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2-year-old among 15 wounded in citywide shootings FridaySun-Times Wireon October 9, 2021 at 9:14 am

15 people were wounded in citywide shootings Friday. | Sun-Times file photo

A 2-year-old girl and a man were shot about 4:45 p.m. in Gresham on the South Side.

A 2-year-old girl was among 15 people wounded in citywide shootings Friday.

The girl and a man were shot Friday afternoon in Gresham on the South Side. They were getting into a car in the 8400 block of South Sangamon Street when someone drove by in a silver SUV and opened fire about 4:45 p.m., according to Chicago police. The girl was struck in the arm and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, police said. The man, 25, was shot in the thigh and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was also in good condition.
About an hour later, three people were wounded in a drive-by shooting after a funeral in West Englewood. They were attending a repast about 5:40 p.m. in the 6000 block of South Ashland Avenue when someone in a dark Jeep drove up and opened fire, police said. A 55-year-old man was shot in the shoulder and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. Another man, 70, was struck in the hand and transported to St. Bernard Hospital in good condition. A male, whose age wasn’t known, was shot in the shoulder and drove himself to the University of Chicago. His condition wasn’t immediately known.
A 19-year-old man was seriously hurt in a shooting in Englewood on the South Side. The man was standing outside about 10:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of South Throop Street when two males got out of a black Chevy Malibu and fired shots, police said. He was struck in the back and abdomen and was taken to the University of Chicago in serious condition, police said.

At least nine others were wounded in shootings in Chicago Friday.

Two people were killed and 13 others were wounded — including three teens — in shootings in Chicago Thursday.

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2-year-old among 15 wounded in citywide shootings FridaySun-Times Wireon October 9, 2021 at 9:14 am Read More »

How the Super 25 fared in Week 7Michael O’Brienon October 9, 2021 at 4:09 am

Joliet Catholic’s Tajhaun McClellan (7) forces Brother Rice’s Aaron Vaughn (5) out of bounds. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Scores from the ranked teams.

1. Loyola (6-0)

Saturday vs. Providence

2. Brother Rice (5-2)

Lost 56-49 vs. No. 3 Joliet Catholic

3. Joliet Catholic (7-0)

Won 56-49 at No. 2 Brother Rice

4. Neuqua Valley (7-0)

Won 28-0 at Waubonsie Valley

5. Cary-Grove (7-0)

Won 36-22 vs. Jacobs

6. Maine South (6-1)

Won 51-21 Friday at Niles West

7. Warren (6-1)

Won 54-0 at Mundelein

8. Batavia (7-0)

Won 35-0 at Geneva

9. Wheaton North (6-1)

Won 10-8 at Wheaton Warrenville South

10. St. Ignatius (7-0)

Won 38-13 vs. St. Viator

11. Mount Carmel (5-2)

Won 48-13 at St. Laurence

12. Marist (6-1)

Won 34-0 vs. Montini

13. St. Rita (5-2)

Won 44-28 at Marian Central

14. Hersey (7-0)

Won 42-18 at Wheeling

15. Lockport (7-0)

Won 14-13 in OT at No. 18 Bolingbrook

16. Naperville Central (4-3)

Won 48-20 vs. DeKalb

17. Lincoln-Way East (5-2)

Won 24-6 vs. Homewood-Flossmoor

18. Bolingbrook (5-2)

Lost 14-13 in OT vs. No. 15 Lockport

19. Lemont (7-0)

Won 44-0 at Tinley Park

20. Hinsdale Central (6-1)

Won 27-23 at No. 22 York

21. South Elgin (7-0)

Won 29-0 vs. Elgin

22. York (6-1)

Lost 27-23 vs. No. 20 Hinsdale Central

23. Glenbard North (5-2)

Won 28-7 vs. Lake Park

24. Fenwick (5-2)

Won 42-14 vs. St. Patrick

25. Glenbard West (6-1)

Won 13-10 at Downers Grove North

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How the Super 25 fared in Week 7Michael O’Brienon October 9, 2021 at 4:09 am Read More »

Craft Beer Review: Drekker Ectogasm IPAon October 9, 2021 at 4:05 am

The Beeronaut

Craft Beer Review: Drekker Ectogasm IPA

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Craft Beer Review: Drekker Ectogasm IPAon October 9, 2021 at 4:05 am Read More »

Andrea Bocelli believes in the uplifting power of music, in good times and badMiriam Di Nunzioon October 8, 2021 at 11:51 pm

Andrea Bocelli performs ‘Nessun dorma’ ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group A match between Turkey and Italy at the Stadio Olimpico on June 11, 2021 in Rome, Italy. | Getty Images

Bocelli is touring behind his 2020 release “Believe,” a deeply introspective journey into his own spirituality, with songs such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and a duet of “Amazing Grace” with Alison Krauss, among others.

Faith is a powerful thing.

Combine it with music and it can move audiences around the world.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli proved it with his emotionally charged Easter 2020 performance of “Amazing Grace,” during the height of the pandemic shutdown of his beloved Italy and the world at large. There was no audience physically present — just Bocelli, a microphone and an organist as accompaniment. And a performance livestreamed simultaneously by three million YouTube viewers, and 28 million more in the first 24 hours.

It was a “Music for Hope” event, designed to remind the world that even during one of the darkest periods in history, music could lift the spirit.

Seven months later, Bocelli released “Believe,” his 17th studio album and a deeply introspective journey into his own spirituality, with songs such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and a duet of “Amazing Grace” with Alison Krauss, among others.

