Devontay Anderson was armed with an AK-47-style rifle with “a banana clip” when he opened fire at the car 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams was sitting in with her father at a West Side McDonalds drive-thru, Cook County prosecutors said Wednesday.
Anderson — who was taken into custody by FBI agents in Chicago earlier this week — fired at least 28 rounds from the rifle on April 18 when and he and two others targeted the girl’s 29-year-old father in the 3200 W. Roosevelt Road, according to Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy.
“This is a violent offense, with an extensive amount of bullets fired,” Judge Mary Marubio said before ordering 22-year-old Anderson held without bail.
“Almost 50 shots fired at a McDonald’s parking lot at a busy time of day … endangering anyone who happened to be in the vicinity.”
Anderson is the third man to be charged with Jaslyn’s murder.
Anderson fled to Miami after the shooting, but then returned to Chicago, where he was taken into custody by FBI agents Monday as he tried to escape through the rear yard of a home in the 600 block of North Central Avenue, Murphy and police said.
Prosecutors again Wednesday presented a detailed timeline of events that led to the identification of the three men, including how investigators pieced together surveillance videos and a social media post that allegedly showed the men — including Anderson as he held the rifle — driving around the city.
Anderson’s fingerprints were also found in several locations in the silver Audi used in the shooting, Murphy said.
But an assistant public defender said there was less evidence that tied Anderson to the shooting compared to his two co-defendants.
Nobody identified Anderson’s face in gas station surveillance video that allegedly showed the three men together in the Audi before the shooting and Anderson wasn’t identified by a witness who was at the business and offered to fix damage to the Audi, Assistant Public Defender Margaret Domin said.
Anderson also didn’t send any threatening messages to Jaslyn’s father on social media, as Lewis is accused of doing, the defense attorney added, noting that as an adult, Anderson had only been convicted of a relatively minor drug charge.
“I fully understand the nature of this case, the publicity surrounding this case,” Domin told the judge. “Mr. Anderson is a human being. Mr. Anderson deserves a bond.”
Marubio said there wasn’t “any amount of money” Anderson could post “that would make the community safe.”
Anderson is expected back in court Aug. 9.
A police commander walks by as police investigate a crime scene where Jontae Adams, 28, and his daughter, Jaslyn, 7, where shot at resulting in Jaslyn’s death at a McDonald’s drive thru at the corner of Roosevelt Road and Kedzie Ave in Lawndale, on April 18, 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The Isley Brothers, the legendary soul and R&B group, are headed to the Chicago area to headline their first show since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and after their highly-publicized Verzuz battle with Earth, Wind & Fire.
The “Sundress and Sandals Concert,” which is scheduled for Friday at Hazel Crest’s Cross Pointe Park (gates open at 5 p.m.), is the brainchild of PR Popups. The concert also features Kindred the Family Soul, Chantay Savage, and Carl Thomas of the recently formed R&B supergroup The Chi.
The Isley Brothers with Carl Thomas, Kindred the Family Soul, Chantay Savage
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Cross Pointe Park, 2801 W. 167th St., Hazel Crest
“I know it’s gonna be nice to be in front of a live audience, and to sort of pick back up where everything suddenly stopped,” said guitarist Ernie Isley. “We were supposed to have an international tour in 2020 and we didn’t go anywhere. Carlos Santana didn’t go anywhere. Earth, Wind & Fire didn’t go anywhere. The Rolling Stones didn’t go anywhere — nobody went anywhere.
“There was a complete shutdown of all live shows, and when you experience something like that for the first time in your life it’s an adjustment. It’s great to sort of get back out again.”
In the aftermath of the Verzuz battle, not only did the Isleys garner yet another generation of fans to appreciate the longevity of their music, a story also surfaced regarding the Isley family connection with a legendary musician: Jimi Hendrix.
Isley says Hendrix lived with his family in New Jersey for two years (1963-1965). During Hendrix’s stay there, Isley says the enigmatic singer-guitarist received his first Fender Stratocaster guitar and had his first professional recording session.
