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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Amid trade talks, Bulls fall to Pelicans 125-120

Bobby Portis has left the building before under unhappy circumstances. This time he's not coming back.

Just before the Bulls Wednesday lost 125-120 to the New Orleans Pelicans, Portis along with Jabari Parker learned they'd been traded to the Washington Wizards for sixth-year small forward Otto Porter Jr.

"I could tell Bobby was a little weird about it," Zach LaVine, with 28 points to complement Lauri Markkanen with 30, said following the game. "I learned early in the NBA (when) some of my best friends got traded. Bobby's pretty much the main glue of the team, big time voice. It sucks. He's one of my best friends on the team. Me and Jabari talk all the time. It sucks he didn't get (what) he wanted to come here, Chicago kid. It's the NBA. Those two are great players. They're going to be very successful. We play them (Saturday). They'll know how I feel when I play against Minnesota. They're going to feel the same way playing against us. Even in the next 24 hours, you've got to have your phone on you."

And be ready to phone home.

It's also why Bulls center and sometimes mistaken extra terrestrial Robin Lopez, whose future with the Bulls remains in trade speculation with the deadline Thursday afternoon, posted Wednesday on Twitter a film clip of Doris Day singing Que Sera Sera (Whatever will be will be) from the 1950s Hitchcock movie, the Man Who Knew Too Much.

These NBA men, really, know too little about what's occurring during these anxious trading times. The rest of us, as well.

Que sera sera; the future's not ours to see.

So the Bulls newest vision begins again with 6-8 small forward Porter joining the team either in Brooklyn Friday or to play against his former team Saturday in the United Center.

Bulls officials and coach Jim Boylen were not able to discuss the trade since it wasn't official with the NBA office until after 11 p.m.

Portis left without meeting media, though he was asked Tuesday in practice about his fate since he rejected a contract extension last fall and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

"A tough year for me," acknowledged Portis, who suffered knee, ankle and elbow injuries that cost him 31 games. "You play four games, get hurt. Play five games, get hurt. But I feel like I'm in the best shape now of the season. I feel great. I love the rhythm that I'm in right now (averaging 19.6 the last five games after 33 his last game). It's fun to go out there and play the game.

"Obviously, the trade deadline's going each and every season," said Portis. "I don't really think about it at all. I'm just out here doing what I do on a a day-to-day basis, going out there playing the game that I love, playing the right way and practicing. So I'm really not worried about a deadline or anything like that. If my agent calls me and tells me things are in the works then I guess that's that. But I haven't gotten any calls about that. I guess they aren't, but there could be. You never know. We've had reports. Rumors and stories make the game. That makes it interesting for the fans. It makes it that much interesting for the social media. As a professional, you can't look into it. You have to worry about your job. I feel like that's the only thing I'm worried about right now."

When I came into the league, I didn't know everything at once. It's just going to take time; it's going to take patience and that's what J-Kidd (former Bucks coach Jason Kidd) did for me and Giannis (Antetokounmpo). He let us go through our mistakes, let us develop as men and as players and I see a similar situation for some of the guys on this team.

Jabari Parker

Parker stopped in the hallway outside the locker room to chat with reporters on his way out after a difficult season for different reasons. Parker was the team's principal off season free agent acquisition. He was moved to the bench in training camp, then back to starting with injuries to Markkanen and Portis, and then out of the rotation when Boylen replaced Fred Hoiberg as coach and then back playing again.

"It's the business," said Parker. "It's just surprising to me because Bobby was quote/unquote the leader and captain of our team. Just a guy that they love, and for him to get moved is obviously bitter, but, hey, that's just how it goes.

"I have no regrets, I have no backlash," Parker said. "I'm a God-fearing man. I'm not personal when it comes to that. I'm just happy about where I'm going. I hope that I can be used the way I can and I know that I'm capable of. I say for the (Bulls) team, we've got some great talent. Can't speak on my situation, but be consistent with guys, give them the opportunity to grow, give them that chance that they have to be free on the floor. Because when I came into the league, I didn't know everything at once. It's just going to take time; it's going to take patience and that's what J-Kidd (former Bucks coach Jason Kidd) did for me and Giannis (Antetokounmpo). He let us go through our mistakes, let us develop as men and as players and I see a similar situation for some of the guys on this team."

And so the Bulls still present had to play a game, and it was somewhat similar to many before as the record dropped to 12-42 with the ninth consecutive home loss.

"I thought the difference in the game was Julius Randle was terrific (with a game high 31 points off the bench against the Bulls depleted bench)," said Boylen. "We had a hard time dealing with him at that four spot. Being shorthanded at that position hurt us. We were 4-for-21 in the third (after leading 65-64 in a spirited first half), lose that quarter 27-17. We never really recovered from that. Too many second chance points (14 Pelicans offensive rebounds), too many paint points defensively (60). I like (the Bulls) 27 assists, I like eight turnovers. I like the ball popping around, guys making shots. We just having hard time sustaining that."

It's been an uncomfortable pattern of late for the Bulls, their offense expanded and the defense contracting. There's generally an empty sequence somewhere, and then just not enough offense to overcome. But perhaps it's coming, and not only with the addition of Porter, who has been one of the league's best three-point shooters, third overall last season at 44 percent and about 40 percent for his career.

His addition fills a vital need for the Bulls of a so called 3-and-D wing player who can make plays, shoot threes and defend.

The Bulls finally got some of that late from Kris Dunn with perhaps his best quarter of the season, 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls got within three, fell back, got within five, fell back again, and never could make enough defensive plays against a high scoring Pelicans team even without Anthony Davis, Nikola Mirotic, E'Twaun Moore and Elfrid Payton. The Bulls were without Portis, Parker and injured Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison.

