Benjamin Barber was shot Saturday morning on West Monroe Street.
A 62-year-old man has died a day after he was wounded in a shooting over the weekend in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.
Benjamin Barber was shot at 6:10 a.m. Saturday in the 3900 block of West Monroe Street, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
He was on a sidewalk outside his home when someone came up, took out a handgun and opened fire, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Spicuzza said.
Barber was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 9:48 a.m. Sunday, the medical examiner’s office said. Autopsy results showed he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
No one was in custody as of Monday, Spicuzza said.
Barber was one of 25 people shot in Chicago over the weekend.
The NHL and NBC reportedly will not agree to a new broadcast deal. | David Zalubowski/AP
Turner Sports reportedly will be the league’s secondary broadcast partner. ESPN will be the primary broadcaster.
A broadcast partner for the last 16 years, NBC won’t air NHL games beyond the 2021 season, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The NHL Board of Governors is expected to hold a call sometime this week regarding the future broadcast rights, most of which will belong to ESPN after this season.
Sports Business Journal first reported the news Monday.
This refers to the league’s national broadcast rights, and does not affect the Blackhawks’ agreement with NBC Sports Chicago.
NBC has been the lone network rights-holder for more than a decade. But last month, ESPN became the primary network partner for the league in a deal that saw the NHL essentially split its broadcast rights.
That would have left NBC playing second fiddle, and it has now pulled out of talks.
According to multiple reports Monday, Turner will become the league’s secondary broadcast partner. Three of the next seven Stanley Cups will fall under the Turner umbrella, while ESPN will command four. Both agreements are for seven years.
NBC will still carry the league through this summer’s Stanley Cup, which is scheduled to end by mid-July in advance of NBC’s Olympic coverage.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman watched other major sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA reap financial windfalls primarily thanks to portioning out its broadcast rights deals. After a decade-plus at one shop, Bettman and the league were determined to find more than one exclusive broadcast partner.
The NHL was also keen on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform ESPN+ that also runs through Hulu (NBC does have its own subscription service, Peacock). ESPN aired NHL games before the 2004-05 lockout but has not since then.
Turner, thanks to its ownership of other brands, such as Bleacher Report, is also well-positioned digitally.
Nonetheless, NBC carried the NHL through its post-lockout years and into this decade. NBC also helped lead coverage of the Winter Classic and other events, culminating with two outdoor games at Lake Tahoe this past winter.
Until last season, legendary broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick was the network’s No. 1 play-by-play announcer. Between lead analyst Eddie Olcyzk and “between-the-glass’ reporter Pierre McGuire, the trio became synonymous with the biggest hockey moments over the last decade.
And come 2028, perhaps the network could re-enter the picture.
Andrew Shaw retired Monday after 544 career games and two Stanley Cups. | Stacy Revere/Getty Images
“Listening to doctors for once in my life, we finally made a decision it would be best for me to step away from the game,” Shaw said Monday. “For my long-term health, it’s best that I do so.”
Andrew Shaw isn’t sure about his final career concussion total. But he knows it was “a lot.” And this year, for the first time in his life, Shaw listened to the doctors telling him he couldn’t risk increasing it.
The 29-year-old Blackhawks forward officially announced his retirement Monday.
“Going through [the recovery process] over and over again, like I have the past few years, just doesn’t seem like a good quality of life,” Shaw said. “The doctors didn’t think I should keep putting myself through that.”
Shaw finishes his career with two Stanley Cup rings from 2013 and 2015. He scored 247 points in 544 regular-season games for the Hawks and Canadiens, plus 35 more in 72 postseason games.
But Shaw’s playing career will always be more defined by his scrappy, lionhearted playing style and goofy, instantly room-warming personality than by his solid yet unremarkable production. Those traits earned him the nickname “Mutt” around Chicago, a city he loves truly just as much as it loves him.
“I thank everyone who took a 20-year-old mutt and gave him a home,” he said. “I’m going to miss the blue-collar mentality this city has.”
