8 Chicago Tribune | Section 1 | Tuesday, May 2, 2017 D
Topolobampo gets
Beard Awards top
restaurant honor
By Joseph Hernandez
Chicago Tribune
For the second year in a
row, a Chicago restaurant
took home top honors at the
James Beard Foundation
Awards as Topolobampo
was named outstanding res-
taurant during the annual
black-tie gala at the Civic
Opera House on Monday
night.
The award has a special
symmetry, as Topolobampo
owners Rick and Deann
Bayless celebrated the 30-
year anniversary of their
next-door restaurant Fron-
tera Grill on Sunday night
with a big bash at the Art
Institute of Chicago. In
2016, Alinea won top hon-
ors as outstanding restau-
rant.
Theres the experience
of learning so much and
bringing back to this coun-
try, said Rick Bayless.
Theres a spirit of the
immigrant in all of us that
An SUV slowly drives through standing water on Rolling Lane in Arlington Heights on Monday.
Despite days of rain, suburbs
report no serious flood issues
Elk Grove Village
got the most rain,
with 5.2 inches
By Erin Gallagher
Chicago Tribune
Rain hit the Chicago area
for the fourth consecutive
day, causing rising river
waters and some road clos-
ings but no serious prob-
lems, suburban officials said
Monday.
The heaviest rain was in
the southwest suburbs,
with 2 to 5 inches from
Friday into Monday, said
meteorologist Ben Deubel-
beiss of the National
Weather Service. But Elk
Grove Village in the north-
Some say fidget devices annoy more than aid
Fidget, from Page 1
suddenly ubiquitous, sold at
places like convenient
stores, is a small, three-
pronged metal and plastic
device that spins on a center
ball bearing. Another popu-
lar fidget is a tiny cube with
buttons and levers.
Advocates say fidget
therapy has been particu-
larly useful for children on
the autism spectrum and
those who have attention
deficit hyperactivity disor-
der, known as ADHD, or
otherwise have a harder
time paying attention or
sitting still.
Yet some school adminis-
trators have already soured
on the trend.
Frankly, weve found the
fidgets were having the op-
posite effect of what they
advertise, said Kate Elli-
son, principal of Washing-
ton Elementary School in
Evanston. Kids are trading
them or spinning them in-
stead of writing.
It took only a few days
after teachers started notic-
ing the toys before almost
all of the older students had
weve brought back with
our work.
The flavors that carry
best on the plate are the
very best we create when
were living our own truth,
said the teary-eyed chef.
[Our team] cares for the
people that work with us,
they care about creating an
unforgettable experience
for everyone that comes
into our restaurant whether
they come through the front
door or the back. Deann has
been the true heart of our
restaurant since we opened
our doors 30 years ago.
Among other categories,
Chicago was largely shut
out Monday as only one
other nominee among the
nine restaurants and one
restaurant group nomi-
nated ended the night with
a medal. In the best chef:
Great Lakes category,
which was stacked with
Chicago talent, Sarah Grue-
neberg of Monteverde Pas-
tificio won. In the press
west suburbs had the high-
est rainfall at 5.2 inches,
likely due to an isolated,
heavier storm, he said.
In Lake County, the Fox
and Des Plaines rivers are
expected to reach minor
flood stage, but probably
we wont see any problems
associated with that level of
flooding, said Bob Gardi-
ner, a rainfall analyst at the
Lake County Stormwater
Management Commission.
The most damage, Gardi-
ner said, would be flooded
yards and possibly base-
ments. The average rainfall
in Lake County since Sat-
urday was 2.4 inches, he
said.
DuPage Countys five
larger flood-control facili-
multiple devices, she said.
All of the sudden,
theyre everywhere, she
said. It happened over-
night.
While some cost upward
of $20, cheaper versions can
be had for just a few bucks.
The staff recently made
the decision to ban fidgets,
and Ellison sent out a letter
to parents, explaining the
tools are a distraction or
worse, because theyve
caused conflict among stu-
dents.
Theyre treating them
like they would treat a toy,
she said. So we cant have
them in class or at recess.
While Ellison acknowl-
edged the benefits of fidgets
and the philosophy behind
them, she said the school
has other tools for students
who need so-called ma-
nipulators, like a squeeze
ball, piece of Velcro or
rubber band underneath
their desk.
This particular kind of
toy has not been part of our
repertoire of sensory tools,
she said.
