A 1-year-old boy who was shot Tuesday on Lake Shore Drive has been removed from a medically induced coma, but remained on a ventilator Saturday.
Doctors at Lurie Children’s Hospital said Kayden Swann “continues to demonstrate positive improvements,” though he is still in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit.
While he’s still on a ventilator to “assist with his breathing and other critical therapies,” doctors deemed it safe to remove him from the coma, according to a statement from Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, medical director of the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.
Swann was shot about 11 a.m. April 6 on Lake Shore Drive near Grant Park after a road-rage dispute turned violent, police said.
Prosecutors said the altercation started when an SUV tried to merge onto Lake Shore Drive near Soldier Field and nearly struck the car Swann was riding in.
Jushawn Brown, a 43-year-old man in a relationship with Swann’s grandmother, was behind the wheel of Swann’s car and got into a verbal dispute with the SUV driver, which escalated when both men pulled out guns, prosecutors said.
Brown eventually drove away but the SUV driver still fired shots at the car, one of which pierced the rear passenger window and struck Swann in the head.
Brown was slapped with felony gun charges in connection with the incident and released on $5,000 bail.
If your response to the above headline was No way or Bullshit or Dude, what are you smoking? give yourself a gold star.
If it sounds reasonable to you, then you should probably get back to your recorded collection of Jeanine Pirro’s most hysterical rants.
Many of us have seen an episode or two of Deadliest Catch, a series about crab fishing in the Arctic Ocean, so we know that it’s a dangerous business.
The thing is, there’s only about 58,000 people employed in America’s fishing industry, so 360,000 deaths would be a pretty bad year for them.
The actual number of commercial fishermen dying each year is about 42, making that 360,000 number not just an exaggeration, but a delusion.
What if I told you that 500,000 Americans die on our streets, roads and highways each year? Does that sound reasonable?
The actual number of automobile deaths in America has averaged around 38,000 annually for the last 20 years. No doubt that number would be higher without seat belts, airbags and other safety features introduced during that time, but it’s nowhere near 500,000.
Outlandish and improbable numbers like those above highlight a very real problem in our society that does not bode well for things to come.
Some of us – A LOT OF US – are tuned into a “reality” that simply does not exist.
So committed are these folks to their version of the world around them and the onslaught of misinformation they consume from those willing to pervert and subvert truth that it is all but ordained to destroy American democracy.
Nutty Nancy, the woman spewing the aforementioned delusional statistics at me was doing so in an effort to delegitimize the threat of COVID-19, a popular – and dangerous – obsession within the Fox bubble.
Nancy likened COVID-19 to the flu, a virus which generally kills about 20,000 people a year, a far cry from the current COVID-19 death toll of 565,000.
During the approximately 7 minutes I endured Nancy’s blathering, she rattled off what sounded like a medley of Tucker Carlson at his most bizarre.
She started with an incoherent charge against Vail Resorts, but lamented that she couldn’t write them a letter because they wouldn’t sell her a ski pass next season.
Vail Resorts operates 37 ski resorts worldwide and sells over 800,000 season passes each year, probably hosting a couple million skiers total.
Nancy’s letter would not have made it past the circular file and Vail Resorts would gladly take her money for a season pass.
She also claimed that the Vail Daily was too far Left to print her gibberish, a claim which is dubious, at best. Within 45 seconds, Nancy revealed herself to be both far-Right leaning and paranoid, two things that seem to coexist in perfect harmony.
Among other things, Nancy also claimed that COVID-19 was not airborne and that it’s not even a real pandemic.
Proving that cuckoo birds of a feather really do flock together, the gentleman accompanying Nutty Nancy blamed the spread of COVID-9 on the government and its management of convalescent homes.
A significant slice of our population is tuned into an alternate universe. A universe where a world renowned virologist is the enemy and a failed businessman turned reality TV show host is the only believable voice.
A universe where science is a hoax, the Constitution doesn’t exist and laws do not apply.
In that universe, Democrats are not just the opposition party, they are the enemy. They are out to destroy America, which is ironic considering the damage that Donald Trump has been able to inflict on our country in just four short years.
Nutty Nancy’s inability to recognize statistics that are grossly out of the range of possibility is amusing. After all, she’s just one misguided individual.
The problem – and the threat to America – is that Nancy represents millions of Americans who vote and believe the unbelievable.
They believe the Big Lie. They believe that Donald Trump knows more about everything than people who’ve spent their lives dedicated to their respective fields and to the furtherance of mankind.
