No more free beach parking

MAXED OUT: A SUN-TIMES SERIES

FACING UP TO OUR LOCAL AND STATE BUDGET CRISIS

Attention all motorists fortunate enough to find a close-to-the-beach parking spot this summer: No more free rides.

Pay-and-display boxes -- similar to those found elsewhere in the city -- have been installed in 1,500 of the 4,000 lakefront parking spaces, including at the 63rd Street Beach, 31st Street Beach and the Loyola Fieldhouse. The rest are expected to go in by June, said Chicago Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner.

The "pay and display" approach allows motorists to use credit cards, $1 bills and coins to buy time from a machine and display a receipt in the vehicle's front window.

The average cost is right around $1 an hour and is projected to generate $1.5 million in revenues for the Park District annually, officials say.

Source: Donovan Leaving Gators for Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. - Rich history wasn't enough to lure Billy Donovan away from Florida. In the end, it was just riches. Donovan will have plenty of them after agreeing to a five-year deal paying $5.5 million annually to coach the Orlando Magic, an official in the NBA told The Associated Press on Thursday. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was agreed to but not signed.

Donovan has been the subject of speculation since the Gators' second straight NCAA championship in April. He turned down an offer to coach Kentucky, whose storied program launched his career as an assistant in 1990, and was more recently linked to the Memphis Grizzlies' vacant coaching job.

He seemed to squash those rumors after turning down the Kentucky position, proclaiming, "I love the University of Florida."

But Orlando, about 115 miles south of Gainesville, proved too strong to resist. The Magic job pays more than twice Donovan's $1.7 million annual deal with the Gators.

"There's going to be a lot of hamburgers, a lot of filet," departing Florida star Joakim Noah joked.

Donovan, his agent and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley didn't return phone messages left by The AP.

School president Bernie Machen said he didn't believe Donovan had yet accepted the Orlando job, but there were no hard feelings if he had.

"There's always a next," Machen said at the Southeastern Conference's annual spring meeting in Destin, Fla. "Billy Donovan has been here for 11 years, won two national championships. He's been a great ambassador for the University of Florida. We'll always love Billy Donovan, whether he's here 11 years or 21 years."

Both Donovan and the school had said all along they were negotiating a contract extension. Machen said Thursday the deal was basically done, just not signed.

At the NBA predraft camp, Donovan's former players said they hadn't heard anything about him switching jobs.

"I've talked to him, just not about that," Al Horford said.

Donovan replaces Brian Hill, who was fired after two consecutive losing seasons. Hill's ouster followed the Magic's first playoff appearance in four years, which ended in the first round against Detroit.

If he's going to go, now could be the best time for Donovan. Florida lost its top seven scorers after the season, including potential top-10 NBA picks Noah, Horford and Corey Brewer.

In Orlando, Donovan inherits a team without a single first-round draft pick - or much veteran experience. Orlando is rebuilding around third-year player Dwight Howard, who made his first All-Star team this season, and counting on bigger contributions from Trevor Ariza and J.J. Redick.

The Magic have vowed to re-sign free agent Darko Milicic, who flourished despite an injury in the playoffs, but the 7-footer still has to prove his NBA value.

Besides the coach, the big question mark for Orlando is whether Grant Hill will return. The often-injured star's contract expired this season, and he could opt to retire or chase a title elsewhere. If Hill leaves, it would open up a big load of salary cap room for a skilled offensive player.

Donovan has shown he can improve even mediocre programs. At Florida, a traditionally football-oriented school, he made it to the NCAA title game three times in his 11 years. He led the Gators to nine straight 20-win seasons, nearly doubling the amount it had before his arrival. Florida won three SEC championships under Donovan after getting just one in 77 years previously. He became the winningest coach in Florida history on Dec. 20 and now has 261 victories.

With the Magic, he'll face a similar challenge. Orlando hasn't been out of the first round of the playoffs in a decade.

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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Destin, Fla., contributed to this report.

US: Mid-Atlantic wind farms take step forward

BALTIMORE (AP) — Offshore wind farms from New Jersey to Virginia took a big step closer to reality with the completion of a review that showed the renewable energy source would leave no major environmental damage, officials said Thursday.

