Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl and America’s sweetheart, dies at 99

Actress Betty White attends the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s 44th Annual Beastly Ball at Los Angeles Zoo in 2014 in Los Angeles, California. | Angela Weiss/Getty Images

From “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland,” the five-time Emmy Winner’s career stretched nine decades. She would’ve turned 100 on Jan. 17.

LOS ANGELES — Betty White, whose saucy, up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, whether as a man-crazy TV hostess on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or the loopy housemate on “The Golden Girls,” has died. She was 99.

White’s death was confirmed by her longtime agent Jeff Witjas in a phone call Friday with publicist Pam Golum. White would have turned 100 on Jan. 17, 2022.

She launched her TV career in daytime talk shows when the medium was still in its infancy and endured well into the age of cable and streaming. Her combination of sweetness and edginess gave life to a roster of quirky characters in shows from the sitcom “Life With Elizabeth” in the early 1950s to oddball Rose Nylund in “The Golden Girls” in the ’80s to “Boston Legal,” which ran from 2004 to 2008.

But it was in 2010 that White’s stardom erupted as never before.

In a Snickers commercial that premiered during that year’s Super Bowl telecast, she impersonated an energy-sapped dude getting tackled during a backlot football game.

“Mike, you’re playing like Betty White out there,” jeered one of his chums. White, flat on the ground and covered in mud, fired back, “That’s not what your girlfriend said!”

The instantly-viral video helped spark a Facebook campaign called “Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!,” whose half-million fans led to her co-hosting “Saturday Night Live” in a much-watched, watch-hailed edition that Mother’s Day weekend. The appearance won her a seventh Emmy award.

A month later, cable’s TV Land premiered “Hot In Cleveland,” the network’s first original scripted series, which starred Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick as three past-their-prime show-biz veterans who move to Cleveland to escape the youth obsession of Hollywood. They move into a home being looked after by an elderly Polish widow — a character, played by White, who was meant to appear only in the pilot episode.

But White stole the show, and the salty Elka Ostrovsky became a key part of the series, an immediate hit. She was voted the Entertainer of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

“It’s ridiculous,” White said of the honor. “They haven’t caught on to me, and I hope they never do.”

By then, White had not only become the hippest star around, but also a role model for how to grow old joyously.

“Don’t try to be young,” she told The AP. “Just open your mind. Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I won’t live long enough to find out about, but I’m still curious about them.”

Such was her popularity that even White’s birthday became a national event: In January 2012, NBC aired “Betty White’s 90th Birthday Party” as a star-studded prime-time special. She would later appear in such series as “Bones” and Fireside Chat With Esther” and in 2019 gave voice to one of the toys, “Bitey White,” in “Toy Story 4.”

White remained youthful in part through her skill at playing bawdy or naughty while radiating niceness. The horror spoof “Lake Placid” and the comedy “The Proposal” were marked by her characters’ surprisingly salty language. And her character Catherine Piper killed a man with a skillet on “Boston Legal.”

CBS

Betty White (from left), Gavin MacLeod, Ed Asner, Georgia Engels, Ted Knight and Mary Tyler Moore are shown in a scene from the CBS series “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

But she almost wasn’t cast as “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1973. She and her husband, Allen Ludden, were close friends of Moore and Moore’s then-husband, producer Grant Tinker. It was feared that if White failed on the show, which already was a huge hit, it would be embarrassing for all four. But CBS casting head Ethel Winant declared White the logical choice. Originally planned as a one-shot appearance, the role of Sue Ann (which humorously foreshadowed Martha Stewart) lasted until Moore ended the series in 1977.

“While she’s icky-sweet on her cooking show, Sue is really a piranha type,” White once said. The role brought her two Emmys as supporting actress in a comedy series.

In 1985, White starred on NBC with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty in “The Golden Girls.” Its cast of mature actresses, playing single women in Miami retirement, presented a gamble in a youth-conscious industry. But it proved a solid hit and lasted until 1992.

White played Rose, a gentle, dim widow who managed to misinterpret most situations. She drove her roommates crazy with off-the-wall tales of childhood in fictional St. Olaf, Minnesota, an off-kilter version of Lake Wobegon.

The role won her another Emmy, and she reprised it in a short-lived spinoff, “The Golden Palace.”

After her co-star Arthur died in 2009, White told Entertainment Tonight: “She showed me how to be very brave in playing comedy. I’ll miss that courage.”

White’s other TV series included “Mama’s Family,” as Vicki Lawrence’s irascible mother; “Just Men,” a game show in which women tried to predict answers to questions directed to male celebrities; and “Ladies Man,” as the catty mother of Alfred Molina.

“Just Men” brought her a daytime Emmy, while she won a fourth prime time Emmy in 1996 for a guest shot on “The John Larroquette Show.”

NBC

Bea Arthur (clockwise, from left), Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty star in the NBC sitcom “The Golden Girls,” the highest-rated new series of the 1985-86 television season.

She also appeared in numerous miniseries and TV movies and made her film debut as a female U.S. senator in Otto Preminger’s 1962 Capitol Hill drama “Advise and Consent.”

White began her television career as $50-a-week sidekick to a local Los Angeles TV personality in 1949. She was hired for a local daytime show starring Al Jarvis, the best-known disc jockey in Los Angeles.

It was then she got a tip to start lying about her age.

“We are so age-conscious in this country,” she said in a 2011 interview with The Associated Press. “It’s silly, but that’s the way we are. So I was told, ‘Knock four years off right now. You’ll be blessing yourself down the road.’

“I was born in 1922. So I thought, ‘I must always remember that I was born in 1926.’ But then I would have to do the math. Finally, I decided to heck with it.”

White proved to be a natural for the new medium. She was bright, pretty and likable, with a dimpled, eye-crinkling smile. A 1951 Los Angeles Times headline said: “Betty White Hailed as TV’s Busiest Gal.”

“I did that show 5½ hours a day, six days a week, for 4½ years,” she recalled in 1975. Jarvis was replaced by actor Eddie Albert, and when he went to Europe for the film “Roman Holiday,” she headed the show.

A sketch she had done with Jarvis turned into a syndicated series, “Life With Elizabeth,” which won her first Emmy. For a time she did interviews on “The Betty White Show” in the daytime, filmed the series at night and often turned up on a late-night talk show. She also appeared on commercials and every New Year’s narrated the Pasadena Rose Parade.

With the glib tongue and quick responses nurtured in the Jarvis years, she was a welcome guest on “I’ve Got a Secret,” “To Tell the Truth,” “What’s My Line” and other game shows — all the way up to the 2008 “Million Dollar Password,” which revived the game once hosted by Ludden, whom she had met when a contestant on his original “Password.”

That was in 1961, and the next year, while touring in summer theater during television’s off season, she starred with Ludden — by then a widower with three children — in the comedy “Critic’s Choice.”

White, who had claimed to be “militantly single” since a 1947-1949 marriage, weakened in her resolve.

AP Photos

Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White play a game of cards in their home in Westchester, New York, on April 29, 1965. The couple were married for 18 years.

“I had always said on `The Tonight Show’ and everywhere else that I would never get married again,” she told a reporter in 1963. “But Allen outnumbered me. He started in and even the children got in the act. And I surrendered — willingly.”