They believe that Democrats – Liberals, socialists, communists, antifa, etc – are their mortal enemies and will accept anything to defeat them, whether it’s Fascism, racism, Nazism, authoritarianism…or Donald Trump.
Several government agencies have determined that the greatest long term threat to America’s security is climate change.
It’s time to add climate change deniers to that list. If the name Rupert Murdoch comes to mind, stay tuned.
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Bob “RJ” Abrams is a political junkie, all-around malcontent and supporter of America’s warriors. After a career path that took him from merchandising at rock concerts to managing rock bands to a 27-year stint in the pits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, he’s seen our nation from up and down.
As Regional Coordinator of the Warriors’ Watch Riders (a motorcycle support group for the military and their families) Bob plays an active role in our nation’s support of America’s warriors and their families.
Send comments and/or suggestions to [email protected]
A memorial for 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was killed by police, is seen in this photo near West 24th Street and South Sawyer Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood last weekend. A man who was with Adam at the time of the shooting is facing felony gun charges. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Police said Roman was standing with Toledo early March 29 in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue when officers responded to reports of gunfire and chased them down an alley.
A 21-year-old man who was outside with Adam Toledo when the 13-year-old was fatally shot by Chicago police nearly two weeks ago is expected in court Saturday on felony gun charges.
Ruben Roman was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, Cook County court records show.
Police said Roman was standing with Adam early March 29 in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue when officers responded to reports of gunfire and chased them down an alley.
An officer fired shots during an “armed confrontation” and struck Adam in the chest, killing him.
Roman has already been charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. He was released on his own recognizance and slated for a May court date on that charge.
Roman is due in bond court on the felony charges Saturday afternoon.
Adam’s funeral was held Friday.
Chicago police leaders have canceled days off for officers next week as they prepare for possible demonstrations. The Toledo family will be shown police video of the shooting before it is released publicly, officials have said.
Lemont’s Albert Kunickis completing drills in practice. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times
Kunickis, a 6-3 210-pound junior, was born with a right arm that ends at the elbow.
Albert Kunickis’ favorite football player is recently retired Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
What about the future Hall of Famer resonates with the Lemont junior?
“I like how he’s 5-10, 5-11, everyone doubted him his whole career,” Kunickis said, “‘Oh, you’re too short to play quarterback.’ He overcame that and he’s obviously one of the greatest passers in NFL history.”
Kunickis, who is a starting running back and kicker for the Indians, also faced skeptics when he started playing youth football seven years ago. Coincidentally, he was inspired to do so after watching a typically dazzling performance by Brees.
Then, opposing players were hard on Kunickis, who was like them except for one thing: he was born with a right arm that ends at the elbow.
“They called me names, teased me for it,” Kunickis said. “They tried to get under my skin. (But) it wouldn’t bother me. Just kind of laughed it off.
“Me and my brother would always pick on each other, so we’re used to it.”
Kunckis’ family and teammates never saw him as limited in any way.
“It’s amazing to see him do everything,” said Kunickis’ father, also named Albert. “He always wants to be the best. … He works hard and has to prove himself.”
Lemont coach Bret Kooi is one of the people Kunickis has won over.
“I’m one of those old-time guys,” Kooi said. “I thought, ’Somebody’s going to try to take advantage of that.’ He’s done nothing but prove me wrong.”
Teammate Jason Berger, a senior cornerback, has seen his friend develop into one of the Indians’ best players.
Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-TimesLemont’s Albert Kunickis completing drills in practice.
“His work ethic is definitely incredible,” Berger said. “We don’t treat him any differently. He wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Berger said opponents “probably underestimate” Kunickis, something that he never does when the team is scrimmaging.
“When I’m in practice and he’s coming full speed at me, it’s a little scary,” Berger said, “He’s a big kid.”
Indeed. Kunickis took advantage of the extended pandemic break to add around 20 pounds and he’s now 6-3, 210.
He also worked on becoming a more versatile player.
“I struggled catching (a football) earlier,” Kunickis said. “And my speed — I worked on that countless hours with my dad.”
The mechanics of catching a pass have become second nature now.
“I usually use my chest as an advantage,” he said. “I used to catch it and bring my knee up (to cradle the ball). I don’t do that anymore obviously. I think my hand is bigger (too).”
Kunickis also has a big leg. He’s kicked 55-yard field goals in practice and just missed from 60.
But it’s his size and physicality as a back that makes him a candidate to play football after high school.
“A hundred percent, I feel I can get there if I keep working,” he said.
And he can be an inspiration for others.
