Chicago White Sox News: Eloy Jimenez out 5-6 months by Jordan Campbell

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The Chicago Bulls acquired four new players via trade at the NBA trade deadline.

They received Nikola Vucevic, Al-Farouq Aminu, Daniel Theis, Javonte Green, and Troy Brown. The Bulls gave away Otto Porter, Wendell Carter, Chandler Hutchison, Daniel Gafford, and newly acquired Moritz Wagner.

The Bulls filled a lot of needs as the deadline ended on Mar. 25. From a defensive standpoint, the Bulls have one of the worst defenses in the NBA. They allow113.7 points per game (24th in the NBA). They also allow 50.5 points per game in the paint (27th in the NBA) and force just 13.7 turnovers per game to their opponents (17th in the NBA).

On offense, the Bulls are one of the better offenses in the league, putting up 113 points per game (13th in the NBA). But, there is always room for improvement. The Bulls attempt the second-least amount of free throws in the NBA, at 18.8 per game. They also commit the most turnovers per game in the NBA, at 16 per game.

The most important aspect to see from the Bulls’ busy trade deadline is how these players fit into Donovan’s cutting/motion offense and into the man-to-man defense. With the new players’ strengths, fans could be seeing some changes to the offense and defense.

Each of the new Bulls’ players brings their own strong suit to the team. Here are the strengths that each player the Bulls acquired can bring to the table.

Next: The Man in the Middle

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The Rev. John Baptist Ormechea lives in one of the most picturesque parts of Rome in a centuries-old monastery buffered by gardens and overlooking the ancient Colosseum.

A member of a Catholic religious order the Passionists, Ormechea was moved into the Rome complex in 2003 not for its contemplative setting but, according to the order’s province that includes Chicago, “because all the residences in the province had youth programs or were in a parish setting.”

From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, Ormechea served at Immaculate Conception Parish on the Far Northwest Side.

Then, in the early 2000s, several men came forward, saying that, as boys at Immaculate Conception, they were sexually abused there by Ormechea.

The accusations were deemed by church authorities to be credible, which meant Ormechea had to be away from children. He also could have faced criminal charges if the statute of limitations for filing such charges hadn’t expired, the Chicago Sun-Times found.

Such misconduct is exactly the kind of information that, in the wake of yet another national scandal over abusive priests, Cardinal Blase Cupich in Chicago and others in the American Catholic church hierarchy have said the public has a right to know.

Cupich maintains a public list, posted online, of abusive diocesan priests — clerics who worked under his authority or that of his predecessors overseeing the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Sun-Times file

But you won’t find Ormechea on Cupich’s list. That’s because it doesn’t include abusive clerics who, like Ormechea, belong to the Passionists or any of the other semi-autonomous religious orders, whose operations extend far beyond the boundaries of a single diocese.

You could find out about the allegations against Ormechea that his own order deemed to be credible if the Passionists maintained a similar public list of its clerics.

Many other orders do, encouraged to do so by Cupich, who for years has asked Catholic religious orders that operate within his jurisdiction of Cook and Lake counties to come clean about abuse allegations against their clerics. Such publicly accessible lists of abusers and their assignments would help fill in the gaps that his own list leaves.

But the Passionists haven’t done that.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times file

Neither Cupich nor his top aides would comment. A Cupich spokeswoman previously has said he has left it to the orders to make public any information about their problem priests because they have the best information about them.

Cupich has been collecting detailed information, though, on abusive order priests who have ever worked in the geographic territory that he oversees for Pope Francis or who were found to have abused anyone here, the Sun-Times reported in February. But the cardinal has declined to make that information public even though he posts the same type of information about predator priests who worked under his authority.

Unlike Cupich, many other dioceses release the names and the assignment histories of any priest, regardless of whether they are affiliated with a religious order, who served within their boundaries at any point and faced credible allegations of abuse.

