Elishama Wright was leaving her nephew’s surprise birthday party, joking and laughing with her brother as they stepped into the cool weekend night in West Pullman.

Wright thought she heard firecrackers in the distance while walking with her brother, her 15-year-old daughter tagging along somewhere in the crowd.

The sounds grew louder and people started running and screaming. “When I looked down, I saw my brother on the ground with blood squirting from his face,” Wright told the Sun-Times.

She ducked back into the building in 300 block of East Kensington Avenue until the shooting stopped, then rushed outside to see about her brother and daughter.

Wright reached her brother, a Chicago firefighter, and felt for a pulse. It was faint. As she dialed 911, her daughter ran up, bleeding and crying.

“My daughter was yelling ‘Mom.’ She had a lot of blood running down her arm. She said, ‘Mom, I’m tired of shootings,’ and collapsed.”

Four other people were hit by gunfire and one of them, a mother from Dolton, was shot and killed near Wright’s daughter. “My daughter watched her die,” Wright said.

The attack Saturday night was the latest mass shooting in a year when the city is seeing its worst gun violence in decades, and in a neighborhood that is near the top for both murders and shootings, according to police data.

Police say the gunmen emerged from a dark gangway and opened fire around 9:30 p.m. and ran off.

Schenia Smith, 42, the mother from Dolton, was hit in the arm and armpit and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Wright’s brother, Timothy Eiland, the father of five, was shot in the face and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. Her 15-year-old daughter, Divine O’Neal, went to Comer Children’s Hospital in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the arm.

Three other men were wounded: A 38-year-old hit in the stomach, a 31-year-old grazed in the head, and a 22-year-old shot in the arm and leg. All of them were listed in fair condition.

Chicago’s chief of detectives appealed Monday for the public’s help in finding the shooters. He had no descriptions.

Wright said her daughter has been released from the hospital and there are hopeful signs that her brother will recover. He responds to his name and can move his fingers.

“Just keep praying,” said Wright, who works in payroll for the Chicago Police Department.

Wright said her brother is “an awesome fireman, an awesome husband, an awesome friend” and is known for his sense of humor. His father was a firefighter too.

“He was always joking around,” she said. “That’s what he was doing when we were out there.”

Wright said her daughter remains in a lot of pain, but it is doing the best she can. “It’s hard to see a hole in your child’s arm, with blood running down, and seeing your brother on the ground,” she said.

Violence in West Pullman

The shooting occurred in one of the deadliest neighborhoods in Chicago, targeted for special efforts by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because of the prevalence of gun violence.

Murders are up about 40% from this time a year ago in the police district that covers West Pullman, rising from three to five. Shootings are up about 35%, from 141 to 189. Other crime has also spiked: Sexual assaults are up 38%, aggravated battery up 11%.

During the same time, murders are up 3.6% across the city, from 535 last year to 554 this year. Shootings are up 9.5%, from 2,909 last year to 3,185 this year. Compared to this time in 2019, shootings are up nearly 68%.

A year ago, Lightfoot released a violence prevention plan that proposed flooding West Pullman and 14 other community areas with resources — not just violence intervention programs but help with jobs and housing and health.

The neighborhoods were targeted because they have accounted for 50% of the violence in Chicago over the last three years.

Yet West Pullman and six of the other areas have recorded more shootings since last year, according to Sun-Times data. The others are Great Grand Crossing, South Shore, East Garfield Park, Roseland, Englewood and Chicago Lawn.

Seven other areas are doing no better than last year: West Garfield Park, Auburn Gresham, North Lawndale, Chatham, West Englewood, South Lawndale and Humboldt Park.

Only one of the targeted areas — Austin — has seen fewer shootings though homicides are about the same as last year and it remains one of the deadliest neighborhoods in Chicago.

A Sun-Times analysis in July found that the Lightfoot administration had yet to funnel any extra assistance to some of these dangerous neighborhoods, particularly on the Far South Side.

