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Look Out for NezKeegan Goudieon August 4, 2021 at 10:30 pm

Nesbitt Wesonga Jr. (‘Nez’) was on shift at Bloomingdale’s when he heard the news. He and his production partner were nominated for a Grammy for their work on ScHoolboy Q’s Oxymoron album.

“It was crazy,” Nesbitt told me just hours before his Lollapalooza performance. “I was still working a job in LA at Bloomingdale’s. I was literally on my day off, and my brother called me and told me, ‘Bro, you’re Grammy-nominated.’”

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Nez is Nesbitt’s musical alias (as you might have guessed). Nez and Rio went to the same grade school and high school before going into music professionally. The duo also went onto produced well-known tracks like ScHoolboy Q’s “Man of the Year” and A$AP Rocky’s “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2.” You really don’t have to look far to see how established this artist is.

What’s even more impressive, however, is what this artist is doing next: take nearly a decade in the studio and translate it to the stage. It’s even harder to do than it sounds.

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As a solo artist, Nez kept his collaborative approach going with “Wild Youngster”—a loud and irresistible house track with vocals from ScHoolboy Q.

“I think because of my closeness with ScHoolboy Q and A$AP Rocky, I’ve learned the most from them,” Nez noted. ”They’re just so open in terms of giving me information and, Q just being so supportive of my first artistry and just like, you know, allow me to help get a bigger platform as an artist by just jumping on my first record.”

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Once he found his sound, Nez said that everything started opening up for him. He recently collaborated with Chicago-born act Louis the Child (arguably one of the hottest acts in all of electronic music). Despite his Windy City background and heritage—Nez has more Spotify followers in Los Angeles than he does in Chicago.

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Nez Makes Chicago Proud at Lolla

Like every artist playing that day, however, Nez’s spotlight was shared with an artist that did not play on Sunday. Lollapalooza dropped DaBaby from his headliner spot for inexcusable remarks about the LGBQT+ community.

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You didn’t have to look far for people expressing their disapproval.

Long before the announcement about DaBaby, Nez revealed he has quite a different perspective on music’s role in bringing people together. Specifically, the two genres that define his new sound (hip-hop and house music).

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“Both genres that I’m bridging the gap on started because they felt that they were excluded,” Nez said in this Paste Magazine article. “A lot of people don’t realize the pioneers of house music are Black and Latino gay men. On the rap side, they felt like all they had was these turntables and a microphone to be able to create the music that they felt was in their hearts.”

Chicago produces some of the most talented musicians. During his set on Saturday, Freddie Gibbs even referred to it as “the best music city.” I thought back on this comment during my interview with Nez on Sunday. I wondered, is Chicago the best music city because of the level of talent it produces, or the type of talent it produces? Does it create musicians focused on inclusion, not insults?

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In Nez’s case, the answer is most certainly yes.

“I am a supporter of all people. You know what I mean?” Nez responded about his Paste Magazine quote. “I don’t feel like marginalizing or degrading anyone in any way, shape, or form.”

The interview came to a close, and Nez was still cool as a cucumber.

Never mind that this was going to be his first live performance ever. Never mind that this was his first time at Lollapalooza in general, either.

You would have thought he’d done this a million times before. He can write, spin, produce, provide vocals. Despite starting 15 minutes into the Foo Fighters (and just minutes before the other headliner acts)—the crowd got bigger and bigger with each song. As floods of people left the first chunk of Foo Fighters to go see Young Thug, more and more stopped as they passed.

You didn’t have to look far for people expressing their approval.

Photo courtesy of @NOLIS

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Look Out for NezKeegan Goudieon August 4, 2021 at 10:30 pm Read More »

A Chicago cop gets busted in the Capitol Hill riot — and an outspoken police union goes silentCST Editorial Boardon August 5, 2021 at 12:06 am

The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, particularly under the leadership of its current president, John Catanzara, talked tough last summer when a group of cops kneeled with local George Floyd protestors in a show of empathy.

“If you kneel, you’ll be risking being brought up on charges and thrown out of the lodge,” Catanzara said then.

