One of the areas ChicagoBulls head coach Billy Donovan struggled the most with last season was in determining lineups. Players were constantly shuffled in and out throughout the season. With everyone’s role constantly in flux, I believe it made it difficult for many of the younger players on the Bulls to settle into a […]
James Lott was 16 when his mother Dorothy and 15-year-old sister Tonjia were stabbed to death at their home in Woodlawn.
Bishop Larry D. Trotter tried to comfort him, but it was all too much for the young man.
“He took off running, the pain was so heavy,” said Trotter, the longtime senior pastor of Sweet Holy Spirit Church of Chicago, 8621 S. South Chicago Ave.
But soon young James did something that had the congregation marveling at his strength, Trotter said: “He directed the choir at his mother’s funeral.”
Mr. Lott, 53, who rose from being a teenage tenor singing in the choir to the church’s minister of music, died Saturday. He had been in declining health as the result of a medical condition, according to Sean Howard, a spokesman for the church.
“I’m so used to seeing this fella directing a song, and, if the sound wasn’t right, running from the choir to the back of the church, talking to the sound man, and then he’d be back hugging the singers,” Trotter said.
James Lott was a bundle of energy as he helped create beautiful music at Sweet Holy Spirit Church of Chicago.Provided
The role of music minister encompassed everything from making sure that choir robes are immaculate to overseeing rehearsals, song selection, the sound system and arrangements. Mr. Lott also assigned solos and handled the choir’s bookings and travel for performances that took the group as far as the Bahamas and Germany.
Sweet Holy Spirit Church has “one of Chicago’s finest contemporary gospel choirs,” said Robert Marovich, author of the 2015 book “A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music.” “They always had great albums, and they also have a traditional side, too.”
Mr. Lott helped start and was president of the church’s first record label, Utopia Music Group. He directed recording sessions at the church, which is known for its good acoustics. In addition to the choir, he recorded gospel artists including the Rev. Charles G. Hayes & the Warriors, Montrae Tisdale & the Friends Chorale and “Lady” La Varnga Hubbard.
Hubbard has sung all over the world, but she said Mr. Lott made her feel treasured. She said that when he handled the arrangements for her to attend gospel’s Stellar music awards, “Everything was just fitted for a queen.” Thanks to him, she walked the red carpet for the first time.
“I would call him my rock,” said Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter VaShawn Mitchell, who joined the church as a young man.
Mitchell said that whenever he was nervous, Mr. Lott would ” calm me down. He’ll say, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ ”
As gospel accolades and awards started to accumulate for Mitchell, he said, “James called me on my phone and said, ‘What’d I tell you? I told you you [were] a star.’ “
Telisa Stinson, an Atlanta music executive who has run gospel record labels, used to book her artists to perform at Sweet Holy Spirit Church, where she said Mr. Lott would warmly welcome them.
“He was just kind,” Stinson said. “He helped everybody.”
Born in Greenville, Mississippi, Mr. Lott arrived in Chicago with his family when he was about 5 years old. He went to Luella grade school and Dunbar High School.
He started directing the choir at 14. And when it performed “Lift Him Up,” Trotter said, “It would tear the roof off.”
After his mother was killed, he was raised by his father Charles Almars Sr. and his wife Betty Holmes Lott.
“I felt like he was always mine,” she said. “He was an excellent son.”
He rarely got in trouble, Lott said. And when he did, she said, “If he smiled, he’d know I’d forget everything he did.”
Mr. Lott studied plumbing at Washburne Trade School and worked as a plumber, balancing that with his work at the church.
He is also survived by his siblings Michael, Keshia, Derrick, Demetrius and Charles Jr. and his best friend Antoine Bell. A service is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday at Sweet Holy Spirit Church.
His stepmother said that, just before he died, “He said he was ready. He was ready for heaven.”
A 20-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday afternoon while sitting in a parked vehicle in West Englewood.
About 3:30 p.m. the man was parked in the 6500 block of South Claremont Avenue when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside began shooting at him, Chicago police said.
He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not yet identified him.
Two people were shot June 11, 2021, in a ride-share vehicle in South Shore. | Sun-Times file photo
The two had just entered a ride-share vehicle when a blue Charger pulled up next to them and someone inside fired shots, Chicago police said.
Two people were shot after entering a ride-share vehicle early Friday in the South Shore neighborhood.
A 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man had just entered a ride-share vehicle about 1:25 a.m. in the 7600 block of South Bennett Avenue when a blue Dodge pulled up next to them and someone inside fired shots, Chicago police said.
