In what EU leaders have called a brazen “hijacking” of Irish carrier Ryanair’s plane flying from Greece to Lithuania on Sunday, they demanded the immediate release of Raman Pratasevich, a key foe of authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

BRUSSELS — The European Union agreed Monday to impose sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc, amid fury over the forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest an opposition journalist.

In what EU leaders have called a brazen “hijacking” of the Ryanair jetliner flying from Greece to Lithuania on Sunday, they also demanded the immediate release of the journalist, Raman Pratasevich, a key foe of authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

A brief video clip of Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Lukashenko, was shown on Belarusian state television Monday night, a day after he was removed from the Ryanair flight.

Sitting at a table with his hands folded in front of him and speaking rapidly, Pratasevich said he was in satisfactory health and said his treatment in custody was “maximally correct and according to law.” He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.

In their unusually swift action in Brussels, the EU leaders also urged all EU-based carriers to avoid flying over Belarus, decided to impose sanctions on officials linked to Sunday’s flight diversion, and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to start an investigation into what they see as an unprecedented move and what some said amounted to state terrorism or piracy.

The leaders called on their council “to adopt the necessary measures to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports of flights operated by such airlines.” In addition to Pratasevich, they also urged authorities in Minsk to release his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who was taken off the plane with him.

The text was endorsed quickly by leaders determined to oppose a “strong reaction” to the incident because of the “serious endangering of aviation safety and passengers on board by Belarussian authorities,” according to an EU official with direct knowledge of the discussions who was not authorized to speak publicly about the private talks.

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing through Belarus airspace on Sunday and ordered it to land. A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane in a brazen show of force by Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for over a quarter-century.

Belarus authorities then arrested the 26-year-old activist, journalist and prominent Lukashenko critic. Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend were taken off the plane shortly after it landed, and authorities haven’t said where they’re being held. Ryanair Flight FR4978, which began in Athens, Greece, was eventually allowed to continue on to Vilnius, Lithuania.

U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident and National Security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the issue in his call with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She added the administration condemned what she called the “shocking act” of diverting a flight to detain a journalist.

“It constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime. We demand an immediate international, transparent and credible investigation of this incident,” she said, adding the U.S. was in touch with NATO, the EU, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, among others about next steps.

EU leaders were particularly forceful in their condemnation of the arrest and the move against the plane, which was flying between two of the bloc’s member nations and was being operated by an airline based in Ireland, also a member.

The bloc summoned Belarus’ ambassador “to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities” and said in a statement the arrest was yet again “another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country.”

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said “the scandalous incident in Belarus shows signs of state terrorism and it’s unbelievable,” while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it amounted to a “hijacking.”

EU leaders have tried to bring Belarus closer to the bloc — to encourage democratic reforms and reduce the influence of Russia — but have failed so far. Ahead of their summit, some EU leaders threatened more sanctions — from scrapping landing rights in the bloc for Belarus’ national carrier Belavia to exclusions from sports events.

Even before the EU acted, Latvia’s airBaltic said it would avoid Belarusian airspace, and Lithuania’s government said it would instruct all flights to and from the Baltic country to avoid Belarus as well starting Tuesday.

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he instructed the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority “to request airlines avoid Belarusian airspace in order to keep passengers safe.” He added he was suspending the permit allowing Belavia to operate in the U.K.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered officials to move to cut the air link with Belarus and ban Ukrainian flights via the neighbor’s airspace.

The U.S. and the EU have imposed sanctions on top Belarusian officials amid months of protests, which were triggered by Lukashenko’s reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. More than 34,000 people have been arrested in Belarus since then, and thousands beaten.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry bristled at what it described as “belligerent” EU statements, insisting Minsk acted “in full conformity with international rules.”

It ordered all Latvian diplomats out of the country after the Belarusian flag was replaced Monday with the white-and-red one used by the opposition at the world ice hockey championship in Riga, Latvia. The event was moved from Minsk amid the international outcry over the crackdown.

Lufthansa said a flight from Minsk to Frankfurt with 51 people aboard was delayed Monday following a “security warning.” It was allowed to depart after the plane, passengers and cargo were searched.

On Sunday, flight tracker sites indicated the Ryanair flight was about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. There were conflicting reports on what exactly happened.

Belarusian transport ministry official Artem Sikorsky said the Minsk airport had received an email about the bomb threat from the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Lukashenko’s press service said he had ordered a fighter jet to accompany the plane after being told of the bomb threat. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich told Belarusian state TV that the Ryanair crew decided to land in Minsk, adding that the fighter jet was sent “to ensure a safe landing.”

But Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. The plane was searched, and no bomb was found.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary described the move as “a case of state-sponsored hijacking … state-sponsored piracy.”

In an apparent reference to the Belarusian security agency that still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB, O’Leary he told the Irish radio station Newstalk that he believes “some KGB agents offloaded from the aircraft” in Minsk.

Of the 126 people aboard the flight initially, only 121 made it to Vilnius, according to Rolandas Kiskis, chief of criminal police bureau in the Lithuanian capital where an investigation investigation has begun.

Passengers described Pratasevich’s shock when he realized the plane was going to Minsk.

“I saw this Belarusian guy with girlfriend sitting right behind us. He freaked out when the pilot said the plane is diverted to Minsk. He said there’s death penalty awaiting him there,” passenger Marius Rutkauskas said after the plane finally arrived in Vilnius. “We sat for an hour after the landing. Then they started releasing passengers and took those two. We did not see them again.”

Pratasevich was a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app’s Nexta channel, which played a prominent role in helping organize the anti-Lukashenko protests.

Nearly 2 million Belarusians in the nation of 9.3 million people have followed the channel, which has been the main conduit for organizing demonstrations and offered advice on how to dodge police cordons. It also has run photos, video and other materials documenting the brutal police crackdown on the protests.

Belarus authorities have labeled the channel “extremist” and charged Pratasevich in absentia of inciting mass riots and fanning social hatred. He could face 15 years in prison if convicted.

In November, the Belarusian KGB put Pratasevich on a list of people suspected of involvement in terrorism, an ominous sign that he could face even graver charges. Terrorism is punishable by death in Belarus, the only country in Europe that maintains capital punishment.

