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Moon Alert

After 9 a.m. Chicago time, there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Pisces.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Tread carefully because the moon is at odds with your ruler Mars, and this makes you irritable with others. You will be quick to anger. You might imagine that you are attacked or slighted; however, these might just be excuses for you to act out. Stay chill.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Difficulties with a friend (probably a female) might occur. Or this person might be in a group to which you belong? Either way, it’s not in your best interests to be at odds with someone because this won’t promote your objectives and aims. Be patient with yourself and others.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Fiery Mars is in your sign at odds with the moon that is at the top of your chart. This means you might have trouble dealing with parents, bosses, authority figures and the police. You’ll be quick to anger or take offense. Obviously, this will not help your situation. Cool your jets.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Avoid controversial subjects like politics, religion and racial issues because these discussions could quickly mushroom into arguments. It’s not just you; others are testy as well! (People are almost looking for a reason to have a fight today.) Why even go there?

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Disputes about shared property, money or even differing values might arise because people are quick to judge; and frankly, many people are looking for a fight. You need this like a fish needs a bicycle. Therefore, avoid these situations to protect your own peace of mind.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Be as skillful as possible today when dealing with partners, spouses and close friends because if you’re not careful, before you know it, you’ll be in the heat of an argument. This does not have to happen if you are patient, because patience is the antidote to anger.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Although you are an excellent debater, you are also a people pleaser and someone who is skilled at seeing all sides of a situation. Use these qualities today to avoid arguments at work or with health-related issues or something to do with a pet.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Parents will have to be patient with their kids this because is the classic day for hissy fits and meltdowns — not only with your kids but with you, too! That’s because the moon is at odds with Mars today, which makes people annoyed and intolerant. Be gentle and kind.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Family disputes are likely today, especially in the afternoon and with a female family member. Because a family dispute does not improve your life (hardly!) do what you can to avoid these arguments. Do not poke the dragon. Stay frosty.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Your challenge today is not to lose your cool when dealing with neighbors, daily contacts, siblings and relatives. (Oh yes, you will be tempted!) You know that anger serves no purpose other than to make everyone miserable. Patience is your best ally.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Disputes about money, possessions or financial matters might arise today. (Possibly related to kids or sports events.) In either case, be diplomatic and tactful and handle this situation without anger so that everyone (including you) will have a happier day.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Today the sun, the moon, Venus and Neptune are in your sign. You will be more emotional than usual. Meanwhile, fiery Mars is at odds with the moon, which will make you irritable and short-tempered. You might be defensive because you see things as a threat. Stay chill.

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actor Terrence Howard (1969) shares your birthday. You have a strong charismatic appeal. You are courageous, risk-taking and inspirational. You are also highly individualistic. Because you are entering a new cycle, it means it’s time to define some goals to determine what you want for yourself in the next few years. Be confident and physically energetic about going after what you want. Just do it!

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Miller Kopp scored nine points to lead the Wildcats, who finish the season at 9-15

INDIANAPOLIS — Tre Williams scored 14 points and Jamal Mashburn Jr. 11 and Minnesota snapped a seven-game skid with a 51-46 win over Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament on Wednesday.

The Golden Gophers advance to take on fifth-seeded and No. 9 ranked Ohio State on Thursday.

Minnesota pulled out the win despite shooting a paltry 37% (18 for 49) while making just 10 of 24 (42%) from the foul line.

Down the stretch, however, the Wildcats didn’t help their cause when with a 46-39 lead with 4:20 to go they never scored again. Despite a 3-for-10 shooting effort, Minnesota’s Marcus Carr drained back-to-back fadeaway jumpers and 2 of 3 foul shots in a 90-second span and the Golden Gophers led 49-46 with 72 seconds left.

Carr finished with 10 points, Eric Curry grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and Brandon Johnson snared 10 boards for Minnesota.

Following a slow start, Northwestern gradually whittled its way back and took its first lead of the game at 40-38 on Miller Kopp’s jumper with 7:02 left. Kopp led Northwestern with nine points.

Both Gach made a 3-pointer and a jump shot and Mashburn Jr. made a layup and a jumper and Minnesota (14-14) built a 16-2 advantage.

Despite missing 23 of 31-shot attempts in the half, Northwestern (9-15) outscored Minnesota 11-6 in the last 4:16 of the half to reduce its deficit to 27-20 at halftime.

