It’s almost giving season, and many organizations are aiming for a head-start to give back to the communities across Chicago. As the holiday season fast approaches, Roseland Community Hospital is launching special events throughout the coming months including a Trunk or Treat event and Coat Drive to give back to Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods and surrounding communities.

This holiday season, Roseland Community Hospital is inviting all companies looking to give back and get involved to participate in the hospital’s wish list which includes Educational Seminars, Team Morale efforts, Fundraising, and Beautifying the hospital, as well as donate to their upcoming holiday events which include their annual Coat Drive, a Trunk or Treat event, a Turkey Drive and Toy Drive initiative.

The Hospital, which is located in the Greater Roseland Area at 45 W. 111th St., strives to satisfy the residents of Chicago’s far South Side neighborhoods by offering quality resources to each individual, a mission it has maintained since its inception in 1924. With the holiday season just around the corner, the Roseland team is excited to get the community together with these various events and celebrate the neighborhood and its residents.

“The holiday season is really our favorite season here at the hospital and in this neighborhood,” said Tim Egan, President and CEO of the Roseland Community Hospital. “We take a lot of pride and joy in these events annually as we love to give back to this community that has since day one, given us the comfort of a place to call home, and welcomed us with open arms. These events are our way of showing our profound appreciation.”

Roseland Community Hospital’s upcoming schedule of events include:

Image Credit: Roseland Community Hospital

Coat Drive

Saturday, October 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Teaming up with TIMMY’s Community Connection, Roseland Community Hospital will be distributing 500 children and adult coats to the Greater Roseland Community onsite at the hospital. The Roseland team will also accept newly purchased adult coats for those looking to donate to the cause, or to volunteer their time. To RSVP to the Coat Drive, please click here.

Trunk or Treat

Sunday, October 31 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

It wouldn’t be a proper October without Halloween festivities! The Roseland Community Hospital will host their inaugural Trunk or Treat event onsite, which will allow children of the neighborhood a safe alternative to the traditional Trick-or-Treating. Cars will be dressed up in Halloween decorations and lined up as children and their families “trunk or treat” each car, which will provide healthier treats and snacks. There will also be a prize awarded to the best decorated car. To sign up for Trunk or Treat, please click here.

Turkey Drive

Saturday, November 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Roseland Community Hospital is partnering with Hope x Rope for an inaugural Turkey Drive, where they will donate 200 turkeys to families across the greater community. The drive will be on a first come basis and turkeys are not guaranteed for every registration. Monetary donations are also very welcome for those interested in sponsoring a dinner for a family. To register for the Turkey Drive or to learn more, please click here.

Image Credit: Roseland Community Hospital

Toy Drive

Saturday, December 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Tis’ the season! Partnering with Hope x Rope, the Roseland Community Hospital will donate 200 gifts for children and their families at this annual Toy Drive. Families who stop by the hospital will enjoy delicious hot chocolate, participate in raffles, sing along to Christmas carols, and much more to keep the holidays bright. Registration will be required for each child, and families must be present to receive their gifts. To register for this year’s Toy Drive, please click here.

To learn more about Roseland Community Hospital’s upcoming holiday events, please visit here or for more information on ways to donate this holiday season, please click here or email Chrislin Flanagan at [email protected].

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It’s never too early to begin planning for Halloween events! Whether you’re looking for all-age fun involving cookies and pumpkins, or adult Halloween parties in Chicago with real screams and thrills, we’ve got you covered with this extensive list of Halloween festivities now through the end of the month.

Image Credit; Beatrix

272 Oakbrook Ctr., Oak Brook, IL

WHEN: Thursday, October 28: 4:30 PM and 6:30 PM
WHAT: Celebrate Halloween with the Halloween Cookie Decorating Event at Beatrix in Oakbrook Center on Thursday, October 28! The event will be led by Chef Partner Yasmin Gutierrez. If you are looking for things to do near Chicago for Halloween, guests will decorate Halloween-themed sugar cookies with festive frosting, candy, sprinkles and more while learning decorating tips and enjoying sips from Beatrix. The Kids Session is from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM and is $24.95, plus tax (gratuity not included), and the Adults Session is from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM and is $39.95 per person, plus tax (gratuity not included).
CONTACT: 630-491-1415 | Reserve your spot at the Kids Halloween Cookie Decorating Event at Beatrix | Reserve your spot at the Adults Halloween Cookie Decorating Event at Beatrix

Image Credit: Offshore

1000 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

WHEN: Wednesday, October 20, 6:30 p.m.

