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March honors gang victim in Elgin

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:25:23 +0000

Holding on tight to one another, the parents of a 5-year-old boy who was recently killed by gang violence in Elgin watched the boy’s grandmother tearfully kiss his photo. A silent crowd of adults and children surrounded them. Denisse and Eric Galarza took turns Saturday in thanking those present for participating in an anti-gang violence march in honor of their son, Eric M. Galarza Jr., who was…

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March honors gang victim in Elgin

VOICES THIS WEEK: Sanders, Lautman, Fabius, and Cashdan

Nicole Campoy-Leffler — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:26:34 +0000

THE TWILIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL by Barry A. Sanders The final notes of Gotterdammerung sounded on Saturday evening. Fittingly, the Wagner Society of Southern California presented the final Ring Festival LA symposium on Sunday at the Goethe Institute while Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica closed the Festival with collision/theory in a new multi-media performance of The Nibelungenlied. The Opera’s performances were as beautiful and exciting as we had hoped during all the years of their preparation. People went repeatedly. Ticket sales, which had lagged before the performances began, burgeoned on the word of mouth from the audiences at the first of the three cycles. The Festival engaged the entire city and met our expectations by tearing down the walls that have separated the abundance of cultural and educational institutions in Los Angeles, and inviting everyone in the city to participate in experiencing the fascination of The Ring. Read more> CHICAGO’S BIG SHOULDERS GET AN EYEBALL TO MATCH by Victoria Lautman Public art gets a bad rap, often with good reason. In parks, medians, and open spaces across the country, sculptures are plopped down seemingly overnight with neither “public” input nor consent. In some miraculous cases, they become beloved local icons or, better yet, tourist magnets. In the worst scenarios, they’re resented, maligned, and even removed if the public carping becomes especially harsh. Still, most public art is sandwiched between these two extremes. It’s the dismal visual equivalent of background noise, largely ignored, adding precisely zilch to our everyday experience other than cluttering up space. But on July 7th, when Chicago-based artist Tony Tasset unveils his two public commissions on State Street for the Chicago Loop Alliance, viewers will be anything but neutral. Read more> THE OBITUARY AS ART FORM by Carine Fabius When you make your living in the arts–whether that’s on the creative front or the business end–especially if you are self-employed, it’s safe to say that you are probably open to all kinds of veerings off the path to pay the bills, especially if that detour still allows you to work your craft. Case in point. I’m planning an impromptu dinner party and call my friend Mickey Cottrell to invite him. Mickey is a veteran publicist to mostly independent film directors. The man knows film like his own life story. If you asked him, I bet he could tell you who directed, produced, wrote and acted in just about any film, just like an encyclopedia would if it could talk. Read more> JAKUB JULIAN ZIOLKOWSKI’S DARK AND AMUSING PAINTINGS OPENS AT HAUSER & WIRTH by Marina Cashdan Today Hauser & Wirth opens the first American solo exhibition of talented young Polish painter Jakub Julian Ziolkowski. The Krakow-based artist, who graduated from the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts only a few years after Wilhelm Sasnal, Marcin Maciejowski, and Rafal Bujnowski, creates both large and small-scale works, incredibly intricate geometrically abstract scenes, eccentric figurative work, literal battleground scenes with fantastical narratives (skeletons and rich, otherworldly colors). Read more>

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VOICES THIS WEEK: Sanders, Lautman, Fabius, and Cashdan

Why am I Still Seeking Sleep?

