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After a sweaty workout, how about a beer with electrolytes versus water or Gatorade?

After a sweaty workout, what do you grab to quench your thirst and replenish your body? How about a beer?

Many of us reach for Gatorade or water, but brewers want you to consider their libations, too. In fact, a growing number of beer makers are taking a cue from sports drinks and are adding electrolytes into their brews.

These beers are usually lower in alcohol, so whether or not you drink them after a workout, you won’t feel sluggish. And many other fitness-centric beers are using unique ingredients you might not expect to quaff in an ale or lager.

For instance, Massachusetts-based Harpoon Brewery’s Rec. League is a hazy pale ale that weighs in at 3.8% ABV and 120 calories, and is made with ingredients including chia seeds and a whole grain cereal called buckwheat kasha — both add minerals and B vitamins — and Mediterranean sea salt, which yields electrolytes.

At Mispillion River Brewing, the Milford, Delaware brewery has a line of fruity and tart, but not hoppy beers called the War series, infused with electrolytes “that … reaches a demographic that is very different from the typical craft beer drinker,” said brewery president and founder Eric Williams.

Harpoon Brewery

While women don’t make up the majority of craft beer drinkers, Williams has noticed that demographic has taken a liking to the offering that includes the mixed berry-flavored War Llama and War Possum —think strawberry lemonade — and both have 5% alcohol by volume (equal to Budweiser).

“We are not saying it’s a healthy beer, but we are saying it’s a beer you should drink after you run,” Williams said.

Beer taps into health-consciousness

Health-conscious beers aren’t totally new. Low-calorie and light beers have grown in popularity since the ‘80s, when Bud Light arrived to battle Miller Lite. Michelob Ultra, a lower calorie beer, from Budweiser, is currently the No. 2 selling beer in the U.S. and the fastest-growing beer over the past year, according to retail sales data from NielsenIQ.

“Performance” ingredients such as electrolytes, vitamins or antioxidants have become popular but are not found in all the beers targeting “the more health-conscious consumers,” says Dave Williams of Bump Williams Consulting of Shelton, Connecticut, which services the beverage alcohol industry.

The skyrocketing growth in hard seltzers — now being offered by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Boston Beer Co. (parent of Samuel Adams beers and Truly Hard Seltzers), Coors and New Belgium Brewing — is a sign that consumers are seeking health-conscious options, he says.

So are non-alcoholic beers: Athletic Brewing Co., a non-alcoholic craft brewery founded in 2017, saw its business increase fivefold in 2020, co-founder Bill Shufelt says.

Low alcohol, flavor fit consumer thirsts

An active lifestyle is important to Geoff Pedder, who in 2015 founded Zelus Beer Co. in Medfield, Massachusetts. A triathlete, runner and marathoner, Pedder “was always quite confident there was a market” for lower-alcohol, health-conscious beers. Most of the brewery’s beers, including Weekender, a German-style lager, Race Pace New England IPA and Light Into Dark porter are made with calcium, potassium and sodium salts.

Zelus saw sales rise 25% in 2020 and is expanding its distribution.

“Our brand is a lot about building an active lifestyle community, a bit like Michelob Ultra does,” Pedder says. “They try to build a community around it, too.”

Are performance beers a good, post-workout option?

Brewers and other beverage makers are trying to make alcoholic beverages “more ‘functional,” Ginger Hultin, a nutritionist and owner of Champagne Nutrition, said.

In doing so, there is a wide range of products on the market right now; some are alcoholic, some aren’t. Regardless, many are geared toward athletes for recovery and hydration.

“What I’m seeing on the market is additives and ingredients like chia seeds, bee pollen, lemongrass or other herbs/spices, black currant, lime, or other fruits or berries and added electrolytes like salt,” Hultin said, noting those elements are common in sports drinks but new to the beer category.

While the thought of a cold beer after a Friday afternoon jog might be enticing, it might not be the optimal choice for rehydration.

“The most important thing for recovery from an endurance activity is definitely hydration with water (and electrolytes if needed depending on the activity) and food,” Hultin said. “My advice is to focus on those basic aspects of fueling your sport and to enjoy a beer — regular or ‘performance,’ if you enjoy it.”