The marriage lasted from 1963 until his death from cancer in 1981.

Off-screen, White tirelessly raised money for animal causes such as the Morris Animal Foundation and the Los Angeles Zoo. In 1970-1971, she wrote, produced and hosted a syndicated TV show, “The Pet Set,” to which celebrities brought their dogs and cats. She wrote a 1983 book titled “Betty White’s Pet Love: How Pets Take Care of Us,” and, in 2011, published “Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo.”

Her devotion to pets was such that she declined a plum role in the hit 1997 movie “As Good As It Gets.” She objected to a scene in which Jack Nicholson drops a small dog down a laundry chute.

In her 2011 book “If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t),” White explained the origins of her love for dogs. During the Depression, her dad made radios to sell to make extra money. But since few people had money to buy the radios, he willingly traded them for dogs, which, housed in kennels in the backyard, at times numbered as many as 15 and made White’s happy childhood even happier.

Are there any critters she doesn’t like?

“No,” White told the AP. “Anything with a leg on each corner.”

Then what about snakes?

“Ohhh, I LOVE snakes!”

She was born Betty Marion White in Oak Park, Illinois, and the family moved to Los Angeles when she was a toddler.

“I’m an only child, and I had a mother and dad who never drew a straight line: They just thought funny,” she told The Associated Press in 2015. “We’d sit around the breakfast table and then we’d start kicking it around. My dad was a salesman and he would come home with jokes. He’d say, `Sweetheart, you can take THAT one to school. But I wouldn’t take THIS one.′ We had such a wonderful time.”

Her early ambition was to be a writer, and she wrote her grammar school graduation play, giving herself the leading role.

At Beverly Hills High School, her ambition turned to acting, and she appeared in several school plays. Her parents hoped she’d go to college, but instead she took roles in a small theater and played bit parts in radio dramas.

Explaining in 2011 how she kept up her frantic pace even as an octogenarian, she explained that she only needed four hours of sleep each night.

And when asked how she had managed to be universally beloved during her decades-spanning career, she summed up with a dimpled smile: “I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It’s that simple.”

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New Year's Eve Fireworks: Chicago to Host 1.5-Mile Display, City's Largest Ever

A 1.5-mile-long New Year’s Eve fireworks show in Chicago will explode along Lake Michigan and the Chicago River at midnight, marking the city’s entry into 2022 with its largest fireworks display ever.

“This will be the largest fireworks display in the City’s history and one of the largest anywhere in the world,” Arena Partners CEO, John Murray, who is producing the event after a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, said in a statement.

The show will be choreographed to a “special music soundtrack” and will be synchronized across eight separate launch sites along the Chicago River, in Lake Michigan and near Navy Pier.

City officials say while the historic display comes at a time COVID cases are surging, they encourage residents to celebrate the holiday safely.

“I’m thrilled that we are able to welcome back our New Year’s Eve fireworks and hope to continue this tradition into the future,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. “Importantly, the display can be viewed outdoors where the spread of COVID-19 is less likely, so our residents and visitors should feel comfortable while masking up and social distancing or even watching safely from home. I look forward to welcoming a happy new year.”

The show will air live on NBC 5’s “A Very Chicago New Year” show and will be streamed live on NBCChicago.com and the NBC Chicago app.

NBC 5 Chicago will ring in the New Year with a special show hosted by Cortney Hall and Matthew Rodrigues of “Chicago Today.” The program celebrates some of the best the city has to offer.

To help kick off 2022, several celebrities make guest appearances, including Chicago New Year’s Eve icons Janet Davies and Mark Giangreco. Reuniting Chicago’s unofficial New Year’s Eve couple leads to fun antics the pair have been known for during the past 20 years.

“We’re thrilled to bring this very Chicago ensemble together to start the New Year and provide viewers with an expanded show this year,” said Kevin Cross, president of NBC Universal Local Chicago.

It wouldn’t be New Year’s without a few fun games and reminiscing with celebrities Buddy Guy, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Giuliana Rancic and more. Plus, performances by rock legends Chicago and The Blues Brothers.

The show will be broadcast on Friday, Dec. 31 at 11:08 p.m. on NBC 5, streaming on NBCChicago.com and through NBC Chicago’s free apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple.

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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Chicago Area on New Year's Day

A winter storm warning has been issued for the Chicago area on New Year’s Day, as a storm system could bring between four and eight inches of snow and gusty winds to the region, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service issued the warning beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday for Cook, Lake, DuPage, DeKalb, Kane, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Will, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Ogle and Lee counties through midnight. A winter storm watch was previously issued for the Chicago area from 6 a.m. Saturday until Sunday morning.

Forecasters say that steady, blowing snow will be the primary threat from the storm, causing dangerous travel conditions throughout the area.

Snow accumulations will vary widely depending on the track of the storm, but forecasters say that accumulations of greater than six inches are possible, along with northeasterly winds gusting in excess of 35 miles per hour.

Travel will be difficult at times during the storm, with blowing snow expected to dramatically reduce visibility in open areas.

Forecasters say that the steadiest snow rates will likely occur from 2 p.m. through 8 p.m. Saturday.

The storm track could potentially change in the days leading up to Saturday, but the National Weather Service estimates that the city of Chicago, along with areas immediately to the southwest of the city, has about a 70% chance of seeing at least four inches of snow from the storm.

Any change in the track of the storm will impact those predictions, with a move to the north potentially drawing in warmer air and causing mixed precipitation to fall in some areas, or a move to the south potentially causing higher snowfall accumulations in the southern suburbs.

Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest information.

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Wave of Canceled Flights From Omicron Closes Out 2021

More canceled flights frustrated air travelers on the final day of 2021 and appeared all but certain to inconvenience hundreds of thousands more over the New Year’s holiday weekend.

Airlines blamed many of the cancellations on crew shortages related to the spike in COVID-19 infections, along with wintry weather in parts of the United States.

By early afternoon Friday on the East Coast, airlines had scrubbed more than 1,400 U.S. flights — about 6% of all scheduled flights — and roughly 2,900 worldwide, according to tracking service FlightAware.

That pushed the total U.S. cancellations since Christmas Eve above 9,000, with the peak of 1,520 on Dec. 26.

The disruptions come just as travel numbers climb higher going into the New Year’s holiday weekend. Since Dec. 16, more than 2 million travelers a day on average have passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints, an increase of nearly 100,000 a day since November and nearly double last December.

Led by United and JetBlue, airlines have already canceled more than 1,000 U.S. flights on Saturday and nearly 500 on Sunday.

Canceled flights began rising from a couple hundred a day shortly before Christmas, most notably for United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways.

On Friday, United canceled more than 200 flights, or 11% of its schedule — and that doesn’t include cancellations on the United Express regional affiliate. CommutAir, which operates many United Express flights, scrubbed one-third of its schedule by midday, according to FlightAware figures.

JetBlue canceled more than 140 flights, or 14% of its schedule, and Delta grounded more than 100, or 5% of its flights by midday Friday. Allegiant, Alaska, Spirit and regional carriers SkyWest and Mesa all scrubbed at least 9% of their flights.

