Winter Pest Control Tip for Your Business from 2nd Generation Exterminator Robiar Smith, CEO of R.B. Pest Solutions (Part 2)on December 21, 2020 at 6:14 pm

The Red Cup Adventures

Winter Pest Control Tip for Your Business from 2nd Generation Exterminator Robiar Smith, CEO of R.B. Pest Solutions (Part 2)

Winter Pest Control Tip for Your Business from 2nd Generation Exterminator Robiar Smith, CEO of R.B. Pest Solutions (Part 2)on December 21, 2020 at 6:14 pm Read More »

The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 42 St. Josephon December 21, 2020 at 5:49 pm

When high school basketball fans think back to the 1980s, programs like Quincy, Providence St. Mel, East St. Louis Lincoln and the arrival of city powers King and Simeon are easy to think back on.

The 1990s brought us memorable basketball giants in Peoria Manual and Thornton, a few steamrolling Proviso East teams and the continued dominance of King.

The first 10 years of the 2000s included Glenbrook North, Peoria High and the beginning of a Simeon juggernaut.

Now, with the calendar inching closer to wrapping up an unforgettable 2020, the end of this month closes out another decade. And it’s another high school basketball time period to look back on.

Earlier this year we broke down the decade’s best teams and best players. Now, with every season of the past decade complete, it’s time to look at the Chicago area programs who won the most.

This list is comprised of the 50 winningest programs over the past 10 years, starting with the 2010-11 season and concluding with the 2019-20 season. Every team in every class throughout the Chicago area will be broken down in a variety of ways. But total wins, with winning percentage used as tie-breaker, determined the rankings.

We present No. 42 St. Joseph today and will add one program a day going forward.

42. ST. JOSEPH: 187-121

Decade’s biggest storyline: The passing of Gene Pingatore, a legendary basketball figure and the all-time winningest coach in state history, was one of the state’s biggest basketball stories of the entire decade.

Pingatore was set to begin his 51st season at Joseph, where he won 1,035 games, a pair of state championships and guided the Chargers to six top four state finishes. But the iconic and respected Pingatore passed away suddenly in the summer of 2019.

Underrated decade highlight: The sad and shocking news of Pingatore’s sudden passing was such a huge story across the state, that it leaves the 2015 state championship in the underrated highlight category. Led by the trio of Glynn Watson, Jordan Ash and Nick Rakocevic, the Chargers beat Belleville Althoff 67-63 in the Class 3A state championship.

Player of the Decade: Nick Rakocevic (2016)

St. Joseph's Glynn Watson (30) fires up a three-pointer against Rockford Lutheran. — St. Joseph’s Glynn Watson (30) fires up a three-pointer against Rockford Lutheran.

All-Decade Team: Joe Edwards (2011), Reggie Johnson (2012), Glynn Watson (2015), Jordan Ash (2015), Nick Rakocevic (2016)

Other decade news and highlights:

–The 2015-16 team, led by Rakocevic, won 25 games and finished fourth in the state in Class 3A.

-A significant milestone was attained and plenty of hoopla followed Pingatore winning his 1,000th game, a February win over St. Rita in 2017.

-St. Joe’s won five regional titles in the decade and Catholic League titles in 2014 and 2015.

-Watson emerged as an all-stater in 2015 before a terrific career at Nebraska, while Rakocevic had a solid career at USC.

The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 42 St. Josephon December 21, 2020 at 5:49 pm Read More »

5 reasons I’m on Tik Tokon December 21, 2020 at 5:27 pm

Writing My Mind

5 reasons I’m on Tik Tok

ChicagoNOW

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‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’ isn’t meant to be cheery, but it could help this yearon December 21, 2020 at 5:35 pm

Margaret Serious

‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’ isn’t meant to be cheery, but it could help this year

‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’ isn’t meant to be cheery, but it could help this yearon December 21, 2020 at 5:35 pm Read More »

A shout out to Billy Barron December 21, 2020 at 5:43 pm

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Has the Republican Party become the party of subversives?on December 21, 2020 at 5:47 pm

Opinionated Woman

Has the Republican Party become the party of subversives?

Has the Republican Party become the party of subversives?on December 21, 2020 at 5:47 pm Read More »

1 seriously hurt in Zion senior home fireon December 21, 2020 at 4:37 pm

One person was seriously hurt in a Zion senior home fire Monday morning that prompted authorities to evacuate the 90-unit building to the north suburb’s city hall.

Firefighters were called about 12:20 a.m. and found heavy smoke on the third floor of the senior facility in the 2800 block of Elisha Avenue, the Zion Fire Department said in a statement.

Carmel House Senior Apartments is located on that block.

Crews evacuated nearby units and extinguished the fire in the room it started, the release states.

One person was taken in serious condition to Vista East Medical Center, and two people were taken for underlying medical issues that may or may not have been exacerbated by the incident, the release states.

Because of the smoke, authorities evacuated all of the building’s occupants to Zion City Hall, which is in the same block where the fire occurred.

About 55 firefighters and 25 vehicles, including from neighboring departments, assisted in the response.

1 seriously hurt in Zion senior home fireon December 21, 2020 at 4:37 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Personnel evaluations a huge concernon December 21, 2020 at 4:00 pm

Chicago Bears (Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports)

The Chicago Bears are struggling with personnel evaluations.

The Chicago Bears are back on the winning track having won two in a row after defeating the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. It appears winning is the magic elixir, as the calls to fire head coach Matt Nagy and general manager, Ryan Pace have grown fainter and fainter. Heck, there are even calls to extend quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Somehow, two wins have overshadowed what we have seen from this leadership team, and all of the criticisms of Nagy have seemed to fall by the wayside because he has, in year three, committed to the run and simplified the offense for Mitch.

However, there is a flaw that has not been corrected and is still very much a concern going forward, should the Bears retain their coach. That concern is the ability, or lack thereof, to correctly evaluate the talent on their roster.

There are countless examples of Nagy playing the inferior player, starting with Jimmy Graham over Cole Kmet for much of the season. Nevertheless, the most egregious example might be the one that held them back the most this year.

For weeks, Bears fans suffered watching a porous offensive line that was comprised of journeyman Germain Ifedi and converted defensive lineman Rashaad Coward. The results were horrendous and only got worse following the injury to James Daniels.

However, it was an injury to Cody Whitehair and Bobby Massie that literally forced the head coach’s hand to play Sam Mustipher. As a result of those injuries, Mustipher was thrust into action as Nagy was forced to go to the bottom of his depth chart for starters.

As it turns out, the insertion of Mustipher into the lineup at center, which moved Whitehair to guard, Alex Bars to the other guard spot, and Ifedi to right tackle, has the offensive line playing like an above-average unit.

As a result, David Montgomery has gone over 100-yards rushing in three of his last four games, hitting a season-high 146 yards on 32 carries against the Vikings.

Next: Bears’ win over Vikings gives them a chance

The question remains — what took them so long to make the move? How did they see these players perform each week in practice and not see they were the superior talent? Earlier in the year, both were available to poach off of the Bears’ practice squad. Just a few short weeks later, they may have saved their season — and ownership should never lose sight of that fact.

Chicago Bears: Personnel evaluations a huge concernon December 21, 2020 at 4:00 pm Read More »