Cold rain fell across the Chicago area Saturday night as temperatures hovered near the freezing point and brought a coating of ice in some areas.
A high chance of rain remained throughout Saturday night and into Sunday morning in Chicago. Up to half an inch of rain was possible in the area, the National Weather Service said.
Although Saturday’s low temperature was 39 degrees, lingering cold ground conditions could cause icy surfaces and hazardous roads, especially in the far western suburbs, the weather service said.
A glaze of ice has developed on many sidewalks and roads in interior northern IL. Additional icing may occur in the yellow shaded area in the graphic going into this evening with slick spots potentially lingering well after the freezing rain has ended tonight. #ilwxpic.twitter.com/hGe7GsKCqR
Nearly 230 flights were delayed and another 37 were canceled at O’Hare Airport as of Saturday evening. At Midway Airport, 25 flights were delayed and none were canceled.
Light rain and areas of fog were expected Sunday with a high around 43 degrees.
Monday calls for a high of 50 degrees with a 30% chance of rain and wind gusts up to 25 mph.
A 3-year-old boy was struck by a stray bullet during an attempted robbery Saturday on the Near West Side.
About 4:50 p.m., a gunman approached a 20-year-old man in a parking lot in the 1000 block of West 14th Street, demanded his property then fired shots into the air, Chicago police said.
The boy, who was inside an apartment nearby, was shot in the left ear, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
The shooting happened near the University of Illinois at Chicago outdoor field complex.
No one else was injured, and no arrests were reported.
A man was shot to death Saturday during a fight inside a business in East Garfield Park.
The 30-year-old was arguing with another person who pulled out a handgun and fired shots about 3 p.m. at the business in the 200 block of North Pulaski Road, Chicago police said.
The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his body and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
No one is in custody, and Area 4 detectives are investigating.
“I was bored,” Megran said of tagging along with her parents to different shops.
But distaste soon turned to devotion once she started accompanying her mother to estate sales.
“I got fascinated with all the vintage history,” she said. “Then, I got obsessed with going to estate sales.”
Treasures from those trips were on full display at the annual Randolph Street Holiday Market on Saturday at Plumber’s Hall in the Fulton Market District. Megran, owner of Amy’s Attic, presented tables of holiday decor and other collectibles — most notably items from Marshall Field’s. Fans of the beloved department store were delighted to find ornaments, gift boxes, a hat box, tablecloths and a sign featuring the iconic Uncle Mistletoe character.
“Some people are obsessed with him,” said Megran, 54, of Glenview, who said she has her own happy memories of visiting the flagship store on State Street.
“It was the ultimate shopping experience.”
Marshall Field’s gift boxes are for sale at the Amy’s Attic’s booth at the Randolph Street Holiday Market at Plumbers Hall in the Fulton Market District.
The same can be said for the holiday market, now in its 21st year. Continuing on Sunday, the event features 125 vendors offering clothing, jewelry, art, furniture and more. It draws thousands of customers, who are able to enjoy food, custom holiday cocktails and music as they peruse booths on multiple floors.
It also achieves the meaningful goal of allowing vendors like Megran to indulge their passions while making others happy.
For example, Dreiske Arnold, 54, of Deerfield, purchased a Marshall Field’s gift box to add to a collection inspired by her late grandmother.
“She collected string and boxes and bags during the Depression,” Arnold said. “A lot of the stuff we got rid of, but the Marshall Field’s Christmas boxes were so pretty. And then I just started buying them because I feel it’s like my granny’s collection, just continued.”
Lee Merrick is originally from England. He coaches soccer and sells antiques.
Vendor Lee Merrick had a customer who was so excited to purchase a stereoscope, an optical instrument for viewing 3-D images, dating to the turn of the 20th century that she paid more than the asking price.
“She gave me a little Christmas bonus, which doesn’t happen very often,” said Merrick, owner of Lee Merrick Antiques.
His booth featured a variety of unique items, including an old Betty Boop sculpture, a 1920s carnival gaming wheel and a baseball bat signed by former Chicago Cubs pitcher Fergie Jenkins.
Merrick is originally from England and moved to the Chicago area to play soccer for the Chicago Power. He now coaches for the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club, but has made a career out of selling antiques.
