A 35-year-old Austin man shot and killed a man outside a funeral repast that they both had attended in Lawndale, Cook County prosecutors said Wednesday.

Prosecutors didn’t say why Antwoine Moss chased and shot Devon Jackson multiple times on April 16.

But Moss’ attorney suggested they had an argument earlier in the day connected to a death in Florida that Moss believed 33-year-old Jackson, or Jackson’s relative, was responsible for.

Prosecutors said the two men didn’t know each other or have contact before the shooting, but Moss’ attorney claimed Jackson had threatened Moss with a gun earlier in the day when they “had words.”

Jackson was walking to his car at 10:30 p.m. when Moss stepped out of a silver Buick Regal sedan with a gun in his hand and followed, Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin DeBoni said.

Jackson put up his hands and said “you don’t have to do this” before Moss began firing, DeBoni said.

Chicago police

Moss alleged continued to fire and chased Jackson as he tried to get away.

Jackson, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, then took out his gun and fired back, DeBoni said.

Multiple witnesses said Jackson was unarmed when Moss began firing and eight people identified Moss, who used to live in the block, as the shooter, DeBoni said.

Jackson was shot in the chest and thigh. He collapsed in a vacant lot in the 2700 block of West Flournoy Street and later died at Stroger Hospital, authorities said.

When Moss returned to the area where the repast was being held, he allegedly told one witness he “f—— up” and then took a Lyft home.

Moss turned himself in to police with his attorney at his side on Monday.

Judge David Navarro ordered Moss held without bail.

He is expected back in court on May 17.

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Video released Wednesday morning shows a Chicago police officer fatally shoot Anthony Alvarez as he ran from police with a gun in his hand in the Portage Park neighborhood.

A Chicago police officer yells “Drop the gun! Drop the gun!” before firing five shots from close range, according to the police bodycam video released by the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates police shootings.

Anthony Alvarez, 22, collapses onto the front sidewalk of a home on the 5200 block of West Eddy Street in the early-morning hours of March 31.

A gun can be seen in Alvarez’s right hand in the footage captured by the body camera of the officer who pulled the trigger.

A camera mounted to the home feet from where Alvarez collapsed shows a gun fall from his hand as he fell to the pavement.

“Why you shooting me?” Alvarez asks the officer.

“You had a gun,” said the officer, who then tells his partner to place handcuffs on Alvarez.

“No, I’m going to render aid,” his partner says before applying a tourniquet and administering chest compressions.

The video doesn’t show Alvarez pointing a gun at the officers in pursuit.

Alvarez was wounded twice, once in the right side of his back with an exit wound in the upper right chest, and once in his right thigh, according to a police document released Wednesday. Alvarez was pronounced dead at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

The Chicago Police Department and COPA said Alvarez ran off as tactical officers approached him at a gas station, leading to a foot chase. What the officers wanted from Alvarez wasn’t disclosed.

However, at an unrelated news conference before the video was released, Mayor Lori Lightfoot referred to it as “a minor traffic offense,” saying: “We can’t live in a world where a minor traffic offense results in someone being shot and killed. That’s not acceptable to me and shouldn’t be acceptable to anyone.”

COPA said it has recommended the officer who shot Alvarez be relieved of police powers during the investigation.

Police Supt. David Brown said Wednesday at a news conference following the release of the video that he hadn’t been notified of the COPA recommendation.

Brown will have 90 days to decide whether he agrees or disagrees with the recommendation, at which time he must share his decision with the police board, which will ultimately decide the officers fate.

Brown declined to share additional details of the shooting, what led to it or his thoughts on it, saying it was important he refrain from sharing his opinion so COPA could conduct a “clean and clear” investigation.

The 30-year-old officer who fired the fatal shots joined the force in 2015, according to the Invisible Institute, which tracks police discipline. The Institute’s website says the officer was accused of misconduct in a South Side traffic stop in 2017, but the case was closed without being sustained. The Sun-Times isn’t naming him because he isn’t officially accused of wrongdoing.

Lightfoot and attorneys representing the Alvarez family issued a joint statement Wednesday morning that called for peace.

“Both parties are acutely aware of the range of emotions that will accompany the release of these materials, and we collectively issue this statement and ask that those who wish to express themselves do so peacefully and with respect for our communities and the residents of Chicago,” the statement said.

“The Alvarez family … has advised that they believe that the release of these videos will be the beginning of a long process of healing for the family, and for all those who knew and loved Anthony,” the statement said.