The West Pullman community area had received none of the $36 million released so far by City Hall under the plan this year.

In the next few weeks, City Hall will announce how much of $1.8 billion in federal stimulus aid should go to West Pullman and the other neighborhoods it has targeted under the plan.

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Food markets have long reckoned with the evolving calculus of our mealtime decisions: Make it or buy it? Whole Foods knows we intend to cook a healthy meal, but we’ll succumb to the lukewarm temptation of the hot bar. Trader Joe’s figures we’ll microwave something better than Lean Cuisine, but that’s OK — we’re busy and there’s wine. Foxtrot suspects “cooking” means scrambled eggs, but we’ll never say no to a cheese board. And, besides, markets are the new coffee shops — bring a laptop.

Now comes Dom’s Kitchen & Market from two industry vets who’ve already had an impact on the ways Chicagoans eat and shop. As Bob Mariano and Don Fitzgerald taught us at Mariano’s and Dominick’s, grocery shopping is more fun when there are dining and drinking options alongside salmon and broccoli. At Dom’s, they give equal weight to both: Turn right at the entrance, and you’ll find the produce department, as compact and colorful as the grocery in a Richard Scarry picture book. Turn left for a constellation of dining options with cute names.

Alas, you can skip right over most of these prepared foods. Among other problems, a steak sandwich at the Stackup features tough skirt steak on a spongy roll with greasy giardiniera aïoli, and the pizza at the Bonci outlet is a shadow of the West Loop shop’s airy-crusted Roman-style pie. But the groceries rock : Count on excellent meat and seafood and quality vegetables, from collard greens to fennel bulbs to fresh turmeric. Plus, there are many finely sourced treasures to discover, like Solo di Bruna Parmigiano Reggiano, Counter Culture and Stumptown coffees, and fresh pasta from Wicker Park’s Tortello. Of special note: Though small, the wine shop has terrific finds like Gaja’s Ca’Marcanda Promis, Lioco Chardonnay, and Ridge Zinfandel. If you’re spending in the $30 to $60 range, this is your store. Here are five other can’t-miss buys. 2730 N. Halsted St., Lincoln Park

The Hearth’s Porchetta, $14 It comes with a gorgeous crackly skin (and was tasty even without the chimichurri the cook forgot).

Sweet Grass Dairy Pimento Cheese, $9.95 Made with grass-fed Thomasville Tomme and smoked paprika, this is the Rolls-Royce of pimento cheese in a sea of Honda Fits.

Gohan Sushi, from $8 I’m ready to crown this the city’s best supermarket sushi, thanks to its great rice and fresh yellowfin tuna and crabmeat.

Charcuterie, Prices vary Loads of excellent grab-and-go cured meats are available, from Brooklyn Cured’s pork salami with mezcal and lime to black pepper soppressata from Chicago’s own Tempesta.

Dom’s Country White Bread, $6.95 Most of the European-style loaves don’t stand out, but these thick, sturdy slices make great toast.

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be partly sunny with a high near 82 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms and a low around 71. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms and a high near 87.

Top story

QAnon backer at center of ivermectin flap with Northwest Side hospital dies

A QAnon backer from Chicago died early this morning following a public battle with COVID-19 that recently prompted a coordinated harassment campaign against a Northwest Side hospital that declined to treat her with an unapproved and potentially dangerous drug.

Veronica Wolski, 64, of Jefferson Park, died at 12:44 a.m. at Amita Resurrection Medical Center, the Cook County medical examiner’s office reported. She died from pneumonia due to COVID-19 with hypothyroidism as a contributing factor, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Wolski had been hospitalized for weeks, according to posts on the messaging app Telegram, where her supporters had mobilized. Fellow QAnon adherents ultimately began targeting the hospital last week with a small protest and a flood of phone calls after doctors refused to give her ivermectin, a drug that’s been touted by the vaccine-averse and those on the far-right as a groundbreaking treatment for COVID.

