The sport had its dream final Monday with Baylor-Gonzaga, but the NCAA’s days of corruption and exploitation soon might be coming to an end.

College basketball was never about Joe College and roo-rah and diligent, fresh-faced cagers in letter sweaters with textbooks under their arms.

That’s the “Leave It to Beaver’’/Disney image, part of the raccoon-coat lore that delights us yet with its fantasy of virtue and innocence.

We’d just as soon forget the many scandals in the game, the inequities built into its structure. Remember, head coaches make millions of dollars each year, players nothing.

Got another American industry like that?

I’ll answer for you: No.

Gonzaga against Baylor was one of the great college championship matchups until the Baylor rout began. Storylines were terrific.

Gonzaga is the private little Catholic university (5,200 enrollment) in Spokane, Washington, that seems to exist for basketball runs. Clearly, that is not the case, but have you ever heard the school mentioned for anything other than the NCAA men’s tourney or as the birthing ground for John Stockton?

And Baylor. Oh, brother.

Another smallish, private, religiously affiliated school — Baptist, 16,000 enrollment — this one is in Waco, Texas, the heart of football country.

Waco might be most famous for being the home site of the reality TV show, “Fixer Upper,’’ as well as the former home of preacher David Koresh and his Branch Davidian compound that in 1993 was burned to the ground in a fire, killing 76 church members.

But Baylor men’s basketball itself has some nasty history tied to it, and its rebirth from the ashes is one of the great reversals in college hoops programs.

Back in 2003, a player on the team murdered a teammate and hid the body, and coach Dave Bliss basically tried to cover up the whole thing. The player ended up getting 35 years in prison for the murder, and Bliss — without question one of the scummiest college coaches ever, cited by the NCAA for his ‘‘despicable behavior’’ — was fired for a host of violations.

But guess what? Bliss went on to continue coaching elsewhere and was, indeed, coaching at a high school until the COVID plague hit last year.

There’s some of your college sweetness for you. But there’s so much more.

Like the game-fixing scandals in the 1950s that essentially undermined, to this day, the New York City college hoops scene. And there was the betting scandal at Boston College in 1979, part of the Henry Hill tale that became the genesis for the bloody mob movie “GoodFellas.’’ And the 1994 point-shaving scandal at Arizona State, featuring Stevin “Headache’’ Smith, point-shaver supreme.

Lowly Northwestern even got in on the stuff in the mid-1990s with a couple of point-shavers doing their thing and going to prison for their efforts.

We could go on. But the thing here is to remind folks that their wondrous entertainment, this college basketball playoff, with huge TV ratings, provided by students involved in ‘‘an extracurricular activity,’’ like they’re in the Latin club or float-building, is a charade that will, to some degree, be ending soon.

The dam simply can’t hold against the avalanche of player demands and basic unfairness of a product, overseen by millionaires but produced by ‘‘amateurs.’’ It has been building for 100 years, and the NCAA has done everything in its sneaky power to prevent athletes at the highest level from profiting from their work and images.

By next year sometime, players should have at least partial control of their images and subsequent revenue. The issue of image control is being debated in court, and if reason wins, player ownership will happen.

Already market experts are saying that, for instance, Jalen Suggs, the 19-year-old who made that incredible near-half-court shot to propel Gonzaga over UCLA and into the final, could be worth serious money himself, if he can market his image correctly.

Player movement is happening.

The one-and-dones who make a travesty of anything like college as an educational destination now have the G League to go to as well as high-paying gigs in Europe. When a simon-pure coach like Mike Krzyzewski and a respectable place like Duke take on a mercenary like Zion Williamson — the 2019 NBA Draft’s No. 1 overall pick who had zero interest in school and was, indeed, found to be ineligible because his mother accepted $400,000 from a marketing firm — well, the veil has been lifted.

Baylor has risen under coach Scott Drew, Gonzaga under coach Mark Few.

Just don’t forget what this is all about underneath: big-time entertainment and the money it produces.

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With two challenge wins and one week of competition left, Alison Victoria lines up her shot in the backyard with a putting green in the fifth episode of “Rock the Block.”

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

In last week’s episode, the four teams of designers tackled the basement. While Victoria and partner Mike Holmes added another bedroom and full bathroom to their home, their design failed to wow judge Tamara Day of “Bargain Mansions.” Instead, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent of “Nate and Jeremiah: Save My House” snagged a challenge win with their European farmhouse-inspired design that added value as an in-laws suite or rental unit.