FlightAware reported fewer cancellations at Southwest, 2%, and American, 1%.

The virus is also hitting more federal air traffic controllers. The Federal Aviation Administration said that more of its employees have tested positive – it didn’t provide numbers Friday – which could lead controllers to reduce flight volumes and “might result in delays during busy periods.”

While leisure travel within the U.S. has returned to roughly pre-pandemic levels, international travel remains depressed, and the government is giving travelers new ore cause to reconsider trips abroad. On Thursday, the State Department warned Americans that if they test positive for coronavirus while in a foreign country it could mean a costly quarantine until they test negative.

Since March 2020, U.S. airlines have received $54 billion in federal relief to keep employees on the payroll through the pandemic. Congress barred the airlines from furloughing workers but allowed them to offer incentives to quit or take long leaves of absence – and many did. The airlines have about 9% fewer workers than they had two years ago.

Many airlines are now rushing to hire pilots, flight attendants and other workers. In the meantime, some are trimming schedules that they can no longer operate. Southwest did that before the holidays, JetBlue is cutting flights until mid-January, and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific is suspending cargo flights and reducing passenger flights because it doesn’t have enough pilots.

Other forms of transportation are also being hammered by the surge in virus cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that it is monitoring more than 90 cruise ships because of COVID-19 outbreaks. The health agency warned people not to go on cruises, even if they are fully vaccinated against the virus.

The remnants of the delta variant and the rise of the new omicron variant pushed the seven-day rolling average of new daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. above 350,000, nearly triple the rate of just two weeks ago, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

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Illinois Drivers Urged to Postpone Unnecessary Travel During Weekend Winter Storm

The Illinois Department of Transportation on Friday urged drivers to consider postponing unnecessary road travel this weekend as heavy snow, bitter cold and gusty winds threaten the Chicago area during a winter storm taking aim at the region.

IDOT expects the winter storm will “create hazardous conditions across the state,” including extremely slick conditions and poor visibility.

“IDOT crews will be out on the roads but conditions could still be extremely hazardous, so we encourage motorists to ask themselves if they really need to make the trip,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman in a statement. “If you do have to travel, remember that the bitter cold and wind reduces the effectiveness of the materials we use to treat snow and ice. There will be lengthy travel times so make sure to prepare your vehicle in the event you are stranded.”

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday for Cook, Lake, DuPage, DeKalb, Kane, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Will, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Ogle and Lee counties through midnight. A winter storm watch was previously issued for the Chicago area from 6 a.m. Saturday until Sunday morning.

Forecasters say that steady, blowing snow will be the primary threat from the storm, causing dangerous travel conditions throughout the area.

Snow accumulations will vary widely depending on the track of the storm, but forecasters say that accumulations of greater than six inches are possible, along with northeasterly winds gusting in excess of 35 miles per hour.

Travel will be difficult at times during the storm, with blowing snow expected to dramatically reduce visibility in open areas.

Forecasters say that the steadiest snow rates will likely occur from 2 p.m. through 8 p.m. Saturday.

IDOT said more than 1,800 trucks and equipment will be deployed statewide to treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. Drivers are asked to slow down and increase driving distance if you encounter a plow or maintenance vehicle.

If you must travel, IDOT recommends:

• Take it slow, especially when approaching intersections, ramps, bridges and shaded areas that are prone to icing.
• Make sure your gas tank is full.
• Keep a cell phone, warm clothes, blankets, food, water, a first-aid kit, washer fluid and an ice scraper in your vehicle.
• Check the forecast and make sure someone is aware of your route and schedule.
• Carry a cellphone and dial *999 in the Chicago area for assistance in case of emergency.
• Reminder: Using handheld phones while driving is illegal in Illinois, unless it is an emergency situation.
• If you are involved in a crash or break down, remain inside your vehicle, which is your safest form of shelter. Exiting your vehicle into live traffic can have fatal consequences.
• Always wear a seat belt, whether you’re sitting in the front seat or back seat. It’s the law.

IDOT provides regular updates on statewide road conditions at www.gettingaroundillinois.com.

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How to Prep Your Vehicle For Weekend Storm Taking Aim at Chicago Area

A winter storm expected to drop several inches of snow on the Chicago area this weekend, creating hazardous, slippery road conditions, has Illinois officials encouraging drivers to stay off the roads.

But if you must travel, there are a few ways to prep your vehicle.

The Illinois Department of Transportation said more than 1,800 trucks and equipment will be deployed statewide to treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. Drivers are asked to slow down and increase driving distance if they encounter a plow or maintenance vehicle.

For those who cannot avoid travel this weekend, IDOT recommends the following for during your trip and before you hit the road:

• Take it slow, especially when approaching intersections, ramps, bridges and shaded areas that are prone to icing.
• Make sure your gas tank is full.
• Keep a cell phone, warm clothes, blankets, food, water, a first-aid kit, washer fluid and an ice scraper in your vehicle.
• Check the forecast and make sure someone is aware of your route and schedule.
• Carry a cellphone and dial *999 in the Chicago area for assistance in case of emergency.
• Reminder: Using handheld phones while driving is illegal in Illinois, unless it is an emergency situation.
• If you are involved in a crash or break down, remain inside your vehicle, which is your safest form of shelter. Exiting your vehicle into live traffic can have fatal consequences.
• Always wear a seat belt, whether you’re sitting in the front seat or back seat. It’s the law.

IDOT expects the weekend winter storm will “create hazardous conditions across the state,” including extremely slick conditions and poor visibility.

“IDOT crews will be out on the roads but conditions could still be extremely hazardous, so we encourage motorists to ask themselves if they really need to make the trip,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman in a statement. “If you do have to travel, remember that the bitter cold and wind reduces the effectiveness of the materials we use to treat snow and ice. There will be lengthy travel times so make sure to prepare your vehicle in the event you are stranded.”

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday for Cook, Lake, DuPage, DeKalb, Kane, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Will, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Ogle and Lee counties through midnight. A winter storm watch was previously issued for the Chicago area from 6 a.m. Saturday until Sunday morning.

Forecasters say that steady, blowing snow will be the primary threat from the storm, causing dangerous travel conditions throughout the area.

Snow accumulations will vary widely depending on the track of the storm, but forecasters say that accumulations of greater than six inches are possible, along with northeasterly winds gusting in excess of 35 miles per hour.

Travel will be difficult at times during the storm, with blowing snow expected to dramatically reduce visibility in open areas.

Forecasters say that the steadiest snow rates will likely occur from 2 p.m. through 8 p.m. Saturday.

IDOT provides regular updates on statewide road conditions at www.gettingaroundillinois.com.

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Betty White, Beloved Star of ‘The Golden Girls,' Dies at 99

Betty White, whose saucy, up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, whether as a man-crazy TV hostess on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or the loopy housemate on “The Golden Girls,” has died. She was 99.

White’s death was confirmed by her longtime agent Jeff Witjas in a phone call Friday with publicist Pam Golum. White would have turned 100 on Jan. 17, 2022.

She launched her TV career in daytime talk shows when the medium was still in its infancy and endured well into the age of cable and streaming. Her combination of sweetness and edginess gave life to a roster of quirky characters in shows from the sitcom “Life With Elizabeth” in the early 1950s to oddball Rose Nylund in “The Golden Girls” in the ’80s to “Boston Legal,” which ran from 2004 to 2008.

