Four choreographers use images by Chicago artist Sergio Gomez to create a series of dance films in Still Inspired (?).
A figure in black caresses a length of paper mounted on the wall with both hands. Two hands take sticks of charcoal to apply smoky curls, then lines that outline and defines first the frame of the page, then a life-size human figure.…Read More
Timothy Doron with a big spring crappie from Lake County. | Provided
Coho on southern Lake Michigan, improving crappie, early catch-and-release trout in Illinois, yo-yoing spring conditions, walleye and the Masters Walleye Circuit tournament lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Coho on southern Lake Michigan, an improving crappie bite, early catch-and-release trout in Illinois, yo-yoing spring conditions, walleye and the Masters Walleye Circuit tournament lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.
Timothy Doron emailed the photo at the top and this:
151/4” crappie caught out of a private lake in Lake County
Look at the mouth on that thing.
ILLINOIS’ EARLY CATCH-AND-RELEASE SPRING TROUT SEASON
Nearby early catch-and-release sites (need trout stamp, fish must be released) are Rock Creek at Kankakee River State Park, Pine Creek at White Pines Forest State Park and Apple River at Apple River Canyon State Park. The early season opened March 20. Click here for general information on Illinois’ spring trout season.
ILLINOIS’ SPRING TROUT SEASON
Opening day is April 3, except at the five Forest Preserves of Cook County sites, which open April 7. Click here for general information on Illinois’ spring trout season. Click here for details on the delayed start of FPCC.
LAKEFRONT PARKING
Chicago Park District’s parking passes for the fisherman’s parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors are on sale at Henry’s Sports and Bait in Bridgeport and Park Bait at Montrose Harbor.
Readers suggest SpotHero app downtown. Otherwise, here are some basics: Foster (free street parking or pay lot); Montrose (free street parking); Belmont (pay lots on north and south sides); Diversey (pay lot or street parking); DuSable Harbor (pay lot or fisherman’s lot); Northerly Island/Burnham Harbor (meters, pay lot or fisherman’s lot); 31st/Burnham (meter parking between McCormick Place and 31st Street Harbor); Oakwood/39th (meters); 63rd Street/Casino Pier (pay lot); Steelworkers Park (free street parking at east end of 87th); Cal Park (free parking).
AREA LAKES
Dicky’s Bait Shop in Montgomery reported local ponds are picking up, Phillips Park has produced some quality fish; Big Rock Quarry has good crappie and bass.
Licenses up and running. . . . and crappie interest is better. Wolf lake, tam pier, maybe try saganashkee. . . . Take care
ProvidedKen “Husker” O’Malley with a spring largemouth bass.
Ken “Husker” O’Malley emailed:
Hey Dale,
Here is a recap of this past weeks fishing.
Area lakes-the cold front slowed things down some with the drop in water temps until the warmup over the weekend. Typical March weather.
Bass have been very good on lipless cranks midday on sunny days. Pay attention to the winds each day as wind blow north shorelines have been best.
Crappie are starting to bite on shallower lakes as they are moving up along the inside weed lines on sunny days. Best bait has been small minnow baits like the Diawa dr minnow. Work the bait slowly to trigger a reaction bite after a long pause.
Here is the nature pic of the week [below]. Is there any better way to start a day?
TTYL
—
Ken “Husker” O’Malley
Husker Outdoors Waterwerks fishing team
Ken “Husker” O’MalleyNature photo for the week.
Pete Lamar emailed:
Hi Dale,
Things didn’t improve all that much this week in spite of three consecutive days near 60 degrees. Even in the small ponds, water temps hadn’t reached 50 degrees yet. Small bluegills were moving around, but not really commiting. Small flies, presented low and slow, resulted in a few fish. I’d expect even less activity on the larger ponds and lakes.
Licenses up and running. . . . Braidwood still good especially w cat and Gill. Take care
Open daily 6 a.m. to sunset. Click here for the preview.
CHAIN O’LAKES AREA
Arden Katz said on sunny warm days even the bluegills have pulled up with the crappie into the channels, on jigs.
Kyle at Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch said crappie are being caught in any deeper channel; big walleye are just starting to move up; bluegill (try leeches for bigger ones) are also going; channel catfish and flatheads are going in the river; carp starting to move up on the outside of channels.
NOTE: Check updates on water conditions at foxwaterway.com or (847) 587-8540.
CHICAGO RIVER
Provided by Jeffrey WilliamsNice Chicago River carp.
Jeffrey Williams messaged the fish above Tuesday and this:
15 pounds 28 inches
DOWNSTATE
POWERTON: Shore and boat fishing is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Dicky’s Bait Shop in Montgomery reported water temperature is 46.5 degrees, catfish are starting to go (see photo above); smallmouth are picking up in the shallows.
