ChicagoLIVE - Saturday, May. 23, 2026

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]in my mind before we've even >> wow started talking.

[00:00:02]>> You've come pre- yielded.

[00:00:04]>> Pre- yielded. All right. Uh here's the deal. An Illinois village with about 43,000 residents is we're hearing one of the top 15 places to live in the nation.

[00:00:14]>> So, how many uh residents does it have?

[00:00:16]>> 43,000.

[00:00:17]>> So, at 43,000, wouldn't one think that you surpass the village moniker and become a city or a town?

[00:00:25]>> Well, we're about to find out.

[00:00:26]>> Can we step up their game and and turn them from a village to a town? We're about to find out. We're gonna talk with Eric Smith, village president, Buffalo Grove, named best city in Illinois.

[00:00:35]Eric, are you with us?

[00:00:36]>> Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you so much.

[00:00:38]>> Good morning. All right, you you heard Mark's question. At what point do you do you graduate past the the village moniker?

[00:00:46]>> No, we're we're a village. We're staying a village. But I want to go back I want to go back to your banter about clothes because I appreciate it. How do you like my uh >> Look at that.

[00:00:55]>> My shirt.

[00:00:56]>> That's spectacular.

[00:00:57]>> Look at that. We love We love a branded guest, Eric Smith.

[00:01:02]>> Thank you.

[00:01:02]>> Well done. Well, first of all, congratulations. This is huge. Uh take me to the moment when you uh when you got the news.

[00:01:09]>> Thank you so much. Uh the other morning, I woke up to a a text from our communications person who said, "We got number one in the US News and World Report, uh best places to live in Illinois and number 15 in the country."

[00:01:25]Very exciting. Very exciting. in the country. That's huge. What is it about Buffalo Grove that puts you tops in the state and tops in the United States?

[00:01:36]>> Well, it starts our foundation has always been we've got great schools number one. Our safety is number two.

[00:01:44]We've got great police and fire and a public works and a lot of people cite our parks as well and our open space, our green space. So, it starts with that. And then uh over the last year or two, we've had major infrastructure upgrades, uh new building facilities uh that we're putting a lot of money into.

[00:02:04]We've got 500 new housing units in the pipeline. Uh bunch of underperforming uh strip centers that are being redeveloped right now, new businesses.

[00:02:14]So our industrial base is great here and we're uh we're firing on all cylinders and we're moving Buffalo Grow forward.

[00:02:22]You know, anytime we talk with people, uh, whenever a town or a city or a village is named, you know, best in Illinois or best in the country, uh, it always surprises me whenever someone says like, "Oh, yeah, I was really, man, I I was shocked when we were named this." And there's a part of me that goes, "Well, you shouldn't be if you're if you're the if you're there, like, you know, if you're if you're leading this this community, you shouldn't be shocked." So, Eric, is it safe to say that you were not surprised whenever you guys were named best city in Illinois? I was not surprised. I know that this is the best village. Uh now everybody else knows about it, but uh last year I believe we were like I want to say we were in the top five in Illinois. And it was uh it was my goal three years ago when I when I uh first won election. A reporter called me that day and said, you know, what's your goal for the next few years? I said, "Honestly, the number one thing is when people think of Buffalo Grove, I want them to want to say, I want to move there. I love Buffalo Grove and think positively about it." And now we are.

[00:03:28]>> You know, you were talking about uh the ample green spaces. Um, you know, that seems to me that that goes back probably years ago where somebody in city government or city planning said, "Hey, this place is going to grow, but we're still going to want to maintain that green space." And to me, I I always wonder why every city doesn't do that.

[00:03:49]So, I know there's got to be this this kind of balance between green space and, you know, just letting the developers run a muck. How have you guys found that balance here in town?

[00:03:59]>> That's a great point. It's very difficult. It's a it is a a balance.

[00:04:04]We've got a great park district here which is a separate entity from us. Uh but we work closely together. Um and it is it is a balance. Like I said, we have this we're in high demand right now.

[00:04:17]We've got over 500 housing units, like I said, in the pipeline. So, we've got to balance that uh with the school districts that we don't overburden them and with the infrastructure that we have and with the park district. We have to make sure that we that we grow uh in a in a smart manner. So, that get gets back to our new branding as well, smart with heart. We're we we go thing we go at things very smart, but we also do it uh with heart. Well, I've got to imagine uh a place like Buffalo Grove, I mean, you've probably been fairly well built out over the last many years. Where do you find the space to build 500 new houses? Are there 500 empty lots there?

[00:05:01]>> Well, there's 500 housing units. So, some of those will be high-rise apartments. Uh and then there are two two about three uh housing developments being proposed right now. So, uh, many of many of the, uh, units are are apartments, high-rise apartments as well.

[00:05:22]>> Well, you know, to that point, one of the the reasons you guys received the high score that you did, uh, is for, uh, housing affordability and cost of living. And these days, that's such a big X factor when people are considering where to move their families to. And you know, if if I'm looking to, you know, figure out where where I'm going to maybe buy my first home, and then I see you guys are named best city in Illinois, my first thought is, well, cool. Now, now I can't afford to go there because now everyone's going to go now. Everyone's going to go and the prices are going to go up. So, is this title, this new honor going to affect whether or not new families can can afford to come into Buffalo Grove? I don't think it'll affect the affordability, but I'm hoping that it will affect the the fact that people do want to come here. The nice thing about what we have going on right now, there's a very diverse stock of housing. If you want to just rent, there's plenty of choices for that. You want to buy a condo or townhouse, there's many choices for that. You want to buy a a single family home, you can do that as well.

[00:06:27]So, our diversity uh not only of cultures here at Buffalo Grove, but in housing stock is is what makes us very special.

[00:06:36]>> Okay. As mayor, you probably asked all kinds of questions. You you've got to know everything about the city from A to Z. I'm always amazed by the names of towns. Going back in history, did you guys have some buffalo hanging out there, you know, 150 years ago?

[00:06:51]>> I think so. We're, you know, we're very uh agricultural area farming. Uh we had a lot of chicken farms and uh I I assume there were buffalo running around at some point.

[00:07:04]>> You know, I think a lot of people maybe uh who who work downtown or work somewhere in the city. You know, a big factor of where they're going to live if it's not going to be in the city of Chicago is, okay, well, what's the commute like? What's it going to be like for me to get in and out of the city every day? Am I going to spend a huge chunk of my day sitting in my car staring at the bumper in front of me? uh about what what's the commute like if you're if you're working downtown driving in and out from Buffalo Grove, what are we looking at?