Jen Sabella — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:00:00 +0000

When our twin girls were first born, we didn’t expect to sleep. We knew we’d be up most of the time feeding, changing diapers, etc. Once someone asked me how much sleep I had gotten the night before. I hesitated and said, “About seven hours.” She said, “So why are you so tired?” Well, I was still tired because it wasn’t seven consecutive hours. It was broken night of sleep — one hour here and two hours there. The sum total sounded better than it was. Now our girls are six years old. They go to bed about 8:00 p.m. I try to get to bed within a couple of hours after that. It sounds like I should be well-rested. So, why am I still trying to get enough sleep? My new sleep problem is my husband. It’s not the stereotypical snoring problem that keeps me awake. It’s his internal clock. He decided about a year ago that he wanted to get into the office earlier and get home earlier. This has several advantages, especially for someone who takes the train. The parking lot is pretty empty. The trains are not packed. He gets to work before most people, so he takes advantage of a little peace and quiet before the rest of the office arrives. He likes getting home earlier to spend a little more time with the girls each night. It’s all good during the week. The problem is he cannot seem to turn off his new, earlier routine on the weekends. Even on days when we have no reason to get out of bed early, he wakes up before the sun. No matter how tired he is the night before, he will always wake up at the same time. It’s the same problem we have with the girls. No matter when they go to bed, they wake up between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Given their early start to each day, I realize I won’t be sleeping until Noon. I would just like the extra hour or so that the weekend affords. I keep hearing that by the time the girls are pre-teens and teenagers, I’ll have to drag them out of bed each day. The legend goes that they will sleep until Noon every chance they get. I like to think that some day they will sleep a bit later in the morning, especially on weekends. The problem now is how do I get my husband to sleep until 8:00 a.m. or so? This is an original Chicago Moms Blog post. Shari can be found at Two Times the Fun . Photo courtesy of Stock.Xchng .

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Why am I Still Seeking Sleep?

Worth 1,000 Words

The Huffington Post News Team — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:30:00 +0000

AP Photo/M. Spencer Green This photo of Oliver Purnell being introduced as the new men’s basketball coach at DePaul University – with team mascot Dibs – is a fair representation to the monster task of turnaround that awaits Purnell.

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Worth 1,000 Words

The Morning After: ‘Hawks Cruise, Bulls Lose

The Huffington Post News Team — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

AP Photo/Mike Fuentes Blackhawks Outshine Stars The Blackhawks cruised to a 5-2 victory over Dallas and with the victory set a franchise record for most wins in a season (50) and tied the team record for most points in a season (107). Marian Hossa scored in the opening minute of the first period and Colin Fraser scored in the last minute of the first to give the ‘Hawks a 2-0 lead. Jonathan Toews extended the lead to 3-0 with a short-handed goal in the second. Fraser scored again early in the third followed by Patrick Kane’s goal at the halfway point. Antti Niemi was sharp in goal, stopping 26 of the 28 shots he faced. The ‘Hawks still trail San Jose for first place in the Western Conference by two points with three games to play over the next five days. If the playoffs started today, the ‘Hawks’ opponent would be…the Red Wings. The ‘Hawks take the ice again tonight against St. Louis (7:30 p.m., CSN). Bulls Fall To Bucks The Bulls built a double-digit first quarter lead only to blow it in a horrendous second quarter and ultimately lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 79-74 . Adding insult to injury, a Toronto loss earlier in the night meant the Bulls could have pulled into a tie with the Raptors for the final playoff spot had they won. Alas. The Bulls used a 14-2 run to close out the first quarter and take a 13-point lead but the Bucks, led by former Bull John Salmons, went on a 20-2 run to end the second and take a lead into halftime. Chicago hung tough, fighting back and even taking the lead mid-way through the fourth, but the Bucks held off the charge and escaped with a win and a secured playoff spot, unlike the Bulls. Luol Deng led Chicago with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Derrick Rose added 12. The Bulls now trail Toronto by a full game in the “Lose to LeBron” sweepstakes with five games left. Speaking of LeBron, the Bulls face him next when the Cavs visit tomorrow night (7 p.m., TNT).

