The Main Causes Of The Bad Loan Market Crisis In Recent Yearson December 8, 2021 at 12:55 am
Post ContentRead More
What’s New
80 years later, Navy vet remembers Pearl HarborJason Beefermanon December 7, 2021 at 11:54 pm
James Dewitt was aboard the USS Antares when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. 80 years later he still remembers the day clearly. | courtesy Honor Flight Chicago
James DeWitt was serving on a ship that arrived atPearl Harbor the morning of the attack.
It was 80 years ago, but Navy veteran James DeWitt still remembers all the details, and the remarkable pain, of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
The morning of the attack, Chief Yeoman DeWitt was aboard the USS Antares, an unarmed cargo ship with a barge in tow.
“We could see the planes,” DeWitt, 100, recalled in a recent interview with Honor Flight Chicago, which takes veterans to visit the World War II Memorial and other sites in Washington, D.C.
“My best buddy was talking and he says, ‘What is it? What is it? What is it?’ I says, ‘Well I don’t know, but they’re not our planes.’”
The Antares had arrived at the entrance to Pearl Harbor about 5:30 a.m., only hours before the attack. There was a full moon above the harbor, he recalled.
Photo courtesy of Honor Flight Chicago
James Dewitt, 100, was serving in the Navy and saw the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He spoke to Honor Flight Chicago from an assisted living facility in South Bend, Ind.
“They had everything planned right down to a T,” DeWitt said of the Japanese assault.
Before the attack, DeWitt said, his ship had spotted a small Japanese submarine following them. It was quickly located and sunk by the destroyer USS Ward, but it soon was clear the day would become much more violent.
Shortly after the submarine was destroyed, DeWitt remembers seeing Japanese planes “diving in and out” of the harbor, and smoke from distant explosions filling the air. Then, the planes got closer.
“There was eight of us up on the bow of the ship watching what looked to be a dogfight,” DeWitt said. “All the sudden you could hear the plane close and it was the Japanese Zero [fighter plane]… About that time they opened fire, we hit the deck.”
Nobody aboard the Antares was killed, and only one serviceman was injured, but the ship had to carefully zig-zag toward Honolulu to avoid any other Japanese planes.
Photo courtesy of Honor Flight Chicago
James DeWitt, shown in his Navy uniform. He was a chief yeoman on the USS Antares, which was in Pearl Harbor, towing a barge of supplies, at the time of the attack.
While DeWitt and his ship were spared, he still remembers the painful scenes at the military hospital the next day.
“So many of the casualties were burns, and the smell was awful. Plus the smell of the oil burning in the water, still floating around, some of them in the water floating around with fire on them.”
Most of all, DeWitt remembers the cries of the wounded servicemen.
“I went through the main bedroom area [of the hospital] and you could hear a cry and awful sounds,” he said. “I think the worst thing of all was, I went by and a kid was calling for his mother. This was unbelievable.”
Photo courtesy of Honor Flight Chicago
Navy veteran James DeWitt traveled to Washington, D.C. in 2010 with Honor Flight Chicago, an organization which takes veterans to see the nation’s capital.
DeWitt married after the war; he and his late wife, Mary, had four children. He owned and operated Lake Shore Lanes in Culver, Ind. from 1953 to 1977. He now resides at an assisted-living facility in South Bend.
In September 2010, Dewitt went on an Honor Flight Chicago trip, visiting the World War II Memorial.
“As long as someone wants to hear it, I’ll keep telling it,” DeWitt said of his story. “A lot of young people don’t know anything about it. And I enjoy talking to people.”
Homeowner trying to smoke out a snake infestation ends up burning down $1 million homeAssociated Presson December 7, 2021 at 11:51 pm
The remains of a home in Poolesville, Md., about 25 miles from Washington, D.C., after a fire that the homeowner accidentally set off while trying to smoke out snakes from the house. | Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service via AP
No one was hurt — and the well-being of the snakes was ‘undetermined,’ a fire official said.
POOLESVILLE, Md. — A home near Washington, D.C., was accidentally burned to the ground by an owner who was trying to get rid of a snake infestation, officials said.
The homeowner in Poolesville, a town about 25 miles outside of Washington, was trying to smoke out the snakes from the house, according to Montgomery County Fire Department officials.
In the process, the homeowner caught the house on fire, causing what officials said was about $1 million in damage.
The fire broke out around 10 p.m. on Nov. 23, officials said.
Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the county fire department, said the fire, which began in the basement, was caused by placing coals too close to combustible material.
Pringer said no one was hurt — and that the well-being of the snakes was “undetermined.”
Former Mount Carmel and Illini football star Glenn Foster diesSun-Times wireson December 7, 2021 at 11:48 pm
Glenn Foster of the Illinois Fighting Illini poses for a picture in 2011 | AP
Foster was in police custody in PIckens County, Ala., after a car crash
Former Mount Carmel and University of Illinois star Glenn Foster Jr. died Monday after being taken into police custody in Alabama. He was 31.
Foster, an undrafted free agent who appeared in 17 games as a defensive lineman with the New Orleans Saints in 2013 and 2014, was reportedly involved in a high-speed police chase that culminated in a crash. NOLA.com reported that Foster later got into a jail fight with another detainee that also involved two guards. That incident culminated with a futile effort to get medical help, the site reported.
