Donald Trump speaks with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Monday, June 29, 2015. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune)
Former President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail, demonstrating that he can still wind up a crowd of tens of thousands of adoring supporters.
He’s running, whatever the current speculation says. And he’ll be a disaster for what Republicans and conservatives stand for if he wins the nomination.
He lost in 2020 because of whom he is, not because of his policies. He lost because so many Americans, including independents and never-Trump Republicans, could not bring themselves to vote for him. They still wouldn’t in 2024.
More of them, however, would vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis because of his policies and because of whom he is. The preternaturally progressive Guardian, weighs in and comes out with the same thought: With DeSantis, Americans would get the same Trumpian “inflammatory policies minus the inflammatory tweets” in the words of the Miami Herald.”
Further, the Guardian said.
Florida has seen a different side of Ron DeSantis these last 10 days. At the forefront of the state’s response to the Miami condo collapse, and now marshaling operations as Hurricane Elsa barrels across the Caribbean, the rabidly Trumpian Republican governor has appeared a steady yet calming leader in the face of multiple unfolding crises.
DeSantis has proven that he knows how to govern, whether you agree with his policies or not. The preservation of the state’s economy and public health in the face of the autocratic policies of the “experts” and progressives. His opening the schools in the face of the “expert” but wrong demands that children be shut out of the school room. And more.
DeSantis will be tested in his re-election bid next year. He’ll face the usual Democratic blather about racism and voter suppression. He’ll face those false charges squarely and forcefully. By then, we’ll get a better idea of his electability.
But if Trump declares he’s in the race before the Florida election (or after), it will immediately create an intra-party split that surely will doom whoever runs in 2024. Trump needs to set his ego aside and declare now that he’s not a candidate if he truly believes in the causes he supports. And his supporters have to set aside their adoration for the good of the country.
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WalletHub is out with another survey, this time listing the best and worst states for teen drivers. Their findings include:
Best states for teen drivers include:
1. New York, 2. Oregon, 3. Connecticut, 4. Alaska, 5. Massachusetts, 6. Michigan, 7. Minnesota, 8. Texas, 9. Maryland, 10. New Jersey
Worst States for teen drivers include:
41. South Carolina, 42. New Hampshire, 43. Arkansas, 44. Nebraska, 45. Mississippi, 46. Missouri, 47. Montana, 48. South Dakota, 49. Idaho, 50. Wyoming.
WalletHub compared all 50 states based on 23 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of teen driver fatalities to the average cost of car repairs to the presence of impaired-driving laws.
Best to Worst found that Rhode Island is among the states with the fewest teen driver fatalities per 100,000 teens; 15.9 times fewer than in Wyoming, the state with the most.
Tennessee has the lowest share of major roads in poor or mediccre condition (14.00 percent), 5.5 times lower than Rhode Island, the state with the highest (77.00). Hawaii has the lowest premium increase after adding a teen driver to a parent’s auto-insurance policy (3.00 percent), 74.3 times lower than in New Jersey, the state with the highest (223.00).
And finally, New York has the fewest vehicle miles traveled per capita (6, 335); 2.8 times fewer than Wyoming, the state with the most at 17,569.
Building esteem for women (and men) through passion for the sports car. Brought to you by a certifiable car nut by night and weekends, who happens to be a veteran psychotherapist by day.
Julianna Zobrist, estranged wife of former Cubs player Ben Zobrist, commented on the public drama her family has endured in an Instagram post Tuesday morning.
“It’s tempting to retaliate or seek revenge when someone decides to hurt, slander, or lie about you. Especially in public,” she wrote. “It’s difficult to remember that those who harm us are acting out of their own pain. Wounded people need healing, and that’s what I pray finds every person who is so lost in their pain that they resort to inflicting harm on others”
Ben Zobrist filed a lawsuit in May alleging Julianna was having an affair with their minister, according to court documents. The minister, Byron Yawn, was also accused of defrauding Zobrist’s charity foundation, for which he worked.
Now retired after a 13-year major-league baseball career, Ben Zobrist is seeking $6 million in damages from Byron Yawn, the CEO of Forrest Crain & Co., a Nashville-area business-consulting firm.
Yawn also is a former pastor and elder at Community Bible Church in Nashville. In that position, Yawn met Zobrist and his wife, the former Julianna Gilmore, about 16 years ago. The Zobrists, who were married in 2005, have three children.