Bocelli is now on tour, returning to the in-person arena concerts that have become a hallmark of his critically acclaimed music career, a career that includes six Grammy Award nominations, performances for four U.S. presidents, three popes, the British Royal family, and the closing ceremony for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

The tour arrives at the Allstate Arena on Thursday night.

Following is an edited e-mail interview with the 63-year-old singer.

Q. You performed your music during the pandemic in two deeply moving performances. One was the concert at the Duomo in Milan, the other at the performance at the Teatro Regio di Parma. Both were done without an audience. What was the feeling like (because you perform before tens of thousands of people in a single concert)? Did you feel an emptiness on some level because there was no audience? And why was it important to do these performances?

AFP via Getty Images
Italian tenor and opera singer Andrea Bocelli sings during a rehearsal on a deserted Piazza del Duomo in central Milan, Italy, on April 12, 2020, prior to an evening performance without the public during the country’s lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection.

A. The Milanese event was not a concert but an occasion to pray together (because, as St. Augustine would say, “To sing is to pray twice.”) and to reaffirm the power of the Christian message of rebirth and life that overcomes. The Duomo was empty, but my “aloneness” was only apparent: there were tens of millions of us — and albeit virtually, we were profoundly connected. It was incredibly emotional to feel, in this forced separation, so much unity and solidarity. As for the Christmas concert at the Regio di Parma, in this case, the response of the public went beyond my wildest expectations, as further proof of the fact that people hunger for beauty and spirituality; they need, now more than ever, to begin, once again, to dialogue with their own soul.

Q. How does it feel to return to live performances?

A. I am extremely happy. I found it difficult to be without the connection you can establish during a live performance. Live streaming is an interesting alternative, but the magic of a packed auditorium is incomparable. Direct contact with the audience remains fundamental to me and is also my way to thank those who, throughout the world, consistently and affectionately have been following me for many years.

Q. The new album’s title, “Believe,” is a powerful word. What do you hope people will believe in especially in these difficult times facing the world?

A. The album is a sort of spiritual autobiography. It presents a pathway studded with songs that can speak to the soul, offering the listener an incentive to encounter one’s own spiritual dimension and understand its driving force. The project is hinged on three concepts, the first of which is precisely faith. Together with hope and charity, it makes up the theological virtues: the foundation of Christian action. I see it as a wager, a challenge worth taking up.

Q. How important is faith, a belief in God, in your life?

A. Faith is my personal guidepost, my strength. It is a basic element of my life; a priceless gift that supports me day after day. Those who have faith, improve their lives and the world. To have faith means, firstly, to believe in the power of good, and at every crossroad, take the direction that leads to good. The conscience always knows how to respond correctly, because God always speaks to our conscience. It all depends on whether you have the courage to listen to it.

Q. How did the duet with Alison Krauss come about?

A. I had been following her career for years. And it was a pleasant surprise to be able to combine our voices in a new version of one of the most compelling songs of all time: the anthem of giving thanks.

Getty Images
Andrea Bocelli performs in concert with his daughter Virginia Bocelli in April at the World Heritage Site of Hegra near Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Q. Your music is also becoming a family affair. Your young daughter Virginia performed a duet with you of ‘Ich Liebe Dich’ (she is also a very accomplished pianist!) and your son Matteo is about to release his first solo album. Did you encourage your children to pursue music? Did you teach your daughter to play the piano?

A. I encouraged them certainly not to make a profession out of music, but to study and frequent it. All of my children have done so, even my eldest, Amos, graduated from the conservatory where he studied the piano, although he later preferred to pursue a scientific career, earning a degree in aerospace engineering. The language of music has the capacity to improve people, to impact our conscience and contribute to spiritual evolution. Studying music offers a wealth of experience that enriches the soul; music is a friend that accompanies you through life. Virginia studies the piano not with me, but with a good teacher.

Q. Did you give your son Matteo any advice about the music business? If so, what was it?

A. I cautioned him with great clarity from the very start, about the difficulties I am well aware of, telling him how complex show business is. But it was his choice, and what is more is that he has something you cannot learn — talent. A talent I think he has demonstrated recently, with his first single, “Solo.” Being a son of an artist is a doubled-edged sword; having a famous last name gives an initial advantage that you pay for, however, later, which risks becoming a disadvantage. I am very happy to see Matteo seek out his own style independently, according to his own personality and sensitivity.

Getty Images
Andrea Bocelli performs in concert with his with his son, Matteo, in April in Saudi Arabia. Matteo Bocelli is set to release his first solo album.

Q. You recently re-released your live “Central Park” album in a concert you originally dedicated to your father? What do you think your father would have thought of your music, your fame? What did he teach you about fatherhood?

A. Many times throughout the years, I would have wanted him near me, even if just to show him the expressions of affection and appreciation people had for me. I owe him a great deal. Unfortunately, he left us too soon, though I was able to share the first years of my career, my first successes with him. Personality-wise we were different, but I think what bonded us together was a certain humanity, a shared way of feeling. My father taught me the hierarchy of values that I, myself, have then tried to instill in my own children. I learned dedication to work, honesty, consistency, and love for my homeland. I also learned from my father the awesome responsibility of fatherhood and the power of example as an educational tool.

Q. What was it like to perform with Tony Bennett? (In addition to the performances mentioned below, the two recorded “Stranger In Paradise” on Bennett’s “Duets II: The Great Performances” in 2011.)