“It’s rewarding to get up every day knowing I’m doing this,” said Merrick, 58, who lives in Jefferson Park.
Morganna Milgrin types poems for hire. “I’ve always loved writing for other people,” she says.
Instead of vintage items, Morganna “Mosy-Posy” Milgrin was offering poems at the market. Wearing face paint and antlers illuminated with Christmas lights, Milgrin composed verses on the spot on a Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriter.
“I’ve always loved writing for other people,” said Milgrin, a 30-year-old clown and poet-for-hire who lives in Pilsen. “I love making a connection with people. And hopefully my goofy appearance makes people feel a little more comfortable in being vulnerable. So they can talk to me about whatever they need to and share their life with me.”
Milgrin said the holiday market makes for an interesting work space.
“People are here to find deals on high-end vintage goods, and tossing $20 at a street poet is not something that they thought was part of their day. So, it’s kind of funny to try to engage people that are on a mission.”
A poem typed by Morganna Milgrin using her Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriter.
Chicago pediatrician Sherif Badawy brought joy to clientele with his baklava, flown in from Jordan.
Growing up in Egypt, he ate the dessert at large family gatherings.
“It’s nostalgia,” said Badawy, 42, who lives in River North. “That was something that always made me happy.”
Badawy expresses that communal spirit through his business name, “Dar Baklava.” (“Dar” means “house” in Arabic.)
His baklava is made with less sugar and syrup than those sold at other shops, he said. He sells the bite-sized treats in several flavors, including pistachio, cashew and walnut.
Randolph Street Holiday Market Founder Sally Schwartz spoke with vigor about the small business owners, calling their wares a “visual feast.”
“I know every one of them,” said Schwartz, who runs several events under the Randolph Street Holiday Market Festival umbrella. “They’re really wonderful people and they’re talented. They know their craft. They’re all such experts, and they all have so much passion for what they do. It’s infectious.”
She also praised the camaraderie among the customers.
“What I like about the show is that you don’t have to bring a friend,” she said. “You could come and everybody’s your friend when you get there.”
Shoppers browse the Randolph Street Holiday Market at Plumbers Hall. The event continues Sunday.
Dar Baklava sells three varieties of baklava, cashew, walnut and pistachio, at the market. The sweet treats are flown in from Jordan and have less sugar than other baklava.
Sally Schwartz is founder of the Randolph Street Holiday Market.
Range Rider Gallery’s booth sells a variety of boots.
More than 70 people marched through Logan Square Saturday morning, demanding the Chicago Housing Authority follow through on promises to repair scattered site housing and keep low-income housing in the neighborhood.
The demonstration was part of a reenactment of Las Posadas, a 400-year-old Christian tradition of a days-long prayer that recreates the story of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before Jesus was born. The annual protests at Lathrop Homes started in 2013 but have extended over the years to other CHA properties like the one held Saturday in Logan Square.
Now in its 12th year, the Las Posadas gathering was led by members of the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance and Palenque Liberating Spaces Through Neighborhood Action and highlighted the longstanding issue of vacant and deteriorating scattered site housing. Community members expressed frustration, viewing these neglected properties as a wasted resource and a point of contention, underscoring their belief that promises from the city and the CHA remain unfulfilled.
Attendees began the march at Grace Church of Logan Square and ended at a nearby scattered site at 2119 W. Spaulding Ave. Participants left signs for CHA at the house, asking the authority not to turn families away.
The name “scattered sites” dates from when the agency, for years accused of reinforcing racial segregation, was under legal pressure to expand holdings beyond Black neighborhoods.
Lindsey Joyce, pastor at Grace Church and a member of the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance, said the alliance is urging the housing authority to reconsider its management of scattered site housing.
“Our ask for CHA is we don’t want them to sell the scattered site housing. We want it to be made warm, safe, dry and beautiful — houses people actually want to live in, and permanently for low-income families,” she said. “We don’t need less housing for low-income people in Chicago; we need more.”
Participants march to 2119 N. Spaulding Ave., a Chicago Housing Authority scattered site, in Logan Square on Saturday during the annual Las Posadas ceremony organized by the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance and Palenque Liberating Spaces Through Neighborhood Action.
