Illinois center Kofi Cockburn, who had a game-high 24 points, dunks against Nebraska in the second half Thursday. | Holly Hart/AP
Ayo Dosunmu, who broke his nose Tuesday against Michigan State, is expected to miss at least two more games and possibly more.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. â Kofi Cockburn scored 24 points, freshman Adam Miller added 18 and No. 5 Illinois beat Nebraska 86-70 on Thursday night.
Illinois (17-6, 13-4 Big Ten) was without national player of the year candidate Ayo Dosunmu, who broke his nose Tuesday against Michigan State. Dosunmu is expected to miss at least two more games and possibly more.
âIâm going to leave it to the doctors,â Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. âThere are some other issues, too. But Iâm going to keep that private. When you are dealing with the head and facial area, itâs very sensitive. We are not going to jeopardize that young manâs career.â
Underwood declined to comment further on the issue. Dosunmu was on the bench in street clothes for Thursdayâs game.
Without him, it was a couple of freshmen who stepped up on Senior Night that helped the Fighting Illini right the ship following their loss at Michigan State.
Freshman guard Andre Curbelo narrowly missed a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Millerâs 18 points were his most since he scored 28 against North Carolina A&T in the Nov. 25 season opener.
Trey McGowens led Nebraska (5-17, 1-14) with 18 points. Kobe Webster and Shamiel Steveson added 12 each for the Cornhuskers.
Illinois was 30 for 62 from the field (48%) while Nebraska shot 27 for 61 (44%). The Illini outrebounded Nebraska 43-29.
âI thought Curbelo had an unbelievable game,â Cornhuskers coach Fred Hoiberg said. âHe controlled (the game) and almost ends up with a triple-double.â
It was a physical game from the opening tip. Back-to-back technical fouls were called on both teams late in the first half, and there were several minor scuffles. Miller hit two 3-pointers and made several circus layups to pull Illinois ahead.
Miller had 16 points at halftime and Illinois led 36-28.
NO STOPPING KOFI
Hoiberg admitted his team had no answer for Illinoisâ 7-foot center.
âThey are the No. 5-ranked team in the country,â Hoiberg said. âListen, Kofiâs an unbelievably tough matchup, especially when heâs knocking out free throws like he was tonight.â
Cockburn, who has struggled at the foul line along with most of his teammates lately, went 8 of 10 on free throws against Nebraska.
Underwood said Cockburn might take more abuse from other players than anyone in college basketball.
âLook, heâs 7 feet tall, weighs 300 pounds, can bench 450 and squat the house,â Underwood said. âHe gets banged on more than anyone else. We saw a little frustration out there from him tonight, but thatâs not who he is.â
BIG PICTURE
Illinois needed this one, with three tough road games coming up and Dosunmu likely to sit out at least two of them. Terrific games from two freshmen in Curbelo and Miller helped pick up the slack against Nebraska.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Illinois might slip because of its loss to Michigan State this week, but this win should keep the Illini in the top 10.
UP NEXT
Nebraska: Hosts Minnesota on Saturday.
Illinois: Begins a regular season-ending three-game road trip at No. 23 Wisconsin on Saturday.
Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 5:15 to 11:15 a.m. Chicago time. After that, the moon moves from Leo into Virgo.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Today you have to put your own emotional considerations second to the demands of others. This doesnât mean youâre a martyr. It means that you see what needs to be done and youâre prepared to deliver. âNo man is an island.â (Not even a peninsula.)
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You canât hide your feelings because youâre emotional and effusive about something, especially how much you care for children. You will also delight in fun times, sportsevents and social diversions. Life feels good!