In addition to Victoria and Holmes’ two wins and Berkus and Brent’s one win, David Bromstad of “My Lottery Dream Home” and Tiffany Brooks from the upcoming show “50K Three Ways” have also landed one challenge win. Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt of “100 Day Dream Home” have failed to score a challenge win so far, even with their basement bowling alley.

In this week’s episode, the designers headed outside to finish the exteriors and add curbside appeal. Carmine Sabatella and Mike Pyle of “Inside Out” joined them as this week’s judge.

The exterior design actually started back in episode one, so the designers had a head start. Victoria and Holmes chose gray siding to wrap around the home and installed beige stones around the front door and porch as well as the garage.

Victoria kept the front yard “serene” so she and Holmes could put more effort into the backyard, where they added a retaining wall and built a small putting green in front of the basement patio. In addition, they designed a custom outdoor grilling station — an idea partially shared by the Kleinschmidts.

“Our strategy is to maximize the value in the backyard since that’s where we think the potential buyers are gonna be hanging out,” Holmes explained.

“If we win this week,” Victoria said, “we’ve got a real shot at winning the whole competition.”

Their overall design plan hit a minor speed bump when Victoria saw the cypress trees for the front walkway and instantly hated them. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be returned, but she insisted the landscapers get rid of them and replaced them with magnolia trees.

“I’m really not trying to be difficult,” Victoria said. “I just, I know what I like, and that is not it.”

Their loss became Bromstad and Brooks’ gain, as the landscaper offered them up for free to the duo. They planted the trees in front of their “storybook” home, a Tudor-inspired design with a vegetable garden out front.

Over at Berkus and Brents’ home, the front porch became a screened-in affair (but left the bottom railing unscreened), which turned it into a three-season room. They also extended the black and white marble tile from the front room.

To complete their own full outdoor kitchen, the Kleinschmidts built a fire pit and a staircase to connect the patio and deck in the backyard. They also added a pergola to the upper deck.

When Sabatella and Pyle arrived at Victoria and Holmes’ home, they noticed the beauty of the rock work, but overall, they thought the design was pretty understated out front.

• 
  
  

  The front of the home designed by Alison Victoria and Mike Holmes for the second season of “Rock the Block.”

  HGTV

• 
  
  

  The back of the home designed by Alison Victoria and Mike Holmes for the second season of “Rock the Block.”

  HGTV

In the backyard, the design impressed the judges, but for the non-golfer Sabatella, the putting green added little value. Both agreed though that at least having the retaining wall, putting green or not, added usable outdoor space.

In the end, Berkus and Brent won the exterior challenge. The judges loved the three-season porch and the close attention to detail of the designers’ work.

HGTV

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INDIANAPOLIS — Heck, everyone’s entitled to an off night. But that beatdown Baylor put on undefeated Gonzaga with the national title on the line — nobody saw that coming.

The fresh-as-can-be Bears obliterated wobbly-legged Gonzaga’s march to perfection Monday night in an 86-70 runaway that brought this once-downtrodden program’s first national title back home to Waco, Texas.

Jared Butler scored 22 points and MaCio Teague had 19 for the Bears (28-2), who were ranked second or third in the AP poll all year long — but never first, all because of one team.

Pounding the offensive glass and scrapping for — and winning — the lion’s share of the 50-50 balls, Baylor never let this one come down to a Jalen Suggs miracle. The Gonzaga freshman’s buzzer-beater from near the half-court logo got the Zags to the final in a game that stood as their first true test of the season.

They passed against UCLA. Against Baylor? Not even close.

After running to a 19-point lead early, the Bears never let Gonzaga get any closer than nine.

Guard Davion Mitchell — nicknamed “Off Night” because so many opponents encounter one when they go against him — finished with 15 points and did his best on Suggs. The freshman finished with 22 points — most of them after the Zags were well into desperation mode — and likely will be heading to the NBA lottery next.

Gonzaga’s first loss in 32 games this season — 36 dating to 2019-20 — leaves Indiana’s 1975-76 team as the last to go undefeated. If Bob May, Quinn Buckner and the rest of coach Bob Knight’s team were keeping champagne cold to celebrate — a la the perfect ’72 Miami Dolphins — they could’ve uncorked it by halftime.

Or sooner.

Baylor was up 9-0 after 2 1/2 minutes and the Bulldogs faced only their fourth double-digit deficit of the season at 11-1. They faced their biggest deficit of the season — 15 points — with 7:10 gone. By then, Suggs had two fouls and was watching from the bench.