First-time painters and experienced artists are invited to create a Halloween-inspired skyline painting with a local artist from Pinot’s Palette. Tickets for the Halloween event, each $68, include two glasses of house red, white, or rose wine, along with paint supplies, a blank canvas, and aprons. Additional drinks will also be available for purchase during the event. The evening will take place indoors on the rooftop in Offshore’s airy glass atrium, which includes collapsible floor-to-ceiling windows that give a great indoor/outdoor atmosphere.

Tickets are limited and can be purchased by clicking here. Tickets are nonrefundable.

Image Credit: Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

2024 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL

WHEN: Trick or Treating: Saturday, October 30 – Sunday, October 31; Free Dessert Tapa: Sunday, October 31: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
WHAT: Throughout Halloween weekend, stop by the Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! take-out window on Saturday, October 30 from 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM and Sunday, October 31 from 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM for free trick-or-treating. Don’t forget something savory for the adults! On Sunday, October 31, wear your costume to the Halloween event in Chicago and your table will get your choice of one free dessert tapa to share. This spooky deal is valid for dine-in customers only. One dessert per table.
CONTACT: 773-935-5000 | Make a reservation at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! | Order carryout and delivery from Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Image Credit: Joe’s Live

5441 Park Place, Rosemont, IL

WHEN: Saturday, October 30: Doors at 8:00 PM and music at 9:30 PM
WHAT: Don’t miss the Halloween Party with Sixteen Candles at Joe’s Live on Saturday, October 30. Doors open at 8:00 PM and music starts at 9:30 PM. General admission tickets are $10 (plus taxes and fees). This is a 21+ show.
CONTACT: 847- 261-0392 | Buy tickets for the Halloween Party at Joe’s Live

Image Credit: Offshore

1000 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

WHEN: Saturday, October 30: Doors at 8:00 PM

Tickets are $95 each, and include access to a premium four-hour bar, along with decadent passed bites. If you are looking for things to do in Chicago for Halloween, the event will feature a costume contest with over $2,000 of prizes and a complimentary hotel stay at Sable at Navy Pier for the first-place winner who killed the competition, along with plenty of music, dancing, and more. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

Please note, tickets are non-refundable, and masks are required upon entry, exit, and movement around the space

110 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

The fear for darkness is in our nature. But it’s also in our nature to scare ourselves during the Halloween season while simultaneously indulging in emotional support cocktails. The haunted dining in the dark experience at Hubbard Inn will take you through on a trip through the deranged history of its ghostly venue, while pampering you with a gourmet 3-course meal.

Get your tickets here.

Image Credit: Recess

Apocalypse Halloween Party at Recess

838 W. Kinzie Street, Chicago, IL 60642

WHEN: Friday, October 29, 2021 at 8 p.m.

WHAT: Recess will be transformed into an apocalyptic Las Vegas—inspired by Netflix’s smash hit “Army of the Dead”—for a one-night-only zombie party this Halloween, Friday Oct. 29, with themed cocktails, food and a costume contest. The guests at this Halloween event in Chicago are are encouraged to come in costume and participate in the epic costume contest for a chance to win a $500 prize.

Recess employees will be themed as both DEAD and UNDEAD in addition to the costume contest. Early bird tickets are $10 per person on Eventbrite.

TICKETS: $10 per person, available on Eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/2Yvqp0R

820 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607

WHEN: Oct. 29 & 30, 8PM – 12AM

How many Japanese horror stories you’ve heard are related to train and subway stations? And what’s a better city for a subway-based horror night than Chicago when we have the famous L trains? Momotaro will transport you to the world of the spine-chilling Japanese kaitan world of Izakaya Station, all the while pampering you with delicious food.

Get your tickets here.

441 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL

WHEN: Sunday, October 31: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
WHAT: Rock your costume at Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba! on Sunday, October 31, and you’ll get your choice of one free dessert tapa. This spooky deal is valid for dine-in customers only.
CONTACT: 312-985-6909 | Make a reservation at Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba!