But it was in 2010 that White’s stardom erupted as never before.

In a Snickers commercial that premiered during that year’s Super Bowl telecast, she impersonated an energy-sapped dude getting tackled during a backlot football game.

“Mike, you’re playing like Betty White out there,” jeered one of his chums. White, flat on the ground and covered in mud, fired back, “That’s not what your girlfriend said!”

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The instantly-viral video helped spark a Facebook campaign called “Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!,” whose half-million fans led to her co-hosting “Saturday Night Live” in a much-watched, watch-hailed edition that Mother’s Day weekend. The appearance won her a seventh Emmy award.

A month later, cable’s TV Land premiered “Hot In Cleveland,” the network’s first original scripted series, which starred Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick as three past-their-prime show-biz veterans who move to Cleveland to escape the youth obsession of Hollywood. They move into a home being looked after by an elderly Polish widow — a character, played by White, who was meant to appear only in the pilot episode.

But White stole the show, and the salty Elka Ostrovsky became a key part of the series, an immediate hit. She was voted the Entertainer of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

“It’s ridiculous,” White said of the honor. “They haven’t caught on to me, and I hope they never do.”

By then, White had not only become the hippest star around, but also a role model for how to grow old joyously.

“Don’t try to be young,” she told The AP. “Just open your mind. Stay interested in stuff. There are so many things I won’t live long enough to find out about, but I’m still curious about them.”

Such was her popularity that even White’s birthday became a national event: In January 2012, NBC aired “Betty White’s 90th Birthday Party” as a star-studded prime-time special. She would later appear in such series as “Bones” and Fireside Chat With Esther” and in 2019 gave voice to one of the toys, “Bitey White,” in “Toy Story 4.”

White remained youthful in part through her skill at playing bawdy or naughty while radiating niceness. The horror spoof “Lake Placid” and the comedy “The Proposal” were marked by her characters’ surprisingly salty language. And her character Catherine Piper killed a man with a skillet on “Boston Legal.”

But she almost wasn’t cast as “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1973. She and her husband, Allen Ludden, were close friends of Moore and Moore’s then-husband, producer Grant Tinker. It was feared that if White failed on the show, which already was a huge hit, it would be embarrassing for all four. But CBS casting head Ethel Winant declared White the logical choice. Originally planned as a one-shot appearance, the role of Sue Ann (which humorously foreshadowed Martha Stewart) lasted until Moore ended the series in 1977.

“While she’s icky-sweet on her cooking show, Sue is really a piranha type,” White once said. The role brought her two Emmys as supporting actress in a comedy series.

In 1985, White starred on NBC with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty in “The Golden Girls.” Its cast of mature actresses, playing single women in Miami retirement, presented a gamble in a youth-conscious industry. But it proved a solid hit and lasted until 1992.

White played Rose, a gentle, dim widow who managed to misinterpret most situations. She drove her roommates crazy with off-the-wall tales of childhood in fictional St. Olaf, Minnesota, an off-kilter version of Lake Wobegon.

The role won her another Emmy, and she reprised it in a short-lived spinoff, “The Golden Palace.”

After her co-star Arthur died in 2009, White told Entertainment Tonight: “She showed me how to be very brave in playing comedy. I’ll miss that courage.”

White’s other TV series included “Mama’s Family,” as Vicki Lawrence’s irascible mother; “Just Men,” a game show in which women tried to predict answers to questions directed to male celebrities; and “Ladies Man,” as the catty mother of Alfred Molina.

“Just Men” brought her a daytime Emmy, while she won a fourth prime time Emmy in 1996 for a guest shot on “The John Larroquette Show.”

She also appeared in numerous miniseries and TV movies and made her film debut as a female U.S. senator in Otto Preminger’s 1962 Capitol Hill drama “Advise and Consent.”

White began her television career as $50-a-week sidekick to a local Los Angeles TV personality in 1949. She was hired for a local daytime show starring Al Jarvis, the best-known disc jockey in Los Angeles.

It was then she got a tip to start lying about her age.

“We are so age-conscious in this country,” she said in a 2011 interview with The Associated Press. “It’s silly, but that’s the way we are. So I was told, ‘Knock four years off right now. You’ll be blessing yourself down the road.’

“I was born in 1922. So I thought, ‘I must always remember that I was born in 1926.’ But then I would have to do the math. Finally, I decided to heck with it.”

White proved to be a natural for the new medium. She was bright, pretty and likable, with a dimpled, eye-crinkling smile. A 1951 Los Angeles Times headline said: “Betty White Hailed as TV’s Busiest Gal.”

“I did that show 5½ hours a day, six days a week, for 4½ years,” she recalled in 1975. Jarvis was replaced by actor Eddie Albert, and when he went to Europe for the film “Roman Holiday,” she headed the show.

A sketch she had done with Jarvis turned into a syndicated series, “Life With Elizabeth,” which won her first Emmy. For a time she did interviews on “The Betty White Show” in the daytime, filmed the series at night and often turned up on a late-night talk show. She also appeared on commercials and every New Year’s narrated the Pasadena Rose Parade.

With the glib tongue and quick responses nurtured in the Jarvis years, she was a welcome guest on “I’ve Got a Secret,” “To Tell the Truth,” “What’s My Line” and other game shows — all the way up to the 2008 “Million Dollar Password,” which revived the game once hosted by Ludden, whom she had met when a contestant on his original “Password.”

That was in 1961, and the next year, while touring in summer theater during television’s off season, she starred with Ludden — by then a widower with three children — in the comedy “Critic’s Choice.”

White, who had claimed to be “militantly single” since a 1947-1949 marriage, weakened in her resolve.

“I had always said on `The Tonight Show’ and everywhere else that I would never get married again,” she told a reporter in 1963. “But Allen outnumbered me. He started in and even the children got in the act. And I surrendered — willingly.”

The marriage lasted from 1963 until his death from cancer in 1981.

Off-screen, White tirelessly raised money for animal causes such as the Morris Animal Foundation and the Los Angeles Zoo. In 1970-1971, she wrote, produced and hosted a syndicated TV show, “The Pet Set,” to which celebrities brought their dogs and cats. She wrote a 1983 book titled “Betty White’s Pet Love: How Pets Take Care of Us,” and, in 2011, published “Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo.”

Her devotion to pets was such that she declined a plum role in the hit 1997 movie “As Good As It Gets.” She objected to a scene in which Jack Nicholson drops a small dog down a laundry chute.

In her 2011 book “If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t),” White explained the origins of her love for dogs. During the Depression, her dad made radios to sell to make extra money. But since few people had money to buy the radios, he willingly traded them for dogs, which, housed in kennels in the backyard, at times numbered as many as 15 and made White’s happy childhood even happier.

Are there any critters she doesn’t like?

“No,” White told the AP. “Anything with a leg on each corner.”

Then what about snakes?

“Ohhh, I LOVE snakes!”

And when asked how she had managed to be universally beloved during her decades-spanning career, she summed up with a dimpled smile: “I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It’s that simple.”

