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The big picture

Let’s talk Exelon Corporation. The Loop-headquartered energy company with a comic-book villainous name is enormous. As in: $34 billion in annual revenue, 10 million utility customers, one of the largest owner-operators of nuclear power plants in the United States, with six in Illinois (two will close this fall). It also has six utility companies across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions, including northern Illinois’s favorite frenemy, Commonwealth Edison, unpopularly known as ComEd.

ComEd, an Exelon subsidiary since 2000, is the only electricity provider in Chicago. It doesn’t make power — it simply transports it from plants to your home. Consumer rights advocates have long argued that Exelon owning ComEd is a conflict of interest: The power generator has every incentive to overcharge the power provider, right?

The divorce

In February, Exelon announced it would split into two separate companies: one for its regulated utilities (ahem, ComEd) and one for its unregulated generation of nuclear, natural gas, solar, and wind power. It’s aiming to complete this conscious uncoupling by the first quarter of 2022.

Why now? It’s not totally clear. Exelon says its customers expect it to “continuously innovate to stay ahead of growing demand for clean energy.” While Governor Pritzker has vowed to make Illinois carbon-free by 2050, there’s no indication that his plan informed Exelon’s decision to split, so J.B. doesn’t deserve all that much credit. Some suspect it’s an attempt to boost shareholder confidence after the ComEd bribery scandal broke in the summer of 2020 — ComEd is accused of paying off Mike Madigan’s cronies for legislative help (real classic Chicago stuff!) — though that’d be a pretty drastic move, considering Chicagoans can’t ditch ComEd even if they wanted to. But likely it’s still a way to appease investors.

What’s in it for stockholders

Exelon is a peculiar investment because energy producers and providers have different business models. ComEd has a predictable, reliable one: It’s a regulated monopoly, everyone needs electricity, and power use doesn’t fluctuate wildly each year. But with Springfield and D.C. issuing carbon reduction goals and directives, energy production companies are changing course. Exelon says isolating its power generation business will give it the dexterity to innovate new forms of clean energy. In that transition away from nuclear fuel, Exelon could strike gold or, you know, fail spectacularly.

Right now, buying Exelon stock means you’re investing in a stable, boring company and a high-risk, high-reward one. Which is … financially confusing! Splitting into two distinct entities might encourage new investors who want to be more targeted with their money. Both of these companies will still be run by actual humans, not Lex Luthor.

What’s in it for consumers

Abe Scarr, director of the nonpartisan consumer rights advocacy group Illinois PIRG, has a relatively optimistic take on this corporate split. ComEd will have more leeway to buy energy on the free market — potentially, Scarr says, lowering customer bills. The dissolution could also mean that ComEd, now separate from Exelon’s nuclear plants, could get greener. “ComEd’s PR talks about clean energy all the time,” says Scarr. “But in Springfield, they’ve been fighting clean energy for years because clean energy is a competitor to Exelon’s nuclear plants.” (Wait, are multibillion-dollar corporations … not … honest with consumers?)

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. PIRG thinks the split only scratches the surface of the sordid alliance of ComEd, Exelon, and Springfield. The group is still calling for utility policy reform and customer restitution, postscandal. So don’t worry, there’s no reason to get too optimistic about Illinois’s climate future!

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It’s hard to believe it’s been 16 years since Madison stoner giants Bongzilla dropped a studio album—surely at least a few people rocking out to their brand-new Weedsconsin LP were in diapers back then. The band, formed as a four-piece in 1995, had a lengthy run as one of the midwest’s finest purveyors of slow, sludgy metal before going on hiatus in 2009.…Read More

Columbus police shot and killed a teenage girl who swung at two other people with a knife Tuesday, according to bodycam footage from the officer who fired the shots just minutes before the verdict in George Floyd’s killing was read.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus police shot and killed a teenage girl who swung at two other people with a knife Tuesday, according to bodycam footage from the officer who fired the shots just minutes before the verdict in George Floyd’s killing was read.

Officials with the Columbus Division of Police showed a segment of the footage Tuesday night just hours after the shooting took place in a neighborhood on the city’s east side. The decision to swiftly release the video was a departure from protocol as the force faces immense scrutiny from the public following a series of recent high-profile police killings that have led to clashes.

The 10-second clip begins with the officer getting out of his car at a house where police had been dispatched after someone called 911 saying they were being physically threatened, Interim Police Chief Michael Woods said at the news conference. The officer takes a few steps toward a group of people in the driveway when the girl, who was Black, starts swinging a knife wildly at another girl or woman, who falls backward. The officer shouts several times to get down.