"We're not a running, sprint-up-and-down-the-floor team," said Boylen. "They are, so we have to be careful not to get in that type of pace. We have to execute when we can, and we have to play them at half court when we can. A 125-120 game plays into their hands, I think, more than us right now. We have to get better at that."

Perhaps with Porter it will be as he should give the Bulls more of the look of a modern, NBA offensive team.

Markkanen, though still burdened with too many catch-and-shoot opportunities and tough shots he has to manufacture, is scoring at his most consistent this season, averaging 20.8 points and 10.7 rebounds the last 10 games.

After LaVine got the Bulls rolling with 13 first quarter points, Markkanen added 11 in the second quarter for that high scoring first half. Davis' absence, of course, has been the story of the NBA the last week with his trade request and speculation he was on the way to join LeBron James in Los Angeles. The Pelicans, however, appear uninterested in trading Davis yet and it is expected if he is not traded Thursday he will sit out the rest of this season. It's given Chicagoan Jahlil Okafor a chance to play and he's shown many teams made a mistake ignoring him after his difficulties in Philadelphia. He's not explosive, and Lopez scored over him early as the Bulls got off to a 10-4 start and led by 12 points late in the first quarter. Okafor finished with 13 points and remained a factor for the Pelicans.

The Bulls got caught with a small lineup late in the first that the Pelicans dominated to get within 39-37 after one quarter. New Orleans led by Jrue Holiday excelled at interior passing that helped enable them to score so many inside. The Bulls rarely get players easy baskets with that sort of interior passing, forcing them into more difficult outside shots.

The Pelicans pulled away in that disastrous third quarter for the Bulls, 19 percent shooting while the Bulls dropped under screens and the Pelicans continued to make shots. The Bulls got a look at newcomer Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. He had a couple of early scores, though also ran out of the corner once when Dunn was passing into the corner. Luwawu-Cabarrot isn't particularly explosive, though he isn't shy like many of the reserves the Bulls have brought in this season. He attempted 11 shots in 19 minutes, scoring nine points and not much into passing. Which actually isn't bad for this Bulls team which often needs aggressive scorers.

He cooled off in the second half, and Markkanen, LaVine and Dunn got it going again. But it wasn't quite enough with a nice assist from a bothersome Shaquille Harrison with four steals.

"I thought we fought with the players that we had," said Dunn. "The first half I thought we played well. Second half, we still played hard, but they just outrebounded us and got a lot of second chance points. We're trying to work on our chemistry, and it's growing. But at the same time we've got to do the little things. The little things are going to help us win and get over the hump."

Though the Bulls hope Otto Porter Jr. could be one of those big things.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/gameday/amid-trade-talks-bulls-fall-pelicans-125-120

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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New High-Rises Everywhere in the Sloop!

Yesterday it was Hotel Essex, today the Tribune looks at three other high-rises dotting the South Loop skyline. Two of them (Nema and Paragon) are almost done. Another one (1000M) hasn't broken ground yet, but would be a striking addition if it does. You can read the write-ups of each high-rise at the following link.

Instead of posting about the buildings, we're zeroing in on the preamble about how great the Sloop is:

Three new gleaming residential towers in the South Loop are changing the city’s skyline and offering potential residents a few more options.

Tommy Choi, president of the Chicago Association of Realtors, said the South Loop’s recent building boom is thanks to its convenient location and relative affordability compared with some of the city’s newly trendy neighborhoods. Proximity to transportation thoroughfares, Grant and Millennium parks, and cultural activities all make for an environment appealing to buyers, renters and developers.

“Here’s the great thing about South Loop — it’s always been an iconic neighborhood,” Choi said. “The North Side of Michigan Avenue gets deemed the Magnificent Mile because of all the high-end retail that’s there, but when you look south of Randolph, I think it’s more the Cultural Mile — you’re close to theaters, parks, museums, and you have all the world-class restaurants, retail and shopping that the city has to offer.”

Choi remembers the South Loop having some growing pains after the housing market crash and Chicago’s lost bid for the 2016 Olympics, but now he sees a spike in demand. He said the South Loop took advantage of “spillage” from the West Loop when people started getting priced out of what he calls one of, if not the most popular, markets in the city.

Source: http://www.sloopin.com/2019/02/new-high-rises-everywhere-in-sloop.html

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Chuck's Daily Check In - 06.21.19

The NBA offseason, already firing on all cylinders with trades involving Anthony Davis and Mike Conley respectively, did not disappoint on draft night as the Pelicans, Hawks, Timberwolves and Suns were active. It all played into the hands of the Bulls.

The Bulls did not surrender a roster player, nor a future pick to grab the player they coveted.

Prior to the draft, if someone told me the Bulls would come away with Coby White at seven, I would have said, "Case closed, let's go home."

My initial thoughts as I'm writing CCI at 1:42 AM:

White has a huge upside. You can't coach speed and he is a nightmare to stop in the open court. His play making decisions will improve. He will be coached and will learn the pro pick and roll game. He has the athleticism to be a solid defender. He was the primary ball handler at North Carolina. He has "leadership" written all over him. He is 19. I repeat. He is 19. Patience, please. Head Coach Jim Boylen loves players with "spirit"...White has plenty of that.