Amid the international outrage, Moscow quickly offered a helping hand to its ally.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the episode needs to be investigated — but that it couldn’t be rushed. Moscow and Minsk have close political, economic and military ties, and Lukashenko has relied on Russian support amid Western sanctions.

In a previous diversion of a passenger flight, a United Airlines flight in 2004 from London to Washington carrying the singer Yusuf Islam, better known as Cat Stevens, was sent to Bangor, Maine, where FBI agents met the plane and sent him back to England. U.S. officials said he was denied access to the United States on national security grounds. He later was allowed into the U.S.

___

Isachenkov reported from Moscow and Petrequin reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sylvia Hui and Jill Lawless in London, David Koenig in Dallas, Alexandra Jaffe in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

Read More

The Associated Press reached out to 17 journalists in Gaza who confirmed their Whatsapp accounts had been blocked since Friday. By midday Monday, only four journalists — working for Al Jazeera — confirmed their accounts had been restored.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A few hours after the latest cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp messenger — a crucial tool used to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded strip.

The Associated Press reached out to 17 journalists in Gaza who confirmed their Whatsapp accounts had been blocked since Friday. By midday Monday, only four journalists — working for Al Jazeera — confirmed their accounts had been restored.

The incident marks the latest puzzling move concerning WhatsApp’s owner Facebook Inc. that’s left Palestinian users or their allies bewildered as to why they’ve been targeted by the company, or if indeed they’d been singled out for censorship at all.

Twelve of the 17 journalists contacted by the AP said they had been part of a WhatsApp group that disseminates information related to Hamas military operations. Hamas, which rules over the Gaza Strip, is viewed as a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, where WhatsApp owner Facebook is headquartered.

It’s unclear if the journalists were targeted because they’d been following that group’s announcements on WhatsApp.

Hamas runs Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has a WhatsApp group followed by more than 80 people, many of them journalists. That group, for example, has not been blocked.

Hassan Slaieh, a freelance journalist in Gaza whose WhatsApp account is blocked, said he thinks his account might have been targeted because he was on a group called Hamas Media.

“This has affected my work and my income because I lost conversations with sources and people,” Slaieh said.

Al Jazeera’s chief correspondent in Gaza, Wael al-Dahdouh, said his access to WhatsApp was blocked around dawn on Friday before it was reinstated Monday. He said journalists subscribe to Hamas groups only to get information needed to do journalistic work.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said the company bans accounts to comply with its policies “to prevent harm as well as applicable law.” The company said it has been in touch with media outlets over the last week about its practices. “We will reinstate journalists if any were impacted,” the company said.

Al Jazeera said that when it sought information regarding its four journalists in Gaza impacted by the blockage, they were told by Facebook that the company had blocked the numbers of groups based out of Gaza and consequently the cell phone numbers of Al Jazeera journalists were part of the groups they had blocked.

Among those affected by the WhatsApp blockage are two Agence France-Presse journalists. The Paris-based international news service told the AP it is working with WhatsApp to understand what the problem is and to restore their accounts.

The 11-day war caused widespread destruction across Gaza with 248 Palestinians, including 66 children and 39 women, killed in the fighting. Israel says 12 people in Israel, including two children, also died.

It’s not the first time journalists have been suddenly barred from WhatsApp. In 2019, a number of journalists in Gaza had their accounts blocked without explanation. The accounts of those working with international media organizations were restored after contacting the company.

Facebook and its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram were criticized this month for removing posts and deleting accounts by users posting about protests against efforts to evict Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It prompted an open letter signed by 30 organizations demanding to know why the posts had been removed.

The New York Times also reported that some 100 WhatsApp groups were used by Jewish extremists in Israel for the purpose of committing violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

WhatsApp said it does not have access to the contents of people’s personal chats, but that they ban accounts when information is reported they believe indicates a user may be involved in causing imminent harm. The company said it also responds to “valid legal requests from law enforcement for the limited information available to us.”

The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, or 7amleh, said in a report published this month that Facebook accepted 81% of requests made by Israel’s Cyber Unit to remove Palestinian content last year. It found that in 2020, Twitter suspended dozens of accounts of Palestinian users based on information from the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

Al-Dahdouh, the Al Jazeera correspondent, said although his account was restored, his past history of chats and messages was erased.

“The groups and conversations were back, but content is erased, as if you are joining a new group or starting a new conversation,” he said. “I have lost information, images, numbers, messages and communications.”

Al Jazeera said its journalists in Gaza had their WhatsApp accounts blocked by the host without prior notification.

“Al Jazeera would like to strongly emphasize that its journalists will continue to use their WhatsApp accounts and other applications for newsgathering purposes and personal communication,” the news network told the AP. “At no time, have Al Jazeera journalists used their accounts for any means other than for personal or professional use.”

The Qatar-based news network’s office in Gaza was destroyed during the war by Israeli airstrikes that took down the high-rise residential and office tower, which also housed The Associated Press offices. Press freedom groups accused the military, which claimed the building housed Hamas military intelligence, of trying to censor coverage of Israel’s offensive. The Israeli military telephoned a warning, giving occupants of the building one hour to evacuate.

Sada Social, a West Bank-based center tracking alleged violations against Palestinian content on social media, said it was collecting information on the number of Gaza-based journalists impacted by the latest WhatsApp decision.

___

Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates

___

Follow Fares Akram on Twitter at https://twitter.com/faresakram and Aya Batrawy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ayaelb

Read More

Instead of allowing the seven-member commission to choose Chicago’s police superintendent, Lightfoot would retain that coveted power for herself and future mayors.

Mayor Lori finally delivered her own plan for civilian police oversight on Monday, but it does not include the sweeping policymaking, budgeting and hiring and firing powers she promised during the mayoral campaign.

Instead of allowing the seven-member commission to choose Chicago’s police superintendent, Lightfoot would retain that coveted power for herself and future mayors.

The civilian panel would have the power to “assess performance of and set goals for” the police superintendent, chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the Police Board president, under the mayor’s proposal.

If the police superintendent’s job becomes vacant, the civilian oversight panel would essentially do what the Police Board does now: Conduct a nationwide search and recommend candidates from which the mayor would choose.

