North Lawndale event rebrands into hip-hop festival at the request of local teensEvan F. Mooreon August 10, 2021 at 5:14 pm

The youth in North Lawndale wanted a change when it came to an annual musical event that takes place in the neighborhood.

They wanted the event to be more inclusive to everyone in the community.

Hip Hop Revival — the event’s original name — had a religious connotation to it so it was rebranded into the “FireFest Hip Hop Block Party,” which is scheduled for Saturday at North Lawndale’s Firehouse Community Arts Center (the block party starts at noon). The block party also features breakdancing, 3-on-3 basketball, art, and a performance from the LowDown Brass Band, among others.

“Oftentimes, in a community like Lawndale where there’s 100 churches, people may think it’s a church thing and I don’t really want to come to church — a ‘revival’ thing,” said Firehouse Community Arts Center founder and CEO Pastor Phil Jackson. “We just shifted it because of the prompting of the young people, and to give it a different kind of edge to it. It doesn’t mean it won’t be the same kind of experience, our intent by Hip Hop Revival was to revive hip-hop back to the roots of peace and having fun. But then people didn’t actually get that initially due to the saturation of churches.”

FireFest Hip Hop Block Party

When: Noon, Aug. 14

Where: Firehouse Community Arts Center, 2111 S. Hamlin Ave.

Tickets: No cover charge

Info: thefcac.org/firefest

Desiree Lopez, a block party volunteer and youth advisor at the community center, echoes Jackson’s sentiments, and describes the block party as a way to “activate” the community.

“We didn’t like the corners, but I feel like there’s not really any activity,” said Lopez. “People can go there for basketball but there’s really no life to it. So what we’re trying to do is bring life and activate the community so people feel like a community corner and not just a corner.”

Jackson aims to get the community involved also by adding resources such as COVID-19 vaccinations and unconventional engagement.

“The neighborhood has been experiencing this event for the last 14 years, so it’s one of those kinds of things where there’s always an anticipation,” said Jackson. “The narrative of North Lawndale has been for years one of the second or third most violent communities to live in. We constantly work with violence reduction, seeking change, and here’s a public event that been in force for 14 years.”

Chicago-based collective Lowdown Brass Band is scheduled to perform at the FireFest Hip Hop Block Party.

North Lawndale event rebrands into hip-hop festival at the request of local teensEvan F. Mooreon August 10, 2021 at 5:14 pm Read More »

Man accused of fatally shooting Chicago police officer denied bailStefano Espositoon August 10, 2021 at 5:10 pm

Emonte Morgan, accused of killing Chicago Police Officer Ella French, was ordered held without bail Tuesday.

Emonte Morgan, 21, and his brother, Eric Morgan, 22, face a litany of felony charges in the Saturday shooting in West Englewood that killed French and left her partner fighting for his life at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

About three dozen police officers, many in uniform, packed into the courtroom for Emonte Morgan’s bail hearing.

Prosecutors said both men gave statements to police.

Emonte Morgan told investigators “that he admitted to drinking and to possessing a gun in the front of his waistband,” said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy.

Emonte Morgan also admitted “he might have shot the girl and boy cop,” Murphy said during a hearing before Judge Arthur Willis.

Murphy said the gray SUV was initially pulled over because of expired license plates, then the officers noticed an open container of alcohol in the SUV.

French’s partner was shot twice in the head and once in his right shoulder, Murphy said.

Emonte Morgan was shot twice — in the abdomen and in his left arm — and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

In denying bail, Willis said Emonte Morgan had “callously” shot at the officers whose weapons, prosecutors said, were holstered before Morgan opened fire.

Willis also noted the events were captured on police body cameras, including the fact that the officers’ weapons were holstered before being fired upon.

Emonte Morgan was charged with first-degree murder of a peace officer, two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, according to the Cook County state’s attorney office. Eric Morgan was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice, the state’s attorney office said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

A Chicago police officer wears a blue and black band on her badge as she walks into the Leighton Criminal Courthouse to attend the Tuesday bond hearings for two brothers charged after the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French.