Former coach Joel Quenneville, a unique man himself, embraced Shaw’s own uniqueness and gave him a large role during the later years of the Hawks’ championship era.
The move paid dividends, allowing Shaw’s resilience and optimism to become signature aspects of the entire team approach.
“His energy and his excitement and his personality was fun to be around,” general manager Stan Bowman said. “It was the perfect marriage when he got to our team… We had some different players here, maybe on the more serious side, and he lightened things up.”
“There wasn’t a game that went by where I felt 100 percent, because the game before I took some blows or threw some blows,” Shaw added. “But just to battle through it rubbed off on some people. I’d like to think it helped us win Cups.”
Those Cups won’t be his absolute favorite memories from his career, though. That honor goes to one of the most simple pleasures: “Sitting in the room with the guys.”
“The brotherhood and how we razz each other every day — me being one of the ones razzing most people — I’m going to miss that,” he said.
Elise Amendola/AP file photoShaw was a major part of the Blackhawks’ 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup titles.
Shaw’s 2019 return to Chicago, coming off a career-high 47-point season in Montreal, could have led to another lengthy, memorable stint with the Hawks. He scored in the first period of the 2019-20 home opener against the Stars and had the crowd “buzzing,” as Alex DeBrincat remembered Monday.
But his head ultimately couldn’t endure the beating. Shaw suffered a concussion Nov. 30 of last season, just 26 games in, and the lengthy, grueling recovery process ended his season.
He returned for training camp this January in high spirits but lasted only 14 games before suffering another concussion Feb. 9, when an unwieldy elbow from Stars defenseman Joel Hanley caught him up high.
Shaw worked during recent offseasons on techniques to better protect his head, but ultimately realized following his natural instincts on the ice would continue to put him in “vulnerable situations.”
True to himself from his first day in the NHL to his last, that meant this had to be the end.
Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry said in a statement Monday that the Hawks “advised him to discontinue his career” and are “very supportive of his decision to prioritize his long-term health.”
Fortunately, the recovery from this season’s concussion hasn’t been as long and demoralizing as from last season’s. Shaw said he’s mentally “in a good place” now, although there are still some “minor things” to work through.
He’s hoping to spend more time with his wife and two young children and help his dad build a new house — “that’ll be fun, it’ll keep me busy for now,” he said — before eventually looking for employment in the off-ice hockey world. His contract will remain on long-term injured reserve until it expires in July 2022.
“It’s not a goodbye,” he added. “I’m going to be around. You’re going to see this awesome face. You’re going to hear this awesome voice a lot more.”
Notes: Hawks forward Ryan Carpenter was placed in concussion protocol Monday after a high hit by Predators defenseman Erik Gudbranson on Friday. Colliton said Carpenter is “likely to miss some time.” … Defenseman Calvin de Haan also remained out from practice with his hip injury; Colliton said he’s “not likely to play in the near future,” either.
You could argue that the J. Parker rooftop is the Van Gogh of the Chicago rooftop dining scene. And now, with your ticket to the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit you can hit up the J. Parker rooftop for a complimentary appetizer on the same day. Here’s what you need to know.
The J. Parker is a stunning rooftop restaurant and lounge located atop the Hotel Lincoln and is offering a special dining offer for those attending the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit. You may recognize the Hotel Lincoln as the home to another gem on the Chicago culinary scene, Sushi Suite 202. The J. Parker, sitting atop the hotel, offers patrons spectacular and unobstructed 180 degree views of the skyline, Lincoln Park, and Lake Michigan.
Guests that show same-day admission tickets for their experience at Germania Club will receive a complimentary appetizer ($9-$14 value) with the purchase of an appetizer and a cocktail, beer or wine.
Small plate selections include: buffalo cauliflower; truffle fries ($1 donated to BOKA GIVES); sweet potato waffle fries, soy ginger chicken wings, crispy brussels sprouts; and caesar salad. Emily Neff, beverage director at The J. Parker, features seven signature cocktails, along with midwestern craft brews and an array of global wine. The food and beverage menus can be found here. The retractable roof makes for an all climate, dining and drink destination. The J. Parker is currently open Monday-Thursday, 5pm-11pm; Friday and Saturday 3pm-midnight; and Sunday 3pm to 11pm. You can also indulge in breakfast in the skies from 7am to 11am.