Hultin added that enjoying in moderation is key.

Even though its beers contain electrolytes, Zelus Beer Co. doesn’t tout the replenishing aspect, founder Pedder says: ”Beer is a diuretic. The reality is, you have to get to very low alcohol level to remove the diuretic effect of the alcohol. We don’t get down to those levels.”

Brewing beer lovers’ loyalty

Craft breweries, too, are catering to fitness-minded drinkers. In 2017, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Delaware released SeaQuench Ale, made with sea salts and minerals including calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium and sodium to help sate thirst and replace lost electrolytes.

Released about a year later, Slightly Mighty IPA, a low-alcohol ale (4% ABV) with only 95 calories and 3.6 grams of carbohydrates — rivaling Michelob Ultra — is the top-selling low-calorie IPA, with sales more than doubling in the last year, according to NielsenIQ. A typical IPA can have as many as 200 calories or more.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Brewery co-founder Sam Calagione said that Dogfish Head made its first “active life style beer,” a 4.8% Belgian-style white ale called Namaste, more than a decade ago, initially to serve after brewery yoga sessions.

Harpoon released its Rec. League hazy pale ale in 2019 as an option for health-conscious drinkers, with sales up nearly 50% in the last year, according to NielsenIQ.

A recent consumer survey commissioned by the brewery validated its strategy. Better-for-you ingredients were more important than a year ago for nearly one-third (31%) of the 949 consumers surveyed. Healthier ingredients were more important to millennials, those aged 27-41 (52%), than to GenXers, aged 42-56 (26%).

Factors consumers considered important for healthier options: calorie count (28%), carbs and sugars (28%), nutritional ingredients (27%), and alcohol strength (27%).

“Performance beers are a growing trend that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon,” said Steven Pauwels, brewmaster for Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City, Missouri, which released 4.1%, 99-calorie, electrolyte-infused Easy Sport Rally Ale after its brewing manager made a small batch for his running group. “There is a clear evolution among young consumers to live an active and healthy lifestyle, while also enjoying an affinity for craft beer.”

Read more at usatoday.com

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Gallup Poll finds that, for the first time, most Americans don’t belong to a congregation.

On May 11, 1833, “Chicago’s first reformer,” Rev. Jeremiah Porter, arrived here to find “a wide, wet prairie, as far as the eye could reach, on a muddy river winding south over a sand-bar to the Lake with a few scattered dwellings.”

The Presbyterian minister also found, to his horror, a priest, John M. I. St. Cyr, who arrived 10 days earlier, and got busy raising a Catholic church, St. Mary’s, at State and Lake.

Not one to accept fate passively, Rev. Porter knelt beside St. Mary’s late at night and prayed for its destruction. Setting the tone for interdenominational relations for centuries to come.

That prayed-for doom has been slow in arriving. But a milestone was sailed past, almost unnoticed, last week, as the Gallup Poll reported that for the first time in its 80-year history of prodding the American soul, most people in this country don’t belong to a religious congregation.

Only 47%t of Americans are members of a church, mosque or synagogue. In 1999, it was 70%.

That figure will only dwindle, since, like using a handkerchief, regularly sliding your keister into a pew is an elderly practice. The Gallup Poll found 66% of those born before 1946 belong to a congregation, but only 36% of millennials do.

The press is supposed to be the dread Beast, dancing around the bonfires of pagan secular humanism. But the story barely made a ripple.

Could all those naysayers be right? Does the media really ignore good news?

Is the decline of organized religion good news? Scratch any act of meanness, cruelty or spite and half the time you’ll find a religious person nodding vigorously, explaining how his big imaginary friend in the sky demands acting in an otherwise indefensible manner. Look at all the evil that faith has endorsed and it’s hard not to view religion as an engine of suffering, like disease.

How did Harriet Beecher Stowe put it In “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” marveling at the vigorous gymnastics ministers went through boosting slavery? Clergy, she wrote, will “warp and bend ethics and language to a degree that shall astonish the world at their ingenuity; they can press nature and the Bible and nobody knows what else into the service” of supporting slavery.

So good riddance, right?

