Cary-Grove beats rival Prairie Ridge in ‘four-yard war’on April 10, 2021 at 11:13 pm

Saturday was a lousy day to watch football, starting out gray and dreary before a steady rain settled in after halftime at Cary-Grove.

But Nick Hissong loved it.

“It’s definitely Cary fullback weather when it’s nice and slippery out,” the 6-1, 230-pound junior said. “We had a lot of practices this week where it was really cruddy like this. It sure helped.”

Running behind a line of Nathan Gamez, Zach Stolz, David Villarreal, Joey Swanson, Niko Neckopoulos and Noah Riley, Hissong rumbled for 114 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-7 Fox Valley win over Prairie Ridge.

The touchdowns came in a 68-second span of the third quarter, sandwiched around Villarreal’s recovery of a fumbled kickoff. They turned a 7-0 deficit into a 14-7 lead for No. 19 Cary-Grove (2-0, 2-0), which hadn’t played since March 20 after being sidelined by COVID-19 protocols.

Hissong wasn’t sure how he kept his balance on the first score, a 20-yarder that featured a few broken tackles. “I just kept running and ended up in the end zone,” he said.

Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg, in his 10th season, considers it a luxury to have a big body like Hissong as a focal point for his offense.

“Since I’ve been the head coach, we’ve never had a fullback that’s 230 pounds,” Seaburg said. “He’s a big guy, He also had some fantastic blocks as well.”

Prairie Ridge coach Chris Schremp knew his defense would have its hands full with Hissong.

“He’s the prototype fullback for this offense,” Schremp said. “We preached to these guys all week, it’s a four-yard war against Cary and let’s battle it out — who’s going to gain or lose four yards. … That’s how it always is. Unfortunately today they won a few more of those wars than we did.”

Cary-Grove's Andy Ciske (6) picks off a pass in the fourth quarter against Prairie Ridge. — Cary-Grove’s Andy Ciske (6) picks off a pass in the fourth quarter against Prairie Ridge.

The Trojans also had an 11-yard TD run by quarterback Jameson Sheehan in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 20-7. It was set up by Andy Ciske’s interception.

That was part of a big day for the Cary-Grove defense, which held Eastern Michigan-bound Carter Evans to 76 yards on 16 carries. He’s the last of three Division I brothers to play for the Wolves after Shane (Northern Illinois/Purdue) and Samson (Iowa/Eastern Michigan).

“I told him after the game, ‘I am so glad your family is done at PR,'” Seaburg said, “For 10 years, there’s been an Evans playing in that program. He’s just a tremendous player.”

The Wolves (2-2, 2-2) scored on one of the longest plays from scrimmage this season by any team in the state.

Will Komar caught a short pass from Taidhgin Trost and turned it into a 98-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.

Trost threw for 140 yards, with Komar catching three passes for 120.

“Turnovers in the second half killed us,” Schremp said. “You can’t make those mistakes against Cary.”

Cary-Grove beats rival Prairie Ridge in ‘four-yard war’on April 10, 2021 at 11:13 pm Read More »

Game Post 4/10on April 10, 2021 at 10:19 pm

Cubs Den

Game Post 4/10

Game Post 4/10on April 10, 2021 at 10:19 pm Read More »

8 shot, 1 fatally, since Friday night in Chicagoon April 10, 2021 at 9:02 pm

One person has been killed and seven others wounded in shootings across Chicago so far this weekend.

The weekend’s lone fatal shooting left a 17-year-old boy dead Friday night in Bridgeport on the South Side.

The teen and two others were sitting in a parked vehicle about 9:45 p.m. in the 200 block of West 37th Street when a black Dodge Durango pulled up and two men exited and began shooting at them, Chicago police said.

Davion Ward, 17, was struck in the back and was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A 16-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the head, and the other person, a man between 18 and 20 years old, was struck in the chest, police said. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

In nonfatal attacks, a teenage boy was shot Saturday morning in Lawndale on the West Side.

The boy, 15, was shot in the lower leg about 5:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Kostner Avenue, Chicago police said. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in good condition.

Earlier Saturday morning, a man was shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side.

The 34-year-old was standing outside about 4 a.m. in the 100 block of East 119th Street when someone inside a red-colored vehicle fired shots, Chicago police said. He was struck five times and taken to Roseland Hospital, where he was stabilized.