A. It was a great honor. I remember with renewed emotions the Central Park concert, and the pleasure to have shared the stage with him at Radio City Music Hall in New York, on the occasion of the show honoring his 90th birthday. Tony Bennett is an immense artist, a living legend, the last of the great crooners and a dear friend. I take this opportunity, through this interview, to send him the biggest of hugs.

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Andrea Bocelli believes in the uplifting power of music, in good times and badMiriam Di Nunzioon October 8, 2021 at 11:51 pm Read More »

Parks board takes no action after hearing independent report on lifeguard scandalLauren FitzPatrickon October 9, 2021 at 12:12 am

Chicago Park District Supt. Mike Kelly is shown in August, when he announced disciplinary action taken against employees in the Beaches and Pools Unit amid a sexual abuse and harassment scandal. On Friday, the park district’s board of commissioners heard a report from an outside law firm on Kelly’s handling of the situation but made no action. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Following an emergency meeting behind closed doors to hear the findings of an outside law firm, the Chicago Park District Board convened in open session and announced no action had been taken against Supt. Mike Kelly.

The Chicago Park District board took no action Friday after hearing a report behind closed doors about Supt. Mike Kelly’s handling of a burgeoning scandal involving alleged sexual harassment and abuse of lifeguards at the city’s pools and beaches.

Friday’s emergency session had been called by the board to hear evidence gathered by an outside law firm into the scandal and Kelly’s potential role in covering it up. Walls appeared to be closing in for Kelly, but after three and a half hours behind closed doors, board members stopped short of saying what should happen next.

The board then adjourned without further comment. A spokesman for Mayor Lori Lightfoot had no comment when asked about the board’s lack of action.

Although five influential aldermen — joined Friday by the City Council’s Progressive Caucus — have demanded Kelly’s ouster, Lightfoot has said repeatedly she would await the outcome of the investigation before deciding whether to retain Kelly.

The report, by former federal prosecutor Valarie Hays, was not made public.

Kelly, 50, was not visible during the virtual meeting as he normally is during board meetings. Kelly, a Rahm Emanuel holdover, has been at the helm of the park district for a decade and has a contract through Dec. 31, 2022, at an annual salary of $230,000.

People lay out, swim, and relax at Oak Street Beach Aug. 4, 2021. An Oak Street Beach lifeguard sent 11 pages of allegations to Park District Superintendent Mike Kelly about lifeguards’ conduct in 2019. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

The Sun-Times reported in August that, in February 2020, an Oak Street Beach lifeguard sent 11 pages of explosive allegations to Kelly about lifeguards’ conduct during the summer of 2019.

She said she’d been pushed into a wall, called sexually degrading and profane names by fellow lifeguards and abandoned for hours at her post for refusing to take part in their drinking parties and on-the-job drug use.

Kelly has been under fire for having top managers investigate those complaints instead of referring those allegations immediately to the Park District’s inspector general.

He has resisted repeated demands for his resignation. And though Kelly has acknowledged second thoughts about how he handled the first woman’s complaint, he has categorically denied any involvement in a cover-up.

Though required by Park District rules, Kelly did not contact the inspector general until a second lifeguard’s more graphic complaint of more serious allegations was forwarded to him by Lightfoot’s office.

No relation to Ed Kelly, a previous longtime parks superintendent, Mike Kelly was hired in 2003 as director of inter-governmental affairs from a job as an assistant to Mayor Richard M. Daley. Kelly quickly moved to the parks’ legal department as first deputy general counsel. In 2007, he rose to chief operating officer.

His salary rose from $180,000 a year in 2011 when he was named superintendent to $230,000 in 2020.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Chicago Park District Supt. Mike Kelly speaks in August about the disciplinary action taken against employees in the Beaches and Pools Unit during a press conference at the South Shore Beach House.

Before being summarily suspended then fired, then-Deputy Inspector General Nathan Kipp was leading the lifeguard investigation.

Kipp has called his ouster a “concerted effort” to prevent him from “continuing to investigate criminal activity and employee misconduct that seemingly pervade” the Beaches & Pools Unit.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has launched her own investigation into whether the lifeguard scandal rises to the level of criminal charges.

Already, the Park District has disciplined 40 people.

The lifeguard scandal is hardly the only controversy on Kelly’s watch.

So is the fact that the parks district inspector general he hired, Elaine L. Little, was forced to resign after a controversy came to light regarding an affair she had with a co-worker at a previous job.

Little, ex-wife of State Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago) resigned just hours after a WBEZ investigation showed that while overseeing investigations at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, she had an extramarital affair and a child with a colleague. That triggered a conflict of interest probe cut short when she resigned in 2018.

In addition, Kelly has taken public heat for signing a contract with Amazon to install lockers in public parks and for his now-reversed decision to remove a life ring from Pratt Pier in Rogers Park — where swimming is off-limits — to prevent a repeat of the drowning that killed 19-year-old Miguel Cisneros.

The Chicago Bears have also accused Kelly of refusing to engage in good faith discussions on their year-long request to create a mecca for sports betting near Soldier Field.

The spurned request is yet another reason why the team has signed an agreement to purchase the 326-acre site of the now-shuttered Arlington International Racecourse for $197.2 million.

Sun-Times Media
A sign along the Chicago lakefront near 39th Street. No action was taken Friday regarding Park District Superintendent Mike Kelly’s alleged mishandling the lifeguard scandal.

Kelly has also been the biggest public champion behind a controversial plan to merge the Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses.

