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3 wounded, 1 critically, in Grand Boulevard shootingSun-Times Wireon September 11, 2021 at 4:32 am

Three people were shot, one critically, Friday night in Grand Boulevard on the South Side.

A woman and two men were standing on the sidewalk about 8:50 p.m. in the first block of East 43rd Street when someone inside a gray SUV fired shots, Chicago police said.

A35-year-old man was shot several times in the body and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

A woman, 23, was struck in the buttocks and was taken in fair condition to University of Chicago Medical Center, police said. Another man, 42, was shot in the leg and was taken to the same hospital in fair condition.

Area One detectives are investigating.

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3 wounded, 1 critically, in Grand Boulevard shootingSun-Times Wireon September 11, 2021 at 4:32 am Read More »

COVID safety protocols abound as Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 gets underwayMatt Mooreon September 11, 2021 at 2:42 am

This year’s Pitchfork Music Festival kicked off Friday in the West Loop, where thousands of mostly-masked festival-goers converged in Union Park.

A nearly 15-year-old summer tradition typically set in July, Pitchfork Fest organizers canceled last year’s iteration due to the pandemic and pushed this year’s back to September, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Friday’s festivities were happening amid the nation’s rising COVID-19 cases, the recent reinstatement of an indoor mask mandate by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the recent COVID vaccine mandate for city workers by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the recent return to schools for Chicago Public Schools families and the addition of all 50 states to the city’s travel advisory.

In the months and weeks leading up to the festival, Pitchfork announced its own COVID protocols, similar to those announced by venues and other festivals in the last few months. Festival-goers are asked to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test obtained within 24 hours of each day they attend.

Organizers also recommended and encouraged attendees to wear masks “except when actively eating or drinking.” Signs were posted at entrances to emphasize the message. A line for the festival had stretched down Ashland Avenue by noon Friday, as a majority-masked crowd waited to be let in.

Security checks vaccination cards on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Among those masked and waiting in line was Anna Ives-Michenver of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The 21-year-old had already flown in from the East Coast for Lollapalooza in July and decided to make the trek again for Pitchfork. She said it was important for her to experience concerts in person.

“It means a lot. That’s pretty much the one thing that I really love to do — is go see live music. So not being able to see live music for a year and a half was awful,” she said.

Further down the line was 23-year-old Chicagoan Gabriel Schubert, who said they’d been to several festivals this summer, including Lollapalooza. Schubert said they felt comfortable with the way summer festivals had been taking COVID precautions, although they ended up contracting the virus while in Iowa for the Hinterland Music Festival in early August.

“Funny enough, I actually got COVID while I was in Iowa. But you know I quarantined and everything — feeling all good now,” Schubert said. “If you’re vaccinated, it’s not as bad. Not as horrible. You’re not gonna go to the hospital, probably, fingers crossed.”

A sign asks people to wear a mask when shopping at a popup art fair on Day 1 at the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

By the time the gates opened around 12:25 p.m., many continued to wear their masks as they stepped up to security checkpoints for what amounted to a slow, steady flow of fans.

Security checked proof of vaccination or testing and IDs multiple times, before sending festival-goers on to another lineup of security checking bags and frisking, while Pitchfork volunteers scanned tickets and handed out schedules.

To 20-year-old Andrew Lindaas, of Madison, Wisconsin, the process seemed thorough, noting security checked proof of vaccination and IDs more than once for many fans moving through the line.

Haley Leonhard (left) of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Andrew Lindaas, of Madison, Wisconsin, pose for a photo at the Renegade Craft Show popup at Pitchfork Music Festival.Matt Moore/Sun-Times

“They checked the vax card a lot,” Lindaas said in between checking out vendors the Renegade Craft Fair popup inside the park. “It was better than most establishments I’ve been into that do require that.”

Artists like Philadelphia’s Hop Along have enacted their own COVID precautions for their shows, which mostly align with Pitchfork’s. Before heading out on tour last week, the band shared on their social media they would be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter their shows, and requesting audience members to wear masks.

“Please don’t be the unmasked person in the center of the front row,” the band wrote in a recent Instagram post, saying their lead singer “doesn’t want to have to call people out every night.”

For 29-year-old Ben Stevens, a five-time Pitchfork goer from Dayton, Ohio, the festival felt like “a going away to the summer months” and a chance for fans to support artists who have struggled through canceled tours and show dates.

“I think that people are appreciative,” Stevens said, “because they know a lot of the artists have canceled shows and canceled tours, and this is an opportunity for you to see a lot of artists in a little bit of time.”

It’s just important for fans to remain safe and respectful of the protocols, Stevens added.

“I’m hoping that people will follow the rules and realize that there’s less for us to enjoy so let’s really enjoy the things that we can enjoy.”

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COVID safety protocols abound as Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 gets underwayMatt Mooreon September 11, 2021 at 2:42 am Read More »

Kelly Lee Owens, Hop Along, Dehd deliver rousing sets as Pitchfork Music Festival opens in ChicagoMatt Mooreon September 11, 2021 at 2:21 am

Here are reviews of some of the Day 1 sets Friday at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.