After Minnesota and the Suns hooked up swapping first round picks with Dario Saric packaged to the Suns as well, I was convinced White was headed to Minnesota but the T-Wolves elected to go with Jarrett Culver. Love Culver, but White is the player the Bulls needed with the current group of players assembled and I am convinced in time he will prove me correct. The NBA game is changing with transition hoops and running the floor essential creating easy buckets. A message to the Bulls players: Better be in shape when training camp begins because Coach Boylen plans to jump start the offense with Chris Fleming joining the coaching staff from Brooklyn.

Coby White is "The Blur". The Bulls are going to be a fun, exciting team to watch.

Second round pick Daniel Gafford is athletic. I mean atttttthletic! He can finish around the rim (led the SEC in FG% at 66%) and is a presence on defense. Gafford is a roll to the rim talent and loves to run the floor, which only adds to the versatility of the Bulls. He too is a developing young player at 20. He is committed to working on his offensive game and body. He will compete with Cristiano Felicio for back up minutes.

Atlanta is percolating. The Hawks, similar to the Bulls, continue to stock pile young talent. As expected, Atlanta found a willing trade partner with NOLA. The Hawks from day one targeted Virginia's De'Andre Hunter who is a magnificent defender and understands his offensive role. The "X Factor" is Cam Reddish. Incredible skill set. It's a hit or miss. Don't sleep on the Hawks. Superb job by GM Travis Schlenk.

The Pelicans continue to wheel and deal as NOLA guru David Griffin is adding piece after piece after piece. I absolutely loved their selection of Jaxson Hayes at eight...yea, that guy, Zion is pretty good as well.

Memphis with a revamped front office did very well selecting Ja Morant (a no brainer) and Brandon Clarke.

Pistons GM Ed Stefanski in a 24 hour period acquired Tony Snell from MIlwaukee, drafted Sekou Doumbouya and then flipped the last pick in the first round for four -count em' four- second round picks.

The Cavs were solid: Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. who has a big time upside. Can Garland and Collin Sexton play together? We will soon find out.

Indiana picked up TJ Warren from the Suns. On paper, I like the move for the Pacers but can Warren stay healthy?

Nassir Little of North Carolina was projected to be a 10-14 guy and fell to 25th. How badly does he want to be a great player? If he can't bring it nightly for Terry Stotts, that's on the player. Little has a great skill set. I'm shocked he went 25th...now it's time for him to look in the mirror and get after it.

What a night for Canada...a record setting six Canadians selected.

Tons and tons of story lines but this night belonged to the young men and the entire NBA basketball who put in the time, effort and long, long hours of intel work securing talent.

The free agent period is around the corner followed by Summer League.

I am totally fired up.

Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: [email protected] or Twitter @ctsbulls

Always a pleasure.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/chucks-daily-check-062119

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Oct. 29, 2018 - Full Show

A $2 billion tax proposal to get the lead out of Chicago water. And candidates to be the next Illinois attorney general face off for the last time before the midterm elections.

Aldermen Consider $2 Billion Plan to Get Lead Out of City Water

Illinois Attorney General Forum: Kwame Raoul, Erika Harold

Source: https://news.wttw.com/2018/10/29/oct-29-2018-full-show

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Keys to the Game: Bulls at Hawks (03.03.19)

This afternoon the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks complete a home-and-home set of weekend games as well as their season series at the United Center. The Bulls won the first match played in Atlanta in late October, 97-85, behind Zach LaVine’s 27 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks then exacted sweet revenge the next time on January 23rd at the United Center, thumping Chicago, 121-101. Atlanta’s John Collins dominated all over the court, hitting 14-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-4 from downtown, to notch a career-high 35 points. Rookie sensation Trae Young had an awful shooting night (1-for-12), but the first-year playmaker kept his head in the game and found other ways to help, dishing 12 assists and snagging seven rebounds to help Collins lead the Hawks to victory.

Both Atlanta and Chicago have been playing well recently. Young and Collins have been absolutely terrific all season long. In fact Young’s averaging 31.3 points since the All-Star break. He’s connected on at least four treys 12 times, most among rookies. He’s also demonstrated a readiness to attack the basket and make his way to the free throw line, in that he’s getting to the stripe almost five times a game and hitting 81.6% of his attempts. Against Minnesota last week Young went 16-for-17 from the Charity Stripe in leading all scorers with 36 points.

Collins has also been a big-time contributor this season. Since the All-Star break, the 6’10” sophomore is averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds. His 24 double-doubles not only leads his team, but is also the best among the 2017 Draft class.

As for the Bulls, Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr. have become a prolific trio in their own right. Heading into the weekend LaVine had notched 20 or more points in 12 of his last 16 games, and had scored 20 or more over 40 times this season.

On the year, he leads Chicago in scoring (23.2), and is posting career-highs in rebounds (4.6), assists (4.5), FG% (46.6%) and FT% (85.9%).

However, the sturdiest of all Bulls of late has been second-year forward/center Lauri Markkanen. Entering this weekend the Finnish import has posted 20 or more points in 10 straight contests. He’s also been cleaning up on the glass, grasping double-digit rebounds in 11 of his last 13 games.

In February, Markkanen averaged 26 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 48.6% from the floor. On the season, his numbers are equally impressive at 19.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, shooting 44.3% overall, 37.6% from distance and 87.8% from the free throw line.

Otto Porter Jr., who arrived in town from Washington just before the trade deadline, has proven to be a highly reliable third scoring option, notching 17 or more points in seven of eight games with the Bulls.

To keep themselves on a winning path Chicago will need to play smart and aggressive. They have to force Atlanta to burn extra energy, especially on defense, by crisply and freely sharing the ball with one another while relentlessly seeking a crack in the Hawks’ defensive coverage and attack the basket.

Offensively the Bulls have really been on fire, as they’ve been putting up an average of 116 points a game since February 1st.

