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Israel braces for unrest from right-wing Jerusalem marchAssociated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:14 pm

Israeli border police stand guard next to the Damascus gate outside Jerusalem’s Old City, ahead of a planned march by Jewish ultranationalists through east Jerusalem, Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
Israeli border police stand guard next to the Damascus gate outside Jerusalem’s Old City, ahead of a planned march by Jewish ultranationalists through east Jerusalem, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. | AP

The planned march in east Jerusalem has posed a test for Israel’s fragile new government as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month’s 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.

JERUSALEM — Hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists gathered Tuesday near Jerusalem’s Old City ahead of a contentious march that threatened to spark renewed violence just weeks after a war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

The planned march in east Jerusalem has posed a test for Israel’s fragile new government as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month’s 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinians consider the march, which usually winds through the Old City’s Damascus Gate and into the heart of the Muslim Quarter, to be a provocation. Hamas has called on Palestinians to “resist” the parade, a version of which was held at the height of last month’s unrest in the city and helped ignite the 11-day Gaza war.

Hundreds of Jewish nationalists gathered several hundred meters (yards) from Damascus Gate before the early evening march. Most appeared to be young, religious men, and many held blue-and-white Israeli flags. The crowd appeared to be much smaller than during last month’s parade.

Ahead of the march, Israeli police cleared the area in front of Damascus Gate, shut down roads to traffic, ordered shops to close and sent away young Palestinian protesters.

Palestinians said six people were arrested, and at five people were hurt in clashes with police.

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas-linked Palestinians launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel, setting a series of fires.

Though there were concerns the march would raise tensions, canceling it would have opened new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other right-wing members of the coalition to intense criticism from those who would view it as a capitulation to Hamas. The coalition was sworn in on Sunday and includes parties from across the political spectrum, including a small Arab party.

Mansour Abbas, whose Raam party is the first Arab faction to join an Israeli coalition, said the march was “an attempt to set the region on fire for political aims,” with the intention of undermining the new government.

Abbas said the police and public security minister should have canceled the event. “I call on all sides not to be dragged into an escalation and maintain maximum restraint,” he said.

Police approved a route that will pass by the Damascus Gate, where Palestinian protesters repeatedly clashed with Israeli police over restrictions on public gatherings during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in April and May.

But the crowd will not pass through the gate into the heart of the Muslim Quarter, a crowded Palestinian neighborhood with narrow streets and alleys. Instead, police said they are to walk around the ancient walls of the Old City and then enter through Jaffa Gate, a main thoroughfare for tourists, head toward the Jewish Quarter and on to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.

Last month’s clashes at the Damascus Gate eventually spread to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims. Tensions at the time were further fueled by protests over the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers, also in Jerusalem.

At the height of those tensions, on May 10, Israeli ultranationalists held their annual parade, and while it was diverted from the Damascus Gate at the last minute, it was seen by Palestinians as an unwelcome celebration of Israeli control over what they view as their capital. In the name of defending the holy city, Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem, disrupting the march and sparking the Gaza war, which claimed more than 250 Palestinian lives and killed 13 people in Israel.

Now organizers are again staging the parade, which includes flag waving and the chanting of slogans to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized by most of the international community and considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. The competing claims over east Jerusalem, home to sensitive Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites, lie at the heart of the conflict and have sparked many rounds of violence.

Hamas issued a statement calling on Palestinians to show “valiant resistance” to the march. It urged people to gather in the Old City and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to “rise up in the face of the occupier and resist it by all means to stop its crimes and arrogance.”

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, of the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, called the march an “aggression against our people.”

Israeli media reported the military was on heightened alert in the occupied West Bank and along the Gaza frontier in case of violence. Batteries of Israel’s Iron Dome rocket-defense system were seen deployed near the southern town of Netivot, near the Gaza border, as a precaution. Hundreds of police will also be deployed.

Meanwhile, the Israel Fire and Rescue Services said it was fighting several blazes apparently caused by the balloons carrying burning rags launched in Gaza toward southern Israeli farmland.