Minnesota entered the conference tournament as the 13th seed and the Wildcats were No. 12. Northwestern finished the conference season at 6-13 and the Golden Gophers 6-14. Northwestern beat Minnesota 67-59 at Minneapolis in the lone regular season game they played against each other.

The Golden Gophers moved their record to 6-2 against Northwestern in conference tournament play.

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The boy, 17, was walking about 7:10 p.m. when someone in a gray Mercedes fired shots at him in the 5100 block of South Indiana Avenue, Chicago police said.

A teenage boy was critically wounded in a shooting Wednesday in Washington Park on the South Side.

The boy, 17, was walking about 7:10 p.m. when someone in a gray Mercedes fired shots at him in the 5100 block of South Indiana Avenue, Chicago police said.

He was struck in the arm and back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

Area One detectives are investigating.

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The No. 19 Rams beat host St. Rita 55-35 on Wednesday. It was their third game in three days. 

DePaul Prep has a very solid starting five and a couple of key players that come off the bench. But that’s about it. Rams coach Tommy Kleinschmidt does not have a lot of depth.

That isn’t always a problem during a normal high school basketball season, but this isn’t a normal season. The No. 19 Rams beat host St. Rita 55-35 on Wednesday. It was their third game in three days.

“It’s always difficult to play three games in a row but we get a lot of treatment,” DePaul Prep senior TY Johnson said. “Our coaches help us through it. Even at home we try to take care of our bodies as much as possible.”

The Rams knocked off Brother Rice on Monday and won at Leo on Tuesday.

“We came out flat last night against Leo,” DePaul Prep senior Rasheed Bello said. “So we had to pick it up this game and play hard and physical and not let them have anything easy.”

Bello and Johnson both played well in the first quarter and got the Rams (11-2, 10-2 Catholic League Blue) off to a good start. But St. Rita dominated the second quarter and cut DePaul’s lead to five by halftime.

Bello, a Wisconsin-Parkside recruit, and Johnson, a Loyola recruit, completely dominated the second half. Their ball handling ability allowed the Rams to spread the floor and have long possessions.

“We weren’t holding the ball or anything but we wanted to try and get them out and spread things out a little bit and drive,” Kleinschmidt said. “The start of the half was the key to the game. We were seniors tonight. We knew we had to come out strong in the third quarter and make sure their young team didn’t get to build any confidence.”

Bello led the Rams with 17 points and Johnson scored 16. Senior Jabari Sawyer added seven points.

DePaul Prep has two talented bigs, 6-10 senior Brian Mathews and 6-9 junior Dylan Arnett. Their consistency will be a key factor in the Rams’ quarterfinal game against Young in the Chipotle Clash of Champions on Friday at St. Patrick. The Dolphins are loaded with players taller than 6-5.

“They are going to be really important,” Bello said. “We have to trust in them as a team. Our coaching staff has trust in them and they will be ready to play.”

St. Rita (4-7, 4-5) has taken its lumps this season while getting its talented young core some valuable experience. The group that Mustangs coach Roshawn Russell has assembled lived up to the hype, for the most part, this season.

James Brown, the state’s top-ranked freshman, had seven points and six rebounds. Morez Johnson, another highly-regarded freshman, added six points and six rebounds. Senior Christian Henry led the Mustangs with 11 points. Sophomore Bryce Coleman, who transferred from St. Joseph shortly before the season, added five points. Freshman Josh Pickett and sophomore Solomon Mosley started and sophomore Evan Jackson played significant minutes off the bench.

“I’ll be honest, I feel for our seniors,” Russell said. “Guys like [Henry] are getting their first experience taking some losses. But the future is really bright. If this was a normal year, come playoff time I don’t think anybody would want to play us. We’re getting better every game.”

Watch the final minute of St. Rita at DePaul Prep:

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With the Bulls catching a break against suddenly undermanned Philadelphia on Thursday, that’s great for the short term. The long term, however, is about keeping Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr. healthy, as well as continuing to make and take phone calls on the trade front.

A week ago, the script for the start of the second half of the season read more like a horror movie.

Lurking in the paint of the United Center would be a 7-foot monster who singled handedly slashed up the smallish Bulls less than three weeks ago, as Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid put up 50 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 76ers win.

And he was expected to bring a plus-one in the Thursday rematch, with fellow All-Star Ben Simmons in the mix. The Bulls didn’t have to even game-plan for Simmons back in February, thanks to the guard dealing with a bad calf.