She was born Betty Marion White in Oak Park, Illinois, and the family moved to Los Angeles when she was a toddler.

“I’m an only child, and I had a mother and dad who never drew a straight line: They just thought funny,” she told The Associated Press in 2015. “We’d sit around the breakfast table and then we’d start kicking it around. My dad was a salesman and he would come home with jokes. He’d say, `Sweetheart, you can take THAT one to school. But I wouldn’t take THIS one.′ We had such a wonderful time.”

Her early ambition was to be a writer, and she wrote her grammar school graduation play, giving herself the leading role.

At Beverly Hills High School, her ambition turned to acting, and she appeared in several school plays. Her parents hoped she’d go to college, but instead she took roles in a small theater and played bit parts in radio dramas.

Explaining in 2011 how she kept up her frantic pace even as an octogenarian, she explained that she only needed four hours of sleep each night.

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Bears bring Akiem Hicks off reserve/COVID-19 list

Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks came off the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday. | Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Bears took defensive lineman Akiem Hicks off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday, setting the table for him to play Sunday against the Giants. How much he’ll play, though, is up for debate.

The Bears took defensive lineman Akiem Hicks off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday, setting the table for him to play Sunday against the Giants. How much he’ll play, though, is up for debate: Hicks, who had symptoms since being put on the reserve list Dec. 23, is listed as questionable.

It’s becoming clear that some players who return off the reserve list need to build themselves back up, physically, for game action.

When the Bears took receiver Allen Robinson off the reserve list earlier this week, he detailed the ravages of the virus. He lost 10 pounds and was still struggling to get his lung capacity back up. Rookie right tackle Larry Borom returned last week; Bears coach Matt Nagy said Friday he didn’t start in part because the team was unsure exactly where he was, physically.

“Every player is different in regards to how they handle it and how much they got hit by it,” Nagy said. “Some guys got it worse than others. …

“I think A-Rob’s done a good job this week of being able to get into football shape. Doesn’t mean they’re not tired. There’s other guys too that have come off that list that talk about how winded they get. That’s all real. So it’s just a matter of each guy saying, ‘OK, here’s where I’m at,’ and then you maybe limit some snaps too for the guys and work through that.”

Tackle talk

Nagy has a decision to make at both tackle spots. Veteran Jason Peters [ankle] was a full participant in Friday’s walk-through after being limited in practice the previous two weeks. He’s questionable for the game. Fellow left tackle Teven Jenkins, a second-round rookie, practiced all week after hurting his shoulder Sunday.

Borom and veteran Germain Ifedi, both right tackles, are healthy.

Nagy wouldn’t name his starters Friday but hinted that he might go with the vets. He said Peters has had a “great year” and said the rookies are “gonna have a lot of time to grow,any way you look at it,” beyond this season.

“We’ve gotta work through all that and understand what puts us in the best position at all positions,” he said.

This and that

• Nose tackle Eddie Goldman (finger) and cornerback Duke Shelley (heel) were listed as questionable. Goldman practiced in full all week while Shelley was limited Friday.
• Tight end J.P. Holtz is doubtful for personal reasons. He did not practice the last two days.
• Receiver Marquise Goodwin will play Sunday after missing Thursday with an illness. Jakeem Grant will be back, too, after missing the last game with a concussion.

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Bears' Andy Dalton Will Start Against Giants on Sunday

Andy Dalton to start against Giants, Foles to back up originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

This season’s original QB1 for the Chicago Bears will be making at least one more start in that position this Sunday against the New York Giants.

Bears coach Matt Nagy announced Friday that Andy Dalton will start at quarterback in Sunday’s game, while Nick Foles, who served as starter last week in Seattle, will be set as the team’s backup.

Established starter Justin Fields has been able to practice in a limited capacity this week but is still recovering from an ankle injury prior to last week’s game at Seattle, he is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report. 

The Giants game will be Dalton’s first action since his two touchdown and four interception performance in Week 13 at Soldier Field against Arizona (Dec. 5). Dalton was inactive against Seattle while recovering from a groin injury he suffered against the Cardinals, but he was able to participate in practice without restrictions this week.

Dalton has started four games and appeared in six overall in his first season with the Bears, throwing for 1,017 yards with six touchdowns, six interceptions and a 79.9 passer rating while completing 64 percent of his passes.

Foles has been third on the Bears’ depth chart at quarterback all season prior to his start in Seattle. He threw for 250 yards and his touchdown to Jimmy Graham with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks set the Bears up for a go-ahead score, a two-point conversion to Damiere Byrd, that secured a 25-24 win, the team’s fifth of the season.

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Bears to start QB Andy Dalton vs. Giants; Justin Fields eyes Week 18 return

Dalton will make his fifth start of the season Sunday. | AP Photos

Dalton will make his first start since throwing four interceptions in a loss to the Cardinals in Week 13.

The Bears will go back to where they began: Andy Dalton is resuming his role as starting quarterback Sunday against the Giants.

Their best option would be rookie Justin Fields, who needs as much as experience as possible, but he was unable to fully practice this week because of an ankle injury. He also missed the game against the Seahawks, when Nick Foles started.

Dalton was out for that game because of injuries to his non-throwing hand and groin muscle. He was also coming off having the coronavirus.

Bears coach Matt Nagy said Foles will be the backup, but he did not rule out Fields. Instead, he listed him as questionable, just like he did when Fields was inactive last week in Seattle.

Dalton will make his first start since throwing four interceptions in a loss to the Cardinals in Week 13. For the season, he has completed 64.1% of his passes for 1,017 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions for a 79.9 passer rating.

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Michigan, Following CDC, Updates Quarantine Guidance

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services changed its COVID-19 recommendations for individuals and the general public Friday to reflect the recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommended shortening the quarantine and isolation duration for those who aren’t vaccinated or haven’t received their booster to five days followed by an additional five days of wearing a well-fitting mask around others. The updated guidance is specific to the general public and does not change the current recommendations for congregate settings, early childcare or K-12 settings: Those settings should continue to use existing guidelines and policies regarding quarantine and isolation.

Guidance will continue to evolve as more information is learned from CDC, the agency said.

The specifics of the new COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidance will be shared as further information becomes available from the CDC, the Michigan agency said.

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Kevin Lankinen entering COVID-19 protocol another sign Blackhawks’ life like box of chocolates

Kevin Lankinen entered the COVID-19 protocol, leaving the Blackhawks with netminders Collin Delia and Arvid Söderblom. | AP

Nobody knows what they’re going to get, and the Hawks experienced that uncertainty again on the last day of 2021 as Lankinen joined Marc-Andre Fleury in the protocol.

When he discussed what the Blackhawks hope to see from forward Jujhar Khaira when he returns to the lineup, interim coach Derek King referenced a famous Oscar-winning Tom Hanks movie.

“I’m looking forward to having him back,” King said. “I know the team is, but he can’t just go out there and… I call it a ‘Forrest Gump’ game. He needs to just simplify his game and keep it very simple and easy and shorten his shifts and really manage his game.”

King clarified what a “Forrest Gump” game is.

“If you watch the movie ‘Forrest Gump’ he gets so much in [2 1/2 hours],” King said. “I don’t need him going out there doing a ‘Forrest Gump,’ trying to be the hero and solve our problems all in three periods. He’s got to play his game and manage it.”