[00:07:31]>> I mean, it's we're about 30 30 miles or so. So, you're you know, rush hour could take 45 minutes to an hour, hour 10. Uh but off times I can get into the city in a half an hour.

[00:07:47]>> I don't mind that. Yeah, me too. I can do that. I can do that. I It's funny. I I hear 30 miles in in Chicago traffic.

[00:07:52]I'm like, "Oh, so about six years."

[00:07:53]Yeah, right. That's and those are that could be true.

[00:07:57]>> Yeah. Exactly right. Exactly right. If if there are other uh you know towns and villages in the area who are looking at this list and going what do we got to do? What do we got to do to get ourselves on a list like this? Not that you want to give away trade secrets, but you know, I'm a a big believer of rising tides lift all ships. It'd be great if every, you know, if every city around here ended up on the list. What advice would you give uh some of your surrounding neighbors? I mean, we're as far as what we're doing, we're very aggressive. We've got a great staff, entrepreneurial, young, aggressive staff. Uh our our uh board of trustees are very businessfriendly, and we're moving forward. Uh we're we're getting things done with with businesses. They they like to come here. Developers have heard about us. They like to work with us. So, those are some key key factors.

[00:08:47]You know, be be positive and get out there. be aggressive and uh court court these businesses, developers.

[00:08:56]>> When you go off into the uh the setting sun at the twilight of your career, what do you want to be known for in your city? What what do you want your epitth to be in uh for the city?

[00:09:10]>> Well, I've been I've been volunteering for the building. I moved here in 1988.

[00:09:14]I've been volunteering ever since I moved in, the first day I moved in. And uh everything I've done is is basically to volunteer to make this town a better place. And that's that's all I want. I wanted to make this the best place to live and to raise a family and to work.

[00:09:33]And that's that's, you know, where we're at right now. I want to keep it there.

[00:09:38]>> Eric, you said you've been there since 88 or 98?

[00:09:40]>> 88.

[00:09:41]>> 88.

[00:09:41]>> 1988.

[00:09:42]>> All right. So So coming up on on 40 years, what what brought you there uh in back in 88? Back in 88, I graduated my, you know, my real job is I'm a chiropractor and I went to chiropractic school in Lombard. And when I graduated, I was looking for a young growing community to move into. And I looked all around the the northwest suburbs and found Buffalo Grove. who was a town of maybe uh 15 to 18,000 at the time, but had great uh writeups as far as the future and growth. So, that's that's what brought me here. Raised three families here in our great schools. Um and uh it's been it's been a real pleasure.

[00:10:27]>> One one last question. I've got a little a little tug right here in the shoulder.

[00:10:32]What do you what do you recommend for that? I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. But it's great to have a mayor that's got uh a plethora of skills.

[00:10:40]>> Exly. Exactly right. Maybe that's why everybody's so happy in Buffalo Grove.

[00:10:44]Listen, uh Eric Smith, Village President, congratulations to you. Well done. And we'll have to come out there and uh and see you guys in person soon.

[00:10:52]>> Any anytime. Thank you for the coverage.

[00:10:54]We appreciate it. Good to see you.

[00:10:55]>> Take care.

[00:10:56]>> Yeah, >> that's I got to get I got to get back out there.

[00:10:58]>> You know what? That's what I like in a politician. Somebody who says, you know, I didn't just get into it for the politics or the popularity. Day one I started volunteering.

[00:11:08]>> See, there you go.

[00:11:08]>> And that tells you a lot about the person where their heart is, where their mind is, uh where their, you know, what their goals are.

[00:11:16]>> Yeah. The the the the order was in the right it was in the right order. You know, it should it should be, hey, I fell in love with this area and I want to do my best and and whether it's, you know, like you said, volunteering, you know, but it should start there.

[00:11:27]>> It's like a commander that leads from the front.

[00:11:29]>> Exactly right. Yeah.

[00:11:30]>> Exactly right.

[00:11:32]>> All right. So, we're going to move on.

[00:11:33]Uh this is a topic that I feel like we've been hearing more and more and more about uh over the past few years honestly which is microlastics in water. Uh which is something that you know I remember growing up I don't ever really heard about it and then you know it's one of those things that is just like >> really like now now we have this now we have this to worry about. Well we're going to talk with the associate director with uh environment Illinois research and education center Emily Kowalsski. Emily, are you with us?

[00:12:04]>> Yeah, I'm here.

[00:12:05]>> Okay.

[00:12:05]>> Thank you so much for having me.

[00:12:06]>> Thank you for joining us. For for someone who maybe this is their first time hearing about the concept of microlastics in water, can you sort of give us the kind of the cliffnotes version of of of what it is that they need to be concerned about?

[00:12:19]>> Yeah. So, microlastics are tiny bits of plastic. Um, and these plastics are being found increasingly all across the world.

[00:12:32]um from the highest mountain tops to the deepest trenches of our ocean. And our new report, Microlastic in Illinois, looked at waterways right here in Illinois in our backyard, um checking for different types of microplastics.

[00:12:47]These plastics can be harmful to wildlife. They're polluting our water and microplastic are increasingly be being found inside our bodies. Um, while we don't know the full extent to the impact that microplastics might have, what we do know is concerning. Wildlife can suffocate or even die. And studies have found that fish ingesting small amounts of plastic um see changes in their metabolic and um behavior. Uh and so we don't want to have microlastics contaminating our waterways. And it seems like there's two avenues to get microlastics, at least that I've heard of. So tell me if there's more. It seems like we have plastic that just degrades and breaks down in the environment. But it seems like there's also microlastics which are infused as part of a lot of consumer uh products uh like skin, you know, products and maybe even uh uh maybe even uh uh you know, like toothpaste. Um what's that stuff doing in there to begin with? And can't we just get that out?

[00:13:58]>> Yeah. So, we actually um no longer have what are called micro beads. Um so, those tiny little bits of plastic that might have been used as an exfoliant.

[00:14:09]You actually can't uh can no longer sell um personal care products that include these um these plastics. Um but there are microplastics coming from lots of other plastic sources. There is a ton of plastic in our lives from single-use plastic packaging that breaks down into microfilms depending on whether it's a hard piece of plastic or a more flexible piece of plastic like a plastic bag. Um there are also plastic there's also plastic pollution that's coming through the plastic manufacturer process. plastic pellets that are used to then create the plastic bags or plastic packaging are being lost, dumped or spilled in our environment um at unfortunate rates. The other uh source of plastic that you might not think about is the textiles in our clothing. Um there are microfibers um that are being shed from lots of the synthetic clothing that you and I um you know I'm certainly wearing right now. Um and that is another source of microplastics in our environment. You know, swinging back to to the report that you were telling us about, you guys surveyed 30 sites along rivers, lakes, and streams in Illinois, and you found at least one type of microplastic in 100% of the waterways that were tested.