Jail records show Foster was arrested and booked on Dec. 4 on charges of reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and attempting to elude, TMZ reported, adding records show he was later rebooked on Dec. 5 on charges of simple assault and robbery.
Former Saints teammate Terron Armstead reacted to the news on Twitter, saying: “I really can’t find the words to properly express. Rest In Peace Glenn Foster, you’ll be missed bro!”
An official at the medical examiner’s office in Pickens County, Ala., said Foster died on Monday but provided no other details pending an investigation.
Foster reportedly stayed in the New Orleans area after his playing career ended, working as a developer, contractor and real estate agent. NOLA.com reported Foster had been balancing a decade-old bipolar diagnosis while forging careers in the NFL and as a business owner in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Foster’s family members told NOLA.com they believe officials delayed potentially life-saving care for him, despite knowing he had been in a series of fights and appeared to be experiencing a mental-health episode.
“We want justice for our son,” Foster’s father, Glenn Foster Sr., told NOLA.com. “It’s unfair. It’s inhumane. It’s just not right.”
Last month, Foster reportedly spoke at Mount Carmel High School, telling students how he was initially cut when he first tried out for football but lifted weights and studied the sport until he became a varsity starter in high school.
That led to a scholarship to play college football at Illinois. During his junior year, his girlfriend became pregnant, and he was suspended from his team because of a DUI.
“No matter how many times you get knocked down, whatever obstacle life puts in your way, and whatever choices you make, good or bad, you have to accept it, learn from it, and move on,” he said, according to a report from school’s newspaper, The Caravan.
Tuesday’s high school basketball scoresMichael O’Brienon December 8, 2021 at 12:03 am
New Trier’s Jake Fiegen (23) and Loyola’s Connor Casper (21) reach for the ball. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times
All the scores from around the area.
Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
CATHOLIC – CROSSOVER
Brother Rice at Montini, 7:00
DePaul at Marmion, 7:00
Fenwick at St. Ignatius, 7:00
Leo at St. Francis de Sales, 7:00
Loyola at Providence-St. Mel, 7:00
Mount Carmel at De La Salle, 7:00
ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT
Lisle at Herscher, 7:00
Peotone at Streator, 7:00
Reed-Custer at Manteno, 12-15 PPD
Wilmington at Coal City, 6:45
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
Elgin Academy at Francis Parker, 6:00
Latin at Morgan Park Academy, 4:30
Northridge at Lake Forest Acad-Blk, 6:00
University High at North Shore, 6:00
INTERSTATE EIGHT
Kaneland at Ottawa, 7:00
Morris at Sandwich, 6:45
Plano at Rochelle, 7:00
LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC
Beacon at Lycee Francais, 6:30
LITTLE TEN
DePue at Hinckley-Big Rock, 7:00
Earlville at Hiawatha, 6:30
IMSA at Somonauk, 7:00
Serena at Indian Creek, 6:45
NOBLE LEAGUE – BLUE
Golder at Noble Street, 7:00
NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD
Bulls at Rowe-Clark, 5:30
ITW-Speer at Johnson, 5:30
NORTH SUBURBAN
Lake Zurich at Libertyville, 7:00
Mundelein at Waukegan, 7:00
Stevenson at Lake Forest, 7:00
Warren at Zion-Benton, 7:00
NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC
Harvest Christian at Westminster Christian, 7:00
RIVER VALLEY
Clifton Central at Beecher, 7:00
Donovan at Grant Park, 7:00
Grace Christian at Gardner-So. Wilmington, PPD
Illinois Lutheran at Momence, 7:00
St. Anne at Tri-Point, 7:00
SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER
Argo at Oak Forest, 6:30
Eisenhower at Thornton Fr. South, 6:00
Evergreen Park at Thornton Fr. North, 6:30
Hillcrest at Reavis, 6:00
Oak Lawn at Tinley Park, 6:30
Richards at Bremen, 6:00
Shepard at Lemont, 7:00
SOUTHLAND
Thornridge at Crete-Monee, 5:00
SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST
Joliet West at Plainfield East, 6:30
Plainfield Central at Plainfield South, 6:30
Romeoville at Joliet Central, PPD
SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST
Minooka at Plainfield North, 6:30
Oswego at West Aurora, 6:30
Oswego East at Yorkville, 6:30
UPSTATE EIGHT
Bartlett at Larkin, 7:00
Elgin at Glenbard East, 7:00
Fenton at East Aurora, 6:30
Glenbard South at West Chicago, 7:00
South Elgin at Streamwood, 7:30
NON CONFERENCE
Aspira-Bus&Fin at ACERO-Soto, 5:30
Aurora Central at Aurora Christian, 7:30
Bolingbrook at Waubonsie Valley, 7:00
Byron at Pecatonica, 7:15
Carmel at Lakes, 7:00
Chicago Christian at McNamara, 7:30
Cornerstone (Bloomington) at Roanoke-Benson, 7
Deerfield at Antioch, 7:00
Dyett at Thornwood, 6:30
Elk Grove at Fremd, 7:00
EPIC at Hubbard, 5:00
Excel-Englewood at Hansberry, 5:30
Excel-South Shore at Gage Park, 5:00
Genoa-Kingston at Woodstock North, 7:00
Grayslake Central at Vernon Hills, 7:00
Hancock at Goode, 5:00
Harlan at Dunbar, 5:00
Hersey at Barrington, 7:00
Holy Trinity at Perspectives-Lead, 5:00
IC Catholic at Elmwood Park, 7:00
King at Urban Prep-West, 5:00
Leyden at Kennedy, 6:30
Maine East at Niles West, 6:30
