My Archives...
Stories I wrote for the Chicago Tribune
Back when archives were free!
Below are links to some favorite stories from my freelance writing days. All of them appeared in various versions of the Chicago Tribune's zoned tempos sections. I am posting these stories here because the newspaper bought the rights to run them once, which they did. But now if I or anyone else wants to access them online, we have to pay a fee. And that bugs me a lot, especially since I, the actual writer and owner of the copyright of these stories, does not see a dime of that fee. So, if you would like to access some of these feature stories for free, by all means click the links below, and happy reading!
The Friendly Bats
The gentle bug eaters are great to have around and won't get in your hair
(click bats.htm)
They're not mean, diseased or evil, they're not blind, and they have absolutely no desire to get stuck in your hair. These are just a few of the facts Stacy Miller, site interpretive program coordinator at Lake County's Volo Bog State Natural Area, will stress to folks participating in her summer bat watches.
Sculpting Success
Suburban-based artist marches to his own beat
(click Burlini.htm)
Trying to package sculptor Joseph A. Burlini into a concise "here's what this story is all about" paragraph or two is like trying to neatly summarize the rules of cricket.
Business is Booming
There's loud applause for BagEnd, the BMW of speakers
(click bagend.htm)
When Jim Wischmeyer and Henry Heine first started building loudspeakers in a Palatine garage, they had one purpose in mind: to create a superior-sounding speaker for bands in which they performed. Today they�re still single-minded in their purpose. The only difference is their speakers and sound systems are in clubs, studios, theaters, churches and on sound stages coast to coast and in 16 foreign countries.
Unbridled Success
Marengo's Big Hat rodeo company keeps the Wild West spirit alive
(click bighat.htm)
These days, the western reaches of the Chicago area may offer a real estate gold mine and a new frontier for big business. But it has also become a cowboy destination for some of the wildest rodeo in the Midwest, thanks in large part to Rudy and Gene Calzavara of Marengo and their 20-year old family business, the Big Hat World Championship Rodeo Company.
Traveling The Trails
A biker's guide to the peaks and perks along the trails
(click biketrails.htm)
To help you decide which bikeways best fit your style, we've hit the trails and talked to veteran bikers and trail officials to compile a sort of Biker's Guide to the Bike Trails. We'll tell you such things as where the facilities are located, how safe the path is for family bike riding and some of the more interesting sites. Along the way, you'll also find some of our favorite sidetracks, from Kane County's only natural waterfall to some of the best places to stop for sustenance.
Small-Game Hunter
Biochemist's hobby may net secure future for butterflies
(click butterfly.htm)
Doug Taron is a mild-mannered biochemist Monday through Friday. Yet this 35-year-old Elgin resident has a reputation among his peers as an accomplished hunter in his off hours. Most sunny weekends during warm weather he dons his Cubs hat, smears on mosquito repellent and heads for his favorite haunt, Elgin's 90-acre Bluff Spring Fen. His weapons? A large butterfly net and a clipboard.
Note: These days, Taron is curator of biology at Chicago�s Peggy Notabaert Nature Museum!
Precious seconds
Couple sells fantasy frame by funny frame
(click cartoon.htm)
Time is money, particularly when you're selling it in one twenty-fourth-of-a-second increments. But Jim Lentz has built a successful business by doing just that.
Diving Into History
Blackhawk Divers Prove That One Man's Trash Truly Is Another Man's Treasure
(click divers.htm)
Known in SCUBA circles as blackwater divers, these persistent hobbyists get their fins wet three to four times a week, paddling through conditions that most of us would hesitate to dip a toe into. Most of their dives hover at a shallow six to eight feet, but unlike a typical 5- to 20-minute dive, they'll spend anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours underwater, stopping only to scoop mud out of their masks or shake the sludge from their mouthpieces.
Elgin's Attic
The Two-Headed Calf And Mummies Are Gone, But This Museum Still Holds Treasures In Its Back Rooms
(click elginmuseum.htm)
Baby pharaoh mummies, monkeys swinging from the rafters, a two-headed calf and a mysterious visit from convicted kidnapper-murderer Nathan F. Leopold Jr. Those are just a few of the legends floating around the 90-year-old Elgin Public Museum.
Note: This story is dedicated to the memory of Nancy Epping, who died too young May 31, 2003.
More summaries coming soon!
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