What’s New

Who’s to say Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani won’t someday be remembered as legends along the lines of Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Stan Musial?

But before we put the trio of young superstars in another sentence with the only three players in major league history to be All-Stars 20 or more times, we should probably at least let them make their All-Star Game debuts. That will happen July 13 at Coors Field, where the thin Denver air will be extra-thick with a sense of newness.

A hard-to-believe eight starting position players — based on fan voting that ended Thursday — will be All-Stars for the first time. Joining the Padres’ Tatis and the Blue Jays’ Guerrero: Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and second baseman Marcus Semien, Reds outfielders Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker, Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers and Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier.

Go ahead and raise that number to nine if you want to include Ohtani, the American League’s starting DH. And nine is a ton. In 2019, there were only four first-timers among starting position players (and DHs). In 2018, there were three, two of them being Cubs shortstop Javy Baez and catcher Willson Contreras. Those numbers were a lot more typical. Then again, there was no All-Star Game in 2020, postponing some debuts by a year.

How many other first-time All-Stars will there be? We’ll find out Sunday afternoon, when the results of player voting and final picks from the commissioner’s office are announced.

One newbie should be Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber. Wait, did we say Cubs? We meant Nationals, but you probably knew that already. After a sensational June in which he hit 16 home runs — 12 of them in a dizzying 10-day span — Schwarber is a Ruthian folk hero again, at least until the power spigot shuts off.

And what about the Cubs? What about the White Sox? Something else that’s kind of new: For the first time since 2017, neither team will have a starter in the game. Unless, that is, Rays manager Kevin Cash tabs the Sox’ Carlos Rodon or Lance Lynn — both of them are locks to make the team — to be first to the mound for the AL side. One supposes that’s a possibility.

Any other locks in town? Sure. Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel is one. Sox closer Liam Hendriks is another. Kimbrel’s numbers are right there with the Brewers’ Josh Hader’s — these are the two best closers in baseball this season, hands down — and Hendriks leads the AL in saves.

Beyond that? Let’s look at it.

Keep in mind that fan voting settled starting position players (and Ohtani) only. All those other top-three finalists — from Kris Bryant and Baez to Jose Abreu and Yasmani Grandal — aren’t guaranteed a thing. That means eight spots are spoken for in the NL and nine in the AL on what will be 32-man rosters.

The player vote will account for eight position players, five starting pitchers and three relievers on each roster, plus another DH for the AL side. (The NL team will use the DH, too, but at the discretion of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.) Finally, the commissioner’s office will add four pitchers to each roster as well as four position players to the NL side and two to the AL side.

CUBS

Bryant: Phase 2 of fan voting was unkind to Bryant, who dropped from first to third — behind the Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado and the Dodgers’ Justin Turner, which certainly was fair — at third base. But Bryant’s extraordinary versatility warrants real respect, and his offensive numbers are nothing to sneeze at. Expect him to nab a spot.

Baez: He was second in the voting to Tatis at short, but this is a tough call. The Giants’ Brandon Crawford, who finished third, probably has been better and definitely plays for a better team. The Nationals’ Trae Turner — who would add to the first-timers list — probably has been better than both of them. Not digging Baez’s chances.

Contreras: It’s not his best season by the numbers, but he has been the workhorse of workhorses. Many a lesser catcher has been the No. 3 on an All-Star roster. Leaning toward yes.

Anthony Rizzo: He finished third in fan voting behind the Braves’ Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers’ Max Muncy, but this is not one of his better campaigns. Doesn’t look good.

Kyle Hendricks: His 10 wins led the NL entering Friday, and he sure has been an All-Star if you only look at his numbers from the end of April on. There’s a case that can be made for the Professor, but it’s not being made here.

Andrew Chafin: This dude is a lot of fun and crushing it on the mound. But it takes an even rarer bird to make the Midsummer Classic as a reliever who isn’t a closer. Not seeing it.

SOX

Grandal: After the Royals’ Salvador Perez, where else do you go at catcher? The Astros’ Martin Maldonado finished second in voting — a spot ahead of Grandal — but his offensive numbers are laughable. The Yankees’ Gary Sanchez? Maybe. Grandal? Should be.

Abreu: He finished third in the voting at first base and is the reigning MVP, but let’s get real — there are more-deserving options. The Astros’ Yuli Gurriel, A’s Matt Olson and Angels’ Jared Walsh all belong. Sorry, Pito.