In the weekend’s earliest reported shooting, a person was shot Friday night on the Eisenhower Expressway on the West Side.

The driver was shot about 9:30 p.m. near Cicero Avenue, and their injuries were not life-threatening, according to Illinois State Police.

Two more people have been wounded in shootings so far this weekend in Chicago.

Thirty-four people were shot, eight fatally, last weekend in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

8 shot, 1 fatally, since Friday night in Chicagoon April 10, 2021 at 9:02 pm Read More »

Jimmy Rolder’s two interceptions help Marist blank Nazarethon April 10, 2021 at 9:30 pm

Jimmy Rolder’s two interceptions were back breakers.

The Marist linebacker grabbed one right at the goal line in the third quarter and caught the second to kill a drive in the fourth quarter of the No. 6 Redhawks’ 13-0 win against No. 11 Nazareth on Saturday in LaGrange Park.

“It was exciting,” Rolder said of the third quarter interception. “They were driving down and confident coming into the second half and I made a big play. I was just kind of floating in my zone and I saw the receiver coming across the middle and my eyes lit up on that.”

Rolder’s heroics were the standout plays, but the line play on both sides won the game for Marist. The Redhawks held Nazareth to just nine total yards on the ground.

Pat Coogan, Marist’s 6-5, 305 pound offensive lineman, has been helping out on the defensive line in goal line situations this season.

“I’ll get in there a little more against the premier run teams like Mount Carmel and Loyola so I can stop the runner inside,” Coogan said.

Coogan and his teammates on the offensive line helped running back Jamari Grant rush for 156 yards on 30 carries. Grant scored both touchdowns of the game, a one-yard run late in the second quarter and then another one-yard run with 9:42 left.

Coogan, a Notre Dame recruit, is one of a handful of Power 5 recruits in the area that opted to stay and play football in the spring.

“We only have two games left so we have to grind it out,” Coogan said. “It’s been so much fun. It’s kind of surreal at the moment to only have two games left but that is what we’ve got and we are gonna run with it.”

Nazareth’s star quarterback JJ McCarthy, who played this season at IMG in Florida, is already on campus at Michigan.

“Staying was really important for me,” Coogan said. “I owed it to my teammates, my coaches and definitely Marist and the community. And it’s another chance to play football. I discussed it with my parents, my coaches and the coaches at Notre Dame and we agreed that if I was wholeheartedly in on playing that I should play. And I was, so no regrets at all.”

Marist's Patrick Coogan (78) blocks Nazareth's Justin Taylor (2). — Marist’s Patrick Coogan (78) blocks Nazareth’s Justin Taylor (2).

Marist quarterback Dontrell Jackson Jr. was 9-for-15 for 125 yards with one interception. Senior Matthew Rolek caught four passes for 90 yards. Jackson connected with five different receivers.

The Redhawks (3-1) will host St. Patrick next week and then finish the season with a major showdown at home against top-ranked, undefeated Loyola.

Nazareth (2-1) didn’t play the first week of the season and then beat St. Laurence and De La Salle the next two weeks. The Roadrunners will close out the season against Notre Dame and Benet.

Nazareth played three different quarterbacks, junior Aidan Pieper, junior Benjamin Michel and senior Cass Kinsella. Pieper took the bulk of the snaps and was 10-for-21 with one interception.

“[Nazareth] has always been great,” Rolder said. “They beat us last year at home. We just felt good. They came out confident and we came out ready to play. It shows how good we can be when we are all playing as a unit, everyone doing their job and making it work.”

Jimmy Rolder’s two interceptions help Marist blank Nazarethon April 10, 2021 at 9:30 pm Read More »

Blackhawks notebook: Mattias Janmark scratched and more pre-deadline trade buzzBen Popeon April 10, 2021 at 8:21 pm

Mattias Janmark tallied 19 points in 41 games with the Blackhawks but will likely be traded by Monday. | AP Photos

Coach Jeremy Colliton called it an “organizational decision” to scratch Janmark in order to avoid injury and protect his value ahead of the deadline Monday.

Mattias Janmark will be a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks’ game Saturday against the Blue Jackets.

The Hawks are expected to trade Janmark, a pending free agent, before Monday’s 2 p.m. CT deadline and won’t play him in order to avoid injury and protect his value.