For example, the Archdiocese of Louisville has Ormechea on its list of problem priests even though he’s an order priest. He was serving there at the time the Chicago accusations were made in the early 2000s and was removed from public ministry after the claims were deemed credible.

Joan Nockels Wilson

In 2016, a new child sex abuse allegation was leveled against Ormechea dating to an earlier stint in the Kentucky diocese, in the 1960s, according to church officials.

Victims of priest sex abuse and church reform advocates say these lists are important because they help provide a fuller picture of the scope of child sex abuse within the Catholic church, which has seen waves of scandal and cover-ups since the 1980s and hundreds of millions of dollars in payouts to victims.

They say such lists also can help validate and heal those who have been sexually assaulted by priests, spur more victims to come forward, put the public on alert about the presence of predators and allow the church to fulfill its stated mission of being transparent about its handling of abusive priests.

Timothy Nockels, who says he was molested as a boy by Ormechea when the priest was stationed at Immaculate Conception, sees it as a slap in the face that Ormechea hasn’t faced a more formal acknowledgement by the church regarding the claims church officials found credible that he was a serial child molester.

Robert Herguth / Sun-Times

The Passionists continue to list Ormechea as a priest in staff directories, referring to him by the priestly designation “Father” and noting that he recently has been working in the order’s archives department at the Roman monastery.

“I think he’s a monster pedophile, and essentially he’s still in the business” that allowed him to operate, says Nockels, now 55 and living in Vernon Hills. “When I heard he was in Rome and that he still puts that word ‘Father’ in front of his name, it makes me angry.”

Ormechea, 83, didn’t respond to calls or emails seeking comment. A man answering the phone at his monastery said, “He’s not available,” and hung up on a reporter.

The Rev. Joseph Moons, leader of the Passionists’ Park Ridge-based province that includes Chicago, says Ormechea is in Rome on a “safety plan.” He says that means the priest must abide by restrictions if he wants to stay a part of the order. According to Moons, Ormechea isn’t allowed to take part in any public ministry and is subject to monitoring.

He says the priest was moved to Rome because the province’s other residences “had youth programs or were in a parish setting.”

Ormechea “is not able to move around freely, and his name is already public,” Moons says — apparently referring to the priest’s having been named in abuse lawsuits.

Provided

Ormechea left Immaculate Conception in 1988. By 2002, he was working at a parish in Louisville, Kentucky.

That year, “four men told Chicago investigators” the priest “had kissed and fondled them when they were teenagers in the late 1970s and early 1980s” at the Norwood Park parish, according to Moons.

“Chicago prosecutors determined that a legal deadline to charge John Ormechea in the alleged abuse of four minors had passed,” Moons says.

The Passionists “deemed the four men’s allegations as credible, and their civil lawsuits we settled,” Moons says. “An additional allegation was received in 2016 . . . dating back to 1963-1966. There have been no other allegations reported.”

The Chicago archdiocese — which has little direct authority over religious orders operating within its boundaries but has the power to grant or deny their clerics rights to minister here — also was sued over Ormechea and settled the case for an undisclosed amount.

Some of the lawsuits accused the archdiocese and the Passionists of having been aware of troubling behavior by Ormechea while he was at Immaculate Conception but doing little or nothing — including failing to tell parishioners of the allegations.

Moons won’t talk about that.

Nor will he say how many members of his order who have served in the Chicago area have faced allegations of sexual abuse.

Until it was redeveloped into a senior-living complex, the order maintained a towering, red-brick monastery on Harlem Avenue adjacent to Immaculate Conception and just north of the Kennedy Expressway that once housed an out-of-state cleric accused of sex abuse, according to Sun-Times interviews, until parishioners found out and objected.

Robert Herguth / Sun-Times

Moons says his order takes sexual abuse claims seriously.

And he notes that “there are no lawsuits pending against any Passionists of this province. More importantly, no Passionist with an established allegation of abuse is in public ministry. Additionally, no Passionist with an established allegation of abuse is living in a community serving minors.”