GREEN LAKE AREA, WISCONSIN
Guide Mike Norris emailed:
Fishing Report 3/22/2021
Mike Norris
Big Green and Fox Lakes – Ice fishing has ground to a halt on areas lakes here in south-central Wisconsin. And fishing out of a boat on area lakes is still iffy with wind-blown ice chunks blocking off boat ramps. With the ice chunks moving around you may get out in a boat but may not be able to get back in. Shore anglers are smiling though. Crappies are staging in open water neckdown areas of Big Green and Fox Lake and are reachable from shore casting with a jig and minnow hung beneath a bobber. Bluegills can be found in backwater channels.
Fox and Wisconsin Rivers – Both boat and shore anglers are doing good for walleye on the Fox River downstream from the dam in DePere. Anglers casting jig and minnow combinations seem to be outdoing anglers who are vertical jigging. Same goes for anglers fishing downstream from the Nekoosa Dam on the Wisconsin River. Casting jig and minnow combinations into eddies and current breaks are accounting for most catches. One caveat, the Wisconsin River is down about two and a half feet below normal pool and navigating through rocky areas can be a problem.
I am now taking reservations for the 2021 guide season. For information on guide trips reach out to me via my Facebook page at mike.norris.7773 or email me through my website at www.comecatchsmallmouth.com
For an inkling of what is going on with the sauger/walleye: With 10 fish weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, Tyler Johnson of Grand Ridge and Cade Ploch of Tonica won the Masters Walleye Circuit tournament Saturday on the Illinois River out of Spring Valley by one ounce.
KANKAKEE RIVER
Provided by Bob JohnsonKankakee River smallmouth bass.
Bob Johnson emailed the photo above and this last week:
3 hours of bass fishing the Kankakee River 53* caught around 15 with s few decent largest 3lb 18”. Caught fish on finese presentation during late afternoon We are 1week away
Victor Blackful emailed the photo below and this:
Ok if you enjoy fishing for Largemouth Bass the backwaters of the kankakee are Bass O Rama! Mr twisters, rattle traps, or of you want to have some real fun get a bucket of large minnows. You will go through schools of 6 and 8 inchers but the 20 inchers will find you and if your lucky a few crappie as well. Stay alert cause there is a good chance when your bobber ducks under it could be a Pike or a Catfish. I had a guy next to me land a 12lb channel cat. 2pm to 5pm was prime time.
ProvidedVictor Blackful with a Kankakee River largemouth bass.
Licences up and running. Coho continue to hit well . . .
Stacey Greene at Park Bait at Montrose Harbor texted:
Hi DaleCoho have been getting better day by day. The last couple days have been really good lots of limits. Also quite a few Northerns have been caught already this spring. Weighed one Sunday 12lbs. Other fish such as a few big Brown Trout, Lakers even a white fish here and there.As far as I know Perch still being caught south.Our new hours this week are 5am to 6pm and starting April 1st it will be 5am to 8pm.
Very few ice anglers venturing out due to ice conditions. Shorelines are breaking up fast and ice is looking honeycombed. It won’t be long before it’s all gone. Rain predicted all night and warm temps to follow will eat up more ice fast.
Very few reports, but the few we’re hearing say it’s been good for Crappies and Gills.
The pond behind the shop is about to open up any day now it looks, normally Minocqua is only a week after to break open.
Not much more else to say but get the boat ready, we’ll have open water very soon I believe.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop Like us on FaceBook
The year winds down.
NORTHWEST INDIANA
Capt. Rich Sleziak at Slez’s Bait in Lake Station texted:
Coho fishing on shore and in boats has been spotty since last report fish are scattered
Willow slough for boat fisherman has been good for gills and crappie beemoth, red wigglers and minnows best baits
Crappie time in the pine crest harbor in cedar lake white plastic or hair jigs tipped with beemoth
Hi, Dale! I hope you’re enjoying the recent absolutely gorgeous weather. Here’s what we have going on at the moment:
Fishing Report:
~Boats are trolling on Lake Michigan & further East out of Saint Joseph (& South of the harbor); most are doing very well. Trollers are getting many limit catches of Coho & an occasional Brown Trout, using Brad’s Thinfish & small spoons. Pier anglers are catching Coho on spawn sacs, skein, & nightcrawlers.
~Inland lakes’ anglers are catching Crappie on minnows & red worms.
From the Hammond Marina Harbormaster: There were plenty guys launching and shore fishing, especially with the weather warm-up. As soon as I hear something specific, I’ll let you know. Our launch ramp is open & seeing good action.
