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Deadliest weekend of the year in Chicago: 12 killed, 42 wounded in shootingson May 24, 2021 at 2:46 pm

At least 12 people were killed and another 42 were wounded in Chicago over the weekend, the deadliest of the year.

More than a third of the shootings happened on the West Side. That’s where the youngest victim, a 15-year-old boy, was shot dead on a porch Friday night in Lawndale.

Two gunmen approached and opened fire on Dajon Gater shortly before midnight in the 3900 block of West Lexington Street, Chicago police said. The 15-year-old was shot in his head and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Other homicides:

— Early Monday, a 56-year-old man was shot to death in West Garfield Park. Officers found the man unresponsive with a gunshot wound to neck about 1:30 a.m. in the 4500 block of West Maypole Avenue, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His name hasn’t been released.

— On Sunday night, two men were found fatally shot in Bronzeville on the South Side. About 8:40 p.m., they were found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds inside a car in the 4600 block of South Federal Street, police said. The 49-year-old man and 56-year-old man were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

— A man was killed and another wounded in a drive-by Sunday in Homan Square on the West Side. About 7:10 p.m., they were riding in a car in the 3700 block of West Flournoy Street, when someone fired at them from the street, police said.

A 25-year-old man was struck in the abdomen and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he died, police said. His name hasn’t been released. A 31-year-old man was also grazed by a bullet on his right shoulder and taken to the same hospital in good condition.

— A man was shot and killed early Sunday in West Garfield Park. The 49-year-old was standing outside about 12:15 a.m. in the first block of North Kilbourn Avenue when someone got out of a silver sedan and began firing, police said. He was struck multiple times in the face and body and pronounced dead at the scene.

— On Saturday night, a man was killed and two others wounded in a shooting in Washington Park. Johnnie Williams, 46, was with two others on the sidewalk in the 5500 block of South Michigan Avenue when people in a gray Jeep and a blue Acura opened fire about 7:30 p.m., police said. Williams was shot in the back and was taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead.

Another man, 30, was shot in the head and critically wounded, police said. A third man, 50, was struck in the arm and hospitalized in good condition.

— Early Saturday morning, two men were shot dead in West Garfield Park. They were standing outside in the 4000 block of West Wilcox Street when someone fired shots at 2 a.m., police said.

One man, 24-year-old Haniff Collins, was shot in his head, neck, chest and leg, police said. He was taken to Loretto Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. The second man, 29-year-old Derrick McCampbell, died after being shot in the chest, torso and arm.

— Hours earlier, a man was fatally shot on the Eisenhower Expressway on the West Side. Jerry Thornton, 27, was westbound on Interstate 290 about 12:07 a.m. when someone fired shots from another car on the ramp to Austin Boulevard, Illinois State Police said. The Austin neighborhood resident was pronounced dead at a hospital.

— Friday night, a man and woman were shot dead at an East Garfield Park convenience store. About 10:25 p.m., a man was arguing with a 23-year-old woman in the 500 block of North Kedzie Avenue when he began shooting at her and an 18-year-old man with her, police said.

Destiny Nunez of Aurora suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, officials said. Adrian Navarro, 18, was struck in the torso and leg and transported to Humboldt Park Health hospital, where he died.

At least 42 other people were wounded between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

Last weekend, 48 people were shot citywide, including a 2-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and two Chicago police officers.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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Deadliest weekend of the year in Chicago: 12 killed, 42 wounded in shootingson May 24, 2021 at 2:46 pm Read More »

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Brennen Davis announces his return with a three-run homer and three walks; Swarmer tosses five no-hit inningson May 24, 2021 at 2:20 pm

Cubs Den

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Brennen Davis announces his return with a three-run homer and three walks; Swarmer tosses five no-hit innings

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Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Brennen Davis announces his return with a three-run homer and three walks; Swarmer tosses five no-hit inningson May 24, 2021 at 2:20 pm Read More »

Finger-licking grilled goodness: try these chipotle-glazed baby back ribs on the barbecueLynda Balslev, TasteFoodon May 24, 2021 at 1:00 pm


A simple spice rub drives in more flavor to the meat, which gets a final baste and garnish with a smoky chipotle-laced barbecue sauce.