The same process would be followed in filling vacancies in the jobs of as chief administrator of COPA and police board members.

The panel would also be empowered to “introduce and adopt a resolution of no-confidence on the fitness of the superintendent, chief administrator and police board president.

The panel would not have the final word on disputes over police policy.

Rather, the civilian representatives would “review and approve by majority vote any proposed new or amended policy” and “review and provide input” on the “police accountability system, police services and department policies and practices of significance to the public.”

Prior to a City Council vote on the city budget, the panel would “prepare and submit to the budget director a detailed and factually-supported budget submission, then review and, if warranted, recommend changes” to the Chicago Police Department’s budget.

The panel would also have the right to “direct” COPA’s chief administrator” to “investigate complaints of police misconduct consistent with COPA’s defined jurisdiction.”

It remains to be seen whether the mayor’s long-awaited plan goes far enough to satisfy the City Council’s Black, Hispanic and Progressive caucuses.

A compromise proposal endorsed by those three caucuses would ask Chicago voters in the 2022 primary to approve a binding referendum empowering a civilian police oversight commission to hire and fire the police superintendent, negotiate police contracts and set CPD’s budget.

Lightfoot would lose the power to hire and fire the police superintendent. Her Law Department and hand-picked negotiators would lose the power to negotiate police contracts.

And Lightfoot and aldermen would be stripped of the power they now hold to establish the CPD budget, ceding that power as well to an 11-member civilian oversight commission that would have nine elected commissioners and two mayoral appointees.

Even if voters reject the binding referendum, the 11-member commission would have the final say in disputes over police policy unless two-thirds of the Council decides otherwise. The commission also would be empowered to take a vote of no-confidence in the superintendent and hire and fire the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Lightfoot said again Monday she “wears the jacket” for Chicago violence and she’s not about to “outsource” control of the Chicago Police Department to a civilian police oversight commission.

“Public safety is one of the most critical responsibilities of any mayor — me and anybody who will come” after her, Lightfoot said.

“The relationship between the mayor and the police superintendent is critically-important. So we have a process by which the candidates will be vetted through the commission. The commission will make recommendations. But yes, because the buck stops with me, I will ultimately, as mayor … be making that decision.”

Lightfoot said her ordinance includes a “process for creating a temporary commission, then getting to an elected commission.” And it “allows for and does not disenfranchise” undocumented Chicagoans to serve.

“Public safety is something that every resident of the city has a stake in. And we want to make sure that the undocumented community also has the ability to participate,” she said.

Read More

About 25 miles west of Chicago you’ll find the adorable suburban city of Wheaton! This town is home to families and young professionals as well places like Wheaton College, the Morton Arboretum, lots of great shopping and restaurants. So if you’re thinking about escaping the city for a peaceful weekend, check out our roundup of top breakfast restaurants in Wheaton.

Egg’lectic Café

145 N Hale St Wheaton, IL 60187

A restaurant with a punny name deserves to be number one on our list. This down-home cafe is known for their top-notch skillet breakfasts, hand cracked eggs, sandwiches and burgers. Plus they offer a 10% off coupon with no expiration date. Get it here. 

The Hen House of Wheaton

1060 College Ave Wheaton, IL 60187

Check out this family-owned eatery for a sweet or savory breakfast! Their urban farmhouse vibe and scenic outdoor patio is perfect for brunch with the girls or the whole family. Try one of their perfectly poached egg benedicts or rich omelets with Hen House potatoes. 

Egg Harbor Cafe

208 S Hale St Wheaton, IL 60187

Want to wake up your tastebuds? This laid back cafe dishes up American comfort eats in a family-friendly setting. Favorites include strawberry cream cheese crepes, lobster scrambler, and Harbor signature pancakes made with a special wheat recipe. 

Butterfield’s Pancake House

351 Rice Lake Square Wheaton, IL 60189

If you’re looking for some serious eats, you must indulge in this local favorite. With decadent  creations like Biscuiladas, the Confetti Waffle, and Taffy Apple French Toast, you honestly can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. 

Red Apple Pancake House

414 Schmale Rd Carol Stream, IL 60188

The folks at Red Apple Pancake House are all about warm hospitality. They also know how to whip up a mean breakfast. Skip your boring scrambled eggs and try something different like Kirsten’s Swedish Pancakes, Cherry Kijafa Crepes, or the Sonoma County Skillet. You’ll thank us later. 

Seven Dwarfs Family Restaurant

917 E Roosevelt Rd Wheaton, IL 60187

Tucked away in the hills lies a diner-style eatery that has been serving the Wheaton area for over 60 years! Seven Dwarfs offers a lengthy menu with interesting decor that keeps regulars coming back. Don’t miss out on their Breakfast Wraps or Scramblers, both served with homestyle hash browns.

Carol’s Garden Restaurant

515 S Schmale Rd Carol Stream, IL 60188

Since 1985, Carol’s crew has been serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Popular morning items include Fiesta Chicken Skillet, Eggs Arlington Benedict, and the Strawberry-Banana Pecan Waffle. Is your mouth watering yet?

Verdict Restaurant

600 S County Farm Rd STE 100 Wheaton, IL 60187

You know a restaurant is good when it’s always packed. That’s the deal at Verdict. See why people love this modest diner, dishing up everything from omelets to spinach pie to burgers. 

Breakfast Restaurants Wheaton Featured Image Credit: Pexels on Pixabay 

The post 8 Best Breakfast Restaurants in Wheaton, IL appeared first on UrbanMatter.

Read More

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing through the country’s airspace and ordered it to land in the capital of Minsk.

BRUSSELS — Western outrage grew and the European Union threatened more sanctions Monday against Belarus over its forced diversion of a passenger jet to the capital of Minsk in order to arrest an opposition journalist in a dramatic gambit that some said amounted to state terrorism or piracy.

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing through Belarus airspace on Sunday and ordered it to land. A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane in a brazen show of force by President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for over a quarter-century.

Belarus authorities then arrested passenger Raman Pratasevich, a 26-year-old activist, journalist and prominent critic who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against the authoritarian leader. Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend were taken off the plane shortly after it landed, and authorities haven’t said where they’re being held. Ryanair Flight FR4978, which began in Athens, Greece, was eventually allowed to continue on to Vilnius, Lithuania.

