Chicago Park District Releases Revised Plans For Jackson Park Golf Course

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Chicago Park District unveiled its revised plans for the golf courses in Jackson Park and around the South Shore Cultural Center to a polite, but somewhat skeptical crowd.

General Superintendent and CEO Michael Kelly believes he has a winner — a revised plan that replaces Marquette Road with a lake-access foot and bicycle path, moves the Golf Pavilion to a central location from the northwest corner of the Jackson Park portion of the course, creates special events access from 71st Street and enlarges the Cultural Center’s nature conservancy, although it takes more than an acre of the conservancy area that now exists.

Kelly sees it as a home to novices and to a PGA tournament.

“I see this as a national model,” he said, a course with wider fairways, larger greens, more abbreviated rough and faster overall play because of improved drainage.

Revised plans for the Tiger Woods golf course in Jackson Park. (South Lakefront Plan)

The biggest applause for Kelly and designer Beau Welling came when they said nature conservancy areas would be expanded. A closer look afterward left many skeptics.

“I’m not opposed to them improving the golf course, but I’m not for a PGA ‘Tiger Woods’ involvement in a golf course,” said Keith Scott, who said he believes that Kelly and Woods are trying to shoehorn in too much.

George Davis said Kelly appears to believe that any space not in constant use is “wasted space.”

“It should be a quiet space…and that’s not what these large parks in any major metropolitan area were designed for,” Davis said.

Gil Cornfield said there is still too little lakefront access to comply with city ordinances.

“We’re concerned mainly about two areas — the natural areas of Jackson Park and the ability of the public to get to the lakefront and the natural areas,” he said.

Another skeptic left saying, “Who asked for an amusement park?”

Kelly indicated further changes in the plan could be possible.

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Patriots Team Headlines: Tom Brady Has An Open-Ended Contract And Gronk Still Not Out Of Concussion Protocol

By Danny Cox

As if the media week leading up to the Super Bowl wasn’t enough stress, Tom Brady walked out of a radio interview earlier this week after confronting one of the hosts. The confrontation was in regards to an earlier comment in which WEEI host Alex Reimer called Brady’s five-year-old daughter an annoying “pissant” in her appearance in Brady’s “Tom vs. Time” documentary. While obviously protective of his daughter and justified in his anger, Brady told the media on Monday that he doesn’t wish for the radio host to be fired. 

Tom Brady has earned the right to decide when he chooses to retire

Brady has spent his entire NFL career with the New England Patriots and it looks as if that is where he’s going to stay. The 40-year-old led the NFL in passing yards in 2017 and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all, but when are the Pats going to start looking for his replacement?

If Patriots president Robert Kraft is serious, he’s not going to start searching for his next quarterback until Tom Brady chooses to retire.

“I think [he] has earned the right to have that be a decision he makes when he wants to make it,” said Kraft.

Kraft simply said that he can’t really envision any type of situation in which he would have to tell his quarterback to retire. Brady is still playing at an extremely high level and he is smart enough to know when it is time to call it a career. He may wait until that time arrives or he may simply decide that he’s done with the game, but that will be up to him.

Kraft continued, “Our intent is we have the best people in their respective positions and we keep them here for a very long time.”

Rob Gronkowski still in NFL concussion protocol after first practice

In the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, tight end Rob Gronkowski suffered a concussion that knocked him out of the contest. Many expected him to be fully healed up and ready to go by the Super Bowl since there was an extra week of rest before it arrived. As of the team’s first official practice on Wednesday, head coach Bill Belichick said Gronk was still in the league’s concussion protocol.

On Tuesday, the star tight end said he believed he was close to clearing protocol, but it simply didn’t happen on Wednesday. Gronkowski was in pads for practice, but he was limited in any participation and did not speak to the media after it was over.

For now, the Patriots are moving ahead with the idea that he will be cleared to play in Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, they’re preparing any sort of backup plan needed if the league doctors don’t allow Gronk out of concussion protocol and he isn’t able to suit up.

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Metra Fare Hikes Start Today, Service Cuts Begin Monday

CHICAGO (CBS) — New fare increases for Metra riders went into effect on Thursday, and several routes were facing service cuts starting next week.

The fare hikes and service reductions were approved as part of the rail agency’s $797 million budget and capital program for 2018, and will help eliminate a $45 million deficit.

One-way tickets will rise by 25 cents in all zones. Ten-ride tickets will jump $4.25 to $7.75, depending on the zone. Monthly fares – the most popular ticket for riders – will go up between $9 and $12.50, also depending on the zone. Tickets for unlimited rides on the weekends will go up from $8 to $10.

This was the fourth year in a row Metra has raised fares.

A handful of trains also will be eliminated or altered, starting Monday, on five Metra lines – Milwaukee District North, North Central Service, Southwest Service, Heritage Corridor, and Rock Island Line. For a summary of the schedule changes, click here. https://metrarail.com/sites/default/files/assets/riding-metra/combined_schedule_adjustments_feb2018.pdf

Metra also will chop utility costs and advertising spending. The agency also will impose a hiring freeze.

Agency officials also noted they still need to pay for some capital improvements, including “positive train control” systems mandated by Congress.

Metra’s fare hikes follow increases at the CTA and Pace last month.

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4 Killed, 10 Wounded In Wednesday Shootings Across Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) — Four people were killed and 10 others, including an 11-year-old boy, were wounded in shootings across Chicago on Wednesday.

