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Nanny stabbed to death in Portage Park remembered as a ‘ray of light’ in fundraising appeal

A woman who was stabbed to death Tuesday in Portage Park was remembered for her “positive attitude and unyielding kindness” in a fundraising appeal created by her family.

Lacramioara Beldie, 54, known by her family as Mirela, “wore a smile that radiated with warmth, compassion and love,” according to the GoFundMe, which has nearly reached its goal of $20,000 as of Saturday evening.

Her husband, Constantin Beldie, 57, had already been charged with choking and attempting to kidnap her last month when he allegedly stabbed her to death Tuesday afternoon in the 5600 block of West Leland Avenue.

Constantin Beldie was found dead inside a car a block away hours later. An autopsy to determine his cause of death was pending Saturday.

An off-duty Chicago police detective witnessed the attack and suffered a graze wound when he tried to intervene, police said.

Lacramioara Beldie had two sons, Antonio and Felix, and a daughter, Ani, who wrote in the fundraiser that their mother was a nanny who “was a guiding force for countless children.”

“She poured her heart into caring for others, creating lasting relationships with the families she worked with,” Ani Beldie wrote. “Her nurturing spirit, patience, and devotion touched the lives of children and parents alike, and her legacy will forever be etched in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to know her.”

The fundraiser’s proceeds will go toward transporting Lacramioara Beldie back to her native Romania, memorial expenses and other associated costs.

A day before Tuesday’s attack, Constantin Beldie pleaded not guilty to felony counts of aggravated domestic battery involving choking, aggravated battery, attempted kidnapping and unlawful restraint, court records show.

Those charges stemmed from a separate attack against his wife Oct. 9 — the same day he was served with an emergency order of protection she had sought, court records show. It was the second order of protection she had sought against her husband this year.

Prosecutors filed a petition that day to have him held in Cook County Jail pending trial, but it was denied by Judge Thomas E. Nowinski. The judge instead released Beldie on GPS monitoring, ordered him to refrain from possessing weapons and forbade him from visiting his wife’s home, work or school.

Nowinski has faced heavy criticism since Tuesday for declining to hold Constantin Beldie in custody on the previous charges. Advocates for domestic violence survivors issued a written statement urging Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans to reassign Nowinski to prevent him from hearing similar domestic cases.

Contributing: Tom Schuba



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Horoscope for Saturday, November 23, 2024

Moon Alert

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Virgo.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

A dynamic day

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This is a lovely day! In particular, it will make you feel good to get better organized. Those of you who are working today will appreciate the help of coworkers. In fact, a work-related flirtation or romance might begin. Travel or get away somewhere if you can.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

A dynamic day

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A playful, fun-loving Saturday! Definitely make time today for some fun events. Meet a friend for a social outing. Travel. Enjoy sports events and playful activities with kids. Anything to do with the theater, the entertainment world or the hospitality industry will delight you. Enjoy your day!

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

A positive day

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This is the perfect day to kick back and relax at home. Hang out in your robe, have a second cup of coffee, indulge yourself because this is a pleasant, lazy day. It’s also a romantic day filled with affectionate, passionate promise. Discussions with partners and spouses might be lively.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

A dynamic day

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Make plans to hang out with someone today or to do something interesting with a spouse, partner or close friend because it’s a very pleasant day and you feel sociable. You want to get out and see what’s happening. You are still primed to work hard so you might combine work and pleasure.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

A dynamic day

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You have high energy this weekend from Mars; plus, the sun and Mercury are urging you to enjoy yourself! Take a vacation. It’s a great time for social outings, the theater, the entertainment world, sports events and fun activities with kids.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

A dynamic day

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Today the moon is in your sign dancing beautifully with fair Venus, which heightens your appreciation of beauty. It also makes today an excellent time for romance or any social gathering because you will enjoy the company of others. Plan a party!

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

A dynamic day

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You are the most social sign in the zodiac, and today is a wonderful day to entertain at home. However, because the moon is “hiding” in your chart, you might want it to be an intimate, small gathering — perhaps even one friend visiting? (It’s definitely a romantic day as well.)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

A positive day

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Get out and be active with friends and groups today, especially people exploring athletic, outdoor activity because this will make you feel pumped. You’re eager to socialize. Friendly vibes and flirtations might push a platonic friendship into something romantic.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

A dynamic day

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Today you are high visibility, which means not only do people notice you more than usual, some people even know personal details about your private life. Do be aware of this in case you have to do some damage control. Money or money-making ideas might come your way today.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

A positive day

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You’re up for some adventure or a change of scenery today, which is why this is the perfect day to do something different. Get out of town if you can. If not, explore your own city. Go someplace you’ve never been before. Talk to new people; educate yourself about other cultures. Learn something new!