Not so fast. Religion does good too. The metaphor I use for religion is that it’s like a hammer. You can use it to build a house. Or to hit somebody in the head. Neither is the hammer’s fault. Same for religion. It can expand you, send you to Zambia to teach villagers to dig wells. Or it can — as some Yeshiva boys who stopped by my office once did — cause you to refuse to touch a book that hasn’t been approved by your rabbi. You can use religion to argue that covering your face is an offense to God — that would be consistent with anti-Muslim caviling. Or you can be one of those churches showing up with sandwiches to greet the Night Ministry medical bus. Both exist.

My fond hope is that the decline might eventually bring a dawning awareness of the diversity of belief. Despite all the pretensions of multiculturalism, there is still an default assumption of monolithic Christianity, reflected even in the headline on the Gallup story delivering the news: “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time.”

Which would make the casual reader think the story is about churches, right? Places where Christians go to worship. But then you read the article, it points out, “in 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque.”

I can’t speak for Muslims, but I know Jews don’t say, “I’m going to church for Max’s bar mitzvah.” Yes, headlines compress a story, but lumping all religious institutions under the “church” label, well, that’s the whole problem in a nutshell, isn’t it?

As organized religion dwindles, maybe at some point true believers look up, blink furiously, and think, “Oh wait, there’s other people? And they believe other things?”

Wouldn’t that be something?

Nah. As they dwindle, the faithful will work more furiously toward imposing their fading religion on the growing body of unwilling unbelievers. It’s like the Republican model of government: Yell loud enough and some will believe you are still in charge.

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It would be nice to believe that once the redistricting process is completed, you and I will be able to look at the map and exclaim, “I can see patterns that are logical!” I don’t think it’s going to happen.

I was going to start this paragraph in one direction and then suddenly change course in another and just as quickly zip off to some seemingly unrelated topic so distant from its beginnings your mind would reel.

That would be confusing. You would lose interest. And that would be the point.

My topic today is legislative redistricting, the process by which public officials undermine democracy and predetermine the outcome of most elections.

Illinois, along with all the other states in the Union, is in the process of legislative redistricting. This happens every 10 years following the U.S. Census.

This year, the Democrats who control the Illinois Senate and House claim they are holding hearings to obtain public input and that the process will be more open than ever before because former House Speaker Mike Madigan, the longtime political tyrant who dominated the redistricting process, is gone.

It would be nice to believe that once the process is over you and I and everyone else in this Land of Lincoln will be able to look at a map of this state and exclaim, “I can see geometric patterns that are logical.”

Legislative districts in the shapes of squares and rectangles, for example.

Or, perhaps, you might look at a map and recognize that entire communities in Chicago share the same state representative, state senator and congressman. Suburbs would not be cut in half or, more the norm, divided into jigsaw puzzle shapes that make no sense at all.

That would be nice. I don’t believe it is going to happen.

That’s because, in large part, the shapes of districts are intended to confuse voters. Ask most folks what state legislative district they live in and they shrug their shoulders. Maybe they can come up with their ward or congressional district.

Who is your state senator? Dick Durbin. Tammy Duckworth. Heck, that’s what Google says.

I have discovered most people don’t know they have a state senator and, if they do, they couldn’t give you a name.

I used to blame folks for that. I would call them ignorant. Lazy. Eventually, I came to realize they were ordinary people who were deliberately misled by a political process intended to control and discourage voter turnout.

Gerrymandering is a time-tested method to predetermine the outcome of elections. Why do the same people stay in office for decades? Why do the same political parties seem to control states all the time?

Because the political majorities in legislatures have become adept at drawing district boundary lines that keep their people in office and make it almost impossible for any challenger to win.

You’ve heard about analytics in baseball, football and basketball? Well, the politicians who control legislative district boundaries have been using computer algorithms to draw their maps now for better than 20 years.

It’s a science. I have seen maps drawn with a line separating one side of a city block from another. Why? So, a certain politician’s house can remain in a district that is considered “safe.”

But the process of gerrymandering is nearly as old as our country.

The word was coined by critics reviewing a Massachusetts redistricting map in 1812. All the the districts looked like salamanders, as a result of the political influence of the Republican governor at that time, Elbridge Gerry.