Mansueto at Kelly, 5:00
Midland at Peoria Heights, 7:00
Muchin at Roosevelt, 5:00
Nazareth at Maine South, 7:00
Oak Park-River Forest at Niles North, 7:00
Princeville at Lowpoint-Washburn, 7:30
Prospect at Hoffman Estates, 7:00
Riverside-Brookfield at Ridgewood, 7:00
Rockford Christian at Marengo, 7:00
Rockford Lutheran at Neuqua Valley, 7:00
Rolling Meadows at Conant, 7:00
Round Lake at Richmond-Burton, 7:00
Solorio at Prosser, 6:00
St. Charles East at Glenbard West, 7:00
St. Francis at St. Edward, 7:00
St. Laurence at Marist, 7:00
Sycamore at Woodstock, 7:00
Timothy Christian at Westmont, 7:30
Urban Prep-Bronzeville at King, 5:00
Urban Prep-Englewood at South Shore, 5:00
West Carroll at Oregon, 7:00
Westlake Christian at Johnsburg, 7:00
Wheeling at Palatine, 7:00
Willowbrook at Naperville Central, 7:00
Winnebago at East Dubuque, 7:00
York at Downers Grove South, 7:00
HALL
Mendota vs. LaSalle-Peru, 5:00
St. Bede vs. Princeton, 6:30
Hall vs. Marquette, 8:00
Tuesday’s high school basketball scoresMichael O’Brienon December 8, 2021 at 12:03 am Read More »
Lightfoot’s sports betting ordinance stalls amid surprise opposition from mayoral alliesFran Spielmanon December 7, 2021 at 10:22 pm
Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, is among the local sports stadiums that would be allowed to have a sportsbook betting operation on site, or nearby. But an ordiance to allow that stalled in a City Council committee on Tuesday. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file photo
Council members balked when told the city’s take from the 2% tax on gross revenues from sports betting would be $400,000 to $500,000 a year. Ald. Pat Dowell called that amount “peanuts” from a growing industry.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to lift the Chicago ban on sports betting — and impose a 2% tax on gross revenues from it — got stuck in a joint City Council committee Tuesday after a surprise buzz-saw of opposition from mayoral allies.
The trouble started when Connor Brashear, chief of staff to Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang-Bennett, pegged the city’s annual take from a 2% tax on sports betting in and around Chicago stadiums at $400,000 to $500,000.
That’s based on an estimated $25 million in annual revenue from sports betting in Chicago.
“I just think $400,000-to-$500,000-a-year to the city of Chicago is really paltry—even when you add in the licensing fee that these guys are gonna have to pay. It seems like peanuts for an industry that is growing,” said Budget Committee Chairwoman Pat Dowell (3rd).
“I sort of feel like I did when we licensed shared housing and the … Ubers and the Lyfts and all of those guys. We’re not getting the full financial benefit of these companies, which started out small and then, they grew and we’re sort of locked into an amount. 2% is not satisfactory to me.”
Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) said he’s not opposed to authorizing sports betting in and around Chicago stadiums at some point. The ordinance would have allowed the sports betting operations at Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field, the United Center and Wintrust Arena.
But Mitchell said he simply believes the city is moving “too fast” and “too early” before knowing how sports betting will impact a downtown casino.
Even if that impact is negligible — as a city gaming consultant suggested without showing Council members the actual report — Mitchell agreed with Dowell that 2% is “very little” and not a sufficient “reward for the risks we’re taking.”
“We’re moving entirely too fast and the upside is very minimal. $400,000 to $500,000? Hell, we burned that up this morning on lights alone in Chicago. I mean — that’s nothing for us,” Mitchell said.
“We have to be more prudent with not only how we spend our money, but with what … agreements we enter into in order to generate sustainable revenue to the city. We really need to take a step back. … There are too many unknowns. … The risk-reward is just not there. It’s too little.”
Even Ald. George Cardenas (12th), Lightfoot’s deputy floor leader, complained 2% was “not enough” and the city was “rushing” a sports betting ordinance with no minority participation — one that threatens to undermine the casino revenue needed to shore up police and fire pensions.
“We’re missing this whole picture on the casino. We already have the permission to build it. We have only a selection process to have and just get going on the casino, which is going to be, really, the best asset for the city in a long time,” Cardenas said.
“I don’t need to disrupt that. We have not moved on video gaming because of the same reasons. Because it would affect the casino and take away potential revenue from that.”
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) asked whether any of his colleagues had seen the city consultant’s study claiming sports betting would have just a 1% impact on casino revenues.
When nobody answered yes, License Committee Chairman Emma Mitts (37th) halted the proceedings and recessed at the call of the chair.
Earlier this week, Lightfoot renewed her longstanding claim that sports betting would not “cannibalize” revenue from a Chicago casino.
