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Chicago producer DJ C brings life-giving daring to his hybridized dance music on Do RadlyLeor Galilon June 1, 2021 at 11:00 am


As DJ C, Chicago producer Jake Trussell has developed a gift for extracting the DNA from an eclectic variety of pop subgenres, then scrambling their nucleotides and recombining them—and his manipulations not only illuminate the hard-to-see strands connecting parallel musical histories but also encourage anyone with at least two brain cells to dance. Throughout the new Do Radly (Mashit), Trussell experiments with artful, ambitious hybrids: on one track he might blend smoky blues guitar and sparse, electrifying hip-hop drums spiced with dub effects (“Super Flyover”), while on another he’ll combine pinprick garage synths, mellow upright bass, solemn contemporary-classical strings, and a loopy keyboard that sounds like futuristic reggae (“Wellsweep”).…Read More

Chicago producer DJ C brings life-giving daring to his hybridized dance music on Do RadlyLeor Galilon June 1, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: 3 Minnesota Wild free agents would helpon June 1, 2021 at 11:00 am

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Chicago Blackhawks: 3 Minnesota Wild free agents would helpon June 1, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »

‘Running Scared’ revisited: Big laughs, exciting stunts and a great look at ’80s ChicagoRichard Roeperon June 1, 2021 at 10:30 am

The spectacular finish of “Running Scared,” starring Gregory Hines, takes place in the James R. Thompson Center, then a gleaming new structure called the State of Illinois Center. | Kino Lorber

As the hit buddy-cop movie turns 35, Billy Crystal recalls having ‘the best time in Chicago’ with his co-stars — Gregory Hines and a gigantic mobile phone.

In the pantheon of memorable buddy-cop movies of the 1980s, the undisputed champions are “48 Hours” (1982) and “Lethal Weapon” (1987) and I’ll add “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) to the mix because after all, Axel Foley spent an awful lot of time with Billy and Taggart, right? I’d round out my Top 5 from the decade with “Stakeout” (1987) — and the Chicago-set “Running Scared,” which was released 35 years ago this month and became a solid hit, with a gross of $38 million ($92 million in today’s dollars).

Back in the mid-1980s, comedian Billy Crystal and actor-dancer Gregory Hines might not have been the first two names you’d think of to play streetwise plainclothes Chicago police detectives, but Crystal and Hines had terrific rhythm as Danny Costanzo and Ray Hughes, respectively, constantly exchanging snappy banter even as they exchanged gunfire numerous times with aspiring criminal kingpin Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits, usually sporting a stylish scarf) and his seemingly endless supply of Uzi-wielding henchmen.

“I loved that movie,” Billy Crystal told me in a recent remote video chat. “Someone else brought it up to me the other day. … He said, ‘That was my movie of the ’80s.’ I had the best time in Chicago, and that was really my first movie role that was a starring part right after ‘Saturday Night Live.’ ”

The original script for “Running Scared” was about two older New York City cops on the verge of retirement who get caught up in the proverbial One Last Job before taking off the badges. It was refashioned as a Chicago buddy cop movie where the two leads are 16-year veterans but still in their 30s — young men facing burnout and actually turning in their 30-day notices as they plan to leave the Chicago winters behind and run a bar in Key West. But then, of course, they get caught up in that One Last Job.

“Originally it was going to be Gene Hackman and I think Paul Newman, playing the two retiring cops,” said Crystal. “Then the script was just sort of sitting around and [director] Peter Hyams said, ‘I wanna go with these two guys, I think they’d be great together.’ ”

Watching a Chicago-set film from 1986 in 2021 is like watching a Chicago-set film from 1951 in 1986 (math!), so yes, there are times when “Running Scared” seems dated. (Although I still love Michael McDonald’s “Sweet Freedom,” the signature hit from the movie.) People roller skating through the streets of Chicago (and Key West)! Cassette tapes! A break-dancing extra in a Cubs scarf adding local flavor! An opening credits sequence featuring two different glimpses of the old Sun-Times Building at 401 N. Wabash! A car phone the size of a construction brick!