Kelly Lee Owens, 6:30 p.m., Blue Stage

Kelly Lee Owens performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Welsh producer and musician Kelly Lee Owens brought her meditative electronic techno-pop sound to the Blue Stage Friday, easing the crowd of festival-goers into a sort of tranquil trance as the sun set on Day 1 of Pitchfork Fest.

Many members of the crowd closed their eyes and swayed to the low, feel-it-in-your-chest frequencies pushed through the subwoofers, while others nodded to the ethereal beats with their eyes transfixed on the artist working on stage.

“You look so beautiful!” Owens told the crowd, as sunlight silhouetted her and shone onto the crowd.

Owens was in constant motion throughout the set, playing keys, turning nobs, pounding a sample pad and singing into a mic. Yet, the multitasking felt like less of a juggling act and more like witnessing an artist meticulously reproduce her work in real-time to create an experience unique to that environment.

The effect was an engaging performance, where Owens’ production was accented by her breathy vocals floating above shimmering arpeggios and moments where she would lean into the mic and sing, headbang and look into the packed audience.

Her setlist boasted a number of other tracks from her latest release, last year’s “Inner Song” — a dreamy and introspective album touching on themes such as profound loss, letting go and change. The sophomore record is equally and deeply emotive, whether accompanied by Owens’ tastefully minimalistic melody lines or masterfully arranged instrumentation.

Even from a stage separating a crowd split between masked and unmasked festival-goers, the former-nurse-turned-professional-musician connected with the hundreds of fans in attendance, making eye contact and nodding in encouragement to those catching danceable grooves.

A standout moment was when Owens performed “On,” looking wide-eyed into the crowd with a nod, as if encouraging fans to, as she sings, “let go.”

The backhalf of Owens’ set produced for danceable moments, amping the crowd up as sun finally set and temperatures cooled significantly.

People packed before the stage were all smiles, dancing, hugging and laughing — all while kicking up a significant cloud of dirt that floated above them.

And at the end of her set, Owens stepped to the edges and clapped for the audience, raising her hands to cheer and thank them all.

Hop Along, 3:20 p.m., Red Stage

No stranger to festival settings, seasoned Philadelphia-based indie-rock group Hop Along took the stage for its sweltering afternoon slot on Friday.

Save for a few cobwebs that came in the form of the occasional out-of-tune guitar or hardly-noticeable missed notes, the four-piece group performed a tight set spanning their more than 10-year-old discography.

After all these years, the undeniable focal point of Hop Along’s loud, folk rock-leaning sound is still the distinct rasp and range of bandleader Frances Quinlan’s vocals. The well-known power of their voice as heard on each of the band’s albums and the dynamic presence of all their vocals as captured on Quinlan’s 2020 solo record “Likewise” were on full display Friday.

Quinlan’s voice burst through the monitors and showcased their skill for sliding from falsetto to full-throated wailing and back, all while delivering catchy choruses to an audience nodding to the beat.

The performance was a breezy hit parade, with the band steadily gliding through a set list that felt curated for all the fans who’ve waited since before the pandemic to see them. And as evident by the smiles worn on Quinlan and Co.’s faces, the band had been waiting to see them, too.

“It feels so good to be with y’all,” said guitarist Joe Reinhart.

“I was very by myself like a week ago — this is very strange!” Quinlan said with a smile.

A set highlight was when Quinlan switched out their Gibson hollow body for an acoustic guitar to play “Horseshoe Crabs,” from the band’s 2015 album “Painted Shut.” Reinhart along with drummer Mark Quinlan — Frances’ brother — offered backing vocals throughout the set, but really shone during this song.

Other highlights included “How Simple” from 2018’s “Bark Your Head Off, Dog,” which Quinlan prefaced by asking the crowd, “Y’all being cool? Y’all respecting each other? This next song’s about two people who don’t respect each other.” The band then ripped into the opening riffs before leading the sea of joyful fans in singing the lines “Don’t worry, we will both find out just not together.”

Hop Along ended its set with one of its oldest releases, the 2012 fan favorite “Tibetan Pop Stars,” which sent the crowd jumping and headbanging.

The group will reprise its Pitchfork stint with a 7 p.m. aftershow Saturday at Metro Chicago, where local bands Varsity and Slow Mass will open.

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Dehd, 2:30 p.m., Green Stage

Following blistering sets from cerebral hip-hop group Armand Hammer and Detroit post-punk outfits Dogleg, local outfit Dehd was third up on Day 1 of this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival.

The three-piece group burst into “Lucky,” serving their brand of jangly, moody — and at times surf-leaning — indie-rock to the delight of hundreds gathered to see the home team.

Drummer Eric McGrady worked as the band’s backbone standing center stage, flanked by bassist Emily Kempf and guitarist Jason Balla positioned just ahead, who both jumped and swayed while trading vocal duties.

Where many artists might rely on a lineup of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and five-piece drum setup for a fuller sound, Dehd chooses barebones instrumentation to embrace the freedom of dead space and let their songs truly shine — and it always works to their benefit.

