What are Blackhawks looking for in Pat Foley’s successor? Here are some hintson July 1, 2021 at 7:25 pm

For decades, Chicago’s TV play-by-play voices had gone largely unchanged. Entering 2020, Pat Foley was in his 37^th season calling Blackhawks games, Neil Funk was in his 28^th calling the Bulls and Len Kasper would begin his 16^th with the Cubs. Ken “Hawk” Harrelson had bowed out from the White Sox in 2018 after 33 years.

Now look around. Adam Amin completed his first season as the Bulls’ lead voice in May. Jon “Boog” Sciambi is in the middle of his first with the Cubs. Jason Benetti is in his third full season with the Sox after sharing the booth with Harrelson for three years. It won’t be long before Benetti is the longest-tenured TV play-by-play voice in town.

That’s because next season will be Foley’s last, as the Hawks announced last week.

(Since we’re lauding longevity, let’s not forget the city’s longtime radio play-by-play voices. Pat Hughes is in his 26^th season with the Cubs, Jeff Joniak has 20 with the Bears, John Wiedeman 14 with the Hawks and Chuck Swirsky 13 with the Bulls. Kasper, in his first year with the Sox, has some catching up to do.)

Though the Hawks haven’t made much positive news on and off the ice this year, their play-by-play voice is a plum job. They’ll have no shortage of candidates as a team in the country’s third-largest market. But how will the process work, and what type of candidate might they be looking for?

First, fans should know that neither Foley nor the Hawks harbor animosity. This isn’t a repeat of 2006, when a previous management group fired Foley after a rift had developed. He called Wolves games for two seasons before returning to the Hawks under the leadership of Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough.

This time, the Hawks are planning a yearlong celebration for Foley. His departure is more a matter of timing than anything. His contract has a year remaining, and under first-year president of business operations Jaime Faulkner, the team is undergoing a reboot.

Plus, Foley is part of the conversations about his successor. After all, he’ll be sharing the mic with the person next season as the Hawks work the new voice into the broadcast, much like the Sox did when Harrelson passed the torch to Benetti. The Hawks noticed how effective that plan was.

As far as candidates, expect the Hawks to go young, like the Bulls did with Amin, 34, and the Sox with Benetti, 37. Foley, 66, was even younger when he became the Hawks’ voice in 1980. Generations of fans grew up listening to him and watching him. The team figures to try to replicate that.

The Hawks could hire a contemporary of analyst Eddie Olczyk, who’s 54. The expansion Seattle Kraken hired John Forslund, 59, who had called the Whalers/Hurricanes since 1995 and has a national profile. But it seems unlikely the Hawks would go in a similar direction.

With the new person calling an undetermined portion of games next season, a well-established announcer might not want to leave a full-time job for a year of part-time work, unless the person has no issue waiting out the year or would overlook it because of a connection to the city.

And with Olczyk also under contract with TNT, the Hawks might not hire another person who would miss games for a national network. They already have pre- and postgame analyst Steve Konroyd to fill in for Olczyk. They probably don’t want to hire another announcer to fill in for the one they’re hiring.

Two names that fall into that category are the Kings’ Alex Faust, 32, and the Islanders’ Brendan Burke, 36. They’re rising talents but with national commitments. Still, they appear to be the type of broadcaster the Hawks would want – young yet experienced.

Another riser is Stephen Nelson, 32, who hosts on NHL and MLB Network. He did a fine job calling play-by-play for the hockey world juniors last winter. He also is the lead voice for NHL Network’s in-studio game broadcasts.

Fans craving a local connection might like to see Judd Sirott return. He called the Wolves for 12 seasons and was the Hawks’ pre- and postgame radio host before becoming the Bruins’ radio play-by-play voice in 2017. But he said he’s focused on his current job.

Those are just a few names that figure to pop up in conversations as the Hawks prepare to add another new face to the local broadcasting landscape.

Remote patrol

Longtime Chicago broadcaster Chris Boden announced Wednesday on Twitter that he’s no longer the Blackhawks’ pre- and postgame host on WGN-AM (720). “After 4 years, my time with the Blackhawks ends today, informed at season’s end the Pre/Postgame host position is being eliminated due to Covid-related financial losses,” Boden posted.
Another former Blackhawk has joined the broadcasting ranks. ESPN announced that Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios will serve as an analyst when the network begins airing NHL games next season.
Notre Dame football has a new radio home in Chicago. Starting this fall, the Irish will be heard on WBBM-AM (780), also the home of the Bears. Notre Dame had been on WMVP-AM (1000) since 2016.

