All the scores from around the area.

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

RED NORTH-WEST

Westinghouse 72, Schurz 39

Clark at Young, 7:00

Farragut at North Lawndale, 5:00

Lincoln Park at Orr, 5:00

Marshall at Lane, 5:00

WHITE NORTH

Foreman at Northside, 5:00

Senn at Prosser, 5:00

Sullivan at Lake View, 5:00

Taft at Mather, 7:00

Uplift at Von Steuben, 5:30

WHITE WEST

Austin at Wells, 5:00

Perspectives-MSA at Legal Prep, ppd.

Raby at Clemente, 6:00

BLUE NORTH

Alcott at Roosevelt, 5:00

Amundsen at Steinmetz, 5:00

ASPIRA at Rickover, 5:00

Disney at Chicago Academy, 5:00

Marine at CMSA, 5:00

BLUE WEST

Juarez at Chicago Tech, 6:30

Kelvyn Park at Spry, 5:00

Manley at Ogden, 5:00

Phoenix at Douglass, 6:30

CHICAGO CATHOLIC CROSSOVER

St. Rita at St. Francis de Sales, 7:30

CHICAGO PREP

Walther Christian at Ida Crown, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Burlington Central at Prairie Ridge, 5:00

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Manteno at Reed-Custer, 6:45

NOBLE BLUE

Baker at Pritzker, 7:00

Golder at Muchin, 7:00

Hansbery at Mansueto, 7:00

Rauner at Noble Street, 7:00

UIC Prep at Noble Academy, 7:15

NONCONFERENCE

Amandla at Instituto, 5:00

Crystal Lake South at St. Viator, 7:00

Harvest Christian at Hinckley-Big Rock, 6:30

Marian Catholic at Tinley Park, 6:30

Montini at Aurora Central, 7:30

Rochelle at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

Serena at Sandwich, 7:00

St. Laurence at Richards, 6:30

UP-West at Intrinsic-Downtown, 5:00

Yeshiva at Waldorf, 6:30

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The One Lawndale movement aims to unite what train tracks divide: North Lawndale and Little Village.Read More

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With the league facing a surge of positive COVID-19 tests, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are in talks centered around increased testing leaguewide for vaccinated players and staff, league sources told ESPN.

As of Wednesday morning, a total of 60 players have entered health and safety protocols this season, including 43 in the past two weeks. Thirteen players entered protocols Tuesday, by far the highest number of any day this regular season. The previous single-day high was four, which occurred Dec. 1, Dec. 4, Saturday and Monday.

The Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets have been hit with outbreaks, and two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks entered protocols Tuesday.

While conversations regarding testing between the NBA and NBPA are ongoing, it’s expected that there will also be increased testing leaguewide around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, including for those who are vaccinated, league sources said.

2 Related

Ramped-up testing was also instituted around the Thanksgiving holiday, with the NBA and NBPA agreeing for every player and Tier 1 staffer — anyone working within 15 feet of players — to be tested daily from Nov. 28 to 30, including those who are vaccinated.

It’s also expected that there will be further booster requirements for staff beyond Tier 1 staffers, league sources said. Currently, the NBA has imposed a Friday deadline for players who are eligible to receive booster shots, with those who don’t facing stricter protocols, including game-day testing.

Regarding staff, the NBA noted in a previous memo that eligible staff who have not yet received a booster would no longer be permitted to interact in person with players, travel with the team or otherwise continue as “Tier 1 Personnel,” with limited exceptions.

Team executives and team health officials have in recent days described a sense of frustration regarding players who have tested positive but are asymptomatic, as these team officials said they’re hopeful that the league can one day — perhaps soon — reach a point when only players who are feeling ill will be sidelined.

But the NBA remains mindful, league sources said, that those who are asymptomatic could still transmit the virus, and the league remains committed to following guidance from the CDC, WHO and its own infectious disease experts.

