CHICAGO (AP) — Saku Maenalanen and Pierre-Luc Dubois each scored two goals and the Winnipeg Jets routed Chicago 7-2 on Sunday night, handing the Blackhawks their seventh straight loss.

Kyle Connor connected for the third straight game and had two assists, Mark Scheifele had his team-leading 11th goal, and Jansen Harkins also scored for the Jets. They have won two straight and three of four to improve to 13-6-1.

Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves and defenseman Josh Morrissey had three assists as Winnipeg dominated with a 44-shot attack.

Taylor Raddysh scored for the second straight game and Jujhar Khaira had a power-play goal for Chicago, 0-6-1 during its slide.

The Jets moved ahead of Colorado and into second place in the Central Division. With 27 points, Winnipeg is one behind first-place Dallas.

Maenalanen entered with just one goal and one assist in 19 games this season and five career goals in 53 games The 6-foot-4 Finn had his second two-goal game in the NHL; he had one in January 2019 with Carolina against the Rangers.

Petr Mrazek stopped 37 shots for Chicago.

NOTES: An apparent tip-in goal by Chicago’s Andreas Athanisiou 6:18 into the first was disallowed after a video review showed he was offside. … The Jets activated F Morgan Barron from injured reserve (upper-body) and assigned D Ville Heinola to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. … Winnipeg C David Gustafsson sat out with an undisclosed injury and veteran C Sam Gagner (only two assists in nine games) was a healthy scratch. … Blackhawks D Mark Tinordi sat out with an undisclosed “chronic issue.” D Filip Roos took his spot in the lineup.

UP NEXT

Jets: Host Colorado on Tuesday night.

Blackhawks: Host Edmonton on Wednesday night.

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CHICAGO (CBS) — In the midst of the busy online holiday shopping season, a strange discovery was made in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood Saturday afternoon. 

A neighbor called police after he heard strange noises, then spotted a UPS truck in the alley. 

Then he noticed dozens of boxes dumped over a fence into a park behind his house. 

Officers were able to recover the packages. 

“I come out and look at the fence, and I see boxes all over,” the man said. 

It’s unclear if the truck or the packages were stolen. Police are still investigating what happened. 

CBS 2 has also reached out to UPS but had no response Saturday evening. 

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, including five straight free throws in the final minute of overtime, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Chicago Bulls 123-119 on Friday night.

Josh Giddey had 10 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as Oklahoma City stopped a three-game slide. Aleksej Pokusevski scored 15 points.

The Thunder were down 119-118 when Gilgeous-Alexander was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on a 3-point attempt with 27.1 seconds remaining in OT. After an unsuccessful challenge by Bulls coach Billy Donovan, Gilgeous-Alexander hit all three free throws.

“When I saw the shot clock down low, I knew I was going to shoot a step-back 3,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I just tried to set him up. Felt like he was gonna jump and he fouled me.”

At the other end, DeRozan missed a jumper with five seconds left. The Thunder rebounded and Gilgeous-Alexander was fouled, hitting two more free throws.

DeRozan scored 30 points for Chicago, which was coming off encouraging victories over Boston and Milwaukee. Zach LaVine had 27 points, and Nikola Vucevic finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Oklahoma City led 87-80 after three quarters, but LaVine rallied Chicago with 12 points in the fourth.

DeRozan’s pullup jumper gave the Bulls a 108-104 lead with 2:33 remaining in regulation. But Gilgeous-Alexander made two foul shots and Kenrich Williams converted a tying layup with 1:38 left.

The Thunder got 48 bench points, and Gilgeous-Alexander said that is what it will take every night to turn close games into victories.

“We were good all across the board. Guys made plays on both ends of the floor,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Guys were aggressive and our confidence didn’t waver, based on our losing streak or whatever was going on in the game. We kept our head on straight and really had a next play mentality.”

Thunder coach Mark Daignault was impressed by his young team’s perseverance.

“These are veteran teams, these guys we’re playing against have been in these situations,” he said. “It’s a great experience for our guys.”

TIP-INS

Bulls: Alex Caruso had 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting. … The Bulls shot 43.6% (44 of 101) from the field.

Thunder: It was the second straight overtime game for OKC, which lost at home Wednesday night to Denver. … Led by Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder went 28 for 32 at the line.

NEXT

Bulls: Visit Jazz on Monday

Thunder: At Rockets on Saturday night.

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CHICAGO (CBS) — A Jefferson Park resident is taking his Christmas tree decorations to another level.

As CBS 2’s Marybel González reported Thursday night, a creation at the home of Daniel DePaepe is leaving people scratching their heads. The holiday cheer there is through the roof – in both the figurative and literal sense.