“Kids see me, I perform well, they think, ‘Oh, I can do anything I want to do with two hands if this kid can do it with one hand,’” he said.
The autopsy of former NFL player Phillip Adams, who killed five people before taking his own life, will look for evidence of CTE. | Paul Sakuma/AP
The brain of Phillip Adams — the former NFL player who killed five people before shooting himself — will be tested for a degenerative disease that has affected a number of pro athletes and has been shown to cause violent mood swings, a coroner said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The brain of Phillip Adams — the former NFL player who killed a South Carolina physician, three family members and a repairman before fatally shooting himself — will be tested for a degenerative disease that has affected a number of pro athletes and has been shown to cause violent mood swings and other cognitive disorders, according to the local coroner.
York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said in a statement issued on Friday that she had gotten approval from Adams’ family for the procedure to be included as part of his autopsy, which will be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina. The hospital will be working with Boston University, whose chronic traumatic encephalopathy center conducts research on the long-term effects of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and military personnel, according to its website.
According to police, Adams went to the home of Robert and Barbara Lesslie on Wednesday and shot and killed them, two of their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie, and James Lewis, a 38-year-old air conditioning technician from Gaston who was doing work there. He also shot Lewis’ colleague, 38-year-old Robert Shook, of Cherryville, North Carolina, who was flown to a Charlotte hospital, where he was in critical condition “fighting hard for his life,” said a cousin, Heather Smith Thompson.
York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said investigators hadn’t figured out why Adams carried out the attack.
Tolson said evidence left at the shooting scene led investigators to Adams as a suspect. He said they went to Adams’ parents’ home, evacuated them and then tried to persuade Adams to come out. Eventually, they found him dead of a single gunshot wound to the head in a bedroom, he said.
A person briefed on the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly said Robert Lesslie had treated Adams, who lived with his parents not far from the Lesslies’ home.
Tolson would not confirm that Adams had been the doctor’s patient.
It will be months before results are available from the tests for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which can only be diagnosed in an autopsy. The disorder has been found in former members of the military, football players and boxers and others who have been subjected to repeated head trauma. A recent study found signs of the disease in 110 of 111 NFL players whose brains were inspected.
Several years ago, the league agreed to pay $1 billion to retired players who claimed it misled them about the dangers of playing football.
Adams, 32, played in 78 NFL games over six seasons for six teams. He joined the 49ers in 2010 as a seventh-round draft pick out of South Carolina State, and though he rarely started, he went on to play for New England, Seattle, Oakland and the New York Jets before finishing his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
As a rookie late in the 2010 season, Adams suffered a severe ankle injury, resulting in surgery that included several screws being inserted into his leg. He never played for the 49ers again, released just before the 2011 season began. Later, with the Raiders, he had two concussions over three games in 2012.
Whether he suffered long-lasting concussion-related injuries wasn’t immediately clear. Adams wouldn’t have been eligible for testing as part of a broad settlement between the league and its former players over such injuries, because he hadn’t retired by 2014.
Adams’ father told a Charlotte television station that he blamed football for problems his son had, and which might have led him to commit Wednesday’s violence.
“I can say he’s a good kid — he was a good kid, and I think the football messed him up,” Alonzo Adams told WCNC-TV. “He didn’t talk much and he didn’t bother nobody.”
Adams’ sister told USA Today that her brother’s “mental health degraded fast and terribly bad” in recent years and that the family noticed “extremely concerning” signs of mental illness, including an escalating temper and personal hygiene neglect.
In a statement to McClatchy Newspapers, Adams’ parents and siblings sent their condolences to the Lesslie, Lewis and Shook families, saying, “The Phillip we know is not a man that is capable of the atrocities he committed on Wednesday.”
The relatives went on to say that they didn’t know “if football played a role” in the violence, but “we do know there has to be some catalyst.”
Gerald Dixon, a former NFL linebacker who retired in 2001, said that, when he coached Adams in high school, the young player was a team leader, yet also mild-mannered and humble.
Dixon added that he had spoken to Adams a few months ago, and had noticed no signs of depression or other mental health issues. “Anytime I talked to him, he was always happy and just reminiscing about old things,” he said.
Dixon acknowledged that the repeated hits to the head sustained in the game could have affected Adams, as they have negatively affected many of the other NFL players Dixon has known who were later diagnosed with CTE.
“You never know what’s going on in a person’s mind after they’ve went through these concussions,” Dixon said.
Agent Scott Casterline told The Associated Press that Adams did not participate in the physical and mental health programs that are easily accessible for ex-players.