Kempf’s guttural wails Friday on set standouts like “Baby” sounded as if they were drenched in reverb, creating the illusion of a once-empty hall filled with her powerful voice. Balla’s guitar lines on tracks like “Flood” came through crisply, sailing through the speakers without the anchor of a rhythm guitar. And McGrady’s driving eighth notes — pounded solely on a floor tom and snare — kept the crowd moving throughout the entire performance.

“This is really cool you all,” a beaming Kempf said to the crowd as it baked underneath the mid-afternoon sun.

Dehd’s set at Pitchfork Fest also served as an opener for a delayed tour in support of “Flower of Devotion,” released in July 2020.

The crew plans to cover more than 20-dates, including a stint in Vancouver, before ending back in the midwest with a St. Louis show in November.

More reviews to come …

Read More

Kelly Lee Owens, Hop Along, Dehd deliver rousing sets as Pitchfork Music Festival opens in ChicagoMatt Mooreon September 11, 2021 at 2:21 am Read More »

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021: Day 1 photo highlightsSun-Times staffon September 11, 2021 at 12:14 am

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 got under way Friday afternoon in Union Park, marking the return of the West Loop staple after COVID forced its cancelation in 2020.

The eclectic lineup promises a mix of hip-hop, R&B, indie rock and more.

And hot on the heels of Lollapalooza last month, the music festival has strict COVID-19 safety protocols in place, requiring proof of full vaccination or a negative test within 24 hours for each day of the fest in order to gain entry. Masks are encouraged at all times, per the festival’s website and signs posted at entry.

In addition to music, a popup art fair featuring the work of local artists made for perfect summertime shopping and browsing.

Here’s a look at the sights and sounds of Friday’s festival:

Kelly Lee Owens performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Kelly Lee Owens performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Kelly Lee Owens performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Kelly Lee Owens performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Kelly Lee Owens performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Frances Quinlan of Hop Along performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Frances Quinlan of Hop Along performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Frances Quinlan of Hop Along performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Frances Quinlan of Hop Along performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Tyler Long of Hop Along performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Joe Reinhart of Hop Along performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Joe Reinhart of Hop Along performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Jason Balla of DEHD performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Jason Balla of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Jason Balla of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Jason Balla of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Festival-goers check out art by local artists on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Festival goers shop at a fair on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

A sign asks people to wear a mask when shopping at a fair on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Masks are visible throughout the crowd as fans watch DEHD perform on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Festival goers wait in line buy a t-shirt on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

A festival-goer dances with hoops at Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

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Pitchfork Music Festival 2021: Day 1 photo highlightsSun-Times staffon September 11, 2021 at 12:14 am Read More »

Kelly Lee Owens, Hop Along, Dehd deliver rousing sets as Pitchfork Music Festival opens in ChicagoMatt Mooreon September 11, 2021 at 1:13 am

Here are reviews of some of the Day 1 sets Friday at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.

Kelly Lee Owens, 6:30 p.m., Blue Stage

Kelly Lee Owens performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Welsh producer and musician Kelly Lee Owens brought her meditative electronic techno-pop sound to the Blue Stage Friday, easing the crowd of festival-goers into a sort of tranquil trance as the sun set on Day 1 of Pitchfork Fest.

Many members of the crowd closed their eyes and swayed to the low, feel-it-in-your-chest frequencies pushed through the subwoofers, while others nodded to the ethereal beats with their eyes transfixed on the artist working on stage.

“You look so beautiful!” Owens told the crowd, as sunlight silhouetted her and shone onto the crowd.

Owens was in constant motion throughout the set, playing keys, turning nobs, pounding a sample pad and singing into a mic. Yet, the multitasking felt like less of a juggling act and more like witnessing an artist meticulously reproduce her work in real-time to create an experience unique to that environment.

The effect was an engaging performance, where Owens’ production was accented by her breathy vocals floating above shimmering arpeggios and moments where she would lean into the mic and sing, headbang and look into the packed audience.

Her setlist boasted a number of other tracks from her latest release, last year’s “Inner Song” — a dreamy and introspective album touching on themes such as profound loss, letting go and change. The sophomore record is equally and deeply emotive, whether accompanied by Owens’ tastefully minimalistic melody lines or masterfully arranged instrumentation.

Even from a stage separating a crowd split between masked and unmasked festival-goers, the former-nurse-turned-professional-musician connected with the hundreds of fans in attendance, making eye contact and nodding in encouragement to those catching danceable grooves.

A standout moment was when Owens performed “On,” looking wide-eyed into the crowd with a nod, as if encouraging fans to, as she sings, “let go.”

The backhalf of Owens’ set produced for danceable moments, amping the crowd up as sun finally set and temperatures cooled significantly.

People packed before the stage were all smiles, dancing, hugging and laughing — all while kicking up a significant cloud of dirt that floated above them.

And at the end of her set, Owens stepped to the edges and clapped for the audience, raising her hands to cheer and thank them all.