Coach Jeremy Colliton called it an “organizational decision to hold him out.” He could fetch something close to a third-round pick or ‘B’-grade prospect in return. He tallied 19 points in 41 games with the Hawks.

“A lot of teams are dealing with stuff like this,” Colliton added. “It’s the time of year. Obviously you address it [to the team], depending on the situation. The message is [to] focus on what you can control.”

Scratching players anticipating trades has been a popular strategy around the NHL this year. Over the past week, the Devils did it with Kyle Palmieri, the Sabres did it with Taylor Hall and the Blue Jackets did it with David Savard. Palmieri was quickly traded to the Islanders, Savard reportedly will be dealt to the Lightning on Saturday and Hall will likely have a new home by Monday.

Meanwhile, Brett Connolly and Riley Stillman — the Hawks’ additions from their trade Thursday — have joined the Hawks and skated with the scratches and taxi squad Saturday.

“[We’ll] just try to get them up to speed so that as much as possible they can prepare so when they do get in, they can play on instinct,” Colliton said. “They’ll skate today with the other guys who aren’t playing, get their legs going and go from there.”

Strome relates to Borgstrom

Henrik Borgstrom, the biggest piece of that Thursday Hawks trade — even if he won’t be seen in Chicago until next season — will get a chance to revive his career after flaming out with the Panthers.

Dylan Strome knows exactly what that feels like. The 2015 third overall selection by the Coyotes, he never found his rhythm in Arizona, playing more AHL games than NHL games. But his November 2018 trade to the Hawks allowed him to grow him into the solid NHL player he is now.

“It changed my career around pretty heavily,” Strome said Saturday. “It wasn’t going too well in Arizona for a while. You get around a new group, new set of faces, new coaches, new everything. It gives you another lease on life.”

He can imagine the same change of scenery aiding Borgstrom.

“It’s the same for a lot of young players,” he said. “You get traded by the team you got drafted by, and they’ve seen you for so long at so many rookie camps, development camps, main camps, and exhibition games. I got to Chicago and you’re in the lineup right away the next day before they even see you. You’ve got to start fresh again and show them what you’ve got. It can work well for a lot of players.”

Kampf could be moved, too

Borgstrom’s addition seemingly pushes David Kampf out of a protection spot for this summer’s Seattle expansion draft.

The Hawks will likely choose Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, Alex Nylander, Strome and Borgstrom in addition to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane (whose no-movement clauses require protection) as their seven protected forwards.

So the Hawks could consider trading Kampf in the coming days. TSN moved Kampf up to 25th on their Trade Bait list Saturday. A source said at least two teams have shown interest.

Kampf has zero goals this season but is strong defensively, on the penalty kill and on faceoffs. He’s allowed the second-fewest opponent shot attempts among Hawks forwards this season.

Blackhawks notebook: Mattias Janmark scratched and more pre-deadline trade buzzBen Popeon April 10, 2021 at 8:21 pm Read More »

Adam Toledo had other man’s gun in his hand when he was fatally shot by Chicago police, prosecutors saySam Kellyon April 10, 2021 at 8:26 pm

A picture of Adam Toledo is taped to a pole at the corner of 24th St. and Spaulding Ave. in the Little Village neighborhood. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The Ruger 9mm handgun that fell from Adam’s hand matches the seven shell casings that were later recovered at the site where Ruben Roman fired the initial shots, prosecutors said.

Days before its public release, Cook County prosecutors on Saturday gave a preview of the video that shows the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, describing the recorded encounter during a bail hearing for the man who allegedly fired the gunshots that drew officers to the Little Village scene last month.

That gun was in the boy’s hand when a police officer shot him in the chest, according to Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy.

Ruben Roman, 21, now faces felony charges of reckless discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, as well as child endangerment and violating probation.

“If the defendant does not bring [Adam] with him at 2:30 in the morning, if he doesn’t bring his gun with him while on gun offender probation, if he doesn’t shoot that gun seven or eight times on a city street with [Adam] standing right next to him… and then fleeing with that gun, none of this would have happened,” Murphy said.

Prosecutors said nearby surveillance video captured the moment Roman fired shots at a passing vehicle while Adam stood next to him on the corner of 24th Street and Sawyer Avenue early on the morning of March 29.