She pointed to systemic neglect of affordable housing in areas like Logan Square, Avondale and Humboldt Park. “Housing, particularly in this area of the city, seems to never get any investment,” she said.
Of the 3,000 scattered site housing placements across Chicago, roughly 500 remain vacant, according to Joyce. “Specifically with scattered site housing, we’re seeing a disproportionate amount in this area being left unfilled,” she added.
Bruce Ray, pastor of Kimball Avenue United Church of Christ and a member of the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance, noted that the Spaulding site has been empty and boarded up for years.
“We’ve heard from residents and community members that this is just unacceptable because not only is it housing that’s being wasted, but it also affects the rest of the community,” he said. “When there’s a boarded-up building like this, it can easily become a place where squatters show up, drug sales occur, and all sorts of activities detrimental to the community.”
Last November, CHA launched its Restore Home project to repair and in some cases gut 217 housing units in 77 buildings, including 36 small- to midsize apartment buildings, especially those with two to six flats.
The goal was to finish the work in 18 months, “an aggressive target,” the agency’s CEO, Tracey Scott, said at the time. The embattled chief announced in October she was stepping down from the post. Current board chairperson Angela Hurlock will serve as interim boss as the agency conducts a search.
A spokesperson confirmed work at 2119 W. Spaulding Ave. would begin next year, but had no timeline for completion and didn’t answer whether the agency was still on track to meet the 18-month deadline. Currently, 10 units and 13 homes are under construction and contracts were signed in September to renovate another 60 units by mid-2025.
“We are working through what can be a complicated construction process and pushing hard to achieve the timeline,” a spokesperson said in a statement to the Sun-Times Friday.
Participants stand outside 2119 N. Spaulding Ave. in Logan Square on Saturday during the annual Las Posadas ceremony organized by the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance and Palenque Liberating Spaces Through Neighborhood Action.
Audrey Thomas, a housing advocate and an area resident of more than 30 years, said she has long been frustrated over the many vacant units in the area that remain in disrepair. “There are all these units sitting in this area, like 100 units, and people could be living in those,” she said. “It seems like a really inefficient way of addressing housing.”
Flor Mata, a 21-year-old Portage Park resident, attended Saturday’s event for the first time, motivated by her passion for affordable housing. Mata said she felt compelled to get involved after learning about housing issues during a summer internship with Palenque LSNA.
She emphasized the need for community awareness and action. “I definitely think it’s important for people to become more informed and learn about what they can do and what their actions can do to impact other people’s lives,” she said. “These vacant houses could be used by people who really need them, especially during the winter and the holiday season.”
Joyce emphasized the significance of the Holy Family’s story during Saturday’s call to action.
“The purpose of this is to commemorate the story of the Holy Family. For us, it’s Mary, Joseph and Jesus, who were turned away at all the inns. We remember that and remember how many other Holy Families we see on the streets right now,” Joyce said.
Participants stand outside a Chicago Housing Authority scattered site housing at 2119 N. Spaulding Ave. in Logan Square on Saturday during the annual Las Posadas ceremony. The demonstration was part of a reenactment of Las Posadas, a 400-year-old Christian tradition of a days-long prayer that recreates the story of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before Jesus was born.
NEWARK, N.J. — When Blackhawks rookie goalie Drew Commesso robbed Erik Haula on a point-blank shot late in the second period Saturday, he seemed to be thoroughly in the Devils’ heads.
But the Hawks’ third-period breakdowns subsequently hung Commesso out to dry, ruining his first career NHL start.
Commesso finished with 20 saves on 24 shots in the 4-1 loss. That equates to an .833 save percentage, which vastly undersells how stellar the 22-year-old Boston University product looked. He was 17-for-17 through the first two periods, during which he seemed completely comfortable in the spotlight.
“We can’t, every night, rely on our goalies to win us games,” forward Nick Foligno said. “If Commesso has to pitch a shutout in his first NHL game…it’s not a good sign for us. We need to play in a way that allows our goalies to feel confident that, even if one does squeak by, we come back and we support them.”
Good efforts with little reward has been the story of the season so far for Commesso, who has posted a subpar .879 save percentage in 10 games with Rockford after posting a solid .906 save percentage in 38 AHL games last season.