Moons says that, although it hasn’t heeded Cupich’s call for orders to be transparent about their clerics found to have abused, the province is “considering releasing a list of names of Passionists who have established allegations of sexual abuse of minors.”

Nockels, who has two teenage boys, comes from a firefighting family. Chicago fire Capt. Daniel Nockels, an uncle, died in 1985 with two colleagues battling a fire in Logan Square set by an arsonist. His late father was a Chicago Fire Department battalion chief at O’Hare Airport. His grandfather also had been a fire chief there.

Nockels says Ormechea abused him for several years while he was living in Edison Park and attending Immaculate Conception for grammar school and beyond. Ormechea was seen as a family friend, Nockels says, was at the house frequently for dinner and officiated at a family wedding.

Nockels says he fell into self-destructive behavior for a time but that he buried his painful memories and “didn’t really do anything until I started reading about those guys in Boston.”

In 2002, the Boston Globe published a series of stories about abuse there and cover-ups by the church and law enforcement that shook the American Catholic church and resulted in an outcry that saw Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law transferred to Rome.

“When I started reading about them, I was, like, ‘I’m one of them,’ ” Nockels says of the Boston victims.

He subsequently sued and settled with Ormechea’s order and the Chicago archdiocese.

“He stole my childhood right out from under my family’s nose,” Nockels says. “Any funds given to me, I’d pay that 10 times to have a normal childhood.”

Nockels’ sister Joan Nockels Wilson traveled to Rome nearly a decade ago to confront Ormechea. He had presided at the wedding of Wilson and her first husband. She says she became consumed by what she saw as the priest’s treachery and with how to reconcile her faith with what happened to her brother.

Wilson, a former prosecutor and a lawyer in Alaska, says Ormechea agreed to speak with her and, though not admitting molesting her brother, told her words to the effect of: “I am sorry for what I did to you and your family. I spilled the milk and can’t put it back in a bottle.”

Wilson wrote a memoir about her family’s ordeal, titled “The Book of Timothy,” that’s slated to be published this fall.

The Passionists, like other religious orders, follow in the mold of a saint — for them, it’s St. Paul of the Cross — and a particular mission: reaching “out with compassion to the crucified of today,” keeping alive “the memory of Christ’s Passion through our commitment to community, prayer, ministries of the Word and service to those who suffer.”

In 2004, the order was among those named in a Dallas Morning News investigation that found that, in Rome, “in the heart of Catholicism, church leaders are giving refuge” to priests “who face allegations of sexual abuse in other countries.”

Ormechea’s order no longer staffs Immaculate Conception. Moons says his province left the parish in 2013 “due to our decline of available priests to serve as pastor.”

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When Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, Roger Hildebrand was studying chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley.

Days later, a professor — Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ernest Lawrence — “tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Well, you want to help the war effort, don’t you?’ And there was only one answer to that,” Mr. Hildebrand recalled in an oral history.

Lawrence also told him, ” ‘You’re going to have to learn physics in a hurry,’ ” Mr. Hildebrand said in the interview with the Atomic Heritage Foundation. “I did, and I liked it.”

Mr. Hildebrand, then 19, got a quick lesson on how to operate a cyclotron — a particle accelerator. He started twiddling dials and watched the needles on the meters.

Nobody would talk about what the work was. But he deduced that he was refining radioactive material, including plutonium and uranium. It was transported to the University of Chicago, where scientists were helping to develop the atomic bomb in the top-secret effort known as the Manhattan Project.

Later, he worked in the “secret city” of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, another research center for the bomb.

According to the University of Chicago, where he was a professor for nearly 70 years, Mr. Hildebrand was the school’s last living scientist to have worked on the Manhattan Project. He died in January at 98 at a senior care facility in Massachusetts, where he’d moved to be near family, according to his son Peter.