“Ah, the mobile phone,” said Crystal. “They have a program at USC, I think it’s called ‘Movies We Love,’ and this young professor called me up, and Peter and I went to a screening of ‘Running Scared.’ When that phone comes up, everyone just laughs. It’s like in those World War II movies when [Crystal picks up an oversized water bottle]. ‘Hello Charlie Company, Charlie Company, we need some air cover!’ That’s how big that phone was.”


Kino Lorber
Gregory Hines (from left), Joe Pantoliano and Billy Crystal star in “Running Scared.”

Rewatching “Running Scared,” I got a kick out of all the local sports visual cues, from Ray wearing a Walter Payton jersey and later a 1983 White Sox cap to Danny sporting a Blackhawks sweater and then a Cubs jersey under his winter coats. When Joe Pantoliano’s Snake, an informant with a shock of magenta-colored hair, eyes Danny’s baseball cap in the precinct station, Danny barks: “Don’t even think of putting my Cubs hat on that hair!”

“Running Scared” was partially filmed on sound stages in Hollywood and on location in Key West, but much of the lensing took place in Chicago, as evidenced by an abundance of outdoor locales, from Graceland Cemetery on the North Side to spots in the Loop to the Columbia Yacht Club to Uptown and Lake View. The practical effects and stunt driving are impressive throughout, with a highlight being a car chase that begins at O’Hare and winds up with Ray and Danny, and the vehicle they’re pursuing, literally driving on the L tracks before coming to a screeching, crashing halt at the LaSalle/Van Buren station.


Kino Lorber
That’s Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines inside an ill-fated cab from “Running Scared,” a film loaded with cool stunt driving.

Then there’s the grand finale, which takes place inside the gleaming new structure then known as the State of Illinois Center, with Ray crashing through the glass on a window washer’s rig, and henchmen disguised as Illinois State Troopers blasting away at the good guys. It’s not as chaotic as the Bluesmobile racing through Daley Plaza while pursued by dozens of state and city cops in 1980, but it’s pretty spectacular. Stunt personnel are flying everywhere in the climactic shootout.

“It was just so much fun making that movie, I miss Gregory Hines terribly,” Crystal said of his co-star, who died in 2003.

“Occasionally I’ll put it on and watch just as a way of visiting with Greg.”

“Running Scared” is available for purchase or rental on streaming services and on DVD and Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

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‘Running Scared’ revisited: Big laughs, exciting stunts and a great look at ’80s ChicagoRichard Roeperon June 1, 2021 at 10:30 am Read More »

3 wounded in drive-by in Back of the Yardson June 1, 2021 at 9:30 am

Three people were wounded in a drive-by Tuesday morning in Back of the Yards on the South Side.

About 2:15 a.m., an 18-year-old man and two other people, whose ages are unknown, were standing outside in the 4700 block of South Ada Street, when someone inside a passing gray SUV fired shots at them, Chicago police said.

The 18-year-old was struck in the foot and taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said. The second person was grazed by a bullet on their right leg and refused treatment.

The third person was dropped off at Mt. Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to their head and hand, police said. They are in critical condition.

Area One detectives are investigating the shooting.

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3 wounded in drive-by in Back of the Yardson June 1, 2021 at 9:30 am Read More »

Horoscope for Tuesday, June 1, 2021Georgia Nicolson June 1, 2021 at 5:01 am


Moon Alert

After 4:30 a.m., there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Pisces.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Because Mercury retrograde is creating transportation delays, give yourself extra time for travel or attending appointments. Be proactive about car repairs or anything that looks like it might cause you trouble. Be patient with goofy errors and mixed-up communications.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You are in the throes of Mercury retrograde, which is why checks in the mail are late along with other payments. Many financial issues will be stalled in the water. However, you might find something you lost. (Yay!) This is also an excellent time to finish old business.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Mercury is your ruler and this particular Mercury retrograde is taking place in Gemini! “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” This is why you will encounter ex-partners and friends from the past. It’s also why you might miss appointments, misplace items and suffer from confused communications. Courage!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Generally, Mercury retrograde creates delays, confusion and errors. However, each Mercury retrograde is different because it occurs in a different sign. This particular Mercury retrograde will help you do research and study the past. Bonus!