U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident and National Security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the issue in his call with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She added the administration condemned what she called the “shocking act” of diverting a flight to detain a journalist.

“It constitutes a brazen affront to international peace and security by the regime. We demand an immediate international, transparent and credible investigation of this incident,” she said, adding the U.S. was in touch with NATO, the EU, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, among others about next steps.

EU leaders were particularly forceful in their condemnation of the arrest and the move against the plane, which was flying between two of the bloc’s member nations and was being operated by an airline based in Ireland, also a member.

The bloc summoned Belarus’ ambassador “to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities” and said in a statement the arrest was yet again “another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country.”

President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania urged the EU to take “clear actions in order to change the pattern of behavior of this very dangerous regime,” and said a previously planned EU summit on Monday would assess whether to close its airspace to Belarus carriers, declare Belarusian airspace as unsafe and expand sanctions against Lukashenko’s government.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the “unprecedented action” of the Belarusian authorities and demanded that Pratasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, be released immediately.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said “the scandalous incident in Belarus shows signs of state terrorism and it’s unbelievable,” while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it amounted to a “hijacking.”

EU leaders have tried to bring Belarus closer to the bloc — to encourage democratic reforms and reduce the influence of Russia — but have failed so far. Ahead of their summit, some EU leaders threatened more sanctions — from scrapping landing rights in the bloc for Belarus’ national carrier Belavia to exclusions from sports events.

Without waiting for the EU, Latvia’s airBaltic said it would avoid Belarusian airspace, and Lithuania’s government said it would instruct all flights to and from the Baltic country to avoid Belarus as well starting Tuesday.

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he instructed the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority “to request airlines avoid Belarusian airspace in order to keep passengers safe.” He added he was suspending the permit allowing Belavia to operate in the U.K.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered officials to move to cut the air link with Belarus and ban Ukrainian flights via the neighbor’s airspace.

The U.S. and the EU have imposed sanctions on top Belarusian officials amid months of protests, which were triggered by Lukashenko’s reelection to a sixth term in an August 2020 vote that the opposition rejected as rigged. More than 34,000 people have been arrested in Belarus since then, and thousands beaten.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry bristled at what it described as “belligerent” EU statements, insisting Minsk acted “in full conformity with international rules.”

It ordered all Latvian diplomats out of the country after the Belarusian flag was replaced Monday with the white-and-red one used by the opposition at the world ice hockey championship in Riga, Latvia. The event was moved from Minsk amid the international outcry over the crackdown.

Lufthansa said a flight from Minsk to Frankfurt with 51 people aboard was delayed Monday following a “security warning.” It was allowed to depart after the plane, passengers and cargo were searched.

On Sunday, flight tracker sites indicated the Ryanair flight was about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. There were conflicting reports on what exactly happened.

Belarusian transport ministry official Artem Sikorsky said the Minsk airport had received an email about the bomb threat from the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Lukashenko’s press service said he had ordered a fighter jet to accompany the plane after being told of the bomb threat. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich told Belarusian state TV that the Ryanair crew decided to land in Minsk, adding that the fighter jet was sent “to ensure a safe landing.”

But Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. The plane was searched, and no bomb was found.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary described the move as “a case of state-sponsored hijacking … state-sponsored piracy.”

In an apparent reference to the Belarusian security agency that still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB, O’Leary he told the Irish radio station Newstalk that he believes “some KGB agents offloaded from the aircraft” in Minsk.

Of the 126 people aboard the flight initially, only 121 made it to Vilnius, according to Rolandas Kiskis, chief of criminal police bureau in the Lithuanian capital where an investigation investigation has begun.

Passengers described Pratasevich’s shock when he realized the plane was going to Minsk.

“I saw this Belarusian guy with girlfriend sitting right behind us. He freaked out when the pilot said the plane is diverted to Minsk. He said there’s death penalty awaiting him there,” passenger Marius Rutkauskas said after the plane finally arrived in Vilnius. “We sat for an hour after the landing. Then they started releasing passengers and took those two. We did not see them again.”

Pratasevich was a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app’s Nexta channel, which played a prominent role in helping organize the anti-Lukashenko protests.

Nearly 2 million Belarusians in the nation of 9.3 million people have followed the channel, which has been the main conduit for organizing demonstrations and offered advice on how to dodge police cordons. It also has run photos, video and other materials documenting the brutal police crackdown on the protests.

Belarus authorities have labeled the channel “extremist” and charged Pratasevich in absentia of inciting mass riots and fanning social hatred. He could face 15 years in prison if convicted.

In November, the Belarusian KGB also put Pratasevich on the list of people suspected of involvement in terrorism, an ominous sign that he could face even graver charges. Terrorism is punishable by death in Belarus, the only country in Europe that maintains capital punishment.

Amid the international outrage, Moscow quickly offered a helping hand to its ally.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the episode needs to be investigated — but that it couldn’t be rushed. Moscow and Minsk have close political, economic and military ties, and Lukashenko has relied on Russian support amid Western sanctions.

In a previous diversion of a passenger flight, a United Airlines flight in 2004 from London to Washington carrying the singer Yusuf Islam, better known as Cat Stevens, was sent to Bangor, Maine, where FBI agents met the plane and sent him back to England. U.S. officials said he was denied access to the United States on national security grounds. He later was allowed into the U.S.

___

Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press writers Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sam Petrequin in Brussels, Sylvia Hui and Jill Lawless in London, David Koenig in Dallas, Alexandra Jaffe in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

Read More

Memorial Day celebrations are this weekend and you might be thinking about enjoying the recently warm weather on the lake. Chicago is a large city with plenty of activities for the holidays. If you love water and you’re tired of grilling and having picnics every year on Memorial Day, then renting a boat might be the perfect alternative. Chicago offers so many great water sports and activities for holidays, summers, or just whenever you feel like it. So, I am going to go over three boat rentals in Chicago that could be perfect for this weekend. 

