A federal investigation led early last year to charges against Todd Blanken, Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher, and eight others. On Monday, a prosecutor even hinted that a well-known sports figure “whose name we all know” participated.

The feds say Todd Blanken played a key role in “an absolutely massive, long-term, very profitable” international Chicago-based gambling ring.

Their investigation led early last year to charges against Blanken, Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher, and eight others. On Monday, a prosecutor even hinted that a well-known sports figure “whose name we all know” participated.

But Blanken is now the latest defendant in the case to avoid prison time, as U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced Blanken on Monday to six months of community confinement, as well as two years of probation.

Though Kendall said the “absolute breadth of this case was remarkable,” she noted that Blanken had moved to Arizona, “made some tough decisions” and has “broken from this community.”

“I think that is admirable,” Kendall said.

The judge told Blanken his sentence means he will be living in a community center, but he will be able to work.

“I fully understand what I did was wrong,” Blanken said before he was sentenced, apologizing to his family and the judge.

Blanken, 44, is the second of 10 people charged in a February 2020 gambling indictment to be sentenced. He’s the first since Donald Trump pardoned Urlacher in the final hours of his presidency last January, sparing the brother of Chicago Bears great Brian Urlacher.

Last fall, Kendall also gave three months of home detention to Eugene DelGiudice, an elderly defendant who Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Kinney described Monday as “seriously, seriously ill.”

Blanken pleaded guilty on Feb. 12. Kinney later wrote in a court memo that Blanken “played a critical role in the operation and management” of the gambling ring led by Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice, which involved more than 1,000 gamblers around Illinois and in other states. On Monday, Kinney said the ring’s reach was international.

Vincent DelGiudice is the son of Eugene DelGiudice.

Kinney called it “one of the largest book making operations ever” in Chicago’s federal court district. He has previously tied it to the mob-connected gambling ring once run by bookie Gregory Paloian, of Elmwood Park.

The prosecutor wrote that Blanken served “as a trusted runner” for Vincent DelGiudice and two of his most significant agents — Matthew Knight and Justin Hines — and also recruited gamblers for Vincent DelGiudice.

Vincent DelGiudice pleaded guilty in February. Knight pleaded guilty in March, but charges are still pending against Hines.

Kinney said Blanken managed a number of gamblers and shared with Vincent DelGiudice “a generous portion of their losses.” He collected from two of the most significant gamblers who bet with Vincent DelGiudice, collecting regular payments of $1,500 from one gambler who owed about $600,000 to Vincent DelGiudice.

Vincent DelGiudice gave Blanken Christmas bonuses of $7,000 in 2017 and $12,000 in 2018, according to the prosecutor.

Meanwhile, Kinney said Blanken worked in the mandatory arbitration office of the Cook County courts, calling it “blatant hypocrisy” that “an employee of the court system was a key player in this illicit gambling enterprise.”

Blanken’s defense attorneys insisted in their own memo that “there is no evidence that any threats were made by him to collect any gambling losses.” They said Blanken has been working at Costco to support his family.

Read More

The 23-year-old was in a vehicle about 3:40 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Walnut Street when another vehicle pulled up alongside and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.

A man was killed in a shooting Monday in East Garfield Park.

The 23-year-old was in a vehicle about 3:40 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Walnut Street when a vehicle pulled up alongside and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.

The man was struck in the neck and back, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Area Four detectives are investigating.

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PITTSBURGH — Dallas Keuchel, Lance Lynn and Adam Eaton have World Series rings. White Sox manager Tony La Russa has three.

Closer Liam Hendriks and everyone else on the Sox roster?

None.

That will have to change, Hendriks said.

“My nearest taste of it was getting into the ALCS in 2015 with the Athletics, the DS [division series] last year and the wild card in 2018,” Hendriks said “I want to make sure I get that ring and put it on a wall. That’s what everyone strives for.”

Signed by the Sox to a four-year, $54 million contract in the offseason as a measure to make that happen, Hendriks is set financially. He doesn’t want to be known as someone with deep pockets, though. He wants to be known as someone who wants to pocket a championship ring.

