Wanna Be a COP?/Yikes/Bad Optics/ A Few Bad Apples/An overwhelming number of heroes/ A Skewered Press/on May 17, 2021 at 8:02 pm

JUST SAYIN

Wanna Be a COP?/Yikes/Bad Optics/ A Few Bad Apples/An overwhelming number of heroes/ A Skewered Press/

Wanna Be a COP?/Yikes/Bad Optics/ A Few Bad Apples/An overwhelming number of heroes/ A Skewered Press/on May 17, 2021 at 8:02 pm Read More »

Bulls bosses answer questions about the trade gone wrong this seasonon May 17, 2021 at 8:01 pm

Monday morning was a bit too soon as far as Nikola Vucevic was concerned.

In a little over a month when the NBA draft lottery takes place? Midway into next season, when the product can truly be evaluated as a playoff threat? That’s more realistic for the veteran center.

But less than 14 hours after the sting of the regular season officially ending for the Bulls?

Vucevic was hoping for a little more time for it to marinate.

“I’m definitely a guy that’s like let’s let this play out and see how it turns out,” Vucevic said, in his end-of-the-season Zoom meeting with the media.

OK, lets.

But until that time it is only fair to have immediate questions about one of the biggest swings any organization took at this year’s trade deadline.

While most of the league went into the end of March looking to add a piece, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was obviously looking for the whole pie. That meant adding Vucevic from Orlando, and having the big man bring that All-Star resume with him to team up with Zach LaVine.

“Generally the [deadline] trades are guys coming off the bench or filling a hole,” coach Billy Donovan said of the move. “This was, I don’t want to say a blockbuster trade, close to it, but this was a trade where immediately a guy comes in here and now he’s unequivocally 1A or 1B. Right away. Those things don’t normally happen in the NBA.”

So a big swing was taken.

That also meant the organization leaving itself open for a big miss.

The worst-case scenario that always lingered in the wake of that deal was adding an elite player in Vucevic, still missing the play-in game, and far enough down in the lottery odds where the chances of keeping the one-through-four protected first-round pick from the 2021 draft that was traded for Vucevic was just 20.3%.

Snake eyes were rolled and the perfect storm of bad happened, at least as far as this season was concerned, and that’s how Vucevic was approaching it. It was bad only for this season in his mind.

“I think that it was made for the future of the franchise,” Vucevic said. “Our goal this year was to make it and we didn’t make it, so that’s disappointing, but I think moving forward people around the league, players around the league, everybody around the league, especially us, we know that this franchise is about winning, and we want to get there.

“It’s very, very early to judge the trade. I mean it’s only been two or three months, things happen, sometimes things take longer to come together.”

As for Karnisovas, who expressed his disappointment over how this season turned out repeatedly on Monday, he still sees promise big picture with the deal.

“The disappointment is short term, which is we assume that if you add another All-Star to your roster, usually you get better and improve your record,” Karnisovas said. “It’s a result-driven business. Unfortunately that didn’t happen.

“It’s very seldom you get an opportunity to add an All-Stat and we went after it.”

They did, but the immediate price to pay, along with the decision to win five somewhat meaningless games in the last few weeks, dropped the odds of keeping the top four pick from 31.9% to that 20.3%.

Karnisovas didn’t ignore that happening, but seemed confident he has a roster and a plan in place to still make improvements with or without that pick.

“If we don’t get our pick we still have a second round pick,” Karnisovas said. “We have free agency and trades to get better.

“I think when you have a foundation of let’s say two All-Stars in one place, I think it’s easier to add additional things that we need. So we’re going to discuss the needs of the team and we’ll attack it during free agency.”

In other words, more big swings to come.

Bulls bosses answer questions about the trade gone wrong this seasonon May 17, 2021 at 8:01 pm Read More »

Afternoon Edition: May 17, 2021on May 17, 2021 at 8:00 pm

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

Afternoon Edition

Chicago’s most important news of the day, delivered every weekday afternoon. Plus, a bonus issue on Saturdays that dives into the city’s storied history.

This afternoon will be mostly cloudy with a high near 71 degrees. Tonight the low will be around 58. Tomorrow rain is expected with a high near 68.

