Alderman vows party bus crackdown after 8 people wounded when gunmen open fire in Lincoln ParkFran Spielmanon July 22, 2021 at 9:14 pm

A party bus shooting at a Lincoln Park gas station that wounded eight revelers prompted the local alderman to propose Thursday that all Chicago party buses by curbed at 10 p.m.

“I’m working on an ordinance right now,” Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said Thursday afternoon. “They would have to stop driving people around at 10 o’clock.”

In the latest attack, three cars pulled up in the 1600 block of North LaSalle Drive shortly before midnight and gunmen began firing at the group of people from the party bus, Chicago police said.

It was the third mass shooting of the day and occurred just hours after two attacks on the West Side wounded a total of 10 people, including a 14-year-old boy who died.

Police did not say if the victims were on or off the bus and released no other details of the shooting. No one was in custody and police released no description of the attackers.

Hopkins said the 10 p.m. curfew makes sense because “a lot of the trouble we’ve had on party buses has occurred around midnight. This incident was like five minutes to midnight. It just seems to be a recipe for disaster when you have 36 people, lots if alcohol, potentially some narcotics as well. And as the hours go by, the likelihood of trouble increases. It may time to put a limit on how long these buses can operate.”

Hopkins acknowledged the City Council has imposed countless crackdowns over the years aimed at preventing party bus rides from turning violent.

That includes requiring party buses that carry at least 15 people drinking on board or making multiple bar stops to install security cameras or hire more security personnel.

But, after the Wednesday night shooting, Hopkins argued that it’s time for yet another crackdown.

Hopkins argued that the earlier crackdowns made an impact — even during the Wednesday night shooting.

“There was a security guard present. Obviously, he wasn’t in a position to stop this incident from happening. But arguably, he prevented it from being worse than it was because both of the vehicles that pulled in during this attack — one of them actually fled without firing a shot and the other one that fired a number of shots did it very quickly. Didn’t stay. It was very much a hit and run,” Hopkins said.

“It turns out that the driver of the bus was also armed. He has a concealed-carry license. And he felt that part of his role was to provide security and prevent this sort of thing from happening.”

In the incident, a 24-year-old man was shot in the arm and a 26-year-old woman was shot in the leg, police said. Both were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital; the man was in fair condition and the woman was in serious condition.

A 23-year-old man struck in the groin also was taken to Northwestern in serious condition, police said. Two men, 42 and 52, both struck in the leg, were taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in fair condition.

A 27-year-old man struck in the chest was later dropped off at Northwestern in critical condition, police said. A 29-year-old man struck in the arm went to Rush University Medical Center, then was transferred to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.

A 26-year-old woman shot in the hand drove to Jackson Park Hospital, where she was in good condition, police said.

Retiring Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno said she’s not certain Chicago needs another party bus crackdown. She noted Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s sweeping pandemic relief package included enhanced requirements for party bus companies.

That includes, “doubling-down on the requirement of a security guard and requiring the itinerary to be made available on the vehicle at all times.”

“Over the years, Chicago has been very strong on the party bus regulation and requirements of those companies. … We believe that, thus far, we have ample, if not more regulation than most other cities,” Escareno said.

Escareno said when problems persist, the issue generally “is not your licensed industry. It’s really been your rogue, unlicensed actors. This is really more of a criminal issue.”

Escareno’s spokesperson later told the Sun-Times the party bus involved in the Lincoln Park shooting was “licensed and insured” by the city’s department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

Alderman vows party bus crackdown after 8 people wounded when gunmen open fire in Lincoln ParkFran Spielmanon July 22, 2021 at 9:14 pm Read More »

Kenneth Starr shows how flamboyantly pious have so much further to fallGene Lyonson July 22, 2021 at 9:19 pm

Perhaps you recall the eminent “Judge Starr” of Republican legend and song, a pious Christian avatar of justice and sexual propriety. Back when he was dutifully investigating President Bill Clinton’s sex life — “our job is to do our job,” he’d tell TV crews staking out his suburban driveway, a soft-handed househusband obediently taking out the trash — Kenneth Starr posed as a man of firm moral views and unimpeachable integrity.

Fawning newspaper profiles depicted Starr as an uxorious fellow whose favorite pastime was going for Sunday drives with his equally pious wife, singing hymns together. Never mind that said profiles were often written by the same reporters to whom independent counsel Starr’s prosecutors had been leaking damning, albeit misleading, tidbits about Bill and Hillary Clinton’s impending indictment for “Whitewater” crimes.

Indictments that never came, for the simple reason that bringing trumped-up charges against prominent people endangers prosecutors more than defendants. The same psalm-singing crusader eventually published the infamous “Starr Report,” narrating in near-pornographic detail each and every one of Bill Clinton’s furtive grapplings with Monica Lewinsky.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh mostly wrote it.

