Le Journal

Under a dim moon, a team of five volunteers walked late Thursday through desolate parks on Chicago's North Side and trawled through alleyways in search of anyone they could find.In the first few hours, some volunteers struggled to find anyone amid the frigid cold, though by the end of the night they will have counted and surveyed thousands living on the street and in shelters as part of the annual “point-in-time” count.The “point-in-time” count is a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness in a single night, conducted each year by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services as part of a federal mandate from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.The count determines how federal funds are distributed and can influence local policy, though it has caught flak nationwide from advocates who say it isn’t accurate.Between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. shelter staff do a count, and then 550 city staff members and volunteers conduct the outdoor count from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m., offering snacks, hats, gloves, socks, hygiene kits and resource cards along the way. A specific youth search will be done over the next five days. Alexia Ramos, a drop in program coordinator at Lincoln Park Community Services, speaks Thursday with a guest during Chicago’s annual point-in-time count during dinner at the shelter. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times The count happened as the Chicago area braced for frigid wind chills that were expected to drop to as low as minus 35 by Friday. By the time volunteers headed outside Thursday night, wind chills had already dipped to minus 1, according to the National Weather Service.“To alleviate and end homelessness, we need to know the scope of the challenge,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “Behind every number is a neighbor who deserves dignity, safety, and a place to call their own. I want to thank all of our intrepid City workers and volunteers for braving the cold tonight and contributing to our work to address homelessness in Chicago.”But the point-in-time count isn’t always accurate, and recent funding cuts could make it less so.More than 58,000 Chicagoans experienced homelessness in 2024, according to a recently released report from the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. Meanwhile the city’s point-in-time count for that year was 19,000. City workers and volunteers spent Thursday night walking through parks and streets to count the number of people experiencing homelessness in Chicago. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times Officials with the advocacy group told WBEZ that volunteers may miss people living in abandoned buildings or in cars, or those couch surfing or staying at friends’ or relatives’ homes, what’s known as “doubled up” — particularly on the coldest night of the year. It’s nearly three times more common than those living on the street or in shelters in Chicago, per the report.Cheryl Hamilton Hill, chief executive officer of Lincoln Park Community Services, agreed with the coalition as her shelter was taking part in the count Thursday night.“If people are seeking shelter, they’re not going to be out there waiting for someone to count them,” Hill said. “They’re going to be taking cover in an abandoned building or under a viaduct, they may be couch surfing — but those people we won’t be able to count.”Some cities facing similar criticism have made it a dayslong affair or moved it to the morning, like San Francisco did this year.Hill said she would welcome a shift to July, and a multi-day approach so advocates could get a more accurate number, especially given how it affects funding.The houseless population has been on the rise in recent years. Nationwide it grew by more than 18% in 2024, according to federal officials, and is on track to grow more.A July executive order by President Donald Trump, billed as “ending crime and disorder on America’s streets,” aims to shift funds away from the harm-reduction approach and direct federal support to states and cities to…

Cameron Mercer’s name always gets a little extra attention. His dad Ron was a star at Oak Hill, Va. in high school and in college at Kentucky. He played for a handful of NBA teams, including the Bulls.But at this point in late January of his senior year at Riverside-Brookfield, the name doesn’t matter much. Mercer is like every lead guard at every high school in the state. He wants to help his team win and find the right college spot.The Bulldogs overcame a terrible start to beat Glenbard South 53-46 on Thursday in Glen Ellyn, largely thanks to an early third-quarter push from Mercer.Riverside-Brookfield missed its first 15 shots and made just one shot of its first 21. The Bulldogs (16-5, 7-1 Upstate Eight East) didn’t manage a field goal in the first quarter and trailed 17-5 early in the second quarter. Riverside-Brookfield coach Mike Reingruber figures it was the worst start for any team in his 29 years of coaching.“We certainly did not bring our A game to start,” Reingruber said. “Some of that had to do with them, some had to do with us. But we are happy to weather the storm and walk out with the win.”The Bulldogs pulled within 20-15 at halftime and Mercer, a 6-2 guard, opened the second half with a 7-0 personal run to give his team a 22-20 lead.“Every game is not going to be pretty,” Mercer said. “Some games you are going to struggle. This was one where we struggled but then came back together and one.“My mindset as a leader of the team is to try and bring the energy. I didn’t like how we started. At halftime I knew we had to do something. My mentality was to come out and answer as quickly as I could and not wait until the fourth quarter.”Mercer finished with 24 points and seven rebounds.“He’s been playing so well lately,” Reingruber said. “He’s a college player. I’ve coached them before and I know he’s at that level.”Glenbard South (15-7, 4-3) came back and took small leads multiple times in the third quarter and early fourth quarter. Riverside-Brookfield’s Noah VanTholen, a 6-4 sophomore guard, gave the Bulldogs the lead for good on two free throws with 3:30 to play. Then VanTholen came up with a key steal and fastbreak dunk to put the Bulldogs ahead 47-43. Riverside-Brookfield’s Noah VanTholen (23) shoots and hits a three against Glenbard South.Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times “They did that same action a few times,” VanTholen said. “So, I stuck my hand out and got it. I was trying to get us some momentum, so I went up for the dunk. That was a big play for us down the stretch.”VanTholen scored 12 points. Senior Colin Cimino added 11 points and nine rebounds for Riverside-Brookfield.“The last two games before this we were playing some of our best basketball,” Reingruber said. “We’ve won eight straight now and I like the direction we are headed. Sticking together through the bad is the sign of a good team and I think we are a really good team.”Senior guard Amir Jackson led Glenbard South with 14 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Johnathan Hadley scored 12 points and PJ Lehr added 10 for the Raiders.“We have made huge strides since the beginning of the year,” Glenbard South coach Jason Mead said. “We just haven’t gotten over that hump to beat good teams. It’s the turnovers. But our kids play really hard. We just need to stop turning the ball over.”