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

A dynamic day

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Privacy, secret liaisons and hidden love affairs are issues that concern many Aquarians. Nevertheless, this is also a great day to schmooze, especially younger people. Do be patient with spouses, partners and close friends while Mars is opposite your sign.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

A dynamic day

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This is an excellent day to enjoy good times with friends. You will also enjoy the arts, good food and drink and beautiful surroundings, which is why some of you might want to improve your home and make it look more attractive.

If your birthday is today

TV personality Robin Roberts (1960) shares your birthday. You are a truth seeker with humanitarian values. You have many interests that you pursue with passion. This is a year of service, especially to family. Therefore, take care of yourself so you can be a resource to others. Take time to rejuvenate yourself. Time for a makeover?

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‘Name-change bill,’ other measures to ‘Trump-proof’ Illinois will wait until early January

In the wake of Donald Trump’s national victory and his losing margin dropping to 11 points in Illinois from 17 in two prior races, state legislative Democrats here have different views on how their party should proceed.

Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, told my associate Isabel Miller last week that Illinois Democrats have “forgotten about the people in the middle.”

“I think we have done a lot of really good, progressive things,” Morrison said. “But sometimes I think we have the tendency to not think about the people in the middle.”

Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, told Isabel that stepping back from progressive social issues is not on the table.

“There’s compromise, and then there’s erasing the existence of people,” Cassidy said.

The leaders at the top, however, have been talking about “Trump-proofing” Illinois since Election Day.

So, Isabel and I spent last week watching House Bill 5164’s progress in the Senate.

Commonly called the “name-change bill,” the legislation would cap the cost of name changes in the state, halve the state residency requirement to three months and allow certain people to ask their name change be exempt from public disclosure. The bill passed the House 67-39 in April but was never assigned to a Senate committee.

Why did it stall out in the Senate? Well, the bill includes several justifications for keeping the records out of the public eye, including the person seeking the name change is transgender; has survived domestic or intimate partner abuse, gender-based violence, human trafficking or conversion therapy; is a refugee; or has been granted special immigrant status or asylum, etc.

Who supports ‘name-change bill’

The measure is supported by Equality Illinois, the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, among others.

Newspapers like the Chicago Tribune originally filed in opposition, as did the Illinois Press Association. Newspapers make money off public notices, of course, but they also stand on general principles of public disclosure with things like this, and they asserted the legislation would get rid of the publishing requirement for everyone, not just these folks.

Somehow, despite all the hot buttons, the bill managed to mostly escape the outrage machine throughout the spring, summer and fall.

A large number of people, including at least some Democrats, believe the party’s stance on transgender rights and immigration hurt them this year.

Other Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker, have strongly insisted the party cannot now back away from supporting vulnerable populations simply because of partisan political considerations.

The bill was scheduled for its first Senate committee vote on Wednesday (Nov. 20). As Isabel reported at the time, the far-right Illinois Family Institute sent a blast e-mail to its followers ahead of the hearing, claiming the legislation would “make it almost impossible to find illegal immigrants with a criminal history and/or those who have committed crimes while on American soil, for the purpose of deportation.”

The group also claimed those who benefit from the legislation include, “Those who have committed rapes and murders who don’t want law enforcement to find them; A man who is pretending to be a woman and a woman who is pretending to be a man.”

Some Democrats waved off the claims as fear-mongering falsehoods, and the bill passed the Senate Executive Committee on a partisan roll call, with nine Democrats voting for it and four Republicans opposed.

But when it came time for the full Senate to vote on the bill and send it to the governor, the chamber decided to set it aside.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said he had the votes to pass the bill, regardless of Republican opposition and increasing pressure exerted by the IFI. He said some technical process issues were raised during the hearing, and the decision was made to fix those before proceeding.

“It’s just making sure that on the administrative side, on the implementation side that each of the different entities that are involved are able to communicate with one another about these petitions,” Villivalam said.

Whatever the case, there was no “Trump-proofing” vote during veto session. That’ll have to wait until at least early January when the General Assembly returns for its lame-duck session.

By then, the governor’s office hopes to have at least some additional bills for the legislature to work on.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

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West Suburban hospital cuts ties with midwives, family medicine doctors — a blow to Black and Latino patients

Resilience Healthcare announced family medicine physicians and certified nurse midwives will no longer be able to deliver babies at West Suburban Medical Center.

Unequal access to obstetric care is a critical public health concern in Illinois, and this decision will lead to hundreds of patients losing a safe and trusted birthing option on the West Side of Chicago, a community historically disenfranchised by the health care system.

