ChicagoBears vs. Minnesota Vikings (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Figuring out the single best 2020 NFL Draft pick made by each of the four NFC North teams.
It was certainly an interesting 2020 NFL Draft for all teams in the NFC North. The Chicago Bears did not have a first-round pick, but they were able to find players who can immediately help them on both sides of the ball. The Minnesota Vikings had a pair of first-round selections and ended up making 15 selections throughout the entire three-day process, which is more than any team has made in a single draft since the NFL Draft went to seven rounds.
The Detroit Lions undoubtedly improved their roster, starting with the selection of star cornerback prospect Jeffery Okudah at No. 3 overall. Then, there are the Green Bay Packers. The Packers certainly had an interesting 2020 NFL Draft class, but we will dig more into that later.
This is already a tough and competitive division with all four teams having a legitimate shot to make a run for the top spot. The Packers are likely still the favorites, but the Vikings cannot be close behind. We know that the Bears can be dangerous if they can just figure out their quarterback situation. The Lions were 3-12-1 last season, but if Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, they undoubtedly have enough talent on both sides of the ball to make a run.
Simply put, there are four good football teams in this division and each of them has a chance to be competitive in 2020. How were these teams able to help themselves in the 2020 NFL Draft? Let’s take a look, as we select the single best selection made by each team throughout the seven-round event.
A 17-year-old boy and a 30-year-old man were hurt after someone opened fire Friday in West Garfield Park.
They were on a sidewalk about 9 p.m. in the 3800 block of West Maypole Avenue when a beige-colored vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, Chicago police said.
The duo suffered injuries as they moved to avoid the gunfire and were not shot, police said.
Police originally reported the pair suffered gunshot wounds.
The Chicago Bears made a franchise-altering mistake in 2017 and Deshaun Watson confirmed that they didn’t do the proper due diligence.
The Chicago Bears and their moves in the 2017 NFL Draft are a popular topic of conversation these days. They traded up to select Mitchell Trubisky from North Carolina University. They left behind Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson who were selected later by the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans respectively. Those two teams made the playoffs and ended up meeting in said playoffs en route to Mahomes and the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl.
It was a franchise-altering mistake made by Chicago as Trubisky didn’t even have his fifth-year option picked up while Watson and Mahomes are both arguably top-five quarterbacks in the National Football League. Mahomes turned out to be the best of the three but Watson was the most coveted coming out of college according to a lot of scouts. He had just had an amazing season with the Clemson Tigers en route to a National Championship.
Watson put out a tweet on Friday night that should absolutely infuriate Chicago Bears fans. There was speculation that the Bears never even talked to him which shows how inept of an organization they are.
Well, Watson confirmed it with a tweet stating that the Chicago Bears never even talked to him. That is one of the most difficult things to swallow as a fan. They have one of the best defenses in the league if not the best but they don’t have a quarterback that can help them out by scoring enough points to win.
How could the Bears not even talk to Watson? Mahomes is a bit of a different story because he rose to the top in a little bit of a surprising manner. Watson was a superstar at Clemson and a lot of people had him highly touted. The fact that they didn’t even talk to him shows that Ryan Pace and his staff are pretty awful. They put together an all-world defense but can’t be smart enough to get themselves the right quarterback.
Even if the Bears did talk to him and didn’t meet with him in person, they handled the entire 2017 so horribly. If Watson is lying that makes this story so much more interesting but the fact of the matter is that they let two all-world quarterbacks slip away in favor of one who is borderline terrible.
Just how long do you think that Illinois can survive the vice grip that you and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot with which you are crushing the economy with?
I’ve moved from Illinois, so I guess I shouldn’t care anymore, but it’s still my hometown, and you squeezing the crap out of it with your insanity.
The Illinois Policy Institute (yes, I know that you and your ilk ignore it because it’s just a bunch of crazy right wingers who care only about themselves) now report that
ILLINOIS’ ECONOMY SHRINKING BY MORE THAN $183M PER DAY AS STATE APPROACHES 1M NEW JOBLESS CLAIMS
The details:
The state’s unemployment rate is nearly 18% – around 50% higher than the worst months of the Great Recession.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Policy Institute estimates that Illinois’ gross domestic product shrank by 7.4% on an annualized basis, bringing the current economic cost to more than $183 million each day.
For context, during the worst period of the Great Recession, economic activity was 5.5% lower than at the previous peak in December 2007. Unfortunately, fiscal mismanagement resulted in an anemic Illinois recovery with real gross domestic product growing at an average annual rate of only 1.29% since the trough of the Great Recession in June 2009.
Just continue down the road that you’re taking and default is in your future. Whatever the fed gives you because of the pandemic, it won’t make a dent in the direction that you’re heading.