The merger gained momentum when former President Barack Obama chose Jackson Park for his presidential center. But, the $30 million plan hit a fundraising snag, derailing Kelly’s plan to quickly begin construction.

There also were new disclosures this week by the Sun-Times.

First, an adult male supervisor for the Chicago Park District abruptly resigned after being accused of an “inappropriate relationship” with an underage female employee who once worked as a seasonal lifeguard.

Then, the Sun-Times revealed that, despite public pronouncements to the contrary, Kelly and the board did not mutually agree to terminate his potentially costly golden parachute contract.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and other city officials look on as Mike Kelly, then-CEO of the Chicago Park District, speaks during a press conference in Ellis Park May 23, 2019. No action was taken by the Park District board Friday over Kelly’s allegedly mishandling a lifeguard scandal. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Two months ago, Kelly defended his decision to give his top managers the first opportunity to investigate the female lifeguard’s complaints, even though the Feb. 7, 2020 email “made my blood boil” because the behavior she described was abusive and “disgusting.”

“I asked my managers a reasonable question, which is, ‘Can you look into this? Do we have complaints? Are there other complaints? What’s going on, folks?'” Kelly told WBBM-AM (780) reporter Craig Dellimore.

“In hindsight, should I just have turned it over to the inspector general that day? Maybe I should have. … And it’s my word against whomever’s. But I gave it to my managers. The second letter came in, and I realized one is terrible. Two is too many.”

Kelly was asked on that day if he drew a distinction between the first complaint, which described physical abuse, sexual harassment and drug and alcohol use and the second woman’s letter, which alleged rampant sexual abuse and sexual violence.

“I’m not gonna slice the onion and say, ‘This was bad behavior. This was criminal behavior.’ It’s just all bad. I own it. I made that decision. And I still stand by it. I think it was the right decision,” said Kelly, whose staff reached out to Dellimore to tell his side of the story.

During that interview, Kelly insisted his first priority was “protecting children” who attend Park District camps and programs and the young men and women who work as lifeguards and that he will not rest until there is no abuse of any kind.

What about the young woman who was promised — by him — an immediate inspector general investigation that she didn’t get?

“My word was, I wasn’t gonna rest until this was rooted out and every bad actor was dealt with — whether it was suspension, termination or me sitting in a courtroom in Cook County in the front row supporting them as they prosecute these people. That was my commitment then. That was my commitment now,” Kelly said.

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Parks board takes no action after hearing independent report on lifeguard scandalLauren FitzPatrickon October 9, 2021 at 12:12 am Read More »

3 shot after funeral in West EnglewoodSun-Times Wireon October 9, 2021 at 12:23 am

Three people were shot October 8, 2021 in West Englewood. | Adobe Stock Photo

They were attending a repass about 5:40 p.m. in the 6000 block of South Ashland Avenue when someone in a dark Jeep drove up and opened fire.

Three people were wounded in a drive-by shooting after a funeral Friday afternoon in West Englewood.

They were attending a repass about 5:40 p.m. in the 6000 block of South Ashland Avenue when someone in a dark Jeep drove up and opened fire, Chicago police said.

A 55-year-old man was shot in the shoulder and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said. Another man, 70, was struck in the hand and transported to St. Bernard Hospital in good condition.

A male, whose age wasn’t known, was shot in the shoulder and drove himself to the University of Chicago Medical Center. His condition wasn’t immediately known.

No arrests were made.

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3 shot after funeral in West EnglewoodSun-Times Wireon October 9, 2021 at 12:23 am Read More »

Houston is a problem. How are the White Sox supposed to beat perfect?Steve Greenbergon October 9, 2021 at 12:39 am

Altuve, Tucker and Gurriel — Game 2 defensive heroes — rejoice after a 9-4 win. | Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

The Astros aren’t cheating anymore, as far as we know, but what they’re doing to the Sox in this American League Division Series is totally unfair.

HOUSTON — Astros manager Dusty Baker let out a little sigh as he pushed himself up from his chair. Interview time was over, and he had a plane to catch.

“I gotta go to Chicago,” he said, shaking his head.

But he was smiling, too, and thoroughly delighted. A 9-4 victory against the White Sox in Game 2 of the American League Division Series was complete. A commanding 2-0 series lead was in hand. And, oh, yes, that Astros defense. What manager wouldn’t feel like a million bucks if he had magicians and wizards all over the field?

A million bucks? Scratch that. Baker had a better way to put it.

“I feel 15 [years old] during these games,” he said. “I know I’m not 15, but I feel 15.”

He’s not that far off; the man is only 72. And still oozing charisma, surging with emotion in the dugout and gunning for that elusive first World Series title as a manager.

And sending a team onto the field that’s so well-rounded, it’s kind of ridiculous. The Astros hit better than anybody in the AL and strike out less than everybody, too. Their starting pitchers have the second-lowest ERA — right behind the Sox — in the AL.

And that defense — the stats and the eye test leave no doubt it’s the best in baseball.

“These guys take pride in defense,” he said. “That’s something that I think is overlooked by a lot of clubs, but never on my club.”

The Astros aren’t cheating anymore, as far as we know, but what they’re doing to the Sox is totally unfair. Who knew they were going to foul up the Sox’ big postseason plans by playing utterly perfect baseball? Who knew it was possible to play utterly perfect baseball? How did the Astros win only 95 games and not 162?

How the heck are the Sox supposed to come back in this best-of-five series and beat all that?