Argonne National Laboratory

Born in Berkeley, he was the son of Joel Hildebrand, who, besides being a renowned chemist at UC Berkeley, was president of the Sierra Club and manager of the 1936 U.S. Olympic ski team.

“Dad and his brothers climbed most of the peaks in the Sierras in high school or college and were on the ski team at Berkeley,” Peter Hildebrand said.

In 1944, Mr. Hildebrand married his high school sweetheart Jane Beedle. They were married for nearly 73 years, till her death in 2017.

After he earned a master’s in physics from Berkeley, the University of Chicago recruited him in 1952. Mr. Hildebrand was thrilled. He said it was widely accepted the school had the world’s top physics department — and, in Enrico Fermi, the best physicist.

“Besides being the brightest physicist in the world, he was a superb teacher,” he told the Atomic Heritage Foundation.

Remembering how intimidated he felt when Fermi told him he was going out of town and asked him to teach a class, Mr. Hildebrand said: “I sort of gulped because I knew that I’d be compared to what I think was the best physics teacher in the world.”

When he asked Fermi for a quick review of the material for the lesson, he said in the interview, “He began asking me questions about [a particle called] the deuteron, easy questions, and it made me think sort of with one side of my brain, ‘Gee, I’m pretty smart.’ The other side, I said, ‘Oh, no, it’s Fermi that’s making this seem simple.’ I taught his class and somehow survived.”

Fermi “seemed to be able to do anything better than anybody else,” he said. “If we had a baseball game, he grabbed the bat and hit home runs.”

In a separate interview by Henry Frisch, a fellow U. of C. physics professor, Mr. Hildebrand said “Fermi just helped anybody that was around.”

Jason Smith

After serving as associate director of high-energy physics at Argonne National Laboratory, where he helped develop a particle accelerator, and as dean of the university’s undergraduate college, Mr. Hildebrand wanted a change.

“He looked around for a field he felt was ripe for an experienced newcomer” and settled on astrophysics, his son said.

Stars are formed from dust and gas pulled together by gravity.

“It was Roger who realized you could learn a lot from looking at the dust — but how to see the dust?” said John E. Carlstrom, a U. of C. astrophysicist.

To do that, Mr. Hildebrand did pioneering work designing instruments to detect infrared radiation.

He traveled to Mauna Kea, Hawaii, to use a California Institute of Technology telescope and to Chile to use telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. He also used an airborne telescope on a retrofitted 747: the SOFIA, for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.

Well into his later years, he displayed a youthful athleticism, camping with his family at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota and Yellowstone National Park and canoeing the Wabash, Des Plaines and Fox rivers. In Hyde Park, he liked taking long walks and running.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

He is also survived by his daughters Alice H. Klein and Kathryn J. Hildebrand, son Daniel M. Hildebrand, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

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Eight people were shot, three fatally, Thursday in Chicago, including an alleged shoplifter who shot a security guard and Chicago cop before dying in a shootout nearby with other officers.

About 4 p.m., a loss prevention officer at a Home Depot store in the 2400 block of West 46th Street saw the suspect shoplifting, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said. During an ensuing struggle, the suspect shot the security guard, who was in grave condition.

When the suspect fled, officers pursued and one officer was shot, Brown said. The officer was being treated at Mount Sinai and appeared to be in “good spirits” after suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder, Brown said.

Following that shooting, other officers continued to pursue the suspect, Brown said. The suspect was then shot and killed during a shootout with police, Brown said.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet released information on the fatality.

Early Thursday, two men shot and killed each other during an argument in the South Shore neighborhood.

An argument broke out and they both fired shots about 3:20 a.m. in an apartment in the 7600 block of South Kingston Avenue, police said in a statement.

An 18-year-old man shot in his face and abdomen died at the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said. A 24-year-old man died at the scene with gunshot wounds to his chest, shoulder, hand and leg, police said.