Hop Along, 3:20 p.m., Red Stage

No stranger to festival settings, seasoned Philadelphia-based indie-rock group Hop Along took the stage for its sweltering afternoon slot on Friday.

Save for a few cobwebs that came in the form of the occasional out-of-tune guitar or hardly-noticeable missed notes, the four-piece group performed a tight set spanning their more than 10-year-old discography.

After all these years, the undeniable focal point of Hop Along’s loud, folk rock-leaning sound is still the distinct rasp and range of bandleader Frances Quinlan’s vocals. The well-known power of their voice as heard on each of the band’s albums and the dynamic presence of all their vocals as captured on Quinlan’s 2020 solo record “Likewise” were on full display Friday.

Quinlan’s voice burst through the monitors and showcased their skill for sliding from falsetto to full-throated wailing and back, all while delivering catchy choruses to an audience nodding to the beat.

The performance was a breezy hit parade, with the band steadily gliding through a set list that felt curated for all the fans who’ve waited since before the pandemic to see them. And as evident by the smiles worn on Quinlan and Co.’s faces, the band had been waiting to see them, too.

“It feels so good to be with y’all,” said guitarist Joe Reinhart.

“I was very by myself like a week ago — this is very strange!” Quinlan said with a smile.

A set highlight was when Quinlan switched out their Gibson hollow body for an acoustic guitar to play “Horshoe Crabs,” from the band’s 2015 album “Painted Shut.” Reinhart along with drummer Mark Quinlan — Frances’ brother — offered backing vocals throughout the set, but really shone during this song.

Other highlights included “How Simple” from 2018’s “Bark Your Head Off, Dog,” which Quinlan prefaced by asking the crowd, “Y’all being cool? Y’all respecting each other? This next song’s about two people who don’t respect each other.” The band then ripped into the opening riffs before leading the sea of joyful fans in singing the lines “Don’t worry, we will both find out just not together.”

Hop Along ended its set with one of its oldest releases, the 2012 fan favorite “Tibetan Pop Stars,” which sent the crowd jumping and headbanging.

The group will reprise its Pitchfork stint with a 7 p.m. aftershow Saturday at Metro Chicago, where local bands Varsity and Slow Mass will open.

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Dehd, 2:30 p.m., Green Stage

Following blistering sets from cerebral hip-hop group Armand Hammer and Detroit post-punk outfits Dogleg, local outfit Dehd was third up on Day 1 of this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival.

The three-piece group burst into “Lucky,” serving their brand of jangly, moody — and at times surf-leaning — indie-rock to the delight of hundreds gathered to see the home team.

Drummer Eric McGrady worked as the band’s backbone standing center stage, flanked by bassist Emily Kempf and guitarist Jason Balla positioned just ahead, who both jumped and swayed while trading vocal duties.

Where many artists might rely on a lineup of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and five-piece drum setup for a fuller sound, Dehd chooses barebones instrumentation to embrace the freedom of dead space and let their songs truly shine — and it always works to their benefit.

Kempf’s guttural wails Friday on set standouts like “Baby” sounded as if they were drenched in reverb, creating the illusion of a once-empty hall filled with her powerful voice. Balla’s guitar lines on tracks like “Flood” came through crisply, sailing through the speakers without the anchor of a rhythm guitar. And McGrady’s driving eighth notes — pounded solely on a floor tom and snare — kept the crowd moving throughout the entire performance.

“This is really cool you all,” a beaming Kempf said to the crowd as it baked underneath the mid-afternoon sun.

Dehd’s set at Pitchfork Fest also served as an opener for a delayed tour in support of “Flower of Devotion,” released in July 2020.

The crew plans to cover more than 20-dates, including a stint in Vancouver, before ending back in the midwest with a St. Louis show in November.

More reviews to come …

Read More

Kelly Lee Owens, Hop Along, Dehd deliver rousing sets as Pitchfork Music Festival opens in ChicagoMatt Mooreon September 11, 2021 at 1:13 am Read More »

High school football scores: Week 3Michael O’Brienon September 10, 2021 at 10:03 pm