The “Sundress and Sandals Concert.”PR Popups
“We’ve been fortunate to have our catalog, and the fact that folks appreciate our music,” said Isley, who says he idolized Hendrix. “We’ve been involved with the music beyond our catalog, and a lot of rappers in the MTV generation were leaning on Isley Brothers songs for their hits. Certainly, they embraced us and we embraced them.
“I was 11 years old at the time that I met [Hendrix]. I never heard anybody playing guitar like that. He played it all the time, and I would imagine, if he had been around when ‘That Lady’ came out, he probably would have given me something between a bear hug and a tackle saying: ‘How did I learn how to do that [guitar riff]?’ I’d say: ‘Man, when you were in the dining room playing the guitar and I had a social studies book, I wasn’t doing social studies.” I was listening and observing him. … You never know who you’re rubbing elbows with.”
As Isley was influenced by Hendrix, Kindred found inspiration in the Isley Brothers’ music. In fact, as the duo’s Fatin Dantzler and his wife Aja Graydon started out in their careers, they often sang a rendition of “Voyage to Atlantis,” one of the Isleys’ well-known songs.
“The Isley Brothers play a significant role in our careers,” said Dantzler. “When we first got started as a group before we really even had signified what we were, that song — and the refrain of it — is ‘I’ll always come back to you.’ That’s the love affair we have with Chicago, and that style of love affair we’ll always come back to.”
And Graydon echoes her partner and husband’s sentiments, saying how “exciting” the time is for the two groups to perform together again.
“We’re getting an opportunity to be back out there, but also with something new to offer our fans,” said Graydon, whose Kindred album “Auntie & Unc” was released earlier this year. “I think everybody was there for the Isley Brothers’ Verzuz battle with Earth, Wind & Fire, so for us our first time coming back into Chicago in a major way to be with the Isley Brothers, an iconic and legendary group — that’s huge.”
Kindred the Family SoulProvided Photo
Isley recalls a Chicago concert that broke out in chaos.
“We had a show in Chicago in 1975 when [the Isleys’ single] ‘Fight the Power’ was out, and it was a sellout show — a great show,” said Isley, who couldn’t recall the venue. “And there was so much pandemonium that we had to literally leave the building in a police wagon.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips made it clear he wants Notre Dame to join the conference as a full-time football member after what he described as a “beautiful and beneficial relationship” during an unusual 2020 season.
Phillips knows that remains largely up to Notre Dame.
“The old kind of quip is, Notre Dame loves two things: one is being Catholic, second is independence. Sometimes those things get in reverse order. Sometimes they like independence even more than being Catholic,” joked Phillips, who has a son and daughter who attend Notre Dame.
Speaking at his first public forum at the ACC Kickoff media days, Phillips — a former Northwestern athletic director — addressed the Notre Dame independence issue while Notre Dame’s logo was shown alongside the ACC’s 14 member schools on the backdrop behind the podium.
“They know the ACC’s interest,” Phillips said. “It’s been less than bashful. It’s been less than bashful since I’ve been here. But I also respect where they’re at. Our concentration right now is on our 14 schools. Who knows where the future’s going to go?”
Last season, Notre Dame played as a temporary member of the ACC due to COVID-19 rules and went undefeated during the regular season before losing to Clemson 34-10 in the ACC championship game.
“They had a chance to play a fantastic schedule,” Phillips said. “They had a chance to vie for a national championship and compete in the CFP. We have a real-life example of what that could look like.”
Notre Dame, an indepedent for years that nonetheless has five ACC teams on this year’s schedule, has given no indication it is interested in joining the ACC in football.
REPLACING STAR BACKS
North Carolina coach Mack Brown is tasked with replacing not one, but two of the nation’s top running backs from last season.
Javonte Williams rushed for 1,140 yards and scored 21 touchdowns while Michael Carter ran for 1,245 yards and had 11 TDs in 2020. Together they helped the Tar Heels set an NCAA record with 544 yards rushing in 62-26 rout of Miami. Both were NFL draft picks.
Brown sees Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler as the immediate answer after he totaled 2,015 yards yards rushing yards and ranked fifth in Vols history in all-purpose yards with 3,245.