He’s too innovative and intelligent — and his track record is too consistently good — for that to continue for long, though. The Hawks also did him no favors by starting him against the high-flying Devils rather than against the Islanders at home Sunday (in the second half of the back-to-back set).
Stout kill
The penalty kill represented one bright spot for the Hawks. They entered Saturday ranked fifth in the NHL at 83.1% this season, and they only improved that percentage with a 3-for-3 performance against the Devils’ deadly power play (which led the league at 30.9%).
The Hawks’ kill is now 21-for-21 in the last eight games, while their power play — despite an 0-for-3 performance Saturday — has gone 6-for-23 (26.1%) during that span.
Hall encouraged
A couple weeks before ex-coach Luke Richardson was fired, he and veteran forward Taylor Hall smoothed over tensions stemming from Hall’s frustrations about the lack of feedback and communication before Richardson healthy-scratched him Nov. 16 in Vancouver.
Although they moved on from that, it sounds like Hall wasn’t the biggest believer in some of Richardson’s systems. The passive 1-2-2 forecheck certainly wasn’t well-suited for Hall’s playing style. He’s pleased that interim coach Anders Sorensen has switched it to a more aggressive 2-1-2 format.
“For a bit there, I felt like our ‘F1′ on the forecheck was doing really hard work and not getting rewarded,” Hall said Friday. “We were instructed to just hang out and play more of a neutral-zone game, and it was really hard to create turnovers and offense that way.
“[Now] you’re seeing us be more aggressive on the forecheck. As long as we have reliable forwards back, it’s going to allow us to play more of a speed game.”
Notes
Forward Frank Nazar made his NHL season debut Saturday, logging 14:01 of ice time. He wasn’t particularly noticeable — either in a good or bad way — but he nearly scored a meaningless goal in the final minutes.
Defenseman T.J. Brodie endured a bad day in a season laden with them. He was the Hawks’ key culprit on the Devils’ first and third goals. When Seth Jones and Alec Martinez return, his every-night role could be in jeopardy again.
NEWARK, N.J. — The Blackhawks have lost many games this season due to small third-period mistakes.
Their 4-1 defeat Saturday to the Devils can be added to the list.
Tied 1-1 with less than 10 minutes left, young defenseman Wyatt Kaiser had an obvious opportunity to clear the puck after a marathon shift of two-plus minutes stuck in the defensive zone. But Kaiser was indecisive and held it too long, Devils forward Jesper Bratt cut him off and forced a turnover and Jack Hughes scored the goal-ahead goal seconds later.
“I think there were a lot of moments in that shift where we could have done things a lot better,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said.
That’s undoubtedly correct, but if the Hawks had done any one of them, the shift wouldn’t have continued, and Saturday’s narrative could’ve been different.
Those singular breakdowns at the worst times explain how the Hawks have scored first an NHL-leading 19 times in 30 games — and been leading, tied or trailing by one goal in the third period 29 times in 30 games — yet sit in last place with a 9-19-2 record.
The Hawks’ fourth line and top defensive pair were the ones swamped on the deciding shift, not the Jason Dickinson-led third line, but Dickinson knows exactly what that kind of fatigue-related mental impairment feels like.
“Once you get tired like that, the brain starts to shut down,” Dickinson said. “You stop seeing the open ice. You stop seeing the other options. And you…miss a guy in your back side because you’re so focused on what’s in front of you and you’re not able to see the whole ice. It gets a lot tougher, once you’re that gassed, to really make the best possible play.”
That’s a universal truth in hockey, but these Hawks also seem predisposed to a less excusable type of mental weakness: Fragility. When one thing goes badly — especially in higher-pressure situations, such as third periods and road games — it often snowballs into an avalanche of self-destruction.
After conceding three Islanders goals in a two-minute, 19-second span on Thursday, the Hawks one-upped themselves Saturday, allowing Hughes’ goal to mark the first of three Devils goals in a two-minute, six-second span that blew the score out of proportion.
“Why are we getting so down after a goal?” captain Nick Foligno asked. “It’s the reality of the NHL. You’re not going to win every game 1-0. Teams are going to score and we do it to other teams, so why are we so flustered after they score one on us? Now teams come in waves and we don’t know how to handle it.