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
You are high visibility lately. People admire you. Nevertheless, today you need some solitude because you need a breather. You canât be all things to all of the people all the time. Therefore, take time for yourself today. If you donât take care of yourself, youâll be of no use to anyone.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Youâre hungry for a real conversation today. You want people to tell you whatâs really going on and how they truly feel. You donât want superficial chitchat that is merely a polite exchange about nothing important. You want the real goods.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
You have money on your mind today. Actually, money is energy. It makes things happen. Ideally, it improves the lives of people, although this is not always the case because the more money and power that you have, the more problems you have as well.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Today the moon is in your sign, which makes you more emotional than usual. However, it also makes you more sensitive to the feelings and moods of others. Itâs good to know that when the moon is in your sign, your luck is a little bit better. Ask the universe for a favor!
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today youâre happy to work alone because you prefer to be by yourself. Youâre not being antisocial. You just need time to collect yourself because this is a busy time because youâre busting your buns! You need to take time to rejuvenate.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
A conversation with a female colleague could be meaningful. In fact, this discussion might ultimately cause you to think differently about your future. You might even change future objectives. This could be wise because letâs face it, life is a constantly changing landscape.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Even though you are focused on home, family and your private life right now, today for some reason, you are high visibility. People notice you more than usual. (Be aware of this in case you have to do any damage control.) Possibly, you can use this to your advantage?
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Feelings of escapism are strong within you today. You want to get away from all this. You want adventure and a chance to learn something new! Ideally, you would like to travel; however, most people canât travel right now. Therefore, think of ways to expand your horizons through study, film, movies, books and talking to others.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Many money issues are important for you right now. Your earnings and cash flow plus bills, debt, inheritances and anything to do with shared wealth or shared property. Keep your focus on these issues today.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Because you have to go more than halfway when dealing with others today, be accommodating, polite and friendly. This is the easiest way to make this a pleasant day for yourself. You wonât be giving up anything. In fact, you will be gaining.
If Your Birthday Is Today
Singer, songwriter Johnny Cash (1932-2003) shares your birthday. You are a dreamer who is also a hard worker. You are intuitive and a good judge of character. Service to others will be an important theme for you this year, especially within your family. Therefore, take care of yourself so that you can be a strong resource. Meanwhile, decide to invest in the relationships that you value. Hang out with quality people.
Hereâs what Simeon coach Robert Smith had to say about the atmosphere at tonightâs game against Curie: âItâs just kind of weird. I know CPS is trying its best but these kids need some people in the gym with them. I mean, even if itâs just two people per kid on the home team. At least somebody in the gym so it could feel like a basketball game. This feels more like open gym.â
Smith is completely right, it was very strange. But I was so happy to have high-level Public League basketball played in front of me that I didnât even realize until I was home. The game was absolutely fantastic. And other than me and maybe three or four Curie school employees, no one saw it at all.
I have a ton to say about Curie. Mike Oliver has done it again. This team is excellent and underrated. Itâs going to have to be fully addressed on the next No Shot Clock. You can listen to this weekâs right hereâŚ
Thursdayâs top games
No. 11 Fenwick 73, St. Ignatius 61 OT: Another overtime game for the Friars. This time it was some heroics from Bryce Hopkins that sent the game to the extra period. Hopkins had a full court drive and layup at the buzzer. He finished with 31 points and Den Juette added 13. Richard Barron led the Wolfpack with 16. Another tough one for Fenwick tomorrow night, they are at Brother Rice.
No. 7 Hillcrest 71, Oak Forest 61: The Hawks pick up a big road win. Julius Rollins earned rave reviews and scored 26. Hamahrie Bowers had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Robbie Avila led the Spartans with 30 points and 14 rebounds.
King 69, Dunbar 39: The Jaguars improve to 2-0 behind nice games from Farron Jones (18 points) and David Abdullah (13 points, six assists).
No. 3 Young 66, No. 14 Homewood-Flossmoor 42: Check out that score. The Dolphins crushed the most-hyped team in the south suburbs.
Corliss 62, Bogan 56: The first interesting score of the Public League conference season. The Trojans are 3-0 and have been a consistent threat since Harvey Jones took over. Senior Jeffery Oakley had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Freddie Cooper added 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Hyde Park 69, Phillips 61: Lightning quick junior Davontae Hall had a game-high 16 points and five assists. Sophomore Cam Williford scored 15 and was 4 for 6 from three.