The girl with the knife then charges at another girl or woman who is pinned against a car.

From a few feet away, with people on either side of him, the officer fires four shots, and the teen slumps to the ground. A black-handled blade similar to a kitchen knife or steak knife lies on the sidewalk next to her.

A man immediately yells at the officer, “You didn’t have to shoot her! She’s just a kid, man!”

The officer responds, “She had a knife. She just went at her.”

The race of the officer wasn’t clear.

The girl was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. It remains unclear if anyone else was injured.

Police did not identify the girl or her age Tuesday. One family member said she was 15, while another said she was 16.

The shooting happened minutes before the verdict in the killing of George Floyd was announced. Protesters who had gathered peacefully after that verdict to call for police reform and accountability quickly shifted their focus to the killing of the girl. The crowd of about 100 could be heard chanting outside police headquarters as city officials offered their condolences to the family and acknowledged the rarity of showing bodycam footage so soon after a police shooting.

Woods said state law allows police to use deadly force to protect themselves or others, and investigators will determine whether this shooting was such an instance.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther mourned the loss of the young victim but defended the officer’s use of deadly force.

“We know based on this footage the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, outside the briefing, hundreds of protesters pushed past barriers outside police headquarters and approached officers as city officials were showing the bodycam video inside. Many chanted, “Say her name!” While others signified the victim’s age by yelling, “she was just a kid!” Officers with bicycles pushed protesters back and threatened to deploy pepper spray on the crowd.

The shooting happened about 25 minutes before a judge read the verdict convicting former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin of murder and manslaughter in the killing of Floyd. It also took place less than 5 miles from where the funeral for Andre Hill, who was killed by another Columbus police officer in December, was held earlier this year. The officer in Hill’s case, Adam Coy, a 19-year veteran of the force, is now facing trial for murder, with the next hearing scheduled for April 28.

Less than three weeks before Hill was killed, a Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy fatally shot 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. in Columbus. The case remains under federal investigation.

Last week, Columbus police shot and killed a man who was in a hospital emergency room with a gun on him. Officials are continuing an investigation into that shooting.

Kimberly Shepherd, 50, who has lived in the neighborhood where Tuesday’s shooting took place for 17 years, said she knew the teenage victim.

“The neighborhood has definitely went through its changes, but nothing like this,” Shepherd said of the shooting. “This is the worst thing that has ever happened out here and unfortunately it is at the hands of police.”

Shepherd and her neighbor Jayme Jones, 51, had celebrated the guilty verdict of Chauvin. But things changed quickly, she said.

“We were happy about the verdict. But you couldn’t even enjoy that,” Shepherd said. “Because as you’re getting one phone call that he was guilty, I’m getting the next phone call that this is happening in my neighborhood.”

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Kryska reported from Hoboken, New Jersey.

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When it comes to Patrick Kane, the NHL’s third-leading scorer this season, it’s difficult to ask for anything more.

But the Blackhawks have no choice but to do so.

The Hawks likely will need seven or eight wins over their final 10 games to qualify for the playoffs, and all 10 are against teams above them in the standings — including four against the Predators and Stars, the two teams they must catch.

They’ll need heroic performances from all of their best players to pull it off, and that list unquestionably starts with Kane.

“He wants to score,” coach Jeremy Colliton said Sunday, before the Hawks fell into a deeper hole with Monday’s 5-2 loss. “He puts a lot of pressure on himself to come through for the team. It’s only natural to be wanting more. But he has had his chances. Hopefully . . . he can use [his goal Saturday] to get going again.”

Kane scored his milestone 400th career goal Feb. 28, the Hawks’ 23rd game of the season. At that point, he had already tallied 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points.

He has now played exactly 23 games since then, too, yet registered only four goals and 19 assists for 23 points.

Many NHL players long for a point-per-game pace like that. But the rebuilding Hawks rely so heavily on Kane right now that they objectively need more from him in order to survive.

The huge drop-off in goals is the biggest area of concern, and while bad luck has contributed — opposing goalies’ save percentage against Kane has ballooned from .866 in the first segment to .947 in the second — Kane feels the pressure.

“For the most part, I’ve had my chances,” he said Sunday. “It just hasn’t really been there for me, the finish lately. That’s been disappointing because that’s something I usually feel I’m pretty good at.”