Ben Zobrist paused his 2019 Cubs season for about four months as he and Julianna, a contemporary-Christian singer, addressed their marital problems.
“There have been many ugly accusations made about me publicly in recent days,” Julianna Zobrist posted on Tuesday. “And this has created an expectation that I should respond by defending myself–and maybe even offering a few ugly accusations in return. Isn’t that how these kinds of things always play out? …
“I am choosing to protect my children’s hearts by not saying hurtful things about their father in public. My attention is focused on caring for them during this difficult time, and I refuse to divert my energy to slinging mud and publicly reveal personal details of my previous relationship in order to score sympathy points.”
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones says she will not teach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill following an extended fight over tenure there, and instead will take a tenured position at Howard University.
The dispute over whether North Carolina’s flagship public university would extend the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist a lifetime faculty appointment has prompted weeks of outcry from within and beyond its Chapel Hill campus. Numerous professors and alumni voiced frustration, and Black students and faculty questioned during protests whether the school values them.
“These last few weeks have been very dark. To be treated so shabbily by my alma mater, by a university that has given me so much and which I only sought to give back to, has been deeply painful,” Hannah-Jones said in a written statement.
Hannah-Jones — who won the Pulitzer Prize for her work on The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project focusing on America’s history of slavery — said Tuesday that her tenure application had stalled after political interference by conservatives and objections by a top donor at the journalism school. She lamented the “political firestorm that has dogged me since The 1619 Project published,” with conservatives including former President Donald Trump criticizing the work.
Hannah-Jones will instead accept a tenured position as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at Howard, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C., which also announced Tuesday that it had recruited award-winning journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates to join its faculty.
Coates won a National Book Award for “Between the World and Me,” which explores violence against Black people and white supremacy in America. Both have been given MacArthur “genius” grants for their writings.
Hannah Jones’ tenure application at UNC’s journalism school was submitted to the school’s trustees last year, but it was halted after a board member who vets the lifetime appointments raised questions about her nonacademic background, university officials have said. Instead, she was initially offered a five-year contract. Then last week, amid mounting pressure, the trustee board finally took up her submission and voted to offer her tenure.
“To be denied it (tenure) to only have that vote occur on the last possible day, at the last possible moment, after threat of legal action, after weeks of protest, after it became a national scandal, it’s just not something that I want anymore,” Hannah-Jones said on “CBS This Morning,” which first broke the news of her decision.
Officials at UNC didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
Hannah-Jones and Coates’ Howard appointments are being supported by nearly $20 million donated by the Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation, as well as by an anonymous donor, to support Howard’s continued education of and investment in Black journalists, the university said.
“It is my pleasure to welcome to Howard two of today’s most respected and influential journalists,” Howard President Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a news release. “At such a critical time for race relations in our country, it is vital that we understand the role of journalism in steering our national conversation and social progress.”
Coates celebrated his return to Howard, which is his alma mater.
Ta-Nehisi Coates speaks during the Celebration of the Life of Toni Morrison at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York Nov. 21, 2019.Mary Altaffer/AP
“I heard a wise man once say, ‘A man who hates home will never be happy.’ And it is in the pursuit of wisdom and happiness that I return to join the esteemed faculty of Howard University. This is the faculty that molded me. This is the faculty that strengthened me,” Coates said. “Personally, I know of no higher personal honor than this.”
UNC had announced in April that Hannah-Jones, who received a master’s degree from the university, would be joining the journalism school as a Knight Chair. It was later revealed that she had been given a contract position, despite the fact that her predecessors were granted tenure when appointed.
On Tuesday, Hannah-Jones cited political interference and the influence of a powerful donor to the journalism school, a reference to Arkansas newspaper publisher Walter Hussman, who revealed that he had emailed university leaders challenging her work as “highly contentious and highly controversial” before the process was halted.
Hussman, whose name adorns the UNC journalism school after he pledged a $25 million donation, didn’t immediately reply to a message seeking comment.
“I cannot imagine working at and advancing a school named for a man who lobbied against me, who used his wealth to influence the hires and ideology of the journalism school, who ignored my 20 years of journalism experience, all of my credentials, all of my work, because he believed that a project that centered Black Americans equaled the denigration of white Americans,” Hannah-Jones said in her statement, which was released by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
“Nor can I work at an institution whose leadership permitted this conduct and has done nothing to disavow it.”
