CHAMPAIGN — New coach Bret Bielema took the first step last week toward restoring relevance to a tired Illinois football program by beating favored Nebraska in an early Big Ten conference matchup.

But questions linger in Champaign. Is Illinois as good as it looked in beating the Huskers with its backup quarterback? Is Nebraska really that bad?

Some of those questions may be answered Saturday night (6:30 p.m., BTN) when an underrated and dangerous Texas-San Antonio opens its season at Illinois (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten).

In his first year as coach last year, Jeff Traylor led the Roadrunners to a respectable 7-5 record. UTSA had one of the best running attacks in college football, ranking No. 18 in the nation and gaining 216 yards per game on the ground.

Traylor understands his opponent and was full of praise for Bielema, who coached at Wisconsin before a stint at Arkansas.

“Illinois is a very coach Bielema-looking team,” Traylor said. “He’s won three Big Ten championships at Wisconsin and took Arkansas to three bowl games in a row. Watching that Nebraska game, you can tell he’s already made his presence felt at Illinois. They are a good football team.”

ROADRUNNERS RUN

UTSA is above all else a running team. The Roadrunners are led on the ground by running back Sincere McCormick, who carried 249 times for 1,467 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020.

UTSA is known for holding onto the ball. The Roadrunners only averaged 0.9 turnovers per game in 2020, 12th in the nation.

If there is a weakness in the Roadrunners’ offense, it’s the passing game. Last year, UTSA threw for just 193.6 yards per game, which ranked No. 99 in the nation.

Senior Frank Harris is back at quarterback. While his team concentrates mostly on the running game, with Harris rushing for 528 yards last season, he can pass when he needs to. Harris had a 63.6% completion rate last year, when he threw for 1,630 yards.

ILLINOIS QB QUESTION

Illini starter Brandon Peters went down early in Saturday’s game against Nebraska with an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder. While Bielema wouldn’t completely rule him out for the UTSA game, he seemed to indicate that Rutgers transfer Artur Sitkowski, who shined against the Huskers, would be making his first start at Illinois.

In three seasons at Rutgers, Sitkowski threw eight touchdown passes and 20 interceptions. Last week, he was 12 of 15 passing for 124 yards, two touchdowns and no picks.

“Art’s a guy that was just impressive once he got here, so I wasn’t surprised at how he handled the moment,” Bielema said. “I didn’t know how he was going to play (against Nebraska), but I knew the handling of it wouldn’t be an issue. It’s just his demeanor. He’s so serious, but he also has a good light to him.”

Sitkowski took his coach’s praise in stride, but made it clear he’s already moved on.

“It’s just one game,” Sitkowski said. “We gotta look forward to UTSA. It’s a long season and we have a lot of things we have to do. That game’s behind us.”

ILLINOIS WIDEOUTS

Much of the buzz early this season has been about the newly configured Illinois receiver corps. Along with several starters returning, former QB Isaiah Williams was converted to receiver to take advantage of his speed and athleticism. The move paid off and Williams made six catches for 41 yards and a touchdown against Nebraska.

Also moving to wideout is speedy defensive back Marquez Beason, who had a summer hamstring injury. Beason began practicing with the team on Tuesday, but Bielema wouldn’t say if he can be ready on Saturday.

“He is making great strides,” Bielema said. “We’re hoping to get him back sooner rather than later.”

VETERAN TEAMS

Illinois has 41 seniors on its roster, including 21 super seniors who received an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic. The super seniors represent the most in Power Five. Illinois’ 20 other seniors still have one year of eligibility remaining following this season — if they choose to use it — and are listed as juniors on the roster. Combined, Illinois and UTSA will field 77 seniors.

“They obviously mirror us, in that we are both veteran football teams. I don’t think I’ve seen that many seniors on the field before,” Bielema said.

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A man has been charged with fatally stabbing a bank worker in the lobby of a River North branch office Wednesday.

Jawaun Westbrooks, 35, faces one felony count of first-degree murder in the death of 24-year-old Jessica Vilaythong, Chicago police said.

Vilaythong was attacked around 11:10 a.m. Wednesday “after having a brief conversation” with a man inside the Chase Bank branch at 600 N. Dearborn St., police and fire officials said.

Westbrooks was allegedly identified as the suspect and officers took him into custody soon after the stabbing, police said.

Chase Bank closed the rest of their downtown branches Wednesday as a precaution, a spokesman said.

