Two men were charged in connection with a shootout with an off-duty Harvey police officer on Oct. 9, 2021. | Adobe Stock Photo

The officer’s 2020 Honda had numerous bullet holes in its windshield but the officer was not injured.

Two men are accused of sparking a shootout with an off-duty police officer in south suburban Harvey over the weekend.

Johnathan Andrews Jr., 25, is charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and violating parole, Harvey Police said in a statement. Jonheym Andrews, 19, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

The officer was in uniform driving to work about 6 p.m. Saturday near 154th and Wood streets when he saw a Ford Fusion being driven erratically, police said.

Someone inside the Ford started shooting at him in traffic, and the officer returned fire, police said.

The Ford then ran a red light and struck an SUV, police said. The officer’s 2020 Honda had numerous bullet holes in its windshield but the officer was not injured.

Johnathan Andrews and Jonheym Andrews were identified as the suspects and were later arrested after initially fleeing the scene of the shooting, police said.

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Sirloin kebabs on a bed of orzo. | Cattlemen’s Beef Board

Thinking ahead to your next few meals? Here are some main dishes and sides to try.

Ginger-peachy pork tenderloin

Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes; standing time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 teaspoons less-sodium seasoned salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 pork tenderloins (1 pound each)

1/2 cup all-fruit or sugar-free peach preserves

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix seasoned salt and thyme. Rub evenly over pork. Place on a rack coated with cooking spray in a foil-lined roasting pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix preserves, Worcestershire sauce and ginger. Spoon over pork during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven; carefully tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Per serving: 158 calories, 22 grams protein, 3 grams fat (17% calories from fat), 1 gram saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, 61 milligrams cholesterol, 266 milligrams sodium, no fiber.

Carb count: 0.5.

Chickpea and tomato curry

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 (15-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chickpeas, rinsed

2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Plain yogurt for garnish, if desired

Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and curry powder; cook 5 minutes or until the onions are softened. Stir in chickpeas and tomatoes; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro, juice and salt. Garnish each serving with yogurt, if desired, and serve.

Per serving: 330 calories, 15 grams protein, 5 grams fat (15% calories from fat), 0.5 gram saturated fat, 53 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 816 milligrams sodium, 13 grams fiber.

Carb count: 3.5.

Pork tenderloin with ginger-peachy glaze

Servings: makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes, plus pasta

1 boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick (1 pound)

2 green, red or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1 tablespoon prepared Italian dressing

2 teaspoons minced garlic

For the orzo:

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil

Coarse salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Soak 8 (8-inch) bamboo skewers in water 10 minutes; drain. Cut beef steak into 1 1/4-inch pieces. Toss beef and bell peppers with basil, dressing and garlic in large bowl. Alternately thread beef and peppers onto skewers. Toss orzo ingredients in medium bowl; keep warm. Place kebabs on grill over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, about 11 to 15 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally (or 13 to 16 minutes over medium heat on preheated gas grill). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over orzo mixture.

Per serving: 341 calories, 28 grams protein, 9 grams fat (23% calories from fat), 2.4 grams saturated fat, 36 grams carbohydrate, 58 milligrams cholesterol, 131 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Carb count: 2.5.

In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, combine 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (cubed), 2 (15-ounce) cans rinsed reduced-sodium white beans, 2 (14.5-ounce) cans drained diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers (or other spicy tomatoes) and 1 cup frozen (thawed) corn. Mix together 1 (1.25-ounce) package slow-cooker chili seasoning mix and 1 cup unsalted chicken broth until blended and add to cooker. Cover and cook 6 hours on low. Serve over cornbread squares, from mix

Bean-and-veggie wraps

Heat 4 (6- to 8-inch) flour tortillas as directed. In a large, nonstick skillet on medium heat, cook 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms about 5 minutes or until they lose their moisture. Stir in 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium black beans; heat through. Stir in 4 cups fresh spinach leaves; remove from heat. Divide bean mixture among tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded 50% light cheddar cheese. Fold one end of each tortilla about 1 inch over filling; fold right and left sides over folded end, overlapping. Fold remaining end down. Open mouth; eat.

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A man was shot Oct. 12, 2021, in West Rogers Park. | Sun-Times file

The 38-year-old was outside about 8:40 a.m. in the 6500 block of North Washtenaw Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the head, Chicago police said.

A man was shot and critically wounded Tuesday morning in West Rogers Park on the North Side.

The 38-year-old was outside about 8:40 a.m. in the 6500 block of North Washtenaw Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the head, Chicago police said.

He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was in critical condition, police said.

The alleged attacker was taken into custody, police said.

Area three detectives are investigating.

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When people gambling, they have fun losing their money, writes Phil Kadner. It’s not like having the government collect taxes. | AP Photos

People complain about taxes. But you never hear anyone complain about the government’s rake from gambling, whether that be at casinos, the lottery or sports betting.

I bet I have seen 1,000 commercials for legal sports books in Illinois since the start of the baseball season.

I’m not complaining. It just seems strange. I can remember when baseball officials let it be known they wouldn’t tolerate sports gambling. That was why the team owners created the position of baseball commissioner following the Chicago Black Sox scandal in 1919, when Sox players took bribes from professional gamblers to throw the World Series.