Top story

Pritzker announces federal grants to help make rent payments, coming end to eviction moratorium

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new help for state residents seeking housing and rental assistance today, offering grants of up to $25,000 thanks to federal funds set aside for that purpose.

The new dollars were just one part of Pritzker’s housing assistance announcement. He also said the state will end its eviction moratorium in August with a “gradual phase-out over the next few months.”

“It was clear when we implemented last year’s housing relief programs that the need was far greater than the dollars allocated to our state,” Pritzker said at the Segundo Ruiz Belviz Center in Chicago.

“The Illinois Rental Assistance Program is a testament to how good government can make a life-changing difference for people when our dollars … follow our values,” Pritzker said. “This program expansion will allow us to take that impact to new heights for tens of thousands of Illinoisans.”

Struggling homeowners will also be able to tap into $400 million in mortgage assistance starting later in the summer, Pritzker said.

The one-time, $25,000 grant will cover missed rent payments as far back as June 2020 and for pre-payments through August 2021, or until all of the funds are used.

Read Rachel Hinton’s full story on the rent payment grant program here.

More news you need

Gun violence is up sharply from last year as 48 people were shot, including six fatally, over the weekend in Chicago. Read more after a violent weekend that saw the highest number of shooting victims so far this year.
Despite CDC guidance that fully vaccinated adults no longer need to wear face coverings, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said today she plans to continue wearing a mask in public. Lightfoot joined other public officials who’ve argued that the CDC’s quick about-face on masks raised more questions than it answered.
Illinois health officials reported less than a thousand new daily cases of COVID-19 today for the first time in two months. The state also posted its fewest deaths related to the virus in 49 days.
An off-duty Chicago police officer was killed when he crashed his SUV after speeding away from a traffic stop in Arlington Heights this morning. Authorities, while noting the vehicle’s speed, said “impairment was also suspected but not confirmed” as a factor of the crash.
Federal prosecutors have charged two more people from Illinois with entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 breach. At least eight Illinoisans are among the hundreds that have already been charged in what prosecutors say will likely amount to one of the largest criminal investigations in U.S. history.
Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent and Erykah Badu will headline Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park this year. Pitchfork, which usually takes place in July, also announced it’ll be held Sept. 10-12.

A bright one

Jeremiah Paprocki, 21, becomes Cubs’ first African American public address announcer

Many fans dream of having their voices echo around historic Wrigley Field while reading the names of Cy Young Award winners, MVPs and future Hall of Famers. One lifelong Cubs fan is getting his shot to do just that.

There’s going to be a new booming baritone voice heard around Wrigleyville and it belongs to 21-year-old Jeremiah Paprocki. The Cubs have hired Paprocki to be their new public address announcer, making him the first African American to hold the position in team history and one of the youngest in MLB.

He’ll make his Wrigley Field debut on Monday when the Cubs take on the Nationals.

Jeremiah Paprocki is the Cubs’ first African American PA announcer and at the age of 21 also becomes one of the youngest in baseball.

“Who’s ever heard of a 21-year-old PA announcer?” Paprocki told the Sun-Times. “That truly means the world that the Chicago Cubs, my hometown team, the team that I love, is taking a chance on me.

“To be able to sit in that chair behind the microphone at Wrigley Field of all places, it’s truly an honor. I’m looking forward to that opportunity.”

Read our full story from Cubs beat reporter Russell Dorsey here.

From the press box

As Candace Parker returns to Chicago, she brings with her an excitement for Sky basketball that even Elena Delle Donne and Sylvia Fowles couldn’t establish. Read Annie Costabile’s full story on what makes Parker different from the Sky’s past superstars.

Former Cubs Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester will make their first appearance back at Wrigley Field as members of the Nationals tonight (6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee).

And seven high schools across the area recently hired new boys basketball coaches, including De La Salle, which is bringing former St. Rita coach Gary DeCesare back to the Catholic League to lead its team. Subscribe to our high school sports newsletter for more updates.

Your daily question ?