Shepard 49, Eisenhower 47: Cole Hermanson scored 23 and Myles Palmer had 16 to get the Astros a tight win.
Rich 68, Thornridge 24: Lopsided win for the Raptors. Antonio McCanns had 16 and Donovan Johnson added 14.
Fenger 57, South Shore 25: I hope you didnât forget about Fenger. Remember that supersectional run last season? Lonell Strickland had 15 points and 11 rebounds. KeJuan Currie also scored 15 and Isaiah Hall added nine points and five assists.
No. 20 Kenwood 91, Morgan Park 68: JJ Taylor scored 37 and grabbed eight rebounds. What a start to the season for the sophomore.
John F. Gembara gave four customers of his fraud-ridden Washington Federal Bank for Savings unsecured âloan advancesâ totaling $14.5 million. The Sun-Times has identified the customers.
The indictment is the latest development in a case that traces its way back to Dec. 3, 2017, when John F. Gembara was found dead in Marek Matczukâs home, according to police reports.
The man who owns the million-dollar Park Ridge home where a Bridgeport bank presidentâs dead body was discovered three years ago now faces criminal charges as the investigation into massive alleged fraud at Washington Federal Bank for Savings continues to expand.
Marek Matczuk is among four new defendants accused in a 67-page indictment filed Thursday that also names James R. Crotty, a former vice president at the bank, as a defendant. The indictment alleges that $1.8 million had been embezzled for the benefit of the late bank president, CEO and chairman of the board of directors, John F. Gembara.
It was used in part for the purchase of a Sea Ray 420 Sundancer boat named âExpelliarmus.â
Also charged are real estate developers Boguslaw Kasprowicz and Miroslaw Krejza.
The indictment is the latest development in the case that dates to Dec. 3, 2017, when Gembaraâs dead body was found in Matczukâs home, according to police reports. Gembara was found in a seated position, fully clothed,with his glasses on and a green rope wrapped around his neck and tied to the bannister of a spiral staircase, according to the reports.
Kevin Tanaka / Sun-TimesThe Park Ridge home of a Washington Federal Bank for Savings customer Marek Matczuk.
The death was ruled to be a suicide. Federal regulators abruptly shut the bank down days later.
Records have previously shown that Matczuk got more than $2.8 million in unsecured loan advances between January 2013 and Nov. 1, 2017, one month before Gembara was found dead in Matczukâs home. Matczuk had five mortgages from Washington Federal totaling nearly $2 million at the time of Gembaraâs death, covering his home and three other residential properties.
Crotty, who lives in Tinley Park, was fired from the bank in May 2017 shortly before regulators discovered the fraudulent scheme.
Kasprowicz also got 93 loan advances totaling $9.3 million between January 2013 and Nov. 13, 2017, according to a claim by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Washington Federal also issued six mortgages totaling $2.4 million to Kasprowicz, including one for $750,000 on his home in the 1800 block of North Honore.
Kasprowicz got his first loan from Gembaraâs late father Emil, according to a 66-page history of the bank published in 2013 to mark the institutionâs 100th anniversary.
âHe was a hard working man who was always there for me,â Kasprowicz said. âFrom morning to night he worked and always took time to see me. I never needed an appointment. Then his son John took over the business. He takes time to listen to me and has helped me with my construction projects. I respect the family.â
That indictment last August added two of the bankâs former top executives â Rosallie Corvite, of Chicago,and Jane Iriondo, of Boise, Idaho â to the list of defendants, along with Alicia Mandujano and Cathy Torres, both of Chicago.
Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall ordered Robert Kowalski behind bars in October because he allegedly reached out to Gembaraâs widow over a lawsuit he filed â seeking to have the bank presidentâs body exhumed. Robert Kowalski has since been released but has again been threatened with jail for not following the rules.
Kowalski, an attorney and small residential developer, has told the Sun-Times that Matczuk did roofing jobs for his company.
