At an East Lakeview meeting this past week, Cubs executive Michael Lufrano returned to neighbors to again make the case for adding 368 new parking spaces to a Cubs-owned parking lot. The updated design has trees added to the perimeter, and lighting that Lufrano said would be aimed down so as to minimize spill to adjacent bedroom windows.
As if to imply this parking lot is a benefit to the community, and not just about making money, Lufrano spoke of his 93-year-old father, who needs to drive to games because it’s not that easy for him to get around anymore.
At one point, he said, “We’re going to start enforcing a right-turn-only out of the parking lot after games, to reduce conflicts.”
Lufrano returned to the word “conflict” several times, as if the problem were some neutral design challenge rather than the predictable result of concentrating hundreds of more cars into an already congested neighborhood: drivers stuck in traffic, drivers cutting through side streets, impatient drivers honking at each other, drivers circling neighborhood blocks looking for free parking, cars with impaired drivers.
No matter how you slice it, expanding that parking lot by 368 new spaces, multiplied by 81 home games, adds 29,808 additional cars, each and every summer, to the already-clogged streets. This doesn’t bode well for the levels and frequency of conflict (and just general frustration and misery).
This parking lot isn’t about Cubs fans in their 90s; it’s about the Cubs making more money. There’s no coming back from it should Ald. Bennett Lawson let them do it, and right now is the time to call him and tell him not to.
— Cyrus Dowlatshahi, Chicago
Prevent boating tragedies
With boaters returning to Lake Michigan and surrounding waterways as National Safe Boating Week, May 16 to 22, arrives, it is important to recognize that one of the biggest risks on the water is not bad weather. It is overconfidence.
Early in the season, cold water and changing conditions can create dangerous situations even on calm, sunny days. Yet many boating incidents begin long before a vessel leaves the dock, when boaters skip routine safety steps because they assume, “I know what I’m doing.”
Whether you boat, fish or sail, even experienced boaters can fall into habits of complacency. Life jackets stay unworn. Safety gear goes unchecked. Weather and conditions become an afterthought instead of a first step.
These are not reckless decisions. They are routine ones.
According to the latest Coast Guard statistics, there were 3,887 recreational boating incidents nationwide in 2024, resulting in 556 deaths and more than 2,100 injuries. Many involved inattention, inexperience or lack of preparation, issues that can be addressed before a boat ever leaves the dock.
This topic has received growing attention across the Great Lakes region as boating accidents and fatalities continue to make headlines. The Tribune has reported on several incidents involving recreational boaters on Lake Michigan and nearby waterways, underscoring the importance of preparedness and safety awareness.
At my foundation, we see the same pattern every year at the start of boating season. Batteries go untested. Safety gear is not checked. Small oversights made before leaving the dock are what most often lead to serious situations on the water.
Start with life jackets. Drowning is the cause of death in 76% of boating fatalities, and most of those victims were not wearing one. Wearing a life jacket before leaving the dock is one of the easiest ways to reduce risk on the water.
But safety is not one decision. It is a routine.
Before every trip, boaters should check navigation lights, communication devices and fire extinguishers. Boaters should also use engine cutoff switches, which can stop a runaway vessel if an operator is thrown overboard. Conditions deserve the same attention. Weather can change quickly, and Lake Michigan can become dangerous even when forecasts indicate calm.
Boaters should treat every trip like the first of the season. Experience does not excuse skipping the basics, especially when others are counting on you.
— Ted Sensenbrenner, director of boating safety, BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water
Idea for rural communities
We in rural areas beyond the far suburbs (50 miles and farther from downtown Chicago) are suffering from depopulation due to the transition to corn and bean crops from diversified farming. Rural villages have abandoned businesses and houses. Towns have abandoned main streets and empty lots. Schools are half-filled. Jobs are scarce.
The pandemic forced many to work remotely. Although such people live within commuting distance of Chicago and were encouraged to work remotely, some might relocate to less costly rural housing, easing housing shortages and lowering prices. In turn, some larger rural cities could enjoy a revival.
The state might offer homestead grants to enable families to move to rural housing instead of spending billions building affordable housing in urban areas, which creates school overcrowding, traffic and overcrowded neighborhoods.
Might Tribune editorials promote such diaspora?
— Alphonse I. Johnson, Lisbon, Illinois
Healing power of chaplains
In making my rounds recently in the nursing home where I am a volunteer visitor, I met Ava, a middle-aged lady recently discharged from the hospital. She had just endured an operation in which two toes were amputated. A very large bandage hid the wound on her foot, but not the wound in her heart.
She told me about her final days in the hospital, how doctors and nurses scurried in one after the other, examining the foot, showing medical students “how beautiful was the cut” and how skilled was the surgeon.
Only when a hospital chaplain visited did Ava get to talk about her “real pain,” the pain of losing part of her body, a part of herself. She told the chaplain about her feelings of loss, and he immediately understood. Any amputation is surely a great personal loss and isn’t just physical; it’s psychological and spiritual as well.
Chaplains aren’t in hospitals just to comfort the dying or offer prayers for patients and their loved ones. They are also marvelous listeners for anyone who just needs to vent, cry, curse or mourn. These magnificent men and women are a very important part of the healing process.
I salute them, as should we all.
— Kathleen Melia, Niles
What mothers really want
A big bravo and thanks for last Friday’s editorial (“Mother’s Day isn’t about brunch. It’s about being seen,” May 8). The Tribune Editorial Board put into words what most mothers want to let their families know.
— Dorothy Evenhouse, Waukegan
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