Man accused of fatally shooting Chicago police officer denied bailStefano Espositoon August 10, 2021 at 5:10 pm Read More »

Chicago chef Maya-Camille Broussard ready for the competition on ‘Bake Squad’Evan F. Mooreon August 10, 2021 at 5:06 pm

South Side-based chef Maya-Camille Broussard appreciates the opportunity to showcase her talents on “Bake Squad,” the Netflix series which premieres Wednesday.

Broussard is no stranger to the stage, as her theater background will attest. Her father, the late trial attorney Stephen Broussard, was a community theater actor with ETA Creative Arts Foundation, a South Chicago-based performance and training organization, and she holds theater degrees from Howard and Northwestern Universities.

The series, which features four bakers competing to see whose dessert will be chosen for someone’s special event, is hosted by Milk Bar owner and chef Christina Tosi.

“Chef Tosi has ‘Bake Club.’ The first time I worked with her was during one of her episodes she would do on Instagram,” said Broussard. “Then I got invited to come to LA to shoot the show. I’m super grateful for the opportunity, but I’ve been in TV, film and theater my entire life. The idea of being around artists in film and TV is not foreign to me. I was pretty much in my element shooting for Netflix.”

Broussard, a graduate of Mother McAuley High School, says she became aware of Chicago’s culinary scene once she left the city.

“I truly discovered [Chicago’s reputation for great food] when I traveled to other places; I would get frustrated because I couldn’t eat,” said Broussard. “I didn’t have the same options that I did in Chicago; so when I travel, I tend to seek out cities that have the same level of diversity in food and dining that Chicago does. … I’m really happy to be from a city that is a culinary powerhouse.”

Broussard’s style of cooking, through “Justice of the Pies,” her bakery that specializes in pies, quiches, and tarts, is a direct inspiration — not a catalyst, she says — of her father, who once defended an 11-year-old boy accused of murdering his 83-year-old neighbor; and her mother, a physician who specializes in preventive health care; and city communities that are suffering, she says, from “food apartheid.”

“My dad enjoyed being an attorney, but he also led a purposeful life, and both of my parents have inspired me through their individual work,” said Broussard. “To lead a purpose-driven life. Be bigger than yourself. And that is focused on lending ways to better humanity. Don’t say ‘food desert,’ we say ‘food apartheid’ because food desert denotes that the environment was already like that.

“My dad was self-employed as a criminal defense attorney, and some of his cases ended up in the [newspaper]. I would be really mad at him like: ‘Hey, how could you represent this boy that killed that old lady?’ He would say everyone needs representation. Access to health care for mental health was not available to this little boy, and therefore he committed a horrible crime. As a person living with a disability myself (Broussard is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community), I definitely developed a better understanding of why my dad did the work that he did.”

Chicago’s chef Maya-Camille Broussard chats with “Bake Squad” host/chef Christina Tosi on an episode of the new Netflix series.

On “Bake Squad,” Broussard said she wants to show anything is possible for young Black and brown girls.

“I’m grateful for the show. Obviously, it gives me and my brand another level of visibility,” she said. “What’s more important is — I hope this doesn’t sound corny — I want someone to see me on the show and say: ‘Oh, she’s hard of hearing, and her speech is perfect.’ Well I’ve had speech therapy for years and years, so I may not have the classic Chicago accent all the time. … I want primarily Black and brown girls — people living with disabilities — to be inspired by my story, my tenacity, drive and success. … When people see me shine on TV, I want them to see me shine through the lens of a Black woman living with a disability — and doing it well.”

Chicago chef Maya-Camille Broussard ready for the competition on ‘Bake Squad’Evan F. Mooreon August 10, 2021 at 5:06 pm Read More »

Alabama, Clemson top preseason coaches’ football pollUSA TODAY SPORTSon August 10, 2021 at 5:22 pm

By their very nature, preseason polls are essentially guesses. They’re educated guesses, but since no football has been played, they should never be taken as ultimate predictors of success or failure.