But we can’t help but notice Catanzara isn’t talking now about tossing another police officer, Karol Chwiesiuk, from the FOP ranks. Chwiesiuk has been charged with bogarting his way into U.S. Capitol during the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.

Instead, the FOP is moving to protect Chwiesiuk’s job and restore his ability to carry a firearm — a privilege he lost as a condition of his bail.

Cantazara and the FOP have no harsh words, no public chastisement, for one of their members caught participating in an attempted government overthrow that also targeted, injured and overwhelmed fellow police officers.

If there’s no room in the Chicago FOP for kneeling cops, there needs to be even less tolerance for this. And yet, there it is.

Union should acknowledge alleged wrongdoing

According to federal investigators, Chwiesiuk traveled by car from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and joined the Jan. 6 mob. He allegedly claimed to have “knocked out a commie last night” in a Jan. 6 text message and — amazingly — took photos of himself inside the Capitol during the breach, wearing a hooded sweatshirt bearing the Chicago Police logo.

Chwiesiuk was placed on desk duty by the police department following his arrest and was ordered to surrender his state Firearms Owner Identity Card.

FOP lawyers earlier this week asked a federal judge to change Chwiesiuk’s bail terms so that he can have a valid FOID card — a requirement to be a sworn police officer, even one on desk duty.

A union’s job is to protect its members — make sure they get full due process — so we don’t expect the FOP to toss Chwiesiuk under the squadrol for participating in the Capitol raid. But the union should offer some type of acknowledgment, even generally stated, that police officers shouldn’t take part in violent activities that seek to undermine the rule of law.

And this should be especially true for Catanzara and the Chicago FOP, which are publicly vocal when it comes to issues of civil disobedience, from Black Lives Matter protests to the Christopher Columbus statues coming down.

‘Disappointed’ in national FOP

The silence here is deafening — and typical.

During their testimony before Congress last week, four police officers who gave harrowing accounts of their attempts to protect the Capitol building on Jan. 6 also criticized the national FOP for being largely quiet about the events of that day.

“We are very disappointed that the national FOP and local D.C. union have not strongly condemned the January 6th insurrection and [haven’t] unquestionably issued its full support for all the officers involved,” U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and USCP Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said in a statement.

“There should be nothing to debate on these points. You either stand with the officers or you stand with the terrorists,” the statement said.

It’s time for the FOP, locally and nationally, to adjust its stance.

Send letters to [email protected]

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A Chicago cop gets busted in the Capitol Hill riot — and an outspoken police union goes silentCST Editorial Boardon August 5, 2021 at 12:06 am Read More »

At the very least, can the city clean up its vacant lotsMary Mitchellon August 5, 2021 at 12:20 am

It’s sad to say, but I stopped walking in my neighborhood.

I routinely rush the short distance to my parking lot, climb into my car, very much aware that it is not a good idea to linger behind the wheel catching up on emails.

But Wednesday morning, the weather was too spectacular to miss. So after plucking the weeds from among the fading flowers (I’ve been away for a while), I took off for the post office to mail a package.

In the summer, Chicago has this amazing vibe that makes you want to get out and do something–bike, walk, run, hang, strut–anything except sit in the house.

After leaving Chicago for Maywood in the early ’80s, my goal was always to find my way back to the lakefront.

Growing up in the public housing on the South Side, I practically lived on the lakefront.

I moved into South Shore in 2012, thinking it would be my last home. But too often, I feel I live in a neighborhood that the city has forgotten.

For instance, I passed by 75th Street and Coles Avenue and was shocked to see what has become of a vacant city lot that some residents tried to turn into a community garden.

A former South Shore resident/activist, Mary Steenson, did her best to transform the lot into a beautiful and peaceful spot where neighbors could gather.

But from what I recall, she couldn’t even get the city to commit to letting the group use a fire hydrant to water the garden.

Now instead of fluffy hydrangeas, yellow dahlias, perky petunias, and bountiful hostas, we get garbage, garbage and more garbage.

So whose fault is it that this city lot has become an eyesore?

