Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment in Chicago for kids and families to enjoy. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on the latest activities.

Chicago SummerDance in the Parks

Chicago SummerDance in the Parks.DCASE

When: Aug. 18-Sept. 15

Where: Parks throughout the city

What: Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to take part in introductory dance lessons by professional instructors followed by live music and dancing. Lessons begin at 4:30 p.m. followed by dancing from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

More information: chicagosummerdance.org.

Loop Mural Walk

“Make It Good” by Shawnimals on the Loop Mural Walk.Chicago Loop Alliance

When: Through Sept. 6

Where: Online

What: As part of an initiative to encourage people to return to downtown Chicago, the Chicago Loop Alliance has created a free self-guided tour of the colorful artwork tucked into alleys and side streets. A mural guide, which features three different routes of artwork by both well-known and emerging artists, can be accessed on smartphones.

More information: loopchicago.com

Chicago Fireboat Tours

Chicago Fireboat Tours offer great views of Chicago’s waterways.Courtesy Chicago Fireboat Tours

When: Ongoing

Where: DuSable Harbors, 111 N. Lake Shore Dr.

What: Built in 1936, the Fred A. Busse was the largest, diesel-powered fireboat in the world at the time and served the Chicago Fire Department from 1937-1981. The current owners renovated the retired fireboat, which is now in its second season cruising Chicago waterways. Tickets: $35-$40, $19.50 ages 4-12.

More information: fireboattours.com

Merit School of Music

Merit School of Music is hosting summer pop-up performances beginning July 24. Courtesy of Merit School of Music

When: To Aug. 28

Where: Various locations

What: In July and August, the music school hosts a family-friendly series of interactive pop-up events throughout Chicago neighborhoods from Pilsen to Lincoln Park. “Pop-ups in the Parks” offers free instrument tunings, demos and performances by students and faculty, “Music at the Markets” features performances and giveaways at outdoor markets and “Musical Storytimes” is filled with stories and activities.

More information: meritmusic.org

Adler Planetarium

“Imagine the Moon”Adler Planetarium

When: Ongoing

Where: 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.

What: The planetarium has partially reopened with a selection of its award-winning sky shows. On weekends in July and August two shows will play twice daily: “Imagine the Moon” (10:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m.) and “Skywatch Live” (11:30 am., 1:15 p.m.). The full museum won’t reopen until March 2022. Tickets: $15.

More information: adlerplanetarium.org

Tempel Lipizzans’ stallions

A Tempel Lippizan stallion performs “Airs Above the Ground.”Courtesy Tempel Lipizzans

When: Ongoing

Where: Tempel Farms, 17000 Wadsworth, Old Mill Creek.

What: The stallions return for a new season of equestrian dressage along with interactive, educational events. Performances feature synchronized movements set to classical music that show off the strength, beauty and intelligence of the Lipizzan horse. Following each event, there are self-guided tours through the stables to meet and pet the equine stars and ask questions of riders and trainers about how the Lipizzans are raised, trained and taught to “dance.” Tickets: $35, $25 for ages 4-14.

More information: tempelfarms.com

‘Par Excellence Redux’

When: “The Front 9” (to Sept. 16) and “The Back Nine” (Oct. 13-Jan. 2)

Where: Tee off at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill, Elmhurst

What: A fun new exhibit features a fully playable 18-hole mini-golf course created by more than 20 artists, designers and architects from Chicago and beyond. The family-friendly course pays homage to the School of the Art Institute’s wildly popular 1988 exhibition “Par Excellence.” Course themes range from social justice to the occult and include a fortune-telling hole that has the power to dramatically change scores as well as a hole that challenges players with an optical illusion. Admission is $5-$10 (online timed reservations); children 4 and under free.

More information: elmhurstartmuseum.org

Chicago Children’s Museum

Where: Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand

When: Ongoing

What: Fun and learning are on the agenda at the popular family gathering spot, offering a wide variety of exhibits aimed at improving children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect. Babies and toddlers can enjoy “Treehouse Trails” and “Kids Town” while “Tinker Lab” and “Dinosaur Expedition” will enthrall older children. Admission: $19.