[00:15:42]Someone might hear that and go, "Okay, well then, you know, we're we're screwed." Like like we lost. It's 100% like what are you going to do?

[00:15:49]>> Is there a way to bring that number down?

[00:15:53]Well, the first thing that we have to do is we have to rethink our relationship with plastic. We've got to stop the plastic pollution from the source. We um in our report, Microplastic in Illinois, we actually lay out a number of different recommendations for limiting um the sources of plastic pollution.

[00:16:16]things like fighting fast fashion but also eliminating unnecessary singleuse plastic packaging. Things that um will just reduce the amount of plastic that we are creating and using um will help to reduce our plastic pollution. But you're right that we did find PLA microplastic in 100% of the waterways that we tested and it's going to take efforts on all levels from both individuals from governments from corporations and uh it's going to take solutions um partnering with everyone um across society to figure out how we can solve this problem at all levels.

[00:17:03]I have seen other people uh experiment with using different um ingredients in plastics. Uh at one point I came across a manufacturer that was making plastic bags out of corn starch. Um what about doing things like that? Are there other other items that we can make other products that we can make that aren't made of plastic per se? And and can we pursue those? And what are some of those items?

[00:17:32]Yeah, it's definitely going to take innovation um to figure out how we get away from the harmful plastic products in our lives. Um and there are lots of innovators who are um testing out different um types of materials um that we can replace many of the convenient single-use items that we currently use.

[00:17:58]Um I uh as someone who's not uh in that field doing that research myself, um I don't know that I can speak to any particular material, but I know I've heard of folks experimenting with um you know, lots of different natural materials. Of course, we need to um one big concern with plastic is the number of toxic chemicals that are used in the manufacturer of plastic. And so as we look at other alternative materials, ensuring that we are not using toxic chemical processes um and that we truly hold those materials to high standards um to ensure that we're not replacing one harmful um single-use item with another harmful single-use item and ensuring that the materials that um we turn to can be reused or will break down um and uh not contaminate our environment for hundreds of years. If >> if someone's looking around their home right now and they're seeing a lot of plastic things that they're thinking, okay, maybe I don't actually really need this. Uh let me let me try to be a part of the solution. Let me try not to use these things. Let me try to maybe get rid of them. What is the safest way?

[00:19:20]Because if you get rid of something plastic, you also want to make sure it doesn't end up somewhere else where it could end up being a problem. What is the best way to maybe get rid of some of the the the unnecessary plastics in your home while also making sure it doesn't end up in just another dangerous place?

[00:19:38]The my first advice for any consumer is um the most sustainable option is going to be the thing that you already have that you can continue to reuse um and extend the life of that product. But if you are looking at items in your home that are, you know, close to retirement age, they they've lived a good long life in your home, um, and you're looking to replace, um, those items, um, looking for alternatives that have that are not made of plastic, um, or who that have limited amounts of plastic is a good place to start. Um here in Chicago we have a number of really great uh zerowaste stores. Um these local stores uh will stock a lot of sustainable alternatives for home items. Um both containers that u many of which are not made of plastic or are durable and meant to be reused. Um as well as um lots of ways to get um your soap or other household items in bulk um or uh in a refillable container so that you are not using those um plastic items that only have one short life. That's really the biggest concern that a regular consumer should have is around the things that are single-use, the things we use for just a couple minutes that are made of plastic that's meant to last for hundreds of years.

[00:21:16]>> All right, Emily Kowalsski, where can we find maybe a little bit more information if people want to look into this and figure out what the next steps are?

[00:21:23]>> Yeah, our report microplastic in Illinois is available on our website uh environmentillinoiscenter.org.

[00:21:31]org um where you can find an interactive map showing all of the more than 30 sites where we tested waters across Illinois for microplastic as well as our policy recommendations and a link to a how-to guide. Um we actually created a guide for folks who want to test the waterway in their own backyard for microplastic in particular thinking about the high school science class. um or the Girl Scout troop that may want to replicate our study um and look at the results um for a waterway in their own backyard. You can find that on our website, environment illinoiscenter.org.

[00:22:15]>> Love it, Emily. Thank you so much for joining us and breaking this down for us. We appreciate you.

[00:22:20]>> Thank you so much.

[00:22:21]>> All right, Mark Straw, guess what?

[00:22:23]>> Um time for us to leave.

[00:22:24]>> It is Well, you know what? I was just about to say halfway through. Show's halfway done.

[00:22:28]>> It's halfway time for us to leave. More uh more great guests though coming up right here on this very special Saturday edition of Chicago Live.

[00:22:35]>> Wondrous.

[00:22:36]>> Wondrous Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:23:25]Yeah, I know.

[00:23:47]Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:23:57]Wow.

[00:24:09]Yeah.

[00:24:47]Welcome back. Just about 10:31 on this special Saturday edition of Chicago Live. You know what I found is one of my kind of favorite things to to do on like a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon?

[00:24:59]>> Um I train your goldfish. I don't know.

[00:25:04]>> You know what? Very close. Uh you know, Iris and I we will throw uh the pups in the back of the Bronco and we'll head out to a forest preserve and then just >> walk. That is cool because we have some awesome forest reserves here and they go for miles.

[00:25:18]>> They do. And you that's the thing is you could always do something different. You take a different path. It can always be different. and Daenerys loves it. You know, my pup Daenerys, who we, you know, who runs around the studio oftentimes.

[00:25:27]Um, but obviously one of the things that that's the first thing we do when we get back uh to the truck is you got to look her all over to check out for ticks cuz, you know, cuz she and we keep her on the trail, you know, we don't we don't let her off leash and let her run out cuz you don't never know what's going to happen. But you still want to keep an eye out and make sure, you know, not not just her, us as well.

[00:25:46]>> You want to check your partner for tick.

[00:25:48]>> Exactly. Right. You know, there's a country song that's literally called Tix.

[00:25:52]>> I want to check you for Exactly. Right.

[00:25:54]>> We'll sing the rest of it later.

[00:25:55]>> We don't have the rights to >> Chicago Lime can't afford Brad Paisley lyrics.

[00:25:59]>> No, that's that's as much as we can do.

[00:26:01]>> Um, but there's a reason that we're bringing that up is because Lyme disease ticks. It's it's a it's a big topic of conversation as temperatures are rising.

[00:26:09]So, we're going to talk with Dr. Ryan Kenodal, the infectious diseases physician at UI Health. Dr. Thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate you.