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Mercury retrograde will put you in touch with friends from the past. You might also hear from members of groups, clubs and organizations from the distant past. This could cause some of you to rethink some goals that you previously made.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Because Mercury retrograde is taking place at the top of your chart, you will likely hear from bosses, parents and people in authority you have not been in touch with for a while. This could be a good thing — or not. This is also your chance to pitch an old idea to a boss.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

You can use this current Mercury retrograde to finish important papers or manuscripts, plus study history or do research into the past. You might also be in touch with people in other countries or from other cultures whom you have not seen for a while. It’s an interesting time and potentially productive.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Although the current Mercury retrograde will create errors and delays for you, it will also help you to wrap up old business related to shared property, inheritances, taxes, debt and anything that you own jointly with others. If you want to finish something, this will be easy to do.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

This current Mercury retrograde is opposite your sign, which is almost a guarantee that you will be thinking about, dreaming about or encountering ex-partners and old friends from your past. Somehow, these people are back in your world or your mind stream.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Your efficiency will suffer with this current Mercury retrograde, which will last until June 22. Please note: The shadow period will last until July 8; so, if you are buying ground transportation, computers or cellphones, it will be smart to wait until after July 8.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Many of you are encountering old flames or talking about them, dreaming about them or remembering them. (It’s curious how some old flames are forgettable and some so memorable.) This Mercury retrograde will help you to deal with old issues related to your kids.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

This particular Mercury retrograde will attract relatives to your doorstep. (Stock the fridge.) However, it will also give you a wonderful chance to tackle home repairs you’ve been avoiding as well as sit down for family discussions to address certain issues, possibly about a parent.

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actress Teri Polo (1969) shares your birthday. You are creative, witty and easygoing. You are casual, even restless, which is why you give much thought before committing to anything. You like the freedom to be spontaneous. This year you need to determine what you want that will promote your happiness. You might also be more in the spotlight. This is also an excellent year for relationships — personal, professional and romantic.

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Horoscope for Tuesday, June 1, 2021Georgia Nicolson June 1, 2021 at 5:01 am Read More »

Legislation requiring menstrual products in school bathrooms advances to governor’s deskon June 1, 2021 at 2:54 am

SPRINGFIELD — State lawmakers on Monday advanced legislation requiring menstrual products in school bathrooms, enhancing the powers of the legislative inspector general and creating a new judicial circuit.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker now can sign the menstrual products bill into law; the other two measures need Illinois Senate approval.

The ethics proposal passed by legislators in the House Monday night — their last day in session — would allow the legislative inspector general to initiate investigations without approval from the Legislative Ethics Commission, composed largely of lawmakers.

Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Highland Park, said the bill is “a real opportunity to make meaningful change” and takes the first steps in “addressing some of the most egregious scandals in our state’s history.”

The bill sets a revolving-door prohibition, barring constitutional officeholders from lobbying the state until six months after they leave office or for the remainder of their term, whichever is sooner.

It would also bar public officials in the state’s various units of government from lobbying their own unit of government. The city of Chicago, which has its own ethics rules, would not have to follow suit.

Asked why that “revolving door” ban isn’t longer than six months, Gillespie said the bill is a “first step” and the focus was on getting a bill legislators could agree on and pass.

“We didn’t get everything we wanted … but we got a good solid bill that addresses many of the issues that we’ve seen over the last couple of years,” Gillespie said.

A separate one-year ban for state employees who’ve worked with contracts or regulatory licensing, or hold managerial positions, such as chief of staff, including deputies, also was expanded.

“I’m really disappointed with this piece of legislation … we have seen time after time after time, members of this body — elected officials in Illinois — who have gone against the public’s trust and who, in some cases, have gone to trial for it,” said Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville.

“If we are going to show the public that they can have a renewed sense of trust in state government, we’ve got to do something a whole heck of a lot better than this watered-down, diluted — and I think, in some instances, really deceptive — ethics reform.”

Despite the division, the bill advanced out of the House, 113-to-5.

The menstrual hygiene products measure passed despite GOP complaints about the products being made available in male bathrooms.

