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Horoscope for Wednesday, July 14, 2021Georgia Nicolson July 14, 2021 at 5:01 am

Moon Alert

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Virgo.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Work to get better organized, but expect an interruption. Perhaps this interruption will lead to unexpected solutions or new ways of doing something. You might even introduce reforms to your job? Your health might improve?

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

This is a playful day and you want to have fun! (Parents take note that this is a mildly accident-prone day for your kids — especially in the morning — so be vigilant.) The arts, sports and social occasions will flourish, but perhaps with a new spin on something?

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

This has been a high-energy week for you; nevertheless, today you want to cocoon at home. You might have a serious heart-to-heart talk with a female family member. Possibly, your home routine will change in the morning. A small appliance or a minor breakage might need attention. Eek.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Pay attention to everything you say and do because this is a mildly accident-prone day for you. (Nothing has to happen if you are aware and mindful.) Meanwhile, you might meet new people, see new places and dream up clever, bright new ideas!

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

You are high-energy with Mars in your sign even though you prefer to keep a low profile. Today earnings, possessions and cash flow might be your focus. Keep your eyes open because something (especially this morning) might go awry. Guard against loss!

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Today the moon is in your sign, which is why you might be more emotional than usual. However, the good news is that when the moon is in your sign (for two days every month) you are a bit luckier! Why not test this? Ask the universe for a favor!

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

You are high visibility. People notice you and they admire you right now. However, today you will prefer to take a backseat and hide if you can. Nevertheless, something might make you a bit uncomfortable or restless. Don’t worry about this because it’s peanuts. It’s all good.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Today you will meet someone unusual, or someone you already know will do something you least expect. Whatever the case, it’s an unpredictable day. Fortunately, you look good to others because fair Venus is at high noon in your chart. In addition, you want adventure!

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

There’s a strong likelihood that personal details about your private life are public today. You are noticed and people are talking about you. Meanwhile, if you had your druthers, you would travel and get out of town because you need a change of scenery. Fingers crossed!

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Controversial subjects might create a kerfuffle this morning. Or perhaps it’s something in the news? Instead, focus on benefiting from the wealth of others, including financial institutions. This is a good day to ask for a loan or mortgage. A conversation with a partner could be important.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Continue to focus on your job and getting better organized because this is a high priority for you now. Likewise, you might want to do something to improve your health. Partnerships are also important because both Venus and Mars are directly opposite your sign. Keep your finger on the pulse of things.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Today the moon is opposite your sign, which means you have to go more than halfway when dealing with others. This is no biggie. It simply means you need to be cooperative and accommodating. Meanwhile, this is a playful, fun-loving day for you! Be friendly and enjoy good times!

If Your Birthday Is Today

38th U.S. President Gerald Ford (1913) shares your birthday. You are freedom-loving and independent; nevertheless, you enjoy the company of others. You like to work with people and help them if you can. You are focused about what you want. This is a powerful year for you when many things will come to fruition. It is an excellent year for material gain and recognition. Enjoy your good fortune.

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Horoscope for Wednesday, July 14, 2021Georgia Nicolson July 14, 2021 at 5:01 am Read More »

4 teens wounded in separate Lawndale shootingsSun-Times Wireon July 14, 2021 at 2:06 am

Four teenagers were wounded in two separate shootings Tuesday night in Lawndale on the West Side.

Two boys, 15 and 17, were outside just after 10 p.m. in the 1600 block of South Avers Avenue when someone fired shots, Chicago police said.

The 15-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was listed in fair condition at Stroger Hospital. The 17-year-old boy was struck in the left leg and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was listed in fair condition, police said.

About three hours earlier, a 16-year-old boy and 18-year-old man were near an alley in the 4200 block of West Roosevelt Road when a vehicle approached and someone inside fired shots, Chicago police said.

The 16-year-old was struck on both sides and the older teen suffered a gunshot wound to the knee, police said.

