Family members of Chrys Carvajal, the 19-year-old Illinois National Guard soldier who was murdered last month in a random drive-by shooting, are demanding Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx file charges in the case.
“We have come here today to demand justice,” Carvajal’s sister, Jennifer Ramirez, 25, said at a news conference in the Loop.
“My brother’s life was taken by a coward. This coward did not know my brother. He did not even speak to my brother. He simply saw an opportunity to kill and shot with no remorse whatsoever,” she said.
“How many more lives need to be taken for the correct action to be made?” Ramirez said. “We are living in a war zone, and no one seems to defend us.”
Carvajal, who had recently completed basic training, was attending a party July 3 in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood when he was shot twice about 1 a.m. while retrieving something from his car.
Chicago detectives have a suspect — a high-ranking Milwaukee Kings gang member — and presented evidence Sunday to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, which rejected a murder charge, police said.
Police identified the vehicle used in the shooting and obtained data putting the suspect’s cellphone in the area of the shooting. The 38-year-old man jumped out of the car and randomly shot Carvajal, police said.
The suspect’s criminal record includes convictions for violent crimes including home invasion and aggravated battery. He also was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors dropped an attempted murder charge in that case, records show.
A Foxx spokesman, in an emailed statement, said the evidence, including video and witness accounts, was “insufficient to meet our burden of proof to file murder charges at this time.”
“As prosecutors, we have both an ethical and legal obligation to make charging decisions based on the evidence, facts, and the law. We will review any additional information that is brought to us, as we remain committed to the work of justice for those most impacted by violence in our communities.”
A police source said they’re frustrated a murder charge was rejected in Carvajal’s killing — the latest grievance in the continuing tension between the police department and the state’s attorney’s office.
For months, police Supt. David Brown has pointed a finger at State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, saying her office isn’t tough on violent criminals. Foxx has fired back, saying police need to do more to build solid cases against suspected shooters instead of focusing on people who illegally possess firearms.
Carvajal’s family praised the diligent work detectives have done on the case.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) denounced the decision not to file charges.
“What else do you want? You’re not going to have the person who committed the crime say ‘I did it,’ ” he said.
Villegas said he planned to reach out to Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth to see if it might be possible to bypass Foxx and seek justice through the military’s legal system or federal prosecutors.
Carvajal, who lived in Portage Park and aspired to become a Chicago police officer, was a graduate of Chicago Academy High School.
His mother, Lourdes Lara, clutched a rosary and repeatedly squeezed a yellow foam ball with a smiley face on it Friday as she fought back tears while calling for justice for her son.
“My son swore to protect the country, and the country isn’t doing the same,” Lara, a Chicago Public Schools cafeteria worker, said in Spanish.
Carvajal’s father, Eliseo Carvajal, wearing a “U.S. Army Proud Dad” T-shirt, didn’t speak at the news conference. He said he had nothing to add to what his family had already said.
“Chrys would have done anything for this city, so do the bare minimum for Chrys,” said Citlali Olivares, 20, Carvajal’s girlfriend and a National Guard member.
Christopher Garibay is an active National Guard soldier from Chicago who didn’t know Carvajal but stood with his family members Friday to show support.
“This seems like an easy win for the state’s attorney’s office,” he said. “The detectives have put together a very strong case. And so it’s an act of cowardice for them not to take this case.”
The Cubs’ priorities this season have changed as the team has gone from fighting for a playoff spot pre-trade deadline to focusing on the future post-trade deadline. But with the team focusing on the future with two months left in the season and the World Series core now broken up, many see the team heading toward a long, grueling rebuild.
After seeing the roster since the deadline, it’s hard to blame fans for not expecting much and the team will have to spend this offseason to avoid fighting for a Top 10 pick again in the 2023 draft.
But if there’s something that should give fans hope that the Cubs’ rebuild isn’t going to be a long, strenuous process like their last one, it’s the fact that they now have homegrown arms they can watch develop at the Major League level.
“I think one of the biggest positives that we’ve seen around here this year are these young guys,” starter Kyle Hendricks told the Sun-Times.
No. Having homegrown arms that can go out and perform aren’t the only thing that will help the Cubs avoid a three-to-four year rebuilding process. But the team’s ability to find quality arms in the interim is significant.
Right-handers Adbert Alzolay, Keegan Thompson and left-hander Justin Steele are each getting their opportunity over the final two months of the 2021 season. While Alzolay has been in the rotation since the season began, Steele is finally getting his chance with Thompson’s time coming in the next few weeks.