House Bill 156 makes tampons and sanitary napkins available during school hours in “bathrooms of every school building that are open for student use” from 4th through 12th grades, according to a description of the bill.

Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Moline, said requiring schools to provide these products in male bathrooms was “dumb,” and legislators should “be talking about things like the budget, not talking about putting female hygiene products in a boy’s bathroom.”

Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, declared “men and boys don’t menstruate and we sure as heck don’t need tampons in our bathrooms.”

Bill sponsor Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, said transgender students may use the male bathroom but also menstruate.

She added that “41% of folks who are transgender have thought of or attempted suicide. … I don’t want to keep speaking around the subjects that you all are wanting me to talk about because it wouldn’t be fair … to the kids that I’m standing here to help normalize life for. A student or child needs a product in the bathroom. They should be able to go in the bathroom and get the product. That’s it.”

The bill passed the Senate Friday in a partisan 39 to 17 vote.

The House also passed Senate Bill 2406 which, as amended, would make St. Clair County its own judicial circuit and create the state’s 24th judicial circuit, which would include Monroe, Randolph, Washington and Perry and expand the subcircuits in the 19th Circuit, in Lake County, from six to 10.

“A fact: St. Clair County has 262,000 people, 64% are white, 30% are African American, yet they only have one African American judge,” said sponsor Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea. “This is not acceptable. By changing the makeup of this circuit we will make sure that minorities have fair representation as circuit judges.”

Rep. Charles Meier, R-Highland, said there are larger counties that don’t have their own circuit and creating this would burden residents since the administrative costs of more workers likely would be passed to them.

The bill passed 71 to 45 and heads to the Senate.

Another bill that passed in the Senate modernizes the state’s firearm transfer program and provides an incentivize — but not a mandate — to require fingerprints to receive a FOID card.

“Let me just say that quite simply this bill seeks to fix our broken system of how people get FOID cards,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria. “There are people that should … not have guns and we don’t allow the kind of time or the kind of resources to really thoroughly do background checks and to check these folks out.”

To improve the backlog of FOID applications and renewals at the Illinois State Police, the bill merges and digitizes the Concealed Carry License and FOID card into one. The bill also creates a task force that ensures firearms are taken when a FOID card is revoked.

FOID cards will be automatically renewed if the cardholder voluntarily submits fingerprints to the state police.

A similar bill passed the House last week, except with a fingerprint mandate. Koehler said this bill is a compromise.

“I get calls in my office saying, ‘By golly, I’m not giving my fingerprints to the government.’ And we said, ‘OK, you don’t have to. You don’t have to, you can just do what you’ve always done,'” Koehler said, “But if you want to have the non-expiring FOID card, then you can voluntarily give your fingerprints. I mean, it’s a choice that you have.”

But Republicans said the bill didn’t go far enough and that the FOID system should be abolished.

“For the last seven years I’ve introduced ‘repeal the FOID’ legislation. Now, interestingly enough, the process to get a FOID card … is the same background check as when you buy a gun,” said Sen Neil Anderson, R-Moline. “This is a redundancy in law. There’s no reason for the FOID card. And we sure as hell shouldn’t be fingerprinting, whether it’s mandatory, or in this case, simply incentivizing.”

Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, said the bill was “chipping away at the Second Amendment” and that the legislature should “void the FOID so they can exercise their God-given constitutional right.”

But Koehler said “the reality” is simply that the FOID card system exists, “but it doesn’t work very well. This is an attempt to make it work better.”

The bill, HB562, passed 40-to-17.

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Legislation requiring menstrual products in school bathrooms advances to governor’s deskon June 1, 2021 at 2:54 am Read More »

Illinois-record lake trout: Dr. Atul Mallik makes history on a family outing on the Massive Confusionon June 1, 2021 at 3:55 am

No one is sure how old Rabindra Mallik is because of lost records and a fire around the time of his birth in a village in India. But he was probably born around 1949.

That struck me while talking with Dr. Atul Mallik, Rabindra’s oldest son, who caught the soon-to-be Illinois-record lake trout Monday morning. Lake trout can live for decades and it will be interesting to hear speculations by biologists on the age of Mallik’s laker, a stocked fish indicated by the clipped fin. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the oldest laker at 70 years old.