Yoan Moncada: Another who finished third — at third — but this requires a real leap of the imagination. Maybe next year.

Tim Anderson: It’s just not going to happen for the South Side’s favorite shortstop, but is it possible Anderson is — wait for it — the best player in baseball who has yet to make an All-Star team? Chew on that one awhile.

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DETROIT — Nothing has materialized from the Eduardo Escobar trade rumor — one report had the second baseman already on his way to the White Sox five days ago — and general manager Rick Hahn was typically coy on trade talk in general on a Zoom call Friday.

“It’s really impossible for me to predict when any deals will happen,” Hahn said. “More things tend to happen with the [July 31] deadline in everyone’s face. That said, we’re putting forth a strong and consistent effort and we’ll see what happens here.”

The Sox are feeling less pressure to add offense to the outfield, what with Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert possibly returning from injuries in August, and a cast of fill-ins patching things up. Escobar would be a substantial upgrade at second base, with Nick Madrigal out fo the season, but the Sox aren’t the only team with interest.

An arm or two to shore up the bullpen is also being sought.

“Nothing’s done until it’s absolutely done, so I’m very hesitant to project out or predict when anything’s going to to come to fruition,” Hahn said. “A lot of work is being put in, we’ll see what happens.”

Jimenez and Robert

The Sox are hopeful that Robert and Jimenez, who have resumed baseball activities in Arizona, could return from their injuries by August.

Hahn said the next updates on the pair will ideally be given when they’re assigned to minor league affiliates for rehab assignments.

“At that point, a 20-day clock begins,” Hahn said. “If everything goes smoothly in that time period, you’ll see them back in Chicago.”

Hahn said the front office visualizes different scenarios of how the team will look in the final two months of the season, “both with internal options and potentially anything from outside.”

With myriad injuries, the Sox entered the day with a 48-32 record, their best start since 2006, and a five-game lead over the Indians in the AL Central.

“It’s hard not to look at the standings and look at the guys who contributed to the team this year and not be really proud and impressed with what players and coaches in that clubhouse have been able to do under challenging circumstances,” Hahn said.

Eaton returns

Outfielder Adam Eaton, who hadn’t played since June 14 because of a strained right hamstring, was reinstated and and played right field. Eaton is batting .195 with five homers, 27 RBI and 30 runs scored over 54 games.

Eaton, 32, signed to a $7 million deal in the offseason, said more than the hamstring has been ailing him.

“A little bit of everything,” he said. “When one thing goes a little haywire … you break a little bit of the chain and some of the links of the chain don’t want to operate quite as well. So, just try to get everything working and back in order. We are in a good place.”

Engel slapped a single to left his first time up.

Moncada’s hand

Moncada’s bruised right hand, the result of an awkward head-first slide Thursday, was not bad enough to warrant going on the injured list.

“The first 24 hours after the injury, the indications are he doesn’t need that much time to come back and contribute to us,” Hahn said. “We want to win every one of these nine ballgames [on the road trip] and if Moncada is able to contribute to five or six of those ballgames, then that makes us better.”

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Chicago’s newly-appointed fire commissioner is fleshing out her plan to reduce response times to medical emergencies that now make up two-thirds of all calls for fire service.

Instead of increasing the Chicago Fire Department’s existing fleet of 80 advanced-life-support ambulances, Annette Nance-Holt plans to purchase smaller vehicles, each staffed by two paramedics, to respond to less serious medical calls that do not require transport to a hospital.

The new level of care that Nance-Holt calls “mobile integrated health” would not only reduce the avalanche of calls to Chicago’s 911 emergency system, but also take the pressure off hospital emergency rooms and free up those 80 ambulances — backed by advanced life-support (ALS) engines and trucks — for more serious emergencies.

“I have been a captain on an ALS engine. I have worked on many ALS companies as a lieutenant. What you find out is, sometimes people just want somebody to come [and] take your blood sugar. Take your blood pressure. Give you an asthma treatment. Whatever it is. They don’t want to go to the hospital,” Nance-Holt told the Sun-Times on Thursday.

“It’s gonna keep the emergency rooms less clogged. And not tie up the transport of an ALS ambulance that actually needs to get to a person. Maybe a gunshot [victim]. Maybe a stabbing [victim]. Or maybe somebody having a heart attack, which is more critical at this point.”

The new medical model sounds a lot like the two-tiered system of ambulance service — for advanced life support and basic life support — that Chicago abandoned years ago.