“We are devastated by the passing of our colleague Jessica Vilaythong and extend our deepest sympathies to her family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the spokesman said. “Jessica was a wonderful person and valued employee. She was extremely outgoing, passionate, hardworking, and quick to help clients. We will miss her greatly.”

Westbrooks was expected to appear in court Saturday.

Westbrooks, whose family has said he struggles with mental illness, was accused in 2014 of attacking two women with a hammer as they walked on the lakefront path near Navy Pier.

He was charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in that incident. Westbrooks was later found not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court records.

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For Malik Alim, it seemed possible to change the world.

He was optimistic but in a practical way, searching for a social solution through policy changes, said Kevin Cao, who took a class about the intersection of policy and activism led by Alim at the Roosevelt Institute years ago.

“He was able to see a path forward,” Cao said. “He never gave up. He always stayed optimistic in an environment that really did not want him to be.”

Activists in Chicago have mourned the death of Alim, 28, since he was pulled from Mineola Bay along Fox Lake on Aug. 22. He was last seen struggling in Fox Lake after a tube he was on flipped over. It appeared that he died in an accidental drowning, said Jennifer Banek, the Lake County coroner.

This week, a resolution mourning Alim was adopted by the Illinois Senate. He was lauded as a community organizer and storyteller who “cultivated and nurtured community where he went; he encouraged people to envision a better world and to unite together to make it possible.”

Alim worked as a campaign coordinator for the Chicago Community Bond Fund, organizing more than two dozen events leading to the passage of legislation that will end the cash bail system by 2023. Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the bill as a step toward “dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities.”

Keisa Reynolds, the transitional executive director of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, said Alim was a thinker who was also a welcoming person and valued a sense of community, Reynolds said.

Malik Alim, a campaign coordinator at for the Coalition to End Money Bond, died in a boating accident Aug. 22.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file

Alim was pivotal in creating the #BreathingRoom Space that is housed in the Back of the Yards neighborhood as part of the #LetUsBreathe Collective, said Damon Williams, a co-director of the collective.

Alim helped rehab the space — at one point living in the building — while also shaping it into a hub for organizing and cultural events, Williams said. Alim coined the term “well pro,” meaning wellness and protection as an alternative to policing, Williams said. The collective aims to create a world without prisons and police, according to its website.

“Many of us came together in resistance to the oppressive violence of policing, and we came together with the belief that we have to create a new world and a new way of being,” Williams said. “And a new way of taking care of each other, and a new way of actually protecting ourselves from harm and from violence, transforming our behavior toward more healthy relationships.”

Alim also worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago, helping reimagine the space at the Chicago Justice Gallery as its gallery manager and event planner, said Barbara Ransby, the director of the university’s Social Justice Initiative. Alim was keen on visuals and what would be compelling to young people who came in, Ransby said.

He organized a concert with Taina Asili, a New-York based Puerto Rican singer and activist whose music touches on liberation, Ransby said.

“I think the spoken word was very important to him and making words and ideas accessible through art and through sound production,” Ransby said.

About a month ago, Chakena Perry felt like she left Chicago Votes Action Fund in good hands when Alim succeeded her as president of the group’s board of directors.

Perry, who worked at Chicago Votes from 2013 to 2021, described Alim as an amazing storyteller. Alim opposed disenfranchisement at the ballot box.

“He tried to incorporate all the voices that we’re attempting to influence,” Perry said. “We work with incarcerated individuals, previously incarcerated folks, and the artist community. He was big on equity.”

They met in 2014 at a Black Youth Project 100 meeting, and their paths crossed again at Chicago Votes’ DemocracyCorps Fellowship. The group teaches young people about grassroots basic of democracy while trying to develop the next generation of leaders, according to its website.

“The students that we were working with in the classroom, we were teaching them stuff about the legislative process,” Perry said. “That’s one of my favorite memories of Malik because he has a really cool way of we can be serious about things, but we also have a sense of humor.”

Alim had two children, one of which was with his life partner, Kristiana Rae Colon.

For Cao, 23, the class with Alim has stayed with him, in particular his message of finding a calling. Cao is attending medical school and wants to work on aging equity issues.

“There was a lesson he taught us: You have to envision a better world in order to achieve it,” Cao said. “That just stays with me. He knew that you could always make a better world.”

Elvia Malagon’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

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“Be the change. Join the next generation of Chicago Police Officers.”

That’s the pitch, in big letters, at the top of the Chicago Police Department’s webpage for new recruits.