Abu Malek, one of the young men launching the balloons, said called the move “an initial response” to the march.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with the military chief of staff, the police commissioner and other senior security officials on Tuesday. He “underscored the need to avoid friction and protect the personal safety of … Jews and Arabs alike.”

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said U.N. officials have urged all sides to avoid “provocations” in order to solidify the informal cease-fire that halted the Gaza war.

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Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss and Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem contributed.

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Israel braces for unrest from right-wing Jerusalem marchAssociated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:14 pm Read More »

MLB will issue 10-game suspensions to pitchers who alter baseballsRonald Blum | Associated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:31 pm

“I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. | Seth Wenig/AP

The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections.

NEW YORK — Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start June 21.

The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, said Tuesday that major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections.

Repeat offenders will receive progressive discipline, and teams and club employees will be subject to discipline for failure to comply.

“After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

“I understand there’s a history of foreign substances being used on the ball, but what we are seeing today is objectively far different, with much tackier substances being used more frequently than ever before. It has become clear that the use of foreign substance has generally morphed from trying to get a better grip on the ball into something else — an unfair competitive advantage that is creating a lack of action and an uneven playing field.”

MLB told teams on March 23 it would increase monitoring and initiated steps that included collecting balls taken out of play from every team and analyzing Statcast spin-rate data.

“Based on the information collected over the first two months of the season — including numerous complaints from position players, pitchers, umpires, coaches and executives — there is a prevalence of foreign substance use by pitchers in Major League Baseball and throughout the minor leagues,” MLB said.

“Many baseballs collected have had dark, amber-colored markings that are sticky to the touch. MLB recently completed extensive testing, including testing by third-party researchers, to determine whether the use of foreign substances has a material impact on performance. That research concluded that foreign substances significantly increase the spin rate and movement of the baseball, providing pitchers who use these substances with an unfair competitive advantage over hitters and pitchers who do not use foreign substances, and results in less action on the field.

“In addition, the foreign substance use appears to contribute to a style of pitching in which pitchers sacrifice location in favor of spin and velocity, particularly with respect to elevated fastballs. The evidence does not suggest a correlation between improved hitter safety and the use of foreign substances.”

The anticipated clampdown already appears to have had an impact.

Fastball spin rates averaged 2,306-2,329 revolutions per minute each week from the start of the season though June 5, according to MLB Statcast data.

Following an owners’ meeting on June 3 when talk of a crackdown emerged, the average declined to 2,282 during the week of June 6 and dropped to 2,226 on Sunday.

The major league batting average was .232 through April, down from .252 two years ago and under the record low of .237 set in 1968, and it was .236 through May, its lowest since 1968.

The average rose to .247 in the week of June 6, lifting the season average to .238.

The strikeout percentage since June 3 is 23.4%, down from 24.2% until then, and the walk percentage is 8.4%, down from 8.9%.

“This is not about any individual player or club, or placing blame,” Manfred said. “It is about a collective shift that has changed the game and needs to be addressed. We have a responsibility to our fans and the generational talent competing on the field to eliminate these substances and improve the game.”

While Bill Miller, president of the Major League Umpires Association, was quoted as being supportive in the announcement, there was no similar statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association.

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MLB will issue 10-game suspensions to pitchers who alter baseballsRonald Blum | Associated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:31 pm Read More »

In Argentina, pandemic exacts heavy toll on tango cultureAssociated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:29 pm

In this June 6, 2021 file photo, a couple dances tango at a park amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nostalgia for dance makes many tango dancers, or tangueros, defy restrictions with clandestine milongas in closed places or public spaces.
In this June 6, 2021 file photo, a couple dances tango at a park amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nostalgia for dance makes many tango dancers, or tangueros, defy restrictions with clandestine milongas in closed places or public spaces. | AP

“For those of us who make a living from tango, our self-esteem is on the floor,” said Horacio Godoy, a dancer, historian and club organizer who walked across the Viruta dance hall, which, when in full swing, recreated the atmosphere of the 1940s era when tango became a wildly popular entertainment.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — In a huge ballroom in a Buenos Aires basement, the tables are stacked. On the orchestra stage, the piano lid is closed near unplugged speakers and billboard images of tango celebrities.