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Anybody can tell you that the J. Parker is a must-visit destination for both Chicagoans and tourists alike. The views and drink selections are unmatched and the overall atmosphere makes it one of the most enjoyable rooftop experiences in the city. The J. Parker is located at 1816 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614.
The Chicago Cubs have been inconsistent on offense since the start of the 2021 Major League Baseball regular season and it is tied to the boom or bust structure of their current lineup. If the Cubs’ lineup is not hitting home runs, then there is a strong chance that they are striking out. That has […]
Glenn Close dances along with “Da Butt” in front of a laughing Lil Rel Howery during Sunday’s Oscars. | ABC
The switcheroo in the order, announcing best actor last instead of best picture, was a gamble that did not pay off.
The 93rd annual Academy Awards were always going to be a bit surreal this year.
The pandemic changed many of the usual rhythms and traditions of the Oscars on Sunday night. There was a glamour-filled red carpet but no onlookers or teams of publicists. There were in-person, mask-less winners but not in the usual order, and the speeches were never drowned out with play-off music.
Compounding the differences this year was a telecast, steered by producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacy Sher, that wanted a new look and feel to an often stodgy, persistently unchanging ceremony.
But what was with that ending? How staged was Glenn Close’s dance? And where, oh where, was the play-off music? Here’s my best try to answer some of the nights befuddlements.
The ending — why?
The Oscars have known more dramatic and more shambolic endings (“Envelopegate” was a mere four years ago) but this may have set a new bar for anti-climactic. You would swear someone even played a sad trombone.
Going into Sunday, the show’s producers had said they wanted to take “some big swings” in the telecast. One turned out to be switching the normal awards order. Best director, usually one of the final awards, was handed out mid-show. Best picture was third-to-last and the night’s final two awards were best actress and best actor. Presumably, the thinking was that best actor would go to Chadwick Boseman (he won virtually every best-actor trophy leading up to the Oscars), and thus end the ceremony on a meaningful note of tribute.
Todd Wawrychuk/A.M.P.A.S.When Joaquin Phoenix announced the best actor Oscar went to Anthony Hopkins, the winner was not present to accept it,
But there had been hints of an upset. Two weeks earlier, Anthony Hopkins won at the BAFTAs, an award he was also absent for — though the show managed to track him down in his native Wales to talk to the BAFTA press. The Oscars had pressed nominees to attend, if possible, or join from a remote location. But the 83-year-old Hopkins (who became the oldest actor to win an Oscar, his second) elected not to travel to Los Angeles or the hub in London. Knighted living legends who adore the Welsh countryside get to do that. Only the next morning did Sir Anthony, with a bucolic vista behind him, post an Instagram video of thanks, and a few words on the late Boseman. “At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get his award, I really didn’t,” he said.
Posthumous Oscars are also hard to come by. There’s a reason it’s only happened twice before among actors (Peter Finch and Heath Ledger). For some voters, it can seem like a wasted vote, since the honoree isn’t there to accept it. And one of the longest Oscar seasons ever (the ceremony was postponed two months) may have sapped some of the momentum for Boseman, who died last August; some may have felt he had been already honored by previous awards like at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Perhaps the Independent Spirit Awards on Thursday
supplied foreshadowing when Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) was chosen over Boseman.
The Oscars haven’t always ended with best picture, but it’s been more than 40 years since another category was last. Even the best-picture winners — who usually conclude the telecast with trophies raised — weren’t expecting it.
“It surely was a surprise,” said “Nomadland” producer Dan Janvey backstage to reporters. “I think a lot of us grew up watching the Oscars and I’ve gotten used to it being last.”
But on Sunday, the category switcheroo culminated in an absent winner and a strange empty-stage finale — a fitting end to a thoroughly strange movie year.
Where was the play-off music?