It was tested during the pandemic, when paramedics visited the homes of Chicagoans who had contracted the coronavirus, but did not require hospitalization or had been released from the hospital.

It was also used to do well-being checks “when we had a lot of police and fire on lay-up due to COVID, because COVID hit us as well,” Nance-Holt said.

Most of the patients will be referred by their doctors or clinics.

“Someone who may be a diabetic. Somebody with congestive heart failure who just needs to be checked to see if they have fluid. Things like that. But anything that’s life threatening, 911 will be that number that you call to get transported,” the commissioner said.

“We have an aging population … During COVID, we could see more than ever that people didn’t want to leave their homes. They couldn’t get to the hospitals … This will take the strain off of insurance companies, emergency rooms, health care systems and divert our ambulances to more critical people.”

The alternative response will start with five vehicles and 10 paramedics.

“This is gonna expand to something else — like mental health components and, probably, the opioid crisis,” the commissioner said.

“Right now, we’re gonna tell you five [vehicles]. But I’m anticipating it’s gonna be greater than that.”

Nance-Holt is the first woman to serve as fire commissioner in the 162-year history of the department.

She has vowed to diversify a department with a long, documented history of discrimination through “vigorous recruitment in communities of color,” outreach to high school students in “under-represented communities” and by scheduling Chicago’s first firefighters entrance exam since 2014 by the end of this year or the first quarter of next year.

On Thursday, she took the first step toward that goal.

She promoted Mary Sheridan, the head of EMS, to be her first deputy and rounded out her leadership team with five men: two black, two white and one Hispanic.

They are Marc Ferman to serve as deputy fire commissioner for operations; Juan Hernandez as assistant deputy fire commissioner, EMS operations; Greg Stinnett to be district chief of EMS operations; Scott Ronstadt, assistant deputy chief paramedic of EMS logistics; and Mark Kiley as deputy district chief of the mobile reporting unit.

At the same time, Nance-Holt acknowledged the department has a long way to go when it comes to being a welcoming place for women.

When she first arrived at the predominantly white and male Bridgeport firehouse 30 years ago, she was unceremoniously welcomed by a male co-worker who put dog food in the Coca-Cola she was drinking.

“I was like, `OK.’ I put it back. I put it in somebody else’s Coke. Good. That’s the way I reacted to it,” Nance-Holt said.

“We can’t be part of the game. We’ve got to stand up and be different from that. I didn’t tolerate it [then]. I’m not gonna tolerate it now.”

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City Council members on Friday spent six hours grilling police Supt. David Brown over his plans to tamp down the latest surge in summertime gun violence.

But Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s top cop said he could’ve used that time preparing for the perennially bloody Fourth of July Holiday weekend instead.

“This briefing before you today comes at a cost of critical scheduled time for our leadership team to discuss deployment decisions that we are all forgoing to ensure you have this information once again,” Brown said before outlining some of the patrol strategies that he and the mayor say are regularly provided to aldermen.

Initially, there were questions whether there’d even be a quorum to hold the special meeting that Lightfoot dismissed as political theater orchestrated by her nemesis Ald. Edward Burke (14th). Instead, 47 members showed up — most of them with pointed questions.

When it was all over, Lightfoot called it a “very productive” session that generated “a number of interesting ideas,” but maintained “there were some shenanigans involved with the setting of this meeting.”

“There’s a time and a place for everything. It’s not that the conversation shouldn’t happen. … But the timing of that, we could have done this last week. We could have done it the week before,” she said after the meeting.

The long-winded testimony came a day after 32 more people were shot across the city, including an infant. Brown suggested he should have been back at CPD headquarters “chiming in on where we need to send resources. … We’re here to inform you of our plan, but our time is impacting public safety, costing lives.”

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), who was the driving force behind the hastily called meeting, bristled at the suggestion.

“How dare you try to use that on us? You are here because there is a crisis in our neighborhoods that has not been answered to the liking of our residents,” Lopez said. “We know the violence that’s in our streets. We know what happens, and to say that the entire department cannot function because the three of you [Brown and two of his top deputies] are here, is outrageous. It’s insulting.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Lightfoot later suggested “they could and should have been out, making sure deployments are set.”

Lopez still thanked Brown for showing up for the marathon questioning, which brought the second-year superintendent to many of his usual talking points.

He noted that shootings and homicides are down over the past two months compared to the same period last year — which is true, although a Sun-Times analysis has shown violent crime in 2021 is up overall compared to last year.