What are Blackhawks looking for in Pat Foley’s successor? Here are some hintson July 1, 2021 at 7:25 pm Read More »

Dogs and racism.on July 1, 2021 at 7:40 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

Dogs and racism.

Dogs and racism.on July 1, 2021 at 7:40 pm Read More »

Biden brings message of comfort to Florida town where condo collapsedon July 1, 2021 at 6:02 pm

SURFSIDE, Fla. — President Joe Biden on Thursday offered comfort to the grieving and federal support for the ongoing efforts to search for the missing and rebuild after last week’s collapse of a high-rise condo building along the Florida coastline.

Biden, responding to what appeared to be the deadliest calamity of his young presidency, also met with first responders hunting for survivors among the rubble in Surfside. But underscoring the dangers still present in the search, work was halted before Biden arrived due to concerns about the stability of the section still standing.

Biden and his wife Jill arrived in Florida a week after the collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South beachfront condominium killed at least 18 people and left 145 missing. Hundreds of first responders and search-and-rescue personnel have been painstakingly searching the pancaked rubble for potential signs of life. No one has been rescued since the first hours after the collapse.

“This is life and death,” Biden said at a briefing from officials about the collapse. “We can do it, just the simple act of everyone doing what needs to be done, makes a difference.”

The president said he believed the federal government has “the power to pick up 100% of the cost” of the search and cleanup and urged the local officials to turn to Washington for assistance.

“You all know it, because a lot of you have been through it as well,” Biden said. “There’s gonna be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological help in the days and months that follow. And so, we’re not going anywhere.”

Biden was briefed on the situation with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, as well as the state’s two Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. The mayor, a Democrat, saluted the efforts to cross party lines in a time of “an unprecedented devastating disaster” and added that the unified government and community response “is what gives us hope.”

DeSantis, a rumored Republican 2024 presidential candidate, said to Biden that the “cooperation has been great,” declaring that the administration has “not only been supportive at the federal level, but we’ve had no bureaucracy.”

As Biden pledged federal help and touted the bipartisan nature of the response, he touched DeSantis’ hand to underscore the point.

“You know what’s good about this?” Biden said. “It lets the nation know we can cooperate. That’s really important.”

Biden then met with first responders who have worked around the clock on a rescue effort that has stretched into its second week amid oppressive heat and humidity and frequent summer storms.

“What you’re doing here is incredible, having to deal with the uncertainty,” said Biden, as he offered profuse thanks to those who have been working at the site.

The president was also expected to meet privately for several hours with family members of those affected by the collapse before delivering remarks Thursday afternoon. A visit to the collapse site was uncertain, however, amid concerns about the stability of the debris.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden aimed to “offer up comfort and show unity” with his visit to the site.

Few public figures connect as powerfully on grief as Biden, who lost his first wife and baby daughter in a car collision and later an adult son to brain cancer. In the first months of his term, he has drawn on that empathy to console those who have lost loved ones, including the more than 600,000 who have died in the COVID-19 pandemic.

In thanking first responders, he referenced that car crash and a house fire as moments when he and his family needed to rely on them.

“Until we need you, no one fully appreciates what you do. But I promise you — we know. We know,” he said.

Biden has received regular updates on the building collapse. He also sent FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to the area for a tour of the site earlier this week with DeSantis.

And early Thursday, the White House said the Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed 60 staff and an additional 400 personnel across five search and rescue teams at the request of local officials. FEMA also awarded $20 million to the state’s Division of Emergency Management to help deal with unexpected emergency measures surrounding the collapse.

Biden’s day was spent entirely in a hotel about a mile north of the building site. The White House emphasized that it was being careful to coordinate with officials on the ground to ensure that Biden’s visit didn’t do anything to distract from the search and rescue effort.

“They wanted us to come today,” Jean-Pierre said.

Biden has supported an investigation into the cause of the collapse, and on Wednesday the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which sent a team of scientists and engineers to the site, launched an investigation.

___

Lemire reported from New York.

Biden brings message of comfort to Florida town where condo collapsedon July 1, 2021 at 6:02 pm Read More »

High school football notebook: Illinois coach Bret Bielema picks up a local recruiton July 1, 2021 at 5:51 pm

Bret Bielema’s persistence paid off with his biggest in-state recruiting catch yet.

Fenwick wide receiver Eian Pugh, a three-star prospect who had previously committed to Cincinnati, gave a verbal commitment to Bielema and Illinois last week.

At No. 13 in 247Sports.com’s composite rankings for the Class of 2022, Pugh is the highest-rated of the Illini’s six commits in the incoming senior class.