“This is a fishing family,” Mallik’s wife Kirsten said as she was driving the family home Monday afternoon. “There were three generations on the boat.”

Mallik, a radiologist at Loyola, set up “a last-minute charter” for his family–his father, his two younger brothers, Ronak and Amit, Mallik’s wife and their daughter Nikita, 11, and son, Indra, 9–on the Massive Confusion out of Montrose Harbor.

“[Rabindra] took us all fishing as kids,” Mallik said.

Three generations of the Mallik family (L-R Indra, Kirsten, Nikita, Ronak, Rabindra, Atul, Amit) after a history-making charter on the Massive Confusion. Provided photo
Three generations of the Mallik family (L-R Indra, Kirsten, Nikita, Ronak, Rabindra, Atul, Amit) after a history-making charter on the Massive Confusion.
Provided

On the charter, fishing etiquette and tradition may have come into play. On charters, there is custom followed generally of taking turns on the rods.

His final spot proved fortunate. When he picked up the seventh rod, history was in the making.

“We realized how big it was when Gregg was bringing it in and was excitedly jumping up and down,” Mallik said.

First mate Gregg Peters has netted and handled a lot of big fish, but not an Illinois record until then.

Mallik compared the experience to watching a video of people deep-sea fishing.

He’s caught some nice bluefish off the Jersey Shore, but, Mallik said, “This is certainly the largest freshwater fish I have ever caught.”

The Massive Confusion was in 110 feet of water. Mallik’s laker came on an O chrome Dodger and a green-and-white Spin-n-Glo with a prismatic Howie fly.

Peters and Mallik brought, more accurately lugged, the laker to be weighed on the certified scale at Park Bait, where it came to 39.16 pounds. It was 45 1/2 inches long with a girth of 28 inches.

“It’s a beast,” proprietor Stacey Greene said.

A beast big enough to top the standing Illinois record for lake trout (38 pounds, 4 ounces) by nearly a pound. Ted Rullman caught that record on Aug. 22, 1999 from the Lake County waters of Lake Michigan.

“It was magical; everything was perfect, the weather was great and everybody got up in time,” Mallik said.

They had to be on the dock by 445 a.m., which Mallik noted, “For my family, that is an early start.”

Mallik filled out the paperwork at Park Bait. The fish was dropped off at Tom Wendel Wildlife Artist in Arlington Heights for the taxidermy work. A biologist from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will check the fish there. Then, once the paperwork is signed off on officially, the record will formally be Mallik’s.

Dr. Atul Mallik enjoys a moment of unbridled joy after catching the soon-to-be Illinois-record lake trout. Provided photo
Dr. Atul Mallik enjoys a moment of unbridled joy after catching the soon-to-be Illinois-record lake trout.
Provided photo

MULLADY

The Kankakee Valley Park District’s dedication for naming the Bird Park boat launch in Kankakee in honor of Ed Mullady is at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 8. Mullady, the Hall-of-Fame advocate for the Kankakee River, died at 94 in December.

BIG BUCK

Don Higgins’ buck “Mel” was net scored at 197 3/8 inches on May 19 by scorers Tim Walmsley and Jim Barry. That makes it the second highest-scoring typical buck taken by bow in Illinois, behind Mel Johnson’s long-standing world-record typical (204 4/8), for which Higgins’ buck was named.

WILD THINGS

I beat the birds to my first-of-the-year semi-wild strawberries on Sunday.

STRAY CAST

Baseball in Chicago is beginning to resemble a summer trip to the Boundary Waters, complete with grueling portages and glorious rewards.

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Illinois-record lake trout: Dr. Atul Mallik makes history on a family outing on the Massive Confusionon June 1, 2021 at 3:55 am Read More »

‘He was sweet as gold,’ family says after man fatally shot on West Sideon June 1, 2021 at 4:13 am

Debra Wilson said her stepson was spending Memorial Day barbecuing with neighbors on the West Side.