Now it seems they won’t have to game-plan for either, with both Simmons and Embiid sidelined because of contract tracing in the league’s coronavirus protocol.

Just the latest reminder of why scripts and projections in this unpredictable season are only as good as the nearest garbage can they can be tossed into.

“Philly’s gonna have some guys out,’’ coach Billy Donovan said after the Wednesday night practice. “I think it’s really happening to everybody across the league, to your point. And I don’t know if everybody the whole year can honestly say that their team has been completely whole, you know, with the number of games, rest, injuries, COVID, contact tracing, guys having to sit because somebody got COVID and they were around each other. So, there’s been guys that have really been healthy and been able to play that have been ruled out because they’re involved in contact tracing.

“Every night it may look a little bit different. But also I think your team could look a lot different each night too.’’

Which the Bulls finally will.

Donovan will be bringing more ammunition to this fight with undermanned Philadelphia, as the coach indicated that both Lauri Markkanen (right shoulder sprain) and Otto Porter Jr. (back) each went through full contact practices and should be ready to go.

Markkanen, who was averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game before missing the last 13 contests, was expected to return to the starting lineup, while Porter, who has missed the last 15 games, was returning to his role off the bench.

“The team is playing really well,’’ Markkanen said. “I’m excited to be back with them. Hopefully I can help them, help us be even better. We obviously put the work in and now obviously we don’t have that many practices. So we don’t have that time on the floor, but we just got to talk about things and be watching film. I’m sure it’s going to be fine.’’

The Bulls needs it to be. A healthy Markkanen and Porter should make them better, but also opens up options.

With the Mar. 25 trade deadline approaching, it would be easier to talk deal with every asset healthy and playing. While Donovan said there was no formal organizational meeting over the break, there have been frequent gatherings with the front office and coaches, discussing the trade landscape as well as the roster that’s currently in the Advocate Center.

“I think [Arturas Karnisovas is] always going to look to field phone calls and take phone calls from different teams, make phone calls,’’ Donovan said of his vice president of basketball operations. “That’s his job. In talking to him we feel good about the growth of the team and the team improving and getting better. Like I said before the break started, we are not excited or happy with being under .500, but I think the guys have done a good job and we are trying to get better. Those will be conversations I think between Arturas and I that will continue on for the next couple of weeks leading up to the deadline.’’

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In a sign that their may be an imminent trade of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, online sportsbooks have removed futures bets regarding the next team that Wilson will play for and that could signal money for the Chicago Bears. In Chicago, the Bet Rivers Sportsbook no longer offers the ability to bet on the […]

Chicago Bears News: Russell Wilson futures bet taken down – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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An anonymous online survey is seeking gamblers’ input as the state assesses addiction in Illinois for the first time in a generation.

Addiction treatment specialists are asking for gamblers’ two cents as they try to get a handle on how big an issue problem gambling is across Illinois.

State-contracted researchers on Wednesday pushed an online survey targeting residents who regularly lay wagers on anything from bingo and lottery games to slot machines and sports betting apps — legally or otherwise, including underground dogfighting and cockfighting.

The anonymous survey is part of a statewide assessment of gambling addiction being conducted through the Illinois Department of Human Services, which aims to connect problem gamblers with counselors.

Nationally, an estimated 3% of the population deal with gambling problems, but it’s hard to say if that applies in Illinois because the issue hasn’t been studied at the state level in more than 20 years.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Illinois gambling has changed a lot over that period, especially with a 2019 gambling expansion law that promises to add thousands of slot machines and a handful of new casinos to a state that already offers more places to bet than Las Vegas.

There’s now action to be had anywhere a cellphone signal can reach, thanks to the advent of online sports betting, while calls to the state’s gambling disorder hotline have more than doubled over the past two years.

That’s a concern for experts who agree addiction follows opportunity, but “data about the impact of at-risk and problem gambling in the state of Illinois are very limited,” according to Hannah Carliner of Health Resources in Action. The Boston-based public health research firm is spearheading the $500,000 study that was mandated with Illinois’ latest gaming expansion.

“We are particularly interested in including the voices of vulnerable populations or those marginalized due to race, culture or socio-economic disparities,” Carliner said during the Illinois Gaming Board’s meeting for March, which is designated as Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

Sue Ogrocki/AP file

Researchers want to hear from people who consider themselves “frequent” gamblers, even if they don’t consider it a problem.

The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. Participants who choose to provide an email address can receive a $30 e-gift card. Responses are confidential.