260 Oakbrook Ctr., Oak Brook, IL

WHEN: Sunday, October 31: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
WHAT: Make your way to Mon Ami Gabi in Oak Brook for a fun-filled Halloweekend Costume Party. Dress up and indulge in French favorites like Onion Soup Au Gratin or Baked Goat Cheese. Brunch will also be available. Guests in costume will be able to enter into a special holiday raffle for a chance to win one of three Lettuce Entertain You gift cards: a third place $50 gift card, a second place $100 gift card, and a grand prize $200 gift card.
CONTACT: 630-472-1900 | Make a reservation at Mon Ami Gabi – Oak Brook  

108 N State St suite 420, Chicago, IL 60602

Have you ever bouldered in Halloween costumes? We haven’t! This year, the newly expanded First Ascent is redefining Halloween costume parties with their climb in costume challenge. Stay tuned to their social media and website announcements as more details plus additional Halloween activities are revealed!

1962 N. Halsted St., Chicago IL

WHEN: Friday October 29 – Sunday October 31
WHAT: Join Quality Crab & Oyster Bah Halloween Weekend for Brews & Boos! Enjoy all draft beers for $5, plus tax (gratuity not included). Pair your brew with an order of Fish & Chips, Oysters on the Half Shell, or King Crab Legs. For the kiddos, we will have an overflowing pot of Halloween Candy for all trick or treaters dressed up in costume.
CONTACT: 773-248-3000 | Make a reservation at Quality Crab & Oyster Bah

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White Sox fan Sharon Bresnahan said her late sister, Sheryl, who died of a brain aneurysm in 2006, will be at the game in spirit. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

It wasn’t quite the ideal “taking in a ballgame” conditions as Sunday night — with overcast skies and chillier temperatures — but that didn’t deter White Sox fans.

Sharon Bresnahan took a minute Tuesday afternoon before Game 4 of the American League Division Series to admire the stone she and her twin sister bought after the 2005 World Series.

Before every game, she explains, she taps the stone that reads, in part, “Thx 05 White Sox Sharon & Sheryl.”

Bresnahan said her late sister, Sheryl, who died of a brain aneurysm in 2006, will be at the game in spirit.

“We’ve been lifelong White Sox fans, I brought her with me,” said Bresnahan, who pulled a photo of her twin out of her red purse. “We were here Sunday, we’re going to win again tonight.”

It wasn’t quite the ideal “taking in a ballgame” conditions as Sunday night — with overcast skies and chillier temperatures — but that didn’t deter White Sox fans from flocking by the thousands to Guaranteed Rate Field to cheer on their beloved team facing elimination.

Many took off work or skipped school to be at or near the ballpark, including Christian Pera, who said Tuesday’s game was “the most important part of the day.”

“We’re ready to have fun and bring home the win,” Pera, 28, said as he casually sipped on a beer.

Though he took off work, he and his colleague had to take a conference call from the tailgate.

“They said, ‘Maybe you guys should get off and we’ll talk later,'” said Pera, who works in real estate.

Pera said he’s prepared to take off Wednesday, too, if the Sox force a Game 5 in Houston.

“If they win, I’m going tomorrow,” said Pera, who’s prepared to book a flight to Texas. “Sox in five.”

Brad Neubauer, a high school teacher from Oswego, took a personal day for the Sox.

“It’s exciting. We’re pumped,” Neubauer said at a tailgate with a few other teachers who skipped school. “It’s been 13 years since we got to do this. We’re ready to see them come back and stick it to the Astros.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
White Sox fans boo a person wearing a Houston Astros jersey while tailgating outside Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday.

Many were hoping Guaranteed Rate Field will be as electric as it was Sunday night when the Sox came back and beat the Astros 12-6. The parking lots, where people were tailgating before the game, were certainly setting the tone for another exhilarating crowd.

Sox flags blew in the wind as people threw back a few beers before entering the ballpark. Children threw a foam football between rows of cars.

A loud roar of boos erupted from the back of Lot B at one point when a man, donning the jersey of Astros second basement Jose Altuve, walked through.

Christine Dziedzic was tailgating with her family, which included a half dozen grandchildren. Her husband took a few swigs out of a champagne bottle as she sipped on a seltzer.

“It’s my birthday, I’m 74 today and there’s no place I’d rather be than here and have the Sox give us a celebratory win,” said Dziedzic, of Bloomingdale.