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The off button for the auto stop/start engine on the 2021 Kia Seltos is on the dash to the left of the steering wheel. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)
If you haven’t bought a car in the last few years, you might not be familiar with the blight called auto stop/start popping up in most cars today. So, it’s worth a quick explanation because if you’re in the market for a new car soon, you could be in for a rude awakening if you don’t know what this is — and how (or if!) you can disable it.
When fuel economy standards got stricter, automakers started looking for ways to cut fuel consumption in their vehicles. That’s why you started to see a spate of cars that were all swoopy and aerodynamic. This is also when the blasted auto stop/start feature started to make its way into vehicles.
The basic function of this feature is to stop the engine from using fuel when it’s idle — like at a stop light or railroad crossing. In theory, it makes logical, practical sense to do something like this. In practice, (and in my opinion) it kind of sucks — especially if you’re in a vehicle where the feature cannot be disabled.
What happens is this: The vehicle comes to a complete stop, the engine shuts off. As long as your foot stays on the brake, the engine remains off. Lift your foot off the brake to prepare to move, and the engine turns back on.
Again, in theory, not a bad idea.
But in most cases, what actually happens is something like this: The vehicle sputters and shakes as the engine shuts off. The heating and cooling system is muted, so you only get fan air blown in your face. The steering wheel sometimes locks up. And occasionally, there are a couple heartbeats between when you take your foot off the brake and the engine shudders back to life. So, if you’re trying to make a quick left turn into traffic, that hesitation could be just enough to cause a problem.
If this feature only activated when stopped more than say 5 seconds, it might be slightly less annoying. But living in a place like Chicago — where there’s a stop sign on every corner — means your engine turns off then on, off then on, off then on at every stop sign. Don’t even get me started on the off then on, off then on, off then on that happens when you’re in stop-and-go traffic.
In case you aren’t reading between the lines, I loathe this feature. I have yet to find a vehicle that implements it well enough that I don’t shut it off — that is if it can be shut off.
Most automakers will give you a button that has an A with a circle around it (see featured image above), which allows you to turn the feature off. Yay! However, most automakers do not make this a permanent one-and-done fix. You have to turn it off every time you switch the car on, which is kind of annoying.
Even more annoying is when the automaker hides the off switch. Subaru and Volvo both hide the off switch inside the infotainment display screen a couple pages deep.
The one saving grace of the auto stop/start engine feature on the 2020 Subaru Outback is that the system shows you how long the engine has been off and how much fuel you’ve saved. Granted, it’s not much in a week, but it would build up over time. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)
One thing Subaru does that almost makes me curious enough to leave the auto stop/start engine feature engaged: When you are stopped, it will show you how long your engine has been off and how much fuel you’ve saved. While the image above shows the minuscule amount I got in a week, this would build up over time and (maybe?) be satisfying enough to deal with the annoyance.
Most annoying, however, is when an automaker won’t let you turn this feature off. Period. You’re stuck with it. Thus far, I’ve only seen General Motors go this route — but only on some of their vehicles. For example, they force auto stop/start on you in Chevrolets but Cadillacs. I’ve heard rumors this is changing and an off switch may be coming to Chevrolet — at least in some vehicles — but I haven’t seen it. yet myself.
If you are stuck in a vehicle that won’t let you turn it off or you mostly like it, I have found a couple of cheats to turn it off. The easiest cheat: As soon as the engine shuts down, take your foot off the brake until the engine turns back on then put your foot back on the brake. That usually keeps it off for the duration of your stop.
If you’re in a manual transmission vehicle that has this feature, simply keep your foot on the clutch while at a stop and auto stop/start won’t activate.
In Chevrolets that don’t have an off switch, shift into manual mode and tap the plus sign on the gear shift until the display shows you’re in ninth gear (or whatever the top gear is). The car will still move you through the gears normally and auto stop/start doesn’t activate. I asked a GM engineer once if this would damage the car or the transmission, and they said no.
While I don’t hate the idea of stop/start in theory, I just wish it would be a little smoother with the implementation — and I really wish it wouldn’t mute the HVAC system.
If I ever see a day when my husband doesn’t shut this feature off (sometimes I leave it on to test his reaction — he hates it more than I do), I’ll know automakers have finally managed to work out the kinks and will circle back to this post.
Joining the Bears and the Bulls, the Cubs and White Sox now have their own face masks with team logos on them. Major League Baseball and Fanatics will support the All-in Challenge Foundation by donating proceeds from sales.
If you’re familiar with Schöfferhofer, it’s probably because you’ve had their incredibly drinkable grapefruit hef, a 50/50 blend of authentic unfiltered German Hefeweizen and carbonated grapefruit juice. A few years back, I actually wrote a piece about using it in a few cocktails. If you’re a grapefruit fan, you should definitely check it out!