Chicago Boat Rentals 

1177 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Dubbed Chicagos top-rated gas-powered boat rentals, Chicago Boat Rentals allows you to be your own driver which is great if you’re looking for a private party with your own captain. And if you’re in the mood for a drink, you can either BYOB drinks and snacks, or the rental can provide that for you. They also offer two boat options, pontoons or a yacht. Pontoons don’t require captains, meaning you are the driver (as long as you are 21+ and have a valid driver’s license) and they are super easy to drive. Chicago Boat Rentals will even train the driver so they know exactly how to operate the boat. Yachts require a crew and will be purchased/booked separately. 

One thing to keep in mind when you are booking your reservation: they do not offer refunds, even if it is raining. They operate even if it’s raining. The only way it could be canceled is if the manager deems that the weather is too dangerous. In that case, you can reschedule or receive a gift card. If you must reschedule, a $20 fee will be issued if 48 hours before the reservation, $50 if 24 hours before, and $100 if on the same day. 

Also, something else to keep in mind is that if you are reserving a pontoon, they are only allowed to be driven and enjoyed on the Chicago River. The lake is too dangerous for pontoons and can cause them to flip over. So, don’t try to be the hero because if you’re caught on the lake you could be issued a ticket by the Coast Guard or fined by CBR. 

As with any rental, there are certain fees that will be assessed if something goes missing. SO be sure to check out their website. If you are worried about something, it is recommended to purchase their $15 insurance. 

So if you’re interested in booking a boat, visit here to view your boat options and check on available dates. Pontoons cost anywhere between $275 to $489 for two hours. And a yacht charter costs $1200 for 3 hours on the river and $2500 for 5 hours in the playpen/ Lake Michigan. It is recommended to visit the website to check for additional fees, if any. 

Boat Setter

Okay, so this one is a bit different than the previous boat rental company. Boat Setter is a company where you can search online and get connected with boat owners to reserve a time to take THEIR boat/yacht out. This is not a physical location in Chicago, it’s almost like AirBnB but for boats. I wanted to include this because I think we all know that Memorial Day is going to be busy and you might not be able to book a boat through one of the other companies. This is a great alternative to that. 

Rentals include insurance so you know you are safe. If you don’t have experience driving a boat there is an option to be connected with the captain and crews as well. You also don’t need to be a “member” of Boat Setter to be able to rent and drive the boat. To drive you must be 25 years old, have a boat setter account (free to join), no criminal convictions, no driving convictions, and no boating insurance claims against you. Below you will also find a price breakdown of fees associated with renting: 

Boat price: This is the rate price the owner sets for a booking.

Captain fee: All bookings with a captain include a captain fee at checkout unless specified otherwise (in which case the captain may request being paid at the dock). This fee is reflected in the price of the booking when a captain is selected.

Renter service fee: A service fee is charged on each rental. The service fee is applied to the price before any coupons or credits are applied. This fee helps Boatsetter provide a safer and more secure booking experience, as well as dedicated customer support throughout your charter. 

Renter insurance fee: While all boats have rental insurance, select boats may require additional insurance to book. This fee helps cover the cost of insurance.

Taxes: Some US states require Boatsetter to collect a tax for rentals that take place in those states. 

Security deposit: A security deposit is held on the renter’s card to cover any incidental damage or lost items. The hold is placed on the card 48 hours before the rental and is released 48 hours following the conclusion of the rental if no claim has been filed. 

Visit here to sign up for a free account and see a list of boats available to book in Chicago. There are currently 16 boats available with prices ranging from $185 to $1,800. 

Click and Boat 

Click and Boat is also like Boat Setter. You can find a boat that is available to rent based on search criteria. Renting a private boat is great because you can avoid typically crowded boat tours and find a large range of boats, from motorboats to large catamarans to set sail in and around Chicago. 

In Chicago, boat charter prices range depending on a variety of factors. Such as the age and size of the vessel, the duration and the season of the rental, as well as if additional requests are made such as captain, crew, and water sports equipment. So when choosing the right boat for your trip, be sure to consider these to stay within your budget.

Pontoon boat rentals in Chicago start at $280/2 hours and may accommodate 8 guests. Rent the largest chartering catamaran in Chicago for $1000/day suitable for 13 people. Motorboat rentals cost about $3,100/day with 12 people on board- the perfect party boat! On Lake Michigan, the average cost of a fishing charter starts at $900/day for 6 guests. If you are looking for an adventure, diving charters start at $130/diver.

Visit here for a complete list of available boat rentals for Memorial Day weekend. 

The post Where Can You Find Boat Rentals in Chicago for Memorial Day? appeared first on UrbanMatter.

Read More

Bread wears many hats; sandwich foundation, egg throne, spaghetti sauce sponge⏤ the list is endless. No matter what role your bread is playing, everyone knows the best kind is fresh.  To find the best fresh bread bakeries in Chicago, check out these 8 great spots.

North Shore Kosher Bakery

2919 W Touhy Ave, Chicago IL 60645

If you’ve been looking for a great kosher bakery for your bread needs, look no further. Here, you’ll find fresh loaves of challah (with or without raisins), wheat, and pumpernickel, as well as bagels, buns, and pita bread. 

pHlour

1138 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago IL 60660

Head over to the Edgewater Beach area for fresh and intriguing bakes from pHlour. In addition to the signature pHlour loaf and pain au levain (a sourdough), you can introduce your tastebuds to the flavors of garlic bread, focaccia, and ciabatta breads.

Hewn

1733 Central St, Evanston IL 60201

Using organic flour and grains, Evanston-based Hewn offers an ever-rotating selection of hearty and delicious loaves and baguettes, including different country breads, beer bread, a chocolate hazelnut brioche, and more.

Hendrickx Bakery

100 E Walton St #105, Chicago IL 60611

Renaud Hendrickx’s Belgian bakery bakes sweeter fare like cakes and cookies, but also makes great fresh breads⏤ among them a Belgian brioche.

Bridgeport Bakery 2.0

2907 S Archer Ave, Chicago IL 60608

Bread lovers can find breads of all kinds here— from sweeter types like a cranberry or banana nut loaf to darker flavors like rye or pumpernickel.

Baker Miller

4655 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL 60625

In Lincoln Square, you have only three decisions standing between you and your loaf: delivery or pickup, sliced or unsliced, and Sunflower Rye or Chicago Sourdough.

