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Francine Lescher, a senior animal care specialist, holds T-Mo, a Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth at Brookfield Zoo, while he receives a COVID-19 vaccine administered by Dr. Mike Adkesson, vice present of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society. | Cathy Bazzoni/CZS-Brookfield Zoo

Cases in animals have been rare, but they do occur. “It’s very similar to what we see with people,” Brookfield’s chief veterinarian said.

Illinois has reached COVID-19 vaccination Phase 1-Z — for zoo animals.

Nine months after the first life-saving shots started going into human arms, veterinarians at Brookfield Zoo started administering coronavirus vaccine doses last weekend to gorillas, sloths and other animals considered to be at high risk for contracting the novel coronavirus.

The Zoetis vaccine recently approved by state and federal regulators activates an immune system response in animals much like the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines do for people. Four-legged recipients will need a second dose just like many humans have.

Cases in animals have been rare, but the crossover highlights the “interconnected” nature of COVID-19 on a global scale and the importance of taking preventive action, according to Dr. Mike Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield.

“We see a huge connection between the health of humans and the health of animals, especially as people keep encroaching on habitats,” Adkesson said. “That human-animal interface is a huge concern for mutation and transmission. We want to make sure our humans and animals are healthy.”

Cathy Bazzoni/CZS-Brookfield Zoo
Kyan, one of Brookfield Zoo’s servals, receives a COVID-19 vaccine from Dr. Mike Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society. He is assisted by Maggie Chardell, a lead animal care specialist. Due to the respectful and trusting relationships developed between the animals and the care staff, many of the zoo’s animals voluntarily participate in their own health care, including holding still while the vaccination is administered.

Shots at Lincoln Park Zoo will begin over the next few weeks, a spokeswoman said. Neither zoo has had a diagnosed COVID-19 case among their animals.

But it’s been identified at other zoos across the nation, mostly among big cats, gorillas and small carnivores like otters and minks. They’re all thought to have been infected through interaction with zoo staff. Most showed signs of respiratory infections: coughing, nasal discharge and labored breathing.

“It’s very similar to what we see with people,” Adkesson said.

And at least in some cases, the animals are feeling vaccine side effects familiar to some people, too.

“We’ve not seen anything here, but some animals at other zoos seemed a little under the weather the next day, holding their upper arm in a way that makes people think it’s a little sore for them like it was for us. Very mild things,” Adkesson said.

First in line for the shot at Brookfield are species known to be susceptible to the virus: primates, big cats, bears, small carnivores and zoo “ambassadors” that make public appearances at outreach events. Hooved animals, bats, armadillos and other small mammals are also on the list of roughly 300 species slated for vaccination in the months ahead.

That doesn’t mean you’ll need to get your dog or cat a shot. COVID-19 cases have been even rarer among house pets.

“There’s no indication pets need to be vaccinated. We’re doing this to provide the highest level of care for our animals in the zoo,” Adkesson said.

Brookfield Zoo said it will likely reopen its Tropic World: Africa section and Australia House this fall once the western lowland gorillas and Rodrigues fruit bats are fully vaccinated.

Cathy Bazzoni/CZS-Brookfield Zoo
Sandy, a binturong at Brookfield Zoo, receives a COVID-19 vaccine administered by Dr. Mike Adkesson, vice president of clinical medicine for the Chicago Zoological Society, and assisted by Maggie Chardell and Craig Stevens, lead animal care specialists.

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It was supposed to be a joyous day in East Garfield Park, a back-to-school event for children who live in one of the deadliest neighborhoods in Chicago.

Organizers handed out backpacks, popcorn and cotton candy as kids jumped in bouncy houses and danced to local rappers on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

As things were winding down, a red car passed and the small gathering of families was sprayed by bullets. Kids and parents tripped over each as they ran for cover. An 11-year-old boy, his 14-year-old step-sister and one of the rappers were hit.

“They just started shooting and there was just a whole bunch of bullets,” said the 14-year-old, Ayonna Fleming Peterson. “I knew I got hit in the ankle and my first thing, I panicked, I was looking around, looking around for my brother and then I noticed I was hit in my leg too.”

Lamar Peterson said his children are recovering, but that hasn’t dimmed his anger. “They are all traumatized,” he said. “We were just there to spread some love to the community.”

Ayonna Fleming Peterson and her 11-year-old step-brother were among eight children shot over the holiday weekend. Provided by Lamar Fleming

The attack was part of Labor Day weekend violence that punctuated the end of summer in a year that has already seen more shootings than all of 2019.

At least 67 people were shot over the long holiday, including eight children. One of them, a 4-year-old boy named Mychal Moultry Jr., was killed when bullets smashed through a window and hit him in the head as he was getting his hair braided.

For the year, there have been more than 3,100 shooting victims and more than 500 of them have died, according to the city’s most recent data. That’s up from 2,849 shooting victims this time last year and 1,838 this time in 2019. The number for all of 2019 was 2,664.