[00:26:18]>> Thank you for having me. Um, you know, this time of year, I feel like this is a conversation that it's always nice to remind people of. Maybe, you know, they're they they've forgotten or maybe it's the first time they've gotten a dog or maybe it's the first time they've maybe lived in an area where it's an issue. So, what are the maybe the top things that people need to be remembering this time of year?

[00:26:36]>> Sure. Yeah. I mean, so ticks are um kind of everywhere. They, you know, they're um similar to to spiders and and they're pretty small. The ones that actually feed on humans can be just about the size of a sesame seed, so they can be tough to spot. But um as you kind of alluded to in the intro, you know, they're you know, they're we come into contact with them in the recreational activities that happen this time of year. They're they're most active in late spring and in the summer. And so tall grasses, wooded areas. I mean, a lot of the recreational activities, hiking, camping, and such are when we contact them. Um and there's important ways to kind of help avoid tick bites and the complications of the infections that they can carry. And that's usually using a multi-tered strategy of of clothing choices, of insect repellent, and of tick checks. Um, specifically with the clothing, it's important to wear long sleeves, long pants, uh, when you're going to be in areas that there's higher tick activity, the force preserves you mentioned. Um, tucking your your shirt into your pants and even your pant legs into your socks or your boots. Um, using insect repellent like DE or picaridin based ones. These are safe for kids. Um, you can apply those to your body, just not your face. You can even treat clothing with peromethine. Um, if you're going to be, you know, say out on like a weekend camping trip. Um, and then finally, you know, the tick check is is the most important thing to do when you kind of come back in from from your trip. So, checking not only yourself, but but kids and and pets as well. And obviously brushing them off if they're if they're not attached yet or or removing them if they if they have um latched on and started started to um take a blood meal.

[00:28:01]>> Um, you know, doctor, we're all familiar with Lyme disease. What I want to know about is Alpha Gel syndrome. What do we need to know about that? and uh tell us a lot of folks have not heard about that. Yeah. So, this is, you know, this is a syndrome that can um develop after, you know, bites from from similar ticks and and it can result in in kind of what's essentially a red meat allergy.

[00:28:24]Um, which I know see seems kind of kind of strange, but it's an immune response to um to one of these uh tick bites. And uh and folks after that, you know, not everyone who has a a bite from a tick um will develop this, but it but it does happen and folks can um you know, have this aversion and almost an allergy like like syndrome to to red meat. And so that is something that we've just been seeing more of. And we think the reason there's just been more activity recently is that you know I think with with warming climate there's the winters are a little bit shorter so there's more tick activity. I think there's been more awareness as well and I think that's why there's been more reports about not just the diseases like lime and anoplasmosis but similar to like the alpha gal syndrome.

[00:29:01]>> Have we had cases here in Illinois of that?

[00:29:04]>> Yeah. Yeah some. You know it's it's the alpha gal is a little bit more common um further south and such. we get more of the the lime and anoplasma based based things up in up in our parts or certainly if folks are going up north to to Michigan or Minnesota or um Wisconsin to to frequent the outdoors there.

[00:29:21]>> And and since I like to eat steaks, can this be cured?

[00:29:26]>> Yeah. So that's that's a it's a great topic of conversation. I mean it's um uh you know following folks some for some it's it's more short-lived than you know than others and and some it just lasts a bit longer. um there's no specific treatment. And so I think for a lot of these there's still kind of um observational trials ongoing about about you know what are the long-term implications of this and for how long people have symptoms with with everything. There's degrees of severity.

[00:29:47]And so um so you know just because you do develop this doesn't mean that you're you know uh you won't be able to enjoy red meat again. Um, but it's, you know, I think the awareness is really important and that's why, you know, the the prevention from the from the get-go is is a great way to stay on top of this. So, you don't have to worry about giving up your your steakhouse, uh, you know, steak dinners.

[00:30:05]>> If if to that point, if someone does find themselves bit, like it's it's it's happened. They they try to be pre, you know, preventative, but it didn't happen. What's what's the timeline? How seriously should they take? Is it a is it a stop what you're doing, go to the doctor? Is it is it something they can treat at home? Like what what what are the next steps? Yeah, great question.

[00:30:23]So, if you find a tick on you and it's crawling, the good news is it hasn't attached. It hasn't bitten, so you can just brush that off. If you find one attached, it's also still not the end of the world. Um, prompt recognition is important, but you want to remove it.

[00:30:34]And, you know, there historically, I I remember growing up, you know, there was like drown it in acetone or or rub Vaseline on it or use a burnt match. But really, the safest and most effective way is by using a sharp pair of tweezers. You want to grip the tick um as close to the skin as possible and and kind of firmly um and steadily just just pull up and remove it from the skin. You don't want to twist it. You don't want to smash it. That actually can cause the um the saliva from the tick that actually carries the the bacteria to to contaminate the wound. And so just just use the tweezers and then you can dispose of it. Wash it with soap and water and then be on the lookout for symptoms. So not everyone who's got a tick bite, even if one was attached and even if it was engorged with blood, needs to seek medical care. Um typically the diseases associated with this will have flu-l like symptoms. So they'll have folks will develop headaches or fevers, chills, um uh joint pains and you know that that bullseye rash which we associate with Lyme disease does happen and is very characteristic but it actually happens in the minority of cases of Lyme disease. And so be on the lookout if any of those things develop.

[00:31:32]You can seek care at your primary care or pediatrician or an urgent care but not everyone who has a tick bite needs to immediately present to care. Only if the symptoms develop. I know in the past some folks have recommended putting the tick after you pull it off in a in a ziploc bag and putting in the freezer just in case you do uh come down with symptoms. Uh you could test the tick later. Do you recommend that?

[00:31:53]>> Yeah, saving a tick is not a bad idea. I I'm not sure I've heard of the freezer part, but certainly saving it like a little jar or a baggie for identification. I think the other thing that you know with with tick being so small and um uh you know we we just know that that kind of uh folks don't always have the best identification of of whether it is a tick or even what kind of tick it is and those different types.

[00:32:11]So saving it and being able to bring it into a health care provider um especially if symptoms do develop can be very helpful for determining what the risk was for some of the diseases the different ticks carry.

[00:32:21]>> You know doctor I mentioned off the top of the segment, you know, love my dog.

[00:32:25]I'm a big, you know, we're a big we're a big dog family in our in our house and obviously we want to try to get the pup out of the out of the city and let her run around in the forest preserves when we can and then, you know, the ticks are obviously something that we have to be on the lookout for. Uh something, you know, I'm not not saying that it's it's more important than watching out for humans, but you got to watch out for uh for your your furry friends as well.