Both teens were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition, police said.

No one is in custody in connection with either shooting.

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4 teens wounded in separate Lawndale shootingsSun-Times Wireon July 14, 2021 at 2:06 am Read More »

Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly set to retire this fallMary Chappellon July 14, 2021 at 3:16 am

Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly will retire this fall, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday.

Kelly was appointed to his role as DCASE commissioner in July 2016 by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel after working more than 40 years as an administrator for several universities, including Columbia College Chicago, Wayne State University and City Colleges of Chicago.

A news release from the mayor’s office said Kelly’s leadership in post-COVID recovery has primed the city for a resurgence of the arts.

“Following a tumultuous sixteen months battling the pandemic and advocating for Chicago’s cultural community, Commissioner Kelly’s leadership has set the stage for a very strong arts recovery with various arts and culture programs and investments that will continue with the introduction of new leadership to the department,” the release said.

In his time, Kelly worked to get partners across the city to invest in a number of public art projects, including $18.5 million supporting public art in different neighborhoods and $25 million to support monuments honoring Jean Baptiste Point DuSable and his wife, Kitihawa, among other initiatives.

As commissioner, Kelly addressed inequality in the arts by introducing several programs that prioritized the South and West sides of Chicago, including Chicago Presents, the Artists Response Program, Culture in My Neighborhood and the Neighborhood Access Program.

A national search will begin immediately while Kelly finishes his tenure and will conclude ahead of his retirement in the fall.

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Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Mark Kelly set to retire this fallMary Chappellon July 14, 2021 at 3:16 am Read More »

Police release video of gunman wanted for wounding Chicago police commander and sergeant in AustinSun-Times Wireon July 14, 2021 at 3:17 am

Police released video footage Tuesday of a gunman who allegedly opened fire on a crowd celebrating the Fourth of July last week in Austin, wounding a Chicago police commander and a sergeant.

Officers were dispersing a crowd of revelers about 1:30 a.m. July 5 in the block of North Long Avenue when someone fired at the crowd from across the street, police said.

Video shows the suspected gunman walk from one side of the street to the other before firing shots from the sidewalk and fleeing.

Patrina Wines — who’s been with the Chicago Police Department for 28 years and took over as commander of the 15th District a little over a year ago — and a police sergeant were wounded. Wines was hit in the foot and the sergeant was grazed in the leg. Neither required hospitalization.

The officers were standing among dozens of neighborhood residents when they were struck. The crowd was breaking up largely peacefully when shots were fired.

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said at the time that it wasn’t clear whether the officers were targeted, “or whether this was people celebrating shooting in the air, shooting indiscriminately.”

Anyone with information was asked to call Area Four detectives at 312-746-8251.

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Police release video of gunman wanted for wounding Chicago police commander and sergeant in AustinSun-Times Wireon July 14, 2021 at 3:17 am Read More »

2 teens hurt in Lawndale shootingSun-Times Wireon July 14, 2021 at 2:06 am

Two teenagers were wounded in a shooting Tuesday night in Lawndale on the West Side.

Just after 7 p.m., a 16-year-old boy and 18-year-old man were near an alley in the 4200 block of West Roosevelt Road when a vehicle approached and someone inside fired shots, Chicago police said.

The 16-year-old was struck on both sides and the older teen suffered a gunshot wound to the knee, police said.

Both teens were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition, police said.

No one is in custody.

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2 teens hurt in Lawndale shootingSun-Times Wireon July 14, 2021 at 2:06 am Read More »

Watch Jeff Berkowitz w/ Chicago GOP Chair Steve Boulton on insuring voter rights, ballot integrity and preventing fraud in elections, Cable and Webon July 14, 2021 at 1:01 am

Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz

Watch Jeff Berkowitz w/ Chicago GOP Chair Steve Boulton on insuring voter rights, ballot integrity and preventing fraud in elections, Cable and Web

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Watch Jeff Berkowitz w/ Chicago GOP Chair Steve Boulton on insuring voter rights, ballot integrity and preventing fraud in elections, Cable and Webon July 14, 2021 at 1:01 am Read More »

What is going on in Pine Creek? And woah a new Gameboy Color game!on July 14, 2021 at 1:19 am

Jessi’s Media Review – A Chicks Point of View!