She defended the 2% tax as sufficient to cover city “regulatory” and infrastructure costs and said, “We’re in good shape to move this forward. And I look forward to making sure that we get our fair share of the revenues from this.”
Now, the entire ordinance is up in the air, continuing the political equivalent of a heavyweight boxing match that has pitted sports team owners against clout-heavy developers vying to build a Chicago casino.
Before the abrupt adjournment, John Dunn, who had been director of intergovernmental affairs under Mayor Richard M. Daley and now lobbies for Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, reiterated the arguments made by his client, casino magnate Neil Bluhm.
For every $1 Chicago derives from slapping a 2% tax on gross revenues from sports betting, the city will lose up to $4 in casino revenue — money needed to shore up police and fire pensions funds hovering dangerously close to insolvency.
“Desperate to get this approved quickly, they’ve added a 2% tax to give a little cover. Don’t be fooled. This is a fig leaf that won’t begin to make up for the city’s loss. The city will lose 10 to 12 million dollars per year. … The Chicago casino … will have a revenue drop of as much as $80 million a year, which jeopardizes the entire feasibility of your casino,” Dunn said.
“Focus on what’s best for Chicago taxpayers. This ordinance is a Big W for sports team owners, but an even bigger loss for Chicago casino tax revenue.”
Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report: Waiting on ice here, north for real ice, down here perch, lakersDale Bowmanon December 7, 2021 at 10:08 pm
A northern Minnesota lake Friday to whet the appetite of ice anglers. | Javier Serna
Perch and near-shore lake trout in southern Lake Michigan and the slow creep of ice fishing toward Chicago lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Perch and near-shore lake trout in southern Lake Michigan and the slow creep of ice fishing toward Chicago lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
The photo at the top is to whet the appetite of those desperate for ice fishing.
Javier Serna, an outdoors writer/columnist who grew up in Palatine, messaged the photo at the top and this Friday evening from Big Red in northern Minnesota:
It’s my first time out. They have been walking out on Red for more than a week now.
When I replied that we are not even close to ice, he answered:
I bet. Metro area isn’t close either
Some of the bays on Mille Lacs are froze
LAKEFRONT PERCH
Arden Katz said that on Sunday hundreds were at the South Side spots and he and a friend had their limits; others were catching fewer. The difference is that he uses a good sensitive rod with light line and a double Mini-Mite rig and a pencil weight below, then jigs it back.
Steve Palmisano at Henry’s Sports and Bait tested on Monday:
Very good perch reports over the weekend out south. Too much wind for a report today.
On Tuesday, he called and said they were not biting well on the river, but the lake slip had better action. “They came through in clouds. You would get nothing, then you couldn’t keep two rods going it was so busy. Our biggest was 10 inches.” He said minnows on drop-shots or crappie rigs was working.
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Good morning Dale! Well as you know Southside perch bite is still going strong Navy Pier is still hit-or-miss but a few guys fishing up in the corner toward the bus station have been doing pretty good. I had a report of perch at Diversey over the weekend by my trout fisherman who was getting aggravated cuz he was fishing for steelhead and kept catching perch LOL. He also told me there was quite a few bait fish around the harbors. . . .
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station, Ind., texted:
Perch day to day cal park, slips and up thru the river. Some days good some days really slow.
Christian Howe messaged about the joy of getting back out on Wednesday (and, unfortunately, jackass behavior too common, too often):
For me, today the slips and river were a goose egg. I saw a few fish caught, but there weren’t numbers like in years past. I was kind of let down after 2 years of no perch fishing for me, made worse by inconsiderate jerks in boats running the walls of the slips and the cal. I’m 4 crappie rigs lighter as a result. Tried minnows, shrimps, legal cut bait, plastics and spoons/ kasmasters. It wasn’t my day. It was good to get out though, saw a few of the regulars that I’ve missed. Lots of catching up, made some new friends and cleaned up some trash on my way out. I did over do it, though. Baby steps, I’ve got to remember that.
In case you are wondering how much the draw of perch is, Dicky’s Bait Shop in Montgomery reported some people stocking up before traveling for perch around the South Side.
NAVY PIER ANGLING
The north side of Navy Pier is open for anglers. The discounted parking for anglers is $9 if out by 10 a.m.
PIER PASSES
The $6 pier passes, which allow legal access to select piers at most Chicago harbors, went on sale Monday. A number of additional piers were added this year to bring the total to 31 piers. The passes may be bought at Henry’s Sports and Bait, Park Bait and Northerly Island Visitor Center. Henry’s and Park Bait are cash only; Northerly Island is credit-card only.
LAKEFRONT PARKING
Chicago Park District’s parking passes for the fisherman’s parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors are on sale at Henry’s Sports and Bait in Bridgeport, Park Bait at Montrose Harbor and Northerly Island Visitor Center.
Readers suggest SpotHero app downtown. Otherwise, here are some basics: Foster (free street parking or pay lot); Montrose (now a mix of metered and free street parking); Belmont (pay lots on north and south sides); Diversey (pay lot or street parking); DuSable Harbor (pay lot or fisherman’s lot); Northerly Island/Burnham Harbor (meters, pay lot or fisherman’s lot); 31st/Burnham (meter parking between McCormick Place and 31st Street Harbor); Oakwood/39th (meters); 63rd Street/Casino Pier (pay lot); Steelworkers Park (free street parking at east end of 87th); Cal Park (free parking).