Illinois offered Pugh about four months ago. “Every day since, they’ve been hitting me up,” he said.

After a Zoom meeting with Bielema and his family went well, Pugh took a visit when the NCAA recruiting dead period ended. “When I showed up on campus, I loved the family feel,” he said.

But having committed to Cincinnati, Pugh felt he owed the Bearcats a visit as well.

“It was good, it went well,” he said. “(But) something just clicked on the way home: ‘I’m not too sure if that’s the place.’ Five minutes later, I called Illinois and told them I’m coming home.”

Pugh is Illinois’ 10th commit in the class. Five others are in the state’s top 30, according to the 247Sports composite rankings: Joliet Catholic running back Jordan Anderson (20th), Brother Rice tight end Henry Boyer (21st), Rochester receiver Hank Beatty (26th), Joliet Catholic linebacker Malachi Hood (27th) and Iroquois West offensive lineman Clayton Leonard (28th).

Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia expects Pugh, a 6-foot-4, 170-pounder, to thrive at the next level.

“Wherever he goes, he’s bringing elite ball skills,” Battaglia said. “He’s got great length, speed. He’s a vertical threat.”

Pugh is part of what figures to be one of the more potent passing games in the state this fall. Fellow receiver Max Reese is No. 24 among Illinois seniors and has Power Five offers from Arizona State and Kansas. Quarterback Kaden Cobb, ranked 15th in the state in the Class of 2022, committed to defending Mid-American Conference champ Ball State on Wednesday.

Zee-Bees coach mourned

The Lake County football community is in mourning after Zion-Benton coach Cristo Garza died on June 19. He was 42.

Garza played at Round Lake and started his coaching career as an assistant at Lakes when the school opened in 2004. He was the head coach at Round Lake from 2015-18 before moving to Zion-Benton in 2019.

“The guy was so much fun, so much energy,” former Lakes coach Luke Mertens said. “Always a smile on his face. He just made you feel good about any situation.

“He was genuine. He was as real a person as you ever would meet.”

The Zee-Bees were 3-6 in 2019 and 2-4 in the abbreviated pandemic season, but with a number of returning players the future appeared bright.

“He was really excited about the next couple years with his team,” Mertens said.

Versatile Jack Lausch heading to Notre Dame

Incoming senior Jack Lausch of Brother Rice is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Cole Kmet and Jeff Samardzija, who juggled football and baseball careers at Notre Dame.

Lausch, an outfielder and quarterback, will be a preferred walk-on in both sports with the possibility of earning a scholarship down the road.

Samardzija followed his two-sport stint at Notre Dame with a 12-year MLB career that included stops with the Cubs and White Sox. Kmet is heading into his second season as a Bears tight end after his double duty with the Irish.

They’re role models for Lausch.

“The goal has always been to do both (sports) as long as I can,” he said. “Right now I love both.”

High school football notebook: Illinois coach Bret Bielema picks up a local recruiton July 1, 2021 at 5:51 pm Read More »

At halfway point, shootings and homicides are up in Chicago from year ago, though violence has dropped last two monthson July 1, 2021 at 6:25 pm

Halfway through the year, more people have been shot and more people have been killed in Chicago than this time last year, when violence reached levels not seen since the mid-1990s.

Chicago has seen at least 336 homicides for the first six months of the year, just two more than at this point in 2020 but 33 percent more than 2019’s 252 homicides, according to an analysis by the Sun-Times.

In all, 14 neighborhoods have seen more murders this year than the same time last year. led by Austin with 28, North Lawndale with 21 and Englewood with 18.

The city has recorded at least 1,892 shootings through June 28, the most recently available statistics, an increase of almost 12 percent compared to 2020’s 1,692 and a 53 percent increase over 2019’s 1,234 shootings during the same time.

Last year was one of the deadliest in the city in decades, with 775 killed, a sharp spike from the 500 homicides in 2019.

In a press release Thursday summarizing the year so far, the Chicago Police Department emphasized a drop in violence this past May and June, bolstering their argument that the rate of increase from last year is slowing.

Both months saw a drop in shootings and homicides, according to Sun-Times data, though they were still much higher than in 2019.

The department said its data also shows there have been fewer murders this year than last year, but those numbers do not count killings on expressways that are investigated by the Illinois State Police. The department’s numbers also do not include police-involved homicides.

The Sun-Times data includes all deaths labeled homicides by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. By that measure, this has been a deadlier year so far than last year.

The department did acknowledge in its release that hundreds of more people have been shot in the city this year than last year, with numbers roughly the same as the Sun-Times’.