The worst recent year for gun violence in Chicago was 2016, when there were more than 4,300 shooting victims and more 762 murders – the highest death toll since the mid-1990s.

This year has been particularly deadly for children 15 and younger. The Sun-Times reported in early summer that children were dying from gun violence at a rate three times higher than last year.

The pace continued through the summer, according to a Sun-Times analysis. At least 16 children 15 and younger – 11 boys and five girls – have been shot and killed.

Sun-Times data also shows that city efforts to reduce gun violence in the deadliest neighborhoods have fallen short.

Only five of 15 targeted communities on the West and South sides have seen fewer homicides than this time last year, and only three have had fewer shootings, according to a Sun-Times analysis.

Over the holiday weekend, Mayor Lori Lightfoot promised a new initiative against gang violence but did not disclose any details. However, she promised “there should be no gang member in Chicago who has a comfortable night sleep.”

Chicago police work the scene where 3 people were wounded in a shooting, including a 11-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, outside a Citgo gas station at N. Sacramento Blvd and W. Fulton St. in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. A back to school picnic was happening at the Citgo when the shooting occurred.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Peterson said his intentions Saturday was to do some good and maybe keep kids out of harm’s way. He has hosted at least four backpack giveaways this year in neighborhoods on the South and West sides.

“I was strictly there to bring joy to the community,” said Peterson, who also DJed the event.

The event was held from noon until 3 p.m. Saturday at a gas station parking lot in the 2900 block of West Fulton. Peterson said it was going so well that rapper VT Badboy’ decided to stick around for the kids.

The gunmen in the red car passed by about half an hour later.

“It went from kids jumping with popcorn and moms taking pictures of their kids to fully automatic weapons being fired,” Peterson said. “The kids ran and they tripped over each other and the parents were crawling over the kids — everyone was just running, screaming.”

Peterson’s daughter and stepson were sitting on a go-cart when she was shot in the calf and ankle and he suffered a graze wound to his hip.

“I was passing out popcorn and cotton candy and we started to clean up and I sat down in the go-cart,” Ayonna said. “I got to the car. ‘Daddy I got shot, Daddy I got shot.’ Hopped in the car, both my brothers got in the car and we just rushed to the hospital.”

Both children were treated at Rush University Medical Center and have since been released. “I’m doing a little bit better, there’s times when my leg hurts,” Ayonna said.

The rapper, 25, was shot multiple times and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.

Less than hour before the shooting, the rapper posted a video to his Facebook page of him jumping in a bouncy house with a group of kids. The caption read, “This who I do it for.”

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In a year full of unplanned twists and turns when it comes to music festivals, things are just getting started thisSeptember as two of the Chicago’s most prized homegrown affairs — Pitchfork Music Festival and Riot Fest — are prepping their mighty returns.

Usually held in the middle of July, Pitchfork Music Festival is taking shape this weekend. Though it’s not the milestone 15th anniversary organizers had planned for 2020 (canceled due to the pandemic), this year’s event is still a landmark, offering a spate of headliners led by women, which hopefully helps set a new industry precedent.

In true Pitchfork fashion, the lineup is as eclectic as ever with a hearty mix of indie rock, hip-hop, singer-songwriter, R&B, electro and jazz fusion, with many acts returning from the ill-fated 2020 roster. In addition to knowing the fest’s COVID protocols (full vaccination or a negative test within 24 hours for each day of the fest is required, and masks are encouraged at all times), here are some of the artists you don’t want to miss if you’re heading to Union Park this weekend:

The Fiery Furnaces

It’s been a solid decade since siblings Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger (originally from Oak Park) took a stage together as The Fiery Furnaces. In that time, each has gone on to solo success, but this is the indie-rock reunion many have been waiting for — especially as it was first announced as part of the 2020 Pitchfork lineup. Once signed to Chicago’s storied Thrill Jockey label, The Fiery Furnances are now a part of Jack White’s Third Man Records (a curious development since their garage-rock sound and sibling construct was early on compared to The White Stripes). If their latest single “Down at the So and So on Somewhere” is any indication, they’re definitely on fire again. (5:15 p.m. Friday, Red Stage)

Animal Collective

Josh Dibb of Animal Collective performs during 2013 Governors Ball Music Festival at Randall’s Island in New York City.Getty Images

These Pitchfork Festival alumni are the epitome of “keep it weird.” With an arsenal of synths, samples, cinematic composition and avant-garde noisemaking, their experimental cachet takes cues from Pink Floyd, Beach Boys, Zappa and The Flaming Lips while redefining eclectic psychedelia in the new millennium on albums like the acclaimed “Merriweather Post Pavilion” (named for a venue in their native Maryland). They’ve been working on new material, so perhaps they’ll be serving up some fresh takes in this set. (6:15 p.m. Friday, Green Stage)