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Friday, September 10

BIG SHOULDERS

Dunbar vs. King at Eckersall, 4:15

UP-Bronzeville at Brooks, 7:15

GREAT LAKES

Bogan vs. Ag. Science at Gately, 4:15

Johnson vs. Comer at Stagg, 4:15

HEARTLAND

Prosser at Speer, 7:15

LAND OF LINCOLN

Young at Lane, 7:15

PRAIRIE STATE

Clark at Bulls Prep, 7:15

RED BIRD

Hubbard vs. Kenwood at Gately, 7:15

Morgan Park at Perspectives, 7:15

SECOND CITY

Harlan at Solorio, 7:30

WINDY CITY

Lake View vs. Amundsen at Winnemac, 4:15

Von Steuben vs. Sullivan at Lane, 4:15

MADISON STREET

Senn at Marine, 4:15

MICHIGAN AVENUE

Hansberry at Englewood STEM, 4:15

STATE STREET

Clemente vs. Crane at Rockne, 4:15

DUKANE

Geneva at Glenbard North, 7:30

St. Charles East at Lake Park, 7:30

St. Charles North at Wheaton-Warrenville South, 7

Wheaton North at Batavia, 7:30

FOX VALLEY

Crystal Lake Central at Cary-Grove, 7

Crystal Lake South at Hampshire, 7

Dundee-Crown at Burlington Central, 7

McHenry at Jacobs, 7

Prairie Ridge at Huntley, 7

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Herscher at Streator, 7

Lisle at Reed-Custer, 7

Manteno at Peotone, 7

Wilmington at Coal City, 7

INDEPENDENT

Walther Christian at Christ the King, 7:30

KISHWAUKEE I-8 BLUE

Marengo at Johnsburg, 7

Plano at Sandwich, 7

Rochelle at Richmond-Burton, 7

KISHWAUKEE I-8 WHITE

Kaneland at Sycamore, 7

Morris at Woodstock North, 7

Ottawa at LaSalle-Peru, 7

METRO SUBURBAN BLUE

Bishop McNamara at Ridgewood, 7:30

IC Catholic at Elmwood Park, 7

Wheaton Academy at Aurora Central, 6

METRO SUBURBAN RED

Aurora Christian at Westmont, 7

Riverside-Brookfield at Chicago Christian, 7

St. Francis at St. Edward, canc.

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Zurich at Libertyville, 7:30

Mundelein at Waukegan, 7:30

Stevenson at Lake Forest, 7:30

Warren at Zion-Benton, 7:30

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Grayslake North at Grayslake Central, 7

Lakes at Round Lake, 7

North Chicago at Antioch, 7:15

Wauconda at Grant, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN BLUE

Bremen at TF South, 7

Oak Forest at Hillcrest, 6

Tinley Park at TF North, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN RED

Argo at Richards, 6:30

Oak Lawn at Eisenhower, 7

Reavis at Evergreen Park, 7

SOUTHLAND

Thornridge at Kankakee, canc.

Thornton at Crete-Monee, 6

Thornwood at Rich Township, 7

UPSTATE EIGHT

East Aurora at Fenton, 7:30

Elgin at Bartlett, 7:30

Glenbard East at Streamwood, 7:30

Glenbard South at South Elgin, 7:30

West Chicago at Larkin, 7:30

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Hinsdale South at Leyden, 7

Morton at Addison Trail, 7

Proviso East at Willowbrook, 7:30

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

Glenbard West at Oak Park-River Forest, 7:30

Lyons at Hinsdale Central, 7:30

York at Proviso West, 7

NONCONFERENCE

Barrington at New Trier, 7

Belleville West at DeKalb, 7

Benet at Brother Rice, 6

Bloom at Marian Catholic, 7:30

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Lockport, 6:30

Buffalo Grove at Maine West, 7

Conant at Glenbrook South, 7

De La Salle at Joliet Catholic, 7:30

DePaul Prep at St. Viator, 7

Downers Grove North at Downers Grove South, 6:30

Elk Grove at Vernon Hills, 7:30

Fremd at Maine South, 7

Harvard at Woodstock, 7

Hersey at Maine East, 7

Hoffman Estates at Highland Park, 7

Hoopeston at Momence, 7

Hope Academy at Kankakee, 7

Joliet Central at Oswego, canc.

Joliet West at Plainfield North, 7

Lemont at Shepard, 7

Leo at Carmel, 7:30

Lincoln-Way Central at Homewood-Flossmoor, 6

Lincoln-Way West at Bolingbrook, 6

Marian Central at St. Patrick, 7

Marmion at Montini, 7:30

Metea Valley at Belleville East, 7

Naperville Central at Novi Catholic Central, Mich., 6

Naperville North at Brownstown Woodhaven, Mich., 6

Nazareth at Marist, 6

Neuqua Valley at St. Louis St. Mary’s, Mo., 7

Notre Dame at Mount Carmel, 7:30

Ottawa Marquette at Deer Creek-Mackinaw, 7

Palatine at Evanston, 7:30

Plainfield Central at West Aurora, 7

Plainfield East at Oswego East, 7

Plainfield South at Yorkville, 7

Providence at Fenwick, 7:30

Rolling Meadows at Deerfield, 7

Romeoville at Minooka, 7

St. Francis at Prospect, 7

St. Ignatius at St. Laurence, 7:30

Salt Fork at Seneca, 7

Sandburg at Andrew, 7

Schaumburg at Niles North, 7

Stagg at Lincoln-Way East, 6

Waubonsie Valley at Shaker Heights, Ohio, 6

Wheeling at Glenbrook North, 7

Saturday, September 11

BIG SHOULDERS

Lindblom vs. Hyde Park at Eckersall, 1

GREAT LAKES

Goode vs. Catalyst-Maria at Stagg, 1

HEARTLAND

Kennedy vs. Rauner at Rockne, 4

Steinmetz vs. North Lawndale at Rockne, 1

LAND OF LINCOLN

Lincoln Park at Taft, 7:30

Phillips at Westinghouse, 1

PRAIRIE STATE

Payton at Orr, 4

Raby at Back of the Yards, 1:30

RED BIRD

Curie vs. Simeon at Gately, 4

SECOND CITY

Julian vs. Vocational at Gately, 1

Washington vs. Carver at Gately, 7

WINDY CITY

Schurz vs. Mather at Winnemac, 1

CHICAGO AVENUE

Juarez at Kelly, 10 a.m.

