Do you want to sip cocktails, take pictures, and win two tickets to an upcoming Cubs game? We thought so. OK, party people of Wrigleyville, have any plans for Cinco de Mayo? How about sippin’ on some limited time libations with your best friends AND give yourself a chance to win 2 tickets to a Chicago Cubs game, courtesy of Perrier! OK, now that sounds like a ~grand slam~ way to fiesta (sorry, we had to).
Your favorite sparkling water in a green bottle, Perrier, is partnering with popular Wrigley neighborhood bars Mordecai, Swift & Son’s Tavern, HVAC Pub, and Sheffield’s to offer a specialty Perrier cocktail + a chance to win a pair of Chicago Cubs tickets to an upcoming home game. All you have to do—and we cannot stress enough how simple this is—is order a cocktail, post on Instagram, and you’ll be entered!
For your chance to win, follow these steps:
First, you’ll need to post the specialty Perrier Cinco de Mayo cocktail on your Instagram page between May 3rd and May 6th. Be sure to tag @perrierusa and tag that respective bar’s Instagram handle as well. The final caveat is you need to use these hashtags: #sweepstakes and #PerrierXCincoChicago to be officially entered. The winner will be randomly selected on May 7th! Super easy, right?
If you’re looking for something more robust, try the Cinco Smoke at Mordecai. This drink includes lapsang infused reposado tequila, cynar, banana, mineral water. Or if you’re more in the mood for light and refreshing, go with the Perrier Paloma at Swift & Sons. You really can’t go wrong when you combine blanco tequila, grapefruit, lime, and Perrier sparkling water. Plus, HVAC Pub and Sheffield’s will have their own speciality Perrier drinks, just ask your server for more details.
So grab your friends, neighbors, Tinder date, Grandma or whomever and get your drink on with Perrier for a chance to win those stadium seats. Take me out to the baaallgame. Salud, amigos!
People line up to cast their votes during the regional election in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. Over 5 million Madrid residents are voting for a new regional assembly in an election that tests the depths of resistance to lockdown measures and the divide between left and right-wing parties. | AP
Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who called the early election by dissolving her center-right coalition, had set off to broaden her power base and open up to an alliance with the far-right.
MADRID — Madrid residents voted in droves Tuesday for a new regional assembly in an election that tested the depths of resistance to virus lockdown measures and the divide between left-wing and right-wing parties.
Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who called the early election by dissolving her center-right coalition, had set off to broaden her power base and open up to an alliance with the far-right. She has criticized the national left-wing government’s handling of the pandemic and resisted strict infection-control measures.
An opinion survey conducted before the vote and published as voting stations closed predicted that Díaz Ayuso would earn a solid victory with 43% of the votes. That level of support would more than double the number of seats for her conservative Popular Party in the Madrid assembly, according to the GAD3 survey of 8,500 voters.
The poll was conducted by phone between April 17-May 3 and has a 1% margin of error.
Long queues of socially distanced voters formed outside polling stations Tuesday in schools, sports centers and even a bullring, despite concerns due to the high rate of new infections.
More than 69% of the 5 million eligible voters had voted by 7 p.m., an hour before voting ended, up from 64% in the previous regional election in 2019.
Authorities imposed strict voting requirements to prevent the spread of infections: double masks, separate entrance and exit paths for voters and plastic screens for election workers.
Older adults were encouraged to cast their ballots during a 2-hour period mid-morning and the hour before polls close was reserved for people quarantining because of COVID-19.
Díaz Ayuso has gained increasing popularity among voters who in recent elections were attracted to the populism of Vox, an upstart far-right party that could become kingmaker in Tuesday’s election.
The Madrid region is Spain’s main economic engine and the country’s busiest transportation hub. It’s home to 14% of Spain’s 47 million people but has recorded nearly one-fifth of the country’s 3.5 million confirmed virus cases and of the national pandemic death toll of over 78,000.
The only incident reported was a brief semi-naked protest by the activist group Femen who held signs reading “It’s not patriotism, it’s fascism” outside where Vox’s main candidate voted.
Official results are expected later Tuesday night.
TaKiya Howard (left) and Ty Johnson (right) | De La Salle Meteors Girls Basketball Twitter page (left) and Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times (right)
TY Johnson, a DePaul Prep star and Loyola recruit, and TaKiya “TK” Howard, a De La Salle Institute student who’s expected to play at Murray State University in Kentucky next season, were injured in the South Side shooting.
Two high school seniors, both bound for Division I college basketball, were wounded in a drive-by shooting Monday night in Englewood.