Family medicine physicians who deliver babies provide seamless, connected care for parents and infants before, during and after delivery. Now, this loss of access jeopardizes continuity of care in the “fourth” trimester, after the baby is born.

Family physicians provide prenatal and obstetric care across the country, in Chicago and the suburbs. Unequivocally, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians support family physicians providing pregnancy, delivery and newborn care.

SEND LETTERS TO: [email protected]. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.

A cooperative and collaborative relationship among obstetricians, family physicians and nurse midwives is essential to deliver consistent, high-quality care to pregnant women. The IAFP and AAFP advocate that pregnancy, perinatal and newborn care privileges should be based on the individual physician’s training, experience and demonstrated current competence, and not by specialty alone.

As a result of Resilience Healthcare’s decision, at least 34 family medicine physicians will lose obstetrical privileges at West Suburban Medical Center.

Approximately 500 patients are engaged in prenatal care with the affected family physicians and certified nurse midwives. Forty-three percent of those patients identify as Hispanic/Latino, and 44% identify as Black. The majority live in the Hermosa and Austin neighborhoods, both designated as medically underserved areas.

This decision will worsen disparities in safe birthing options in Chicago.

In every community where safe and equitable delivery care is at risk, we will aggressively assist trained, experienced family physicians in securing and keeping their clinical credentials in pregnancy, perinatal and newborn care.

Kate Rowland, M.D., president, Illinois Academy of Family Physicians

Error in judgment

Judge Thomas E. Nowinski now has the blood of two people on his hands, after letting two alleged killers out on the street despite clear evidence they were an imminent threat to the lives of the people they stabbed to death.

Tom Vega-Byrnes, Beverly

Judges, protect victims of domestic violence

Judge Thomas E. Nowinski, thanks to your gross misjudgment, a woman and a young boy are dead. How many more domestic abusers of women and children will you be releasing in the future?

Eileen Hughes, Near North Side

Chicago’s ‘Wicked’ ties

The “Wicked” movie has hit theaters, welcoming old and new audiences alike to the land of Oz. Many may not know “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the novel that started it all (movies, plays, musicals and more), was written right here in Chicago.

Author L. Frank Baum wrote “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” from his home at 1667 N. Humboldt Blvd. in 1899. So the legend goes, Baum’s idea for Oz’s Emerald City was inspired by his numerous visits to the White City of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago — a brightly lit, beautiful city but filled with skeletons of temporary buildings covered in painted plaster.

Although the Baum family home in Humboldt Park no longer stands, the block’s sidewalk was dug up in 2019 and repaved with yellow bricks to honor the birthplace of America’s first great fairy tale.

And less than four miles to the east of Chicago’s own yellow brick road is Oz Park. Yes, that “Oz.” Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Oz Park celebrates all things “Wizard of Oz.”

According to the Chicago Park District, areas of the 14-acre park include Dorothy’s Playlot and the Emerald Garden. Surrounding these areas are statues of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and everyone’s favorites, Dorothy and Toto.

Another Chicago connection: In 1978, Chicago’s own Quincy Jones produced the soundtrack for “The Wiz,” the musical adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz” featuring a star-studded cast of all Black actors, including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

I think Chicago historian Shermann Dilla Thomas sums this whole thing up best: “Everything dope about America comes from Chicago.”

Marty Malone, Midway

Dems need strong playbook vs. misinformation

There is no way to view the results of the 2024 presidential election except with eyes wide open and a sense of loss.

One conversation I’ll never forget took place while canvassing a swing-state voter in Hartford, Michigan — a small city nestled in Van Buren County, a Republican stronghold. The husband answered the door, watching Sunday Night Football. “Sorry to interrupt the game. I’m here with the Harris/Walz campaign,” I began, but he nervously cut in, “We are a split household. Let me get my wife.”

Thinking I’d struck gold, a slim, blonde woman with bright veneers came to the door, and I started my pitch. She quickly identified herself as a Donald Trump voter, explaining how she believed immigration was destroying our country.

Without prompting, she brought up the migrant situation in Chicago, speaking as if she had witnessed the arrivals firsthand. In reality, I have worked directly with our new arrivals, coordinating daily meals from restaurants across the city while children and families slept on the floors of police stations for weeks, awaiting shelter placement amid a brutal Chicago winter.

When we discussed abortion, she stated she was pro-choice but adamantly opposed to full-term abortions. I replied, “I don’t believe in them either. Because it’s not true; full-term abortions don’t happen except in cases of medical emergencies.”