With regards to the defensive end of the floor, Chicago needs to dish a hearty dose of gritty pressure, especially with regards to Young, and collectively crash the boards to counteract Collins’ opportunities to make an impact on the glass.

Atlanta’s biggest problem this season has been careless play with the ball, in that they are the league’s top turnover squad at 18.1 fumbles per. Young owns incredible court vision and there is no limit to his shooting range, however he is one of the NBA’s biggest fumblers, turning the ball over almost four times a game. Kris Dunn, who is the Bulls top on-ball defender, will be charged to pester Young up-and-down the hardwood all day long.

In short, if the Bulls can keep their poise and selflessly share the ball while also controlling the boards — especially on the defensive glass — they should be able to send their fans home with a smile after the final buzzer blares.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/keys-game-bulls-hawks-030319

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Divvy could get $50M expansion, electric bikes

Lyft plans to drop $50 million into the Divvy bike share program while adding electric bikes, doubling the size of the program, and installing stations in every ward. The proposed contract, which was announced last week, is still pending approval from City Council.

Lyft, which purchased Divvy’s operator Motivate last year, would have to modernize the program by 2021. That means bringing Divvy to every ward, and adding 10,500 bikes and 175 stations. All new bikes would be electric, pedal-assist bikes and have the ability to lock onto a normal bike rack.

Under the agreement, Divvy would offer a job training program for ex-offenders and youth and the Divvy for Everyone program for low-income customers would be expanded. The company would also pilot an adaptive bike sharing program for people with disabilities.

The city would maintain ownership and set pricing, but Lyft would be responsible for operating Divvy. Lyft would also get exclusive rights to operate a bike-share program within Chicago. Earlier this year, the city piloted Uber’s Jump bikes and Lime bikes—if the contract is approved, competitors won’t be allowed. Any extension beyond Divvy’s nine-year contract would need City Council approval.

Over the nine years, the city expects it might gain a minimum of $77 million in revenue from Divvy. Lyft has agreed to absorb all operational, cost, and revenue risk of Divvy’s performance—so the city isn’t sharing in operating losses as before.

Another change to look out for this year, might be the use of Divvy through the Lyft app. Additionally, public transportation information could be integrated into the app as well. Lyft also operates scooters in other cities, but there’s no word on if those will be coming to Chicago. However, a scooter pilot program for the city is on the mobility task force’s list of recommendations.

Source: https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/3/18/18271137/divvy-lyft-expansion-chicago-electric-bikes

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Chicago Bears: Week 9 game balls

The Chicago Bears are finally through the first half of their 2018 season and by the surprise of most, they find themselves in first place with a chance to extend their grip on the NFC North next weekend.

While most viewed this as a “trap game” of sorts, the Bears capitalized on a chance to get back to a season-high two games over .500 and a chance to control their own destiny heading into the meat and potatoes of their schedule.

The Bears extended their point differential to (+83) with a 32-point victory on Sunday but it likely wasn’t what most fans would expect if they hadn’t seen the box score yet. The team’s mantra of losing ugly continues to be a trend, even with a 41-9 victory.

Even so, there was plenty to like in Week 9, so let’s dive into this week’s game ball session.

CB Kyle Fuller

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

It’s safe to say that Fuller was not only the team’s best defensive player but the best player on the field for either side on Sunday.

Fuller’s stat line of three tackles, three PBUs and an interception didn’t tell the whole story. Not only did he get himself an interception, he was the reason for both Adrian Amos’ pick and Leonard Floyd’s pick-six.

The 26-year-old was all over the field today and continues to build on a good season, after a rough start through the first four games. One of the big reasons for that? He’s finally getting his head back around in coverage, which is allowing him to make plays on the ball.

When Fuller’s eyes are on the quarterback, he’s a playmaker and needless to say, he showed that today, in a big way. After the Bears matched the Packers’ pricey offer sheet, expectations were high. I’d say over the last few games, he’s starting to live up to that contract and coming up big when the team needs it the most.

Fuller’s ascension as a playmaking corner is what gives him this week’s game ball on the defensive side.

Honorable Mention: OLB Leonard Floyd

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Speaking of Floyd, he’s this week’s honorable mention with his strongest game of the 2018 season.

He didn’t register a sack for the eighth straight game but all other aspects of his game were on full display in Sunday’s win. He played the run at an elite level, causing multiple short-yardage runs.

Floyd was also more than adequate in coverage, as he blew up a screen and had himself a pick-six thanks for Fuller’s outstanding play at the line of scrimmage. The former ninth overall pick may not be lighting it up in the sack column but make no mistake, he’s playing well in other facets.

It’s also worth noting that Vic Fangio’s defense requires his outside linebackers to do much more than just rushing the passer, which means stellar play against the run and a good ability in coverage. Floyd’s performance was good on multiple levels in today’s game. Now he must build off that as they get Khalil Mack back and hope that sacks start coming. The talent is there and now we are finally seeing some of the results in 2018.

RB Jordan Howard

The offensive game ball was a hard decision this week. The Bears as a unit only had 190 total offensive yards, so it was slim pickings for today’s honor.

Even so, Howard did more than enough to garner that honor. His overall numbers of 14 rushes for 47 yards (3.4 average) wasn’t overly impressive but he found the end zone twice against a very stout Bills defense.

Howard’s involvement in the offense remains somewhat inconsistent, but it’s been evident over the past few weeks that head coach Matt Nagy is trying to get him more involved, even if it’s in sporadic situations.

As a whole, the team’s offense only ran 45 plays, so there wasn’t a ton of room for flashy numbers, but with a 41-9 score, you’ll take those final results every time.