If you’ve been fully vaccinated, do you still plan to wear a mask at times?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: Which of Chicago’s summer festivals are you most excited to attend again? Here’s what some of you said…

“Old Town Art Fair a great start to the summer.” — Maureen Chiricotti

“Riot Fest, so excited to see Nine Inch Nails again for the 25th time and happy to hang on to these Early Bird tickets from last year.” — Doug Mroz

“Chicago Gourmet is, easily and by far, the best foodie event in the city. I look forward to attending Chicago Gourmet this September if Chicago Gourmet comes back.” — Mike Crenshaw

“The Cuban fest is my favorite.” — Betsy Garcia

“House music picnic.” — Yahudiah Gita Chodosh

“None because the pandemic is not over.” — Sheri A. Mendez

“Are any allowing only the vaccinated? Otherwise, nope.” — Nicole Boylan

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

Afternoon Edition: May 17, 2021on May 17, 2021 at 8:00 pm Read More »

Israel strikes Gaza tunnels as truce efforts remain elusiveon May 17, 2021 at 8:39 pm

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military unleashed another heavy wave of airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. International diplomacy to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds appeared to make little headway.

Israel has said it will press on for now with its attacks against Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the United States signaled it would not pressure the two sides for a cease-fire.

The latest attacks destroyed the five-story building housing the Hamas-run Religious Affairs Ministry, a building Israel said housed the main operations center of Hamas’ internal security forces. Israel also killed a top Gaza leader of Islamic Jihad, another militant group whom the Israeli military blamed for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel in recent days. Israel said its strikes destroyed 15 kilometers (9 miles) of tunnels used by militants.

At least 200 Palestinians have been killed in the week of airstrikes, including 59 children and 35 women, with some 1,300 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Ten people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier, have been killed in the ongoing rocket attacks launched from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel.

Violence has also erupted between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, a Jewish man attacked last week by a group of Arabs in the central city of Lod died of his wounds, according to police.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top security officials on Monday evening and later said Israel would “continue to strike terror targets” in Gaza. “We will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens,” he said.

The new airstrikes, which hit Gaza overnight Monday and again in the evening, hollowed out one floor of a multistory concrete building and killed five people. A woman picked through clothing, rubble and splintered furniture in a room that had been destroyed. One strike demolished the wall of one room, leaving untouched an open cabinet filled with bedding inside. Children walked over debris in the road.

A car in the street that witnesses said was hit by an airstrike was bent and torn, its roof ripped back and what was left of the driver’s side door smeared with blood. A beachside cafe the car had just left was splintered and on fire. Rescue workers tried to put out the blaze with a small fire extinguisher.

Gaza City’s mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. He said water supplies to hundreds of households were disrupted. “We are trying hard to provide water, but the situation remains difficult,” he said.

The U.N. has warned that the territory’s sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the territory’s electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days.

Israel also said it targeted what it suspected was a Hamas submergible weapon preparing for an attack on Israel’s coast.

The war broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

More protests were expected across the region Tuesday in response to a call by Palestinian citizens of Israel for a general strike. The protest has the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party.

The Biden administration has declined so far to publicly criticize Israel’s part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. On Monday, the United States again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to “the crisis related to Gaza” and the protection of civilians, especially children.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Denmark, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would support any initiative to stop the fighting, but signaled the country did not intend to put pressure on the two sides to accept a cease-fire.

“Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire,” he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized her country’s solidarity with Israel, condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza, and expressed hope for a swift end to the fighting, according to her office.

Hamas’ top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but “will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.”

Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas’ militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,200 rockets into Israel. Israeli military officials said Hamas had stockpiled about 15,000 rockets before the war started. Rocket attacks continued Monday, with one hitting a building in the city of Ashdod that caused injuries, the Israeli police said.

Israel’s airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza City’s tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Blinken said he hasn’t yet seen any evidence supporting Israel’s claim.

AP President Gary Pruitt called for an independent investigation into the attack.

“As we have said, we have no indication of a Hamas presence in the building, nor were we warned of any such possible presence before the airstrike,” he said in a statement. “This is something we check as best we can. We do not know what the Israeli evidence shows, and we want to know.”

The Israeli military said it struck 35 “terror targets” Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the “Metro,” used by fighters to take cover from airstrikes. They included a strike against a building that housed the Qatari Red Crescent, Qatar said. That attack killed a man and a 12-year-old girl.

