Chicago Sports

Norm Maciver has returned to the Blackhawks.

Maciver was named on Wednesday the Hawks’ new associate general manager, the first of many hires new GM Kyle Davidson is expected to make to flesh out the front office.

As associate GM, Maciver will oversee the Hawks’ pro and amateur scouting, essentially replacing the two executives who left the organization last week — Mark Kelley, the amateur scouting director, and Ryan Stewart, the assistant GM who led pro scouting — with one person.

“Norm brings that institutional knowledge, and is one of the best talent evaluators in the business — pushing the boundaries on new methods and techniques that we need here at the Blackhawks,” Davidson said in a statement. “Norm has been a big help to me throughout my career personally, but he also isn’t afraid to share his opinion and that is something that I respect most about him. He’s a great first step in building this out.”

After a 500-game playing career in the 1980s and 90s, Maciver joined the Hawks in 2006 and spent 14 years in the front office, including eight years as an assistant GM.

But he and ex-GM Stan Bowman’s relationship soured in recent years, leading to Maciver’s demotion in 2020 and eventual departure in 2021 to become the expansion Kraken’s director of player personnel. He spent a little over one year in that role.

“Kyle and I have a great relationship, and I believe in his vision for the team and the future of our hockey operations department,” Maciver said in a statement. “I’m thankful to the Blackhawks for this opportunity and I’m anxious to get back to work in a place that has become home.”

This story will be updated.

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An Indiana teenager who scaled a tree at an Indianapolis park to rescue a cat he spotted high up in the branches ended up stuck himself and had to be rescued.

The 17-year-old boy was at Holliday Park on Indianapolis’ north side last weekend when he saw the cat in a tree and tried to rescue it, climbing 35 feet, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department.

The teenager, identified only as Owen, told firefighters “he was trying to do a good deed and bring the cat to safety,” according to Battalion Chief Rita Reith.

Reith said “Owen had no trouble climbing up the tree” — just with what to do then: “His positioning did not allow the same ease for getting down.”

Firefighting crews used a rope system to lower the boy safely to the ground after about two hours.

The department released video of the rescue.

The teenager was fine.

And the cat?

“The cat seemed to enjoy the commotion but made no effort to climb down the tree,” according to Reith, who later said a 21-year-old woman who owns the cat ended up hiring a company to retrieve it.

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After 25 years in Peoria — and two canceled state finals the past two years due to Covid — the boys’ state basketball tournament returns to Champaign this weekend.

Theoretically, this is where the IHSA state finals should be played.

All four classes, big and small, from across the state will converge in a new three-day format starting Thursday. They will play at the major flagship state university and in a historic but state-of-the-art arena that’s easily identifiable.

There are deep, deep roots and historical basketball significance in Champaign, even if maybe today’s youth doesn’t realize it just yet.

Aside from the United Center in Chicago, the State Farm Center (formerly Assembly Hall) is the most recognizable basketball facility in the state. Nationally-ranked Big Ten teams, including this year’s Big Ten champion Fighting Illini, take the floor there each week during the basketball season to play on national television and in front of raucous crowds.

The more that scene is actually played out and seen the more it resonates with kids and becomes a bigger goal in coming years. At least that’s how it was for decades in this state. Kids grew up dreaming of taking their teams “downstate” and playing in what was then, to any young basketball obsessed kid in Illinois, an iconic Assembly Hall.

I started heading to Champaign as a 9-year-old with my mom and dad and family friends. I’ve missed maybe one here and one there since that first state tournament trip in 1982. But looking back I think this will be 35 or 36 of the last 40 IHSA State Finals I will have attended. But it was always the big school state tournament and a rare old school Class A State Finals here and there mixed in.

It’s odd for this rabid high school basketball fan to say, but I seem to have more fond, specific memories of the State Finals as a kid back in the 1980s — in Champaign and in Assembly Hall — than what I have as an adult while actually covering the event for the City/Suburban Hoops Report and Chicago Sun-Times.

Maybe it was the whole missing school thing on Friday as a grade schooler and junior high kid, thus taking it all in as if it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done. I still think it’s the only day of school I missed while growing up.

It was the thrill as a kid of packing up the car with mom’s homemade treats and junk food, anxiously waiting to leave with my parents on Thursday right after school to set up shop in the hotel and our annual pilgrimage to the Class AA State Tournament.

Then there were the developing traditions. You would always see the same fans every year, either in the hotel, at breakfast or in the seats of Assembly Hall, the ones you would get to know by first name only and see for three days a year and that was plenty enough. You knew you had one thing in common, one topic of conversation that weekend, and that’s all that mattered.

You always stayed in the same hotel (For us it was the Jumer’s Castle Lodge which I don’t even think exists anymore?) — at least until they started jacking up the prices — and looked forward to eating the same pizza every year (the old Jolly Roger, that I know is now gone, and its ultra-thin pizza).