What is going on in Pine Creek? And woah a new Gameboy Color game!

©2021 CTMG – A Chicago Tribune website –
Crafted by the News Apps team

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What is going on in Pine Creek? And woah a new Gameboy Color game!on July 14, 2021 at 1:19 am Read More »

Hail to Thee…on July 14, 2021 at 1:50 am

S.O.S. – Sheri On Sports

Hail to Thee…

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Hail to Thee…on July 14, 2021 at 1:50 am Read More »

The bigger White Sox All-Star Tim Anderson talks, the more he backs it upSteve Greenbergon July 14, 2021 at 12:21 am

DENVER — Let’s cut right to it, then.

“I want to be the best to ever play this game,” Tim Anderson said.

Oh, is that all?

It’s easy to shake one’s head at some of the things Anderson says. Big, blunt, bold declarations, more like. The White Sox shortstop has neither fear nor filter when it comes to writing checks with his mouth that the average discerning person might doubt Anderson’s baseball ability can cash.

That’s probably why he was here Tuesday for his All-Star debut and the rest of us are, well, us.

The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native sure is on a roll and riding the flowing tide. Just think of what he has pulled off over the last three seasons.

Heading into 2019 — and coming off a terrible 2018 at the plate — Anderson scoffed at spring training when asked about rumors the Sox might be in big on free agent Manny Machado. The Sox’ 2013 first-round pick said the shortstop job belonged to him.

“I’m about to have a career year,” he said.

And then — wouldn’t you know it? — he won a batting title.

At spring training the next year, Anderson scoffed again when asked about debuting on MLB Network’s Top 100 Players list. He was 95th, 13th among shortstops.

“Man, let me tell you — there’s nobody better than me,” he said. “There’s nobody who can stop me. I’m coming for whatever there is.”

He was 27th — up to seventh among shortstops — on the 2021 list.

Now he’s an All-Star, which he likely would have been in 2019 if not for a sprained ankle that derailed him a few weeks before the break. He flipped the switch after that 2018 mess and will be damned if he’s going to let it get un-flipped any time in the foreseeable future.

“I would say the year I won the batting title, the offseason before was definitely one of those offseasons that I wanted to continue to get better and I wanted to take it to the next level,” he said Monday during a mashup with media across the street from Coors Field. “I wanted to be one of the best hitters to play this game. So I just worked, continued to work and now we’re here.”

Anderson’s ascension at 28 must have something to do with how late he started seriously playing baseball. He didn’t play at all until his junior year of high school and didn’t fully embrace the notion of a future in it until junior college.

“Once I actually locked in on baseball,” he said, “I had a chance to be good at it.”

Even then, his fandom was casual and fleeting. He would watch the Home Run Derby but not the All-Star Game. He dug Ken Griffey Jr., backward hat and all.

“He had that swag, man,” he said. “He had that effect on people. When he stepped on the field, you knew who that [was].”

It’s no wonder that, as the seamheads and wonks gathered for this event talked about things like upcoming rules changes, Anderson had the following suggestion for the best way to change the game:

“I’m taking out the unwritten rules first,” he said. “Just allow players to be themselves.”

For Anderson, that means bat flips, chirping on the field, swag, whatever you want to call it. It also means heart.

After clinching the batting title in 2019, he sat in the clubhouse alone and fought back tears. When he learned in a crowded clubhouse that he’d made this All-Star team as a replacement player, he was deeply touched by the reactions of teammates — especially Jose Abreu, who bounded across the room and jumped on him. Pretty nice for a player who has been around the All-Star block but didn’t make it this time.