Investigators have said they believe more than $80 million was siphoned from Washington Federal, with years of phony paperwork obscuring the missing cash from regulators. Prosecutors have said they expected âmanyâ people would be charged.
Authorities have said Gembara used the bankâs money to pay property taxes for Robert Kowalski and that the dead bank president was part of an embezzlement scheme. Theyâve said Gembara and an unnamed person transferred money from the bank to Robert Kowalski without any paperwork, then created phony documents to conceal it from federal regulators and that the bank gave loans to Robert Kowalski and others that werenât expected to be repaid.
Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th) got an $80,000 loan from Washington Federal in October 2017 as regulators were uncovering financial irregularities at the bank. The loan was for repairs to the 11th Ward Regular Democratic Organizationâs office at 3659 S. Halsted St. It wasnât secured by collateral and was deposited in the wardâs campaign fund.
Colin Boyle / Sun-Times fileAld. Patrick Daley Thompson
Six months before federal auditors uncovered fraud at Washington Federal, the bank got a clean bill of health from internal auditors Bansley & Kiener, a firm that also does work for Daley-controlled political campaigns. Bansley & Kiener agreed to pay a $2.5 million settlement last year to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the government agency that took over the bank after regulators closed it on Dec. 15, 2017.
Washington Federal was founded in 1913 by Polish immigrants in Bridgeport. Gembaraâs grandfather was among the earlier investors. Its main office was in Bridgeport at 2869 S. Archer Ave., with a branch at 1410 W. Taylor St. in Little Italy.
Residents headed to the lakefront at Lawrence Avenue on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Temperatures, which hit -7 earlier this month, could rise to the mid-50s this weekend â and approach the 60s near Kankakee.
After a month that saw Chicago smothered under an endless blanket of snow and sub-freezing temperatures, residents might be tempted to break out their shorts and fire up the grill as temperatures are expected to soar into the mid-50s this weekend â and even near 60 just an hour south of the city.
After a brief spell of rain and snow on Friday night, temperatures could reach a high of 50 degrees on what is expected to be a sunny Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
On Sunday, temperatures could climb even higher to 54 degrees during the day, before plummeting to a low in the mid-20s at night, the weather service said.
Cities like Kankakee could see temperatures as high as 56 on Saturday and 58 Sunday.
Above freezing daytime temps will continue, with many areas looking to climb above 50 this weekend. Mainly dry conditions are expected with the exception of minimal impacts from light rain and wet snow Fri night. pic.twitter.com/e72oZu3imP
Despite the snow and ice that stubbornly cling to parts of the city, weather service meteorologist Todd Kluber said that the dramatic swing in temperature â from -7 degrees on Feb. 7 to the warmer weather expected this weekend â is not unusual for this time of year.
âIts just a pattern change, weâre getting to the point where the sun feels pretty warm this time of year,â Kluber said. âThis is the same sun angle we see in mid-October, so when you think of those warm fall days, weâre getting the same sun angle now we would see at that time, even though we have snow on the ground and everything.â
The warmup comes after a three-week stretch saw 34.1 inches of snow fall on OâHare â the snowiest stretch of that length in four decades.
And although we had been on pace to mark the coldest February on record, things have evened out somewhat: the average temperature as of Wednesday, 17.3 degrees, would result in the 14th coldest February on record.
Dave Newbart/Sun-TimesIce along the Lake Michigan coast is seen melting Feb. 23, 2021.
Hereâs the latest news on how COVID-19 impacted Chicago and Illinois.
On the same day that eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine expanded across Illinois, the state reported that it blew away its record for most doses administered in a day. Meanwhile, the United Center is expected to open soon as a mass vaccination site.
Hereâs what happened today.
Latest
TOP STORY: With 130K shots given, Illinois sets single-day vaccine record as eligibility expands
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Illinois set a new record for most COVID-19 vaccinations administered in a day as hundreds of thousands more people become eligible to receive them, public health officials announced Thursday.