He outlined the extended hours and canceled days off for officers to bolster efforts during the “most critical weekend of the year,” without getting into the specifics of July 4th deployments.

He said additional mental health support would be available to a force that’s being stretched to the limits.

And he pointed the finger at Cook County judges and prosecutors for the ongoing spate of shootings.

“This is happening because there’s too much advocacy for violent offenders, and too little consequences for the behavior in the courts. There is an explosion of violent offenders being released back into our communities” on electronic monitoring,” Brown said. “This is madness. Our courts are out of control.”

He repeatedly pointed to several specific cases of shootings tied to people who had been released on other charges, but Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) pointed to a Loyola University study that suggests bail reform measures haven’t resulted in significant upticks in defendants re-offending before trial.

“I’m really concerned about some real fundamental issues of the narrative, especially around the electronic monitoring on the low bond amounts. It is creating a false narrative,” SIgcho-Lopez said. “I just want to be very clear that when we continue to point at these as a fundamental factor, and not following the research, we are going on the wrong track.”

Brown said, “I haven’t seen that study but I disagree with it.”

“I would ask those researchers to move over to the South and West sides of Chicago … [for] just one night,” he said. “If one person is killed by someone on electronic monitoring, you need to rethink electronic monitoring.”

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) read from a letter he said he received from an officer complaining of a lack of mental health supports for overextended officers.

“You need to demonstrate that we care about our officers. We need to offer more services and support to them. Suicidal thoughts and despair are very real,” O’Shea said. Brown said licensed clinicians would be available for officers throughout the long weekend.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) asked Brown what the city can do for the police department.

“We have a significant need to recruit people to apply for the job. What affects that is not only the mood of this body, regarding officers and the work they do, but also to retain officers. We have attrition issues like every other department in the country,” Brown said.

The superintendent pushed back against council members who said he hasn’t met with them regularly to discuss strategies. “Call me anytime,” he said.

And to Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), who said the new superintendent has been “a little aloof” in keeping out of the public eye early in his tenure, Brown said that’s mostly because he was hired in the middle of a pandemic when large gatherings were restricted.

“I plan to meet you and all of your colleagues as many times as you’d like in your community. I plan to now be anywhere you need me to be,” he said.

Lightfoot, who was mostly silent during the meeting except to cut a few aldermen short in their questions, chided some of those who called for the meeting.

“You’ll find that some of the very signatories … haven’t participated in other opportunities that are readily available to them as members of the City Council,” she said. “I do think we had a productive conversation, and I hope we have productivity moving forward.”

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“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

Against the raging tide, against the forces of evil — as the golden evening sunlight on the first Friday of summer yields to darkness and shadows in Auburn Gresham, where the streetlights illuminate this faithful trail of prayer warriors — they march.

Led by a young Black man, hoisting a giant cross, emblazoned with “Demand Justice” on one side and “Stop Shooting” on the other, they march. West on 79^th Street and beyond, through this South Side business thoroughfare and turning down tree-lined streets, they walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

“I will fear no evil; for thou art with me…”

They march, the Faith Community of St. Sabina — an invasion of Christian believers, having accepted this divine mission to be violence interrupters. Their fight is a supernatural one, using earthly tools, including the microphone through which Father Michael L. Pfleger invokes a call for peace.

Marchers — young and old, even a man on crutches — respond in unison as music spills from a green SUV. Songs of fight, encouragement and freedom:

Public Enemies’ “Fight The Power.” Bob Marley’s “War.” Kendrick Lamar’s “We Gon Be Alright.” Tupac’s “Changes” and John Legend and Common’s “Glory.”

Provided by Samantha Latson

They march — flashing the peace sign as motorists honk, and people along the route spill from local businesses and houses in support, smiling, waving, crying.

They march in St. Sabina’s annual “Friday Night Peace Walks,” held Fridays from the start of summer until the end, and beginning at 7 p.m., at the church, except on July 2, when St. Sabina hosted its “Block Party.”

Some carry signs: “Honk 4 Peace” and “Pray for Peace.” Others lift portraits of murdered sons and daughters.

Their appeal is to a higher power to intervene in the invisible realm, where public policy, policing strategies and economic revitalization plans — all vital and necessary — have no power. They march to invoke a spiritual shift. To spark reverberations of hope and peace in the intangible atmosphere that might invariably alter evil’s manifestations in this world. That might transform hearts, minds, their community.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world…”

So they march — against the gates of hell, calling upon the name of the Lord. Spiritually intervening for a community, for a people, for a city besieged by mass shootings and murder. The killing of our babies. The slaying of old ladies.