While approved for treating parasites in both humans and animals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that ivermectin hasn’t been proved effective against coronavirus, or approved to treat it.

A flyer for a protest last Monday at Resurrection explained Wolski had been hospitalized there for two weeks with “Covid pneumonia.” The flyer, circulated on the messaging app Telegram, claimed a doctor who initially agreed to give her ivermectin later backtracked because the hospital sided with public health experts who “do not advise its use in COVID-19 cases.”

Read Tom Schuba’s full story here.

More news you need

Labar “Bro Man” Spann faces trial starting with jury selection this week in what is perhaps the most significant street-gang trial at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse since 2016. Spann has declared himself head of a gang tied to at least nine murders since 2000, including the 2003 killing of Latin Kings boss Rudy ‘Kato’ Rangel, authorities say.

Chicago’s latest mass shooting happened as a birthday party was breaking up in West Pullman on the Far South Side, authorities say. Shootings are up in West Pullman this year despite City Hall’s efforts to target gun violence in that neighborhood.

A proposed ordinance banning Chicago restaurants from handing out single-use utensils unless asked by the customer looks poised for approval by a City Council committee. Compliance would be voluntary as the council tries to curb “plastic pollution” in a way that beleaguered restaurant owners can swallow, Fran Spielman reports.

A different City Council committee, meanwhile, approved a proposed ordinance that would require greater transparency regarding mortgages and home equity loans from banks holding Chicago tax dollars or vying to become municipal depositories. Spielman has more on the proposal, which is intended to reverse longstanding lending inequities.

A new statewide task force will be charged with investigating organized retail theft in Illinois, the state’s attorney general announced today. AG Kwame Raoul said Illinois businesses lose $45 billion annually from the problem.

The ’90s are making a comeback with TLC set to perform in Tinley Park on Wednesday as part of a national tour to commemorate the girl group’s hit sophomore album. Our Nichole Shaw spoke to the TLC members T-Boz and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas about their goals for the highly anticipated tour.

A bright one

From Patti Smith to Slipknot to Run the Jewels, Riot Fest 2021 must-see lineup an eclectic mix

Just when you thought you had seen it all at Riot Fest — a John Stamos sculpture made of butter, a circle pit breakout at a Village People set, and that current petition to nab ABBA for next year — festival organizers have gone and upped the ante yet again, adding a fourth day for the first time ever to help usher in the anticipated return of the Chicago music extravaganza.

As one of the nation’s remaining truly independent festivals (still with ever-humble founder Mike Petryshyn at the helm), Riot Fest organizers can do whatever they want. And they do it really well.

Patti Smith performs onstage at Pappy & Harriet’s last month in Pioneertown, California. She headlines Riot Fest on Thursday night. Getty

Head to Douglass Park early on Thursday for the fest’s kickoff at 2:30 p.m. — with proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test within 48 hours required for entry on all days — and get a first look at the 2021 edition of the festival. The day includes a headlining set by Morrissey, with additional sets by Patti Smith and Her Band, Alkaline Trio, Joyce Manor, WDRL and Kristeen Young, free carnival rides, sideshow performers, Thursday-only merch, a crack at an ‘American Idol’-style singing competiton and, for those so inclined, a walk down the aisle at the Riot Fest Wedding Chapel.

The remaining three days will be just as entertaining with a stacked lineup including homegrown heroes, tomorrow’s up-and-comers and every music genre possible (where else could you see NOFX, Devo and GWAR?).

Read Selena Fragassi’s full preview of the 10 acts you need to see at Riot Fest this weekend.

From the press box

After the Rams exposed the Bears’ offseason delusions with a blowout win last night, our reporters got to work breaking down the defeat: Rick Morrissey on Andy Dalton, Mark Potash on a disappointing defensive effort, Patrick Finley on Justin Fields’ brief appearances and Lieser again with some extra thoughts on Allen Robinson and others.
For your afternoon commute home, listen to Potash, Finley and Lieser discuss all aspects of the game in the latest episode of our Halas Intrigue podcast.
Cubs fans may not be as patient this time around, so the team wants to try to retool this offseason instead of a full-blown rebuild.

