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Simone Biles tries to lead Team USA to third consecutive gymnastics gold medalJenna Fryer | Associated Presson July 26, 2021 at 5:10 pm

TOKYO — The greatest gymnast of all time must rally Team USA for the Americans to win their third consecutive gold medal.

Simone Biles and her squad trail the team representing the Russian Olympic Committee heading into Tuesday’s women’s gymnastics team final.

Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel return to the pool and the U.S. women’s soccer team plays its final match in group stage play in Day 4 of coverage of the Tokyo Olympics.

Here are some things to watch. (all times Eastern):

GYMNASTICS

Simone Biles had a rare off day — off for her — in qualifications and the Americans head into the women’s final trailing the team representing the Russian Olympic Committee.

The U.S. has three gymnasts making their Olympic debuts in Suni Lee, Grace McCallum and Jordan Chiles, and the trio all had significant form breaks as the Americans fell behind. But so did Biles, who despite putting up the top score was not at her best.

Biles bounded off the mat at the end of a tumbling pass on floor and her block on her Cheng vault was crooked.

Each member of the four-person team competed in each event during qualifications with the lowest score dropped.

For the finals, the competition moves to three-up/three-count and the Americans have thrived in that format for more than a decade. Biles is scheduled to compete in all five events with coverage live at 6:45 a.m. on Peacock with an encore during primetime on NBC.

SWIMMING

Katie Ledecky is seeking a second straight gold medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle and then later that evening will attempt to win the Olympic debut of the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle.

Caeleb Dressel, who already has one gold medal in these Games, is expected to compete alongside Rio Olympic gold medalist Townley Haas and first-time Olympian Kieran Smith in the men’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay.

Zach Harting and Gunnar Bentz are both expected to contend for Team USA in the men’s 200-meter butterfly. Five races are up for medals during NBC’s primetime coverage, with the first final set to begin at 9:40 p.m.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The U.S. women’s soccer team can advance to the quarterfinals with either a win or a draw over Australia.

The Americans lost their opening game to Sweden but bounced back for a 6-1 victory over New Zealand. The game is the final match in group stage play and will air live at 4 a.m. on USA Network, with two encores to follow on the same channel.

SOFTBALL

The U.S. women’s softball team will play Japan for the gold medal in a rematch of the 2008 final, the previous time softball was an Olympic sport.

Japan won that game 3-1.

Monica Abbott pitched a perfect seventh in relief to advance the Americans into the gold medal game and earned her third win of the tournament. Abbott is likely to start against Japan, a game played the day before her 36th birthday. The game will be live at 7 a.m. on NBC Sports Network with a replay in primetime.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The much-maligned U.S. men’s basketball team seeks its first win of the Olympics when it plays Iran in Group A play.

The U.S. men have only two games left in group play at the Tokyo Olympics to solve its woes. An opening 83-76 loss to France snapped a 25-game Olympic winning streak.

The Americans lost for only the sixth time in 144 games at the Olympics all-time, and fell to 53-4 in the Olympics with NBA players on the roster. The 2004 team at the Athens Games lost the other three, and won bronze. The game will be streamed on Peacock at 12:40 a.m.

TYPHOON WATCH

There’s a full slate of competition scheduled Tuesday but a typhoon is scheduled to hit the Tokyo area and could disrupt much of the action.

Archery, rowing and sailing have already had schedule revisions, and all tennis not played on center court could potentially be washed out. Center court has a retractable roof.

The third round of men’s singles, the quarterfinals for women’s singles and doubles, semifinals of men’s doubles and first round of mixed doubles are all scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. on The Olympic Channel.

FOR THE LATE CROWD

The U.S. women’s water polo team continues its quest for a third consecutive gold medal in a match against Hungary, while the women’s cycling team trials both air on NBC in coverage that begins at 12:35 a.m.