“Everybody loved him,” she said Monday night outside Stroger Hospital, where she and hundreds of other mourners gathered in the parking lot. “He was sweet as gold.”

Her stepson, 40-year-old Curtis Wilson, was shot multiple times about 7:10 p.m. while he was riding in a car in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue when someone opened fire from the sidewalk, according to family members and Chicago police.

He was taken to Stroger, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

At the corner of North Spaulding and West Chicago avenues, a silver-colored Nissan Altima could be seen crashed into a building while police investigated.

The car had at least 13 bullet holes in the passenger side windows. Dozens of evidence markers littered the block nearby.

“He was the type of person that threw good parties on the block. He had barbecues, treated the kids right, he was just a good person,” Debra Wilson said, noting that her stepson was sometimes called “Curty Man.”

She said she had seen her stepson only a few hours before the shooting, adding that he was about to start grilling meat for the party. But, she and Curtis Wilson’s father left the barbecue early, and that would be the last time she saw him.

“He just had a good heart, he was good to everybody,” she said.

Community activist Andrew Holmes implored the community to come together and share any information that could lead to the gunman’s arrest.

“This young man lost his life on Memorial Day. Memorial Day will never be the same for this family, so we pray for this family,” Holmes told the Sun-Times outside the hospital.

Holmes decried the violence that he says seems to go hand-in-hand with holidays in the city, depriving revelers a chance to enjoy time with their loved ones.

“The holiday weekends are not the same. The Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day. When you look at it, how can it be a holiday weekend when we have an increase in shootings?,” he said. “You can’t enjoy them.”

Dozens of evidence markers sit in the roadway in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue, where a 40-year-old man was shot multiple times while he was riding in a car on the West Side on Memorial Day.
Dozens of evidence markers sit in the roadway in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue, where a 40-year-old man was shot multiple times while he was riding in a car on the West Side on Memorial Day.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Hundreds of mourners gather in the parking lot of Stroger Hospital after a 40-year-old man was shot to death in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue on Memorial Day.
Hundreds of mourners gather in the parking lot of Stroger Hospital after a 40-year-old man was shot to death in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue on Memorial Day.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Chicago police investigate in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue, where a 40-year-old man was shot multiple times while he was riding in a car on the West Side on Memorial Day.
Chicago police investigate in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue, where a 40-year-old man was shot multiple times while he was riding in a car on the West Side on Memorial Day.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Hundreds of mourners gather in the parking lot of Stroger Hospital after a 40-year-old man was shot to death in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue on Memorial Day.
Hundreds of mourners gather in the parking lot of Stroger Hospital after a 40-year-old man was shot to death in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue on Memorial Day.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Mourners hug and cry as hundreds gather in the parking lot of Stroger Hospital after a 40-year-old man was shot to death on the West Side on Memorial Day.
Mourners hug and cry as hundreds gather in the parking lot of Stroger Hospital after a 40-year-old man was shot to death on the West Side on Memorial Day.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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‘He was sweet as gold,’ family says after man fatally shot on West Sideon June 1, 2021 at 4:13 am Read More »

32 shot, 3 fatally, over Memorial Day weekend in ChicagoSun-Times Wireon June 1, 2021 at 3:41 am

Chicago police investigate Saturday night in the 3700 block of West McLean Avenue in Logan Square, where authorities said a 29-year-old man was shot multiple times.
Chicago police investigate Saturday night in the 3700 block of West McLean Avenue in Logan Square, where authorities said a 29-year-old man was shot multiple times. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

In preparation for the historically violent weekend, the Chicago Police Department canceled days off and put officers on 12-hour shifts while community groups fanned out across the city to draw people out of the line of fire.

Three people have been killed and at least 29 others wounded in shootings across Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.

In preparation for the historically violent weekend, the Chicago Police Department canceled days off and put officers on 12-hour shifts. Meanwhile, community groups fanned out across the city to draw people out of the line of fire.

“This is our city that we love, and there is loss of life, and it should make us weep and roll up our sleeves,” said John Fuder of Chicagoland United in Prayer, whose group is sponsoring prayer marches across the city this weekend.