Your daily question ?

If you could master a new language in 24 hours, which one would you choose? Why?

Send us an email at [email protected] and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: Where’s your favorite place to watch a Bears game? Why? Here’s what some of you said…

“My living room. So that I can change the channel in the third quarter when they get down by 20 points.” — Matt McKenzie

“At home, with access to blankets, the couch, a beverage of my choice, and the remote.” — Robert Lisowski

“Home…the beers are cheaper.” — Bob Selmer

“At home, so I don’t have to hear noise around me and I can scream at the TV!” — Karen Madden

“I like to listen on the radio, in my kitchen, while I cook!” — Jason Betke

“At Spratt’s Tap in Hennepin, Ill.” — Tim Gaines

“Draft Picks bar in Naperville – great food and lots of TVs – great atmosphere!” — Patty Kopitas

“At my brother’s house with family.” — Darrin McMath

“At my brotha’s garage.” — Francisco Javier Rocha-Zamudio

“At home because I can turn it off.” — Blake Rogers

Thanks for reading the Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

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Two New York City rappers who attained chart-topping success in bygone areas aim to square off in the next Verzuz battle.

Hip-hop luminaries Ja Rule and Fat Joe are slated for the next Verzuz battle at 8 p.m. Tuesday via Instagram, the Triller app and the Fite TV app.

The battle follows up another New York-based event, the Dipset – The Lox matchup which was widely viewed as a lopsided affair in the eyes of many hip-hop fans.

Bronx native Fat Joe, who originally went by the nickname Fat Joe da Gangsta, is best known for his association with D.I.T.C (Diggin’ In The Crates Crew), a rap collective featuring Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Big L, Showbiz & A.G., O.C., and Buckwild, among others, along with the Terror Squad, most notably with Big Pun, who died in 2000 (Fat Joe was also an early Relativity Records label mate of Chicago hip-hop legend Common).

Joe’s hits over time include “Flow Joe,” “Success,” “Bet Ya Man Can’t Triz,” “All I Need,” “What’s Luv,” featuring previous Verzuz battle contestant Ashanti, “Thuggin’ ” w/R.Kelly, “Lean Back,” and “All the Way Up,” among many others.

Ja Rule burst onto the scene with a featured verse on Jay-Z’s 1998 hit single “Can I Get A…”. Ja Rule’s debut album “Venni Vetti Vecci,” produced the hit “Holla Holla.” He later became a key figure in two versions of Murder, Inc. — the most well-known version of the group features Jay-Z and deceased Verzuz contestant DMX.

New York rapper Ja Rule boasts chart-topping hits and a highly-publicized association with a failed music festival.AP

The Queens native’s standout tracks include “Put it on Me,” “Always on Time,” “Livin’ it Up,” “Thug Lovin” with Bobby Brown, and “New York” featuring Fat Joe and The Lox member Jadakiss.

In later years, the Murder, Inc. affiliate is most known for his highly-publicized rivalry with fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent, and his role in the Fyre Festival, an ill-fated island music experience which spawned two documentaries.

Acts have yet to be announced for future Verzuz battles.

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Sunday night saw the first NFL game with fans at SoFi Stadium. And Sunday saw the first fan brawl at the facility.

TMZ Sports reported that several Bears and Rams fans got into it during the Bears’ 34-14 loss.

A person attending the game told TMZ that a Bears fan started arguing with several Rams fans shortly after the game began and stadium security had to step in and make the belligerents change seats.

After the game, some of the opposing fans bumped into each other on one of the stadium concourses and the hostilities started again, with several punches being thrown.

Stadium security again had to break up the fisticuffs.

Warning: video has foul language.

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Record fires in Oregon and California. Floods in Houston and New York. Deadly winter storms in Texas. Droughts across much of the west.