“He can run it up inside, tremendous hands, he knows what to do, but he also has the speed that when he gets it in space he has a chance to score,” Brown said of Chandler. “We got to find some other guys with him, but we think he has a chance to step up and be a special player for us.”
The talk of the departure of Williams and Carter — and who’ll replace them — has left UNC’s running back room motivated, according to quarterback Sam Howell.
“They have a chip on their shoulders,” Howell said. “They are tired of hearing about who we lost instead of who’s coming in.”
DIAZ HANDLING DEFENSE
Miami head coach Manny Diaz said the Hurricanes’ defense took a big “step back” last season, which is why he plans to resume defensive play calling duties — a role he has held in the past.
Despite the defensive debacle against North Carolina, the Hurricanes finished 8-3 and allowed the fourth-fewest points in the ACC and sixth-fewest yards, but Diaz said he felt players needed a “new set of eyes” on them.
“Great defense is ultimately about the connection between the players on the field, the trust and the accountability,” Diaz said. “That’s where I felt like a year ago we didn’t have quite have that. We take a lot of pride in how we play defense at Miami. … We weren’t proud of how we finished last year.”
The Hurricanes will be anchored by safety Bubba Bolden, one of the conference’s top defenders. But the Canes need to find a pass rush after finishing 10th in the ACC in sacks and losing both starting defensive ends.
“Somehow, some way we’ll get to the quarterback,” Bolden said.
RE-ENTER SANDMAN
Virginia Tech has one of the better atmospheres in all of college football with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blaring through the stadium’s speakers as they run on to the field.
The pandemic prevented all of that last season.
Now coach Justin Fuente is eager to see fans back in the stadium when the Hokies host North Carolina in the season opener on Sept. 3.
“Our fans show up to the game not to be entertained but to participate, to help our football team win the ballgame — and they’ve been deprived of that opportunity,” Fuente said. “It’s more than a game, it’s a social event. People show up several days early and begin tailgating, preparing. I anticipate it will be a special night, an emotional night, something that we’ll remember for a long time.”
Florida State’s legendary football coach — who turns 92 in November — wife Ann and their family announced Wednesday that Bowden has been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition.
“I’ve always tried to serve God’s purpose for my life, on and off the field, and I am prepared for what is to come,” Bowden said in a statement shared with the Tallahassee Democrat. “My wife Ann and our family have been life’s greatest blessing.
“I am at peace.”
The Bowden family has also asked for privacy as Bowden deals with his health.
Hospitalized in late June for five days, Bowden has struggled to regain his strength. He has been under supervised care and is resting comfortably at his Killearn Estates home.
“I feel fine but I can’t do much,” Bowden told the Democrat on July 5.
Hired from West Virginia in 1976, Bowden posted a 316-97-4 record with two national titles (1993 and 1999) in 34 years at Florida State. He had one losing season — 5-6 during his first year at the school — and was forced into retirement following a 7-6 record in 2009.
Bowden — a native of Birmingham, Alabama — won 377 games during his 44-year college coaching career to rank fourth all-time behind John Gagliardi (489), Joe Paterno (409) and Eddie Robinson (408).
Bowden and wife Ann, his childhood sweetheart, have been married for 72 years. The couple has six children, 21 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Three of four sons went into coaching — Terry, 65, was hired by Louisiana-Monroe as its head coach last December.
The past few years Bowden was slowed by lingering, painful back and hip issues that kept him off the golf course and from walking his neighborhood. He was also one of the country’s most sought-after motivational speakers, sharing football stories and his faith.
In April, Bowden received the inaugural Governor’s Medal of Freedom from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Governor’s Mansion.
Bowden — a devout Baptist — made his last public appearance on stage in early June as a guest speaker at the Send Luncheon, hosted by the North American Mission Board (NAMB), in Nashville.
“I really enjoyed it — it felt like it was the first time I was out of this house in months,” Bowden told the Tallahassee Democrat following the one-day engagement.
The unannounced appearance came as Mark Richt, a former assistant under Bowden at Florida State, shared with the attendees how his former boss led him to the Lord.
Before Richt finished his testimony, Bowden was introduced as lights came up on a darkened corner of the stage.