“Between Adbert and what he’s been able to do this year with unbelievable work ethic and then Keegan and Steele,” said Hendricks. “Those two guys, you can see the competitiveness and the fire. Seeing those kinds of flashes throughout the season gives you a lot of hope that it can turn around real quick.”
All three Cubs’ rookie arms are 26-years-old and as all three enter what should be the strongest years of their careers – if the Cubs find rotation options out of them, it puts their rebuild in a much better place.
“‘Each time I go out there, I’m trying to prove something,” Steele said. ”I’m trying to show that I can be a part of this up-and-coming [group]. That’s why we’re here.
There’s no reason not to find out who exactly Alzolay, Thompson and Steele are right now. Whether the Cubs find they have three mid-rotation, three back-end starters or maybe two relievers and a starter, learning what they are is beneficial as the team makes plans for the future.
“It’s important for us as an organization to evaluate some of the young guys so we can make better decisions when we go into the offseason,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “If we anticipate things are going to happen and we don’t give them the chance to actually prove it, that’s when we get in trouble. So I think as an organization it’s important for us to be able to give them room to work through some outings and be able to see what we have and make better decisions.”
Alzolay has battled through the up-and-downs of his first full season in a rotation and Steele and Thompson are going to get a taste of that before the season is over. Over the final two month of the season, the Cubs will get to see them in a rotation together for the first time. While it should give some clarity on if they can handle starting, it could also be a preview of what the team’s rotation looks like next season.
“For a lot of the young guys, we’re using this as an opportunity for them to get experience but also learn,” Hottovy said. “Learn about pitch sequencing. Learn about how stuff works. Giving them the tools of learning. I think our routine is similar [as before]. A lot of the same scouting reports. We’re not changing how we want to gameplan and attack guys.”
I know how hard it is to find the right fit or comfort level when it comes to athletic shoes. Whether you’re looking for a running shoe or hiking, or just walking, it’s important to find one that will last you awhile and that will be comfortable. There are probably hundreds of running shoe stores in Chicago, so I’ve narrowed it down to 8 of the best ones. There are some obvious ones like Nike and Famous Footwear but also some community driven ones that have an impressive selection.
At Fleet Feet, you will find a welcoming environment where runners, walkers and fitness enthusiasts of all abilities receive unparalleled service and support. The mission of this running shoe store in Chicago is to help you find the right ”FIT” in every facet of your active lifestyle. Whether you walk, run, or simply need a good fitting pair of shoes, the educators at Fleet Feet will work with you to evaluate your foot’s gait and natural biomechanics to help you select a shoe that offers the best fit and function for you.
I don’t think I really need to go into detail about Nike. We all know and love this brand and it’s clear that they dominate the athletic shoe market. This sport shoes store in Chicago offers any kind of product for any sporting occasion. So whether you’re a runner, walker, cyclist, or just want a trendy pair of high tops, Nike is the place to go.
Running Excels serves the south side of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. It is a specialty running store that features high quality athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. They also can share their knowledge of running, through education on injury prevention and recovery, proper training, nutrition, etc.
Famous Footwear, like Nike, is another running shoe store in Chicago that has dominated the market. They have shoes for any occasion, not just sports. They carry brands like Adidas, Nike, Converse, Crocs, Birkenstock, Vans, etc. So if you’re looking for a place where you can shop for athletic shoes but also everyday shoes, this is the place.
Commonwealth isn’t exactly in Chicago, but if you live in or around the city, you’ll know Evanston. Commonwealth Running Company is a community-first running company that will take what local running stores do best and utilize technology to enhance that experience by offering everything a runner needs in a seamless and comprehensive way. Founded by a distance runner from Chicago, this grassroots running company will look to outfit and supply runners with gear that enhances their running experience, and in doing so, will look to grow the sport and expand a market.
Just like the previous store, this one is in Evanston. I’m not too familiar with this store but it has a ton of great reviews on Yelp. They seem to carry a lot of running shoes as well and brands like Asics, New Balance and Mizuno.