Digging deeper into the analytics reveals some genuine reasons for concern regarding Kane’s second-half decline, even if it is understandable for a 32-year-old forward playing a condensed season with a less-than-loaded supporting cast.

At even strength, Kane took 105 shot attempts through Feb. 28. He has taken only 73 since. Of those attempts, the percentage credited as scoring chances has dropped from 58.1% to 54.8%.

Those individual declines mirror the Hawks’ team statistics during Kane’s ice time. They took 338 cumulative even-strength shot attempts, of which 53.3% were scoring chances, during his first 23 games. They’ve taken only 307, of which only 45.0% have been scoring chances, during his last 23.

The end result is that Kane’s underlying stats for the 2021 season are now among the worst of his career.

His individual shot attempts rate is the lowest since his second NHL season; his individual scoring chances rate is his second-lowest since his rookie season (only 2015-16 was lower). The Hawks’ shot attempt and scoring chance rates during Kane’s ice time, meanwhile, are both the lowest since his rookie season.

The Hawks now must hope Kane finds a hidden energy tank for their backs-against-the-wall stretch run.

Perhaps Vinnie Hinostroza, Kane’s new linemate the last few games, can be the spark. They’ve shown promise so far, with a 3-1 goal differential and 11-8 scoring-chance differential together, and Kane recently said he has “always liked playing” with Hinostroza.

Perhaps some regression to the mean will also kick in. Colliton, for one, is praying it will.

“He’s going through a stretch where he’s not converting,” Colliton said recently. “That’s not going to carry on. He’s going to finish. He’s had some really good looks. He’s hit some people. Our own guy blocked a couple that were going in. He’s had some other ones that typically he finds a way to finish.

“We know he’s going to come through. We got some big games coming up, so it’d be a good time for that shooting percentage to even out.”

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When Jeffrey P. Haydon took over as president and chief executive officer of the Ravinia Festival in early September, six months into the devastating coronavirus pandemic, he did not have the luxury of a soft landing.

The seasoned arts administrator had to immediately help stabilize the venerable Highland Park event’s shaky finances and begin determining if there were a way it could present much-desired, in-person performances in 2021.

The big news is that Ravinia will present a live season this summer that will have about the same duration as usual but will likely feature 80-85 classical, jazz, pop and family events compared to the 110-120 that typically take place in a normal year. The schedule is expected to be announced in early May.

“The board and I had a very passionate conversation where we all agreed that we wanted to open up Ravinia if it were safe to do so,” Haydon said. “Everyone realized that we have a mission and we need to fulfill that mission by bringing live music to people.”

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Ravinia is the longtime summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and a highlight of this year’s season will be a full six weeks of performances by the ensemble, with the maximum number of on-stage musicians capped at around 50 because of COVID-19 safety protocols. Seven concerts will be led by Marin Alsop in her first season as Ravinia’s chief conductor and curator.

Because Ravinia was not able to present a summer season in 2020, the organization suffered a $6 million deficit in its fiscal year ending Sept. 30. It made up that loss by borrowing from its endowment fund, the investment earnings from which it normally uses to help subsidize its operations.

“You’re robbing a little bit from the future when you do that,” Haydon said. “But I think everybody felt confident that was one of those one-time rainy-day moments where it made sense to do that.”

Haydon, a San Francisco Bay area native who grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, always loved music but didn’t want to be a professional musician. When he attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, he became involved with a student-run performing arts series, and arts administration has been his passion since.

He has enjoyed a varied career that included a three-year stint in the development department at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, he served eight years as chief executive officer of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York. It presents an annual summer festival, which, though smaller than Ravinia, has a somewhat similar multi-genre thrust, including classical, jazz and roots music.

Haydon decided to seek the Ravinia position in part because of his long admiration of the event. His wife is a fourth-generation Chicagoan, and when the two were discussing marriage, she took him on a tour of her favorite places in Chicago and one them was Ravinia.

“Obviously, the facilities here are second to none,” he said, “and seeing what Welz [Kauffman, former president and CEO of Ravinia] had done over the years to broaden the impact of Ravinia not only as a concert presenter but also in the community, that was a huge opportunity to say yes.”

Kauffman held the chief executive position for 20 years and oversaw $65 million in infrastructure improvements, including construction of the RaviniaMusicBox, an immersive multimedia space set to open this season. Haydon, who comes across on first meeting as even-keeled and down to earth — a seeming contrast to Kauffman’s sometimes outsized personality — had nothing but praise for his predecessor.