Dziedzic said she’s a Sox fan thanks to her father. She’s married a die-hard fan and passed their love of the South Siders to her children.

“It’s just generational for us, so it’s just really exciting,” Dziedzic said. “It’s a family affair. Go White Sox and bring me a birthday win!”

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The Park Grill in Millennium Park. | Sun-Times file

City Hall picks Eleven North Hospitality as Millennium Park’s concessionaire, with renovations already underway at the 140-seat restaurant behind the skating rink.

Visitors to Millennium Park — the Midwest’s No. 1 tourist attraction — will have more food and beverage choices, thanks to a $2.5 million investment that will reopen and re-brand the clout-heavy Park Grill restaurant.

The city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events said Tuesday it has chosen Eleven North Hospitality to serve as Millennium Park’s concessionaire, with renovations already underway at the 140-seat restaurant behind the skating rink.

The joint venture also plans to offer a “broad range of food and beverage options” that include:

A cafe serving Mexican food across from the wildly-popular Cloud Gate sculpture — better known as “The Bean” — that has emerged as one of Chicago’s favorite meeting places.
A coffee bar and tearoom operated by Momentum Coffee. It will be located in the Park Cafe space just south of the restaurant.
Two new kiosks — one serving “grab-and-go” food, the other selling Chicago-themed items and sundries.

Sun-Times file
The Bean (official name: Cloud Gate) in Millennium Park is a popular photo stop for residents and tourists. The city on Tuesday announced it had reached an agreement to upgrade the concessions in the park.

The Park Grill was managed by James Horan, owned of Blue Plate Catering, and Michael O’Malley, owner of the Chicago Firehouse restaurant. They were backed by a group of clout-heavy investors with close ties to then-Mayor Richard M. Daley.

But the investors wanted to bail out of the sweetheart deal because the restaurant’s losses were mounting after it was forced to close because of COVID-19 and years of litigation with City Hall during the administration of former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

They sold out to a restaurant group headed by John Wrenn, brother of Emanuel’s former chief of staff Eileen Mitchell. Wrenn operates the popular Theater on the Lake restaurant under a deal he received from the Emanuel administration.

Emanuel lost a court battle in 2015 to break the Park Grill concession deal Daley had awarded Horan and O’Malley, who originally landed the deal while O’Malley was having an affair with a park district official he has since married.

Emanuel agreed to drop the litigation in August 2016 as the Park Grill agreed to start paying for garbage collection, natural gas and water and to accelerate rent payments.

The city’s law department estimated the settlement would ultimately save the city $5.7 million. The city had spent $6.9 million in legal fees battling the restaurant.

Daley never testified at the trial, but, in a deposition, the former mayor said he couldn’t remember anything about the restaurant, not even attending the grand opening in November 2003, which was documented by photographers.

As Daley was leaving office in 2011, Horan and O’Malley sought to sell their management stake to Levy restaurants for $8 million, a deal the Chicago Park District refused to approve.

It’s unclear whether City Hall had to approve the sale to Wrenn’s restaurant group, or whether any other companies wanted to operate the restaurant.

The city’s announcement said principals at Millennium Park Joint Venture are “transferring their concession agreement, subject to the consent of the city, pursuant to assignment rights set forth in the agreement.”

“The actual assignment of the concession (and sale of the restaurant’s equipment and other assets) is expected to be finalized later this month,” the written statement says.

Wrenn’s partners in the joint venture include Nicholas Hynes, Luke Cholodecki, Michael and Dennis Chookaszian.

Hynes and Cholodecki renovated the Dock at Montrose Beach and Caffe Oliva at Ohio Street Beach. Joint-venture partners also own or operate: Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub on Chicago’s North Side, Napolita Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Wilmette; Pescadero Seafood & Oyster Bar in Lakeview and Wilmette and Double Clutch Brewing Company in Evanston.

“When visitors and Chicagoans alike come out to enjoy all that Millennium Park has to offer, they should expect that the restaurants, cafes and concession kiosks are as compelling and inspiring as all the other features of the park,” the press release quoted Wrenn as saying.

“It’s our mission to make that expectation a reality.”

Mark Kelly, the retiring city culturual affairs and special events commissioner, said he was “thrilled about the additional capital, time and dedication” Eleven North has “already put” into Millennium Park.