Raising the question: Be the change in what?

Certainly, the police department is looking for new, young officers eager to help change all of Chicago for the better.

But there’s a second meaning in the slogan, clearly intended in these times: Be the change in the Chicago Police Department itself.

Be the change in fighting crime hard while resorting less to deadly force. Be the change in doing more to respect civil rights. Be the change for a more diverse police force, one that better reflects the neighborhoods it serves. Be the change in committing to long-overdue reforms for a safer, more effective approach to policing.

Change happens best from the bottom up, and in that respect CPD’s current struggle to fill hundreds of vacancies as unhappy officers quit and retire is a problem, yes, but also an opportunity.

Looking for buy-in

True police reform requires one thing above all else — a buy-in from the police themselves — and that buy-in has never been there. Certainly not enough, and certainly not if measured by the resistance of the Fraternal Order of Police, the union for rank-and-file officers.

We honor the service of every officer who is moving on. They served our city in a dangerous job. We are sorry to see them go. But City Hall and the Chicago Police Department should embrace this moment for what it is, an unprecedented chance to achieve reforms — wholly and enthusiastically — that have been resisted for too long.

Recruit to reform. Train to reform.

A more racially and ethnically diverse police force is the first order of the day, though a new study suggests just how difficult this will be to achieve.

The study, released in July by the city’s Office of Inspector General, found that CPD’s hiring practices, which typically stretch for more than a year, disproportionately reduce the number of Black candidates, especially women. Black candidates make up 37% of the applicants to be police officers, the study of data from 2016 to 2018 found, but just 18% of the prospective officers invited to the police academy.

The IG’s solution to the problem — speed up the hiring process so as not to lose good candidates who are unable or unwilling to wait so long — is easier said than done. Vetting applicants properly takes time and, as Fran Spielman of the Sun-Times reports, CPD’s training academy already is gearing up to churn out new officers like a conveyor belt to fill more than 1,000 vacancies.

But new evidence seems to roll in monthly, in the form of studies and disturbing videos, that a more diverse police force is the first prerequisite of a better police force. It is a value that can’t be compromised.

Why diversity matters

In February, a study published in the journal Science found that white Chicago Police officers used force more often and made more arrests, especially when interacting with Black people, than Black and Hispanic officers did in similar situations.

Last week, an update to an annual study required by Illinois law — the Illinois Traffic and Pedestrian Stop Study — found that the Chicago police were stopping Black drivers overwhelmingly more often than white drivers. The study found that Chicago police stopped more than 204,000 Black drivers in 2020, Block Club Chicago reported, compared with just over 35,000 white drivers.

Similar studies conducted in other cities have found similar racial disparities that cannot easily be explained away. The Chicago Police Department is hardly an outlier in this way, which is no excuse for allowing the disparities to continue.

One of the most comprehensive national studies, published in May 2020, looked at 95 million traffic stops by 56 police agencies between 2011 and 2018. It found, as reported in the Washington Post, that while Black people were much more likely to be pulled over than whites, the disparity lessened at night, when police were less able to distinguish the race of the driver. The study also found that Blacks were more likely to be searched after a stop, though whites were more likely to be found with illicit drugs.

And then there is the anecdotal evidence of the need for change — the videos and photos that say more than all the studies.

We watched as Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a white Chicago cop. We watched as George Floyd died under the knee of a white Minneapolis cop. We watched a strange video just this week of a white Chicago cop physically grappling with a Black woman who apparently was walking her dog at North Avenue Beach after hours. What was that all about?

A word about the cameras that recorded those videos: They are everywhere now and not going away. Out of sheer self-interest, you might think a smart cop would stop fighting reform and start adopting the new rules.

Embracing reform

The Chicago Police Department has an unprecedented opportunity, given the hundreds of vacated positions that must be filled, to ground the new rules and values into a new generation of sworn police officers.

The FOP fought the 2019 federal consent decree that laid out a blueprint for reform, such as new guidelines on when to use firearms and Tasers, when to give chase and how to work with the mentally disturbed. But the training academy, every training officer and every supervisor can and should instill those new ways of thinking and working into every recruit.

Change works best when it is owned. Seize the moment, Chicago.

Send letters to [email protected].

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“Senjutsu,” Iron Maiden (BMG)

Iron Maiden is not a band for those with short attention spans.

Since blasting out of England in the late ’70s in what would become known as the new wave of British metal, Iron Maiden has never been one to give record companies the kind of three-minute anthems they craved.