The rideshare driver brought the teen and the man to a relative’s house in the 8300 block of South Luella Avenue where emergency crews responded, then South South Chicago Avenue and Jefferey Boulevard to flag down officers, according to police.
The teen was shot twice in the arm and the man suffered a gunshot wound to the torso, police said.
Both were transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said.
After 2:30 a.m. Chicago time, there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Cancer.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
This is a saucy energetic day! Take note that the next seven weeks will promote love affairs and hot, sexy romance! Oo la la! Parties, sportsevents and playful activities with children will also be a focus.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You are focused on money and possessions. No question. One other thing that is certain is that family and home life will become insane in the next seven weeks because of increased activity and chaos on the home front. Get ready!
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
This is a strong day because the sun is in your sign. However, fiery Mars is now in your House of Communications, which will make you more assertive in the next seven weeks. You will say what you mean and mean what you say!
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Although you are happy to work behind the scenes, Venus in your sign will encourage schmoozing with others. In the bigger picture, you will work hard to earn money and buy beautiful things for yourself in the next seven weeks.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Your popularity continues, particularly with young people from your past. Meanwhile, good news! Fiery Mars enters your sign to stay for the next seven weeks, which will boost your energy and help you work hard. This signals a time of great activity in your life.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
You look great in the eyes of others, especially bosses, parents and VIPs today. Nevertheless, be aware that the planet Mars will be hiding in your chart for the next seven weeks, which could stir up some trouble with a hidden enemy. If you think something fishy is going on — it is.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
It’s Friday and you want to do something different! You want adventure! As one of the most social signs in the zodiac, you’ll be happy to know that in the next seven weeks, you can work with others to formulate goals. You’ll be leader of the pack!
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
This is an intense, passionate day. (Fun date day.) Today Mars moves to the top of your chart to stay for the next seven weeks arousing your ambition! Suddenly, you will be intense and focused, which means you will go after what you want.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Your relationship with a close friend or partner is close today. You might even attract money to you. Take note that the next seven weeks will be adventurous — more than usual. You will have a strong desire to travel and do creative, intellectual work. (No surprise! Sagittarians are the travelers of the zodiac.)
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
With Venus opposite your sign today, you are happy to socialize because encounters with others will run smoothly. Nevertheless, you are still keen to work hard and get better organized. Caution about disputes over shared property or shared responsibilities in the next two months. Easy does it.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
You want to play! And it’s Friday! Accept all invitations to explore social outings and sports events. For some of you, a work-related romance might blossom. However, be patient with partners in the next two months. (Patience is the antidote to anger.)
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Home and family are a major focus now; however, Venus wants to tempt you to play today! Explore romance, parties and sports. Enjoy fun times with kids. You will work hard in the next two months because Mars guarantees your commitment.
If Your Birthday Is Today
Actress Claire Holt (1988) shares your birthday. You think and talk quickly; however, you have a strong desire for order and a de-cluttered world. You believe in yourself and your opinions, and you’re ambitious. You’re also an excellent communicator. Don’t work too hard this year. Conserve your energy. This is a good time to make plans and decide what structures are necessary to build.
Engel homers, Abreu delivers pair of RBI doubles as White Sox win series, improve to 38-24
Dallas Keuchel shook off a mental blunder by third baseman Yoan Moncada, pitching six innings of two-run ball against a tough Blue Jays lineup, and the Sox responded to a sloppy loss the night before and news that Nick Madrigal will be out for an extensive time by pouncing on the Blue Jays with three runs in the first inning en route to a 5-2 victory Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Yasmani Grandal and Adam Engel homered, Jose Abreu had an RBI double in the first against left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu and another double in the eighth for his 48th RBI, and relievers Evan Marshall, Codi Heuer and Liam Hendriks (AL leading 16th save) each pitched a scoreless inning to help the Sox (38-24) take a series win over a 31-29 team.
“More fun than anything, especially when you’re good and know you can win night in and night out,” Keuchel said. “That’s where we’re at. Against a tough lineup, we need these types of games to push us to October.”
Keuchel retired the first eight batters he faced and notched a season-high eight strikeouts but had to work extra because Moncada thought there were two outs when Randal Grichuk hit a double play ground ball at him in the sixth inning. Instead of throwing to second, Moncada threw to first to retire Grichuk, then took a couple steps toward the Sox dugout.
Noticeably perturbed, Keuchel gave up an RBI single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
“If I would make a mistake, I would hope somebody would get on me,” Keuchel said. “He’s a good enough player, he knows what happened. Hopefully he won’t make that mistake again.”
