Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Friday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

“Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald on Friday defended his football program as he testified at a labor board hearing considered the first step in his players’ effort to unionize,” the Tribune reports.
“Quarterback Kain Colter earlier in the week stressed that participating in football at NU was a job, adding he switched to a less-demanding major so it would interfere less with football.
“But Fitzgerald, who testified on the fourth day of a hearing in front of the National Labor Relations Board, that his program stresses academics over football.
“He said that last season, a player said he was behind academically. Fitzgerald allowed the unnamed player to take the week off from practice and had him study at the football complex, rather than attend meetings. He missed the Nebraska game but returned to the field the following week.

The only consequence, Fitzgerald said, was that “someone took over his role and he would have to compete (again) for that role.”

In other words, the only consequence to catching up with schoolwork was losing your job on the football team.


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I’d be more impressed if that player testified for himself.
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Couldn’t the Trib figure out which player who usually played sat out that game but wasn’t listed with an injury?
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“A university spokesman said that Fitzgerald will not take questions from the media once his testimony concludes.”
Northwestern is a university, dammit, not a place for inquiry!
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See also: Relevant Excerpt: The Cartel: Inside The Rise And Imminent Fall Of The NCAA.
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Mel’s Hilton
“A court in Zimbabwe dismissed pornography charges against former congressman Mel Reynolds on Friday but ordered his deportation after he pleaded guilty to staying in the southern African country on an expired visa,” the Tribune reports.
“Reynolds denied charges he was found with nude pictures and videos of women and men having sexual intercourse on his mobile phone. Pornography is banned in Zimbabwe.”
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More interesting:
“Reynolds was recently involved in a deal to construct a $145 million five-star Hilton Hotel and office complex in Zimbabwe, the state-owned Herald newspaper reported.
“He was pictured last year [link mine] standing alongside government officials in a Herald report about the launch of the hotel construction. Hilton, based in McLean, Va., has had no comment since being asked about it by the Tribune on Tuesday.”
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“Construction of the US$145 million five-star Hilton Hotel and office complex along Samora Machel Avenue in Eastlea, Harare, is scheduled to begin in April next year, Streamwalk Arcade director Mr. Farai Jere has said,” the Herald reported just five months ago.
“Mr. Jere’s company is spearheading the project, whose construction was initially penciled to start next month, in conjunction with his partners Hilton Worldwide and Aecom.
“Speaking at an occasion where he was issued with the Hilton Harare Mixed Use Development Bankable Document, Mr. Jere said the project was expected to be completed in late 2016.”
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For those who want to know more, here’s some people to call.
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Rendering of the Harare Hilton.
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“The American investors were meeting their Zimbabwean counterparts in Johannesburg every Tuesday to discuss progress on the ground,” VictoriaFalls24 reports.
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House Advantage
“When Springfield, Mass. needed to choose who would build its first casino, the city hired an outside adviser to help with the process,” AP reports (h/t: Crain’s).
“The consulting firm Shefsky & Froelich recommended that the deal go to MGM Resorts International. At the same time, the consulting firm was also working as a registered lobbyist in Illinois for MGM Resorts.”
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See also these items:
* Exporting The Chicago Way.
* Judge Rips CPS’s Hired Guns.
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Rauner’s 501
An e-mail exchange I had with a faithful reader and keen observer:
ME: Rauner spends $501,000 as unions air new ad against him
Hey, is there a significance to 501K instead of just 500K – like when a criminal gets sentenced to a year and a day instead of just a year?
FR&KO: Nope. Maybe the ads cost $501,000, so that’s what he gave.
ME: Maybe he really likes his 501 jeans.
FR&KO: That he bought on sale at Kohl’s for $20, and keeps in the closet of the guest bedroom of his Wyoming ranch, that he flies to on a charter jet when he gets tired of his Montana ranch.
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Taylor Branch vs. Northwestern
The myth of the student-athlete.
Inside Rahm’s Offer To Jimmy Fallon
Another Beachwood Special Report.
The Police Know About Jack
Chilling.
Beachwood Photo Booth: Sears Key Shop
At night.
The Week In Chicago Music
Featuring: Courtney Barnett, Band of Horses, The Flat Five, Steve Dawson, Jon Langford & Robbie Fulks, The Projectionists, Of Mice & Men, Bring Me The Horizon, and Caffeine.
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BeachBook
* Calling BS On The Million-Dollar Broken Vase.
* Obama’s Top Trans-Pacific Partnership Officials Were Given Millions By Banks Before Taking The Job.
* Tina Fey Cast As Former Tribune Reporter.
* Public Sector Cuts Part-Time Shifts To Duck Obamacare.
* Naperville Cops Probe Theft Of 80 Tons Of Road Salt.
* Austin Residents Outraged At Felony Charge Against 13-Year-Old Who Threw A Snowball At A Cop.
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The Hollywood Primary


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Plus:


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TweetWood


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The Beachwood Tip Line: Beyond a reasonable shout.

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Posted on February 21, 2014