From outside, it appears DePaepe’s giant revolving Christmas tree is bursting right through the roof of his home.

Off camera, we did get a look inside to see how it works. But for now, DePaepe wants us to keep that a holiday secret.

“What this is, is the world’s first through-the-roof tree that also rotates,” DePaepe said.

Ever since DePaepe was 10 years old, he has been the one in charge of putting up the Christmas tree for his family – and he has only gotten more creative with time.

“There are trees that are through the roof that people have made, but I put a spin on mine,” DePaepe said.

He means that quite literally. The rotating Christmas tree at his home is 20 feet tall – and again, to the eye, it looks like it goes through the roof.

“I came up with the idea about four years ago,” DePaepe said. “It took me a couple years just thinking about it how I wanted to do it.”

Last year, DePaepe’s vision came to life. But it did come with some growing pains.

“On the portion of the tree that sticks out on the roof, you zip-tie your ornaments to all the branches,” DePaepe said. “Otherwise, when it gets up to 60 mile-an-hour gusts, some of them have a habit of leaving the tree.”

Putting the mammoth tree together took days on end. But DePaepe, again, is not ready to spill the beans on how the setup works.

“It is a Santa secret on how it’s done, but it can be done,” he said.

For DePaepe, it is about letting the imagination run wild.

“It’s just a lot of fun. It’s fun when you have big groups – especially with kids – because some kids can figure it out, other kids are just in amazement,” he said. “It’s just fun.”

This year, DePaepe put up his spinning invention a little early at the request of his neighbors. His hope is to spread some holiday cheer.

“Most people love it. it’s just a happy thing,” he said. “It’s not politics. It’s nothing else. It’s just Christmas spirit.”

You can come and try to decipher the mechanics of the tree yourself. It will be lit every day at Meade Avenue and Argyle Street from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and will be up through Christmas – and maybe longer, says DePaepe, depending on the weather.

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CHICAGO (CBS) — This Thanksgiving eve, the mother of a Northwest Indiana teenager says she is thankful that her son survived an accident that left him paralyzed just days before her turned 16.

As CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar reported Wednesday night, Jabari Griffin rang in his 16th birthday at the intensive care unit at the University of Chicago Medical Center – and he will also be there for Thanksgiving.

Along with physical injuries Jabari is facing, the accident has taken an incredible emotional toll on the entire family.  

“Who would ever think their child would be paralyzed?” said Griffin’s mother, Candice Anderson. “Who would ever think that that could happen when you send your child to school?”

A protective big brother; a talented artist who loves to swim, dance, and play sports – that’s how Anderson describes her son.

Family Photos

“Jabari is the life of the party,” she said.

But Griffin has been in a hospital bed at the University of Chicago Medical Center since Oct. 25.

He was hit by a car while crossing the street in front of Morton High School in Hammond, Indiana – just days before his 16th birthday 

“My son waking up on his 16th birthday paralyzed,” Anderson said. “He can’t move his fingers, his toes, his arms and legs. The only way he can communicate is blinking his eyes.”

Hammond police say Jabari was not in the crosswalk when he was struck, and the driver stayed on scene until officers arrived.

Despite his life-changing injuries, Hammond police sent Jabari a written warning for not obeying the traffic signal.  

“It added insult to injury that my son is fighting for his life,” Anderson said.

Through it all, the night before Thanksgiving, Jabari’s mom somehow has found the strength to be grateful.

“I’m thankful that my son is alive,” Anderson said. “My son’s life has a purpose. He’s still here, because the injuries that he sustained alone — it’s amazing that he’s still here.”

Doctors have not given Jabari’s family a timetable for when he might be released.  A GoFundMe has been set up to help with the mounting medical bills. You can find it here.

Charlie De Mar

Charlie De Mar is an Emmy Award-winning reporter for CBS2.

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If you use dry shampoo to keep your hair fresh between wash days, you may want to check the brand.

A number of dry shampoos have been voluntarily recalled over high levels of a cancer-causing chemical, benzene, which has been linked to leukemia and other blood disorders, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

But a class-action lawsuit says Unilever, the company that makes the products, knew about the chemical long before the recall. 

“It’s always been known that this is a dangerous drug,” said Dr. June McKoy, professor of medicine at Northwestern University School of Medicine. “I cannot believe that Unilever can say that they were not aware of it. They knew, or should have known, because the public knows benzine at this point is dangerous.”

Benzine is a popular chemical, McKoy said, found in gas, shampoos, pesticides and in the workplace. 

“We know that what benzene does, it can get into the bone marrow, the soft portion of the bones, where blood cells are made and they can actually change the genetic makeup of the bone marrow,” she said.