There are so many reasons to celebrate right now. Summer is almost here, more of us are vaccinated, and we can all get outside and carefully socialize. Let this Memorial Day be the official kickoff of summer and the barbecue season.

These chipotle-glazed baby backribs are finger-licking good with sweet and smoky flavor. A simple spice rub drives in more flavor to the meat, which gets a final baste and garnish with a smoky chipotle-laced barbecue sauce.

You can simply rub the ribs before grilling and let them stand while you fire up your grill. But better yet, if you have the time, rub them the night before and refrigerate, uncovered, until 30 minutes before grilling. This extra time will deeply season and slightly cure the meat, ensuring a crispy, flavorful exterior.

Slow grilling is the name of the game when it comes to ribs. The hours spent cooking allow the meat to soften and tenderize, resulting in pull-apart goodness.

Pour yourself a drink, pull up a garden chair and relax. It’s almost summer.

Chipotle-Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:

3 racks baby back pork ribs, each about 2 pounds

Rub:

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/3 cups ketchup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced with juices
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl. Rub the ribs on all sides. Let stand at room temperature while you prepare the grill. (The ribs can be rubbed up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated, uncovered. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.)

2. Make the sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add all of the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool to room temperature.

3. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over low heat (250 to 275 degrees).

4. Cook the ribs, bone side down, over indirect heat until the meat is very tender, about 3 hours, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking. When the ribs are nearly done, lightly brush with some of the sauce.

5. Remove the ribs from the grill and cut between the bones (I prefer to cut two-bone pieces for serving). Lightly brush with the sauce and serve with the remaining sauce.

Lynda Balslev is an award-winning food and wine writer, cookbook author and recipe developer. She also authors the blog TasteFood, a compilation of more than 600 original recipes, photos and stories.

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Finger-licking grilled goodness: try these chipotle-glazed baby back ribs on the barbecueLynda Balslev, TasteFoodon May 24, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »

One year later: Chicago in wake of George Floyd killing and protestsManny Ramoson May 24, 2021 at 1:29 pm

Protesters squad off with Chicago police on Kinzie and State Street, during a protest for George Floyd, Saturday, May 30, 2020. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

A year after the murder of George Floyd by police and the civil unrest that followed, the Sun-Times looks at the aftermath of those affected, what’s changed and what hasn’t.

After the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020, thousands of Americans took to the streets in cities like Chicago to protest racial inequality, police misconduct and illegal use of force by law enforcement officers.

As the following week progressed, the protests in some parts of the city and suburbs boiled over into civil unrest that included rioting and looting. One man, wearing a Joker mask, set a Chicago police car on fire. The mayor threatened to fire any CPD officers who flipped off protesters or covered their badges.

On May 31, 2020, the city suffered 18 murders in 24 hours, the most violent day Chicago had seen in 60 years.

In wake of Floyd’s murder and the subsequent protests, local community organizers have kept pushing for change, businesses have tried to recover even amid a pandemic, and politicians and the police union have clashed over reform.

The Sun-Times, a year later, spoke with many Chicagoans about how those events affected their lives. Those stories are compiled below.

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One year later: Chicago in wake of George Floyd killing and protestsManny Ramoson May 24, 2021 at 1:29 pm Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: 3 trades to make with West playoff teamsVincent Pariseon May 24, 2021 at 12:00 pm

The Chicago Blackhawks only played in the new-look Central Division during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season. The worst part about it was the fact that some of their normal Central Division rivals played in the West for one season. The Hawks weren’t able to play against a lot of their most fierce rivals which wasn’t […]

Chicago Blackhawks: 3 trades to make with West playoff teamsDa Windy CityDa Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Chicago Blackhawks: 3 trades to make with West playoff teamsVincent Pariseon May 24, 2021 at 12:00 pm Read More »