No snark was part of the mandate of this year’s Oscars, Sher said. From top to bottom, the show was a sincere celebration of cinema and the night’s nominees. Introductions were lengthy and detailed. And when winners clutched their Oscars, they were given wide latitude to speak. Not once did music director Questlove turn up the music. This was partly because the show had more time. Performances of the best song nominees were pre-taped and aired during the red-carpet preshow, meaning the broadcast — which also had few comedy bits — wasn’t in a race. That went with the overall tone of the show: to earnestly celebrate the artistry and craft of moviemaking. On-camera talent, Soderbergh noted before the show, only accounts for a fraction of a film set.
Why did Frances McDormand howl?
“We give this one to our wolf,” McDormand said while accepting the best picture award for “Nomadland.” It was a way to honor Michael Wolf Snyder, the film’s production sound mixer, who died in March at the age of 35. “That howling to the moon is for Wolf,” Zhao explained to members of the press. McDormand earlier said of Snyder in a statement to Variety: “Wolf recorded our heartbeats. Our every breath. For me, he is ‘Nomadland.’”
Was Glenn Close’s dance rehearsed?
Well of course it was. Close did her best to suggest her knowledge of Experience Unlimited’s “Da Butt” (featured in Spike Lee’s “School Daze”) was completely off the cuff, but Lil Rel Howery acknowledged during the post-show that their music trivia bit had been discussed beforehand. Still, credit the 74-year-old Close for being willing to boogie shortly after losing out on an Oscar for the eighth time — a record among living performers.
Kirk Rivers addresses demonstrators outside City Hall as they await members of the city council who held an emergency meeting on Friday, April 23, 2021, in Elizabeth City, N.C., in regards to the death of Andrew Brown Jr., who was shot and killed by a Pasquotank County Deputy Sheriff earlier in the week. | AP
Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter watched a 20-second portion of body camera video with the family of Andrew Brown Jr. on Monday. She said Brown did not appear to be a threat to officers as he backed his vehicle out and tried to drive away.
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — A Black man killed by deputies in North Carolina was shot in the back of his head and had his hands on the car steering wheel when they opened fire, attorneys for the family said Monday after body camera video was shown to his relatives.
Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter watched a 20-second portion of body camera video with the family of Andrew Brown Jr. on Monday. She said Brown did not appear to be a threat to officers as he backed his vehicle out and tried to drive away.
“He was not threatening them in any kind of fashion,” she told reporters at a news conference.
When asked whether Brown was shot in the back, attorney Harry Daniels said, “Yes, back of the head.”
An eyewitness account and emergency scanner traffic had previously indicated Brown was shot in the back as he tried to drive away.
Lassiter, who watched the video multiple times and took notes, said shooting started as soon as the video started. She said she counted as many as eight deputies in the video, some wearing tactical uniforms and some in plainclothes.
“They’re shooting and saying let me see your hands at the same time,” she said.
The family’s lawyers also criticized local authorities for only showing 20 seconds of the video and only showing them footage from a single body camera.
“They’re trying to hide something,” attorney Benjamin Crump said.
Earlier Monday, a search warrant was released saying deputies obtained the warrant that brought them there after investigators recorded him selling small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine to an informant. Crump argued the authorities were trying to release negative information about Brown while shielding themselves by holding back the video.
Brown’s fatal shooting last Wednesday in Elizabeth City has prompted days of protests, calls for the public release of deputy body camera video and civil rights leaders decrying that warrants should not lead to a fatal shooting. Signs including emergency scanner traffic and an eyewitness account had already indicated Brown was shot in the back as he was trying to drive away. Authorities have released few details.
Despite being able to rejoin the team, Morgan said from then on she was “super uncomfortable” being alone with her coach and other players’ parents. | Pat Nabong/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 mostly sunny with a high near 76 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 63 degrees. A taste of summer is in store for tomorrow, which will be sunny and humid with a high near 84 degrees.
Morgan Urso tried many sports as a young child and didn’t like any of them. Everything changed at age 10 when she went to hockey practice with her brother.