While Young’s AJ Casey remains the top long-term prospect in the class, the distance between No. 1 and No. 2 has narrowed.
Both Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt and Glenbard West’s Braden Huff are nipping at his heels with both of their individual recruitments heating up.
Now there are some fresh faces joining those three top 10 fixtures.
As the spring played out and summer arrived, downstate big man NJ Benson of Mt. Vernon was the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s No. 15 ranked prospect in the Class of 2022. That was a fairly lofty status for a relative unknown player from the southern part of the state.
But with his continued improvement and the upside that still remains, Benson has climbed into the top 10 as we head into July.
Tavari Johnson of Lyons Township, who was an unknown in the class just 18 months ago, has also joined Benson as a newcomer to the top 10.
As the spring and summer plays out for a group of rising seniors in the state, the production of the player becomes a little more imperative. While still vitally important, at this later stage of their high school careers, it’s not simply about projection.
Also, three-point shooting has never been more important in the game of basketball, which is why Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt and Buffalo Grove’s Kam Craft continue to rank so high. And being a good shooter these days is about the quickest path for a young player to get on the floor in college.
Here is how the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 10 prospects shakes out as we head into July.
1. AJ Casey, 6-8, Young
The top prospect in the class possesses the versatility and physical profile that opens eyes with his size, length and athleticism. He flashes various scoring abilities. While the high-level consistency remains a work in progress, Casey still boasts the biggest upside in the class.
2. Jaden Schutt, 6-5, Yorkville Christian
With sound form and mechanics, range and a pure release, Schutt has elite shooting ability that easily translates to the next level. He’s also a better athlete than he’s often given credit for being while also creating more off the dribble that will help him make another offensive leap.
3. Braden Huff, 6-10, Glenbard West
Huff continues to show an array of skill and production at his size that is so enticing with how the game is played today. He’s a big who can space the floor with his shooting or run an offense through with his passing and ballhandling. Huff can be utilized in a wide range of roles.
4. Kam Craft, 6-5, Buffalo Grove
A spark-plug scorer and safe bet to be a productive offensive player at the next level due to his shot-making ability from all areas of the court. The athleticism has improved. He also plays with a competitive edge and confidence. Craft committed to Xavier last week.
5. Jalen Quinn, 6-3, Tuscola
Has turned into an intelligent floor general who is comfortable commanding an offense. He uses his body, instincts and change of pace to get to the rim where he can finish so well with either hand. Now he just needs to improve his jumper to maximize his offensive potential. Mid-major programs will keep their fingers crossed the point guard’s recruitment stays at their level.
6. Trey Pettigrew, 6-4, Kenwood
The combo guard has moved back to Illinois after a year away and offers the type of backcourt size college coaches covet. An isolation scorer who can score in multiple ways off the dribble — from three, mid-range and in drives to the basket.
7. NJ Benson, 6-7, Mt. Vernon
The player who did more for himself during the early live periods than anyone, grabbing attention with his physical attributes, athleticism and motor. As a result, Benson’s recruitment has exploded. He’s playing with more aggressiveness, confidence and showcasing some pop and quick second leap off the floor.
8. Robbie Avila, 6-8, Oak Forest
A true big with a sweet skill set for his size and position. While not the most athletic, Avila has solid footwork, can handle the ball, uses both hands and can extend a defense with shooting range out to the three-point line. The best big-man attribute is he’s an excellent passer. Avila is a coveted mid-major target.
9. Xavier Amos, 6-7, Young
The light came on during his junior campaign, the production increased and the arrow continues to point straight up. A 4-man with versatility and a terrific body, dimensions and growing skill to work with. The battle with inconsistency seems to be one he’s starting to win more.
10. Tavari Johnson, 6-0, Lyons
A slight-framed point guard and decisive decision-maker who controls offensive tempo naturally, Johnson has finally made a name for himself among college coaches this past month. Johnson consistently makes winning plays with the ball in his hands, both as a scorer and as a table-setter.
Just roughly a month ago, the Chicago Cubs were feeling pretty positive about their 2021 season. Sitting a few games above the Milwaukee Brewers in first place, the Cubs looked to continue holding their NL Central lead and make a run at the postseason.
Oh, how quickly things can change in this league.