“COPA’s investigation is ongoing, and both parties expect and have the utmost confidence that officials will determine the complete and unbiased set of facts in this case. … We ask that all continue to respect the Alvarez family’s right to privacy as they grieve during this incredibly painful time.”

Alvarez’s family saw the video footage Tuesday.

“I want more answers, the videos I saw do not explain what I saw in the morgue,” Veronica Alvarez, Anthony’s mother, told Fox32 Chicago in Spanish on Tuesday. “I want to know why they were chasing him. As of now, I don’t have answers.”

Todd Pugh, an attorney for the family, told the station that “it was incredibly difficult, it was an absolutely chilling scene, and as his mother indicated already, it has left us with more questions than answers.

“But I know what I saw, and I saw Chicago police officers shoot their son as he ran away from them,” Pugh said.

Ald. George Cardenas (12th), former chairman of the City Council’s Hispanic Caucus, called the video a “tough one” to watch and the shooting of Alvarez difficult to justify.

“The fact that this young man is walking with something in his hands. … As far as I could see, he didn’t rob anybody. Then, all of the sudden, the cop comes in pretty aggressive,” Cardenas said.

“The guy didn’t look like he was a threat to the officer. … It appears he had a gun, but he was obviously not facing the officer. That’s not where it should end,” said Cardenas, whose ward includes the location where 13-year-old Adam Toledo was shot by Chicago police last month.

“If he faces the officer with the gun, then maybe that’s a reason to kind of react. … But if he’s not facing you, you’ve got to give him time to … get on his knees, put his hands behind his back. The whole thing was, `Drop the gun. Drop the gun.’ Then, pow, pow, pow. That’s a sequence that is very fast for somebody who is running and has adrenaline. The situation is not good.”

Cardenas noted that Illinois’ concealed carry law “allows you to carry a gun, so a lot of people are gonna have guns in their hands. That’s not a reason to shoot anybody.”

“If we keep this up, we’re gonna go broke” as a city, Cardenas said, in a clear reference to a stream of multi-million settlements stemming from police-involved shootings.

“We’ve got to reform this stuff. We’ve got to come up with a way to handle and de-escalate. Wait ’til more backup arrives. If he’s a threat to you, then I understand. You’ve got to protect yourself. But that has to be beyond a reasonable doubt. If he faces you with a gun, I understand why you’ve got to shoot him. But that was not the case here.”

Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th), whose ward includes the 5200-block of West Eddy, where the Alvarez shooting occurred, could not be reached for comment.

Neighboring Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (31st) urged COPA to complete its investigation of the Alvarez shooting post-haste.

“The family needs answers. The city needs answers,” Cardona said.

Cardona was non-committal on whether he considers the Alvarez shooting justified or whether it appears to him that the young man was shot in the back.

“We’re gonna have different camera angles. You’re gonna have different interpretations and different ways of how people see this, depending on the lens,” the alderman said.

The shooting happened two days after an officer shot and killed Toledo on March 29 in Little Village. Toledo’s killing also happened during a foot chase, prompting Lightfoot to direct CPD to draft a new foot pursuit policy.

“For the second time in weeks, the people of Chicago are presented with video footage of a young Latino man being shot and killed by police during a foot pursuit. Again, a family suffers as the Alvarez family experiences the grief and pain of witnessing the last moments of a loved one,” Colleen Connell, executive director of ACLU of Illinois, said in a prepared statement.

“The lack of meaningful police reform in Chicago is not only costing the city lives, but also taking a psychological toll on communities of color. The city must abandon the current snail’s pace of police reform and become serious about making real changes that serve all neighborhoods.”

Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd), who represents the ward where the Toledo family lives, called the Alvarez video “gut-wrenching.”

“I’m sick of watching these videos,” Rodriquez said. “I saw a guy with a gun running from police get shot. A guy running away from a police officer. These foot chases are one of the glaring omissions of execution by our police department.”

After talking to “a couple of people inside” CPD, Rodriguez said, “there’s some questions whether there was probable cause for the pursuit” of Alvarez. “I can’t say more because I don’t know more.”

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO

The mayor said Wednesday that CPD “is making progress on my directive to revise the foot chase policy. As I’ve said before, it’s one of the most dangerous activities that officers engage in. Dangerous for themselves. Dangerous for the person being pursued. And it’s dangerous for members of the public.”

Lightfoot urged everyone to “look at both the raw footage” of the Alvarez shooting “at real speed” as well as the “frame-by-frame” of what happened.