Little Village vs. Collins at Rockne, 10 a.m.

LAKE STREET

Longwood vs. Butler at Gately, 10 a.m.

South Shore vs. Bowen at Eckersall, 4

MADISON STREET

Chicago Academy vs. Roosevelt at Winnemac, 4

Pritzker vs. Foreman at Lane, 1

MICHIGAN AVENUE

DuSable vs. Dyett at Stagg, 4

Woodlawn vs. Chicago Military at Eckersall, 10 a.m.

STATE STREET

Rowe-Clark at Marshall, 10 a.m.

UIC Prep vs. Phoenix at Lane, 4

NONCONFERENCE

St. Rita at Loyola, 1:30

Read More

High school football scores: Week 3Michael O’Brienon September 10, 2021 at 10:03 pm Read More »

A new day and a new way in the Illinois HouseRich Milleron September 10, 2021 at 9:58 pm

“This is what decentralized, collective leadership looks like,” declared House Speaker Chris Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll not long after the chamber approved the climate/energy bill on an unexpectedly lopsided 83-33 roll call on Sept. 9.

The vote was without a doubt a spectacular victory, especially considering the Senate was not able to put together its own package that could pass both chambers and be signed into law.

Not only did all but one House Democrat vote for the bill after starting the day miles from that point, but 11 House Republicans ended up on board even though House Republican leadership had said the day before that there was “nearly zero” support for it and only two Senate Republicans had voted for their chamber’s version.

The House Black Caucus has for years specialized in blowing up important bills in order to pry concessions loose for their constituency. So, Speaker Welch put Assistant Majority Leader Marcus Evans, an African American South Sider, into the lead negotiator’s role after the Senate punted the issue to his chamber. And when the Black Caucus expectedly demanded more concessions, Leader Evans was able to make some changes and then convincingly explain to the caucus how Black people were getting a decent deal.

Speaker Welch probably could’ve tried to strong-arm the climate/energy bill through the House with the absolute bare minimum of 71 votes (a three-fifths majority), and he might have been successful. Instead, Welch told Gov. J.B. Pritzker that he had to finally come to terms with Assistant House Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, who had been relentlessly advocating for an approach that would bring the state’s two municipally owned coal-fired electricity plants to a neutral bargaining position. Hoffman was one of Pritzker’s earliest supporters in the 2018 campaign, but the Metro East Democrat’s strong advocacy for coal-related jobs had put him on the outs.

Hoffman had made his pitch to Welch, but his cause was aided by House Republican Leader Jim Durkin. Welch needed votes and he asked Durkin for help but was turned down because Durkin opposed the bill. The Republican did, however, say that coal was a big issue for his caucus. At Welch’s behest, Pritzker immediately dispatched his point-person, Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell, to Rep. Hoffman’s office. The Senate Democrats claimed for months that Mitchell was the main obstacle to closing a deal, but Mitchell and Hoffman were able to fairly quickly work out an arrangement.

Assistant House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, Welch’s third point-person on the climate/energy bill and the most liberal of the bunch, listened closely to the enviros and effectively communicated their wants and had the political savvy to turn those wants into a doable reality. Her strong credibility also ensured that the enviros stayed in line when a deal was cut that was not close to everything the greens wanted. Leader Gabel’s role cannot be understated. This simply doesn’t happen without her.

So, yeah, Driscoll was right. This was a collective win. But Welch still deserves an enormous amount of credit for masterminding this thing across the finish line. And, frankly, for all the moaning about how Mike Madigan would’ve sealed the deal earlier, I don’t think there’s any way the former House speaker could’ve ever gotten that many votes on a bill like this. It’s a new day and a new way.

The governor, too, played his cards right in the end. As we all know, Pritzker and Senate President Don Harmon still have, um, issues, so the two men apparently couldn’t bring themselves to make a deal with one another when the bill was in the Senate. Harmon finally accepted that reality and agreed to kick the ball to the House, where Pritzker obviously was more comfortable and willing to do whatever it took to work with Welch, including taking a deal that he might possibly have rejected if it had been made by the Senate (some insist the House bill wasn’t as strong as Harmon’s best effort last month).

Also, in retrospect, it was probably a good thing for the governor that talks with the Senate broke down at the end of May. If the bill had passed back then, the entire focus would’ve been on the huge bailout for Exelon’s nuke plants. Instead, the public conversation shifted to coal and climate change, which is a far more politically advantageous spot for Pritzker.