“The guys who go into a season looking to get paid, get a contract, they tend not to be the guys everyone respects in the clubhouse,” Hendriks said. “The guys who want to get a trophy are the guys everyone gravitates toward. That’s been my goal the last how many years. Numbers don’t matter, it’s making sure you’re getting that last out of the season and being on top.”

The American League Reliever of the Month for May, Hendriks has numbers that matter to the Sox, though. He has an AL best 18 saves in 21 save opportunities with a 2.08 ERA, although he hasn’t had a game to close since a 3-0 win over the Rays on Wednesday. Opening a stretch of 18 games to the All-Star break against teams under .500, the AL Central-leading Sox take on the Pirates for two games in Pittsburgh. The Sox are coming off a four-game sweep in Houston that presented no save chances for Hendriks, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts in an 8-2 loss Sunday just to get some work in.

Early on in spring training, Hendriks made it clear he wants to pitch a lot, and he made his personality known, needling team leader Tim Anderson (and getting it back from the Sox shortstop) and screaming profanities on the mound, in live batting practices, bullpen warmups and games. It’s hard on the ears, but it’s the Hendriks way of getting himself engaged in the heat of competition.

Fellow reliever Codi Heuer said he likes how Hendriks brings energy every day.

“He’s electric,” Heuer said.

“That’s who he is, that’s how he works. Everyone has their own alter ego out on the mound, you have to. He might be crazy, but he’s our crazy guy. I love watching him close out a game and lose his mind. The emotion, it’s contagious. You see guys like Evan Marshall go out there and pitch with emotion, too, and I try to go out and do the same.”

Hendriks knows he will grate on teammates, too. That’s one reason why he took his Lego hobby into the home clubhouse and puts the earbuds on, knowing his teammates handle him better in limited doses. He waits to join the others in the bullpen till later in the game, too.

Assistant pitching coach Curt Hasler, who is stationed in the bullpen during games, says Hendriks is “a breath of fresh air.”

“He’s a huge asset, that’s obvious, because of his ability,” Hasler said. “But he keeps things light. When it comes time to prepare, he watches a ton of video and come the seventh, eighth inning he gets more serious. He knows how to do it, when to do it.”

“I hope I give off that aura,” Hendriks said. “Winning is the most important thing to me and has been for many years. That’s why the White Sox were a great fit, regardless of the contract. This is a chance to win not only this year but the next four.”

SOX AT PIRATES

Tuesday: Lucas Giolito (5-5, 3.86) vs. Tyler Anderson (3-7, 4.89), 6:05 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Wednesday: Dylan Cease (5-3, 3.99) vs. Chase De Jong (0-1, 4.26), 11:35 a.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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A month before the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the USA women’s basketball roster was announced in front of a national audience on NBC’s Today show.

The team, playing for its seventh straight Olympic gold medal, is headlined by now five-time Olympians Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi and three-time Olympic gold medalist and the first Black woman to lead the national team, coach Dawn Staley.

Bird, Taurasi and Staley’s Olympic experience together goes way back. The 2004 games in Athens, Greece, were Bird and Taurasi’s first Olympics and Staley’s last as a player.

“They had the time of their lives,” Staley said laughing. “They partied. They stayed up all night. They did it all because they relied on us to get us where we needed to go. But there are also some lessons in that.”

Staley said the veterans on the 2004 Olympic team had conversations with Bird and Taurasi ahead of the medal rounds and told them this is when they needed to focus because they could be tapped to contribute. Staley expects the younger players on this team will play immediately.

Taurasi said Staley is the best person to lead this team into Tokyo.

After fracturing her sternum in late May, Taurasi had some minor anxiety about what that meant for her Olympic future. When she sat with doctors who told her she’d be back weeks before the Olympics, she knew she’d be fine. Staley said Taurasi, who expects to be back playing for the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, has always been able to beat the odds when it comes to injury.

She didn’t question if Taurasi would be ready.

“She’s mentally tougher than any player I’ve been around,” Staley said.

Taurasi and Bird join an elite list of just six other athletes worldwide that have competed in five Olympic basketball competitions.

This 2020 team features six first-time Olympians (Jewell Loyd, A’ja Wilson, Ariel Atkins, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Chelsea Gray), two who will be competing in their second (Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart), one three-time Olympian (Tina Charles) and a four-time Olympian (Sylvia Fowles).