Shootings are up 36% this year compared to the same period in 2020, according to Sun-Times data. Homicides are spiking in areas long afflicted with gun violence.

As of Monday afternoon, Chicago was on track to have its least violent Memorial Day weekend since 2013, when 29 people were shot, six of them fatally.

Last year, 10 people were shot dead and 39 others wounded over the holiday weekend — the deadliest Memorial Day weekend since 2015 when 12 people died.

West Side homicide

In the most recent fatal attack this weekend, a 40-year-old man was killed Monday night on the West Side.

The 40-year-old was traveling in a vehicle about 7:10 p.m. in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue when someone fired shots at the vehicle from the sidewalk, police said. The man was struck multiple times and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity has not been released.

Logan Square fatal shooting

Saturday night, a 29-year-old man was fatally shot in Logan Square on the Northwest Side.

Mike Alicea was on the sidewalk about 9 p.m. when someone got out of a vehicle in the 3700 block of West McLean Avenue and began shooting, according to Chicago Police.

He was struck in the arm and leg and taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

A family walks by as Chicago police investigate in the 3700 block of West McLean Avenue in Logan Square, where authorities said a 29-year-old man was shot multiple times Saturday night.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
A family walks by as Chicago police investigate in the 3700 block of West McLean Avenue in Logan Square, where authorities said a 29-year-old man was shot multiple times Saturday night.

Residents in the block watched investigators work from their porches and windows.

“I can’t say I’m shocked,” a woman who was returning home with her husband said. “As soon as it gets warm the shooters come outside.”

“We usually hear about shootings about a block away from here, or in the alleys a block away; it has never made it to our front yard like this,” her husband added.

Lawndale murder

Hours earlier, a 26-year-old man was fatally shot while driving in Lawndale on the West Side.

Luis Poole was driving east on Ogden Avenue when he was shot in the face and chest, police said. The vehicle he was driving came to a rest after striking a light pole in the 3100 block West Ogden Avenue.

Poole was brought to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

4 shot in restaurant parking lot in Grand Crossing

Four teens were shot Sunday night as they stood in the parking lot of a restaurant in Grand Crossing on the South Side.

The group was standing in the parking lot of a Subway, 6718 S. Stony Island Ave., when a dark-colored sedan drove by and someone inside fired shots, police said.

Chicago police investigate in a Subway at 6718 S. Stony Island Ave., where police said four teens were shot Sunday night as they stood in the parking lot of the Grand Crossing restaurant.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago police investigate in a Subway at 6718 S. Stony Island Ave., where police said four teens were shot Sunday night as they stood in the parking lot of the Grand Crossing restaurant.

Two 19-year-old, struck in the legs and feet, were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.

An 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were struck in their legs, police said. They were also in good condition.

Belmont Cragin shooting

In nonfatal attacks, two men were wounded in a shooting early Monday in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side.

The pair were standing outside about 3:45 a.m. in the 5700 block of West Grand Avenue when the male suspect approached them and asked what gang they were affiliated with, police said.

The men responded that they were not a part of a gang, police said. The male suspect then pulled out a handgun and fired shots before leaving the scene.

One man, 33, was struck in the arm and torso and critically wounded, police said. The other, 31, was shot in the leg and in good condition.

Man shot in face on Lake Shore Drive

A man was wounded in a shooting on Lake Shore Drive early Sunday in the Near South Side. The 20-year-old was traveling south about 12:30 a.m. in the 1200 block of South Lake Shore Drive when he heard shots and felt pain, police and Chicago Fire officials said.

He was shot in the face and was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stable, police said.

12-year-old grazed

A 12-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet early Saturday in Great Crossing on the South Side. The boy was with a group of people about 1 a.m. when someone inside a black Dodge Charger fired shots in the 7100 block of South Dobson Avenue, police said.

A bullet grazed his leg and he was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, police said. He may not have been the intended target, according to police.

At least 21 others were wounded in citywide gun violence over Memorial Day weekend, which lasts from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Tuesday.

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32 shot, 3 fatally, over Memorial Day weekend in ChicagoSun-Times Wireon June 1, 2021 at 3:41 am Read More »