At Road Runner Sports you can try, touch, feel and test out a huge selection of running, cross training, trail and gym gear. They’ve got 116 brands and countless colors and sizes of running shoes, electronics, and fitness apparel. You can choose from brands like Adidas, Altra, ASICS, Brooks, HOKA ONE ONE, Merell, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, OluKai, On, Reebok, Salomon, Saucony, and Under Armour. They also stock some newer brands like Hyperrice, Goodr Sunglasses, On, and R-Gear. They’ve got everything you need for running, training, everyday activity, trail, hiking, and even kid’s shoes.
Alamo Shoes has been a family-owned shoe store providing family-focused superior service since 1973. In those years, Alamo Shoes has thrived on providing personalized service for Northsiders, Southsiders, suburbanites, people from across the country and the globe. It is a staple of Chicago’s north side Andersonville neighborhood. They carry all the popular brands and even ones that are just starting to gain popularity.
So it has some to this: It falls to a conservative old white guy to come to the defense of the Afghan women who will be raped by the Taliban.
The single women who will be “married” to Taliban fighters. The girls who will be forced out of their classrooms and their schools shuttered. The woman and girls who will be regarded as mere chattel by the Medieval forces of the real misogynists who are about to overrun Kabul and the entire Afghanistan nation.
As the Taliban advance toward Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, leaving a bloody trail in their wake, Fawzia Koofi doesn’t know what will happen to her, her daughters and other women who have worked to champion gender equality in the country.
Koofi, a peace negotiator and former Afghan MP, has survived multiple assassination attempts during her career, including one last year, as she fights for peace and women’s rights. Now she fears that work will be unravelled.
The liberal Guardian reports, “‘Nowhere to go’: divorced Afghan women in peril as the Taliban close in.”
Even if you thought that U.S. forces shouldn’t have been in Afghanistan in the first place and if you believe that our military should no longer be there, the truth is that the withdrawal as conducted is an international betrayal on a massive, ugly and inhumane scale.
Brave Afghanistan soldiers signed up to fight for freedom–as our ally and partner. We committed ourselves to fight with them. Sure 20 years is a long time to be there and Afghanistan people need to “learn”–as the Biden administration says–to fight for themselves.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. –John F. Kennedy
From the conservative New York Post comes the observation that the precipitous way that President Joe Biden has executed the withdrawal is wrong. In the middle of the night, the U.S. abandoned–snuck out in reality–Bagram Airfield, without notifying the Afghan, leaving the major military facility open to looters and valuable weapons to the Taliban.
When Biden announced that our troops were leaving, the Taliban shifted into high gear, and as of Thursday has captured 12 of 34 provincial capitals and are closing in on Kabul. U.S. intelligence estimates that Kabul would fall within 90 days; that now seems laughable.
A Wall Street Journal editorial, put it succinctly:
The White House dispatched diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad to warn the jihadists not to take the country by force. Mr. Khalilzad struck the “peace” deal during the Trump Administration that the Taliban failed to honor. The U.S. is also pleading with China and Russia to intercede with the Taliban.
Someone also dispatched White House press secretary Jen Psaki to the briefing room to say that “if the Taliban claim to want international legitimacy, these actions are not going to get them the legitimacy they seek. . . . They could choose to devote the same energy to the peace process as they are to their military campaign. We strongly urge them to do so.” Strongly urging should do the trick. [Emphasis mine.]
Biden, Trump and others insist that Americans want out of Afghanistan, that it’s been a colossal waste of life and treasure. That we were foolish to go in in the first place. They blame “neocons” for this abysmally failure.
People have called me a neocon, having as I did get left behind by liberals and found friendly policies among Republicans. Neocons are are inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech, Jan. 21, 1962:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge–and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do–for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom–and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required–not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. [Emphasis is mine.]
And more. Those words got us into the Vietnam War, one I thought we could not win. And yet, even with the war lost to North Vietnam communists, it did eventually–after the genocide in Cambodia–halt the spread of tyrannical communism. Something not to be ignored.
The U.S. military has been stationed in Europe and Korea much longer than in Afghanistan. It’s in our national interest. Just as it is having influence in regions where Islamic terrorists concoct their deadly schemes against us.
Keeping enough troops in Afghanistan to protect our interests is not as outrageous as Biden and Trump would have it. Yet, Biden, while calling on Afghanistan to go it alone, pulled out American skills and armor to–what?–prove a political point.
Biden, as Barack Obama’s vice president advised against going after Osama bin Laden. I recall his advice for ending the war in Iraq was to split it into three separate nations.
And on it goes. Biden’s envoy Khalilzad pleaded with the Taliban not to attack the American embassy when it overruns Kabul. Please, please. Pathetic.