The tunnels extend for hundreds of miles, with some more than 20 yards deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just chokepoints and major junctions.

The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to “high-ranking commanders” in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant group’s commander for the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were “eliminated.” The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many casualties were militants or civilians.

___

This story has been updated to correct that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, not the United States.

___

Nessman reported from Atlanta, Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Matthew Lee in Copenhagen, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.

Israel strikes Gaza tunnels as truce efforts remain elusiveon May 17, 2021 at 8:39 pm Read More »

Ex-rebel capitalizes on Colombia unrest by showing restrainton May 17, 2021 at 8:23 pm

MIAMI — As the streets of Colombia smolder amid the biggest antigovernment unrest in decades, a former rebel leader who would undo antinarcotics cooperation with the U.S. is looking to capitalize on the growing discontent and ride it to the presidency next year.

In a long political career that included a stint as Bogota’s mayor, Sen. Gustavo Petro has earned a reputation as Colombia’s perennial rabble-rouser with a silver tongue admired — when not feared — by friends and foes alike.

But he’s adopted a decidedly low-key approach to the recent protests, apparently believing that he must win over some of his many conservative skeptics to prevail in what would be his third run for Colombia’s presidency.

The protests began April 28 after President Ivan Duque attempted to ram through a tax increase amid a pandemic that has left millions without work or food. Although he quickly backed down, protesters have remained on the streets, broadening their fight to include grievances ranging from the decrepit state of Colombia’s health care and education systems to the slow implementation of a 2016 peace deal with Marxist rebels.

Duque has accused the nation’s many cocaine cartels and criminal mafias of adding fuel to the fire, although so far he’s presented no evidence to back the claim. But the culture of political violence that has long plagued Colombia has taken a toll: to date, at least 42 people have been killed, with police accused of scores of abuses.

Many of the young activists on the streets hail from Colombia’s left, where Petro, 61, has been a fixture for decades.

“If there’s someone in Colombia who has consistently been paying attention to young people and the issue of economic inequality, it’s Petro,” said Sandra Borda, a political analyst at Bogota’s Andes University.

In the past, Petro hasn’t hesitated to take to Twitter — where his 4.2 million followers almost double those of Duque — to fan protests, blast opponents as “fascists” or spread baseless claims that the 2018 election he lost by more than 2 million votes was marred by vote buying.

But this time, Petro has projected restraint, in counterpoint to the growing rejection of Duque as a weak, flailing leader.

On April 27, the night before the start of a national strike, he delivered what he dubbed an “address to the Colombian nation” in which he appealed for calm and urged protesters to wear masks and maintain social distancing while on the streets.

“The police aren’t the enemy,” he said in the video published on social media. “The enemy is the tax reform.”

So far, he’s avoided appearing alongside protesters, in part for fear of being cast as a firebrand. In a leaked audio recording from a private meeting with peace activists, he suggested strikers should have gone home once Duque buried the tax hike.

“That’s when they should’ve declared a triumph and put a stop to it,” he can be heard saying in May 5 online meeting. “In other words, accumulate strength for what comes next.”

Petro didn’t respond to repeated requests for an interview.

But Jorge Rojas, a longtime aide, said Petro’s cautious approach is deliberate.

Owing to his youthful militancy in the M-19 rebel movement, Petro has long battled conservative attempts to brand him as Colombia’s harbinger of “Castro-Chavismo” who would follow the path of the late Cuban and Venezuelan revolutionaries Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.

“He knows that he has to behave like a statesman to fill the void left by Duque,” said Rojas.

However, younger voters less shaped by the ideological battles of the Cold War appear to be more forgiving.

In the central city of Bucaramanga, Laura Velazco, 26, said she doesn’t fear Petro so much as the status quo — her inability to find work since graduating from college three years ago with a degree in psychology.

“We’re becoming Venezuela and we’re not even governed by the left,” said Velazco, who voted for Petro in 2018 and says she will consider doing so again next year — if she doesn’t emigrate first.

“If I have to wash dishes, I’ll do so because I have a daughter to take care of,” she added.