Obama administration Interior Secretary Ken Salazar also said his department also was trying to speed up the process for issuing renewable energy leases. Wind projects off the coasts of Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and New Jersey are being studied.

"There are a number of developers who are very interested in developing offshore wind here and our goal is to hold the auctions and be able to issue the leases now, in 2012," Salazar said. "So, this is not something that's going to be waiting around."

The Mid-Atlantic lease proposal follows the Cape Wind project in Massachusetts that was given the go-ahead in 2010 after years of federal review. That project is still in development and Salazar said the department had learned from that experience.

"No developer should have to wait nine or 10 years," for approval, Salazar said.

Dominion Virginia Power is interested in building up to 400 wind turbines in Atlantic waters as soon as they are open for development, officials with that state's largest electric utility told The Associated Thursday.

The Interior Department said before the waters would be opened, the public would have a chance to comment on the projects.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who appeared at the announcement with Salazar, said his administration had contacted Defense Department officials to discuss the possibility of the military using offshore wind energy.

O'Malley, a Democrat, and Salazar both described the decision as a major step forward for offshore wind, and environmentalists agreed.

Environment America Clean Energy Advocate Courtney Abrams said "tapping into the power of offshore wind along the Atlantic coast is vital to getting the region and the nation off fossil fuels without creating more pollution."

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Associated Press writer Steve Szkotak in Richmond contributed to this report.

Help your kids, but protect your assets

Q. My son and his wife are expecting their first baby. Theywant to buy a house but don't have enough money for the down payment.They asked me to help them by lending them a portion of what theyneed. I will be retiring in five years, and at that time I will needthe money (or at least the interest) to supplement my income. Whatdo you suggest I do?

A. I'll lay out the facts, but the choice is yours. Whatever,proceed very carefully.

First, have your son and his wife explore all other options?Will the seller of the house accept a contract? Are they entitled toa Veterans Administration loan or a Federal Housing Administrationloan? Have they looked into state-sponsored first home mortgages?Can they borrow the money from another source if you agree to cosigna loan?

If they can get the money elsewhere, you are off the hook. Butkeep in mind that cosigning a loan makes you legally obligated forpayments.

Even if they can't borrow elsewhere, the process of looking andasking in itself should help them better understand the cost of moneyand the difficulties of obtaining loans.

Next, consider your own financial situation. If you did not getyour money back, how would your lifestyle be affected?

If you go ahead, proceed the way a banker would. Keeping itcasual would be no favor to anyone - and can lead to bitter feelings.

Have a lawyer draw up a formal loan agreement. It shouldinclude: a signed promissory note, a payment schedule, a descriptionof interest charges, penalties for late payments and perhaps even alien on the house. If you structure the lien as a second mortgage,it shouldn't hurt their chances of getting a first mortgage, and theinterest they pay to you will be tax-deductible to them.

You are entitled to a reasonable rate of interest on yourhard-earned money. Here are some examples that are fair for bothsides: 1 percent above prime. 1 percent above what you could earn on the money. 1 percent below the going rate for mortgages. 5 percent below what they would have to pay for an installment loanfrom a bank.

Last but not least, consider asking your son to buy term lifeinsurance and/or disability insurance for the amount of the loan.That doesn't sound pretty, but it can be important protection - andit is quite inexpensive.

I am not trying to discourage you from helping your loved ones.Rather, I am urging you to protect the relationships you value andthe assets that are earmarked for a very important purpose - yourretirement.

Proenza Schouler Marches to Its Own Beat

NEW YORK - There was a slight military edge to Proenza Schouler's spring collection, making the Park Avenue Armory an appropriate venue to preview it Friday night as part of New York Fashion Week.

The well-edited line moved from a hemp waistcoat with epaulettes to a puffy marigold-colored silk faille evening coat easier than you'd think - and then throw in a "gold-leaf" cocktail dress that actually appeared to be gold-painted feathers.

Actresses Demi Moore and Kyra Sedgwick were among those in the audience. Moore said she tries to be in New York during Fashion Week when she can. "I don't know if I believe in coincidences but I do think it's synchronicity," Moore said, noting that she's in the city this time around because her husband, Ashton Kutcher, is filming a movie.