Instead, they wrote and played (and played some more) until they were good and satisfied, and the result was often an epic track of 8-10 minutes or more, completely exploring a topic or idea until no stone was left unturned.

That is particularly the case on their 17th studio album, “Senjutsu,” which translates from Japanese as “strategy and tactics.” It deals with Iron Maiden’s obsession with war and battle, from the title track to “Darkest Hour,” an ode to Winston Churchill’s perseverance during World War II.

This cover image released by BMG/Parlophone Records shows “Senjutsu,” a release by Iron Maiden.AP

The album’s 10 tracks average eight minutes apiece, and the final three last for a combined 34 minutes.

Give singer Bruce Dickinson and Co. props for sticking to their musical guns and writing a song to be as long as it needs to be. As far back as the mid 1980s, they were breaking these barriers with tracks like “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” which clocked in at nearly 14 minutes.

The guitar trio of Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Adrian Smith bring an unparalleled level of firepower to each track, and the duo of bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain has long been among the best in metal.

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Let’s set aside, for the moment, the subject of players making money off their names, images and likenesses. Let’s do likewise on the matters of inevitable College Football Playoff expansion and the recent alliance formed by the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12. Oh, and let’s also pretend COVID-19 isn’t still an elephant in every locker room.

Because all that is just so easy to do, right?

Today, let’s keep it delightfully simple and focus on Week 1 games. And you should want that, too, because (obnoxious brag alert) “Big Game Hunting” was 70-24 straight-up and 56-37-1 against the spread last season. You’re welcome, America.

Here’s your biggest on-field storyline, folks: new starting quarterbacks at superpower programs. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud — Justin Fields’ successor — handled his business Thursday in a 45-31 win at Minnesota. Now comes Alabama’s Bryce Young, who’s standing in the shoes of Patriots rookie starter Mac Jones, followed by Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei, the lucky dog who gets to replace Jaguars No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, in a Ch. 7 doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Like a perfect pork butt pulled from the smoker, No. 1 Alabama (-19 1/2 ) vs. No. 14 Miami in Atlanta and No. 3 Clemson (-3) vs. No. 5 Georgia in Charlotte, North Carolina, arrives to enormous anticipation. And that’s largely because of sophomores Young and Uiagalelei, who were the top two players in the Class of 2020. These two co-own 247 Sports’ highest rating ever for a quarterback recruit along with — guess who? — Lawrence and Fields. And here’s the really cool part: They were high school rivals in Southern California, each beating the other once en route to a state title.

Young and Uiagalelei share the Week 1 stage — in a manner of speaking — while 250 miles apart. One can only assume they’ll eventually share it for real. Alabama and Clemson have made the seven-year-old playoff six times each and combined for five championships. Just imagine a setting like that for these QBs’ rivalry threematch.

But first, we see what the Tide look like without Jones and fellow 2021 first-round picks Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain II, DeVonte Smith, Alex Leatherwood and Najee Harris. Former NFL and Penn State coach Bill O’Brien is Nick Saban’s new offensive coordinator and will play chess with Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz, who has taken the reins of his team’s defense. Miami has a big-time quarterback in D’Eriq King, but, well, some things never change. Roll Tide, 45-17.

Clemson’s game is much tougher for two reasons, namely Georgia’s always-great run-stopping ability — Jordan Davis is 340 pounds of unblockable — and its always-deep stable of running backs. Shootouts against the Bulldogs simply don’t happen. There’s so much riding on the 6-4, 250-pound Uiagalelei’s giant shoulders. Tigers, 27-23.

OTHER WEEK 1 PICKS

No. 19 Penn State (+5 1/2 ) at No. 12 Wisconsin (11 a.m., Fox-32): Two fine teams, no doubt, but the Badgers are getting ready to hold a bunch of defensive meetings in the Nittany Lions’ backfield. Bucky by 10.

No. 17 Indiana (+3 1/2 ) at No. 18 Iowa (2:30 p.m., BTN): Hoosiers QB Michael Penix Jr. is back after a serious knee injury — and he’s terrific — but what a grueling way to get started. Hawkeyes, 24-17.

No. 23 Louisiana (+9) at No. 21 Texas (3:30 p.m., Fox-32): The Ragin’ Cajuns are an offensive machine. Overlook the Ragin’ Cajuns at your own risk. Ragin’ Cajuns, Ragin’ Cajuns. Man, that’s fun to say. Longhorns by 14.