Years passed and Pete Rose, one of the greatest hitters of all time, was accused of betting on baseball games and banished forever from the game. He is not in the Hall of Fame. I don’t think you can even say his name in Cooperstown.

Let me make it clear that I am not averse to gambling, although I am bothered more than I thought I would be by the appearance of gorgeous spokeswomen in short skirts urging old men like me to wager their Social Security checks. The commercial pitch may be aimed at young men and even women, but I always think the commercials are talking directly to me.

I’m in favor of gambling. Especially, legalized gambling.

Billions of dollars are wagered on sports each year and now that government can get a percentage of the take, it’s a wonderful thing.

I appreciate the irony because I would wager that 82% of the people betting online complain about their taxes. Income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, payroll taxes, it really doesn’t matter, people hate paying taxes.

They will tell you they can’t afford to pay any more taxes and that government just wastes the money feeding poor people and educating their young.

But you never hear anyone complain about the government’s rake from gambling, whether that be at horse tracks, casinos, the lottery, or sports betting. There are even cute little “gambling cafes” in neighborhood strip malls for your convenience.

People who can’t spare another dollar for public schools, police departments, road repairs and Social Security are suddenly so flush with money they don’t even care how the government spends its share of the revenue, so long as they’re getting points on their favorite team.

People have fun losing their money. It’s not like having the government collect taxes.

In fact, if you took all the money Americans spend on gambling and illegal drugs, you might have enough to fund universal health care for every person in the country.

And that makes me think of marijuana and how the folks on Wall Street are investing billions of dollars betting on the growth of corporate cultivated hemp in the U.S. and Canada.

Many years back, I saw Cook County police raid a marijuana patch in the middle of the forest preserves. They caught the fellow tending the field, who had been sleeping under a rain parka propped up by a tree limb. He had been living for weeks on cans of beans.

He spoke no English and the police estimated his age at 15 or 16. It was common for drug cartels to bring these kids up from Mexico, dump them off in a field and leave them there until the marijuana crop was ready for harvesting.

Now there are corporations developing marijuana fields and people highly skilled in agriculture in charge of the crops. They’re paying hard cash for government licenses and creating jobs for taxpaying citizens.

The suckers are high and happy, and they never think about the government sticking its hand in their pockets.

Heck, I would love to see DraftKings posters hanging on the state Capitol Building and video poker games in the corridors of Chicago’s City Hall. People hate their government, don’t trust their leaders, but gleefully give away money for a spin at the wheel or a roll of the dice.

Democracy may survive. But I don’t like the odds.

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Jon Gruden stepped down as coach of the Raiders on Monday night. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Gruden is hardly an isolated case. Shocking as the crude and hateful language that Gruden used in emails was, anyone who has followed the NFL even just a little knows there is surely more where this came from.

Jon Gruden was right when he said Sunday that he doesn’t have an “ounce of racism” in him. It was more like a metric ton. Along with misogyny, homophobia and every other brand of bigotry.

Getting rid of Gruden — if you believe he “resigned,” I’ve got a bridge to sell you — was easy. But Gruden is hardly an isolated case. Shocking as the crude and hateful language that Gruden used in emails was, anyone who has followed the NFL even just a little knows there is surely more where this came from.

“This is not about an email as much as it is about a pervasive belief by some that people who look like me can be treated as less,” DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, said in a cryptic series of Tweets on Monday night that, within a few hours, made a whole lot more sense.

“The powerful in our business have to embrace that football itself has to be better, as opposed to making excuses to maintain the status quo.”

And therein lies the problem.

Too many of the NFL’s powers that be — owners, executives, the league office, coaches, media partners — still believe that straight, white men have the only world view that matters. They don’t see Black people, women, the LGBTQ+ community or other marginalized groups as equals, and they’re sure as hell not going to treat them as such.

Oh, they’ll say the right things in public to avoid being criticized for the Neanderthals they are, some even giving lip service to the NFL’s window-dressing efforts to promote equality. But behind closed doors, in their private conversations and chummy emails, they reveal who they really are.

Late Houston Texans owner Robert McNair once described players who were protesting racial injustice as “inmates running the prison.” Women who worked for and covered the Washington Football Team described a toxic atmosphere where they were objectified and demeaned by repeated sexual harassment.

And I’ve lost count of how many team owners have turned blind eyes to players credibly accused of domestic abuse because, as Bears chairman George McCaskey said, “much like anybody else who has a bias in this situation — there’s a certain amount of discounting in what they have to say.”

It should not go unnoticed that the emails that were Gruden’s undoing were uncovered during the investigation into the dumpster fire at the Washington Football Team — an investigation the NFL has tried mightily to bury.

The league has refused to release any of Beth Wilkinson’s detailed findings and, in contrast to previous NFL investigations, told her to present them verbally rather than in a written report. Paper trails, as we’ve seen the past few days, have an uncomfortable way of surfacing.

As for any specific accusations made, including one against now kinda, sorta, not really banished WFT owner Daniel Snyder, the NFL has declared the topic off-limits.