Perhaps it’s apt to mention that prestigious drama that swept the Academy Awards and became a pop-culture icon, because life around the Hawks and NHL these days is like a box of chocolates. Nobody knows what they’re going to get, and the Hawks experienced that uncertainty again on the last day of 2021.

On Friday, the Hawks announced that goalie Kevin Lankinen has been placed in the COVID-19 protocol. Lankinen joins Marc-Andre Fleury in the protocol, probably leaving the Hawks with netminders Collin Delia and Arvid Söderblom for the Saturday matinee in Nashville against the Predators.

Before Friday’s practice, King said Fleury is still not ready and had another test to do.

“I doubt he’s available for us right away,” King said.

Delia, Saturday’s likely starter, has appeared in 24 NHL games but none this season. In six appearances last year, Delia had a 3.59 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.

In the era of COVID-19, changing on the fly is part of life that everybody must handle. On Saturday, the next adjustment will come for the Hawks as they play in front of Delia and try to move closer to a Western Conference wild card.

“I think you’ve got to be ready for anything, especially nowadays,” forward Dylan Strome said. “Two years of this now, so we’re adjusting on the fly. [Delia] has played some games before, he’s been good for us, he’s worked hard in practice and it’s good to see.”

It will be especially good for the Hawks to see Khaira back on the ice in a game.

Khaira hasn’t played since Dec. 7 when he was leveled by the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba and stretchered off the ice in front of a scared United Center crowd. Activated off injured reserve Thursday, the Hawks are eager to get a boost from Khaira’s return after what he went through.

“It’s going to be huge,” King said. “Even just when he first practiced with us, came back on the ice and guys saw him around the locker room, you could see the guys light up.”

Khaira’s teammates haven’t played much recently because of COVID-related postponements. Saturday’s game against the Predators is the Hawks’ first since a Dec. 18 overtime loss to the Stars.

Since then, they’ve wondered what’s next, practiced and waited for their next chance to play against another team, which will finally arrive Saturday.

“It’s been a while, obviously,” Strome said. “Long break, got some good practice days, got a little vacation. Well, not really a vacation but Christmas. It’s been good, so I think everyone’s itching to get back out there. A lot of games coming up the next couple months. I think [January’s] our busiest month, so ready to get going.”

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Suspect arrested in fatal shooting of Bradley police officer

Sun-Times file photo

Authorities issued arrest warrants for Darius D. Sullivan, 25, and Xandria Harris, 26, of Bradley, and were offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, officials said.

A suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a Bradley police officer has been arrested.

Darius Sullivan was taken into custody about 9 a.m. Friday, Illinois State Police said. Arrangements are being made to transport him to Kankakee county.

Authorities had issued arrest warrants for Sullivan, 25, and Xandria Harris, 26, of Bradley, and were offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, officials said. Harris is still at large.

Illinois State Police

Darius Sullivan

On Wednesday, Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and her partner responded to a noise complaint about 9:40 p.m. at the Comfort Inn in the 1500 block of North State Highway 50, Bradley police said.

The officers went in the motel and spoke to people inside, who fired on the officers and struck them both, police said.

Rittmanic, 49, and her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, were rushed to hospitals in critical condition and Rittmanic later died, police said. Bailey remained in critical condition at a hospital.

Rittmanic had lived in Kankakee and joined the Bradley Police Department in 2007. She previously spent seven years as a deputy with the Iroquois County Sheriff’s Department.

Bradley Police Department

Marlene Rittmanic

Rittmanic’s niece said her aunt had worked for years to reach the rank of sergeant and was five years from retirement.

“The crazy thing is they’d probably have to kick her out, she loved her job so much,” Johnson said. “She wasn’t that type of person that wanted to pull you over to give you a ticket, unless she felt it was absolutely the only thing she had to do, but she wasn’t that kind of cop.

“She always aimed to be a cop to make a difference,” Ashlee Johnson said.

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Pet insurance can help keep costs for your furbaby in check

If your new dog or cat gets sick or injured, an unexpected medical bill can derail your budget. For a growing number of Americans, pet insurance provides peace of mind. | stock.adobe.com

Pet insurance won’t reimburse you for every penny you spend at the vet, but it can help prevent you from being slapped with an expensive bill.

You might be thinking of adding a furry friend to the family during the holidays. And you’ll be in good company: 70% of U.S. households have a pet, according to the 2021-2022 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey.

As cute as pets are, they’re a financial commitment. Americans spent $103.6 billion on their pets in 2020 alone, APPA says.

Some expenses, like food and shelter, are predictable. But if your new puppy or kitten gets sick or injured, an unexpected medical bill can derail your budget. For a growing number of Americans, pet insurance provides peace of mind.

The cost of veterinary care

Medical issues are almost inevitable for pets, and costs are likely to rise, says Kristen Lynch, executive director of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, or NAPHIA.

“The fact that there’s continued innovation in the medical care of pets — just like there is for humans — means that the cost of those innovations will continue to go up.”

Dog owners spend an average of $242 on routine visits and $458 on surgical visits each year, according to APPA. The cost for cat owners is slightly lower, at $178 for routine visits and $201 for surgical visits.

“I’d say at least half of the clients I come in contact with have money concerns,” Dr. TB Thompson, a Phoenix-based veterinarian at Natural Pets HQ, said in an email. “When pets get into complicated, life-threatening medical trouble, costs add up fast.”

How pet insurance can reduce surprise bills

Pet insurance won’t reimburse you for every penny you spend at the vet, but it can help prevent you from being slapped with an expensive bill.

A policy will typically pay 70% to 90% of your costs after you pay a deductible, which can range from $0 to $1,000 or more.

“Consider buying pet insurance unless you can easily fund treating a pet emergency that costs $2,500 and up,” Thompson says.

There are a few types of pet insurance plans. Comprehensive plans, the most robust, help cover the cost of care due to accidents, illnesses and surgeries, as well as vaccinations and diagnostic tests. Accident and illness coverage helps pay for emergency care, surgeries, hospitalizations and prescription medications, while accident-only policies help cover expenses after an accident. Some insurers also offer wellness plans, which take care of certain tests, exams, vaccinations and preventive treatments.

Getting the best deal on pet insurance

While pet insurance can stop you from dipping into your savings to pay a vet bill, it is an added cost.

The average cost of an accident and illness policy is $594 per year for dogs and $342 for cats, according to NAPHIA. For an accident-only policy, you could pay $218 for dogs and $134 for cats.

Premiums are based on a range of factors, including:

• Where you live. The cost of veterinary care varies by region.
• Species. Dogs are more expensive to insure than cats, for example. Coverage for other types of animals is rare.
• Breed. Some breeds are predisposed to medical conditions, which can increase the cost of coverage.
• Age. As pets age, they’re more likely to be ill or become injured, Lynch says. Keep this in mind if you plan to adopt an older pet from a shelter this holiday season.

As a new pet owner, many of these factors are out of your control. But there are a few things you can do to score a lower premium.