More information: chicagochildrensmuseum.org.

‘Becoming Jane’

A new exhibit at the Field Museum, “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Jane Goodall,” follows her journey from her childhood in England to a career as a passionate scientist studying chimpanzees in Africa. Hugo van Lawick/National Geographic

When: To Sept. 6

Where: Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr.

What: Generations have been inspired by the work of primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall who has not only shown the urgent need to protect chimpanzees but also redefined species conservation to include the needs of local people and the environments. A new exhibit at the Field Museum, “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Jane Goodall,” follows her journey from a curious young child in England to a passionate scientist studying chimpanzees in Africa. Included in the exhibit are a recreation of her field research tent, a hologram-like projection of Goodall who shares her fieldwork memories, augmented reality activities and a projection of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park.

Tickets: Admission: $18-$32

More information: fieldmuseum.org

‘Hello Helios: The warming suns of Chicago’s Greektown’

Detail view of James Mesple’s Sun and Moon Image featured in the “Hello Helios” exhibit in GreektownCourtesy Greektown Chicago

When: Through spring 2022

Where: Halsted from Monroe to Van Buren

What: Welcome summer with a new outdoor exhibit celebrating the start of summer with 24 artworks inspired by the sun and related mythologies from Greek, Aztec, Yoruba, Japanese and Native American cultures.

More information: greektownchicago.org

Kayak for Conservation

The Shedd Aquarium’s popular “Kayak for Conservation” program.Shedd Aquarium

When: Ongoing

Where: Kayak Chicago: 1220 W LeMoyne,

What: Get close to nature via the Shedd Aquarium’s popular Kayak for Conservation program, which features a variety of socially distant kayaking experiences on the Chicago River. Participants learn about the river’s environmental history and discover wildlife living in its ecosystem. Sessions are open to all levels of kayakers (including newbies) and are led by Shedd’s wildlife conservation experts. The cost is pay-what-you-can ranging from $20-$100 per participant, with a recommended $40, the base cost of the program.

More information: sheddaquarium.org/kayak

‘Take Flight’

The Boeing 747 at “Take Flight.”Museum of Science and Industry

When: Permanent

Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.

What: The MSI’s Boeing 747 reopens with a reimagined exhibit that explores modern aviation and the science of flight. The plane’s interior has been restored and new interactive elements have been added. Tickets: $12.95, $21.95.

More information: msichicago.org

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Bears coach Matt Nagy is feeling a lot better about Andy Dalton as his starting quarterback than everyone else seems to be after two nondescript, uninspiring preseason performances.

But then again, that’s usually the case.

With Nagy’s irrepressible optimism, it’s always tough to tell whether he really believes things are going great or just wants that to be true so badly that he convinces himself of it. A month before Mitch Trubisky plummeted through the 2019 season, and eventually spiraled out of the organization altogether, Nagy similarly dismissed some August struggles by saying, “Yeah, no doubt, I feel really good about where he’s at.”

So his positive spin on Dalton’s nine possessions — five three-and-outs, two turnovers, one touchdown and one turnover on downs near midfield — is met with earned skepticism.

“I understand the part [that] we haven’t been getting first downs,” Nagy said Monday before practice. “I get that. But really, when you look at play, by play, by play… He’s making really good decisions.

“He’s made some plays that maybe he couldn’t have or shouldn’t have been able to make. We like what he’s doing right now with the [first string] in practice, and that really makes us feel good.”

The difference between practice and preseason games is significant. Dalton has the full offense in practice, whereas he’s been playing mostly without starting wide receivers Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney, tight ends Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet and running back David Montgomery.

On Dalton’s interception Saturday against the Bills, wide receiver Rodney Adams slipped when trying to break toward the ball and it sailed straight into rookie cornerback Nick McCloud’s hands. Nagy thought that could’ve been a 22-yard completion had Adams kept his footing (or if it had been Robinson instead), but that doesn’t look like a certainty on replay.