After firing the shots, Roman and Adam ran north on Sawyer and ducked into an alley near 23rd Street, where officers spotted them about a minute later, Murphy said.

One officer tackled Roman and knocked loose a pair of red gloves that were later found to have gunshot residue on them, Murphy said.

The other officer continued to chase Adam, who eventually stopped with his left side facing the officer near a break in a wooden fence in the alley, Murphy said, citing the officer’s bodycam footage. The officer repeatedly told Adam to “drop it,” according to Murphy.

When Adam — who allegedly had a gun in his right hand — turned toward the officer, the officer shot him in the chest, Murphy said.

The officer called for an ambulance and began performing chest compressions on Adam, but Adam was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.

Prosecutors suggested the Ruger 9mm handgun that fell from Adam’s hand had previously been used by Roman. It matched the seven shell casings that were later recovered at the site where Roman fired the initial shots, Murphy said. Adam’s hand later tested positive for gunshot residue as well, prosecutors said.

The approximate location where Chicago police killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo, in an alley way near 24th and Sawyer.

After the shooting, Roman was initially charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. An arrest warrant was issued last week after Roman skipped a court date, and he was found Friday in Maywood hiding in a closet, Murphy said.

Murphy also said that when detectives questioned Roman about Adam’s identity, Roman gave them a fake name. He denied knowing Adam or firing any shots, and claimed that he was in the alley “waiting for a train,” according to Murphy.

Assistant Public Defender Courtney Smallwood said that Roman left high school in the 11th grade but recently enrolled in a GED program, and was waiting on several job opportunities after being unemployed for the last two months.

Smallwood refused to accept Murphy’s claims that Roman was endangering Adam, saying that there was no proof that the gun belonged to Roman, that he was wearing the red gloves that tested positive for gunshot residue or that he even brought Adam outside with him in the first place.

“The victim is dead at the hands of the Chicago police officers, not my client,” Smallwood said.

Judge Susana Ortiz ordered Roman jailed on $150,000 bail. He is due back in court April 19.

Adam’s funeral was held Friday.

Chicago police leaders have canceled days off for officers next week as they prepare for possible demonstrations upon the release of the shooting video. The Toledo family is expected to view it early next week before it’s released publicly, officials have said.

“Transparency always matters, particularly in something as significant as a police-involved shooting,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at an unrelated Saturday morning news conference. “I think it will only help disabuse a lot of urban myths that have sprung up in the void, but I want to be clear: from what’s been described to me, it is going to be a very tough video for people to watch.”

Adam Toledo had other man’s gun in his hand when he was fatally shot by Chicago police, prosecutors saySam Kellyon April 10, 2021 at 8:26 pm Read More »

8 shot, 1 fatally, since Friday night in ChicagoSun-Times Wireon April 10, 2021 at 8:31 pm

At least 6 people were shot, one fatally, in Chicago since 5 p.m. April 10, 2021. — At least eight people have been shot, one fatally, in Chicago since 5 p.m. April 10, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file photo

A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday in the 200 block of West 37th Street.

One person has been killed and seven others wounded in shootings across Chicago so far this weekend.

The weekend’s lone fatal shooting left a 17-year-old boy dead Friday night in Bridgeport on the South Side.

Davion Ward, 17, was struck in the back and was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

In nonfatal attacks, a teenage boy was shot Saturday morning in Lawndale on the West Side.

The boy, 15, was shot in the lower leg about 5:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Kostner Avenue, Chicago police said. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in good condition.

Earlier Saturday morning, a man was shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side.

In the weekend’s earliest reported shooting, a person was shot Friday night on the Eisenhower Expressway on the West Side.

The driver was shot about 9:30 p.m. near Cicero Avenue, and their injuries were not life-threatening, according to Illinois State Police.

Two more people have been wounded in shootings so far this weekend in Chicago.

Thirty-four people were shot, eight fatally, last weekend in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

8 shot, 1 fatally, since Friday night in ChicagoSun-Times Wireon April 10, 2021 at 8:31 pm Read More »

‘Super Bowl of the mind’: Illinois, Northwestern, U. of C. students square off in quiz bowlon April 10, 2021 at 7:32 pm

After months of virtual brain training and preparation, students from three local universities are testing their knowledge and wit this weekend at a national collegiate quiz bowl deemed the “Super Bowl of the mind.”