[00:32:47]>> No, no doubt. Yeah. And I I think sometimes just because of the degree of fur that our furry friends have, they can even be harder to spot the ticks on them. So just yeah again doing a very meticulous search before you get back into the house uh with your with your pets is is important and um and yeah you know they they could be affected um similarly with with uh some some of the same diseases um and even just some of the other syndromes that that ticks can carry.

[00:33:09]>> You know the thing that amazes me about ticks we think of them as being kind of a summer type thing. I have had ticks I've spotted ticks when there was still snow on the ground. I don't even know how that's humanly possible. But those those little suckers are out there, aren't they?

[00:33:23]Yeah, they they are again certainly their the highest activity is again in in kind of the warmer months as we alluded to. But yeah, I think just again with with broadly changing um you know kind of climate stuff, we are seeing you know the geographic distribution expand.

[00:33:36]We're seeing the timeline expand. We're seeing things um as you mentioned you know even even into the fall and um and I I haven't seen one yet when there's snow but you know would nothing would surprise me at this point. So just being on the lookout is really important.

[00:33:47]Yeah. any time of year that you're out in the wooded areas, um, keeping an eye out, but especially as folks are really kind of approaching and and enjoying the the warm, uh, weather and and and many activities that the local, uh, forest preservies have to offer just to to be on the lookout.

[00:34:01]>> For sure. Doctor, uh, is there any place that people can maybe um, just kind of maybe uh, bookmark uh, on their computer to have more information and just kind of have that all, you know, the guide on standby?

[00:34:12]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, the Illinois Department of Public Health has a great resource for for tick things, both kind of written for a lay audience and it also has some maps about the different counties in Illinois, uh what the various rates are and so that so IDPH has a fantastic website that people can check out for more information.

[00:34:26]>> You know, we've all heard we were talking about Lyme disease earlier. Uh is there much in the literature was uh did we even hear about or even know about Lyme disease before the 1970s?

[00:34:37]Well, that was when it was, you know, kind of really first uh described out of out of Lime, Connecticut and stuff. And so, I think, you know, looking back, we you we can see prior case reports that that maybe you say, "Oh, wow." You know, we didn't have a name for that prior to to having first described it, but this is probably what was going on. I mean, these things these things have been around um for for for a lot longer than than of course we've known about them.

[00:34:57]And again, with increased recognition and understanding of them, we we you know, that's that's kind of when we we have a better um sense of of how much is out there. But but certainly these things did exist prior to that. We just unfortunately didn't have a name to put on it and it was probably classified as some flu-l like illness uh you know not otherwise specified.

[00:35:15]>> Is stupid question is this is that why it's called uh Lyme disease because it was researched in lime Connecticut.

[00:35:21]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So the f the the the the first identifiable case that we know about was from lime, Connecticut. And actually the the eastern um seabboard especially Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont also has a lot of activity, but this upper central Midwest has, you know, with Wisconsin, Minnesota is the is the other densest place in the in the country. So those are the two big hot spots. But yeah, Lime, Connecticut was the was the place it was first described.

[00:35:43]>> Did you know that?

[00:35:44]>> Well, I'm a scientist.

[00:35:47]>> Of course you are, Mark Str. Of course you are, Mark Str. Dr. Ryan Canola, infectious diseases physician at UI Health. Thank you, sir, for uh for helping us uh hopefully of all avoid uh ticks this summer season. We appreciate you.

[00:35:59]>> Thank you.

[00:36:00]>> All right, guys.

[00:36:01]>> Thanks so much.

[00:36:01]>> All right, let's check in with our producer, Gabe. Gabe, are we uh going to break?

[00:36:05]>> All right, guys. We're going to go to Gabe says go to break says >> we'll be right back.

[00:36:38]Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:36:59]Wow. La yeah.

[00:37:21]Yeah. Yeah.

[00:37:32]Wow.

[00:37:44]Wow.

[00:38:19]Welcome back. Just about 10:45 on Chicago Live. You know, one of the great things about heading into it's so funny.

[00:38:28]I feel like we just did a whole segment about the negative side of of the summer season, which is the the ticks and Lyme disease and all that jazz, but now there is a opposite end of the spectrum. There are a lot of great things happening in our city as the temperatures are rising.

[00:38:42]And for me, I love the festivals.

[00:38:44]>> Sure. And they're happening all the time, every day, day and night.

[00:38:48]>> Yeah. There's always something >> from here to the end of summer.

[00:38:51]>> Yeah. Uh Iris and I walked over to Mayfest the other day and we just had a great time. Um there's there's always something great going on. Uh including the Randolph Street Market Festival.

[00:39:01]We're going to talk with David Sanchez, the market representative. David, good morning. Thank you for joining us.

[00:39:06]>> Hey guys, how are we doing today? Good morning.

[00:39:08]>> Doing great. Every It looks like there's a there's a a bustle of activity behind you.

[00:39:14]>> We are packed. The doors are open. We're open 10 to 5 today and tomorrow. We're here in the West Loop. We can't wait to see you. But yeah, look around. It's so packed. People are out shopping. It's art objects, uh, antiques, vintage fashion, a lot of old, rare books, just really cool objects. Uh, it's just the place to be.

[00:39:32]>> So, it sounds like a garage sale on steroids only funner.

[00:39:38]>> I would agree with that. It makes it fun because, you know, I'm already half a bloody Maryanne. We've got about 25 food vendors. Incredible. Uh, we have live music. If you can see, I actually have the owner of the market right here. She can't >> She just happens to be walking by. Well done.

[00:39:53]>> Yes. Wellplaced. This is one of my favorite ladies in the business. Her name's Sally Schwarz. This is the 23rd year of the Randolph Market. We're celebrating with Sally's Cabana. How are you doing today, Sally? Can you hear me whisper in my ear?

[00:40:08]>> You know, perfect.

[00:40:09]>> Sally has just been a beacon here in the West Loop. Uh over the last 23 years, we've had over a million people visit the market. Uh and and the best part about the market is just running into friends. I've run into so many friends here at the West Loop already. Uh it's and and visiting with the vendors is one of my favorite things. We have over 200 plus vendors in and both in inside and outside. So we're here rain or shine, right, Sally?

[00:40:33]>> And if you have no friends, >> whisper in my ear.

[00:40:38]>> Oh, you'll meet friends.

[00:40:40]>> You'll meet friends. And uh you know, Sally's just here to welcome you. We're all here to welcome you. It's just such a fun time.

[00:40:47]>> And you know, one of the things I love about about festivals like this is it gets you there and you can spend hours in the festival in the market festival.