But the more violent and disruptive the protests become, there’s a risk Petro would be blamed, said Borda. Already law-and-order allies of Duque have urged the president to deploy the military, suspend civil liberties and decree a state of “internal commotion” to control the unrest.

Petro rose to prominence 15 years ago leading a crusade to expose the alliance between conservative allies of then-President Alvaro Uribe and right-wing paramilitary groups. In mesmerizing televised speeches from the Senate floor, he revealed evidence that spurred the arrest of dozens of members of Congress for criminal ties to the paramilitaries.

The signing of a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in 2016 created space for leftist politics that Petro has been quick to seize on. Several opinion polls show him as the clear frontrunner to win next May’s presidential election, in some cases quadrupling the support of his nearest rival.

But some fellow leftists say his ego can get in the way of shrewd political instincts. He’s also lost support among women because of his staunch defense of a former aide accused of domestic abuse. In 2018, a decade-old video surfaced showing him receiving stacks of cash from a government contractor.

Despite that, Petro has managed to maintain a lock on the left and distance himself from the rest of Colombia’s discredited political establishment. And now, members of the country’s business elite in recent weeks have been requesting meetings with Petro to learn more about his policies, said Rojas. A trip to Washington is planned this year, he added.

“I still believe that Petro is perhaps the only politician who has a coherent program to offer a country submerged in a deep social crisis,” said Maria Mercedes Maldonado, who distanced herself from Petro after serving as his top policy adviser in the 2018 campaign, complaining that he doesn’t listen to grassroots activists.

As mayor of Colombia’s capital, he racked up enemies by banning bullfights, cutting bus fares and transferring control of private garbage collection to a city agency — a move for which he was briefly ousted by the nation’s inspector general in 2014.

U.S. officials at times have viewed Petro as a radical populist in the mold of Chavez, according to a 2006 secret U.S. Embassy cable published by pro-transparency group Wikileaks. But two years later, Ambassador William Brownfield in another cable described him as “pragmatic.”

If he were elected, it would likely upend Colombia’s role as the U.S.’ caretaker in the war on drugs, the linchpin of more than two decades of close bilateral cooperation, said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. Frictions with the U.S. could also emerge if he takes a softer approach to neighboring Venezuela and engages more with China, Shifter said.

“A Petro administration would probably mean heightened tensions with the U.S, on drug policy, sharp conflicts with the (Drug Enforcement Administration) and the end of forced eradication” of coca crops, Shifter said.

Nonetheless, he said Petro understands the importance of maintaining good relations with the U.S. “It’s hard to see how hostile bilateral ties would advance his policy priorities.”

___

AP Writer Astrid Suarez contributed to this report from Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman

Ex-rebel capitalizes on Colombia unrest by showing restrainton May 17, 2021 at 8:23 pm Read More »

Bulls’ Zach LaVine on an extension: ‘I definitely want what I deserve’on May 17, 2021 at 8:43 pm

If Zach LaVine was somehow softening on what his contract demands would be when that time comes, well, he had a funny way of showing it on Monday.

The Sun-Times, as well as several other media outlets, reported at the start of the season that LaVine was making it very well known that he would be looking for a max deal when the time came.

A few weeks ago, however, a source indicated that all the losing in now seven seasons was building up on LaVine, and he was willing to give a slight discount if that meant being able to afford role players to help him finally get over the postseason drought since he came into the NBA.

In his end-of-the-season presser, however, LaVine didn’t sound like a guy willing to sacrifice much in the financial department, even if that meant leaving his front office some loose change to try and reach the playoffs.

“It’s a thin line between that,” LaVine said. “I let all that stuff handle out when it’s done. I try to let my performance on the court dictate what I get paid. I think that’s what everybody wants, to get paid what they’re worth. When my time comes I definitely will get that. I think with different situations, different people taking less money or taking the max, it’s a business at the end of the day. I definitely want what I deserve, and whatever that is I’ll have it coming to me.”

Here’s where it gets interesting, however.

LaVine, who has one year left on his deal, can negotiate a max contract this summer and get a healthy raise over the $19.5 million he will make next season, going to $23.4 million in the 2022-23 season, $25 million in the 2023-24 season, $27 million in the 2024-25 season, and $29 million in the final season.