ROOT RIVER, WISCONSIN
Click here for the Wisconsin DNR’s report, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
Staff at Tackle Haven in Benton Harbor said coho slowed up; not much off the piers recently; steelhead are going up the river, catching is fair to poor.
Hi, Dale! I hope you’re enjoying the recent absolutely gorgeous weather. Here’s what we have going on at the moment:
Fishing Report:
~Boats are trolling on Lake Michigan & further East out of Saint Joseph (& South of the harbor); most are doing very well. Trollers are getting many limit catches of Coho & an occasional Brown Trout, using Brad’s Thinfish & small spoons. Pier anglers are catching Coho on spawn sacs, skein, & nightcrawlers.
Many of us have lived long enough to remember a time when few could imagine people would routinely buckle up in seat belts. Or that drunken drivers would no longer joke about taking the wheel after over-imbibing. Or that smokers wouldn’t puff away wherever and whenever they felt like it.
Yet America changed, just as it did at earlier times in its history when it roused itself to make other important reforms.
It wasn’t easy. It took Herculean efforts by countless individuals over many years to persuade the majority of Americans a better way was possible and to insist on changing the rules.
Now, we must redouble our efforts to create an America where people are safe from gun violence. Where loved ones are not snatched away in a blaze of gunfire. Where children are not killed in their homes by stray bullets. Where entire communities don’t live with the constant fear of where the shooting will happen next. Where flags are not lowered to half-staff after one mass shooting, just after they were raised from the previous one.
Yes, the hurdles appear insurmountable. Too many elected officials put the right to carry guns ahead of community safety. Common-sense gun legislation has failed again and again. The courts have lurched rightward. Red states have an outsized influence in the U.S. Senate.
And, yes, in many ways, we have moved backwards. While other important issues command our attention, gun groups relentlessly attack laws that protect Americans. The concealed and open carry of firearms has spread across the nation. A ban on assault-style weapons was allowed to lapse.
Just a week before Monday’s mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, in which the alleged gunman used an assault-style weapon to kill 10 people, including a police officer, a judge in a lawsuit brought by the NRA blocked Boulder from enforcing its ban on assault-style weapons. The gunman allegedly bought his assault-style weapon just six days before the shooting. In Georgia, the alleged gunman bought his 9mm handgun on the same day of the shootings.
Stricter gun laws could have prevented these shootings.
Selling guns, not saving lives
No one can expect help from gun groups. They didn’t care when a gunman slaughtered 20 children and six adults in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Or when seven women and one man were shot and killed last week at three Georgia spas. Or when 17 were killed in a 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and 58 in a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. Or when 15 people were shot, two of them fatally, inside a “pop-up party” in Chicago earlier this month.
They still don’t care.
Instead, gun groups trot out discredited claims that the key to safety is more guns. But Colorado is an open carry and concealed carry state, and that did nothing to save the people in Boulder.
Gun groups are funded by gun manufacturers that are chiefly concerned with selling more firearms. They don’t speak for a majority of Americans.
More than 43,000 Americans were killed by gun-related incidents in 2020. Chicago ended 2020 with 769 homicides as gun violence surged. Firearms continue to be the leading cause of death for Illinois children and teens. Gun sales have soared over the past year. America has more civilian-owned guns than people.
A weekly overview of opinions, analysis and commentary on issues affecting Chicago, Illinois and our nation by outside contributors, Sun-Times readers and the CST Editorial Board.
Our country needs a comprehensive package of data-supported laws to reduce gun violence. At the very least, the U.S. Senate should require universal background checks and the closing of the “Charleston loophole,” which allows the sale of a gun if a background check hasn’t been completed in three days. Both passed the House earlier this month. Congress also should ban assault-style weapons and extended ammunition clips.
At a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., demanded “a moment of action. A moment of real caring.” President Joe Biden has indicated he is ready to sign legislation to curb gun violence.
The Illinois Legislature should enact the Ban Illegal [Gun] Ownership bill, which is backed by a long list of law enforcement, violence prevention, health care and faith groups. It will be heard in the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee on Friday.
On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama said, “It’s time for leaders everywhere to listen to the American people when they say enough is enough — because this is a normal we can no longer afford.”
He’s right. Enough is enough.
It won’t be easy, but America can stop the gun violence on its streets.
A woman is facing federal charges for allegedly providing a gun to a man she knew was not legally allowed to possess a firearm because of a previous felony conviction.
Benitta Gross, 32, is charged with one count of disposal of a firearm to a prohibited person, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement.
Gross allegedly provided the gun to Terrance Elkins, 32, in Chicago on June 20, 2020, knowing that Elkins was a convicted felon and not allowed to possess a gun, prosecutors said.
Elkins is now facing one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the state’s attorney’s office said.