He tried hard to breathe some fire into his teammates, or the Zags fans — who made about as much noise as the cardboard cutouts that were scattered through Lucas Oil Stadium to make it seem full.

“Let’s …. go!” Suggs screamed after he got fouled on a layup early in the second half. He missed the free throw.

But more than anything in the title game, it was Suggs’ memorable basket two nights earlier that laid the groundwork for this one. His bank shot at the buzzer capped one of the most riveting college basketball games ever. Back on the floor about 46 hours after that emotional roller coaster, it was clear the Zags were gassed.

The sequence that best illustrated the energy gap came about six minutes into the contest when Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua slapped the ball out of Drew Timme’s hands and the Bears worked the ball ahead to Mitchell. He missed a layup, but Tchamwa Tchatchoua got the offensive rebound and fed Adam Flagler for a 3.

Gonzaga was practically just standing there for it all.

This was one of the most-anticipated finals in recent history, a meeting of the two best teams from the last two seasons — this one and 2020, when COVID-19 scrapped the action before tournament time. They were scheduled to meet this season in Indy, on Dec. 5, but a COVID-19 outbreak on the Gonzaga team ended those plans.

But the game didn’t live up to the hype, and it was out of hand early.

Baylor had nine offensive rebounds in the first half that led to nine second-chance points, and wore down the Zags on defense. Gonzaga shot 54% from the floor over the first 20 minutes but Baylor had 16 more attempts — the kind of math that doesn’t add up for a team playing in the title game.

One glimmer of hope for the Zags came when Tchamwa Tchatchoua joined another Baylor big man, Flo Thamba, on the bench with four fouls with 14:43 left.

Andrew Nembhard’s basket on the next possession cut Gonzaga’s deficit below double digits for the first time since early. Baylor answered with a 9-2 run punctuated by Mark Vital’s rejection of Corey Kispert, then a fast break that led to an easy 3 from Flagler.

It was over from there. Yes, Gonzaga might have been the year’s most watchable team with its dramatic run at perfection, to say nothing of the shot of the tournament.

But Baylor was cutting down the nets.

It’s the culmination of an 18-year rebuild, the likes of which no program has ever seen.

Coach Scott Drew took over a roster with only seven scholarship players and a team staring at years of NCAA probation in the wake of the murder of player Patrick Dennehy by a teammate in 2003. The Bears won only 21 games over Drew’s first three years.

It took a lot of imagination and more than a little faith to believe a day like this might happen.

It took the same thing to hang a loss on the Bulldogs.

But that kind of loss? Only Baylor could’ve seen that one coming.

Read More

Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz

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Watch Berkowitz w/likely GOP GOV Candidate Porter on Dems’ dreary shakedown vision: on Cable in Chicago, tonight & later this week in N & NW suburbs, Aurora & Rockford and 24/7 on Web

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By Jeff Berkowitz,
today at 7:19 pm

Likely Gov candidate Richard Porter (Tonite, 8:30 pm & 12 am in Chicago, ch 21): We are taxed too much. That’s one of the reasons people are leaving [the State]. We are taxed too much because our [pension] liabilities are too high. So, if I bring the [pension]  liabilities down to a more reasonable level, you can also lower the tax cost, and if I lower the tax cost, the whole goal ULTIMATELY is to make Illinois a great place for someone to move, make IL a great place for someone to live, have the government be focused on helping people achieve their dreams instead of being there just to raise money to pay pensions for government workers.

It is such a dreary belief [that the IL Democratic Party has], their vision of government in this State is kind of this weird dreary shakedown scheme where I am supposed to pay people not to work, starting in their mid-50s, at rates that are well in excess of the average income of the typical working Illinoisan.

Richard Porter said the massive IL population loss during the last decade [250,000] is due to residents voting w/their feet against an unholy alliance of Democrats and public sector unions…

–You can also watch 24/7 the show featuring RNC member Porter by clicking here.

********

Watch this evening’s “Public Affairs,” (Recorded on January 19, 2021) with show host Jeff Berkowitz interviewing likely Gov Candidate Richard Porter (R-Northfield) about how to fix IL’s massive $400 billion pension liability problem and inordinately high property taxes, both of which are major factors in Illinois’ dramatic and very deleterious loss of people, jobs and companies over the last decade to both adjacent and far away states.    

You give us 30 minutes and Richard Porter gives you a roadmap on how to make IL more competitive, more hopeful for all of its citizens and a destination and job state again.   

