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Khalil Mack Injured Ankle vs. Dolphins and 'Gutted It Out' for Rest of Game

Chicago Bears pass-rusher Khalil Mack suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:

Mack is one of the most dynamic defenders in the league, and a long-term setback would be a difficult blow for the Chicago defense. He has five sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception in 2018.

Mack is strong enough to power his way into the backfield against the run and quick enough to blow past offensive linemen on the outside and sack the quarterback on passing downs. He racked up 15 sacks in 2015, 11 in 2016 and 10.5 last year, earning a Pro Bowl nod in all three seasons and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2016.

He is a nightmare on the edge for opposing passing attacks and helps the secondary as well by cutting down the amount of time receivers have to run routes and get open.

For the Bears to make a run at the postseason, they will need others to fill the void if Mack is forced to miss any time.

Akiem Hicks is a high-upside playmaker with explosive burst who would be counted on even more with Mack sidelined. Chicago also has Danny Trevathan, Roquan Smith and Leonard Floyd as options who can help anchor the pass rush and cover for Mack's absence.

The Bears have enough pieces to survive a short-term setback to Mack, but he is a building block in the Windy City. The franchise needs him on the field wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks this year and beyond.

Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2559821-khalil-mack-injured-ankle-vs-dolphins-and-gutted-it-out-for-rest-of-game

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Joe Maddon will go into 2019 without a contract extension with Cubs

Joe Maddon will go into 2019 without a contract extension with Cubs originally appeared on nbcsportschicago.com

CARLSBAD, Calif. - Joe Maddon will be the manager of the Cubs in 2019, but nothing is set in stone beyond that.

Next season represents the final year of Maddon's contract with the Cubs and Theo Epstein said Monday at MLB's GM Meetings the team will not discuss an extension with the charismatic manager this winter.

Thus, Maddon is entering a "lame duck season" as manager, the term that floats around baseball circles indicating a guy is not signed beyond the upcoming season. It often can become a distraction that hovers over the team, but in an effort to try to limit any distraction it causes, Epstein wanted to make it clear to Maddon and his agent, Alan Nero, that no extension will be discussed this offseason.

"We're really focused - all of us - on digging in and finding ways to get the absolute most out of 2019," the Cubs president of baseball operations said. "We think we have a really talented team and there's a lot of things we can do to get more out of this group.

"That's where our focus is. Joe understood; Alan understood. ... We're not running away from Joe in the least bit, but given that we all have things we're working on to get more out of this team and to be one game better than we were last year, this is the appropriate move.

"We're sort of investing in improvement for this year and that's where our focus is. With Joe, we're not gonna do anything this winter and we'll look at it towards the end of next season."

Epstein said Maddon and the front office had a great meeting a few weeks after the Cubs' season ended in abrupt fashion and the general consensus from all sides is how motivated everybody is to avoid a similar conclusion in 2019.

Epstein also referenced his end-of-season press conference and specified his comments about the Cubs' lack of urgency and edge don't fall just on Maddon's shoulders.

"When I talk about bringing some of the things that we lacked last year and perhaps have lacked since the World Series, I'm talking about all of us," Epstein said. "I'm not talking about any one person. I'm talking about the organization as a whole - me individually; yes, the manager; the front office; all the players. Collectively, we have some work to do to be able to live up to the very high standards that we set."

Multiple times, Epstein referenced how 2019 is a "pivotal season" for the Cubs as a franchise as they try to shed the issues from the last couple years and move on to another year of World Series or bust expectations.

But that will mean making adjustments and learning from past failures, which is where Maddon comes in.

"Is Joe Maddon capable of making some adjustments? Absolutely," Epstein said emphatically. "I think he's the type of personality who's energized at the prospect of making adjustments and finding another level to get to and finding different ways to reach players.

"The game has changed a lot to reach players, even in the last five years, even in the time that he's been in Chicago. I mean, we're dealing with ultra-millennials here with our players and the way the game is played and how players process information and the way you have to communicate with them really has changed. So if you're not making adjustments, you're falling behind.

"And Joe is nothing if not open-minded. I think he relishes this as a challenge and as an opportunity to return to his roots where he's sort of in the middle of everything in the clubhouse that's going on and he's gonna be re-energized by this challenge, as we all are.

"Getting back to that feeling we all had walking back to the clubhouse after losing the Wild-Card game to Colorado, I think any self-respecting Cub will remember that feeling and look in the mirror and try to find a way to individually get at least one game better so that collectively, we can get a lot better. And that includes Joe. I'm excited to see him in action meeting this challenge."

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/joe-maddon-2019-without-contract-022728443.html?src=rss

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Chance the Rapper offers a video preview of the new Chicagoist

When Chance the Rapper announced via a single in July that he was buying Chicagoist—the hyperlocal news site closed by billionaire owner Joe Ricketts the previous November—there was a ton of speculation about what he'd do with it. At an invitation-only event Friday morning, a collection of journalists, young aldermanic candidates, professors, and supporters got a first glimpse of the goods.

The whole event was shrouded in mystery, and the few folks I spoke to as we waited at Northeastern Illinois University's Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies in Bronzeville were as excitedly baffled as I was about what exactly we were in for.

That turned out to be a video, but before it rolled, retired Northeastern Professor Conrad Worrill (a longtime friend of Chance's dad) set the scene by telling us that some of history's greatest black intellectuals and artists had once graced the same stage, among them W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes.

Then the video began: puppet news anchors—that's right, I said puppet—introduce a Chicagoist investigation by "Champ" the reporter, played by young Chance in a beige throwback suit and a taped-on mustache he keeps pressing back into place as he talks.

Champ/Chance then delivers a 101-level lesson in Chicago politics, set to music with what Sun-Times journalist Kathy Chaney astutely described as a Schoolhouse Rock vibe.