• Look at the fine print. Consider choosing a higher deductible and lower reimbursement level.
• Check for discounts. Some companies offer discounts for insuring multiple pets or for military service.
• Shop around. There are around 20 pet insurers in the U.S. competing for your business, so let them. Compare quotes from three insurers for the same amount of coverage, and go with the best pet insurance company for your budget.

In Lynch’s view, some pet insurance is better than none.

“People avoid taking their pets to the vet because they’re afraid of what those costs will be,” she says. “I like to think pet insurance gives us the ability to say ‘yes’ to those decisions at a time when we’re emotional, stressed and financially strapped about other things.”

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

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Bears predictions: Week 17 vs. Giants

Robert Quinn rushes the passer against the Giants last year. | Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Sun-Times’ experts offer their picks for the Bears’ home finale Sunday against the Giants:

The Sun-Times’ experts offer their picks for the Bears’ home finale Sunday against the Giants:

Rick Morrissey

Bears 20-17

The Bears are just as bad as the Giants are, which is to say I have as much confidence in this prediction as I do in whomever the Bears trot out to play quarterback. If there’s a COVID-19 mask that covers the eyes, I’d recommend it for watching Sunday’s game. Somebody has to win this one, right? Unless it’s a tie. Hmmm. Season: 12-3.

Rick Telander

Bears 30-21

Both teams are on streaks: the Giants have lost four in a row, the Bears have won one in a row. With Covid rampant we have no idea who will show up—maybe Rusty Lisch gets QB reps? Eliminated or not, believe Matt Nagy wants this one on his resume. Season: 11-4.

Patrick Finley

Bears 24-10

It won’t matter who the Bears — or Giants — start at quarterback. Amazingly, Justin Fields, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles are all better than anyone Big Blue can put under center. Season: 11-4.

Jason Lieser

Bears 30-13

There aren’t many teams worse than the Bears, but the Giants are one of them. This is one of the most favorable matchups the Bears have had this season, and they’re sure to enjoy it. Season: 12-3.

Mark Potash

Bears 22-10

The Bears are determined to finish a bad season on a good note and have the wherewithal to at least do that — especially against the Giants, who have lost four straight. Season: 11-4.

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EXPLAINER: Why Are So Many Flights Being Canceled?

The forces that have scrambled thousands of flights since Christmas Eve could ease in January, but that’s cold comfort to the millions of flyers with New Year’s plans.

And if 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that 2022 will likely be just as unpredictable.

Here’s a look at what has mucked up flights for thousands of people this holiday season, and what could happen over the next few weeks:

WHAT HAPPENED?

Airlines weren’t spared from the latest surge-spread of COVID-19, which knocked out flight crews at airlines that had already reduced the size of their workforces following the collapse of air travel in 2020.

The wave of COVID-19 infections arrived at the same time that crowds began to pack airports for holiday travel. Then the Pacific Northwest and other areas were slammed with cold and heavy snowstorms.

The convergence of all three forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights starting on Christmas Eve. As of Thursday afternoon, about 7,800 flights departing from, going to, or within the U.S. have been scratched, according to flight-tracking firm FlightAware. More than 1,100 of those were on Thursday.

The U.S. was not alone. There have been thousands of cancellations abroad. European and Australian airlines report the same logistical issues dealing with COVID-19 and flight crews. Chinese airlines have made up a large percentage of cancellations.

To put that in perspective, most flights were OK. There are nearly 70,000 flights a day, globally, said aviation data provider Cirium.

WHEN MIGHT THINGS IMPROVE?

U.S. health officials this week halved guidance to five days of quarantine for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus. Airline industry experts say that will alleviate the staffing issues that have forced airlines to scratch flights — but the flight attendants unions say they’re wary of the change and its effect on worker health. Yet, cases of COVID-19 continue to rise. And that isn’t the only problem.

It could take up to a week for airlines to fully recover from lingering bad weather, said Jim Hetzel, an expert on airline operations at Cirium.

Getting past the holiday rush will also help. January and February are the year’s slowest travel months after the New Year’s rush, said Willis Orlando, senior flight expert at Scott’s Cheap Flights. “There should be a lot more room for airline to cut routes, reassign pilots and have staff in reserve.’’

Some airlines have also recognized that the confluence of the holiday rush, COVID-19 and bad weather make it impossible to continue with current schedules.

JetBlue said Wednesday that it was reducing its schedule through mid-January in hopes of giving customers more time to make alternate plans rather than suffer last-minute cancellations — although still more cancellations remain likely.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that these schedule changes bring,” said spokesperson Derek Dombrowski. He said crew members are volunteering to work extra hours and managers are pitching in where they’re trained to do so.

Alaska Airlines urged flyers who could to reschedule for after Jan. 2, as it was reducing Seattle departures and more cancellations and delays were expected this week. Delta and United spokespeople said they could not predict when operations would normalize.

WAS THIS SPATE OF CANCELLATIONS UNUSUAL?

Inclement weather is a sporadic but constant threat to travel in winter. A 2021 rebound in travel, when airlines didn’t have enough staff to keep up with demand, led to heavy cancellations and delays earlier this year.

Southwest Airlines struggled in summer and fall because of delays and cancellations, which it blamed on computer problems, staffing shortages and bad weather. American canceled over 1,000 flights over Halloween weekend because of staffing shortages. Delta canceled dozens of flights around Easter this year because of staffing problems.

COULD THE AIRLINES HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO PREVENT THIS?

The latest surge in COVID-19 cases was a shock to the system and its speed broadsided just about everyone, airlines included.

“This is kind of an extreme circumstance,” said Hetzel, the operations expert at Cirium.

Some airlines were hit harder than others simply because of where they tend to operate. Southwest and American had lower geographic exposure to the areas of the U.S. where weather was awful, and less of its staff is based in areas where COVID-19 cases are surging, said Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth.

Labor groups, however, say more could have been done, like offering extra pay to flight attendants during the holiday earlier on. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 workers at 17 airlines including United, Alaska, Frontier and Spirit, said Delta started offering on Christmas Eve but should have done it sooner. The union that represents American’s flight attendants said it probably helped that the airline recalled staffers who were on leave. In a November memo, the chief operating officer at American noted that nearly 1,800 flight attendants returned from leave in November, and 800 would return in December, along with 600 new hires.

Syth, of Raymond James, did an analysis of which airlines she thought were more at risk of operational problems during the holiday season, which drives most of the fourth quarter’s profitability for airlines. She found that airlines that were conservative with scheduling were hit as well as those that were aggressive.

“This leads me to believe that this has more to do with the uniqueness of omicron-variant and the greater impact it is having in the Northeast currently than a failure on the part of airlines to prepare,” Syth said.

The airlines were more prepared for the holidays than they were for hail and thunderstorms that snarled travel earlier this year, said Charles Leocha, president and founder of the consumer advocacy group Travelers United.

“It’s a far cry from the episodes we were facing in the summer and autumn when we had airlines that were out of whack for two or three days,’’ Loecha said. “It’s been a really good effort. The airlines have paid more money to keep people on reserve and they’re paying more money to keep people flying.’’

Airlines have been hiring. The U.S. Department of Transportation says that as of October, U.S. passenger airlines employed more than 400,000 full-time workers, but that’s about 9% fewer than they employed two years ago.