Fast forward to the present, and the Cubs are reeling from a 10-game losing streak. One has to wonder just what exactly happened over the past couple of weeks. On one hand, some could have seen this coming. There was no way this roster was going to actually compete in 2021, was there?
The Cubs fooled us all into thinking they could take the pile of you-know-what the Ricketts have put together and turn it into a competent, winning team this year. Alas, the truth has come out. The Cubs stink, and it’s going to take more than re-tooling just one area to get this team up to snuff again.
Amidst a tough stretch, the Chicago Cubs can celebrate having two deserving 2021 All Stars on the roster.
Though it’s been a rough few weeks, the Cubs do have the privilege of seeing two of their guys named to the 2021 MLB All Star roster in third baseman Kris Bryant and reliever Craig Kimbrel.
Bryant is slashing .271/.353/.507 right now with 16 home runs and 42 RBI. With his future in question for a little while now, the Cubs could take advantage of a strong season and opt to deal him before the deadline later this month.
The same goes for Kimbrel, who will be a highly-sought-after name the closer we get to July 30. Kimbrel is posting a strong 0.59 ERA with a WHIP of 0.652. He will be one of the hotter relievers up for grabs in the coming days, and the Cubs should certainly explore trading him.
If the Cubs could trade both Bryant and Kimbrel, they could get some decent returns. Potentially, one of the following five trades might get it done.
Summer is here — and that means it’s time to plan your annual company outing. You want something that encourages team-building and camaraderie.
Take advantage of the stress-reducing properties of the outdoors to treat your crew to a day they’ll remember. Here are ten company outing ideas for summer.
1. Zip Lining
You want your team to embody courageousness. It takes quite a bit of chutzpah to strap yourself to a wire and go flying across the forest canopy.
A zip-lining adventure gives your team the perfect opportunity to encourage each other to conquer their fears. Many parks centered around such themes have ample activities for the little ones for those staff who will have toddlers in attendance.
2. Kayaking
Kayaking can teach your team the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. You wouldn’t think a river-based outing would require you to bring a water filter — but would you want to drink directly from the stream if your canteen runs dry?
You can even throw in an engineering challenge. For example, have your crew design a way to get lunch across the waterway without your sandwiches getting soggy.
3. Laser Tag
Laser tag is all the fun of paintball without the stinging pellets. As such, it’s a more inclusive activity for those with bleeding disorders or folks who simply prefer not to take a hard object to their body. The indoor venue won’t get you fresh air and sunshine, but it makes a convenient alternative if your corporate headquarters calls Phoenix, AZ home, and a summertime outing could result in heatstroke.
4. Miniature Golf
Miniature golf allows multiple possibilities for team-building and the thrill of individual competition. You can arrange your staff members in groups of four with the lowest-scoring group winning an award.
Miniature golf outings are also family-friendly. Even the youngest members can often get in on the action as soon as they are big enough to walk.
5. Historic Walking Tour
Is your corporate headquarters located in a metro area or near somewhere like historic Williamsburg, Virginia? If so, why not learn about the nation’s past for your company outing this summer?
For example, if you are in New England, walk Boston’s Freedom Trail to Copley Square. Washington, DC has no shortage of sights — or go after dark with a haunted ghost tour. Go for a Constitutional “constitutional” in Philadelphia, strolling the same paths as the men and women who founded America.
6. Zombie Scavenger Hunt
Are you seeking a way to get your team out on the town in a fun way? Why not combine the excitement of sightseeing with the competition of a scavenger hunt — and add a few zombies for fun?
Your crew can participate in this game in several metropolitan areas by purchasing tickets and downloading an app. They’re then set free to find their survival supplies while their hosts monitor their progress remotely so that you can reward the winners.
7. Escape Room
Escape rooms offer the ultimate in team problem-solving fun. How will they get away from zombies or an armed madman before it’s too late? They’ll have to put their heads together to solve the puzzle.
8. Theme Park Days
If your corporate headquarters lies within reasonable driving distance from a theme park, why don’t you take advantage? Many such venues offer discounted group tickets and could use the revenue after last year’s slowdowns.
This idea is glorious if you have several staff members giving up their summer holiday plans for economic reasons. You can share a tasty meal as a group, then let your employees enjoy the park with their little ones and colleagues alike.
