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Gender equity review recommends NCAA hold men’s and women’s Final Four at same siteRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:34 pm

A law firm hired to investigate gender equity concerns at NCAA championship events released a blistering report Tuesday that recommended holding the men’s and women’s Final Fours at the same site and offering financial incentives to schools to improve their women’s basketball programs.

The review by Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP had been highly anticipated. The firm was hired in March after the NCAA failed to provide equal amenities to the teams in the men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments.

“With respect to women’s basketball, the NCAA has not lived up to its stated commitment to ‘diversity, inclusion and gender equity among its student-athletes, coaches and administrators,'” the report concludes.

Among other things, female players, coaches and staff criticized the NCAA for not initially providing a full weight training area for the women’s teams in San Antonio earlier this year, noting the men’s teams did not have the same problem in and around Indianapolis.

Because of the the pandemic, the NCAA made the unusual move of playing the entire men’s and women’s basketball tournaments at two sites this year.

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Gender equity review recommends NCAA hold men’s and women’s Final Four at same siteRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:34 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo fires back at Jed HoyerVincent Pariseon August 3, 2021 at 6:53 pm

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Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo fires back at Jed HoyerVincent Pariseon August 3, 2021 at 6:53 pm Read More »

A Coincidental Conversation™ about “A-Ha” moments, authenticity, and the Disney Difference with WDW Radio host Lou Mongelloon August 3, 2021 at 7:36 pm

Where Are We Going So Fast?

A Coincidental Conversation™ about “A-Ha” moments, authenticity, and the Disney Difference with WDW Radio host Lou Mongello

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A Coincidental Conversation™ about “A-Ha” moments, authenticity, and the Disney Difference with WDW Radio host Lou Mongelloon August 3, 2021 at 7:36 pm Read More »

Chicago’s Metro to require vaccination for all concertgoersSatchel Priceon August 3, 2021 at 5:53 pm

Music fans heading to upcoming shows at the Metro will be required to show proof of vaccination in order to enter the Wrigleyville concert hall.

The popular indie and alternative music venue announced the new policy Tuesday amid concern over rising COVID-19 numbers in Chicago and other parts of the country due to the Delta variant and slowing vaccination rates.

Unlike Lollapalooza, which allowed unvaccinated attendees to enter by providing a current negative COVID-19 test, Metro says it won’t allow anyone into the venue who cannot show proof of vaccination. Everyone will also be required to show a government-issued photo ID, and it’s recommended that all patrons wear masks.

It’s possible the mask recommendation also becomes a requirement in the near future, as Metro noted “these policies are subject to change based on city and state guidelines.” Health officials are currently recommending that everyone above the age of 2 — vaccinated or not — wear masks indoors to limit spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Chicago has not yet taken the same measures as New York City, which recently announced it’ll soon require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms, theaters, and other indoor spaces.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday she doesn’t regret allowing Lollapalooza to be held and isn’t concerned it will become a super-spreader event.

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Chicago’s Metro to require vaccination for all concertgoersSatchel Priceon August 3, 2021 at 5:53 pm Read More »

Pac-12, Big 12 consider creating an allianceRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 6:33 pm

The commissioners of the Pac-12 and Big 12 met Tuesday to discuss how the conferences might benefit from working together or maybe even merging.

Two people with knowledge of the meeting said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and George Kliavkoff from the Pac-12 were discussing the potential for strategic planning between the two conferences.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the leagues were not immediately sharing details of internal discussions. The Athletic was first to report the meeting.

The Big 12 is trying to regroup after being stunned by Texas and Oklahoma’s decision to move to the Southeastern Conference. For now, the move is scheduled for 2025, but the Big 12 has to start looking at how to move forward without their flagship programs immediately.

The remaining eight Big 12 schools — Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia — are facing a huge drop in the value of their next television contract without Texas and Oklahoma in the conference.

The Big 12’s current TV deal runs out in 2025. Bowlsby told Texas lawmakers at a hearing in Austin on Monday that losing Texas and Oklahoma could slash the conference’s television revenue by about 50%. He said the TV deals accounted for about $280 million in revenue distributed to the schools.

The Pac-12’s current television deal is similar in value to the Big 12’s and expires in 2024.

Kilavkoff, a former MGM executive who took over as Pac-12 commissioner on July 1, has said the conference is in no rush to add members to a 12-member league that includes Southern California, Oregon, Stanford and Washington.

A full merger of the Big 12 and Pac-12 would create a 20-team conference.

The conferences could also consider a scheduling agreement or alliance that creates regular nonconference matchups in the high-profile sports of football and basketball as a way of potentially increasing the value of each league’s next TV deals, one of the people familiar with the meeting told AP.