Both appeared in court March 19, where Gross was released on bond and Elkins was ordered detained in federal custody, the state’s attorney’s office said.
Each charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, the state’s attorney’s office said.
6:05 p.m. Spring looking like fall? COVID-19 cases creeping up, despite vaccine ramp-up: ‘We are worried about this’
Infections have increased about 23% in Chicago over the past week, mostly among people age 18 to 40, according to city Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
COVID-19 cases are ticking back upward across Chicago and the rest of Illinois even as vaccine supply improves, the top doctors from the city and state warned Tuesday.
Infections have increased about 23% in Chicago over the past week, mostly among people age 18 to 40, according to city Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
That’s the same trend Arwady’s team saw in October, before a record-breaking resurgence that saw Chicago suffer its worst days of the pandemic.
“We are worried about this,” Arwady said during an online Q&A. “We’ll be in good shape this summer, but I am really worried about this next four to eight weeks. … We are not at a point where we can assume that most people have started to get some protection from the vaccine.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,832 new cases of the disease were diagnosed statewide among 49,739 tests.
4:58 p.m. Tourism groups push U.S. government to eliminate COVID travel restrictions
Airlines and other tourism-related businesses are pushing the White House to draw up a plan in the next five weeks to boost international travel and eliminate restrictions that were imposed early in the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter to the White House, more than two dozen groups say they want people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to be exempt from testing requirements before entering the United States.
They also want the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to say that vaccinated people can travel safely.
The groups say those and other steps will speed up the recovery of the travel and airline industries, which have been devastated by a plunge in travel during the pandemic.
U.S. air travel already is picking up. But passenger traffic is still below 2019 levels.
The organizations calling for relaxing international restrictions include the chief trade group for the nation’s largest carriers, Airlines for America, the U.S. Travel Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They have set a May 1 target for the government “to partner with us” on a plan to rescind year-old restrictions on international travel.
The groups cited the recent decline in reported new cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States. Nearly 45 million Americans, more than 13% of the population, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to CDC figures.
“The time to plan for and chart a defined roadmap to reopen international travel is now,” they wrote in a letter to White House virus-response coordinator Jeffrey Zients.
2:00 p.m. More than 1,000 Illinois prisoners to be released under COVID-19 lawsuit settlement
More than 1,000 prisoners in Illinois are set to be released after a lawsuit settlement aimed at protecting medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19.
The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring.
Additionally, the Corrections Department will give credit for good behavior to prisoners within nine months of their release date. Up to 60 days will be given in the next month to prisoners deemed low and medium risk, the settlement states.
That will result in the immediate release of over 1,000 prisoners, according to the Uptown People’s Law Center.
Civil rights lawyers filed a federal suit in April 2020 arguing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in prisons poses “catastrophic consequences” for prisoners, staff and the communities and hospitals that serve them.
1:38 p.m. Chicago won’t open a 24-hour vaccination site yet, Arwady says
Chicago public health officials said they have no plans to open a vaccination site that would be open 24 hours a day — as some other cities have done.
At a press conference on the city’s vaccination efforts, officials were asked about the possibility of opening an around-the-clock center to speed up vaccines and increase accessibility for essential workers. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the main focus right now is increasing vaccine supply.
“At this point, there’s not plans for a 24-hour situation,” Arwady said “We’ll see what the demand looks like and we’ll see what the vaccine supply looks like.”
Chicago is set to expand vaccine eligibility next Monday to additional essential workers like those in food service and hospitality, as well as those over 16 years old with underlying health conditions. Since the start of the vaccine rollout, the city has prioritized healthcare and the first group of essential workers, according to Arwady.
“We’re always interested in new ideas, but we’ve been very focused here,” Arwady said “So, we’ll keep prioritizing those workers and we’ll see if they are more creative things we need to do to reach them.”
11:51 a.m. DoorDash now offering delivery of at-home COVID-19 tests to Chicagoans, with quick turnaround time for results
DoorDash has started offering its Chicago users same-day delivery on at-home COVID-19 test kits with quick turnaround times for results.
Through a partnership with Vault Health and Everlywell, two digital health companies, DoorDash users will be able to get a saliva or nasal swab test kit delivered to their doorstep and mail in their kit directly to a lab, receiving results in 24-48 hours, DoorDash said.
The Vault Health saliva test kit is $109 and the Everlywell nasal swab test kit is $119. Both may be reimbursed through insurance, according to the company. Both versions have been approved by the FDA for emergency use.
9:30 a.m. State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flap
State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford has resigned from the board of trustees at Loretto Hospital over how it handled revelations of improperly providing vaccinations to people not yet eligible for the shots.
“I am very disappointed with the recent developments at The Loretto Hospital regarding its use of coronavirus vaccine entrusted to the hospital,” Ford said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.
“Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to The Loretto Hospital’s Board Chairman Edward Hogan because I strongly disagreed with how the reprimand of the hospital leadership was handled. As the state representative for the hospital and as a resident in its service area, I will continue to fight for resources for The Loretto Hospital, a safety-net hospital in the Austin community.”
The hospital’s CEO George Miller and COO Dr. Anosh Ahmed have come under fire in recent days after revelations the hospital improperly provided vaccinations to workers at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lives; at a suburban church that Miller is a member of; and a luxury watch shop on the Gold Coast where Ahmed shops.
The new cases were found in a batch of 47,374 tests. As of Sunday night, 1,182 individuals with COVID-19 were reported to be in hospitals around the state. Of that number, 233 patients were in the ICU and 98 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
10:45 a.m. Here’s to ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for hotels and restaurants socked by COVID-19 restrictions
It’s no surprise the state’s latest jobs figures show the leisure and hospitality industry took quite a wallop last year, given the clamp that COVID-19 restrictions and quarantines put on the entire economy.
Still, the raw numbers released this month by the Illinois Department of Employment Security are nonetheless sobering: The number of jobs in the industry statewide plummeted from 628,000 in January 2020 to 412,000 now.
The plunge took 216,000 jobs with it. No other employment sector in the state suffered as much.
But we’re hoping three developments this month can provide a lifeline to the struggling industry: federal aid to restaurants and bars as part of the latest $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package; Illinois’ expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to include food and beverage workers; and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to gradually reopen the state’s economy, beginning next month, as more people are vaccinated.
“Our industry has been decimated,” Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia told us. “But we’re starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.”
Esports has been touted as having one of the largest fan bases in all of American sports — second only to the National Football League.
Now that fast-growing sport could be coming to Chicago’s Bronzeville community.
The City Council’s Zoning Committee on Tuesday gave final zoning approval to Surge, a $30 million esports and virtual reality arena.
If pandemic restrictions ease and allow increased capacity at the arena, Lincolnshire-based developer Scott Greenberg plans an immersive experience for up to 1,040 people, including game participants and spectators.
The 108,000 square foot arena — with restaurant and bar service, free-roaming space for virtual reality and technology for national broadcasts — would be built without city subsidies at 2500-2548 S. Wabash Ave., just across I-55 from McCormick Place.
“We hope to get under construction sometimes this year — hopefully,” local Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) told her colleagues.
This rendering of an esports arena planned for the 2500 block of South Wabash Avenue was shown Tuesday during an online meeting of the City Council’s zoning committee.Provided
Dowell is “excited” about the developer’s commitment to minority participation in contracts and about the esports technology and design partnerships Greenberg has promised to building with local schools, including the National Teachers Academy, Drake Elementary, serving the children of Dearborn Homes, and Wendell Phillips High School.
Aldermen from across the city congratulated Dowell on luring the potential tourist mecca.
Their only concern: If it’s too big a draw, there won’t be enough parking for spectators and participants.
“I want to encourage the alderman to be looking for some off-site parking because this thing is gonna take off, based on what I’ve seen online and the research that I’ve done on esports. It’s really amazing,” said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th).
“Just hold onto your bootstraps, alderman. This is gonna be a wonderful project. It’s gonna take off and do wonderful things for you ward. Esports is the way of the future. If you look at some of these esports tournaments, they are amazing and well-attended. I don’t think we’re gonna have enough parking in the immediate area.”
A rendering of Surge. an esports arena planned for the 2500 block of South Wabash Avenue.Provided
Attorney Graham Grady, a former city zoning administrator now representing Greenberg, assured Beale that, besides 90 on-site spaces, the developer has leased 25 parking spaces beneath the nearby CTA Green Line tracks, and arranged for 100 more spots at a church a few blocks away.
Greenberg also is communicating with “a very large” private parking operator “in the event that we need that,” Grady said. “We are prepared for overflow parking when this place takes off.”
North Side Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) doesn’t doubt the esports arena will draw people to that part of Bronzeville and Motor Row.
“Congratulations on the first of its kind in Chicago and probably the biggest around in our area,” Osterman told Dowell. “As the father of teenage boys, I know more about esports than I care to.”
South Side Ald. David Moore (17th) hasn’t played video games “since Atari,” but plans to bring his nieces and nephews.
“This is huge for Chicago. It’s gonna help push some of that tourism further south so the southern parts of our city can get the benefits as well,” Moore said.
MESA, Ariz. — Carlos Rodon, officially the White Sox’ No. 5 starter after Reynaldo Lopez’ demotion Monday, had been down before.
A shoulder surgery and then Tommy John will do that.
