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They were outside about 9:20 p.m. in the 400 block of East 134th Street when someone opened fire, striking them both, Chicago police said.

Two teenage boys were wounded in a shooting Wednesday on the Far South Side.

They were outside about 9:20 p.m. in the 400 block of East 134th Street when someone opened fire, striking them both, Chicago police said.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

Another boy, 16, was struck in the foot and taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was in good condition, police said.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

Earlier Wednesday, another 17-year-old boy was shot in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.

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The boy was treated for a broken leg and arm, according to his aunt, Carmelita Fleming.

An apparent road-rage incident Wednesday afternoon on the Dan Ryan Expressway — and the subsequent chase and shooting after — led to a 5-year-old boy being injured in a hit-and-run incident on the South Side.

A blue SUV and a red sedan were involved in a road-rage incident on the Dan Ryan about 4:45 p.m., and both vehicles then ended up in the 8700 block of South Michigan Avenue, according to Chicago police.

While both vehicles were headed northbound on Michigan, someone inside the SUV fired shots at the sedan, police said. The SUV struck Wisdom Parker, who was nearby, while it was fleeing the scene.

The boy was treated for a broken leg and arm, according to his aunt Carmelita Fleming.

“I’m just glad my nephew’s OK,” Fleming said.

Fleming described the chaotic scene following the incident. She didn’t hear the gunshots, but said her family did. Her neighbors rushed outside and dialed 911 after Parker was hit.

“It was horrifying,” Fleming said. “We didn’t know if someone was shot, we didn’t even know who was hurt at the time because when I come out the house, all I hear is ‘Get him! Don’t touch him!’ … So I didn’t know what to think and then I saw blood.”

Provided

Parker’s family was coming to Fleming’s West Chesterfield home for a barbecue on her back porch. Fleming said her 5-month-old nephew was also near the family’s car when Parker was struck.

“We were just hanging out at my house today … just having a good get together, you know, a good time” before that happened, Fleming said.

Though the SUV fled from the area after the crash, Fleming said the driver of the red sedan stayed and filled her in on what allegedly happened.

The motorist told Fleming that the SUV sideswiped his car on the Dan Ryan. He chased that car off the expressway and into Fleming’s neighborhood. That’s when someone from the SUV began shooting at the other driver.

“He said he wished he would have known to not follow the guy,” Fleming said. “He was ignorant. I’m like, ‘Why would you follow him, though?’ I said, ‘Sir, they’re killin’ people now. Just keep going.’ And I have young sons, and they explain, ‘Mom, things aren’t like they used to be back in your day. These young folks, they’re not thinkin’.”

Fleming said her nephew is a “joy to be around.”

“He’s just the normal 5-year-old boy, he wants to play video games, he wants to be mischievous, he wants to work his mom’s nerve,” she said. “He’s a good little boy.”

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The man had been under the water for more than 20 minutes, fire officials said.

A man was in critical condition after being pulled from Jackson Park Harbor Wednesday on the South Side.

Divers found the man underwater about 8:50 p.m. near the 6500 block of South Promontory Drive, Chicago fire officials said.

The man had been under the water for more than 20 minutes, fire officials said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

Divers were able to locate the man thanks to good directions from onlookers, officials said.

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Former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has important early leads in endorsements and fundraising in the secretary of state’s race. Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia has also won crucial endorsements. But observers agree the race remains anyone’s game.

Though it shares a title with one of the top posts in the U.S. president’s cabinet, the Illinois secretary of state’s office shares none of the prestigious responsibilities of its federal namesake.

Instead of international diplomacy or foreign policy intrigue, the state office deals largely with driver’s licenses and license plates.

Nevertheless, presiding over that state office is one of the most coveted prizes in Illinois politics.

“Next to being governor, that’s the biggest political office statewide,” said former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar.

And harvesting that political plum typically involves plenty of Illinois domestic intrigue and campaign intelligence — if lesser amounts of diplomacy.

Right now, five Democrats are already waging a pitched battle to succeed retiring Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White — who, despite the rather mundane tasks involved, was regularly one of the Democrats’ top vote getters.

Political insiders say former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is leading the pack, racking up crucial endorsements and building the most fully stocked political war chest. He is closely followed by Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, who has won her own share of endorsements, but in the money contest has so far been outraised by Giannoulias more than five-to-one.

