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The group had gotten in a verbal altercation with the gunman prior to the shooting, according to police.

Three men were shot in a drive by Wednesday in the Englewood neighborhood.

The trio were standing on the sidewalk about 7 p.m. in the 6700 block of South Ada Street when a male inside a vehicle drove past and fired shots, Chicago police said.

The group had gotten in a verbal altercation with the gunman prior to the shooting, according to police.

A 27-year-old man was shot in the stomach and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition was stable, police said. Another man, 44, was struck in the lower back and taken to the same hospital, where his condition was stable.

The third man, 45, suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and the groin and was transported to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was also stable, police said.

No one is in custody as Area One detectives investigate.

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Congolese refugee Mapenzi Mweniake came to Chicago in 2016 with her son and her extended family to begin a new life after spending 20 years in a Tanzanian refugee camp.

Her husband, Mwenebatu Mwenemkamba, was forced to remain behind in the camp, waiting for clearance that never came as the Trump Administration dismantled the U.S. refugee program before COVID-19 erected its own roadblocks.

On Wednesday, the couple was reunited at last at O’Hare International Airport, both husband and wife saying how happy they were for the chance to start anew.

The reunion didn’t go exactly as choreographed. Mweniake, a small group of supporters and a media contingent waited expectantly more than an hour outside Exit A of the international terminal, Mweniake clutching a bouquet of roses and her son Mussa, age 12.

But Mwenemkamba emerged from a different door and suddenly was standing there before her. Just as quickly, she found and embraced him, burrowing into his shoulder.

“I’m very happy, very happy,” she told reporters.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Mwenemkamba had more to say.

“I’m very happy to meet my wife again because, you know, it was a long time, five years, we were not together. I’m very happy, and I thank the Lord,” he said.

“America is a new country. I don’t know America. I think to do the best in America in order to succeed my life. With the grace of God, I will succeed.”

Mweniake, 29, and Mwenemkamba, 34, will now start over in their own Rogers Park apartment with help from RefugeeOne, Chicago’s largest resettlement agency, and from members of First Congregational Church of Western Springs, which is co-sponsoring the family.

When I spoke to Mweniake earlier in the week, her excitement was evident.

I suggested that it might be difficult for the couple to reconnect after so long apart, but she wanted none of my negativity.

“I’m really, really excited,” she emphasized.

Mweniake said one of the first things she wants to do with her husband is take him to see the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo. First, though, she wanted to give him that big hug.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

“It’s been a very, very long time,” she said.

When things settle down, she plans to school him on what I would describe as being street smart.

“When you get here, you have to be careful. In my country, we like to help each other,” Mweniake said, suggesting in so many words that one needs to be more careful about who they trust in America.

Mweniake and Mwenemkamba met in the massive Nyarugusu refugee camp where she had lived since she was one year old after her family fled civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also had been stuck at at the camp since 1996.

Provided

“Refugee’s life is very, very hard,” Mweniake said. “Sometimes we didn’t have food, medicine.”

By comparison, life in Chicago has been very good, she said.

“Everything for me was new. I can eat. I can sleep. My son is going to school,” Mweniake said.

Not to suggest the life of the refugee here is easy.

“You have to work hard to pay your bills,” Mweniake said.

Still, she appreciates the opportunity to do so and hopes for a better future for Mussa.

“I wish my son would be a doctor,” she said.

For now, Mussa is more your typical, quiet 12-year-old, eager to play video games or soccer.

Mweniake works in housekeeping at Misericordia, studies English at Truman College and sings with a musical group, GGB, which stands for God’s Grace Band.

The band, originally formed by church members in the refugee camp, has made some music videos that can be found on YouTube. I became an instant fan of their joyful sound.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Just as the past five years have been stressful for Mweniake without her husband, it’s been much the same throughout the refugee resettlement world as the U.S. pulled back from its commitments.

RefugeeOne went into survival mode, reinventing itself to better support the refugee community already here until America was ready to open its arms again, said Melineh Kano, the organization’s executive director.