Forcing a shamefaced Clinton to face a nationally televised sexual inquisition probably saved his presidency. Millions of sinners in the TV audience cringed to see it, a possibility that never seemed to have occurred to the sanctimonious Starr or his journalistic enablers. Angry with Clinton for being such a damn fool, I never saw it coming myself.

So now comes Starr’s professed former mistress to drive what should be the last nail in the rotting coffin of his reputation. Former GOP public relations executive Judi Hershman has published an essay entitled “Ken Starr, Brett Kavanaugh, Jeffrey Epstein and Me” on Medium.

I confess I never thought the man had it in him for motel room romance.

That Starr is a world-class sexual hypocrite has long been obvious. Do you know how hard it was for a name-brand Republican holy man to get himself fired as president of Baylor University, the world’s largest Baptist university? Covering up gang rapes by the school’s football team did it. Even Starr’s practice of running onto the field in a cheerleading costume couldn’t save him after the truth emerged in 2016.

In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.

To hear her tell it, Starr’s former mistress is anything but a woman scorned. “Our affair ran its course after a year or so of occasional encounters and a steady exchange of affectionate texts and emails,” she writes. “No fireworks, no drama.” Rather, it was watching a recorded interview with one of the Baylor victims that “helped me understand how I could have been blind for so long to the pattern of misogyny coursing through Starr’s career.”

Shedding crocodile tears, Starr made a show of empathy, but then proceeded to do nothing on the victim’s behalf. “Shamelessly and effectively,” Hershman writes, “he shoved rape allegations under the carpet in the name of Christianity.”

Starr’s role in helping negotiate a sweetheart deal for serial child rapist Jeffrey Epstein (13 months in jail with daily 12-hour passes) also troubled her. “I confess I did not recognize Jeffrey Epstein’s name at the time, but I knew what statutory rape was,” Hershman writes, “and I couldn’t understand why Ken Starr would be involved with him. ‘Is this a church thing?’ I asked. ‘Are you trying to “cure” him? Why would you do this!”‘

“Everyone deserves representation, Judi,” Starr responded, adding, “He promised to keep it above 18 from now on.”

As the world knows, Epstein failed to keep his promise. A man would have to be painfully naive to think a convicted pedophile ever would. Or deeply cynical to pretend to believe him. Take your pick. Starr’s efforts on behalf of the billionaire child rapist also included a covert smear campaign against the female prosecutor who’d prepared a 60-count federal indictment against his lowlife client.

“Somehow,” Hershman comments, “Starr’s role as the nation’s parson always comes back around to sex.”

Also money, I’d add. Not for nothing was Starr once a tobacco company shill. I’d also observe that for a woman with no ax to grind, Hershman deploys some awfully sharp edges.

She even recounts a 1998 episode in which Kavanaugh, then Starr’s prosecutorial understudy, staged a full-on primate rage display: physically intimidating and chasing her around a conference table over a disagreement she doesn’t describe. She says she’d all but forgotten his “feral belligerence” until she watched him go ballistic over Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations at his Senate confirmation hearings.

She thinks he’s got no business on the Supreme Court.

But at least Starr himself never got there, to his eternal regret and the nation’s good fortune. Instead, he ended up in that shyster’s purgatory: defending Trump against impeachment.

“It’s not just the hypocrisy,” Hershman thinks, “it’s the damage Starr’s sham moral authority has done — to our nation, to our people.”

Kenneth Starr shows how flamboyantly pious have so much further to fallGene Lyonson July 22, 2021 at 9:19 pm Read More »

Teenage boy identified gunman who wounded brother and killed another: prosecutorsMatthew Hendricksonon July 22, 2021 at 9:48 pm

A 14-year-old boy was a key witness who identified one of three gunman who wounded his older brother and killed the older brother’s friend in Englewood, Cook County prosecutors said Thursday.

The boy saw the April 5 shooting from the window of his grandmother’s apartment and ran out when he thought the gunmen finished firing in the 6100 block of North Marshfield Avenue, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.

That’s when he saw 22-year-old Jamelle Carraway pull down his face mask as he stood over Vonshea Norman, Murphy said. Carraway then allegedly fired 10 more times into 20-year-old Norman’s body.

Carraway locked eyes with the boy, raised his gun, but then fled with two other gunmen, Murphy said.

The boy’s 20-year-old brother was also shot in the chest and legs but survived. Police recovered 30 shell casings at the crime scene, Murphy said.

Before he was killed, Norman drove to the neighborhood to show the teenage boy’s brother his new car, Murphy said.

The longtime friends were standing near the front passenger side of the car when a silver Volkswagen pulled up on the street and Carraway and the two others got out, Murphy said.

When one of Carraway’s cohorts said “yeah,” the teenage boy’s brother immediately recognized voice as someone he had known since the third grade, Murphy said.

That man, Carraway and the other gunman then pulled out their weapons with extended magazines before opening fire at Norman and the boy’s brother, Murphy said.