Diamond DeShields, Kahleah Copper and Stefanie Dolson who all participated in the national team’s minicamp in March did not make the final roster. Dolson could still represent Team USA for the 3×3 competition. That final roster is forthcoming.

The frontcourt is where most of the experience lies with former Sky second-overall pick and three-time WNBA All-Star in a Sky uniform, Sylvia Fowles leading the way.

Sylvia Fowles made her Olympic debut in 2008, her rookie year, and if someone had told her 13 years later she’d be playing for her fourth gold medal she would have called their bluff.

There are a lot of different combinations that the frontcourt can establish.

“I definitely wouldn’t want to go up against us that’s for sure,” Griner said.

Olympic veterans like Taurasi, Fowles and Griner noted that every time they have received the call saying they will once again represent Team USA at the Olympics, it’s special and no two Olympic experiences are the same.

The biggest difference this year will be playing without family and fans in the audience. Fowles said in a way the WNBA bubble prepared them for this unique Olympic experience.

Team USA’s final training camp will take place from July 12-18 in Las Vegas. They will play the WNBA All-Stars on July 14 and finish up Pre-Olympic play with two exhibition games against Australia on July 16 and Nigeria on July 18.

The 2020 Olympic games run from July 23 to Aug. 8.

“Once we’re there, we’re there for a reason,” Taurasi said.

Read More

The feds say Todd Blanken played a key role in “an absolutely massive, long-term, very profitable” international Chicago-based gambling ring.

Their investigation led early last year to charges against Blanken, Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher, and eight others. On Monday, a prosecutor even hinted that a well-known sports figure “whose name we all know” participated.

But Blanken is now the latest defendant in the case to avoid prison time, as U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced Blanken on Monday to six months of community confinement, as well as two years of probation.

Though Kendall said the “absolute breadth of this case was remarkable,” she noted that Blanken had moved to Arizona, “made some tough decisions” and has “broken from this community.”

“I think that is admirable,” Kendall said.

The judge told Blanken his sentence means he will be living in a community center, but he will be able to work.

“I fully understand what I did was wrong,” Blanken said before he was sentenced, apologizing to his family and the judge.

Blanken, 44, is the second of 10 people charged in a February 2020 gambling indictment to be sentenced. He’s the first since Donald Trump pardoned Urlacher in the final hours of his presidency last January, sparing the brother of Chicago Bears great Brian Urlacher.

Last fall, Kendall also gave three months of home detention to Eugene DelGiudice, an elderly defendant who Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Kinney described Monday as “seriously, seriously ill.”

Blanken pleaded guilty on Feb. 12. Kinney later wrote in a court memo that Blanken “played a critical role in the operation and management” of the gambling ring led by Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice, which involved more than 1,000 gamblers around Illinois and in other states. On Monday, Kinney said the ring’s reach was international.

Vincent DelGiudice is the son of Eugene DelGiudice.

Kinney called it “one of the largest book making operations ever” in Chicago’s federal court district. He has previously tied it to the mob-connected gambling ring once run by bookie Gregory Paloian, of Elmwood Park.

The prosecutor wrote that Blanken served “as a trusted runner” for Vincent DelGiudice and two of his most significant agents — Matthew Knight and Justin Hines — and also recruited gamblers for Vincent DelGiudice.

Vincent DelGiudice also pleaded guilty in February. Knight pleaded guilty in March, but charges are still pending against Hines.

Kinney said Blanken managed a number of gamblers and shared with Vincent DelGiudice “a generous portion of their losses.” He collected from two of the most significant gamblers who bet with Vincent DelGiudice, collecting regular payments of $1,500 from one gambler who owed about $600,000 to Vincent DelGiudice.

Vincent DelGiudice gave Blanken Christmas bonuses of $7,000 in 2017 and $12,000 in 2018, according to the prosecutor.

Meanwhile, Kinney said Blanken worked in the mandatory arbitration office of the Cook County courts, calling it “blatant hypocrisy” that “an employee of the court system was a key player in this illicit gambling enterprise.”

Blanken’s defense attorneys insisted in their own memo that “there is no evidence that any threats were made by him to collect any gambling losses.” They said Blanken has been working at Costco to support his family.

