Chicago

CHICAGO -- With nowhere to go but up, University of Maryland Baltimore County was intent on making a move against Loyola-Chicago yesterday. But the Retrievers could not overcome a 20-point deficit with 9 minutes, 25 seconds to play and were defeated, 82-77.Jim Frantz scored 12 of his 22 points in the second half to help UMBC (1-10) rally from a 72-52 deficit midway through the period. The Retrievers were down by only 80-77 with 1:10 left when Derell Thompson scored after a steal, but Spencer Ferguson and Melvin Swann missed three-point shots that would have tied the score.

When passing through the doors into the Shari Berto Center, the training facility of the world champion Chicago Bulls, one is greeted by a huge picture that covers nearly an entire wall. In the middle of the bigger-than-life picture is a young woman with a banner, held high above her head, that reads:"We Intend To Defend What Is Ours"What Chicagoans consider "ours" is the NBA championship. The Bulls have won the past three and were expected by many to win their fourth until Michael Jordan shocked the sport with his retirement this month.

CHICAGO -- After dropping murder charges against two boys, ages 7 and 8, in the brutal slaying of an 11-year-old girl, police officials say they are taking a closer look at how they treat juvenile offenders.The police charged the boys on Aug. 9 after saying they had confessed to the murder of Ryan Harris. No lawyer or parent was present during the questioning.Police spokesman Pat Camden said the department was talking with the state's attorney's office about requiring officers and prosecutors to videotape interviews with suspects younger than 12 and having a parent or guardian present at such questioning.

CHICAGO -- It has stood on the banks of Lake Michigan for three-quarters of a century, a columned fortress dedicated to fallen warriors and consecrated by great athletes.And now, just as it appeared time would conquer Soldier Field, a plan has emerged to not only save the historic stadium, but also to rebuild it to meet the upscale demands of the modern NFL, a transformation that would have been unimaginable to the stonemasons who built the place.Leaders of the city, state and Bears are near agreement on constructing a glitzy arena within the coliseum's faux-granite walls.

CHICAGO -- When the Orioles returned to Comiskey Park last night it rekindled memories of the lowest point of the season -- and what may have been the turning point.It was here, on April 27, that manager Johnny Oates closed the clubhouse for a two-hour meeting after a 9-4 loss that left the Orioles with an 8-13 record. "I don't know if it was the turning point," said pitcher Mike Mussina, "but it was the first time we addressed the situation."At that point the Orioles' immediate goal was to reach .500, and go from there.

CHICAGO -- They do more by 8:30 in the morning than many elementary-school children do all day.They are several dozen pupils who get help in a unique before-school tutoring program at Hart Elementary School in North Chicago -- code named HART, for Helping At Risks To Succeed.The formula is simple: Hart provides the youngsters; the nearby Great Lakes Naval Training Center provides the tutors; and Walgreens, the drugstore chain, provides the money for supplies and a breakfast for pupils and tutors after each session.

CHICAGO -- Maybe it would have been different had Felipe Lopez not appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated before playing a collegiate game. Maybe if he hadn't been named the consensus high school player of the year, we'd be looking at him now as having a pretty successful college career at St. John's.Maybe.But Lopez never lived up to the hype that preceded him. In fact, the name Lopez was almost synonymous with the word failure, a heavy burden on a kid from the Dominican Republic who never quite reached expectations that were unreasonable.

Greg Otto's vision of Baltimore bursts forth in brilliant color. He brings his own electric palette to the drabbest urban edifice or the most dilapidated corner store. His 2001 Baltimore Skyline vibrates with lavenders and purples and aqua greens and bold reds and oranges like a child's blocks piled high in a playpen. City Hall sparkles with yellow light as if it were in a Christmas display. His Bromo Seltzer Tower is russet red against a black sky over Paca Street. The Domino Sugars sign glows pink under a jazzy Stuart Davis sky. Otto has painted nearly 1,000 Baltimore buildings and streetscapes over the past 20 years or so. He's filled 3,000 notebooks with sketches.

CHICAGO -- Rush vs. Daley: That is the match-up voters here face tomorrow when they select their mayor.In some ways, the battle began more than 30 years ago. Then, though, it was a different Richard Daley, the father of the current mayor, Richard M. Daley, seeking re-election. But the case could be made that it was a different Bobby Rush as well.Rush, the co-founder of the radical Black Panther Party's Illinois chapter, which frequently and sometimes violently clashed with the first Daley, is hardly the "Negro militant" that news accounts called him back then.

SALT LAKE CITY -- In losing Game 6, the Utah Jazz survived a last-second missed shot from Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan. Last night, Utah made the mistake of giving one of the game's fiercest competitors a second chance.Second chance for Jordan came with five seconds left, and Chicago trailing by a point. And Jordan made good this time, hitting what proved to be the game-winning shot as the Bulls won their third straight title with an 87-86 win that capped a fitting ending to what may have been the end of an era."