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Simone Biles tries to lead Team USA to third consecutive gymnastics gold medalJenna Fryer | Associated Presson July 26, 2021 at 5:10 pm Read More »

Invest more in kids today so they don’t become tomorrow’s headlinesJonathan Swainon July 26, 2021 at 5:49 pm

We’ve all read the headlines, seen the news clips, and received the Twitter notifications. After major holiday weekends like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, there are the frightening statistics showing young people across our city are committing crimes at an alarming rate.

Earlier this month, Frank Harris, 18, and Dushawn Williams, 17, were accused of killing a veteran during an attempted carjacking in broad daylight at Kimbark Plaza, where my business is located.

Williams had his first run-in with the criminal justice system at the age of 12.

This case hit close to home, both literally and figuratively. It got me thinking: What investments could we have made — as individuals, as a community, and as a city — in Harris when he was a 12-year-old boy to prevent the events that unfolded in the subsequent years and led to this tragedy?

Beyond that, what could we have done just 10 years ago to set then-7-year-old Williams on the right track and prevent his encounter with law enforcement in the first place?

Alternatively, we may ask ourselves: “What investments did we choose not to make, to forego, to leave off the table, that reduced these boys’ potential so drastically?”

As both a business owner and a civic leader in my community, I see how, oftentimes, the onus is placed on the parents of troubled youth when it comes to accounting for the misbehavior of their children. And while I agree that responsibility lies with the parents, it also lies with the support systems that surround them. No parent in Chicago is raising their child in a vacuum.

The success and development of each and every young person growing up on the South and West sides — and everywhere else, for that matter — is directly correlated to the support systems and networks available to them and their families. These systems run the gamut from accessible healthcare and safe public parks to community sports leagues, engaging after-school programs and quality school instruction.

According to testimony presented by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to the Illinois State Board of Education in 2018, funding for after-school programs for Illinois youth does not meet demand. Despite a potential savings of $9 per every dollar invested in such programs from increasing kids’ academic and professional prospects, as well as the reduction of juvenile crime and delinquency, these crucial programs remain underfunded.

Data from The Afterschool Alliance’s 2020 report corroborates this, showing that unmet demand for afterschool programs in Illinois is at an all-time high.

Ironically, Harris — who allegedly threw the fatal punch that killed Cooper in the Hyde Park carjacking attempt — had once been involved with the violence prevention youth group Good Kids Mad City.

But GKMC was founded only in 2018. Like any investment, time is required to reap a return. And most certainly, we have the power to start making the right investments today.

Our children are valuable, and we need to see them all as worthy of investment. If we don’t, the seven- and eight-year-olds of today run the risk of becoming the unfavorable headlines of tomorrow.

Jonathan Swain is president and CEO of LINK Unlimited Scholars. He is also president and principal of Kimbark Beverage Shoppe.

Send letters to [email protected].

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Invest more in kids today so they don’t become tomorrow’s headlinesJonathan Swainon July 26, 2021 at 5:49 pm Read More »

GamblersArea – The Best Social Casino on the iGaming Sceneon July 26, 2021 at 5:46 pm

GamblersArea – The Best Social Casino on the iGaming Scene

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GamblersArea – The Best Social Casino on the iGaming Sceneon July 26, 2021 at 5:46 pm Read More »

Pink backs Norwegian beach handball team on ‘sexist’ clothing, offers to pay their fineJari Tanner | Associated Presson July 26, 2021 at 4:12 pm

HELSINKI — U.S. pop singer Pink has offered to pay a fine given to the Norwegian female beach handball team for wearing shorts instead of the required bikini bottoms.

Pink said she was “very proud” of the team for protesting against the rule that prevented them from wearing shorts like their male counterparts.

In a tweet posted on Sunday, Pink said: “The European handball federation SHOULD BE FINED FOR SEXISM. Good on ya, ladies.” She added that “I’ll be happy to pay your fines for you. Keep it up.”

At the European Beach Handball Championships in Bulgaria last week, Norway’s female team was fined 1,500 euros ($1,770) for what the European federation called improper clothing and “a breach of clothing regulations.” The rules stipulate that women must wear bikini bottoms while men wear shorts.