Read More

A tornado ripped through the western suburbs late Sunday night, damaging more than a hundred homes and injuring several people, including a woman in critical condition.

The tornado touchdown was confirmed about 11:10 p.m. near Route 53 and 75th Street in Woodridge, the National Weather Service said. The tornado — packing winds of more than 100 mph — also hit portions of Naperville, Downers Grove, Darien and Burr Ridge, smashing cars, ripping roofs off homes, downing power lines, shearing off garage doors, uprooting large trees and spewing debris thousands of feet into the air.

Naperville reported at least five people taken to Edward Hospital, one of them in critical condition. At least 125 homes were damaged, 16 of them considered uninhabitable. In Woodridge, three adults were taken to hospitals, according to Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Deputy Fire Chief Steve Demas.

Emergency crews continued going door to door checking on residents into the morning. As the sun rose, more and more people came out of their homes, some walking their pets as they surveyed the damage, many taking photos and videos in disbelief.

“Unbelievable,” a woman said while staring at a home missing its roof and a wall in Woodridge. Around her, generators hummed and a tractor began clearing streets and pushing away fallen trees.

Many people said they were already in bed when the sirens went off. Some recalled the moment of silence before the rain and wind picked up fiercely.

One neighbor called it the “craziest 45 seconds of my life.” Others said it sounded like a train passing over their homes and they could feel the vibrations. “As fast as it came, it was gone,” Joseph Palacios said.

“This doesn’t happen around here,” Palacios said. “This is something totally new and it’ll probably never happen again… It’s shocking to see the devastation, all the trees are just gone, people’s houses — you don’t see this here.”

Palacios comforted his wife as she wiped tears from her eyes. “It’s hard seeing it in the daylight,” she said.

“It definitely is because it’s home,” her husband added. “It’s quiet, it’s peaceful here… Just to see it torn up, it’s obviously never going to look the same ever again.”

Nate Casey, 16, strummed his guitar as he sat in a lawn chair with his mother, Bridget Casey, in their driveway around 4 a.m. The entire second floor of their house was gone, and their garage was partially destroyed.

The home is in the 7800 block of Woodridge Drive, believed to be one of the areas hit hardest by the storm.

Nate said he was watching TV when the storm rolled through. “I just heard a loud crash and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, what are my brothers up to?’ I go look and I see the sky, and then I hear my brothers screaming from the room.”

Nate, a student at Downers Grove South, helped his mother get his three younger siblings to the basement. He grabbed some of his camping equipment and scout gear just to be safe before going down himself.

“I just can’t believe it happened, you know? It’s not something that you see too often or at all, and it’s just scary that everything just comes crashing in,” Nate said. “Something that I was happy to see, that was not broken, was my dad’s ashes, but there’s really nothing else. It’s all material, I’m still worried about the bearded dragon that’s stuck up there but we’re going to get him in the morning.”

He said he was waiting for the streets to be cleared so his aunt could get them.

“It’s been long,” Bridget Casey said as she pulled a blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Just trying to make sure that we can get everything taken care of, we have all the important stuff and waiting for the roads to be cleared enough so my sisters can come.”

Bridget Casey said she plans to live with her sister while their house gets repaired, though she doesn’t know how long that will take.

“I was just happy that everybody was OK,” she said.

A person who lives behind Casey, brought her some personal items, including pictures and her children’s birth certificates, that he found in his backyard. “That means the world to me,” she said. “They didn’t have to do that.”

Down the street, Donna Suchecki joined a few of her neighbors in a driveway around 3:30 a.m. They sipped wine and moonshine out of blue plastic cups and talked about the damage.

“It’s overwhelming, I think we’re … all of us are like, ‘Oh my God, this really happened.’ It’s kind of a dream, you see it on TV, you see shows, you see stuff like that on tornados and … then you come out here and you see the cops, you see the fire trucks and stuff and you’re just like, ‘Wow.’ … We got lucky, it could’ve been something really seriously,” Suchecki said.

Heaps of trees covered Suchecki’s front lawn, but “luckily nothing hit” the house, she said. Her fence was smashed under a tree, though she said it needed to be replaced anyway.