That would give him what he wanted – the max, but also leave the Bulls in a very comfortable spot. However, if he says no deal on a contract this summer, finishes off next year and then hits the unrestricted free agent market, the Bulls could use his Bird rights to pay him the max, but now they would be looking at an average salary of close to $39 million per year through the 2025-26 season.

For a player that is an elite offensive threat, but still has a long way to go on the defensive end, that could really put the new regime in a tough spot.

Yes, the going rate for elite scorers might be that max money, but there is not one of those elite scorers in the two-guard spot that have carried their team to an NBA title in the last few decades without also being willing defenders.

“It’s something we’re going to have to talk about going forward,” LaVine said. “Obviously with the [Nikola Vucevic] trade, it made us a lot better. And I loved it. I love it here in Chicago. And I think everybody understands the business of basketball and anything can happen, trades like that, but for me personally I let that stuff handle when it comes by.”

Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas seemed to take a similar patient mindset in talking contract with his All-Star.

“Well, everything is going to go day-by-day,” Karnisovas said of his approach. “Obviously, we’re looking forward to talking to Zach in the future. I think looking at his numbers and how well he played this year, he improved [in many ways].

“Again, we sat down with Zach [in the exit meeting] and talked about this summer. Because we’re going to ask players to do more. Because obviously the results are telling us it’s not good enough. And he’s looking forward to the challenge. So we had those conversations.”

Bulls’ Zach LaVine on an extension: ‘I definitely want what I deserve’on May 17, 2021 at 8:43 pm Read More »

Israel strikes Gaza tunnels as truce efforts remain elusiveon May 17, 2021 at 6:05 pm

Israel has said it will press on for now with its attacks against Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the United States signaled it would not pressure the two sides for a cease-fire.

Violence has also erupted between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, an Israeli man attacked last week by a group of Arab citizens in the central city of Lod died of his wounds, according to police.

Israel also said it targeted what it suspected was a Hamas submergible weapon preparing for an attack on Israel’s coast.

“Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire,” he said.

AP President Gary Pruitt called for an independent investigation into the attack.

___

Nessman reported from Atlanta, Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Matthew Lee in Copenhagen, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.

Israel strikes Gaza tunnels as truce efforts remain elusiveon May 17, 2021 at 6:05 pm Read More »

Broncos’ Kelly Kleine becomes NFL’s highest-ranking female scouting executiveon May 17, 2021 at 6:33 pm

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos have hired former Vikings scouting executive Kelly Kleine as executive director of football operations and special adviser to the general manager.

That makes Kleine the highest-ranking woman in football operations at an NFL club. Additionally, she’s believed to be the highest-ranking female scouting executive in league history.

Kleine, who worked with Broncos first-year general manager George Paton for nine years in Minnesota, will have scouting duties and manage several departments, the team said.

The Broncos said Kleine will “be involved in all aspects of the Broncos’ personnel department, including player evaluation, NFL Draft/free agency preparations and day-to-day football administration.”

Paton called Kleine “a rising star in the NFL.”

“Having worked with her for nine years in Minnesota, Kelly has a strong understanding of all aspects of football operations and player evaluation along with outstanding leadership qualities,” Paton said. “She will be a tremendous resource with her experience on the pro and college sides as well as her knowledge of our grading scale and football calendar.”

Kleine most recently served as the Vikings’ manager of player personnel/college scout from 2019-20.

A native of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Kleine began her NFL career as a public relations intern with the Vikings in 2012 and was a scouting administration intern the following year.

A 2013 graduate of the University of Minnesota, Kleine was promoted to scouting assistant in 2014 and served as the Vikings’ college scouting coordinator from 2015-18.

Broncos’ Kelly Kleine becomes NFL’s highest-ranking female scouting executiveon May 17, 2021 at 6:33 pm Read More »

Woman wounded in possible road-rage shooting on South Sideon May 17, 2021 at 6:25 pm

Chicago police are investigating whether road-rage led to a shooting Monday morning that wounded a woman in Gresham on the South Side.

The woman, 40, was driving in the 1300 block of West 87th Street when a silver minivan she didn’t recognize cut her off, according to police.