Kelly said he “couldn’t have asked for a better partner” with a more “proven track record.” The commissioner said he is certain the investment will “help Millennium Park grow even stronger than before the pandemic.”

Millennium Park has been Chicago’s quirky town square almost since the moment it opened in 2004 after construction delays and cost overruns more than tripled the original cost — to $475 million.

In 2016, City Hall finally got the statistics to prove its popularity, showing nearly 12.9 million visitors in the last six months of 2016.

That made the 23-acre expansion of Grant Park, built over a railroad right-of-way, the top tourist attraction in the Midwest and among the Top 10 in the country. It’s right up there with New York’s Central Park and the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

According to City Hall, the new count was conducted by a “third-party vendor using passive electronic sensors” in people’s cellphones.

The six-month count was conducted during the surge of tourism generated by the Cubs’ march to their first World Series championship since 1908.

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Two years after a fire shut it down, Solazo returns with a more upscale menu and new agave program.Read More

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In this Feb. 9, 2020, file photo, Kanye West arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills. | Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

The West Ranch, formerly known as Monster Lake Ranch, went on the market Monday for $11 million.

CODY, Wyo. — Rapper, music producer and clothing entrepreneur Kanye West has put his ranch and business properties in northwestern Wyoming up for sale.

The West Ranch, formerly known as Monster Lake Ranch, went on the market Monday for $11 million. The property sprawls across six square miles of open land and tree-studded hills and outcrops about six miles south of Cody.

The property features lakes, a lodge, commercial kitchen, equipment sheds, horse facility, corrals and go-kart track, according to the DBW Realty listing.

The listing came days after West listed his seven commercial properties in Cody for more than $3.2 million, the Cody Enterprise reported.

The ranch, which leases additional land owned by the U.S. government, listed for $13.3 million before West bought it in 2019 though it’s unknown how much he paid for the property. Wyoming law does not provide for public disclosure of real estate sale amounts.

West moved from California to Wyoming in 2019 and set about basing at least some of his clothing business in Cody, a city of about 10,000 on the eastern approach to Yellowstone National Park.

It wasn’t clear if the property sales mean West is leaving Wyoming or just reorganizing his business there. Has has no listed contact information or publicist with contact information.

West, 44, filed this year to legally change his name to his nickname, Ye, and for divorce from Kim Kardashian West. The couple have four children.

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Sgt. Angela Salgado (left) and Officer Pete Gurskis were awarded officers of the month for their efforts to stop a knife-wielding man last year. | Mark Capapas/Sun-Times

A man with a 10-inch butcher knife was shot to death last year by Chicago police after he stabbed an officer and a civilian.

Three Chicago police officers were honored by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation for shooting and killing a knife-wielding man last year who was “intent to kill,” the officers said.

The incident, which happened at near 49th Street and Lavergne Avenue near Midway Airport in September 2020, was recorded on body-camera footage and shows a man, later identified as 34-year-old Shaon Jermy Ochea Warner, refusing to comply with officers’ orders to “put your hands up.”

The video also shows Warner walking toward Sgt. Angela Salgado with a plastic bag in his hand. Salgado tases him, Warner falls to the ground with the bag dropping to his side and revealing Warner holding onto 10-inch butcher knife.

“I knew that he just wasn’t going to listen to what we were telling him to do, and I knew this was going to have to end up the way I didn’t want it to end up, but there was no other choice. It was life or death,” Officer Pete Gurskis recalled.

Gurskis, along with Salgado and Officer Richard Johnson had received a call of aggravated battery with a knife.

COPA
Video of the shooting, released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, shows the knife-wielding man charging at Sgt. Salgado.

As Warner held onto the knife, Gurskis yells, “Put the f—— knife down, drop the f——knife!” Despite being tased, Warner springs to his feet and charges at Salgado. Footage then shows Warner grabbing her vest and thrusting the knife at her multiple times, puncturing her police vest, and once stabbing her in the lower abdomen.

In the video, Salgado can be heard screaming for help.

“It was probably the scariest night of my life,” she said Tuesday. “I’m just so grateful for these guys saving my life, because he wasn’t going to stop.”

While Warner stabbed at Salgado, Gurskis and Johnson fire a total of 21 bullets at Warner, records show. Gurskis fired 12 times; Johnson, who has since retired, fired nine.