To take part, visit bit.ly/ILGamblingSurvey, which is a case-sensitive address.

Officials say they’ll release a report on the study this summer.

For more information on problem gambling support, call 1-800-GAMBLER or text “ILGAMB” to 53342.

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There’s much to do in the week ahead in Chicago.

From the vault

The Goodman Theatre opens its “video vault” for the free Encore series, which features streams of four past productions. First up is Christina Anderson’s “How to Catch Creation” (March 15-28), a drama that moves back and forth over 44 years and examines the bonds that hold people together. The series also features Raquel Carrío’s “Pedro Páramo” (March 29-April 11), Noah Haidle’s “Smokefall” (April 12-25) and Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” (April 26-May 9). For reservations, visit goodmantheatre.org.

California streamin’

Provided

The next installment of American Blues Theater’s “The Garage” series takes a trip to the groovy Laurel Canyon music scene of the 1960s. The live stream “California Dreamin’ — The Songs of Laurel Canyon” features ensemble members Michael Mahler and Dana Cameron (with a possible guest appearance by their toddler son Ezra) performing timeless classics by The Mamas and the Papas, James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, CSNY, The Byrds, The Eagles and more. Streams at 7 p.m. March 12. Tickets: $25 suggested donation. Visit americanbluestheater.com.

Irish dance & music

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with The National Dance Company of Ireland’s “Rhythm of the Dance.” The richly costumed show marries the contemporary and the ancient, combining traditional music with modern forms of Irish step dancing and song while showcasing a wealth of Irish talent, including World and Irish Champion dancers and some of the finest Irish musicians and singers. Streams, via the McAninch Arts Center, at 7 p.m. March 13 and on demand through March 17. Tickets: $25. Visit atthemac.org.

Puccini & Porchlight

Hershey Felder’s Live from Florence performance series continues with “Hershey Felder, Puccini.” In addition to Felder portraying the great Italian opera composer, the production also features performances by three opera stars: tenor Charles Castronovo, soprano Gianna Corbisiero and baritone Nathan Gunn. Livestreamed from Lucca, Italy, in the home where Giacomo Puccini was born, the show features music from “La boheme,” “Tosca” and “Madama Butterfly.” The tribute begins at 7 p.m. March 14 with on demand access continuing to March 21. Tickets: $55 (a portion of the ticket sales benefit Porchlight Music Theatre). Visit porchlightmusictheatre.org.

Mandela’s mission

Courtesy Illinois Holocaust Museum

The Illinois Holocaust Museum’s new exhibit “Mandela: Struggle for Freedom,” explores the fight for justice and human dignity in South Africa led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela. The exhibit features interactive exhibits, artifacts, oral histories, videos and art plus a replica of the tiny prison cell where Mandela spent 18 years, a “wall of laws” comprised of apartheid signs and laws based solely on skin color and a young Mandela’s first television interview in 1961. To Sept. 12 at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, 9603 Woods Dr., Skokie. Admission: $6-$15. Visit ilholocaustmuseum.org.

Become a star

Lakshal Perera

Children and families are the stars of “Mountain Goat Mountain,” an interactive, immersive theater experience presented by Filament Theatre in partnership with the Australian company Threshold. During the 45-minute inventive experience, families are guided by a narrative soundscape to create their own magic with simple items such as a bed sheet, a phone or computer, pencils and paper. The at-home adventure streams through March 21. Tickets: $15 allows families 30 days of unlimited, on-demand access. Visit filamenttheatre.org.

One family’s story

Provided

While many know Davy Rothbart as the creator of Found Magazine and a contributor to “This American Life,” he’s also an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker whose latest venture is the documentary “17 Blocks,” now streaming via the Music Box Theatre. The unique film was made in a collaboration that began in 1999 when 9-year-old Emmanuel Sanford-Durant and his Washington, D.C., family began filming their daily lives in their dangerous neighborhood just 17 blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The result is a decades-long chronicle of one family’s deeply personal saga. RogerEbert.com calls the effort “a remarkably raw and heartfelt piece of filmmaking.” Tickets: $12. Visit musicboxtheatre.com.