The empty, dark dance floor at the Viruta Tango Club is a symbol of the pandemic-induced crisis facing dancers and musicians of an art form known for close physical contact and exchanging partners.

Like other venues of its kind, the Viruta club has been closed since March 8, 2020, around the time that Argentine authorities decreed a strict quarantine in hopes of reducing the spread of COVID-19. The club used to host hundreds of tango dancers between Wednesday and Sunday.

“For those of us who make a living from tango, our self-esteem is on the floor,” said Horacio Godoy, a dancer, historian and club organizer who walked across the Viruta dance hall, which, when in full swing, recreated the atmosphere of the 1940s era when tango became a wildly popular entertainment.

“We are more emotionally than financially bankrupt,” Godoy said.

Equally damaging has been the closing of borders, preventing the arrival of tourists, the main source of financing for the local tango industry. Tango tours abroad have also been canceled as Argentina continues to suffer high coronavirus caseloads more than a year after the pandemic began. There have been more than 80,000 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the country.

Godoy, who earns some money by teaching virtual tango classes to foreigners, said that funds for dancers and musicians from the mayor’s office are not enough to pay for expenses at the Viruta club. Of 18 employees, only three have kept their jobs.

“The city of Buenos Aires can’t offer history like Rome and Paris. It doesn’t have a beach to offer like in the Caribbean. It doesn’t have gastronomy on offer like Italy. It doesn’t have waterfalls or glaciers. The city of Buenos Aires has tango,” he said.

According to the Federal Assembly of Tango Workers, the cultural mainstay had employed some 7,000 people throughout Argentina. But between 2020 and this year, some 40 tango clubs out of a total of 200 in Buenos Aires have closed permanently.

Before the pandemic, there were about 40 tango footwear and apparel companies and now a dozen survive, the group said.

Although it’s a symbol of Argentine culture, tango does not get any specific subsidies.

“Tango workers suffered from permanent job insecurity long before the pandemic,” said Diego Benbassat, a musician with the “Misteriosa Buenos Aires” orchestra and spokesman for the tango workers assembly. “There were never public policies designed for tango, so that is why we are so vulnerable.”

Mora Godoy, who once taught tango steps to Barack Obama and received standing ovations for her international performances, has had to close her dance school.

“I did 419 shows with my tango company in 2019. We had done more than 100 in 2020 by the time everything was closed and this madness, this sadness, this world tragedy began,” she said.

A corner of her apartment is decorated with images of the dances that marked her life before the pandemic. One of her favorites: then-President Obama resting his hand on her bare back, taking steps to the beat of “Por una cabeza” by Carlos Gardel, during an official visit to Argentina in 2016.

“It is very painful not to be able to dance,″ said Godoy, adding that some tango professionals had turned to taxi-driving and selling groceries to make a living. She said entrepreneurs who previously made a lot of money from running tango clubs had done little during the pandemic to help the professional dancers who had been so important to their profits.

“Everything froze,” said musician and dancer Nicolás Ponce, who started a business selling indoor and outdoor plants during the pandemic.

The essence of tango, he said, is what makes it so difficult to perform in the current health emergency.

“A bit of the success of tango is its corporality, the act of embracing each other,″ he said. “In life one does not hug everyone. …. That feeling of embrace is what makes tango stand out from other dances.”

Nostalgia for that hug makes many tango dancers, or tangueros, defy restrictions to dance in outdoor spaces.

On a recent Saturday, a dozen couples got together to dance at the Obelisco, an emblematic monument in the center of Buenos Aires, some even without a mask.

“Tango in the open air is health. What is dangerous is stillness,” read a sign posted on the sidewalk by dance teacher Luciana Fuentes.

“We not only have COVID. I am afraid that one day my muscles will forget to dance. I do it alone with a broom every day in my house, ” Fuentes said.

“I am not anti-quarantine. I do not think that COVID does not exist. I take my precautionary measures, but … I will not stop dancing tango in public spaces.”