[00:40:55]And then you don't have to leave. You can sort of walk around and discover things in the neighborhood and all of a sudden maybe discover your favorite restaurant that you've never been to that you wouldn't have even gotten to that neighborhood had it not been for the festival.

[00:41:09]>> I love that you say that and if I can sort of add to that, you know, the West Loop is a great destination. There's actually a parking garage. So, for those driving in, uh, what I love about the, and I've been a shopper for many, many years at the West at the Randolph Market, I have so many objects and unique things is, you know, actually getting to know the vendors and hearing the stories of how they got the item.

[00:41:29]Everything here is one of a kind. So, a couple market strategies that I can give you that are some expert tips. You know, cash is king. You want to talk to the vendor, get to know them, really understand, you know, where the product or the item is coming from because it's one of a kind. I get a lot of uh unique gifts. So, this is the time of the year where we're going to parties or or you know, summer events. So, these are great hostess gift items. You can find things at all price points. Um the these people behind me, this this little uh I don't know if you could see it, but there's a really cool brass line. It reminds me of the Art Institute line. Uh that's at 450, but there are definitely items that, you know, all price points. Uh and get it while it's hot. You don't want to think about it. You just want to buy. A friend of mine's here and he really wanted a really cool vintage cookie jar.

[00:42:13]he went to go back and buy it, it's already gone. That is not what you want to do. You want to buy it immediately.

[00:42:18]>> I was gonna ask you what the three coolest things you've seen there either this morning or in past years. What's unique that I would not see anywhere else?

[00:42:26]>> You know what? I've gotten some incredible jewelry here. I've gotten a lot of art. I collect a specific artist in the 70s named Victor Vaserelli. I got last year a signed print uh for $100 that generally sells for about $5,000 $3,000. So, I got a really big deal last year thanking in my office. I I collect this certain color glassware. Uh, and I find that here. And you know, if you're a book or object, uh, I would I would you're going to find something there. I I wish you could see it behind me.

[00:42:54]There's an incredible furniture vendor here. Last year, I got about a 200 pound Buddha, a concrete Buddha here for about a hundred bucks. So, you're going to find some really cool things. I have it hanging on I have it on my patio right now. I love that you you mentioned, you know, cash is king in a in a market festival like this. Does that imply that you can negotiate like can you can you work with some of the vendors to say, "Okay, well 100 bucks, how how about how about 80 bucks?"

[00:43:22]>> You know, I'm a talent agent by trade, so I negotiate all day long. So maybe my perspective is a little different. Uh but yes, I I I am all for that. And I think, you know, if you find something that you feel really attached to, just talk to the vendors, see what they can do. And, you know, they're here for you.

[00:43:39]They've come in and traveled from all over the nation. So, again, these are antique, vintage, clothing, object, art, design. These are one of a kind pieces.

[00:43:47]So, this is kind of the one time of the year. And granted, we have markets throughout the season. So, this is kind of the pinnacle return of the 2026 season. This is our 23rd year. So, we've been here, you know, in the West Loop for so many years to support the community. And I mean, with the growth in the West Loop, everyone's looking for those cool home objects, and I think this is the place to find it.

[00:44:08]>> I'm always fascinated by people's day jobs. You mentioned you're a talent agent, and there's not really much talent on this side of the desk, but um what kind of talent do you represent?

[00:44:17]>> That is not me.

[00:44:19]>> And and and could you get us a job somewhere?

[00:44:21]>> Did you notice he didn't disagree with you?

[00:44:22]>> Well, I didn't expect him to.

[00:44:24]>> He just said you said it. He didn't say, "No, you're wrong.

[00:44:28]So, uh, professionally I own Tent Management, which is at 10MGm.com. We're a Westloop model and talent agency. So, we represent models, actors, and content creators for all over the nation. And, uh, my business has been around for 14 years. But, respectfully, uh, regarding Sally, we're dear friends, uh, early this morning, we have an early buy ticket. I've been involved for the last 17 years with the Boys and Girls Club.

[00:44:49]We fundraised pretty significantly with the market. So, the early buy ticket.

[00:44:53]So, all markets we have a 9:00 am purchase which gets you in uh uh one hour early. So, so far we've raised about $3,000 for the Boys and Girls Club, specifically the Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Club. So, for somebody that's a business in the West Loop, I love the West Loop. Uh and that's why I'm here talking you to today because I too am a community member and I love Chicago.

[00:45:13]>> I love that. Uh David, you you mentioned something briefly earlier in our chat that that I don't want to sleep on because it's a big deal. There is ample parking. And you know, listen, I >> as someone who who someone who grew up in the south who who was not raised knowing how to street park or or knowing how to parallel park, >> hearing that there's good parking, that there's a garage I can park in, that's that's a bigger selling point than I feel like you're driving home.

[00:45:39]>> I agree. And I think it makes it easier.

[00:45:41]The only thing is is really quick. I'm going to grab my Bloody Mary because I want to have the This is the best Bloody Mary in the city.

[00:45:50]So, don't drink and drive, but uh you know, we do have parking here, but I recommend if you're going to have one of these delicious bloody maryries, which are available at the bar, uh you know, take the Uber or public transportation.

[00:46:01]The closest stop is Morgan uh at the pink and green line stop here in the West Loop.

[00:46:05]>> Let's have a little closer look at that drink here this morning. That's got That's pretty well that look good.

[00:46:10]>> Yeah, if this doesn't Yeah, >> that's got some entice.

[00:46:15]>> If this doesn't entice you to the market, I don't know what will. I think I think we should require all of our guests from now on to be at least one bloody Mary in before you come on Chicago Live >> on the booking sheet. You know, be there five minutes early.

[00:46:28]>> Have one bloody there. Smile a lot. Have a bloody Mary.

[00:46:32]>> Think you're on to something. But we're just so happy to talk with you guys. You know, we're such friends of Fox 32. Uh you know, this is such the the the the event of the Memorial Day weekend. Uh what I love is how packed it is already.

[00:46:45]I mean, people are here. So, I've met so many people over the years just at the market and you're going to run into some friends. Trust me.

[00:46:50]>> And and David, listen, I have it on good authority sitting next to a man who knows what he's talking about that the weather is only going to get better today.

[00:46:58]>> It's actually kind of warm, so I'll take it.

[00:47:02]>> You were right, Mark.

[00:47:03]>> It's getting better all the time.

[00:47:05]>> Come on. All right, David Sanchez, really quick. Uh, give us the hits, runs, errors. What What do people need to know if they're coming out this weekend?