Virtual stage

Kamille Dawkins

Strawdog Theatre concludes its virtual season with Karissa Murrell Myers’ “How Do We Navigate Space,” a series of performances inspired by the events of 2020. Streams March 15-April 18. Tickets: $15 or pay-what-you-can. Visit strawdog.com. … Theatre in the Dark presents Corey Bradberry’s audio adaptation of Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.” Streams March 11-April 10. Tickets: $20-$30 or pay-what-you-can. Visit theatreinthedark.com. … At Northlight Theatre find Lauren Gunderson’s newest work “The Catastrophist,” a solo piece inspired by her virus-hunter husband Nathan Wolfe. Streams March 11-31. Tickets: $30. Visit norhtlight.org. … Links Hall presents the latest edition of “Nasty, Brutish & Short,” an adults-only cabaret featuring new works of puppetry. Streams at 8 p.m. March 15. Tickets: $10-$15. Visit linkshall.org.

Mary Houlihan is a local freelance writer.

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When people are going to ballgames, when the economy’s growing and life feels normal again, any GOP plans to sandbag Democrats in midterm elections may not work out.

So it turns out that the whole time Sleepy Joe Biden was hiding in the basement, he was working on a plan to render congressional Republicans irrelevant. Which, for the foreseeable future, they certainly are.

If you don’t remember — and why should you? — the GOP literally had no party platform in 2020. It was Trump, Trump, Trump. A cult of personality. What they didn’t count on was a strong majority of Americans being all Trumped-out. And so now, they’ve got nothing to talk about.

Except, oh yes, the budget deficit. A deficit that increased by 36%, leading many to doubt that it was ever such a terrible threat to begin with. Washington Republicans who stood quiet as deficits soared over the past four years are donning green eyeshades and calling themselves “fiscal conservatives” again.

And the public response is, “Yeah, whatever.”

Meanwhile, although President Biden’s crucial $1.9 trillion COVID relief package squeaked through Congress without a single Republican vote, it was unanimously endorsed by the GOP-majority National Governors Association. Unanimously, as in every single one. And don’t look now, but the governors are also pushing hard for massive infrastructure investment, the next big item on Biden’s agenda.

Something Trump yammered about for four years, but did nothing about. Exactly like his long-promised health care plan.

Hint: Neither plan ever existed.

Biden understood that congressional Republicans were stuck in Trump/McConnell mode and had no intention of seriously negotiating on the COVID relief bill, so he went big. Polls showed that upwards of 77% of Americans supported the bill, but not one GOP senator or congress member.

People, it’s hard to get 77% approval of March Madness or pepperoni pizza. And they all voted against it? Exactly what do they want to talk about, then? Oh yeah: Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head.

Neither of which Joe Biden has said a single word about, but I digress.

The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson got it exactly right: “If Biden can’t get Republicans to vote for a bill that three-quarters of the public supports, he probably can’t get them to vote for anything. He should keep reaching across the aisle, but shouldn’t expect anyone to reach back.”

True, 10 Republican senators offered a laughable compromise bill less than one-third the size of the administration’s. Biden made nice with them, but when Lucy put down the football, he made no attempt to kick it.

As a result, by this time next year, God willing, the COVID pandemic could be a sad memory — thanks to Biden’s use of FEMA and the National Guard to supercharge the vaccine rollout. And when people are going to ballgames and concerts, when the economy’s growing and life feels normal again, any GOP plans to sandbag Democrats in midterm elections may not work out.

This bill will transform American life.

Then there’s all the stuff Biden’s not doing. He won’t help Trump acolytes stir the pot. He won’t rise to the bait. He’s not so much the anti-Trump as the un-Trump. If Biden has even mentioned his predecessor’s name since moving into the White House, I can’t recall it. Instead of being the embattled emcee of a reality TV program, he governs.

When there’s a weather-related disaster in Texas, the president of the United States shows up. He doesn’t pick fights with the governor or throw paper towels, he commiserates and offers practical assistance. When 97-year-old former Sen. Bob Dole, the 1996 GOP presidential candidate — a World War II hero and the living embodiment of America’s “Greatest Generation” — announced that he’d been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, Biden went to visit his old friend at his home. Common decency.

Trump did and said nothing, possibly because while Dole supported his 2020 reelection campaign, in mid-December he told The Kansas City Star, “The election is over and (Joe) Biden will be president on Jan. 20. I know the president has not conceded and he may never concede, but he will not be in the White House on Jan. 21.”

Meanwhile, if the former inhabitant expects the Biden White House to enlist in his constant public feuds, he’ll be disappointed. This president appears to understand that the more conflict he engenders, the more fiercely people will oppose him. So he’s dialed it down, emphasizing empathy and competence over repartee. Probably this behavior comes naturally to a 78-year-old back-patter and schmoozer.