AREA LAKES
Many are waiting on ice and I think in our area the wait will continue. Even with the cold last night and tonight, rain and warmth are forecast later this week. Otherwise it’s trying for crappie in water still open.
Provided
Dustin Perkins with a good striper in northern Illinois.
Dustin Perkins messaged the photo above and this
Hey Dale hope all is well. After a great Thanksgiving dinner did a little black Friday striper fishing on a private lake in Illinois and landed this 10 lb striper dragging a golden roach in 40 ft of water. Great fightn fish
Yes, they are.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley emailed the photo below and this:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.
Area lakes-the up and down temps has slowed fishing some. However, put the time in and quality fish is the reward.
Bass have been the best during early morning hours. Slowly work a jig with a Berkley 4 inch quad craw over flats with green weeds. Best color remains blue/black.
Crappie are scattered here and there. Green weeds remain the key. Berkley whipworms under a slip float will take reluctant biters. A few active biters will hit a Diawa DR minnow. Pause the bait 5 to 8 seconds to entice a strike.
Here is the nature pic of the week. This guy is not camera shy.
TTYL
—
Ken “Husker” O’Malley
Husker Outdoors
Waterwerks fishing team
Provided
Ken “Husker” O’Malley with a largemouth bass from a local lake.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Staff at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said there’s some skim ice, but it is breaking up during the day; otherwise, it is some crappie transitioning back and forth from deep to shallow; walleye doing something similar, dropping back to the holes during the day.
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
NOTE 2: The Stratton Lock and Dam is closed through April 30.
COOLING LAKES
Braidwood, Heidecke and LaSalle are closed for the season.
DOWNSTATE
SPRING LAKE: Boat fishing is closed on the main lake; boat fishing is allowed from the Sky Ranch Road ramp to Maple Island buoy during waterfowl seasons. Bank fishing along South Lake Road is not allowed until after 1 p.m. during waterfowl season.
EMIQUON PRESERVE: During waterfowl season, non-waterfowl hunting boating (which includes fishing) is not allowed until noon. Access permits and liability waivers are required. They are available Tuesday to Saturday at Dickson Mounts Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SHELBYVILLE: Check with Ken Wilson of Lithia Guide Service.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: Check with Jason Johns of Boneyard Fishing.
POWERTON: Fishing is closed.
HENNEPIN-HOPPER: Closed for the season. Check regulations at http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/dixon-paddling-fishing.
FOX RIVER
Provided
A carp from the Fox River caught on a streamer while fly fishing.
Pete Lamar emailed the photo above and this:
Hi Dale
I attempted some crappie fishing on a Fox tributary late last week, when it was still warm. No crappies in their usual late Autumn locations-deep, slow pools-but I did catch this carp on a white streamer. A co-worker said he was out at the weekend on the lower Fox and caught four fish, all of which were different species: pike, white bass, channel cat and smallmouth.
. . .
Pete
I’m impressed with catching a carp on a streamer.
Dicky’s Bait Shop in Montgomery reported slow fishing, but a couple guys said before the cold snap they were catching smaller walleye.
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Provided by Mike Norris
Kevin Tabor and Bill Gros with a Big Green smallmouth bass, held by Mike Zindrick.
Guide Mike Norris texted the photo above and emailed this:
Fishing Report – 12/05/2021
Mike Norris
Up and down air temperatures continue to plague ice anglers here in south central Wisconsin. Harrisville Pond near Montello, WI was the go-to place late last week for ice anglers, but the ice all but melted by last weekend. Same for Lake Puckaway, Fox Lake, and other shallow water lakes in my area. But with air temps in the upper 30’s and light winds late last week, I guided clients in open water on Big Green Lake and the fish didn’t disappoint. With a surface water temp hovering around 42 degrees and smallies grouping up for the winter, Big Green’s smallies bit live bait sucker rigs with abandon. Most of the action is along the first primary break line in 25 to 35 feet of water where they will hold throughout the winter.
KANKAKEE RIVER
Provided
George Peters with a big Kankakee River walleye.
George Peters emailed the photo above and this:
Merry Fishmas Dale! Went back to the Kankakee this week. Water is clear and cold, low 40’s. Got 3 Walleyes on slow retrieved crank baits. This one topped them all. Measured at 26” . River is still ice free and should stay that way for the next few days. George Peters, Plainfield.
Provided
George Peters found the work of busy beavers along the Kankakee River.
As much time as I spend by the Kankakee, I rarely see a beaver.
Bob Johnson emailed the photo below and this:
The Kankakee River is still producing good numbers and size. River continues to look good at 43 degrees and very clear. Joel Wilson and I caught a mixed bag of Walleye, smallmouth, largemouth and really good sized white Bass on rattle trap in gold and black, swimbaits and finesse worms. This action could last through December weather permitting, I unfortunately am done for this year however have high hopes for next year on the river.
The white bass intrigued me enough that I asked Bob for any other photos and forwarded them to biologist Seth Love, who agreed that it appeared to hybrid striped bass. Next question would be where they came from. I love mysteries like that. My guess would be Braidwood Lake.
Provided
Bob Johnson with a rare hybrid striped bass on the Kankakee River.