And you would read up on the Elite Eight teams in the newspapers. And getting your hands on that State Finals program as soon as you could was a must.

Oh, the program.

The program used to have a short but descriptive write-up on each team. Remember, there was no Internet, Twitter, social media, streamed games or teams crossing the state to play one another. You would hear about these players and teams, read up on them in the newspapers and in the State Finals program.

Fans would salivate over that program, seeing the scores listed and the stats of the players.

The likes of Michael Payne, Bruce Douglas and Quincy, LaPhonso Ellis and East St. Louis, Ed Horton and Springfield Lanphier and many others almost became mythical figures before actually seeing them run out of the tunnel of Assembly Hall. Back then, in the 1980s, you just didn’t get to see them until then.

The moments are still so vivid. I was mesmerized, in particular, by that great Quincy team in 1981 that I watched on TV. When my dad returned from Champaign that year, I demanded I was going with him from now on. Mom and dad obliged.

Those East St. Louis Lincoln teams of the 1980s? Right now I can rattle off the names of a dozen East St. Louis Lincoln players from that decade. (Maybe that’s sad rather than impressive, I know, but you can understand the impact on a grade-schooler and later as a teen).

I still clearly remember Ben Wilson, Kenny Battle and Everette Stephens all in the same Elite Eight in 1984, Derek Boyd’s buzzer-beating shot that lifted Mount Carmel to a state title in double overtime in 1985, the arrival of Kendall Gill in 1986, Marcus Liberty’s 143 points in four games in 1987, the 1989 triple overtime game between East St. Louis Lincoln and Peoria that I remember not wanting to end.

Mendel Catholic’s stunning upset of Quincy. Mike Lipnisky’s 43-point state quarterfinal game. The contrasting styles of legendary coaches Landon Cox and Bennie Lewis on the sidelines. LaPhonso Ellis vs. Eric Anderson. Those dominating King teams full of bravado we’ve never seen before.

While in Champaign as a kid, you would adopt one of the Elite Eight teams as “your team” and then idolize a player who, now thinking back, was literally like five or six years older than you at the time.

Then as a basketball-playing kid you started dreaming yourself of playing in Assembly Hall with your whole town and community following you down to Champaign. You envisioned that roar from your hometown crowd that would be tucked into one of the four corners of Assembly Hall and rise up from the old “C Section” and be cheering you on.

You know the trick — at least back then. You and your friends would play out that moment in driveways and gyms.

But just when we had our best team in school history and broke the single-season win total my junior year, we were bumped from Class A to Class AA for the first time ever — by six students. We were devastated. (Where was the four-class system when I needed it!)

All the teams we rolled over all summer and during the season were left in Class A while we went to AA. We lost in heartbreaking fashion in the regional final.

After our unfortunate, badly-timed one-year trip to Class AA, we returned to Class A for my senior year. A good team, but not as good as the year before, lost an even more heartbreaking game, 67-66, in the final three seconds of the sectional championship.

But I digress. Individual soapbox is over. But there is a point here.

Yes, we all wanted to get “downstate” but with that came the importance of being able to play in Assembly Hall.

There were so many driving forces back then. But absolutely one of them was getting to Champaign and specifically playing in Assembly Hall. I remember many teams with high hopes and big expectations would have a slogan or theme on t-shirts with a screen print of Assembly Hall on it. The place was symbolic.

No high school basketball team was ever going to put a photo of Peoria’s Civic Center entertainment complex on a T-shirt and wear it around all summer before their season started.

There is now a generation of kids and fans who only know state tournament history through what’s transpired in Peoria and Carver Arena. Some truly great and memorable moments were captured there that will last forever. But there has never been a mystique or aura about playing in Peoria or Carver Arena, which was the case over the many decades the state tournament was played in Champaign.

No disrespect to all the great folks who did a terrific job hosting the State Finals in Peoria the past 25 years — there was some serious civic pride there — but Carver Arena was always just blah. There just wasn’t a whole lot of juice in the idea of playing there. It didn’t feel like a big-time venue.

The arena, perfectly fine and maybe even outstanding for a Missouri Valley Conference basketball school, was almost a hindrance to the overall great experience that Peoria initially pumped back into the state tournament in the early years of moving to the River City.

The old Assembly Hall, as unique and eye-catching as it was and remains from the outside, did seem at times a little cavernous, especially in the latter years there when crowds dwindled.

But the completely renovated, whopping $170 million overhaul of the interior of the State Farm Center has changed everything. It’s completely modernized, the interior is warmer and more quaint, and the fans were brought closer to the floor.

Simply put, it’s a completely different arena, feel and environment for those high school basketball fans who haven’t returned to Champaign since the IHSA moved the State Finals from Champaign to Peoria in 1996.

Even more important, for all the participating teams — players, coaches and their fans — the experience will be enhanced playing in the State Farm Center.