People-on-the-street interviews demonstrate just how little people on the street know about how their city runs. (What does an alderman do? What's the City Council? How many wards does Chicago have? No one knows.) More formal interviews with local reporters and aldermanic hopefuls, many of them people of color (and many of them in the audience watching the video with us), explore the challenges faced by candidates who lack clout, connections, and resources. A bewigged Hannibal Buress hams it up in the role of fictitious 51st ward alderman Al Durhman, who proudly proclaims that he just votes "yes" to everything and has been re-elected for years after inheriting the seat from his daddy.

During a Q&A after the video, Chance said it would be posted on his YouTube channel but not on Chicagoist, which he noted is still under construction.

Chance said he was inspired to do the piece by the realization that he'd only learned that the City Council is made up of aldermen when he visited one of its meetings last year—and that this kind of knowledge gap keeps people from being engaged in government and electoral politics. The new Chicagoist has a chance to fix that, and Chance said he hopes to get the video included in the curriculum at CPS.

He offered few details about what else Chicagoist is up to, but he promised that it would be "grand"—and that it would offer its audience more context for the news of the day.

"The overall idea is to allow more people to have voices, to give a bigger platform for Chicago voices to speak," Chance said—not just in the realm of hyperlocal journalism but also in the world at large (including, of course, in music). "I'm not trying to say too much, but it's cool, though—it's a cool thing."

Source: https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2018/11/30/chance-the-rapper-offers-a-video-preview-of-the-new-chicagoist

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Real Influencers: Joe Zimmerman

Tying sales goals to charitable contributions is a win-win proposition for Joe Zimmerman, team captain of The Zimmerman Property Group in Chicago.

For every transaction The ZPG completes, Zimmerman donates $500 to Children’s Home + Aid, a nonprofit that improves the lives of children and families. His goal for 2019 is to contribute $125,000 to the cause, which translates to 250 transactions, a challenge his top-producing team is excited to take on. Zimmerman focuses on “something greater” by helping Children’s Home + Aid meet its objectives of providing adoption and foster care services; counseling and treatment programs; early childhood care and education; and support for parents, adding that this gives his team a more meaningful incentive to reach its goals.

Each year, the agency serves more than 40,000 children and families, achieving results with abuse prevention, healthy child development and strengthening families, and the organization’s representatives say Zimmerman has a great deal to do with their success. “Joe brings a large amount of enthusiasm, passion and commitment but also a lot of good ideas to our organization, qualities that make him and The ZPG a great partner for us,” said Brooks Dozier, corporate engagement and volunteer manager for Children’s Home + Aid.

The team also contributes outside of their transaction donations. “Last year, my team and I purchased toys at Target that were on the wish lists of 20 kids who weren’t getting Christmas presents,” Zimmerman said. “To leave an impact on their lives makes us feel a lot more purposeful of what we’re doing and why.”

The ZPG has been involved with Children’s Home + Aid since Zimmerman launched his boutique agency last October; his third real estate venture in a career that has allowed him the freedom to be his own boss for nearly two decades. His team offers a personalized experience for all levels of buyers and sellers in Chicago, the North Shore and Western suburbs.

“We customize all of our plans to the client, meaning we do not focus on giving a Blockbuster experience, where every experience is the same,” Zimmerman said. “We tailor and customize our plan so it’s a Netflix experience.”

Zimmerman lives in Riverside with his wife Sarah — whom he calls the “CEO of the household” — and their three children: Joey, 10; Clara, 9; and Lily, 8. Chicago Agent recently spoke with him about building a brand while doing good.

Chicago Agent: How did you first become involved with Children’s Home + Aid?

Joe Zimmerman: I wanted to support a client of mine, Tina Otten, who is a big advocate of the organization. Also, Children’s Home + Aid correlates with my values and beliefs. We sell homes for a living; we should help those less fortunate who don’t have homes or a place to go.

CA: What do you generally do for the charity?

JZ: We support Children’s Home + Aid once a quarter with any event they need us to help with, whether it’s time, attendance or giving back outside of the financial commitment we have made to them.

CA: What surprised you most when you first got involved with Children’s Home + Aid?

JZ: The number of families and kids who need our help. I was naïve about how many kids are homeless, need a place to live or come from an abusive family.

CA: What makes real estate professionals well suited to helping non-profits achieve their goals?

JZ:  It’s definitely in their entrepreneurial spirit. I think naturally any business owner is going to want to help others.

CA: What should agents and brokers look for in a non-profit before making a commitment to volunteer?

JZ: Find something that is meaningful to you and really interview the organization. Ask its leadership team what their belief system is and see if it aligns with yours.

CA: What is the greatest lesson you have learned from volunteering?

JZ: Do something close to your heart. When you’re passionate about it, it’s not work.

CA: What do you like most about volunteering?

JZ: I love the win-win of helping a local organization help others. Also, I’ve found that to contribute to something greater than oneself is a good break from the hectic work lives we lead.

CA: Why do you recommend volunteering to others who work in real estate?

JZ: If you focus on the right thing — giving back — you will get the business you want.

Source: https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2019/04/04/real-influencers-joe-zimmerman/

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City attorney pleased judge will expedite Obama Presidential Center lawsuit hearings

Chicago’s lead attorney says the city is pleased a federal judge will expedite hearings on a lawsuit challenging the planned construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Associated Press reports.

Responding to U.S. district judge John Blakey‘s order allowing the Protect Our Parks lawsuit to proceed, corporation counsel Ed Siskel said he is glad the judge dismissed some of the lawsuit’s claims.

Blakey denied the plaintiffs’ claim that their First Amendment rights would be violated if tax money is used to construct a building to promote former President Barack Obama’s political interests.

The judge also found no merit in the plaintiffs’ claim they would suffer because of aesthetic and environmental harm to Jackson Park. Blakey says his ruling “does not address the true facts of this case.”