It’s been a long time coming and a rocky road along the way. But civilian oversight pivotal to restoring trust between citizens and police is finally coming to Chicago.
The City Council delivered it Wednesday, clearing the 34-vote hurdle needed to approve any ordinance involving the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. The ordinance does that by electing three-member councils in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts.
The vote was 36 to 13. A relieved round of applause followed.
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) began the debate by talking about the “long, long journey” that began with “black leaders decades ago” — after the police raid that killed Black Panther leader Fred Hampton — and was “revitalized” after the police shooting of Laquan McDonald.
“Sometimes, we were at odds. But, we came together because we knew that our city had to get something right … to ensure that people in every single community feel safe. That they are safe. No one should be afraid of violence — whether by another citizen or by those tasked to protect and serve them,” Ramirez-Rosa said.
“This ordinance is predicated on a belief that, if we empower … young people and empower those who have been directly impacted by racist and broken policing and give them the ability to nominate the police superintendent, take a vote of no confidence when they feel that superintendent has failed … given them the ability to set policy, if we empower our communities to have a real say in policing, we’ll be a better city.”
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa spoke in favor of a compromise measure establishing some civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), who helped forge the compromise, called it a “long-awaited” and “historic day” for public safety in Chicago.
“We cannot have true safety in every neighborhood unless there is trust between citizens and police. … The violence that we see every day is a byproduct of that lack of trust and lack of people wanting to call and work with the police,” Osterman said.
Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th), another champion of civilian oversight, said “democracy is messy” for good reason. Ordinary people need to have “great involvement” at all levels.
“There’s disconnect between police and our communities as it relates to solving crimes. In order for us to get back to that, we have to get the community involved. This takes a strong step with re-engaging, re-setting our relationships between the the community and the police,” Sawyer said.
Ald. Roderick Sawyer said civilian oversight is important because ordinary people need to have “great involvement” at all levels of government.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st), a former Chicago Police officer and firefighter whose Far Northwest Side ward is home to scores of cops, predicted the Council would be back in six months, creating “another acronym committee to find out why our crime has tripled.” That’s how hesitant he believes already-reticent officers will become.
“This 12th layer of police oversight is gonna make every potential wannabe officer think about going in a different direction,” Napolitano said.
“They’re in the middle of a war on our city. So think when you vote, because the second you vote, you are gonna change the way … police officers patrol and what you’re gonna get out of them. … The output you’re gonna get from them will create your next committee.”
Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) said he had planned to vote against the ordinance without speaking. But then, he said, “somebody set me off” with a claim about the police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo.
“Adam Toledo was not murdered. … We don’t need police reform. We need family reform,” Sposato said, asserting that there already are 11 different levels of police oversight.
When Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) rose to, as he put it, correct the record about the Toledo shooting, Mayor Lori Lightfoot jumped in and urged him to tone it down.
“Thus far, we’ve had a very civilized debate. It’s my hope and expectation that that will continue,” the mayor said.
“We should lift up this conversation. This is an historic, important moment for our city. Let me remind everyone here. So please, ladies and gentlemen, let’s make sure that the commentary, discussion and debate is worthy of this moment. This is not about attacking each other. It can’t be. And I will not allow that to happen as the presiding chair.”
Ald. Nick Sposato said he hadn’t intended to speak on the issue of civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department, though he did plan to vote against it. But he was irked by something that was said about the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by a Chicago police officer. “We don’t need police reform. We need family reform,” Sposato said.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Minutes before the roll call, an emotional Lightfoot called the debate “one for the ages” and made passing reference to the contentious negotiations that set the stage for the compromise.
“We’ve come a long way. We’ve had some stumbles. We’ve had some disagreements. But because of the hard work [of so many], we are on the precipice of making history,” the mayor said.
After recounting the police reform efforts that have defined her career, Lightfoot scoffed at suggestions that the overwhelming majority of police officers who are honest and hard-working will “stop working” because of additional oversight.
“They won’t. They won’t. It’ll be hard. We’ll have to explain to them to break through the noise and the rhetoric that they’re also hearing from certain sources. But legitimacy is key to the work that our police do. If the communities do not trust them because they’re not legitimate to them, they will not be effective in their most core mission, which is serving and protecting every single resident of this city,” the mayor said.