Obviously, the people throwing their garbage over the fence are to blame, as are the folks who keep stealing the city’s garbage cans from street corners.

Obviously, cops don’t have time to chase after litterbugs and fly dumpers. Still, someone’s got to pick up the trash.

Ald. Gregory Mitchell (7th) regularly organizes volunteers to sweep up broken glass and garbage and cut down weeds and overgrown bushes and trees along East 75th Street.

But he’s frustrated with Streets and Sanitation’s grid system that he says is not operational when getting this type of stuff done.

“I’m not getting the resources, and the mayor is not listening. I am always arguing with this administration,” Mitchell told me.

The alderman (no relation) pointed out that while his ward has about 500 vacant lots, there are wards with four and five times that amount.

“They will try to do so many in my ward and so many in all the other wards, and that is the wrong approach. I told them I only have 500 vacant lots, give me a [Streets and Sanitation crew] every two weeks. But that is not what they do. When you do several different wards, then you got the rain problem, equipment failure, and them getting pulled to do other stuff,” he said.

This littered lot really gets to the heart of the contentious debate around aldermanic privilege when the snow doesn’t get removed. When the rats are running rampant. When garbage is piling up in vacant lots, residents are going to call their alderman.

I called a spokesman for the city to find out why the gated lot on 75th Street was strewn with filth and didn’t hear back.

But the spokesman called the alderman’s office to assure him a crew from Streets and Sanitation would be there at 7:00 a.m. Thursday morning, Mitchell told me.

Mitchell said he purchased his own equipment to help clean up the ward.

I know that feeling. I’ve often wanted to grab a garbage bag and go up and down the street picking up trash people throw out of their car windows.

When you walk around your neighborhood, it’s hard to ignore what’s before your eyes.

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At the very least, can the city clean up its vacant lotsMary Mitchellon August 5, 2021 at 12:20 am Read More »

After processing shocking trade, Marc-Andre Fleury ‘excited now’ to join BlackhawksBen Popeon August 4, 2021 at 10:54 pm

Marc-Andre Fleury, stunned initially by his trade to the Blackhawks, just needed time.

At 36, his life involves more now than Vezina Trophies and Stanley Cups and being a decorated NHL goaltender. It also revolves around his wife, his three young kids and his duties as a father.

Having only switched teams once — and not via trade — in his 17-year career, the decision to uproot his family from Las Vegas required significantly more thought than the Golden Knights seemingly gave to dealing him away.

“I felt pretty lucky I didn’t have to move so many times, like a lot of guys have to do,” Fleury said Wednesday, measured yet earnest in his first public comments since the trade.

“It’s not an easy thing, right? It’s stressful. It’s a process to find somewhere comfortable for your family to be, a good school. There’s lots in [this situation to consider] for them. I’ve been lucky to play for a long time and have won, too. I can’t think about me all the time.”

He mulled it over five “good nights’ sleep.” He talked with his wife Veronique, former Penguins teammate-turned-current Hawks assistant Chris Kunitz, longtime goalie friend and former late-career Chicago transplant Cam Ward, Hawks captain Jonathan Toews and many others — a comprehensive cross-section of the connections the instantly likable, relatable Quebec native has made over his two decades in hockey.

And then he called Hawks general manager Stan Bowman on Sunday and said he was coming.

“I never had anything against Chicago, the organization,” Fleury said. “It was just me [deciding] personally what I wanted to do. I’ve talked to guys, and I keep hearing so many great things about the team and how they treat the players and the families. Stan did a great job, too, of getting some players over the summer, trying to make this team competitive right away. That’s also very appealing.”

“From my first conversation with him, it was very consistent,” Bowman said. “He said, ‘Look, thanks so much for the call.’ He talked about how, ‘I just need a little bit of time to get through these things. So if you can have a little patience, that’d be great.’ And I said, ‘Not a problem at all.’ I put myself in his shoes. It’s hard when you have young children like that.”

Fleury explored Lincoln Park, Lake View and other Chicago neighborhoods earlier this week, putting a “good plan in place” for his family. He visited Fifth Third Arena, selecting No. 29 for his new Hawks sweater and presumably seeing the massive “Welcome” billboard the Hawks lit up for him outside.