Look, two-class basketball is never coming back. It’s not worth arguing or lamenting about it anymore. While fans were disgruntled and disappointed, the move to placate a certain number of coaches and schools in the state and to award more trophies and championships was made. The “super fans” in high school basketball have clearly dwindled since the hey-day of high school hoops.

So, no, the state tournament is never going to be what it used to be. And a splashy new venue in Champaign isn’t going to fix all the woes.

But at this moment, at this time, this move to Champaign and the State Farm Center was necessary and hopefully will pump some life back into a state tournament that was on life support in its final years in Peoria.

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It’s finally here. After more than 700 days, the Illinois High School Association’s state basketball finals have returned. Both the venue and the format have changed.

The tournament has left Peoria, returned to Champaign, and will take place in the newly renovated State Farm Center. Champaign hosted the tournament from 1919 to 1995.

Crowds had dwindled in Peoria and a refresh was needed, so there’s a great deal of excitement around the return to Champaign. The new format has been less well-received. Many fans are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

All four classes will play over a three-day span. In the past, Class 1A and Class 2A had a two-day weekend tournament followed the next weekend by a two-day Class 3A and Class 4A tournament.

In the new format, Class 1A and Class 2A will play semifinals on Thursday and Class 3A and Class 4A will play semis on Friday. All four title games will take place on Saturday.

The IHSA decided to play the third-place games in the prime 7 p.m. slots on Thursday and Friday, which is odd. All the semifinals will be in the morning and afternoon.

“I’m a little confused by it, but I guess I will have to work with it,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said.

The IHSA is betting on the finals Saturday becoming a must-see event for basketball fans. The finals are also one week earlier now, which avoids overlapping with the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re pretty excited that the state tournament is back in Champaign,” St. Ignatius coach Matt Monroe said. “I remember my dad bringing me down to watch games there. The format of having all four championship games in one day is awesome. Hopefully we can bring people from all over the state to celebrate basketball in our state.”

Here’s a look at all four Class 4A and Class 3A semifinals and an overview of Class 1A and 2A.

Class 4A semifinal: Young (25-9) vs. Barrington (28-4), Fri., 2:30 p.m

Young starters
F AJ Casey, 6-8, Sr.
G Dalen Davis, 6-0, Jr.
G Marcus Pigram, 6-3, Jr.
F Xavier Amos, 6-8, Sr.
F Matthew Somerville, 6-6, Sr.

Barrington starters
G Daniel Hong, 6-2, Sr.
G Nick Bordenet, 5-11, Sr.
G Evan Jno-Baptiste, 5-10, Sr.
C Nate Boldt, 6-10, Sr.
G Will Grudzinski, 6-6, Sr.

Young started living up to preseason expectations a few weeks ago as it charged to the city championship. The Dolphins didn’t peak though, they have kept on improving. Athletic junior Daniel Johnson is healthy and has added another dimension to coach Tyrone Slaughter’s offensive attack.

Junior guard Dalen Davis was excellent in Young’s supersectional win against Kenwood. When he plays well the Dolphins are very difficult to beat.

“[Davis] completely controls our team,” Slaughter said. “He makes us what we are. He’s a young man that has a great idea of how the game should be played.”

Seniors AJ Casey and Xavier Amos are long, athletic, and consistent. Slaughter says the 74-59 loss to Glenbard West in late January was a turning point for his team.

“That may have been what has catapulted us to where we are today,” Slaughter said. “From that point on our season changed. The kids became humbled by what they saw. They didn’t like it and decided to change.”

Barrington pulled off the biggest upset in the supersectionals, shocking Glenbrook South.

The Broncos opened some eyes when they knocked off Rolling Meadows in the Mid-Suburban League championship game and have won 15 consecutive games.

Barrington’s pieces all fit together well. Senior Will Grudzinski is a dynamic scorer, averaging 19 points. Point guard Daniel Hong is smart and reliable and has picked up his scoring in the playoffs. Nate Boldt, a 6-10 center, averages 7.5 points and five rebounds. All three will play college basketball.

Evan Jno-Baptiste, a 5-10 guard that will play baseball in college, is the leader.

“[Jno-Baptiste] is our heart and soul,” Barrington coach Bryan Tucker said. “I’ve had a lot of great players but as far as leadership, he sets the bar high. He has a sense for when there is a big moment and he steps up and gets us a basket.”

Do not count the Broncos out of this one. Young is a heavy favorite, but Barrington just knocked off a Glenbrook South team that put together a better and more consistent season than the Dolphins.

Class 4A semifinal: Bolingbrook (30-6) vs. Glenbard West (35-1), Fri., 4 p.m.

Bolingbrook starters
G Mekhi Cooper, 6-1, Jr.
G Josh Aniceto, 5-8, So.
G MJ Langit, 6-2, Sr.
F Donaven Younger, 6-9, Jr.
F Michael Osei-Bonsu, 6-4 Sr.