Prior to the final vote, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara had denounced the district councils and the appointed, seven-member oversight board created by the ordinance as “useless redundancy” that would further demoralize rank-and-file police officers retiring in droves because they don’t feel the city has their back.
Catanzara noted the FOP has already agreed to a host of accountability measures sought by Lightfoot as part of a tentative, eight-year contract. The mayor has repeatedly refused to acknowledge that agreement — and she won’t, sources told the Sun-Times, until after the Council vote on civilian oversight.
Noting the new contract includes a four-year, retroactive raise for rank-and-file officers, Catanzara said: “You’re patting ’em on the back while you’re stabbing `em with the other hand.”
Catanzara pointed to the multiple layers of police oversight already provided by the Police Board, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the Chicago Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division, the federal monitor and the Il. Attorney General’s office.
“Another layer of oversight is just ridiculous. It’s only going to make coppers more pissed off because more oversight means, ‘You’re doing something wrong. You need to be watched because you’re not doing something right,'” he said.
“It’s blaming the police for what’s wrong in this city. … And we know that numbers don’t lie. Police are not the problem in this city. Criminals are the problem in this city and the politicians who defend the criminals.”
Civilian oversight was a pivotal recommendation by the Task Force on Police Accountability co-chaired by Lightfoot in the furor after the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.
Lightfoot campaigned on a promise to empower a civilian oversight board to hire and fire the police superintendent and be the final arbiter in disputes over police policy and the Chicago Police Department’s budget. She promised to deliver civilian oversight within the first 100 days of her administration.
What she managed to deliver — 26 months into her four-year term — falls far short of that promise.
The final language would empower a seven-member commission to take a vote of no-confidence in the Chicago police superintendent. The commission also could take no-confidence votes for the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and any Police Board member. Such votes would need the support of at least five of the seven members to pass.
A no-confidence vote by the commission would trigger a vote by the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety within 14 days — and then a full City Council vote at its next monthly meeting. If two-thirds of aldermen agree with the no-confidence vote, the chief administrator of COPA “shall be removed.”
However, no-confidence votes in either the CPD superintendent or Police Board members would not be binding on the mayor. Instead, the mayor “shall respond in writing within 14 days after adoption of the resolution, explaining the actions that the mayor will take in response.”
As for police policy, the commission would be empowered to “initiate a policy either by drafting a policy itself or making a written request” to the Chicago Police Department, COPA or the Police Board.
CPD, COPA or the Police Board would then have 14 days to “accept or decline. If the answer is no, there must be an explanation in writing. If the recommendation is accepted, the policy must be drafted within 60 days.
“If the Department, COPA or the Police Board does not respond, declines the request or accepts the request, but fails to draft a policy within sixty calendar days or any extension thereto, the commission may take its request to the mayor, who shall review the parties’ positions and either direct the superintendent, chief administrator or police board president to take appropriate action or explain why in writing the mayor has concluded that no action is warranted,” the ordinance states.
A referendum giving the seven-member commission even more power was stripped out of the compromise ordinance because it would never have attracted the 34 votes needed for passage.
Ramirez-Rosa introduced a separate referendum ordinance. But it also is unlikely to clear the two-thirds hurdle.
Lightfoot has been under heavy political pressure to deliver civilian oversight, particularly after changing her tune on an elected school board bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly over her strenuous objections.
She can now scratch that off her progressive agenda to-do list, even though the final version doesn’t go nearly as far as she promised. Aldermen have been under similar pressure to do something dramatically different to stop the bloodbath on Chicago streets. They now can claim they have, before the Council’s traditional summer recess.
The complex process established by the ordinance calls for the immediate seating of an interim, seven-member commission. The mayor would choose from 14 people nominated by the Council’s Rules Committee. The North, South and West Sides of the city would each get four nominees.
The first full slate of permanent commissioners will be seated in 2023. District council members would serve on a nominating commission that would recommend people to serve as permanent commissioners. The mayor would then pick the commissioners from that list.