“Take the attitude, the effort level and the talent we’ve got and [Sunday in Game 3] find a way to win,” manager Tony La Russa said. “Then you’re down one, and we play another one. It can be done. I’d rather be in their position, but I know our club. We’ll put together a winning effort, and hopefully the score reflects that.”

If not, La Russa will end the season stuck on 70 career postseason wins. He could’ve said the same thing 10 years ago.

La Russa claimed the final score in Game 2 was “very misleading.”

“How many hits did we get?” he said. “Did we get 11 and they had 10? Well, they’re a good-hitting club, we’re a good-hitting club. They made a lot of good defensive plays, we made a lot of good defensive plays. …

“They’re really good, but I thought we played really well, too. But they played better, just enough.”

If a five-run edge is “just enough,” the Sox have no hope at all.

Their hopes for a breakout first inning were tempered thanks to Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who made a diving stop of a one-out, bases-loaded grounder by Eloy Jimenez, got a key forceout at second and held the Sox to a single run.

In the fourth, with the Astros up 2-1 and Jimenez on base with a leadoff single, first baseman Yuli Gurriel reached toward the line and stabbed a blistering one-hopper, stepped on the bag and got a helpless Jimenez into a rundown for a double play.

In the sixth, Altuve made a diving catch on a sinking liner off the bat of Andrew Vaughn. In the eighth, he one-upped himself with a throw off one foot from the outfield grass behind second base to nip Jimenez at first.

And the real killer: right fielder Kyle Tucker’s running, leaping catch of a Yasmani Grandal drive with two on and two out in a 4-4 game in the seventh. Instead of a two-run lead and their first extra-base hit of the series, the Sox had nothing — least of all the momentum.

Eerily, a similarly struck ball in the bottom of the seventh broke the game open. Carlos Correa hit it where Grandal had, but Sox right fielder Leury Garcia took the wrong angle, turned the wrong way, mistimed his jump and, well, that’s enough picture painting.

Adam Engel would’ve made that play, we all know, but La Russa had just pinch-hit for him. That decision turned out to be less than perfect.

“Like I’ve always said,” Baker noted, “you can’t win just on defense, but you can lose on defense.”

No wonder Baker, who was out of baseball a couple of years ago, is feeling fine.

“This is one of the reasons why I came back,” he said. “I mean, I’ve missed this. I’ve yearned for this.”

Anybody remember May 7? That was the last day the Sox woke up and weren’t in first place. They’ll wake up now feeling a whole lot worse than they did then.

The Sox had a winning record in every month of the season. But not October — not if they don’t come back and win this series.

Not if they can’t somehow beat perfect.

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Houston is a problem. How are the White Sox supposed to beat perfect?Steve Greenbergon October 9, 2021 at 12:39 am Read More »

After staying silent about attempted carjacking of security detail, Cook County president promises ‘brief’ public notices in the futureSun-Times Wireon October 8, 2021 at 11:15 pm

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. | Sun-Times Media

Toni Preckwinkle was criticized this week for not saying anything publicly about a Forest Preserves officer firing at a carjacker outside her Hyde Park home on Sept. 27.

After staying silent for a week after her security detail exchanged gunfire with a carjacker, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle promised Friday to notify the public whenever the detail is involved in an “act of violence.”

But Preckwinkle indicated she would still not have much to say publicly about such incidents, even apparently when an officer shoots someone.

“In the unfortunate event that my Executive Detail is faced with another act of violence, a brief public notification will be issued that continues to ensure the safety and security of my staff, myself and does not compromise any ongoing investigation,” she said in a statement.

Preckwinkle was criticized this week when it was reported by CWB Chicago that a Forest Preserves officer stationed outside her Hyde Park home had fired at someone who tried to steal his car the night of Sept. 27.

Neither Preckwinkle nor Chicago police had said anything about the incident, and it is still not known if the robber was shot. In her statement, Preckwinkle said it was up to the Chicago police to notify the public, not her.

“To protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, we followed the standard procedure of allowing the lead law enforcement agency, CPD, to determine what information is shared and when,” she said.

The police department has not explained why the incident was not reported at the time on the department’s major incident log that is continually updated with major crimes in the city, including carjackings.

The incident happened around 8:30 p.m. near Preckwinkle’s home on the 5100 block of South Kimbark Avenue. A Forest Preserves police officer parked outside opened fire on a gunman who tried to take his car, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.

The officer then returned fire, the source said. Police were initially told the officer was off duty at the time, the source said.

But the Forest Preserves District, in a brief statement, said the officer is a member of Preckwinkle’s “executive protection detail” and was on duty. The statement said the officer “fired shots during an attempted carjacking” but did not say anything about the carjacker being armed or firing shots.

Chicago police released a statement around the same time, but its brief narrative did not identify the person involved as a police officer. And it said nothing about shots being fired by anyone.

Preckwinkle’s security detail — a three-person team who each earn more than $100,000 in salary — has been staffed by officers from the Forest Preserves Department of Law Enforcement since 2016. Before, it was staffed by officers from the county’s Department of Emergency Management.

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After staying silent about attempted carjacking of security detail, Cook County president promises ‘brief’ public notices in the futureSun-Times Wireon October 8, 2021 at 11:15 pm Read More »

Cook County carjackings on pace to be the worst in 2 decades: Camry is No. 1, most victims are men, Sunday’s the worst dayFrank Mainon October 8, 2021 at 11:24 pm

Anthony Jones, 28, in his Nissan Altima — the car that a would-be carjacker tried to take from him last January in Oak Park. Jones tried to drive away and was shot in the head and might never fully regain the vision in his left eye as a result. | Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

The numbers, bad last year, are more than 43% worse this year. Sheriff Tom Dart’s office has created a database to make sense of why. Some of the findings are surprising.