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Pac-12, Big 12 consider creating an allianceRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 6:33 pm Read More »

Man killed in East Garfield Park shootingSun-Times Wireon August 3, 2021 at 6:38 pm

A man was fatally shot Tuesday morning in East Garfield Park.

The 21-year-old was in a parking lot about 11:46 a.m. in the 3300 block of West Warren Boulevard when someone fired shots from a gray sedan, Chicago police said.

The man was struck multiple times and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He hasn’t been identified.

Area Four detectives are investigating.

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Man killed in East Garfield Park shootingSun-Times Wireon August 3, 2021 at 6:38 pm Read More »

Star skateboarder charged with beating man to death in Oakbrook TerraceSun-Times Wireon August 3, 2021 at 6:46 pm

A professional skateboarding star from California has been charged with murder after he beat and kicked a man at a Comfort Suites in Oakbrook Terrace last week.

Terry Kennedy is being held without bond on first-degree murder charges in the death of Josiah Kassahun, 23, according to the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

Prosecutors allege Kennedy punched Kassahun in the head just after 11 a.m. on July 27 at the motel at 17W445 Roosevelt Road in the western suburb, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head on the pavement.

Kennedy then kicked Kassahun, prosecutors said.

Terry Kennedy
DuPage County sheriff’s office

Kassahun, from Wheaton, died Sunday at Rush University Medical Center. An autopsy found he died of blunt force injuries to his head, and the medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide.

At a hearing Tuesday morning, Judge Michael Reidy ordered Kennedy held without bail while he hires an attorney. The hearing was to resume Aug. 9.

Kennedy, from Long Beach, California had initially been charged with aggravated battery in a public place, threatening a public official and theft, according to court records.

Kennedy, also known as “Compton-Ass Terry,” is known for his appearances in video games and TV shows like “Viva La Bam” and “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.” He also has had cameo appearances in music videos featuring artists like Snoop Dogg and Pharrell.

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Star skateboarder charged with beating man to death in Oakbrook TerraceSun-Times Wireon August 3, 2021 at 6:46 pm Read More »

Don’t blame Chicago Police for failing to solve homicides — blame a culture of fearLetters to the Editoron August 3, 2021 at 6:47 pm

A Sun-Times report headlined “Over 1,000 victims, 126 dead, just 2 convictions: 6 years of mass shootings in Chicago” could be misread as blaming the Chicago Police Department for the lack of criminal convictions. Yet, the police cannot arrest, let alone convict, without evidence or witnesses.

It is understandable, at the same time, why witnesses will not put themselves in danger and cooperate with a criminal investigation.

It is not the fault of police investigators that an atmosphere of fear has been created by predators, resulting in the guilty going unpunished. Such results are further frustrated by the “bail reform” that puts shooters back on the street.

Terry Takash, Western Springs

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.

Time to address failing weed management systems on Illinois farms

In the late 1990s, most Illinois farmers successfully managed weeds with just one herbicide application. Now farmers need two or three different herbicides, and some must be sprayed more than once. Why the big change in the herbicide fire-power needed to get a crop through the production season?

The reason is clear — the emergence and spread of weeds that have become resistant to herbicides. The simple and effective weed control systems used on most Illinois farms since the late 1990s have been unraveling in recent years. More herbicides mean higher costs, and more chemicals flowing into Illinois streams and rivers, and reaching drinking water resources.

Public health concerns also are rising. Two relatively high-risk herbicides — 2,4-D and dicamba — are among those farmers are turning to more regularly. Both are “possible human carcinogens” and increase the risk of reproductive problems and adverse birth outcomes.

Is rising herbicide use and exposure impacting women’s health during pregnancy and the health and development of newborn babies? I help lead the Heartland Study, a multi-state clinical research project sponsored by the Heartland Health Research Alliance. While we search for answers, steps should be taken to deepen and strengthen the science supporting pesticide regulatory decisions. One set of key reforms is discussed in HHRA’s recent paper in the science journal Environmental Health.

Our recommendations will help assure for years to come that farmers have access to safe and effective weed control systems, without creating new public health challenges. Farmers, public health specialists and Illinois political leaders should urge Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency to reform outdated laws and policies that are holding back scientific advances in pesticide risk assessment and regulation.

Charles Benbrook, executive director, Heartland Health Research Alliance

School requirements

If a parent doesn’t want a child to wear a mask to school, then send the child to a private school. Public schools are for the masses. They require many things, including vaccinations, in order to protect all of the students. The COVID-19 vaccination and masks have been added to those requirements. It’s that simple.

Other children have rights, too.