Today, I’ll be talking about Schöfferhofer Pomegranate, a beer released in 2017. Like Schöfferhofer Grapefruit, Schöfferhofer Pomegranate is a 50/50 blend of hefeweizen and fruit juice, but it comes in at a slightly stronger 3.2% ABV. Though both are made with a hefeweizen base, these refreshing brews would probably remind you of a radler or shandy, which are typically made with something like a pils.
Their refreshing nature and low-ABV make them fantastic for avoiding the buzz or mixing. That is exactly why I’ll be sharing some great cocktails and punches you can make using the pomegranate as the weather warms up. You’ll find a few of my favorites below.
Tropical Pomegranate Punch
1/2 bottle Schöfferhofer Pomegranate
1/2 can Mango White Claw
2 oz. (60ml) Bacardi Coconut
1.5 oz. (45ml) pineapple juice
1.5 oz. (45ml) freshly-squeezed lime juice
This has a super easy to drink, island-vibes kinda feel to it. Serve it in oversized tiki glasses with crushed ice and an umbrella. You’ll have everything you need besides the beach. Sub out the Bacardi for something lower proof like Parrot Bay if you want to keep it mellow or you can go big by opting for something like 90 proof Parrot Bay.
Upscale Vodka Pom
2 oz. (60ml) vodka of choice
1 oz. (30ml) freshly-squeezed lime juice
3 oz. Schöfferhofer Pomegranate
This one is pretty straight forward. If you like vodka crans, you’ll love this. EZPZ.
Pom Cosmo
2.5 oz. (75ml) citrus vodka of choice
1 oz. (30ml) triple sec
3/4 oz. (45ml) lime juice
2 oz. (60 ml) Schöfferhofer Pomegranate
Powdered sugar rim
Here we’ve subbed out the cranberry traditionally found in a cosmo with a heavy pour of Schöfferhofer Pomegranate to help the flavor shine through. It’s a nice variation on a traditional comso that drinks a little longer due to the added volume.
Schöfferhofer Martini
2 oz. (60ml) gin
1 oz (30ml) Schöfferhofer Pomegranate
1 dash Angostura orange bitters
This worked incredibly well to my surprise. I opted for Hendrick’s gin because I enjoy how floral it is, but you could easily make this with Plymouth for something a little more refined a well. If you’re a vodka drinker, this would absolutely work, but I’m not a fan of how neutral vodkas tend to be.
If you’re interested in additional Schöfferhofer cocktail recipes you can find some of their recommendations here. They have three signature cocktails for the grapefruit and pomegranate variants, so if you don’t see something that sounds good above, think about giving their recipes a try.
Cheers!
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*I was sent a 4-pack of Schöfferhofer Pomegranate to sample prior to writing this article. All opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this piece. None of the links in this article are affiliate links either.
As a born and bred Midwesterner, beer is in my blood. Cocktails however, are something I’ve learned to love over time. Hoppy Times and Mixed Moments highlights the Midwestern craft beer and cocktail scene in a holistic manner, focusing on everything from the brewers and bartenders to the taprooms and lounges. If you’ve got questions, comments or just want some help getting the word out about your next project, send me an email at [email protected].
The Chicago real estate market went down the toilet in April
April is the Chicago real estate market’s first full month with the coronavirus stay at home order and its repercussions. And the picture is not pretty. And it will get worse before it gets better.
First, April closings were down 21.0% from last April. However, you should note that the Illinois Association of Realtors will report it as a 22.2% decline in about 2 weeks because that’s the way they roll. Of course, the other obvious factoid from the graph below – all Aprils are flagged in red – is that this was the lowest April sales in 8 years. None of this is helping that light blue moving trend line that has been trending downward for a couple of years now. It just took another hit – which would have been great if we were plotting the trend of Covid-19 cases here but we’re not.
Chicago home sales have been declining now for several years but the Coronavirus really tanked the market in April
Chicago Home Contract Activity
So here’s the thing…it’s going to get worse. Check out my contract activity graph below. April was down a whopping 54.4% from last year, which is the biggest percentage loss for any month since I’ve been tracking this. It’s also the lowest level for an April since I’ve been collecting the data. Because closings usually follow contracts by 1 – 2 months this means that closings in May and beyond are going to really suck compared to even April.
Of course, if you’ve been following my weekly Covid-19 updates none of this is a surprise to you.
Chicago home sale contract activity plummeted to a record low for an April due to Coronavirus concerns.
Pending Home Sales
It should be no surprise then that pending home sales also fell to the lowest level for an April since I’ve been tracking that data. The backlog of homes waiting to close plunged by 1746 units vs. last year at this time. That’s actually roughly equivalent to the drop in contract activity as you would expect. The trendline had been looking like it was leveling off but not anymore.