The 130,021 shots that went into arms Wednesday shattered the stateâs previous high of 95,375 inoculations given Feb. 11, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
And after a week of brutal winter weather slowed down the rollout, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he expects six-figure vaccination days to become the norm as pharmaceutical companies bolster production and the federal government parcels out larger shipments.
The pool of people vying for coveted vaccine appointments grew Thursday, too, as the Democratic governorâs expansion of the Phase 1B rollout took effect, allowing residents 16 or older with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, to register for a shot.
6:12 p.m. As hospital numbers fall, fatigued staff get relief at last
MISSION, Kan. â When COVID-19 patients inundated St. Louis hospitals, respiratory therapists arriving for yet another grueling shift with a dwindling supply of ventilators would often glance at their assignments and cry, heading into the locker room to collect themselves.
âThey were like, âMan, another 12 hours of this slog of these on-the-verge-of-death patients who could go at any moment.â And just knowing that they had to take care of them with that kind of stress in the back of their head,ââ recalled Joe Kowalczyk, a respiratory therapist who sometimes works in a supervisory role.
Now the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. has dropped by 80,000 in six weeks, and 17% of the nationâs adult population has gotten at least one dose of a vaccine, providing some relief to front-line workers like Kowalczyk. On his most recent shift at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, there were only about 20 coronavirus patients, down from as many as 100 at the peak of the winter surge.
âIt is so weird to look back on it,â he said. âEveryone was hitting their witâs end definitely toward the end just because we had been doing it for so long at the end of year.â
4:22 p.m. United Center mass COVID-19 vaccination site could give out 8,000 shots per day
Authorities are expected to announce plans to stand up a mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the United Center during a Friday new conference.
Crainâs on Thursday first reported that the new vaccination site will use a combination of drive-through and temporary walk-up facilities and could be used to inoculate thousands of people each day.
On Thursday, Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Democrat whose 8th District includes portions of Chicagoâs West Side, said the site will be used to administer up to 8,000 daily vaccine doses to people over the age of 65.
Ald. Walter Burnett, whose 27th Ward includes the United Center, said officials with Gov. J.B. Pritzkerâs office are planning to hold a news conference to announce the site Friday. He noted that the United Center has âthe plans ready and theyâre ready to do it.â
3:22 p.m. CPS open to improving remote learning as Fâs increase, attendance drops
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesProtestors chant asking Mayor Lori Lightfoot to consider and improve policies for Chicago Public Schools during a press conference by CPS parents and Raise for Hand for Illinois Public Education outside of City Hall at 101 N La Salle St in the Loop, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.
As students continue to ask for more leniency and support in remote learning, Chicago schools chief Janice Jackson reiterated her stance Wednesday that the school district would not reduce screen time â but she suggested officials would be willing to revisit how that time is spent.
Those studentsâ pleas come as new data released Wednesday shows failing grades are up and attendance is down across Chicago Public Schools, largely along racial and socioeconomic lines.
The districtâs year-to-date attendance has dropped 1.9% this school year compared to last â92.5% to 90.6% â with the most serious decreases coming among Black students at 4.5%, Latino children at 1.4%, special education students at 3.6% and homeless students at 6.7%, district records show. White and Asian American kids are attending at higher rates than last year.
High schools have faced a 4.3% drop in attendance compared to 0.9% for elementary schools, and charter school attendance has fallen 6.3% compared to 1.3% for district-run schools.
Grades, meanwhile, are skewing to extremes. There are more Aâs but also more Fâs in reading and math at all grade levels and in all racial groups. Elementary students in particular are getting Fâs at more than double the rate as last year. Perhaps most troubling to district officials is a significant rise in failing grades handed out to Black and Latino students.
3:19 p.m. BLM launches Survival Fund amid federal COVID-19 relief wait
NEW YORK â The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is formally expanding a $3 million financial relief fund that it quietly launched earlier this month, to help people struggling to make ends meet during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The foundation, which grew out of the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement nearly eight years ago, said Thursday that it plans to make up to 3,000 microgrants of $1,000 each to people who it believes need it most. The BLM foundation has already begun asking recipients to apply for the Survival Fund grants as it builds out its philanthropic arm.