Whatever. It’s over now. Harmon graciously accepted the terms, and we won’t have to deal with this issue again until the inevitable “cleanup” bills surface.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

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A new day and a new way in the Illinois HouseRich Milleron September 10, 2021 at 9:58 pm Read More »

Delta’s descent? Weekly COVID-19 cases dip for first time since start of summerMitchell Armentrouton September 10, 2021 at 11:32 pm

As Illinois’ Delta variant resurgence of COVID-19 keeps pushing some hospitals to the limit, public health officials on Friday reported the state’s first week-to-week decline in cases this summer, suggesting the latest coronavirus wave could be cresting.

A total of 26,062 Illinoisans tested positive over the last week, dipping 14% from the 30,319 residents diagnosed the previous week. That came along with a 5% decrease in the number of tests performed during a seven-day stretch including the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The average case positivity rate, which experts use to gauge how rapidly the virus is spreading, fell from 5% to 4.5%, as low as it’s been since the first week of August.

Regional rates vary, though. While Chicago is back below 4%, the southern Illinois region — which has the state’s lowest vaccination rates — is still soaring over 10%.

But taken collectively, the state’s case numbers took the first sustained step in the right direction since the third week of June, when Illinois recorded fewer than 1,700 new cases and the positivity rate bottomed out at 0.6%.

That was shortly after Gov. J.B. Pritzker allowed the state to reopen June 11. Cases have been on the rise ever since — exponentially so for most of August as Delta gripped unvaccinated communities. The dangerous variant is thought to be responsible for more than 99% of new cases.

New COVID-19 cases by day

Graphic by Jesse Howe and Caroline Hurley | Sun-Times

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

Despite the slight weekly case drop, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still considers transmission high in all 102 Illinois counties, along with nearly 94% of all counties nationwide.

School outbreaks keep piling up, too, with the state now identifying 128 clusters, up from 81 last week.

Even if the state’s surge has plateaued — as Pritzker has said he’s hopeful is the case — thousands of families will continue feeling the effects of the surge for weeks to come as hospitalizations and deaths keep rising.

Nurse Tamara Jones checks blood sugar levels for a 73-year-old woman with COVID-19 last fall in the Intensive Care Unit at Roseland Community Hospital. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Those metrics are considered “lagging indicators” of the pandemic because it takes several weeks for spiking cases to deteriorate into more serious infections, meaning those figures are likely to keep going up even as cases go down.

Illinois hospitals are indeed still filling but at a slowing pace. The 2,346 beds occupied by coronavirus patients Thursday night were the most since Feb. 2, marking a 3% increase since last week. Only five intensive care unit beds were available for all of southern Illinois Friday, but that’s actually a slight improvement from the single ICU bed open last week.

Deaths remain on an upward trend, too. The virus claimed 197 lives last week, an 11% jump from the previous week. More than 7,800 Illinois lives have been lost to COVID-19 so far this year. About 96% of those victims were unvaccinated.

About 22% of eligible Illinois residents have yet to get a shot. Almost 61% of residents 12 or older are fully vaccinated.

At an unrelated news conference in downstate Montgomery County — where just 42% of residents are fully vaccinated — Pritzker said he supports President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal employees and large employers.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a news conference at the Thompson Center last month.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

“We’ve got a lot of challenges today with the number of people that are unvaccinated who could be vaccinated,” he said. “I’ve taken steps incrementally across our population with teachers and with those who are serving the most vulnerable to make sure that they’re getting vaccinated.

“I do believe everybody should go get the vaccine. I think anything we do to encourage that, to push that, is helpful.”

Officials are offering $100 in Visa gift cards to those who roll up their sleeves at city-run mobile vaccination events or who sign up for in-home shot appointments at (312) 746-4835.

For help finding a shot in suburban Cook County, visit cookcountypublichealth.org or call (833) 308-1988. To find other Illinois providers, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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Delta’s descent? Weekly COVID-19 cases dip for first time since start of summerMitchell Armentrouton September 10, 2021 at 11:32 pm Read More »

Twenty years after 9/11, America’s still driving the low roadCST Editorial Boardon September 10, 2021 at 11:22 pm

Two hijacked planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, and America got scared.

Oh, we looked noble and resolute at first. We mourned our dead and rallied around our firefighters. We gave speeches about standing together. Rudy Giuliani, then the mayor of New York, seemed to speak for us all when he stood amid the rubble and quietly said, “The number of casualties will be more than any of us can bear ultimately.”

We vowed to get the bad guys, and polls reported a boost in patriotism. Eight out of 10 of us displayed an American flag after our nation launched airstrikes a month later against the Taliban and al-Qaida.

Then we took the low road. We turned on each other. We went looking for scapegoats. We turned against Muslims first, here and abroad, and then against any perceived outsiders. We conflated terrorists with immigrants. We found our chance to indulge our prejudices, to act on our worst impulses, and we took it.

Not all of us, of course. Far from it. But many of us. Egged on by right-wing politicians, right-wing radio talkers and right-wing cable TV hosts. They knew how to make hay of America’s trauma, how to ride the fear and anger.