Even though 97% of players are vaccinated, some team executives and team health officials expressed concern before the season that the NBA wouldn’t enter the season testing all vaccinated players in a break from policies used the previous season. Under such a circumstance, keeping track of the virus amid potential breakthrough cases, these team officials said, would prove challenging. But it was also understood around the league that daily testing in a largely vaccinated league likely wouldn’t receive enough buy-in to be approved or enforced, these team officials said.

“I’m actually fine with it if we understand the risk factors,” one Western Conference GM told ESPN regarding the lack of daily testing for all vaccinated players.

The league is hopeful that more players and staff receiving booster shots would improve immunity, but it would seem unlikely that the league, in accordance with the NBPA, would mandate boosters, league sources said. The NBA reached roughly a 97% vaccination rate without mandating vaccination, and there’s optimism that it could reach similar numbers for booster shots without mandating them.

There’s skepticism around the league that the recent uptick, which many team executives and team health officials say was predicted months ago, would cause any shutdown, though more postponements are expected. Multiple NBA general managers noted that the league powered through last winter’s COVID-19 surge, even though there were several postponed games, and was able to finish the season and crown a champion.

But there’s definite rising concern among team health officials and team executives who see other leagues facing their own outbreaks and game postponements or cancellations.

“We are pretty much defenseless now — not against getting sick but against transmission and contraction,” said one Western Conference head athletic trainer.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski contributed to this report.

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CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have settled a lawsuit by a former player who said he was sexually assaulted by an assistant coach during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup title run.

After representatives for the Blackhawks and former first-round pick Kyle Beach met Wednesday with a mediator for the first time, they announced that the session had resulted in a confidential settlement.

“The Blackhawks hope that this resolution will bring some measure of peace and closure for Mr. Beach,” the team said in a statement attributed to owner Rocky Wirtz, son and team chairman Danny Wirtz, and Susan Loggans, Beach’s attorney.

“As for the Blackhawks organization, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure that, going forward, this team will be a beacon for professionalism, respect and integrity in our community. We remain grateful for the trust and support of the Blackhawks community, and we promise to continue working every day to earn and maintain that trust.”

Loggans also is part of a second lawsuit filed in May by a former high school student whom Aldrich was convicted of assaulting in Michigan. There was no word in the joint statement about that suit.

The Blackhawks said as late as mid-May that Beach’s allegations lacked merit. But an independent review, commissioned by the team and released in October, showed the organization badly mishandled Beach’s allegations that he was assaulted by Aldrich during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup run. Aldrich told investigators the encounter was consensual.

The fallout included top executives losing their jobs in Chicago and stretched to other teams, including Florida, where veteran coach Joel Quenneville — the coach of the Blackhawks at the time — resigned. The NHL fined Chicago $2 million.

Loggans and attorneys for the Blackhawks held settlement talks in early November, meeting for about an hour. She said after those discussions that “each side had different viewpoints.”

The investigation commissioned by the team found no evidence that Rocky or Danny Wirtz were aware of the allegations before Beach’s lawsuit was brought to their attention ahead of its filing. Danny Wirtz in October said he had instructed team attorneys to seek “a fair resolution consistent with the totality of the circumstances.”

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Romin Iqbal of the Council on American-Islamic Relations speaks during a news conference at CAIR-Columbus headquarters in Dublin, Ohio on July 26, 2018. An Ohio chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization has fired Romin Iqbal for ethical and professional breaches that it says include a yearslong secret association with a group that has promoted anti-Muslim views. | AP

The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Ohio said executive and legal director Romin Iqbal was informed of his termination Tuesday, following an investigation by an independent forensic expert ordered by its national headquarters.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization has fired its leader for ethical and professional breaches that it says include a yearslong secret association with an anti-Muslim group.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Ohio said executive and legal director Romin Iqbal was informed of his termination Tuesday, following an investigation by an independent forensic expert ordered by its national headquarters. Iqbal had been suspended since last week.

The year-long probe found “conclusive evidence that Iqbal had spent years recording CAIR network meetings and passing information regarding CAIR’s national advocacy work to a known anti-Muslim hate group,” a release said. During a Wednesday briefing, spokesperson Whitney Siddiqi identified the nonprofit as the Investigative Project on Terrorism, led by Steven Emerson, which bills itself as a research organization.