He’s able to reflect on his Knights tenure nostalgically but warmly now. He recalls showing up in 2017, not knowing “if people would like hockey,” before experiencing four years of incredible atmospheres in the NHL’s exploding new market.

With the Hawks, he’s looking forward to befriending, mentoring and splitting starts with up-and-coming Kevin Lankinen — “A very talented goalie,” in his words.

He’s (jokingly) happy to no longer have to, at least in games, face Patrick Kane — “One of the guys who gave me the most trouble in shootouts during my career.”

He’s eager to prove his .928 save percentage last season wasn’t a fluke — “I may not be as fast as I was at 20, but the experience that I’ve gained…[has] made me better at reading plays.”

And he’s determined to win, not only to prove the Knights foolish for trading him but also to uphold a standard he’s maintained over his entire Hall of Fame-destined career. Not once in 15 seasons as a starter has he missed the playoffs.

“I’m very fortunate Stan gave me some time to reflect on what I wanted to do, what was best for me and my family,” he said. “[I’m] excited now. [I’m] excited to move and try to help the Blackhawks.”

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After processing shocking trade, Marc-Andre Fleury ‘excited now’ to join BlackhawksBen Popeon August 4, 2021 at 10:54 pm Read More »

Employers step up pressure on unvaccinated workers to get COVID shotsAlexandra Olson | Associated Presson August 4, 2021 at 11:00 pm

Employers are losing patience with unvaccinated workers.

For months, most U.S. employers relied on information campaigns, bonuses and other incentives to encourage workers to get COVID-19 shots. Now, a growing number are imposing rules to make it more onerous for employees to refuse, from outright mandates to requiring the unvaccinated to undergo regular testing.

Among employers getting tougher are the federal government, the state governments of California and New York, tech giants Google and Facebook, the Walt Disney Co. and the NFL. Some hospitals, universities, restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues also have begun requiring vaccines.

Genesis Healthcare, which has 70,000 employees at nearly 400 nursing homes and senior communities, making it the biggest player in that industry, also has announced its employees must get the shot to keep their jobs. That’s a sign it’s willing to risk an exodus at already dangerously understaffed facilities to quickly vaccinate the 40% of workers still resisting shots and fend off the surging delta variant.

But the new measures are unlikely to affect many of the millions of unvaccinated Americans.

Many of the companies requiring shots have mostly office workers who already largely have been vaccinated and are reluctant to work alongside those who aren’t.

But major companies that rely on low-income, blue-collar workers — like food manufacturers, warehouses, supermarkets and other store chains — are shying from mandates for fear of driving away employees and worsening the labor shortages they’re facing.

Tyson Foods, for one, said about half of its U.S. workforce — 56,000 employees — got shots after the meat and poultry processor hosted more than 100 vaccination events since February. But the company said it has no plans to impose a mandate to reach the other half.

Walmart and Amazon, the country’s two largest private employers, also have declined to require hourly workers to get vaccinated, continuing to rely on strategies such as bonuses and onsite access to shots. But Walmart has said employees at its headquarters will be required to get vaccinated by Oct. 4.

The biggest precedent so far has come from the nation’s largest employer — the federal government. President Joe Biden has said all federal employees and contractors must get vaccinated or put up with weekly testing and lose privileges such as official travel.

Biden’s decision could embolden businesses by signaling they would be on solid legal ground to impose similar rules, said Brian Kropp, chief of research at consulting firm Gartner’s human resources practice.

But Kropp said some companies face complicated considerations that go beyond legalities, including deep resistance to vaccines in many states.

Also, retailers like Walmart might have a hard time justifying vaccine requirements for their workers while allowing shoppers to remain unvaccinated, Kropp said. Stores have mostly avoided vaccine requirements for customers, fearing they’d alienated them and because of the difficulty in trying to verify their status.

In surveys by Gartner, fewer than 10% of employers have said they intend to require all employees to be vaccinated.