Clare Kralovec, whose husband is senior pastor at the Western Springs church that will be looking out for the family, said church members have learned through more than 30 years of sponsoring refugees that they benefit from the program as much as the newcomers.

“You feel really honored to be there at a time in their lives that is so tender and vulnerable,” Kralovec said.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

I’ve never really understood the antagonism toward the refugee program during the Trump years. Welcoming refugees is America at its best, taking in the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Refugees by definition are people who have been displaced from their homeland by tragic circumstances such as wars or natural disasters — and can’t come here without permission.

They make good Americans.

After some foot dragging and fumbling, the Biden Administration has raised the annual limit on the number of refugees who can be admitted to the U.S., with a commitment to go higher in the years ahead.

That’s a welcome sign, and it would be made easier if Americans took the time to understand who is coming here and why.

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“He’s played incredibly well and it’s a big loss. I think the way he plays resonates with the guys,” Cubs president Jed Hoyer said.

PITTSBURGH – It’s been a tough month for the Cubs on the injury front and it just got tougher as they put second baseman Nico Hoerner on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain on Wednesday.

The Cubs’ second baseman injured the hamstring in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s 4-3 win while running to first base in an attempt to beat out a bunt.

“He’s played incredibly well and it’s a big loss,” Cubs president Jed Hoyer said. “I think the way he plays resonates with the guys.”

It’s the second time this month Hoerner has been on the IL after his collision with center fielder Ian Happ forced him to miss time with a left forearm strain.

The loss of Hoerner is significant as the 24-year-old infielder has been a spark plug for the Cubs’ offense. He’s slashing .338/.405/.432 with seven doubles, three stolen bases and a 137 wRC+ since being recalled from the team’s alternate site on April 22.

“He’s a baseball player, man,” manager David Ross said earlier this season about his second baseman. “He’s a really good baseball player. That’s what I love about him. He’s always studying and trying to be better. He’s got a plan and he’s willing to do anything we ask. It’s a really consistent at-bat. … He’s out to prove something which is really powerful thing.”

That energy has carried over to his defense where he’s played like one of the best glove men in baseball with a plus-four defensive runs saved and plus-five outs above average.

“He’s so valuable,” Hoyer said. “The quickness he has when he’s playing that rover spot in the shift, he’s is so good at it. I feel like we’ve seen a lot of runs that way.”

The Cubs will now have to try to optimize their lineup as best they can with Hoerner on the shelf. A hamstring strain is a tricky injury to navigate and with Hoerner dealing with a more moderate severity, it will likely be at least three-to-four weeks before he makes a return.

“Really tough to see,” starter Jake Arrieta said. “I mean he was very emotional and rightfully so. He works tremendously hard. He takes care of himself and prepares as well as anybody that I’ve ever seen.

“I feel bad for him and I feel bad for our team. But we’ve shown the ability to have other guys step up and fill a role it’s necessary until guys like that get healthy. So hopefully we’re still able to do that and move on and fill the gap until he’s healthy.”

One part of that equation will be outfielders Jake Marisnick and Jason Heyward coming off the IL. Both have progressed and are very close to making their return.

Marisnick and Heyward returning will mean a return to the infield for Kris Bryant. Bryant has played primarily in the outfield this season, but with Hoerner’s injury, the team’s needs have now changed. David Bote and Eric Sogard will split time at second base.

“He’s playing a good outfield and playing at an MVP level at the plate,” Ross said. “So if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it in my mind. But yeah, that’s definitely an option.”

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Diamond DeShields and other players heard the official use the term “boy” and Wade saw the exchange take place on the court.

Sky general manager and coach James Wade filed an official complaint Wednesday morning with the WNBA office after a white official referred to him in a derogatory manner using the racist term “boy” during Tuesday night’s game at Wintrust Arena.

“I’m a grown man. I have a family and a team and I have a responsibility,” Wade said Tuesday night. “When someone tells one of my players ‘hey explain to your boy,’ I take that personal.”

“That’s what I’ve been dealing with. That’s how people see me.”