Yaeji

If you’re still talking about Grimes and Robyn’s appearances at Pitchfork Music Fest over the years, you’re going to want to make a beeline for Yaeji on opening day. Songs like the beat-heavy “Raingurl” bring the club to the park and hint that this will be one of the most danceable sets of the weekend. The Korean-American talent started her career as a DJ, moving into production and songwriting, offering bilingual lyrics that softly layer over her house-meets-hip-hop trademark style. (7:45 p.m. Friday, Blue Stage)

Phoebe Bridgers

A true artist can tap into the times and provide a sense of solace and resonance for the audience — Bridgers does all that while still remaining artful and authentic. The L.A.-based singer-songwriter and guitarist has been at the top of critics’ lists for a while and never more so than for her 2020 Grammy-nominated album “Punisher” that showcased a defining maturity to her abilities, with 11 songs that move through the emotional spectrum from playful and witty to serious real talk. Bridgers herself has been a mouthpiece outside the music, with the album’s release heavily encouraging support for racial justice programs. This will be one of her first returns to the stage since the pandemic cut off her “Punisher” tour cycle and will finally give the album its due spotlight. (8:30 p.m. Friday, Green Stage)

Divino Nino

Pulling influences from various genres, styles and cultures, this Chicago-based dream-pop act has early roots in Colombia, where guitarist-vocalist Camilo Medina and bassist Javier Forero were born and raised before the two serendipitously reconnected in Miami and later made their way to the Midwest, where they formed the bilingual band. Their chilled-out vibe has a Sunday-drive calmness while song structures carry retro appeal, all drenched in a washed-out haze that is a real record-store mood. (Saturday, 2:30 pm, Green Stage)

Jamila Woods

Jamila Woods performs onstage during the 2017 Panorama Music Festival at Randall’s Island in New York City. Monica Schipper/Getty Images

The prized poet, singer-songwriter and teacher has a real way with words that must be heard live to fully appreciate. Wood’s affinity for her native Chicago comes through in her works and collaborations, including with Chance the Rapper. The Young Chicago Authors instructor and creative director has been riding high on a series of solo releases in recent years, including the incredible 2019 release “Legacy! Legacy!” with neo-soul appeal and each song dedicated to a Black artist or activist, creating a concept album that still reverberates years later. A mix of Gwendolyn Brooks with Lauryn Hill, Woods is the set that will leave many speechless. (6:30 p.m. Saturday, Blue Stage)

St. Vincent

St. Vincent performs onstage during “Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute To Prince” in 2020 in Los Angeles. Getty Images

It’s easy to see why Annie Clark is the David Bowie of our era. The accomplished artist who goes by the nom de plume St. Vincent is a sly shape-shifter in sound, style and character with her writing and creative vision getting better and better on each subsequent album, and hitting a fever pitch with her latest “Daddy’s Home.” She’s not only a virtuoso on the guitar, inspired by her time fawning over grunge music, but she also tests the boundaries for what rock and pop can be, and for that she will be heralded as an iconoclast even after the day comes when she plays the last note. This will be the highlight of the weekend. (8:30 p.m. Saturday, Green Stage)

Mariah The Scientist

Sunday’s bill has an incredible force of talent, not to be outdone by the headliner Erykah Badu. But if you’re looking for an early-day act that might move the needle, head for Mariah The Scientist. With hints of SZA, Lana Del Rey and even the other Mariah, the Atlanta songstress (her stage name paying homage to her former trajectory as a biology student) is a deep-thinking songwriter whose voice sounds like it descended straight from the cosmos. She’s a rather new kid on the R&B block but she’s already laying a great foundation. (3:20 p.m. Sunday, Red Stage)

Thundercat

Thundercat performs at The Forum on June 29, 2019 in Inglewood, California. Getty Images

If his name sounds like an ’80s superhero, just wait until you see the real-life powers Thundercat a.k.a. Stephen Lee Bruner delivers on stage in a set that nimbly moves through fresh funk, acid jazz and smooth R&B. The musician, who got his start as a one-time bass player in So Cal thrash hardcore band Suicidal Tendencies, has been a frequent session player for the best of the best, even earning a Grammy for his work with Kendrick Lamar on “To Pimp a Butterfly.” He sealed that deal on his own in 2020, winning a Grammy for the accomplished fusion album “It Is What It Is,” setting the stage for his own solo domination. (5:15 p.m, Sunday, Red Stage)

Danny Brown

Rapper Danny Brown performs at the Growlers 6 festival at the LA Waterfront on Oct. 28, 2017, in San Pedro, California. Getty Images

Detroit has been the birthplace of a legion of music greats, and Danny Brown deserves his place among the best of them. The rapper is one of the more inventive and amusing in the genre — expect some stand-up served alongside the rhythmic flow. His latest album, 2019’s “uknowhatimsayin?” is one of his finest to date with production work from Q-Tip and contributions from the alt hip-hop scene he helped hone including JPEG Mafia, Blood Orange and Thundercat, the latter of whom is playing earlier in the day, so expect a guest spot in one of their sets. (6:15 p.m. Sunday, Green Stage)

Selena Fragassi is a local freelance writer.