Anthony Jones didn’t realize it, but, driving one chilly morning in Oak Park, he fit the profile of a typical carjacking victim.

To start, this was in January — the worst month for carjackings in Cook County this year.

Jones was driving a 2019 Nissan Altima — the No. 3 most-targeted vehicle for carjackers to steal.

He’s 28 — the No. 1 age bracket for victims is 20 to 29.

He’s a man — men are twice as likely to get carjacked as women in Cook County.

He was driving in the west suburbs — where this terrifying crime has become increasingly common.

And he was in a car parked at a curb — one of most common places for carjackers to strike.

It happened just after 7 a.m. on Jan. 20.

Google Street View
The BP gas station at Roosevelt Road and Harlem Avenue in Oak Park where Anthony Jones had picked up a package of Nutter Butter cookies just before he was carjacked.

Jones had left his car on a street next to a park and walked to a nearby BP station at Roosevelt Road and Harlem Avenue in Oak Park, where he bought a package of Nutter Butter cookies.

Back in his car, he was looking at his phone for music to play while he ran errands. That’s when he noticed a man sprinting toward him.

The guy cursed at Jones and told him to get out.

Jones remembered hearing about a woman in Aurora who did what a carjacker told her and got shot anyway. So he hit the gas.

The would-be carjacker shot him through his window, striking him in the head. Though he was badly wounded, the bullet went through his temple and exited his cheek.

“I was able to move my hands and arms,” Jones says. “I was, like, ‘Wow, my brain’s still functioning.’ “

Frank Main / Sun-Times

Jones — who says he might never regain full vision in his left eye — is among nearly 1,400 carjacking victims this year in Chicago and the rest of Cook County, more than 115 of them in the suburbs.

It’s a carjacking crisis, with the county on pace to see more carjackings this year than it has in two decades. Through the end of September, there were 43.5% more carjackings countywide this year than in the same period last year, when carjackings also were way up over the year before.

In the face of the rise in carjackings, the Chicago Police Department formed a task force in March that includes the Cook County sheriff’s office, the Illinois State Police, the FBI and suburban police departments.

As a part of that effort, the sheriff’s office has created a database allowing suburban departments to share information about carjackings with the task force, making it easier to spot patterns that go beyond any single jurisdiction and to help deploy officers better to fight the problem, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says.

Before, Dart says, “Every town had their own data. You had no idea what was going on in the town next to you.”

Now, he says, “We’re putting the puzzle together.”

Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says sharing information is key to “putting the puzzle together” on who’s behind the sharp rise in the number of carjackings.

Some of the findings gleaned from the database have been surprising:

For most of this year, there have been more carjackings on Tuesdays than on any other day of the week. Investigators’ theory is that carjackers figure there are fewer cops and less traffic on the streets on Tuesdays. Sheriff’s officials say the number of arrests rose this year after task force members were deployed on Tuesdays. Recently, Sunday has slightly edged out Tuesday as the worst day for carjackings.
The epicenter of carjackings in the city and suburbs is the West Side — not the Loop, Gold Coast or other high-traffic places. The west suburbs also have been hit hard. Many of the vehicles carjacked in the suburbs wind up on the West Side or the South Side.
Men have accounted for more than two-thirds of all carjacking victims, but suburban women are equally at risk in the late morning and early afternoon.

Frank Main / Sun-Times
Frank Main / Sun-Times

The No. 1 most-targeted vehicle model over the past year and a half? Toyota Camry, followed by Jeep Grand Cherokee and Nissan Altima.

Some carjackers steal Camrys and Altimas because they’re common and can be used in other crimes without drawing attention to the car, sheriff’s officials say.

Criminals often target Grand Cherokees and Dodge Chargers because they bring top-dollar in illegal resales in Chicago and also get shipped to overseas markets including Ukraine and Dubai, where they’re in high demand, officials say.

Research by the sheriff’s office, including interviews with suspects who’ve been arrested, showed there are two general types of carjackers: juvenile thrill-seekers and crews of older, professional carjackers.

More than half of the people arrested for carjacking in Chicago last year were juveniles. They often target victims downtown because they’re showing off. They broadcast their heists on social media, but they don’t know the exit routes very well, so their chances of getting caught are high, officials say.

Then, there are the pros. They do their homework. They study Google Maps to plan getaways. They decide in advance which vehicles they want to boost, rather than looking for an easy score.

And they work as a team, sometimes including kids as young as 12 who’ll take the fall if they get caught because their punishment is minimal in juvenile court, officials say.

Often, professional carjackers will work with a “chase” vehicle. After a heist, the ones who grabbed the car will pull into an alley or onto a quiet street so they can trade places with the members of the crew who were in the chase vehicle. That keeps their victims from being able to identify who pulled the gun on them if the stolen car is stopped.

After a vehicle is stolen, professional teams sometimes turn to crooked locksmiths to create new key fobs. They’ll also replace the license plates with stolen ones from vehicles of the same make, model and color as the vehicle they carjacked — to keep the cops off their trail.

Cook County sheriff’s office
Chicago’s West Side (in dark red) is the epicenter of carjackings in 2021 through Sept. 30.

The carjacking task force relies on helicopters and airplanes to track fleeing carjackers and cut down on potentially dangerous car chases.