“I understand, having investigated many of these shootings, that officers are, in many instances, called upon to make split-second decisions, particularly in instances like this one where there’s a gun,” said Lightfoot, a former Police Board president.

“Nonetheless … a traffic incident … should not result in the death of anyone. So we have more work to do to be sure.”

Lightfoot said she hopes to have that new foot chase policy ready for public review sometime next month.

But, she said, it’s got to be done “the right way” with plenty of input.

“What I’ve encouraged the department to do is to make sure they’re engaging on the front-end with key stakeholders, not the least of which is line police officers who are gonna be responsible for implementing whatever the new policy is. We have to have their voices, as well as community voices, in those discussions … and reflected in the new policy,” the mayor said.

“It’s really important that we get it right,” Brown said of the policy.

Contributing: David Struett

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SAN FRANCISCO — Police in Alameda, California, are under fire over the death of a Hispanic man who was pinned to the ground for more than five minutes in a video-recorded arrest that unfolded as a jury in Minneapolis was deliberating in the George Floyd case.

Autopsy findings on the cause of death have not been released, but the family of 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez blamed police, accusing them on Tuesday of using excessive force and escalating what should have been a minor encounter with the unarmed man.

“The police killed my brother in the same manner they killed George Floyd,” Gerardo Gonzalez said.

In a statement, the San Francisco Bay Area city said it is “committed to full transparency and accountability in the aftermath of Mr. Gonzalez’s death.”

The death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, the district attorney’s office and a former San Francisco city attorney hired by Alameda to lead an independent probe. The three officers involved in the arrest have been placed on paid leave.

Gonzalez stopped breathing following a scuffle with police on the evening of April 19 at a park, where officers had confronted him after receiving 911 calls that said he appeared disoriented or drunk. A police statement said Gonzalez had a medical emergency after officers tried to handcuff him.

The arrest took place just hours after the jury at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin began deliberating. The next day, Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter for pinning Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man’s neck in a case that was likewise documented on video and touched off a national reckoning over racism and police brutality.

In Alameda, the nearly hourlong video from two officers’ body cameras released late Tuesday shows police talking to a seemingly dazed Gonzalez, who struggles to answer questions.

When Gonzalez doesn’t produce any identification, the officers are seen on video trying to force his hands behind his back to handcuff him, but he resists and they take him to the ground. They repeatedly ask him for his full name and birthdate.

“We’re going to take care of you, OK. We’re going to take care of you,” one officer says on the video.

“I think you just had too much to drink today, OK? That’s all,” the officer says. Later, he adds, “Mario, just please stop fighting us.”

Gonzalez, who weighed about 250 pounds, is seen grunting and shouting as he lies face down on wood chips while the officers restrain him. One officer puts an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder.

“He’s lifting my whole body weight up,” an officer says at one point.

One officer also appears to put a knee on his back and leaves it there for about four minutes as Gonzalez gasps for air, saying, “I didn’t do nothing, OK?”

Gonzalez’s protests appear to weaken, and after about five minutes he seems to lose consciousness.

Shortly before he stops breathing, one officer asks the other: “Think we can roll him on his side?”

The other answers, “I don’t want to lose what I got, man.”

The video shows officers rolling Gonzalez over and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They are also seen administering at least two doses of Narcan, which is given to counteract opiate overdoses. Gonzalez was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police also made public two calls dispatchers received about Gonzalez that prompted them to send officers to the park, which sits at the end of a cul-de-sac of well-kept homes with manicured gardens. One caller said Gonzalez was “kind of talking to himself” and “not making any sense”

The caller added: “I mean, he’s not doing anything wrong, he’s just scaring my wife.”

A second man told a dispatcher that Gonzalez had two drugstore baskets with alcohol bottles and that it appeared he was breaking the security tags off them.

Gonzalez had a 4-year-old son and also was the main caretaker of his 22-year-old brother, who has autism, his family said.

Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina and an expert on police use of force, said officers should have rolled Gonzalez over as soon as they could. Keeping him on his stomach was “probably the worst thing that could have happened,” Alpert said.

“Once they’re controlling him, as we learned from the Floyd trial with all those medical experts, this position or compression is deadly,” he said.

He added: “Obviously he’s in some sort of mental crisis, and what’s the goal? What are they trying to do with him? Was he a danger?”

___

Associated Press writers Olga R. Rodriguez and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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Boeing Co. reported a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss on Wednesday and took another charge on its program to build two new Air Force One presidential planes after firing a contractor it hired to help perform the work.