The most recent shooting happened at 11:20 p.m. in the South Side Gresham neighborhood, leaving one man dead and another wounded. The two men, ages 29 and 31, were shot while on foot in the 7700 block of South Racine, according to Chicago Police. The younger man was struck in the chest and pronounced dead at the scene, and the older man was shot in the leg and taken in critical condition to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Two people were killed just 10 minutes earlier in a Lawndale neighborhood shooting on the West Side. A male and a female were sitting in a vehicle in the 4700 block of West Arthington when they were each shot in the head, police said. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Wednesday’s first fatal shooting happened at 1:36 p.m. in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side. Two men, ages 19 and 25, were arguing inside a home in the 11100 block of South Emerald when they both fired shots, police said. The teenager was struck in the head and died at the scene, while the other man was shot in the face and taken in good condition to Little Company of Mary Hospital.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has not identified any of the fatal gunshot victims.

The 11-year-old boy was shot and seriously wounded at 8:50 p.m. Wednesday in the East Side neighborhood on the Far South Side. He was standing in a home in the 10300 block of South Avenue N when a vehicle drove by and someone inside fired shots, police said. The boy, who was not the intended target, was struck in the left arm and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital.

Earlier Wednesday, three people were wounded in a single shooting in the Homan Square neighborhood on the West Side. They were standing outside at 9:47 a.m. in the 3300 block of West Harrison when a dark-colored vehicle drove by and someone in the back seat started shooting, police said.

All three of them showed up at Mount Sinai Hospital, police said. A 16-year-old boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and one to the left leg, and was in critical condition. A 25-year-old man was shot twice in each leg, and a 19-year-old man was shot in the right calf — both of them were in good condition.

In other Wednesday shootings:

• a 36-year-old man was grazed in the head at 6:04 p.m. in the West Pullman neighborhood;
• a 23-year-old man was seriously wounded in a 2:30 p.m. drive-by shooting in Little Village; and
• two people were wounded in a Ukrainian Village shooting at 5:05 a.m.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2018. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Fake Pipe Bomb Prompts Scare At Merrionette Tobacco Shop

CHICAGO (CBS) — A suspected bomb thrown into a south suburban tobacco shop Wednesday evening turned out to be a fake device but caused a scare in Merrionette Park.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., a hooded suspect, apparently a teenager, threw a “beeping” device that appeared to be a pipe bomb into Tobacco City, 3281 W. 115th St., according to Sgt. Jon Bruce of the Merrionette Park Police Department.

A customer grabbed the device and threw it back outside the store, where it landed about 10 feet from the entrance, Bruce said.

When officers arrived less than a minute later, they called the fire department and the Cook County Bomb Squad, which eventually exploded to device and determined it was a fake, Bruce said.

At least one suspect was seen on surveillance footage at the strip mall, and another suspect may also be on the run, Bruce said. No one was in custody Wednesday night.

Authorities didn’t know if the shop was targeted, and there had been no known issues at the store before the incident, Bruce said.

About five people were in the store at the time, Bruce said. No injuries were reported.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2018. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Celebrate African-American History Month With Chicago Public Library

(WBBM Newsradio) – The Chicago Public Library is sponsoring programming and exhibits throughout February that celebrate African-American History Month.

More than 40 events, workshops and programs will mark the month, which honors the culture, history and achievements of African Americans. All are free to the public.

The keynote event is Feb. 7 at the South Chicago branch: a look at “Letters from Langston: From the Harlem Renaissance to the Red Scare and Beyond” by Evelyn Crawford and Dr. MaryLouise Patterson. The book examines newly published letters between Langston Hughes and four confidantes.

Other events:

-African American Litfest, running Saturdays and Tuesday Feb. 6 and 20, at Harold Washington Library.

-Demonstrations of the vibraphone by Thaddeus Tukes, 2 p.m. Feb. 3 at McKinley Park branch and 3:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at Jeffrey Manor.

-“Heritage Makers: Benjamin Banneker’s Clock,” on Feb. 9 and Feb. 20 at Harold Washington Library.

-A Feb. 15 presentation by Amanda Lucidon, former official White House photographer for Michelle Obama, who will discuss her book, “Chasing Light,” at the main branch.

-Concert artist Bryant Young performs “Unsounded Melodies,” a survey of works by African-American composers. Feb. 16 at Harold Washington Library.

-“Walk Together Children,” Feb. 26 at Archer Heights and Feb. 28 at Douglass Branch, featuring storyteller Oba King.

-“An Evening with Blues Legend Holle Thee Maxwell,” 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Woodson Regional.

Special exhibits at the Harold Washington Library run through February: A collection of Lucidon’s photographs, third floor; “Patrick Thompson: The Color of Jazz”; and “Terri Mae Owens: Been Yah Gullah Dolls & Sweetgrass Baskets,” eighth floor. The latter exhibit runs through March 31.

More information is available here.

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School Security Guard Had Sexual Relationship With Student: Prosecutors

(CBS) – He was hired to keep students at a Chicago high school safe. Instead, police say he was having a sexual relationship with a student.

Slowly, students at Benito Juarez High School in Pilsen are learning about the criminal charge against the man who, until Tuesday, worked as a Chicago Public Schools security guard at their school.

He is 21-year-old Ellis Davis, now charged with criminal sexual assault for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a Juarez student.

Prosecutors say the two became close in October, even smoking marijuana in Davis’ car, when she was 16. When she turned 17, they say the relationship became sexual.

Davis was arrested after the girl’s mom found text messages between the two.

A CPS spokesperson says school officials took immediate action after learning of the serious allegations and removed Davis from his security guard position.

He is out on $25,000 bond.

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