UTSA (+5) at Illinois (6:30 p.m., BTN, 890-AM): Sincerely, an upset might happen here — and what a downer that would beafter the Illini’s opening win against Nebraska. Roadrunners running back Sincere McCormick is one of the best in the country. Oof — upset.

Northern Illinois (+18) at Georgia Tech (6:30 p.m., ACC, 560-AM): Tech doesn’t do the triple-option thing anymore, if you were wondering. Huskies lose but cover due to the impossibly great name of their quarterback, Rocky Lombardi.

No. 9 Notre Dame (-7) at Florida State (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Ch. 7): QB Jack Coan is not as talented as predecessor Ian Book, but he’s tough and experienced and we’ll have to wait and see if that’s enough in the long run. Hey, anybody else remember when the Seminoles were actually kind of good? Irish, 24-20.

My favorite favorite: No. 16 LSU (-2 1/2 ) at UCLA (7:30 p.m., Fox-32): This is Chip Kelly’s best UCLA team, they all say. It’s Year 4 and he hasn’t had a winning season yet. One would hope it’s his best team. Kelly’s record falls to 11-22.

My favorite underdog: Oregon State (+7 1/2 ) at Purdue (6 p.m., FS1): Wideout David Bell can strike at any moment, George Karlaftis is a heck of a defensive player and … we’re out of compliments for the Boilermakers. Beavers in overtime.

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What Chicago, and the world, could really use is Robocops.

You heard me.

Robocops — like the ones in those old, at the time futuristic movies.

Police officers have enough to do tracking down shooters after the fact. We need a police presence on the scene before the shooting starts.

Besides, police officers who each day witness the chaos in our neighborhoods have got to be reaching a breaking point.

What else would explain why police officers are still being accused of brutalizing suspects?

After all, there have been enough prosecutions of police brutality in recent years to send a message that such behavior no longer can be tolerated.

Yet some police officers are stuck in their ways.

For instance, two Chicago cops were charged this past week with beating a 17-year-old they said crashed into their unmarked squad car on the South Side and pointed a gun at them during a chase.

And a Chicago police lieutenant was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct, accused of shoving a flashlight between the buttocks of a clothed ,17-year-old carjacking suspect.

Meanwhile, Chicago Police Department brass put a white officer on desk duty after he was caught on video grabbing a Black woman who was walking her dog near North Avenue Beach when the park was closed.

Things like like this used to end up getting settled with lawsuits. But these officers are charged with crimes and could go to prison.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending police misconduct.

Brutal police officers need to be weeded out, or we’ll never see the reform that’s desperately needed to rebuild trust between cops and Chicago’s Black and Brown communities.

But maybe we’re expecting too much from cops.

If I ran into a 15-, 16- or 17-year-old carjacker, I’d want to give them a kick in the butt.

These aren’t teenagers getting into some harmless mischief. These are armed youth on the path to serious prison time.

The crimes that juveniles in Chicago are being arrested for are appalling. Recent arrests include a 17-year-old charged with first-degree murder, accused of being involved in the fatal shooting Aug. 19 of 23-year-old Keiwaun Crayton on a CTA Red Line L train on the South Side.

Other recent arrests involving teens in Chicago include that of a 16-year-old charged with vehicular hijacking, aggravated firearm and kidnapping and the arrests of a group of teens between 14 and 17 years old who are accused of attempted robbery in the 100 block of East Pearson Street near the Magnificent Mile.

Meanwhile, shootings continue across the city.

A 4-year-old girl was struck and wounded by a stray bullet Wednesday in Englewood while combing her doll’s hair on a front stoop. And three people were shot in West Garfield Park.

Unfortunately, the police have their hands full tracking down dumb criminals who are oblivious to surveillance cameras.

It’s amazing that detectives can make arrests in many of these street crimes.

Yet they managed to arrest a man in a matter of days for the beat-down last weekend in the 400 block or North State Street in River North of two white men caught up in a crowd of Black revelers. Brandon Jefferson, 33, was charged with robbery, aggravated battery and being in possession of a stolen vehicle.

Brandon Jefferson, 33, was charged with robbery, aggravated battery and being in possession of a stolen vehicle.

Law enforcement experts predict that police departments will put greater reliance on technology in the future.

Social media, body cameras, facial recognition, predictive policing or proactive policing and GPS applications used to locate suspects are among the strategies that already have been embraced.