“Abreu, man, he was there for me,” Anderson said. “He was there from the start. He knows what I’ve been through. He’s seen me work day in, day out. Definitely a guy I look up to that mentored me, man. Just seeing the way he goes about his business and wanting to be out there every day, I get that from him. And the way he plays the game, I get that from him.

“It was such a special moment, though, just to see Abreu, man, give me that much love.”

See? Heart.

Also: lots of talk.

A moment after Anderson spoke of Abreu, a reporter walked up and asked the future “best player ever” if he thought the league-wide crackdown on sticky substances would lead to more hangers over the plate.

“It don’t matter,” Anderson said. “I’ll crush ’em either way.”

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The bigger White Sox All-Star Tim Anderson talks, the more he backs it upSteve Greenbergon July 14, 2021 at 12:21 am Read More »

Blackhawks’ Caleb Jones excited for change of scenery, with or without brother SethBen Popeon July 14, 2021 at 12:44 am

Caleb Jones and older brother Seth Jones have been training together in Dallas for a month already this summer.

So when Caleb, 24, was acquired Monday by the Blackhawks — the news of which unexpectedly interrupted a friendly NBA 2K game — Seth surely knew immediately.

Seth, 26, also surely knows about the Hawks’ interest in him, being arguably the summer’s biggest trade target as the Blue Jackets try to recoup assets for their departing cornerstone. (With his contract expiring next summer, Seth has reportedly told Jackets management he doesn’t plan to re-sign.)

There’s some speculation Hawks general manager Stan Bowman — when negotiating the trade with Oilers GM Ken Holland — not only had the primary motivation of granting Duncan Keith’s Canadian trade request but also a secondary goal of landing Caleb specifically to lure Seth.

But Caleb, in his introductory Hawks interview Tuesday, kept calm about the Jones family’s interest in a reunion.

“I wouldn’t say it’s ever been a dream,” he said. “We both just wanted to play in the NHL, like a lot of kids growing up. Once we were fortunate enough — both of us — to get there, it [has] popped up a few times. I’ve actually never even played against him, so I’ve been looking for that day to come.

“He’s got his own situation going on over there, so we’ll see what happens throughout the summer with that. But if it ever did happen, it’d be really fun and we’d both enjoy it.”

No matter how the Hawks’ offseason pursuit of an experienced No. 1 defensemen pans out, though, they view Caleb Jones as someone who could improve the retooling defense and improve himself with more ice time.

During his three seasons with the Oilers, Jones particularly excelled along the defensive blue line — an area where the Hawks particularly floundered — at executing zone exits and defending opponents’ zone entries, for example.

Jones’ overall play dipped in 2021, though. With an even-strength scoring chance ratio of 44.4% (down from 54.2% and 47.0% his first two seasons, respectively) and only four points in 33 games, the Oilers began considering him expendable. But he’s young enough that he believes he can learn from it.

“A lot of my struggles came from being inconsistent,” he said. “The biggest thing for me [is] mentally, if I make a mistake, flushing it away and getting back out there and continuing to play the same way I do. That’s a growing process I had to go through last year, but I’ll be better for it in the future.”

During his summer training — this being the fifth or sixth consecutive year during which he’s done it with Seth, he estimated — he’s focusing on keeping his head up more. He hopes that’ll help him better see “what plays I can make [and] what’s going on,” giving him more opportunities to use the other two skills he’s prioritizing this summer: skating and shooting.

Come September training camp, the Hawks will discover where Jones — with or without his brother — fits into their rapidly evolving defense. Jones hopes they’ll like what they find.

“I believe I can be a really good player,” he said. “A fresh start will be good for me, and I believe there’s a good opportunity in Chicago.”

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Blackhawks’ Caleb Jones excited for change of scenery, with or without brother SethBen Popeon July 14, 2021 at 12:44 am Read More »