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Six people were killed and at least 61 others were wounded in Chicago, including eight children 17 and younger, over the Labor Day weekend.

The youngest murder victim was a 4-year-old boy who was shot while getting a haircut in a home in Woodlawn Friday night.

Mychal Moultry Jr., who was visiting from Alabama, was struck twice in the head about 9 p.m. when bullets smashed through the window of a home in the 6500 block of South Ellis Avenue, Chicago police said.

The boy’s father held him until paramedics arrived, community activist Andrew Holmes said. Mychal died Sunday. He was the second 4-year-old shot in Chicago in a week, and the second 4-year-old killed in the city this year.

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown pleaded with the community Monday to help detectives after Mychal and seven other children were shot over the weekend.

“We need people in the community to come forward. This is beyond trusting police. This is about the safety of our babies,” Brown told reporters.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the weekend violence was driven by people who “have absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life.” Echoing Brown, Lightfoot once again urged residents of neighborhoods that are “under siege” to cooperate with the police to “stem the tide on this violence.”

“The people in the neighborhoods who are doing the shooting, they are known to people in the neighborhoods,” Lightfoot said in an unrelated news conference. “I understand the fear that’s out there but I’m just calling upon people in these neighborhoods — particularly when we think about the number of children who have been shot — you’ve got to have your faith overcome your fear. You’ve got to step up.”

Lightfoot said her office will announce initiatives focused on gun violence “in the coming days” but did not disclose any details.

Chicago police investigate Saturday afternoon after a 12-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl were among three people shot outside a Citgo gas station at North Sacramento Boulevard and West Fulton Street in East Garfield Park. A back to school picnic was happening at the Citgo when the shooting occurred.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Seven other children struck by gunfire

On Saturday, a 16-year-old boy showed up at Stroger Hospital with a gunshot wound, police said.
Two girls, 12 and 15, were among three wounded near a back-to-school event in East Garfield Park. Police said they recovered the car used in the shooting, but no one was in custody.
Saturday night, a 15-year-old boy was hit in a drive-by shooting in Englewood.
Another 13-year-old boy was seriously wounded in a South Chicago shooting. Police said the boy was in a basement with friends when someone shot through a window.
Sunday morning, a 14-year-old boy was shot while walking to a car with his father in Little Village.
A 17-year-old was among two teens shot in Washington Park.
Outside Comer Children’s Hospital Friday night, advocates try to console the father of a 4-year-old boy who was shot in Woodlawn.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Other murder victims

A 25-year-old man was killed Monday afternoon in a shooting in Brainerd. He was shot in the head in the 9200 block of South Eggleston Avenue and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died.
A 50-year-old man was killed Monday morning while driving in West Garfield Park. He crashed his car after being shot several times in the 4200 block of West Washington Boulevard, police said.
In South Shore, a person was shot in the head while inside a car in the 7800 block of South Clyde Avenue, police said.
Hours earlier, Enrique Negrete, 23, was stopped at a traffic light in the 3700 block of South Kedzie Avenue when he was shot in the head following a brief conversation with the alleged shooter, who was traveling in another car, police said. Negrete died in the 5500 block of South Albany Avenue in Brighton Park, about two miles south of the shooting scene.
Another man was killed late Saturday in Lawndale. Officers found the 41-year-old lying between two parked cars in the 1600 block of South Central Park Avenue, police said. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital with two gunshot wounds to the chest and was pronounced dead.

Aside from Negrete, none of the adult homicide victims has been identified.

Other shootings

A 34-year-old CTA bus driver was shot Saturday night on Washington Avenue near State Street, police said. Dennis Green, 38, was arrested and charged in the shooting.
Five people were wounded in Lawndale early Saturday when someone opened fire from a car at a gathering in the 1400 block of South Tripp Avenue, police said.

At least 48 others were wounded in weekend shootings between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

Tuesday afternoon, police said a woman was shot in her toe Monday night in a domestic incident but didn’t seek medical attention until the next day.

Last weekend, at least six people were killed and 50 others wounded in citywide gun violence.

Contributing: Rachel Hinton and Tom Schuba

Crime scene tape blocks off a portion of the Lakefront Trail near the 800 block of North Lake Shore Drive, where a man was shot Monday evening in the Gold Coast.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

A man was shot in the leg early Monday outside a home in the 9900 block of South La Salle Street in Fernwood on the South Side.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

A man reacts at the scene after a 22-year-old man was shot in the face early Monday in a backyard in the 9500 block of South Yale Avenue in Longwood Manor on the South Side.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