Aya Pastry

1332 W Grand Ave, Chicago IL 60642

Not only does Aya Pastry have a rosemary sea salt focaccia (among other options), but they also have a drive-thru window open daily where you can pick it up.

Scafuri Bakery 

1337 W Taylor St, Chicago IL 60607

Originally started by the Scafuri family in 1904, the bread loaves this bakery offers (in addition to an impressive array of classic Italian treats) include rustic and classic Italian breads, beer bread, and, on weekends, a fig fennel rosemary walnut bread.

Bakeries Chicago Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

The post 8 Bakeries in Chicago to Get the Perfect Loaf of Fresh Bread appeared first on UrbanMatter.

Read More

According to world gambling statistics, 26% of the human population tried at least some form of betting or casino games.

The post Sports Stars Who Love Betting and Casinos first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

Central Falls — the poorest and smallest city in the nation’s smallest state — is also among the hardest hit by COVID-19.

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — The beleaguered people of Central Falls moved quickly through the high school gym’s injection stations and then to rest on dozens of metal folding chairs, borrowed from the Knights of Columbus.

Immunity was at hand, but no one was celebrating.

Central Falls — the poorest and smallest city in the nation’s smallest state — is also among the hardest hit by COVID-19. Sorrow reaches across the city: The dead husband. The mother who came from Guatemala in search of a better life, only to die in a new land. The Polish priest who buried parishioner after parishioner.

The city has endured repeated waves of illness, with rates of confirmed cases that often dwarfed cities across New England.

But the troubles of Central Falls extend far back, long before the coronavirus arrived: Moonshine in the 1920s, cocaine in the 1980s. Illegal gambling dens in the 1940s, when policemen who tried to shut them down were fired for misconduct. Cascading mill and factory closures in the years after World War II, starting an inexorable slide into poverty and, finally, city bankruptcy in 2011.

So the people of Central Falls — mostly Latin Americans these days, and before that immigrant waves of French Canadians, Irish, Greeks, Syrians and others — are accustomed to hard times. But in the gym on this dreary Saturday, they were mostly stoic. A few gossiped quietly. Some stared at their phones.

If you asked, though, they would tell you their stories of their COVID year — how they suffered, how they rose to the occasion and how they failed, what they lost.

Off to the side, sitting almost beneath the basketball hoop, was Christine McCarthy. McCarthy was relieved to get her shot. She’s 65, has diabetes and knows what COVID-19 could do to her.

But mostly she wanted to talk about her husband, John, and how after nearly 40 years of marriage — after three children, some tough financial years and too many illnesses — he’d still sing to her. He’d sit on the bed, lean over his acoustic guitar, and his voice would fill the room. Sometimes it was Steely Dan. Sometimes Soul Asylum.

But in 2020 he mostly stuck to a couple Beatles’ classics. They now echo with pain.

“A love like ours

Could never die

As long as I

Have you near me.”

On Jan. 1, at 9:39 p.m., John McCarthy died of complications of COVID-19.

“That’s my story,” she said, choking back tears. “Aren’t you glad you came to talk to me?”

____

The 911 call came around dinner time from a small, ground-floor apartment, on yet another crowded Central Falls street.

It was the end of March 2020.

When firefighter Andres Nunes went through the door, this is what he saw: A two-bedroom apartment packed with humanity, packed with stuff. Clothes and sheets and blankets piled in the living room. The kitchen table shoved aside to create more space. There weren’t enough beds, so at least one person was sleeping on the sofa.

Sitting in a conference room in the city’s firehall more than a year later, Nunes recalled that this was the moment when he knew: “This was coming for us.”

America’s first reported COVID-19 death had come a few weeks earlier. By the end of March, the world was watching as New York City’s streets echoed with the wail of ambulances.

And in a little city little known outside this corner of New England, coronavirus was starting to burn through the streets like a firestorm.

Seven or eight people from an extended family were living in the apartment, Nunes said. Five were sick. Symptoms ranged across the coronavirus spectrum: Body pain, headaches, coughing.

The family, immigrants from Guatemala who didn’t speak English, refused to go to the hospital unless they all could go. That was impossible because of the hospital’s coronavirus restrictions. Because no one was in immediate danger, the medical crews left information on COVID-19 tests, and what to do if anyone got sicker.

No one died that evening. No one was taken to the hospital. But the crews left shaken.

“That was when we realized we had something big,” Nunes said.

Nunes knew what would happen in Central Falls when coronavirus took root. He’s lived here since he was 15, and graduated from Central Falls High School. His family is in the city, nearly all his friends. He was born in Colombia, and knows what life is like here for many immigrants.

It’s an ideal place for the virus to spread.

Central Falls is crowded — 20,000 people in 1.3 square miles — and filled with street after street of triple deckers, narrow three-story apartment buildings ubiquitous in working-class Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Those apartments are often full to bursting, with parents, grandparents, children, cousins and friends often crowded together.

Buildings are so close together that you can often lean out the window of one apartment and touch the one next door. Many properties don’t have a blade of grass.

Then there are the job realities.

Central Falls is a deeply working-class city, a place of janitors, warehouse workers, cashiers and others who can’t work from home. With a virus that disproportionately hits the poor, more than 30% of the city lives below the poverty line.

Nunes believes the virus had been snaking through the city since early February, when there had been a glut of calls about people suffering flu-like symptoms.

“We just didn’t know what to call it.”

___

The husband — always a worrier — brought the strange news home.

“He was talking about this pandemic going around,” said Marcelina Hernandez, a 36-year-old mother of four with a huge smile and a deep well of Catholicism. “I told him: ‘You’re crazy! You always think everything is bad!’”

Mauricio Pedroza is a burly 41-year-old whose size belies a gentle friendliness. He smiled bashfully as his wife spoke, both to acknowledge his pessimism and maybe to gloat a little because he’d been right to worry.

A few weeks later, the virus began sweeping through the city. Schools shut. Stores. Bars. Restaurants. For seven months, they barely let their 13-year-old twins out of the house.

They live in yet another triple decker, in a top-floor apartment scattered with crucifixes, religious prints and avalanches of pink plastic toys for their baby daughter.

On the front porch, a long row of mailboxes spills over with residents’ names.