Keuchel said he also was “very frustrated” with himself for giving up a single to Gurriel.
Yermin Mercedes, batting second for the first time in one of Nick Madrigal’s customary spots in his return to the lineup after a day on the bench, had two hits including a double in the first.
Keuchel (5-1, 4.14 ERA) allowed two runs on six hits and two walks.
“He made some hellacious pitches to shut them down,” manager Tony La Russa said. “It was artistic, really.
“It was a really important win base on what happened yesterday, that was a tough day.”
Kopech update
Right-hander Michael Kopech, who hasn’t pitched since May 26 because of a hamstring strain will resume throwing bullpens “in the coming days” and possibly a sim game, general manager Rick Hahn said.
“We want to see how those go first before we decide whether it makes sense for him to go out on a rehab assignment or we’re able to get enough work done here to be able to just activate him back to the roster,” Hahn said. “So he’s making progress, and that’s the next phase that he’s moving into now.”
Rash of injuries
Nick Madrigal is the latest Sox to suffer a hamstring injury, joining Adam Engel, Tim Anderson, Michael Kopech and Billy Hamilton to be sidelined this season. And Luis Robert is out with a hip flexor strain.
The Sox aren’t the only team hit by the rash of soft tissue injuries but Hahn, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, vice president Ken Williams and Sox sports performance personnel are examining internally what the causes might be.
“We don’t have any conclusions yet but it’s an extremely fair question,” Hahn said.
“It’s not just a White Sox problem per se,” Hahn said. “There also is the element of bad luck or bad clustered luck of these things piling on top of each other.”
After offseason of unknowns, Cubs will be playing meaningful games this summer and will likely add at the trade deadline.
There was no telling how the Cubs’ front office would handle what was thought to be a “year of transition”. Following Theo Epstein’s departure, Jed Hoyer’s promotion to team president and the team’s superstars entering the regular season with no contract extensions, it appeared as if things were going to be drastically different in 2021.
Many were resigned to what was thought to be the fate of the team, blowing up what remained of their core and starting a rebuild. But what was going to happen at or near the July trade deadline was always going to be up to the team’s play on the field and being somewhere in the middle wasn’t going to make the decisions any easier.
But with a 35-27 record through 62 games and sitting atop the National League Central in a tie for first place with the Brewers, the Cubs have been pointing upward for over a month.
“I think we’re pretty damn good, yeah,” manager David Ross said last week. “I think these guys believe that. I think they know that.”
The Cubs entered this month playing some of the best baseball in the league before embarking on what was going to be a tough West Coast trip against the NL West-leading Giants and second-place Padres. The road trip didn’t start as planned, as the Cubs went 1-3 in San Francisco and after dropping the first game in San Diego, it didn’t look like they would have much luck.
But after winning the last two games against the Padres with a fraction of their lineup to finish the trip with a 3-4 record, they have to be returning to Wrigley Field this weekend feeling pretty good.
“It was a nice way to finish up [the road trip]. We know we got a lot of good teams in this stretch,” Ross said. “I think the goal every time you play a series is to get a win and try to win that series. That’s what we did here in San Diego. . . . That’s a nice finish after the way the road trip started.”
It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next month as it appears that the Cubs’ superstars aren’t going to be on the move this season. And if the team isn’t looking to subtract from the roster, it makes adding the only real alternative. Increased capacities at Wrigley Field and improved revenues make possible additions more realistic.
“I don’t put any much thought into [rumors]. It’s wasted energy,” Kris Bryant said. “Whatever happens is going to happen. But, it’s cool to hear, when I’m running out to the outfield in Wrigley, all the fans saying they want me. It definitely makes me feel much better.”
“As far as flexibility, we’ve had these projections for a little bit and feel like we’re a bit ahead of schedule,” Hoyer said last month. “There’s definitely flexibility to make moves in-season if the right thing presents itself.”
All throughout baseball this season teams have had to navigate a barrage of injuries, and when it comes down to who will win the division, it’s who stays the healthiest will likely be a major deciding factor.
The Cubs and Brewers, who are tied for first place in the division, both have managed to stay afloat despite dealing with major injuries. The Cardinals, who start a three-game series next against the Cubs, have had injuries to their starting pitching and are in a downward spiral.
For the Cubs, the fact that they’ve been able to win consistently and do it against quality opponents without having their full lineup shouldn’t be ignored.
And while they’ve found success with the help of rookie sensation Patrick Wisdom’s red-hot June, some bounce-back performances from the starters and continued success of the bullpen, things won’t stop with a series against the Mets in New York and one with the Dodgers in Los Angeles before closing the month against the Brewers.