Despite these observations, the litigation has thrown a wrench into plans to start work the $500 million project.

Under the agreement between the Obama Foundation and the city, the building is to be constructed with private funds, but ownership will be transferred to the city without charge. The Obama foundation would control and pay for the building’s operation.

Lakeside Alliance will be the center’s construction manager. The alliance is a joint venture consisting of the Presidential Partners consortium, which consists of Powers & Sons Construction, UJAMAA Construction, Brown & Momen, and Safeway Construction, partnering with Turner Construction Company.

Source: https://chicagoconstructionnews.com/city-attorney-pleased-judge-will-expedite-obama-presidential-center-lawsuit-hearings/

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US Citizen Sues Fla. Sheriff After He Was Nearly Deported

A U.S. citizen was detained in a Florida prison and flagged for deportation despite his repeated pleas to authorities that he was American and the county’s own jail files indicating he was born in Philadelphia, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday.

NBC News reports Peter Sean Brown turned himself in to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office for a probation violation in April, after testing positive for marijuana. The 50-year-old, who had been living in Florida for the last 10 years, was soon a fast track to deportation to Jamaica.

"Despite his repeated protests to multiple jail officers, his offer to produce proof, and the jail’s own records, the Sheriff’s Office held Mr. Brown so that ICE could deport him to Jamaica — a country where he has never lived and knows no one," the suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center said.

After three weeks in jail, Brown was turned over to ICE, which eventually confirmed he was in fact a U.S. citizen and "hastily arranged for his release."

The lawsuit accuses the sheriff's office of "carelessly and aggressively" arresting people for ICE under what's known as a Basic Ordering Agreement between the two, where the sheriff's office receives $50 for each individual it holds at ICE's request.

Source: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/Lawsuit-Fla-Sheriff-Detained-and-Nearly-Deported-US-Citizen-for-ICE-501901531.html

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Drussy Hernandez moves from Compass to Fulton Grace

In a high-profile move announced this week, Drussy Hernandez will become Fulton Grace Realty’s first-ever vice president of agent development. With decades of experience under her belt, Hernandez is a well-known figure in the Chicago real estate world, having been managing broker of Conlon/Christie’s International Real Estate for more than 10 years. At the end of her tenure there, she assisted Compass in their acquisition of the company and subsequently served as Compass’ managing broker and director of compliance.

The new role is imagined as a way to increase agent engagement by offering the training, support and advice agents need to expand their businesses, something Hernandez characterized as both energizing and fitting for her. “It’s something I’ve done all my career,” she told Chicago Agent magazine. “This is a great opportunity to work with agents who are excited to be in real estate. They’re being tested every day in the field… How do you equip agents to deal with those challenges?”

Hernandez acknowledged that in some ways, serving agents who have been in the business for awhile will be one of her biggest challenges. “It’s going to take some time to get the experienced agents involved because some of them don’t know me,” she said. “But involving the experienced agents, who need to have a certain degree of accountability, is important. They’re looking to grow their careers. So, how do you expand your horizons? You need to hear new ideas.”

In the move, Hernandez said culture was an important consideration. The impression she got when walking into Fulton Grace’s offices reminded her of a time earlier in her career. “Conlon had that kind of family feel and I see that at Fulton Grace,” she said. “Everybody’s working but we’ll chit chat… This is more of what I’m used to: that spirit of collaboration and belonging and welcome.”

She noted that while Compass has a lot to offer Chicagoland agents, their offices didn’t have the same kind of community feeling she personally appreciates in an office setting. “Everybody’s kind of spread out,” she said. “It’s just a different culture.”

Read more

Hernandez was recently featured on the cover of Chicago Agent magazine’s training issue, in a story that now offers insights on where she might take agent development at Fulton Grace. “Agents should never feel like they’re alone, that they’re not being supported, that they’re not being heard.”

    Fulton Grace’s brokerage division will continue to be led by Joan LoCascio, the company’s managing broker and executive vice president, but many of the agent development-related work will be moved off her plate and onto Hernandez’s. LoCascio told Chicago Agent magazine that bringing Hernandez on is part of Fulton Grace’s objectives for ongoing investment in the tools, staff and infrastructure that provide an elevated experience for both agents and clients. “Drussy’s management experience is well known in the Chicagoland marketplace. We have no doubt that her contributions will build on Fulton Grace’s reputation as the brokerage where agents can receive the resources and culture needed to excel,” she said. “Drussy is uniquely positioned to educate and develop our new and experienced agents, fueling our continued growth.”

With her service on the boards of directors of both the Chicago Association of Realtors and Midwest Real Estate Data, Hernandez will also contribute to the company’s industry ties in joining the executive board of Fulton Grace Realty. Starting this coming Monday, she’ll be stationed at the firm’s recently opened Wicker Park office on Milwaukee Avenue, which is the company’s fourth location and, as of next week, will serve as the hub of brokerage operations and brokerage of record.

Source: https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2019/06/28/drussy-hernandez-moves-from-compass-to-fulton-grace/

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My London Semester Journal I: Tuesday, January 16, 1996

Tuesday, 1-16-96 8:06 PM London 2:06 PM E-Town

Didn’t get to writing in here yesterday… In the morning I had a very interesting International Business class. After class I went to the Birkbeck library & browsed & wandered… I realized through discussion w/ Nathan & Andrew (the somewhat clueless, somewhat cool Welsh guys Lori & I met Fri. at the club) this weekend that, outside of school, I read very little. The Oscar Wilde play “An Ideal Husband” inspired me to read one of his works, bu then I passed some Elizabeth Barrett Browning books of poetry & was drawn in… I ended up taking out 2 compilations of her letters & 1 of her books of poetry. I really enjoy reading the letters.