As the weather gets colder and it becomes harder to throw the ball, I’d expect Howard’s role to expand but he showed flashes of his former self with his 18-yard touchdown, in which he ran over a defensive back before heading into the end zone.

All in all, this was yet another performance for Howard where you can start to see light at the end of the tunnel for this running game. The Detroit Lions defense should be much easier to run on this coming Sunday, even with the addition of Damon Harrison.

Rookie receiver Anthony Miller would have been the only other player that could have been under consideration for this week’s offensive honor. Miller led all pass catchers with five catches for 49 yards.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2018/11/5/18062584/chicago-bears-week-9-game-balls-kyle-fuller-anthony-miller-leonard-floyd-buffalo-bills-nfl-trubisky

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Kenwood single family home sales (and the Obama house photo-op)

We decided to take a photo in front of this house at South Greenwood and East Hyde Park in the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood.

My oldest son played hoops on 47th Street in the Kenwood neighborhood last week. I used the occasion to walk him over to Mr. and Mrs. Obama's residence for a picture. It was my son's first tour through the magnificent Kenwood mansions and his first visit to our former president's house. This was an enjoyable excursion for us and a good opportunity for a history lesson. My son got to dream a little. I may have shed a tear in front of 44's house...

A large, dreamy estate in the Kenwood neighborhood.

The modern and contemporary homes that sprinkle Kenwood are my favorite (although I did not get very good photos on this walk).

This was another large property with lots of land. However, many of the vintage home are in need of upkeep.

The Kenwood neighborhood footprint.

Kenwood home sales January 1st to October 19th, 2018

34 single family homes have closed in the Kenwood neighborhood this year. The median price of a closed home is $600,000. Eight homes have sold over $1,000,000. The highest sold home is 5008 N Greenwood, Chicago IL 60615 for $1,850,000. The large classic estate home had many renovations and sits in the "mansion" area of Kenwood. The lowest priced sold home is 828 East 47th Place, Chicago IL 60615 for $121,900. The tenant occupied row home sold as a foreclosure and the buyer was not allowed entry prior to purchasing while. For that price you take the chance!

Past sales notes

The unique mansion area, many vintage row houses and diverse housing stock

coupled with wide swings in socioeconomic demographics north and south of 47th Street make for a quirky real estate market. The median price of a house has stayed fairly consistent over the years despite fluctuations in unit sales numbers.

-Two years ago in 2016, 24 homes sold over the same period with a median price about $595,000. A couple homes sold over $2 million that year.

-In 2014, 21 homes sold with a median price about $500,000. The highest sold house closed for $2.7 million.

-Seven years ago in 2011, just 13 homes sold over the same period with a median price right around $500,000. Yet a fully renovated house on an average sized 60' x 179' lot for the Kenwood mansion area sold for $2.3 million.

This contemporary is getting a little work done.

Several homes are of the Art Deco variety.

Source: http://www.ericrojasblog.com/2018/10/kenwood-single-family-home-sales-and.html

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Clinton Global Initiative University supports next generation of leaders

That was one of the key messages at the 11th annual CGI U, held this year at UChicago. The three-day event engages the next generation of leaders and social entrepreneurs to help them make a positive impact in communities worldwide. The conference included more than 1,000 students—with more than 150 students from UChicago—focused on commitments to action that address specific problems in one of five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, poverty alleviation, peace and human rights, and public health.

Such social impact projects by UChicago students include confronting the air pollution crisis in India, fighting the opioid epidemic in the United States and improving sustainable farming in Haiti. Learn more about the projects here.

Finding solutions and putting them into action can be difficult without collaboration and optimism.

“There’s so much in the world that I don’t know about,” said Ray Andrada, a third-year UChicago law student who attended CGI U. “There are fearless young people who are tackling these big problems, and I should be inspired to think on a more daring scale as well.”

Ambitious themes ran through the conversation Saturday led by the Clintons, who spoke for more than an hour at the University’s Ratner Athletics Center. During a wide-ranging discussion moderated by Chicago Community Trust CEO Helene Gayle, Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton called on the audience to reach out to others with open minds, but to do so without losing conviction in their own beliefs.

“Too many people are, when they get older, broken by their disappointments,” former President Clinton said. “Don’t you ever let that happen to you.”

“Because nobody gets out of life for free,” he added. “And nobody gets to win all the time. But my faith is rooted in what I see here every year, and what young people say to me all over America and all over the world.”

During the discussion, Hillary Clinton acknowledged that the public has had reason to be frustrated with democratic institutions. But, she added, it remains crucial to combat the forces attempting to undermine such institutions.

“Every person has a stake in working through, in your own mind, how you can hold institutions accountable without walking away from them,” she said. “Or without giving up on them, and playing into the hands of people who want to see them disrupted and dismantled—because that gives them more space to grab and hold on to power over you.”

Before the evening discussion, students participated in skill-building workshops and special programs, all designed to help them further develop their commitments.

Source: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/clinton-global-initiative-university-supports-next-generation-leaders

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Mitch Musings: The Bears' offense has a baseline, and it's encouraging

The Bears mic’d up coach Matt Nagy for Sunday’s 24-10 win over the New York Jets, and the end product was enlightening — sanitized by the team, but enlightening.

Specifically, Nagy grabbed Mitch Trubisky coming off the field after halftime and told him:

“I’m going to right now, these two quarters, for greatness. You got me? I want to see it come out of you right here. You take this thing over right now.”