A Sky spokesperson said that Wade has been interviewed by NBA security but the WNBA has yet to comment on the situation.

Wade said he always encourages his players to play through bad officiating and to be professional even if others are not. Diamond DeShields and other players heard the official say this and Wade saw the exchange take place on the court.

The team said they hope the league takes swift action on this matter and makes sure there is a zero-tolerance policy for racism in the community and the league.

Tuesday marked a year since George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis sparking movements across the globe that called for unity, an end to police brutality and a dismantling of the systems that perpetuate racism.

Following their game against the Dream, players and Wade reflected on the fact that much is still the same and when they take off their uniforms they are Black in America.

“It’s tough,” Wade said. “This basketball thing is something that can distract you from it because you have a passion for it but you never lose sight of who you are. At the end of the day when I leave the gym, I am who I am and that’s the way it is.”

The loss was the Sky’s second straight and it was in large part due to the Dream’s aggressive style of play on defense that kept the team out of sync. Wade said the Dream were allowed to be aggressive.

The three officials during Tuesday’s game called 43 total fouls. The Dream finished with one less foul call than the Sky.

Wade said it was challenging for his team to get aggressive defensively because it was repeatedly halted by the officiating which he described as shameful and disgraceful. The Sky’s margin for error is very small Wade said.

“I don’t know how good of a coach I can be, or how effective I can be if you look at the game and see how it is,” Wade said. “I’m not going to try and victimize anything but I take it personal. It’s personal. We don’t have any margin for error.”

Of the league’s 12 head coaches, only three are Black. Derek Fisher who coaches the Los Angeles Sparks, Vickie Johnson who coaches the Dallas Wings and Wade.

There are just four women in head coaching positions, Johnson, the Indiana Fever’s Marianne Stanley, the Phoenix Mercury’s Sandy Brondello and the Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve.

Next up, the Sky play the Sparks at Wintrust Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. Wade said he does not have a specific date for when he expects Candace Parker to return from her ankle injury.

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The William Hill Sportsbook is directly accessible from Capital One Arena, home of the NBA Wizards and NHL Capitals.

WASHINGTON — The first full-service sportsbook at a major sports arena or stadium in the United States opened its doors Wednesday at the home of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Capitals.

Capital One Arena is directly accessible from the William Hill sportsbook during Wizards playoff games without fans needing to leave the building. That possibility exists when the Capitals return to the ice this fall if the NHL adjusts its policies.

The New Jersey Devils opened a betting “lounge” inside Prudential Center in Newark in October 2018, but it’s only able to show odds with bettors able to place wagers on a mobile application. State restrictions there limit in-person wagers to casinos or racetracks.

Caesars CEO Tom Reeg called it a groundbreaking moment for sports betting. Caesars bought William Hill in April.

“This is the first integrated sports book in a physical stadium in the country, so this is the new paradigm,” Reeg said. “This is where (sports betting is) going.”

Ted Leonsis, who owns the Capitals, Wizards and the arena, hopes to capitalize on the increasing acceptance of legalized sports betting in the U.S. and continue chipping away at the stigma of gambling.

“Fans come to the arena and they now have the ability to have a rooting interest, if you will, in the outcome of the game,” Leonsis said. “I just view this as a natural extension of what was happening but to do it in a more modern — in the sunlight, in a transparent — way.”

Leonsis is betting it’ll be the first of many around the country.

“You’ll see lots of other arenas, lots of other leagues pushing on the gas to do this,” he said. “Because of that, we know we’re an exemplar and everyone’s going to be watching how well we execute.”

The first opportunity for fans to go from an arena to a sportsbook comes Saturday when the Wizards face the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

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The Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society and Sierra Club filed a legal petition asking Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to use her emergency authority to return thousands of wolves in the region to protection under the Endangered Species Act.

BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildlife advocates pressed the Biden administration on Wednesday to revive federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society and Sierra Club filed a legal petition asking Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to use her emergency authority to return thousands of wolves in the region to protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Republican lawmakers pushed through legislation in recent weeks that would allow hunters and trappers to kill unlimited numbers of wolves in Idaho and Montana using aggressive tactics such as shooting them from ATVs and helicopters, hunting with night-vision scopes and setting lethal snares that some consider inhumane. Idaho’s law also allows the state to hire private contractors to kill wolves.