The company did not provide a timetable for fixing the latest problem with its 737 Max jet, an electrical issue that has forced airlines to park about 100 of the planes.

The combination of self-inflicted damage and a coronavirus pandemic that has depressed demand for new planes pushed Boeing to its sixth straight quarterly loss. However, CEO David Calhoun said the company is at an “inflection point,” with an increase in vaccinations against COVID-19 raising hopes for a rapid recovery in air travel that could translate to aircraft orders.

Boeing lost $561 million — $537 million attributable to shareholders. Revenue was roughly in line with Wall Street forecasts as the company generated cash by delivering more new airliners than it did a year ago.

After the quarter ended, Boeing suffered a new setback with its 737 Max jetliners, the grounding of dozens of the planes because of issues around electrical grounding of some parts. Boeing continues to say that the fix is simple and will take three or four days per plane once the Federal Aviation Administration approves Boeing’s repair method, but airlines including Southwest, American and United have now been without some of their Max jets for nearly a month with no certainty about when they will be able to use them again.

Boeing has halted Max deliveries while it works on a fix for the electrical issues, which Calhoun said will make April aircraft deliveries — a key source of cash — “very light.”

Boeing only recently resumed deliveries of its two-aisle 787 jets after discovering flaws in the fuselages. And the debut of its next plane, the 777X, is behind schedule because of design changes.

The company is also dealing with delays in its work to build replacements for the current Air Force One planes, which are specially modified 747 jumbo jets. The program is not crucial to Boeing’s financial health but carries prestige, building the presidential planes that are recognizable around the world.

Boeing took a first-quarter charge of $318 million charge related to its $3.9 billion contract with the Air Force for new presidential planes. Boeing fired and sued subcontractor GDC Technics, which in turn laid off about 200 workers and filed for bankruptcy protection this week. GDC, hired for interior work on the planes, filed a countersuit against Boeing.

It is not clear whether Boeing will meet its December 2024 deadline for delivering the planes.

“We continue to make steady progress on this program and are working closely with our customer to assess impact and mitigate risks to the delivery schedule,” Boeing spokeswoman Deborah VanNierop said in an email.

Air Force spokesman Joshua Benedetti said Boeing recently recommended a new schedule for the work, which the Air Force is analyzing. He did not describe the change Boeing wants to make.

During a call with executives, a Bank of America analyst challenged Calhoun about issues affecting a half-dozen different Boeing models.

“These programs are big and they are complicated,” Calhoun said, adding that the company will get “a whole lot better.”

Jeff Windau, an analyst for Edward Jones, said he believes Boeing leaders “are trying to change their culture and revitalize the engineering approach. Time will tell how things progress.”

Calhoun said in a memo to employees that while the pandemic continues to challenge the airplane market, the company sees 2021 as a turning point as vaccines distributed more rapidly.

Excluding one-time items, Boeing’s loss was $1.53 per share. Analysts expected a loss of 97 cents per share, according to a FactSet survey.

The loss was smaller than the $628 million loss Boeing reported a year earlier, when the pandemic was just starting to hit the airline industry. In the first quarter of pre-pandemic 2019, the company earned $2.15 billion on revenue of $22.92 billion.

Revenue fell 10% from a year earlier, to $15.22 billion, nearly matching the $15.23 billion that analysts expected. Boeing generated cash when regulators in the U.S. and other countries allowed the company to resume deliveries of 737 Max jets, which were grounded for nearly two years after two crashes that killed 346 people.

Boeing delivered 77 commercial planes in the quarter, up from 50 in the same period last year, although revenue from those sales dropped.

The company’s defense and space business accounted for nearly half of Boeing revenue, and it earned a profit as revenue climbed 19%.

Last week, the company announced that the board raised Calhoun’s retirement age from 65 to 70, meaning he won’t be forced to step down next April. At the same time, Boeing said Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith, 54, will retire in July, a move that caught Wall Street off guard. Analysts speculated that Smith saw his path to the top job closed off by Calhoun’s extended term.

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Chicago Bears 7-Round Mock Draft: Risking it all to get a QB by Vincent Parise

2021 NFL Draft: Teddy Bridgewater trade helps Chicago Bears by Jordan Campbell

While speaking with reporters ahead of the start of the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace did not hide his feeling towards the quarterback class for this year’s draft.

As the Bears prepare for making a first round selection for the first time in three years, all eyes are on the quarterback position. The quarterback position has been the primary focus for the Bears ever since team president Ted Phillips admitted in January that the team has failed to get the quarterback position right.