CAIR-Ohio said “after being confronted with clear evidence of misconduct,” Iqbal admitted to secretly working for the group. Iqbal declined comment through his attorney, Dave Thomas.

In an emailed statement, IPT said CAIR did not represent American Muslims and called the organization antisemitic.

“While the Investigative Project on Terrorism has never and will never monitor the wider American Muslim community, it will not hesitate to uncover and publicly expose radical Islamist activity on American soil by groups like CAIR, which threaten our national security.”

Siddiqi said IPT has a history of spreading “hate, vitriol and anti-Islamic misinformation.” That includes calling CAIR itself a terrorist organization. CAIR spokesperson Edward Mitchell said the group has sent IPT notice of its findings and sent it a legal warning not to destroy any evidence.

FBI spokesperson Todd Lindgren said the government does not keep a list of “hate groups” or terrorist organizations on domestic soil, because the First Amendment protects the rights of all Americans to free speech.

Nabeel Raazi, who chairs the board of CAIR’s Columbus-Cincinnati region, which Iqbal had overseen since 2018, called his alleged actions a “betrayal and incredible violation of trust.”

“We know this is heartbreaking. We know it’s shocking,” Siddiqi said. “We know it is honestly a feeling that many of us can’t describe right now. But our work to protect Muslims, to defend Muslims transcends any one individual and, if anything, this has motivated us, this has reinvigorated us to do the work that we do.”

Siddiqi said local police and the FBI have been alerted to a package containing AR-15 rifle parts that was discovered after Iqbal’s firing on Tuesday to have been mailed to the group’s Columbus office. That package is being held in a secured location, she said. Lindgren said the agency does not confirm or deny investigations.

CAIR-Ohio further discovered a series of recent purchases from ammunition and gun retailers from the organization’s credit card that Iqbal administered, she said.

Siddiqi emphasized that the group does not know who purchased the arms, what exactly was bought or where it was sent. They were able to see the vendors and dates of the transactions, but aren’t sharing those because of the prospect of future legal action.

The organization sent a letter to the state’s Muslim community urging vigilance in the wake of its discoveries, encouraging mosques and community centers to review their security protocols “out of an abundance of caution.” Ohio is home to an estimated 200,000 Muslims.

The group’s board of directors has appointed Amina Barhumi acting executive director and Lina Abbaoui acting legal director.

CAIR-Ohio said the probe determined Iqbal, who joined CAIR-Ohio in 2006, wasn’t helped by any other employees. The group emphasized that its local assets, operations and infrastructure “are safe and secure.”

Siddiqi said the locks have been changed at its Columbus office, as would happen after any change in leadership. She said CAIR knows of no imminent threats.

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Paramedics were called to City Hall after Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) collapsed in her seat Wednesday afternoon during the Chicago City Council meeting. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

“At times like these, we take life for granted. We don’t know when and where anything can happen to any one of us,” Ald. Emma Mitts said. “So, right now Lord, we’re asking for your blessings for our colleague, Ald. Austin.”

Indicted Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), Chicago’s second most senior alderperson, collapsed in her seat at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, prompting a brief recess, followed by a prayer for her healing.

After the Council chambers were cleared, Austin was evaluated by Chicago Fire Department paramedics and taken out of the chambers conscious.

Fire officials said she was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition.

When the council reconvened, License Committee Chairman Emma Mitts led her colleagues in prayer for Austin, who is beloved by her colleagues and endeared herself to them even more by choosing political retirement over fighting a new ward map that shifted the 34th Ward to the North Side.

“At times like these, we take life for granted. We don’t know when and where anything can happen to any one of us,” Mitts said.

“So, right now, Lord, we’re asking for your blessings for our colleague, Ald. Austin, as she goes in and lets the doctors do the work that they do to make sure that her health is good and she’s good. You say, `Ask and it shall be given.’ We’re calling upon you because you are the one who has all of the power. All of the medicine. Everything she needs to be able to be healed.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot later said there is “too much attention paid” to the “gamesmanship” in the City Council.