LAKE ERIE
Click here for the Ohio DNR Report.
LAKEFRONT
Perch report at top.
Plus there are lakers around, as shown by the Fish of the Week. Click here for the FOTW this week.
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Good morning Dale! . . . I had a report of perch at Diversey over the weekend by my trout fisherman who was getting aggravated cuz he was fishing for steelhead and kept catching perch LOL. He also told me there was quite a few bait fish around the harbors. Steelhead and Brown Trout still prominently being caught at Diversey but there have been some caught at Belmont and Montrose. I will be open through this weekend 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN
Click here for the update from D&S Bait.
MAZONIA
Closed, except Monster stays open all year. Hours are 6 a.m. to sunset. Other lakes begin reopening after various hunting seasons close.
MILWAUKEE
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale
. . .
I fished the Milwaukee River on Sunday-in the high winds and the snow flurries that developed-and caught nothing. I talked to a local who said he’d hooked four browns but was unable to land any of them. the next couple of days probably won’t be productive, the river may even ice up in places, but longer-range forecasts are for warm weather next week. The fish will probably still be there, so it’s just a question of how much suffering anyone wants to do.
Pete
MINNESOTA
Provided
Javier Serna shows a nice walleye caught on his time ice fishing this winter/fall in northern Minnesota.
Javier Serna, the outdoors writer/columnist who grew up in Palatine, messaged the photo above on Friday from northern Minnesota on his first time out this fall/winter.
On Saturday, he followed up with the big fat northern pike below and this:
Came in hot and ran into our entire array
We’re fishing in 7 feet out next to Waskish, Minn.
Provided by Javier Serna
Big northern pike caught ice fishing in northern Minnesota.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Kurt Justice at Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua emailed:
A 9” snowfall and lots of wind 12/5 thru 12/6 shut down what had been a nice start to our ice season. Fortunately, high winds and cold temps (sub zero) made for light snow that in many cases blew off the unsheltered portions of the lakes. This should allow for the cold to work its way in and make some more ice!
Walleye: Very Good-Good – Action (and participation) slowed by Sunday (12/5) but good catches and nice Walleyes even during mid-late afternoons. Jigging rattle baits (Rattlin Raps, Hyper Rattles and Rattlin Google Eyes) and vibration baits (such a Z-Vibers) also effective during these early ice days when Walleyes are the most active. Shiners on tip-ups are the preferred live bait while Eyes are still in the weeds.
Northern Pike: Very Good-Good – Great time to ice some nice Pike in shallower water using big shiners or Pike suckers. Good reports of nice Pike in the 26-34” range. Try jigging a large Slender Spoon tipped with a minnow head on a medium to medium/heavy spinning rod and reel set up for some real fun!
Crappie: Good – Most anglers trying for Crappies finding action in green weeds of 5-8’. Minnows on tip-downs and Lethal Cecils fluttered down to entice action.
Bluegills, Perch, Bass: Few reports, not many anglers targeting.
Ice will still build, but not the way we would like with the snow cover. Walking still the only safe mode of transportation. Spud your way out anywhere you go. Look for 3” of solid clear ice for a safe platform. Many smaller lakes and protected bays have 3-5” as of now with 1-1 ½” of “soft” ice on top. Above all, be safe and use good judgement on the ice.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop – Like us on Facebook
That’s weather we haven’t seen yet.
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Perch day to day cal park, slips and up thru the river. Some days good some days really slow.
Crappie action at lake George in Hobart under the gazebo near the bank and below the dam crappie minnows doing best.
Whitefish and lake trout off Michigan city peir. Blade baits and small peices of worm or skein doing best.
Area tributaries giving up steelhead using voodoo jigs tipped with waxworms. Must move around cover some water.
Lakers outside of burns ditch near the reef for boaters when lake allows. Jigging spoons and blade baits best
Christina Petrites at Stan’s Bait & Tackle Center in Hammond emailed:
Hi, Dale. The recent, mild weather has been quite enjoyable. Here’s what we e heard lately in the fishing world:
River fishing remains very good for Steelhead; anglers are trolling mag lips & flatfish, also using spawn as a backup.
Walleye at Wolf Lake & the St. Joseph dam is steady.
Perch remain steady, especially in the slips. The Cal Sag & Power Plant have done well lately. Minnows, beemoths, & red worms all working well.
Whitefish off the pier at Michigan City & St. Joseph are still going strong with single eggs.
Inland lakes have slowed down some, but anglers are still catching Bluegill.
ROCK RIVER, WISCONSIN
Arden Katz said they were caught a bunch of drum, five walleye (saw others caught) and a sauger at the Jefferson Dam. He was using 3 1⁄2-iinch swimbait on a 16th-ounce jig.
SHABBONA LAKE
Concessions are closed. Site hours through Jan. 31 are 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT
Provided
Tony Hammond with a good brown trout from a kayak in Racine.
Tony Hammond messaged the photo above and this from Racine:
Got a nice brown this week….theyre in over the border 16.2lbs
I know its not illinois but still a beauty
In the kayak! Haha
That kayak note truly impresses me.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said everybody caught steelhead in a big tournament Saturday; some whitefish off the pier last week; still a few walleye at night at Berrien Springs.