Right then, the 14-year-old looked out the window.

Jamelle Carraway arrest photo — Jamelle Carraway

The boy gave police a physical description of Carraway and Carraway’s nickname. The teen later identified Carraway in a photo array, Murphy said.

Carraway made posts on social media about Norman’s murder on the day of his funeral, Murphy said. Cellphone data also shows his phone moving from the south suburbs toward the crime scene. The phone was turned off right before the shooting a mile away. But then 45 minutes later, the cellphone — still in the same area — was turned back on, Murphy said.

Detectives tracked Carraway’s cellphone again later that month when he went to Midway Airport and got onto a flight to Atlanta, Murphy said.

Carraway was taken into custody at his home Wednesday by police and U.S. Marshals on a warrant for Norman’s murder, his arrest report said.

Carraway lives with his two brothers and has been unemployed since he was laid off from his job at Krispy Kreme during the coronavirus pandemic, his defense attorney said.

Judge Mary Marubio cited the boy’s identification of Carraway in her decision to hold him held without bond for murder and attempted murder charges. Marubio warned Carraway there would be “zero tolerance” for him, or anyone else who attempted to contact witnesses in the case.

The Chicago Sun-Times asked the state’s attorney’s office Thursday if any services or protection had been offered to the 14-year-old witness through the its Victim Witness Unit, but a spokeswoman for State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said the office cannot comment on pending cases.

‘We have to figure out how to cope’

A year ago, a group of South and West side ministers hand-delivered a letter to Foxx’s office asking for the county to create a new program to better protect witnesses in violent crime cases and called the current resources “an abysmal failure that needs to be trashed.”

Foxx’s spokeswoman was not immediately able to provide information about any changes that have been made to the program since the letter was delivered.

Earlier this week, Cleopatra Cowley, the mother of Hadiya Pendleton — the teen gunned down at a South Side park in 2013 weeks after she performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration — also called on the county to do more for victims and their families as they cope with the impact of violent crime has on them.

“No one reaches out to help us. We have to figure out how to cope,” Cowley told reporters at the courthouse Tuesday following a sentencing hearing for the getaway driver in Hadiya’s murder. “No one is saying “here, here, here’s this free counseling, here’s this program … I want to appeal to those that are in charge to make it a priority.”

Carraway is expected back in court Aug. 11.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

Teenage boy identified gunman who wounded brother and killed another: prosecutorsMatthew Hendricksonon July 22, 2021 at 9:48 pm Read More »

WHAT DO PANCAKES, SYRUP, AND PARTY BUSSES HAVE IN COMMON?/ MASS SHOOTINGS AND AN IRISH PROVERB! A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY? NAWon July 22, 2021 at 9:23 pm

JUST SAYIN

WHAT DO PANCAKES, SYRUP, AND PARTY BUSSES HAVE IN COMMON?/ MASS SHOOTINGS AND AN IRISH PROVERB! A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY? NAW

WHAT DO PANCAKES, SYRUP, AND PARTY BUSSES HAVE IN COMMON?/ MASS SHOOTINGS AND AN IRISH PROVERB! A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY? NAWon July 22, 2021 at 9:23 pm Read More »

‘I told him, You are my eyes.’ 15-year-old killed in Lawndale mass shooting had looked after visually impaired motherDavid Struetton July 22, 2021 at 7:57 pm

Brittany Benson has trouble seeing and depended on her 15-year-old son Damarion for simple tasks.

“I told him, ‘You are my eyes.’ ” she said.

Wednesday evening she called Demarion and told him he needed to come home. “He said, ‘I know, I know. I love you, mom.’ “

Minutes later, gunfire erupted at the corner of Douglas Boulevard and Christiana Avenue, striking Damarion and four other people, according to police. Damarion was shot in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Brittany Benson said her cousin, a 16-year-old boy, was seriously wounded in the attack and was on life support. Police said that boy was also struck in the head and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in “grave” condition.

Three men in their early 20s were also taken to Mount Sinai, where they were stabilized, police said.

It was one of three mass shootings in Chicago Wednesday. A few blocks away, five people were shot outside Herzl Elementary School only minutes later. Shortly before midnight, 8 people traveling on a party bus were shot in Lincoln Park.

At least 34 other shootings this year have wounded four or more people, according to a Sun-Times analysis of city data. Over the last five years, Chicago has recorded the most mass shootings in the nation by far, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Three of the victims from Wednesday’s attacks were 15 and younger, continuing a trend of rising violence against children this year.

“This was one of my biggest fears,” said Benson, 32. “I told him, I love you and I don’t want this to happen to you. One of the worst calls a mom can get is that their son is dead.

“Damarion was one hell of a kid,” she added. “He was doing typical things teens do. He wasn’t perfect — but he loved his family.”