And robots equipped with sensors are being used in some dangerous situations.

Still, Robocops aren’t actually in our policing future.

But what a wonderful world that would be.

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While a huge cloud of coal ash exploded around Springfield’s coal-fired electric power plant on Tuesday afternoon, Illinois’ top three Democrats huddled in a conference room at the Statehouse trying to find a way to slash power plant carbon emissions in the state to zero by 2045.

The irony was both unmistakable and irresistible.

The giant ash plume, caused by an equipment failure, dissipated hours later. But by then it also was clear that any attempt to pass a climate/energy bill by the end of the day was doomed — and that was a human failure.

The Senate’s Democrats have controlled the negotiations on the climate/energy bill for more than two years, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office obviously has wanted to take control of the process from the start. They just think they know better, on this and many other topics.

That conflict has led to untold sniping, which is not surprising given that Pritzker and Senate President Don Harmon have battled since even before the governor backed a candidate against Harmon in the Senate president’s race in early 2020.

Pritzker walked away from the energy talks at the end of this past spring session when Harmon wouldn’t agree to close the state’s two municipally owned coal-fired electric power plants in Springfield and the Metro East by 2035. Pritzker again walked away in mid-June when Harmon tried to piggyback onto the week’s session agenda of correcting the House appropriations bill’s many fatal mistakes with a bill to fix the climate/energy bill. But Harmon ultimately couldn’t unite unions and environmentalists on the new legislation, though Pritzker by then had agreed to extend the coal plant closure dates to 2045.

Then history repeated itself last week when the General Assembly’s focus was supposed to be on the legislative remap do-over. Harmon couldn’t close the climate/energy deal talks amidst numerous large and small objections from the governor and the greens. Blame Harmon, blame Pritzker, blame whomever. The talks failed.

Three strikes, you’re out, etc., so now the ball is in Pritzker’s court. Harmon finally surrendered control and punted a climate/energy bill to the House, where Speaker Chris Welch has warned both Pritzker and Harmon that he isn’t moving a bill unless all three agree to it.

Harmon’s game plan obviously has been to appease trade unions in order to fund his party’s redistricting-year campaigns in 2022. Speaker Welch has never expected to receive the same level of support from the white-dominated trade unions that flooded the kitty of his predecessor Michael Madigan, so he appears to be aligning himself with our billionaire governor to help fund the 2022 campaign season.

But, in reality, maybe it was time to hand all this over to fresh eyes, because what the Senate was doing just didn’t move the ball forward enough.

The proceedings last week often devolved into petty one-upmanship.

The week’s initial Senate Democratic proposal imposed such strict limitations on carbon emissions by municipally-owned electric power plants like Springfield’s CWLP and the Metro East’s gigantic Prairie State Energy Campus that there was no likely way either plant could survive until 2045, though no closure date was inserted into the legislation. But the governor had demanded a “date certain” closure for both plants, so the Senate Dems drastically revised their bill to allow the plants to pump out 100% of the carbon they are currently spewing all the way through to 2045, and only then would they have to stop.

No way would that be acceptable. It was an almost juvenile response.

The governor’s office countered with a combination of proposals: Scale down the coal plants’ carbon emissions over the years and then shut everything down in 2045. The proposal was rejected out of hand.

Senate President Harmon told reporters that he believed it was too uneconomical for the companies to both reduce their carbon footprint and stop production before they’d finished paying for their pollution-reduction efforts. The governor’s office believes the plants qualify for federal tax credits to subsidize the step-down, and they want time to convince Prairie State to take the money and the deal. Word is that an offer has been made directly to the electricity provider.

Unless attitudes change, the whole thing might just turn out to be too big for a state legislature to tackle. Harmon called the energy bill the most complicated piece of legislation he’s dealt with in 21 years. He’s probably right.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

Send letters to [email protected].

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It’s no secret that you get as much information out of a Ryan Pace press conference as you would a Q&A with a traffic cone or a meet and greet with a bag of beets. The Bears general manager rarely speaks with Chicago reporters en masse and on the record, says little of value when he does, and leaves everybody involved thinking that staring at a ceiling would have been a better use of their time.

Media members know this, yet we keep coming back to question the GM. It’s what we’re trained for, it’s what we’re paid to do and it’s apparently the belief of some of us that pigs indeed will fly one day.

Pace had a press conference Wednesday. It went predictably, which is to say it went to its usual terminus, nowhere. Everything was “exciting” in his world. Everybody was great. And the Bears were on their way to a wonderful season.