Speaking of hypotheticals, Dalton also hit Adams for a 73-yard touchdown pass in which Adams was streaking downfield but had to turn back and reach around cornerback Siran Neal’s helmet to catch the ball. So that underthrown pass might not always get the job done.

Dalton looks like an upgrade over Trubisky and Nick Foles, but in two games, he has completed 13 of 21 passes for 164 yards with a touchdown and an interception for an 82.2 passer rating. Without Adam’s brilliant catch, he’d be averaging just 4.6 yards per pass.

That’s why Nagy is still weighing how much to play him in the preseason finale Saturday at the Titans. It’s imperative that he get rookie Justin Fields an extended opportunity, but it would boost everyone’s confidence Dalton can be more productive with the first-string offense before he leads it against the reigning No. 1 defense in the season opener at the Rams.

That decision would be more intriguing if this was a legitimate competition. Nagy has repeatedly committed to Dalton starting the opener, and when the Bears drafted Fields, Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace intended to sit him for the entire season with an eye on taking over to begin 2022.

But Fields could revise their timeline.

While his passing statistics — 23 for 39, 222 yards, one touchdown, 83.5 rating — aren’t any better than Dalton’s, he has added 79 yards and a touchdown on nine runs and given flashes of his potential. His mobility must be a factor in Nagy’s calculation of which quarterback gives the Bears the best chance to win, especially when it’s hard to predict what they’ll get from the offensive line.

Nonetheless, he remains hopeful that the eventual quarterback change will be predicated solely on Fields’ readiness rather than Dalton forcing the Bears into it by faltering. With the team now about a week from diving fully into preparation for the opener, it’d be a good time for Dalton to back up what his coach keeps telling everyone.

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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 be partly sunny with a high near 88 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy then a 30% chance of thunderstorms with a low around 73. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a 40% chance of thunderstorms and a high near 91.

Top story

A violent hazing ritual that led to misdemeanor charges against four Plainfield Central football players had been a tradition for years at the far southwest suburban high school, according to a lawsuit filed today by two former freshman players who claim they were sodomized with a broomstick in the locker room in 2019.

Some 15 to 20 varsity players chanted “Code Blue” as two freshman players were forcibly held down and assaulted in October 2019, according to the lawsuit, which identifies the victims as Child Doe A and B.

“They stuck their head in the sand and allowed young men to be sodomized by varsity football players with broomsticks in a disgusting and reprehensible high school football ritual known as ‘Code Blue,'” attorney Antonio Romanucci said during an online news conference.

“When will the educational community finally wake up and stop this practice of hazing, bullying and sexual assault for the sake of bonding and a winning football record during the school year?”

Four students at Plainfield Central in 2019 were charged with misdemeanors in connection with the incidents. The victims and their assailants all were minors at the time of the assault, according to lawyers for the victims. The status of those cases was not immediately known. The lawsuit states that the four varsity players involved in the incident were handed three-day suspensions and no other punishment.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claims coaches at the school were aware of the practice of sexually assaulting freshman players, and even recognized the phrase “Code Blue” as the name of the ritual.

Read the full story here.

More news you need

The city announced today the projects chosen to develop four vacant or underused properties on busy streets in New City, Bronzeville, North Lawndale and South Chicago. The proposals were so strong that the city has started conversations with runner-up applicants about other projects, city officials said.

Jesse Ruiz will leave his post as deputy governor for education in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration, the governor announced today. Pritzker credited Ruiz with making “an enormous difference for our entire state’s education systems.”

While construction on the Obama Presidential Center moves forward in Jackson Park, another ambitious idea once pushed in tandem with that project appears stuck in hibernation. David Roeder has more on the status of Tiger Woods-backed plan to join two South Side golf courses into a premier 18-hole attraction designed to lure PGA events and elite players.

A new Black-owned coffee shop taking up residency in Washington Park wants to tackle the whitewashing of the coffee industry. Monday Coffee Company owners Felton Kizer and Amanda Harth spoke to our Cheyanne M. Daniels about the business and their mission beyond selling lattes.