At least 15 shell casings were recovered in the 2500 block of South Trumbull early Sunday after a 14-year-old boy was shot in Little Village on the Southwest Side.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Passersby watch as Chicago police investigate after a CTA bus driver was shot Saturday night in the first block of East Washington Avenue in the Loop.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Chicago police work the scene where a 13-year-old boy was shot in the head Saturday evening inside a home in the 8500 block of South Marquette Avenue in South Chicago.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Five people were wounded in a mass shooting early Saturday in the 1400 block of South Tripp Avenue in Lawndale on the Southwest Side.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Chicago police investigate after a 4-year-old boy was shot in the head when bullets tore through the window of a home in the 6500 block of South Ellis Avenue late Friday in Woodlawn on the South Side.Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Chicago police personnel chat outside Comer Children’s Hospital on the South Side after a 4-year-old boy was shot in the head Friday night in the 6500 block of South Ellis Avenue in Woodlawn.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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A man shot a CTA bus driver in the jaw over the weekend after the driver asked him to step off the bus when it reached the end of the line in the Loop, according to prosecutors.

Dennis Green, 38, went up to the driver, yelled at him and then spit in his face around 9 p.m. Saturday in the first block of West Washington Street, prosecutors said during a hearing Tuesday.

Green then left the bus and was followed by the driver, who tried to escort Green to Chicago police cars nearby, prosecutors said. The two struggled outside the bus, and Green took out a handgun and shot the driver.

A witness heard the gunshot and saw the driver fall to the ground, prosecutors said. The witness called 911 and described the shooter while Green ran south down Garland Court and discarded his jacket.

Police arrested Green near Wabash and Jackson. A loaded 9mm handgun with a defaced serial number allegedly fell from his pocket. The entire incident was recorded on surveillance video, prosecutors said.

Paramedics took the driver, 34, to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound that fractured his lower jaw. The driver is unable to speak and must undergo more surgery in the coming days, prosecutors said.

Green has four previous convictions for unauthorized use of a weapon by a felon, attempted burglary, aggravated robbery and drug possession.

Green lives in Chicago with his godmother and has three children, his attorney said. Green went to Marshall High School until the 10th grade and has a certificate in carpentry, the attorney said.

Judge John Lyke called the allegations “outrageous” and ordered Green held without bail.

Green is charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery to a transit employee, armed habitual criminal and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number.

His next court date is Sept. 15.

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Bears coach Matt Nagy has been ultra-secretive about whether he’ll use rookie quarterback Justin Fields in specially designed packages against the Rams in the season opener Sunday, but the Rams are preparing for it anyway.

While Rams coach Sean McVay had high praise for Bears starter Andy Dalton on Tuesday, he also noted that it’s important to be ready for Fields.

“It would be naive for us not to prepare for them to be able to utilize him in some form or fashion,” McVay said. “But Andy is a winning quarterback in this league, does a great job… He does a great job, accurate, anticipation, recognizes the looks defensively, can straighten up protections. So Andy Dalton’s a really good quarterback and it’ll be a great challenge.

“And then you see the ways that Justin made a lot of plays going back to his career at Ohio State [and] what he showed in the preseason. So, I think you’ve got to be ready for either.”

Nagy has been adamant all offseason that Dalton is his starter and has at times said he hopes to keep Fields on the bench all season. Fields’ rapid development, however, has made it much more realistic that he will play sooner.

Fields completed 61.2% of his passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, plus a rushing touchdown in three preseason games.

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A new contract that would raise pay for 11,000 rank-and-file Chicago police officers will head to a City Council vote next week.

The Council’s Workforce Development Committee on Tuesday unanimously voted to advance the eight-year deal, which took four years to negotiate. If approved, the package will cost the city $377 million in retroactive pay dating back to when the last deal expired in 2017.

The deal would increase base pay for officers by 20% over the life of the contract and also allows the city to investigate officers based on anonymous complaints and other disciplinary changes.

City officials still are negotiating with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, which represents the majority of the department’s rank-and-file officers, over further changes to the contract to accommodate reforms mandated by new state laws and a federal consent decree that looms over the department, said James Fronczak, a private attorney who represented the city during the negotiations.

Nearly 80% of Lodge 7 members in July voted to approve the contract, leaving Council approval as the only remaining step to close the deal.

The Council vote next Tuesday will come as the city ends a second straight summer of surging violent crime and less than a month after Officer Ella French was murdered and a fellow officer gravely injured during a traffic stop. But Mayor Lori Lightfoot also has faced a drumbeat of calls from activists to reduce CPD’s nearly $2 billion budget in favor of non-law enforcement approaches to crime reduction.

The hourlong discussion of the contract, led by co-chair Ald. Jason Ervin for the absent Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, focused largely on those non-economic changes to the contract. Most of the questions were devoted to how changes to the contract might impact the rights of officers accused of criminal conduct and to why the changes weren’t more sweeping.

Fronczak said further changes were still to be negotiated, and likely would wind up getting decided in arbitration, a process that would have added months to the already yearslong negotiations. The pay increases for police officers, he said, was on par with the most recent deals for the department’s higher-ranking officers and firefighters.