Then, in the afternoon, I caught up on some of my correspondence & then went grocery shopping at “Sainsbury’s.” Things have been kinda awkward between Lori & I since Sunday’s long day w/ Nathan & Andrew… We are relating better, but our friendship lost something. I personally don’t desire to spend as much time socially w/ her. But this may pass. I guess I really didn’t know her as I thought I did… I realize this now & take it as a lesson. I tend to attach myself to people — new friends quickly in situations such as this. I know this is common.

Last night for study break I went w/ Adam, Paul, & Erica to the “Churchill Arms” pub for a beer. I enjoy their company. Adam is a pretty funny guy & really likes attention. Paul is less outgoing, but is a real genuine guy, and is funny in his own way. Erica often seems older to me than 20. She is fun to hang out w/ & talk to.

Today I had my Modern British Society class which wasn’t extremely exciting… But I was able to finally log on to a computer and do e-mail! Telnet isn’t working, but knowing when I check tomorrow morning I could have mail is exciting! I wrote Mom & Dad, Meg, Gwen, Deborah, & Cheryl. But I misaddressed Deb’s, so I’ll have to write again tomorrow.

After class Jill & I went to daily mass at Newman House. It was nice & I really enjoyed Fr. Tim’s sermon on the readings. The 1st reading talked about how God looks at us differently than others do. “People look at our appearances. God looks at our hearts.”

He (Fr. Tim) encouraged us to do 2 things: 1) Recognize that God sees us for who we are & loves us unconditionally. 2) To try to see other people as God does, not to judge them till you know them…

There is a guy from U of I at Birkbeck named Dave Heron who I talked with today. He attends 4:30 PM mass at St. John’s often & we talked about churches here. I was pleasantly surprised to learn of his faith. 

A guy named Matthew, that I sat next to on the plane from Chicago, asked me to go on a day trip to Oxford w/ him this weekend. I would like to go, but I am not sure if I would like to go this weekend or with him. He is a nice guy, but I just ate dinner w/ Adam & Paul who say he can talk your ear off & might take away from the experience.

Molly, the GR, just stopped by to see how everything was going. We got to talking & I asked how she & Will, the other GR here at Pembridge, met. She said in 7th grade, but they didn’t date till after their Sr. yr. in college. Reminds me a bit of the Ray & Margie story… Not that I won’t find “that special someone” in due time… But, stories like that give me even more hope! I suppose I am no hurry though… & on that note the words to a great Blues Traveler song called “Just Wait.” ☺︎

JUST WAIT by Blues Traveler

If ever you are feeling like you’re tired And all your uphill struggles leave you headed down hill If you realize your wildest dreams can hurt you And your appetite for pain has drinken it’s fill.

I ask of you a very simple question Did you think for one minute that you are alone And your suffering a privilege you share only Or did you think that everybody else feels completely at home

Just wait Just wait Just wait And it will come

If you think I’ve given up on you you’re crazy And if you think I don’t love you well then you’re just wrong In time you just might take to feeling better Time is the beauty of the road being long

I know that now you feel no consolation But maybe if I told you and informed you out loud I say this without fear of hesitation I can honestly tell you that you make me proud.

Just wait Just wait Just wait And it will come

Just wait Just wait Just wait And it will come

If anything I might have just said has helped you If anything I might have just said helped you just carry on Your rise uphill may no longer seem a struggle And your appetite for pain might all but be gone.

I hope for you and cannot stop that hoping Until that smile has once again returned to your face There’s no such things as a failure who keeps trying Coasting to the bottom is the only disgrace

Just wait Just wait Just wait And it will come

Just wait Just wait Just wait And it will come

Just wait Just wait Just wait And it will come

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note from Present Day Kathy: It’s interesting what vivid memories our brains hold onto, for whatever reasons. I can still picture walking through the stacks of books in the library that day and zeroing in on Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s letters and poetry. I read now, as an adult, more than I have ever in my life, mostly via listening to books on Audible, while I get things done around the house (such as laundry). I recall back then feeling pressure to read things for school, which was always more of a struggle for me vs. getting to read for pleasure. It’s that difference between the things we have to do vs. what we choose to do that continues to challenge me, even at 43, and I know so many others.

I also appreciate my commentary on how our relationships, especially friendships, grow and evolve, even through difficult times. Spoiler alert: my roommate and I ended up working through the tension we felt then and continued to become closer throughout our time abroad together.

I mentioned the Churchill Arms pub again in this entry and after my last post I looked it up online, to see if it still exists. I was excited to find that out it does! I definitely want to get there if and when I return to London someday, our family is still aiming for late Summer 2020.

I find it funny to read my descriptions of my experiences with email, especially knowing in it was in its early days/years of use. I had to Google what “telnet” meant, as I didn’t recall. Apparently it’s “a network protocol that allows a user on one computer to log onto another computer that is part of the same network,” which certainly makes sense/sounds familiar.

I continue to get a kick out of how I was navigating looking for “that special someone,” which was definitely a theme for me throughout my college years. I didn’t go to U of I to get my Mrs. by any means, but I was hoping to find love and someone to spend my life/build a family with eventually.

I am pretty sure I transcribed the lyrics to Just Wait by Blues Traveler by listening to the song from a mix tape on my Walkman, as there were a lot of scratches out and re-writes, a few mistakes (I had “your eyes no longer seem a struggle” instead of “your rise uphill may no longer seem a struggle” and “I hope for you and cannot stop that heartbreak” instead of “I hope for you and cannot stop that hoping”), and even some blank spaces where I must not have been able to tell what they were singing. Things have really changed, when it comes to stuff like that. Now we can just Google song lyrics anytime we are curious!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reminder: Unless I’ve been given permission to use people’s actual names, in most cases I’ve removed or replaced the names of the real people who were part of my journey/experience there, in effort to protect and respect their identities/privacy in my London Semester Journal entries. I will also not share details that I think and feel are too personal for anyone I interacted with, my loved ones, and me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s the back story of My London Semester Journals from 1996, including what prompted me to revisit and decide to share them here in 2018. And here’s a list a list of the entries, which I will update as I share them.