The Norwegian Handball Federation didn’t contest the decision, seen by the Norwegian team and several others as unfair, and announced earlier that it was ready to pay the fine.

The European Handball Federation acknowledged the commotion that the incident had triggered in media outlets and social media, and said Monday that it would donate the amount paid by the Norwegian Handball Federation “to a major international sports foundation which supports equality for women and girls in sports”.

“We are very much aware of the attention the topic has received over the past days, and while changes cannot happen overnight, we are fully committed that something good comes out of this situation right now which is why the EHF has donated the fine for a good cause promoting equality in sports, ” European Handball Federation President Michael Wiederer said in a statement.

Wiederer said that handball already was ahead of other sports in some respects, such as the parity given to the men’s and women’s competitions. He said such parity had been achieved in beach handball much sooner than it had in soccer, for example.

The Norwegian women posted a photograph of themselves on Instagram wearing shorts and told their followers: “Thank you so much for all the support. We really appreciate all the love we have received.”

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Pink backs Norwegian beach handball team on ‘sexist’ clothing, offers to pay their fineJari Tanner | Associated Presson July 26, 2021 at 4:12 pm Read More »

Straw purchaser gets eight months in federal prison in ‘case study’ that follows Merrick Garland visitJon Seidelon July 26, 2021 at 4:20 pm

Days after Attorney General Merrick Garland came to Chicago to promote a new program to combat gun violence in part by targeting so-called straw purchasers, a federal judge handed down an eight-month prison sentence in what the feds called a “case study” in the problem.

Federal prosecutors say Eric Blackman bought a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol for someone who was underage in August 2019 from a licensed firearms dealer in Oak Forest. They said he later told investigators, “I just figured, what’s the worst that could happen?”

But the feds say that gun was ultimately linked to a Dec. 22, 2019 mass shooting on the South Side that injured 13 people. Of the 31 cartridge casings found at the home where the shooting happened, 13 came from the gun Blackman purchased.

By buying the gun, Blackman played the role of the so-called straw purchaser — using his lack of criminal history to purchase a gun for someone who wasn’t supposed to have it.

Before U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman handed the eight-month sentence to Blackman on Monday, Blackman told the judge, “It was basically a mistake that was made that I wish I could really take back.”

Blackman’s defense attorney, Michael Leonard, tried to underscore Blackman’s lack of criminal history and said that Blackman is “not the guy we’re looking for to solve the gun problem.”

But Gettleman noted that Blackman’s lack of criminal history helped him put the gun in the hands of someone who shouldn’t have it.

The judge noted that Blackman didn’t seem to commit his crime for money — distinguishing his from other straw-purchasing cases. But Gettleman also said guns have “destroyed so many lives in our city” and “stray bullets are killing children almost every week in this community.” The judge rejected a request from Blackman’s attorney for probation.

The person Blackman purchased the gun for was caught with it a little more than a week after the mass shooting when officers saw him walking with what appeared to be a gun handle sticking out of his right coat pocket, according to court records. The feds say the firearm was loaded and had an obliterated serial number.

That person was not accused of participating in the shooting, the judge said during Monday’s hearing.

Attorney General Merrick Garland meets with Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch during Garland's visit to Chicago on July 22, 2021.
Attorney General Merrick Garland meets with Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch during Garland’s visit to Chicago on July 22, 2021.
Jon Seidel/Sun-Times

Garland paid an overnight visit to Chicago last week to tout a new Justice Department program meant to combat gun violence in Chicago and in other cities across the country, in part by targeting straw purchasers.

Asked about people who consider straw-purchasing a “paper crime” because it involves lying on a form — Blackman pleaded guilty to lying about a firearm sale — Garland called that characterization “unfortunate.”

“We do not regard this as a minor matter,” Garland said. “We regard this as a major matter.”

Meanwhile, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Wong wrote in a recent court memo that, “The straw purchaser plays a significant role in the gun violence that has continuously troubled the city of Chicago and threatened the public safety of its residents.”