–Tonight’s edition of Public Affairs airs thorough-out the City of Chicago proper on Cable Ch 21 (CAN TV) at 8:30 pm and midnight

–Richard Porter articulates his vision for a new day in IL in Part 1 of a two part interview.

********

Watch Tonight’s “Public Affairs,”  with show host Jeff Berkowitz interviewing likely Gov Candidate Richard Porter (R-Northfield) in Part 1 about how to fix IL’s massive $400 billion pension liability problem and inordinately high property taxes, both of which are major factors in Illinois’ very significant losses of people, jobs and companies over the last decade to both adjacent and far away states.    

Tonight’s  show airs thorough-out the City of Chicago (proper) on Cable Ch 21 (CAN TV) at 8:30 pm and midnight.

You can also watch the show featuring RNC member Porter by clicking here.

Richard Porter is interviewed by Jeff Berkowitz of Public Affairs, as Porter articulates his vision for a new day in IL.

***********************************

Porter’s three decades of legal practice at the Chicago office of the world’s largest (by revenue) law firm (Kirkland & Ellis) and his involvement in politics over the years (including as an RNC National Committeeman from IL and with the New Trier Republican Organization) arguably prepared him with unique insights as to how best to fix IL’s $400 billion pension liability problem as Governor.

Porter said the massive IL population loss during the last decade is due to residents voting w/their feet against an unholy alliance of Dem politicians w/unions that produced both extraordinary Dem political power and a very large percentage of what many view as outrageously, excessive public sector pensions that is a major fiscal drag on the IL Economy and it’s people’s well being.  

Porter contends the solution to the current IL fiscal disaster is to pass federal legislation that returns power to the people, giving the authority to their elected representatives (In accord with Article IV of the U. S. Constitution, the Supremacy Clause and the Commerce Clause) to cut and restructure government pension benefits.

Porter explains how the restructuring will allow local governments to live within a state passed property tax cap (as a per cent of property market value) while also maintaining high quality education where that already exists. Additionally, Porter advocates school choice and other reforms that will improve education, especially in inner city areas across the state that contain many schools that are failing to deliver a quality education to their students, who are often minorities.

Porter also explains how the Republicans could reach agreement with the Dems to pass the above referenced federal legislation.  

Potential Gov Candidate Richard Porter says now might be the time to repeal IL teachers’ right to strike.

*******************************************************

Tomorrow night’s show airs at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 or Cable Ch. 35 (See, below) in 25 North and Northwest Chicago metro suburbs:

—Comcast Cable Ch. 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette and on

—Comcast Cable Ch. 35 in  Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.

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You can also watch Part 1 of  the two part show featuring RNC member Porter by clicking here.

The show also airs:

–in Rockford and surrounding suburbs this Thursday night on Cable ch. 17 at 8:30 pm

–in Aurora this Wednesday, Saturday and next Monday at 6 pm on ACTV-10, also known as Cable Ch 10 and Aurora Community Television

–in Highland Park next week on Monday and Wednesday night at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 19.

You can also watch Part 1 of the two part show featuring RNC member Porter by clicking here.

*************************

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$400 billion IL pension liabilities, Amend IL Constitution to allow for cutting government employee pension benefits, Article IV of U S Constitution mandates Il be able to cut pension benefits, cut IL excessive teacher benefits, cut IL property taxes, Darren Bailey, Dems' dreary shakedown scheme, Dems' high IL taxes, Gary Rabine, give IL right to file for bankruptcy, give IL villages and cities power to file for bankruptcy, giving IL righ to files for bnakrupty, GOP Gov primary in 2022, Gov Pritzker, Gov Pritzker IL Lock downs, Gov Pritzker IL shut-down, Gov Pritzker's failed fair tax, IL falling property values, IL high property taxes, IL outmigration due to high taxes, lowering teacher salaries and pensions will allow IL suburbs to cut property taxes without impiring education quality, Paul Schimpf, return employees to marketplace safely, return employees to workplaces safely, return kids to in person learning safely, return kids to schools safely, Richard Porter, Darren Bailey, Paul Schimpf, Gary Rabine, $400 billion IL pension liabilities, Amend the IL Constitution, Cut IL state employee and teacher pension benefits,$300 billion in IL unfunded

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Western Illinois opts out of spring football season

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By Dan Verdun,
today at 7:25 pm

Western Illinois University announced early Monday evening that its football program was opting out of the spring Missouri Valley Conference season.