  Source: http://bereavedandblessed.com/2018/10/my-london-semester-journal-i-tuesday-january-16-1996/

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Two Sloop Bars Register On Eater's "15 Hottest Rooftop Bars & Terraces" List

The buildout of terraces and rooftops is a trend most Chicagoans love.  For the Sloop, unfortunately we didn't really have many options, but in the past year that has changed and Eater has taken notice as two Sloop spots register on their list of the "15 Hottest Rooftop Bars & Terraces":

13. SX Sky Bar808 S Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60605

The team behind perhaps the city’s most popular rooftop bar — Londonhouse — debuted this swanky nightlife-driven terrace on the fifth and sixth floors of the Hotel Essex in the South Loop. Fancy expensive cocktails, snapper sashimi, a dance floor, and views of downtown landmarks are on offer.

14. VU Rooftop Bar133 E Cermak Rd Chicago, IL 60616

The South Side got its first rooftop bar when this year-round spot opened in fall 2018 near McCormick Place. VU Rooftop Bar has terrific views from the 22nd floor, three bars, a karaoke room, firepits, and retractable windows for the colder months.

Source: http://www.sloopin.com/2019/06/two-sloop-bars-register-on-eaters-15.html

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Theo Epstein Says Cubs Will Be Prepared to Sell If the Team Does Not Play Well

It’s not something I think about *often,* but it does cross my mind from time to time, especially after the first half the Cubs saw in 2017: if things are going really sideways out of the gate, and competing in the NL Central looks pretty unlikely down the stretch, are the Cubs prepared to do some kind of mini sell-off even in the middle of a competitive window?

I already know the answer before I hear it in any kind of formal way from the front office, but it underscores the urgency of the moment to hear Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein confirm it, as he did on McNeil & Parkins today:

In other words, yes, if the Cubs are stinking the place up in the first half, and if they do not reasonably project to be competitive in a tough NL Central in the second half, they will consider moving out pieces to reshape the roster for (I would presume) the relatively short-term. Note: just because they’re selling in mid-2019 doesn’t mean they’re punting on 2020 – remember when the Yankees did a small sell-off in 2016? (Of course you do.)

Be advised: Epstein strongly, strongly, strongly said he does not expect this to happen, and no one wants it to happen. But there is a responsibility there to be honest with what the Cubs have and what they don’t have. If things look ugly come June and July, then serious transactions will have to be contemplated.

I don’t really want to get into the pieces the Cubs could have to sell in July, because gross, it’s March in a competitive window. But, suffice to say, yes, the Cubs would have a ton of theoretically movable pieces at that point if things went bad. Well, unless things went SO bad that none of the pieces are worth much at that point … but boy, that’d be some seriously armageddon stuff that I’m not gonna try to wrap my head around right now.

Don’t stink out of the gate, Cubs. You will not like what happens if you’re 10 games out by the start of July. None of us will.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/03/06/theo-epstein-says-cubs-will-be-prepared-to-sell-if-the-team-does-not-play-well/

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Bridget

February 17, 2015

I’ve never seen as many plaid scarves as I have this season! I love how Bridget styled hers with a navy toggle coat, heather gray leggings and black Nike sneakers. More evidence that you don’t have sacrifice style to stay warm this winter.

Source: http://www.chicagostreetstyle.com/2015/02/bridget-2.html

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Construction begins on $7.6 million Midlothian flood control project

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) has started construction on a $7.6-million flood control project on Natalie Creek in Midlothian.

The project is designed to ease flooding concerns along the flood-prone creek. It includes enlarging culverts that restrict water flow and widening the channel, the Chicago Tribune/Daily Southtown has reported.

In addition, an existing storm water detention pond at 149th St. and Kilpatrick Ave. will be enlarged, and a new detention basin near 147th St. and Kostner Ave. will be built.

The flood control project is expected to be completed in 2020.

Source: https://chicagoconstructionnews.com/construction-begins-on-7-6-million-midlothian-flood-control-project/

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Maddon, Cubs drop protest over Doolittle's delivery

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have dropped their protest over the pitching delivery of Washington reliever Sean Doolittle.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon made the announcement before Sunday night's game against the Nationals.

Maddon came out twice in the ninth inning of a 5-2 loss Saturday night to complain to plate umpire San Holbrook about Doolittle. Maddon said he believed the left-handed Doolittle was tapping his right toe on the ground before coming to the plate.

Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. was informed at the end of spring training that his delivery, which featured a similar toe-tap, was illegal. That ruling miffed Maddon and the Cubs.

"The whole thing I really wanted to get done was to protect Carl," Maddon said Sunday. "I really didn't anticipate a whole lot to be done with (the protest) even though I still don't agree with the conclusion because I think it's exactly what Carl did, only a different version of it.

"But the point was, I would not be a good parent had I not spoken up for my guy."

After being told Doolittle's delivery was legal, Maddon announced the Cubs were playing the game under protest.

"He thought he was tapping his foot, which in itself is not illegal, and this all kind of stems from his pitcher being called on something that was a little bit different than what Doolittle was doing," Holbrook said after the game. "So, in our judgement, Doolittle did nothing illegal at all."

Maddon countered a bit on Sunday.

"(Doolittle) actually tapped a couple of times. I think he tapped and he grazed. He did whatever," Maddon said. "They're saying Carl put his whole foot on the ground and that somehow is different. And that's where I thought, semantically speaking, I just don't agree."

Doolittle, who retired the side in order for his eighth save in nine chances, said after the game he thought Maddon had a different motive for coming out.