“I feel like we’re just starting, honestly,” Bryant said. “We kind of just started and then we were done [in 2020]. Last year was a completely different situation than we have right now. It’s cool to compare the two and realize that, ‘Hey, we still have over 100 more games.’ ”
The Rev. Edmund Nnadozie is pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bronzeville, among five Black South Side parishes set to close at month’s end. It merges with four other churches into one new Our Lady of Africa parish. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bronzeville is among five Black South Side parishes set to close at month’s end. It merges with four other churches into one new Our Lady of Africa parish.
When Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bronzeville — and four sister Black Catholic churches on the South Side — close at month’s end, a chapter in the history of Black Catholics in Chicago closes with them.
Corpus Christi, at 4920 S. King Drive, along withSt. Ambrose, St. Anselm, St Elizabeth and Holy Angels churches, will merge July 1 into one new “Our Lady of Africa” parish, under the Archdiocese of Chicago’s “Renew My Church” initiative, ongoing since 2018.
Under Renew My Church, struggling churches and schools are being closed or consolidated, to cut costs for aging infrastructure, as well as to address a priest shortage.
“Some are resigned to the change. Some are sad. Some are mad about it, and feel like, ‘Could this not have been prevented?’ So the emotions of parishioners flow all over the place,” said Corpus Christi’s pastor, the Rev. Edmund Nnadozie.
“And I respect all those emotions. That to me is how it should be when you are talking about a church that has been here more than 120 years. There’s a whole lot of history tied up here, so it’s going to take time for people to get over it. As for me, I’m at peace with it.”
This Sunday, the church will host a parish reunion mass, and RSVP phone calls and emails from current and former parishioners have been flying for one of three masses until closing.
Courtesy of Corpus ChristiIn this archive photo, students at Corpus Christi Elementary School gather for an all-school photo.
“We call it our celebratory mass. It’s not the last mass in the parish. That will be the 27th. But what we’re celebrating, really, is us. It’s the opportunity to come and to cry and to laugh, you know, and share memories, all of that,” said Nnadozie, pastor since October 2019, and a member of the Houston-based Missionaries of St. Paul, founded in Nigeria.
“We’ll still have two more Sundays to come back and worship and have a last look, if you will. We have a a lot of people calling in about this Sunday. And I tell you, if all those people do indeed come to that service, I just hope we have enough space.”
Fortunately, the sanctuary will be able to welcome well wishers at capacity Sunday, following Friday’s full reopening of both Chicago and the rest of Illinois, based on continued improvement in COVID-19 metrics and vaccine uptake.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesCorpus Christi Church at 4920 South King Drive in Bronzeville, will close at month’s end, merging with St. Ambrose, St. Anselm, St Elizabeth and Holy Angels churches into a new “Our Lady of Africa” parish, as part of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s “Renew My Church” initiative.
In the pews Sunday will be the Williams family, part of the parish for 70 years.
Eleven siblings of parents who came up during the Great Migration — the matriarch from Rosehill, Mississippi, the patriarch from Baton Rouge, Louisiana — the family has celebrated dozens of baptisms, weddings, funerals, Holy Communions and confirmations here.
“I’m the youngest. My parents were very spiritually rooted people. And it’s just been a love affair with God and a love affair with the Catholic Church, and a cherished relationship with the Franciscan sisters and priests who ran the church and school over the years,” said Anthony Williams, 60, of Washington Park.
A brother still lives at the home they grew up in at 47th & Langley. And just two Sundays ago, two great-grandchildren, fifth generation, became the last Williams family members to be baptized here — following the lead of over 40 family members before them.
Ivy HallThe Williams family has been a part of Corpus Christi for 70 years. And on May 30, two great-grandchildren, fifth generation, became the last Williams family members to be baptized there — following the lead of over 40 family members before them. Being baptized by the Rev. Edmund Nnadozie is 2 1/2-year-old Trenton Gilbert.
“My daughter lives in Columbia, Ohio, and she decided to get her daughter baptized here before it closed, because she was baptized here,” said one of the sisters, Katie Williams Hall.
“She then convinced her cousin, who also was baptized here and who had had her oldest child baptized here, to do a joint baptism of her younger child. It was very bittersweet.”
This year alone has brought consolidation of 13 churches and five schools in Rogers Park, Edgewater, Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Avondale and Old Irving Park, with more planned as the archdiocese continues to assess the future of its 344 Chicago-area churches.