The Bears took a big swing initially at trying to solve their quarterback issues. Between late February and early March, the Bears and Seattle Seahawks were engaged in trade discussions regarding Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson. The Bears ultimately offered the Seahawks a trade package that included three first round draft picks, a second round draft pick, and two defensive starters. The Seahawks, however, made the decision that they were not ready to trade Wilson.

The Bears had to make a quick pivot after failing to acquire to Wilson and signed veteran Andy Dalton to a one-year deal. Even with Dalton in the fold, the common theory is that the plan at the quarterback position that Pace and head coach Matt Nagy presented ownership back in January likely was not centered around having Dalton as the team’s starting quarterback.

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Pace’s comments on Tuesday would seem to indicate as much as the general manager praised the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class.

“To be honest, just the depth, the totality of that group, it is deep this year,” Pace said. “And they’re all different. Every team is going to evaluate each one of these players different, no different than any position. You’re not going through every position, but every year you feel different areas of the draft where there’s depth, and sometimes we’ve been able to take advantage of that.

Pace also added that he believed that the Bears were a good fit for a rookie quarterback considering the presence of both Dalton and backup Nick Foles as potential mentors.

One thing is clear, it would be negligible for the Bears to not select a quarterback at some point during the 2021 NFL Draft. The question becomes will the Bears gamble and trade up in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft in an attempt to secure one of the top five prospects in the draft or will they be content with one of the mid-tier quarterback prospects?

The answer to that question is clear. The Bears must do whatever it takes to move up in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and select one of the top five quarterback prospects. As of now, it would appear that either Justin Fields or Trey Lance would be the most realistic options for the Bears in the event that they were to trade up. Though, if the San Francisco 49ers decided to throw everything out the window and select Lance with the third overall selection, then all bets are off.

Related Story: Chicago Bears risk it all and land Justin Fields

Thursday night will be the night that Pace attempts to save his job as the Chicago Bears’ general manager with a plan that should include a move for a quarterback in the first round.

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Free Your Mind

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Free is not Free

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By Tiffany Grant,
today at 10:32 am

Just because you got something for free doesn’t mean it didn’t cost the giver anything. Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you paid a ticketed price, especially a high cost, that what you’re getting is more valuable than what someone freely gave you. Free to you doesn’t mean free to the giver.

Webster’s Dictionary describes real value as the power to procure or produce good. Set your values on what you receive for your good and what you can make good. Remember you don’t always have to pay the cost for the most valuable things you have.

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The Chicago Bears appear to be poised to take Davis Mills, Kyle Trask, or Kellen Mond in the NFL Draft this weekend. Each of these second-tier prospects comes with their own risk.

The post Report: Chicago Bears doing homework on QB’s on Day 2? first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the “Vax Pass” is still just a concept, but the idea is to use it as a carrot, instead of a stick, to bolster vaccination rates among young people most likely to attend outdoor music events this summer.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday said the proposal to create a coronavirus vaccine passport for Chicago events is “very much a work in progress” and she’ll have “more to say on that in the coming days.”

But, the concept is to use the “Vax Pass” as a carrot, instead of a stick, to bolster vaccination rates among young people most likely to attend outdoor music events like Lollapalooza and Riot Fest.

“We’re gonna be looking at ways in which we can incentivize people to get vaccinated and do that by looking at preferred seating. Preferred admission,” she said.

Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady on Tuesday had said the city will launch the vaccination passport program next month, but stopped short of saying large summer events such as Lollapalooza are officially back on.

Lightfoot discussed the program Wednesday at an unrelated event in Bronzeville, where she also sounded the alarm once again about the need to get vaccinated.

Vaccine “uptake among Black Chicagoans still lags behind every other demographic,” the mayor said, and that needs to change, particularly among African-Americans between the ages of 18 and 44.

“We need you to get vaccinated. Do it, of course, for yourself, but [also] for your family, for your grandparents. When you get vaccinated , it’s gonna be an easier return to a different life. I won’t say a normal old life because I don’t think that’s ever coming back. But I think the opportunities for opening up the city increase with the number of people who get vaccinated,” the mayor said.

“So, please folks. There’s plenty of opportunity now all over the city to get vaccinated for free. … Don’t be a bystander. Get in the game. Get yourself vaccinated.”