What most of us really want out of these sessions is the truth or, short of that, something that won’t insult our intelligence. Because Pace seems incapable of being honest in front of reporters, I thought I’d be honest for him. Here’s a fictional press conference with gobs more truth than a real one:

Reporter: Ryan, why isn’t Justin Fields your starting quarterback for the opener against the Rams?

Pace: You’ve seen our offensive line, right? Then you know these guys couldn’t stop a well-coached group of teacup poodles from getting to the QB. I’m not subjecting the kid who is going to save my job to that!

Reporter: How in the name of all that is good in the world can you show up for another season without a capable offensive line? And don’t tell me that offensive linemen are hard to find. Other teams have been finding them while you’ve been working on your bench press.

Pace: I know, right?

Reporter: That’s your answer?

Pace: Look, it’s not my fault Teven Jenkins needed back surgery. The rookie was going to be our starting left tackle. And, yes, I’m completely freaked out that a 23-year-old offensive lineman needed back surgery. I’ve brought in veteran Jason Peters to take Jenkins’ place. I’m hoping fans will dwell on his nine Pro Bowls, not on the fact that he was around when the NFL started in 1920.

Reporter: What else went into the decision to go with Andy Dalton at quarterback? Everyone in the world believes that Fields is better.

Pace: Thanks for mentioning Fields again. I was the one who traded up to take him in the first round. Me. Ryan Pace.

Reporter: You, Ryan Pace, also traded up to take Mitch Trubisky.

Pace: The Trubisky pick was a collaboration inside Halas Hall. There’s no “I” in “team.”

Reporter: There’s also no “I” in “awful.”

Pace: You never played sports, did you, you pear-shaped twerp?

Reporter: The decision to start Dalton?

Pace: I wish fans would get their heads out of their patoots and understand that we’re not going to be reckless with Fields. The chances of bad things happening to him are a lot higher than good things happening for him right now. Don’t make me start badmouthing our offensive line again. It gives me heartburn.

Reporter: What do you like about Dalton?

Pace: I like that he’s a warm body. I took his temperature in the offseason, and it was 61.3 Fahrenheit. Warm enough. He’s a quarterback, has at least one arm and owns a thick head of red hair. OK? It that answer good enough for you? No? What if I told you he’s a good presence in the locker room?

Reporter: Why does every professional sports franchise feel it necessary to talk about its locker room “culture.”

Pace: It’s a great tool for deflection. I know we’re headed for a 7-10 season, but rather than focus on that, I talk up the great culture we have at Halas Hall. Until we get some better players, we’ll pretend that what we’re running here is an encounter group, not a football team.

Reporter: Should coach Matt Nagy be calling plays?

Pace: Should I be appearing in “The Barber of Seville” at the Met?

Reporter: What’s going on with your cornerbacks?

Pace: You tell me.

Reporter (after a stunned pause): How have you managed to hold onto your job? Do you find this as surprising as I do?

Pace: Let me put it this way: I’d be less surprised by the sun falling from the sky. My record in six years as general manager is 42-54, not including 0-2 in wild-card games. It’s almost as if I’m wearing a “Fire Me” sandwich board.

Reporter: And it’s almost as if George McCaskey can’t read.

Pace: I know, right?

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly cloudy with isolated showers and a high near 77 degrees. Tonight will be cloudy with scattered showers and a low around 66. Tomorrow is also expected to be cloudy with scattered showers, along with a high near 76.

Top story

Malik Alim, Chicago organizer and storyteller remembered as a builder of community

For Malik Alim, it seemed possible to change the world.

He was optimistic but in a practical way, searching for a social solution through policy changes, said Kevin Cao, who took a class about the intersection of policy and activism led by Alim at the Roosevelt Institute years ago.

“He was able to see a path forward,” Cao said. “He never gave up. He always stayed optimistic in an environment that really did not want him to be.”

Activists in Chicago have mourned the death of Alim, 28, since he was pulled from Mineola Bay along Fox Lake on Aug. 22. He was last seen struggling in Fox Lake after a tube he was on flipped over. It appeared that he died in an accidental drowning, said Jennifer Banek, the Lake County coroner.

Alim worked as a campaign coordinator for the Chicago Community Bond Fund, organizing more than two dozen events leading to the passage of legislation that will end the cash bail system by 2023. Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the bill as a step toward “dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities.”

