FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO — Karen Hawkins, co-publisher and editor-in-chief of the Chicago Reader, is leaving the organization to become story editor with The 19th*, an independent, national nonprofit newsroom reporting on the intersection of gender, politics, and policy.

Hawkins started at the Reader in October 2018, when she joined incoming publisher Tracy Baim to help turn around the struggling, legendary alternative newspaper. The two had worked together more than 20 years prior at Windy City Times. After starting as the Reader’sfirst-ever digital managing editor, she moved up to co-editor-in-chief in 2019 and then added the title of co-publisher in 2020.

Hawkins’s last day with the Reader will be June 10. Reader culture editor Salem Collo-Julin will be promoted to managing editor, and other editorial changes will be announced soon.

“I wish Karen all the best at The 19th*,” said Baim. “Her new colleagues are getting an incredible addition to their team. I absolutely could not have done this work at the Reader without Karen by my side. We helped each other get through tremendous struggles to turn around the Chicago Reader. We inherited a company losing $1 million a year, with no business staff, then survived the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the most recent struggle to get to nonprofit independence. Karen has provided an invaluable partnership to me in this work, and I will miss her teamwork deeply.”

“Karen has been a critical part of our work,” said Eileen Rhodes, chair of the board of the nonprofit Reader Institute for Community Journalism, which now operates the Chicago Reader. “She brought a commitment to strong journalism, diversified voices, and empathetic leadership. I can’t imagine doing this work without her, but I wish her the best at The 19th*.”

Hawkins is also founder of Rebellious Magazine for Women and the Feminist Media Foundation. She co-hosts the podcasts Of Course I’m Not OK and Feminist Erotica. She is an award-winning reporter and editor whose journalism background includes positions at The Associated Press and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She also serves as a national board member for NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists.

Salem Collo-Julin (she/they) has been on the editorial staff of the Chicago Reader since 2019. As culture editor, her areas of focus include the City Life section, visual arts and architecture coverage, and the literary arts. From 1999-2014, Salem was a member of the midwestern art group Temporary Services, and coedited the book Prisoners’ Inventions (Whitewalls, 2003). She also cofounded Temporary Services’ publishing imprint, Half Letter Press. Her writing has been found in Windy City Times, the Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, Lumpen, AREA Chicago, the book Organize Your Own (ed. Anthony Romero, Soberscove Press, 2016), and other publications. 

Read More

BOSTON — Midway through the third quarter Monday night as the Celtics were pushing their lead to as much as 32 points, Rudy Gobert couldn’t resist.

“This Boston defense is tough” the Utah Jazz center tweeted.

This was both innocuous and accurate at a time when the Celtics were smothering the Miami Heat and rewriting a slew of records on their way to a 102-82 victory that tied the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.

But Gobert, it sure seemed, was subtweeting. He had a point, though maybe not his preferred one.

Gobert was noting the Celtics looked great on defense even though Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was out because of an ankle injury.

Gobert, a three-time DPOY, appears to still be salty that Smart beat him for the award.

What Gobert was saying without saying, though, is the Heat were powerless to score against Boston in the half court, Smart’s absence notwithstanding.

The Heat are hurting at the moment, and they look like they’re going to need some help to take two out of the three games left to reach the Finals. Be it the injury gods, the Celtics themselves or some yet to be discovered offensive savior.

2 Related

They don’t see it this way, at least publicly. They projected a strong and satisfied front after the loss, looking forward to going back home for Game 5 with home-court advantage.

“This is part of the playoffs, there are these extreme highs and lows,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ve proven that we can find solutions offensively in a lot of different ways.”

Spoelstra is speaking the truth. The Heat have shown throughout the season they can manage adversity. They were walloped by injuries and constantly changing lineups, yet in the end still had the No. 1 seed in the East.

Spoelstra was once again a Coach of the Year candidate for his ability to consistently piece together a functional engine. The situation Miami is in at the moment, though, is a real test of that track record.

Three of their most important offensive players are dealing with bothersome injuries. Tyler Herro, the Sixth Man of the Year, missed Game 4 because of a groin injury and is having trouble running without pain. Jimmy Butler is playing through inflammation in his right knee and looked to have issues getting lift and separation, and shot just 3-of-14.

After getting to the line 26 times in the first two games, Butler has been there just twice in the past three halves as the knee issue has flared up. Kyle Lowry is still coming back from a hamstring injury and is just 5-of-17 shooting in the two games since returning to the lineup.

There is just one day’s rest between games in the conference finals — it has long been such for television purposes, the effect of the quality of play notwithstanding — and three hours of flying on the off days. The injuries don’t have much time to heal.

The NBA75 celebration continues with the NBA playoffs, which runs through June, when the league will crown a champion for its milestone season.