Like so many in Central Falls, they arrived following a network of family and friends, part of the large Latin American influx over the past 30 years. They come because rents are cheap, commutes are easy to cities from Boston to Providence, and plenty of people speak only Spanish. Restaurants serve memories of home, from Colombian-style ceviche to beef tripe soup.

For the couple, who emigrated from rural Guatemala more than 20 years ago but met in Central Falls, it has become home. Their families are nearby. There are parks for family reunions. There are decent schools. There are plenty of jobs for people willing to work hard.

This is a city that understands hard work. Pedroza has two jobs: a store janitor in the mornings, and a forklift operator at a warehouse in the evenings.

Unemployment skyrocketed here after the pandemic struck, jumping from 6% in January 2020 to 20% two months later (it had settled to 9% by March 2021). Demand at food pantries exploded with the unemployment rate, in part because undocumented workers couldn’t get most government assistance.

Pedroza was lucky. He lost only a few weeks of work.

But he never stopped worrying: “I was always overthinking,” he said, as a cage of parakeets chirped and screeched in the kitchen.

The family went into a hard lockdown. In a culture where social distancing from relatives can seem like a betrayal, they retreated into their apartment and stopped seeing family.

He was scared, constantly watching news reports and social media rumors. Work became terrifying. He rarely went out.

Still, a few days after Christmas, he began feeling sick: exhausted, sore throat, headache. Then Hernandez got it. Then the baby.

The next few weeks were a blur. New Year’s, a big holiday for the extended family, was just food dropped off at the bottom of the stairs. They couldn’t taste it.

In the end they were lucky.

Both were sick for just a couple weeks. Neither had to go to the hospital.

And maybe, just maybe, all the vaccinations mean the extended family can have their annual Fourth of July reunion, gathering in a park on Naragansett Bay.

“I don’t know when it will be normal,” Hernandez said, as the baby started to squall. “Someday, I hope.”

___

Back when he was younger, John McCarthy had been a carpet installer. A great carpet installer.

He’d worked in the mansion-museums of Newport, Rhode Island, where Gilded Age industrial barons had spent their summers, and in the locker room of the New England Patriots, where he’d helped craft the team logo out of carpeting. He’d worked in houses and businesses across Rhode Island and Massachusetts, a craftsman of carpet fabric who dreamed of opening his own design studio.

“He was the best. The absolute best,” said Christine.

Things changed in the early 1990s, when a pancreatic crisis and a highly complex surgery meant his working days were over. Later there were other medical issues, including chronic lung problems.

Finances weren’t always easy, and there were three kids to raise.

But the connections to Central Falls remained deep. John grew up in the city, hanging out on Dexter Street. He graduated from Central Falls High School, as did all three children. Christine got a job working as a secretary for the city’s schools. There were friends and family nearby.

Around Christmas, though, things started to look grim for John McCarthy. He had been hospitalized twice for low hemoglobin levels, and was awaiting results from a coronavirus test.

On Christmas Day, everyone kept their masks on. “He stayed in the bedroom. I brought him his gifts. One of the kids might have popped their head in the bedroom, but nobody went in there and he didn’t come out,” she said.

Two days later, with John’s breathing increasingly labored, he asked Christine to take him to the hospital. When they got there, though, and found people lined up outside the emergency room, he couldn’t face going in.

“‘Forget it,’” he told her. “Just bring me home.”

Hours later, feeling even worse, he told her to call an ambulance. He would never come home again.

He tested positive for COVID-19. On New Year’s Day, the doctors called to say John’s medical troubles were overwhelming: kidney failure, pneumonia, internal bleeding, blood clots, brain damage.

Christine and one of her daughters had tested positive by then, so they couldn’t go inside the hospital to see him. Her other daughter and son went in.

The doctors asked what they should do.

“I think it’s time we say goodbye,” she told their children. “So they went and they got the chaplain. And the chaplain did his thing.”

“Then they unplugged him.”

It was hard not to think about what might have been if John had survived long enough for a vaccination.

“If he had only gotten through those last weeks,” she said, her voice trailing off.

___

When the state designated extra doses to Central Falls because it had been hit so hard, Mayor Maria Rivera helped create an aggressive vaccination program, with weekly jab days and city-organized health ambassadors going door to door and stopping people on the streets, encouraging them to get shots. A local doctor worked to ensure that undocumented immigrants weren’t overlooked.

In late February, Central Falls had one of the highest vaccination rates in the U.S.

“We’re blowing everyone else out of the water,” crowed Dr. Michael Fine, the city’s chief health strategist. But he warned that herd immunity wouldn’t come easy. “At a certain point we’re going to hit the people who aren’t so interested in vaccination.”

Which is exactly what has happened. Just as the pace of vaccination has decelerated across the United States, it has slowed even at a COVID ground zero.

There has been a precipitous decline in the number of people showing up at the high school gym for vaccinations. And there has been a noticeable increase in risky behavior: When the fire alarm went off in a Cape Verdean club on recent night, firefighters found dozens of people crowded inside. No one was wearing masks.

And yet the mayor remains upbeat. Rivera, 44, is a standard-bearer of a new Central Falls. There is still much poverty, but the city emerged from bankruptcy in 2012 and had a budget surplus in 2013. The cocaine reputation is gone.

Rivera was sworn in as Rhode Island’s first Latina mayor on Jan. 4, 2021. She is popular, unrelentingly energetic and a constant presence around the city. She is an indefatigable cheerleader for vaccination, and for a city she says is rising like a phoenix from COVID’s ashes.

“This isn’t rocket science,” Rivera said. “We know what we need.”

Read More

At least a handful of the homicides that happened the weekend of May 31, 2020, occurred near places where people were vandalizing and breaking into businesses.

Last May, Tommie Gatewood was looking forward to grabbing breakfast with his 27-year-old son, who was trying to get back on his feet after losing his job.

But later that month — before the breakfast happened — Gatewood got a call saying his son had been fatally shot in Chicago. He thought it was a cruel joke until a nephew who works in law enforcement confirmed the details.

“I immediately called my pastor for some prayer,” said Gatewood, recalling when his son died. “I had emotions all over the place because I didn’t believe it. It’s not really too easy to talk about.”

