Author: staff

If Wilbur Earl Tennant’s cows hadn’t died from a mysterious wasting disease during the 1990s, the world might have never learned about the secret history of…

Something as simple as drinking tap water is exposing millions of Illinoisans to toxic chemicals that build up in human blood, cause cancer and other diseases…

The horror came in the early morning.There were only a few of us in the Tribune Tower’s editorial offices that September morning when one reporter began…

“I just moved to a home with very limited garden space, but with a large patio. I would like to try gardening in containers this summer. Can you provide advice on getting started?”— Abigail Jackson, Morton GroveAdvertisementThere are many different types and styles of containers to choose from for your patio. The pots themselves can be decorative or very simple, so choose which ones best suit your personal taste and design requirements. The size of the pots you purchase should be in scale with the surrounding landscape. The bigger your garden space, the bigger the container you will need to look right. For example, small containers sitting by themselves on a large patio or deck will look out of place, while working just fine when combined with larger pots. AdvertisementGardening in containers is a great option for outdoor spaces like patios. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)Small and shallow containers will dry out more quickly, especially later in the season when the plants are established, and root bound. When using small pots in sunny locations, you will need to pay close attention to watering, especially during hot weather. Consider using a mix of different sizes of pots grouped together to add interest and the capacity to layer plants from taller to shorter.Whichever containers you choose, it is essential to have a drainage hole or holes in the bottom of them; otherwise, water will build up in the containers and drown your plants. The holes do not need to be large, but there must be enough holes so excess water can drain out. If a container has no holes, try drilling some yourself. A container without holes is best used as a cover to hide a plain pot or to grow aquatic plants in. Adding gravel at the bottom of a pot will not improve drainage but can add weight to a lightweight container in a windy location where more stability is needed. It is important to use a soilless growing medium designed for containers — your local garden center will have bagged growing medium for sale. Do not use garden soil in your pots. Garden soils used in containers, even when mixed with compost, will generally be slow to drain and be poorly aerated, causing plants to perform poorly.Bags of growing medium are typically sold by cubic feet. Estimate how much you need by calculating the volume of your container. For square pots, multiply length, width and height. For round pots, multiply 3.14 (pi) and the radius of the pot’s diameter times the height of the pot. All units of measure need to be in feet to give you the amount of cubic feet of growing medium to purchase. Convert inches to feet by dividing by 12 (inches per foot). I like to purchase a little extra medium to be sure that I have enough. You can also just guess how much to buy.If you have large containers and want to save money by using less growing medium, use empty plastic pots turned upside down in the bottom of the container to fill in space. I have also used crumpled up bags that the growing medium and compost are sold in as filler, too. Styrofoam peanuts will work, but create a mess when the time comes to clean out the containers. I like to have at least a foot of depth of medium above the filler at the bottom of the pot — use a greater depth if you are planning to grow very large plants or shrubs in your containers. Gently firm the planter mixture as you fill the container. Do not fill the medium level to the top of the pot, as you will need about an inch gap to the top of the pot to make watering easier — use less space for small pots, while more space is better for very large pots. The growing medium should be slightly moist as you are planting.For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The Willis Tower was built with cutting-edge technology and ageless chutzpah, a word that could be translated as an intoxicating sense of omnipotence.When planning for what…

Billionaire Ken Griffin’s decision to move his Citadel hedge fund to Florida, only days before a Tuesday Republican primary he’s heavily invested in, could become a…