Most of the legislative districts in Illinois, and particularly in Cook County, don’t resemble anything.

There are any number of good government groups, civic organizations and newspapers that have attempted to influence the process. I commend them for their efforts. Even reputable scholars have had a whack at it.

But trying to get support from the average voter is difficult because the arguments start out at one point, go to another, move from the past to the future and leave you standing in the middle of a directionless highway with a map that defies description.

This is the Picasso of democratic politics. A work of art.

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According to the Bulls guard, he would not have his success if not for big brother, and the Ramblers program made the right decision in promoting Drew Valentine to head coach.

Denzel Valentine is obviously biased when it comes to Loyola basketball and its new head coach.

Little brothers usually are.

But the way the Bulls guard sees it, he wouldn’t be where he was if it wasn’t his older brother, Drew, and neither would the Ramblers program over the last four years.

Drew became the program’s new head coach with the departure of Porter Moser to Oklahoma, and on Tuesday, Denzel was raving about the school’s decision.

“He knows his analytics, he knows X’s and O’s, he knows how to talk to people,’’ Denzel said in a Zoom meeting after the morning shootaround. “Even when we go on vacations and stuff like that, he’s just organized and stuff. We always look to Drew, ‘Drew, what should do? What restaurants should we go to?’

“Probably wouldn’t be where I’m at right now if he wasn’t [a graduate manager] at Michigan State, helping me out. So I give a lot of credit to him for my success, and I think he’s going to push those guys and that team to a new level and I think he’s ready to take on this job.’’

As an assistant at Loyola, Drew was the de facto defensive coordinator, but according to Denzel, he’s much more than that as a coach. Not only does he feel big brother has some old school coaching DNA in him, but because he’s only 29, also relates to today’s players.

Denzel even went onto say that a with a Final Four appearance in 2018 for Loyola, and then a Sweet 16 run this year, it’s easy to connect the dots. The program’s recent success came once Drew joined the staff at the start of that 2017-18 campaign.

“It doesn’t surprise me because he puts in the work, he has incredible knowledge for the game, and he just has that ‘it’ factor,’’ Denzel said. “And I think when he came to Loyola, he brought that ‘it’ factor to this team and to that program, and I think he has a lot to do with their success and I’m glad he got the job.’’

As far as Denzel following in the footsteps of big brother, as well as his father, Carlton, who also coached, that’s a discussion for another day.

“That’s too far down the road right now,’’ Denzel said. “I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m just excited for [Drew].’’

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Sgt. Ker Yang, the Minneapolis police official in charge of training officers on handling crises, became the latest member of the department to take the stand as prosecutors try to prove that Chauvin failed to follow his training when he put his knee on Floyd’s neck.

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Officer Derek Chauvin underwent training in 2016 and 2018 on how to defuse tense situations with people in crisis and how police must use the least amount of force necessary to get someone to comply, the jury at Chauvin’s murder trial was told Tuesday.

Sgt. Ker Yang, the Minneapolis police official in charge of crisis-intervention training, and use-of-force instructor Lt. Johnny Mercil became the latest department members to testify as part of an effort by prosecutors to demolish the argument that Chauvin was doing what he was trained to do when he put his knee on George Floyd’s neck last May.

Yang said officers are taught to make critical decisions in dealing with people in crisis, including those suffering mental problems or the effects of drug use, and then de-escalate the situation. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher said records show that Chauvin attended a 40-hour course on the method in 2016.

“When we talk about fast-evolving situations … a lot of the time we have the time to slow things down and reevaluate and reassess and go through this model,” Yang said.

Records also show that Chauvin took in-service training in the use of force in October 2018. Mercil said those who attended were taught that the sanctity of life and protection of the public are the cornerstone of the department’s use-of-force policy.

He also said officers were taught that restraint is considered force and that they must use the least force required because “it’s safer and better for everybody involved.”

Schleicher showed a still image taken from bystander video of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck — one that jurors have seen several times — and asked Mercil: “Is this a use of force?”

“Yes sir,” Mercil replied.