It didn’t matter whether my information was correct or if what she believed was inaccurate. It was her truth. I knew then I would never convince her otherwise. Perhaps it was her husband I should have engaged with more persuasively.

With another Trump presidency and a Republican-controlled Senate and House, the Democratic Party must confront how to address the misinformation spreading across American households that shapes mistruths as if they were facts.

We need to think long term, finding ways to genuinely connect with swing voters in their everyday conversations about the issues that deeply affect us all. Without deep reflection, we risk relying on the same playbook, hoping to convince people of the truth rather than recognizing and combating their version of truth.

Maggie O’Keefe, 40th Ward Democratic Committeeperson

Appeasing ‘the middle’ doesn’t work for Dems

For over 100 years, the Democratic Party has pushed for progress, bringing together people from all walks of life — working families, communities of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals and many more.

The state of Illinois is a prime example of what can happen when this coalition works in harmony. With its diverse electorate and progressive policies on healthcare, climate change and social justice, Illinois stands as a testament to what can be accomplished when Democrats embrace their base and work to uplift everyone in our society.

But when faced with defeat, the party often makes the mistake of veering away from its core values. Instead of doubling down on policies that reflect the needs of its diverse base, the party sometimes compromises, leaning into centrist positions that only end up alienating its most loyal supporters.

Take Raphael Warnock in Georgia and Doug Jones in Alabama as examples. After historic voter mobilization efforts, they showed us what a true progressive movement could look like in the South and proved what’s possible when Democrats engage with Black voters.

Too often, that effort feels like a one-off, not a sustained commitment. Now more than ever, the Democratic Party must wake up to the true nature of our coalition and recognize that within our most committed communities, we have enough votes to build the power needed to create progressive change.

This pattern of abandoning dedicated voters from communities of color in favor of courting independents has proven to be a repeated mistake year after year. In southern states and swing states alike, Black communities hold the key to higher voter turnout — and Democrats know those are votes they can count on. So, why does the party keep looking elsewhere?

When the party chooses moderation over the bold, progressive change its base demands, it risks losing trust and support — especially among communities that have long been marginalized.

This is one of the most pivotal moments in history for taking action for those who fight for justice and equality. The time is now for Democrats to build a future that honors the true strength of their coalition and ensure no one is left behind to appease the middle.

Alexandra Sims, APS & Associates, Chicago

Jussie Smollett spoiled his future

All articles about Jussie Smollett should begin: “Former actor Jesse Smollett …” No studio will touch him.

CJ Martello, Pullman

Mourning passing of Bob Love

So sad to learn of the passing of Bob “Butterbean” Love. He was the best “catch and shoot” player ever.

Hank Trenkle, Park Ridge

Going bananas

A duct-taped banana sells for $6.2 million. This explains everything. The world is going bananas!

Tom DeDore, Garfield Ridge

Rethink garbage fees

I agree that garbage fees should be increased — if it is done fairly. I own a two-flat, the type of building the city says it is desperately trying to save. If so, why am I double-taxed when I have three carts plus a recycle bin and rarely fill more than one garbage bin? Many neighbors in single-family homes have a similar number of garbage bins and pay a single fee.

I am also a senior, and seniors in single-family homes also get a discount on the fee, but not if you own a two-flat. The city needs to rethink the fairness of its billing practices.

Stephen Carmody, Beverly

Trump didn’t win a mandate

Can we please stop calling Donald Trump’s election victory a mandate from the voters? As of Friday, Trump led Harris by only 1.6% in the popular vote, and it was about 233,000 votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that turned the election to Trump.

He wants us to believe he has the full support of the American people so when he declares a national emergency at the southern border, we’ll go right along. Trump wants U.S. soldiers in the streets rounding up anyone Stephen Miller and Tom Homan decide is an undocumented immigrant guilty of crimes. (If citizens protest, will they be guilty of crimes?)

If we’re prepared to spend as much as $350 billion a year for detention centers run by private contractors, we’ll need to round up a whole lot of people to make a profit.

Does anyone really believe Trump will ever lift the emergency declaration? Remember, he famously said he would be a dictator on “Day 1.”

Richard Keslinke, Algonquin

Inflation will rise under Trump

When Donald Trump follows through on his economic plans, inflation is going to explode. Tariffs are costly to consumers, not to other countries. Deporting large numbers of undocumented workers will cripple food production.

Michael Shepherd, Bellwood



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Five-finger discounts on this scale are no slap-on-the-wrist crimes

It’s time to take a more effective anti-shoplifting policy down off the shelf.