This week, a resolution mourning Alim was adopted by the Illinois Senate. He was lauded as a community organizer and storyteller who “cultivated and nurtured community where he went; he encouraged people to envision a better world and to unite together to make it possible.”

Elvia Malagon and Evan F. Moore have more on Alim’s life and legacy here.

More news you need

State officials announced today that a fourth lottery for cannabis dispensary licenses will now be held. The goal is to give six applicant groups a chance to win additional permits after they were wrongfully excluded from drawings in an earlier lottery.

With the state’s eviction moratorium set to end in a month, Gov. Pritzker today announced a new staff position and task force to address the number of Illinoisans experiencing homelessness. Under the guidance of the “homelessness chief,” the task force will implement plans with a goal of achieving “functional zero homelessness,” Pritzker’s office said in a news release.

Ald. James Gardiner is on an apology tour of sorts after leaked text messages showed him using profane, disparaging and misogynistic language regarding colleagues. The texts between Gardiner and a former aide were made public by an anonymous blog that bills itself as a Northwest Side political watchdog.

A 24-year-old Chase Bank worker has died one day after she was stabbed in the neck at the bank’s River North branch. She was attacked yesterday “after having a brief conversation” with a man inside the branch’s lobby at 600 N. Dearborn St., police said.

Illinois students will be able to take up to five excused mental health days starting in January, thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Pritzker last month. Students won’t be required to have a doctor’s note and can make up any work missed on the day off, WBEZ reports.

The president of Landmark Development wants all of Chicago to embrace a new neighborhood — his One Central project. It would consist of more than 9,000 homes mostly in high-rises west of Soldier Field, built on 31 acres and covering Metra tracks.

A bright one

Logan Square couple’s space podcast connects kids with NASA astronauts

Space is for everyone. That’s the message a Logan Square couple pushed as they connected with outer space from their apartment closet.

“A lot of astronauts and NASA employees are sharing their stories of how they began and how it’s not just the top people in their class that get to work for NASA,” said Meredith Stepien, podcast co-host, actress and Adler Planetarium content developer. “Space is for everyone. Nobody owns space.”

Stepien and her husband, Brian Holden, co-hosts of “REACH: A Space Podcast for Kids,” livestreamed Wednesday with NASA astronauts Megan MacArthur and Mark Vande Hei aboard the International Space Station. The astronauts are on Expedition 65, and one of their current experiments concerns regolith, the surface of planetary bodies — terrestrial soil, essentially.

(from left) REACH podcast hosts Meredith Stepien and Brian Holden and NASA astronauts Megan MacArthur and Mark Vande Hei.Provided

Much of the podcast hosts’ mission was to bring attention to the responsibilities people on Earth have to protect the planet but also create more equitable futures for later generations. They found that middle schoolers, those of Gen Z or older Gen Alpha, are interested in the ethics of space travel.

The show has two seasons and over 30 episodes, encouraging kids to find their own sources of information and make smart choices based on real science.

“Thinking about just what is out there and what we are and how we’re all just connected by this sky and by space, it’s just grounding,” Stepien said. “And it’s a really nice place to go, especially if you’re feeling stressed or worried about our Earthling problems.”

Nichole Shaw has more on the intergalactic podcast here.

From the press box

Despite being vaccinated, Cubs president Jed Hoyer and manager David Ross tested positive for COVID-19. The team said they are feeling well and will quarantine for 10 days. Bench coach Andy Green will manage the team in the interim.
Now that training camp and the preseason are over, reporters Jason Lieser, Mark Potash and Patrick Finley take a look at the questions facing the Bears heading into Week 1.
Michigan State handed Northwestern its only regular-season loss last season. The Wildcats hope to get some revenge tonight in their Big Ten season opener.

Your daily question ?

What Chicago sports team “deserves” a championship more than all the others and why?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday we asked you: If you could only pick one flavor of ice cream to eat for the rest of your life, what kind would it be? And from where? Here’s what some of you said…

“Honey lavender gelato from Plush Horse!” — Linda Crabtree

“Caramel butter pecan praline from Blue Bunny.” — Carolyn Jackson

“The Tonight Dough from Ben and Jerry’s.” — Charlie Taffe

“Peppermint from Prince Castle.” — Thomas Wessels

“Blueberry pie from Oberweis in Champaign.” — Cris Lane

“Zanzibar Chocolate from The Chocolate Shoppe in Skokie.” — Theresa Kelly

“Whitey’s chocolate chip.” — Kathy Willman

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