Against chaos. Gunfire by day, at evening and into the night. Headlines chronicle the foreboding battle between darkness and light.

“At least 77 people shot in weekend violence in Chicago, including 17 in two mass shootings.”

“Infant among 5 shot in Englewood”

So they pray. And they march, stepping intently, pounding through these humidity-thick streets, where tears, blood and violence flow. In a brutal city, where the winds of murder blow cold here, especially in summer, and where bullets tear bodies asunder. They chant:

“Peace up… Guns down…”

“We want peace… We want peace… We want peace!”

“Save our babies… Save our babies… Save our babies!”

They march, emboldened by the Holy Spirit and compelled by the agony of a city where hearse wheels carrying the bodies of murdered children never cease. Out here, in these streets, where neighborhoods on the other side of the tracks know no peace.

As I stand here in the midst of them, I can hear the naysayers’ and unbelievers’ jagged whispers in the wind: “What’s all that marching and praying going to do?”

With nearly 11 people shot every day in Chicago so far this year, my response is: “What in hell are you going to do?”

Against the gates of hell, they march.

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WIMBLEDON, England — When Sebastian Korda struck his last competitive shot as a 20-year-old — an overhead winner that closed out a third-round victory over Wimbledon’s No. 22 seed on Friday — the American raised both arms, then doubled over and rested his hands on his knees.

Up in a Centre Court guest box, the body language of his father, 1998 Australian Open champion Petr, was strikingly similar. Arms in the air, then leaning forward, reaching for the railing in front of his seat.

The younger Korda’s family bloodlines are serving him rather well at the moment. He is the son of two former professional tennis players — he credits his mother, Regina Rajchrtova, with teaching him to be calm on court — and the brother of two current stars in women’s golf — one of whom, Nelly, is ranked No. 1 and just won her first major — and is looking as if he very well could be the men’s tennis star his country has been awaiting for quite some time.

With an aggressive style that’s built for grass courts, Korda got past Britain’s Dan Evans 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to become the youngest U.S. man to reach the round of 16 at the All England Club since Andy Roddick got to the semifinals in 2003.

“Just felt incredibly comfortable,” Korda said. “And, yeah, it was perfect today.”

His father’s take? Essentially: Not so fast.

“It’s not over,” Dad said. “Let’s not celebrate until this is done.”

Wearing a black baseball hat and occasionally draping a white towel over his shoulders on the warmest day of the tournament so far, with the temperature rising toward the mid-70s Fahrenheit (20s Celsius), Petr was in a state of perpetual motion Friday. Any parent whose kids play sports at any level could relate, really, as he squirmed in his spot in the stands.

“It was nerve-wracking. I tell you, honestly, it’s easier to be on the golf course, because I can walk always,” he said, referring to watching his two daughters compete. “But with Sebi, I had to be sitting still, you know? That’s not easy.”

One, tiny measure of how quickly his son is developing: He is only the eighth man since 2001 to reach the fourth round at both the All England Club and Roland Garros before turning 21.

Of the other seven, four went on to be ranked No. 1 and win multiple Grand Slam titles: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt. Another won one major (Marin Cilic), and the other two were Slam runners-up (Stefanos Tsitsipas, still only 22 himself, and Tomas Berdych).

Roddick’s triumph at the 2003 U.S. Open remains the most recent Grand Slam singles title for an American man, the longest drought in history for a nation that produced Bill Tilden, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

Eight-time major champ Agassi just so happens to be a mentor of sorts for Korda; they spent two weeks working together in Las Vegas late last year and speak on the phone frequently.

“The most important thing he told me yesterday was just to enjoy it,” Korda said. “It’s your first time on Centre Court at Wimbledon, just enjoy it, embrace it, have a lot of fun.”

Check. Check. And check.

On Monday, Korda’s 21st birthday, he’ll face No. 25 seed Karen Khachanov, a Russian who eliminated Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. in straight sets.

“I played a little tight. I knew it was a good opportunity,” said Tiafoe, who beat No. 3 seed Tsitsipas in the first round but now has lost to Khachanov at Wimbledon twice since 2018. “I just wanted to win too bad.”