But that’s Biden. He now has to repair doubts our other allies have about our word. Can they trust us to live up to the terms of our alliances? Or will we betray them as we have now betrayed the people of Afghanistan. Biden’s answer: yes.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter from Texas whose literary songs like “Love at the Five and Dime” celebrated the South, has died. She was 68.
Nanci Griffith and John Prine perform at the Americana Music Association awards in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sept. 17, 2009.AP
A statement from her management company on Friday confirmed her death, but no cause was provided.
“It was Nanci’s wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing,” Gold Mountain Entertainment said in a statement.
Griffith worked closely with other folk singers, helping the early careers of artists like Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris.
Griffith was also known for her recording of “From a Distance,” which would later become a well-known Bette Midler tune. That cover appeared on her first major label release, “Lone Star State of Mind” in 1987.
Country music artist Suzy Bogguss expressed her grief with an Instagram post on Friday, writing, in part: “a beautiful soul that I love has left this earth.”
By the time Dominque Young was in middle school, he was running with the gangs on the streets of Austin. Zaire McNeil grew up in the same neighborhood under the watchful eye of her grandmother, who was wary of gangs like Young’s.
Still, the two found their paths crossing at Austin’s youth resource center, BUILD Chicago. It wouldn’t be long before the center became a second home for both of them.
“It changed my whole life, gave me a different mindset and showed me there’s more to the world.” Young said. The 19-year-old joined the center in 2014.
McNeil, 16, began participating in programs at the center on 5100 W. Harrison St. in 2019.
It was the art program that originally drew them to BUILD Chicago. It was therapeutic, and gave them the chance to see their art hanging on the walls of the building. Over time, Young and McNeil joined more programs, like the youth mentorship group. Now, they’re at the center almost every day.
Established in 1969, BUILD Chicago is a gang intervention and prevention program. Originally on Milwaukee Avenue, it moved to Austin in 2011, where it sits on a full city block and offers 10,000 square feet of safe space for youth.
But that 10,000 feet will soon be 50,000.
In 2016 when gun violence was rising across the city and Austin was near the top of the list of most violent neighborhoods, BUILD Chicago board members realized they needed to create “a hub for kids,” with services in the neighborhoods most affected.
A teen center and a wellness room for therapy services was created soon thereafter. But as BUILD’s services and programs expanded, the space needed to as well.
“Kids are dying every day,” CEO Adam Alonso said. “It’s our reality and it’s sad. We’ve lost youth here to gun violence, and I think there’s a sense of urgency to work harder, do more.”
Fundraising for the addition began quietly in 2018, with the goal originally set at $15 million. It’s now $24 million.
BUILD has raised more than $20 million for the 40,000-square-foot expansion, and Alonso is confident they can raise the rest through donations, state funding and grants like the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund.
UJAMAA Construction will begin work on the three-story structure in September. The existing building will be remodeled into an education center for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. It will include a music production suite with recording and rehearsal space.
While the current center fits 100 people, the new space will fit 2,000. The project is estimated to be completed by September 2022.
BUILD Chicago’s 40,000-square-foot addition was designed with input from youth participants.BUILD Chicago
Sports programs, art programs and counseling services will all be expanded in the new center. The most requested item for the development, a gym, will be climate-controlled and include a track and fitness center.
The center will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight. During the school year, the center will be open to the community from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., but from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. the space will be open to youth only. It will reopen to the community from 8 p.m. to midnight.
“In order to ensure that our young people can be fully recovered from … the dual challenges of COVID-19 and gun violence … we have to work that much harder to bring resources to bear with our young people,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday at a ground-breaking ceremony.
For Young and McNeil, the new center is a symbol of hope and inspiration. It will offer today’s youth something they feel they didn’t have growing up: a childhood.
“The problem in our community is that so many of us have to grow quickly,” McNeil said. “I hope it gives somebody the childhood that they deserve, that I didn’t really have.”
Cheyanne M. Daniels is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides.
In the absence of a government mandate on coronavirus vaccines, Katie Tuten, co-owner of The Hideout, set up her own COVID-19 vaccine requirements to protect her employees and patrons from the virus.
“We’re just managing the risk as best we can,” says Tuten, whose club at 1354 W. Wabansia Ave. is among dozens of Chicago bars and performance venues that have announced they’re requiring employees, performers and patrons to provide proof they are vaccinated or of a recent negative coronavirus test.