Where failures lie

But wait. Wouldn’t it be more fair to say mistakes were made all around? Not really. And we won’t play the game of false equivalency.

Without a doubt, Americans across the political spectrum failed the test as leaders and citizens in the first months and years after the 9/11 attacks.

Too many Democrats in Congress voted alongside almost every Republican for the infamous Patriot Act, which clawed away at our privacy rights out of a false choice between liberty and security. Too many Democrats voted with almost every Republican for the war in Iraq, though they knew there was nothing to the Bush administration’s insistence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction or was complicit in the 9/11 attacks.

Too many Democrats joined Republicans in looking away from the CIA’s black sites in foreign countries, where people were tortured. And all Americans should be ashamed of how we looked away as our government piled up terrorist suspects at Guatanamo Bay Naval Base without charge or due process for now going on 20 years.

But it was right-wing propagandists who fed the fear and distrust, baking it into the American psyche. It was way too many Republican leaders who drove the bus down the low road.

As a writer in the Washington Post recalled last week, President George Bush’s attorney general, John Ashcroft, had this to say weeks after the 9/11 attacks: “Let the terrorists among us be warned: If you overstay your visa — even by one day — we will arrest you.”

It was treacherous for Ashcroft to lump together people who overstay their visas with terrorists.

From 9/11 to the Capitol

A direct line can be drawn from the divisive and reactionary politics pursued after 9/11 — the demonizing of Muslims, the championing of an exclusionary nationalism, a readiness to justify any means to an end — to the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 of this year.

There is no distance between Donald Trump’s false claim, when he was still just a New York real estate developer, that “thousands and thousands” of Muslims cheered in New Jersey when the twin towers fell and his later claims as president that undocumented immigrants were rapists and murderers.

There also was nothing new in this. Fanning the fears of the masses is older than the red-baiting of Sen. Joe McCarthy. Compromising our nation’s principles to gain a feeling of security is older than the Japanese American internment camps during World War II. Loathing the latest wave of immigrants is an American pastime.

After the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Muslims terrorists were suspected immediately, and politicians and commentators railed against foreigners and immigrants. Until we learned the bomber was a homegrown white supremacist, Timothy McVeigh.

But in the days after 9/11, the worst of us ran with the worst of it — the falsehoods, the small-minded meanness and the trashing of democratic norms — and they have yet to quit running.

If they could convince 66% of Americans that Saddam Hussein was behind the 9/11 attacks, what was to stop them from selling the lie that Barack Obama wasn’t born in this country, that Hillary Clinton was involved in child sex trafficking, that Trump won the 2020 election or that the mob that overran the Capitol was a cheerful bunch of tourists?

The sale has become so much easier to make. As a result of congressional district gerrymandering, more politicians no longer have to appeal to a wide spectrum of voters, but only to that narrow ban of true-believers who decide primary elections.

Finagle an interview on Fox News. Throw around a little bile on Facebook and Twitter, which didn’t exist before 9/11. And you’re a shoo-in.

Open to political violence

Twenty years after 9/11, according to a Washington Post poll, a plurality of Americans — 46% — think our nation has changed for the worse. And we are also today more divided.

One month after 9/11, 74% of Americans said the United States was “united” as a country. Today, only 11% of us believe that. We appear to be at loggerheads on just about everything, from how to run an election to when to wear a mask.

Twenty years later — and this should worry us the most — more Americans are willing to endorse violence to get their way in politics. Thirty-six percent of us, according to a poll by the Survey Center on American Life, now say the “use of force” may be necessary to stop the “decline” of America’s traditional way of life.

Twenty years after 9/11, the fear, the fear-mongering and rank opportunism rage on.

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Twenty years after 9/11, America’s still driving the low roadCST Editorial Boardon September 10, 2021 at 11:22 pm Read More »

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021: Day 1 photo highlightsSun-Times staffon September 10, 2021 at 11:00 pm

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 got under way Friday afternoon in Union Park, marking the return of the West Loop staple after COVID forced its cancelation in 2020.

The eclectic lineup promises a mix of hip-hop, R&B, indie rock and more.

And hot on the heels of Lollapalooza last month, the music festival has strict COVID-19 safety protocols in place, requiring proof of full vaccination or a negative test within 24 hours for each day of the fest in order to gain entry. Masks are encouraged at all times, per the festival’s website and signs posted at entry.

In addition to music, a popup art fair featuring the work of local artists made for perfect summertime shopping and browsing.

Here’s a look at the sights and sounds of Friday’s festival:

Frances Quinlan of Hop Along performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Tyler Long of Hop Along performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Jason Balla of DEHD performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Festival-goers check out art by local artists on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Festival goers shop at a fair on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

A sign asks people to wear a mask when shopping at a fair on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Masks are visible throughout the crowd as fans watch DEHD perform on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Festival goers wait in line buy a t-shirt on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

A festival-goer dances with hoops at Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

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Pitchfork Music Festival 2021: Day 1 photo highlightsSun-Times staffon September 10, 2021 at 11:00 pm Read More »