A bright one

Exploring the upper Midwest wild world: Andrew Morkes’ ‘Nature in Chicagoland’ gets it right

From outdoors columnist Dale Bowman: When a book like “Nature in Chicagoland” comes along, I look for three things: does it hit the high points, does it get the hidden gems and do I discover something new.

Andrew Morkes accomplishes that in “Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit,” which captures the extent of options around the Chicago area. Morkes, a Chicagoan who founded College & Career Press LLC, compiled and wrote the book for both those experienced in nature destinations and “newbies.”

He succeeds in covering that spectrum with 306 pages and more than 210 photos. I knew many of his 120, but also learned some must-visit stops.

A chance to see bison on the range is part of the appeal of Nachusa Grasslands, one treasure mentioned in “Nature in Chicagoland.” Dale Bowman

Using Morkes’ designations, the book gets what I consider the high points of each basic area: Chicago (Riverwalk, Lake Michigan); Chicagoland North (Illinois Beach State Park); Chicagoland Northwest, West and Beyond (Mississippi Palisades State Park); Chicagoland South and Beyond (Starved Rock SP); Indiana (Indiana Dunes); Michigan (Isle Royale National Park, Pictured Rocks National Park) and Wisconsin (Kettle Moraine State Forest). I quibble a bit on Wisconsin. The complex of parks, trails and launches around Madison and Lake Geneva deserve spots.

Even for those of us experienced at the big-name sites, he offers good tips on visiting.

Read outdoors writer Dale Bowman’s full review here.

From the press box

Your daily question ?

How do you feel about Chicago’s annual Air & Water Show that brings roaring jets to the city skies each year?

Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: What is your favorite mural in the city? Tell us why. Here’s what some of you said…

“Great Wall of Chicago on 87th and Vincennes. I love that a part of it was to bring awareness to mental health. Not to mention it just looks dope and the colors really pop.” — Terri Dean

“O-Block King Von.” — Kamron Elmore

“Muddy Waters on State Street downtown because he was a great musician who influenced quite a few people such as the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.” — Erin Eileen

“Muddy Waters on State and Washington. Simply because it’s Muddy.” — Jimmy Davey

“This mural by Arts Alive Chicago at 4700 W Montrose Ave is my favorite because it reminds me of the ultimate sacrifices that police officers make to keep us safe. I am ever grateful to our men and women in blue. #ellafrench” — Jacquelyn Marie

“The fact that Cook County has so many talented artists who’ve given their art to us all to enjoy is wonderful. Since I live in Skokie – this mural always makes me smile: 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. It was painted in 2017 by the artist who goes by Sick Fisher, is on the side of the Skokie Theatre.” — Carmie Daugird Callobre

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

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

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Make yourself at home!

Join the Chicago Sun-Times’ latest virtual gathering of journalists and strangers you wish you knew on our next season of Local Live(s).

This season will feature artists and speakers from right here in our own backyard, sharing experiences of making Chicago a home away from home.

Our Local Live(s) event will uncover personal stories that will change your perspective, introduce artists that are creating our collective future and pass the mic to voices that don’t often have a stage.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of our next Local Live(s) on August 25 at 7:00 p.m. to hear stories about Making Chicago Home from:

Former American Idol contestant Ephraim Bugumba. In 1999, at three years old, Bugumba fled Makobola in the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family and eventually emigrated to the U.S. as a refugee in 2012. His harrowing journey inspires his music.
Sun-Times journalist Ismael Perez. Perez recently moved back to Chicago after spending much of the pandemic in Texas with his family. Perez instantly felt a sense of community when moving into his new apartment in Pilsen.
Sun-Times Assistant Metro Editor Rummana Hussain. Hussain’s family has always called Chicago home thanks to her father planting the seeds of Chicago Cubs fan devotion when he first set foot in Chicago over a half century ago.
Performer and writer Jasmine Henri Jordan. Jordan creates performances with a collective called Hot Kitchen. She is especially interested in creating work that critiques pop culture and makes messes.
South Side writer, educator and storyteller Jacoby Cochran. Cochran is the new host of City Cast Chicago, a daily news podcast about all things Chicago.