Police investigate the scene near Christiana and Douglas Boulevard in Lawndale, Wednesday, July 21, 2021.

He attended Lawndale Community Academy before a juvenile conviction sent him to jail, Benson said. He graduated from Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School and was supposed to start at Wells Community Academy this fall.

Damarion was due in court Thursday morning, one of the reasons his mother had called him.

“You know how it is. It’s peer pressure,” she said. “When you’re a kid you get caught up hanging out in the wrong crowd… He was in the juvenile system — but he was a kid.”

Damarion had two younger brothers, 4 and 7, who he watched over and sometimes took to the bus for school when his mom’s eyes were causing her trouble.

He dreamed of playing basketball professionally and expressed an interest in rapping, his mother said.

She encouraged her son by promising a gift if he graduated from high school. “I told him, you bring on that high school diploma and I’ll get you a car.”

Brittany Benson, 32, sits with family members Thursday afternoon in her mother's living room in Lawndale, hours after her 15-year-old son Damarion Benson was shot to death at the corner of Douglas Boulevard and Christiana Avenue on the West Side. — Brittany Benson, 32, sits with family members Thursday afternoon in her mother’s living room in Lawndale, hours after her 15-year-old son Damarion Benson was shot to death at the corner of Douglas Boulevard and Christiana Avenue on the West Side.

Damarion is among 97 kids 15 years old and younger who have been shot in Chicago this year, an increase from the same time last year, according to Sun-Times crime data. Twelve of the children died.

Minutes after Damarion was shot, another mass shooting happened three blocks away. Three teenagers and two men were shot outside Herzl Elementary near Douglas Boulevard and Ridgeway Avenue, according to police, who said they believed the shooting was unrelated.

North Lawndale, where both attacks happened, has been more deadly this year than the same time last year, from 21 homicides to 30.

Hours later, gunmen from three cars opened fire on a group that had been riding in a party bus. The bus had just pulled up to a gas station in the 1600 block of North LaSalle Drive.

Police Supt. David Brown, pressed about the attacks, complained many community members were not cooperating with investigators.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say we are in a battle for the heart and soul of some of these communities as it relates to violence,” Brown told reporters at a news conference.

Brittany Benson was still grieving the loss of a brother when she heard about her son.

“I just want him to be remembered for his sense of humor,” she said. “He was a genuine person. He’d do anything for you.”

‘I told him, You are my eyes.’ 15-year-old killed in Lawndale mass shooting had looked after visually impaired motherDavid Struetton July 22, 2021 at 7:57 pm Read More »

Afternoon Edition: July 22, 2021Matt Mooreon July 22, 2021 at 8:00 pm

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

Afternoon Edition

Chicago’s most important news of the day, delivered every weekday afternoon. Plus, a bonus issue on Saturdays that dives into the city’s storied history.

Today will be partly sunny with a high near 83 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and a low around 71. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 88 degrees.

Top story

‘We are in a battle for the heart and soul of these communities,’ top cop says after 15-year-old boy killed and 9 people wounded in two mass shootings on West Side

Reshorna Fitzpatrick stood with four other pastors as police placed white markers near shell casings strewn on the street and sidewalk near Theodore Herzl Elementary School in North Lawndale.

Five people — three of them teens — had been shot there, minutes after five other people had been shot just blocks away. A 15-year-old boy died in that shooting.

“I’m heartbroken,” said Fitzpatrick, pastor of the Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church down the street. “It’s heartbreaking and shocking because we had gotten to a place where we were really experiencing some peace.”

The two shootings yesterday evening were among three mass attacks in Chicago in a single day. The other occurred close to midnight in Lincoln Park when someone in a passing car shot eight people who had been riding in a party bus.

Three of the victims from the attacks were 15 and younger, continuing a trend of rising violence against children this year.

Cindy Hernandez, Madeline Kenney, and Tom Schuba have more.