“Alexi has kind of set the curve and changed the standard for this race,” said Dave Mellet, a political consultant who helped Mayor Lori Lightfoot win office and is not aligned with any candidate in the secretary of state’s race.

“I think Anna Valencia — with the cash on hand she has and the money that she’s raised — she’s doing all the things that you would expect somebody running for a down ballot, statewide office to do, and she’s doing it well. It’s just really hard to be in the field against somebody who has that much money and is able to raise that well.”

But while the race is off at a “very fast pace,” Mellet said it’s still anyone’s to win.

Rounding out the field are Aldermen Pat Dowell (3rd) and David Moore (17th) and state Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park.

So far, no Republicans have entered the race.

One of the allures of the office is its potential to serve as a political stepping stone.

Edgar, a former Illinois secretary of state who parlayed his tenure into a successful gubernatorial bid, said the current crop of candidates may be looking to do the same, since the office offers plenty of the tools to do so, from jobs to fill to publicity to take advantage of.

“You also have respect throughout the state. Your name — next to the governor’s — is the most visible name in state government, because you’re on everybody’s driver’s license,” Edgar said. “There’s a lot of political advantages.”

Giannoulias already likely has the best statewide name recognition in the field, having served one term as state treasurer and waging an unsuccessful, but high profile, run for U.S. Senate ten years ago.

He’s got the money advantage — roughly $2.4 million, state board of election records show. And he’s bagged early support from the SEIU Illinois State Council, which will mean more money and boots on the ground.

The council includes SEIU Locals 1 and SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana, which have an ownership stake in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Just as important, Giannoulias won the support of U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.

The Southwest Side Democratic congressman’s endorsement over Valencia, the only Latina in the field so far, could give Giannoulias a boost among Hispanic voters and progressives.

Edgar said getting those larger endorsements is especially important in a Democratic primary, where turnout is likely to be lower and “name recognition is the name of the game here.”

But Giannoulias’ early advantages don’t “guarantee he’s going to win it,” Edgar said, pointing all the “unknowns” that will determine how the race pans out.

“How they campaign and how the turnout is,” the former governor said. “Turnout is so important in a primary, because it’s somewhat sparse.”

In fundraising, Hastings is a distant second to Giannoulias. The state senator had $604,001.46 in the bank at the end of March. Valencia had $428,236.18.

Neither Hastings nor Valencia have reported any new contributions since then.

Dowell had just $67,880.79 on hand on March 31, and has raised $218,500 since then, meaning she likely has nearly $286,380.79 at her disposal. Moore had $73,986.58 on hand on March 31 and has added $2,500 since then.

Giannoulias had $2,104,762 in the bank at the end of March and has raised $303,500 since then.

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, who weighed a run for the office herself but opted to support Dowell instead, said the race is “very fluid,” and while Democrats have a “good crop of candidates,” there’s also “a long row to hoe” from now until the primary.

“I think it’s early, and I’ve seen lots of things happen over the course of an election cycle, but this one will be a long, drawn out process now,” said Yarbrough, who also represents Proviso Township in the party’s ranks and is a member of its statewide selection committee.

Mellet also stressed it’s too early to tell how the race will shake out. The Democratic consultant said Giannoulias’ strong war chest means he “doesn’t have to pinch pennies” and will be able to “sprint and force everyone to run as fast as they can behind him.”

That could mean early TV ads from Giannoulias in an effort to cement the lead.

But Valencia’s profile — a Latina from downstate who has City Hall experience, and name recognition, in Chicago — could help her overcome the early money imbalance, Mellet said.

Valencia was endorsed Wednesday by the national group Latino Victory Fund and has also received some union support and the early backing of Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood.

Dowell has shown an ability to raise money and a willingness to get around the state and meet local elected officials, a strategy that could see her rise as the race continues, Mellet said.

“Women, especially diverse women, have done really well in recent years, and this is a primary, and women are breaking through,” Mellet said.

Dowell has also taken a page out of White’s playbook — promising not to use the office as a stepping stone.

And she’s shown a willingness to mix it up on the campaign trail. The South Side alderman took a shot at Giannoulias for his 2014 endorsement of Republican Tom Cross for state treasurer.