Paddle and Pole hosts the Berrien Springs Fish Ladder Camera.
WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN
Guide Bill Stoeger in Fremont texted:
We had a good end to open water last week. Wednesday to Saturday caught near 70 walleye. I do think that is over, with the river icing over. Had 1 degree this morning. There has been a few anglers testing the ice on local bayous. Early ice is always good for crappie, gills, and northerns.
Time marches on, though ice season has been taking its time.
Afternoon Edition: Dec. 7, 2021Matt Mooreon December 7, 2021 at 9:00 pm
The burnt grass remains from a Christmas tree one day after it was burned down by an unknown person, near Garfield Blvd and South King Drive in Washington Park. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.
Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be cloudy with a slight chance of snow and a high near 23 degrees. Similar conditions will continue into tonight, including a low around 23 and a 20% chance of precipitation. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a chance of flurries and a high near 35 degrees.
Top story
‘We are not going to be moved or shaken.’ Community plans to replace Christmas tree burned in Washington Park
For the second year in a row, someone has torched a Christmas tree set up in Washington Park but the community plans to replace it.
“We’re feeling that this is an attack against our community,” said Washington Park Chamber of Commerce CEO Donna Hampton-Smith. “And we also feel that we are not going to be moved or shaken by it.”
The Chamber of Commerce held a festive lighting ceremony for the 40-foot artificial tree at South King Drive and Garfield Boulevard last Saturday night. Around 5 a.m. Sunday, police were called after someone spotted the tree engulfed in flames.
Surveillance video from a nearby business shows someone walking by the tree and, minutes later, there is smoke and flames, Hampton-Smith said, adding that investigators found a gas canister near the scene.
The group is working on getting a replacement tree and hopes to have it up this weekend, along with extra security. The chamber is also considering moving the tree to a new location along Garfield Boulevard, but a definitive plan has not been set.
It’s the second year in a row someone has set the tree on fire. In 2019, a driver knocked the tree down and sped off. But Hampton-Smith said the incidents won’t stop the chamber from bringing holiday cheer to the community.
The tree stands for more than just Christmas, she said.
“It symbolizes bright hope and families coming together during this time to celebrate, to greet one another,” she said. “It’s about celebrating and knowing that we as a community are deserving of whatever there is being offered in the Loop, downtown, suburbs.”
Emmanuel Camarillo has more from Washington Park here.
More news you need
A Cook County jury will likely begin deliberating tomorrow in Jussie Smollett’s trial on charges he lied to police about being the victim of an alleged racist and homophobic attack nearly three years ago. The defense rested its case this afternoon after the actor spent a tense two hours on the stand.
In a press conference today, the Rev. Michael Pfleger called on Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to make several changes to combat violent crime. Namely, Pfleger demanded improved witness protections and more Chicago police detectives to help solve murders.
A jury today awarded $18.15 million to the family of a teen who was left with brain damage after being struck by a semitrailer on an expressway in 2016. Gustavo Cornejo Jr., then 17, was fixing the lights on a landscaping trailer on the shoulder of Illinois Route 394 when he was struck from behind.
Eleven banks responded to the city’s latest request for proposals to become municipal depositories, the first since the city required banks vying to hold city deposits to come clean about their lending practices. Smaller, local banks spurned the competition to hold $400 million in Chicago tax dollars, allowing the contest for municipal deposits to be dominated again by big banks with a history of lending inequities.
Many in Chicago’s theater community are mourning the loss of William J. Norris, who died at age 75 of lingering heart trouble last week. Norris was the first actor to play Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre’s annual “Christmas Carol.”
A bright one
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ radio staging returns for 20th edition, uplifting audiences
The general conceit of American Blues Theater’s holiday perennial, “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago” asks audiences to forget their 21st-century troubles and travel back to America’s post-World War II afterglow.
For the duration of the show, the crowd becomes the studio audience for a radio-play version of the beloved Frank Capra film, which starred Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a humble pillar of the small town of Bedford Falls. In a moment of desperation, George’s guardian angel Clarence swoops in to show him just how much worse off the world would have been had George never been born.
ABT’s version is a faithful if compressed retelling of the screenplay by Capra, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, itself adapted from a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern.
Michael Brosilow
Yuchi Chiu (from left), Dara Cameron, Audrey Billings, Brandon Dahlquist, Manny Buckley and Joe Dempsey play radio actors playing movie characters in “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago.”
George (here played by Brandon Dahlquist) is a stand-up guy whose yen to explore the world outside Bedford Falls is repeatedly frustrated by circumstance and duty. Archangel Joseph (Manny Buckley) shows apprentice angel Clarence (Joe Dempsey) a highlight reel of George’s life. This includes George saving his kid brother Harry (Yuchi Chiu) from drowning in a frozen lake, George’s courtship and marriage to the practical and forthright Mary (Audrey Billings, and his defense of his family’s small building-and-loan operation from the predatory slumlord Mr. Potter (Dempsey again).
Among the enduring traditions of this production are the “commercial breaks,” when cast members read messages provided by members of that night’s audience.
Last Friday, many of these missives included plays on the phrase “wonderful life.” They also confirmed, via private sentiments publicly delivered, that this production has become as vital a part of the holidays for some families as the black-and-white classic it’s based on.
Kris Vire has more on this Chicago holiday staple here.
