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WATCH: Cat survives leap from burning building in ChicagoEmmanuel Camarilloon May 13, 2021 at 11:27 pm

Screenshot of a video showing a cat leap from a building to escape a fire May 13, 2021, in Englewood.
Screenshot of a video showing a cat leap from a building to escape a fire May 13, 2021, in Englewood. | Chicago Fire Department

Smoke can be seen billowing from several windows in the building in video of the fire posted to Twitter by fire officials. 

A cat put one of its nine lives to the test Thursday after it jumped out of a fifth-floor window to escape a fire in Englewood.

The blaze broke out at an apartment building about 3 p.m. in the 6500 block of South Lowe Avenue, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

Smoke can be seen billowing from several windows on the fifth floor of the building in video of the fire posted to Twitter by fire officials.

While crews were working to extinguish the fire, onlookers on the sidewalk began pointing at one of the open widows as the cat approached a ledge, Langford said.

“It was looking out for quite a while,” Langford said. “After a couple of minutes the cat got closer to the edge and it looked like she was getting ready to go and she just did.”

The cat can be seen stretching out its paws as it leaps from the window and narrowly misses hitting a wall on its way down, according to the video. The cat appears to bounce a single time off of a patch of grass before strolling away.

“It went under my car and hid until she felt better after a couple of minutes and came out and tried to scale the wall to get back in,” Langford said.

The cat was not injured, Langford said, adding that he was still trying to track down its owner.

The blaze was put out by 3:25 p.m. and was contained to a single unit, officials said. No one was injured.

Elizabeth Thomas, who lives above the unit where the fire started, was in her apartment when she smelled smoke and started to get worried.

“I’m sitting there thinking this ain’t nobody BBQing, this smells a little bit more like a grease fire or something that’s getting out of hand,” said Thomas, 49.

She exited her apartment and walked outside of the building, where she says she saw smoke coming out of the unit below hers. Other residents joined her outside.

Thomas said she didn’t see the cat make the leap, but heard everyone around her react to its daring escape.

“Everybody was like, ‘Oh my god, oh my god,’ thinking that it might be hurt but eventually we saw it get up and go limping away,” she said.

Thomas said the cat was seen walking near the building after firefighters left, possibly trying to get back inside. However, later Thursday evening she and other residents were unsure where the cat had gone; the owner of the unit that caught fire could not be reached.

“I’m just glad no one got hurt. Thank god that cats do have nine lives. I hope I got nine,” Thomas said.

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WATCH: Cat survives leap from burning building in ChicagoEmmanuel Camarilloon May 13, 2021 at 11:27 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Players fighting for their future at rookie minicampon May 13, 2021 at 10:00 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Making an NFL roster is not an easy thing to do for the majority of collegiate players, but a few in particular are about to try to kickstart that process over the weekend with the Chicago Bears.

General manager Ryan Pace went to work over the 2021 NFL Draft, kissing the easy route goodbye. Pace was as aggressive as ever, landing his franchise quarterback Justin Fields along with the team’s big offensive tackle of the future in Teven Jenkins.

Beyond those two, Pace continued to work wonders later in the draft. But, he also made some excellent moves immediately following the conclusion of the draft. The Bears brought in several undrafted free agents, including a couple of guys who very well could have been drafted.

All rookies alike will now head to rookie minicamp this weekend from Friday May 14 through Sunday May 16. This is their first chance to make an impression before the rest of the team joins the activities.

The Chicago Bears’ young crop of talent includes some players who will fight for their professional futures.

As stated, it’s not easy to make an NFL roster in general. But, if you’re one of those late-round prospects or undrafted kids, the road becomes a bit more interesting. Some of these guys could be on the fringe from the beginning of the offseason, all the way to the end.

This weekend is not only a chance for those lesser-known guys to make a name for themselves, but for the drafted rookies to establish themselves as worthy selections. No matter the round, every rookie should come in with a chip on their shoulder.

This is where the hard work gets even harder. These guys have entered the big stage, and rookie minicamp begins an even more improbable battle for some of them.

Next: 1. CJ Marable

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How involved was Fauci in the origination of the novel virus that caused COVID-19?on May 13, 2021 at 9:29 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

How involved was Fauci in the origination of the novel virus that caused COVID-19?