As Frank Main reported in Thursday’s Sun-Times, retail theft in Chicago has soared 46% through October of this year compared with the same period in 2023, according to a report by the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice.

The statistics are ringing up in such developing shoplifting hot spots as parts of Lake View and Irving Park, as well as in perennial areas downtown, including the Gold Coast and the Loop.

Police and prosecutors have many other crimes to tackle, some of them more serious than the stealing of goods from businesses. But that isn’t to say retail theft is a minor crime. It can threaten the survival of some businesses, be a risk to employee safety when goods are stolen through “smash and grab” raids and ultimately raise costs for everyone.

No one likes to go to a store where merchandise is locked behind glass. No one likes to see a favorite neighborhood retail business close because theft, along with other factors, has made it too hard to make an acceptable profit. No one likes to shoulder a larger share of paying for government services because some people buy stolen items upon which sales taxes are not charged.

Retailers have long complained the Cook County state’s attorney’s office has a stated policy of not pursuing felony charges for shoplifting for hauls of under $1,000, unless the perp has at least 10 felony convictions. State law says the cutoff should be $300. Offenses below that dollar amount are considered by the state to be misdemeanors.

Some store owners complain police are reluctant to investigate misdemeanor retail crimes because they could involve lots of paperwork only to see the charges tossed out in court. Some feel Cook County’s policy has encouraged shoplifters to brazenly steal with impunity.

The incoming state’s attorney, Eileen O’Neill Burke, has said she will hew to the state cutoff of $300, above which shoplifting would be a felony. That might be a bit low for the cutoff, as inflation has eroded the value of $300 in recent years, which is something the Legislature might want to take a look at. But $1,000 is too high.

Retail theft is a problem across the state. A Capital One report cited by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association said Illinois merchants lost more than $2.9 million in revenue in 2022 to shoplifting. That’s money that could be better devoted to lower prices or other retail improvements.

Illinois’ new policy of no-cash bail removes the risk that low-level shoplifters will languish in jail while they await trial.

Now it’s time to remove the risk that excessive shoplifting is just too easy.

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Chicago’s floating ecopark Wild Mile has global appeal

Day and night, visitors can descend an aluminum gangway behind the REI Co-op at North Kingsbury Street and West Eastman Street near Goose Island and find themselves seemingly walking on water, wandering across an almost imperceptibly rocking wooden boardwalk, surrounded by five-foot-high plants.

This fall, the area of this string of small, human-made islands known as the Wild Mile, drew migrating white-throated sparrows, fall warblers and dark-eyed juncos to feast on the seeds of sedge, prairie clover and Joe-Pye weed. Tropical white and pink hibiscus blooms stood out among the fading greens and rusty browns of summer’s bounty, 60 native species in all.

One of the wildest things about the Wild Mile is that it got built at all following a decade of experimentation and mad science by a group of young men, led by Nick Wesley, and their Urban Rivers organization.

The nature-starved Chicago River has slowly and spectacularly attracted the public’s attention and redevelopment dollars over the past decade.

Of the advancements that have driven its revitalization from open sewer to a desirable resource, its floating parks — the one at Goose Island was the first — are perhaps the boldest attempt to combine nature and advanced art and design to create a unique open space.

Urban Rivers is building gardens in cities, a reversal of the 1830s Chicago motto Urbs in horto.

Building floating islands mostly entails exhausting labor. But fueling this was Wesley’s naivete. When he and his ragtag bunch set out, they wanted to clean up and green up the walled-off, denuded and degraded waterway and maybe even grow a few vegetables.

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The Wild Mile in the Goose Island neighborhood is home to a plethora of native plants and wildlife.

In his zeal, Wesley thought they could just gather a bunch of free pickle buckets from Whole Foods, rappel down the steel sheet pilings and float them in the river. He also presumed that getting a permit from the city of Chicago would take a couple of weeks. It took two years. He dreamed they could get someone at Chicago’s storied architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to answer an unsolicited email. Decorated architect Philip Enquist did reply, giving the group much needed credibility.

Wesley kept thinking that he and his merry band could just do stuff, permitted or not — until finally, one day in 2022, there it was: the Wild Mile. The manmade wetlands now sit on a bank of the river across from a garbage-transfer station.

Their creation was recognized earlier this year with the Field Museum’s global award for environmental conservation.

“It’s incredibly unique,” says Enquist, whose own award-winning work has centered on urban planning. “The design is exceptional. This project is a great example of addressing resilience and nature in a new and different way. It was just a phenomenal innovative breakthrough.”

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The parks in the Wild Mile are perhaps the boldest attempt to combine nature, and advanced art and design, to create a unique new open space.