More news you need

A federal judge today sentenced veteran Chicago police officer Nicholas Stella to 15 months in prison for his role in a large-scale, international gambling ring. Stella was also ordered into Chicago’s federal lockup six months ago after prosecutors said he “violently assaulted his girlfriend” last January.
Gov. Pritzker says he’s planning on going to Lollapalooza despite renewed concerns of another COVID-19 surge fueled by the more infectious Delta variant. If you’re vaccinated, have a mask and practice social distancing, the shows can go on safely, he said — even though daily cases have recently tripled.
Pritzker also signed a law today that aims to expand access to oral contraceptives by allowing trained pharmacists to assess patients and write a 12-month prescription. It’s a move Pritzker and champions of the bill called a “common sense approach” to helping women get contraceptives from trusted sources.
A marker honoring Eugene Williams, the first victim of Chicago’s 1919 race riots, will be dedicated Saturday at Lincoln Cemetery, where he has been buried in an unmarked grave. Community members raised money to have the marker made for the 17-year-old, who was killed by a white stone thrower.
The National Labor Relations Board today ruled that the presence of “Scabby the Rat” at union protests is protected speech that does not violate labor law against “coercive” behavior. That means Chicago-born Scabby and his hulking, inflatable peers will live to fight the boss another day.
Robert Shaw, a former Chicago alderman from the 9th ward and commissioner with the Cook County Board of Review, has died of cancer at 83. He and his late twin brother William Shaw were a powerful duo in city, county and state politics.
Chicago is seeing the effects of the wildfires out west this week as smoke clouded the city’s sky and turned the sun orange and red hues. The lingering smoke also caused air quality advisories to be issued for some parts of the United States, including Indiana.
City Colleges of Chicago plans to aid adult learners this fall with Future Ready, a new initiative featuring 60 free career training programs. The new programs will cover subjects ranging from health care to cannabis operations to criminal justice to auto mechanics.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company today announced the appointment of co-artistic directors — Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis — marking the first time in its history that the job will be shared by two people. It’s also the first time that a person of color will helm the troupe.

A bright one

With Hazel Crest show, Isley Brothers will ‘pick back up where everything suddenly stopped’

The Isley Brothers, the legendary soul and R&B group, are headed to the Chicago area to headline their first show since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and after their highly-publicized Verzuz battle with Earth, Wind & Fire.

The “Sundress and Sandals Concert,” which is scheduled for tomorrow at Hazel Crest’s Cross Pointe Park (gates open at 5 p.m.), is the brainchild of PR Popups. The concert also features Kindred the Family Soul, Chantay Savage, and Carl Thomas of the recently formed R&B supergroup The Chi.

“I know it’s gonna be nice to be in front of a live audience, and to sort of pick back up where everything suddenly stopped,” said guitarist Ernie Isley. “We were supposed to have an international tour in 2020 and we didn’t go anywhere. Carlos Santana didn’t go anywhere. Earth, Wind & Fire didn’t go anywhere. The Rolling Stones didn’t go anywhere — nobody went anywhere.

Ronald Isley (left) and brother Ernie perform in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2018.

In the aftermath of the Verzuz battle, not only did the Isleys garner yet another generation of fans to appreciate the longevity of their music, a story also surfaced regarding the Isley family connection with a legendary musician: Jimi Hendrix.

Guitarist Ernie Isley says Hendrix lived with his family in New Jersey for two years (1963-1965). During Hendrix’s stay there, Isley says the enigmatic singer-guitarist received his first Fender Stratocaster guitar and had his first professional recording session.

“We’ve been fortunate to have our catalog, and the fact that folks appreciate our music,” said Isley, who says he idolized Hendrix. “We’ve been involved with the music beyond our catalog, and a lot of rappers in the MTV generation were leaning on Isley Brothers songs for their hits. Certainly, they embraced us and we embraced them.”

More on the Hazel Crest show and Evan F. Moore’s conversations with its featured artists here.

From the press box

Your daily question ?

What isn’t an Olympic sport but should be?

Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: It’s National Hot Dog Day, so we want to know: Where can the best Chicago-style hot dog be found? Here’s what some of you said…

“George’s in Bucktown and Johnny’s in Elmwood Park.” — Flowers Shemi Mallela

“I’m a vegetarian now, but if anything could change my mind, it would be Gene and Jude’s in River Grove. I love how they put the homemade french fries right in the bun with the hot dog itself.” — Sandy Gulliver

“Jimmy’s Red Hots on Pulaski, Henry’s Drive-In on Ogden and Bob-O’s Hot Dog’s on Irving Park.” — Tony Buccini

“Dave’s Red Hots on Roosevelt” — Poochilla Juslef

“The Duck Dog at The Duck Inn!” — Javalen Hickey

“Byron’s Hot Dog on Lawrence! I remember they gave “Presidential Pups” to Obama at the White House. Also the best fries!” — Betty Lark Ross

“Josh’s Hot Dogs in Northbrook. No better community guy than the owner Josh Kaplan and no better Chicago-style hot dog with all the fixings (no ketchup and yes celery salt!).” — Julie Smoller Kreiter

“Pop’s Italian Beef. Great dogs.” — Lj Prete

“Lulu’s Hot Dogs in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood of Chicago!” — Timmy Smith

“If you don’t say Jimmy’s and you say Superdawg, may God have mercy on your soul.” — Derrick Colon

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

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

Afternoon Edition: July 22, 2021Matt Mooreon July 22, 2021 at 8:00 pm Read More »

White Sox say apologetic Yermin Mercedes in uniform for Charlotte KnightsDaryl Van Schouwenon July 22, 2021 at 8:01 pm

Less than 24 hours after saying he was stepping away from baseball, Yermin Mercedes was in uniform for the White Sox’ Triple-A Charlotte Knights for their game in Durham, N.C., on Thursday.