“I ended up loving the game,” Morgan said. “The feeling of the fresh air hitting my face every shift is a feeling that I’d take any day.”
Now a high school sophomore, Morgan’s zeal for the game took a hit when her club hockey team unexpectedly banned her from practice, games and team activities.
The Urso family, who lives in La Grange, recently sued Team Illinois Hockey and the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois for disability discrimination, claiming Morgan was suspended after she told a coach about her mental illness.
During her freshman year in 2019, Morgan experienced a severe depressive episode, resulting in her going to an outpatient program and being given new medication.
Morgan said her coach, Team Illinois Hockey Director Larry Pedrie, was initially supportive. “He said if I needed to be an assistant coach on the bench with him or if I wanted to go out and skate or miss, I could do whatever I needed to,” Morgan said.
Morgan’s mother, Kelly Urso, said she received a call the next day and was informed that Pedrie had spoken with Mike Mullally, USA hockey director at the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, and they had decided to bar Morgan from all Team Illinois practices, games and other activities.
“I remember saying, ‘What?’ a lot, like, how did he decide this,” Urso said. “He just kept saying, ‘I have [Team Illinois’] full board support, this is what AHAI has advised us to do.’ I ended up hanging up on him because I got so emotional.”
It’s not in the latest sandwich offering from Buona.
The iconic Chicago purveyor of beef sandwiches is adding a plant-based Italian beefless sandwich to its restaurant menu starting Monday.
The vegetarian- and vegan-friendly seitan meat sandwich mimics its classic Original Buona Beef counterpart, except for the main ingredient. Everything from the vegetable-based gravy and bread to Buona’s iconic giardiniera was already vegan. The new sandwich retails for $7.99 (available only in the 7-inch size) and is now on the menu at all 24 Buona locations for a limited time.
ProvdedChicago’s Buona is offering a plant-based, beefless sandwich.
“The sandwich is the result of a partnership with Upton’s Natural, a locally based creator of seitan,” said Candice Jordan, director of marketing for Buona. “We have separate production area where we make the ‘beef’ and seasoned vegan gravy on-site at our main distribution center, and then it is sent to each of our locations, which now have their own vegan production area.”
“It’s been almost two years of development to bring it to fruition. We went through a lot of flavorings until we got it right and the [Buona] family helped make sure the vegan sandwich was up to their authentic recipe.” The company, based in Berwyn, was founded 40 years ago by the Buonavolanto family.
At the recommendation of doctors following his latest concussion, Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw announced his retirement from the NHL this morning. “There comes a time when every athlete needs to realize when their health is a priority and a future with their family is what is most important,” Shaw said in a statement. “That point for me is now.”
Among those killed was Bryone Dupart, who was found on the street Friday night in the 900 block of West 61st Street.
Four people were killed and 21 others were wounded in shootings across Chicago over the weekend, including a man killed Friday night in Englewood on the South Side.
About 10:35 p.m., officers found Bryone Dupart, 27, lying unresponsive on the street in the 900 block of West 61st Street, Chicago police said. He had suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen and leg and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
There were no witnesses and no additional details were available from police.
A 36-year-old man was shot to death early Sunday in Humboldt Park on the Northwest Side.
Duntae Manuel was sitting in a vehicle about 12:30 a.m. in the 3900 block of West Thomas Street when the gunman approached him on foot and fired shots, police said.
He was shot in the head and body and was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t yet released details on his death.
Hours earlier, a 30-year-old woman was fatally shot late Saturday in Roseland on the Far South Side.
About 10:20 p.m., she was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in the 500 block of East 103rd Street, when shots were fired, police said. She was struck in the head, body, and rushed to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead.
Saturday morning, a 62-year-old man was fatally wounded in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. Benjamin Barber was shot at 6:10 a.m. in the 3900 block of West Monroe Street, according to the medical examiner’s office.
He was on a sidewalk outside his home when someone came up, took out a handgun and opened fire, striking him in the groin area and hip, police said Barber was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 9:48 a.m. Sunday, the medical examiner’s office said. No arrest had been made.