Then, after Trubisky found Anthony Miller for a four-yard touchdown:

“Great job. Great job. Now we keep it going. That right there, that’s special, right? That’s a special throw that you just made right there. Now let’s keep it going.”

But it was Nagy’s message to Trubisky toward the end of the video that, perhaps, was the most enlightening:

“What I asked you to do at the start of the third is what you just did. It’s never always going to be 100 percent pretty. But you came through and you made throws when you needed to, and you got us going the right way. You grew today. You grew today, and I love it.”

Trubisky explained on Wednesday how that message helped him bounce back from an uneven first half to lead the Bears on three scoring drives in the second half of what was ultimately a comfortable win on Sunday.

“I think it really just homed me in, made me focus a lot more and just made me that much more motivated to focus in and do what I had to do to help the offense and really get us going,” Trubisky said. “I got so much respect and love for coach. He just said it and I needed to make it happen. So I played a little bit better the second half, but that, but I’m trying to be consistent. That’s what I’m trying to do all the time. But it definitely means a lot coming from him.”

Success through inconsistency

Trubisky completed only five of 13 passes in the first half of Sunday’s game, totaling 116 yards with a touchdown (which came on a well-executed screen pass to Tarik Cohen that wound up going for 70 yards). It wasn’t an effective half of football, and Trubisky missing far too many throws — it was noteworthy that only one of his eight first-half incompletions was the result of a pass breakup by a Jets defender.

And yet, Trubisky emerged with 11 completions on 16 attempts in the second half, and the Bears’ offense finished with 24 points. That point total represented the Bears’ lowest in their last four games, but would’ve been the highest in the team’s first three games of the year.

So perhaps a trend is emerging for the baseline of what this Bears’ offense will be on a week-to-week basis.

Even if Trubisky is inaccurate and not playing the way he wants, and even if the running game doesn’t generate much and things, generally, look sloppy…this offense can still put together four scoring drives per game. That’s what happened against the Miami Dolphins (28 points) and the Jets (24 points). Even a game in which the Bears scored 31 points against the New England Patriots didn’t look especially in-sync from an offensive perspective.

The Bears, too, showed against the Buccaneers what they can do when things are clicking, with Trubisky throwing six touchdowns and the offense blasting a bad defense for 48 points.

There have been signs the Bears’ offense is getting closer to clicking, and we’re only seven games into the Matt Nagy’s tenure. But as long as this group continues to put up points when things aren’t going well, there should be plenty of hope for what Nagy’s offense can be — led by Trubisky — in the future.

“When everyone just locks in, does their job and we execute the play like we know how, and you just do exactly what you’re taught and coached to do, you get the ball to the playmakers and let them do the work, then I think that’s when this offense can become really dangerous,” Trubisky said. “But when we kind of get away and do our own thing, then I think that’s when I get trouble, when everyone else gets in trouble. But when everyone’s on the same page, locked it, that’s when you see us just go down the field, pick up first downs and finish in the red zone.”

The Billgrimmage

We’ll end this with a whimsical note on the fans of the Bears’ Week 9 opposition, who are known for smashing tables — some of which are on fire — in their wild tailgating spectacle outside New Era Field.

So what does Trubisky know about the Bills mafia?

“Uh, they jump on tables and they’re crazy. Love it. It’s exciting,” Trubisky said. “I want to see some Bears fans jump on tab—I shouldn’t say that. I take that back. But uh, yeah, it’s crazy.”

Source: https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/mitch-musings-bears-offense-has-baseline-and-its-encouraging

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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To Sell, Do You Need to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets? 333 N. Canal in the Near West Side

This 3-bedroom in Riverbend at 333 N. Canal on the Near West Side came on the market in May 2018.

Riverbend was built in 2002 and has 149 units and parking.

It used to have unobstructed views directly down the Chicago River but the development of Wolf Point with apartments and office space, has impacted some of those views, but not completely.

This 3-bedroom has 2603 square feet with a balcony overlooking the River.

In 2018, it did not sell.

It had a kitchen with what look like dark cherry wood cabinets and blond wood floors.

You can see what it looked like here.

These were finishes that were common during the boom years of 2000-2008.

But while they were “in” then, they are “out” now. Chip and Joanna Gaines are NOT putting in cherry cabinets.

In November 2018, this listing was removed but it came back on in early January, at the same list price, but with new finishes.

It now had “brand new gray hardwood floors” and a “freshly painted crisp kitchen.”

What color were the kitchen cabinets? Gray!

It appears the granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances are the same.

This week in Crain’s, real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin covered a new company in Chicago called Renovation Sells which handles refreshment of properties so they sell.

From Crain’s:

“When Chris Skafidas was getting ready to sell his West Loop condo last summer, it still had the cosmetic hallmarks of the mid-2000s that he’d been planning to update—cherry cabinets, track lighting, blond floors—and he worried they would prolong his Jefferson Street three-bedroom’s time on the market.

About $25,000 later, the look of the condo’s kitchen and master bath had up-to-the-minute looks: tonal gray cabinets and floor, and pendant lights. The cash outlay “paid for itself and more,” said Skafidas, a banking executive who took a job relocation to San Diego.

The condo was under contract 15 days after he put it on the market in September, “when the market was visibly softening,” he said. The sale closed in October at $665,000, well above the sum of the $594,000 Skafidas paid for the condo in early 2017 and the roughly $25,000 spent on refreshing it to put it on the market.”

This 3-bedroom in Riverbend was relisted on January 7 at the same price it had been listed at in November 2018 but with its new finishes.

It was under contract just 6 days later.

Should everyone repaint their cabinets white or gray and go with gray floors?

See more transformations with just minor renovations on the Renovation Sells website here.