And then he was non-tendered by the Sox after last season.
Oof.
The feeling of not being wanted kicked Rodon in the rear end.
“There’s definitely motivation there,” he said Tuesday. “I was a little surprised at first, but it was more of a business decision. … I understand that from the club’s perspective. But that doubt, when people doubt you, that’s fine. And maybe that’s not what they were thinking, but for me, I thought that. That was the motivation I had.”
A tweaked delivery — less crossfire and more straightforward — and the use of a core velocity belt helped.
The results in three spring outings, including two starts: Nine innings, no walks no runs, and life on his fastball. All of which makes the Sox coming back to Rodon with a $3 million, one-year offer seem like a good move, at least for now.
“I think they know my ability, though the track record of durability has not been great,” Rodon said. “But they know what I can do when I am healthy. So for them, I guess it was kind of like a low-risk signing, take a shot. And I get that.”
“The stuff’s good,” manager Tony La Russa said. “I’ve just been really impressed with his ability to repeat his delivery. Location of his pitches. Looking forward to sending him out there.”
Starting still in plans for Lopez
It was thought the “loser” in the Rodon/Lopez tussle for the fifth spot in the rotation would be the long man in the bullpen but Lopez will open the season at the team’s alternate training where he’ll be stretched out as a starter. The Sox also have prospects Jimmy Lambert and Jonathan Stiever for rotation depth but manager Tony La Russa said the need for starting depth determined the move.
“We considered it, but we just think there’s going to be a priority for protection starters and it’s much better that Reynaldo is stretching out and if we need him, he can come up and throw 100-something pitches,” La Russa said. “Better use for his talents and our needs.”
The move could open a bullpen job opportunity for Jose Ruiz, Ryan Burr or waiver claim lefty Nik Turley.
‘A pretty cool guy’
Tim Anderson got in front of concerns there would be tension between himself, a new age star of a different era where players are expressing themselves with bat flips and the like, and 76-year-old manager Tony La Russa.
Anderson said getting to know La Russa and vice versa has eased the transition from former manager Rick Renteria.
“You’re going to figure out somebody when you don’t know them and it’s different when you meet them,” Anderson said. “There’s a lot of people who don’t like me but they don’t know me. And once you get to know me I think I’m a pretty cool guy.”
Infections have increased about 23% in Chicago over the past week, mostly among people age 18 to 40, according to city Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
COVID-19 cases are ticking back upward across Chicago and the rest of Illinois even as vaccine supply improves, the top doctors from the city and state warned Tuesday.
Infections have increased about 23% in Chicago over the past week, mostly among people age 18 to 40, according to city Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
That’s the same trend Arwady’s team saw in October, before a record-breaking resurgence that saw Chicago suffer its worst days of the pandemic.
“We are worried about this,” Arwady said during an online Q&A. “We’ll be in good shape this summer, but I am really worried about this next four to eight weeks. … We are not at a point where we can assume that most people have started to get some protection from the vaccine.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,832 new cases of the disease were diagnosed statewide among 49,739 tests.
4:58 p.m. Tourism groups push U.S. government to eliminate COVID travel restrictions
Airlines and other tourism-related businesses are pushing the White House to draw up a plan in the next five weeks to boost international travel and eliminate restrictions that were imposed early in the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter to the White House, more than two dozen groups say they want people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to be exempt from testing requirements before entering the United States.
They also want the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to say that vaccinated people can travel safely.
The groups say those and other steps will speed up the recovery of the travel and airline industries, which have been devastated by a plunge in travel during the pandemic.
U.S. air travel already is picking up. But passenger traffic is still below 2019 levels.
The organizations calling for relaxing international restrictions include the chief trade group for the nation’s largest carriers, Airlines for America, the U.S. Travel Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They have set a May 1 target for the government “to partner with us” on a plan to rescind year-old restrictions on international travel.
The groups cited the recent decline in reported new cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States. Nearly 45 million Americans, more than 13% of the population, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to CDC figures.
“The time to plan for and chart a defined roadmap to reopen international travel is now,” they wrote in a letter to White House virus-response coordinator Jeffrey Zients.
2:00 p.m. More than 1,000 Illinois prisoners to be released under COVID-19 lawsuit settlement
More than 1,000 prisoners in Illinois are set to be released after a lawsuit settlement aimed at protecting medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19.
The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring.
Additionally, the Corrections Department will give credit for good behavior to prisoners within nine months of their release date. Up to 60 days will be given in the next month to prisoners deemed low and medium risk, the settlement states.
That will result in the immediate release of over 1,000 prisoners, according to the Uptown People’s Law Center.
Civil rights lawyers filed a federal suit in April 2020 arguing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in prisons poses “catastrophic consequences” for prisoners, staff and the communities and hospitals that serve them.