Chad Pinder isn’t far removed from his playing days.He retired after the 2023 season, which saw him spend time at the Triple-A affiliates of the Nationals and Braves. Before that, he spent seven seasons with the Athletics. He said he didn’t know what he would do after playing, but that his former manager, Bob Melvin had planted a seed while he was a player.“Once I got to the big leagues and I was in that non-everyday player role and in a position that was kind of a quiet leadership role, Bob Melvin would always jokingly say, ‘You’re going to manage one day,’” Pinder said Thursday on Zoom. “And in my head I was like, ‘I don’t want to do that.’ And so I stopped playing in 2023 and was really trying to figure out what I wanted to do.”Pinder started grad school, but it wasn’t until his wife gave him the push that he considered coaching. Director of player development Paul Janish offered him a job managing at Single-A Kannapolis last season. On Thursday, Pinder was announced as the Triple-A Charlotte Knights manager.“You trust him to go there and create an environment where guys are going to work,” Janish said. “It can, inadvertently at times, but Triple A can become a little bit of a holding tank and a level where older guys can become a little disgruntled at times. [The organization has] a tremendous amount of trust in Chad, and I’m confident that he’s going to accomplish whatever his goals are in this game and have those opportunities in all likelihood probably sooner than later, but for the time being, we’re fired up and excited about him being in Charlotte.”For a Sox team that had six prospects land in Baseball America’s top 100 list — left-hander Noah Schultz (No. 26) infielder Caleb Bonemer (No. 27), outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 73), left-hander Hagen Smith (No. 91), infielder Billy Carlson (No. 92) and right-hander Tanner McDougal (No. 100) — Pinder will have an important role as he helps develop some of the team’s young players as they are on the doorstep of the majors.Pinder said that his messaging won’t change much as he progresses from Single A to Triple A. He just wants his players to go out and play freely. Having been around an accomplished manager like Melvin, and stars such as Marcus Semien, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman will be critical for Pinder as he begins his Triple-A career. He had to carve out a role and be comfortable playing the outfield. He also learned about analytics from his time in Oakland.“I was a platoon player, and while yes, I wanted to be out there competing every single day, I look back at my career, and I’m extremely grateful for the managers I had and their knowledge to put me in situations to succeed, which ultimately kept me around longer,” Pinder said. “So I do lean on the numbers. I do think there’s an aspect to the game where our job is to put the players in advantageous spots to be successful.”Patrick Leyland will manage Double-A Birmingham. Former Sox player Jayson Nix will manage Single-A Kannapolis. Daniel Gonzalez will manage the Arizona Complex League White Sox.

The Chicago area is bracing for a level of cold that hasn't been felt in more than three years.Temperatures are expected to drop below zero Thursday night and remain near zero until Saturday while wind chills are projected to drop as low as minus 35 Friday and stay below zero into next week, according to the National Weather Service. Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the weather service, said temperatures are expected to stay below normal through the rest of next week."The cold looks like it's going to stick around," Yack said.Along with the bitterly cold conditions, snow from a winter storm, expected to hit a large strip of the United States, could bring 1 to 4 inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday. "The tricky part of this system is we're kind of on the northern fringe of it, so there's a little bit of uncertainty of how much snow we actually get," Yack said. No matter how much snow falls during the cold snap, Yack warns that the precipitation will freeze quickly and create slick roads. "Some slippery travel is to be expected," Yack said. A number of government offices and businesses across the city announced closures for Friday, including the 19th Ward office, 40th Ward office, 44th Ward office, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community and the Beverly Arts Center. Chicago Public Schools is one of nearly 200 area districts that are canceling classes due to the weather.The Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Alder Planetarium will close Friday and reopen to the public Saturday, according to a news release from the Museum Campus cultural organizations. Those who had already purchased tickets for either location will have the option to rebook for a different day.The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago will also close Friday.Outside Chicago, the Secretary of State's four senior centers — located in Evanston, Westchester, Bridgeview and Calumet Park — as well as Waukegan Township's town offices were also set to be closed. And in spite of those brave enough to tough out the cold in nature, DuPage Forest Preserve District was closing its headquarters and six of its education centers: Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton, Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center in Oak Brook, Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago, Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, St. James Farm in Warrenville and DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn.