Chicago Sports

A fire at a central Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic is being investigated as arson, Peoria police said Tuesday, days after the state enacted sweeping abortion protections.

Officers responded to a report of an “unknown person throwing a Molotov cocktail” into the Peoria clinic building at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police spokesperson Semone Roth said.

Peoria police and fire officials are investigating the blaze, and no suspects have been identified or arrests made, Roth said.

The incident occurred two days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law reproductive health care legislation to protect out-of-state abortion seekers, adding Illinois to the list of states that have placed legal reinforcements around the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

No patients or staff were inside during the fire, but it caused “significant damage” to the building, said Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

The clinic is currently closed, and the organization is rescheduling patients who had appointments to other health care centers and offering transportation assistance to those who need it.

The Peoria Planned Parenthood location offered medication abortion but was not a site for in-clinic procedures, said Welch, who pledged to prosecute the perpetrator “to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The vast majority of our Peoria Health Center patients were coming to us for family planning, STI testing and treatment and other reproductive health care,” she said. “This act of vandalism will have a devastating impact on the community’s ability to access birth control, cancer screenings and gender-affirming care.”

Anti-abortion organization Illinois Right to Life executive director Mary Kate Zander condemned the incident, saying: “We would never condone violence against any Planned Parenthood or any other abortion clinic.

“The primary reason that we stand against abortion is that it’s an act of violence. So it would be hypocritical of us to not say the same in the case of an act of violence against abortion workers.”

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A fire at a central Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic is being investigated as arson, Peoria police said Tuesday, just days after the state enacted sweeping abortion protections.

Officers responded to a report of an “unknown person throwing a Molotov cocktail” into the Peoria clinic building at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police spokesperson Semone Roth said.

Peoria police and fire officials are investigating the blaze, and no suspects have been identified or arrests made, Roth said.

The incident occurred two days after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law reproductive health care legislation to protect out-of-state abortion seekers, adding Illinois to the list of states that have placed legal reinforcements around the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

No patients or staff were inside during the fire, but it caused “significant damage” to the building, said Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois in a statement.

The clinic is currently closed, and the organization is rescheduling patients who had appointments to other health care centers, and offering transportation assistance to those who need it.

The Peoria Planned Parenthood location offered medication abortion but was not a site for in-clinic procedures, said Welch, who pledged to prosecute the perpetrator “to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The vast majority of our Peoria Health Center patients were coming to us for family planning, STI testing and treatment and other reproductive health care,” she said. “This act of vandalism will have a devastating impact on the community’s ability to access birth control, cancer screenings and gender-affirming care.”

Anti-abortion organization Illinois Right to Life executive director Mary Kate Zander condemned the incident, saying: “We would never condone violence against any Planned Parenthood or any other abortion clinic.”

She added: “The primary reason that we stand against abortion is that it’s an act of violence. So it would be hypocritical of us to not say the same in the case of an act of violence against abortion workers.”

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The Bears introduced new president and CEO Kevin Warren on Tuesday, and he immediately took aim at winning the Super Bowl and building a world-class stadium.

“It’s because of the challenge, because of the opportunity,” Warren said. “We’re gonna build an incredible franchise. I came here to win championships.”

Warren said part of his plan to establish “an incredible culture” at Halas Hall is to meet with every employee one-on-one and get their input on how to lead the Bears to a championship.

As for the new stadium, he reiterated outgoing president Ted Phillips’ message that the Arlington Heights site is the organization’s sole focus and it is not considering any options in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has advocated for a massive renovation of Soldier Field to keep the Bears in the city.

He declined to give a timetable on when the Arlington Heights stadium could be ready, but said he would have a clearer idea of that in about six months.

The Bears hired Warren as the fifth president in franchise history last week. He’s the team’s first Black president and first hired from outside the organization. He is expected to officially begin team business in April, but Warren said he is already at work learning the organization.

With Warren’s hiring, general manager Ryan Poles will now report to him rather than chairman George McCaskey.

Warren, 59, spent the last three years as commissioner of the Big Ten, but most of his experience in sports was in the NFL. He was an executive with the Vikings from 2005 through ’19, the Lions from 2001 through ’03 and the Rams from 1997 through 2000.

He was with the Lions when they opened Ford Field in 2002 and was COO of the Vikings when they opened U.S. Bank Stadium.

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The Bears introduced new president and CEO Kevin Warren on Tuesday, and he immediately took aim at winning the Super Bowl and building a world-class stadium.

“It’s because of the challenge, because of the opportunity,” Warren said. “We’re gonna build an incredible franchise. I came here to win championships.”

Warren said part of his plan to establish “an incredible culture” at Halas Hall is to meet with every employee one-on-one and get their input on how to lead the Bears to a championship.

As for the new stadium, he reiterated outgoing president Ted Phillips’ message that the Arlington Heights site is the organization’s sole focus and it is not considering any options in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has advocated for a massive renovation of Soldier Field to keep the Bears in the city.

He declined to give a timetable on when the Arlington Heights stadium could be ready, but said he would have a clearer idea of that in about six months.

The Bears hired Warren as the fifth president in franchise history last week. He’s the team’s first Black president and first hired from outside the organization. He is expected to officially begin team business in April, but Warren said he is already at work learning the organization.

With Warren’s hiring, general manager Ryan Poles will now report to him rather than chairman George McCaskey.

Warren, 59, spent the last three years as commissioner of the Big Ten, but most of his experience in sports was in the NFL. He was an executive with the Vikings from 2005 through ’19, the Lions from 2001 through ’03 and the Rams from 1997 through 2000.

He was with the Lions when they opened Ford Field in 2002 and was COO of the Vikings when they opened U.S. Bank Stadium.

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PFF has named this veteran a best fit for the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have some clear needs on both sides of the football to address this offseason. And one of those is at wide receiver.

After trading for Chase Claypool to add to the roster, Chicago’s receivers still struggled. Now, they could benefit from adding at least one player to the position whether it be a draft pick or a possible trade.

One analyst believes that a veteran receiver is the right fit. Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger listed his best fits for all NFL teams this offseason and he connects Michael Thomas to Chicago. Here is what Spielberger wrote on Thomas:

While Thomas isn’t officially a free agent just yet, he will be once free agency begins in mid-March, with the Saints renegotiating his contract to enable them to designate him as a June 1 cut for cap purposes. Reuniting Bears quarterback Justin Fields with one of his former wide receiver teammates from Ohio State is a fun topic of discussion for many, and while Thomas missed that window by a few years, the two are both former Buckeyes. 

The best way to help a young quarterback progress as a passer is to get him an elite No. 1 wide receiver, as evidenced by teams like the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles in recent seasons, to name a few. While Thomas obviously has serious injury concerns, the free-agent wide receiver class doesn’t have any other true X receivers, and Chicago already traded the No. 32 overall pick for Chase Claypool. If any team should be willing to take a risk on Thomas, it’s the Chicago Bears and their league-leading $107 million in projected 2023 cap space. 

Even in another injury-shortened 2022 campaign, Thomas flashed his elite ability, with his 77.4 receiving grade 12th among wide receivers, his three touchdown receptions tied for second and his eight contested catches the most in the NFL. Thomas may not be the same player who brought in an NFL-record 149 receptions in 2019, but he’s more than worth the gamble for Chicago as they look to spend major resources at pretty much every other position on the roster. 

Names like DeAndre Hopkins and even Mike Evans have been floated out there, as has Thomas. But this is a name that hasn’t been connected to the Chicago Bears much.

Thomas hasn’t played a full season since 2019 with the New Orleans Saints and missed time in 2020 before missing the entire 2021 season with an ankle injury. In 2022, Thomas played in 3 games having 16 catches for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns.

When healthy, Thomas is one of the best in the league. But the problem has been him staying healthy and that might not be a risk the Chicago Bears want to take.

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Joe Henricksen and Michael O’Brien’s weekly discussion of high school basketball.

This episode begins with a look back at the big Simeon vs. Kenwood game. Then we do our regular Two Takes segment, which includes a look at state tournament attendance in Champaign. There’s also a look ahead to this weekend’s big When Sides Collide Shootout and some talk about Camden, NJ and the country’s No. 1 player, DJ Wagner, who is in town on Friday.

The podcast is on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please subscribe.

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