1:38 p.m. Chicago won’t open a 24-hour vaccination site yet, Arwady says
Chicago public health officials said they have no plans to open a vaccination site that would be open 24 hours a day — as some other cities have done.
At a press conference on the city’s vaccination efforts, officials were asked about the possibility of opening an around-the-clock center to speed up vaccines and increase accessibility for essential workers. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the main focus right now is increasing vaccine supply.
“At this point, there’s not plans for a 24-hour situation,” Arwady said “We’ll see what the demand looks like and we’ll see what the vaccine supply looks like.”
Chicago is set to expand vaccine eligibility next Monday to additional essential workers like those in food service and hospitality, as well as those over 16 years old with underlying health conditions. Since the start of the vaccine rollout, the city has prioritized healthcare and the first group of essential workers, according to Arwady.
“We’re always interested in new ideas, but we’ve been very focused here,” Arwady said “So, we’ll keep prioritizing those workers and we’ll see if they are more creative things we need to do to reach them.”
11:51 a.m. DoorDash now offering delivery of at-home COVID-19 tests to Chicagoans, with quick turnaround time for results
DoorDash has started offering its Chicago users same-day delivery on at-home COVID-19 test kits with quick turnaround times for results.
Through a partnership with Vault Health and Everlywell, two digital health companies, DoorDash users will be able to get a saliva or nasal swab test kit delivered to their doorstep and mail in their kit directly to a lab, receiving results in 24-48 hours, DoorDash said.
The Vault Health saliva test kit is $109 and the Everlywell nasal swab test kit is $119. Both may be reimbursed through insurance, according to the company. Both versions have been approved by the FDA for emergency use.
9:30 a.m. State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flap
State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford has resigned from the board of trustees at Loretto Hospital over how it handled revelations of improperly providing vaccinations to people not yet eligible for the shots.
“I am very disappointed with the recent developments at The Loretto Hospital regarding its use of coronavirus vaccine entrusted to the hospital,” Ford said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.
“Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to The Loretto Hospital’s Board Chairman Edward Hogan because I strongly disagreed with how the reprimand of the hospital leadership was handled. As the state representative for the hospital and as a resident in its service area, I will continue to fight for resources for The Loretto Hospital, a safety-net hospital in the Austin community.”
The hospital’s CEO George Miller and COO Dr. Anosh Ahmed have come under fire in recent days after revelations the hospital improperly provided vaccinations to workers at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lives; at a suburban church that Miller is a member of; and a luxury watch shop on the Gold Coast where Ahmed shops.
The new cases were found in a batch of 47,374 tests. As of Sunday night, 1,182 individuals with COVID-19 were reported to be in hospitals around the state. Of that number, 233 patients were in the ICU and 98 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
10:45 a.m. Here’s to ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for hotels and restaurants socked by COVID-19 restrictions
It’s no surprise the state’s latest jobs figures show the leisure and hospitality industry took quite a wallop last year, given the clamp that COVID-19 restrictions and quarantines put on the entire economy.
Still, the raw numbers released this month by the Illinois Department of Employment Security are nonetheless sobering: The number of jobs in the industry statewide plummeted from 628,000 in January 2020 to 412,000 now.
The plunge took 216,000 jobs with it. No other employment sector in the state suffered as much.
But we’re hoping three developments this month can provide a lifeline to the struggling industry: federal aid to restaurants and bars as part of the latest $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package; Illinois’ expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to include food and beverage workers; and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to gradually reopen the state’s economy, beginning next month, as more people are vaccinated.
“Our industry has been decimated,” Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia told us. “But we’re starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.”
ChicagoBulls (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bulls might be buyers and sellers before the trade deadline ends on Thursday, Mar. 25. They have been involved in many rumors revolving around the NBA community as of recent.
The roster requires work and Bulls fans know this. The new front office of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley got to work the last offseason by drafting Patrick Williams and signing Garrett Temple.
The Chicago Bulls are always going to be trying to improve their roster going forward.
Both of these moves have been working really well for the Bulls as Williams is a bonafide starter and Temple is a worthwhile defensive veteran off the bench.
It seemed that the Bulls would be waiting until the summer to really start making some changes to the roster. They will have Otto Porter Jr. off of the books and maybe even Lauri Markkanen since he and the front office failed to agree to an extension before the season began.
Before the Bulls played the Denver Nuggets earlier in the season, Karnisovas made some comments to the media about whether or not the Bulls would be making moves before the trade deadline.
“I never look at players as trade commodities. Right now, we are focused on winning games. The separation between fourth and tenth place is 1.5 games,” said Karnisovas before the game. “So, this group is doing pretty well. I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of sellers. I think we need to focus on our guys and how to get them better.”