Giannoulias brushed that off in a Cook County Democratic Party forum Saturday, saying he was just saying “good things” about the Oswego Republican, and “no one should question my commitment to the Democratic party.”

The Cook County Democratic Party is likely to endorse in the race in December, said executive director Jacob Kaplan.

And White, who won all 102 counties in 2002, said in a statement he doesn’t yet have a preferred candidate in the already “strong field.”

But the Near North Side Democrat plans to “keep the option open to making an endorsement at some point.”

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The incident happened about 12:45 p.m. June 1 in the 9100 block of South Wentworth Avenue, Chicago police said.

Police released images Wednesday of a vehicle wanted in connection with a fatal shooting last week in Princeton Park on the South Side.

The incident happened about 12:45 p.m. June 1 in the 9100 block of South Wentworth Avenue, Chicago police said.

Ogonnia Okeke was on the sidewalk when someone opened fire, striking him multiple times, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He died at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Video released by police identified what appeared to be a black Jeep SUV as the suspect vehicle.

Anyone with information can call Area Two detectives at 312-747-8273.

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Supt. David Brown says an investigation is underway and if responsible, officers will be held accountable.

There have been more than a million views of a viral video that surfaced several days ago showing three women “twerking” on top of a Chicago police SUV cruiser as it rolled down the street trailed by cell phone paparazzi.

There’s a lot of interest in seeing half-clothed women gyrating. I get that.

But recently, in this city, a 14-year-old girl was chased down and fatally shot while walking her dog, and a 7-year-old girl was gunned down while sitting in a car with her father at a McDonald’s drive-thru.

We should all be in mourning.

Instead, the young women on top of that police SUV were putting on a show for the very people who mock them in terms unfit to put in a family newspaper.

And they aren’t the only ones.

This appears to be some trend.

In Rochester, NY, two women talked a uniformed police officer into letting them “twerk” on his parked squad car.

Although the person who posted the video of the interaction called it “positive,” it drew a reprimand from the police chief.

Twerking on top of police vehicles has happened in Jackson, Miss., St. Louis, Seattle, and Miami Beach, and is largely viewed as an offensive act against police.

What makes the Chicago incident so interesting is the police SUV was slowly rolling down the street as if whoever was driving was in a parade.

A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said the incident is under investigation.

Frankly, if allowing young women to climb onto a police cruiser and gyrate is part of the new community policing strategy, the police must go back to the drawing board.

Because if one of the women had fallen off the SUV and been run over, not only would the city be facing a huge lawsuit, but there is a real possibility that the partiers would have turned violent.

It is also disconcerting that residents in some neighborhoods, like Park Manor on the South Side, have been recently under siege by noise, loud music and inappropriate behavior.

“There seems to have been a coordinated effort to disrupt the 7400 blocks of Calumet and Prairie. There were hundreds of cars, trucks, and motor vehicles parading down our streets until 4:00 a.m. playing loud music, using profanity and displaying all types of anti-social behavior such as urinating in bushes near Salem Church at 74th and Calumet,” said Niena Feme, a 6^th Ward resident, in an email.

“As president of the 7400 Calumet and Prairie Block Club, I hope we can get some attention brought to this situation that is affecting the quality of life of our residents. We are stakeholders; we pay mortgages, taxes and are expected to maintain our properties. Yet we cannot enjoy a level of peace that any community would desire,” she said.

These community stakeholders are hosting a meeting at 6 p.m. June 17 at Salem Lutheran Church to air their concerns.

Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6^th) told CBS-2 he intends to beef up patrols, safety checks and tow illegally parked cars.

Given the violent battles between protestors and police officers that erupted after George Floyd was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis last year, getting worked up over women using a police SUV like a stripper pole may seem petty to some of you.

But it is not.

Frankly, Chicagoans, especially those living on the South and West sides, live with more lawless behavior than I’ve ever seen.

More motorists run red lights leading to more car crashes. Carjackings are becoming the norm. Expressway shootings are making us feel like targets.

Obviously, after being cooped up in their own homes for more than a year, young people are ready to cut loose.

And it is a shame that there are too few safe spaces for them to do their thing because of the ongoing violence.

Still, police are paid to keep the peace, not to facilitate the mayhem.

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Former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has important early leads in endorsements and fundraising in the secretary of state’s race. Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia has also won crucial endorsements. But observers agree the race remains anyone’s game.