Wolves in the region lost federal endangered protections in 2011 under an act of Congress after the species had rebounded from widespread extermination last century.

Hundreds of wolves are now killed annually by hunters and trappers in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Yet the population remains strong — more than 3,000 animals, according to wildlife officials — because the wolves breed so successfully and can roam huge areas of wild land in the sparsely populated Northern Rockies.

The new laws had been opposed by some former wildlife officials and reflect an increasingly partisan approach to predator management in state houses that are dominated by Republicans. Supporters of restoring protections say the changes will tip the scales and drive down wolf numbers to unsustainable levels, while also threatening packs in nearby states that have interconnected populations.

They argue the changes violated the terms that allowed state management of wolves, and want Haaland to act before the looser hunting rules start going into effect in Idaho on July 1.

“The (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) Service was very clear that a change in state law that allowed for unregulated, unlimited take of wolves would set off the alarm,” said attorney Nicholas Arrivo with the Humane Society of the United States. “This is essentially an attempt to push the population down to the very minimum.”

Wednesday’s petition seeks to restore protections across all or portions of at least six states — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and a small area of northern Utah. It steps up pressure on the administration over wolf populations that were declared recovered when President Joe Biden served as vice president under former President Barack Obama.

Biden also inherited a legal fight in the Midwest over the Trump administration’s removal of protections for wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

In both regions, hunting groups and livestock producers successfully lobbied for more permissive hunting regulations to counter persistent wolf attacks on livestock and big game animals.

Idaho lawmakers who sponsored a law signed earlier this month by Republican Gov. Brad Little said they wanted to reduce the state’s 1,500 wolves to the allowed minimum of 150 to protect livestock and boost deer and elk herds.

In Montana, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte — who received a warning this year for trapping a wolf without taking a required certification class in violation of state rules — signed a law last month requiring wolf numbers to be reduced, although not below 15 breeding pairs of the animals.

“It wasn’t to reduce them to zero, it was to reduce them to a sustainable level,” said Greg Lemon with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “We’ve got the track record and the statutory framework to ensure they are managed to that sustainable level.”

Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, who offered the 2011 legislation that put wolves under state control, declined to comment directly on the new laws but said science needs to drive decisions on wolves.

“It is up to state officials in Montana to continue to ensure that population numbers remain adequate so wolves don’t get relisted,” the Democratic lawmaker said in a statement.

In Idaho, hunting rules already had been incrementally loosened over the past decade without causing a huge spike in the number of wolves killed, said Idaho Fish and Game spokesperson Roger Phillips. Hunters and trappers killed about 500 wolves in the state in 2020.

Idaho officials will be able to closely track how many are killed under the new rules through a mandatory reporting system. However, if problems emerge, any changes would have to be made by lawmakers after they took away wolf management decisions from state wildlife commissioners, Phillips said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has long contended it’s not necessary for wolves to be in every place they once inhabited to be considered recovered. Spokesperson Vanessa Kauffman would not say if federal officials were looking at the new laws. The agency has 90 days to decide if protections may be warranted, but has not always met deadlines with previous petitions.

Wolves were wiped out across most of the U.S. by the 1930s under government-sponsored poisoning and trapping campaigns. They were reintroduced from Canada into the Northern Rockies in the 1990s and expanded over the past two decades into parts of Oregon, Washington and California.

The population in the Midwest has grown to some 4,400 wolves. In Colorado, voters last year passed a measure requiring the state to begin reintroducing wolves in coming years.

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White Sox go 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, waste another dominant start by Carlos Rodon

The White Sox did not score, but not for a lack of opportunities.

The Cardinals had very few scoring chances but gleaned the most from them in a 4-0 victory Wednesday afternoon, helping them avoid a series sweep.