An urban oasis

On different days this fall, you could find people practicing yoga on the Wild Mile’s group activity platform and students from the Latin School sketching plants in notebooks and launching kayaks from the handicap-accessible dock.

Mostly, people walked quietly on the winding pathways, sat down to read or just looked out at the scenery.

Wesley, 34, grew up in La Grange, with Salt Creek and neighboring woods his stomping ground. He got an early lesson in hydrology when the raft he built with 50-gallon drums flipped over during one ill-fated adventure. What he learned from that came in handy later, when calculating the correct balance of flotation and ballast for his “next-gen” rafts, the pontoon-based river platform.

He comes from a family of designers and engineers. His mother Eva Stevens was a fashion designer who says she missed her true calling as an architect. She designed sweaters for the I.B. Diffusion brand.

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Wesley got a college degree in entrepreneurship, and spent much of his spare time experimenting with growing food more sustainably through various forms of hydroponics.

As a kid, Wesley spent time running around the Berwyn shop floor of Labelette, the family’s label machine company, founded by one of his grandfathers.

Stevens describes her son as a reader, listener and information junkie.

“He has always been a kid to not follow what everyone else does,” she says. “He’s always a step ahead of the rest of the world.”

Wesley got a college degree in entrepreneurship and spent much of his spare time experimenting with vertical farming, growing food more sustainably through hydroponics. He did an internship at Plant Chicago, a mushroom-growing startup in Berwyn. In the city, he and a couple of his friends grew kale and other vegetables on the river using floating pickle buckets. The plants grew well but weren’t edible due to lead contamination.

“We didn’t know what we were doing,” Wesley says of the years of trial and error.

He and his compatriots moved on to the idea of building habitat, to creating a wildlife sanctuary to replace the riparian riverbank lost a century ago to sheet piling, concrete and steep banks. The plants would benefit from the river’s heavy dose of fertilizer runoff. The eastern channel dug around Goose Island was shallow and quiet. While negotiating and working for years for official permission, they had plenty of time for testing prototypes on an informal, DIY basis.

“We were, like, please someone let us do this,” says Phil Nicodemus, now Urban Rivers’ research director.
At home, patience was wearing thin.

“At a certain point, my mom was, like, ‘You got to get ‘em out of this yard’ — 300 stupid pickle buckets,” Wesley says.

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Other cities have called Wesley and want to talk about building their own floating parks.

By 2017, he and Urban Rivers cofounders Zachary Damato and Josh Yellin finally got permission from all of the necessary agencies and property owners to install 160 feet of floating garden outside the Whole Foods riverwalk. The island was tethered to the riverbed and could rise and fall with floods and stay in place year-round.

The city has committed $3.2 million to the project, much of it to be funded by open-space impact fees paid by developers, to extend the park about 700 feet to Blackhawk Street. The cost would be $50 million for the group’s dream — a 17-acre park along the mile length of the manmade, industrial North Branch Canal, from Chicago Avenue on the south to West Weed Street on the north.

Enquist says the project’s success is a result of the group’s “constant, unrelenting enthusiasm. They are following their dream and being successful at it.”

Global project, garage-band ethic

Urban Rivers, now incorporated as a not-for-profit organization, with Wesley as executive director, has a half dozen employees, relying in part on volunteers.

The organization has mostly retained its original garage-band ethic. Offices in the basement of an old Carbit paint factory appear chaotic. A whiteboard counts the number of staff members and volunteers who got dunked in the river — three this year.

Wesley recognizes the growing pains that accompany more funding and more responsibility. He grimaces about a coming audit. A side project to build a remote-controlled trash robot to scrape trash from around the island is on hold. Airport security confiscated part of one prototype, and another one sank.

Its work could spawn similar projects elsewhere. People from Boston, Baltimore, The Hague and other cities have called to talk about building their own floating parks.

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Urban Rivers relies on a deep bench of volunteers to take on tasks.



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Votes to go greener benefit the region

The vote totals are finally in across the metropolis, and it is a win for nature, conservation, wildlife habitat — and people.

When the referendum votes were tallied last week in McHenry County for the county’s conservation district — which is similar to a forest preserve district — it showed the proposal had passed to improve the district’s holdings and perhaps acquire more land.

The voting result followed successful forest preserve referendums on Nov. 5 in Lake, DuPage and Kane counties. The new money in those counties will go to buying land; restoring wetlands, forests, savannas and prairies; protecting watersheds; improving trails; and other needs.

Also, while not a referendum, the Will County Forest Preserve Board in summer approved a $50 million bond issue to help fund land preservation, habitat restoration, and trail and visitor center improvements.