9. Day at the Beach
Another company outing along the same lines is a day of sand and sea. If you live near a coastal city, a flurry of beach umbrellas bearing your logo is free advertising to countless passersby.
Please remember to require a waiver for any event where you allow employees to bring family members as guests. In today’s world, you should include language covering COVID-19 as well.
10. The Old-Fashioned Company Barbecue
Finally, there’s nothing wrong with the tried-and-true company barbecue. You can save significant cash by hosting this event potluck style, with each staff member contributing a favorite dish — or pre-packaged convenience snack. Contact your local parks and recreation department to find out what it takes to rent out the pavilions you’ll need and appoint a decorating committee to go to the dollar store with petty cash.
Try These 10 Company Outing Ideas for Summer
Summer is the traditional time for the annual company outing. Why not consider one of these ten fun ideas this year?
In the deadliest and most violent weekend this year in Chicago, over 100 people have been shot over the long Fourth of July weekend, 19 of them killed.
Among the wounded were at least 13 children and two Chicago police supervisors. Five of the kids were shot within nine hours Sunday evening through early Monday.
Both the number of fatal shootings and the number of shootings overall are highs for 2021, according to a Chicago Sun-Times database of shootings. By 5 p.m. Monday, Chicago had recorded 2,000 shootings this year, the Sun-Times’ database shows.
In one of the holiday weekend incidents, a 15-year-old boy was critically hurt in a drive-by shooting Monday evening at 5:50 p.m. when a dark-colored vehicle drove by and someone from inside pulled out a gun and fired shots in the 6600 block of South Langley Avenue in Woodlawn, police said.
About a half-hour earlier, a 48-year-old was arguing with a person in a home about 5:20 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Aberdeen Street when he was shot and killed, police said.
That followed an incident when two people were killed and four wounded, including a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy in Washington Park on the South Side.
That happened around the same time that a 6-year-old girl and a woman were shot in West Pullman and about four hours after an 11-year-old boy and a man were shot in Brainerd on the South Side. And late Sunday afternoon, a 5-year-old girl was shot in a leg, also in West Pullman.
The Washington Park shooting happened around 1:05 a.m. Monday in the 6100 block of South Wabash Avenue, where a large group of kids and adults gathered outside in a parking lot outside an apartment building to socialize and light off fireworks. Someone inside a car that drove by a group of people there started shooting, according to the police.
A 21-year-old man, shot twice in the head, and a 26-year-old man, shot in the torso, were pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.
The 12-year-old was struck in the buttocks and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, according to the police, who said the 13-year-old was shot in a hand and also taken to Comer to be treated.
A woman, 29, was struck in the elbow and taken to the hospital in good condition, and the sixth victim, a 34-year-old woman, suffered two graze wounds, according to the police.
“I wish that whatever this madness is going on, I wish that it would stop,” said Toni Watkins, who lives in an apartment complex that overlooks the parking lot where the shooting was and has lived in the area for seven years. “Usually, I feel safe around here. But now this has me questioning it because it’s close to home right now.”
Blood stains the parking lot next to an apartment building in the 6100 block of South Wabash Avenue where six people were shot, two of them fatally.Brian Rich / Sun-Times
She said she’s fearful for her own 16-year-old daughter.
“I tell her every day, ‘If you’re going out or going to work, please be careful, and come back home to me. Stay away from those knuckleheads,’ ” Watkins said.
Watkins said she cried when she heard about an earlier shooting in which a 1-month-old baby was shot last week while in a car. She said she’s distraught over kids being shot: “They didn’t ask to be hurt. I just pray and hope that the kids are OK that got hurt.”
The parking lot next to an apartment building in the 6100 block of South Wabash Avenue where six people were shot, two of them killed.Brian Rich / Sun-Times
Several people who live near the parking lot where the shootings happened said groups of 100 or more people often gather there.
A 27-year-old man who said he has lived on that block for 15 years said that “street beefs” mean “everything revolves around retaliation.” But what he said he can’t understand is, “You see a whole bunch of kids, something should click in your head saying not to shoot.”
Shelley Childs recently moved with her 9-year-old son into a lower-level apartment that overlooks the parking lot.
“We’re sitting up there, having a good time, enjoying ourselves, celebrating Fourth of July, and you’re out [there] plotting to kill people,” Childs said of whoever was behind the shootings. “That’s why I’m getting my son and myself away.”