Glenbard West starters
G Caden Pierce, 6-6, Sr.
G Paxton Warden, 6-4, Sr.
F Bobby Durkin, 6-7, Sr.
F Braden Huff, 6-11, Sr.
C Ryan Renfro, 6-8 Sr.

Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost is playing up the underdog angle, and rightly so.

“I would rather be playing the Lakers than Glenbard West,” Brost said. “We could back off Russell Westbrook, let him shoot it and get some rebounds. There is not a guy on the Glenbard West roster we can do that to.”

The Hilltoppers have dominated nearly every local team this season. Bolingbrook’s greatest strength is Michael Osei-Bonsu’s rebounding. The undersized post is averaging 11.8 points and 9.3 rebounds but will have his hands full with all of Glenbard West’s size.

Bolingbrook rolled through the sectional and has won 16 consecutive games. But it is hard to see exactly how it would manage to upset Glenbard West. This is the moment the Hilltoppers have been building towards for two years.

“We are where we want to be and we are playing our best basketball,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said. “We don’t feel pressure. We feel prepared.”

Class 3A semifinal: Sacred Heart-Griffin (33-3) vs. St. Ignatius (23-12), Fri., 10 a.m.

Sacred Heart-Griffin starters
G J’Veon Bardwell, 5-10, Jr.
G Jake Hamilton, 6-3, Jr.
G Keshon Singleton, 6-1, Jr.
F Zach Hawkinson, 6-5, Jr.
G Will Hamilton, 6-3, Jr.

St. Ignatius starters
G AJ Redd, 6-0, Sr.
F Noah Davis, 6-2, Sr.
G Richard Barron, 6-5, Jr.
F Jackson Kotecki, 6-8, Jr.
F Kolby Gilles, 6-6, Sr.

This might be the most interesting semifinal.

St. Ignatius wasn’t challenged in the playoffs until the overtime supersectional win against St. Patrick. The Wolfpack is talented and experienced and has been through several ups and downs after opening the season ranked No. 4.

Junior Richard Barron can take over games with his shooting ability. He could power St. Ignatius into the final if he heats up.

Sacred Heart-Griffin advanced to the state finals in 2020 as a Class 2A team, but that tournament was never completed due to COVID. The Cyclones return with a very young team that most believed was a year away from postseason success.

Jake Hamilton and Zach Hawkinson both average 15 points for Sacred Heart-Griffin, a Springfield school.

Keep an eye on junior guard Will Hamilton. He’s a lockdown defender with a knack for scoring big buckets.

Class 3A semifinal: Simeon (28-5) vs. Metamora (29-6), Fri., 11:30 a.m.

Simeon starters
G Aviyon Morris, 5-7, Sr.
G Jaylen Drane, 6-3, Sr.
G Jalen Griffith, 5-9, Jr.
F Wesley Rubin, 6-7, Jr.
F Miles Rubin, 6-9, Jr.

Metamora starters
G Zack Schroeder, 6-3, Sr.
F Ethan Kizer, 6-6, Jr.
G Tyson Swanson, 6-2, Jr.
G Drew Tucker, 6-2, Jr.
G Tyler Mason, 6-0, So.

Simeon is a heavy favorite to win the title. The Wolverines have a talented backcourt that has been together for three seasons. Jaylen Drane, Aviyon Morris, and Jalen Griffith complement each other well and are talented and experienced.

And the bigs just keep getting better. Wes and Miles Rubin, the 6-9 twins, are more than just post scorers and rebounders. Wes is a talented passer and Miles may be the state’s best shot blocker.

Metamora is making its first appearance in the state finals. The Redbirds lost to Joliet West and Wheaton Warrenville South this season and narrowly beat Oak Park.

It’s difficult to imagine Metamora upsetting Simeon with that resume, but the Redbirds are on a 17-game winning streak and 6-6 Ethan Kizer is a very talented junior.

“Tyson Swanson is our leading scorer,” Metamora coach Danny Grieves said. “He doesn’t pass the eye test. You look at him and think he can’t play.”

Class 2A

DePaul Prep starters
G Trevon Thomas, 6-1, Sr.
G Alex Gutierrez, 6-2, Sr.
G Payton Kamin, 6-6, So.
F Dylan Arnett, 6-9, Sr.
F Jaylan McElroy, 6-6, So.

Nashville starters
G Carter Schoenherr, 6-3, Jr.
G Nolan Heggemeier, 5-11, Sr.
F Saxton Hoepker, 6-7, Sr.
F Kolten Gajewski, 6-5, Sr.
G Isaac Turner, 6-3, Sr.

DePaul Prep (26-5) faces Nashville (27-4) in the semifinals with the winner of Rockridge (26-6) vs. Monticello (32-3) waiting in the championship game.