“When I see this in the morning tomorrow, we’ll deal with it when we have to,” Suchecki, 45, said.

Across the street, two cars sat untouched on a slab of cement where the garage once was. Suchecki said it was uprooted and tossed into the backyard, where it hit a power line, leaving the block without power.

Rich Hein/Sun-Times

“It could be worse,” said Suchecki. “It’s crazy to go through this, that’s a traumatic event.”

The tornado lifted debris 10,000 feet into the atmosphere, “a clearcut sign to us that we have a tornado of some significance,” said weather service meteorologist Matt Friedlein.

Based on the damage, the tornado’s wind speeds were likely between 111 and 135 mph, Friedlein said. Surveyors were inspecting damage Monday to confirm if other potential tornados hit areas including Aurora and Hobart, Indiana.

In Naperville, officials said they were still assessing the damage and checking on residents.

“Our first priority was making sure that the families were OK, but now we are moving on to handling the damage,” said Linda LaCloche, Naperville communications director.

“We have power outages in the area and have electrical teams checking on that. We also had some gas leaks reported, so Nicor Gas is going door to door to shut off all the gas lines.”

Crystal Porter was on her way home from her mother’s home in Joliet when she got a tornado warning alert. She said it took her five attempts to find a way to her home in the 2700 block of Everglade Avenue.

Ultimately, the retired military veteran had to move a tree to do so. After checking her dogs, Porter walked around the streets to assess the damage.

“I couldn’t believe it. I’ve lived here for 27 years and I’ve never seen trees come down here like this. Ever,” Porter said.

Porter noticed firefighters doing a search and rescue at a partially destroyed home and removing a cage filled with doves. With the owners not home, Porter grabbed a dog crate from her garage and rescued the birds.

“At least they’re not left out in the street,” she said.

Last year, a tornado touched down on Chicago’s North Side and traveled three miles into Lake Michigan. Winds of 110 mph took down trees and cut power to thousands, but no serious injuries were reported.

In 2015, five people were injured in a a tornado that hit Coal City, about 50 miles southwest of Chicago.

In 1990, the strongest tornado ever recorded in the Chicago area tore through Plainfield, killing 29 people and injuring more than 300. The twister cut a 15-mile swath on its way to Crest Hill.

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A woman was fatally shot Saturday on the West Side.

She was walking outside about 6:10 p.m. in the 3300 block of West North Avenue when someone opened fire, striking her in the back, Chicago police said.

The 37-year-old was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Autopsy results released Monday ruled her death a homicide, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Her name hasn’t been released.

Area Five detectives are investigating.

Read More

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

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.

This afternoon will be partly sunny with a high near 72 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 53. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 76.

Top story

Man killed, girlfriend critically wounded in attack during Puerto Rican Day Parade in Humboldt Park: ‘Such an amazing friend’

“Happy Father’s Day,” read one message on the black poster board. “RIP Gyo,” read another.

The sign was taped to a pole just feet from where Gyovanny Arzuaga was shot to death and his girlfriend — the mother of their two children — was critically wounded during the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Humboldt Park Saturday night.

Arzuaga, who had just turned 24, and the woman, 25, were ambushed by up to three people around 9:15 p.m. in the 3200 block of West Division Street, according to Chicago police.

Arzuaga was taken to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The woman was hit in the neck and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

A police spokeswoman said there was a crash before the shooting and a crowd had surrounded the couple’s car. Video circulated on social media appears to show the couple being dragged from the car and shot as they lay in the street.

Police would not comment on the video Monday morning. No one was reported in custody, and no descriptions or images of the attackers were released.

A memorial was erected Sunday near the site of the shooting. Loved ones lit candles and left balloons and bouquets of flowers for Arzuaga.

“He was just there to have a good time and go back home,” said his friend, Jae Pacheco, who had planned to meet up with him later in the evening.

Read our reporters’ full story here.