Major Chicago-area companies also requiring vaccinations for some or all of their employees include United Airlines, Walgreens, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Health, Rush University Medical Center, Loyola Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine and UI Health.
On Friday, the Chicago Public Schools announced that all teachers, staff and vendors must be vaccinated by Oct. 15 unless they have a medical or religious reason not to.
Nationally, Google, Facebook, Disney, Netflix, The Washington Post, Cisco, Frontier Airlines, Walmart and Tyson Foods are among those with new vaccine mandates.
President Joe Biden has said federal employees and on-site contractors must be vaccinated or submit to regular testing. And he has ordered that members of the military must be vaccinated beginning next month, when the Food and Drug Administration is expected to give final approval to the Pfizer vaccine.
Hundreds of colleges and universities, including the University of Illinois, are requiring the shots for employees and students this fall.
The vast majority of those hospitalized with coronavirus amid the surge of the highly infectious Delta variant are unvaccinated people.
That Chicago businesses are stepping up on vaccines is encouraging to Sydney Schumacher, who’s vaccinated. But it’s tough to navigate things when there’s no single accepted way to provide proof, says Schumacher, who went to Lollapalooza in July and says some of the bouncers at the front gate were pretty laid back about checking. The music festival required people to bring and show their vaccination card, not just a smartphone photo.
“They weren’t checking your I.D. to see if you are who you say you are,” says the Lincoln Park resident, who put hers in a plastic bag to protect it. “They briefly looked at it. But it wasn’t super in-depth to make sure it was your vaccine card.”
Festival-goers show proof of COVID-19 vaccination as they pass through a health screening station at the main entrance at Lollapalooza in Grant Park.Ashlee Rezin / Sun-Times
Other Chicago festivals have gone further. The Windy City Smokeout country festival in July required all ticket-holders to upload their vaccination record to an app in advance.
At The Hideout, a smaller club that’s presenting only outdoor shows on its patio for now, patrons can show a card, a photo of a card on their phone or an app, any of which gets checked against their driver’s license photo.
“No system is going to be perfect,” Tuten says. “People have been just wonderful about it. They’re being really supportive.”
Katie Tuten, co-owner of The Hideout.Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times
Nearly three-quarters of eligible Illinois residents have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and about 57% are fully immunized.
Here’s the lowdown on key questions about providing proof that you’re immunized.
Do Chicago or the state have an official vaccination app?
No. But Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s public health commissioner, says she’s monitoring how New York City’s vaccine mandate and phone app for indoor restaurants, gyms and performances is working.
“I’m not taking it off the table, that that might be something that we could consider in the future,” Arwady said Thursday. “We’ve been really pleased to see employers make that decision to mandate vaccinations or, in some cases, vaccinations or frequent negative testing for their employees. … And I’ve also been thrilled to see so many high-risk settings, whether that’s bars, whether that’s clubs, whether that’s events, make that decision to require proof of vaccination or a negative test to come in.”
Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, says the state “is not considering apps at this time.”
Her agency has just launched what it calls Vax Verify, an online portal that people can use to check how their vaccination status is recorded with the I-CARE, the Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange, and download and print their record. It uses Experian, the credit-reporting agency, to verify a person’s identity.
Technologically, New York is ahead of Illinois. It has its Excelsior Pass app, which provides a QR code once a person’s uploaded vaccine information is confirmed with city or state records. And New York City has the COVID Safe App, which keeps an image of people’s cards on their phone but doesn’t verify it.
Should I carry my paper card?
You could. Or take a photo of it with your smartphone, and use that when asked for proof of vaccination.
If you’re worried about privacy, you can keep that photo private on an iPhone by going to the “share” button in “Photos” and selecting “hide. To find it again, tap “albums,” and scroll to “utilities.” You also can hide it in your iPhones Notes app. On Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy phones, you can store the photo in a locked folder.
You also could use another phone app to store your vaccine info.
Like which other apps?
Anyone can use the COVID Safe app offered by New York City. Basically, it stores a copy of your vaccination card on your phone.
Since businesses can choose to accept any or none of these apps, and that could change, it’s best to check in advance before heading, say, to a music festival or performance and see whether its website explains what’s required.
Some institutions are creating their own apps. This fall, the University of Illinois is requiring students and staff to upload their vaccination cards to a portal, to be checked against public health records, says Robin Kaler, associate chancellor for public affairs. Once the info is verified, the person can use their phone to gain entry to university buildings.