In reporting carjackings, the department chose not to include a comparison from last year while claiming the attacks were down.

The police statement noted a 42 percent decline in carjackings since January of this year. But carjackings are actually up 51 percent when compared to the same period in 2020. In just the first six months of this year, Chicago has already seen nearly 150 more carjackings than the whole of 2019.

Nineteen aldermen have called for a special Chicago City Council meeting Friday morning and have demanded that Chicago Police Supt. David Brown show up to discuss his department’s response to the violence. It’s not known if they will have a quorum to meet, or if Brown will show up.

The superintendent has scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon.

One of the last shootings in June was an attack in Little Village that wounded two 15-year-old boys and two other teens. The Sun-Times reported last month that more children 15 or younger have been shot so far this year.

In Wednesday’s shooting, the teens were walking in the 2200 block of South Millard Avenue when a dark-colored SUV approached and someone inside began firing about 8:20 p.m., police said.

One of the 15-year-olds suffered a gunshot wound to the buttocks and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. The other 15-year-old was struck in the left thigh and taken to the hospital in good condition.

An 18-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was listed in serious condition at the hospital. Another 18-year-old was struck in the foot and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. The dark-colored SUV fled the scene.

One of the first shootings in July in Chicago was an attack in Roseland on the Far South Side that killed a woman and wounded an 8-year-old girl and another woman.

The girl was inside the house when a bullet fired from a car outside hit her in the arm. Two women sitting on the porch were also shot, one of them fatally.

There have been at least 12 homicides in Roseland this year, up from nine for the same time last year, according to Sun-Times data. It ranks 11th among neighborhoods for homicides this year.

Roseland is in the Calumet Police District, which has seen a 73% increase in homicides this year and a 49% percent increase in shootings, according to statistics kept by the Chicago Police Department.

At halfway point, shootings and homicides are up in Chicago from year ago, though violence has dropped last two monthson July 1, 2021 at 6:25 pm Read More »

Safety concerns halt rescue efforts at Surfside condo collapse site as death toll riseson July 1, 2021 at 6:14 pm

SURFSIDE, Fla. — Rescue efforts at the site of a partially collapsed Florida condominium building were halted Thursday out of concern about the stability of the remaining structure after crews noticed widening cracks and up to a foot of movement in a large column, officials said.

The stoppage that began shortly after 2 a.m. threatened to keep search teams off the rubble pile for an unknown period and dim hopes for finding anyone alive in the debris a week after the tower came down.

The rescue operations were called off on the same day that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the devastated community.

The collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South beachfront condominium killed at least 18 people and left 145 missing. Hundreds of search-and-rescue personnel have painstakingly searched the pancaked rubble for potential signs of life, but no one has been rescued since the first hours after the collapse.

“This is life and death,” Biden said during a briefing. “We can do it, just the simple act of everyone doing what needs to be done, makes a difference.”

“There’s gonna be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological help in the days and months that follow,” he said. “And so, we’re not going anywhere.”

The president was expected to meet later with first responders and family members of those affected by the collapse before delivering remarks Thursday afternoon.

Rescue work was halted after crews noticed several expansions in cracks they had been monitoring. They also observed 6 to 12 inches of movement in a large column hanging from the structure “that could fall and cause damage to support columns” in the underground parking garage, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky said.

In addition, they noticed movement in the debris pile and slight movement in some concrete floor slabs “that could cause additional failure of the building,” he said.

Officials will work with structural engineers and other experts to “develop options” to continue rescue operations, Cominsky said.

Rescue workers continue to search for survivors in the collapsed building of the Champlain Towers South, Wednesday June 30, 2021, in Surfside, Fla.

Peter Milian is a cousin of Marcus Guara, who died along with his wife, Anaely Rodriguez, and their two children, 10-year-old Lucia Guara and 4-year-old Emma Guara. Milian said he understands why the rescue work had to be temporarily halted and is confident search efforts will continue.

“I mean, they’ve done everything they can. But we trust the people that are on the ground. And obviously, they’ve got to do what’s best for their people, right? Because it is a dangerous situation,” he said.

Biden’s visit “will have no impact on what happens at the site,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a news conference.

“The search-and-rescue operation will continue as soon as it is safe to do so. The only reason for this pause is concerns about the standing structure,” she said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said state engineers, the fire department and county officials are exploring options on how to deal with the structural concerns.

“Obviously, we believe that continuing searching is very, very important,” DeSantis said, adding that the state will “provide whatever resources they need” to allow the search to continue.