Washington Elementary
isnt alone in its thinking.
BRIAN CASSELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE PHOTOS
Topolobampo co-owner Rick Bayless arrives Monday night
for the James Beard Awards at the Civic Opera House.
Monteverdes Sarah Grue-
neberg won in the category
of best chef: Great Lakes.
room, Grueneberg could be
seen enthusiastically hug-
ging her fellow winners and
friends. Lets make this
count, guys! said the exu-
berant chef.
Topolobampo, which
was nominated for the first
STACEY WESCOTT/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
ties as well as 11 smaller
facilities were in operation
Monday after the county
got 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain
from Saturday afternoon
through Monday morning.
In Will County, rain was
not as heavy as what had
been forecast, said Will
County Emergency Man-
agement Agency Director
Harold Damron. There
were isolated instances of
downed trees Saturday
night due to winds, such as
in Manhattan and Homer
Township, he said.
The area of most concern
is Shorewood and west Joli-
et surrounding the DuPage
River, Damron said. Shore-
wood reported closed roads
with standing water and a
On social media and in
published reports, word has
spread of fidgets being
banned in classrooms or
entire schools, usually with
exceptions made for chil-
dren with special needs.
Janelle Feylo, of Downers
Grove, was pleased to see a
letter from her principal at
Prairieview School an-
nouncing such a ban. Fey-
los fourth-grade son had
recently started asking for a
fidget toy and brought
home a homemade device
given to him by a friend.
That one was promptly lost
in the laundry.
Eventually, the fidget was
located, but Feylo confis-
cated it.
I dont think he needs
it, she said. I dont want have long included tools to
him to get in trouble.
Occupational therapists
say fidgets do work if used
correctly and not just as a
toy.
Its this idea that ... if
(students are) inattentive,
they could be disruptive or
not learning, said Sandra
Schefkind, pediatric pro-
gram manager at the Ameri-
can Occupational Therapy
time in the outstanding res-
taurant category, is the sec-
ond restaurant from the
Baylesses to win in that
category. Frontera Grill
won in 2007.
Hosted by television ac-
tor and food blogger Jesse
Tyler Ferguson, the Oscars
of the food world, as the
James Beard gala is often
known, was convivial and
buzzy, with both winners
and nominees toasting to
each others achievements.
This was the third year the
awards have been held in
Chicago, after the city won
them away from New York.
The awards will continue to
be hosted here until 2021.
few homes being threat-
ened by rising water, he
said, calling them isolated
issues.
The Kankakee River in
Wilmington commonly
floods, but typically during
winter months when snow
and ice melt.
I dont see the Kankakee
getting to a level of real
concern, Damron said.
The weather service
forecast showers overnight
Monday with winds up to
35 mph Tuesday, Deubel-
beiss said. The airport in
Gary recorded the strongest
wind through Monday
afternoon at 40 mph, he
said.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter.
Association.
Those who tend to fidget,
the theory goes, can chan-
nel the urge into the mind-
less manipulation of the
device, thus freeing them to
focus on the task at hand.
Its the reason why peo-
ple doodle during a class or
a meeting, and why people
need breaks to move around
when sitting still for long
periods, she said.
Our brains cant just
focus on auditory and visual
challenges, said Kristie
Koenig, an associate profes-
sor and chair of the depart-
ment of occupational thera-
py at New York University.
Its the same reason why
recess helps.
Koenig said educators
dents with special needs as
enhance learning in class-
rooms, from stretching and
water breaks to gum chew-
ing during tests.
You only have so much
time to (spend sitting and
listening or reading), then
you get up to sharpen your
pencil, she said. And peo-
ple naturally fidget by twirl-
ing hair or tapping a foot.
Fidget devices are an exten-
NU journalism
school drops
accreditation
Dean says agency
review process
sets a low bar They effectively are no
By Dawn Rhodes
Chicago Tribune
In a nontraditional
move, officials at North-
western Universitys pres-
tigious journalism and
communications school
have decided not to renew
the programs accredita-
tion, letting the designa-
tion lapse.
The dean of the Medill
School of Journalism, Me-
dia, Integrated Marketing
Communications said
Monday that school offi-
cials chose not to pursue
renewed accreditation,
which provides outside
approval of academic pro-
grams, because the proc-
ess is flawed and not cific agency will have no
useful.