Is it OK to laminate my vaccination card to protect it?
Bad idea. Because whenever the day comes when people might need a booster shot, whoever provides it will need to note that on your card.
If you’re worried about spills ruining your card, you could always buy a plastic sleeve for it.
What if I lose my card?
Contact your vaccine provider. It will have your record and can issue a new card.
If you have any trouble, contact Illinois’ I-CARE registry. For details, go online to http://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/prevention-wellness/immunization/icare
What about getting a replacement from the CDC?
Even though vaccination cards bear the logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency doesn’t store individuals’ health data and can’t issue replacement cards.
What if my provider didn’t provide cards?
That, for instance, was the case early on with Northwestern Medicine, which told patients to go to their online MyChart record and print that out for proof, rather than give a CDC card. Now, any Northwestern patient who wants a CDC card can request one in MyChart or by calling (877) 973-2673.
Is it even legal to require vaccination for work?
Yes. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance in May that said it is legal under federal law for businesses to require a COVID-19 vaccination. The EEOC says that, as long as an employer complies with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other equal opportunity considerations, they can require that their workers be vaccinated.
Even so, some states have passed laws banning vaccine requirements, notably Texas and Florida, states in which the number cases of the highly contagious Delta variant have been shooting up.
Expect court fights to settle this, such as a recent federal ruling in favor of Norwegian Cruise Line, which is requiring that its crews and passengers prove they’re vaccinated despite Florida’s state law against doing so.
What about fake cards?
Those have been offered for sale online. But the FBI warns that it’s a crime to falsely use the seal of a federal agency. The Justice Department charged a California woman with wire fraud last month, accusing her of supplying fake cards and bogus “immunization pellets.”
Besides, why spend hundreds of dollars on a fake card and risk getting sick or dying from COVID or passing it on to a loved one when you can get a lifesaving vaccination for free?
Ten days after placing him on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Bears activated nose tackle Eddie Goldman on Friday.
It’s unclear whether Goldman will play in Saturday’s exhibition opener. Coach Matt Nagy said his starters figure to play eight-to-10 snaps against the Dolphins, but Goldman’s lack of practice the past two weeks could leave him on the bench.
Goldman was one of four players — including linebacker Christian Jones, tackle Elijah Wilkinson and snapper Patrick Scales — put on the reserve list Aug. 3.
The timelines of their return suggest all four were unvaccinated. Unvaccinated players who test positive must isolate for 10 days and can only return once they are no longer symptomatic.
NFL rules state unvaccinated players must isolate for five days if they have had a high-risk exposure to a close contact. The other three were activated Aug. 9. Wilkinson and Jones said they were close contacts.
All four players were told they were being put on the list while on the bus heading to “Family Fest.”
The Bears also waived receiver Thomas Ives, who attended Hinsdale Central before playing at Colgate. Ives had been on the practice squad the last two years.
All eyes will be on rookie quarterback Justin Fields when the Bears open the preseason Saturday against the Dolphins, and rightfully so. The team’s future hinges on him developing into a star, and everyone is eager for even the slightest hint that he’ll get there.
But aside from Fields and some of the other more obvious names, here are three players with something at stake:
QB Nick Foles
A year after thinking he had finally landed in the right spot, Foles wants off the Bears badly and is making no secret of it. He implied that his struggles last season — 10 touchdowns against eight interceptions, 80.8 passer rating — weren’t all his fault. That doesn’t seem particularly self-aware.
Regardless, his best path out of Chicago is to “keep slinging it with these third-stringers” and make some other team believe it can’t live without him. He’s likely to get the most snaps among the quarterbacks.
CB Kindle Vildor
The Bears believe they found a gem in Vildor, a fifth-rounder who was the 19th cornerback chosen in 2020. Every team says that about every late-round draft pick, but they don’t know until they finally have to play him.
With Kyle Fuller gone and Jaylon Johnson moving to the No. 1 spot, Vildor is getting his chance in a competition against ninth-year veteran Desmond Trufant.
OT Elijah Wilkinson
Meet the Bears’ potential opening-day starting left tackle. Wilkinson was a right guard and right tackle for the Broncos the last four seasons and started just 26 games.
This was not the plan, but the Bears had to scramble to piece together an offensive line because of injuries. With Teven Jenkins still sidelined by a back problem and no timetable for his return, Wilkinson needs to show he’s capable and sway the Bears against bringing in someone else.