Wasted was another dominant outing by Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (5-2, 1.29 ERA), who struck out 10 and walked none of six innings of one-run, one-hit ball. The only hit against Rodon was a home run by Cardinals leadoff hitter Tommy Edman, who also homered against Aaron Bummer.

A two-run single by Edmundo Sosa in the ninth against Jose Ruiz iced the outcome for the Cards (27-22).

The Sox (28-20) were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. Yermin Mercedes (0-for-4) left 10 runners on base.

Sox right fielder Adam Eaton left the game with a sore hamstring and pitcher Michael Kopech hobbled off the mound after pitching a scoreless seventh in relief of Rodon. Kopech spun to the ground after his losing his balance on his final pitch.

Manager Tony La Russa didn’t immediately know what was wrong with Kopech.

“I don’t want to be guessing, I just don’t know,” La Russa said.

“There isn’t a guy on this roster if he gets hurt, we don’t feel it or feel for him — we’ve had our share [of injuries]. But in this particular case, he’s been on top of it. So keep our fingers crossed that’s it’s not serious.”

As for Eaton, “it got sore on him, we’ll have to see how he is tomorrow,” La Russa said.

The Sox host the Orioles Thursday to open a four-game series.

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The attacker was identified as 57-year-old Sam Cassidy, according to two law enforcement officials. Investigators offered no immediate word on a possible motive.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California rail yard serving Silicon Valley, killing eight people before ending his own life, authorities said.

The shooting took place around 6:30 a.m. in two buildings that are part of a light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority, which provides bus, light rail and other transit services throughout Santa Clara County, the most populated county in the Bay Area. The facility includes a transit-control center, parking for trains and a maintenance yard.

The attacker was identified as 57-year-old Sam Cassidy, according to two law enforcement officials. Investigators offered no immediate word on a possible motive.

Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Russell Davis said the attack also resulted in “multiple major injuries.” He did not know the type of weapon used. Authorities did not identify any of the victims, who included VTA employees.

“These folks were heroes during COVID-19. The buses never stopped running. VTA didn’t stop running. They just kept at work, and now we’re really calling on them to be heroes a second time to survive such a terrible, terrible tragedy,” Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said it was his understanding the shooting happened during a meeting.

Grief-stricken families sat huddled together, holding hands and crying, after learning they had lost a loved one, Rosen told reporters, describing the scene inside a county building.

“They’re just sitting and holding hands and crying,” Rosen said. “It’s terrible. It’s awful. It’s raw. People are learning they lost their husband, their son, their brother.” He said about 100 people were inside the family reunification center.

Police vehicles and orange crime-scene tape blocked off the area, and reporters were kept at a distance The rail yard is in the city’s administrative neighborhood, near the sheriff’s office and city and county offices.

Bomb squads were searching the rail complex after receiving information about possible explosive devices, Davis said.

Officials were also investigating a house fire that broke out shortly before the shooting, Davis said. Public records show Cassidy owned a two-story home where firefighters responded Wednesday morning. Fire crews found a fast-moving blaze after being notified by a passer-by. A neighboring house also caught fire, authorities said.

Cassidy had worked for the VTA since at least 2012, according to the public payroll and pension database known as Transparent California. His position from 2012 to 2014 was listed as a mechanic. After that, he was a substation maintainer, the records said.

VTA trains were already out on morning runs when the shooting occurred. Light rail service was to be suspended at noon and replaced with bus bridges, Hendricks told a news conference.

“It’s just very difficult for everyone to be able try to wrap their heads around and understand what has happened,” Hendricks said.

Outside the scene, Michael Hawkins told The Mercury News that he was waiting for his mother, Rochelle Hawkins, who had called him from a co-worker’s phone to assure him that she was safe.

When the shooting started, “she got down with the rest of her coworkers” and dropped her cellphone, Michael Hawkins told the newspaper. Rochelle Hawkins did not see the shooter, and she was not sure how close she had been to the attacker, her son said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke emotionally in front of a county office where flags flew at half-staff. He said victims’ relatives were “waiting to hear from the coroner, waiting to hear from any of us, just desperate to find out if their brother their son, their dad, their mom is still alive.”