They can, however, be gauges of the anticipation levels in various college towns throughout the country. But first and foremost, they should generate excitement, because their arrival means the season is near.

In that spirit, we present the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, which features a lot of familiar names at the top but also some programs with truly unprecedented expectations.

Alabama will open at No. 1, claiming 63 of 65 first-place votes despite losing a lot of talent from last year’s title team. The voters clearly believe there are ready replacements to step in for the Crimson Tide, and Nick Saban has earned the benefit of the doubt with many voters thanks to his six national championships won in Tuscaloosa.

Clemson, the preseason No. 1 in each of the past two years, will open at No. 2. That could prove to be good news for Tigers fans, however, as Clemson opened second before its title run in 2018 but came up short in the playoff each of the past two years when starting at the top.

Oklahoma received the remaining two first-place votes but will open at No. 3. Ohio State and Georgia round out the top five. If the top five looks familiar, you shouldn’t be surprised. The quintet has occupied every spot in the top five in the past four preseason polls except when LSU edged Oklahoma for No. 5 last season.

Coming in right behind them are Texas A&M and Notre Dame, two teams that finished in the top five last season.

It is after the top seven that we start to encounter schools that don’t usually get this kind of attention in preseason balloting. Iowa State will enter the campaign ranked eighth, its highest starting position since USA TODAY assumed administration of the coaches poll in 1991. No. 10 Cincinnati also has its best preseason ranking, and No. 17 Indiana is in the preseason poll for the first time. Not to be overlooked, No. 9 North Carolina has its highest starting point since opening at No. 8 in 1997 during Mack Brown’s first coaching stint in Chapel Hill.

The Sun Belt Conference also is worthy of mention. The league has never had a team ranked in the preseason. This year, there are two: No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette and No. 24 Coastal Carolina.

On the other side of the coin, a couple of programs accustomed to lofty expectations will begin the season unranked. Michigan and Auburn received votes but not enough to crack The top 25. The Wolverines will open without a number for the first time since 2015, and the Tigers for the first time since 2016.

The SEC has the most representatives in the poll with six teams, thanks to Mississippi edging out Utah for the No. 25 spot. The Big Ten is next with five, followed by the Big 12 with four (Yes, Oklahoma and No. 19 Texas are still there for now). No. 16 Miami (Florida) gives the ACC a third ranked club. The Pac-12 also has a trio headed by No. 12 Oregon.

The preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll Top 25

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Oklahoma

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Notre Dame

8. Iowa State

9. North Carolina

10. Cincinnati

11. Florida

12. Oregon

13. LSU

14. Southern California

15. Wisconsin

16. Miami (FL)

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Texas

20. Penn State

21. Washington

22. Oklahoma State

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. Coastal Carolina

25. Mississippi

Alabama, Clemson top preseason coaches’ football pollUSA TODAY SPORTSon August 10, 2021 at 5:22 pm Read More »

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassmentAssociated Presson August 10, 2021 at 4:14 pm

NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation Tuesday over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations in a fall from grace a year after he was widely hailed nationally for his detailed daily briefings and leadership during some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a televised address, the 63-year-old Democrat emphatically denied intentionally showing any disrespect toward women but said that fighting back against what he called the “politically motivated” attack on him would subject the state to months of turmoil, and “I cannot be the cause of that.”

“The best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government,” Cuomo said.

The three-term Democratic governor’s decision, which will take effect in two weeks, was announced as momentum built in the Legislature to remove him by impeachment. It came after New York’s attorney general released the results of an investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women.

Investigators said he subjected women to unwanted kisses; groped their breasts or buttocks or otherwise touched them inappropriately; made insinuating remarks about their looks and their sex lives; and created a work environment “rife with fear and intimidation.”

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a 62-year-old Democrat and former member of Congress from the Buffalo area, will become the state’s 57th governor and the first woman to hold the post.

“I agree with Governor Cuomo’s decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers,” Hochul tweeted.

The #MeToo-era scandal cut short not just a career but a dynasty: Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, was governor in the 1980s and ’90s, and the younger Cuomo was often mentioned as a potential candidate for president, an office his father famously contemplated seeking. Even as the scandal mushroomed, Cuomo was planning to run for reelection in 2022.