Though it shares a title with one of the top posts in the U.S. president’s cabinet, the Illinois secretary of state’s office shares none of the prestigious responsibilities of its federal namesake.

Instead of international diplomacy or foreign policy intrigue, the state office deals largely with driver’s licenses and license plates.

Nevertheless, presiding over that state office is one of the most coveted prizes in Illinois politics.

“Next to being governor, that’s the biggest political office statewide,” said former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar.

And harvesting that political plum typically involves plenty of Illinois domestic intrigue and campaign intelligence — if lesser amounts of diplomacy.

Right now, five Democrats are already waging a pitched battle to succeed retiring Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White — who, despite the rather mundane tasks involved, was regularly one of the Democrats’ top vote getters.

Political insiders say former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is leading the pack, racking up crucial endorsements and building the most fully stocked political war chest. He is closely followed by Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, who has won her own share of endorsements, but in the money contest has so far been outraised by Giannoulias more than five-to-one.

“Alexi has kind of set the curve and changed the standard for this race,” said Dave Mellet, a political consultant who helped Mayor Lori Lightfoot win office and is not aligned with any candidate in the secretary of state’s race.

“I think Anna Valencia — with the cash on hand she has and the money that she’s raised — she’s doing all the things that you would expect somebody running for a down ballot, statewide office to do, and she’s doing it well. It’s just really hard to be in the field against somebody who has that much money and is able to raise that well.”

But while the race is off to “very fast pace,” Mellet said it’s still anyone’s to win.

Rounding out the field are Aldermen Pat Dowell (3rd) and David Moore (17th) and state Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park.

So far, no Republicans have entered the race.

One of the allures of the office is its potential to serve as a political stepping stone.

Edgar, a former Illinois secretary of state who parlayed his tenure into a successful gubernatorial bid, said the current crop of candidates may be looking to do the same, since the office offers plenty of the tools to do so, from jobs to fill to publicity to take advantage of.

“You also have respect throughout the state. Your name — next to the governor’s — is the most visible name in state government, because you’re on everybody’s driver’s license,” Edgar said. “There’s a lot of political advantages.”

Giannoulias already likely has the best statewide name recognition in the field, having served one term as state treasurer and waging an unsuccessful, but high profile, run for U.S. Senate ten years ago.

He’s got the money advantage — roughly $2.4 million, state board of election records show. And he’s bagged early support from the SEIU Illinois State Council, which will mean more money and boots on the ground.

The council includes SEIU Locals 1 and SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana, which have an ownership stake in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Just as important, Giannoulias won the support of U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.

The Southwest Side Democratic congressman’s endorsement over Valencia, the only Latina in the field so far, could give Giannoulias a boost among Hispanic voters and progressives.

Edgar said getting those larger endorsements is especially important in a Democratic primary, where turnout is likely to be lower and “name recognition is the name of the game here.”

But Giannoulias’ early advantages don’t “guarantee he’s going to win it,” Edgar said, pointing all the “unknowns” that will determine how the race pans out.

“How they campaign and how the turnout is,” the former governor said. “Turnout is so important in a primary, because it’s somewhat sparse.”

In fundraising, Hastings is a distant second to Giannoulias. The state senator had $604,001.46 in the bank at the end of March. Valencia had $428,236.18.

Neither Hastings nor Valencia have reported any new contributions since then.

Dowell had just $67,880.79 on hand on March 31, and has raised $218,500 since then, meaning she likely has nearly $286,380.79 at her disposal. Moore had $73,986.58 on hand on March 31 and has added $2,500 since then.

Moore had $73,986.58 on hand and has added just $1,000 since then.

Giannoulias had $2,104,762 in the bank at the end of March and has raised $303,500 since then.

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, who weighed a run for the office herself but opted to support Dowell instead, said the race is “very fluid,” and while Democrats have a “good crop of candidates,” there’s also “a long row to hoe” from now until the primary.

“I think it’s early and I’ve seen lots of things happen over the course of an election cycle, but this one will be a long, drawn out process now,” said Yarbrough, who also represents Proviso Township in the party’s ranks and is a member of their statewide selection committee.