In nonfatal attacks, a 16-year-old boy was hurt in a shooting early Monday in West Pullman in the Far South Side.
The teen boy was standing on the sidewalk about 2:45 a.m. in the first block of East Kensington Avenue when someone inside a dark-colored vehicle fired shots, police said. He was shot in the leg and self-transported in good condition to St. Margaret Hospital in Hammond, Indiana, police said.
Officers initially said the boy was killed in the incident, according to police.
Also Saturday, another 16-year-old boy was shot in Little Village on the Southwest Side.
About 5:10 p.m., he was standing in the 3300 block of West 28th Street, when a vehicle approached, two people got out and fired shots, police said. He was struck in both legs, the hand, and rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital in good condition.
At least 19 others were wounded in shootings between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.
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Walk-ins now welcome at all six COVID-19 mass vaccination sites in suburban Cook County
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-TimesMembers of the Illinois National Guard and workers help set up the county’s sixth large-scale community vaccination site in Matteson, Tuesday afternoon, April 13, 2021.
Starting Monday, all six COVID-19 mass vaccination sites in suburban Cook County will start accepting walk-in appointments.
While scheduling appointments in advance are still encouraged, walk-ins will be welcomed at the county’s mass vaccination sites Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For help finding an appointment in Chicago, visit zocdoc.com or call (312) 746-4835.
3:37 p.m. Pritzker announces $60 million state program to help combat vaccine hesitancy
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and health care leaders announced a new program Monday aimed at dispelling myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine in vulnerable communities and get resources into the hands of people who are still being infected by the virus.
“This program is about one-on-one connections involving established, trusted members of the community,” Pritzker said at the news conference. “Whether that is a federally qualified health center or a church, an LGBTQ+ center, a senior center or a local branch of the NAACP.”
The Pandemic Health Navigator program will help residents in over 100 counties statewide get vaccinated or answer any concerns have about the vaccine. It will also help those who have contracted the coronavirus by getting resources directly to them. Those resources include connecting families to food, educational resources, rental assistance and utility assistance.
Pritzker said his administration has worked hard to make the vaccine easily accessible with about 9 million people already receiving doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but the state needs to do more than make shots available to people.
1:43 p.m. 2021 Chosen Few picnic postponed; online event scheduled for July 4 weekend
Chicagoans craving a semblance of live summer musicin the city are taking yet another hit to their plans as a popular local event rebrands as a virtual festival due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Chosen Few Picnic & House Music Festival, which takes place annually in Jackson Park, has postponed their usual slate of in-person activities in favor of a July 3, online event according to an official announcement Monday.
Last spring, the group consisting of DJs Wayne Williams, Jesse Saunders, Alan King, Andre Hatchett, Mike Dunn and Terry Hatcher, made a similar announcement, and despite ideas to hold an in-person socially-distanced show, the group wants to wait for an actual picnic and festival — a popular event on the social calendar of many Black Chicagoans — local house heads know and love.
12:32 p.m. With graduations virtual, Chicago college students dream of in-person, multi-school ceremony at Soldier Field
With only weeks before Chicago colleges face yet another graduation period during the pandemic, many schools have again made plans for virtual ceremonies this spring.
That’s led some students to take matters into their own hands.
Three Columbia College Chicago students have launched a campaign called #CommenceAnyways to hold an in-person ceremony at Soldier Field — which would not involve campus administration in any way.
“I’ve learned and grown so much during my time being a college student, and it’s really this moment to be celebrated,” said organizer Nathan Branch.
Branch, along with classmates Jahmelah Miller and Alice Scharf, started the initiative as an event for CCC students, but have since opened up their Eventbrite ticket page for all Chicago-area graduating students.
According to the organizers, this would be the first in-person citywide graduation event in Chicago for college students, although last year, the city hosted a citywide virtual graduation for high school seniors.
“We set out to be the change we wanted to see,” Miller said. “After a few weeks of getting feedback we decided not only Columbia students deserved this effort but all college students. We have all worked so hard and deserve this moment.”