A shift is building, though, in the face of frustration over plateauing vaccination rates and alarm over the spread of the more contagious delta variant.

Some employers are concluding that requiring vaccines is simpler than trying to come up with different rules on masks and social distancing for the small number of unvaccinated workers.

BlackRock, the global investment manager, is allowing only vaccinated workers into its U.S. offices for now and said people will be free to go maskless, as local health guidelines allow, and sit next to each other and congregate without restrictions. The firm said 85% of its U.S. employees are vaccinated or in the process of getting shots.

Matthew Putman, chief executive officer of New York high-tech manufacturing hub Nanotronics, said he agonized over his decision to impose a vaccine mandate on his more than 100 employees. As it turned out, nearly all of them already were vaccinated, though he dreads the prospect of having to fire any holdouts.

“I hate the thought,” Putman said. “But, if it has to happen, it has to happen. I lost a ton of sleep over this but not as much sleep as I’ve lost over the fear of infection.”

Hospitals and nursing home chains increasingly are requiring vaccinations.

Atria Senior Living, which operates more than 200 senior living communities across the country, including Bolingbrook and Glen Ellyn, was among the first to mandate vaccines for its staff in January.

It worked. Nearly 99% of Atria’s 10,000 employees are vaccinated. Only a tiny fraction quit over the requirement, said John Moore, the company’s chief executive officer and chairman.

“Our residents deserve to live in a vaccinated environment,” Moore said. “Our staff deserves to work in a vaccinated environment.”

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Employers step up pressure on unvaccinated workers to get COVID shotsAlexandra Olson | Associated Presson August 4, 2021 at 11:00 pm Read More »

White Sox catcher Seby Zavala on three-homer game: “It still hasn’t hit me”Daryl Van Schouwenon August 4, 2021 at 11:28 pm

Seby Zavala’s bat and batting gloves are going to the Hall of Fame, and the White Sox’ rookie catcher can’t wrap his mind around it.

“It still hasn’t hit me that I’ve done something nobody else has ever done,” Zavala told the Sun-Times.

Zavala became the first player to hit his first three career homers in one game,when he went 4-for-4 including a grand slam in a 12-11 loss to the Indians Saturday. He was also the first catcher in Sox history to hit three homers in one game.

“It’s a crazy feeling knowing my gloves and bat will be in the Hall of Fame,” he said. “That place is reserved for the best baseball players to ever play. I feel honored that they would ask me for anything.”

While Zavala’s bat and hitting gloves are going to Cooperstown, his catcher’s mitt and pitch-calling skills are why his playing time is on the rise. He has made 13 starts since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte July 6 after Yasmani Grandal landed on the IL with a torn tendon in his knee, including seven of the last nine games. Zack Collins, who has caught 15 of Lucas Giolito’s 22 starts, is catching Giolito Wednesday when the Sox host the Royals.

“All through his minor league career Seby made pitching a priority,” said coach Jerry Narron, who oversees Sox catchers. “He’s a catch-first guy and that’s what got him to the major leagues. Really smart, really prepared. Pitchers throwing to him here for the first time have become very confident in him real quick. When veteran pitchers like Dallas Keuchel and Lance Lynn trust him — and right away — that says a lot about his ability.”

Zavala is batting .229/.341/.543 with five extra base hits over 43 plate appearances.

Four games vs. Cubs on 2022 schedule

The 2022 schedule opens the season with the Minnesota Twins visiting Guaranteed Rate Field on March 31 and includes four crosstown games against the Cubs.

The Sox play the Cubs on May 3-4 at Wrigley Field and May 28-29 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The interleague schedule features the NL West, with games against the Dodgers (June 7-9 at home), Giants (July 1-3 at Oracle Park), Rockies (July 26-27 at Coors Field and Sept. 13-14 home), Diamondbacks (Aug. 26-28 at home) and Padres (Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Petco Park).