No wonder, then, that Gruden thought he could escape accountability for emails sent when he was working as a television analyst.

He shut down questions Sunday about the Wall Street Journal report of his racist description of Smith, and did so again Monday. Raiders owner Mark Davis, who was so hellbent on hiring Gruden in 2018 that he essentially ignored the Rooney Rule and apparently did little if any vetting of him, was still dithering until the New York Times forced his hand.

The Times reported that casual misogyny and homophobia were a regular part of Gruden’s vocabulary in emails to NFL executives and friends. He called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a “clueless antifootball (homophobic slur),” and mocked his efforts to make the game safer.

Gruden criticized the Rams for drafting Michael Sam, who is openly gay, and players who protested racial injustice. He disparaged Congressional efforts to force the Washington Football Team to abandon its previous, racist nickname. When he was sent a sexist meme of a female referee, Gruden responded, “Nice job roger.”

If this was bigotry bingo, Gruden would have had almost every square covered. His attitudes are disgusting, reprehensible and, considering Carl Nassib, the NFL’s first active player who is openly gay, plays for the Raiders, terrifying.

“I’m sorry,” Gruden said in a statement the Raiders posted on Twitter, “I never meant to hurt anyone.”

More like he never considered he was hurting anyone, so assured was he of his superiority to anyone who doesn’t look and love like him.

But Gruden is, sadly, not alone. Not in this country, and certainly not in the NFL.

Read more at usatoday.com

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Ty Rodgers playing with Meanstreets. | Photo provided by Prephoops.com

Ty Rodgers, who is one of the top 100 senior prospects in the country and a target of high-major programs, enrolled at Thornton and is a monster addition to coach Tai Streets’ program.

On one hand it still always feels a little sad to talk high school basketball transfers all the time and even more unsavory that it’s simply become the norm.

But with all the player movement in high school basketball these days — and the state of Illinois losing its share of top-flight prospects — it was kind of refreshing to see a bonafide prep star transfer to Thornton last week.

Ty Rodgers, who is one of the top 100 senior prospects in the country and a target of high-major programs, enrolled at Thornton and is a monster addition to coach Tai Streets’ program.

Rodgers has moved with his family into the Thornton school district.

After leading Grand Blanc High School to its first state championship last season in Michigan, the 6-6 forward was named the state’s AP Division 1 Player of the Year. He averaged 17.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals as a junior.

There is a clear connection: Rodgers played this past spring and summer for Streets and his Meanstreets club basketball team on the Nike EYBL circuit. Thus, Streets is familiar with his new star player.

“He’s just a winner,” said Streets. “He’s always won and is such a great kid. He plays super, super hard and is a throwback who competes on every possession.”

Rodgers is a coveted uncommitted prospect. He has trimmed his list of schools to nine, including Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Xavier, Connecticut, Memphis, Rhode Island, Alabama and Marquette.

At one time Michigan State was considered the favorite. Michigan and Alabama are front and center. Locally, Illinois has made a big push for the strong, athletic hybrid forward. Coach Brad Underwood was in to see Rodgers at his new digs in the south suburbs last week. Rodgers visited Illinois last month.

Yes, he’s talented, but the favoritism of Rodgers among college coaches is also due to how he plays and goes about his business as a player. Rodgers is tough, rugged and brings a blue-collar approach with a high-running motor and unselfishness.

While Rodgers needs to make considerable strides with his perimeter jumper and polish up his overall skill level, he’s a bruising, attacking finisher at the rim and is a proven winner. He rebounds and can defend multiple positions. And he provides plenty of highlight plays with his athleticism.

Rodgers, who Rivals ranks No. 66 and 247Sports has at No. 54, immediately is one of the top three prospects in Illinois in the Class of 2022 and will make a push for the top spot.

Thornton appeared to be in a bit of a rebuild as the 2021-22 season approached. However, the addition of Rodgers instantly makes the Wildcats one of the top teams in the south suburbs.

Streets loses star Brandon Hall, who is now a freshman playing at East Tennessee State, and veteran guard Sean Burress, but he will surround Rodgers with 6-7 senior Kelsey Tarver, 6-1 senior guard Montreal McCullough and 5-11 junior shooter Vincent Rainey.

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Sun-Times file

The robbers tried to take the woman’s jacket and demanded her phone, but she punched one of them and they fled, police say.

Two people fought back against armed robbers who fired shots as they fled but didn’t hit anyone Monday night in West Town.

A man and woman in their 30s were confronted by two armed robbers around 10 p.m. in the 2100 block of West Race Street, Chicago police said.

They pointed a gun at the man and demanded his money and phone, but the man said he didn’t have either, police said. As they tried to take the woman’s jacket and demanded her phone, she punched one of them.

The robbers ran back to the Honda CRV and fired into the air, police said. No one was injured.

Police reported no arrests.

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The Chicago Bears defense has been one of the stories of the season early on. Chicago’s defense has become one of the more underrated units in football, and a big reason for their 3-2 record so far. Sean Desai has done a masterful job with this group. Khalil Mack is enjoying a big year so […] Chicago Bears: 3 reasons to trade Robert Quinn before deadline – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More