“Nobody professes that this is going to cure all the ills of the police department or for accountability reform,” Fronczak said. “But big-picture-wise, if you look at this agreement, there are 36 separate provisions that we have changed that fall under the umbrella of accountability.”

Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35th) noted the price tag for the new contract.

“I’m glad the city was able to make progress on a lot of its accountability issues, but I do want to note that it’s coming at a very steep price, and that this is a very expensive contract,” Rosa said. “This is very costly and this does represent a major increase for those officers, and I assume that’s why they voted to support this contract.”

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Rookie quarterback Justin Fields is who the Bears thought he was.

“He’s the guy we thought we were getting when we watched him on tape,” Bears quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo said Monday. “Boy, we were excited when we watched that college tape — and there’s reason. That translated over into here.

“And that’s a good thing, because I’ve been at places — not just with the quarterback position — where you draft a guy and you’re like, ‘Oh boy, that’s not what I saw on tape’ … We’re just happy that he’s really exciting, there’s a lot of room to grow and get better.”

The refrain rings from every suburb and bounces off the skyscrapers downtown: So why not start Fields now? The Bears’ answer is rooted in where they want to go — and how methodically they want to bring him along. Those interests will intersect this week, when Fields experiences NFL game prep for the first time while starter Andy Dalton gets ready to face the Rams in Week 1.

How long it will continue, though, depends on what the Bears learn about their rookie along the way.

Game prep

Fields started the Bears’ final preseason game, but that offered little in the way of game-planning. For the first time, Fields is living through how an NFL team gets ready to play an opponent.

“I’m not sure there’s anything he needs to get better at — there are some things we need to improve on fundamentally,” DeFilippo said. “I just think it’s him going through his first week as a professional player. That’s a big step. And seeing what it takes to prepare for an NFL game.”

That nuance, he said, could be lost on outsiders.

“What does the week look like? Really, what does it look like?” DeFilippo said. “What does a Wednesday game week look like? What is a Thursday? Friday? Travel day? It’s just different than it was in the preseason. You know, it’s different because the [second-stringers] aren’t getting any of the first[-team] reps. That’s the way it is here — and that’s the way it is in 31 other buildings.

“And so I think it’s just the process of literally going through it. It’s like the first time you do anything. It’s just learning how to do it.”

While DeFilippo debriefs his three quarterbacks weekly to see how their preparation can improve, the Bears, in general, use a schedule comfortable for Dalton, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. That includes small details: whether he wants to watch film from home Mondays and Tuesdays, or come into the office. Or stay late or start early.

Eventually, that will be Fields’ call.

“[Fields] will be taking all that in and trying it out and kind of feeling his way,” Lazor said. “‘O.K., this is how I feel comfortable doing it.'”

Even if an eager fan base doesn’t want to wait, gaining that comfort is important. So are the other thousand boring steps during a game week.

Playoff aspirations

Bears fans on social media were irate last week when the Patriots decided to cut veteran quarterback Cam Newton and start rookie Mac Jones. They wondered why the Bears wouldn’t make the same bold decision and promote their rookie quarterback.

The Patriots are the NFL’s ultimate anomaly — and Newton’s vaccination status likely played a role in the move, even if the powers-that-be can’t say so out loud. The Patriots are in a similar situation as the Bears in one regard, though: they were 7-9 last year and the Bears were 8-8.

Teams with that many wins typically don’t have first-round rookies playing quarterback the following season. Franchises who begin the season with a rookie under center are usually year typically removed from finishing at the bottom of the league — and have set their expectations thusly. They rarely, if ever, have realistic playoff aspirations.

From 2011-20, 18 teams started a rookie quarterback in Week 1. Their average record the year before was 4-12. Not a single team had a record as good as the Bears’ definition-of-average 8-8 record in 2020.

The Bears, meanwhile, have the oldest team in the NFL. They’re up against the salary cap. To help finance season-long roster churn, the Bears turned $5.8 million of Jimmy Graham’s salary into a signing bonus, ESPN reported Tuesday. That frees up $4.6 million in cap space this year but leaves a similar amount in dead cap space next season.

It’s the kind of move a win-now team makes. That’s what the Bears are operating like, even though they’ve been .500 the last two seasons.

“Best-case scenario is to win games with the roster that we have,” general manager Ryan Pace said last week. “We feel like we can. … We believe we can win games with Andy, and then grow Justin at the right rate.”

The Bears believe Dalton gives them a better chance to win in Week 1 — even as their excitement level about Fields has grown.

“When you talk about the future of this franchise and the quarterback that we have, that’s where I’m at peace in my heart knowing what Justin has done — and what he’s exemplified — in this short time [during training camp],” Nagy said. “I feel really, really good about that.”

‘Day-to-day’

Practice, of course, will help.

Fields is running the scout team because the Bears want him to get as many practice snaps as they can. It’s better than the alternative: had third-stringer Nick Foles run the scout team, Fields would be left to stand and watch the starter.

Scout-team snaps are standard practice for a young quarterback. Fields won’t be running the Bears’ plays, of course, but he team believes performing the plays written off index cards will translate.