The Rams are always one of the state’s best defensive teams. Dylan Arnett, a 6-9 senior, is a skilled and hard-working post player and 6-6 sophomores Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin are emerging as difference makers.

Trevon Thomas and Alex Gutierrez are leaders in the backcourt. Both seniors waited their turns to take over starting roles and have thrived this season.

DePaul Prep was the area’s best team last season. All five starters graduated, but coach Tom Kleinschmidt reloaded. And did it without a transfer.

“We have a program now instead of a varsity basketball team,” Kleinschmidt said. “The numbers won’t jump out at you but we have four to six guys that can put the ball in the basket.”

Nashville held Teutopolis to 18 points in the supersectional. Like DePaul Prep, the Hornets are defensive-minded. Expect a low-scoring game.

“We play a very specific brand of basketball: Win ugly,” Nashville coach Patrick Weathers said. “It is not the most entertaining and it is not for everybody.”

Class 1A

Yorkville Christian starters
G KJ Vasser, 6-2, Sr.
G Jaden Schutt, 6-6, Sr.
G Tyler Burrows, 6-2, Sr.
G David Douglas, Jr., 6-3, Jr.
G Brayden Long, 6-4, Jr.

Steeleville starters
G Lane Lazenby, 6-0, Sr.
G Jacoby Gross, 6-0, Jr.
G Carter WAsson, 6-0, Jr.
G Zach Mevert, 6-1, Sr.
F Reid Harriss, 6-5, Jr.

Yorkville Christian (23-13) may be the biggest favorite in any class in the history of the IHSA state tournament. The Mustangs, led by Duke recruit Jaden Schutt, have simply dominated so far in the playoffs, with an average margin of victory of 43.8 points.

First up for Yorkville Christian is Steeleville (29-6), a school with 151 students about 60 miles southeast of St. Louis.

Liberty (29-5) and Scales Mound (35-2) matchup in the other semifinal.

“I’ve coached these kids since third grade,” Scales Mound coach Erik Kudronowicz said. “They decided to work as hard as they could. They have that sixth sense playing together. Being in the state semis is a dream come true. They are making their own little niche in history. It’s going to be interesting to see how this all finishes.”

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The Local School Council at Jones College Preparatory High School is set to vote Tuesday on whether to recommend their principal be fired after a few members of the committee levied accusations of policy violations against the school leader.

The five-hour meeting ran late into Tuesday night after a time of public comment and then a closed session ahead of the scheduled vote.

The controversial vote pushes the LSC’s broken relationship with Principal Joseph Powers into further turmoil and threatens to divide one of Chicago’s highest-rated high schools.

Three LSC parent representatives, including the chair, wrote a letter to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez last month alleging Powers has violated the district’s residency requirement by maintaining a primary home in Missouri, failed to properly handle teacher misconduct complaints and fostered an unwelcoming environment for students and staff of color and transgender and gender non-conforming students.

The trio was taking its disapproval a step further Tuesday, putting the concerns for a vote before the entire 13-member LSC that would call on Martinez to approve administrative charges against Powers and begin dismissal proceedings. Under state law, the CEO would have 45 days to either approve or reject the request.

The agenda for the meeting, which was streamed on the Jones LSC’s YouTube channel, featured more public speakers than usual because of “volume of interest.”

In the days since Powers revealed the tension with the LSC and that he was considering retirement in a stunning letter to the school community, some parents, staff and even student members of the LSC have come to his defense — or at least criticized the process by which the three LSC members aired their concerns.

Sarah Kaiser, whose daughter is a senior at Jones, said she wished there was more parent and student input before the LSC representatives wrote their letter because “so many people in this situation were just completely blindsided by this happening.

“If these allegations are found to be true and there are serious issues, then I hope it’s addressed,” Kaiser said. “I don’t think it was gone about in the way it should have been.”

Kaiser said she has appreciated Powers’ leadership, calling him a “well-loved principal,” and felt he has been transparent and appropriately handled problems at the school. Addressing the complaint that Powers hasn’t welcomed LGBTQ students, Kaiser said her daughter, who is gay, has had a fulfilling experience in the school’s Pride Club and appreciated the school’s attention to students’ pronouns and bathroom signage.

Cassie Creswell, the LSC chair and a frequent critic of CPS officials, had maintained that the concerns are widespread. “The need to remove the principal is about student safety, both accountability for past harm and preventing future harm to students, staff and families,” she said this week.

CPS general counsel Joseph Moriarty told Creswell and the other two LSC members who wrote the letter that the district sees no reason to remove Powers while it investigates the allegations. “At this time, the investigative bodies have not indicated that circumstances exist to justify the removal of Dr. Powers,” he said in his response letter last week.

The public comment section of Tuesday’s meeting was contentious, with spats breaking out over changing time limits for public comment and bylaws of the council’s code.