Mercil said officers are trained in how to get control of a suspect by using their arms on the side of a person’s neck to slow blood flow to the brain. He said officers are not taught to use their legs or knees, though a knee on the neck can happen depending on a person’s resistance.

Schleicher asked if the neck restraint could be used if the person was under control and handcuffed.

“I would say no,” Mercil said.

He said that if officers are applying handcuffs on someone in a prone position, they are taught to use a knee on the person’s shoulder to isolate the arm.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death May 25. The 46-year-old Black man was pinned to the pavement outside a neighborhood market after being accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill for a pack of cigarettes.

Floyd’s treatment by the white officer was captured on widely seen bystander video that sparked protests around the U.S. that descended into violence in some cases.

Floyd, who had taken drugs, frantically struggled with officers who tried to put him in their squad car, saying he was claustrophobic. Prosecutors said Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes, 29 seconds, after he was handcuffed behind his back and lying on his stomach, even though Floyd said 27 times that he could not breathe.

Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, has argued that Chauvin “did exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career” and that it was Floyd’s use of illegal drugs and his underlying health conditions — not the officer’s knee — that killed him.

Nelson has further argued that police at the scene were distracted by what they perceived as a growing and increasingly hostile crowd of onlookers.

Under questioning from Nelson, Yang testified that people watching an arrest may also be in crisis and that officers have to take in the situation around them as well.

Instead of protecting a fellow officer in what is sometimes called the “blue wall of silence,” some of the most experienced members of the Minneapolis force – including the police chief and the head of the homicide division — have taken the stand to openly condemn Chauvin’s treatment of Floyd.

On Monday, Police Chief Medaria Arrondondo, who called Floyd’s death “murder” soon after it happened, testified that Chauvin had clearly violated department policy on a number of counts and used excessive force.

Arrondondo said continuing to kneel on Floyd’s neck once he was handcuffed behind his back and lying on his belly was “in no way, shape or form” part of department policy or training, “and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values.”

Arradondo, the city’s first Black chief, fired Chauvin and three other officers the day after Floyd’s death.

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Baseball season is back! There’s nothing better than stadium seating but if you’re looking for something outside the stadium, consider catching the game at one of these top Wrigley Bars on game day.. Get the full Cubs experience without the aggressive crowds or hassle with one of these 10 game day hot spots. 

1. Murphy’s Bleachers

For almost 80 years, Murphy’s has been a neighborhood fixture. However, it became the legend it is today when Chicago Police Detective, Jim Murphy, took over. Mr. Murphy understood the magic of historic Wrigley Field and the allure of icy beer on gameday. And now it’s one of America’s premiere sports bars. 

2. The Dugout

Looking for the best view of the skyline and Wrigleyville? Then head over to this down-to-earth location. The Dugout opens 4 hours before the action begins so you can relax while waiting for the game to start. Plus, they’re the only rooftop in Wrigley that lets you stay after the game and serves hard drinks. Um, yes please!

3. Rizzo’s Bar & Inn

Directly across from Wrigley Field, one of Wrigley’s more recent additions is Rizzo’s Bar & Inn. Boasting three different bars, a hybrid indoor/outdoor entertainment area, and a ridiculously good menu of food and drink Rizzo’s is the perfect game day drinking spot. And before you ask, no, they are not linked to the Anthony Rizzo. 

4. Sluggers

Since 1985, Sluggers World Class Sports Bar and Grill has been the go-to spot for Chicago locals. With over 30 giant HDTV’s, you’ll never miss a winning moment! And if you’re hoping to dial up the fun, Sluggers has a full indoor sports complex with batting cages, skee-ball, arcade games, and more. When it comes to Wrigley Bars on game day, we’re here for it.

5. Output Lounge

Sports fans, cheer on the Cubs at this friendly neighborhood joint! Come witness ALL the action on one of their 16 TV’s, broadcasting every Chicago team. While you’re at it, dig into the Output’s famous wings, grab some other delicious eats, and knock back a drink (or several) from their full service bar. 