Wong called the Blackman case “representative of the harmful ripple effect that straw-purchased firearms can have,” and she wrote that Chicago “has been inundated with violence from the actions of individuals who illegally possess firearms and then use those firearms to commit crimes.”

During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Wong told the judge, “Saving this city starts by sending a message.”

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Straw purchaser gets eight months in federal prison in ‘case study’ that follows Merrick Garland visitJon Seidelon July 26, 2021 at 4:20 pm Read More »

Lightfoot: It’s ‘not a gimme’ I’ll seek second termFran Spielmanon July 26, 2021 at 4:22 pm

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday it’s “not a gimme” that she will see re-election and cracked the door open to joining Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in saying one term is enough.

“If this was a different time and we had not been through — and [when] I say. ‘we,’ I mean my wife and I, my family, but I also mean my team — it would be an easier question to answer. … It’s not a gimme. The toxicity of the debate. The physical and emotional tolls that it’s taking on all of us — those are serious issues,” the mayor told Kara Swisher on the New York Times’ “Sway” podcast.

“My wife and I and my daughter, my close friends and my team — we have to have a serious conversations about why and what that would look like and what we believe that we would be able to accomplish and could we even get it done. This is a tough time for mayors all across the country.”

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced in December she would not seek re-election. Five months later, Bottoms in Atlanta did the same.

Lightfoot said Monday she considers both women “very good friends” and said they are partners in the same national struggle.

“There’s a reason why there’s been a slew of people saying, ‘You know what? I’m good with one term,'” Lightfoot said.

“I’m very good friends with a lot of mayors who have to make this decision before I do who are feeling like they’re in a different place than they ever imagined they would be in. It’s a tough time to be mayor. I mean — I have a lot of people tell me, ‘Man, you’ve got the worst job in the country.'”

Having said that, Lightfoot argued just the opposite, perhaps just to keep ’em guessing.

“I think I’ve got the best job. It’s hard. It’s a lot harder because of all the unforeseen circumstances that we’ve been through over the last 16 months. But I wouldn’t trade any minute of it, because every day I find something where we’re helping people who haven’t been helped before and I live off of that all day long.”

Lightfoot has long been a proponent of terms limits. She campaigned on a promise to serve only two terms.

Even if she already had decided whether to seek a second term, Lightfoot said she’s wouldn’t make it public yet — and she insisted Monday it’s still up in the air.

“The politics will take care of themselves. We’re in the middle of a crisis. … A crisis of violence. I’m not sitting here thinking about my re-election possibilities. I’ll make that decision with my wife at the appropriate time. But it’s not now,” Lightfoot said.

No matter how long she remains mayor, Lightfoot said she would continue to “push people out of their comfort zone,” regardless of how uncomfortable that makes people or how much her my-way-or-the-highway personality is criticized.

“A lot of people don’t think that’s women’s place. A lot of people don’t think it’s a person of color’s place. … I get less push-back because of my sexual orientation. But roll it all up. I’m Black. I’m female. I’m a lesbian. No one expected me to win,” Lightfoot said.

“Yeah, I’m tough. There’s no question about it. You don’t get to be a black woman going to the places that I’ve been — whether it’s a federal prosecutor … [or] senior equity partner at one of the largest law firms in the world — by letting people walk all over you and not fighting for your place at the table. Does that make some people angry and upset? It does. But I’ m not gonna apologize for being an advocate for things that I think are really important in our city.”

Lightfoot has long attributed her tenuous relationship with the City Council to the fact that “I don’t buy votes.”

She has stuck to that position, she said on the podcast.

“Early on, after I was elected, a lot of people came to me trying to cut the same old kind of deals. The backroom stuff. And I’m like, ‘No, no, no. That’s not who I am.’ And they’re like, ‘Wait, you actually mean that what you said on the campaign trail? And I’m like, ‘Yes, I did.'”

Lightfoot’s decision to hedge her bets on seeking a second term comes at a time when the once all-powerful job that made Richard J. Daley a kingmaker has — or is about to — become a shadow of what it was.