More news you need

1. Mayor Lori Lightfoot vowed to hunt down everyone involved in the “horrific” Humboldt Park shooting that killed Arzuaga. Lightfoot said the police have “promising leads” after tips from the community and again called for Chief Judge Tim Evans to order the full resumption of criminal trials.
2. Chicago police know who fatally stabbed a Maryland graduate student on a weekend afternoon in the South Loop and are “scouring the various homeless encampments downtown,” Lightfoot said. Anat Kimchi, 31, had been working on her doctoral degree in criminology and criminal justice.
3. The mayor also said today that the Chicago Police Department needs to do a better job of recruiting to counter the recent wave of retirements. City Hall reporter Fran Spielman says Lightfoot “responded to the mass exodus by stating the obvious” — that it was “a challenging time” for police recruitment and that CPD needs to be “creative” in its recruitment approach.
4. Emergency crews continued checking on residents this morning after a tornado tore through the western suburbs last night. Read our full story on the aftermath of the devastating storm, which one neighbor called the “craziest 45 seconds of my life.”
5. The cleanup effort in Woodridge, where the tornado first touched down, has already begun. As chainsaws growled and bulldozers crunched over splintered tree limbs, a resident eyed the meager pile of possessions she’d managed to save — a stack of family photographs, her wedding ring, a ceramic figurine of the Virgin Mary.
6. The University of Illinois joins a host of private schools in requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus next fall. The flagship U. of I. system in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield appears to be the first public university in the state to require the shots.
7. If the owner of Parkway Gardens wants a casino license, it might need to show some love to the 1950s-era, low-income housing complex. David Roeder provides an update after owner Related Midwest put the South Side complex on the market, then pulled it off amid code violations.

A bright one

7-year-old honored for making 911 call that helped save his mother

Daniel Armani sat inside a fire truck Friday, with his hands on the large steering wheel and feet unable to reach the floor while wearing a plastic fire helmet and an ear-to-ear smile.

It was all part of the 7-year-old’s reward for helping to save his mom’s life.

Daniel, who goes by D.J., called 911 on May 30 at 6 p.m. because his mother was having an epileptic seizure. He then calmly and cooly relayed critical information while comforting his mother.

“I’ve been here for 18 years and handled thousands and thousands of calls, but this guy was a step ahead, especially for being so young,” said Dianne Statts-Mareci, the Chicago Fire Department communications officer who handled the call.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Statts-Mareci said the call was transferred to her from police communication officer Andrea Jones when it was determined to be a medical issue. Jones stayed on the line, and both of them took information from D.J. that helped save his mother, Tarissa Clark.

“We get a lot of calls from kids but you could hear in his voice that something wasn’t right,” Jones said, explaining why she transferred the call to Statts-Mareci. Both said D.J. remained cool and provided them with important information.

“It’s key because all the information we ask is necessary to get the right kind of help,” Statts-Mareci said.

Read Bob Chiarito’s full story here.

From the press box

• Former Cubs star Ben Zobrist claimed in a lawsuit filed last month that he discovered his ex-wife was having an affair with their minister prior to their divorce. Zobrist, 40, is seeking $6 million in damages from Byron Yawn, who he alleges also defrauded his charity foundation, for which Yawn worked.
• The Bulls hope the ping pong balls will bounce their way when the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery is held tomorrow night. The team needs to leap into the top five (a 20.3% chance) or its top pick will be sent to the Magic as part of the Nikola Vucevic trade.
• White Sox manager Tony La Russa said yesterday he’s confident the team’s front office “will do all they can” before the trade deadline to improve the team.

Your daily question ☕

How has the pandemic changed how you plan for your future?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

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

On Friday, we asked you: What advice do you have for this year’s graduates? Here’s what some of you said…

“Don’t worry too much about what others think of you. Be worthy, be honest, and love yourself. All else will follow.” — Carolyn Jackson

“Advance your education. Whether it’s trade school, college or the military, anywhere you can learn to support yourself and contribute.” — Kate Tallent

“Our society is not too far gone. Follow your dream and add something good for the next generation along the way.” — Pauly Dee

“Find a trade — electrician, plumber, etc. That’s the way to go. [Those jobs] will always be needed and make great money.” — Guy Battista

“Nothing in this world is free or handed to you, do the work.” — Brian Berg

“Live your life with your mind focused on 10 years down the road. What are you doing and what did you do to get where you are now?” — Genevieve Williams

“Keep moving forward and believe in yourself, regardless of what others may say!” — Mary Stapleton

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.