The new parish serving the five South Side churches will be sited at the current Holy Angels, 615 E Oakwood Blvd. It’s the newest structure among them, rebuilt in the wake of a 1986 fire that gutted the home of the famed, late priest George Clements.
St. Ambrose is located at 1012 E 47th St., St. Anselm at 6045 S Michigan Ave., and St. Elizabeth at 50 E. 41st St.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-TimesThe Rev. Edmund Nnadozie, pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bronzeville, reflects in the sanctuary. Corpus Christi, St. Ambrose, St. Anselm, St. Elizabeth and Holy Angels will close at month’s end to merge into one new “Our Lady of Africa” parish.
A church closing reverberates beyond its community. Corpus Christi, for example, plays host to a bimonthly mass for Chicago’s citywide Nigerian community, in their language, followed by a potluck in the church’s huge social hall.
“There’s some anxiety there. They’re feeling, ‘What’s going to happen to us?’ And I’m not sure that is resolved. They still have to find their ground, and when you’re stepping into a new place, there’s the question of, ‘How will I be received?’” Nnadozie said.
“But they already know they need to find a space. They will go to that new place and make it a home, and hopefully it will work out. It always does,” he said.
Parishioner Larry Cope, 61, of The Gap neighborhood, agrees with his pastor on the inevitability.
The Cope family has been members since his parents came up in the Great Migration to live with aunts who owned a greystone at 45th & Prairie, chopped up into kitchenette apartments, as was the norm in what was then known as the Black Belt.
Like all 11 Williams siblings, Cope and his four brothers and sisters all attended Corpus Christi Elementary, now long shuttered. And all siblings went on to attend Catholic high schools, the boys matriculating to Hales Franciscan High, run by the same order.
Courtesy of Corpus ChristiIn this archive photo, students at the one time Corpus Christi Elementary School prepare for their first Holy Communion at Corpus Christi Church, 4920 S. King Drive.
“Three of us remain members of the church. My wife and I were married here, and I’m actively involved in the parish council,” Cope said.
“Whenever you close a church, it’s like a death in the family. But I have prepared myself for this eventuality, because the writing was on the wall. We had low membership. We had debt and we had an aging church, which costs so much money just to maintain and repair.”
So there’s the resignation.
The seed of optimism must follow. The new church opens July 1.
“I have to remind people over and over that what we are closing is the structure, not the church. The structure can go down, but the people of God keep on moving,” Nnadozie said.
“Just as I told those gathered at the last baptism of Williams family, we thank God that we are receiving this last one into this structure, but we hope it’s not the last we will receive into the house of God.”
Ivy HallThe Williams family have been members of the closing Corpus Christi parish, 4920 S. King Drive, for 70 years, most recently gathering for the May 30 baptism of two fifth generation offspring. They will be in the pews when the church hosts its parish reunion mass on June 13.
Chicago police work the scene where a 14-year-old by was shot and killed in the 1100 block of South Karlov Ave, in the Lawndale neighborhood, Thursday, June 10, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Tyrese Taylor is the 11th child aged 15 and younger to be gunned down in Chicago this year.
As his family packed to move to a safer place in the suburbs, a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed in Lawndale on the West Side Thursday afternoon.
The teen was shot several times around 1:45 p.m. on a sidewalk in the 1100 block of South Karlov Avenue, not far from a U-Haul van the family had been loading.
The boy was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead, police said.
He was identified as Tyrese Taylor by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
No one was in custody.
Police taped off the U-Haul moving truck, next to Frazier International Magnet Elementary School, as they worked the scene late into the afternoon.
The boy’s mother was moving the family to the suburbs to let him live in a calmer environment, according to a neighbor who said he knew the teen well.
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-TimesChicago police work the scene where a 14-year-old by was shot and killed in the 1100 block of South Karlov Ave, in the Lawndale neighborhood, Thursday, June 10, 2021.
“He was a good kid. Sometimes he got mixed up with the wrong crowd, but he was a good kid,” said the man, who asked not to be named.
The man said he saw a white car drive up and someone fire shots at the boy.
The boy’s aunt, Dorothy Taylor, said the boy “loved to game” on his XBox. She said he was smart and went to Webster Elementary, a block north of where the shooting happened.
The boy had three sisters and five brothers, she said. “He was the baby.”
Ten other children aged 15 or younger have been shot dead so far this year, according to Sun-Times records. That’s more than the number killed in all of 2019.
The most recent fatal shooting of a child happened June 2 in Back of the Yards on the South Side. Savanah Quintero, 14, was shot in the head after three young gang members asked which gang she was affiliated with. After she said she wasn’t, the attackers chased her and opened fire.
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