Chicago rapper Sage, the 64th Wonder shows he’s still got gas in the tank with HierophantLeor Galilon May 24, 2021 at 11:00 am


When I interviewed Chicago rapper and SlumpGang member Receo Gibson a few years ago about changing his stage name from Sage, the 64th Wonder to Lunxch, he said he did it to help get out of a creative tight spot. “When I was under the moniker Sage, I felt, like, clustered,” he said.…Read More

Chicago rapper Sage, the 64th Wonder shows he’s still got gas in the tank with HierophantLeor Galilon May 24, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »

11 killed, 35 wounded in shootings in Chicago since Friday nightSun-Times Wireon May 24, 2021 at 10:56 am

At least 36 people have been shot, 8 fatally, since 5 p.m. Friday.
At least 42 people have been shot, 8 fatally, since 5 p.m. Friday. | Archive Sun-Times

Two double homicides were reported on the West Side.

Eleven people have been killed and at least 35 others wounded in shootings in Chicago since Friday night, including a 15-year-old boy who died in Lawndale on the West Side.

About 11:50 p.m. Friday, Dajon Gater was on a front porch in the 3900 block of West Lexington Street when two people approached and began firing, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

On Sunday night, two men were found fatally shot in Bronzeville on the South Side.

About 8:40 p.m., they were found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds inside a car in the 4600 block of South Federal Street, police said. A 49-year-old man and 56-year-old man were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

On Saturday night, a man was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting in Washington Park.

The three were standing on the sidewalk about 7:30 p.m. in the 5500 block of South Michigan Avenue when people inside a gray Jeep and a blue Acura opened fire, police said. A 46-year-old man was shot in the back and was taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner’s office identified him as Johnnie Williams.

Another man, 30, was shot in the head and was also transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said. A third man, 50, was struck in the arm and was taken to the same hospital in good condition.

Early Saturday morning, two people were fatally shot in West Garfield Park. They were standing outside about 2 a.m. in the 4000 block of West Wilcox Street when someone approached them on foot and fired shots, police said.

One man, 24, suffered gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest and leg, police said. He was transported to Loretto Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. He was identified as Haniff Collins, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The second man, 29, was struck in the chest, torso and arm, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was also pronounced dead, police said. He was identified as Derrick McCampbell.

Hours earlier, a man was fatally shot on the Eisenhower Expressway on the West Side.

The 27-year-old was westbound on Interstate 290 about 12:07 a.m. when someone fired shots from another car on the ramp to Austin Boulevard, Illinois State Police said. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital, state police said.

Friday night, two people were fatally shot at an East Garfield Park convenience store.

About 10:25 p.m., a man was arguing with a 23-year-old woman in the 500 block of North Kedzie Avenue when he began shooting at her and an 18-year-old man with her, police said.

The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was transported to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, officials said. She was identified as Destiny Nunez of Aurora.

The man was struck multiple times in the torso and leg and transported to Norwegian American Hospital, where he died, officials said. He was identified as Adrian Navarro.

At least 35 other people have been wounded in shootings since 5 p.m. Friday.

Last weekend, 48 people were shot citywide, including a 2-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and two Chicago police officers.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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11 killed, 35 wounded in shootings in Chicago since Friday nightSun-Times Wireon May 24, 2021 at 10:56 am Read More »

Italy’s Eurovision winners Maneskin return home to cheers, a drug test to debunk rumorsAssociated Presson May 24, 2021 at 11:25 am

Maneskin — Thomas Raggi (from left), Ethan Torchio, Victoria De Angelis and Damiano David — pose for photographers with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest at Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Saturday.
Maneskin — Thomas Raggi (from left), Ethan Torchio, Victoria De Angelis and Damiano David — pose for photographers with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest at Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Saturday. | AP

In Italy, the drug claim didn’t mar the praise that poured in Sunday from the Italian establishment for the victory of the rather anti-establishment Maneskin, a glam rock band that got its start busking on Rome’s main shopping drag.