Changing the DNA makeup is what can lead to leukemia. 

The lawsuit claims that Unilever knew about the harms of benzene since November 2021, after an independent laboratory submitted a petition to the FDA. 

However, the company did not warn consumers or pull products out of sale until Oct. 18, 2022, when they released a statement issuing a voluntary recall, according to the lawsuit. 

“Failure to warn. Failure to actually pull the product from the market early enough exposed people who would normally not have been exposed from that period of time when they claimed that they were made aware of it, placed those people in harm,” McKoy said. 

McKoy suggests that individuals who used the recalled products should stop using them, and get tested to ensure proper red and white blood cell counts, as well as platelets. 

However, she recommends that individuals keep the products as proof. 

“I would actually pack those products and keep them because you might need take those as proof that you were using these particular products to an attorney who might be handling your case,” she said. 

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Many Taylor Swift fans looking to score tickets for her upcoming concert tour last week were left empty handed, leaving them frustrated at the company responsible for the ticket rollout.

Fans attempting to buy pre-sale tickets for her new tour on Ticketmaster were met with massive delays and error messages. The company later announced it would be canceling its sale to the general public. 

The ticketing giant apologized, citing technical issues and not enough tickets to meet demand. The company states that based on the volume of traffic to its site, Swift would need to perform over 900 stadium shows to meet demand, which is nearly 20 times the number of shows she is doing for her upcoming tour.

“While it’s impossible for everyone to get tickets to these shows, we know we can do more to improve the experience and that’s what we’re focused on,” according to a Ticketmaster statement.

Ticketmaster is a dominant force in the ticketing business, merging with Live Nation back in 2010 to create Live Nation Entertainment. Antitrust concerns and calls for the company to break up have resurfaced in light of increased attention in the past week.

The New York Times reports that the U.S. Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into Live Nation Entertainment, even prior to the recent concert ticket rollout fiasco.

Selena Fragassi, music writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, said the city’s music scene is in a unique position because there are many independent venues that use alternative websites to Ticketmaster to sell tickets for their shows.

“You have a model here that really could be for the rest of the country to follow by promoting independent venues,” Fragassi said. “Chicago’s local music scene is thriving, so if anything, maybe this will put more focus on more underdog musicians that people maybe didn’t think of but now will because tickets are being overpriced for these other artists.”

Britt Julious, music critic for the Chicago Tribune, said there is huge competition among artists to play shows even at local venues, especially in light of the pandemic.

“The delay in shows and delays of venues being closed for so long has made it really difficult for a lot of local artists to be able to get some of those opening slots,” Julious said. “You have so many more artists who are national or international who are trying to do tours as well, so there’s a much larger competition to get in those venues.”

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CHICAGO (CBS) — People gathered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood for a vigil for victims of the shooting at an LGBTQ night club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Saturday night. Five people died in that shooting and more than two dozen were wounded. 

Chicago’s vigil took place outside an LGBTQ friendly bar called Nobody’s Darling on Balmoral, where the pain of what happened feels close to home. 

The vigil was planned in less than 24 hours after police say a 22-year-old gunman opened fire in Club Q. Police say the gunman was taken into custody after two patrons at the bar subdued him before police arrived. 

Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez described Club Q as a “safe haven” for members of the LGBTQ community, just like Nobody’s Darling in Chicago. 

In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot condemned the attack, taking note that Club Q is supposed to be a space where the patrons “should have felt safe.” 

“That’s what I fear the most is being who I am to get me killed,” Said 14-year-old Noam, who asked not to share his last name. “Because every time I tell someone I’m gay or trans I have to way the risks. Is it safe?” 

“The reason we’re here too is to make sure that we know that our family in Colorado Springs know that we stand with them,” said organizer Dawn Valenti. 

The FBI and local police are working to confirm a motive and see if the shooting should be prosecuted as a hate crime. But for the crowd in Chicago there is no question. 

“When you do all these things and in a country that is suffering from a pandemic of gun violence, this is a predictable outcome,” said Brian C. Johnson CEO of Equality Illinois. “So we all adn all public leaders need to start standup up for LGBTQ+ people nad our community and our rights to be safe and equally affirmed.” 

In Chicago, Chicago Police Department data considers hate crimes as those motivated by gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. That data shows 2022 with the highest hate crime total in the past 10 years — at 130 so far this year. 

Last year they counted 48 crimes of hate related to sexual orientation or gender identity. That number stands at 33 so far this year. 

“A bullet doesn’t have a name, a gender, a color. A bullet kills,” said Millie Burgos. 

She came out in support of the families that lost a loved one. Her daughter was killed in a random act of violence. She was struck by a stray bullet in 2014. 