Even critics say airlines this year were at the mercy of the pandemic.

“Airlines should have planned better and the (Transportation Department) should have monitored airline capacity and required ready reserves of equipment and personnel given the large federal subsidies since 2020,’’ said Paul Hudson, president of the advocacy group FlyersRights.org.

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WHAT SHOULD TRAVELERS DO IF AIRLINES CANCEL THEIR FLIGHTS?

If your flight is canceled, most airlines will put you on the next available plane to your destination free of charge. “They will figure a way to get you there. You don’t have to pay anything extra,” Leocha said.

If you cancel your trip instead of taking an alternative flight, you are entitled to your money back, even if you had nonrefundable tickets. When they cancel flights, airlines tend to push customers toward vouchers for future flights instead of offering a full refund. Orlando, of Scott’s Cheap Flights, urged travelers to remember their right to get their money back. “Airlines make it very easy to allow them to keep your money,’’ he said.

You also can ask the airline to transfer your ticket to another airline, but it is are not obligated to do so. Likewise, airlines are not required to reimburse you for hotel rooms, cabs or other expenses.

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Top 10 Chicago sports-media stories of 2021

“Janet [Davies] mentioned it to NBC 5 VP of news Frank Whittaker about six months ago, and he jumped on it,” Mark Giangreco said of the New Year’s Eve show’s conception. “Seeing it as a great chance to take a shot at [ABC] 7.” | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

The saga of Mark Giangreco’s ouster from ABC 7 is No. 1. But he’ll make at least one more appearance on Chicago TV for a New Year’s Eve countdown show.

Mark Giangreco has been off Chicago TV since his last sportscast Jan. 28 on ABC 7. But he’ll reappear Friday night where he did his first Chicago sportscast, NBC 5.

He and longtime New Year’s Eve partner Janet Davies will help ring in the new year with “Chicago Today” hosts Cortney Hall and Matthew Rodrigues on “A Very Chicago New Year.” Giangreco and Davies co-hosted their own countdown show on ABC 7 for 20 years before the station let both go this year.

“Janet mentioned it to NBC 5 VP of news Frank Whittaker about six months ago, and he jumped on it,” Giangreco said of the show’s conception. “Seeing it as a great chance to take a shot at [ABC] 7.”

Would you expect anything else from Giangreco?

NBC 5

Mark Giangreco (right) returns to Chicago TV on Friday night with longtime New Year’s Eve partner Janet Davies (left). They’ll join Cortney Hall and Matthew Rodrigues for “A Very Chicago New Year” at 11:08 p.m. on NBC 5.

Of course, such flippant comments got Giangreco in trouble a few times during his career in Chicago, which began in 1982. But his last alleged transgression led to his ouster at ABC 7, capping a 27-year run as the station’s — and the city’s — lead sports anchor.

It also ranked first among our top 10 Chicago sports-media stories of 2021.

At the end of that fateful, final sportscast, Giangreco jokingly referred to news anchor Cheryl Burton as someone who could “play the ditzy, combative interior decorator” as part of a fictional DIY Network show. The remark didn’t sit well with Burton. She complained to the bosses, and they took Giangreco off the air.

Viewers didn’t know what had happened to Giangreco until five weeks later, when the story finally leaked. On March 12, ABC 7 and Giangreco — who had 18 months left on his contract — reached a separation agreement. It marked a sad and undeserving ending for one of the best sports personalities Chicago has ever had.

Giangreco has made the most of his time since then, spending it largely with family and friends. But on New Year’s Eve, he’d be happy to spend it with you, too.

2. Pat Foley begins last year with Blackhawks

You can’t tell me that Foley couldn’t call Hawks games for another five to 10 years. So when the Hawks announced in June that the 2021-22 season would be his last, I was stunned – and saddened. He’s my favorite announcer of all-time and the best this city has ever heard. The Hawks are auditioning potential replacements, and while their process is understandable, it also is robbing fans of chances to hear Foley in his final season. The candidates are great, but there’s only one Foley.

3. Len Kasper makes White Sox debut

Hearing a different voice calling Hawks games is one thing. Hearing the voice of the Cubs for 16 years calling White Sox games is another. Man, that was weird. Kasper is living out his childhood dream as a baseball radio announcer. When Yoan Moncada and Yermin Mercedes hit back-to-back homers in the Sox’ home opener, Kasper sounded as though he had been on the South Side forever. That’s because he’s a pro, and Sox fans are lucky to have him.

4. Jon Sciambi becomes Cubs’ TV voice

I can’t take credit for the Cubs and Marquee Sports Network hiring “Boog,” but 10 days before the Jan. 4 announcement, I wrote, “I want Jon Sciambi calling Cubs games.” And voila! It wasn’t the easiest debut season given all the challenges created by the pandemic. But Sciambi fared well, and he’ll be even better. In many ways, he’s an extension of Kasper with an even better sense of humor and a self-deprecating demeanor.

5. Leila Rahimi named Score co-host, NBC 5 anchor

Is there another woman in a local market who has a weekday sports-radio show and is a TV sports anchor? “My agent asked me the same thing, and we were trying to figure that out,” Rahimi said in November. “I wish I knew the answer. It’s unfortunate if I am the only one.” That’s the truth, but Rahimi is representing well.

6. Broadcasters battle to travel for games

In July, Sox TV voice Jason Benetti appeared on The Score and fumed about not being allowed to travel after staying home in 2020. “It’s ridiculous,” Benetti told the “Parkins & Spiegel Show.” “We, in order to do the job properly, need to be around the team.” The NBC Sports Chicago crew finally traveled in September as the Sox closed in on a division title.

7. Beth Mowins becomes first woman to call Cubs

Mowins made history May 8, calling a 3-2 victory against the Pirates at Wrigley Field, her first regular-season MLB game. She has been the voice of the Women’s College World Series for more than 20 years. “From a play-by-play standpoint, the language is the same, most of the strategy is the same,” Mowins said in February. “I grew up on TWIB Notes and ‘This Week in Baseball.’ ” That’s all I needed to hear.

8. Adam Amin calls Bears, Bulls, Cubs and Sox

Amin is the Bulls’ regular TV voice, but his job with Fox Sports gives him other opportunities. On July 10, he called a Cubs home game. On July 17, he called a Sox home game. And though he’s also the Bears’ preseason TV voice, he hadn’t called a Bears regular-season game until Oct. 31. That’s called doing “The Brick,” in honor of Jack Brickhouse, who was the voice of all four teams in 1967.

9. Eddie Olczyk becomes TNT’s lead analyst

When the NHL moved its games to ESPN and TNT, it was obvious that Olczyk would wind up at one or the other. The lead analyst for the Hawks and NBC – and the best hockey analyst on the air – chose TNT, where he joined Kenny Albert to form the network’s top pair. TNT has been a breath of fresh air for a sport whose TV coverage had become stale.

10. Hawk Harrelson finally inducted into Hall of Fame

Harrelson was supposed to be enshrined in Cooperstown in 2020, but the pandemic nixed those plans. As the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, given to broadcasters, Harrelson finally delivered his acceptance speech in July. It sounded like many of his broadcasts, filled with opinions and stories and told in a way only Hawk could.

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