Proenza's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who won the Council of Fashion Designers of America award earlier this year as the top womenswear designers, took a different approach to next season than many of their peers who've already offered a glimpse of their upcoming lines to stylists, editors and retailers. This duo continued to embrace many of the menswear details that have proven popular for fall, and they also seemed to favor a shorter-length silhouette while others have gone for a longer, leaner look.

Vests were on of the key items on the runway, with vests layered over sleeveless waistcoats - which are, essentially, long vests. The most unique item might have been the marching band-style hats worn by several of the models.

One of the most stunning outfits, thought, was a wood-beaded miniskirt with a bubble hem.

The palette of natural neutrals, however, fits in with the broader trends, as well as the mixing of dressy and casual fabrics, such as a hemp linen vest with a white cotton poplin shirt and a black washed organza skirt.

Barre is raised College plans new dance center

In its continuing move to transform the South Loop into a centerfor higher education and the arts, Columbia College Chicago hasunveiled plans for a new state-of-the-art dance facility at 1306 S.Michigan.

The new Dance Center of Columbia College will be housed in a33,000-square-foot Art Deco-style building formerly owned by thecity. It was purchased for $1.35 million. Columbia will spend $2.8million more for its conversion, which is under way.

Since 1977, students taking dance classes at Columbia have beenrequired to trek between the South Loop campus and the school's DanceCenter at 4730 N. Sheridan.

Next fall this will all change.

"One of my goals has been to bring the Dance Center to the SouthLoop," said Columbia President John Duff, who will retire nextsummer. "Now this growing department and its students will be able toparticipate more closely in the life of the college."

As ideas for new educational and artistic sites continue to sproutin the South Loop - another recent development is Lewis Manilow'sproposal to turn the old Continental Trailways depot at Roosevelt andWabash into a complex of art galleries - a corridor of culturalactivity will stretch from the Museum Campus to the commercialtheater district in the North Loop.

The new Dance Center will be a strong addition to the theatersthat already house dance activities in the area, including the HaroldWashington Library Theatre, the Merle Reskin Theatre (used primarilyby the Theatre School of DePaul University) and the AuditoriumTheatre, which is home to larger companies, including the JoffreyBallet of Chicago and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

The Center is a major presenter of contemporary dance events, aswell as headquarters for the school's dance department. It wasfounded in 1968 by Shirley Mordine and is nationally known for itsinnovative programming, which combines dance training with exposureto working artists.

"We hope to reinvent the Center in the South Loop," said BonnieBrooks, newly appointed head of the dance department. "The goal isto bring dance into people's lives in new ways and become a livelyresource for dance."

The new three-story facility will provide twice the space of theCenter's current home, which will be sold.

When completed, it will house a 275-seat black box performancespace with stadium seating, as well as seven studios and additionalclassroom, rehearsal, student lounge and office space. Work isexpected to be finished by the fall 1999.

Columbia's dance department has 130 students and also draws manyprofessional dancers and others to its classes in contemporary, jazz,tap, ballet and African dance.

Farm sees stock rise at market

A FARM near Llangadog has scooped top prize at the first WelshPremier Beltex show and sale to be held at the new Welshpoollivestock market.

Auctioneer Richard Evans, of Welshpool Livestock Sales, said hewas "delighted with the quality of stock shown and offered for saleby the vendors, who were well rewarded by the travelling purchasers.

Judge David Thornley awarded the male and Supreme Champion to theCennen Flock a yearling Ram Cennen Nut Cracker bred by GJ & RAWilliams, of Blaencennen Farm.

Sired by Llwynbrian Lawyer, Nut Cracker went on to achieve1800gns, purchased by I & J Evans, Llwyn Hywel Farm, Llanilar.

From the same flock was the first-placed ram lamb and reservemale champion, Cennen Prince, which was secured with a bid of 800gnsby D L Jones Ddol, Llanbadarn Fynydd.

Top price of the day was achieved by Michael Owen of the GlantreFlock, when a yearling ram, Glantre Napolean sired by AiryollandLoyality, was sold for a sale-topping Pounds 2,100. Mr Owen went onto sell 16 yearling rams.