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In Argentina, pandemic exacts heavy toll on tango cultureAssociated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:29 pm Read More »

Lollapalooza 2021 after shows announced; Journey, Modest Mouse among the lineupMiriam Di Nunzioon June 15, 2021 at 4:42 pm

Modest Mouse (shown on day three of Riot Fest in Douglas Park in 2015) will play a Lollapalooza after show July 31 at The Vic.
Modest Mouse (shown on day three of Riot Fest in Douglas Park in 2015) will play a Lollapalooza after show July 31 at The Vic. | Ashlee Rezin/for Sun-Times

Performances from more than 50 artists will take place at at 14 area venues, including Schubas, the Aragon, Reggie’s, Thalia Hall and Lincoln Hall.

With the 2021 festival lineup and daily schedules already revealed, Lollapalooza organizers on Tuesday announced the lineup for the official fest after shows, July 27-Aug. 1.

Performances from more than 50 artists will take place at at 14 area venues, including Schubas, the Aragon, Reggie’s, Thalia Hall and Lincoln Hall.

Among the bands in the lineup: Journey, Modest Mouse, Princess Nokia and Limp Bizkit.

Tickets for the after shows go on sale at 10 a.m. June 18 at lollapalooza.com.

Lollapalooza runs July 27— Aug. 1 in Grant Park. The festival was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s headliners include: Foo Fighters; Post Malone; Miley Cyrus and Tyler, the Creator. Tickets/multi-day passes are now at on sale at Lollapalooza’s website.

The lakefront extravaganza is among the summer’s most anticipated music festivals, especially in the wake of the city and state’s lifting of all COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. However, the festival’s website currently notes that full COVID-19 vaccination will be required to attend. Those not fully vaccinated will require a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within 24 hours of attending Lollapalooza each day. The protocols may be updated in the coming weeks.

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Lollapalooza 2021 after shows announced; Journey, Modest Mouse among the lineupMiriam Di Nunzioon June 15, 2021 at 4:42 pm Read More »

Airbus-Boeing deal still leaves other US-EU rifts unresolvedAssociated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:38 pm

In this Feb.14, 2019 file photo, an Airbus A380, left, and a Boeing 747, both from Lufthansa airline pass each other at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany. The United States and the European Union on Tuesday appeared close to clinching a deal to end a damaging dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing and lift billions of dollars in punitive tariffs.
In this Feb.14, 2019 file photo, an Airbus A380, left, and a Boeing 747, both from Lufthansa airline pass each other at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany. The United States and the European Union on Tuesday appeared close to clinching a deal to end a damaging dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing and lift billions of dollars in punitive tariffs. | AP

Most prominently, the import taxes that President Donald Trump imposed on European steel and aluminum three years ago have been left in place by President Joe Biden. Whether progress on that vexing issue can be resolved soon remains unclear.

BRUSSELS — The deal the United States and the European Union reached Tuesday to end their long-running dispute over subsidies to Boeing and Airbus will mean the phase-out of billions in punitive tariffs. It will ease trans-Atlantic tensions. And it will allow the two sides to focus on a common economic threat: China.

But the breakthrough leaves other trade frictions between the U.S. and the EU unresolved. Most prominently, the import taxes that President Donald Trump imposed on European steel and aluminum three years ago have been left in place by President Joe Biden. Whether progress on that vexing issue can be resolved soon remains unclear.

But on the Boeing-Airbus dispute, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the two sides have come to terms on a five-year agreement to suspend the tariffs at the center of the conflict. Tai cautioned, though, that the tariffs could be re-imposed if U.S. companies aren’t able to “compete fairly” with those in Europe.

“Today’s announcement resolves a long-standing irritant in the U.S.-EU relationship,” Tai said, as Biden met with EU leaders in Brussels. “Instead of fighting with one of our closest allies, we are finally coming together against a common threat.”

The deal brings a fresh dose of international goodwill for Biden as he heads into a potentially thorny summit on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s also good news for an airlines sector that has been ravaged by coronavirus travel restrictions.

The trade dispute skyrocketed under the Trump administration, and saw tit-for-tat duties slapped on a range of companies that have nothing to do with aircraft production, from French winemakers to German cookie bakers in Europe and U.S. spirits producers in the United States, among many others.