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How involved was Fauci in the origination of the novel virus that caused COVID-19?on May 13, 2021 at 9:29 pm Read More »

ESPN extends MLB broadcasting contract through 2028on May 13, 2021 at 9:29 pm

ESPN could be rewarded with additional playoff games under its new deal with Major League Baseball.

Walt Disney Company and MLB announced a seven-year extension of their rights agreement Thursday. ESPN has aired games since 1990 and the new deal means that will continue until at least 2028.

“This agreement solidifies baseball’s ubiquitous presence across ESPN platforms, including ESPN+. The impactful collection of exclusive content, including ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ which has served as the signature MLB series for more than 30 years, will be amplified by the surrounding rights we have to make these live events even bigger,” ESPN Chairman James Pitaro said in a statement.

ESPN will exclusively air 30 regular-season games, with 25 taking place on Sunday nights. The other five will include a broadcast on Opening Day. ESPN also retains the rights to the Home Run Derby, which takes place the night before the All-Star Game.

The deal also includes the rights to air an expanded wild card round if it comes to fruition during talks between MLB and the Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement. ESPN and ABC aired those games last year when the playoffs were expanded due to the shortened coronavirus season.

If the current wild card format remains, ESPN will continue to have one of the two games as well as receive eight additional regular-season games. There is the possibility the Home Run Derby could be simulcast on ABC, but there are no immediate plans for that to happen.

“Sunday Night Baseball” is up 34% over last season, averaging 1.65 million viewers. The package has had steady audience growth since the start time was moved to 7 p.m.

The agreement also includes the ESPN+ streaming service airing at least one game a day as well as an extension of ESPN Radio’s contract, which includes regular-season games, the All-Star Game and the postseason.

ESPN will no longer consistently air games on Monday or Wednesday, but there still will be plenty of baseball on television. Turner will have a game on Tuesday nights starting next season while Fox and FS1 have a Saturday package. ESPN also has a reduced inventory of open broadcast windows starting next spring when it adds the Stanley Cup playoffs as part of its new agreement with the NHL.

The extension also means all of MLB’s rights deals with Fox, Turner and ESPN will expire after the 2028 season.

“ESPN has been one of MLB’s longest and most important partners. As the way in which fans consume baseball continues to change, this partnership provides expanded opportunities for fans to engage with our content and we are excited to present those new opportunities,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

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Blackhawks sued by former player for alleged sexual assault by former assistant coachon May 13, 2021 at 9:34 pm

A recent lawsuit filed by a former Blackhawks player describes an alleged 2010 sexual assault by a former Hawks assistant coach.

The lawsuit, filed April 30 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that the former assistant, Bradley Aldrich, assaulted the player — identified only as “John Doe” — in May 2010, during the team’s Stanley Cup run. The lawsuit also alleges Aldrich had previously assaulted a different Hawks player.

Aldrich “sent…inappropriate text messages,” “turned on porn and began to masturbate in front of [Doe]…without his consent” and “threatened to injure [Doe]…physically, financially, and emotionally if [Doe]…did not engage in sexual activity,” according to the lawsuit.

The player allegedly reported Aldrich’s assault to Hawks mental skills coach James Gary, according to the lawsuit, but Gary “did nothing” and instead “convinced [Doe]…that the sexual assault was his fault, that he was culpable for what happened, made mistakes during his encounter with the perpetrator and permitted the sexual assault to occur.”

The lawsuit — filed by lawyer Susan Loggans — seeks $150,000 in damages from the Hawks, alleging the player continues to suffer from the trauma of the incident.

The Hawks did not respond to a Sun-Times request but for comment, but in a statement to WBEZ said that an internal investigation determined the organization committed no wrongdoing.

“The Chicago Blackhawks take the allegations asserted by a former player very seriously,” the team told WBEZ. “Based on our investigation, we believe the allegations against the organization lack merit and we are confident the team will be absolved of any wrongdoing. As this is a pending litigation matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

Aldrich worked as a Hawks video coach, under then-head coach Joel Quenneville, from 2008 until sometime between 2010 and 2013. He also worked for the U.S. national men’s hockey team during the 2010 Winter Olympics and for the University of Notre Dame prior to joining the Hawks.