The three letter-writer’s goal was to effectively resubmit their earlier letter as a more formal request to oust the principal and for CPS to continue an investigation opened on him.

During the meeting, students and teachers brought up concerns about transparency surrounding the LSC.

“I am not suggesting that everything at Jones is perfect,” said Max Stein, the parent of a freshman at the school. “And I know there’s room for improvement on any number of important issues. The issue I have is with the tactics being used by these three members who decided to take these issues outside the Jones community.

“Those tactics … seemed to me to have lost sight of the ways in which Jones is succeeding and how those actions might peril those successes. At the same time. I am worried that the continued use of these tactics by the LSC will further harm the Jones community.”

Some meeting attendees spoke highly of the school.

“If you look at what Dr. Powers has contributed and you go back to the history and realize that Jones wasn’t always the school it was, but it took Dr. Powers and administrative team to put vision to it,” said K.K. Cleland, a parent who has had three children attend Jones, said.

“He was insistent that students be known and feel welcome. And I want to reassure to families who are listening: Hang in there. This LSC too shall pass, and whatever happens tonight, it’s not the end.”

Students at the meeting were more critical of the school administrator.

“I have no personal experience with Dr. Powers, but that’s precisely the problem,” said Maya Smith-Munyi, a sophomore at the school. “He doesn’t feel like a principal the same way that Jones doesn’t feel like a school, so there’s a severe lack of school spirit, school pride, culture participation on the part of the students, as well as Dr. Powers himself.”

During the meeting, current and former students spoke of racial barriers they faced at the school, like a lack of outreach toward parents who didn’t speak English as a native language.

“I think a lot of parents here are wearing rose-colored glasses, and saying, you know, ‘Jones is not perfect, but it’s a great place.’ It’s a great place for who? I really enjoy Jones. I got into college here at Jones. I love this school,” said Daniel Andrade, a student and member of the LSC. “But there are systemic changes that need to be made to uplift lessons of color, which I just don’t see. And student testimonies from today have shown that students of color are not really being supported.”

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The Local School Council at Jones College Preparatory High School is set to vote Tuesday on whether to recommend their principal be fired after a few members of the committee levied accusations of policy violations against the school leader.

The five-hour meeting ran late into Tuesday night after a time of public comment and then a closed session ahead of the scheduled vote.

The controversial vote pushes the LSC’s broken relationship with Principal Joseph Powers into further turmoil and threatens to divide one of Chicago’s highest-rated high schools.

Three LSC parent representatives, including the chair, wrote a letter to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez last month alleging Powers has violated the district’s residency requirement by maintaining a primary home in Missouri, failed to properly handle teacher misconduct complaints and fostered an unwelcoming environment for students and staff of color and transgender and gender non-conforming students.

The trio was taking its disapproval a step further Tuesday, putting the concerns for a vote before the entire 13-member LSC that would call on Martinez to approve administrative charges against Powers and begin dismissal proceedings. Under state law, the CEO would have 45 days to either approve or reject the request.

The agenda for the meeting, which was streamed on the Jones LSC’s YouTube channel, featured more public speakers than usual because of “volume of interest.”

In the days since Powers revealed the tension with the LSC and that he was considering retirement in a stunning letter to the school community, some parents, staff and even student members of the LSC have come to his defense — or at least criticized the process by which the three LSC members aired their concerns.

Sarah Kaiser, whose daughter is a senior at Jones, said she wished there was more parent and student input before the LSC representatives wrote their letter because “so many people in this situation were just completely blindsided by this happening.

“If these allegations are found to be true and there are serious issues, then I hope it’s addressed,” Kaiser said. “I don’t think it was gone about in the way it should have been.”

Kaiser said she has appreciated Powers’ leadership, calling him a “well-loved principal,” and felt he has been transparent and appropriately handled problems at the school. Addressing the complaint that Powers hasn’t welcomed LGBTQ students, Kaiser said her daughter, who is gay, has had a fulfilling experience in the school’s Pride Club and appreciated the school’s attention to students’ pronouns and bathroom signage.

Cassie Creswell, the LSC chair and a frequent critic of CPS officials, had maintained that the concerns are widespread. “The need to remove the principal is about student safety, both accountability for past harm and preventing future harm to students, staff and families,” she said this week.

CPS general counsel Joseph Moriarty told Creswell and the other two LSC members who wrote the letter that the district sees no reason to remove Powers while it investigates the allegations. “At this time, the investigative bodies have not indicated that circumstances exist to justify the removal of Dr. Powers,” he said in his response letter last week.

The public comment section of Tuesday’s meeting was contentious, with spats breaking out over changing time limits for public comment and bylaws of the council’s code.

The three letter-writer’s goal was to effectively resubmit their earlier letter as a more formal request to oust the principal and for CPS to continue an investigation opened on him.

During the meeting, students and teachers brought up concerns about transparency surrounding the LSC.

