made it “easier than ever” for some vendors to do business in Chicago, said Rosa Escareno, commissioner of the city’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department.
But vendors aren’t allowed under current city ordinance to sell food prepared anywhere except a licensed kitchen, and most eloteros cook their own corn.
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In the statement Escareno added that they look forward to continuing to work closely with all entrepreneurs to increase compliance and support business growth, but didn’t answer questions about how the city deals with vendors without licenses.
Eloteros have been trying to regularize their profession for more than 20 years. Unzueta said the mayor’s office needs to create laws that are more “sensitive to their culture” and “realistic” for the vendors to be able to comply with.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, said his office will work toward policies to support street vendors like Tovar and Ananias.
As his situation became more dire, people came together to help Tovar. Laura Delgado, one of his former neighbors, who would sometimes lend him money to pay rent, opened a GoFundMe page in mid-January asking for help from the community.
More than 400 people have donated a total of more than $11,000.
“He’s like my grandfather and it broke me that I couldn’t help him more," Delgado said. "He shouldn’t be out there in the cold.”


chicagotribune--2020-02-08--Zach LaVine is questionable for the Bulls’ Sunday game against the 76ers as injuries continue to pil

Zach LaVine is questionable for the Bulls’ Sunday game against the 76ers as injuries continue to pile up

LaVine leads the team with a career-best 24.9 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists @ @ @ @ @ he has been seemingly tasked with trying to carry the Bulls to victory almost single-handedly @ @ @ @ @ successful on a few occasions , most notably when he drained 13 3-pointers against the @ @ @ @ @ pair of 40-point performances against the Cavaliers last month .

Amid the flurry of injuries that has started to define the this Bulls season, one of the few constants in the lineup each night has been the presence of guard Zach LaVine, one of only three Bulls to appear in every game this season.
LaVine’s availability for Sunday’s game against the Sixers, however, is in question after a stiff neck prevented him from practicing Saturday afternoon before the team flew to Philadelphia. LaVine suffered the injury in the third quarter of the Bulls’ 125-119 loss to the Pelicans on Thursday after a play that resulted in guard Jrue Holiday landing on the back of LaVine’s neck.
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Although LaVine played the rest of the game, finishing with 22 points before sitting for the end of a fourth-quarter blowout, the injury has not improved during the last few days. Coach Jim Boylen expects him to be a game-time decision.
“Popped him pretty good,” Boylen said. “He played through it. He was hurting, but he played through it. He was very sore and stiff yesterday and still pretty sore and stiff today.”
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The Bulls have lost four games in a row and already are missing four of their top rotation players with Lauri Markkanen (pelvis), Otto Porter Jr. (foot), Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle) and Kris Dunn (knee) sidelined because of injuries. Center Daniel Gafford (right ankle) is also questionable for Sunday, but he did practice Saturday, and forward Denzel Valentine missed last game with a hamstring injury.
LaVine and guard Tomas Satoransky are the only two Bulls players to have started each game this season. Rookie guard Coby White has also appeared in all 53 games.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine limps back to the bench during a game against the Jazz at the United Center on Thursday, January 2, 2020, in Chicago. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Those injuries have already taken a toll on this season — depleting lineups, shifting expectations and halting action at the trade deadline — which has given the organization a difficult task in evaluating the roster.
“The amount of trauma that this team has faced is unusual,” Boylen said. “It’s a drain on everyone. We have to fight through it in this moment.”
It is difficult to see how the Bulls could function without their leading scorer, even if his absence is brief.
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LaVine leads the team with a career-best 24.9 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Often this season, he has been seemingly tasked with trying to carry the Bulls to victory almost single-handedly. He has even been successful on a few occasions, most notably when he drained 13 3-pointers against the Hornets in November and a pair of 40-point performances against the Cavaliers last month.
The Bulls have been largely a disaster on offense all season even with LaVine on the floor.
They were 28th in total offense at the start of the day Saturday. Without LaVine, they fall apart. The team owns an offensive rating of 107.5 with LaVine on the court — still in the bottom 10 in the league but teetering on below average — compared with a 101.8 rating with him off the court, which would easily rank last in the league.
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A few players have, at least, started to show signs of progress recently, which made Boylen hopeful to have them back in practice shortly after All-Star Weekend. That could include Porter, who was moving around without a walking boot while putting up shots at the end of practice Saturday, and perhaps Carter, whom Boylen said worked on his jump-hook shot and participated in positional shooting drills.
But the injuries have piled up for the Bulls, who are limping into this final road trip before the All-Star break.
“People don’t feel sorry for you because you’ve got injuries,” forward Chandler Hutchison said. “Whether you’ve got your full team or half a team, at the end of the day, if you win a game, you win a game; you lose a game, you lose a game.
"It doesn’t say an asterisk: ‘Oh, we had seven healthy guys, blah, blah, blah.’ You’ve got to compete and make do with what you’ve got and that’s what we’re going to do.”