6. Lucky Dorr

Named after an popular Wrigley groundskeeper, Lucky Dorr serves up an impressive collection of one-off collab brews from local breweries including Begyle, Noon Whistle, Moody Tongue, Maplewood, Lo Rez, Lake Effect, Cruz Blanca, 18th Street, Haymarket, Old Irving Brewing, Illuminated Brew Works, Blue Nose, Alarmist, Crystal Lake Brewing, and Right Bee Cider. Yum.

7. Cubby Bear

Here it is folks, ~thee~ destination for Wrigleyville’s best live music and sports entertainment! The Cubby Bear has celebrated some of the most iconic Cubs victories and incredible shows. The venue was even recognized by the Chicago Music Awards as the Best Rock Club and Maxim magazine named them the number one Neighborhood Bar in Chicago. 

8. Casey Moran’s

Skip the peanuts and Cracker Jacks and hang out at this Wrigleyville staple instead. Here’s why: Casey Moran’s boasts a beer garden with a retractable roof, 6 fully-stocked bars, a VIP lounge and Ivy Lounge Rooftop. Plus, with 30 big screen HDTVs, there’s not a bad seat in the house.

9. Nisei Lounge

Root, root, root for the home team at Wrigleyville’s oldest bar! After 60+ years, Nisei Lounge has largely remained unchanged since Nixon was President and the Cubs only had one World Series ring. Enjoy a strong cocktail, cold brewski, or shot of Malort while you view the game on one of their six flatscreen televisions. 

10. Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern

The best seats aren’t behind home plate. They’re at this popular bar! Named after legendary Chicago Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern offers refined dining and new twists on tavern-style eats. You’ll love their two outdoor terraces, four large bars, and unbeatable views of the Chicago skyline and Wrigley Field. 

Featured Image Credit: Murphy’s Bleachers on Facebook

The post 10 Best Wrigley Bars on Game Day, Ranked appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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William “Billy” Evans, 41, was killed Friday when a vehicle rammed into Evans and another officer at a barricade just 100 yards from the Capitol. The driver, Noah Green, 25, came out of the car with a knife and was shot to death by police, officials said.

WASHINGTON — The 18-year U.S. Capitol Police veteran killed in the line of duty is being remembered as a man with a sense of humor who loved baseball and golf and was most proud of one particular title: Dad.

William “Billy” Evans, 41, was killed Friday when a vehicle rammed into Evans and another officer at a barricade just 100 yards from the Capitol. The driver, Noah Green, 25, came out of the car with a knife and was shot to death by police, officials said. Investigators believe Green had been delusional and increasingly having suicidal thoughts. Capitol Police released few personal details about Evans, saying his family had requested privacy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Tuesday that Evans will lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda on April 13, a tribute reserved for the nation’s most eminent private citizens.

Evans, a father of two, grew up in North Adams, Massachusetts, a close-knit town of about 13,000 in the northwest part of the state.

Jason LaForest knew Evans for more than 30 years. He was a close friend of Evans’ older sister, Julie, and recalled Evans as a prankster who made sure the subjects of his jokes laughed as well.

“As a young kid, Billy, of course, was the annoying little brother of one of my best friends, a title which he held on to for most of his life,” said LaForest, a North Adams city councilman. “But it was a joy to watch him grow up and become a talented athlete and a dedicated police officer, and, of course, the role in life that he loved the most, which was a dad.”

Sports, particularly baseball, was another important part of Evans’ life.

“He came from a long line of family members that loved baseball and especially the Boston Red Sox,” LaForest said. “He excelled in baseball and enjoyed playing baseball most of his life. It’s a passion that he instilled in his children.”

Evans’ father, Howard, died about seven years ago. His mother, Janice, still lives in Massachusetts.

He attended Western New England University, graduating in 2002 as a criminal justice major. He joined the Capitol Police the next year.

Robert E. Johnson, the university’s president, said in a statement that Evans was a member of the school’s baseball and bowling teams and the campus activities board. He said that Evans’ friends at the university described him as “extremely welcoming and friendly, humble, and always willing to help others.”

John Claffey, a professor of criminal justice, said that when news of Evans’ death first aired, he had the sense that he knew that smile. “I immediately said that’s a face I recognize,” Claffey said.

He recalled Evans as a student who knew what he wanted to do — a “very focused kid.”