Three of the seven board members would serve two-year terms. The rest would serve four years. The North, South and West Sides of the city would each get two seats.
Among the big items on the agenda for possible passage at Wednesday’s City Council meeting were a compromise plan establishing some degree of civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
The pioneering American journalist John Chancellor once said, “The function of good journalism is to take information and add value to it.”
It’s not one of those self-righteous journalism quotes that presents the job as the last remaining thing standing between civilization and the Visigoths (although sometimes it actually is). It’s a basic principle, that having the privilege of a platform means you should use it for good.
There’s another axiom of journalism, that requires us to hold the powerful accountable, to ask uncomfortable questions of the comfortable.
When you’re neither adding value nor holding the powerful accountable, it’s hard to see what part of journalism you’re actually doing.
In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
Instead, one might describe this as merely trolling, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as, “someone who leaves an intentionally annoying or offensive message on the internet, in order to upset someone or to get attention or cause trouble.”
So it’s hard to see what value people like Megyn Kelly, an influential, smart and accomplished journalist, despite her well-known and well-earned controversies, are adding when they use their platform to attack a struggling 23-year-old female tennis player for the sin of appearing on the cover of a magazine.
After Naomi Osaka, one of the best tennis players in the world, withdrew from a major tournament and revealed she was battling some mental health issues, many of her fellow athletes, sports reporters and sponsors came out in full support, commending her on what they believed was a courageous admission.
At a time when mental health is slowly but surely being de-stigmatized, and importantly in communities of color, Osaka’s announcement was an impactful one that could show others that it’s OK to not be OK.
As someone who struggled with mental health and suicidal thoughts as a young girl, I can personally attest to the fact that these stories matter in reassuring someone else that it’s not weakness to seek help or treatment.
Anyone who’s looked even superficially at the issue of mental health knows depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts do not care about your wealth, status or success. Osaka’s financial comfort does not make her a powerful person against her demons.
So attacking her credibility and integrity isn’t some noble version of holding the powerful accountable. It’s just cruel and totally unnecessary.
And yet, Kelly piled on a tweet from professional bully Clay Travis, which read: “Since saying she’s too introverted to talk to the media after tennis matches, Naomi Osaka has launched a reality show, a Barbie, and now is on the cover of the SI swimsuit issue.”
Instead of reading this inane tweet for what it was — a trolling, lazy, parasitic attempt at attention (that reeked of a little misogyny, to boot) — Kelly added “Let’s not forget the cover of (& interview in) Vogue Japan and Time Mag!”
Of course, Osaka didn’t need to defend herself for sharing her story at a time and in ways that she could comfortably. Nevertheless, she wrote back, “Seeing as you’re a journalist I would’ve assumed you would take the time to research what the lead times are for magazines, if you did that you would’ve found out I shot all of my covers last year. Instead your first reaction is to hop on here and spew negativity, do better Megan (sic.).”
Then, Osaka did what many mental health professionals might suggest: She blocked Kelly.
A weekly overview of opinions, analysis and commentary on issues affecting Chicago, Illinois and our nation by outside contributors, Sun-Times readers and the CST Editorial Board.
To which Megyn responded: “Poor @naomiosaka blocked me while taking a shot at me (guess she’s only tough on the courts). She is apparently arguing that she shot her many covers b/4 publicly claiming she was too socially anxious to deal w/press. Truth is she just doesn’t like Qs she can’t control. Admit it.”
How disappointing. In what universe is this a good use of her platform? Attacking a woman for her mental health struggles, harassing her on social media, calling her weak and a liar — who is Kelly serving here?
The truth is, I like Megyn Kelly. But this is grotesque and shameful. As a parent, all I want for my kid is not to go through the mental health battles I did. But if he does, I hope he is met with nothing but support and encouragement from the people around him, including his larger community and society, not Twitter trolls doubting him and egging him on. Kelly is needlessly perpetuating the stigmas that prevent people from seeking help, that keep their pain a secret, that can end tragically. Why she would use her talents and reach to do this is inexplicable to me.