Flash floods in England and Germany. Blinding dust storms in China. One hundred year cyclones devastate Fiji and Indonesia. Deadly droughts across sub-Saharan Africa. Wildfires in Greece and Italy.

The year is not over yet, but in the United States and across the world, the toll in lives and destruction is growing in storms of biblical proportion.

The poorest peoples and the poorest nations are most at risk, but no one is insulated against the impact. The wealthy on Lake Tahoe are evacuated in the face of unprecedented wildfires.

Texan oilmen struggle when record winter storms shut down the electric system. Wall Street bankers are hit with floods sweeping through subways and streets. As the storms increase, food supplies and prices will be hit. Millions will be displaced.

There is no longer any doubt about the reality of global warming, the dangers of it, or the causes of it. Republicans who for years scorned the reality of global warming — Donald Trump dubbed it a “Chinese hoax” — now accept that it is real. Corrupted scientists paid by oil companies that argued the crisis wasn’t manmade, now quietly reverse their opinions.

Now the only question is: what will we do in the face of what the United Nations warns is literally an existential threat?

We can’t undo what we have done, but we can alter how bad the future becomes. We can move to sustainable and efficient energy systems, make production and housing and transport more energy efficient, replant forests, invent new ways to generate or save energy, or more.

In its last authoritative report, the UN issued what it called a “code red for humanity.” The change must take place over the next decade or we will seed calamities too horrible to imagine. Already this year, the town Lytton, British Columbia, in Canada was erased by a hit so extreme — temperatures reached 121 degrees — that it literally went up in smoke and was reduced to ashes.

And yet, we keep putting more and more carbon in the atmosphere. Like addicts on drugs, we know we are killing ourselves but can’t resist the high. Feeding deadly drug addictions — from heroin to crack to fentanyl — are multi-trillion-dollar enterprises, some corporate, some gangs, all criminal. They have the power not only to slake the thirst of the addicted, but to corrupt the guardians — the police on the street, the politicians in the suites, the CEOs in the boardrooms.

Can we summon up the awareness, the moral courage, and the popular demand to meet this clear, present and growing threat to our lives? Over the next few weeks, Congress will face yet one more skirmish in this struggle between the blind and the aware, the corrupt and the alarmed, the powers that be and the powers that must be.

Democrats in the House and Senate are now working to draft and to pass the core elements of Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Plan. Central to that are the first major investments in addressing climate change — mass transit, electric cars, rebuilding housing, solar and wind energy, an end to fossil fuel subsidies, modernizing the electric grid, creating a civilian climate corps that can enlist the energy of the young to retrofit houses and plant trees and much more.

Republicans no longer deny the existence of the threat and admit that it is manmade in origin. Now they argue that it is too costly to do anything about it. They raise alarms that developing new energy and electric cars and retrofitting homes will somehow hurt jobs and the economy, when in fact, the transition to sustainable energy will be a source of new demand, new invention and new jobs and growth.

Moreover, the U.S. would surely benefit if it became the leader in the new green technologies that surely will drive growth markets across the world. Plus, with their leaders convinced they will benefit politically if Biden fails, Republicans have lined up unanimously to oppose the Biden plan.

So, making progress on climate demands completely on Democrats. With the Senate split 50-50 between the two parties, and Republicans unanimously opposed, Democrats must vote unanimously so Vice President Harris can break the tie to pass a budget bill that would contain the first major investments in dealing with climate change.

That won’t be easy. Despite popular support for reforms, big interests are mobilized against change led by Big Oil, the coal barons, and companies hooked on fossil fuels, the deadly crack of our time. An army of lobbyists has descended on Washington. Deep-pocket donors are calling in their chips. When a politician like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) says he needs “greater clarity,” and won’t support the Biden plan, particularly its measures designed to accelerate the transition to renewable energy by utility companies, he isn’t confused; he is compromised.