Aldrich pled guilty in December 2013 — and was sentenced in February 2014 to nine months in prison and five years probation — for an unrelated criminal sexual contact incident in Houghton, Michigan. Aldrich had been volunteering with the Houghton High School hockey team when he had sexual contact with a 16-to-18-year-old student.

The former Hawks player’s memories of the alleged 2010 sexual assault were triggered, according to the lawsuit, when he learned about Aldrich’s Michigan case in July 2019, shortly after Aldrich’s five-year probation ended.

The player had previously believed Gary, the mental skills coach, that the incident he experienced was not actually sexual assault, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit claims the statute of limitations therefore did not start running until 2019.

Aldrich has not been criminally charged in regards to the alleged Blackhawks incident.

The Hawks’ 2021 season ended Monday.

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Bulls coach Billy Donovan and his staff praised despite recordon May 13, 2021 at 9:34 pm

Endorsements from the NBA’s elite are nice, but as Zach LaVine pointed out, talk is talk until the Bulls can live up to the hype.

“You can’t take that as a sign that we’re there yet,” the Bulls guard said, when hearing some recent comments from two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant. “We still have to get the job done. I think we’re a better team and we’re going to continue to get better. Always having your peers’ respect is big, but you have to earn your respect as well.”

After the Nets beat the Bulls Tuesday night, Durant commented that he was “really a fan of this team.”

Sure, Durant was also coached by Billy Donovan back in their Oklahoma City days, so there remained a good connection there, but Durant isn’t one to throw out compliments just to go through the motions.

“Obviously, being coached by Billy and his staff, a few of those guys on his staff, I know exactly how those guys are approaching every day as a unit,” Durant said. “And you can just see it out on the floor.

“Having [Nikola] Vucevic come midseason, those guys trying to figure out who they are in such a fast pace, you know, the last 20 games of the season, so I feel like they’re going to figure it out even more going into next season. But they have a lot of talent, a lot of different guys that can do a variety of things. But Zach and Vuch and Coby [White] I feel like are the key pieces to this team — and Patrick Williams.”

Durant wasn’t the only veteran to give Donovan and the coaching staff a pat on the back for this season, despite where the Bulls currently sit in the standings.

Bulls forward Thad Young, who also isn’t one to mince words when it comes to a coaching staff and front office, spoke on Thursday about how much more open dialogue there has been this season compared to the Jim Boylen coaching staff and old front office.

“I think they’re receptive to things that we want to do as players,” Young said. “They want to continue to help guys grow and get better. But they’re coming each day with a winning mindset. And the only thing they believe in is winning. There’s no, ‘Oh, we’re just developing.’

“I love that about Billy and his staff. This year was more like a family as opposed to kind of like last year where guys felt like they weren’t listened to and everything was kind of off the wall a little bit. The coaches, they listen. We’re able to go in and talk to [executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas] AK and [general manager] Marc [Eversley] whenever we want to. It’s open line of communication everywhere, throughout the whole organization.”

Growing pains

Young did admit before the game with the Raptors that playing in a new role since the Vucevic trade was made at the deadline has been an adjustment for him.

“Obviously there’s some challenges there, just being able to figure out how to facilitate for the rest of the team and having ‘Vuch’ on the court with me doing different things, but I think it definitely can work,” Young said.

It’s that facilitating that has been the issue, as Young’s assist numbers have dropped a bit since the All-Star center was acquired from Orlando. Young averaged about 4.4 assists through March, and that dropped to 3.9 for the month of April.

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WATCH: Cat survives leap from 5th floor window to escape fire in Chicago buildingon May 13, 2021 at 9:35 pm

A cat put one of its nine lives to the test Thursday after it jumped out of a fifth-floor window to escape a fire in Englewood.

The blaze broke out at an apartment building about 3 p.m. in the 6500 block of South Lowe Avenue, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

Smoke can be seen billowing from several windows on the fifth floor of the building in video of the fire posted to Twitter by fire officials.

While crews were working to extinguish the fire, onlookers on the sidewalk began pointing at one of the open widows as the cat approached a ledge, Langford said.

“It was looking out for quite a while,” Langford said. “After a couple of minutes the cat got closer to the edge and it looked like she was getting ready to go and she just did.”