That word came from the White Sox, who learned from Mercedes on his Instagram account Wednesday that Mercedes, demoted from the major league club to Charlotte after falling into a prolonged hitting slump, was quitting baseball.

The news broke during the Sox’ 7-2 loss to the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“Kind of understand, you’re in Triple-A, had a taste of the big leagues, and you can get emotional,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “I’ll reach out to him.

“It could be just a little frustration. I’ll explain to him that he has a big-league future.”

Apparently it was just that. Mercedes apologized for his actions Thursday.

View this post on Instagram

“I will never give up,” Mercedes posted moments ago. “I lasted 10 years in the minor leagues. My dream is to be a player established in the big leagues.

“I apologize.”

A defensively challenged catcher being used as a designated hitter, Mercedes got his chance to play because of Eloy Jimenez’ injury during spring training and took the major leagues by storm, going 8-for-8 to start the season and earning American League Rookie of the Month honors for April. The 5-11, 245-pound 28-year-old rookie enjoyed instant fame and attention — he had a hamburger named after him by a local restaurant — but slumped terribly in the second half of May and June and was optioned to Charlotte on July 2.

In 14 games, Mercedes was batting .309/.377/.655 with four home runs at Charlotte and probably thought he would return to the Sox when catcher Yasmani Grandal went on the injured list two weeks ago, but the Sox called up light-hitting Seby Zavala because of his superior defensive and game-calling skill.

White Sox say apologetic Yermin Mercedes in uniform for Charlotte KnightsDaryl Van Schouwenon July 22, 2021 at 8:01 pm Read More »

Blackhawks’ Stan Bowman on sexual assault investigation: ‘We have to let the process play itself out’Ben Popeon July 22, 2021 at 6:55 pm

Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman broke his silence but gave little new concrete information about the team’s sexual assault cover-up investigation in a press conference Thursday.

“I do not condone or tolerate harassment or assault of any type,” Bowman said. “[But] we need to give the experts [investigating this] the necessary time and the latitude to do their job well.

“I am eager to speak about this in more detail in the future, but for now I have to respect the pending litigation and the independent review that’s underway. I’m not going to be able to make any comments about that at this time. We have to let the process play itself out.”

Since June 28, Chicago law firm Jenner & Block has been investigating allegations that former video coach Bradley Aldrich sexually assaulted two Hawks players during the 2010 playoffs, that management at the time — including Bowman — refused to report the incident to police and that the Hawks positively recommended Aldrich to future employers, allowing him to assault a 16-year-old Michigan high school student three years later.

The two lawsuits against the Hawks in Cook County Circuit Court regarding those incidents have not had any new updates since the Hawks filed motions to dismiss weeks ago.

Bowman said he will participate in Jenner & Block’s investigation but dodged the subject of whether the investigation’s results will be made public, a clarification the Hawks and NHL have repeatedly avoided providing over the past month.

“I’m going to give it my full cooperation,” he said. “As far as where it goes, that’s not something that I can comment on. But I do know that we have some experts that we brought in. From my understanding, these are well-respected people in the legal community, and I intend to fully cooperate with them.”

Former coach Joel Quenneville has also said he will cooperate in the investigation but denied he knew about the allegations until this year. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who was a Hawks assistant GM in 2010, said in a Thursday statement he had “no knowledge of any allegations involving Mr. Aldrich until asked if I was aware of anything just prior to the conclusion of [Aldrich’s] employment” with the Hawks.

Bowman declined comment in response to a question if an alleged May 2010 meeting in which former skills coach Paul Vincent told Bowman, then-president John McDonough and other executives about Aldrich’s actions occurred.

He said he’s primarily working on managing the Hawks’ busy offseason of player movement ahead and insisted the investigation and allegations aren’t affecting his day-to-day job, even with his future Hawks employment seemingly resting on the results of the investigation and lawsuits.

“There’s a lot going on,” he said. “There’s no question about that. But I have a job to do here, and that is to build our team as best I can.”

Toews, Nylander updates

Alex Nylander, after missing all of last season recovering from knee surgery, is already 100% healthy and will be at training camp in September.

“He’s training and preparing like normal,” Bowman said. “He’ll be ready.”

But Jonathan Toews — despite breaking his own silence in June, explaining he missed last season while suffering from an obscure condition called Chronic Immune Response Syndrome — is a different story.

Bowman said he and Toews had a meeting Tuesday and they’ve seen each other daily, with Toews coming into Fifth Third Arena to train. But there’s no definitive info on whether or not Toews will be ready for camp.

“It was good just to catch up on things and learn what he’s been through,” Bowman said. “For me, the big thing is focusing on Jonathan getting back to feeling great. When the time is right and when he’s able to join our team, we’re certainly going to welcome him back.

“We don’t know, and Johnny doesn’t know, how he’s going to feel. None of us have a crystal ball to know how he’ll feel in September… We’ll just take that as it comes, though. We don’t have to put any pressure on him being ready for a certain date.”