The medical examiner’s office identified the 18-year-old as Jawond Brown, of Austin. The older man’s name has not been released.

In non-fatal shootings, a man was wounded Thursday night in Gresham on the South Side.

The man, 24, was inside a vehicle about 7:25 p.m. when someone fired shots at him in the 8300 block of South Damen Avenue, police said. He was struck in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

Hours earlier, another man was shot in Gresham on the South Side.

The 18-year-old was shot about 1:55 p.m. in the 7800 block of South Paulina Street, police said. The man self-transported to Mount Sinai Hospital and was in good condition, police said.

Thursday morning, a 57-year-old man was shot in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.

The man was standing outside about 3:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of South Drake Street when someone inside of a passing dark-gray SUV fired shots, police said. He was struck in the left leg and transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition, police said.

Ten people were shot, two fatally, Wednesday in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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One person was killed and at least seven others injured in a shooting early Friday in Ashburn on the South Side, police say.

Just after midnight, at least two men opened fire during a gathering with several people in the 2500 block of West 79th Street, Chicago police said.

A 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet released information on the fatality.

A man, 27, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, police said.

A man, 22, was shot in the left knee and taken to the same hospital in fair condition, police said.

A man, 28, was struck in the left leg and listed in fair condition, while another man, 28, and a woman, 40, both suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen, and were listed in serious condition, police said. Police have not yet released the names of the hospitals they were taken to.

A man, 32, went to Little Mary of Company Hospital with a gunshot wound to the back, police, said. An eighth person brought themselves to Roseland Hospital with a gunshot wound to the body.

Both adults were later transferred to Christ Medical Center, police said.

Several handguns were recovered at the scene of the shooting, police said.

About two weeks ago, 15 people were gun downed at a Park Manor business where a party was being held. Two people were killed and at least five others seriously wounded, police said.

The shooting was the most violent attack in terms of the number of victims since last July when 15 people were shot outside a Gresham funeral home.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

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One person was killed and at least six others injured in a shooting early Friday in Ashburn on the South Side, police say.

Just after midnight, at least two men opened fire during a gathering with several people in the 2500 block of West 79th Street, Chicago police said.

A 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet released information on the fatality.

A man, 22, was shot in the left knee and a man, 28, was struck in the left leg, police said. Both men were listed in fair condition.

Another man, 28, and a woman, 40, both suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen, police said. The man and woman were listed in serious condition, according to police.

Two of the adults were transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center and the two others were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Chicago fire officials said.

A man, 32, went to Little Mary of Company Hospital with a gunshot wound to the back, police, said. A seventh person brought themselves to Roseland Hospital with a gunshot wound to the body.

Both adults were later transferred to Christ Medical Center, police said.

Several handguns were recovered at the scene of the shooting, police said.

About two weeks ago, 15 people were gun downed at a Park Manor business where a party was being held. Two people were killed and at least five others seriously wounded, police said.

The shooting was the most violent attack in terms of the number of victims since last July when 15 people were shot outside a Gresham funeral home.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

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The officer, who was shot in Brighton Park, was the fourth Chicago police officer to be shot in less than two weeks.

An alleged shoplifter shot and seriously wounded a security guard Thursday afternoon at a Home Depot on the South Side then shot a Chicago cop in the shoulder before dying in a shootout nearby with other officers, police said.

The officer was the fourth Chicago cop to be shot in two weeks.

During a news conference outside Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said the officer appeared to be in “good spirits” after suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The wound wasn’t thought to be life-threatening.

The suspect was pronounced dead at a hospital, Brown said.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

About 4 p.m., a loss prevention officer at a Home Depot store in the 2400 block of West 46th Street saw a suspect shoplifting, Brown said. During an ensuing struggle, the suspect shot the security guard, who was in grave condition.

The guard, who was in his early 50s, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago fire spokesman Larry Merritt said. In a statement, police said the guard was shot in his head.