[00:47:13]>> Grab a ticket at randomstreakmarket.com.

[00:47:15]It's $14 online or $15 at the door. We have over 200 vendors, 25 food vendors.

[00:47:21]We have live music all day. We even have uh pet portraits, drawings available uh for you. So, bring your pets into your family. You can get drawn. Uh parking on site and then uh your tickets get you in 10 to 5 each day, Saturday, Sunday.

[00:47:34]We're here rain or shine.

[00:47:35]>> All right, David, I want you to do us a favor. You did a great job with this talkback. We want you to go have one more Bloody Mary.

[00:47:42]>> You know, I actually have two, one for each of >> sold. And you know what? Bill it to Fox 32.

[00:47:47]>> Sure.

[00:47:47]>> Let's just see what happens.

[00:47:48]>> Yeah.

[00:47:49]>> Plus cuitity. All right. Thanks, guys.

[00:47:51]We'll see you at the random.

[00:47:52]>> Thank you. We appreciate you. Thank you, buddy.

[00:47:55]>> I like how you buy drinks for everybody.

[00:47:57]>> You know.

[00:47:58]>> Yeah. On the company card.

[00:48:00]>> Sure. Come on. There you go.

[00:48:01]>> Just do it. Yeah. You know what? And we're we're 40% tippers.

[00:48:04]>> Yes, we are.

[00:48:05]>> You know what? 40 as a as a former server.

[00:48:08]>> Boss won't mind at all.

[00:48:09]>> Yeah. Come on.

[00:48:10]>> I did not know you were a former server.

[00:48:11]>> Oh, yeah. I think everyone should be.

[00:48:13]Where did you I think that's probably true. Where did you serve at?

[00:48:16]>> I was a waiter at a a Cajun seafood restaurant in uh in Seabbrook, Texas called Papado. It's a chain. It's part of the Papa's chain and it's kind of a Cajun seafood. Um we were we were right on the water like right like right across the street from where like the the shrimp boats would like dock after like coming in from the Gulf.

[00:48:34]>> Okay. So, I've got a question.

[00:48:35]>> Very fresh seafood.

[00:48:36]>> Well, that stands to reason. But being a chain, >> a lot of times stuff comes down from the chain. Sure. But then you were getting it off the boat at the same time.

[00:48:44]>> Here's what I'll tell you. I always use this as a good marker for a restaurant.

[00:48:49]I worked there. I was I was worked behind the scenes. I saw there and I would eat there. I would eat there today. And this is I'm not I'm not I don't I think there's maybe there's one out I think there's maybe one out in the BBS.

[00:49:01]>> There's one out near Willow Brook south of Oakbrook on King Highway.

[00:49:07]>> Get out there, man. They've got a great uh giving you a shout out. Great crawfish combination that I love. Have you ever had a a swamp thing?

[00:49:14]>> I uh a swamp thing. Is that the combination?

[00:49:16]>> No, it's a it's a drink.

[00:49:17]>> It's got like layers.

[00:49:18]>> I'm on board with that. You know, it's it so I I went there and I had some uh crawfish.

[00:49:26]>> Okay.

[00:49:27]>> I growing up along the Illinois Michigan Canal.

[00:49:31]>> Sure.

[00:49:32]>> We would always catch crawfish all the time. We'd fill buckets with them.

[00:49:36]>> We didn't eat them.

[00:49:37]>> Yeah. So, still in my mind, you know, okay, you can tell me they're like little lobsters.

[00:49:42]>> Yeah.

[00:49:45]>> To me, I still used them as bait.

[00:49:47]>> Yeah. Listen, I I really loved crawfish as a kid because I grew up obviously, you know, in the South where, you know, it was a thing. The older I get, the more I sort of think this is a lot of work for not that much payoff. Like the the amount of effort >> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:50:03]>> To get I mean, you know, it's the it's a lot for just like a little a little bit.

[00:50:07]Even here's the deal. Even the best and I get it. I know all the different ways you can eat craw. Yes. I know all the different things. You know, you can you can suck their heads.

[00:50:14]>> Yeah. You can do all I get it. I know.

[00:50:15]I've seen it all. I've been to I've been to many of crawfish boils in my life.

[00:50:20]>> But you know what? I the older I get, I just go, you know what? Just >> give me the steak. Give me the lobster.

[00:50:26]>> Yeah. or even or even like give me like an A2 where it's like already, >> you know, peeled >> peeled and thrown in there. Like listen, I I I I don't want to do the work. I just want to eat it, you know? But but I I do going back to our points. Everyone should >> It seems reasonable weight tables at some point in their life. I think >> you do that for six months a year, a couple of years.

[00:50:45]>> Um I listen, I didn't like cuz whenever I started in television because I was doing uh work for the the local Fox station as like a freelance guy. Um I really wasn't getting paid that much.

[00:50:55]So, I would I would wake up, I would go to school, do television, and then go wait tables.

[00:51:00]>> That is a full day.

[00:51:00]>> All in a day. All day.

[00:51:02]>> Can't ever say, uh, you did not pay your dues.

[00:51:04]>> You know what? I like to I like to think, but but I'm glad it's the most important job I ever had.

[00:51:08]>> Teaches young kids to um Well, not that you probably needed this much, but to interact with other humans, uh, to be able to speak, uh, to be, uh, polite, to be prompt, >> on days when you don't feel like doing it.

[00:51:20]>> Yes. And that's the most important thing.

[00:51:21]>> And deal with problems that arise. And also I think it made me a more empathetic person on being on the flip side. Now if I go to a restaurant, >> you tip 49%.

[00:51:31]>> Well, well I I I'm I'm a generous tipper. Um but but it's more about understanding like taking a moment and looking, you know, okay, yeah, maybe you didn't get your your water yet, but look around. Does your server have eight different other tables? And like give the kid a break. Take a breath. Like you know what? Maybe you Okay, maybe you didn't get your bread automatically. No, you'll be fine.

[00:51:50]>> You'll be fine. You won't starve. I want to ask you uh further about this because um as a server who most servers I know are generous tippers. You travel around the world. I do.

[00:52:01]>> You go to um cultures where tipping is not only um uh not expected but sometimes kind of frowned upon.

[00:52:10]>> How do you feel when you're in a country like that and your natural instinct is to throw out and then now all of a sudden they're like, "Oh, they they're almost semi insulted that you do tip."

[00:52:18]I'm a big believer in letting other people set the rules. If they're, you know, if I'm in someone's house and and you know, they they say shoes off, shoes off. If I'm if I'm in someone's house and they say, >> I may that might be your house I'm not going in.