Local Live(s) is hyper-local, super creative and incredibly fun.

Brought to you by Back Pocket Media and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Wednesday, August 25

7:00 p.m. CT

Online

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At least seven people were killed and 39 others were wounded in weekend gun violence in Chicago that included three mass shootings.

— A 62-year-old woman was killed and two others wounded after gunfire broke out in a group of about 20 people outside a gas station Saturday morning in Austin on the West Side.

The woman and two men, 52 and 24, were in the 5100 block of West Madison Street when someone in a black Dodge Charger opened fire about 2:55 a.m., Chicago police said. The woman was killed while the two men were hospitalized in critical condition.

— Later that day, a man was killed in West Garfield Park. The 34-year-old was in a parked car in the 3900 block of West Jackson Boulevard when someone fired shots about 2:05 p.m., police said. He was shot in the neck and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He hasn’t been identified.

— Hours later in Back of the Yards, a gunman approached a 19-year-old man in the 4700 block of South Wolcott Avenue and opened fire about 6:40 p.m., police said. Israel L. Luna was hit in the chest and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died.

— Minutes later in Marquette Park, a man was killed and another was critically wounded when someone fired at their car in the 3000 block of West 65th Street around 7 p.m., police said. The driver crashed into a nearby parked car.

Sergio Ochoa, 30, was shot in the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, police said. A 36-year-old man was struck in the shoulder and hospitalized in critical condition.

Three mass shootings

— Around 9:10 p.m. in Calumet Heights, one person was killed and five others wounded when two gunmen opened fire in a parking lot in the 1600 block of East 87th Place.

A 39-year-old man was struck in the abdomen and went to Jackson Park Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He hasn’t been identified. Another man, 40, was shot in the back and leg and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said. Another 39-year old man was struck in the ankle and was transported to the hospital in fair condition. A fourth man, 32, was shot in the leg and in good condition.

A 44-year-old woman was struck in the leg and went to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, police said. The sixth person, 25, was shot in the arm and also went to Trinity Hospital.

— About four hours later, one person was killed and four others wounded in another mass shooting, this one on the West Side. Officers responded to a call about 1 a.m. in the 3400 block of West Lake Street and discovered five people — four males and a female — shot, police said. Marcus Edwards, 29, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder and an 18-year-old woman was wounded in the torso, police said. They were both taken to Stroger where the boy was in fair condition and the woman in serious condition, police said.

A 34-year-old man was shot in the arm and a 28-year-old in the arm and chest, police said. They were both taken to Mount Sinai where they were listed in fair condition, police said.

— Four people were wounded in a drive-by shooting Saturday morning in East Garfield Park. They were standing outside about 6:20 a.m. when someone inside a vehicle opened fire in the 3500 block of West Walnut Street, police said.

A 33-year-old woman was shot in the ankle. One man, 36, was struck in the foot while another, 34, was shot in the chest and leg, police said. A third man, 35, was shot in the leg. They were all transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were stabilized.

At least 24 others were wounded in shootings across Chicago between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

Last weekend, 56 people were shot, eight fatally, in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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Tom Allen strung together four words not usually associated with his Indiana football program.

“A lot of expectations,” he said.

Hoosier hype is well-founded this year, though it’s hard to imagine anyone dethroning preseason No. 4 Ohio State as king of the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have won four straight conference titles, played in the national championship game last season and are expected to keep rolling even with an inexperienced quarterback.

But if anyone is poised to challenge Ohio State in the Big Ten East, 17th-ranked Indiana is a trendy pick with the return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

The Hoosiers were a revelation last season, going 6-1 before their Outback Bowl loss to Mississippi and being ranked in the top 10 for six weeks. That one regular-season loss was at home to Ohio State, 42-35, after Indiana was down 35-7 in the third quarter.

Indiana brings back the core of a defense that led the Big Ten with 25 sacks and had 17 interceptions. The key for the offense is keeping the dynamic, injury prone Penix healthy. He missed the last two games with a torn ACL. He’s among eight returning offensive starters, a group that includes Big Ten receiver of the year Ty Fryfogle.