The cat can be seen stretching out its paws as it leaps from the window and narrowly misses hitting a wall on its way down, according to the video. The cat appears to bounce a single time off of a patch of grass before strolling away.

“It went under my car and hid until she felt better after a couple of minutes and came out and tried to scale the wall to get back in,” Langford said.

The cat was not injured, Langford said, adding that he was still trying to track down its owner.

The blaze was extinguished by 3:25 p.m. and was contained to a single unit, officials said.

No one was injured in the fire.

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WATCH: Cat survives leap from 5th floor window to escape fire in Chicago buildingon May 13, 2021 at 9:35 pm Read More »

White Sox sweep Twins, run winning streak to 6on May 13, 2021 at 9:42 pm

With a 4-2 victory, the White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the sagging Minnesota Twins Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field, running their winning streak to six games and improving their record to a major league best 22-13.

Lance Lynn (4-1) struck out nine over five innings of one-run ball, allowing no earned runs, and Tim Anderson and Jake Lamb homered against Michael Pineda.

Andrew Vaughn, a day after hitting his first career homer, drove in a run with a single after Adam Eaton bunted Yoan Moncada to third, and Yermin Mercedes added a pinch RBI single in the eighth.

Closer Liam Hendriks recorded six outs for his seventh save.

The Sox won despite committing three errors. Center fielder Billy Hamilton made two run-saving catches.

The Twins are 12-23.

“If this was the first of September, I’d have more to say,” manager Tony La Russa said when asked to assess how good his team is. “In spring training, when I saw the talent on the roster, it’s real. I’m talking about pitchers, starters, relievers, offense, defense.

“Now it’s a question of just great preparation, great practice, you have the coaches keep tweaking and take it into the games. The baseball gods are listening so I’ll say we’ve got to keep doing it. I think the heart and the spirit we have is going to bring that talent out, continue to bring it out.”

The Sox open a four-game series with the slumping Royals on Friday.

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Woman fatally shot in Robbinson May 13, 2021 at 9:38 pm

A 33-year-old woman was shot to death Wednesday in south suburban Robbins.

About 4 p.m., officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 14000 block of South Finley Avenue and found three people with gunshot wounds, according to a statement from Robbins Police.

Tiffany Jones suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Two other people were also shot and were transported to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

Robbins police is investigating the incident.

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FBI offers $10K reward in search for second gunman in murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn AdamsDavid Struetton May 13, 2021 at 7:59 pm

Shell casings litter the scene at a McDonald’s parking lot Sunday afternoon where a 7-year-old girl was shot and killed and her father was seriously wounded as they waited in a drive-thru.
Shell casings litter the scene at a McDonald’s parking lot Sunday afternoon where a 7-year-old girl was shot and killed and her father was seriously wounded as they waited in a drive-thru. | Anthony Vázquez/Sun-Times file photo

Devontay Anderson, 21, may have fled Illinois to Florida last month after he opened fire on a car in a drive-thru at a West Side McDonald’s.

The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the second gunman wanted in the murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams.

Devontay Anderson, 21, may have fled Illinois to Florida after he opened fire April 18 on a car in a drive-thru at a West Side McDonald’s, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in a criminal complaint.

Jaslyn and her father, Jontae Adams, were in an Infiniti in the 3200 block of West Roosevelt Road when two gunmen got out of an Audi and fired into their car about 4:20 p.m., authorities have said. Jaslyn was killed and her father was wounded.

The FBI released these photos of Devontay Anderson, who is wanted in the murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams.
The FBI released these photos of Devontay Anderson, who is wanted in the murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams.

The federal complaint describes surveillance video viewed by the Chicago Police Department that captured the shooting. It said the Audi contained three people when it pulled behind the Infiniti.

Demond Goudy and Marion Lewis have also been charged in connection with the shooting. Prosecutors have said Lewis was the getaway driver but did not fire any of the shots.

Prosecutors said GPS notifications from a Facebook account associated with Anderson have pointed to Miami, Florida. The FBI said Anderson also has links in Indiana.

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FBI offers $10K reward in search for second gunman in murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn AdamsDavid Struetton May 13, 2021 at 7:59 pm Read More »