Northwestern, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois all sent teams to compete at the 2021 National Academic Quiz Tournaments’ Intercollegiate Championship Tournament Saturday, which returned this year — albeit online — after organizers had to cancel the 2020 event due the pandemic.

Thirty-one Division I teams and 32 Division II squads were slated to go head-to-head with one another in a bracket format comparable to college basketball’s March Madness.

The game’s concept is simple, but the questions are complex. Teams of four students race to be the first to correctly answer questions spanning from a wide range of subjects, from sports and pop culture to classic literature and biology.

UChicago, Illinois and Northwestern have the chance to excel in Saturday’s tournament, though the Hyde Park school definitely came in with the upper-hand in terms of experience.

The U. of C. is a quiz bowl powerhouse and has attended the academic competition every year since 2007. It has won an astounding 12 NAQT titles, including 10 since the turn of the century. Most recently, the University of Chicago won the 2018 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament Division II event.

Meanwhile, Illinois has won two NAQT national titles, though the most recent one was more than 15 years ago. And Northwestern has yet to win any. though team president Justin Jasperse said he was hoping to end the program’s drought and establish Northwestern as a place talented quiz bowlers want to go to.

Northwestern team president Justin Jasperse said there’s “definitely a rivalry” between the Illinois universities. He said matches between the state programs are usually the “most intense” of the season and are the ones his squad preps most for.

“We’ve actually been able to place higher than them in the past,” said Jasperse, a third-year Northwestern student majoring in philosophy. “Historically they have done a better game. So when we face them it’s a big rivalry.”

“Every Friday, we do something like watch a movie, or play a game — we do something that isn’t quiz bowl, but might be like trivia,” said Jasperse, who’s competed in at least five collegiate quiz bowls. “We do a lot of things just to bond as a team that’s been kind of a return to normalcy.”

In honor of the quiz bowl, test your knowledge with these sample questions (answers listed below):

1. In this film, a judge relates how the people of Athens once opened their gates to a tyrant they had previously banished. This film’s characters include Harvey Pell, who gives up his deputy’s badge after being passed over for a promotion. Toward the end of this film, Amy Fowler — who is played by Grace Kelly — shoots a man in his back, despite the pacifism of her Quaker religion.

For 10 points–name this Western in which outlaw Frank Miller is faced by Gary Cooper’s Will Kane at the title time.

2. In 2017, a leader of this party blamed his then-girlfriend for citing Holocaust denier David Irving in an undergraduate paper in 1999. In 2017, this party unveiled a logo consisting of a lion and the phrase “for the nation” in its colors of purple and yellow. Henry Bolton won a 2017 leadership election for this party, whose 2017 general election results faltered a year after it was the largest party to support the “leave” option.

For 10 points — what Eurosceptic party was once led by Nigel Farage?

3a-c. This state backed the peasant revolt of Ivaylo the Cabbage against Michael VIII Palaeologus.

For 10 points each:

A. Name this Mongol khanate that ruled Russia in the medieval era.

B. In the late 14th century, this khan briefly reunited the Blue and White factions of the Golden Horde, before he was deposed by Tamerlane.

C. In the late 15th century, the power of the Golden Horde largely disintegrated following the Great Stand on the Ugra River, where the horde refused to engage this Grand Prince of Moscow.

4. A man with this position asks Seth Wright to work for him after going into a bathroom to vomit. Another man with this position murders Verna Thornton in the hospital after learning about the Defiance conspiracy. On one TV series, this position is held by Mellie, the ex-wife of a man who also held it and who had an affair with Olivia Pope.

For 10 points — what position, which was held by Fitz Grant on the show Scandal, is held by former Cabinet member Tom Kirkman on Designated Survivor?

5a-c. A contemporary review of this 1849 novel opined that its author “will never have the power of a Cringle, or the sustained humour and vivacity of a Marryat.”

For 10 points each:

A. Identify this work about the adventures of a man whose first name is Wellingborough. It ends with the narrator hearing about the death of his friend Harry Bolton while whaling.

B. Two years after publishing Redburn, this author published Moby-Dick.

C. In chapter 27 of Redburn, the title character “at last arrives” in this British city. In 1856 Melville visited this city, where Nathaniel Hawthorne served as an American consul.