“We encouraged him to explore all of his disability options and he wouldn’t do it,” Casterline said, noting that Adams’ career was undercut by the 2010 ankle injury. “I knew he was hurting and missing football but he wouldn’t take health tips offered to him. He said he would, but he wouldn’t.”
At least 7 people have been shot, 1 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 six 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.
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.
Also Saturday morning, a 48-year old man was hurt in a drive-by shooting in Humboldt Park on the West Side.
The man was standing outside about 12:50 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Avers Avenue when someone inside a passing white Jeep fired shots, police said. He was struck in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
The ChicagoBulls lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, ending their three-game winning streak, 120-108. Have you ever seen a player upset with scoring 50 points in a game? That was Zach LaVine after the Bulls lost by 12 points to the Hawks. LaVine shot 18/31 from the field, 7/12 from downtown, and […]
Lately, the ChicagoBlackhawks have seen their play dip a bit over the last few weeks. They are still in that race for the last playoff berth in the Central Division but things are going to have to change if they want to get in. Despite being in this highly contested race, they are probably […]
Ken “Hawk” Harrelson acknowledges the crowd on Hawk Day as he was honored by the White Sox before the game between the White Sox and the Boston Red Sox on September 2, 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) | Getty
“Just the word ‘Cooperstown,’” Harrelson said, summarizing what the honor will mean to him. “You live with it as a baseball player, or as announcer.”
Retirement is treating Ken Harrelson just fine, it sounds like.
Take Friday, for instance. Dateline, Orlando, Fla.
“Every Friday I go to Orange Tree [Golf Club] to get the clam chowder,” Harrelson said Friday morning. “They have the best clam chowder in Florida. And I love clam chowder, I’ll go over later on to have some lunch, sit around and tell some lies with my buddies and maybe watch a couple holes and come home. Watch the Masters this afternoon.”
Harrelson’s calendar is much lighter removed from his distinguished broadcasting career highlighted by 34 years with the White Sox, but there is one significant date marked – July 25. That’s when he’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting.
“Just the word ‘Cooperstown,’” Harrelson said, summarizing what the honor will mean to him. “You live with it as a baseball player, or as announcer.”
Harrelson, 79, was voted into the Hall via the Frick Award in December of 2019 but because of safety concerns associated with the coronavirus pandemic, induction ceremonies last July were postponed. He’ll go in this summer instead — accompanied by his wife, Aris, their daughter Krista, son Casey and daughter-in-law Kate and grandchildren Nico, Alexander and Hank — but the ceremonies won’t be at the usual outdoor location. Instead, the festivities will be a television-only event broadcast on MLB Network.
The Class of 2020 featuring Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker will be inducted with 2020 and 2021 Frick Award winners Harrelson and Al Michaels, respectively; 2020 and 2021 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winners Nick Cafardo and Dick Kaegel, respectively; and 2020 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award winner David Montgomery.
“Forty three years of announcing, I never thought about it,” Harrelson said of the Hall of Fame. “People would say, ‘You’re going to the Hall of Fame.’ I didn’t think about that in that regard. Was up for it a couple times, but there are so many great announcers.”
After a playing career including stops with the Kansas City Athletics, Indians, Red Sox and Senators – he played on the 1967 “Impossible Dream” Red Sox and hit 35 homers and drove in an American League best 109 runs in 1968 — Harrelson parlayed his big personality into a broadcasting career starting with the Red Sox from 1975-81. He switched to the White Sox, under its new ownership group led by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn, in 1982.
Harrelson was named White Sox general manager after the 1985 season, fired manager Tony La Russa and assistant general manager Dave Dombrowski during the 1986 season, left after that season and became a Yankees broadcaster in 1987.
Firing La Russa went on to a Hall of Fame managerial career and returned to the Sox to manage again this season at age 76.
Harrelson returned to the White Sox as a broadcaster in 1989 and called games till 2018. He was a five-time Emmy Award winner who coined phrases such as “You can put it on the board, yes!” and “Mercy” and gave nicknames like “The Big Hurt” to Frank Thomas. There was never any doubt which team he rooted for.
“I want to be remembered as an entertaining broadcaster and that I announced the way I played. I played my a— off,” he said. “And the greatest compliment you can give me is calling me a homer.”
Now Harrelson is watching every Sox game he can, with La Russa at the helm, and he can’t help but think about the decision he made in ’86, a decision approved by chairman Jerry Reinsdorf who called it his biggest regret. Harrelson has admitted the decision to fire La Russa was a mistake, but he says he didn’t fire him because he was a bad manager.