Childs, 25, said she had left the neighborhood Sunday, and, “Something told me don’t come home, it’s so crazy.”
Childs said the violence is “becoming normal.” She said someone was shot and killed about a month ago outside her mother’s house in Hyde Park.
“I saw the body,” her son said.
The 9-year-old said that he tried “to stay calm, think of something else and think of something peaceful.”
“It’s scary,” said his mother, who’s working toward a nursing degree. “I feel like I need to carry a gun, and I don’t want to. But it’s been a trend of kids and women being shot more and more and more around here. And it’s scary. I cannot wait to leave.”
Police commander, sergeant shot on West Side
A Chicago police commander and a sergeant were shot and wounded early Monday after the police disperse a crowd on the West Side.
The commander was struck in the foot, and the sergeant was grazed in the leg, according to police.
Driver fatally shot in Little Village
A man was killed while driving Monday in Little Village on the Southwest Side.
He was driving a gray SUV about 9:15 a.m. in the 3400 block of West 26th Street when someone fired shots at his vehicle, striking him multiple times, police said.
The 34-year-old crashed into a parked car after the shooting, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
1 killed, 1 hurt in Lawndale shooting
A man was killed and another man wounded in a shooting Monday morning in Lawndale on the West Side.
The men were outside just after 2 a.m. in the 1800 block of South Kildare Avenue when they were struck by gunfire, police said.
One man, about 30 years old, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to police. He has not yet been identified. The other man, 62, suffered a gunshot wound to the knee and was taken to the same hospital where his condition was stabilized, police said.
Woman shot to death in Austin
One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting Sunday night in Austin on the West Side.
About 10:45 p.m., two men and a woman were standing in an alley in the first block of North Menard Avenue when a 33-year-old man began shooting at them, police said.
A woman, 30, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
A man, 32, was struck multiple times in the body and taken to Stroger Hospital where his condition was stabilized, police said.
Another man, 49, suffered a gunshot wound to the buttocks and was taken to the same hospital where his condition was also stabilized, police said.
A 49-year-old man, who was a concealed carry license holder, witnessed the incident and shot at the offender, according to police.
The offender, a 33-year-old man, was struck in the arm and hip, police said. He was placed into custody and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.
Old Town fatal shooting
Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, a man was walking across the street in the 200 block of West Division Street when someone approached him and the two exchanged words, police said. The other person then began firing several shots towards the man, striking him in the torso, police said.
He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he later died, police said.
Teen killed on Near West Side
A 19-year-old man was killed while riding in a vehicle late Saturday on the Near West Side.
Just after 11 p.m., the teen was riding as a passenger in a vehicle in the 2600 block of West Van Buren Street when someone fired several shots, police said.
He suffered five gunshot wounds throughout his body and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Another teen fatally shot in West Pullman
A 17-year-old boy died after he was shot Saturday night at a West Pullman neighborhood home on the Far South Side.
About 9:30 p.m., the teenager was in the basement of the home in the 12000 block of South Yale Avenue with several others when someone opened fire, police said. He was shot twice the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
The teen, identified as Amari Brown, was pronounced dead at 7:50 a.m. Sunday at the hospital, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
Little Village shooting
A man was killed and two others wounded in a shooting Saturday evening in Little Village on the Southwest Side.
About 7 p.m., a concerned citizen called in a tip about a vehicle driving slowly and bumping against a curb, police said. Responding officers found the man, thought to be about 20 years old, inside the vehicle in the 4200 block of South Cicero Avenue with three gunshot wounds to the torso, police said.
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His name hasn’t been released.
Two other men, 32 and 27, were struck in the arm and taken to the same hospital, where they were listed in good condition, police said.
Teen shot to death in Belmont Cragin
A member of the National Guard and aspiring Chicago police officer was found shot to death early Saturday in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side.
Chrys Carvajal, of Portage Park, had attended a house party Friday night with his girlfriend and at one point went to get something from his car, his sister Jennifer Ramirez said.
About 1:25 a.m., officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 2200 block of North Lockwood Avenue and found Carvajal, 19, lying unresponsive on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to the back and abdomen, police said. He was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
Carvajal was found early Saturday lying unresponsive on the sidewalk in the 2200 block of North Lockwood Avenue with gunshot wounds to the back and abdomen, police said. He was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
“We are all very upset and we’re heartbroken,” Ramirez said Sunday. “My mom, she’s really devastated, too. She’s been crying. She has a sore throat because of all the crying, she’s just heartbroken.”