There are no political points to score here. There are no winners and losers. It’s not a public service to harass a woman over her depression. It’s just cruel, irresponsible, unnecessary and abusive. I’d implore Kelly to understand that it’s not just Osaka she is hurting, but so many others who are facing mental health challenges, and wondering, “What will people say if I admit I have a problem?”
Maria Taylor’s time at ESPN has officially come to an end.
Taylor and the network officially parted ways on Wednesday, releasing a joint statement ending speculation that had run rampant for weeks.
“Maria’s remarkable success speaks directly to her abilities and work ethic,” Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content said in a statement. “There is no doubt we will miss Maria, but we remain determined to continue to build a deep and skilled talent roster that thoroughly reflects the athletes we cover and the fans we serve. While she chose to pursue a new opportunity, we are proud of the work we’ve done together.”
Taylor’s last assignment for the worldwide leader was Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
“So thankful to Jimmy and all of my great teammates and friends at the SEC Network, College GameDay, Women’s and Men’s college basketball, and the NBA Countdown family — the people who believed in me, encouraged me, pushed me, and lifted me up. Words are inadequate to express my boundless appreciation, and I hope to make them proud,” Taylor said in a statement.
The 34-year-old Taylor began at ESPN working for the SEC Network, covering college sports, eventually working her way up to “College GameDay.” She began hosting “NBA Countdown” in 2019.
Multiple media outlets have reported in the past few weeks that NBC was courting Taylor to work on their Olympics and NFL coverage.
Taylor’s status with ESPN was in limbo after a July 6 article appeared in The New York Times, when the newspaper obtained the recording of a phone conversation between Rachel Nichols and Adam Mendelsohn, the longtime adviser of the Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
In the conversation, Nichols praised Taylor but also questioned her position at the network because of its not so flattering record with diversity hires.
The Blackhawks have miraculously escaped the Seattle Kraken expansion draft without losing any established NHL players.
The Kraken picked John Quenneville — a pending unrestricted free agent who spent all of the 2021 season in the AHL — from the Hawks on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
The Hawks had expected to most likely lose bruising defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a pending restricted free agent they left exposed Sunday in favor of Riley Stillman and Caleb Jones, to the Kraken. Reliable fourth-line forward Ryan Carpenter, trade deadline forward addition Adam Gaudette, veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan and well-traveled backup goalie Malcolm Subban were also considered possibilities.
But the Kraken instead prioritized maximizing their available salary cap space, assembling a 30-man draft class (with only their Red Wings pick not yet reported) that barely eclipsed the cap minimum. And when they did choose established NHL players, they did so from other teams with juicier exposed lists. The end result was Kraken general manager Ron Francis essentially passing on the Hawks.
Quenneville, 25, made nine regular-season and two postseason appearances for the Hawks in the 2019-20 season, scoring zero points. He was acquired from the Devils for John Hayden during the 2019 entry draft.
Quenneville then spent all of 2021 with the Rockford IceHogs, scoring two points in 16 games and falling far down the Hawks’ suddenly crowded forward depth chart. His contract expires next week.
He’ll likely be remembered in Chicago for three things: being former coach Joel Quenneville’s nephew, being inexplicably inserted into the lineup (and put on the first line) for the Hawks’ season-ending Game 5 loss to the Golden Knights in the 2020 playoff bubble and being equally inexplicably picked by the Kraken.
The Hawks were relatively unharmed by the 2017 Knights’ expansion draft, when they lost depth defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, but will be ever happier with the outcome of this 2021 repeat.
They can now either re-sign Zadorov, maintaining some stability in the defensive unit after sending away Duncan Keith, or trade him for what could be a significant return. While they still have a lot of decisions to make in the coming weeks to narrow down next season’s lineup, the Kraken’s off-the-board decision frees them to make all of those decisions themselves.
As the executive director of the first statewide anti-hunger organization in Illinois, founded in 1988, I want to celebrate the recently passed legislation in California and Maine that will provide all children with free school meals beyond the pandemic. Those states have decided to provide healthy school meals to all students as part of the school day, regardless of household income. It is time that Illinois follows in their footsteps.
SEND LETTERS TO:[email protected]. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be approximately 350 words or less.