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White Sox catcher Seby Zavala on three-homer game: “It still hasn’t hit me”Daryl Van Schouwenon August 4, 2021 at 11:28 pm Read More »

Alderman angry only one Hispanic is among nine listed for promotion to CPD lieutenantFran Spielmanon August 4, 2021 at 10:20 pm

The chairman of the City Council’s Hispanic Caucus on Wednesday demanded to know why there’s only one Latino among Chicago Police Supt. David Brown’s nine merit promotions to the rank of lieutenant.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s former Council floor leader, already was livid about the paucity of Hispanics in the mayor’s cabinet and at other local government agencies under her control.

The fact that the first round of merit promotions by her hand-picked police superintendent — after Brown reversed his predecessor’s decision to abolish merit promotions — infuriated Villegas even more.

“It’s a slap in the face. We’re talking about building a bench for leadership within CPD. Here’s an opportunity to meritoriously promote some more Hispanics to make it more reflective of the city. And then, we get the short end of the stick. I’m tired of it,” Villegas told the Sun-Times.

“I’m frustrated. Diversity and equity is not working for us. We need parity. We’re a third of the city. Census numbers are gonna show that we’re the largest population [group]. It’s due time that we get our fair share. Period.”

Villegas acknowledged African-Americans are under-represented among police brass, but “so are the Latinos. If a merit promotion is to diversify the ranks, why is it only one community being diversified? Why isn’t our community getting an opportunity to be in leadership roles? Why isn’t our bench getting groomed for leadership? You have some Latino chiefs [who] have retired or are retiring. What’s the plan to show some hope to the new Latino cops that, if you do a good job, you can get promoted?”

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), shown during a City Council meeting in June, wants to know how CPD Supt. David Brown produced a list of nine officers being promoted to lieutenant has only one Hispanic person on it.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) wants to know how CPD Supt. David Brown produced a list of nine officers being promoted to lieutenant has only one Hispanic person on it.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Chicago Police Department spokesman Tom Ahern did not explain why Brown’s lieutenant list has only one Hispanic on it.

In an emailed statement, Ahern explained only Brown’s decision to bring back merit promotions.

“Diversity is more important now in law enforcement than it has ever been,” he said.

“If we are going to build and grow the community’s trust, this Department needs to be reflective of the communities we serve and protect,” Ahern wrote.

“That means ensuring people of color are represented within every level of policing — from the rank-and-file to the command staff.”

During his confirmation hearing in April 2020, Brown told Public Safety Committee Chairman Chris Taliaferro he was “speaking to the choir” in claiming some police officers “are not great at multiple-choice exams.”

Brown promised then to “aggressively pursue a replacement for merit” promotions without re-opening the controversy about political influence.

In its scathing indictment of CPD triggered by the police shooting of Laquan McDonald, the U.S. Justice Department shined the light on a merit-promotion process roundly condemned by the officers it interviewed as a “reward for cronyism” and clout.

The DOJ report that laid the groundwork for the consent decree now in place said the “lack of transparency” surrounding the process of nominating and qualifying for merit promotions was “one of the major complaints from officers” interviewed.

Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck took the barrage of complaints to heart while holding down the fort after the drinking-and-driving incident that prompted Lightfoot to fire former Police Supt. Eddie Johnson.

In December 2019, Beck told officers he would not make any merit promotions and would recommend his successor not use the system. Instead, Beck encouraged the department to hold promotional exams every two years.

Taliaferro has acknowledged merit promotions have been fraught with politics over the years and a bitter source of contention among the rank-and-file because the standards are so murky.

But he told Brown the department needs to elevate and cultivate a new generation of police leaders who may not be the greatest test-takers.

With the exception of the brief hiatus under Beck, CPD has used merit promotions to diversify its supervisory ranks since the early 1990s; 20% of detectives and 30 percent of other ranks are promoted under the merit system.

Supervisors nominate candidates and a five-member board of deputy chiefs interviews them and votes. The names of the candidates approved by the board are forwarded to the superintendent for final approval.

All other promotions are made through a testing process.

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Alderman angry only one Hispanic is among nine listed for promotion to CPD lieutenantFran Spielmanon August 4, 2021 at 10:20 pm Read More »

Belmont Gardens man charged in Northwest Side shootingMohammad Samraon August 4, 2021 at 10:26 pm

A Belmont Gardens man was charged after allegedly shooting a man Sunday in Cragin on the Northwest Side.