“We didn’t want it to go this way, but it just happened,” Gurskis told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mark Capapas/Sun-Times
Officer Pete Gurskis said he had “no other choice” but to use deadly force on the man.

Warner had stabbed one man in the hand and attempted to stab two others before police arrived at the scene, the officers said.

“The guy that he stabbed in the hand, his hand was filleted open,” Gurskis said. “You see the tendons and all that stuff in the hands. It wasn’t just the scrape of the knife. He was intent on trying to kill somebody that night.”

Philip Cline, executive director of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, awarded the three officers “officer of the month” for risking their lives to “stop a dangerous knife-wielding offender from injuring other citizens,” he said.

“She’s a very lucky lady,” he said of Salgado.

Mark Capapas/Sun-Times
Salgado said the incident was “the scariest night of her life.”

Gurskis and Salgado said, above all else, people should listen to police officers’ commands.

“Just listen to what we tell you to do and things will de-escalate real simple by themselves,” Gurskis said. “We don’t have to do this, but people just don’t want to listen.”

Salgado said she and her partners’ actions were simply just another day on the job.

“This is something that we do every day,” she said. “We know that our lives are in danger every day we put on this uniform, and I’m just lucky that God was on my side that night.”

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A Chicago Fire Department ladder truck. A new report says the department still has not made recommended changes that would help it accurately measure its response time. | Sun-Times file

Departing Inspector General Joe Ferguson says the Chicago Fire Department still hasn’t implemented changes he first recommended years ago that would allow it to accurately measure emergency response times.

Eight years after Inspector General Joe Ferguson sounded the first alarm, the Chicago Fire Department still has not implemented the changes necessary to accurately measure response times to fire and medical emergencies.

“It is unfortunate that the issues OIG identified in 2013 and 2015..still pose the very same concerns in 2021. Had OIG’s previous recommendations been considered and the necessary operational changes put into place years ago, CFD and the City would be in a better place today, meeting state and national standards and following best practices,” Ferguson was quoted as saying in press release that accompanied his audit, issued in his last week on the job.

“Without performance management strategies in place, CFD has no way to determine if there is an increase in productivity or a decrease in errors. The Department is unable to determine what’s being done well or what needs to be improved. Performance and operational evaluations are important in any City agency, but most especially one tasked with responding to those in distress.”

In 2013, Ferguson concluded the fire department did not meet the National Fire Protection Association’s standards for emergency response times and that its internal reports “lacked the elements necessary to accurately assess” the veracity of CFD’s claim s that it was exceeding national standards.

Two years later, Ferguson issued a follow-up report that reached similar conclusions.

On Tuesday — just three days before he ends his 12-year run as city government’s top watchdog, Ferguson released a second comprehensive audit concluding CFD:

o Still does not produce annual department-wide reports that would allow it to evaluate emergency response times.

o Does not measure “turnout and travel time as separate components of response time,'” does not use “industry-standard percentile measures” and has not set goals for turnout or travel time at the “industry standard 90th percentile.”

(Turnout time begins when first responders press a button at the firehouse acknowledging an emergency call was received. The travel time phase begins when they press another button inside their vehicles to show they are en route and ends when the same button is pressed upon arrival at the scene. )

o Documented its overall EMS response time goal as required by state law, but has not done the same for fire response goals.

o Still uses data that is “not adequate to allow reliable measurement” of emergency response times.

Only 75.2% of the 937,446 emergency events between Jan. 1, 2018 and Nov. 30, 2020 “included data for all categories necessary to calculate turnout and travel times for the first arriving unit,” the audit states.

The National Fire Protection Association standard for turnout and travel combined for fire emergencies is five minutes and 20 seconds. The NFPA standard for EMS response times is five minutes.

The association recommends that fire departments strive to ensure at least 90% of EMS responses achieve a turnout time of 60 seconds or less and a travel time of 240 second or less.

Ferguson recommended that CFD management begin issuing annual reports on emergency response times and “establish and document department-wide turnout, travel and total response time goals at the 90th percentile” for both fire and medical emergencies.

“If CFD management believes the NFPA recommended turnout and travel times are unachievable in Chicago, they should conduct a systematic evaluation of local factors affecting response times and set reasonable goals for turnout, travel and total response times accordingly,” the second audit states.