Anti-hunger advocates across the country are applauding these efforts because research shows that school meals help alleviate food insecurity and poverty while providing long-term improvements in educational, behavioral, and overall health outcomes for our nation’s most vulnerable children.
Illinois is an incredibly diverse state, and we know that our immigrant communities and communities of color experience more food insecurity, driven by COVID-19 and long-standing structural racism. Providing school meals to all students is critical for racial equity and justice. It would ensure that Black, Indigenous and Latinx students get the nutrition they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond.
Healthy school meals for all students at no charge would be a game-changer. It would support families, schools, and neighborhoods by ensuring all students are hunger-free and ready to learn.
California and Maine are showing us that this is a viable policy solution and a good investment in the future. We must call upon our congressional leaders to be at the forefront of making healthy school meals for all a reality nationwide.
The Sun-Times editorial regarding ward superintendents makes the case that these jobs are inherently political advisors to the alderpeople, and therefore should be Shakman-exempt.
I can buy that, but then why the hell are they Streets and San employees? They should be paid by the alderpeople they advise.
Steve Bohan, Bourbonnais
Targeting illegal gun sales is not enough
“Chicago police put illegal guns in their sights,” the Sun-Times’ Frank Main reported recently. Why? To stop the gun violence that again this year prompted at least one Chicago-based politician to urge, “Call out the National Guard,” which it seems is an annual call by some Chicago public officials or leaders.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade group, legal gun sales in Illinois for 2021 are estimated to be 191,000 guns, including 40,000 guns sold in April of this year alone.
Chicago police seized 9,800 guns last year, up from a yearly average of 7,000 guns.
Clearly, stopping violence by targeting illegal gun sales is like tracking M&M’s to find nuts. Many illegal guns will be found, and some illegals gun sales will be identified, but that number is dwarfed by the number of people with guns in their hands and an urge or reason to shoot.
Eventually, we’ll have no “stop the violence” stones left to turn over but the drug-prohibition stone. We’re almost there.
At Kasama, Genie Kwon has a way of making familiar desserts new again (take, for instance, her purple yam Basque cake), and this galette’s unusual take on frangipane, a French filling normally made with almonds, sprang from a concern for dietary restrictions. “I love using frangipane, but there’s an increasing demand for pastries without nuts,” Kwon says. “I started using oat flour to get a similar texture and roasted flavor.” Paired with cinnamon-laced first-of-the-season apples, the filling lends a tender, oatmeal-cookie-like chew; in true Kwon fashion, it’s unexpected but just right.
Makes:One 8-inch galette Active time:30 minutes Total time:2 hours 30 minutes
½ cup
Packed dark brown sugar
½ tsp.
Kosher salt
¾ tsp.
Cinnamon
3 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp.
Flour
4
Medium apples (like Granny Smith or Golden Delicious), peeled, cored, and sliced ⅛-inch thick
¼ tsp.
Apple cider vinegar
3½ Tbsp.
Unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup
Granulated sugar
2
Eggs
½ cup
Oat flour (like Bob’s Red Mill)
1
9-inch pie crust, unrolled and chilled
1 Tbsp.
Coarse sugar (like Sugar in the Raw)
In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Place apples in a large bowl, sprinkle with vinegar, and toss to coat. Add sugar mixture and toss again. Cover and refrigerate until apples release their juices, at least 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the frangipane: Mix butter, granulated sugar, one egg, and oat flour by hand or in the bowl of a stand mixer until fully combined. Place pie crust on a parchment-lined baking tray and spread the frangipane on top, leaving a 1-inch border.
Toss the apples again to coat in juice and mound them on the frangipane. Fold the edges of the crust to contain the apples, crimping where edges overlap. Beat remaining egg and brush it onto the crust, then sprinkle it with coarse sugar. Bake until the apples have settled, the filling bubbles, and the crust is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731432/Devontay_Anderson__22.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731441/merlin_97147208.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731398/Sundress_FB.png)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731408/kindred2.jpeg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731440/COUNCIL_072221_07.JPG)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731305/CPD_oversight_Sawyer.JPG)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731444/COUNCIL_072221_01.JPG)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22731448/COUNCIL_072221_06.JPG)