Blackhawks’ Stan Bowman on sexual assault investigation: ‘We have to let the process play itself out’Ben Popeon July 22, 2021 at 6:55 pm Read More »

Mask pit? Pritzker says he’ll be at Lollapalooza despite COVID-19 spike: ‘If you’re vaccinated, it’s safe’Mitchell Armentrouton July 22, 2021 at 6:56 pm

Last summer, a massive music festival cramming 400,000 writhing, sweaty concertgoers into Grant Park was unthinkable under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 restrictions.

But next week, Pritzker himself is planning to be among the throngs of revelers at Lollapalooza despite renewed concerns of another coronavirus surge fueled by the more infectious Delta variant.

With a mask, a little bit of social distancing and especially a COVID-19 vaccination, the shows can go on safely, the governor said Thursday — even though daily cases have tripled in the weeks leading up to the fest.

And Thursday’s four-digit caseload was the highest in more than two months.

“It’s an outdoor festival, as you know, and it’s safer outdoors than it is indoors,” Pritzker said during an unrelated news conference. “I know lots of people will attend. I think, again, it’s up to individuals to make a decision about whether they want to be in a large group.”

“I would recommend to people that if they’re going to be jammed together, please wear a mask. We encourage you to do that if you’re going to be in large crowds.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, pictured at a July 15 news conference, said he'll be at Lollapalooza with his wife and a few friends. — Gov. J.B. Pritzker, pictured at a July 15 news conference, said he’ll be at Lollapalooza with his wife and a few friends.

“But if you feel comfortable and you can, you know, put a little distance between yourself and other people — and if you’re vaccinated, I might add — it’s safer. Just a little distance, and if you’re vaccinated, it’s safe for you to attend something like this.”

Pritzker, 56, said he’ll be with his wife “and a few friends” at the downtown jamboree, which takes over Grant Park next Thursday through Sunday.

The fest drew an estimated 400,000 people over four days during its last run in 2019. Concertgoers this time around have to show up with proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from within 72 hours of entrance. Anyone suffering COVID-like symptoms is asked to stay home regardless of vaccination status.

Anyone who is unvaccinated will be required to wear a mask while attending the festival. And even those who got the shot are urged to consider masking up.

“I think it’s OK, but again, people need to be aware that we are not past this pandemic. It is with us,” Pritzker said. “I just want to be clear: vaccinations keep you safe, but we all need to keep our communities and our friends and neighbors and our family members safe. Wear a mask if you can, when you feel like you should.”

Cases have been on the rise across Illinois for almost a month. With 71% of eligible residents now at least partially vaccinated, the state reported 1,993 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, the highest daily count since the first week of May.

The state has averaged 1,027 new cases per day over the past week, up from a rate of just 357 per day at the start of July. The average statewide infection rate has tripled since then, too, with the statewide case positivity rate up to 3%.

In Chicago, an average of 108 people are testing positive each day, an 86% increase compared to the previous week, and the positivity rate has almost doubled over the same span to 1.8%.

That’s still low compared to the worst days of the crisis, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said, noting that cases are up across the nation. COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths remain at pandemic lows in the city.

Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, pictured at a June 17 news conference, said the COVID-19 risk for attending Lollapalooza is “relatively low” for vaccinated concertgoers.

“This isn’t like the first two really bad surges where we were concerned about overwhelming the health system,” Arwady said during an online Q&A. “It’s more of an increase that we are seeing landing on unvaccinated Chicagoans, by and large.”

A day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot insisted “we’ve made the right decisions” about opening the gates to Lollapalooza, Arwady stood by it, saying “I expect cases to continue to increase regardless of whether Lolla is happening.”

She encouraged attendees to consider masking up, acknowledging the city “probably will” be instituting more mask recommendations in the weeks ahead if cases keep rising.

New COVID-19 cases by day

Graphic by Jesse Howe and Caroline Hurley | Sun-Times

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

“The risk for events like this — in a lot of ways, we don’t worry as much about the large outdoor event as we do about all of the indoor gathering that tends to happen around large events,” she said. “So we think about people who are at indoor parties or in hotel rooms or, you know, on transit. … There will be, obviously, additional focus on this.”

Arwady called it “the balancing act” facing the city. “My big thing is: Are we concerned about overwhelming the health care system, and do we have a widely available, highly protective vaccine?” she said. “If you are vaccinated, your risk remains relatively low, so that’s the most important thing.”

“Maybe you don’t want to get right into the middle of the mosh pit, and I can’t make that individual level decision for you. I can tell you that the risk here in Chicago at this point, you know, for someone who is vaccinated, remains low,” Arwady said.

“It’s when you’re going into a crowded situation, [the risk] goes up a bit, for sure, but if you’re vaccinated, think about wearing a mask, and, you know, maybe avoid having the people screaming directly in your face.”