Allen said his hope is that success can breed success. Remember, this is a program that hasn’t had three straight winning seasons — overall or in conference play — since the mid-1940s.

“That’s been the challenge, to go from believing — and I believe we have a team that believes — to now expecting a certain outcome on game day,” he said.

The biggest question for Ohio State is at quarterback, where redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud has won the job to replace Justin Fields. Stroud, who has never thrown a pass in a college game, will be surrounded by best-in-the-nation talent at receiver and on the line. The defense will have new starters at linebacker but is experienced up front and in the secondary.

No. 19 Penn State and Michigan are looking to bounce back after disappointing seasons, Maryland and Rutgers appear to be teams on the rise and Michigan State is looking to find traction under second-year coach Mel Tucker.

Wisconsin is the favorite in the West after going 4-3 and finishing third in the division last year. The No. 12 Badgers had two games canceled because of COVID-19 issues and were plagued by injuries. They return quarterback Graham Mertz and plenty of experience at other positions.

No. 18 Iowa enters the season on a six-game win streak, has a second-year starting quarterback in Spencer Petras and should have another strong defense if it can restock its line.

Northwestern, which made a surprise run to the Big Ten championship game last year, had two players taken in the first round of the NFL draft and ranks near the bottom of the FBS in returning production.

Minnesota and Nebraska have fourth-year starting quarterbacks in Tanner Morgan and Adrian Martinez, respectively, and are looking to move up.

Purdue and Illinois will battle to stay out of the West basement. Jeff Brohm’s Boilermakers showed promise his first two years and not so much the last two. Illinois is looking for a fresh start with Bret Bielema.

TOP PLAYERS

Offense: Minnesota RB Mohamed Ibrahim averaged a school-record 153.7 yards per game and is the nation’s top returning rusher. Indiana QB Penix passed for a Big Ten-leading 274.2 yards per game. Purdue WR David Bell and Ohio State WR Chris Olave each averaged 104 yards per game.

Defense: Northwestern S Brandon Joseph intercepted five passes and was an AP first-team All-American. Indiana LB Micah McFadden led the Big Ten with six sacks. Rutgers LB Olakunle Fatukasi’s 11.2 tackles per game led conference and were most by a Scarlet Knight since 1999.

BIELEMA’S BACK

Bret Bielema is back in the Big Ten after eight years away. He takes over an Illinois program that has had nine straight losing seasons under three coaches.

“I just want to fill this stadium,” he said. “I know people don’t put money and support into something they don’t believe in, and I want to show them what they can believe in.”

Bielema was 68-24 at Wisconsin from 2006-12. He coached five seasons at Arkansas and was an NFL assistant for three before replacing Lovie Smith at Illinois.

Bielema said he and athletic director Josh Whitman haven’t discussed specific goals for this season.

“He’s brought me here to build sustained success for a long time,” Bielema said.

MAKE OR BREAK SEASONS

The pressure is cranked up another notch on Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and Nebraska’s Scott Frost.

Harbaugh signed a contract extension through 2025, but the new deal cuts his base pay and promises more only if he reaches benchmarks like the Big Ten championship game. He’s 49-22 in six years at Michigan but he’s yet to win the East and has lost four games each of the last two seasons.

Frost is 12-20 in three years and under contract through 2026. He goes into this season under the cloud of an NCAA investigation into an allegation he used analysts as on-field coaches. He also is suspected of conducting improper workouts last year at a time they weren’t allowed because of the pandemic.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Ohio State at Minnesota, Sept. 2; Indiana at Iowa, Sept. 4; Penn State at Wisconsin, Sept. 4; Iowa at Iowa State, Sept. 11; Oregon at Ohio State, Sept. 11; Washington at Michigan, Sept. 11; Nebraska at Oklahoma, Sept. 18; Cincinnati at Indiana, Sept. 18; Auburn at Penn State, Sept. 18; Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame, at Soldier Field, Chicago, Sept. 25; Wisconsin at Illinois, Oct. 9; Ohio State at Indiana, Oct. 23; Iowa at Wisconsin, Oct. 30; Iowa at Nebraska, Nov. 26; Ohio State at Michigan, Nov. 27; Wisconsin at Minnesota, Nov. 27.