Someone inside the van opened fire, striking the woman in the chest at about 10:50 a.m., police said. Another bullet was lodged in the woman’s car door.

Paramedics took her to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was listed in “serious but stable” condition.

Officers were investigating if the shooting was a case of road rage. The woman didn’t recognize the car or the shooter, a police spokeswoman said. No arrest was made.

In April, a 22-month-old boy was shot in a case of road rage on Lake Shore Drive near Grant Park. The boy, Kayden Swann, was struck in his temple and seriously wounded.

Woman wounded in possible road-rage shooting on South Sideon May 17, 2021 at 6:25 pm Read More »

COVID-19 is a global threat to humanity — and requires a global responseon May 17, 2021 at 6:40 pm

COVID-19 knows no national boundaries. It does not discriminate by race or religion or ideology. The pandemic poses a threat to humanity, not to any one country. Our response must be as encompassing as the threat: we cannot end the threat here without ending it everywhere.

Today, India is suffering a brutal second wave of the disease. A staggering 400,000 new cases are counted a day; the actual number is surely higher. Medical facilities run out of oxygen, ventilators, and beds. Thousands die a day, increasing numbers from oxygen shortages. The crematoriums are overwhelmed. In some cities, the dead are burned overnight in parking lots; the sun dawns on the ashes left behind.

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Across the global South, the pandemic rages. South Africa is the epicenter in Africa, with 1.6 million infected and only 500,000 fully vaccinated. Brazil is second only to the U.S. in diseases, but unlike the U.S. where 70% will have at least one shot of vaccine by July 4, in Brazil less than 8% have been fully vaccinated.

With the U.S. well on the way to beating the pandemic at home, we must lift our sights to join in combating it across the world. Public Citizen estimates that for $25 billion, we could buy 8 billion doses of vaccine, enough to vaccinate one-half of the planet. For far less, we could help countries build manufacturing facilities and enable them to manufacture the vaccine themselves.

Is our vision expansive enough to meet the challenge posed by COVID-19? Our vision was big enough to help save Europe after World War II with the Marshall Plan. Is it big enough to help save the global South — and ourselves today?

On the evening of April 15 in Indianapolis, a gunman opened fire in a FedEx facility where he had worked. He knew it was overwhelmingly staffed by Sikhs, Indian-Americans. Four of the eight people killed were Sikhs. He specifically targeted Sikh employees, with one employee reporting that the gunman “told a white woman running toward him to get out of the way, after having just shot a Sikh man in the face.”

The massacre took place just a month after the targeting of Asian American spas in Atlanta which left eight people dead, including six Asian women. Violence against Sikhs and against Asian Americans spiked after 9/11, and now it is spiking again in the wake of the pandemic, which originated in China. Today, a generation after 9/11, Sikhs are five times more likely to be targets of hate than they were before 9/11.

With COVID-19 we do not have the luxury of hate. We need to rise above our divisions to join to defeat the pandemic. It is long past time for the U.S. to help mobilize a far bolder global initiative to ensure the rapid vaccination — and the adequate supplies for treatment — across the world. We need to help save Indians and South Africans and Brazilians to help save ourselves. We need to join with China and Russia and our allies to address the needs, not compete with them as if this were a fight over markets or influence.

Dr. Martin Luther King taught that all of us are “caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” The pandemic — and future pandemics — demonstrate the truth of his words.

We need a bigger vision. We can find it in many faith traditions. In the wake of the massacre in Indianapolis, Valarie Kaur, a Sikh-American civil rights leader, hailed the multiracial vigil that took place to mourn those who were lost, noting, “We need a shift in consciousness and culture. Sound government is necessary but not sufficient to create an America where you see my children as your own. We need educators, community leaders, faith leaders, parents and students everywhere to rebuild and re-imagine our nation where they are. We can find inspiration in the vision of Guru Nanak, the first teacher in the Sikh faith: See no stranger. Anti-racism is the bridge: love is the destination.”

We need this consciousness to bring Americans together across boundaries of race and religion. And now we need this heartfelt vision for our own security in dealing with a pandemic that threatens all.

Send letters to [email protected].

COVID-19 is a global threat to humanity — and requires a global responseon May 17, 2021 at 6:40 pm Read More »

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