[00:52:32]>> But uh yeah, listen, I if whenever I go to to any other country and I've been lucky enough because of this job to get to travel, I always try to, you know, it was something as >> it to me it was I I kind of loved it, but you know, I was in Japan not too long ago. My Iris makes fun of me because I I bring up Japan as often as I can. Why not? Was in Japan and even something as you know they do you know they they bow to people and they say and I loved that and I found myself by the end of the trips to everyone I saw I would >> that's and I thought like it was just >> because this shaking hands which is really goes back a thousand years which basically says I don't have a weapon in my hand and I'm not going to kill you but I don't know where your hands been.

[00:53:11]So I I very much I very much uh >> I very much like it looks like we could prevent colds and flu.

[00:53:17]>> Yeah. Exactly. Right. People like >> Yeah. So I'm a big uh big proponent of if I if I'm in your culture, I will I will do my best to abide by it and respect it.

[00:53:27]>> Jake.

[00:53:28]>> Yes, sir.

[00:53:28]>> I bow to you.

[00:53:29]>> I bow to you.

[00:53:30]>> And I don't have a weapon.

[00:53:31]>> And I don't have a weapon either.

[00:53:32]>> There you go.

[00:53:33]>> Well, thank you.

[00:53:33]>> Thanks, guys. Uh very special Saturday edition of Chicago Live comes to an end.

[00:53:38]Have a great rest of your weekend. Mark Stro will be back here tomorrow.

[00:53:42]Tonight.

[00:53:42]>> Tonight.

[00:53:42]>> Est.

[00:53:44]All right, enjoy. Have a good day.

[00:53:54]Hello everyone and welcome into First and North. I'm Cassie Carlson. Joining me this week, we have the voice of the Lions, Dan Miller, joining us in Detroit, Brandon Cruz from Fox Milwaukee, and Ahmad Hicks from Fox Minneapolis. Before we get into all the NFL schedule talk, let's get into some NFL news. Starting with the Bears Stadium update. Not a full update, I would say, but we are nearing the end of session on May 31st and waiting to see if Illinois legislators can agree on the mega projects bill. Meanwhile, the Bears are providing an update on the stadium project in Orlando at NFL owners meetings this afternoon. And there are only two options on the table. It's Arlington Heights, that's the land they already own, 326 acres, ready to put shovels in the ground. in Hammond, Indiana. Now, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said despite Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson saying he wants the Bears to remain in Chicago, he's made no plans to try and keep them in the city.

[00:54:46]Now, the thing with Hammond, Indiana, which many people believe still is a leverage play for Illinois legislators to get the deal done uh to remain in state. Uh the Tribune had a story today and it said that the stadium site at Hammond would be built on slag heap, which is essentially hazardous waste.

[00:55:05]It's also near an oil refinery. So, I still feel like that is used as a leverage play. This is all going to end up going to Arlington Heights. Kevin Warren said at owners meetings a couple weeks ago that basically they were going to have a decision late spring, early summer. So, we are waiting hopefully to get a final answer in the coming week so we can move on to the next thing that the Bears need to focus on. All right.

[00:55:26]Also, at owners meetings, they unanimously passed Minnesota to host the 2028 NFL draft. Ahmad, I love US Bank Stadium. By far my favorite stadium that I've ever been to. How do you think they'll do hosting that many people with the draft?

[00:55:41]>> Okay, first not to skate past the Chicago Bears news, the Indiana Bears.

[00:55:45]That certainly has a nice ring to it, Cassie. I think that would get along well with your Bears fans. Now, let's get back to us here.

[00:55:53]It is an old joke, but it's still new to us and it feels good because you guys have to sit there and bask in that misery for the next couple of months until they figure out what they're going to do. So, for right now, >> Chicago or Indiana Bears >> or we could bask in slap heat, which is like human, you know, like waste.

[00:56:14]>> Yeah, you have a very valid point there.

[00:56:16]Wouldn't want to put, you know, the people in harm's way.

[00:56:20]>> You know, why not? Maybe the Bears need to get it figured out, Cassie. We shouldn't be talking about this right now this early into the offseason, right? Or late into it, should I say?

[00:56:28]>> No, we shouldn't. This the shovels were supposed to be in the ground in 2025.

[00:56:34]>> Exactly. All right, let me talk about US Bank Stadium and the fact that the draft is coming to Minnesota in 2028. Huge accomplishment for the Minnesota sports and entertainment venue and how they were able to get this here to the Twin Cities. It's going to be massive. You saw over 800,000 fans showed up to Green Bay last year. And here in Minnesota, these people love their sports. And it does not matter how cold or how hot it is. So when it the draft takes place in April, I guarantee you the downtown of St. Paul and the uh Min Minneapolis will be packed with visitors from all over as they get ready to put on one big party.

[00:57:10]So a big time for the Minnesota sports um events venue and the Minnesota Vikings. an exciting time coming here to Minnesota in 2028.

[00:57:18]>> Yeah, I went there for the final four that was gosh back in 20 was that 2019 2018 maybe. Um and it was a fabulous event. What's like a Minnesota thing that you think that they might include with the draft?

[00:57:32]>> Oh, that's a good question. You definitely will see the skull chant, I'm sure, from hundreds of thousands of people outside. Prince music will be playing. John Randall probably will make an appearance because he's a Vikings great. He's around at everything that they do. So, it's kind of hard to put into words what they may do because they have so many things they rely on here in Minnesota. But, I have to imagine John Randall will be there and the skull chant will be loud and active all weekend long >> and it's probably going to be cold.

[00:57:58]Could be snowing at that time.

[00:58:01]Oh, so we'll be in Indiana and you'll be in parkas out at the draft. Cool.

[00:58:07]>> Yep. Cool.

[00:58:08]>> Okay, let's talk schedules. Brandon, Packers have a total of six prime time or standalone games, including the inaugural Wednesday before Thanksgiving on Netflix. What did you make of what they have coming up this season?

[00:58:21]>> Yeah, I I think the schedule benefits them pretty well. I think the tough thing to look at for them early on are the two Thursday games. They have a game in week three against the Falcons a Thursday night and then they have another one with Carolina following a game with the Lions. So, I think those are the real challenges that they may face with the short weeks there. But overall, I think this is very beneficial to the Packers. Five of those six prime time games are at home. So, it'll be under the lights at Lambeau Field. I think that is such an advantage for this team when you look at it. I think the the tough thing will be that Wednesday night game in LA, the night before Thanksgiving facing the Rams. Not because they won't have the time. and they have a buy leading into that, but because it is on the road in LA over to kick off the holiday weekend. So to me, when you look at that, that is one of the big deals. Obviously going