Cuomo still faces the possibility of criminal charges, with a number of prosecutors around the state moving to investigate him.

The string of accusations that spelled the governor’s downfall began to unfold in news reports last December and went on for months.

Cuomo called some of the allegations fabricated, forcefully denying he touched anyone inappropriately. But he acknowledged making some aides uncomfortable with comments he said he intended as playful, and he apologized for some of his behavior.

He portrayed some of the encounters as misunderstandings attributable to “generational or cultural” differences, a reference in part to his upbringing in an affectionate Italian American family.

As a defiant Cuomo clung to office, state lawmakers launched an impeachment investigation, and nearly the entire Democratic establishment in New York deserted him — not only over the accusations, but also because of the discovery that his administration had concealed thousands of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home patients.

The harassment investigation ordered up by the attorney general and conducted by two outside lawyers corroborated the women’s accounts and added lurid new ones. The release of the report left the governor more isolated than ever, with some of his most loyal supporters abandoning him and President Joe Biden joining those calling on him to resign.

His accusers included an aide who said Cuomo groped her breast at the governor’s mansion. Investigators also the governor’s staff retaliated against one of his accusers by leaking confidential personnel files about her.

As governor, Cuomo touted himself as an example of a “progressive Democrat” who gets things done: Since taking office in 2011, he helped push through legislation that legalized gay marriage, began lifting the minimum wage to $15 and expanded paid family leave benefits. He also backed big infrastructure projects, including airport overhauls and construction of a new bridge over the Hudson River that he named after his father.

At the same time the behavior that got him into trouble was going on, he was publicly championing the #MeToo movement and surrounding himself with women’s rights activists, signing into law sweeping new protections against sexual harassment and lengthening the statute of limitations in rape cases.

His national popularity soared during the harrowing spring of 2020, when New York became the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak.

His tough-minded but empathetic response made for riveting television well beyond New York, and his stern warnings to people to stay home and wear masks stood in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s brush-off of the virus. His briefings won an international Emmy Award, and he went on to write a book on leadership in a crisis.

But even those accomplishments were soon tainted when it was learned that the state’s official count of nursing home deaths had excluded many patients who had been transferred to hospitals before they succumbed. A Cuomo aide acknowledged the administration feared the true numbers would be “used against us” by the Trump White House.

Also, Cuomo’s administration was fiercely criticized for forcing nursing homes to accept patients recovering from the virus.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the state’s handling of data on nursing home deaths. In addition, the state attorney general is looking into whether Cuomo broke the law in using members of his staff to help write and promote his book, from which he stood to make more than $5 million.

The governor had also increasingly come under fire over his rough and sometimes vindictive treatment of fellow politicians and his own staff, with former aides telling stories of a brutal work environment.

Cuomo has been divorced since 2005 from the author and activist Kerry Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy family, and was romantically involved up until 2019 with TV lifestyle personality Sandra Lee. He has three adult daughters.

During his resignation speech, he directly addressed his daughters, saying: “I want them to know, from the bottom of my heart: I never did, and I never would, intentionally disrespect a woman or treat a woman differently than I would want them treated. Your dad made mistakes. And he apologized. And he learned from it. And that’s what life is all about.”

He gained political experience early on as his father’s hard-nosed and often ruthless campaign manager, and went on to become New York attorney general and U.S. housing secretary under President Bill Clinton before getting elected governor in 2010.

New York has seen a string of high-level political figures brought down in disgrace in recent years.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008 in a call-girl scandal. Rep. Anthony Weiner went to prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stepped down in 2018 after four women accused him of abuse. And the top two leaders in the Legislature were convicted of corruption.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassmentAssociated Presson August 10, 2021 at 4:14 pm Read More »

Man accused of fatally shooting Chicago police officer denied bailStefano Espositoon August 10, 2021 at 4:45 pm

Emonte Morgan, accused of killing Chicago Police Officer Ella French, was ordered held without bail Tuesday.