If approved, the money is deposited directly into recipientsâ bank accounts or made available on prepaid debit cards, the foundation said â no strings attached.
âThis came from a collective conversation with BLM leadership that Black folks are being hurt the most financially during the pandemic,â BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors told The Associated Press.
âI believe that when you have resources, to hoard them is a disservice to the people who deserve them,â she said.
Details about the initiative were shared with the AP ahead of the announcement.
10:46 a.m. Amid COVID-19 pandemic, flu has disappeared in the US
NEW YORK â February is usually the peak of flu season, with doctorsâ offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not this year.
The flu has virtually disappeared from the U.S., with reports coming in at far lower levels than anything seen in decades.
Experts say that measures put in place to fend off the coronavirus â mask wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling â were a big factor in preventing a âtwindemicâ of flu and COVID-19. A push to get more people vaccinated against flu probably helped, too, as did fewer people traveling, they say.
Another possible explanation: The coronavirus has essentially muscled aside flu and other bugs that are more common in the fall and winter. Scientists donât fully understand the mechanism behind that, but it would be consistent with patterns seen when certain flu strains predominate over others, said Dr. Arnold Monto, a flu expert at the University of Michigan.
Nationally, âthis is the lowest flu season weâve had on record,â according to a surveillance system that is about 25 years old, said Lynnette Brammer of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospitals say the usual steady stream of flu-stricken patients never materialized.
Country music star Trisha Yearwood is currently âunder the greatest careâ at home after contracting COVID-19, according to a statement from her husband, Garth Brooks.
A press release from Brooksâ publicist says the couple was already quarantining at home after a member of their team recently tested positive, and that the winter weather in Tennessee prevented them from getting tested for almost a week. Both have now been tested twice, and Brooks remains negative.
âOfficially, sheâs diagnosed as âon her way out of the tunnelâ now, though,â Brooks said in the release. âWhich Iâm extremely thankful for.â
âAnyone who knows me knows my world begins and ends with Miss Yearwood, so she and I will ride through this together. And anyone who knows her knows sheâs a fighter and sheâs been doing everything right, so I know weâll walk out the other side of this thing together.â
The press release says Yearwood is âdoing okay so farâ but dealing with unspecified symptoms, and Brooks welcomes fansâ prayers and thoughts.
âIf anyone asks, thatâs what you can do for her. Thatâs what Iâm doing. Living with her, I sometimes take it for granted sheâs one of the greatest voices in all of music, so the possible long-term effects on her concern me as her husband and as a fan. Weâre very lucky she is currently under the greatest care in the best city for treating and healing singers.â
A sign hangs on the wall outside the office of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) as a Transgender Pride flag hangs outside the office of Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) (right) in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill. | Al Drago/Getty Images
Newman, in a House floor speech supporting the LGBTQ Equality Rights Act, talked about her trans daughter; Greene later engaged in a personal transphobic attack.
WASHINGTON â To understand this story about Thursdayâs vote on a transgender rights bill, first know that freshmen Rep. Marie Newman, D-Ill., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., are across-the-hall neighbors in the Longworth House office building.
Greene is on the fringe of the fringe.
So much so that Democrats who control the House stripped her of committee assignments after the QAnon conspiracy booster and 9-11 denier threatened to execute Democrats, spread anti-Semitic tropes and pushed baseless claims about staged school shootings.
On Tuesday, Newman delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor to support passage of the LGBTQ anti-discrimination Equality Act.
She knows a lot about this issue.
Her daughter Evie, 20, a DePaul University student, transitioned about five years ago.
The Equality Act is needed, Newman said in her floor speech, because she knew from the day Evie âcame out to her parents as transgenderâ she could be âdiscriminated against merely because of who she is.