“He’s only been fired one time,” Harrelson said. “I didn’t fire him because he was a bad manager, I fired him for some other reason that I’ll take to my grave and Tony will take to his grave.
“I’m not going to say [why].”
The Athletics hired La Russa immediately after he was fired and he added three World Series championships and 11 more division titles to go with the division title he won with the Sox in 1983. About seven years after the firing, La Russa and Harrelson shook hands, ending a freeze in their relationship.
Upon hearing that manager Rick Renteria was fired by the Sox, Harrelson turned to his wife, Aris, and said that Reinsdorf would go after La Russa.
“Jerry is one of the smartest guys I’ve been around, and I’ve played golf with presidents, vice presidents, chairman of the boards all my life. I knew he was going after Tony.”
Harrelson said he spoke with La Russa while La Russa was contemplating taking the job.
“I said, ‘Tony, you have to come back with Jerry,’ ’’ Harrelson said.
La Russa told Harrelson that Jim Leyland, a coach under La Russa with the Sox who went on to a successful managerial career, encouraged him to jump in and La Russa said, “I’m going to do it.”
“I said, ‘Jerry wants you to manage this ballclub. I want you to,’ ’’ Harrelson said.
Harrelson believes La Russa and his team are an excellent match and that the Sox are serious World Series contenders.
“No question about it, no doubt about it,” he said.
“We have all the ingredients on the field to go to the World Series. If we had Lance Lynn last year we may have gone a lot further in the playoffs. We were one starter short. You can’t go to a gunfight with a knife and that’s what we did last year with our starters.”
Even without injured Eloy Jimenez, the Sox are an entertaining and fun watch, Harrelson said. The Sox’ deep bullpen with high-powered arms makes lets Harrelson, still the biggest Sox fan around, sleep well at night.
“I don’t care how good your offense and starting pitchers are, if you don’t have a good bullpen you’re going to lose, it’s that simple. This year we’re set and we have a good bullpen.”
Check back with Hawk around the All-Star break for an updated assessment. But not during that last weekend of July.
Alvaro Medran was half of the Fire’s strong midfield duo, pairing with Gaston Gimenez. | Courtesy of the Fire
With a less unusual season, coach Raphael Wicky thinks “they can do much better and I expect them to do much better.”
When they played together last season, Alvaro Medran and Gaston Gimenez formed one of the top midfield pairings in Major League Soccer. Gimenez was deployed in more of a defensive role, while Medran was effective all over the field.
The combination of a designated player (Gimenez) and someone with a Real Madrid pedigree (Medran) gave the Fire something they didn’t have much of in 2020: a top-tier entity on the field.
“I think with Alvaro, we’ve built a really good relationship as far as football,” Gimenez said through a translator. “I think it’s because we understand the game the same way. We’re watching it, understanding the same game. It didn’t take us very long to get to know each other and be able to work together on the field.
“We really do understand the game in the same fashion. So that helped us last year be able to work off of each other and build that relationship on the field, as well as off the field we have a very good relationship.”
Coach Raphael Wicky echoed that sentiment.
“They’re two really, really good players,” Wicky said. “I think they understood each other pretty quickly on the field. They understood how to work together as a double pivot on the field. They have amazing quality.”
This year, the Fire think Medran and Gimenez could be even better individually and as a duo.
Gimenez didn’t train with the Fire until March 6, 2020, making his debut the next day before the season was paused the following week because of the pandemic. He also missed time to play with Paraguay’s national team, further interrupting his flow in Chicago.
Medran played every game in 2020 after not appearing in a competitive match since the spring of 2019 with Spanish side Rayo Vallecano. Despite the layoff, Medran was arguably the Fire’s best and most consistent performer.
“Last year, I was able to play all of the games, which was really important for me,” Medran said through a translator. “This year, that’s another goal, to play every game, not get injured and just get myself on the board with more goals and more assists.”
Though Gimenez should spend time with Paraguay again this season, the layoffs that were sprinkled through the 2020 season shouldn’t be an issue in 2021. And that’s why Wicky thinks “they can do much better, and I expect them to do much better.”
“Hopefully, the players can really find a rhythm from the beginning and do even better because they have really, really good quality,” Wicky said. “But especially for those players, it is a question of rhythm. They are players who need minutes, they are players who need the real preseason, not always these big breaks like we had last year. Unfortunately, every team had them last year. Hopefully, this season will be a normal season with hopefully not all these breaks, then those players can become even stronger.”
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