“I think a lot of teams run the same concepts — or at least put guys in the same spots,” DeFilippo said. “He and I have talked about a couple of things. Just be you, No. 1. Play your game. No. 2, if there’s a play that’s in our offense that we’re trying to execute on a card, treat it just like it’s our offense.

“So I think it might not be the exact depth of the route or the exact progression that the [Bears] defensive staff has him on there. But at least in the chalkboard — in his head — he can kind of go through his thought process with it carrying over to our offense.”

Soon enough, Fields will take things from the chalkboard to Soldier Field. His play during the Bears’ preseason only hastened that timeline.

Nagy said he can stay focused on Fields’ present, though, with the future in mind.

“That’s why I can go day-by-day and know that each day he can grow in practice fundamentally, throughout the week mentally, and then always be prepared — he’s extremely prepared,” Nagy said. “Just in my heart of hearts, knowing that this guy is doing everything that we’re saying and everything that he wants to do.

“You feel good about where he’s at. That’s why I can go day-to-day.”

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will see periods of severe showers and thunderstorms, with a high of 87 degrees, wind around 20 mph and an 80% chance of precipitation. Tonight will be mostly clear aside from isolated showers and thunderstorms, with a low around 59. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 78 degrees.

Top story

CPS mandates return to in-person school council meetings, irking some representatives

Now that Chicago Public Schools students have returned for in-person classes, the district wants Local School Councils to resume in-person meetings for the first time during the pandemic, a move that has upset some elected school representatives.

If there was a pandemic silver lining at CPS over the past year and a half, it was the increased engagement that some LSCs saw when their meetings moved online. While select schools didn’t see large attendance upticks virtually, others had hundreds of people log on, a far cry from many in-person LSC meetings in the past where few, if any, people showed up. From Spanish translation to hearing-impaired services, LSCs were as accessible as ever from the comfort of families’ homes.

But keeping in line with a return to pre-pandemic practices, virtual LSC meetings must come to an end, CPS officials told the school councils last week.

An email from the district’s LSC director, Myra Winding, said Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency COVID-19 provisions that required public meetings to be conducted virtually had ended.

“This means that Local School Councils must return to the pre-pandemic requirements for conducting open meetings in person,” she wrote.

Reached Friday, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said the governor’s executive orders “were amended to take out the open meetings act provisions since we no longer have capacity limits, but public bodies are able to determine if they can do meetings in person or virtually based on their own circumstances.”

Nader Issa has more on the LSC issue here. Get more education news by subscribing to the new Education This Week newsletter from the Chicago Sun-Times here.

More news you need

A 38-year-old man has been charged with shooting and seriously wounding a CTA bus driver in the Loop on Saturday. The driver was rushed to the hospital in serious condition after the man shot him in the jaw, police said.

Many companies are reporting difficulty filling open positions, offering bonuses and inducements such as flexible schedules to get people to sign on. But the threat of the Delta variant of COVID-19 looms, showing up in federal reports covering the job market.

Nearly nine years after a judge handed four life terms to Christopher Vaughn for the murders of his wife and three children, an effort is underway to free him. A new attorney on the case says he is “looking down a number of avenues, all of which lead to actual innocence” and there are also plans to seek clemency from Gov. Pritzker.

Actor Michael K. Williams, known for his deftly-acted roles in shows like “The Wire” and “Lovecraft Country,” has died at age 54. Tributes from fans and fellow actors have been widely shared on social media for Williams, who was found dead yesterday by family members in his Brooklyn apartment.

A bright one

Young Chicago actor gets dream role in ‘Doogie Howser’ reboot

While he’s still catching up on episodes of the original “Doogie Howser, M.D.” series, Wes Tian, 12, scored his dream role in his role on the show’s upcoming Disney+ reboot, “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”

Tian plays Brian Patrick Kamealoha, young brother to Lahela “Doogie” Kamealoha, a 16-year-old prodigy (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) trying her best to juggle a budding medical career with life as a teenager.

“I love that he has such a bond with his older sister,” Tian says of the comedic character he plays on the show, set to begin streaming tomorrow. “He looks up to her, but they don’t really get to see each other too much because he’s back at home with the family and she’s saving lives in the hospital.”

It’s an incredible storyline, but so too is the story that got Tian to where he is today.

Chicago actor Wes Tian co-stars in the new Disney+ series “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”Disney+

Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Tian spent much of the pandemic-stricken year of 2020 auditioning for various roles. And last February, he got a callback from Disney.

Smack dab in the middle of yet another brutal Chicago winter, Tian and his family found themselves flying to Hawaii for an extended stay with a bunch of actors and actresses that the youngster had never met. But strong bonds were quickly forged.

For five months, Tian filmed a show he dreamed of being on, playing “a super adventurous character” in one of this season’s most anticipated new shows.

And while Tian looks forward to getting started on his next project, he’s currently getting back in the swing of school back in Illinois, trying his best to find a balance between his personal and professional life.