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The Morning After: ‘Hawks Cruise, Bulls Lose

Thieves Make Off With Raptor Sculpture

The Huffington Post News Team — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:40:00 +0000

Some brazen thieves have made off with a Midlothian man’s custom-made velociraptor sculpture . Gary Crawford said he found the sculpture – which is three feet by six feet, weighs 150 pounds, and is made of twisted steel and sex appeal – moved to side of his house last week but assumed it was an April Fool’s joke. When he found the sculpture completely gone the next morning, he called police. More shocking than that thieves made off with the sculpture? That there was a 3 foot by six foot 150 pound steel sculpture of a velociraptor in Midlothian. Crawford’s main concern? That the thieves will sell the sculpture as scrap for cash. “I’m just hoping someone stole it for what it is and it’s sitting in their basement. I hope someone didn’t take it and try to get $15 for the scrap metal. It’s one of a kind. It’s not it’s a blue Schwinn mountain bike.” While there’s no reward, he says he won’t press charges if the sculpture is returned. Our theory: if it wasn’t Bubbles then the sculpture came to life and is the one stalking Michael Buble .

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Thieves Make Off With Raptor Sculpture

Cabbie Enters Not Guilty Plea

Rickhouse — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Thomas A. Durkin, attorney for Raja Lahrasib Kahn speaks to members of the media as Kahn’s family and friends listen behind, after a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown in federal court last week in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Raja Khan, the cab driver arrested and charged with aiding al-Qaida, has entered a not guilty plea. Khan’s attorney says that his client did send money overseas but it wasn’t for terrorism purposes as the government alleges. According to ABC 7 : Prosecutors say they have Khan on audio and videotape talking to an informant, allegedly talking about planting an explosive device at an unidentified stadium inside the United States. That, prosecutors say, was never a credible threat. Prosecutors have accused Khan of sending $950 overseas and planning to send $1,000 more overseas to aid al-Qaida.

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Cabbie Enters Not Guilty Plea

The Morning After: Blackhawks Clinch Division

Rickhouse — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh The Blackhawks had won their first division title since 1993 before the puck even dropped in their game against Calgary yesterday afternoon. That was thanks to a Detroit loss but the ‘Hawks went out and won 4-1 over the Flames anyway, putting a celebratory cap to their division-winning weekend. The ‘Hawks jumped on top early with a Tomas Kopecky goal less than three minutes into the game. Troy Brouwer added to that in the first period’s final minute to put the ‘Hawks up 2-0 at the first intermission. Patrick Kane scored late in the second to put the ‘Hawks up 3-0 before the Flames scored their only goal of the game. A late third period goal by Dustin Byfuglien was icing on the cake for the Central Division Champion Blackhawks. Antti Niemi had another great game in goal, saving 25 of 26 shots he faced. The ‘Hawks have won three in a row and have four games left to catch up to San Jose for first place in the Western Conference. Next up is a trip to Dallas tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN).

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The Morning After: Blackhawks Clinch Division

Pippen Elected to Hall of Fame

The Huffington Post News Team — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:20:00 +0000

AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser According to reports, former Bulls star Scottie Pippen has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame . Joining Pip are former Jazz power forward Karl Malone, late Celtics guard Dennis Johnson and famed high school coach Bob Hurley Sr. An official announcement will come on Monday in Indianapolis. Pippen spent the majority of his career playing second fiddle to Michael Jordan, and as such was perhaps under appreciated by the fans at the time. Pippen averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game over his 17 year career. The Bulls’ second all-time scorer also made seven time All-Star and made eight NBA All Defensive Teams. Along the way, the Bulls won six NBA titles. When the NBA released it’s list of top 50 player in its first 50 years in 1996, Pippen was among those selected. And in his recent best seller, “The Book of Baketball,” ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons ranked Pippen the 24th best player in NBA history.

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Pippen Elected to Hall of Fame

Quinn Issues Pardons

Rickhouse — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:30:00 +0000

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert Gov. Quinn celebrated Good Friday by issuing 147 pardons and allowing two people who had already been pardoned to seek expungement. None of the pardon recipients were in prison and most of the original sentences were probation. But the governor also denied 258 request for a pardon. It’s all part of Quinn’s ongoing work through a backlog of requests (almost 2,500) that piled up during Rod Blagojevich’s tenure. In his roughly 14 months in office, Gov. Quinn has granted 321 pardons, denied 440, and allowed eight to seek expungement.

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Quinn Issues Pardons