The U.S. imposed what could have amounted to $7.5 billion in tariffs on European exports in 2019 after the World Trade Organization ruled that the EU had not complied with its rulings on subsidies for Airbus, which is based in France. The EU retaliated last November with up to $4 billion in punitive duties after the WTO ruled that the U.S. had provided illegal subsidies to Seattle-based Boeing.

In March, weeks after Biden had taken office, the two sides agreed to suspend the tariffs. That suspension started on March 11 for four months. The new agreement will officially go into effect on July 11.

“This really opens a new chapter in our relationship because we move from litigation to cooperation on aircraft — after 17 years of dispute,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “It is the longest trade dispute in the history of the WTO.”

Both sides said they would also work together to analyze and address the “non-market practices of third parties that may harm our large civil aircraft sectors,” according to the EU’s executive branch.

Tai said they would cooperate “to challenge and counter China’s non-market practices in this sector in specific ways that reflect our standards for fair competition. ”

Airbus, which is headquartered in France but also has centers in Germany and Spain, welcomed the agreement.

“This will provide the basis to create a level playing field which we have advocated for since the start of this dispute. It will also avoid lose-lose tariffs that are only adding to the many challenges that our industry faces,” an Airbus spokesperson said in a statement.

France’s finance and European affairs ministers also hailed the deal.

“We are now going to be able to focus on finally putting these differences behind us, and to define the conditions for fair competition on a global scale to support the aerospace sector, which is strategic for both Europe and the United States,” they said in a joint statement.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier described it as “an important signal for trans-Atlantic cooperation and the new beginning in trans-Atlantic relations.”

“We need fewer, and not more, tariffs, because tariffs ultimately cause damage on both sides of the Atlantic,” Altmaier said in a statement. “Today’s agreement is above all a great relief for the German exporters that had special tariffs imposed.”

Despite the breakthrough, the deal does not end the Trump-era trans-Atlantic trade row. The former U.S. president also slapped duties on EU steel and aluminum. That move enraged European countries, most of them NATO allies, because it was justified as a measure to protect U.S. national security.

The so-called Section 232 proceeding both hurts European producers and raises the cost of steel for American companies. The EU retaliated by raising tariffs on products like U.S.-made motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans.

But von der Leyen said that to secure progress on Airbus-Boeing, the EU agreed to hold fire for six months on a set of steel and aluminum-related counter measures it could have imposed just before this summit. She expressed cautious optimism that a deal could be reached here too by year’s end.

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AP writers Samuel Petrequin in Brussels, Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.

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Airbus-Boeing deal still leaves other US-EU rifts unresolvedAssociated Presson June 15, 2021 at 4:38 pm Read More »

Cries and curses: Relatives and friends gather outside Englewood home where 4 were killed, 4 others seriously woundedJermaine Nolenon June 15, 2021 at 4:43 pm

Police investigate outside a home where eight people were shot June 15 in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street.
Police investigate outside a home where eight people were shot June 15 in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

A woman sobbing hysterically ran under the police tape and was quickly surrounded by officers. A few moments later, she cried: “They killed my daughter. That’s my baby. That’s my baby.”

Three women and a man were shot and killed, and four other people were seriously wounded, when an argument broke out inside a home in Englewood on the South Side early Tuesday, according to Chicago police.

The four were pronounced dead shortly before 6 a.m. at the scene, a two-story house with a gray stone front in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street.

Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern initially said all four were women, but he was corrected by Police Supt. David Brown at a news conference.

Four other people were taken to hospitals, at least two of them in critical condition:

  • A woman was taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Hospital.
  • A 23-year-old man went to St. Bernard Hospital with a gunshot wound to the back. He was taken to University of Chicago Hospital also in critical condition.
  • A 41-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head was was taken to Christ Hospital.
  • A 25-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head. He was also taken to Christ.
  • A 2-year-old girl was taken from the home and brought to Comer Children’s Hospital for observation but did not appear injured, police said.
Four investigators with Cook County medical examiner’s office walk away from the home in the 6200 block of South Morgan.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Four investigators with Cook County medical examiner’s office walk away from the home in the 6200 block of South Morgan.

A witness told police there were two volleys of gunshots inside the home, hours apart.