“What you saw today was an outpouring of our humanity. Every single alderman was here and concerned. Ald. Austin has been through a lot. I wish her Godspeed,” Lightfoot said.

Aides later said that doctors tending to Austin at Northwestern Hospital believe the alderperson’s collapse may have been related to her blood sugar levels or to dehydration.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) chats with another alderman Wednesday morning during the Chicago City Council meeting at City Hall.

Austin has pleaded not guilty to charges that she took home improvement bribes — including new kitchen cabinets and granite countertops — from a developer seeking her help in navigating a project through the City Hall bureaucracy. She is also accused of lying to FBI agents who sought to question her about the perks.

Wednesday’s collapse was just the latest in a string of health-related challenges for Austin, 72.

Last year, she tested positive for the coronavirus after what sources described as a bleeding episode that initially appeared to signal complications from the surgery she had five years ago to repair a torn aorta that nearly killed her.

Though COVID-19 is commonly associated with severe respiratory symptoms, coronavirus patients also can develop blood clots leading to serious blockages such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and stroke.

Two years ago, Austin was bounced as Budget Committee chairman by Mayor Lori Lightfoot only to be appeased with a consolation prize — as chairman of the newly-created Committee on Contract Oversight and Equity.

She resigned from that job in August under pressure from Lightfoot.

Six years ago, Austin choked back tears as she talked in surprising detail about the health crisis that nearly killed her. It was stunning in an era when privacy laws allow public officials to conceal the true nature of their health issues.

“I tore my aorta. I almost wasn’t here. But I’m grateful that God allowed me to be here. I was in the hospital 29 days. For the first two weeks, I was unconscious. I was in a coma. Blood pressure went up over 300. The bottom number was 205. They couldn’t bring it down. But I’m grateful for the God that I serve because I’m sitting here today,” Austin said on that day as her colleagues applauded.

“When I came home, I was home a week. The rest of it was tearing. It was tearing [near] my spine. I went to the hospital at Northwestern. I got three stents. So, I’m doing pretty good unless it decides to go the other way. Then, it’ll be instant death. But if it happens, I’m ready to see the Lord because I have served him all of my life.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Paramedics were called to City Hall after Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) collapsed in her seat Wednesday afternoon during the Chicago City Council meeting.

Austin’s decision to retire from politics rather than fight the new ward map has made it easier for the Black Caucus to accommodate the loss of more than 85,000 African-American residents over the last decade.

The move drew praise from Lightfoot, who came to office at odds with Austin, but has forged a surprisingly close alliance with her ever since.

“Ald. Austin made the determination that she would give up her ward as part of this remap process, that’s a heck of a thing,” the mayor said recently.

Lightfoot argued then that the allegations against Austin “aren’t even remotely the same” to that of indicted Ald. Ed Burke (14th), whose resignation Lightfoot has repeatedly demanded.

“Every time that I’m down there, anytime there’s a project there, any time that she’s talking about her community, she has a fire for them and advocating for people in the area that many people in the city don’t know much about and never been to. So I think that would be a big important part of her legacy,” the mayor said.

Contributing: Dave Struett

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College of DuPage players celebrate after winning the title on their home turf last Saturday. | Provided by Press Photography

The Chaparrals, filled with under-recruited players, now in the spotlight after winning NJCAA Division III title

There’s plenty the College of DuPage football program doesn’t have.

Scholarships, dorms and any full-time staffers other than acting head coach Matthew Rahn, to name three.

But the Chaparrals do have something else most teams don’t: a national championship.

DuPage beat Nassau Community College from New York 34-29 last Saturday in Glen Ellyn to win the inaugural National Junior College Athletic Association Division III title game.

A 33-yard touchdown pass from Brooks Blount to freshman Matt Brown, a West Aurora grad, with 21 seconds left won it. Nineteen seconds earlier, Nassau capped a comeback from 21 points down to go ahead 29-28.

Brown said he called it.

“Right before we took the field, I was cool, calm, collected,” he said. “I was telling my teammates, ‘We have time.’ I believe in all of them.”

So did Rahn.

