Wisch: Is Ron Zook's Job At Illinois Secure?
As a University of Illinois season ticket holder, I've watched a lot of Ron Zook football during the past six years. Most of it bad.
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As a University of Illinois season ticket holder, I've watched a lot of Ron Zook football during the past six years. Most of it bad.
Christmas is over. New Year's is looming. And in between this week the Big Ten gets its bowl season rolling.
You've worried about the offense. And, now, you've worried about the defense.
Dasher and Dancer. Cookies and Milk. Mistle and Toe. And … NBA and Basketball?
Merry Christmas, Illini Nation. Bah, humbug. For Illinois basketball fans, there are few – if any – things worse than losing to Missouri in the annual Braggin' Rights battle.
So, apparently, you can get a managing gig if your name is Pete Rose. Just as long as there's a "Junior" attached to the end of it.
Say they don't win another game. Say the Bears lose to the Jets, lose to the Packers and lose in the first round of the NFC Playoffs. (I'm not saying they will, mind you. Not at all.) Would you still declare Chicago's 2010 NFL season a success?
On Feb. 8, 1896 – one month after X-Rays were discovered and nine months before William McKinley was elected as the United States' 25th president – a the Midwest's premier universities held a powwow in Chicago and established the Big Ten.
OK, it's taken a couple of days, but I'm finally on board with this whole new Big Ten thing. The conference is bigger, it's badder (and that's just what they're saying about our divisions!) and, thanks to all those new multi-name football awards, it's also more hyphenated than ever before.
They call Chicago the Second City. But New York appears to be turning itself into the City of Second Chances. For ex-Cubs, at least.
This past summer, when the Big Ten announced that the University of Nebraska was signing on as the league's 12th team, the Conference That Can't Count hit a stand-up triple.
Eleven years ago, I was sitting in the press box at Michigan Stadium, watching the Wolverines storm to a 27-7 lead over Illinois midway through the third quarter when a kindly, gray-haired U. of M. alum seated in my row leaned in toward me.
They both played high school ball on a team with a more glamorous teammate (Bracey Wright and Evan Turner). Each entered college with a ton of talent – and probably a few too many pounds. But one worked his way into shape, led his team to the national championship game and became a first-round NBA pick.
Tom Brady and his golden arm (and his golden locks … and his golden pair of UGGs) are coming to town. The Bears are in first place at 9-3. And, at 10-2, the New England Patriots can say the same.
Imagine Superman signing on as the official spokesman for Kryptonite tights. Then imagine Albert Pujols putting on Cubs pinstripes. What's less likely?
For Cubs fans, there's only one thing bleaker than the 2010 regular season. And that's the 2010 offseason. So far, at least.
Last Sunday, after the Bears upended Philly, I was eating crow. Seven days later, after watching them struggle to beat the better-but-still-bad Lions, I was about ready to cough it back up.
The news was stunning, if not surprising, this morning when I woke up, turned on the TV and learned from the crawl on the screen that Ron Santo had passed away at 70 after a lifetime of health issues.
Redcoat or Turncoat. Whatever you want to call him, in the eyes of Cubs Nation, Ryan Theriot has turned heel.
As far as weeks go for college basketball teams, this one is about as big as it gets for the University of Illinois.
Earlier this month in his weekly Sports Illustrated Q&A, Dan Patrick posed the question to Brian Urlacher, "Best team in the NFC now?"
With a record of 7-3, the Bears aren't a joke. But I still can't take them seriously. Can you?
Mikel Leshoure has officially arrived. So, does that also mean he's already gone?
Last week, when pitching coach Larry Rothschild bolted the Chicago Cubs (honestly, finally) for the New York Yankees (honestly, seriously?) after a nine-year stint on Chicago's North Side, I'm pretty sure that one name was the first to pop into most fans' minds as a potential replacement.
A South Holland woman said she was left high and dry after paying thousands of dollars to have her swimming pool fixed, only for the contractor to vanish.
Bringing neighbors, police, and firefighters together, that's the mission behind National Night Out, an annual event to promote community partnerships and public safety.
A 61-year-old Chicago nurse has filed a lawsuit against two private security companies, after she said she was seriously hurt by a fare dodger at a CTA station on her way to work last year.
A teacher and father in northwest suburban Algonquin is on a long road to recovery after a tree fell on him as he was attempting to cut it down.
The Chicago Cubs spoiled Tarik Skubal's debut with the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, posting a 5-1 victory behind key RBI singles by Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
After losing two of his top three financial advisers in the past week, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday sought to assure Chicago residents "they have stability" headed into what will likely be another tough budget season at City Hall.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills Tuesday protecting consumers in the state from unfair home and auto insurance rates.
Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget director, Annette Guzman, is stepping down from her post, the mayor's office confirmed Monday night.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to announce if he's running for re-election, but certainly sounded like he was giving a campaign speech at a brief press conference on Monday.
"She folded like an umbrella," President Trump said of Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The Trump administration is taking aim at power grid operator PJM Interconnection over rising electricity bills that affect Illinois and Indiana residents.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
East Chicago, Indiana is being placed on a precautionary boil water advisory starting Monday morning for planned installations that could affect water safety.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
While the building that housed the flagship Ann Sather restaurant on Belmont Avenue has been torn down, the renowned Chicago restaurant chain is now set to open a new Lakeview location.
Nationally, data centers used 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023 — a figure projected to reach 72.6 billion gallons by 2028, raising concerns about states' water supplies.
Chicago's Wishbone Restaurant will soon be closing after 36 years in business.
The Old Town Pour House isn't in its namesake neighborhood anymore, but it's returning to the central area of Chicago — specifically in the Loop.
Stella's Diner in Chicago's East Lakeview community has gone out of business.
Crews need about a week and a half to tear down the festival site before the city can begin its own inspection — and past cleanup costs have topped $1 million.
Vincent Pastore played Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on all six seasons of "The Sopranos," which aired from 1999 to 2007.
If weather forces an evacuation, shelter sites are located at Grant Park North, Grant Park South, and Millennium Lakeside Garages, accessible through the vehicle entrance on Michigan Avenue.
Grant Park was filled with tens of thousands of people Thursday for the start of Lollapalooza, as warm weather greeted festivalgoers on day one of the four-day music festival.
Academy Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
A South Holland woman said she was left high and dry after paying thousands of dollars to have her swimming pool fixed, only for the contractor to vanish. Venus Scott is one of more than a dozen homeowners who said they were taken by the same man using different names. The pattern goes back more than a decade.
Bringing neighbors, police, and firefighters together, that's the mission behind National Night Out, an annual event to promote community partnerships and public safety.
A 61-year-old Chicago nurse has filed a lawsuit against two private security companies, after she said she was seriously hurt by a fare dodger at a CTA station on her way to work last year.
A teacher and father in northwest suburban Algonquin is on a long road to recovery after a tree fell on him as he was attempting to cut it down.
A teacher and father in northwest suburban Algonquin is on a long road to recovery after a tree fell on him as he was attempting to cut it down.
A 61-year-old Chicago nurse has filed a lawsuit against two private security companies, after she said she was seriously hurt by a fare dodger at a CTA station on her way to work last year.
A South Holland woman said she was left high and dry after paying thousands of dollars to have her swimming pool fixed, only for the contractor to vanish.
Bringing neighbors, police, and firefighters together, that's the mission behind National Night Out, an annual event to promote community partnerships and public safety.
A man has been charged with murder in the shooting deaths of two teens on the Far South Side of Chicago in 2024 and 2025.
A South Holland woman said she was left high and dry after paying thousands of dollars to have her swimming pool fixed, only for the contractor to vanish.
An Elgin man has seen what he thought was the deal of a lifetime turn into weeks of frustration after a fake tracking number scam left him without goods or a refund after buying a game system on eBay.
Nationally, data centers used 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023 — a figure projected to reach 72.6 billion gallons by 2028, raising concerns about states' water supplies.
A clean energy initiative on the South Side of Chicago is increasing access to solar energy and electric vehicle charging stations, and community members say it's making a difference.
A glitch in the Illinois Tollway system earlier this month left about 100,000 drivers with unexpected warnings about unpaid tolls, some dating back about a year.
The Chicago Cubs spoiled Tarik Skubal's debut with the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, posting a 5-1 victory behind key RBI singles by Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to six games with a 14-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.
Standout right tackle Darnell Wright has agreed to lucrative contract extension with the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears held their second straight padded practice Tuesday with multiple periods of live tackling as they focused in on defense.
Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcántara each hit a two-run homer, and the Chicago Cubs handed the Los Angeles Dodgers their fourth consecutive loss with a 10-5 victory.
A woman stood charged Tuesday with stabbing a man during a fight in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood this past weekend.
An Illinois State Police trooper who has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a bartender in southwest suburban Tinley Park will remain behind bars as he awaits trial.
Thieves stole an ATM from a gas station in Chicago's Roseland community early Monday.
Two young men and a teenage boy were shot and wounded early Monday in Chicago's Park Manor community.
A man was stabbed late Sunday night in a fight with a woman on Chicago's West Side, police said.