The first was around 2 am, when Brown said the ShotSpotter system alerted police to gunfire near the Morgan address. Brown did not say if police responded to the alert.

The witness heard shots again around 5 a.m., around the time officers arrived to find the eight victims. Police found shell casings inside the house and a large-capacity “drum magazine.”

There was no sign of forced entry, Brown said. At least one of the victims likely lived at the address, but Brown did not elaborate on the relationships of the victims and the shooter.

Brown said the victims taken to hospitals had not yet been interviewed by detectives, and the investigation still was “very preliminary.”

“All we know about this residence is there’s been several calls there for disturbances,” Brown told reporters. “Overall, the block where this residence is located is fairly quiet, not much activity going on that requires a police response.

“I can reassure the public that there will be an increased police presence in the area until we’re able to identify offenders, if possible, or what, exactly, happened inside,” he said.

As officers continued working the scene into the morning, the family of one of the victims who died, Denice Mathis, approached the cordoned off section of South Morgan. Some sobbed. Others cursed at the tragedy of what happened.

The family said Mathis, in her early 30s, was a devoted mother of four sons and a daughter. On Monday, she’d been up at Six Flags with her boys.

“She was a good person — a free-spirited person,” said a cousin, Vickie Smith. “She loved her family.”

Mathis lived on the South Side, but the family didn’t know what brought her to the gathering on South Morgan.

A woman — identifying herself as a family member of one of the women who was killed — receives a hug from a supporter outside the crime scene tape at 63rd & Morgan, Tuesday morning, June 15, 2021. Four people were shot and killed inside a home in the 6200 block of South Morgan, in an incident that left four others wounded.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
A woman — identifying herself as a family member of one of the women who was killed — receives a hug from a supporter outside the crime scene tape at 63rd & Morgan, Tuesday morning, June 15, 2021. Four people were shot and killed inside a home in the 6200 block of South Morgan, in an incident that left four others wounded.

A man who said he was Mathis’ brother said his sister had been to the house many times before. The place was home to a barber, and a lot of people went there to get their hair cut.

“She was a good girl — none of these knuckleheads,” the brother said.

Earlier Tuesday, a woman sobbing hysterically ran under the police tape blocking the entrance to South Morgan at West 63rd. She was quickly surrounded by police and guided back behind the tape.

A few moments later, she cried: “They killed my daughter. That’s my baby. That’s my baby.”

The woman then got in a truck, along with community activist Andrew Holmes and was seen driving away.

Holmes later said he spoke with family who were still waiting to learn if their relatives were among those killed. He lamented that people in Chicago have to be wary when gathering because of the risk of mass shootings.

“If people are gathering anywhere, you have to be very cautious now because people could discharge a weapon at any moment,” Holmes said. “It’s very dangerous. They don’t care who’s in that crowd, whether it’s a grandmother or child.”

A woman crying, “That’s my baby. That’s my baby.” is escorted by community activists, including Andrew Holmes (left), to a vehicle after she tried to cross police tape at 63rd and Morgan, Tuesday morning, June 15, 2021.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
A woman crying, “That’s my baby. That’s my baby.” is escorted by community activists, including Andrew Holmes (left), to a vehicle after she tried to cross police tape at 63rd and Morgan, Tuesday morning, June 15, 2021.

The attack is the third mass shooting in Chicago in little over a week, and came just hours after gunfire erupted at a party in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side.

In that shooting, a man was killed and two women wounded around 11 p.m. Monday in the 5200 block of South Lowe Street, police said.

Early Saturday, a woman was killed and nine others wounded near 75th Street and South Prairie Avenue. Kimfier Miles, 29, a mother of three, was out with a group of girlfriends when two men opened fire about 2 a.m. Saturday.

Struck in her leg and abdomen, Miles was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

“She was only 29; in the prime of her life,” her cousin Takita Miles told the Chicago Sun-Times. “She hasn’t even experienced life. She just started traveling. It’s unfortunate. It’s really bad.”

The weekend before, six men and two women were wounded in a shooting in Burnside on the South Side.

The group were standing in the sidewalk about 4 a.m. June 6 when two people inside a silver-colored car opened fire in the 8900 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago police and Fire officials said.