PICKS

East: Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, Michigan, Rutgers, Maryland, Michigan State.

West: Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Nebraska, Illinois, Purdue.

Champion: Ohio State.

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Forget Andy Dalton, the Bears need to make Justin Fields the starting quarterback right now.

So says former Bears wide receiver Wille Gault.

“The coach is going to make that decision, but for me, let’s go!” Gault told TMZ Sports at a charity softball game in Los Angeles on Sunday.

“Why not?! Off the bat, absolutely.”

Despite the hue and cry from Bears fans to make Fields the Week 1 starter, coach Matt Nagy has said Dalton is the team’s starting quarterback. Case closed.

But Fields’ performances in training camp practices and the first two preseason games keeps the debate alive … at least among fans and some Super Bowl-winning former players.

“My time will come when it’s needed, but right now that’s not what I’m focused on,” Fields said last week when asked about getting more time with the first string. “I’m just focused on getting better. … I’m just trying to, whoever he throws me in there with, we’re gonna ball out and I’m gonna try to score every drive.”

“Only way to learn is you got to do it,” Gault told TMZ.

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A violent hazing ritual that led to misdemeanor charges against four Plainfield Central football players had been a tradition for years at the far southwest suburban high school, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by two former freshman players who claim they were sodomized with a broomstick in the locker room in 2019.

Some 15 to 20 varsity players chanted “Code Blue” as two freshman players were forcibly held down and assaulted in October 2019, according to the lawsuit, which identifies the victims as Child Doe A and B.

“They stuck their head in the sand and allowed young men to be sodomized by varsity football players with broomsticks in a disgusting and reprehensible high school football ritual known as ‘Code Blue,'” attorney Antonio Romanucci said during an online news conference.

“When will the educational community finally wake up and stop this practice of hazing, bullying and sexual assault for the sake of bonding and a winning football record during the school year?”

Four students at Plainfield Central in 2019 were charged with misdemeanors in connection with the incidents. The victims and their assailants all were minors at the time of the assault, according to lawyers for the victims. The status of those cases was not immediately known. The lawsuit states that the four varsity players involved in the incident were handed three-day suspensions and no other punishment.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claims coaches at the school were aware of the practice of sexually assaulting freshman players, and even recognized the phrase “Code Blue” as the name of the ritual. One of the players involved in the assault told Child Doe A that he had endured similar abuse when he was a freshman.

Lawyer Ian Fallon said that “dozens and dozens” of Plainfield students had endured similar abuse over the years.

The lawsuit contends school administrators and coaches failed to follow school policies and state laws involving hazing and bullying during the investigation of the incident and in punishing the varsity players involved. Will County prosecutors have said that the alleged assaults did not meet the legal requirements for criminal hazing charges.

A spokesman for Plainfield District 202 did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit from the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday.

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The Big Ten is the latest Power Five conference to announce that a team must forfeit if it doesn’t have enough players available for a league game because of COVID-19.

The Big Ten said Monday the team that forfeits will be assessed a loss in the conference standings and its opponent will be credited with a win. If both teams are unable to compete on the date of a scheduled conference game because of COVID-19, and the game can’t be rescheduled, it will be considered a “no contest.”

The Power Five conferences appear headed toward having similar forfeit policies.

Big 12 teams unable to play because of COVID-19, or any other reason, will have to forfeit and be given a loss in the conference standings. A no contest would be declared only if both teams are unable to compete, and there are no plans to make up any games not played as scheduled.

Pac-12 teams that can’t play will forfeit, but the conference did not directly address what happens if both teams are unable to play.

The Southeastern Conference has not released its policy, but Commissioner Greg Sankey has warned that teams that can’t play will forfeit and that games will not be rescheduled.

In the ACC, teams forfeiting games will be assigned a loss in the standings, and the team that was prepared to play will be awarded a victory. If both teams are unable to play because of the player shortages, both will be forced to forfeit.

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