“Year in and year out, we have a team on paper — people might not think we stack up,” he said.

But like his predecessor, Matt Foster, Rahn has built a roster not with transfers and former NCAA players. Instead, he looks for players from around the Chicago area and around the state who for whatever reason are overlooked and under-recruited.

In the pandemic era, that’s a pretty big talent pool. Brown is a good example.

Like other high school seniors in Illinois, Brown’s season didn’t start till March, long after many colleges had wrapped up their recruiting classes.

But West Aurora coach Nate Eimer and Rahn believe Brown is an overlooked gem.

“We’ve coached some good football players,” Eimer said. “I’d put Matt right up there. What separates him a little bit is his ball skills and how physical he is. I have not seen many who block like him.”

Brown, a 6-2, 185-pounder, is the only true freshman starter among COD’s receivers. He also might be the quietest.

“If it wasn’t for his athletic ability, you’d forget the kid’s there,” Rahn said. “He’s very focused, he never misses anything, he’s never late. He’s a phenomenal athlete.”

Landing a game-changer like Brown is just part of COD’s fairy-tale-like story.

The Chaparrals didn’t play in 2020 because of the pandemic. Late in the year, Foster retired and Rahn — a former COD player who had been associate head coach for seven seasons — was given the job on an acting basis.

His first team, which finished 9-2, ran the gamut from players who were in the program as far back as 2018 to newcomers such as Brown.

There’s also a wide range of juco football programs, from the Division I powers with as many as 85 scholarships, 10 full-time coaches and on-campus housing to the non-scholarship teams such as COD.

Most NJCAA sports are structured similarly to the NCAA: Division I with the most scholarships, Division II with a lower number and Division III with no athletic aid.

But football has just two classes: Division I and Division III. The latter is the smaller of the two, with less than 20 programs. But it’s gaining visibility.

After DuPage hosted an unofficial D-III national championship game in recent years, the NJCAA sanctioned an official title game along with the division’s first official national rankings.

COD was announced as the championship game host before the season. So to wind up not only playing in the game but winning it in the final minute — well, the Chaparrals couldn’t imagine a better scenario.

“By far it was the best feeling I’ve ever had playing sports,” Brown said.

“We’re going to get some rings,” Rahn said. “The staff, we’re excited. We showed up [to work] Monday [saying], ‘We’re not satisfied. Let’s get better.’ “

Better than winning a national title? Seems like a tall order. But after this season, the Chaparrals don’t see a ceiling to what they can do.

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The Blackhawks have no COVID cases as of Wednesday afternoon. | Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The Hawks haven’t had anyone on the COVID list since Nov. 10, but they’ll still be expected to follow the stricter new policies the league enacted Wednesday in response to outbreaks on numerous other teams.

The Blackhawks held a team meeting Tuesday to re-emphasize precautions against COVID-19.

“We reminded them [about] making sure we’re distancing, try to stay away from large crowds, wash your hands,” interim coach Derek King said. “[We] just really knuckled down because we don’t want to be one of those teams that’s got to rearrange schedules because we have COVID.”

By Wednesday, the content of their meeting was already somewhat out of date.

The NHL sent updated COVID policies to its 32 teams, and while the policies reportedly don’t quite compare to last season’s near-lockdown-level rules, they are significantly stricter than those the league had enforced up to this point this season.

Players will have indoor dining restrictions, mandatory masking and distancing within team facilities and daily testing except on days off, among other new measures, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported. The league is also recommending players receive vaccination booster shots.

The stricter policies arrive as the NHL endures by far its largest COVID outbreak of the season — an outbreak larger than many assumed possible in a league with only one total unvaccinated player. The new omicron variant has been found among the league’s positive tests.

The Flames’ decision to postpone their scheduled Monday game against the Hawks has proven prudent. They added a whopping 17 new people (seven players, three coaches and seven staffers) to the COVID protocol list Wednesday and now have 16 players — the majority of the roster — on the list.

“You don’t want to see some of these players and teams go through [this], all of sudden, [like] Calgary [has],” King said.