The bloodshed comes in a year that has seen a sharp increase in mass killings as the nation emerges from pandemic restrictions that closed many public places and kept people confined to their homes.

A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University that tracks every mass killing over the last 15 years shows that the San Jose attack is the 15th mass killing so far in 2021, all of them shootings.

Eighty-six people have died in the shootings, compared with 106 for all of 2020. It is the sixth mass killing in a public place in 2021. The database defines mass killings as four people dead, not including the shooter, meaning the overall toll of gun violence is much higher when adding in smaller incidents.

At the White House, President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff and urged Congress to act on legislation to curb gun violence.

“Every life that is taken by a bullet pierces the soul of our nation. We can, and we must, do more,” Biden said in a statement.

San Jose, the 10th-largest city in the U.S. with more than a million people, is about 50 miles south of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley.

In the city itself, the most recent mass shooting occurred in 2019 at a private home, according to The Mercury News. Police said it was a quadruple murder and suicide precipitated by family conflict.

Wednesday’s attack was the county’s second shooting in less than two years. A gunman killed three people before killing himself at a popular garlic festival in Gilroy in July 2019.

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Associated Press writers Martha Mendoza in San Jose, Janie Har in San Francisco, John Antczak and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles, and Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long in Washington also contributed to this report.

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Callaway faced allegations that he “aggressively pursued” several women who work in sports media and sent three of them inappropriate photos.

NEW YORK — Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was suspended by Major League Baseball on Wednesday through at least the end of the 2022 season following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations.

Commissioner Rob Manfred did not release details of what MLB’s probe determined, but said in a statement “I have concluded that Mr. Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the ineligible list is warranted.”

In a report published on Feb. 1, The Athletic said Callaway “aggressively pursued” several women who work in sports media and sent three of them inappropriate photos.

Callaway sent uninvited and sometimes unanswered messages to the women via email, text or social media and asked one to send nude photos in return, according to the report. He often commented on their appearance in a way that made them uncomfortable and on one occasion “thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter” while she interviewed him, The Athletic said.

“We want to thank the many people who cooperated with our Department of Investigations in their work, which spanned Mr. Callaway’s positions with three different clubs,” Manfred said. “The clubs that employed Mr. Callaway each fully cooperated with DOI, including providing emails and assisting with identifying key witnesses.”

Manfred said once the 2022 season ends, Callaway can apply for possible reinstatement.

Callaway, 46, was the Cleveland Indians’ pitching coach for five years before managing the Mets from 2018-19. After he was fired by New York, he was hired in October 2019 as pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels, who suspended him on Feb. 2.

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Isbell is nominated for artist of the year, and he and his band are nominated for album of the year for his record “Reunions ” and song of the year for “Dreamsicle.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer-songwriters Jason Isbell and Amythyst Kiah are both up for three nominations at this year’s Americana Honors and Awards show, which will resume in-person after the pandemic forced the cancellation of last year’s awards ceremony.

Nominees were announced on Wednesday for the Sept. 22 show in Nashville, Tennessee. Isbell is nominated for artist of the year, and he and his band are nominated for album of the year for his record “Reunions ” and song of the year for “Dreamsicle.”

Kiah is nominated for song of the year for “Black Myself,” emerging act of the year and for duo/group of the year for her work in the group Our Native Daughters.

Also nominated for artist of the year are Brandi Carlile, Kathleen Edwards, Margo Price and Billy Strings.

Other album of the year nominees include Sturgill Simpson for his bluegrass album “Cutting Grass – Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions);” Steve Earle and The Dukes for “JT,” a tribute album for Earle’s son Justin Townes Earle, who died last year; Valerie June’s “The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers,” and Sarah Jarosz’s ”World on the Ground.”

John Prine, who died last year due to COVID-19 complications, earned a posthumous nomination for song of the year, his last recorded song, “I Remember Everything,” which also won two Grammy Awards this year.

Also nominated for song of the year is Tyler Childers for his song “Long Violent History,” and June’s duet with Carla Thomas called “Call Me a Fool.”

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