Jennifer Mills at Jameson Sotheby’s has the listing. You can see the renovated pictures here.

Unit #2104: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2603 square feet

Sold in April 2002 for $766,000

Sold in July 2003 for $815,000 (included the parking)

Originally listed in May 2018 for $1.175 million

Reduced

Was listed in July 2018 for $1,124,900

Withdrawn in November 2018 still listed at $1,124,900

Re-listed on January 7, 2019 after minor renovations for $1,124,900

Under Contract on January 13, 2019

Assessments of $1,510 a month (includes a/c, gas, doorman, cable, exercise room, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger, snow removal)

Taxes of $16,694

Central Air

Washer/dryer in the unit

Parking is $40,000 extra

Bedroom #1: 18×17

Bedroom #2: 12×10

Bedroom #3: 10×13

Den: 11×12

Walk-in-closet: 12×7

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2019 at 5:47 am and is filed under Market Conditions, Near West Side, Rehabs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://cribchatter.com/?p=25665

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Rays dominate Orioles in third straight win

The Tampa Bay Rays are picking up steam after thrashing the Baltimore Orioles in MLB on Friday.

The Rays topped the Orioles 16-4 at Camden Yards in their third straight win.

Tampa Bay tallied a staggering 20 hits to Baltimore's five, and first baseman Nate Lowe went four for five with a home run.

Renato Nunez was a bright spot for the Orioles, as he went two for four, hit a home run and had two RBIs.

The Rays are now 6.5 games back of the American League (AL) East-leading New York Yankees, while the 27-63 Orioles are last in the division.

Awesome Archer, Alvarez

Chris Archer struck out 10 batters in six innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the Chicago Cubs 4-3.

Yordan Alvarez hit two home runs in the Houston Astros' 9-8 loss to the Texas Rangers.

Eduardo Rodriguez mowed down 10 Los Angeles Dodgers in the Boston Red Sox's 8-1 win at Fenway Park.

Dyson a dud

Jarrod Dyson was hitless in four at-bats in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 4-2 victory over the St Louis Cardinals.

Evan Longoria went one for five as the San Francisco Giants took down the Milwaukee Brewers 10-7.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 0 for four for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 4-0 loss to the Yankees.

Posey bomb

Buster Posey helped pushed the Giants into the lead with a bomb.

Friday's results

Chicago Cubs 4-3 Pittsburgh Pirates Washington Nationals 4-0 Philadelphia Phillies Tampa Bay Rays 16-4 Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees 4-0 Toronto Blue Jays Boston Red Sox 8-1 Los Angeles Dodgers Minnesota Twins 5-3 Cleveland Indians Miami Marlins 8-4 New York Mets Texas Rangers 9-8 Houston Astros San Francisco Giants 10-7 Milwaukee Brewers Kansas City Royals 8-5 Detroit Tigers Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 St Louis Cardinals Colorado Rockies 3-2 Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Angels 13-0 Seattle Mariners Oakland Athletics 5-1 Chicago White Sox Atlanta Braves 5-3 San Diego Padres

Astros at Rangers

These in-state rivals had a really close game on Friday, and it appears like Saturday could be another intense battle. Both sides hit well, but the Rangers were somehow able to overcome 13 strikeouts from Gerrit Cole. Houston still sit atop the AL West though.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/rays-dominate-orioles-third-straight-060142043.html?src=rss

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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‘Tis the Season

The season to go all out in shopping for Christmas now that Thanksgiving is diminishing in the holiday rear-view mirror, all but the turkey leftovers. Such has never really been the habit of sensible people like myself and the Daughter Unit, although we have been known to indulge in considerable bargain-foraging. Not in a mall or a big-box store, however, and certainly not in the wee hours of Black Friday morning, amid a mob waiting for the doors to open. Frankly, I can’t imagine wanting anything so badly as to indulge in unseemly fisticuffs or getting out of a warm bed at 2 AM in order to stand in the freezing dark for two or three hours just for the chance purchase it. We are civilized people, and civilized people have much more efficient ways to organize Christmas presents for our nearest and dearest.

The Daughter Unit admits to having deliberately gone to a local mall on Black Friday, once – but she was much younger then. I will also admit to this kind of recklessness, but my excuse is that for a good four or five years I was employed in an office just across the street from North Star Mall and was in the habit of spending my lunch hour traipsing through the place. Now and again, curiosity drove me, on those Black Fridays when the office was open, to venture within. (The office was a consultancy dealing with inventors and intellectual property, and most of our clients who were employed would have had the day off, so they could meet an appointment with us … so the office was open on Black Fridays.) However, several years previous to that term of employment, the Daughter Unit and I were both temporary employees of Marshall Field, which once had their store in North Star Mall; we both endured the brutal retail-sales marathon of Black Friday from the other side and survived. There is a reason that most sensible retail associates wear running shoes or comfortable sneakers on that particular day.

But enough – these experiences were outliers in our lives. Our lived experience had us ignore all this Christmas shopping in December practice, because for the major part of twenty years, I was stationed overseas, and tied irrevocably to the necessity of mailing Christmas presents home to the family by mid-October. Which meant that Christmas present shopping had to be done in September, or even throughout the year. Whenever we found something present-worthy for a particular loved one – purchase at once and stash it away until time came to mail it all away in the fall. I think I reached a limit in March sometime in the late 1970s, when I bought a porcelain Japanese tea-set for my sister and stowed it under my bed in the barracks for six months. Such habits early-engrained have remained; the bounty of suitable present purchases accumulates on the upper shelves of the master-suite closet until sometime in November when we haul them all out and reassess what is to go to whom. And the Daughter Unit prefers to shop for Christmas decorations and assorted “stuff” after Christmas, when it is all marked down by an eye-watering percentage off.