The official university release opened with, “Out of concern for the safety and wellbeing of its student-athletes, Western Illinois will opt out of the remainder of the 2021 spring football season, the athletic department announced Monday (April 5).”

Head coach Jared Elliott said in the release, “As we evaluated our current situation, in terms of the numbers of players available, and specifically at a few key positions, I believe it is in the best interest of our team to forego the remaining two games of the spring season.

“I could not be prouder of how our guys have battled through unprecedented challenges due to COVID and lack of depth. This was not an easy decision, we enjoy every opportunity to compete, but I feel this is the right one for the health and safety of our players. We are excited and committed to putting a healthy and hungry Leatherneck football team on the field this fall.”

WIU has scheduled a virtual media conference at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Western is coming off its first win of the season, a 27-24 triumph over Youngstown State. The Leathernecks were 1-5 this spring.

WIU joins Illinois State, which opted out March 21, as the second state FCS school to do so. Ironically, ISU was coming off its only win of the spring, a 26-18 over WIU.

Following Illinois State’s opting out, the Missouri Valley issued a statement that games would not be forfeited but rather ruled as no contest.

According to national FCS writer Sam Herder, six teams have now opted out in-season.

SIU reaction

Adding to the storyline, both opt outs directly affect Southern Illinois. The Salukis were scheduled to play Illinois State the following weekend after the Redbirds opted out. SIU was scheduled to host Western Saturday in Carbondale.

SIU certainly wanted to play the game as the 16th-ranked Salukis are clinging to hopes for an at-large into the FCS playoffs. Southern is 4-3 overall and 3-3 in conference games.

SIU head coach Nick Hill released a statement: “I am deeply disappointed — disappointed for our players, our coaches, our fans and for our league. Ten conference schools stood together in January and made an ‘unwavering commitment’ to each other to play a full spring schedule. Our last two opponents have now backed out of that pledge. 

“Here at SIU, our players and coaches remained committed to do the right thing the entire season. No excuses. We had a freak blizzard that kept us from practicing during the 10 days leading up to our season opener at North Dakota. When other teams opted out due to weather, WE PLAYED. We started the season 4-1 and ranked fifth in the country, then lost two starting quarterbacks and two starting defensive tackles. When other teams opted out due to injuries, WE PLAYED. Last Saturday at Missouri State, we were down to five defensive linemen and travelled 11 true freshmen. WE PLAYED. Not one time this season has our team complained or looked for an excuse. We’ve lost two games in a row, and the experts say we’re out of the playoffs, and still not one person has questioned continuing to play. We practiced on Easter Sunday. We could have taken the easy way out. WE PLAYED.

“When the selection committee looks at the resumes of the teams that are still competing this spring, they will see our Top 25 wins over SEMO, Northern Iowa and North Dakota State. More importantly, I hope they see that, regardless of the circumstances, THE SALUKIS PLAYED. I am incredibly proud of our football team.”

Athletic directors weigh in

Both Western’s and Southern’s athletic directors also shared their thoughts on the matter through university releases.

“The health and safety of our student-athletes is top priority, and while I fully support this decision, my heart aches for the program,” WIU Director of Athletics Danielle Suprenant said. “Our student-athletes, coaches, and staff have done everything we’ve asked of them during this uncharacteristic time. I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished this spring and look forward to returning to the field for the upcoming fall season.” 

SIU Director of Athletics Liz Jarnigan said, “I am extremely disappointed for our student-athletes to lose this opportunity to play Senior Day against Western Illinois. Our program has followed every protocol and battled through so much adversity to get to this point, and we hurt for our student-athletes and coaches. My hope is that our community is proud of the commitment they have demonstrated.”

Jarnigan said she is looking to find a potential replacement game that could take place before the playoff announcement.

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Beer Review: Hardywood Park Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter Beer

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By Mark McDermott,
today at 8:29 pm

My sense of aesthetics rebelled again such a long headline. But there were so many keywords I needed to work in to make this “social media friendly.”

There are quite a few playlists on YouTube devoted to reviewed store brand Aldi and Trader Joe’s beer; many in other countries. If I started now, I could never catch up to them. I’ve run through a vertical of Trader Joe’s annual Vintage Ale, and had some of their holiday spiced ales. But here we have a beer based on one of their most popular products.