âAnd yet it was still the happiest day of my life. And my daughter has found her authentic self.â
Later on Tuesday, Newman tweeted out a clip from that speech, adding the line, âIâm voting to pass the Equality Act for my daughter â the strongest, bravest person I know.â
On Wednesday, Greene tried unsuccessfully to block a vote on the Equality Act.
That prompted Newman on Wednesday afternoon to plant the light-blue and pink transgender flag next to the State of Illinois flag outside her office â where Greene would be sure to see it.
Newman wrote in an afternoon tweet above a video of her putting up the flag, âThought weâd put up our Transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door.â
A short time later, Greene tweeted in reply, âAs mothers, we all love and support our children. But your biological son does NOT belong in my daughtersâ bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams.â
Even though Newman got this ball rolling by planting the trans flag â a symbol â Greene knew or should have known how making her blunt message specifically about Newmanâs child could be hurtful.
A few hours later, Greene escalated by putting up an in-your-face sign outside her door that said: âThere are two genders. Male & Female. âTrust The Science,â said Greene.
That this message was directed to the mother of a trans child made it more than a matter of a policy dispute. What kind of unfeeling person does that?
Greene said in a tweet about her sign, âOur neighbor, @RepMarieNewman, wants to pass the so-called âEqualityâ Act to destroy womenâs rights and religious freedoms. Thought weâd put up ours so she can look at it every time she opens her door.â
And by the way, Greene does not trust science. She had to be forced to wear a COVID mask on the House floor.
A NEWMAN â GREENE BACKSTORY
Itâs not like Newman did not try to get to know Greene when they both got to Congress. She did.
Earlier this month, when Greene made a Feb. 4 speech from the House floor where she was trying to avoid being stripped of her committees â she did finally accept that the 9-11 attacks happened â she tried to position herself as misunderstood.
âI havenât gotten to know any of my Democratic colleagues,â Greene said from the floor.
Like much of what Greene said, that was not quite right. I talked to Newman on Feb. 4 and asked her â in the wake of what Greene said about not knowing any Democrats â whether she had gotten to know her office neighbor.
Said Newman, âWe bumped into each other several times and I would say, âHi, how are you. Howâs it going?â And she just refused to acknowledge me, and I know for sure she knew who I was and that I was her neighbor. Iâve had no interaction because she refuses to have interaction.â
And to add another wrinkle to this, on Thursday, Facebook removed Newmanâs video. âFacebook took down our video of me putting up the Transgender flag outside my office and labeled it as âhate speech.â Meanwhile, theyâre still allowing Marjorie Taylor Greeneâs transphobic video to be posted.â Facebook put it back, telling Newman it was removed in error.
HOW ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS VOTED
The Equality Act passed the House on a 224-206 roll call to meet an uncertain future in the Senate. The 18 Illinois House members split along party lines. The 13 Democrats voted yes and the 5 Republicans were no votes.
Turns out the top four teams left out of March Madness wonât have their bubbles burst quite yet.
Under a contingency plan released Thursday by the Division I basketball committees, those four at-large teams that donât make the original field in the menâs and womenâs NCAA tournaments will be placed in order and serve as the replacement teams should any conference with multiple bids have a school that is unable to participate due to COVID-19 issues.
If the tournament begins without any withdrawals, the four would still be eligible to compete in the NIT.
The contingency plan only applies to the short period between the announcement of the brackets â March 14 for men and March 15 for women â and the start of games later that week. Once a tournament begins, any team whose opponent is forced to withdraw would automatically advance to the next round.
If there are COVID-19 issues with a qualifying school leading up to the NCAA Tournament selection, conferences get to designate a replacement team and it will be seeded in the bracket based upon its own body of work.
Single-bid conferences likewise can choose their replacement provided the team has gone seven days without a positive test.
Due to the pandemic, the entire menâs tournament will take place in Indianapolis and the surrounding area beginning with First Four games March 18 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Final Four will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium with the championship game scheduled for April 5.