Carballo-Garcia allegedly shot and wounded a 35-year-old man around 9:40 p.m. in the 4800 block of West Nelson Street, Chicago police said.

Carballo-Garcia approached the man with a gun asking “if there was a problem,” police said. The two struggled over the weapon when Carballo-Garcia fired one shot that went through the man’s arm and struck the gunman in the jaw.

Carballo-Garcia was arrested at the scene and placed into custody, police said.

He was charged with one count each of endangering a person with a reckless discharge of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated assault with use of a deadly weapon, police said.

He was scheduled to appear in Bond Court on Aug. 4.

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Belmont Gardens man charged in Northwest Side shootingMohammad Samraon August 4, 2021 at 10:26 pm Read More »

Fire in negotiations to sell Przemyslaw Frankowski to team in French first divisionBrian Sandalowon August 4, 2021 at 10:44 pm

Fresh off a stint with Poland in the recent European championships, attacker Przemyslaw Frankowski was playing some of his best soccer with the Fire.

That form will likely continue elsewhere.

Per multiple sources, the Fire are in negotiations to transfer Frankowski to RC Lens in France’s Ligue 1. Though it’s not a done deal, both clubs are working through a few final details but the structure of the agreement is in place, and the transaction is very likely to be finalized before the Aug. 31 European deadline.

Signed in 2019 for around $1.65 million (per Transfermarkt) from Polish team Jagiellonia Bialystok, the transfer fee would be double what the Fire paid for Frankowski, whose contract expires after the 2022 MLS season. RC Lens finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season.

The sale, while it would hurt the 2021 Fire, gives them a chance to get something for the speedy 26-year-old. It also can be used as a good selling point for the Fire, who can show that players can join the team, develop and move to a top-five league in the world.

Now in his third season with the Fire, Frankowski’s calling card has been his pace, which has stretched opposing defenses and provided scoring opportunities. The final product, whether it has been a shot or pass, has needed some work.

But recently, Frankowski’s touch has improved, as shown by his header goal Sunday against Philadelphia and the smooth finish in the July 3 victory against Atlanta. However, during a recent interview before the pending transfer became known, Frankowski said he isn’t done improving that part of his game. He said he was staying extra after training sessions to keep sharpening those skills, and that involves constant hard work.

Frankowski had been especially good since playing with Poland, scoring those two goals and adding two assists following the Euros.

“It’s a huge boost, definitely [to play with the national team],” Frankowski told the Sun-Times via a translator. “You gain experience. You play in new situations. You really grow.”

Clearly, Frankowski was looking like a player who believes in himself and expects good things to happen when he steps onto the field. And that’s at least partly connected to playing for his national team in one of the world’s most competitive and prestigious tournaments, in which he appeared in three games for a total of 83 minutes and contributed an assist.

“Self-confidence is something that goes up a lot,” Frankowski said. “Really, when I get back to my club, I’m self-confident and that immediately transfers to playing better because someone who is confident obviously plays better.”

Without Frankowski, the Fire could give more opportunities to Stanislav Ivanov, 22, who has missed most of the season with a knee injury but made his debut on July 21. Homegrown player Brian Gutierrez could also see more minutes.

NOTE: The Fire’s appeal against the red card handed Sunday to defender Wyatt Omsberg was denied, meaning Omsberg was suspended for Wednesday’s match.

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Fire in negotiations to sell Przemyslaw Frankowski to team in French first divisionBrian Sandalowon August 4, 2021 at 10:44 pm Read More »

Man fatally shot in West Pullman home: policeSun-Times Wireon August 4, 2021 at 10:46 pm

A man was shot to death Wednesday inside a West Pullman home on the Far South Side.

The man, 33, was inside a home about 4 p.m. when two gunmen entered and opened fire in the first block of East 118th Place, Chicago police said.

He was struck in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He hasn’t been identified.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

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Man fatally shot in West Pullman home: policeSun-Times Wireon August 4, 2021 at 10:46 pm Read More »