From the press box
Rick Telander doesn’t hold back on the latest Bears communication problems: “This wavelength failure happened to the Bears in their last home game, too, a loss to the Ravens two weeks ago. Funny that it doesn’t happen to the other teams at Soldier Field or anywhere else that I know of. Like the Bears are purposely blowing themselves up.”
This Bears season hasn’t been surprising or disappointing. A 4-8 record after 12 games is exactly the kind of season the team should’ve expected, Jason Lieser writes.
Ayo Dosunmu continues to prove he’s worthy of playing time on a good Bulls team, which puts into question how Coby White will fit when he returns.
The Bulls won’t have Alex Caruso for at least a week due to a hamstring injury.
Your daily question ☕
What’s a great local, non-chain store to buy presents from this holiday season?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: After the news that Minnie Miñoso finally made the Hall of Fame, who is another Chicago athlete you think is overdue for the same honor? Why?
Here’s what some of you said…
“Mark Aguirre. He is a Chicago high school legend. He basically put DePaul basketball on the map. Helped Bad Boys win two championships. Also, he is a better player than Tracey McGrady, who is in the Hall of Fame!!” — Kenneth Leggin
“Shawon Dunston. Because he cared enough about his batting average to even have the fans keep track of it.” — Jon Tomasic
“The Cubs’ million-dollar infield — Ernie Banks, Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert and Ron Santo.” — Charmaine Fouts Pinkerton
“Craig Hodges 2x champion. Hodges appeared in the first eight NBA All-Star Three-Point Contests from 1986 to 1993, and won the contest three times, in 1990, 1991, and 1992. He reached the final round on two other occasions, in 1986 when he lost to Larry Bird, and in 1989, when he lost to Dale Ellis.” — Charles Winters
“Tim Hardaway. Because of his contribution to the game of basketball. He should be there too.” — Oz Johnson
Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.
Afternoon Edition: Dec. 7, 2021Matt Mooreon December 7, 2021 at 9:00 pm Read More »
Bears TE Jimmy Graham muses about trash talk, Aaron Rodgers yelling, ‘I own you’Jason Lieseron December 7, 2021 at 8:30 pm
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are 9-3 and coming off a bye as they prepare to host the Bears on Sunday. | Matt Ludtke/AP
“We’ve just got to stop them,” he said in a roundabout way of conceding that Rodgers earned the right to taunt Bears fans.
As Bears fans recoiled at the scene of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers screaming, “I own you,” to the crowd at Soldier Field two months ago, tight end Jimmy Graham just shrugged.
He’s heard worse.
Hey, he’s probably said worse.
“I’ve never been mic’d up as a player, and that’s for good reason,” Graham said Tuesday. “I don’t want anybody to hear the stuff I say out there, for sure. This isn’t golf… It’s a game of whupping the man across from you, simple as that, so there’s not a lot of niceties.
“It’s a part of the game that I love. I’ve got to figure out a way to talk to people once I get out of here, because you can’t be talking to people like that in real life. So I’m going to enjoy each and every snap I get here for the rest of my career.”
The discourse is a bit different if you work in marketing.
Graham most likely has a different perspective than the rest of Chicago when it comes to Rodgers’ taunting. The two became friends when Graham played for the Packers in 2018 and ’19, and Graham is in just his second season with the Bears. He doesn’t have nearly as much emotion invested in the history and reputation of the organization as fans who have been watching and attending Bears games all their lives.
Rodgers crushed the Bears’ hopes — one of his favorite hobbies — with a six-yard touchdown scramble to put the Packers ahead for good with 4:38 left, then turned to the crowd in the southwest corner and let it fly.
“All my [expletive] life, I own you,” he yelled. “I still own you. I still own you.”
It’s a wonder it took him that long to say it.
The Packers switched from Brett Favre, who went 22-10 against the Bears, to Rodgers in 2008. He won his first start in the rivalry 37-3, improved to 21-5 all-time with his 24-14 win in October and is looking to give the Packers their ninth season sweep in his 14 seasons as their starter when the Bears visit Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Given Rodgers’ run against the Bears, Graham didn’t find his taunt offensive or unusual.
“I’ve said that to almost every organization that I’ve scored on,” said Graham, who has a touchdown against every team but the Bengals. “I’ve said it to everybody.”
In a roundabout way, Graham conceded that Rodgers had every right to make that declaration, saying, “We’ve just got to stop them.”
That has been the Bears’ mission statement for decades, but it hasn’t happened much. Rodgers made a casual reference to each new coach hitting that note in his opening press conference, and now he’s looking to sweep another one out the door in Matt Nagy. It’s personal for both sides.
That’s why Rodgers yelling, “I own you,” was so much more flammable than another great like Tom Brady doing it. The Bears have lost 45 of their last 59 games against the Packers dating back to 1992, and the last five defeats came by an average of 10 points.
And this one comes with the added stakes of the Bears believing, however delusional it is, that they can still save their season by pulling a massive upset over their archrival in the national game of the week on Sunday Night Football. At 4-8, they’re five games behind the Packers in the NFC North and two games out of the final NFC playoff spot.
If Rodgers wanted any additional motivation beyond wanting to back up his outburst in the last game, he can once again revel in trying to break the Bears’ spirit.