Over the weekend, Claffey received four calls from former students who just wanted to talk to him about Evans.

“This has shaken a lot of people’s worlds,” he said. “A lot of people from Western New England, who haven’t been here in 18 years, it’s still having an impact on them.”

The death of Evans came nearly three months after the Jan. 6 rioting at the Capitol that left five people dead, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. He died a day after the insurrection.

Lawmakers issued a wave of statements offering their condolences and gratitude to Evans after the attack. Capitol Hill aides and members of the press corps that cover Capitol Hill also weighed in, recalling him as friendly and professional.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, Schumer and Pelosi said they hoped next week’s tribute in the Capitol Rotunda would provide comfort to Evans’ family and express the nation’s gratitude to members of the U.S. Capitol Police.

“In giving his life to protect our Capitol and our Country, Officer Evans became a martyr for our democracy. On behalf of the entire Congress, we are profoundly grateful,” Schumer and Pelosi said.

LaForest said Evans never wanted to be known as a hero.

“He wanted to serve his country as a Capitol police officer and looked forward to seeing lawmakers and visitors who came to the Capitol every day, many of whom became friends of Billy’s in large part because of his good-natured sense of humor,” LaForest said. “And, unfortunately, Billy paid the ultimate price defending his country.”

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The new City Connect look will debut in a series against the White Sox on April 17 and 18. The White Sox and Cubs will reveal their versions of the new Nike line in June.

The Red Sox and Nike are giving Cubs and White Sox fans an idea of what to expect in June.

The Red Sox unveiled their yellow and sky blue City Connect series uniforms to honor Patriots’ Day and the Boston Marathon, which represent a drastic departure from the team’s iconic standard jerseys.

There will be no red coloration on the special uniforms and the color scheme is meant to represent the Patriots’ Day weekend.

The jerseys feature “Boston” across the chest in a stencil font in blue letters that pay tribute to the finish of the marathon at Boylston Street. The shirts are in bright yellow and on the left sleeve, there is a patch that mimics a marathon bib with the number “617,” the area code for Boston and Fenway Park.

The caps still feature the iconic “B” but are in sky blue.

“We viewed the City Connect collaboration with Nike as an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of a weekend that is uniquely Boston,” Red Sox executive vice president and chief marketing officer Adam Grossman said Tuesday in a press release. “The departure from our traditional style pays homage to that iconic weekend, and recognizes Boston’s boldness, culture and creativity.”

The Red Sox will wear these uniforms April 17 and 18 when they play the White Sox. To come up with the design, the organization worked with several creative people and firms in the Boston area.

But not everyone is a fan of the new look.

Broadcaster Keith Olbermann said the alternate uniforms “are ugly and cheap looking, somewhere between the attire of the very unfortunate wait staff at an overpriced sports bar that’ll close next month, and Chico’s Bail Bonds unis.”

The Red Sox are one of seven teams that will debut their respective City Connect uniforms.

The other six teams debuting City Connect alternates will be the Marlins (May 21), White Sox (June 5), Cubs (June 12), Diamondbacks (June 18), Giants (July 9) and Dodgers (late August).

Read more at usatoday.com

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Republicans in Congress are making the politically brazen bet that it’s more advantageous to oppose the costly American Jobs Plan, saddling the Democrats with ownership of the sweeping proposal and the corporate tax hike President Joe Biden says is needed to pay for it.

WASHINGTON — With an appeal to think big, President Joe Biden is promoting his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan directly to Americans, summoning public support to push past the Republicans lining up against the massive effort they sum up as big taxes, big spending and big government.

Republicans in Congress are making the politically brazen bet that it’s more advantageous to oppose the costly American Jobs Plan, saddling the Democrats with ownership of the sweeping proposal and the corporate tax hike Biden says is needed to pay for it. He wants the investments in roads, schools, broadband and clean energy approved by summer.

On Monday, Biden received a boost from an unexpected source. The Senate parliamentarian greenlighted a strategy that would allow Democrats in the evenly split 50-50 chamber to rely on a 51-vote threshold to advance some bills, rather than the typical 60 votes typically needed. The so-called budget reconciliation rules can now be used more often than expected — giving Democrats a fresh new path around the GOP blockade.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s spokesman welcomed the parliamentarian’s opinion as “an important step forward.” Spokesman Justin Goodman said no decisions have been made on the process ahead, but “this key pathway is available to Democrats if needed.”