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Hall of Fame officials said Monday that tickets will not be required for the event’s free lawn seating area. The ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 8 on the grounds of Clark Sports Center.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — The Baseball Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony is returning to its standard seating format, opening the door for another big crowd.

Hall of Fame officials said Monday that tickets will not be required for the event’s free lawn seating area. The ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 8 on the grounds of Clark Sports Center and will honor class of 2020 members Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker. No one was selected this year.

Inductions have been held outside the center since 1992 and the largest crowd was estimated at 70,000 for Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn in 2007. The second-largest crowd on record — an estimated 55,000 people — attended the last induction ceremony, in July 2019. Crowds have surpassed 50,000 at five of the past six ceremonies, from 2014-2019. Last year’s was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hall of Fame’s annual awards presentation will remain an indoor, television-only event, on July 24. Al Michaels (2021) and former White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson (2020) will receive the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence, Dick Kaegel (2021) and Nick Cafardo (2020) will receive the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Career Excellence Award, and David Montgomery will receive the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award from last year.

Read More

A cameo would have been ‘a distraction,’ says the actress from the 1961 original, but ultimately she agreed to a heftier part.

Rita Moreno almost said no to Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake.

The EGOT winner starred in the original 1961 movie musical, which tells the story of star-crossed lovers caught between rival street gangs the Sharks, who are Puerto Rican, and the Jets, who are white. The film took home 10 Academy Awards including best picture.

Moreno, 89, won the best supporting actress Oscar playing Anita, the dynamic and fiercely loyal girlfriend of Sharks leader Bernardo (George Chakiris) and a confidante to his younger sister, Maria (Natalie Wood). But the actress was hesitant when Spielberg called her up and asked her to appear in his new adaptation (in theaters Dec. 10), written by “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner.

“I almost wet my knickers. I couldn’t believe this was Steven Spielberg on the phone, whom I so admired,” Moreno said, speaking in support of her new documentary “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It” (in theaters now).

“But then I had the courage to say, ‘I don’t think I could do a cameo. I think it would be a severe disservice to this movie — it’d be a distraction,’ “ she adds. “And he said, ‘No, no, no. This is a real part. Tony Kushner wrote this part for you.’ ”

Moreno portrays a new character, Valentina, who is Doc’s widow. (In the 1961 movie, Doc, played by Ned Glass, owns a candy store where the Sharks and the Jets hang out.) Valentina is a reworked and expanded version of the Doc character, and sings a rendition of the classic song “Somewhere” in the movie’s first trailer.

In addition to the role, Spielberg also made Moreno an executive producer on the film.

“I felt I had things to tell him about the other production and about Latinos,” Moreno says. “He really went to such lengths to make sure he got that right,” even hosting a town hall at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan in late 2018, where he invited feedback from students, faculty and others before making the movie.

“He said, ‘Tell us what you think about “West Side Story,” tell us what you think about us doing it again, tell us what you think about the original movie,’ “ Moreno says. “And there were some people who said they were offended by some of the things they saw in the film. First of all, the makeup was kind of one color for the Hispanics, whereas Puerto Ricans are a mélange of French, Spanish Spain, Dutch and Taíno Indian, which is a copper color.”

Moreno, who was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York when she was 5, resented producers’ decision to darken her skin for the original “West Side.” The issue resurfaced last when Moreno defended Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose new film “In the Heights” has come under fire for its lack of Afro-Latino actors in lead and supporting roles. (Moreno has since apologized, saying, “I was clearly dismissive of Black lives that matter in our Latin community.”)

United Artists

“I remember saying to my makeup man once on the original ‘West Side Story,’ ‘Why do I have to wear such dark makeup? I’m not that color,’ ” Moreno says. “And he literally said to me, ‘What, are you a racist?’ He really said that and I was so astonished that I shut up, because I didn’t know what to say to that. If I said, ‘No, I’m not a racist,’ I feel he would not believe me, so I let it drop. But it was shocking.”

As well as the use of brownface, the first “West Side” has been criticized for casting white actors in Hispanic roles and perpetuating stereotypes about Puerto Ricans. But Spielberg and Kushner “corrected all that stuff,” Moreno says. In the update, “every Hispanic [character] is actually Hispanic.”

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