His son, Tommie Gatewood Jr., was among at least 26 people who were killed during a violent weekend last May that overlapped with protests and unrest in Chicago over a video showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes, killing him.

Without a clear plan, Chicago police officers found themselves outnumbered as vandalism and unrest spread from downtown to neighborhood businesses and as concerns grew about violence amid the chaos, according to a report from the city’s office of the inspector general. Recently leaked City Hall emails provide a window into how Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration struggled to respond to the intense protests that erupted last year.

Tommie Gatewood Jr.

At least a handful of the homicides that took place that weekend — including the fatal shooting of the younger Gatewood — happened near areas where unrest was also taking place, according to records from the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On the evening of May 31, Tommie Gatewood Jr., was in the 5100 block of West Madison Street in Austin outside of a store as he and others tried to stop someone from breaking into the business, Chicago police previously said. During the confrontation, Gatewood Jr. was shot multiple times, and he was soon pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Two other people were also shot, Chicago police previously said.

Provided

Andrew Sneed faces criminal charges in the shooting that left Gatewood Jr. dead and wounded two other people, according to court records.

The elder Gatewood said he believes his son was there with his friends just before the shooting and they tried to stop the damage to the store because it was often used by people in the area.

“He did the right thing,” Gatewood said about his son. “It cost him his life. I hate that, but there was some good that came out of it because it would give someone a different perspective about what to do in the midst of handling those tragic situations.”

The younger Gatewood had three sisters, including one who had died, and a younger brother, his father said. He didn’t have any children of his own.

Tommie Gatewood described his son was the type of person who was the life of the party. His favorite meal was macaroni and cheese. He had spent some time in prison, and he was trying to get back on his feet, the elder Gatewood said.

“He had one of those personalities that you couldn’t help but love him,” he said.

Nearly a year later, he misses his son and has turned to his church for help healing.

His son’s homicide happened on the heels of George Floyd’s death and the racial reckoning of how police interact with Black residents.

The elder Gatewood thinks the Minneapolis jury got it right when it found the Minneapolis officer guilty in the murder of George Floyd. He was also appreciative of the efforts of the Chicago Police Department, particularly the detective who was assigned to his case, after his own son was killed.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Darius and Maurice Jelks

About 1:40 p.m. on May 31, cousins Darius Jelks, 31, and Maurice Jelks, 39, were in their car in the 1600 block of East 95th Street when someone in a dark-colored SUV opened fire, fatally shooting both men, according to Chicago police.

They were near a shopping center located at 9500 S. Stony Island Ave., in Burnside where some people were breaking into businesses while vehicles swarmed the area, according to a report from the medical examiner’s office.

Dionte Jelks said his brother, Darius, had been at their mother’s home when he got a call from their cousin, Maurice, to pick him up. He was told by family members that the shooting happened as the two were driving back.

He said their homicides happened during a weekend where things were exploding because of what happened to Floyd.

“Unfortunately, my family members got caught up in it,” Jelks said. “I believe the systemic issues that face so many communities, it wreaks havoc on them. No accessibility to food, no sports, and so what else are you going to do when everything is against you?”

Police had not made any arrests in the case, and Jelks said he didn’t believe there was transparency in the investigation because his family has gotten few answers about its progress. It remains an open investigation, Chicago police said.

Weeks before his brother and cousin were killed, Jelks said he had spoken to his brother about the possibility of relocating the family to the Seattle area because of violence in Chicago. It would have also meant that his brother would have been closer to his own family members, who live in Canada.

“To see that he didn’t have that opportunity to make it, it was devastating for me and my whole entire family,” Jelks said.

His grandmother had told him the family left rural Mississippi to escape racism and later lived in the former Robert Taylor Homes.

And as his family has struggled with the killings of his brother and cousin, another cousin, Oronde G. Jelks, was shot to death in August in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

“I wonder if my family would have been better off in Mississippi,” Jelks said. “What would our lives been like?”

JaQuawn Newman

On May 31, Jerri Richards was worried about her son after hearing about vandalism happening at businesses. She wanted to stay home, but she had to go to work. She tried to convince her 26-year-old son, JaQuawn Newman, to stay at their South Side home, but he left the house after telling her he loved her.

She went to work at 4 p.m. that Sunday and tried to keep tabs on him over the phone.

“I called him and I said, ‘You in the house,’” Richards said she remembers telling her son. “I said people are dying, and he was like, ‘I ain’t going back outside.’”

But he later stopped answering his phone. When one of her sons tried to pick him up, he wasn’t able to reach him. Then, she got a call that her son had been shot.

At 6:43 p.m. May 31, Newman was inside a car in the 4600 block of South Marshfield Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the chest, Chicago police previously said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Cook Count medical examiner’s office.

Newman said she thinks people thought her son and a man and a woman he was with were involved in looting. But she was told they were on their way to a restaurant. The man her son was with that day didn’t want to tell her what all happened, Newman said.

The homicide remains under investigation, according to Chicago police.

Chicago police officers found Newman after gunshots were detected in the area, according to a report from the medical examiner’s office.

Richards said she wished she could have spoken to the police officers the night her son was killed. She wonders if there were any delays in finding her son and getting him medical attention because of all that was going on that weekend.

“How long did it take to get everything going?” Richards said she asks herself. “Was he laying there? At that time, the looting and the pandemic, they really didn’t touch people. It was so much. I wonder if he suffered.”

Newman liked to fix things, spend time with his nieces and nephews, and his favorite dishes included salmon croquettes and chili. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Newman was working at a restaurant in the Loop and had thought of one day owning his own restaurant, she said.

“He was trying to get his life together; had gotten a car,” Richards said. “He was really doing good.”

But he lost his job when the coronavirus pandemic upended businesses, Richards said. He seemed bored at home and frustrated that he couldn’t work, she said.

She misses the way he would come to her room to make funny faces at her or sit on her bed to see how she was doing. She has sometimes dreamt about him. But as the one-year anniversary of his killing approaches, she’s found it harder to sleep.

“Tomorrow is not promised to you,” Richards said. “You try to live your life the right way, the best that you can, and you just pray. Take one day at a time.”

Elvia Malagón’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

Read More