Edwina Jackson, Longwood Manor

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Don’t blame Chicago Police for failing to solve homicides — blame a culture of fearLetters to the Editoron August 3, 2021 at 6:47 pm Read More »

Lightfoot: No regrets on Lollapalooza or concerns it will become super-spreader eventFran Spielmanon August 3, 2021 at 5:45 pm

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she doesn’t fear a surge of coronavirus cases tied to Lollapalooza, in part because her public health commissioner “went incognito” to the music festival without valid proof of vaccination and was turned away.

During a live interview on WVON-AM (1690) , Lightfoot said she is “well aware” of a video appearing to show young people being “waved through” the Lollapalooza gates by people who were supposed to be checking vaccination cards, but “weren’t even looking at” those credentials.

But the mayor offered a possible explanation. Once attendees were screened and showed credentials proving they’d been vaccinated, they were issued a wristband. So the video could have been people with wristbands being waved through, Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot said her confidence about the safety of Lollapalooza stems from the city’s vigilance in holding event organizers to their promised protocols and testing that system to make certain they did.

Attendees were required to either show their own vaccination card — and a valid ID proving they were the person whose name is on the card — or proof that they had tested negative for the coronavirus no more than 72 hours before the concert.

“We checked with them every single day, multiple times a day. We had our people at the screening checkpoints. And I will tell you Dr. [Allison] Arwady, the public health commissioner, kind of went a little bit incognito, didn’t have all her paperwork right and they wouldn’t let her in,” the mayor told WVON talk show host Perry Small.

“Every single day, they turned hundreds of people away — either who didn’t have the right paperwork or had an expired test that wasn’t [taken] within 72 hours. That tells me there is a rigor around the protocols that they were using to screen people.”

Fans of Modest Mouse listen to the band on day four of Lollapalooza.
Fans of Modest Mouse listen to the band on day four of Lollapalooza in Grant Park on Sunday.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Gov. J.B. Pritzker talked about going to Lolla with his wife and friends, but canceled at the last minute, citing the highly-contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Lightfoot, on the other hand, appeared onstage the first night, thanking attendees for “vaxxing up and masking up.” The mayor said she “went there myself to eyeball the screening” and make certain the city had public health officials at every checkpoint “to make sure they weren’t just letting people through and going through the motions.”

“Can I tell you that the system worked perfectly? No, I can’t. But every single day, we had people there looking at it, asking questions and making sure that the screening was real and meaningful. They were telling us 90% plus every day” had shown proof of vaccination, Lightfoot said.

University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon had argued that during a surge in cases tied to the Delta variant it was a “bad idea” for Lightfoot to allow hundreds of thousands of young people to jam together in front of multiple stages in Grant Park.

But Tuesday, Lightfoot said she has “no regrets” about green-lighting the festival, a major money-maker for Chicago that filled hotels and restaurants.

Two days after it ended, the mayor remains confident Chicago’s premier music festival — the largest of its kind in the world this year — will not turn out to be a “super-spreader” event. She argued just the opposite.

“We worked with the Lollapalooza people ahead of time to incentivize people to get vaccinated,” Lightfoot said.

“So I’m confident that thousands of people — mostly young people, which is our toughest demographic — got vaccinated simply because they wanted to go to Lollapalooza.”

Lightfoot said her decision on Lollapalooza was “based upon on data and modeling that showed a modest uptick” in the Delta variant.

“The Delta variant has been with us for quite a long time. This is not news. The media is now latching upon it, mostly because it’s attacking people who are unvaccinated. And what we’re also seeing is, people who have been on the fence or saying, ‘No. Not me,’ actually coming off the fence and saying, ‘This Delta variant scares me. I’m getting vaccinated,'” the mayor said.

Lightfoot said she doesn’t want to “force people to get a vaccine” or use “scare tactics.”

But, she added: “The data is real and the data is scary. … 97% of the people that are dying in Chicago are people that are unvaccinated. If that doesn’t give you an incentive to educate yourself and get off the wall and get vaccinated, I don’t know what else can.”

Not following New York on vaccination requirements yet

New York City is phasing in a requirement that residents show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations before entering a bar, restaurant or gym.

Lightfoot is hesitant to go there. She noted some Chicago restaurants and bars already deny entry to customers without proof of vaccination.

“That’s only going to spread,” she said, in part because customers are saying, “If you’re not vaccinated, I don’t want to be near you.”

But Chicago is nowhere near another shutdown.

“We’re seeing a modest uptick in [intensive care patients] and hospitalizations, but not to the point where we’re worried about our health care system buckling,” she said.

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Lightfoot: No regrets on Lollapalooza or concerns it will become super-spreader eventFran Spielmanon August 3, 2021 at 5:45 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs: Jed Hoyer’s comments are very confusingVincent Pariseon August 3, 2021 at 5:00 pm

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Chicago Cubs: Jed Hoyer’s comments are very confusingVincent Pariseon August 3, 2021 at 5:00 pm Read More »