“I am not suggesting that everything at Jones is perfect,” said Max Stein, the parent of a freshman at the school. “And I know there’s room for improvement on any number of important issues. The issue I have is with the tactics being used by these three members who decided to take these issues outside the Jones community.

“Those tactics … seemed to me to have lost sight of the ways in which Jones is succeeding and how those actions might peril those successes. At the same time. I am worried that the continued use of these tactics by the LSC will further harm the Jones community.”

Some meeting attendees spoke highly of the school.

“If you look at what Dr. Powers has contributed and you go back to the history and realize that Jones wasn’t always the school it was, but it took Dr. Powers and administrative team to put vision to it,” said K.K. Cleland, a parent who has had three children attend Jones, said.

“He was insistent that students be known and feel welcome. And I want to reassure to families who are listening: Hang in there. This LSC too shall pass, and whatever happens tonight, it’s not the end.”

Students at the meeting were more critical of the school administrator.

“I have no personal experience with Dr. Powers, but that’s precisely the problem,” said Maya Smith-Munyi, a sophomore at the school. “He doesn’t feel like a principal the same way that Jones doesn’t feel like a school, so there’s a severe lack of school spirit, school pride, culture participation on the part of the students, as well as Dr. Powers himself.”

During the meeting, current and former students spoke of racial barriers they faced at the school, like a lack of outreach toward parents who didn’t speak English as a native language.

“I think a lot of parents here are wearing rose-colored glasses, and saying, you know, ‘Jones is not perfect, but it’s a great place.’ It’s a great place for who? I really enjoy Jones. I got into college here at Jones. I love this school,” said Daniel Andrade, a student and member of the LSC. “But there are systemic changes that need to be made to uplift lessons of color, which I just don’t see. And student testimonies from today have shown that students of color are not really being supported.”

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MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs players’ group chat has been abuzz with updates from Ian Happ, their Major League Baseball Players Association team representative, and questions and feedback from the rest of the group.

“I’m sure I have some [messages] right now,” third baseman Patrick Wisdom said as he left Bell Bank Park, a multisports complex where the MLBPA has reserved fields and facilities during the lockout.

Other than that back-and-forth, they’re following along on social media and in news reports just like their fans.

The Cubs’ presence at the Arizona players association site grew this week, with Wisdom joining Monday. The Cubs’ ranks Tuesday morning included him, Kyle Hendricks, Nico Hoerner, Justin Steele and Brad Wieck. Happ also has utilized the facilities, and Hoerner said Alfonso Rivas was there last week.

Under the bright Arizona sun Tuesday morning, players threw bullpens, took batting practice and fielded ground balls, not knowing when spring training would begin.

Reports from multiple outlets made it clear that Major League Baseball had pegged Tuesday as another deadline day, this time for a 162-game season, full pay and full service time. But even that wasn’t cut and dried.

Two weeks ago, an MLB spokesperson told reporters that if the league and players association didn’t reach a deal by the owner-imposed deadline of Feb. 28 to start the season on time, “missed games are missed games. Salary will not be paid for those games.”

The league then moved the deadline from Monday to Tuesday evening, citing progress in negotiations the night before. And without a deal in place, commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the league was canceling the first two series of the season.

Now, the new deadline implied missed games weren’t actually missed games

White Sox alternate MLBPA rep Liam Hendriks described that moving target as, “an interesting concept,” expressing frustration with the process.

In the meantime, players were left to balance being ready for spring training at a moment’s notice, while not overworking themselves long before the season. Pitchers especially have a tricky equilibrium to hit.

“It feels similar to COVID in a lot of ways, from our standpoint,” Hendricks said, referring to the shutdown in 2020. “I’m one of those guys that really likes to throw and just be sharp, and be ready to go. So, the more I can throw, the more hitters I can face even right now is gonna benefit me.”

Starting last week, Hendricks has been using the MLBPA facility to throw bullpens twice a week. Weick and Steele are on similar schedules, throwing bullpens twice a week but also going by feel.

The calculus is simpler for position players, whose ramp-ups don’t need to be as precise.

“I can just keep doing what I’m doing, get at-bats when I can, and that’s the mindset,” Wisdom said. “Just making sure I’m ready, sprint work, making sure the arm’s in shape. And so when that time does come, we’re ready to go.”

All five Cubs players at the MLBPA site Tuesday morning said as soon as the owners lift the lockout, they’ll be ready to jump into spring training. Of course, the players at Bell Bank Park are already working out just 25 miles away from Sloan Park, the Cubs’ home for spring training. So they don’t have to worry about travel

And even with the new deadline, talking about the lockout lifting by “tomorrow” may have been optimistic Tuesday. Hoerner chuckled when a reporter pointed that out.

Said Hoerner: “We can have fun with that idea, though.”

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The Local School Council at Jones College Preparatory High School is set to vote Tuesday on whether to recommend their principal be fired after a few members of the committee levied accusations of policy violations against the school leader.