Answers:

1. High Noon

2. UK Independence Party (or UKIP)

3a. Golden Horde (or Zolotaya Orda or Kipchak Khanate; prompt on partial answer)

3b. Tokhtamysh

3c. Ivan III (or Ivan the Great; prompt on “Ivan”)

4. President of the United States (accept POTUS)

5a. Redburn (His First Voyage)

5b. Herman Melville

5c. Liverpool

‘Super Bowl of the mind’: Illinois, Northwestern, U. of C. students square off in quiz bowlon April 10, 2021 at 7:32 pm Read More »

NWSL investigating Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden’s accusation of racial profiling after Challenge Cup openerAnnie Costabileon April 10, 2021 at 6:08 pm

Chicago Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden (11) prepares to kick the ball during an NWSL Challenge Cup soccer match, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Houston. | Matt Patterson/AP

Gorden said her and her boyfriend, who are Black, were harassed by a security guard at BBVA Stadium in Houston after he tried to speak with her near the field following the opening match.

The National Women’s Soccer League has opened an investigation into claims that Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden and her boyfriend were racially profiled after the opening match of the Challenge Cup tournament, the league told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday.

In a Twitter thread published Saturday morning, Gorden said she and her boyfriend, who are Black, were harassed by a security guard at BBVA Stadium in Houston when her boyfriend tried to speak with her near the field after the Red Stars’ scoreless draw against the Houston Dash.

Gorden also said security threatened to arrest her boyfriend if he came closer to the pitch.

“My boyfriend came to our game against the Houston Dash. After the game he came down the steps to talk to me. We were immediately (before he was close to me) followed by security and told he would be arrested if he came close,” Gorden tweeted. “Meanwhile white players were talking to white family [sic] all over the stadium.”

Gorden said she didn’t think the security guard’s threat was racially motivated until she saw white players with their families.

“At first I didn’t realize this was a racial issue until I saw white Houston Dash players surrounding the stadium talking closely to their family and we were the only ones targeted,” Gordon continued.

In her final tweet, Gorden said: “This is just another reason why we kneel.”

At first I didn’t realize this was a racial issue until I saw white @HoustonDash players surrounding the stadium talking closely to their family and we were the only ones targeted

— Sarah Gorden (@sarahlgorden) April 10, 2021

This is just another reason why we kneel.

— Sarah Gorden (@sarahlgorden) April 10, 2021

The Dash issued a statement Saturday afternoon that said staff was focused on preventing violations of the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

Gorden didn’t immediately return the Sun-Times’ request for comment. The NWSL said it saw Gorden’s Twitter thread and was looking into the allegations.

“Racial profiling and discrimination have no place in this league, and we are investigating the matter according to league process,” the league said in a statement.

The Red Stars said they’ve been in communication with the Dash about the matter.

“The Chicago Red Stars have been in touch with Houston Dash and the league to understand what occurred. We are awaiting a statement from Houston on the matter,” the Red Stars said in a statement.

Gorden, a member of the Black Women’s Player Collective, which was announced in October, has used her platform to be a fierce activist for social justice and the fight against systemic racism. She launched a nonprofit, HoodSpace, in 2020 that’s focused on young Black women finding space through meditation, yoga and sport while prioritizing mental health.

Last summer, in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, players wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts and knelt during the national anthem, but not all league members continued to participate in the gesture as the Challenge Cup progressed.

One of the league’s community initiatives during the tournament last year was establishing the Verizon Community Shield award. More recently, the league announced Nationwide as an official league partner, and part of that sponsorship includes expanding the league’s community initiatives. Additionally, an inaugural community impact award was announced as part of that multiyear sponsorship deal.

NWSL investigating Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden’s accusation of racial profiling after Challenge Cup openerAnnie Costabileon April 10, 2021 at 6:08 pm Read More »

Philip’s funeral April 17 at Windsor Castle; Harry to attendAssociated Presson April 10, 2021 at 5:01 pm

Members of the 104th Regiment Royal Artillery fire a 41-round gun salute in the grounds of Cardiff Castle, to mark the death of Prince Philip, in Cardiff, Saturday, April 10, 2021. — Ben Birchall/PA via AP

Prince Philip’s royal ceremonial funeral will take place April 17 at Windsor Castle — a slimmed-down service amid the COVID-19 pandemic that will be entirely closed to the public.