Ramirez said it’s hard to imagine life without her brother, whom she’ll remember as a man with a “big loving heart” who was always willing to help others. She pleaded for anyone with information to come forward.
“We just want people to help. If they saw something, if they know something to help, because if it was their family member, and we saw something, and my family saw something or witnessed something, we would speak up,” she said. “That’s the right thing to do.”
Amid the notoriously violent weekend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition on Sunday hosted a Fourth of July cookout and party at the Concordia Place Apartments on the Far South Side.
At the event, Jackson urged people to put down their guns and called on city officials, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, to actively work together to tamp down gun violence.
“The finger-pointing must end,” Jackson said.
He later added that, “We need better and we deserve better.”
Jackson’s comments come two days after City Council members spent six hours interrogating Brown over his plans to curb the latest surge in summertime gun violence.
“We urge people… to put down their guns, stop the violence. Of course, when they see violence — [an] attempt to overthrow our government and they’re treated with kid gloves, it decreases the message: If you pick up a gun and shoot somebody, you’re not walking away,” Jackson said. “We deserve a better America.”
Britney Spears’ longtime manager has reportedly announced his resignation in a letter to her conservators, citing the pop icon’s intent to “officially retire” from music.
In a letter published by Deadline and The Wrap, manager Larry Rudolph said he formally resigned after he “became aware that Britney had been voicing her intention to officially retire.” The letter was addressed to the singer’s father, Jamie Spears, and Jodi Montgomery, the co-executors of her conservatorship.
USA TODAY has reached out to lawyers for Britney Spears, Jamie Spears and Montgomery for comment.
Rudolph said he last communicated with Spears more than two and a half years ago, “at which time she informed me she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus.” In January of 2019, Spears abruptly suspended her Las Vegas residency due to her father’s health issues. She has not performed since then. Last year, she released a deluxe version of her 2016 album, “Glory,” which included a new single featuring the Backstreet Boys.
His resignation comes on the heels of a stunning investigation published Saturday by Ronan Farrow and Jia Tolentino for The New Yorker, which provided new details about Britney Spears’ fight to free herself from her restrictive conservatorship. The report alleged she called 911 to report herself a victim of conservatorship abuse, a day before the singer’s shocking June 23 court testimony during which she described herself as “traumatized” and “depressed.”
Rudolph, who managed Spears from 1998 to 2004 and again beginning in 2008, stressed in 2019 the need to put her physical and emotional well-being before her career, adding he had no intention of talking her into working if she couldn’t handle it.
“I don’t want her to work again ’til she’s ready, physically, mentally and passionately,” he said. “If that time never comes again, it will never come again. I have no desire or ability to make her work again. I am only here for her when she wants to work. And, if she ever does want to work again, I’m here to tell her if it’s a good idea or a bad idea.”
He added: “I have one role in Britney’s life. I’m her manager. She calls me if and when she wants to work. Other than that I’m not involved in anything else. Not the conservatorship, not her medical treatment, not her kids. Nothing else.”
In his new letter to Spears’ conservators, Rudolph again noted he was “never” part of the conservatorship or its operations, which he said meant he is “not privy to many of the details.”
“I was originally hired at Britney’s request to help manage and assist her with her career,” he wrote. “And as her manager, I believe it is in Britney’s best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed.”
Last week, a judge denied the singer’s request to have her father removed as sole conservator for now. A day later, Judge Brenda Penny approved wealth management firm Bessemer Trust’s petition to resign as co-conservator of Britney Spears’ finances alongside her father. According to the documents, Bessemer Trust said it had believed Spears’ conservatorship was “voluntary” and that she consented to the firm acting as co-conservator, until the singer publicly revealed she wants the arrangement to end during the June 23 hearing.
Spears’ father and Bessemer Trust had control over her estate, while professional conservator Montgomery has control over her person. The next court hearing in Spears’ conservatorship case is set for July 14.
“I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished over our 25 years together,” Rudolph concluded. “I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I’ll be there for her if she ever needs me again, just as I always have been.”
Contributing: Kim Willis, Cydney Henderson and Maeve McDermott
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