When the suspect fled, officers pursued and one officer was shot, Brown said. The officer, a four-year veteran of the department, was treated at Mount Sinai, police said.

Following that shooting, other officers continued to pursue the suspect, Brown said. The suspect was then shot and killed during a shootout with police.

At the scene of the shooting, police officers blocked off a residential stretch of 46th Street between Western Avenue and Rockwell Street as residents congregated behind the police tape to catch a glimpse of the investigation and exchange rumors over the sound of helicopters.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Nearby, officers taped off sections of the Home Depot parking lot across Western Avenue and laid down evidence markers near the entrance.

In the last two weeks, three other Chicago cops have been wounded in shootings.

“I get questions all the time about what is the department doing about violence, what are we doing about the shootings, what are we doing about the homicides. What we are doing is risking our lives every day to protect this city,” Brown said.

He noted that law enforcement officers across the country are “under attack,” reflecting on the cop who was shot and killed responding to the recent mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado.

“But here in Chicago … it’s the idea that cops are putting their lives on the line every day and it seems that these offenders are acting with impunity. … And yet with hyper-criticism, officers continue to run toward danger,” Brown said.

When the wounded officer was discharged later Thursday, Brown and other members of the police force gathered at the hospital to salute him.

Tom Schuba/Sun-Times

Thursday’s shooting comes after an officer was shot in her hand Saturday during a SWAT standoff in the Austin neighborhood by a man who allegedly wanted to “lure” cops to the area. On March 15, an off-duty officer was ambushed by two gunman while stopped in traffic in the Calumet Heights neighborhood.

And a day before that, an on-duty CPD sergeant was shot while standing in the parking lot of the Gresham District police station, at 7808 S. Halsted St. The bullet grazed his chin, and he was released from a hospital later that day.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot took to Twitter on Thursday to wish the wounded cop a “speedy recovery,” saying it’s “absolutely appalling that he was the fourth officer shot in two weeks.”

“A security guard was also shot and is in grave condition,” Lightfoot said. “This evening’s incident is another sober reminder of the dangers our officers face to keep their fellow Chicagoans safe.”

John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, walked near the scene of the shootings Thursday and lamented what he called an “anti-police” atmosphere that he blamed for encouraging violence toward police.

“I’m sick and damn tired of my officers getting shot, and I know this anti-police sentiment is largely responsible for this careless disregard for life, especially for officers in this city,” Catanzara said.

“I’d like to see this whole damn city and every elected politician in this city and state start standing up for police and letting criminals know there’s going to be some repercussions for bad behavior; maybe that will stop them,” he said.

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Lankinen demonstrated the mental resilience he’ll need to be a No. 1 goalie this week, saving 74 of 76 shots against in a two-game sweep of the Panthers.

The Blackhawks have been a second-game team this season.

Entering this week, they were 4-9-3 in the first games of series yet 10-3-2 in second games. They’d thrived on coaching adjustments and a desire for revenge.

So the pressing question entering Thursday was how they’d follow up Tuesday’s series-opening win over the Panthers. Would their hunger be lower than usual?

“Shouldn’t be, [but] I do think it’s probably human nature,” coach Jeremy Colliton admitted after morning skate. “Any of these two-game series, it’s really hard to sweep. A lot of them end up split, and that’s just the nature of sports, I guess. But from our perspective, we need the points.”

Hours later, the Hawks proved their coach happily wrong, finishing the sweep of the Panthers with a 3-0 win.

The Panthers were without leading scorer Aleksander Barkov for the second straight game and lost third-leading scorer Patrick Hornqvist in the third period but still produced plenty of scoring chances, dominating the Hawks 38-21 in that category. Only a second consecutive fantastic start by goalie Kevin Lankinen preserved the win.

Lankinen was stellar from start to finish in a 41-save shutout, the second of his career. 41 saves are the most in a shutout by any goalie in the NHL this season and tied for third-most by any Hawks goalie since 1979.