Dear Amy: This year several people from my past have contacted me to ask for forgiveness. I am writing because I believe my decision will offer a different perspective to your readers.The first letter was from two dormmates writing jointly to apologize for their rude, hurtful behavior. I went to these two women for emotional support, believing them to be friends, only to be bluntly told that neither of them liked me and that they only associated with me because they assumed I would help them with their papers or research projects. This was especially painful, as it happened shortly after I was diagnosed with a chronic illness.AdvertisementI changed dorms at the end of the academic year and never spoke to either of them again. It has been almost 40 years.The second letter was a friend from my other college. She contacted me in 2008 and we started phoning and emailing. “Call me anytime to talk,” she said. One night I did, and she exploded, screaming that I had interrupted her nightly wine and crafting time and yelling that we had nothing in common because I am not married, a homeowner, or a crafter and to leave her alone forever.AdvertisementI immediately ended the call, deleted her phone number, and blocked her email. This happened in 2015.I read both of these letters carefully and decided my sole response would be to shred the letters.These three women are just bad memories, and why they sought, need, or want my forgiveness after so many years is a mystery to me.I also do not want any further contact with them.To err is indeed human, to forgive may be divine, but forgiveness is also optional.– Past CompletedDear Completed: I appreciate your take on this.I believe that the experience and isolation of the pandemic – as well as the simple march of time – has caused a lot of people to reflect on their choices.AdvertisementYou don’t say how these women expressed themselves, but these entreaties seem more like demands. (I also think it’s possible that Ms. Wine and Crafting is working one of the 12-steps.)In my experience, the fullest form of forgiveness is arrived at privately, and not as the response to a request or a demand.I completely understand your reaction here, but I do think you owe these people your gratitude: their out-of-the-blue bids for forgiveness have given you closure, as well as the final word.Dear Amy: My husband and I were transferred from the Midwest to the East Coast 10 years ago.We have marvelous world-class food options where we live, and we are grateful for that benefit of living here.When we go back home to the Midwest, there are certain comfort foods carried by mom-and-pop restaurants and carry-outs that we miss.AdvertisementSometimes, it’s a dive, other times it’s a chain restaurant that we don’t have.The problem is our friend “Annie” inserts herself into our plans and always insists that we dine at the expensive places where she would rather go.If we want to go to our favorite greasy spoon because of the specialty there (Wednesday is pot roast day), Annie will say: “I know what sounds good, let’s go to … Chez Louis” – usually a place that serves limited menus and elite cuisine.This is fine for one meal, but this happens throughout our visit, and we aren’t even staying at her house.Sometimes, you just want a burger or a hometown pizza – not a filet, poached salmon, or escargot, you know?How do we avoid these conflicts – short of not informing her that we are in town?Advertisement– Stu in BaltimoreDear Stu: This isn’t about cuisine. This is about you simply being able to assert your own wishes when someone else asserts theirs.It is your visit! You have the right to eat wherever you want to eat!Here are some words to try out: “We could eat ‘fancy’ one night, but we’re excited to revisit our favorite comfort foods the rest of the time.”Ask AmyDailyNo-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.Dear Amy: I was completely stunned by your response to “Charlie” who had old photos of his ex-wife in an album.If his current wife of many years is bothered by these photos, then he should get rid of them! I cannot believe you actually suggested sending them to the ex. That would just create more drama!Advertisement– StunnedDear Stunned: The response to my answer was a universal NO!Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and we’ll send it to her.Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time — get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.©2021 Amy Dickinson.

MENDON, Ill. — When freshman U.S. Rep. Mary Miller took to a county fair stage Saturday night to thank former President Donald Trump for appointing conservative…

HOUSTON — Thorleifur Úlfarsson and Darwin Quintero scored first-half goals and Steve Clark made them stand up in the Houston Dynamo’s 2-0 victory against the Chicago Fire on Saturday.The Fire (3-8-5, 14 points) have won only one of their last 11 matches and are tied for the fewest points in MLS. AdvertisementÚlfarsson picked up his second goal of the season when he found the net in the 23rd minute for the Dynamo (6-7-3). Quintero scored in the second minute of stoppage time. Adam Lundqvist assisted on Quintero’s sixth goal of the season.Clark had four saves.AdvertisementThe Fire (3-8-5) outshot the Dynamo 17-11, but the Dynamo had a 5-4 edge in shots on goal. Gabriel Slonina finished with three saves for the Fire.

The Chicago Wolves won their third Calder Cup and fifth championship overall, defeating the Springfield Thunderbirds 4-0 in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series Saturday in Springfield, Mass. Alex Lyon made 28 saves for the shutout, and Andrew Poturalski, David Gust, Josh Leivo and Max Lajoie scored for the Wolves, who won four straight in the series after losing the opener in overtime. AdvertisementLeivo, who scored 15 playoff goals, was named the postseason most valuable player. The Wolves, based in northwest suburban Rosemont, also won Calder Cups in 2002 and 2008, adding to their two Turner Cups in the IHL in 1998 and 2000. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes. Advertisement The Thunderbirds, who are the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, won the series opener 5-4 in overtime Sunday at Allstate Arena. But the Wolves took Game 2 the next night in Rosemont, then won three straight road games: 4-0 on Wednesday, 4-2 on Friday and Saturday’s clincher.