The backlog of homes likely to close in the next 1 – 2 months has fallen to record lows for this time of year in parallel with the decline in contract activity
Distressed Home Sales
The percentage of home sales that are distressed seems to be continuing its long term trend, falling to 4.1% from 6.3%. Since the sale of distressed properties is less sensitive to timing considerations like the infection rate of a population it’s possible that we will actually see this percentage increase temporarily in the next few months.
Since the housing crisis the percentage of home sales that are distressed has steadily declined.
Chicago Home Inventory
For the next few months I’m going to step away from the canned inventory reports. I don’t like the way they calculate their months of supply in an environment like we have right now. When the market is behaving more predictably I think their methodology is probably adequate but right now things are exceptionally dynamic. Rather than spend a lot of time exposing the shortcomings of the canned report let me focus on how I think we should be calculating months of supply: basically homes available for sale in a given month divided by contract activity in that same month. The measure of homes available for sale that is readily available to me looks at homes for sale at any time during the month – not just the end of the month.
On this basis I get the graph below which shows seasonal peaks around September – December and seasonal troughs around March – May. Except this year. You can see in the graph how the April numbers have jumped up. Detached inventory went from 3.2 months supply last year to 3.9 months this year. Attached inventory went from 3.0 months to 5.9 months. As I’ve mentioned in my weekly updates condos seem to have been hit harder than single family homes.
There are actually two different opposing forces at work here. First, new listing activity is down by more than 50% and that has resulted in 20% fewer homes on the market in total. However, contract activity is also down by more than 50% so when you divide the homes for sale by contracts written it gives you more months of supply. So this tips the balance between supply and demand in favor of buyers despite the fact that buyers actually have fewer homes to look at.
The months of supply of detached home inventory in Chicago has declined while attached home inventory has risen but the pandemic has pushed up the inventory of both housing types in April
Chicago Home Sale Market Times
One of the key metrics to watch in order to find out how all these different factors net out is market time – for the homes that closed in a given month how long did it take for them to go under contract. When homes are selling faster it’s an indication that the market is tipping in favor of sellers. And that’s actually happening to a small extent.
For attached homes (condos) the time to sell has dropped by a mere 1 day, from 76 days to 75 days. However, it’s been a little bit better for detached homes which have seen their market times go from 99 days to 91. That’s roughly consistent with the inventory story, though a drop is a little surprising in light of higher inventory levels.
The time it takes to sell condos/ townhomes and single family homes are recently converging.
Gary Lucido is the President of Lucid Realty, the Chicago area’s full service real estate brokerage that offers home buyer rebates and discount commissions. If you want to keep up to date on the Chicago real estate market or get an insider’s view of the seamy underbelly of the real estate industry you can Subscribe to Getting Real by Email using the form below. Please be sure to verify your email address when you receive the verification notice.
After 20 years in the corporate world and running an Internet company, Gary started Lucid Realty with his partner, Sari. The company provides full service, while discounting commissions for sellers and giving buyers rebates.
As news headlines warn of a rash as a potential sign of coronavirus, food allergy experts find their awareness campaign has taken on a unique urgency.
May marks Food Allergy Awareness Month, and May 10-16 is designated Food Allergy Awareness Week.
So the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team, known as FAACT, advises anyone who experiences a rash or a serious allergic reaction to immediately contact his or her primary-care doctor or a board-certified allergist for help.
That will keep allergy sufferers from sitting for hours at an emergency room or medical center where social distancing and other precautions might be impossible.
“It remains essential to stress that epinephrine remains the first line therapy of a systemic allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis,” says FAACT President and CEO Eleanor Garrow-Holding.
Everyday activities — given restaurant closings, grocery shopping scarcities and stay-at-home mandates — pose challenges, too.
• Allergic Living Magazine’s 90-page issue for anyone managing asthma, food allergies, Celiac disease, eosinophilic disorders and similar situations amid the coronavirus pandemic at https://www.allergicliving.com/2020/05/07/allergic-living-launches-free-covid-19-allergies-issue/
What about empowering others to recognize people with allergies?
You can get busy doing that by joining FAACT’s #TealLoveShinesBright Food Allergy Awareness Month Campaign.
The campaign lets you download and display a poster in your home window, change your social media profile and cover images with #TealLoveShinesBright and share photos online by tagging FAACT on Twitter and Instagram with #TealLoveShinesBright and on Facebook at @FAACTnews.
Want to follow a daily schedule of building awareness?
“This Mother’s Day and Food Allergy Awareness Month are unlike ones we have ever experienced due to COVID-19,” Garrow-Holding said. “We are home with our families and loved ones, so please don’t take this time for granted.
“Still try to make time for YOU, even if it’s five to 10 minutes a day,” she said. “Go to a quiet place, go for a walk, or meditate – something you enjoy doing for you. And be sure to hold your families tight and tell them you love them.”
“I wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day and Food Allergy Awareness Month,” Garrow-Holding said. “Stay healthy, stay safe, and always be kind to one another.”
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