TY Johnson, a DePaul Prep star and Loyola University recruit, and TaKiya “TK” Howard, a De La Salle Institute student expected to play at Murray State University in Kentucky next season, were shot outside Johnson’s South Side home, according to school officials and family.
Howard, 18, and a friend had been heading to get ice cream when they stopped at Johnson’s place in the 7000 block of South Throop Street, Howard’s mother Kimberly Howard said.
Johnson, 17, was talking to the women through the window of their car as they sat outside his apartment when shots were fired from a passing car, the mother and Chicago police said.
Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert just before midnight and found the two, police said. They were unable to provide a description of the vehicle. A source said at least 19 rounds were fired.
Johnson was grazed in the back of his head and brought by ambulance to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. Johnson is now resting at home and is said to be OK, according to a source.
Howard was struck once in the ear and taken to St. Bernard Hospital by her friend, said her mother, who met them there a short time later.
“I was able to see her and I was able to kiss her,” Kimberly Howard said. “She looked up to me, she was responsive, she was coherent, and that’s a good thing.”
Howard said the bullet is lodged in her daughter’s neck near her carotid artery. TK Howard was later transported to Stroger Hospital, where she was undergoing a procedure Tuesday afternoon, her mother said.
“TK, she’s fighting. She’s young, she’s fighting. And she was trying to assure me, ‘Everything’s OK, I’m OK.’ It’s draining, it’s just draining, that’s all,” Kimberly Howard said.
Howard was expecting an update on her daughter later in the day. “Right now, I’m just waiting,” she said. “I’m gonna stay here until I take my baby home.”
No one was reported in custody.
Both Johnson and Howard were standout players at their respective schools and preparing to take the next jump in their careers.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 guard, has signed with Loyola and is expected to play for the Ramblers next season.
“Our primary concern is that Ty has a full and quick recovery,” the university said in a statement.
Johnson is a two-time Sun-Times All-Area player and was this past season’s breakout star. He led the Rams to the Chipotle Clash of Champions tournament title and the No. 1 ranking in the area while averaging 20.2 points.
Howard is a 5-foot-10 guard who was selected to the All-Girls Catholic Athletic Conference White Division team in all four years at the De La Salle Institute. She committed to playing at Murray State University for the 2021-2022 season, the school announced in November.
“TaKiya will bring athleticism, a scorer’s mentality and toughness to our team. We are excited to add her to our Racer family,” Coach Rechelle Turner said at the time.
Murray State Women’s Basketball officials declined or did not respond to several requests for comment Tuesday.
In March, Howard claimed the record for the all-time scoring leader in De La Salle girls basketball history, according to the Beverly Review, with 1,198 points.
The Auto Show will be the first convention held at McCormick Place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.
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.
This afternoon will be cloudy with a high near 56 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 44 degrees. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 60 degrees.
McCormick Place will reawaken from its 14-month, pandemic-induced slumber with the July 15 return of the Chicago Auto Show — and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said her goal is to get the city “fully open” by July 4.
“I am working night and day toward this goal. … But, we and I need you to continue to be on this journey with us. And that means getting vaccinated now — as soon as possible,” Lightfoot told reporters at McCormick Place, where details of the auto show return were announced today.
“Every day that our COVID-19 metrics continue to tick downward brings us a day closer to being able to put this pandemic in the rearview mirror. And we are too close to accomplishing this mission to give up now. Our goal … is to be fully open by July 4th.”
Getting Chicago “fully open” by July 4 weekend also could mean the return of Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago and the Air & Water Show, the city’s most popular and iconic summer events.
“Don’t skip to the end of the chapter, There’s more coming,” the mayor said.
Just last week, Lightfoot vowed to be more cautious than other major cities in reopening Chicago. She said the last thing she wanted to do is to move too quickly, only to be forced to shut things down yet again.
Asked how that jibes with her goal of being “fully open by July 4th,” the mayor cited “steady progress” in all the health metrics that Chicago follows and “modeling” that suggests those trends will continue.
The sounds of in-person classical music are returning to Symphony Center.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association today announced the first CSOconcert performances with live audiences in attendance at Orchestra Hall (220 S. Michigan) since the pandemic shutdown of all performing arts venues in March 2020.
The series of concerts, programmed in conjunction with maestro Riccardo Muti, will take place May 27-June 13 “and feature music for brass and percussion, string ensembles and orchestra,” today’s announcement said.
The concerts will be presented with adherence to current state and city COVID-19 guidelines for public events, including reduced-capacity audiences, mandatory face masks for audience and staff, hand-sanitizing stations, and an HVAC fresh air system that meets current standards.