The report further recommended that CFD: “identify, monitor and remedy the cause of gaps in its data” and consider hiring an internal data specialist to improve data quality.

CFD is now led by newly-appointed Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt, the first woman and third African American ever to lead the department, one long known as a bastion of white males.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt addresses new paramedics during their graduation ceremony at Navy Pier in September.

Under her leadership, Ferguson said he is “encouraged” and hopeful that CFD will confront the longstanding issues with “more urgency” and take “corrective actions.”

That faith was underscored by Holt’s commitment to: ask Urban Labs at the University of Chicago to help the department analyze response time performance; hire “additional data analytics staff”; vow to analyze data to identify “causative factors and/or trends and perform a complete and reliable measure of response time by each component piece.”

Along with the second audit, Ferguson released a set of online dashboards that document the 1.22 million emergency service events since Jan. 1, 2018 by ward, ZIP code, community area and type of emergency.

It shows the greatest overall number of emergency events recorded and the highest rate of events was in the West Side’s 28th Ward, with 62,902 calls in a ward with 56,045 people. The highest number of emergencies were recorded in three downtown ZIP codes: 60602, 60603, 60604.

The greatest number of overdose and gunshot related events by community area were recorded on the West Side. Community areas on the West and South sides racked up the highest rate of gunshot events per 100,000 people.

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Bears safety Tashaun Gipson celebrates on Sunday. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

Two weeks ago, the Bears were the biggest disaster in the NFL. Two wins later, they’re not even in the top three.

Two weeks ago, the Bears were the biggest disaster in the NFL.

Two wins later, they’re not even in the top three.

How they got from calling emergency meetings after the Browns debacle to determine their starting quarterback, offensive scheme and play-caller to playing the Packers for first place in the NFC North on Sunday shows just how week-to-week the NFL can be.

The last two victories weren’t a referendum on the Bears — the Lions remain winless, the Raiders reeling — and upcoming games against the Packers and Buccaneers will be a truer test. But the past two weeks have definitely steadied the franchise.

“Obviously we put some bad tape on film in the beginning of the year,” safety Tashaun Gipson said Tuesday. “Once we kind of settled down, everybody kind of homed in. We were playing our brand of football, offensively, defensively and on special teams. And once it’s clicking in this league — it’s a momentum league. Once you get that momentum, the ball is rolling, man. You feel like you can beat anybody, you can play with anybody. And that’s the phase that we’re in right now.”

If the old baseball axiom that momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher transfers to football, the Bears are in trouble: quarterback Aaron Rodgers is coming to town Sunday. But the Bears think they’re catching the Packers at a good time.

“The timing of this matchup is very perfect,” Gipson said. “I think we’re hitting our stride, they’re playing good football, so it’s going to be good-on-good obviously. We’re excited about that matchup. … You can’t be in this building and not feel the sense of this rivalry with Green Bay.”

After the Bears gained only 47 yards on 42 plays against the Browns, guard Cody Whitehair said he noticed a “shift, mentally — the team just taking ownership of what we put on the field.” That started in practice two weeks ago, he said.

“I think we knew what we put against the Browns was not us — and we didn’t want to go down that slope,” he said. “I just think it was everybody collectively getting involved and saying ‘Let’s turn this thing around.'”

Asked to describe the shift, Whitehair settled on a phrase.

“The relentless effort to try and get things right,” he said.

Gipson has been on teams unable to pull out of tailspins — he played for a three-win Browns squad and a three-win Jaguars team. In Cleveland, his teams won four games one season, and five in another. He pointed to the Bears’ experience — at the start of the season, they had the NFL’s oldest team — as one reason he thought things would improve.

“Nobody’s panicking, man,” he said. “Yeah, we put out some bad football, but we understand the guys that we have. And we’re mature enough to understand this is a long season. … . Little things we can clean up right now, obviously — but we’re catching our stride. And it’s exciting for us.”

After he emerged from an ear-shattering locker room Sunday in Las Vegas, safety Eddie Jackson pointed to the resilience of the team.

“Guys lock in, we block out all the noise and we rally around each other and continue to fight,” he said. “That’s probably the most special thing about the type of group we have on defense is we continue to fight.

“When things don’t go good, we don’t blame or point a finger. We put our head down and we continue to fight and continue to go out there and compete and make plays.”

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