Also on the COVID list around the league, as of Wednesday afternoon, are six Hurricanes players, six Predators players, five Panthers players, four Canucks players, the Bruins’ two biggest stars — Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron — and plenty of others.

But the Hawks, for now, remain free of COVID.

After dealing with a decent-sized outbreak in late October and early November — Patrick Kane, Henrik Borgstrom, Jujhar Khaira, Riley Stillman, Tyler Johnson, Isaak Phillips and three assistant coaches all missed time around then — they haven’t had anyone on the COVID list since Johnson and Phillips were removed Nov. 10.

King and some other staff members and players have already received their booster shots, too, while others — like Calvin de Haan — haven’t yet but plan to “at some point, for sure.”

“Our team has been — knock on wood — not too bad with COVID this year, and we’ve been doing the same thing all year,” Dylan Strome said. “Obviously the outbreaks are happening everywhere, so [we must] just stay safe and do what you have to do to not catch the virus. Wearing masks is a big one, and washing your hands.”

The Capitals were without two players — Evgeny Kuznetsov and Garnet Hathaway — and three staff members due to COVID protocols for Wednesday’s game, but it was played as scheduled.

The Hawks’ scheduled game Friday against the Predators, however, already appears jeopardy

The Predators’ outbreak has grown to not only six players but also six other employees, including coach John Hynes. They’re scheduled to face the Avalanche on Thursday, and have made the necessary transactions to field a roster for that game, but any more positive tests would likely shut them down and postpone their Chicago trip.

The NHL’s new, stricter COVID policies will run at least through Jan. 7, but could be extended depending on what happens in the coming weeks. Three days later, on Jan. 10, comes the deadline to withdraw from Olympic participation without financial penalty. There’s a real possibility now that the NHL might do so.

The league didn’t take any action Wednesday regarding fan attendance, but local governments might. Maple Leafs and Senators games will be restricted to 50% fan capacity starting Saturday by Ontario officials.

And long-term, the league will need to start determining how it plans to handle future outbreaks, given the now-recurring pattern of variant strains intermittently overtaking the league in spite of its near-100% vaccination rate.

No NHL players who have contracted COVID earlier this season have reported significant health impacts, and many have been asymptomatic. As a result, some have called for testing to be limited to players showing symptoms. The league isn’t expected to adopt that exact approach anytime soon, but it could explore alternatives.

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The Leighton Criminal Courthouse | Sun-Times file photo

Laquan Jernigan was in another car with Davion Fountain’s ex-partner and another person when he was shot in the chest on Oct. 13, prosecutors said.

Davion Fountain shot toward his ex-partner during an argument in Austin, Cook County prosecutors said.

But the 22-year-old Bellwood man missed, striking and killing someone else instead, prosecutors said.

Fountain initially denied that he fired three shots while hanging from the passenger side window of his car, killing 20-year-old Laquan Jernigan on Oct. 13, prosecutors said.

But he allegedly later admitted to police that he was the gunman.

Jernigan was in another car with Fountain’s ex-partner and another person buying drugs in the 4800 block of West Crystal Street when he was shot in the chest, prosecutors said.

Fountain told police he was returning fire after he was shot at from someone in the other car.

But surveillance video showed otherwise, prosecutors said.

Before the shooting, Fountain stepped out of a blue car, confronted his ex-partner in the other vehicle, opened the car door and began yelling, prosecutors said.

Fountain eventually slammed the door and went back to his car, prosecutors said.

He then drove back toward the other car and allegedly leaned out of his car window before firing.

It was then that the driver of the other car returned fire but didn’t strike anyone, prosecutors said.

Fountain’s ex-partner ended up driving Jernigan to West Suburban Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Fountain was arrested Monday in Bellwood, police said.

His ex-partner identified him in a photo array and in surveillance video from a gas station before the shooting where Fountain was seen wearing the same distinctive jacket seen in footage of the murder, prosecutors said.

Fountain graduated from Proviso West High School in Hillside, his attorney said.

Fountain, who also has a pending 2020 gun case, was ordered held without bail.

He is expected back in court Jan. 4.

Chicago police arrest photo
Davion FountainRead More