“Let’s just say I have really accommodating teachers,” he says.

Tricia Despres has more on Tian’s backstory here.

From the press box

Bears coach Matt Nagy hopes that quarterback Andy Dalton will excel as the starter. But if he doesn’t, Nagy is ready to deal with the outcry for Justin Fields.
Regardless of who starts, inevitable injuries mean the Bears will need solid backups, writes Rick Telander.

In only his fourth season with the Bears, Allen Robinson already is chasing the franchise’s all-time leaders in receiving yards. It further illustrates how badly this organization needs him.

Michael O’Brien looks at three regular high school football playoff teams in 0-2 holes and three surprising undefeated teams.

Your daily question ?

When does summer feel officially over to you?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: What Chicago sports team “deserves” a championship more than all the others and why? Here’s what some of you said…

“The Bulls, because they haven’t won ish since Jordan.” — N’cole Nekia

“Chicago Sky since Candace Parker is playing for them now! And she could potentially add another championship title to her list of accomplishments.” — Cody Thomas

“White Sox. They’ve earned it. Built properly, made smart trades, made smart signings and hired the GOAT manager who has unfinished business.” — Nathan Dusek

“The Chicago Fire, so that non-fans in Chicago can learn that we have a Major League Soccer team here and not say ‘oh I thought you were talking about the TV show.'” — Alan Krolikowski

“The Blackhawks. They need to win one more Stanley Cup with this group of players, Toews Kane and Fleury, before they go into total rebuild mode.” — Chris McKellar

“Chicago Red Stars because is the best soccer team we have in the Chicagoland area, Chicago Fire doesn’t exist anymore.” — Angel Rangel

“I say the Bears, so that the city can stop hanging on to 1985 like it was last year!” — Ryan Esquivel

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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Marveling at Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has become an annual tradition for the Bears. It’s always some version of, “We better know where he’s at,” or calling him Superman, and coach Matt Nagy went straight into the recycling bin when asked about facing Donald in the season opener Sunday.”He gets schemed by every team, every week and he still dominates,” Nagy said. “It doesn’t matter. You can scheme two and three [blockers]. That dude is just unbelievable. He breaks double teams. He’s a game-changer.

“He’s like a running back out there, just flying around on the edge. He’s all over the place. He’s everywhere.”

Sounds amazing. The Bears have every reason to fear the six-time all-pro who just won his third Defensive Player of the Year award.

But aren’t they supposed to have their own version of that in Khalil Mack?

It looked like they did in 2018, when Mack obliterated the league for 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and a pick-six. He was everything the Bears thought they were getting when they ponied up two first-round picks in a trade with the Raiders and committed to a six-year, $141 million contract.

Since then, Mack has still been very good.

But not great. Not unstoppable. Not Donald.

He had 8.5 sacks in 2019 and nine last season, the first times he was held to single digits since he was a rookie. His total of 17.5 over the last two seasons ranks 13th, while his average salary was first among defensive players in ’19 and third in ’20. Donald was third at 26.

Pro Football Focus graded Mack as the NFL’s best player last season, regardless of position, and has consistently ranked him at or near the top among edge rushers throughout his career. But if that isn’t translating to sacks and takeaways, it isn’t making much difference for the Bears.

It’s no surprise that as Mack’s production has declined, the Bears’ pass defense has slipped. They went from holding opponents to an incredible 72.9 passer rating in 2018 (sixth-best by any team in the last eight seasons) to 85.2 the next season and 94.9 last season.

The defense has similarly dropped from third in sacks in 2018 to 22nd over the next two seasons combined, and it went from first in takeaways to 25th over the same spans.

The point is that Mack can’t do this alone.

The Bears have always known he’ll play well regardless of who they put around him, but the way to maximize him is to pair him with another ferocious pass rusher so teams can’t load up with double- and triple-teams on Mack.

They hoped Leonard Floyd would be that second threat, but he had just four sacks in 2018 and three in ’19. Bears general manager Ryan Pace bailed on Floyd — he went to the Rams, incidentally, and had a career-high 10.5 sacks last season — in favor of signing veteran Robert Quinn to a five-year, $70 million contract last year.

Quinn, now 31, had two sacks in 596 snaps last season, including the playoff game.

The Bears didn’t do much to change the equation around Mack this season. They couldn’t afford to. Instead, they’re still hoping Quinn turns it around and Akiem Hicks continues to be a pass-rushing threat in the middle of the defensive line. Their biggest pass-rushing addition was backup outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, whose five sacks for the Broncos last season would’ve been second only to Mack on the Bears.

That means Mack will probably find himself frequently working at a disadvantage yet again. But that shouldn’t stop him.

The Bears paid a huge price because they believed Mack was great, and Mack has often thought back to advice Hall of Famer Charles Woodson gave him during his rookie season: Great players find a way to make great plays. Needing better teammates can’t be an excuse.

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