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I’m not talking ’bout their Speculoos cookies, a sweet and crunchy tea or coffee dunking biscuit. I’m talking about their Speculoos Cookie Butter. It’s cookies ground into oil and more sugar. It’s taste is like an unholy sweet combination of peanut butter and crack. With all the trends in milkshake IPAs and breakfast cereal stouts, you think someone would have put Speculoos cookies into a beer.

It fell to Hardywood Park Craft Brewery of Richmond, VA, to do that, with the sanction of Trader Joe’s. Even so, they did not just throw packages of cookies into the mash. They just made a golden ale at Imperial strength (9.5% abv) and added toasted coconut and vanilla beans. Plus those mysterious “Other Added Flavors.”

It seems this gets around to various TJ stores as fast as they can make it, meaning there may not be many more in the Chicago market for a while.

It pours with an amber to golden color, slightly hazy, under a bubbly head. The smell has cinnamon upfront, interesting since that’s not mentioned in the ingredients. Maybe that’s the toasted coconut talking. Or it’s creating the mouthfeel of shortening that goes into the cookie.

The taste is very spicy, and sometimes overdone like other Trader Joe’s spiced Christmas beers. I tried pairing it with Speculoos cookies and cookie butter, but that was too sweet altogether. Alcohol might be adding to the sweetness, but it takes a long time to be felt.

It’s definitely worth finding if you’re a fans of big dessert beers.

Disclaimer: I purchased this beer for the purpose or review.

Filed under:
Beer Review

Tags:
Hardywood, Trader Joe’s

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The teen loved Zombie flicks so much that he even had a bag packed and ready to go in case the zombie apocalypse arrived.

Adam Toledo’s mother did not attend a vigil for her 13-year-old son Monday evening because she didn’t feel up to it, but she sent a statement that was read to about 150 people holding white balloons.

“He had a big imagination and curiosity since he was a little baby. He was goofy and always cracking jokes, making everyone laugh. He loved animals and riding his bike,” Elizabeth Toledo said in the statement.

“Adam was really into zombies. And the zombie apocalypse. He even had this zombie apocalypse bag packed and ready to go. Some of his favorite movies and TV shows were “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “Ghostbusters,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Toy Story,” “Cars,” “The Walking Dead,” she said.

His palate favored Taco Bell, pizza, chicken wings, chips and candy, she said.

“May he rest in peace,” she said.

The statement was read by Jacqueline Herrera, who serves as violence prevention director of the Little Village based community organization Enlace Chicago. Hundreds of white balloons were released moments later.

Toledo was shot by a Chicago police at about 2 a.m. March 29 in an alley in the 2400 block of South Sawyer Avenue in what police described as an “armed confrontation.”

Ald. George Cardenas (12th) said of Toledo: “This young man had nobody. It’s sad to say. Nobody that could help him, except a gang. So, shame on us. I own that,” the alderman said.

Through a separate statement released Monday through an attorney, the Toledo family, in an apparent refutation of Cardenas’ comments, said they wanted to “correct the hurtful and false mischaracterization of Adam as a lonely child of the street who had no one to turn to.”

The statement continued: “This is simply not true. Adam was a loved and supported 13-year-old boy. He lived with his mother, his 90-year-old grandfather and two siblings. His father was in his life. They all loved him very much. The Toledo family is a close-knit family. They look after each other. Adam attended Gary Elementary School where he had the support of his teachers and his classmates. Adam was not alone.”

On Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot compared gang members who prey on the city’s youth to wolves.

“Like good shepherds, we have to better tend to our flocks to keep the wolves at bay,” she said.

Micaela Cruz, 35, attended the vigil Monday and said that gangs are a sad reality in Little Village that some kids can’t escape because they don’t know anything else.

“They need therapy, this to them is life,” said Cruz, who works as an Uber driver. “It’s messed up,” she said.

Matt DeMateo, pastor at New Life Community Church, organized the vigil along with Enlace Chicago.

“We cry out for justice for Adam, his life was taken too early,” DeMateo said.

Read More

“An adult put a gun in a child’s hand. A young and impressionable child,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said a news conference Monday. “This happens way too often in our city. And it’s way past time for us to say, ‘No more.’”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot vowed Monday to hunt down and hold accountable adults responsible for “putting a gun into the hands” of a 13-year-old shot and killed by Chicago police last week.

In promising to hold adults accountable for the circumstances surrounding Adam Toledo’s death, Lightfoot went further than the Chicago Police Department has been willing to go.

The department has said only that a gun was found near Toledo’s body. Neither police nor the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which is investigating the shooting, has said Toledo was holding the gun or aiming it at police when he was chased, shot and killed.