LONDON — Prince Philip’s royal ceremonial funeral will take place April 17 at Windsor Castle — a slimmed-down service amid the COVID-19 pandemic that will be entirely closed to the public.

Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, took part in planning his funeral and its focus on family was in accordance with his wishes. The 99-year-old duke, who died Friday, also took part in designing the modified Land Rover that will carry his coffin.

“Although the ceremonial arrangements are reduced, the occasion will still celebrate and recognize the duke’s life and his more than 70 years of service to the Queen, the UK and the Commonwealth,” a palace spokesman said Saturday while speaking on condition of anonymity in line with policy.

Prince Harry, Philip’s grandson who stepped away from royal duties last year and now lives in California, will attend the service along with other members of the royal family. His wife, the duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant, has been advised by her doctor not to attend.

Palace officials said the ceremony would be conducted strictly in line with the British government’s COVID-19 guidelines, which restrict the number of people attending funerals to 30. They declined to say whether the royal family would be required to wear masks.

The palace appealed to the public not to gather in Windsor, and for those who wished to pay their respects to Philips to stay at home instead.

People view flower tributes at Cambridge Gate, at Windsor Castle, one day after the death of Britain’s Prince Philip, in Windsor, England, Saturday, April 10, 2021.

“While there is sadness that the public will not be able to physically be part of events to commemorate the life of the duke, the royal family asks that anyone wishing to express their condolences do so in the safest way possible and not by visiting Windsor or any other royal palaces to pay their respects,’’ the palace spokesman said. “The family’s wish is very much that people continue to follow the guidelines to keep themselves and others safe.’’

The announcement comes after military teams across the U.K. and on ships at sea fired 41-gun salutes Saturday to mark the death of Philip, honoring the former naval officer and husband of Queen Elizabeth II whom they considered one of their own.

Batteries in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast — the capitals of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom — as well as other cities around the U.K. and the Mediterranean outpost of Gibraltar fired the volleys at one-minute intervals beginning at midday. Ships including the HMS Montrose, a frigate patrolling the Persian Gulf, offered their own salutes.

“The Duke of Edinburgh served among us during the Second World War, and he remained devoted to the Royal Navy and the Armed Forces as a whole,” Gen. Nick Carter, chief of the defense staff, said in a statement. “A life well-lived. His Royal Highness leaves us with a legacy of indomitable spirit, steadfastness and an unshakeable sense of duty.”

Members of the Commonwealth, a group of 54 countries headed by the monarch, were also invited to honor Philip. The Australian Defense Force began its salute at 5 p.m. local time outside Parliament House in Canberra, and New Zealand planned to offer its own tribute on Sunday.

Philip joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939 and once had a promising military career. In 1941, he was honored for his service during the battle of Cape Matapan off the coast of Greece, when his control of searchlights aboard the HMS Valiant allowed the battleship to pinpoint enemy vessels in the dark. Philip rose to the rank of commander before he retired from active duty.

Two years after the war ended, Philip married Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey when she was 21 and he was 26. Philip’s naval career came to an abrupt end when King George VI died in 1952 and his wife became queen.

At the queen’s coronation in 1953, Philip swore to be his wife’s “liege man of life and limb” and settled into a life supporting the monarch. The couple had four children — Charles, the heir to the throne, Anne, Andrew and Edward.

Before he retired from official duties in 2017, the prince carried out more than 22,000 solo public engagements and supported over 780 organizations, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for young people.

Members of the public continued to honor Philip’s life of service on Saturday, leaving flowers outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle despite appeals from authorities and the royal family to refrain from gathering.

“I think everyone would like to pay their respects,” Maureen Field, 67, said outside Windsor Castle. “Because of the virus, a lot of people have to stay away. He didn’t want a big funeral. He wanted a very private time with his family to say their goodbyes. So, we’ve all got to respect that.”

Mike Williams, 50, traveled from his home in Surrey, southwest of London, to Buckingham Palace to honor the prince.

“He’s a massive loss to the country and to the world, I think, so we wanted to come and pay respects,” Williams said. “I don’t know what it achieves, but it just felt like the right thing to do.”

Associated Press Writer James Brooks and Tom Rayner contributed.

Philip’s funeral April 17 at Windsor Castle; Harry to attendAssociated Presson April 10, 2021 at 5:01 pm Read More »

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