The legislative process — the ugly sausage-making of the Congress — is confusing, secret and arcane. It seldom generates headlines or attention. But right now — in the next few weeks — this Congress will decide if we take the first steps to address a threat already taking a rising toll in lives and destruction. The interests invested in stopping change are mobilized. The only hope is that we the people rise up to demand the change that is desperately needed.

Send letters to [email protected].

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If you had asked Chris Perez four years ago where he saw himself in 2021, this wouldn’t be it.

Then, Perez was heading into his freshman season at Grant, a lifelong lineman since he started playing football at 6 years old.

“I always had the sticker on my helmet so I couldn’t carry the ball,” he said.

But then one day, his path changed.

“My freshman coach said, ‘Who’s going to play quarterback?’ I raised my hand,” Perez said. “It just happened.”

He turned into a pretty good one, winning the varsity job as a sophomore in 2019. Perez was back running the Bulldogs’ offense during the abbreviated pandemic season this spring.

But now he’s getting used to a new school and a new team after moving from Lake County for family reasons and transferring to DePaul Prep. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, considering he actually played two games for the Rams before classes started.

But a lot of his teammates also are his classmates. And when Perez looks around DePaul’s almost-new campus and football stadium, he almost has to pinch himself.

“The building is amazing,” he said, and so is the view of the downtown skyline.

Perez’s play was also something to see. In wins over Payton and Ridgewood, the 6-1, 205-pounder went 20-of-31 passing for 328 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception. He also ran four times for 37 yards and a TD.

DePaul Prep coach Mike Passarella appreciates the good fortune of having a two-year starting quarterback to plug into what already was a veteran offense.

“I was already excited even before Chris [arrived],” Passarella said. “He kind of fell into our lap.”

When Passarella arrived in 2019, the Rams had lost 17 in a row and the school — still in its former location and Addison and California and without a field of its own — had 545 students. He rebooted the program, starting sophomores at 13 positions on a team that finished 3-6.

Now there are 950 students in the new campus across the Chicago River at Melrose and Rockwell. And all of those sophomores are three-year starters after gaining more experience during a 2-4 spring season.

This is the year Passarella was pointing toward, and he had a couple returning quarterbacks. “We had an open competition,” Passarella said.

Perez won the job, thanks both to his skill set and his presence.

“He has those kind of intangibles you don’t really see,” Passarella said. “It’s like having another coach on the field. His ability to go through and read progressions is one of the biggest things for his leadership.”

As his numbers suggest, Perez is what Passarella calls “a traditional pocket guy [though] he can run it when he needs to.”

But Perez — who has drawn interest from Division I, Division II and NAIA colleges — believes he has much to offer after running a variety of offenses and seeing action up front earlier in his career.

“Playing lineman helped me become a better football player,” he said. “I understand what they’re going through.”

He appreciates his current linemen, who did not allow a sack in the first two games. “They don’t get any love for the work they do,” he said.

But Perez loves their effort. and he loves the team and school community that have embraced him for this latest stop on his unusual football journey.

“Chemistry has been building every week,” he said. “Because they’ve all been in the same system [for a few years], they all trust each other. They’re great teammates.”

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A Chicago man accused of looting a South Side clothing store in May 2020 pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon.

Adam Walton, 41, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison at his sentencing hearing, which is set for Dec. 6. He entered his plea during a video hearing before U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis.

Prosecutors say Walton joined several other people in looting an Old Navy in Marshfield Plaza at 117th Street and Marshfield Avenue around 11:45 p.m. on May 31, 2020. He entered through the front door while broken glass and merchandise were strewn about, according to the feds.

Walton allegedly spent more than two minutes in the store and collected “a large armful of clothing.”

Federal prosecutors say this still from surveillance footage depicts Adam Walton collecting merchandise inside an Old Navy in Marshfield Plaza on May 31, 2020.U.S. District Court records

Police then saw Walton leave the store, records show. He ran to a Honda CR-V parked nearby and tried unsuccessfully to open the driver’s door, according to prosecutors. Then, he allegedly dropped the stolen merchandise and ran through the parking lot, leaving the car behind.