The womenâs tournament, which begins with first-round games March 21, will take place in San Antonio and neighboring cities of Austin and San Marcos. The Final Four is set for the Alamodome with the title game April 4.
The basketball committees formulated their contingency plan based on four core tenets: once the bracket is released, it will not be changed or reseeded; it will attempt to ensure a full field before the tournament with no replacement teams once play begins; every participating conference should have at least one team in the field; and the replacement teams should be the best teams considered for an at-large that still remain.
Many of the same rules were used by the Division I competition and oversight committee to create a similar plan for winter championships such as wrestling and gymnastics. The plan also covers menâs and womenâs cross country and menâs water polo, which are fall sports but whose champions will be decided in March.
Imagine for just a few seconds that you lived in Chicago. Every single day you read and hear about the soaring violence and the tremendous impact it has on the thousands of victims. In a 14 month period over 875 souls have been murdered, infants, babies, toddlers, hundreds of teens, seniors, no age group or gender spared. Another 4,600 have been shot and over 1,718 have been victims of violent carjackings.
No matter where one lives in the City the violence is real and folks are aware and living, if not in fear then in a state of high alert. So along comes none-other than the Governor of Illinois using his pulpit when signing a Supposed Criminal Justice Reform Bill to label folks as FEARMONGERS who are concerned about a major part of the bill that will completely eliminate cash bail from the Bonding process. Gee! ya think they would be at least a bit concerned to learn that violent criminals will be sent right back through the revolving door they came through in less than 24 hours most times. Not so in the Governorâs mind, HEâS LABELED THOSE CONCERNED FOLKS FEARMONGERS. Iâm not sure what kind of a life J.B Pritzker lead before he spent almost 173 million dollars of his own fortune to become Governor, but Iâm betting it was either Disney World or the land of the STEPFORD WIVES.
One could not be that out of touch unless he lived on another planet. Not since Hillary Clinton labeled those who disagreed with her political platform aâBASKET OF DEPLORABLESâ has a politician besmirched so many decent people with such a blatant disregard for legitimate concerns. Nero fiddled while Rome burned, Marie Antoinette at least offered cake, Pritzker and his family who are surrounded by armed security 24 hours a day offer up an astonishing insult.
I once had a young police officer who was assigned to my unit to work undercover as a decoy. Strong-armed robberies, armed robberies, and chain snatchings were gripping the cityâs transit system. He felt that he was not doing something quite right, none of the offenders were picking him out and he was frustrated. I explained to him that it was his demeanor and his sense of security, he was armed, he had other protections on his person, and of course, he had back up no more than 10 seconds away, so his aura, so to speak, gave him away. He didnât have the same look as a defenseless citizen would have and the criminal element could sense he was not a typical victim. I sense that Governor Pritzker and his assessment of other peopleâs fear as Fearmongering also lacked that urgency and most likely NEVER EVER felt what most city folks live with on a daily basis and that is to be alert to your surroundings. Chicago is not Disney World, dangerous people exist, a little fear and apprehension are sometimes very prudent in order to stay safe.
The question that comes to mind is could a person who was born with billions of dollars and lived in a mansion most of his life ever be able to feel, what hundreds of thousands of others do, who have to negotiate life in a big city? Being a billionaire could possibly cause one to feel âEntitled, Impatient and Arrogant, but a sense of decency carries no monetary weight. Governor Pritzker needs to know that the mind is slow to unlearn what it learned earlier. Lots of folks in Illinois will not forget being labeled a Fearmonger and maybe another 173 million dollars will not be enough next election. Leadership cannot be bought. Even people labeled Fearmongers have long memories.
Bob Angone is a Marine VETERAN and a retired Chicago Police Lieutenant. He worked his entire Career covering the streets of Chicago as a Tactical Officer, Tactical Sergeant, and Tactical Lieutenant. His last assignments were in special Functions, he was the C/O of the CPD Swat teams his last five years and was an HBT (Hostage Barricade Terrorist) Sergeant for 10 years.
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