The controversial vote pushes the LSC’s broken relationship with Principal Joseph Powers into further turmoil and threatens to divide one of Chicago’s highest-rated high schools.

Three LSC parent representatives, including the chair, wrote a letter to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez last month alleging Powers has violated the district’s residency requirement by maintaining a primary home in Missouri, failed to properly handle teacher misconduct complaints and fostered an unwelcoming environment for students and staff of color and transgender and gender non-conforming students.

The trio is taking its disapproval a step further Tuesday, putting the concerns for a vote before the entire 13-member LSC that would call on Martinez to approve administrative charges against Powers and begin dismissal proceedings. Under state law, the CEO would have 45 days to either approve or reject the request.

The agenda for the 6 p.m. meeting, to be streamed on the Jones LSC’s YouTube channel, notes more public speakers will be allowed than usual because of “volume of interest.”

In the days since Powers revealed the tension with the LSC and that he was considering retirement in a stunning letter to the school community, some parents, staff and even student members of the LSC have come to his defense — or at least criticized the process by which the three LSC members aired their concerns.

Sarah Kaiser, whose daughter is a senior at Jones, said she wished there was more parent and student input before the LSC representatives wrote their letter because “so many people in this situation were just completely blindsided by this happening.

“If these allegations are found to be true and there are serious issues, then I hope it’s addressed,” Kaiser said. “I don’t think it was gone about in the way it should have been.”

Kaiser said she has appreciated Powers’ leadership, calling him a “well-loved principal,” and felt he has been transparent and appropriately handled problems at the school. Addressing the complaint that Powers hasn’t welcomed LGBTQ students, Kaiser said her daughter, who is gay, has had a fulfilling experience in the school’s Pride Club and appreciated the school’s attention to students’ pronouns and bathroom signage.

Cassie Creswell, the LSC chair and a frequent critic of CPS officials, had maintained that the concerns are widespread. “The need to remove the principal is about student safety, both accountability for past harm and preventing future harm to students, staff and families,” she said this week.

CPS general counsel Joseph Moriarty told Creswell and the other two LSC members who wrote the letter that the district sees no reason to remove Powers while it investigates the allegations. “At this time, the investigative bodies have not indicated that circumstances exist to justify the removal of Dr. Powers,” he said in his response letter last week.

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Either something about the Ducks brings out the best in the Blackhawks or something about the Hawks brings out the worst in the Ducks.

The Hawks have dominated the matchup for several years now, with their 8-3 rout Tuesday — their sixth consecutive victory against the Ducks since the start of 2019 — taking their dominance to a new level.

The loaded-up first line of Patrick Kane, Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat effortlessly sliced through the Ducks’ defense from the opening shift on.

Kane set a new career high with six points — one goal and five assists — while Strome earned his second hat trick of 2022 and DeBrincat added another four points.

“The first couple shifts, we just had the puck the whole time,” Strome said. “We were good at holding on to it. We get one on the first shift and come back to the bench and Kane goes, ‘We’re not stopping there.’ That fires you up a little bit.

“He’s a pretty competitive guy, so he wants to be the best, and he pushes Alex and I to try to be just as good.”

The first period, in particular, was about as lopsided as they ever get in the NHL, with the Hawks roaring to a 5-0 intermission lead while holding a 15-1 edge in scoring chances.

Jonathan Toews capped the explosion by ripping a short-handed snipe over Ducks goalie John Gibson, who was pulled after 20 minutes, for his first goal since returning from his concussion.

The Ducks pushed back in the second, scoring three straight to introduce some anxiety into the building, but the Hawks calmed down and righted the ship when Kane connected with Strome for his second of three goals. They linked up again to complete the hat trick — an especially big deal on hat giveaway night — in the final minutes.

“Sometimes you kind of feel it against certain teams, kind of like when we go into [Philadelphia],” Kane said. “I don’t think we’ve won there since ’97. Maybe the United Center is a tough place to play for [the Ducks], just like it’s tough to play in Philly for us. Hopefully we keep that going.”

Dach tries wing

Trevor Zegras’ visit Tuesday coincided with the Hawks moving Kirby Dach to wing for the first time this season. He skated alongside Toews and opposite Brandon Hagel on a new-look second line.

Interim coach Derek King said the temporary position change had ”nothing to do with Kirby struggling at center [with] faceoffs,” stating he still considers Dach’s overall skills best suited for center.

”It’s just more to balance the lines,” King said. ”Since I moved [DeBrincat] back up with Kane, we needed to balance the lines a little bit better. [We needed to] at least have two solid lines instead of three OK lines. So we’ll see how it works. . . . It’ll be good for him to learn both positions, anyway.”

Dominik Kubalik and Tyler Johnson, meanwhile, were dropped to the third line, which was centered by Philipp Kurashev.

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