“Let’s be clear. An adult put a gun in a child’s hand. A young and impressionable child. And one who should not have been provided with lethal force. A weapon that could and did irreparably change the course of his life,” the mayor said.

“This happens way too often in our city. And it’s way past time for us to say, ‘No more.’ I have directed the superintendent and the chief of detectives to use every resource to track down the origins of this gun — through tracing, fingerprinting and DNA and any other means — and to find the person responsible for giving it to Adam. I want to bring that person or persons responsible for putting that gun in Adam’s hands to justice.”

Provided

Lightfoot did not accuse Chicago street gangs of putting the gun in Adam Toledo’s hands. But she came close.

“Gangs are preying on our most vulnerable, corrupting these young minds with promises of familia and lucre. Like good shepherds, we have to better tend to our flocks to keep the wolves at bay. And when the wolves dare try to take one of ours, we must hit them hard with the staff of a community united against the evils that threaten our youth,” the mayor said.

Lightfoot urged the news media to give Elizabeth Toledo, Adam’s mother, the “respect and space” she needs to grieve the loss of her son and make sense of what happened.

Having lost her own brother “to the streets,” Lightfoot said the Toledo family “needs our support … not our withering judgment.”

“Let us not forget that a mother’s child is dead. … None of us have walked in Ms. Toledo’s shoes and none of us will,” the mayor said.

“This is a complicated story. But it is not my story to tell.”

Ald. George Cardenas (12th) promptly ignored that admonition.

Cardenas said his community is “torn,” asking, “How is it possible that this 13-year-old is in an alley at 2:30 in the morning” when he should have been at home sleeping.

“There’s no passing judgment on this family, on this mom. I can only imagine what she went through. Maybe she didn’t have the tools and the resources,” Cardenas said.

“Maybe the school probably knew something about this young man — or the teachers, or the counselor. Somebody in the neighborhood knew something that this young man was going through, but couldn’t say anything,” he added.

“This young man had nobody. It’s sad to say. Nobody that could help him, except a gang. So, shame on us. I own that,” the alderman said.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability has said police video from the scene of the shooting will be released as soon as possible, but only after the Toledo family had the opportunity to see it first. COPA said officials were working with the Toledo family to arrange a viewing of the “troubling video footage.”

However, the Toledo family, in a statement released Monday by attorneys, said it had not received confirmation of a time to view the video.

Also on Monday, Lightfoot said she has directed CPD Supt. David Brown to draft and implement a new foot pursuit policy in time for the traditional summer surge of violence, a move that drew praise from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

Noting that Adam Toledo was shot and killed during a foot pursuit, the mayor said such chases present a “significant safety issue” — for police, those pursued and for innocent bystanders.

“It is one of the most dangerous things that they engage in. They often get separated from their partners. Communication is difficult. You’re running through a dense, urban environment. An alley, a street, a backyard,” Lightfoot said. “It’s way past time that we reckon with this reality that happens literally multiple times every day across many neighborhoods in our city, hundreds of times a year.”

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The city, in fact, has been reforming the foot-chase procedures since the Department of Justice in 2017 issued a damning report about “poor police practices” in Chicago, including “tactically unsound foot pursuits.”

The report said such pursuits sometimes ended in police shooting people they were chasing just because they ran away — not because they were suspected of a serious crime. Adrenaline and fatigue were listed as factors in cops shooting people in foot chases, the report said.

That Justice Department report led to a court-ordered consent decree requiring hundreds of reforms to police practices, including foot chases. The latest report from an independent monitor said the police were close to complying with those requirements for foot chases, including better training and tracking foot pursuits that end in the use of force.

Between March 2020 and the end of the year, there were more than 1,300 such pursuits, 382 of which involved the use of force by a police officer, the monitor’s report said. The ACLU said the city and police department have “resisted repeated calls” from criminal-justice advocates to reform the way it does foot pursuits, saying it is “long overdue.”

Also Monday, Brown was asked about an “officer safety alert” warning officers that the narcotics unit has learned that some Latin Kings were “instructed by ranking members to shoot at unmarked police vehicles.”

The alert, sent out Thursday, said factions of the gang planned to retaliate following the fatal shooting of Adam Toledo at about 2 a.m. March 29 in an alley in the 2400 block of South Sawyer.

Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times

“We’re in agreement with the Toledo family in calling for peace. That they would not be representing Adam’s death in the most appropriate way if anyone is calling for violence,” Brown said.