Other men’s fourth-rounders: No. 1 Novak Djokovic against No. 17 Cristian Garin, No. 5 Andrey Rublev against Marton Fucsovics and No. 8 Roberto Bautista Agut against No. 10 Denis Shapovalov, who ended Andy Murray’s first Wimbledon singles appearance since 2017 by defeating the two-time champion 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

“I can’t say that I’m too pleased with the way I performed. I felt like today I was a bit off, especially with serving,” said Djokovic, who was broken twice in a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7) victory over American qualifier Denis Kudla that made him 17-0 in Slam matches this season.

Women’s matchups on Monday: No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 18 Elena Rybakina, No. 7 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 21 Ons Jabeur, No. 8 Karolina Pliskova vs. Liudmila Samsonova and No. 23 Madison Keys vs. Viktorija Golubic.

Korda is making his Wimbledon debut and participating in any Grand Slam tournament for only the third time. He made a splash at the French Open last year by getting to the fourth round before losing to his idol, Nadal (Korda’s cat is named after the 20-time major champion).

He’d never been to Centre Court until Friday, as a player, fan or otherwise, and resisted the temptation to pull out his cellphone to shoot some video.

“They always show how the players are walking through all the rooms, then walking down the stairs,” he said. “I just thought to myself: ‘This is nuts. What’s about to happen is going to be something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.'”

Korda showed off a useful serve he varies well, groundstrokes that are strong off both sides and a willingness — well, desire — to go to the net, where he won the point on 30 of 43 trips.

“All credit to him. He played some strong tennis,” said Evans, Britain’s top player at the moment, who was backed by a partisan crowd but found himself muttering toward his coach and cursing enough to earn an official warning. “He’s obviously going to be a very good player.”

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Workers at the Chicago-based Portillo’s chain restaurant have walked off this job this week in an effort to demand safer working conditions and fair wage.

After five days off the job, the employees on Friday held a press conference in front of Portillo’s flagship location in River North to call attention to their plight.

“All we want is to be treated decently, treated fairly and paid fairly,” 15-year employee Armando Huerta said at the conference. “Thanks to the company for the good years, but enough is enough.”

The 17 employees — who all work at Portillo’s Food Services in Addison, which prepares food for 47 Portillo’s locations throughout the Chicago area — said they skipped work after seeing a large increase in their hours with no overtime pay during the pandemic. Employee Paty Cordova said Portillo’s has refused to bring in new employees to take the shifts of sick workers, resulting in each worker doing the work of two or three people.

Usually, Cordova works four days a week, but she was forced to work six during the pandemic, she said.

The workers, who are all Hispanic, requested to meet with management as a group but were refused the opportunity at every level, Cordova said. The workers are not unionized. Since they began the walkout, the company has sent letters to the workers and threatened to fire them if they did not return, the group said.

In a statement, Portillo’s said they have faced challenges with hiring new staff but said they are increasing starting wages and have boosted wages for existing workers.

“We are disappointed that a small group of our team members have chosen to participate in a rally instead of coming in for their scheduled shifts,” the statement said. “The Portillo’s leadership team is committed to hearing from each of our team members individually and will continue to do so.”

The request to meet one-on-one with workers is an intimidation tactic, Cordova said at the rally.

The event, which was organized with the help of Arise Chicago, a faith-based nonprofit that fights for workers’ rights, ended with remarks from Rev. Robert Jones and two other reverends leading a prayer circle for the group.

“I stand today with all of these wonderful human beings as a faith leader to say that it is just plain wrong to treat human beings like they are machines,” said Jones, of Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church on the South Side. “We call on ownership to do the right thing and take care of your employees. Enough is enough.”

The workers said they will continue their walkout for as long as it takes management to agree to meet with them collectively.

“We don’t care anymore about the consequences. We are in this fight together and will keep fighting until the end,” Cordova said.

Sam Heller/ Sun-Times

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It was a cool summer evening and neighbors were outside up and down the block in Englewood, some in groups under trees, others bent over a car, its hood raised.

Hardly anyone noticed when the Jeep pulled up across the street around 8:15 p.m. but in seconds two gunmen jumped out and began firing in all directions, according to Chicago police.

People ran, some hid behind cars, one person stumbled in the middle of the 6500 block of South Halsted Street, got up but fell again and started crawling away.

The gunmen sprayed a line of parked cars before jumping back into the Jeep and speeding off. In one of those cars was 1-month-old Terriana Smith, strapped into a child seat, according to her family.

Terriana was shot along with six other people, but she was the worst, a gunshot to the head.