East finals: Heat 2, Celtics 2
o Boston’s defense is too much for Miami
o Celtics’ ‘sense of urgency’ fuels G4 rout
o How Boston keeps bouncing back

West finals: Warriors 3, Mavs 0
o Mavs’ Doncic reflective after 40 in loss
o ‘OMG WIGGS’: Reaction to poster dunk
o The best version of Draymond Green

MORE: Scores, full schedule and more

“No excuse for how I played tonight. It don’t got nothing to do with my knee,” Butler said, despite what the results showed. “I’ve just got to be better. I will be better. I’m not too worried about it.”

Said Heat star Bam Adebayo: “Injuries is a part of this, it’s a part of playoffs. You learn to adapt … you’ve just got to find a way to win.”

This attitude under the circumstances is part of the Heat’s long-standing mantra: “We have enough.”

That has been Spoelstra’s guiding principle when faced with adversity through the years, and it remains so now. But against this Celtics team and this defense, which has been the star of their playoff run and impressive enough for an expert such as Gobert to offer approval, the Heat’s optimism is a harder sell.

When the Heat pulled out the surprising Game 3 win on Saturday, they were aided by a load of Celtics turnovers that fueled offensive chances, leading to an astounding 33 points. Even then, the game wasn’t decided until the final minutes.

The Celtics shut off that spigot on Monday; they turned the ball over just three times in the first half and gave up just seven points off turnovers for the game. With Butler slow, Lowry slower and Herro in courtside couture, that wasn’t survivable.

Miami started the game incredibly 0-of-14 from the field and only marginally improved from there, finishing at just 33% shooting.

Derrick White, in the starting lineup for a third time this postseason in place of Smart, was spectacular in protecting the perimeter for Boston, notching three steals. Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III combined for eight blocks.

And everyone wearing green and white was locked in on the game plan, which included keeping bodies in front of Adebayo and forcing midrange shots. Miami had a measly eight points in the paint in the first half — when the game was decided.

Spoelstra, as is his nature, batted the worrisome situation away and termed it temporary.

“We are not making any excuse,” the coach said. “We can do it in the mud. We can win it ugly. We can win it when the floodgates come open hitting 3s. We can do it with Jimmy taking over a game. We can do it when he’s facilitating. We have the mental fortitude and the collective toughness to be able to embrace what we have. It’s just a very competitive, good series.”

This Heat team has thrived all season on disrespect. At the start of the playoffs, sportsbooks had them as low as fifth in the odds to win the East despite their top seed. Adebayo was furious he didn’t get recognized in the top three for Defensive Player of the Year — Gobert took the last finalist spot. The Celtics were the significant favorite coming into this series, but the Heat have yet to trail.

Doubting them here could indeed be a mistake. But there are red lights all over the dashboard now, and pulling this out might take something special.

“This is what you want,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll take this hit. We’ll do this together and then we’ll get back to Miami and we’ll get ready for Game 5.”

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

The Chicago White Sox had some beef with Josh Donaldson over the weekend. He made completely arrogant, racist comments to Tim Anderson, and it led to a benches-clearing incident between them and the New York Yankees.

He was handed a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine by Major League Baseball which is honestly very disappointing to hear. This kind of stuff is unacceptable and should not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Read More

Even though the ongoing reappraisal of nu metal has recognized that era as a significant cultural moment, Sacramento band Deftones still manage to catch a bad rap. Sure, they came up as part of the same movement as Korn and Limp Bizkit, and they toyed with some dated, aggro rap-rock on a couple songs in their early days—minor infractions that forever saddled them with the nu-metal label. But the only people who can actually complain about the band have never really listened to them. Deftones play a sort of hybrid of alternative metal and dream pop, sounding like Helmet fronted by Morrissey or the moody love child of Faith No More and the Cure. 

Deftones have even nodded to shoegaze and postrock: “Cherry Waves” (off 2006’s Saturday Night Wrist) is just as creamy and heart-wrenching as anything My Bloody Valentine has ever released, while “Mascara” (off 1998’s classic Around the Fur) could pass for a lost Slint demo. Hell, if Deftones’ 1998 single “Be Quiet and Drive” had picked up a bit more airplay upon its release, it could have usurped “Everlong” as 90s radio rock’s most ubiquitous post-shoegaze emotional banger. Deftones have attempted a slight reinvention with each of their records—on 2000’s White Pony they got moody and dynamic, and on 2016’s Gore they added some djent-inspired eight-string guitar. But they’ve never strayed too far from the formula that’s made them one of rock’s most enduring and consistent bands—groovy, absolutely slamming rhythms; incredibly heavy, chunky guitars; swaths of dreamy synths and sound design; and Chino Moreno’s gorgeous, crooning vocals. Their latest record, Ohms, released smack-dab in the middle of the pandemic, streamlines all Deftones’ signature moves into their most stripped-down and direct set of songs in years.