Dart says carjackers have been wearing masks like everyone else during the coronavirus pandemic, making it difficult for witnesses to identify them.

When prosecutors don’t think detectives have enough evidence to charge someone with vehicular highjacking, they’ll often file lesser charges, like possession of a stolen vehicle or criminal trespass to a vehicle.

Last year, police arrested people for vehicle hijacking in about 11% of the carjackings in Chicago, and prosecutors approved vehicle hijacking charges in fewer than half of those cases, according to a University of Chicago Crime Lab report.

Lately, that’s been a source of friction between Cook County prosecutors and cops. Sometimes, the police have turned to federal prosecutors to charge carjacking suspects.

Chicago police arrest photo
Edmond Harris, 18, is charged with shooting Anthony Jones on Jan. 20 during an attempted carjacking. He’s also charged with a March 6 carjacking and with killing an Uber driver during a March 23 carjacking.

That’s what happened with Edmond Harris. He was charged in federal court with killing Uber driver Javier Ramos and taking his 2013 Lexus GS early on March 23 in the 1300 block of South Independence Boulevard on the West Side. Federal authorities say Harris, who lives nearby, left the 46-year-old Ramos dead in the street, shot in the head.

Harris also is charged with carjacking a Chevrolet Impala at a Shell gas station on March 6 in the 3900 block of West Roosevelt Road. Chevy has been the No. 1 make of carjacked vehicles in Cook County over the past year and a half, according to sheriff’s officials.

On March 24, Harris showed up with a lawyer at a West Side police station and was arrested for the carjacking at the Shell station, court records show. While being taken to the lockup, though, Harris asked an officer if his arrest was about Ramos’ murder the night before, according to court records.

In June, Harris was charged by federal authorities with Ramos’ killing.

A few days later, he was charged in Cook County criminal court with attempting to carjack Anthony Jones and shooting him.

U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
In a photo posted on social media, Edmond Harris displays a gun, according to federal authorities.

Jones, who works for a Mount Prospect tool company, was planning to work at home on the day he was shot, which was on a Wednesday.

“He seemed very surprised I wasn’t willing to give up my car,” Jones says.

He says his attacker wasn’t wearing a mask, making him easy to identify.

Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times
Anthony Jones.

After Jones was wounded, he got out of his car and stumbled into the gas station for help. But he says the cashier told him to leave because he was bleeding on the floor.

Jones, who was in shock, sat outside the gas station and called his father and a friend before he dialed 911. An ambulance rushed him to Loyola University Medical Center, and he was hospitalized for six days.

Jones is working again but says, “My eye is pretty messed up with retinal damage. I may never be able to see out of my left eye.”

Jones says he’s grateful to police and prosecutors for arresting and charging Harris with shooting him, even if it was months later.

“When I got home, I got really mad, thinking about how he was going to get away with it — how nobody cares,” says Jones, who lives in Forest Park.

He says he’s replaced his driver-side window, which was shattered by the bullet that struck him.

“Yes, I still drive it,” Jones says. “But I’m a little more careful.”

Contributing: Jon Seidel

Read More

Cook County carjackings on pace to be the worst in 2 decades: Camry is No. 1, most victims are men, Sunday’s the worst dayFrank Mainon October 8, 2021 at 11:24 pm Read More »

High school football scores: Week 7Michael O’Brienon October 8, 2021 at 10:08 pm

Schurz running back Jewgante Abraham (4) runs with the ball against Sullivan. | Quinn Harris/For the Sun-Times

All the scores from around the area.

Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Thursday, October 7

GREAT LAKES

Ag. Science 2, Johnson 0 (forfeit)

WINDY CITY

Sullivan 21, Schurz 0

CHICAGO AVENUE

Gage Park 2, Juarez 0 (forfeit)

LAKE STREET

Corliss 2, Butler 0 (forfeit)

South Shore 50, Longwood 0

MADISON STREET

Chicago Academy 2, Foreman 0 (forfeit)

Roosevelt 2, Senn 0 (forfeit)