The campaign involves a social media push for donations on their gofundme page. In a video, several Chicago students expressed why they find the campaign important.
“As a first generation immigrant, graduation means a lot to me and my family,” said Bichoy Boutros, fashion design major at CCC,. “So thank you to #commenceanyways for making that happen.”
11:23 a.m. EU launches legal action against vaccine-maker AstraZeneca
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive branch said Monday that it has launched legal action against coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the 27-nation bloc.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been central to Europe’s immunization campaign, and a linchpin in the global strategy to get vaccines to poorer countries. But the slow pace of deliveries has frustrated the Europeans and they have held the company responsible for partly delaying their vaccine rollout.
European Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said that Brussels launched the legal action against AstraZeneca last Friday “on the basis of breaches of the advance purchase agreement.”
He said the reason for the legal action was that “some terms of the contract have not been respected” and that “the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure a timely delivery of doses.”
AstraZeneca’s contract with the EU, which was signed by the Commission on behalf of the member countries last August, foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among member countries, with an option for a further 100 million.
The British-Swedish drugmaker had hoped to deliver 80 million doses of that in the first quarter of 2021, but only 30 million were sent. According to the Commission, the company is now set to provide 70 million doses in the second quarter, rather than the 180 million it had promised.
AstraZeneca said in a statement that it “regrets” the Commission’s decision to take legal action and that it will “strongly defend” itself in court.
“We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible,” AstraZeneca said. It said deliveries are improving “following an unprecedented year of scientific discovery, very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges.”
“We are making progress addressing the technical challenges and our output is improving, but the production cycle of a vaccine is very long which means these improvements take time to result in increased finished vaccine doses,” it said.
10:09 a.m. From rotten teeth to advanced cancer, patients feeling effects of pandemic-era treatment delays
With medical visits picking up again among patients vaccinated against covid-19, health providers are starting to see the consequences of a year of pandemic-delayed preventive and emergency care as they find more advanced cancer and rotting and damaged teeth, among other ailments.
Dr. Brian Rah, chair of the cardiology department at Montana’s Billings Clinic, was confused in the early days of the covid pandemic. Why the sudden drop in heart attack patients at the Billings Clinic? And why did some who did come arrive hours after first feeling chest pains?
Two patients, both of whom suffered greater heart damage by delaying care, provided what came to be typical answers. One said he was afraid of contracting covid by going to the hospital. The other patient went to the emergency room in the morning, left after finding it too crowded, and then returned that night when he figured there would be fewer patients — and a lower risk of catching covid.
“For a heart attack patient, the first hour is known as the golden hour,” Rah said. After that, the likelihood of death or a lifelong reduction in activities and health increases, he said.
8:52 a.m. Community colleges hope to bring students back to campus this fall
Community colleges across Illinois are cautiously optimistic they will be able to bring back students for in-person classes this fall.
And while a few four-year schools in the Chicago area — including Loyola University Chicago, Columbia College and DePaul University — have announced that students will be required to be vaccinated before returning to campus, most community colleges do not plan to make vaccines mandatory.
After more than a year of nearly all remote coursework, most community colleges said they plan to offer classes four different ways this fall: fully in-person; a hybrid format involving a combination of both in-person and online instruction; virtual classes that involve online synchronous meetings; and fully asynchronous, online classes.
City Colleges of Chicago will offer a range of in-person and remote options for students to take classes this summer and fall, officials said.
“While we strongly encourage all Chicagoans who are eligible to get vaccinated, students will not be required to be vaccinated. We are currently running a COVID-19 testing pilot at three City Colleges of Chicago locations,” said a City Colleges spokeswoman.
The new cases were diagnosed among the 61,299 tests processed by the Illinois Department of Public Health in the last day. That kept the statewide seven-day positivity rate at 3.5%, the lowest its been since the beginning of this month.
As of Saturday night, 3,769,787 people in Illinois were fully vaccinated, meaning two weeks removed from their final dose, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website. That’s about 29.6% of the state’s populations — still well under 80% needed for herd immunity.
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