"In that moment, he's not trying to do anything other than rattle me and it was kind of tired," Doolittle said. "I don't know. Sometimes he has to remind people how smart he is and how much he pays attention to the game and stuff like that. He put his stamp on it, for sure."

Maddon said Sunday he had no issue with Doolittle's comments.

"We're all emotional," Maddon said. "I've said a lot of things I didn't want to say years ago, even in this ballpark. But I think if he understood the entire context, he might have had a different opinion."

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/maddon-cubs-drop-protest-over-doolittles-delivery-214956049--spt.html?src=rss

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Neighborhood Opportunity Fund should be a model for other cities, study says

After its fourth round of grants, Chicago’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) is getting attention for the way it supports underserved communities. The program aims to help South and West side business owners and is funded by money the city makes from major downtown developments.

Some researchers say the financing model represents a compelling, innovative way to support people who historically have lacked access to capital. Other cities could benefit from replicating the program, according to a new study from the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute.

As a grant, it offers equity that some business owners or nonprofits need in the early stages. Participants get money but also project support and access to networks that other successful entrepreneurs might already have. Plus, unlike Opportunity Zones, the businesses don’t have to dilute their ownership to get capital.

Surprisingly, there aren’t other cities with programs that are as well-rounded, which is why the social and economic policy think tank wanted to take a deeper look, said the report’s lead author Brett Theodos.

How the fund works

The fund launched in 2016 under the Emanuel administration at a time when downtown development was booming and the city was on a building spree. Taking advantage of that momentum and to quiet criticism that Emanuel ignored struggling neighborhoods, the former mayor created a way to share the wealth.

Essentially, developers that have projects in a specific area, like the West Loop, can apply for a “floor-area bonus” which lets them build bigger and taller projects. If the city approves, they contribute a calculated amount to the fund. For example, based on the square footage of The 78 megadevelopment, Related Midwest will pay out $26.3 million. Developers told researchers they see the program as “win-win.”

Eighty percent of that goes into the NOF which is then distributed to small business owners, property owners, landlords, and nonprofits in corridors on the South and West sides. The city vets applicants, and looks for projects that are actionable and beneficial to the neighborhood. Typically, grants are awarded in $250,000 increments, but can be bigger, and cover 30 to 50 percent of a project.

Image from Urban Institute

Why the comprehensive approach is important

Local organizations that support economic growth aren’t special—but Chicago’s method creates an entirely new source of funding and deeply supports the fund’s participants. It’s a particularly smart solution for cities in debt or with limited budgets, said Theodos.

“Its funding does not require the city to participate in a win-lose proposition in which it moves money from one neighborhood to another, or from one critical priority to another,” the study said.

Businesses in areas where unemployment and poverty are high are awarded grants. The projects are required to improve spaces that provide valuable neighborhood amenities like coffee shops, grocery stores, or performing arts venues. Applicants have “skin the game,” too, as they must be able to cover a percentage of the cost on their own. But they aren’t left alone to navigate the process of building permits, loans, and city applications.

Help goes beyond the grant, and the support is robust and comprehensive, said Theodos. The city facilitates connections with agencies that are knowledgeable about building regulations and licenses. Grantees are encouraged to attend groups, meetings, and other events to develop relationships or share resources with one another.

There’s still room for improvement

After interviewing participants and the city, researchers found that communication was one of the biggest challenges.

“It’s an important program and meaningful for people, but still not huge in total number of businesses getting touched,” said Theodos.

In four rounds, the city received 1,426 applications and approved $23.3 million in grants to 174 small businesses (although 10 applicants representing $1.5 million withdrew from the program). While the impact isn’t massive, there is potential to grow with so much development in the pipeline.

Another issue during the first round of funding was that very few applications were received from the largely Hispanic neighborhood Little Village, despite it having the second-highest grossing shopping district in the city. After increasing outreach efforts, the city learned many immigrant communities were hesitant to work with city government and didn’t trust the support offered. Since then, applications from Little Village have increased but it’s clear that officials must go beyond offering assistance, and actively repair trust in some communities.

Other hurdles included learning how to work with participants that were in early development stages (more than half of the grantees are start-ups). Both participants and the city were frequently frustrated by project logistics, paperwork, and financial planning.

For example, some grantees had problems with projects due to decades-old fees or taxes owed to the city in connection to their property. The city’s record keeping isn’t up to date, so many owners said they had to address debts that were already paid or contested.

“One grantee put the challenge starkly: ‘The money we were able to collect ended up not being enough because of so many unexpected costs. We are very indebted right now,’” according to the study.

Through each iteration, the project evolved. There are now lending coaches, lists of vetted construction managers, and grantees are held accountable to their timeline. Plus, support materials like mock contracts and best practices are more accessible online.

There’s a lot that other cities can learn from Chicago’s improvements and, after studying the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, researchers put together a list of best practices for cities interested in creating the same type of support. Their first piece of advice: Prioritize equality and impact.

Source: https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/7/19/20698218/chicago-neighborhood-opportunity-fund-business

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The University of Chicago Press and the Chicago Distribution Center welcome former UPNE publishers

We’re please to be able to share some good news that’s perfectly timed for University Press Week—#TurnItUP!

The University of Chicago Press and the Chicago Distribution Center are pleased to announce that Autumn House Press, Brandeis University Press, Carnegie Mellon University Press, Dartmouth College Press, New Issues Poetry & Prose, Oberlin College Press, Omnidawn Publishing, and 2Leaf Press, all formerly distributed by UPNE,  as well as books published under UPNE’s own imprint, are joining the CDC and will be marketed and sold by the University of Chicago Press. All orders for books from these publishers can now be directed to the CDC. Joseph D’Onofrio, the director of the CDC, said “The University of Chicago Press and the Chicago Distribution Center are pleased to welcome our new publishers from UPNE to the family. We look forward to helping them flourish, as they continue to publish great and compelling books.”