She was taken in critical condition to St. Bernard Hospital, then transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she underwent surgery Friday morning.

“She’s doing pretty good,” her uncle Charles McKenzie said, adding that she was breathing on her own. He said the bullet did not pierce her skull. Her car seat had several bullet holes in it.

The baby’s mother had driven to the block to speak to community members about keeping youth from violence.

“It’s hurtful, it’s painful,” said McKenzie,. “Out here serving and protecting the community and fighting against gun violence every day and it ends up my people that’s afflicted from this gun violence.”

Terriana was among three young children shot on Thursday, one of the most violent days this year with 32 people shot, four of them fatally.

Hours earlier, a 9-year-old girl was shot in the head as she sat in a car in Grand Crossing. She was taken by a police officer to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition.

Shortly after midnight, an 8-year-old girl was shot in the arm as she sat inside her home in Roseland. Two women on the porch were also shot and one of them died.

Police reported no arrests in any of the attacks Thursday.

The Sun-Times reported last month that more children 15 or younger have been shot so far this year, a trend that continues into July.

The three children were wounded in some of the deadliest neighborhoods in the city, Sun-Times data shows. Englewood ranks third for homicides this year with 18; Grand Crossing 9th with 14; and Roseland 12th with 12.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The shooting that wounded the 1-month-old came just days after two other mass shootings killed two women and injured 15 other people in Chicago.

At least 24 shootings across the city this year have wounded four or more people, according to a Sun-Times analysis.

“Last night was a disaster,” said Khandes McKenzie, 25, the baby’s cousin. “We see other families going through this trauma and now it happened to us and it’s heartbreaking.”

Charles McKenzie said the family had gathered in the area to speak to the community as part of their work with his organization, Englewood First Responders.

Not long after, Khandes McKenzie said she heard about the shooting through Facebook.

“It was a panic,” Khandes McKenzie said. “Even the thought that someone else had just got shot, someone opened fire like that. We all were panicking.”

The family gathered at the hospital Thursday night for “deep prayer” led by her grandmother.

Friday afternoon, Charles and Khandes McKenzie joined a small group of people at the scene of the shooting. The gathering had been scheduled days ago for the children of the community, with a barbecue and toy give-away.

But before they got to that, they formed a half-circle as two pastors led in prayer, calling for healing in the community and those hurt in the violence.

Charles McKenzie stepped forward to thank the group. “I’m grateful for all you guys coming out to show love to the Englewood community and also my niece and my sister.”

His voice broke and he buried his face in his hands, unable to continue.

Later, Khandes McKenzie finished his thought. “We’re just trying to keep them on the right path,” she said. “There is no need for retaliation at this point.”

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Marv Albert has seen his share of athletes and broadcasters announce their retirement and then come back a couple years later. He doesn’t expect to be one of them.

The Hall of Fame announcer would call his final game on Saturday if the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which would propel the Bucks to their first NBA Finals since 1974.

If the Hawks win, Albert’s final game would be Monday’s Game 7 in Milwaukee. The 80-year-old announcer said before the playoffs began in May that he would retire at the conclusion of TNT’s coverage for the season. Albert has been with Turner Sports for 22 years, including 19 as its lead NBA play-by-play voice.

After that, the only way to hear Albert announcing a game would be inside his house.

“I think I’ll revert to doing it off the television set for my wife, as we were doing during lockdown and as a kid, my brothers and I would would do it with a crowd record in the background. That’d be the closest I would get to it,” Albert said when asked if he’d consider a comeback. “I’m ready to call it quits. I’ve said this before but the pandemic was kind of a rehearsal for retirement.”

Albert has already made one comeback. He was fired by NBC and resigned from Madison Square Garden Network in 1997 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual assault when a longtime lover accused him of biting her on the back more than a dozen times and forcing her to perform oral sex.

After undergoing therapy, Albert returned to MSG in late 1998 and joined Turner in 1999 when the NBA lockout ended. He was rehired by NBC in 2000 and was there until the network lost the NBA rights in 2002.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I had several errors early. And then in recent years, also, you got to be a little lucky,” he said.

Even though he has broadcast games in all four major U.S. professional leagues, Albert’s 55-year career is most closely associated with the NBA. He was the radio voice of the Knicks during their championships in 1970 and ’73. He called five of the Bulls’ six title runs on NBC in the 1990s and and still has his courtside seat to witness today’s stars.