“I’ve really appreciated the guidance and mentorship that he’s given over the years. He has huge footprints to step into here, and I was really humbled by the opportunity to follow in those footsteps.”

With his hands full trying to reopen the festival in 2021, Haydon said it is too soon to discuss his longer-range vision for the festival. But he did voice strong support for the Steans Music Institute, Ravinia’s well-regarded summer training program, and its community education initiative, Reach Teach Play.

“The fact,” he said, “that Ravinia values its work in the community as an advocate for the importance of music as an equal part of its mission to me is very inspiring, and very few other arts organizations have that.”

The festival has delayed the announcement of this season’s line-up in part because of last-minute determinations of what performers will be available.

“We have a number of pop artists that are booked already,” Haydon said. “I would say the big, big headliners, those are all circling around right now. Just in the last couple of weeks, they are more seriously trying to figure out how they might tour.”

At the same time, the festival is dealing with the many COVID-19 safety measures that have to be considered. It has partnered with Northwestern Medicine and consulted with an array of other organizations that present outdoor events from the Chicago Cubs to the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, Mass.

If current Illinois Department of Public Health protocols hold, seating capacity will be 25 percent when tickets go on sale for the first half of the season. But Ravinia officials hope that maximum will be relaxed to some degree by then as vaccinations increase or at least by early July when the second round of tickets are expected to become available.

“You can’t create a 100 percent risk-free environment — it wasn’t that beforehand and it won’t be that afterward,” Haydon said. “But how do we do it where people feel comfortable?”

Kyle MacMillan is a local freelance writer.

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The Chicago White Sox got the bats hot with 11 hits, winning 8-5 against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night on the road. The Chicago White Sox need their best hitters to start to get going more. The White Sox saw four homers on 11 of their hits against the Indians. On a more exciting […]

Chicago White Sox: Top sluggers finally driving in runs against Indians – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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In the day’s first reported shooting, a woman was shot as she was sitting in a parked vehicle in the 1600 block of North Merrimac Avenue, in Austin.

Three people were shot Tuesday in Chicago, including a woman who was hurt in a shooting in Englewood on the South Side.

She was walking through an alley about 10:45 a.m. in the 6900 block of South Eggleston Avenue when someone opened fire, grazing her in both legs, Chicago police said. The 21-year-old took herself to Holy Cross Hospital, where she was in good condition.

An 18-year-old man was seriously wounded in a shooting Tuesday evening in Calumet Heights on the South Side. About 6:30 p.m., the teenager was in the 9100 block of South Oglesby Avenue, when he heard shots and felt pain, police said. He suffered several gunshot wounds in the body and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was in serious condition.

In the day’s first reported shooting, a woman was shot in Austin on the West Side. About 10:20 p.m., she was sitting in a parked vehicle in the 1600 block of North Merrimac Avenue, when someone fired shots, police said. She was struck in the right arm and driven to Loretto Hospital where she is in good condition.

Two people were shot citywide Monday.

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Starter Jake Arrieta picked up his third win of the season in the Cubs’ 3-1 victory over New York.

The Cubs struggled to get their footing over the first three weeks of the regular season and have been searching to find a way to get back on track.

It’s true that over the course of 162 games teams have periods of ups and downs, but one area of concern for the Cubs has been their inability to play complementary baseball during their first 15 games, where both the offense and the pitching play well together.

In the Cubs’ first two series, the starting pitching led the way while the offense sputtered out of the gate. As the pitching has scuffled over the last week, the bats look like they’re beginning to slowly come alive.

While the Cubs are still looking to get both sides on the same page, Tuesday’s 3-1 victory against the Mets gave a small glimpse into what manager David Ross is looking for.

“That was a really well played game,” Ross said. “I thought we pitched really well. Long inning with Jake [Arrieta] on bases [in the fourth inning]. He came out just a little rusty there in the fifth and had to work really hard to get through that and then the bullpen picked him up. It was nice picking up some of those insurance runs with the quality at-bats in the fourth. Really nice team win all the way around.”

Playing clean baseball has been a point of emphasis for Ross since he was hired. The Cubs haven’t played their best baseball and have been outplayed in a lot of ways so far. Ross has spoken about needing his team to play their brand of baseball — in all facets of the game.

The Cubs got another solid start from Arrieta, who has quietly been the team’s best starting pitcher in April. He allowed just one run in five innings against the Mets and lowered his ERA to a respectable 2.86.