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The 2021-2022 season marks the first time in Steppenwolf history that all works will be written exclusively by ensemble members.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company on Wednesday announced its 2021-2022 comeback season, which will see a planned return to in-person productions and the debut of its highly anticipated 50,000-square-foot theater building/education center.

“Steppenwolf is first and foremost a Chicago theater, and that understanding has guided the design of every inch of the building,” said Steppenwolf artistic director Anna D. Shapiro. “Our company’s role is to create experiences that are in conversation with the diverse life of our hometown and that motivate youth and adults toward participating in a future that is aware, connected and inclusive.”

Every production slated for the season, either streaming online or live on-stage, is written by a Steppenwolf ensemble member, with new virtual works by Tina Landau, Tracy Letts and Tarell Alvin McCraney planned for the fall.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

In November, in-person audiences will be invited to Steppenwolf’s main stage theater for a revival of Letts’ “Bug,” directed by David Cromer, with Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood reprising their roles in the production which closed last March amid the mandated pandemic shut-down of all theaters. (For in-person productions/events, the company will adhere to the pandemic safety protocols in place at time/date of presentation.)

The Downstairs Theater will also include several 2020-2021 productions postponed due to the pandemic, including the world premiere of “King James” by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Shapiro, and a newly staged production of “Choir Boy” directed by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney.

In April 2022, Yasen Peyankov’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Seagull” will mark the official opening of the new center’s Round Theater.

Courtesy Steppenwolf Theatre

Here’s a look at the virtual streams announced Wednesday:

• Three Short Plays by ensemble member Tracy Letts (streaming in September):

1) ”The Old Country,” an animated short, directed by Patrick Zakem and featuring William Petersen, Karen Rodriguez and Mike Nussbaum: “Two men in a diner drain the last drops of their coffees and think about ordering dessert. In the denouement of their (physical, intellectual, and sexual) lives, they wax nostalgic and try to communicate across a wide divide.”

2) “Night Safari,” a monologue directed by Patrick Zakem, starring Rainn Wilson. “The nocturnal habits of the Panamanian Night Monkey, the life cycle of the Paradoxical Frog and the mating rituals of middle-aged male homo sapiens. This wry monologue poses the question: Are we so distant from the whims of our biology?”

3) “The Stretch,” a monologue directed by Anna D. Shapiro: “And they’re off, for the 108th running of the El Dorado Stakes! But this race is long distance … and maybe not what it first seems.”

• A New Play (a filmed play, title to be announced at later date, streaming in October) written by ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Amy Morton, “a one-act told through a series of confessional monologues.”

• “The Light Remains” (a filmed play streaming in November) written and directed by Tina Landau: “Six solo short stories culminate in one shared, explosive act in a tale about what’s been lost and the myriad ways in which we grieve — including celebration and laughter.”

Here’s the on-stage lineup:

• “Bug,” (Nov. 11-Dec. 12 in the Downstairs Theater), written byTracy Letts and directed by David Cromer

• “King James” (Feb. 24-April 3, 2022, in the Downstairs Theater), a world premiere written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Anna D. Shapiro

• “Seagull” (April 28-June 12, 2022, in the Round Theater), translated, adapted and directed by Yasen Peyankov

• “Choir Boy” (June 16-July 24, 2022), written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Kent Gash

For complete information on the season’s productions, including the Steppenwolf for Young Adults’ series, and tickets/memberships, visit steppenwolf.org. Single tickets for the fall virtual offerings will be made available closer to the streaming dates.

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The draft starts Thursday night with the first round and wraps up Saturday with the final four rounds.

All eyes in the football world will be focused on Cleveland the next few days for the 2021 NFL Draft, which kicks off Thursday night with the first round of selections. The three-day event will continue Friday evening with Rounds 2-3 before the final four rounds are held Saturday afternoon.

Unlike a year ago, when the NFL was forced hold the draft virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s draft extravaganza will include on-site coverage at several locations in downtown Cleveland, including FirstEnergy Stadium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.

Some of the top prospects available will take the stage in Cleveland after their selections, while others will participate remotely similar to last year’s proceedings.

The intrigue over this year’s draft really starts with the No. 2 overall pick given the expectation that the Jaguars will take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall. Several other quarterbacks, including BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, are also expected to go off the board early in the first round.

2021 NFL Draft schedule

All seven rounds will be broadcast live on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. You can also stream the draft via the ESPN app and the NFL app.

(all times Central)

Round 1: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Rounds 2-3: Friday, 6 p.m.

Rounds 4-7: Saturday, 11 a.m.

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