Due to social distancing guidelines, musicians must be a minimum of six feet apart on stage, which means the orchestra will be reduced to 45 musicians on stage depending on the program (some concerts will feature smaller, CSO ensembles).
Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. May 11, at cso.org or by phone at (312) 294-3000.
The Cubs put three players – infielder Nico Hoerner and pitchers Jake Arrieta and Dan Winkler – on the 10-day injured list today. The team added Ildemaro Vargas, Kyle Ryan and Keegan Thompson to the big league roster to fill those spots.
What was it like when you saw a “Star Wars” movie for the first time?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: What do you think of the proposal to rename Lake Shore Drive after Chicago founder Jean Baptiste Point DuSable? Here’s what some of you said…
“It’s a very bad idea. Lake Shore Drive is neutral and descriptive. It is the jewel in the necklace of Chicago that we all enjoy. Honor the lake, which is the true reason we’re all here. Also, why put thousands through an address change that no one asked for or wants? Just do not do this.” — Roberta Naftulin Siegel
“They can name it anything they want. It will always be Lake Shore Drive. It’s always going to be Sears Tower, and it’ll always be Comiskey Park.” — Jan Hughes
“Seriously wasting our taxpayers money and time. They really should be focusing on more important matters and issues rather than changing the name of a street that’s been perfectly fine.” — Evelyn Ruby
“Absolutely not. It is Lake Shore Drive and should remain as it runs along the lake. There are several areas already named DuSable, including a museum, which is great.” — Kathy Scardina
“Change Columbus Drive to DuSable instead. Lake Shore Drive is iconic and known around the world.” — Julie Randall Petertil
“Great idea! What better tribute to the city’s founder? Maybe it’s long overdue.” — Robert Michael Jones
“Great idea to honor Chicago founder, but like a proposal to rename Columbus Drive through Grant Park instead of Lake Shore Drive. Could also replace the Columbus statue with DuSable.” — Lainey Elaine
Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
President Joe Biden speaks at Tidewater Community College, Monday, May 3, 2021, in Portsmouth, Va. | AP
The new goal, which also includes fully vaccinating 160 million adults by Independence Day, comes as demand for vaccines has dropped off markedly nationwide, with some states leaving more than half their vaccine doses unordered.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday set a new vaccination goal to deliver at least one dose to 70% of adult Americans by July Fourth, focusing on easing access to shots as his administration tackles the vexing problem of winning over those reluctant to get inoculated.
The new goal comes as demand for vaccines has dropped off markedly nationwide, with some states leaving more than half their vaccine doses unordered. Biden called for states to make vaccines available on a walk-in basis and will direct many pharmacies to do the same, and his administration is for the first time moving to shift doses from states with weaker demand to areas with stronger interest in the shots.
“You do need to get vaccinated,” Biden said from the White House. “Even if your chance of getting seriously ill is low, why take the risk? It could save your life or the lives of somebody you love.”
Biden’s goal, which includes delivering at least the first shot to 181 million adults and fully vaccinating 160 million, is a tacit acknowledgment of the declining interest in shots. Already more than 56% of adult Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 105 million are fully vaccinated. The U.S. is currently administering first doses at a rate of about 965,000 per day — half the rate of three weeks ago, but almost twice as fast as needed to meet Biden’s target.
“I’d like to get it 100%, but I think realistically we can get to that place between now and July Fourth,” Biden said.
He said the administration would focus on three areas as it tries to ramp up the pace of vaccinations: adults who need more convincing to take the vaccine, those who have struggled to obtain a shot and, once the FDA gives approval, adolescents aged 12-15. Acknowledging that “the pace of vaccination is slowing,” Biden acknowledged that the inoculation effort was “going to be harder” when it comes to convincing “doubters” of the need to get the shot.
He said the most effective argument to those people would be to protect those they love. “This is your choice: It’s life and death.”
Biden’s push comes as his administration has shifted away from setting a target for the U.S. to reach “herd immunity,” instead focusing on delivering as many shots into arms as possible. Officials said Biden’s vaccination target would result in a significant reduction in COVID-19 cases heading into the summer.
To that end, the Biden administration is shifting the government’s focus toward expanding smaller and mobile vaccination clinics to deliver doses to harder-to-reach communities. It is also spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to boost interest in vaccines through education campaigns and access to shots through community organizations that can help bring people to clinics.
Biden touted grocery stores giving discounts to shoppers who come to get vaccinated and said that getting the inoculations could be “easier and more fun” when sports leagues hold promotions to gets shots for their fans.
Ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s expected authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents aged 12-15 by early next week, the White House is also developing plans to speed vaccinations to that age group. Biden urged states to administer at least one dose to those in that age group by July Fourth and work to deliver doses to pediatricians’ offices and other trusted locations, with the aim of getting as many of them fully vaccinated by the start of the next school year.
While younger people are at dramatically lower risk of serious complications from COVID-19, they have made up a larger share of new virus cases as a majority of U.S. adults have been at least partially vaccinated and as higher-risk activities like indoor dining and contact sports have resumed in most of the country. Officials hope that extending vaccinations to teens — who would be eligible to get the first dose in one location and the second elsewhere — will further accelerate the nation’s reduced virus caseload and allow schools to reopen with minimal disruptions this fall.
The urgency to expand the pool of those getting the shots is rooted in hopes of stamping out the development of new variants that could emerge from unchecked outbreaks and helping the country further reopen by the symbolic moment of Independence Day, exactly two months away. Though White House officials privately acknowledge the steep challenge, Biden sounded an optimistic note.
“The light at the end of the tunnel is actually growing brighter and brighter,” Biden said.
Biden’s speech comes as the White House announced a shift away from a strict by-population allocation of vaccines. The administration says that when states decline the vaccine they have been allocated, that surplus will shift to states still awaiting doses to meet demand. Those states would have the shots available whenever demand for vaccines in their states increases — a key priority of the Biden administration.
Governors were informed of the change by the White House Tuesday morning. The Washington Post first reported on the new allocation.
This week, Iowa turned down nearly three quarters of the vaccine doses available to the state for next week from the federal government because demand for the shots remains weak.
The White House previously resisted efforts to shift vaccine by metrics other than population, with Biden rebuffing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last month when she requested more doses as her state was experiencing a surge in virus cases. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the time nearly all states were ordering at or near their population allocations, which is no longer the case.
Individual states have made similar shifts internally to account for changing demand. Last week, Washington state changed the way it allocates coronavirus vaccine to its counties. Previously the state doled out supplies to counties proportionate to their populations. But Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday that the amounts now will be based on requests from health care providers.
An aerial view of subway cars dangle at an angle from a collapsed elevated section of the metro, in Mexico City on Tuesday. The elevated section collapsed late Monday killing at least 23 people and injuring at least 79, city officials said. | Fernando Llano/Associated Press
An elevated section of the Mexico City metro collapsed and sent the train plunging toward a busy boulevard late Monday, killing at least 23 people and injuring at least 79, city officials said.
MEXICO CITY — The death toll from the collapse of an overpass on the Mexico City metro rose to 24 Tuesday as crews untangled train carriages from the steel and concrete wreckage that fell onto a roadway.
Monday night’s accident was one of the deadliest in the history of the subway, and questions quickly arose about the structural integrity of the mass transit system, among the world’s busiest.
Another 27 people remained hospitalized of the more than 70 injured when the support beams collapsed about 10:30 p.m. as a train passed along the elevated section, said Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.
On Tuesday, a crane carefully lowered a train car containing four bodies to the ground.
Of the 24 killed, 21 died at the scene, while the others died at hospitals. Only five have been identified so far. Children were among the fatalities, Sheinbaum said.
Initial analysis pointed to a “presumed structural failure,” Sheinbaum said, promising a thorough and independent inquiry. She added that a Norwegian firm had been hired to investigate.
“I did not have any report nor alert of any problem that could have led us to this situation,” she said.
The overpass was about 5 meters above the road in the borough of Tlahuac, but the train ran above a concrete median strip, which apparently lessened the casualties among motorists.
Abelardo Sánchez, a 38-year-old cook, was just closing up his sandwich shop beside the metro line when he said the ground shook, a tremendous noise echoed, lights flickered and the air filled with dust and the smell of burning wires.
Stunned, Sánchez didn’t initially react. “Then a guy in a white shirt with blood on his arms, his hands and chest came out and another guy came to help him here on the sidewalk, and he was there trembling,” he said.
The Mexico City Metro — which is among the world’s cheapest with tickets costing about 25 cents —has had at least three serious accidents since its inauguration half a century ago. In March 2020, a collision between two trains at the Tacubaya station left one passenger dead and injured 41. In 2015, a train that did not stop on time crashed into another at the Oceania station, injuring 12. In October 1975, at least 26 people were killed in another accident.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in 2017 exposed dangerous construction defects in the elevated line near where Monday’s accident occurred. Authorities at the time had done patchwork repairs on the columns and horizontal beams.