Officers decided to wait beside the abandoned vehicle, and they saw a large amount of “what appeared to be additional stolen merchandise” inside, records show.

Five minutes after he left, Walton allegedly returned to the car. Prosecutors say the officers then told Walton to remove the stolen items from the vehicle. Walton allegedly replied that he didn’t care about the merchandise but did not want to go to jail.

“You all can have everything,” Walton allegedly said.

Prosecutors say Walton then moved closer to the officers and said he needed to tell them something. Though they initially rebuffed him, he insisted and the officers let him step closer, records show.

“I have a gun in the car,” Walton allegedly said.

Walton said the gun was on the driver’s side floorboard, but an officer found it in the center cup holder after moving a pile of stolen merchandise out of the way, records show.

Walton allegedly told officers, “I know I shouldn’t have a gun,” “I’m on parole for a gun,” and “please tell me you’re not going to arrest me. I was honest.”

Walton’s criminal history includes drug convictions dating back to 1997, records show. In November 2012 he was also convicted of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon in Cook County and was sentenced to two years in prison. In September 2017, he was convicted of the same crime and sentenced to eight years in prison.

He was released on parole in June 2019, records show.

Walton’s defense attorney tried earlier this year to challenge the federal case against him, denying that Walton told officers about the gun. Without that statement, she wrote, “The officers had no probable cause to believe a weapon was in the vehicle.”

But the defense attorney dropped the challenge after prosecutors in May disclosed that Walton had been recorded during jailhouse phone calls acknowledging the comment.

“I’m like, ‘Man they wasn’t, they wasn’t listening. Them police weren’t listening,'” Walton allegedly said during a call on June 3, 2020. “… They talking about, ‘You got a [Firearm Owners Identification] card?’ I’m saying like, ‘That’s not my gun, sir.’ I’m like, ‘There’s a gun in the car, but it’s not mine.'”

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Twenty years ago, in response to the horror of 9/11, Americans became unified in the need to address terrorism. Today, we face any number of challenges, including the COVID crisis, climate change and an uneven economy. But instead of coming together to overcome these challenges, we find ourselves fighting each other. We can’t seem to agree on what the problem is, and we struggle to make progress because solutions are couched as political hard lines.

When it comes to climate change, there is one solution that actually works and has bipartisan support. Placing a slowly rising price on carbon fuels at their source and returning revenue to consumers has been shown by numerous studies to be effective in reducing our use of fossil fuels without hurting the economy. Such an option is being discussed as part of the U.S. Senate budget reconciliation process. This approach avoids the delays and court challenges associated with regulations and standards, and it’s also the preferred strategy of conservatives because it doesn’t interfere with individual market choices.

SEND LETTERS TO: [email protected]. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be approximately 350 words or less.

We are living through increasingly severe storms, floods, fires and droughts, and we can no longer afford to ignore climate change. All Americans are affected regardless of where we live, and we need to come together in support of an effective, easily understood and easily implemented solution. Please let Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and your congressional representative know that you support carbon pricing as a key part of the budget reconciliation process.

Thomas Rausch, Glen Ellyn

Universal vaccine mandate

Too many Americans have died of COVID-19 so that the self-centered and the paranoid can feel free. That “reward” does not justify the risk.

Even in a libertarian, free society, individual rights begin to diminish when the rights of others are affected.

Curt Fredrikson, Mokena

A question for anti-vaxxers

With more than 3,000 CPS students exposed to the COVID-19 virus, and with about 27% of all new covid cases being children — and also not knowing what the long term effects of the coronavirus may have on children down the road — my question is this:

What is it going to take for you to set aside your various objections and get vaccinated so as to protect the children of our nation? The fact that children are being infected in larger numbers and being hospitalized is simply unacceptable.

Daniel Pupo, Orland Park

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