Founded in 1998, Autumn House Press publishes full-length collections of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The press concentrates on publishing the work of excellent contemporary writers who have a following among readers, but whose work has been overlooked by commercial publishers. Autumn House Press believes art and literature are essential to the growth of a community and society. Autumn House authors have won or been finalists for the Whiting Award, NAACP Image Award, and many others. Poems and excerpts have been republished in the New York Times Magazine, American Life in Poetry, Verse Daily, and other venues.

Brandeis University Press was founded more than forty-five years ago and has produced critically acclaimed and award-winning books in the humanities and social sciences, as well as general interest titles, with a particular commitment to publishing compelling and innovative approaches to the study of the Jewish experience worldwide. Brandeis University Press’s eight series—the Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life; HBI Series on Jewish Women; Schusterman Series in Israel Studies; Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry; Brandeis Library of Modern Jewish Thought; Brandeis Series on Gender, Culture, Religion, and Law; Mandel Lectures in the Humanities; and the Menahem Stern Jerusalem Lectures (sponsored by the Historical Society of Israel)—account for the vast majority of its publishing program.

Carnegie Mellon University Press was founded in 1972 by its current director, Gerald Costanzo. The Press publishes approximately twelve titles each year in regional social history, art history, the performing arts, literary analysis, education, and university history. Carnegie Mellon’s particular strength continues to lie in literary publishing with the following series: Carnegie Mellon Poetry Series; the Carnegie Mellon Classic Contemporaries; the Series in Short Fiction; the Series in Translation; and the Poets in Prose Series. Books under the Press imprint have included titles by Pulitzer Prize winners Rita Dove, Ted Kooser, Franz Wright, Stephen Dunn, and Peter Balakian.

Dartmouth College’s unique focus on personalized arts and science learning has made it a global leader in liberal education. This unique focus is reflected in the books that Dartmouth College Press publishes. DCP’s interdisciplinary approach to publishing touches on everything from the fine and visual arts to cross-cultural criticisms of American Studies to global health and medicine. DCP publishes a number of innovative series, including Interfaces: Studies in Visual Culture, Remapping the Trans-National: A Dartmouth Series in American Studies, Reencounters with Colonialism, The Collected Writings of Rousseau, and the Geisel Series in Global Health and Medicine.

New Issues Poetry & Prose, established in 1996, and housed on the campus of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, publishes four to six new poetry titles a year, as well as the winner of the AWP Award Series in the Novel. The New Issues Poetry Prize and the Editor’s Choice Prize are awarded yearly to first books of poetry, and the Green Rose Prize to a collection of poetry by a poet who has previously published one or more volumes of poetry. Their guiding principle is to look beyond school and fashion in order to locate original—and astonishing—work. New Issues books have won the American Book Award, the William Carlos Williams Award, and the Goldberg Prize, and have been longlisted for the National Book Award. New Issues is proud of its commitment to discovering new voices and to supporting the best work of established poets and novelists.

For forty years, Oberlin College Press has been publishing poetry through its Translation and FIELD poetry series and has offered perennially valuable course readers through its FIELD Anthology series Oberlin’s books have won or been finalists for numerous awards, including being a finalist for the Pulitzer in 2010 and a winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award in 2015. They are committed to bringing poetic voices from around the world to English-language readers and to supporting fresh contemporary poetry written here in the United States.

Omnidawn Publishing, Inc. is an Oakland-based independent 501(c)(3) press, dedicated to publishing literature that opens readers to the myriad ways that language brings new light, compassionate insight, and a heightened respect for differences. Since its founding in 2001 by copublishers Rusty Morrison and Ken Keegan, Omnidawn has become a vibrant community of authors, editors, designers, and interns. The press has gained national recognition as both a Bay Area gem and a vital contributor to literature that confronts the issues and trials and triumphs that is life in the twenty-first century. Omnidawn books have won four PEN USA Awards, two American Book Awards, a James Laughlin Award, a Colorado Book Award, and a Landon Translation Award, while others have been finalists for Lambda Awards, PEN USA Awards, and the Kingsley Tufts Prize, and have been longlisted for the National Book Award. Currently, Diana Khoi Nguyen’s book Ghost Of is a finalist for the National Book Award.

2Leaf Press publishes fiction, non‐fiction, poetry, drama, and bilingual works by activists, scholars, poets, and authors with cultural stories that inform, entertain, educate, and inspire. 2Leaf is especially dedicated to publishing scholarship regarding diversity and social justice that is accessible to the general public as they tackle the fundamental issues of our human condition in meaningful ways. 2Leaf Press is an imprint of the Intercultural Alliance of Artists & Scholars, Inc. (IAAS), a New York-based nonprofit organization that promotes multicultural literature and literacy.

For more information about the Chicago Distribution Center and the services it offers, please contact Saleem Dhamee, Director of Client Services and Business Operations, sdhamee@uchicago.edu.

Source: http://pressblog.uchicago.edu/2018/11/14/the-university-of-chicago-press-and-the-chicago-distribution-center-welcome-former-upne-publishers.html

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Northern Trust Moving Out of the Sloop & Building Owners at 801 S. Canal Trying to Sell

While we've been writing a lot about the impending companies and corporate jobs coming to the old Post Office, it appears one of the Sloops biggest corporate tenants is moving (via TRD):

They’re about to lose the building’s only tenant, but the owners of the office complex at 801 South Canal Street are trying to sell the property anyway.

A venture led by developer Paul Gearen is hoping to sell the South Loop office building for $100 million, despite Northern Trust’s plans to vacate it next year, according to Crain’s.

Gearen and his partners developed the 575,000-square-foot building for Northern Trust in 1990. The Chicago-based financial institution has been the building’s sole occupant since then, according to Crain’s.