Julio Yañez, a 67-year-old lawyer whose apartment overlooks the collapsed metro line, was working at his computer when he heard a loud noise and felt his building shake. He saw a cloud of dust and falling debris followed by an eerie silence until emergency vehicles began arriving. Helicopters landed at a nearby Walmart to ferry the injured to hospitals.
The scene shook him because he had exited the metro at that same station earlier in the day.
“That part there was already declared bad … in the earthquake, and the authorities didn’t pay attention,” Yañez said, noting similar problems were reported at another nearby station, but nothing was done. “They are time bombs.”
The collapse occurred on Line 12, the subway’s newest, that stretches to the city’s south side. Like many of the dozen subway lines, it runs underground through more central areas of the city of 9 million but is on elevated concrete structures on the outskirts.
A report issued by the subway system including photos in 2017 showed that the base of one vertical column supporting the tracks had cracked and shed layers of concrete because not enough steel rebar stirrups had been used when it was built around 2010. In 2017, authorities patched and widened the column by injecting resins, swathing it in carbon fiber, building a jacket of additional rebar around the base and pouring concrete around the collar.
Authorities also found that one of the horizontal beams had come loose from its support at the top of a vertical column and was sagging — the kind of failure that could have contributed to Monday’s collapse. Authorities at the time welded steel diagonal braces to the bottom of the beam, chipped out and repoured fractured concrete elements.
Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard called the collapse “the most terrible accident we have ever had in mass transportation.” Ebrard was Mexico City’s mayor from 2006 to 2012, when the affected line was built.
Allegations of poor design and construction on the subway line emerged soon after the Ebrard left office as mayor. The line had to be partly closed in 2013 so tracks could be repaired.
Ebrard, who leads Mexico’s efforts to obtain coronavirus vaccines, has been considered a potential presidential candidate in 2024.
“Of course, the causes should be investigated and those responsible should be identified,” he wrote. “I repeat that I am entirely at the disposition of authorities to contribute in whatever way is necessary.”
On Monday night, hundreds of police officers and firefighters cordoned off the scene as desperate friends and relatives of people believed to be on the train gathered. Despite the fact that the coronavirus situation remains serious in Mexico City, they crowded together waiting for news.
Adrián Loa Martínez, 46, said his mother called him to tell him that his half brother and sister-in-law were driving when the overpass collapsed and that a beam fell onto their car.
He said that his sister-in-law was sent to a hospital, but that his half brother José Juan Galindo was crushed and he feared he was dead. “He is down there now,” he told journalists, pointing to the site.
The line was closed Tuesday and hundreds of buses were called in. Thousands in surrounding neighborhoods lined up before dawn to catch the buses for work.
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Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo, Mark Stevenson and María Verza contributed.
This week the Dingers Crew discusses the wild Dingerfest of a game that was Sunday, rave about how good of a baseball player Kris Bryant is and looks forward to the Dodgers series.
Donald Trump incited a riot in order to overturn an election he lost. He’s responsible for hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 deaths, as well.
Trump was never popular. He never came close to winning the popular vote in 2016 or 2020. But if voter suppression laws recently passed by Republican state legislatures stand, he could become even more unpopular and still capture the presidency again.
The Republicans’ motivations are clear. They believe that if you won’t vote for them, you shouldn’t vote at all. They are threatened by the multi-racial majority in this country. When they suppress the votes of my Black and Brown sisters and brothers, they harm us all. We can’t let that happen.
Saving our democracy is much easier than people think. But our senators must hear from us.
Step 1: Get rid of the filibuster
Step 2: Pass the voting rights legislation known as the For the People Act.
All it will take is 50 votes in the Senate to get it done. Call Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Demand that they stand up for people of color and our democracy.
Neal Waltmire, Berwyn
SEND LETTERS TO:[email protected]. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be approximately 350 words or less.
FOID no threat to gun ownership
Firearm Owner’s Identification cards — popularly called FOID cards — do not prevent any law-abiding citizen from owning a firearm. The ID acts only as a barrier to people who should not own a firearm from owning one. And the card’s $10 fee impedes firearm ownership no more than the price of a gun charged by a firearms dealer.
Yet the Illinois Supreme Court is now being asked to decide whether FOID cards are a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The Second Amendment was penned in the 18th century. No one can seriously argue that the Founding Fathers were so wise they could predict the advances that would be made in the science of firearms more than 200 years into the future. The Second Amendment needs an update, not revocation.
Take me out to the baaallgame. 
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