The prospects for a massive infrastructure investment, once a bipartisan source of unity on Capitol Hill, have cracked and groaned under the weight of political polarization. Where Biden sees an urgency in going big, Republicans want a narrow plan that focuses on roads and bridges, and warn that any corporate tax increase would crush economic growth.

“They know we need it,” Biden said of the Republicans as he returned to Washington on Monday. “Everybody around the world is investing billions and billions of dollars in infrastructure, and we’re going to do it here.”

The standoff almost ensures a months-long slog as Congress hunkers down to begin drafting legislation and the White House keeps the door open to working across the aisle with Republicans, hoping that continued public attention will drum up support.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declared plainly on Monday that Biden’s plan is “something we’re not going to do.”

Speaking to reporters in Kentucky, McConnell said Republicans could support a “much more modest” approach, and one that doesn’t rely on corporate tax hikes to pay for it.

A core dividing line is Biden’s effort to pay for infrastructure by undoing Donald Trump’s tax break for corporations, a signature achievement of the Trump White House and its partners in Congress.

The 2017 GOP tax bill, which all the Republicans voted for, slashed the corporate rate from 35% to 21%. It was supposed to usher in a new era of American investment and job creation, yet growth never came close to the promised levels and the economy fell into a recession because of the pandemic.

Biden proposes raising the rate to 28% and instituting a global minimum rate to dissuade companies from relocating in lower-tax havens. Democratic senators led by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, unveiled their own framework for an international taxation overhaul Monday that could provide an opening to Biden’s approach.

“We desperately need reform,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., one of those involved in the effort.

Shepherding Biden’s proposal through Congress remains a work in progress, particularly in the evenly-divided 50-50 Senate, where Democrats have the majority because the vice president from their party, Kamala Harris, can cast a tie-breaking vote.

But a single senator can break ranks to influence the size and shape of the package. On Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., indicated he would prefer a corporate tax rate at 25%, lower than what Biden is proposing.

Seizing on Democratic divisions, Republicans have signaled zero interest in undoing the tax cuts they approved with Trump, and instead prefer a smaller infrastructure package paid for by user fees on drivers or other public-private partnerships that share the costs.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of Senate GOP leadership, said Sunday a smaller infrastructure package of about $615 billion, or 30% of what Biden is proposing, could draw bipartisan support.

Administration officials have encouraged Republicans to talk more fully about what they dislike and would do instead, under the opinion that a battle of ideas will only help Biden gain support with voters.

The president has already met twice with bipartisan groups of lawmakers in the Oval Office, and members of Biden’s Cabinet leading the charge on infrastructure have also have placed dozens of calls to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Yet the White House has a fundamental disagreement with Republicans on the definition of infrastructure, such that any outreach is unlikely to yield an agreement.

“Infrastructure is not just the roads we get a horse and buggy across,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a Monday briefing. “Infrastructure is about broadband. It’s about replacing lead pipes so people have water. It’s about rebuilding our schools.”

That leaves Biden and congressional Republicans on a collision course, the outcome of which could define the parties and his presidency.

The GOP strategy is reminiscent of its Obama-era stance more than a decade ago, when the Republicans opposed the 2009 rescue after the economic crisis, framing it as government overreach that piled on debt — an argument they used in 2010 to win back control of Congress.

But it’s not at all certain the GOP playbook that worked more than a decade ago will produce the same political gains this time. Biden is banking on polling that suggests his infrastructure package is popular among voters of both parties, making it easier to bypass any GOP blockade on Capitol Hill.

Touring a water treatment plant Monday in California, Harris said access to clean water was about a broader issue of fairness.

With the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, Harris noted that families in Iowa and parts of the Midwest needed federal help to upgrade the wells on their properties, while parts of California needed reliable access to fight wildfires.

“We must understand the equities and inequities of distribution and access to clean water, especially clean drinking water,” Harris said.

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Associated Press writer Alexandra Jaffe contributed to this report.

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