“I just wanted to help to help the club get off to a good start in the series and that’s exactly what we did,” said Arrieta, who won his third game of the season. “Winning game one of a series puts us in a good position to come out tomorrow and secure the series.”

But Arrieta got some run support against Mets starter Taijuan Walker. Walker struggled with his command, and after Jason Heyward’s two-out single and stolen base kept the fourth inning alive, the Cubs did something they had struggled with so far — taking advantage of an opposing pitcher. They took a 3-0 lead after Eric Sogard’s RBI single and three consecutive walks forced in a run.

“That’s huge for us,” Sogard said. “We gotta to be able to win in more ways than just hitting six homers in a game. It was great to be able to do that tonight. Give a lot of credit to our pitching to really give us the opportunity to keep that lead.”

The Cubs start one of their more challenging stretches of the season as they face the Mets, Brewers, Braves, Reds, and Dodgers over the next two weeks. Being able to play good baseball against quality opponents to finish the month of April is going to be vital as they try to turn things around.

The Cubs have been in the process of figuring out who they are as they’ve tried to navigate the first 15 games of the season, and while it will take more time to figure out the team’s true identity, their performance during the first month will say a lot more about who they want to be in 2021.

“I don’t think that it’s wise to look past tomorrow,” Arrieta said. “Winning any big league ball game is not easy and I think if you look too far in the future, it makes that job even more difficult. … We obviously want to perform well inside and outside of the division, but we have a tough team in the Mets that we have to beat tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

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Pederson was in the midst of a brutal 4-for-43 stretch, but after three hits and significantly better at-bats in the series against the Braves, manager David Ross thinks his left fielder is on the verge of turning the corner.

Like many Cubs, it has been a tough start to the season offensively for Joc Pederson.

Pederson was the team’s hottest hitter coming out of spring training after he slugged an MLB-leading eight homers during Cactus League play.

But he has not seen that success translate during the start of the regular season.

The 28-year-old outfielder was slashing .149/.281/.255 with one home run and a .536 OPS through Monday. Pederson went 0-for-4 and struck out three times Tuesday.

“I just think that, unfortunately, I did not start the season the way I wanted or planned,” Pederson said. “But I think that’s life. That’s baseball. You gotta adapt, make some adjustments. It kind of hit me by surprise, especially the way I was feeling during spring.

“It’s not how you start. It’s easier said than done, but I’ve been grinding with our hitting coaches and just getting back to the basics of what’s made me successful.”

Pederson was in the midst of a brutal 4-for-43 stretch, but after three hits and significantly better at-bats in the series against the Braves, manager David Ross thinks his left fielder is on the verge of turning the corner.

“I think we’ve definitely seen he’s felt more connected,” Ross said. “I know the last couple games, you can really tell. Some better swings, even the balls he’s missed, [he’s] fouled straight back rather than then off to the third-base side where he was a little bit late and the timing was off.

“I think he’s been in a really good place. He’s taken his walks, he’s still in the at-bat, he seems to be in a much better place the last couple games and getting some results and getting in some really good counts.”

While the results haven’t come as fast as Pederson would like, he feels if he continues to keep the same mindset things will turn in his favor over the course of a 162-game season.

“It’s not very fun when you’re sucking and you’re losing,” Pederson said. “That’s not fun, but you kind of just got to enjoy the things you can and get back to the process and out of the results. I think the results kind of drive us a little crazy at the start of the year. Results are so drastic. You can be hitting .100 and the next thing you know three, four, five games later, it’s vice versa. So just staying out of those results and just get back to the process.”

Bote scratched late, Sogard starts

Second baseman David Bote was scratched before the game with an upset stomach, according to the team. Eric Sogard started in Bote’s place at second. Bote is slashing .171/.286/.400 with two home runs and five walks.

First base/catching coach Driver returns

Cubs’ first base and catching coach Craig Driver is back with the team for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19. Driver had been away from the team since April 8. Bullpen coach Chris Young also has been out since testing positive.

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The woman and a male were traveling in a pickup truck when they crashed into a viaduct Tuesday in the 7700 block of South Avalon Avenue.

A woman was seriously injured in a crash Tuesday night in Grand Crossing on the South Side.

The woman and a male were traveling in a pickup truck when they crashed into a viaduct in the 7700 block of South Avalon Avenue, according to Chicago fire officials.

The woman was seriously injured and the male refused treatment, fire officials said.

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