NEW YORK — On a chilly Easter Sunday 82 years ago, a tall, elegant Black woman walked down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before an integrated crowd of 75,000 and sang her way into the history books.
Marian Anderson performed for only about half an hour that day in 1939, but her very presence made it a watershed event in the struggle for civil rights. She was appearing at the invitation of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt after the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to bend its whites-only policy for performers at Constitution Hall.
Anderson admitted being nervous about the occasion, but as she later wrote in her autobiography: “I could see that my significance as an individual was small in this affair. I had become, whether I liked it or not, a symbol, representing my people. I had to appear.”
She went on to strike another famous blow against segregation when she broke the color bar at the Metropolitan Opera late in her career in 1955, opening the door for singers like Leontyne Price, who would triumph there six years later.
Many people today likely know of her only from those two headline-making events. But Anderson had a long international career as a concert recitalist with a voice of astonishing warmth and grandeur that conductor Arturo Toscanini said “one is privileged to hear only once in a 100 years.”
Listeners can experience her storied career later this month when Sony Classical issues a digitally remastered collection spanning her career from 1924 to 1966.
The selections show her wide repertory — everything from baroque arias and art songs to religious music and spirituals and more. One CD is devoted to Christmas carols, another to her farewell recital at Constitution Hall in 1964 (the policy of segregation had been abandoned by then). The final disc contains excerpts from a 1957 tour of Asia, sponsored in part by the State Department, and narrated by TV journalist Edward R. Murrow.
Marian Anderson performs from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on April 20, 1952. AP
Anderson was considered a contralto, the deepest vocal range for a female singer, and her ability to take her voice down to subterranean terrain can be heard in the spiritual “Crucifixion.”
But she could also move up nearly three octaves, and in songs like Schubert’s “Die Forelle” (“The Trout”) she lightens her voice to sound like a lyric soprano.
“She seems to me to be like many Black women opera singers in not having easily categorizable voices,” Naomi Andre, a professor at the University of Michigan and author of the book “Black Opera,” said in an interview. “I think of Jessye Norman, Grace Bumbry or Shirley Verrett, who sang things that they decided they would sing rather than what somebody said they should.”
Some selections from later years show the deterioration of her voice over time. Her Met debut, in the role of the fortune-teller Ulrica in Verdi’s “A Masked Ball” — the only time she performed in staged opera — came when she was 57 and had lost some luster and security.
“We all develop, we struggle, we change,” Robert Russ, the Sony Classical producer responsible for the project, said in an interview. “No need to somehow cover up things which are still acceptable.”
She eventually became prosperous from her concert fees, but one of Anderson’s proudest moments came when she was just starting out and earning $5 or $10 a performance. It was enough that she could call Wanamaker’s Department Store in her hometown of Philadelphia to tell them her mother would no longer be working there scrubbing floors to supplement the family income.
First lady Eleanor Roosevelt appears with opera singer Marian Anderson in Richmond, Va., July 2, 1939, as Anderson is presented with the Spingarn Medal. Sony Classical, which owns the Victor archive, has put together a digitally remastered 15-CD set that spans her career from 1924 to 1966.AP
Memory of her achievements may have dimmed over the years, but Philadelphia continues to honor her — most recently with plans to erect a statue of her outside the Academy of Music, where she frequently performed.
Though Anderson’s success was unparalleled in her day among Black classical artists, there were others who had notable careers. Andre cites Harry T. Burleigh , Roland Hayes and Paul Robeson as examples.
“We think of her as the only one, and in many ways she’s the only one who made it to the top,” Andre said. “But she isn’t just this crazy anomaly.
“There were other people who had beautiful voices that we’re ferreting out and finding out about,” she said. “I would love someone to listen to Marian Anderson’s recordings and think, ‘Who else is out there?'”
Packaged as a 228-page coffee-table book with essays, illustrations and details of her discography, “Beyond the Music, Marian Anderson, Her Complete RCA Victor Recordings” is being released on Aug. 27 and sells on Amazon for $97.74.
In this AP file photo, American contralto Marian Anderson appears at the Metropolitan Opera House with general manager Rudolf Bing in New York on Oct. 7, 1954, after Bing announced that Anderson will sing the role of “Ulrica”, the fortune teller, in Verdi’s “The Masked Ball.”AP
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