Medill Dean Bradley
Hamms strong rebuke is
in contrast to what tradi-
tionally is viewed as a
necessary process that
gives students assurance
that they will be attending
quality programs that
have undergone review.
After Tribune inquiries,
Northwestern officials
confirmed the decision
not to renew the accredi-
tation beyond this school
year.
Our goal is always to be
the best in the world, and
this process doesnt get us
there, Hamm said in an
interview Monday after-
noon. We just dont find
that the review provides
us with anything beyond
what we already know
today. Its relatively su-
perficial, extremely time-
consuming and doesnt
lead us to a goal of signifi-
cant improvement. Its
sort of a low bar.
The accrediting agency
defended the review proc-
ess, saying it serves as a
stamp of approval for par-
ents, students and pro-
spective employers. It also
can help the public vet the
qualifications of journal-
ists.
To a public concerned
about the performance of
the media, accreditation
offers an assurance that
those entering journalism
and mass communica-
tions are appropriately ed-
ucated, according to the
website of the Accrediting
Council on Education in
Journalism and Mass
Communications, which
accredits about one-fifth
of all U.S. journalism pro-
grams.
Obtaining accreditation
is a voluntary process.
Medill had been accred-
ited off and on since 1948,
Hamm said, and continu-
ously since 1987.
Susanne Shaw, execu-
tive director of the com-
munications accreditation
group, said Medill did not
participate in the process
to renew its accreditation
and she has not been
contacted by anyone at the
Medill program since the
Fidget toys at the Clarendon Hills store of Learning Ex-
press, which also has stores in Countryside and Glenview.
sion of that, Koenig said.
While the concept isnt
new, Koenig said the bump
in popularity could relate to
greater inclusion of stu-
distract.
well as, like most contem-
porary trends, social media.
But theyre not just for trend is far from played out,
students with disabilities or
learning difficulties, she
said. stores in Clarendon Hills,
They could help any-
one, she said. An outright
ban could be counterpro- quicker than were getting
ductive to kids who need
them.
Still, Koenig acknowl-
previous dean, John La-
vine, left the post in 2012.
They have withdrawn.
longer accredited. I am
absolutely clueless as to
why, Shaw said. She de-
clined to comment on
Hamms criticisms of the
process.
Agency officials met
Friday to issue final ac-
creditation decisions for
24 schools. The Medill
school was scheduled for a
review this year, but since
it had not participated in
the process, its accredita-
tion lapsed, Shaw said.
Northwestern Univer-
sity as a whole is still
accredited by the Higher
Learning Commission.
Hamm contended that
Medill not being addition-
ally accredited through
the communications-spe-
adverse effect on academ-
ic credits or the curricu-
lum.
But as long as Medill is
not accredited, its stu-
dents no longer will be
able to participate in the
prestigious Hearst Jour-
nalism Awards Program,
dubbed the Pulitzer
Prize of College Journal-
ism. Medill students have
placed first in the writing
contest 12 times and have
won about $600,000 in
scholarship and grant
money through the con-
test since 1989, according
to Medills website.
Hamm said Medill is
creating its own review
process that will start this
summer and bring in out-
side journalism experts.
Im not saying we dont
want program review or
accreditation. Im saying
we want a far better one,
Hamm said. The stu-
dents will be involved.
Over the past year or two,
Ive talked to a number of
groups about how we
want better ways to man-
age ourselves.
The accreditation agen-
cy certifies more than 100
journalism, media and
communications pro-
grams throughout the
country. Eastern Illinois
University, the University
of Illinois and Southern
Illinois University are ac-
credited through the
group, according to its
website. Renowned pro-
grams at Columbia Uni-
versity in New York and
the University of Missouri
are also accredited.
Schools must initiate
the accreditation process
by reaching out to agency
leaders and inviting them
to do a review. Reviews
usually are conducted ev-
ery six years, according to
the agency website.
The agencys council,
comprised of journalism
professors, deans and pro-
fessionals across the coun-
try, ultimately issues final
decisions on whether to
approve accreditation
around May every year.
drhodes@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rhodes_dawn
CHRIS SWEDA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
edges that when students
use fidgets as toys or collect-
ibles, their benefits may
diminish. We dont want
kids to use them as toys to
And even if some schools
are banning them, the fidget
said Laurie Kherani, owner
of Learning Express Toys
Countryside and Glenview.
We sell through them
them in, she said.
kthayer@chicagotribune.com