The votes follow the historic approval of a referendum for the Cook County Forest Preserves in 2022. The Cook County preserves are using the money to buy land; restore habitat; increase programming; improve the trail system; and deal with deferred capital needs at the Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Botanic Garden. The zoo and garden are on forest preserve land and partially funded by the forest preserve district.

The success of the Cook County and collar county ballot measures means some $1.6 billion will be available over the next 20 years to improve the region’s open space.

The vote totals show “people like open space, nature and forest preserves,” Friends of the [Cook County] Forest Preserves executive director Benjamin Cox said.

Moreover, people see the preserved land is being well managed, which makes them supportive, said Emily Reusswig, vice president of conservation and policy at Openlands.

During the pandemic, many people turned to the forest preserves as places where they could get out and about without risking the infection inherent in crowded areas. That gave many people a new appreciation for nearby natural areas and a willingness to support them.

Forest preserves and conservation areas also provide wildlife habitat, filter air, add oxygen to the atmosphere, store carbon, filter pollutants from surface water and reduce the amount of storm water that floods waterways and basements.

Nearly 30 national parks now have less acreage each than the total set aside in the six-county area in northeastern Illinois. With the passage of the referendums, the combined area here is only going to grow.

This year has been good for regional natural conservation. It’s something to build on in future years.

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Dear Abby: I’m having trouble supporting friend who stays with abusive, unfaithful husband

DEAR ABBY: My best friend of 40 years, “Savannah,” has been in a bad marriage for 20 of those. Her husband has cheated on her repeatedly. He can’t keep a job, and he emotionally abuses her and her daughter. Now that she’s finally fed up, he refuses to leave the house.

Despite how bad his behavior has been, Savannah is doing nothing to move the divorce forward. She continues paying for his travel and includes him in family get-togethers in what she calls a “sacrifice,” made at her daughter’s request.

It has been incredibly difficult to be supportive, hear about how harmful this has been, support her when she says she’s getting out, and then hear that for one reason or another he’s still there. When I challenge her and suggest she’s making excuses for not progressing with the divorce, she becomes defensive and shuts down the conversation.

Over the last two years, she has taken to calling me twice a day, and becomes frustrated if I don’t answer. I have asked her to stop telling me stories about her husband’s behavior — which usually lasts a week or two. I am at my wits’ end about how to be a good friend without taking on the stress of her horrible situation and feeling generally overwhelmed by her outreach. What can I do to help her, but also prevent our friendship from imploding? — WEARY FRIEND IN MICHIGAN

DEAR WEARY FRIEND: What you may need to do is accept that one of the reasons Savannah’s dysfunctional marriage has lasted as long as it has is because she wants it to. She doesn’t need to move forward because she has you to dump on when the pressure becomes too great.

It may be time to stop focusing on what you can do to help Savannah and concentrate on what you need to do to help yourself. If that means stepping back and letting her find solutions to her problems without your help, don’t feel guilty for doing it.

DEAR ABBY: For years, a group of us former co-workers has been going out to dinner once a month. My daughter is part of the group and is also the youngest. Lately, she has been dismissed and ignored by two members of our group (there are six of us).

Being her mother, I am hurt by how they have treated her. She has stopped going out with us, but I’m uncertain if I should also stop. They have been nothing but nice to me. I’m lost on what to do anymore — to go, or not to go? — HURT IN THE MIDWEST

DEAR HURT: Have you asked these two former co-workers why they made your daughter feel unwelcome? Their behavior was rude. Have you asked the two who were welcoming what they think about all of this? Perhaps you (and your daughter) would feel more comfortable socializing with only them. That said, I do not think you should drop out of the group if you enjoy their company.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)



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Bears coach Matt Eberflus needs more than wins

On Monday, Matt Eberflus looked and sounded like the coach of a team mired in a four-game losing streak that included four events that will live forever in the Bears’ Hall of Shame (three for sure) — the 52-yard Hail Mary against the Commanders, Emari Demercado’s 53-yard touchdown with four seconds left in the first half against the Cardinals, the 19-3 loss to the 2-7 Patriots as six-point home favorites and Cairo Santos’ potential game-winning 46-yard field goal getting blocked in a 20-19 loss to the Packers.

You can’t blame Eberflus for accentuating the positive even as this season swirls down the drain; that’s his job.

“Offense really had a spark and looking forward to getting the game plan going for this week, moving on to Minnesota,” Eberflus said. “The guys were all positive in our team meeting. I showed them the sequencing of the first half — playing complementary football there . . . how we exhausted the time in scoring a touchdown at the end after the interception.”