After the first downturn of his career — against very tough competition — earlier this month, Lankinen’s mental resilience shone brightly this week, demonstrating he possesses the ability that any No. 1 goalie needs to overcome and even improve through struggles.

Patrick Kane, meanwhile, provided all the offense the Hawks needed. Kane flipped in a loose puck to put the Hawks up 1-0 early in the second period, then set up Alex DeBrincat and Pius Suter on a two-on-one rush that doubled the lead. Brandon Hagel added an empty-netter.

Dach returning soon?

Kirby Dach seems to be getting closer and closer to returning to game action — remarkably ahead of schedule, which initially made mid-April seem optimistic. Dach took part in morning skate Thursday.

Colliton has repeatedly avoided giving a timetable for Dach’s return, but gave an encouraging hint when asked after Wednesday’s practice if he had a date set yet.

“No, unfortunately,” Colliton said with a wry grin. “But he does look good, doesn’t he?”

It wouldn’t be shocking to see him play sometime during the remaining four games of the Hawks’ homestand.

Hagel getting PP time

Hagel had only received about two minutes of power-play ice time this whole season prior to this past weekend. But he has become a regular on the top power-play unit in the past three games.

“Personally, I’m trying to help these guys get into the zone with my speed,” he said. “and get pucks [back] for the guys.”

The Hawks’ power-play meetings this season have been held on Zoom due to NHL mandates, allowing all players — even those not on either unit at the time — to watch them.

That, combined with his lengthy experience in power-play situations in the AHL and junior hockey, has made Hagel’s adjustment seamless. He recorded his first career NHL power-play point Thursday.

“A lot of players here have grown up being on the power play their whole life until they got to this level,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that is in our heads and we kind of know it.”

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Do you binge books like other people binge shows? Are you trying to get back into reading after a long estrangement from the written word? Wherever you are on your reading journey, you can find community and even friendship with other readers! Right here in Chicago, there are so many opportunities to talk about books with other people— here are just a few of the best Chicago book clubs to enjoy. 

One Book, One Chicago

Started in 2001 by the Chicago Public Library, One Book, One Chicago began as “an opportunity to engage and enlighten our residents and to foster a sense of community through reading.” The initiative chose two books annually for several years before switching things up— now, each season features a single theme through which Chicagoans can explore many forms of writing, music, and art.

Women’s Book Group (Women & Children First)

The Women’s Book Group at Women & Children First meets once a month, and discusses novels, memoirs, and more. The Women’s Book group is the independent bookstore’s longest-running group, but it’s also only one of nine to check out.

Noname Book Club

While not specifically a Chicago book club, Noname Book Club does have a Chicago chapter (one of twelve) and was started by Chicago-born rapper and activist Noname. The book club “highlights two books each month written by authors of color,” and in 2020 launched its Prison Program, which helps get books into the hands of incarcerated people all over the U.S.

South Side Black Girls Book Club

The organizers of this book club started it “ for women of color who want to read works by Black female writers and are available to meet up on the South Side.” With over 700 members on Meetup, the group’s recent selections have included N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became, Roxanne Gay’s Difficult Women, and Toni Morrison’s The Song of Solomon.

The No Book Club

This club is unique in that any discussion is based not on a single agreed-upon book read by the group, but rather steered by what books the group’s members have been reading lately. Facilitated by Friends of the Edgewater Library, the No Book Club is a great way to connect and make new friends while talking about your recent reads.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club (Chicago Nerd Social Club)

Open to SFF readers and fans, Chicago Nerd Social Club’s Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club meets once a month to discuss a chosen book (voted on in the previous month’s meeting), but also encourages wide-ranging discussions around science, history, philosophy, and other areas of interest.