“It seems like we’re trying to get the goal back right away or we’re forcing things. It’s unacceptable at this point. Anders has put in a hell of a game plan. We really like the way we have to and will play for him. We’ve just got to start playing the whole game like that.”
Sorensen’s game plans and system changes do seem effective. The Hawks have looked like a more dangerous, cohesive team over the past week, even if his 1-3-0 record as coach doesn’t reflect it.
They easily could’ve enjoyed a better fate Saturday, considering they led 1-0 at the second intermission — thanks to stellar play by rookie goalie Drew Commesso — and also hit the post three times. Connor Bedard, who had an erratic performance with intermixed moments of brilliance and foolishness, was responsible for two of those posts.
It’s largely the Hawks’ own fault, however, that they so rarely achieve those better fates.
“You’ve got to mitigate the mistakes so that, when they happen, it’s once and we move on.” Dickinson said. “It seems like it happens, and then it happens again and we’re caving in [on] ourselves.”
Interim coach Thomas Brown is trying to find a way to fix one of the most maddening parts of the Bears’ season — slow starts. In 13 games this season, the Bears have managed just two field goals in their first drive of the game. They’ve gone three-and-out an amazing eight times.
“I think it’s more psychological than it sounds when it comes to the approach overall. …” he said Saturday. “Plays are on paper until you bring them life. There’s an understanding of how to get guys going earlier in games, but that’s just making plays and being efficient, being detailed and not just hunting for big plays all the time, which I don’t think we do that, for the most part, in the first half of games.
“I take a big part of the ownership aspect of it, of how I call a game early on and get us in a flow and a rhythm.”
Allen in the Flo
Keenan Allen posted the greatest performance of his career last year against the Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, catching 18 passes on 20 targets for 215 yards and even throwing a 49-yard touchdown on a trick play.
In his first game against the Vikings this year, he had his best game with the Bears, setting season highs with nine catches, 15 targets and 86 yards. He caught a touchdown, one of five on the year.
Offensive coordinator Chris Beatty said Allen’s intelligence is an advantage against Flores’ blitzing defense.
“This defense is so complicated with all the different looks that they give you — all the different ways they drop guys in and drop guys out,” he said. “And Keenan just has a knack for being able to see those things before they happen. Like a lot of receivers see them as they happen. He can sit back and tell you what’s happening before it happens.”
Count Montez Sweat among the players intrigued to see where the Bears go with their head coaching search.
“I’ve got to sit back and wait for things to happen, really,” the Bears defensive end said Saturday. “I’m interested in what’s to come. I’m very optimistic. We’ve got good pieces on offense and defense, and I hope we can return some and just build off of that.”
Sweat is invested in the Bears’ future, and vice versa. He’s in the first year of a four-year, $98 million contract extension the Bears gave him after trading the Commanders a second-round pick in the middle of last season.
Sweat finished that year as both the Bears’ and Commanders’ sack leader. This season, though, he has just 4 ½.
“It’s just been a tough year,” he said.
The Bears haven’t won a game in two months. They can be officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday if the Commanders beat the Saints. They would draft ninth were the season to end this week, and ESPN analytics gives them a 6.1% chance to pick in the top five.
Still, Sweat said he’s focused on finishing the season strong.
“There’s beauty in every group that you’re in, so knowing that I might not see some of these guys next year is tough,” he said. “I’m playing for the guy beside me and putting my resume on tape.”
Bears running back D’Andre Swift was out of most of the team’s practice time this week because of a groin injury, but said Saturday he’ll play Monday against the Vikings.
“I’m good,” Swift said after being limited in practice Saturday and missing the previous day.
The Bears go the game against the Vikings on Monday in the bottom third of the NFL in rushing after finishing in the top two each of the previous two seasons, and Swift is 18th with 742 yards and 24th with five touchdowns.
He leads the team with 1,057 yards from scrimmage for four of their nine longest gains, but hasn’t been nearly as effective overall as he was when he made the Pro Bowl for the Eagles last season to earn a three-year, $24 million deal with the Bears in free agency.
He is averaging a career-low 3.8 yards per rush, fifth-worst by any back with at least 100 carries.