Deftones, Gojira, VOWWS, Fri 5/27, 7 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White, $38-$79, all ages

Read More

Even though the ongoing reappraisal of nu metal has recognized that era as a significant cultural moment, Sacramento band Deftones still manage to catch a bad rap. Sure, they came up as part of the same movement as Korn and Limp Bizkit, and they toyed with some dated, aggro rap-rock on a couple songs in their early days—minor infractions that forever saddled them with the nu-metal label. But the only people who can actually complain about the band have never really listened to them. Deftones play a sort of hybrid of alternative metal and dream pop, sounding like Helmet fronted by Morrissey or the moody love child of Faith No More and the Cure. 

Deftones have even nodded to shoegaze and postrock: “Cherry Waves” (off 2006’s Saturday Night Wrist) is just as creamy and heart-wrenching as anything My Bloody Valentine has ever released, while “Mascara” (off 1998’s classic Around the Fur) could pass for a lost Slint demo. Hell, if Deftones’ 1998 single “Be Quiet and Drive” had picked up a bit more airplay upon its release, it could have usurped “Everlong” as 90s radio rock’s most ubiquitous post-shoegaze emotional banger. Deftones have attempted a slight reinvention with each of their records—on 2000’s White Pony they got moody and dynamic, and on 2016’s Gore they added some djent-inspired eight-string guitar. But they’ve never strayed too far from the formula that’s made them one of rock’s most enduring and consistent bands—groovy, absolutely slamming rhythms; incredibly heavy, chunky guitars; swaths of dreamy synths and sound design; and Chino Moreno’s gorgeous, crooning vocals. Their latest record, Ohms, released smack-dab in the middle of the pandemic, streamlines all Deftones’ signature moves into their most stripped-down and direct set of songs in years.

Deftones, Gojira, VOWWS, Fri 5/27, 7 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White, $38-$79, all ages

Read More

Major League Baseball has suspended New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson for one game for “inappropriate comments” made to Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson on Saturday.

Donaldson, who also was fined an undisclosed amount, is appealing the punishment, MLB announced. He will be eligible to play for the Yankees until the appeal process is completed. Shortly before the suspension was announced, the Yankees said Donaldson had been put on the COVID-19 injured list.

“MLB has completed the process of speaking to the individuals involved in this incident,” Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, said in a statement. “There is no dispute over what was said on the field. Regardless of Mr. Donaldson’s intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions. In addition, Mr. Donaldson’s remark was a contributing factor in a bench-clearing incident between the teams, and warrants discipline.”

2 Related

White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz didn’t think the penalty was enough.

“Just one game. We all saw his malice at third a week ago, then this comment with the ridiculous excuse that followed. What’s the point or message behind a 1 game suspension? This is incredibly disappointing and plain frustrating,” Katz tweeted.

Donaldson after the game Saturday acknowledged calling Anderson “Jackie” — a nod to Jackie Robinson, who broke MLB’s color barrier in 1947 — in the first inning. The Yankees third baseman apologized, saying he meant no disrespect.

But Anderson, who is Black, said Saturday that he was offended by Donaldson’s comment, calling it “disrespectful” and “unnecessary.” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Saturday that he thought Donaldson’s comment was “racist.”

Donaldson, who is white, said the “Jackie” comment was in reference to a 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated in which Anderson described himself as feeling like “today’s Jackie Robinson” in how he’s “getting to a point where I need to change the game.” Donaldson said it was a reference about which he has “joked around” with Anderson in the past.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that he did not think Donaldson should have made the comment.

“I don’t believe there was any malicious intent in that regard,” Boone told reporters. “But you know, this is, just in my opinion, somewhere he should not be going.”

The American League East-leading Yankees are scheduled to open a three-game series against Baltimore on Monday night and then head to Tampa Bay for a four-game set beginning Thursday.

Donaldson had clashed with the White Sox on multiple occasions before this weekend.

The benches also emptied May 13 after Anderson shoved Donaldson following a hard tag in Chicago. White Sox ace Lucas Giolito used an expletive in calling Donaldson a “pest” last year after the third baseman appeared to yell “Not sticky anymore!” after a first-inning homer for Minnesota — a reference to MLB cracking down on pitchers using sticky substances on baseballs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read More

On NBC Sports Chicago, David Kaplan had Josh Schrock as a guest to talk about the Chicago Bears. In particular, they talked about second-year quarterback Justin Fields. Schrock is a Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago.

They talked about how he has been exceeding expectations so far at camp. There have been a lot of notable people talking about how good he has looked and what kind of impact he can make in the National Football League this season.

Read More