Any Chicagoan can request an in-home vaccination by calling (312) 746-4835.

For help finding a shot in suburban Cook County, visit cookcountypublichealth.org or call (833) 308-1988. To find other Illinois providers, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

Mask pit? Pritzker says he’ll be at Lollapalooza despite COVID-19 spike: ‘If you’re vaccinated, it’s safe’Mitchell Armentrouton July 22, 2021 at 6:56 pm Read More »

Michael Jordan not having much success in first year as a NASCAR ownerDan Gelston | Associated Presson July 22, 2021 at 7:10 pm

LOUDON, N.H. — The 23XI Racing team posted a slideshow of the Bubba Wallace firesuit collection and asked fans to comment on their favorite. The designs were from business plucked straight out of Super Bowl ad space: Wallace was dressed by top companies in fast food, fantasy sports and auto insurance.

For a driver who spent most of his NASCAR career scraping together sponsorship deals for underfunded teams, Wallace is flush with Fortune 500 cash. Oh, and boasting Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin as team owners sure helps the cause.

But deep-pocketed sponsors and a race team seemingly on firm financial footing has done little to help Wallace find success on the track. He has one top-10 finish this season — he had five last season driving for Richard Petty Motorsports — led three laps since late April and needs a win over the next four races to earn a playoff berth.

The wins better come in bunches.

Jordan said at NASCAR’s kickoff at Daytona that Wallace should “probably win at least a couple races.”

Cool. When?

“It’s about taking the next step at this point,” Hamlin said in New Hampshire. “I think my question to the team is, ‘What’s next? How do we now move that up?’ When you look at data and everything, the car has a ton of potential. How can we optimize Bubba, the entire team’s performance, pit crew and everything, to get better? Because making the step to get in the top 10 consistently, gaining those three to four spots we need to be in the top 10 consistently, that’s a big step.”

Hamlin has modest expectations of getting Wallace those next three to four spots by the end of the season. Wallace’s average finish is 20th. The good news, Jordan showed up in June at Pocono Raceway — with pal Ahmad Rashad — for Wallace’s best result of the season when he placed 14th and fifth in the doubleheader on the tri-oval track.

Wallace had a weekend straight out of a normal sports fan’s fantasy camp when he said he dined with Jordan two nights at Pocono and they watched the NBA playoffs. The dinner conversation, though, didn’t include a report card on Wallace’s first season with 23XI.

“I haven’t talked to him about it,” Wallace said. “That’s more of a him and Denny conversation. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, try to produce the best results. Sunday at Pocono was good, finished top five. I’ll let them have those conversations between themselves.”

Wallace said he would take a “mental reset” during NASCAR’s two-week Olympics break — the schedule resumes Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen — before trying to close NASCAR’s version of the regular season on a playoff push.

“We’ve had the speed for a little bit, but there are certain things that have taken us out or put us behind a little bit,” Wallace said. “It’s just a matter of perseverance and coming back and just trying to get the best results.”

Wallace’s season has largely focused on racing a year after his activism forced NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag. As Wallace’s profile expanded, he raised funds that were tied to him and were able to move with him. Wallace, the only Black full-time driver at NASCAR’s top level, drew a significant amount of personal services agreements with companies such as DoorDash and McDonald’s. Those deals were bundled together and moved with Wallace to 23XI.

While Wallace will always have critics, he’s still a fan favorite at the track, and his newfound mainstream celebrity recently landed him (along with Hamlin and Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee) in a Post Malone video. Wallace, driver Corey LaJoie and New England Patriots return specialist Gunner Olszewski, the honorary pace car driver, tossed around the football with fans during a rain delay in Sunday’s race.

Wallace did admit that no one at 23XI asked for his input on a driver should it land a second charter and expand to a two-driver organization next season. Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR champion, has been the race team’s top target. Busch’s deal was up and Chip Ganassi, his current car owner, sold his NASCAR team to Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks. Marks will field one car next season for Daniel Suarez and one for a driver to be named later. Ross Chastain, Busch’s teammate at Ganassi, is a candidate for that second seat.

Busch said he’s “getting close” to a deal that will likely include long-time sponsor Monster Energy.

“Things changed with the announcement of Ganassi selling the team, and my relationship with Monster is important,” Busch said. “I’m trying to balance all that out to figure out what their needs are. I’m a racer and want to drive this Next Gen car and in the right scenario and the right spot.”

Wallace can take small consolation in the fact that Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 champion, is also winless through 22 races and the struggle to reach victory lane is real for even the best drivers. He could also look at surprise winners such as Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola as proof that all it takes is one checkered flag to turn around a season.

Jordan is watching.

Michael Jordan not having much success in first year as a NASCAR ownerDan Gelston | Associated Presson July 22, 2021 at 7:10 pm Read More »

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