Image by Lubos Houska from Pixabay

The post 6 Chicago Book Clubs You Need to Check Out appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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Surprisingly, Chicago is one of many go to destinations for Spring Breakers. To locals this might seem a tad odd, but I can see what the appeal is for non-locals or even just ones from out of the Chicagoland area. Museums, restaurants, bars, beaches, trails, and some historical sites are what attract kids, young adults, and families to the city. I will be highlighting a few places that are a must to see or visit for Chicago Spring Break 2021 if you’re not a local.  

Field Museum 

1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

At the Field Museum you can explore the secrets of natural history. You will be greeted by Maximo, the largest dinosaur to be discovered. Then you can head upstairs to meet SU, the world most complete T. rex skeleton. And my favorite exhibit by far is the Ancient Egypt one, where you can walk through a 5,000 year old tomb and see one of the largest collections of mummies in the U.S. 

Shedd Aquarium 

1200 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

The Shedd Aquarium has more than 32,00 aquatic animals, where you can find friendly beluga whales and white dolphins. The Aquarium overlooks Lake Michigan and has a stunning underwater viewing gallery. And if you’re traveling with kids, there is the Polar Play where your little ones can dress up as penguins or play scientists and explore ice caves. And make sure you don’t miss the 4D Experience, where you’ll get to be up close to the action. 

Museum of Science and Industry 

5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637

The Museum of Science and Industry is the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere. The majority of the 800+ exhibits are hands-on, including the U-505 German Submarine, underground coal mine, and Science storms. And if you’re feeling like watching a movie, you can sit back and relax at the Giant Dome Theater for a more educational take on a Chicago spring break. 

Adler Planetarium

1300 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

The Adler Planetarium is by far one of the coolest places to visit. You can catch a show at the state of the art sky theater, where you can explore planets, galaxies, and stars. Oh and if you feel like launching a rocket, stop by the Mission Moon exhibit and get a peek inside the Gemini 12 Spacecraft and experience the first steps on the moon through the eyes of NASA astronaut Jim Lovell. 

360 Chicago and Skydeck 

875 N Michigan Ave 94th floor, Chicago, IL 60611

If you’re in town for the first time and you haven’t seen the best view of Chicago, then this is the place for you. Travel up to new heights at the Skydeck in the Willis Tower and step out onto the Ledge to experience a one of a kind feeling. The Ledge is an all glass platform with an incredible perspective of the city. 

Millenium Park 

201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60602

If the weather is nice (and we know Chicago can be a little bit iffy) head to the Millenium Park and visit (and take pictures) next to the iconic reflective “bean” (and if you don’t know the real name…..Cloud Gate). You can also take a stroll through the park and end up by the Buckingham Fountain. And again if your kids are with you, the newest addition to the park is Maggie Daley Park (right next door) where kids can play in the suspension bridges, tube slides, and a big ship. Your older kiddos can yackle the 40-foot climbing wall or putt along the 18-hole mini golf course. If the weather cooperates you and your kids can also rollerblade! 

Lincoln Park Zoo

2001 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

Who loves animals? I definitely do! If you’re an animal lover head over to the Lincoln Park zoo where you can find polar bears, lions, monkeys, and more. The zoo also features a Farm-in-the-Zoo where kids can pet farm animals. And if butterflies are your thing, be sure to check out the Just Istock Butterfly Haven, home to more than 40 species of exotic butterflies.

Navy Pier

600 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Navy Pier is a must on your already long list of places to explore. Soar up 200 feet into the sky on the Centennial Wheel with stunning views of the Chicago lakefront and skyline. Surrounding the Pier Park there are tons of other amusement rides for all ages. And if you’re a fan of architecture, take a Lake Michigan boat tour with the architecture focused Shoreline Sightseeing cruise or if you love high speed thrills, ride the Seadog! Fans of theater and outdoor performances can also enjoy the Pier on the Lake Stage and City Stage. If you get hungry, be sure to check out the plethora of restaurants lining the pier. 

Chicago Spring Break Featured Image Credit: Pexels

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