But literally without skipping a beat, the beleaguered Eberflus transitioned to the — all-too-familiar — grasping-at-straws phase of a coach who appears to be closer to the end than the beginning.

“And I also think it’s good complementary football at the end of the game,” Eberflus continued. “I know we gave up the big pass, but we ended up stopping the two-point conversion and then obviously coming back [and] having a chance to win at the very end.”

Wait, what? The Bears’ sequence at the end of the game was almost the opposite of complementary football. One phase succeeded, and the other two failed. The defense allowed a 60-yard pass from Jordan Love to Christian Watson that set up a touchdown that gave the Packers the lead. Special teams had an even more massive failure — allowing Santos’ field goal to be blocked.

Applauding the Bears for stopping the two-point conversion after Love’s one-yard sneak is giving the defense credit for making the most of its own mistake. That’s like giving Eberflus credit for promoting Thomas Brown to replace Shane Waldron.

Therein lies the fear of many Bears fans heading into the last seven games of the season — that Brown’s success in developing rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense will give general manager Ryan Poles a lifeline to throw to Eberflus after the season.

It’s like last year when Eberflus’ steadying his own rocking ship was Poles’ rationale for keeping him instead of hiring an offensive coach in sync with a rookie quarterback.

A year later, the bar has to be raised a lot higher. If the Bears beat the odds and rally to finish 9-8 — starting with the game Sunday against the Vikings at Soldier Field — Eberflus’ contribution has to be more than promoting Brown to replace Waldron. He has to be the reason they win. He has to be better on game day. The Bears not only have to win for Eberflus to survive, they have to be well-coached from the top down. His success has to come from something other than failure.

It would take an about-face for that to happen, frankly. Eberflus is like the Velus Jones of the coaching staff — a guy Poles liked a little more than everybody else, a bit of an impulsive hire where Poles trusted his intuition and ability to project success, a guy with many qualities that make a good coach but don’t necessarily fit the position he was hired for.

The Bears gave Jones every chance to succeed and believed in him until they didn’t. Eventually he had to have more than speed, just like Eberflus has to be more than a guy who keeps the ship afloat. Again, he has to be the reason the Bears win.



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Bears vs. Vikings — What to watch for

WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL

Caleb Williams getting rid of the ball more quickly was one of the most noticeable differences between the Bears’ offense with Thomas Brown instead of Shane Waldron. That figures to come into play again this week against a Brian Flores defense that loves to pressure the quarterback.

Every game is a chess match, but this one has a little more intrigue, with the Vikings having seen Brown’s effect on the Bears’ offense and with Brown challenged to adjust and react to whatever Flores comes up with.

This is where having better weapons comes into play against the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the NFL — wide receivers Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett and running back D’Andre Swift. Under Waldron, the Bears’ only sustained success despite those upgrades came against weaker defenses. It’s a huge opportunity for Brown to show how much of a difference the offensive-coordinator change can make. Allen (ankle) and Swift (groin) are questionable but expected to play.

The key matchup is the Bears’ offensive line against a Vikings defensive front that leads the NFL in rushing defense. Winning early downs — like the Packers did often against the Bears last week — will be a big key to success. But that’s another area where Brown will have to make a difference. The Bears are 28th in the NFL in first-down yardage (4.2 average), with 13 sacks (second-most in the NFL), and 28th in second-down yardage (4.5 average), with 11 sacks (sixth-most in the NFL).

WHEN THE VIKINGS HAVE THE BALL

A week after complementary football failed the Bears in the clutch, their defense, which ranks seventh in points allowed, has an opportunity to give Williams and the offense a little breathing room against a Vikings offense that has cooled off a bit after a hot start.

Unless the Bears can produce turnovers, their sagging run defense again will be in the spotlight against a Vikings rushing offense led by former Packers running back Aaron Jones (157 carries, 692 yards, 4.4 average, two touchdowns) that ranks 19th in the NFL but has been more than capable on several occasions this season.

The Bears, despite being in the top 10 in several defensive categories, are a mystifying 23rd in rushing defense and 26th in rushing yards per carry.

The key matchup is cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith and Kyler Gordon against All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson (59 receptions, 912 yards, five touchdowns, 15.5 yards per catch, 91.2 yards per game).

Jefferson is clearly the Vikings’ biggest threat, but the Bears will defend him by committee rather than have Johnson shadow him.

“That’s how we play,” Bears cornerbacks coach and defensive passing-game coordinator Jon Hoke said. “We play left and right, and there’s reasons why we do it. I think we’ve played pretty good defense statistically this year. And we played better during the second half last year. So [that strategy] works for the way we’re set up right now.”



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