Cominsky confirmed Thursday that workers tried to rescue a woman shortly after the building collapsed when they heard a voice in the rubble.

“We were searching for a female voice … we heard for several hours, and eventually we didn’t hear her voice anymore,” he said.

Cominsky said they continued searching. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have success on that,” he said.

Search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Fla., Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday, June 24.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. A 2018 engineering report found that the building’s ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had “major structural damage” and needed extensive repairs. The report also found “abundant cracking” of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.

Just two months before the building came down, the president of its board wrote a letter to residents saying that structural problems identified in the 2018 inspection had “gotten significantly worse” and that major repairs would cost at least $15.5 million. With bids for the work still pending, the building suddenly collapsed last Thursday.

___

Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami and Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report.

Safety concerns halt rescue efforts at Surfside condo collapse site as death toll riseson July 1, 2021 at 6:14 pm Read More »

Morris fire officials decide to let fire burn at abandoned building, fearing more explosions of lithium batteries insideon July 1, 2021 at 6:34 pm

Lithium batteries exploded loudly overnight inside a burning former paper mill in northern Illinois that officials had believed was long abandoned, and fire officials have decided to let the blaze burn out because they fear trying to extinguish it could trigger more explosions.

The fire that started in Morris Tuesday prompted city officials to order the evacuation of 3,000-4,000 people in some 950 nearby homes, a school, church and small businesses.

On Wednesday, as thick, black smoke continued to billow from the building, Police Chief Alicia Steffes said the evacuation order would remain in place until at least 9 p.m. and “might be extended.”

Police are stationed throughout the area to prevent people from entering, although anyone who can prove they live there may return to retrieve essential medicine, she said.

Fire Chief Tracey Steffes said thus far air quality tests were “coming back favorable,” but he cautioned that changing weather conditions and other factors could cause the air quality to deteriorate.

Mayor Chris Brown urged anyone experiencing respiratory problems to contact their physicians.

The fire chief said he’s gathering information from fire departments and other experts on how to fight the fire in a building that — to the surprise of his department and other city agencies — was being used to store nearly 100 tons of lithium batteries ranging in size from cellphone batteries to large car batteries.

Steffes’ firefighters stopped using water on the blaze minutes after they arrived when they discovered the batteries because water and firefighting foam can cause batteries to explode. And he said while he has heard some ideas on how to battle the blaze — road salt has been suggested — he won’t send crews to battle the fire because of the unknowns about what’s inside.

“I don’t know 100% what was stored in that building, only what they’re telling us what was stored in that building,” he said.

Further, Steffes said that while his department and other agencies have fought fires at buildings that contain lithium batteries, he had thus far found nobody with fires that involve so many batteries. He said the battery explosions overnight could be heard across the city.

The mayor said the city didn’t know the building was being used to store batteries until it caught fire, and that he knows very little about the company that owns them.

“The name of the company is Superior Battery … and we didn’t know they existed until yesterday afternoon,” said Brown. Apparently nobody else at City Hall did either, because there’s no record of a business license or any communication between the company and any city department, he said.

Barely concealing his anger at the very serious danger his firefighters were in, Steffe suggested that he couldn’t trust any information coming from the company as a result.

“We had no way of knowing they were doing business … there,” said Steffes, adding a company official told him they had occupied the building for about a year. Steffes said the paper mill had been vacant for decades.

No information was immediately available on Superior Battery. The fire chief said company representatives were not invited to Wednesday’s news conference.

The mayor said the police department will conduct an investigation about the storage of the batteries and that other agencies, including the state fire marshal and the Illinois Attorney General’s office, have already been contacted.

Morris is about 70 miles southwest of Chicago.

The Morris fire came two weeks after an explosion and massive blaze at a chemical plant near Rockton, an Illinois town along the Wisconsin border, forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes for several days. Nobody at the plant or the surrounding community was injured by the June 13 fire that officials later determined was started accidentally during maintenance work.

Morris fire officials decide to let fire burn at abandoned building, fearing more explosions of lithium batteries insideon July 1, 2021 at 6:34 pm Read More »

Tenure for Hannah-Jones sure says a lot about what’s being taught in journalism.on July 1, 2021 at 5:03 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

Tenure for Hannah-Jones sure says a lot about what’s being taught in journalism.

Tenure for Hannah-Jones sure says a lot about what’s being taught in journalism.on July 1, 2021 at 5:03 pm Read More »

At halfway point, shootings and homicides are up in Chicago from year ago, though violence has dropped last two monthson July 1, 2021 at 3:56 pm