“When my daughter was a child going to the Pride Parade to teach her that we love all,” she said. 

Sunday also happens to be Transgender Day of Rememberance, a day meant to honor trans lives lost in anti transgender violence. 

“The fact that this shooting happened at a space where our community tries to keep safe, our bars, it just reeks of a highly targeted attack against queer people for the most nefarious reasons,” said Johnson. 

The Chicago Police Department was also out in force as the vigil went on Sunday evening. 

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CHICAGO (CBS) — The cold weather is not keeping the crowds away from the Christkindlmarket in Chicago or the ice rink in Millennium Park as people get into the holiday spirit. 

It is the first weekend the entire downtown is ready to celebrate the holidays. There are holiday markets, ice skating, and of course, the tree. 

For some the goal is to get a photo with that tree. 

“We’ve been doing it with the kids since they were little, so it’s an every year tradition for us,” said Tim Pattock, visiting from Wisconsin. 

“It was fun being in the Christmas Market,” said Izzy May, a student at Northwestern University. “It was cute. Also, it’s so cool, so definitely in the holiday spirit. Feels like Christmas.” 

CBS 2’s Sabrina Franza even witnessed a proposal at the tree Saturday. 

A few blocks away, snow came down on the Christkindlmarket for opening weekend. 

Inside Millennium Park the shopping didn’t stop. An indoor pop up market with live music and local vendors gives just enough time to find the perfect gifts for those starting their shopping early. 

It is also a great opportunity for local artists, like Damon Lamar Reed, to show their crafts. 

“It was 70 the other day, wasn’t even thinking about the holidays,” he said. “Now we’re in it. Lots of people walking around, a lot of people coming over here to my table. Yeah, were in the holiday spirit!”

Everyone asked was too festive to be cold and said the flurries are a welcome Christmas surprise. But there is still Thanksgiving to get through! 

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CHICAGO (CBS) — Christmas is still more than a month away, but nothing sets the festive tone quite like the sights in in Millennium Park Friday night.

The glow of 60,000 lights illuminated the park after the city flipped the switch on the crown jewel of Christmas decorations – at Chicago’s 109th annual tree lighting ceremony.

But as CBS 2’s Jermont Terry reported, that is just the beginning of the holiday activities this weekend.

The frigid temperatures did not keep thousands from venturing downtown Friday night. For some, a cold stein of beer went perfectly with the chilly air at the 26th annual Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza.

We spotted plenty of smiles, snacks, and trinkets to go around.

Rose Taylor, 4, was hanging out with her mom and grandma Christkindlmarket. She was all bundled up, but she was having the best time.

What were Rose and her family up to? “Shopping,” she replied.

Three generations enjoyed that shopping to kick off the holiday season – and where better to do it but Chicago?

“I’ve got my city that’s in great shape,” said Noreen Ryan. “It’s just fun to see people out and about. We went in and out of all the stores, and it’s just a good feeling to see human beings enjoying themselves.

And there’s plenty to enjoy with all the sights and lights. Michelle Kelley and her family are spending the whole weekend downtown.

“We’re here to kick it off for the holidays. We’re here for the lighting festival and the parade – and we’re going to catch a show at the Lookingglass Theater,” Kelley said.

The Kelleys are from west suburban Downers Grove. They have a jam-packed weekend planned.

A stop at Millennium Park to check out this year’s Christmas tree is definitely on the to-do list – and the Kelleys will be far from alone in making a point of going to see it.

“It’s starting to feel like normal – whatever normal is now, we’re getting into,” Kelley said, “and I’m okay with that.”

And while winter and the holiday season go hand-in-hand, it’s actually not even winter right now. Yet Yvonne Ilozuluike from Nigeria wasn’t surprised by the chill.

“Honestly, I thought there would be less people on the street because it’s getting cold, because I live right around here, so there’s always people – but there’s always people,” Ilozuluike said. “I low-key want it to start snowing so it’s less people.”

But of course, the opposite is going to happen in Chicago.

“It’s nice, Ilozuluike asid. “It’s so much to do.” 

The City of Aurora also lit up its Christmas tree on Friday with fireworks popping in the background. Earlier Friday, Christkindlmarket also opened its first and only suburban location in Aurora.

Christkindlmarket also has a location now open outside Wrigley Field – with a carousel in the center of the action. Opening alongside it was Winterland at Gallagher Way – which also features an ice rink and winter carnival inside the ballpark.

And coming Saturday is the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival on North Michigan Avenue.

Jermont Terry

Jermont Terry joined the CBS 2 team in October 2019. He’s born and raised on Chicago’s South Side. He’s happy to return home to report on his community after 18 years of uncovering stories across the country.

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