Albert said the biggest changes he’s seen in the NBA game involve defense, where hand checking is no longer allowed and other subtle moves to hinder offensive players can’t happen anymore.

His dream NBA starting five comes from a mixture of eras. Albert went with LeBron James and Larry Bird as his forwards with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center and Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as his guards.

“I think if they played today, their bodies would be in different shape and they would be adjusting. Bird was already a very good 3-point shooter anyway,” he said. “I even think a guy like Bob Cousy would have been able to alter his game because you have more small guards in the game now than you did at a certain period years ago.”

Even though Albert is retiring, his family will maintain a professional relationship with TNT. His son, Kenny Albert, will join the network in October when it begins broadcasting NHL games.

“I said, if he gives you any trouble at all, because I know he can be tricky, I’m a phone call away,” Marv Albert said.

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Fourth of July celebrations may be back to normal for Americans as U.S. coronavirus cases drop and more than half (57%) of American adults are fully vaccinated. With typical holiday celebrations comes fireworks, barbecues and lots of food.

Several food experts are warning Americans not to let the holiday excitement distract them from food safety protocols. Bacteria, food poisoning and poorly cooked meals can easily ruin a celebration.

“Rates of foodborne illness tend to increase during the summer months because germs grow faster in warmer, more humid weather. People also cook and eat outside, making shortcuts to food safety tempting because they are away from the convenience of soap and running water at the kitchen sink,” Sandra Eskin, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, said in a news release.

More than half of Americans (57%) plan to grill or barbecue over the holiday weekend — that’s more than those who plan to travel, watch fireworks from home or attend public events or festivals, according to data and tech market research firm Numerator. It surveyed more than 2,000 consumers on June.

The excitement for cookouts is so great that regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, Americans want to fire up the grill. Even more people surveyed who said they will not get the vaccine plan to grill (60%), compared to those who are vaccinated (55%), the survey found.

At gatherings, those who are unvaccinated need to make a safety plan, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said recently. “If you’re not vaccinated, our guidance has not changed for you. You remain at risk of infection. You still need to mask and take other precautions.”

How should I prepare and cook meat?

Ground beef and pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160?F while steaks and roasts should be cooked to at least 145?F and allow to rest for three minutes after removal from the grill. To prevent any mistakes, use a food thermometer to check that your burgers or steaks have been cooked to a temperature that will help avoid foodborne illnesses from bacteria such as E. coli.

When grilling raw meat, there are multiple steps you can take to avoid getting food poisoning, especially with E. coli, which can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps three to four days after exposure – and potentially kidney failure in children under 5 years old and in older adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

“Grilling really makes it look done a lot of times way before it actually is fully done,” said USDA food safety expert Meredith Carothers in recent remarks about July 4th grilling mistakes.

Don’t reuse marinades that have been used with raw meat. If you’re preparing kabobs for the holiday, keep meat and vegetables separate. Veggies cook faster than meats so put peppers, onions and carrots on separate sticks.

How can I practice cleanliness?

When grilling, use separate plates and utensils for raw meat and cooked meat and ready-to-eat foods, such as raw vegetables, to avoid cross-contamination. If you use a dish to bring out the meats, don’t reuse it for any other food dish until it’s been thoroughly washed. Bacteria on raw meat can easily spread to cooked meat if the plate isn’t cleaned.

Remember to wash your hands with soap and water after preparing meals. Also wash your kitchen counter, cutting boards and utensils after they are used on raw meats.

“Don’t let foodborne illness ruin the cookout – follow food safety guidelines like washing your hands, thoroughly cooking your food and checking food temperature with a thermometer,” said Sandra Eskin, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, in a news release.

stock.adobe.com

What about non-meat dishes?

If you’re bringing cantaloupe, potato salad or other picnic foods use a cooler.

Keep certain salads or desserts that were served cold chilled afterward. Cold dishes should not stay outside for more than two hours — and just one hour if it is warmer than 90 degrees outside. If you’re staying from home, be sure to bring a cooler for these dishes.

If you’re worried about foods that will bring bacteria, Powell suggests mayonnaise. He said the egg-based spread has gotten a bad rap over the years. But “commercial mayo uses pasteurized eggs and has high levels of vinegar,” whose acid content helps control bacteria, a food safety scientist and creator of barfblog.com, Doug Powell said.

Regardless of where or what meals you’re cooking, be extra cautious for those who are more likely to succumb to food poisoning from E. coli. Children and newborns, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems are among those more susceptible.

Read more at usatoday.com

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