A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University that tracks mass killings — defined as four or more dead, not including the perpetrator — shows this is the 18th mass killing, of which 17 were shootings, so far this year in the U.S.

Tuesday’s shooting happened in the Englewood police district, which has seen a 20% decrease in murders this year through Sunday, compared with the same time in 2020, according to police statistics. Shootings, however, have increased 16% so far compared with the year before.

This is a developing story, check back for details.

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Cries and curses: Relatives and friends gather outside Englewood home where 4 were killed, 4 others seriously woundedJermaine Nolenon June 15, 2021 at 4:43 pm Read More »

Try Over 40 Beers From Around the Midwest at Chicago Craft Beer Festival This Weekend in Fulton MarketBrian Lendinoon June 15, 2021 at 4:42 pm

Starting on June 18th, popular West Loop destination PB&J: Pizza Beer, & Jukebox will team up with the Chicago Craft Beer Festival to bring the 9th annual event to the Fulton Market neighborhood. In total, the weekend event will feature incredible craft brews of both local and national origin and live music. Those who have purchased tickets will receive admission to the tasting area, samples of more than 40 beers from all over the midwest and beyond. Additionally, guests will receive a commemorative tasting glass and tasting guide as well as access to various live music acts, making it a weekend to remember in Chicago.

We harped on the importance of festival season in Chicago. It’s honestly the lifeblood of Summertime Chicago and that goes well beyond the big ticket events such as Lollapalooza, the Chicago Auto Show, and Taste of Chicago. Smaller neighborhood festivals provide an electric energy for smaller groups looking to avoid 5 figure crowds. Here are the details for Chicago Craft Beer Festival:

When

Friday, June 18th | 5pm to 7pm & 8pm to 10pm |

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  • Saturday, June 19th | Noon to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 6pm, 7pm to 10pm |
  • Sunday, June 20th | Noon to 2:30pm, 3:30pm to 6:00pm, 7pm to 10pm |

WHERE

PB&J: Pizza, Beer, & Jukebox | 205 N Peoria St, Chicago, IL 60607

Why

From brewery-focused pubs and taprooms to bars and even the local supermarket, the popularity of craft beers remains as strong as ever. Illinois alone is home to more than 200 of the nation’s 4,000-plus microbreweries. Windy City beer lovers will again be in hops heaven when Chicago Craft Beer Fest returns for its 9th flavor-packed year to it’s new Fulton Market location!  In conjunction with PB&J West Loop, highlights include daily afternoon tastings where visitors who purchase a pass can sample from a pool of more than 40 specialty beers lovingly crafted by 35-plus local, regional and national breweries. Tasting ticket holders are also encouraged to savor the day before or after the tastings by enjoying a meal (or more brews) at PB&J while listening to some great hits on their jukeboxes.

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How To Get Tickets

Tickets are $30 to attend. To purchase your tickets, utilize the link here: https://www.givesignup.org/TicketEvent/ChicagoCraftBeerFestival

More About PB&J: It is time for PB&J! Chicago’s hottest hangout is located in the heart of the West Loop. PB&J offers the best Neapolitan pizza and draft beer in town, as well as favorite jams from their state-of-the-art jukebox powered by TouchTunes. PB&J’s fantastic Happy Hour takes place Tuesday – Thursday from 3-6pm with half price pizzas and select specialty cocktails. The hotspot is also pet friendly! PB&J offers “Doggy Date Night” that happens every Wednesday from 5-7pm. Enjoy special half-price deals for both you and your pup. The sliding garage-style windows allow guests to become one with the lively West Loop neighborhood while keeping fresh air circulating throughout. There’s no better spot to link up with friends for brunch on their patio, or game day at the bar. With eight HD screens, guests will never miss out on supporting their team! Stop in today, PB&J has the best eats in town!

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Featured Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash

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The post Try Over 40 Beers From Around the Midwest at Chicago Craft Beer Festival This Weekend in Fulton Market appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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Dingers: A Chicago Cubs Podcast – Episode 45 – City ConnectedNick Bon June 15, 2021 at 3:40 pm

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