If the Bulls are going to make a trade, they need to act fast before the deadline. Here are three trades the Bulls should be trying to make to get them into the playoffs.
As coach Porter Moser’s Loyola Ramblers kept cranking up the heat on heavily favored Illinois in the NCAA Tournament second-round upset heard ’round the basketball world, a flashback popped into my head.
It was of a boyish-looking coach named Brad Stevens patrolling the sidelines in front of Butler’s benches during the 2010 and 2011 tournaments, one big-boy-league opponent after another — Syracuse, Kansas State, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Florida — falling before him. The Bulldogs, then of the Horizon League, made it to back-to-back Final Fours and became two-time national runners-up. They were sensations. Stevens entered name-your-job, name-your-price territory.
Stevens had multiple big-time suitors, including a highly alluring one in Oregon, after the first Final Four run. Instead, he signed a 12-year contract extension. But Illinois still came after him hard after firing Bruce Weber in 2012. UCLA later took a run at Stevens. Eventually — after leading Butler to the tournament for a fifth time in six seasons — he left the mid-major school for the NBA’s Celtics.
Stevens loved Butler just like Moser loves Loyola. He was Butler just like Moser is Loyola. What is Moser — who signed an extension through the 2025-26 season after the Ramblers’ 2018 Final Four run — going to do with the rest of his career? Will he stay in Rogers Park forever? Or will he dive into the deeper end of the basketball pool, sooner or later?
In a Monday appearance on Jim Rome’s radio show, Moser was asked essentially if he can build the sort of sustained, high-end success every coach wants right where he is or if he might have to go elsewhere to take his biggest shot.
“I think there’s a little bit of both,” he said. “I feel I can do it right where we are, but it doesn’t mean that I’ll never leave. …
“I am totally entrenched in this. I ask 110% of my players, and they’re getting 110% of Porter Moser. But [speculation] has been going crazy. But that means we’re doing well.”
I tweeted about Moser and Stevens during the Illinois game, and Ramblers fans were properly aghast. Of course they don’t want their coach to leave, not soon, not ever. Of course they believe he can remain happy at Loyola, because he can. Moser has said so many times.
But, sorry, it doesn’t mean he couldn’t be happy somewhere else, too. And wealthier. And not in a one-bid league like the Missouri Valley often is. Marquette — the birthplace of the career of Rick Majerus, Moser’s late mentor — is open. Indiana is open. Utah, another Majerus stop, is open, however unlikely it is that there would be mutual appeal.
And what about DePaul? No. Forget that one.
“I want him to stay because of what he could build in Chicago,” ex-Bulls guard Jay Williams said on ESPN Radio, “but eventually I think he will go because money talks.”
That’s just one take, but a common one.
Moser and Stevens are friends from their Horizon days. After Loyola made the Final Four in 2018, Moser went to Boston to visit Stevens and pick his brain about getting back for a second time. Moser told the story this week during an ESPN appearance.
“[Stevens] said it was so hard that [first] season, just the pressure and everything,” Moser said. “But once you got in, people recognized the name, they knew you could win, they knew you could advance, they knew you could upset them. And that became a factor, and your guys played more loose.”
Moser feels that with his own team right now. However far these Ramblers get, they’re his best team yet. They’re loose. Everyone knows how good they are. They just dominated a No. 1 seed. In a sense, Moser has it all going for him.
But there’s another level to which he can ascend if he wants to try. Don’t believe for a second he won’t be thinking about it.
JUST SAYIN’
If one play from the first two rounds of the tournament is going to stick with me, it’s one of the many made by Loyola center Cameron Krutwig against Illinois.
With Krutwig off to a hot start, guard Keith Clemons threw him a difficult pass a bit too high and a bit too deep into the post. Knowing he’d be pinned to the baseline by Illini 7-footer Kofi Cockburn if he caught it, Krutwig jumped, stretched high and tapped the ball right back to Clemons for an open jumper in the lane. Clemons canned the easy shot for a 19-9 lead.
It was a maneuver right out of Larry Bird‘s bag of tricks. Fitting for this season’s winner of the Bird Trophy as MVC player of the year.
o As expected, DePaul athletic director DeWayne Peevy is leaning on his deep Kentucky ties as he searches for Dave Leitao‘s replacement. An interesting thing about candidate Kenny Payne, the longtime assistant to John Calipari: After five years at Oregon and 10 with the Wildcats, he has spent this season on the staff of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
o Sweet 16 winners, but only because you’re practically begging me to tell you: Gonzaga, Oregon, Florida State, Alabama, Baylor, Arkansas, Syracuse and — what’s it called again? — Loyola.
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