Northern Trust, one of Chicago’s biggest office tenants, will leave 801 South Canal Street in October 2020 as part of a reshuffling of its local office footprint. On top of leaving the South Loop, the firm will also vacate 248,000 square feet at 231 South LaSalle. It will consolidate its offices in 333 South Wabash Street.

We've always wondered if this area is propped up by Northern Trust having so many employees frequent the restaurants and shops in this corridor.  Does anyone have an opinion?

Our guess is that while this isn't good news, it's not devastating news for the area and it's growth.  We shall see.   

Source: http://www.sloopin.com/2019/05/northern-trust-moving-out-of-sloop.html

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Single-Family Housing Upholds the Patriarchy and Hurts Moms

There’s one problem with the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”: in modern America, there’s no “village” anymore.

Read almost any current post across the mommy blogosphere and you’ll hear tales of moms who are raising kids isolated from friends and family — and always needing a car to find any community.

Few women specifically cite sprawl and single-family housing in their writing, and there are obviously many culprits for the lack of support modern mothers feel. But the strain of physical separation is often apparent just the same.

Mommy blogger Sara Burrows wrote on her blog Return to Now that she surveyed her stay-at-home mom friends and readers. One in four of them reported having zero interaction with other adults in the typical week. In her essay, notes that “having our closest friends within walking distance would make a huge difference.”

Then, she proposes a radically different living arrangement:

Our dream is to buy land with friends and have a dozen or so tiny houses, yurts, etc. along with a community garden and community kitchen, so our children have someone to play with every time they step outside and we adults have each other to talk to while we work, along with more time to play.

What type of housing is actually best for mothers? Not for children, but for their primary caregivers? For sexist reasons, we never seem to ask.

But in her book, The Design of Childhood, writer Alexandra Lange contemplates what type of living arrangements make raising children easiest. Lange says Burrows’  has stumbled onto something important, in her yurt community ideal.

“Both suburbs and cities needed to be replanned around the idea of connected space,” she told Streetsblog, “for there to be more communal facilities so socialization is built in.”

While it’s not tiny houses or yurts, Radburn, N.J., exemplifies a more mom-friendly model, much like what Burrows describes Lange says. A master-planned community built in 1928, Radburn is a lot like a traditional suburban cul-de-sac turned inside out. Rather than have houses front the street, they front a system of pedestrian paths and parks, with the cars parked along the outside.

In Radburn, New Jersey, houses front parks and paths, not streets. Photo: Themikebot/Flickr/CC

That arrangement gives children much more independence.

“Kids can walk to access everything they need without crossing the street,” Lange said. “The focus of the community is not this blacktop space, but this green lawn.”

Burrows also envisioned a community kitchen, where families could cook together and share meals. Early feminists during the last century pushed for just such a thing, in order to ease the burden for women being solely responsible for meal prep.

The book, The Grand Domestic Revolution, published in 1981, explored feminist challenges to the American domestic sphere. Author Delores Hayden writes that feminists for more than a century have railed against “the physical separation of the household space from public space,” and argued for the “feminist transformation of the home.”

Early feminists like Jane Addams in 1910, for example, helped establish cooperative houses, like the Hull House, which had a public kitchen where women could cook together and their families could share meals. Hayden wrote “a new approach to collective domestic life seemed to be merging” aimed at reducing the burden of domestic work on women by making it a shared activity.

But feminists failed at transforming houses for the benefit of women. And the prevailing form, single family houses — and even apartments each with their own kitchen — help make domestic labor which overwhelmingly falls on women, like cooking, isolating.

But in the 1925 book The Suburban Trend, author Paul Douglas pointed out the way yards and houses multiply private, unpaid domestic duties for families:

More domestic work takes place in the residential suburb than in the city. It moves the woman from the apartment house with its centralized heating plant, its elevator, laundry, incinerator, and janitor service, and with no premises outside of the house, to the single or double house with its independent equipment for each family and its grounds to look after. More work is necessary to make the process of consumption efficient and agreeable and to maintain esthetic standards under these circumstances.

Common spaces like the ones Douglas described in apartment buildings could provide an opportunity for stay-at-home moms to interact and share child supervision responsibilities.

So why don’t we see more communities like Radburn? More shared kitchens like the early feminists hoped?

Lange says, for one, it flies against the capitalist housing model. Building a community like Radburn requires a group of buyers that is committed to a more the cooperative model.

“It means you are giving up some of your private suburban space to the public good,” Lange said. “That hasn’t been the narrative of American family life. The idea has been that you get more of your own space for your money.”

Lange thinks that cultural notion can be hurtful.

“Actually more private space doesn’t make a better life-style,” she said. “Think about what you really want access to and how you want to spend your time.

“It’s more fun for kids to play together on a big lawn than alone on a little lawn.”

A more common version of the Radburn model you might see is a Californian Bungalow Court, where houses are situated around a central communal yard.

California’s Bungalow Courts — that put communal space at the center rather than streets — are a different more family friendly model, some experts say. Photo: MissingMiddleHousing.com

Unfortunately, modern zoning rules make this type of housing illegal practically everywhere in the United States. Many cities outlaw multi-family housing in all but very limited areas. Even in cosmopolitan Seattle, just 31 percent of land is zoned to allow any multi-family housing — apartments or row houses — at all.

Suburbs often have minimum lot sizes and rules about setbacks from the street. All sorts of ideas about the heteronormative ideal family life — and the role of women — have been codified in zoning laws. When they are challenged they are often met with intense resistance. For example, in cities like Portland and Seattle, movements to allow secondary dwelling units — “granny flats” — in single family neighborhoods have heated up in recent years, but they are often bitterly opposed by property owners in single-family neighborhoods.

As the name Granny Flats implies, however, this type of housing could allow for multi-generational family living — which might benefit mothers with young children the most.

Hat tip: Kate Matchett

Source: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/11/02/single-family-housing-upholds-the-patriarchy-and-hurts-moms/