Chicago’s mayor will still wear the jacket for Chicago Public Schools. But a Chicago Teachers Union with expanded bargaining rights and a 21-member elected school board — both approved by the Illinois General Assembly over Lightfoot’s strenuous objections — will make it more difficult, if not impossible, for the mayor to make the changes voters demand.

The same goes for violent crime and the Chicago Police Department. The Council voted last week to install the, seven-member civilian oversight board recommended by the Task Force on Police Accountability that Lightfoot co-chaired after the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.

The seven-member board will have the power to recommend police policies, lobby the Council to implement those policies over the mayor’s objections and take a vote of no-confidence in the police superintendent; such a vote would trigger a similar vote in the Council.

Adding to the mayor’s headaches are a tidal wave of police retirements and a firefighters pension bill that, Lightfoot claims, will saddle beleaguered Chicago taxpayers with $850 million in potential costs by 2055, setting the stage for a parade of future property tax increases.

Not to mention an emboldened council that just handed the mayor her first defeat — on a 25-24 vote — on the issue that has divided Lightfoot and council members since her inauguration: aldermanic prerogative.

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Lightfoot: It’s ‘not a gimme’ I’ll seek second termFran Spielmanon July 26, 2021 at 4:22 pm Read More »

Street closures begin Monday for LollapaloozaSun-Times Wireon July 26, 2021 at 4:31 pm

Streets are being shut down around Grant Park this week for the Lollapalooza music fest that starts Thursday and ends Sunday.

  • Balbo Drive from Columbus to DuSable Lake Shore Drive is closed from Monday through Friday, Aug. 6. Balbo to Michigan Avenue will be closed from 8 p.m. Monday through Aug. 2.
  • Jackson Drive from Columbus to DuSable Lake Shore Drive is also closed through Friday, Aug. 6. Jackson to Michigan Avenue will be closed from 8 p.m. Monday to Aug. 2.
  • Columbus from Monroe to Roosevelt will be closed from 8 p.m. Monday through Aug. 2. Columbus to Randolph Street will be closed from Monday night through Aug. 2. Northbound center lanes on Columbus, from 13th Street to Roosevelt Road, will be closed from 8 p.m. Monday through Aug. 2.
  • Ida B. Wells/Circle will be closed from Michigan to Columbus from 8 p.m. Monday through Aug. 2.
  • Monroe Street from Michigan to DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be close from 8 p.m. July 28 through 6:30 a.m. Aug. 2.

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Street closures begin Monday for LollapaloozaSun-Times Wireon July 26, 2021 at 4:31 pm Read More »

Chicago police officers caught in roiling mess of fear, shock, anger — and hesitationMichael Sneedon July 26, 2021 at 4:42 pm

Crime.

COVID.

Corruption.

The three C’s of a hungry Chicago news media.

Although COVID’s new deadly cousin, the Delta variant, has sounded the latest alarm, the city has been caught in a nightmare. It touches all areas, including the city’s economic engine, Michigan Avenue, as well as what resembles a war zone in the city’s impoverished, gang-ridden South and West sides.

And the Chicago Police Department, in the midst of its own racial reckoning, is caught in the roiling mess of fear, shock, anger, and, God help us … hesitation.

Policemen take the oath of heroes; to serve and protect, to put their lives on the line.

The nobility of a policeman’s work is now being questioned. CPD is moving into a new era orchestrated by the cold lens of technology.

Meanwhile, Chicagoans are recalibrating what it means to go to work, to walk the streets or park a car because of a spike in crime. Cops are rethinking how to do their jobs.

There are many folk aphorisms in the CPD.

Such as:

“If you want to be loved, be a fireman. Don’t be a cop.”

I have heard it for decades.

Everybody loves firemen.

“Firemen loved being loved,” said a former top Chicago police source, one of several interviewed for this column, which included retired top brass and former street cops. All wished to remain anonymous.

“They deserve it,” one said. “But so do policemen … and they are not getting any of it. Who wants to be on the police force right now?