“I want to answer that question specifically by holding up the family’s concern that no one retaliate, no one metes out any type of violence.”

Lightfoot was asked how concerned she is about the threat to police officers’ safety. She pointed to the “unprecedented number” of 79 officers shot at last year. She can’t remember it being that high in the last 20 years.

“My hope is that these gang members aren’t foolish enough to do something. But I am determined. We will find the person who put this gun in Adam’s hand. We will not be deterred by threats from gang members,” she said.

“An adult must be [held] responsible for putting a gun in a child’s hand. We have an obligation to his family, to this community and all over our city to say to gang members and others, ‘We will not tolerate you using our children as pawns and setting them up for a life of misery.’ That’s what’s happening in way too many communities. And here’s where we must, must draw the line.”

Read More

The house was deemed uninhabitable after the blaze.

Two people were injured after a fire broke out at a home Sunday in west suburban Geneva.

Crews responded about 11:17 p.m. to a home which had been divided into two apartments in the 100 block of Woodlawn Street after tenants found smoke coming from a unit on the first-floor, Geneva fire officials said.

Firefighters located the blaze in the bathroom of the apartment, and brought the fire under control about 10 minutes after arriving, officials said.

A woman was taken to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital after suffering a minor burn injury while trying to put the fire out with an extinguisher, officials said. A man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

The four other tenants managed to escape their apartments without injuries, officials said.

The bathroom where the fire started was destroyed, and both apartments sustained minor water and smoke damage, officials said. The house was deemed uninhabitable at this time.

According to preliminary information, the cause of the fire was determined to be electrical, fire officials said.

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We’ve yet to be convinced of Chicago’s need for One Central, the $20 billion development proposed for the space atop the Metra railyards west of Soldier Field.

Does the city really desire yet another developer-driven megaproject within the shadow of downtown, let alone one that would come with a $6.5 billion transit hub — billed somehow as boon to the South Side — paid for by state taxpayers?

While Landmark Development President Bill Dunn continues to make his argument for One Central, we think there’s a prime and largely overlooked spot for another big, stadium-side residential development project that could take advantage of its proximity to rail and transit.

And if done right, this redeveloped site could truly be a boon to the South Side: The 70 acres of state-owned surface parking surrounding Guaranteed Rate Field.

From parking lots to a neighborhood

The White Sox got a famously sweet deal back in 1987 when city and state officials agreed to build the team a new, tax-supported, $140 million stadium — and to demolish beloved old Comiskey Park — in a bid to keep the baseball franchise from relocating to Florida. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority was created 33 years ago to build, own and maintain the stadium.

The new Sox stadium opened with at least two strikes against it: It was harsh and severe-looking — a ball of concrete at a time when new major league baseball facilities were being built to look like the traditional ballparks of yesteryear –and surrounded by flat surface parking, rather than a neighborhood.

The stadium’s looks have been significantly improved since its 1991 opening. But it’s still marooned in a landscape of parking lots equal to three times the size of Millennium Park.

And that’s largely because the White Sox and team owner Jerry Reinsdorf, though only renters, have successfully chased away any talk of redeveloping the lots over the years, thanks to a contractual relationship with ISFA that gives the Sox owner-like sway over the stadium, the facility, its concessions and its parking lots.

But that time is over. Finding a way to finally turn all that asphalt and concrete into a walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood with some structured parking and that great baseball stadium at its core makes good sense.

For that matter, the same can be said of the surface parking around the United Center. It’s a cash cow for its owners but does nothing for Chicago’s West Side. It’s time for a change there also.

Located within a short walk of the CTA’s Red Line and Green Line and Metra’s 35th Street station — and an Amtrak corridor running along the parking lots’ western edge — the White Sox lots hold the promise of becoming an exciting addition the city’s tapestry of neighborhoods.

Architect Philip Bess called for this approach in his 1987 alternative plan for Comiskey. He was right and time has only confirmed it.

Such a project would be of real benefit to the South Side, more so than One Central, which would be closer to State and Madison than, say, 47th Street and King Drive.

The ISFA didn’t return our calls for comment, but we’re hoping the city/state agency is having serious discussions about the future of this land.

We also urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to hurry up and fill the vacant position of ISFA chief executive officer, preferably with someone who can make quality redevelopment of the lots a priority.

A success at the ballpark would mean a potential and much-needed win for the South Side — and the city.

Send letters to [email protected].

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