MICHIGAN AVENUE

Dyett 46, Woodlawn 0

NONCONFERENCE

Chicago Academy 48, Roosevelt 0

Corliss 23, Ag. Science 7

Crane 60, Gage Park 0

Wheaton Academy 49, St. Edward 7

Friday, October 8

BIG SHOULDERS

Dunbar at Brooks, 7:15

GREAT LAKES

Catalyst-Maria vs. Bogan at Stagg, 4:15

HEARTLAND

Kennedy at Speer, 7:15

Steinmetz vs. Prosser at Lane, 4:15

LAND OF LINCOLN

Lincoln Park vs. Young at Rockne, 7:15

PRAIRIE STATE

Back of the Yards vs. Payton at Lane, 7:15

Bulls Prep at Orr, 4:15

RED BIRD

Hubbard at Perspectives, 7:15

Kenwood vs. Curie at Gately, 7:15

SECOND CITY

Vocational vs. Carver at Gately, 4:15

Washington at Solorio, 7:30

CHICAGO AVENUE

Little Village at Kelly, 4:15

LAKE STREET

Fenger vs. Bowen at Eckersall, 4:15

STATE STREET

Rowe-Clark vs. UIC Prep at Rockne, 4:15

CENTRAL SUBURBAN NORTH

Deerfield at Maine West, 7

Highland Park at Maine East, 7

Niles North at Vernon Hills, 7:30

CENTRAL SUBURBAN SOUTH

Glenbrook North at Evanston, 7:30

Maine South at Niles West, 7

New Trier at Glenbrook South, 7

DUKANE

Batavia at Geneva, 7:30

Lake Park at Glenbard North, 7:30

St. Charles North at St. Charles East, 7:30

Wheaton North at Wheaton-Warrenville South, 7:30

DUPAGE VALLEY

DeKalb at Naperville Central, 7:30

Metea Valley at Naperville North, 7

Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley, 7

FOX VALLEY

Crystal Lake Central at Burlington Central, 7

Huntley at Hampshire, 7

Jacobs at Cary-Grove, 7

McHenry at Crystal Lake South, 7

Prairie Ridge at Dundee-Crown, 7

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Manteno at Herscher, 7

Peotone at Coal City, 7

Reed-Custer at Streator, 7

Wilmington at Lisle, 7

KISHWAUKEE I-8 BLUE

Plano at Marengo, 7:15

Richmond-Burton at Johnsburg, 7

Sandwich at Harvard, 7

KISHWAUKEE I-8 WHITE

LaSalle-Peru at Woodstock, 7

Ottawa at Morris, 7

Sycamore at Woodstock North, 7

MID-SUBURBAN EAST

Buffalo Grove at Rolling Meadows, 7

Hersey at Wheeling, 7

Prospect at Elk Grove, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN WEST

Barrington at Palatine, 7:30

Conant at Hoffman Estates, 7:30

Fremd at Schaumburg, 7:30

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Forest at Lake Zurich, 7:30

Libertyville at Zion-Benton, 7:30

Stevenson at Waukegan, 7:30

Warren at Mundelein, 7

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Grant at Lakes, 7

Grayslake Central at Antioch, 7

Round Lake at Grayslake North, 7

Wauconda at North Chicago, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN BLUE

Bremen at Hillcrest, 6

Lemont at Tinley Park, 7

TF South at TF North, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN RED

Reavis at Eisenhower, 7

Richards at Evergreen Park, 7

Shepard at Oak Lawn, 7

SOUTHLAND

Bloom at Kankakee, 7

Rich Township at Crete-Monee, 6:30

Thornwood at Thornton, 5

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE EAST

Joliet West at Plainfield East, 7

Plainfield Central at Plainfield South, 7

Romeoville at Joliet Central, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE WEST

Minooka at Plainfield North, 7

Oswego at West Aurora, 7

Oswego East at Yorkville, 7

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN BLUE

Homewood-Flossmoor at Lincoln-Way East, 7

Lockport at Bolingbrook, 6

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN RED

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Andrew, 7

Lincoln-Way Central at Lincoln-Way West, 7:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

Bartlett at Glenbard East, 7:30

East Aurora at Larkin, 7:30

Elgin at South Elgin, 7:30

Streamwood at Glenbard South, 7:30

West Chicago at Fenton, 7:30

VERMILION VALLEY NORTH

Dwight 2, Watseka 0 (forfeit)

Clifton Central at Iroquois West, 7

Seneca at Momence, 7

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Downers Grove South at Addison Trail, 7:30

Proviso East at Morton, 7

Willowbrook at Hinsdale South, 7

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

Glenbard West at Downers Grove North, 7

Hinsdale Central at York, 7

NONCONFERENCE

Carmel at Marmion, 7:30

Chicago Christian at Aurora Central, 7

Elmwood Park at Aurora Christian, 7

Joliet Catholic at Brother Rice, 6

Leo at Nazareth, 7

Lyons at Leyden, 7

Marian Catholic at De La Salle, 7:30

Montini at Marist, 6

Notre Dame at DePaul Prep, 7:30

Oak Forest at Argo, 7

Riverside-Brookfield at IC Catholic, 7:15

Rochelle at Kaneland, 7

St. Francis at Bishop McNamara, 7:30

St. Laurence at Mount Carmel, 7:30

St. Patrick at Fenwick, 7:30

St. Rita at Marian Central, 7:30

St. Viator at St. Ignatius, 7:30

Sandburg at Stagg, 6

Thornridge at Hope Academy, 7

Westmont at Ridgewood, 7:15

Saturday, October 9

BIG SHOULDERS

King vs. Hyde Park at Eckersall, 1

UP-Bronzeville at Lindblom, noon

GREAT LAKES

Goode vs. Comer at Eckersall, 4

HEARTLAND

Rauner vs. North Lawndale at Rockne, 1

LAND OF LINCOLN

Lane vs. Phillips at Gately, 4

Taft at Westinghouse, 1

PRAIRIE STATE

Clark vs. Raby at Lane, 1

RED BIRD

Simeon vs. Morgan Park at Gately, 1

SECOND CITY

Julian vs. Harlan at Gately, 10 a.m.

WINDY CITY

Mather vs. Amundsen at Winnemac, 1

Von Steuben vs. Lake View at Winnemac, 4

CHICAGO AVENUE

Tilden vs. Collins at Rockne, 4

MADISON STREET

Marine vs. Pritzker at Lane, 10 a.m.

MICHIGAN AVENUE

Chicago Military vs. Hansberry at Stagg, 1

DuSable vs. Chicago Richards at Stagg, 4

STATE STREET

Crane 2, Marshall 0 (forfeit)

Clemente vs. Phoenix at Lane, 4

INDEPENDENT

Walther Christian at Ottawa Marquette, 1

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

Oak Park-River Forest at Proviso West, 1

NONCONFERENCE

Providence at Loyola, 1:30

Read More

High school football scores: Week 7Michael O’Brienon October 8, 2021 at 10:08 pm Read More »