“There is no doubt there was a huge need for revamp and review,” the source added. “That’s life. Things change. But it’s like there is a mark on every policeman’s chest. That’s scary as hell — for everyone.”

That’s taking a toll on the thin blue line, says another former member of the top cop brass.

“Policemen today are like deer caught in the headlights,” the source said.

“They’ve been working 12-hour days with no days off for weeks, maybe a month due to soaring crime; eight fatalities every weekend, 50 shot, a city out of control and in a downward spiral,” the source said.

“The cops are being held accountable, probably to 15 agencies, but nobody seems to be calling the politicians to be held accountable … or anyone in this s- – -storm,” the source added.

“There are now gangbangers in every neighborhood in the city. The only people they feared were cops. Now … nobody respects or fears cops if they know the police are handcuffed.

“I’ve been in a car with cops recently when kids stop next to us, then look at us, and then drive through a red light totally passive and unresponsive. And they look both ways before they go through. It’s a message. A very scary one.

“Then there are the kids walking five in a row careening down State Street and bumping people walking down the street — and the swarms of 10 to 15 kids coming into a store and stealing stuff and not being prosecuted if it’s under $1,000.”

The reality is, “The only ones who understand police are other police. Absolutely the truth,” the source said.

“That’s probably one of the biggest problems: How do you understand what it’s like to live in a nightmare unless you live in it?”

Recordings of profound decisions made under stress are now being picked over by attorneys, the news media and politicians.

“Would a surgeon permit that, or a therapist, or emergency room hospital staff? The police are the cutting edge of that razor, the tip of that spear,” said the former police counselor.

“Police officers are disgusted with the spectrum of every profound decision made under stress being parsed and analyzed to death,” said another one-time member of the upper echelon of the police brass.

“And, yes, there is talk of standing back instead of risking their family’s future on an honest mistake of a moment.

“They operate in turbo time. Decisions are made in split seconds on the street. Now every action is questioned. Consequently, an extra layer of fear puts you in an organic condition ready to move to code red.”

Is the city going to get the police department it deserves?

Let’s hope.

Sneedlings . . .

Kudos to Chicago Teamsters Joint Council President Terrence J. Hancock, who was named Chairman of the Board of Easterseals Metropolitan Chicago. . . . Congrats to newlyweds Emily Mowry and Joel Wallace on tying the knot in the boffo garden of Emily’s Uncle Marc McCormack, who not only planted the Eden, but also presided over the July 9 ceremony. . . . Saturday birthdays: Jennifer Lopez, 52; Bindi Irwin, 23; and Karl Malone, 58. . . . Sunday birthdays: Matt LeBlanc, 54; Hulk, 35; and James Lafferty, 36.

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Chicago police officers caught in roiling mess of fear, shock, anger — and hesitationMichael Sneedon July 26, 2021 at 4:42 pm Read More »

Where have all the progressives gone, long time passing?on July 26, 2021 at 4:42 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

Where have all the progressives gone, long time passing?

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Where have all the progressives gone, long time passing?on July 26, 2021 at 4:42 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears Full Training Camp ScheduleNick Bon July 26, 2021 at 2:07 pm

The Chicago Bears get training camp underway on Tuesday with plenty of hype surrounding the team following the drafting of quarterback Justin Fields in April’s NFL Draft. Rookies, quarterbacks and injured players have already reported to Halas Hall, with veterans joining the early arrivals this Tuesday.

Kicking off report day on Tuesday will be a press conference from general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy at 10am CT, meanwhile the first open practice will take place on Wednesday. This is the second consecutive year that the Bears have held training camp at Halas Hall, following 18 years at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.

In addition to the scheduled practices below, Chicago will also hold two closed joint practices with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday August 11th and Thursday August 12th, ahead of the two teams squaring off in the summer’s first preseason game on Saturday August 14th at Soldier Field.

Here is the training camp schedule released by the Chicago Bears, with all dates and times subject to change. All listed times are central time.

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Chicago Bears Full Training Camp ScheduleNick Bon July 26, 2021 at 2:07 pm Read More »