Mellet also stressed it’s too early to tell how the race will shake out. The Democratic consultant said Giannoulias’ strong war chest means he “doesn’t have to pinch pennies” and will be able to “sprint and force everyone to run as fast as they can behind him.”

That could mean early TV ads from Giannoulias in an effort to cement the lead.

But Valencia’s profile — a Latina from downstate who has City Hall experience, and name recognition, in Chicago — could help her overcome the early money imbalance, Mellet said.

Valencia was endorsed Wednesday by the national group Latino Victory Fund and has also received some union support and the early backing of Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood.

Dowell has shown an ability to raise money and a willingness to get around the state and meet local elected officials, a strategy that could see her rise as the race continues, Mellet said.

“Women, especially diverse women, have done really well in recent years, and this is a primary, and women are breaking through,” Mellet said.

Dowell has also taken a page out of White’s playbook — promising not to use the office as a stepping stone.

And she’s shown a willingness to mix it up on the campaign trail. The South Side alderman took a shot at Giannoulias for his 2014 endorsement of Republican Tom Cross for state treasurer.

Giannoulias brushed that off in a Cook County Democratic Party forum Saturday, saying he was just saying “good things” about the Oswego Republican, and “no one should question my commitment to the Democratic party.”

The Cook County Democratic Party is likely to endorse in the race in December, said executive director Jacob Kaplan.

And White, who won all 102 counties in 2002, said in a statement he doesn’t yet have a preferred candidate in the already “strong field.”

But the Near North Side Democrat plans to “keep the option open to making an endorsement at some point.”

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Jake Arrieta allows just one run on four hits over five innings in the Cubs’ 3-1 win over the Padres

SAN DIEGO – It wasn’t long ago Yu Darvish was the ace of the Cubs’ rotation, but after being dealt in the offseason, he took on his former club for the first time since the trade.

On the mound for the Cubs was Jake Arrieta, who seemingly replaced Darvish in the rotation after signing a one-year deal in February.

As the past and present collided in a battle of former Cubs aces, both starters brought their A-game, but it was the Cubs who topped Darvish in Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over the Padres.

“Just wanted to go out there and pitch well and help our team win the series,” Arrieta said after the win. “Obviously, Darvish is really good. He’s tough to beat every time he’s out there.”

The starting rotation has been one of the Cubs’ major flaws in the first half. After trading their best starter in the winter, it’s not hard to see why many wonder where the team would be if last year’s NL Cy Young runner-up was still at the top of the team’s rotation.

But the Cubs haven’t been able to dream on what ifs as they’ve fought to get near the top of the NL Central despite some of their rotation’s deficiencies.

Wednesday’s start was an important one for Arrieta, not only because of who was on the other side, but because he had been trending in the wrong direction for well over a month.

Arrieta came into the game with an 8.28 ERA over his last five starts, but looked like the pitcher who helped carry the Cubs in April.

Unlike his previous starts that were filled with traffic on the bases, Arrieta was able to get into a rhythm and got stronger as the game went along.

“Runs were going to be at a premium today,” Arrieta said. “Limiting base runners, I think I had one walk today. You have to limit the free bases, make good pitches and try to keep guys off the basepaths.”

Arrieta’s best moment came in what would be his final inning of the game and after former Cub Victor Caratini led off the fifth inning with a single, Arrieta struck out the side. He tossed five innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts and one walk.

“Had a good feel for pretty much everything other than the curveball for most of the game,” he said. “Really needed all of it to pitch well against that offense.”

“I thought Jake was really good today,” Ross said. “I thought he attacked the strike zone. It looked like the ball had real bite to it. … Big performance. … I thought he really had a game that was under control there and gave us a nice start to the game so we could wrap it up with the off day and go to that bullpen a little bit earlier than we probably needed to.”

Not only did Arrieta’s performance allow the Cubs to come back with two runs late in the game to take the series from the Padres.

The Cubs finished their West Coast trip strong with back-to-back wins entering their weekend series against the Cardinals and finished their season series against San Diego with an impressive 5-1 record.

“Just winning the series on the road against these guys after we swept them at home, that was really big,” Arrieta said. “That says a lot about our team. Having had a lot of guys banged up and guys coming and going and being able to pick up for the guys that are out of the lineup for an extended period of time. We’ve had a lot of guys do some really, really great things for us and this series was no different.”

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