And then there is the internet – the shopping opportunities of which we knew not of until a bare decade ago. Is it a good thing that Cyber Monday now seems to be a thing for all the week after Thanksgiving, instead of just Monday itself? My email inbox is overflowing with notifications about bargains and coupons offered by various specialty retailers with whom I do regular business, but I’ve only used one of them so far – for items required to complete a sewing project for myself. The Christmas present for my sister and her family was sent in the spring, for my daughter, I am funding repair and restoration of a lovely English antique ladies’ pocket watch that she bought on eBay, and the nieces and nephews get books of an improving nature (Yes, I’m the Auntie From Hell when it comes to that, and they ought to be deeply grateful that I haven’t given them all bunny-pink footie pajamas.) The sibs and I came to the conclusion about a decade ago that really, we should skip gifts to each other; only for the kids mattered. Stuff – we have enough of it.

For everyone else – and the list on the front of the refrigerator now lists north of thirty individuals and local institutions – they get gourmet home-made fudge, and we’ll start making that next week, in near-industrial-sized batches, such is the length of the list of those to whom we feel that we owe a bit of sweet, chocolate Christmas cheer.

Source: https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/58519.html

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Sold for $3,140,000 Lincoln Park brewery building torn down for new development

The long time Lincoln Park site of various bars, brew pubs and bowling has been has been torn down for development.

The Burnt City building (also formerly The Lucky Strike AKA Seven Ten Lounge etc...) in Lincoln Park at 2747 North Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park has been torn down. According to public records the land (2747-2749 North Lincoln Ave) was sold for $3,140,000 in 2017. We passed the site this past week while on condo showings with a Lincoln Park buyer.

I poked around but have yet to find out what will be built on the site. I was never a big fan of the businesses here. However I'm no stranger to Delilah's on the block... a rare hold out of my youth.

Source: http://www.ericrojasblog.com/2019/06/sold-for-3140000-lincoln-park-brewery.html

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beamheat2-blog · 5 years

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Doug Schwartz

Meet Doug Schwartz the founder of Detroit Wick. Detroit Wick is located in the heart of Eastern Market, the largest historic market in the country. Detroit Wick manufactures limited-edition products onsite like custom candles and the space is interactive including a carefully curated boutique, scent branding facility and production. We talk about how he stumbled upon his candle making business by accident, how he paid attention to what brands wanted which led him to scent branding aka scent logos, how you have to believe in yourself and fight for your end goal and how no city has the soul that Detroit has.

Whether you’re a native Detroiter, a transplant or a boomerang, you can’t deny that what’s happening in the city is history in the (re)making. From the work ethic to the entrepreneurial spirit, Detroiters are rolling up their sleeves and rebuilding the city with the same determination as Henry Ford and Berry Gordy before them. And in the end, those visionaries, similar to the ones you’ll meet this season, not only shaped Detroit, they shaped the world. Once the fastest growing city in the world; the place that created America’s middle class. Detroit is still a city that breeds innovation.

Just like the city of Detroit, our guests have stories of perseverance and creativity. Why should you care? You’ll find motivation and inspiration to apply to your own life from listening to the dreamers, future leaders and risk-takers who are making a direct impact on the community. We talk about lessons learned the hard way, what it took to reach success, business advice and what makes Detroit special.

This season we’re partnering with Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit whose mission is co-creating independence and dignity through the power of personal and workforce development. Goodwill Detroit works to ensure that every neighborhood of Detroit experiences the kind of renaissance that we’re seeing in downtown and Midtown. We welcome Jessica McCall, the vice president of marketing and external affairs at Goodwill Detroit, as our special co-host. We’re asking listeners to use “#WhatsGoodDetroit“ when you come across something inspiring, notable or just plain good in the city.

We’re recording in the Foundation Studio at Detroit Foundation Hotel. Our official podcast studio is located within the beautiful boutique hotel which is the former Detroit Fire Department Headquarters and Pontchartrain Wine Cellars.

Just a taste…

Explain scent marketing to us.

I figured out a way to curate and design fragrance for brands. It’s more about B to B. What I learned from making candles and selling them to consumers is that all of these people were asking for their branding or logo on something. I was getting that request often, and then they wanted a particular vessel that the candle would be in, or I was asked if I could make a room spray, diffuser, incense or if I could scent an event space. I was paying attention to all of these questions and what everyone was asking me to do and I kind of turned that into the scent branding situation … I have three labs, we curate in my gallery space and basically we can reverse engineer any scent. If you had a candle you were obsessed with… I can duplicate that at 99 percent, but I’ll always make it a little bit different so that it is unique to you. And then once we have that formulation it translates into any product I manufacture. It’s really good for client gifting, selling and creating an experienced-based [moment] through scent.

Would you encourage other creatives and artists to come to Detroit?

Of course. Just being in Eastern Market and being in the gallery every day, I have people from out of [the] country who walk in and I ask, “What are you doing here?” And they say, “We just want to see Detroit.” Berlin, Russia, you name a place and those people are walking around Detroit right now trying to figure it out. From overseas to all the creatives in L.A., New York, Chicago where you think that’s the Mecca of creativity… Detroit is that. For people coming here, the time is now. I don’t think anyone is too late. It’s moving right now.

Photography by Derrick Busman

Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts or SimpleCast.

Did you enjoy this feature? Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss a drink, we promise we’ll never spam you!

Source: http://adrinkwith.com/doug-schwartz/

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