Both men gave statements to police.

Emonte Morgan told investigators a “that he admitted to drinking and to possessing a gun in the front of his waistband,” said Cook County assistant state’s attorney James Murphy.

Emonte Morgan also admitted “he might have shot the girl and boy cop,” Murphy said during a hearing before Judge Arthur Willis.

In denying bail, Willis said Emonte Morgan had “callously” shot at the officers whose weapons, prosecutors said, were holstered before Morgan opened fire.

Willis also noted the events were captured on police body cameras, including the fact that the officers’ weapons were holstered before being fired upon.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Man accused of fatally shooting Chicago police officer denied bailStefano Espositoon August 10, 2021 at 4:45 pm Read More »

1 killed, 1 critically wounded in Grand Crossing shootingSun-Times Wireon August 10, 2021 at 4:23 pm

Two people were wounded, one fatally, in a shooting Tuesday morning in Grand Crossing on the South Side.

About 9:45 a.m., two males were in the 800 block of East 79th Street when someone opened fire, striking them both, Chicago police said.

They were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where one of the males was pronounced dead, police said.

The other was listed in critical condition, police said.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

1 killed, 1 critically wounded in Grand Crossing shootingSun-Times Wireon August 10, 2021 at 4:23 pm Read More »

Chicago Bulls: Difficulty finishing games rears head againAnish Puligillaon August 10, 2021 at 4:00 pm

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

For the past six years, Chicago Bulls’ summer league games have been fairly meaningless to watch. However, with many of the team’s young players slated to have important roles in the team’s starting and bench rotations this season, the Chicago Bulls’ performance in the summer league has newfound importance.

Unfortunately, in their first summer league game, the Chicago Bulls’ difficulty finishing off close games reared its head once again. Despite leading at halftime and going into the fourth quarter only down three, the Bulls got outscored 25 to 11 in the final quarter leading to a 17 point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

I found that the offense relied way too much on perimeter shots without much emphasis on driving to the basket for easy layups. This was in part because of the Bulls’ players’ tendency to not cut to the basket and just stand pat at the three-point line waiting for the ball. Ultimately, this put the onus of shot creation and facilitating the offense entirely on whoever brought the ball up the court.

This will hopefully get better as the summer league progresses, but it shows that this was an issue the Bulls faced at every level of their squad last season – not just the starting lineup. The defense down the stretch was also particularly concerning.

The Chicago Bulls were unable to do what they needed to do to win the game.

The Pelicans did get hot from the outside but the Bulls also displayed no interior presence. With the offense already going cold, the team needed to keep themselves in the game by playing hard on the defensive side but failed to do so as New Orleans was able to have their way in the fourth quarter of this game.

Now, there were three other quarters of this game that had plenty of positives to take away. The Bulls excelled in transition, especially off turnovers. Their defense only forced eight turnovers but the Bulls turned it into 22 points. For comparison, the Pelicans only scored 5 points off of 15 forced turnovers.

Additionally, for the first three quarters, the offense had a good flow. Watching the game, it was evident that every player who entered the game was given a chance to make an impact. Specifically, I was very impressed with Patrick Williams, Marko Simonovic, and Devon Dotson. Almost everyone who entered the game did score but once again, everything faded in the fourth quarter when it came time to close the game out.

Now, I do realize that it is only summer league and perhaps, it is useless to read too much into the Bulls’ opening game. However, this isn’t any other season for the Chicago Bulls. For the first time in a long time, there are expectations.

As a result, seeing the team (albeit the summer league team) struggle because they haven’t corrected the issues that the main team dealt with all of last season is a reason to pause for concern and something we’ll have to watch for the rest of the summer league.

Ultimately, the Chicago Bulls have a lot of promising young talent, many of whom flashed during the opening summer league game but it is clear that there is a lot of work to do prior to the start of the regular season.

At least three or four of these players will be integral parts of the Bulls’ rotation next season and as a result, it is imperative that these players develop – both physically and mentally to help restore Chicago’s status among the elite in the Eastern Conference and the NBA.