So far it’s definitely working. People don’t wake up either titillated or dreading what their president has done overnight. And while a strong majority of Republicans think Biden somehow cheated his way into the White House, they no longer seem to feel very strongly about it. Along with strong support for his COVID relief bill, some 70% approve of how he’s handling the pandemic.

But then, Biden never promised to unify Washington, he promised to unify the country.

Gene Lyons is a columnist with the Arkansas Times.

Send letters to [email protected].

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The Chicago band’s founder Billy Corgan called her ‘wise beyond her years, whip smart, cool but not hipster-prone.’

Melissa Matuzak grew up in a small Michigan town, moved to Detroit the day after high school graduation and worked her way up from passing out concert flyers to managing the Smashing Pumpkins.

Organized, driven and possessed of a reputation for solving problems before they could fester, she reinvented herself as a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago, working on wrongful-conviction cases and a bid to reduce the sentence of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“She’d had experience managing people, experience with all the kinds of things on the road,” said defense lawyer Andrea Lyon, a former dean of Valparaiso University Law School. “Her ability to see the center of the case, what the real question was, was really amazing.”

Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan posted on Instagram that she was “wise beyond her years, whip smart, cool but not hipster-prone; as evidenced by her responsible work in the music business at such a young age.”

Ms. Matuzak died Friday of bile duct cancer. She was 51.

In her off hours, Ms. Matuzak sang in the band The Drawers and kept bees at her West Side home. She and her husband Joe Vanderstappen gave away the honey under the label “K-Town Honey.”

Corgan, who met her in Detroit in the early 1990s, posted this about her: “I used to tell Melissa that she had a quality that reminded me of my Mother (let’s called [sic] it a somewhat detached ability to be above the fray of human drama, but somehow not lose one’s empathy in it or or towards it). . . .this is how we first connected: I, the upstart in some band coming through town, and she as the rep in the front office who was to make sure that young punks like us were happy and didn’t tear up the dressing rooms.”

Around 2000, Corgan said, they wound up managing the Smashing Pumpkins together.

She also worked with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and other up-and-coming bands, according to her husband.

Posting on Facebook, Michigan club owner and promoter Amir Daiza wrote of Ms. Matuzak: “You are responsible for the success of the Detroit music scene 30 years ago.”

Young Melissa grew up in Alpena, Michigan. Her father Bradley was a heavy equipment operator at a quarry.

“She was not a small-town girl in her mind,” said her friend Jill Schumacher.

Ms. Matuzak’s husband said she left for Detroit the day after she finished high school.

She started working at Ritual, a concert promotion company, booking shows at venues including Detroit’s St. Andrew’s Hall, according to Schumacher, who worked for her.

“She embedded herself quickly in the music scene there and made a name for herself as a concert promoter,” her husband said. “She didn’t take any bull—.”

Provided

In 1998, she moved to Chicago. She met Vanderstappen, a metal artisan, when he was working next door to the Smashing Pumpkins’ recording studio. After a first date at Garfield Park Conservatory, she left for a Pumpkins tour.

“A lot of our courtship was old-fashioned, over the phone,” he said.

They got married in 2017.

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago, she started law school at DePaul University.

“She always had this principled sense, this moral sense,” her husband said. “She never screwed anyone over. She believed in equal treatment under the law.”

Another instructor at DePaul, attorney Leonard Goodman, remembered how, as a paralegal, she combed through thousands of documents in a federal securities-fraud case until “she was able to find the gold” — evidence that led to a not guilty verdict. She spotted letters that showed the defendant had been duped by a con man, Goodman said.

Later, she helped win a not guilty verdict in a first–degree murder case in downstate Illinois.

“She did a lot of good in a short career,” Goodman said.

Lyon, who was one of her law school professors, said Ms. Matuzak helped get John Fulton and Anthony Mitchell exonerated in a 2003 murder case.

Lyon, who is helping to organize a DePaul scholarship fund in her name, said she treasures a moment from Ms. Matuzak’s graduation. Lyon had given her a decorative pin with a sword–and-rose design that previously had been given to her by New Mexico defense attorney Randi McGinn.

“She walks across the stage, stops in front of me, crosses her arms over her chest and bows,” Lyon said.

Ms. Matuzak is also survived by her mother Barbara Burton and brother Bradley. Funeral arrangements are pending, according to her husband.

He said she didn’t like President Donald Trump, so, “I’m glad that she lived to see him get booted out of office.”

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