ROME — The Italian glam rock band that won the Eurovision Song Contest returned home Sunday to the adulation of fans, congratulations from the government and so much speculation that the lead singer had snorted cocaine during the show that he vowed to take a drug test.

“We want to shut down the rumors,” Maneskin lead singer Damiano David told reporters at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport as the band arrived home after their victory in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Rumors spread on social media after David was seen bending over a table during the Saturday night live television broadcast. Asked at a post-victory news conference whether he’d snorted cocaine, David said he doesn’t use drugs and that he’d bent over because another band member had broken a glass at their feet.

Eurovision confirmed that broken glass was found under the table in question, but announced David had offered to take the test, which is scheduled for Monday.

In Italy, the drug claim didn’t mar the praise that poured in Sunday from the Italian establishment for the victory of the rather anti-establishment Maneskin, a glam rock band that got its start busking on Rome’s main shopping drag.

Their win gave Italy a sorely needed boost after a dreadful year as one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus and will bring next year’s competition back to the place where European song contests began.

The band was the bookmakers’ favorite going into the Eurovision finale and sealed the win early Sunday with the highest popular vote in the enormously entertaining, and incredibly kitsch, annual song festival.

“We are out of our minds!” Florence’s Uffizi Galleries tweeted, echoing Maneskin’s winning song lyrics, along with an image of a Caravaggio Medusa and the hashtag #Uffizirock.

Maneskin, Danish for “moonlight” and a tribute to bass player Victoria De Angelis’ Danish ancestry, won with a total of 529 points. France was second while Switzerland, which led after national juries had voted, finished third.

“It is amazing. It is amazing,“ band members said as they got off the plane and were met by a gaggle of reporters outside baggage claim.

De Angelis said the band was shocked at the claims of drug use, which were echoing particularly loudly in runner-up France, where mainstream media prominently reported the suspicions and the country’s foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was even asked about them on a news show Sunday.

Le Drian stayed clear on the controversy, saying: “If there is a need to do tests, they’ll do tests.”

De Angelis said the band wants to put the controversy behind them because drug use goes against their ethos and message.

“We are totally against cocaine and the use of drugs and we would have never done it of course, so we are shocked that many people believe this,” she said.

The band got its start performing on Via del Corso, the main commercial thoroughfare in downtown Rome. Their scrappy performances in front of a Geox shoe store were a far cry from the over-the-top, flame-throwing extravaganza Saturday night that literally split David’s pants.

David told a news conference this week that starting out on the street was embarrassing, since the group had to contend with other musicians vying for the same prized piece of sidewalk while neighbors complained about the noise.

“They were always calling the police,” De Angelis said, laughing.

Maneskin’s win was only Italy’s third victory in the contest and the first since Toto Cutugno took the honor in 1990. The victory means Italy will host next year’s competition, with cities bidding for the honor.

Launched in 1956 to foster unity after World War II, Eurovision evolved over the years from a bland ballad-fest to a campy, feel-good extravaganza. It has grown from seven countries to include more than 40, including non-European nations such as Israel and far-away Australia.

Legend has it that Eurovision got its inspiration from Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival, which began in 1951 as a post-war effort to boost Italian culture and the economy of the Ligurian coastal city that has housed it ever since.

Perhaps best known for having launched the likes of Andrea Boccelli and one of Italy’s most famous songs “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” — popularly known as “Volare” — the Sanremo festival usually picks Italy’s official selection for the Eurovision contest.

Maneskin won Sanremo this year with the same song, “Zitti e Buoni” (“Quiet and good”) that it performed Saturday night in Rotterdam.

De Angelis said she hoped that their victory would send a message to future Italian contestants that ballads aren’t the only genre that can win contests.

“We think maybe from now on more bands will have the chance to play what they want and not be influenced by the radios or what the main genre is in Italy,” she said. “They can feel themselves and play rock music too.”

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Italy’s Eurovision winners Maneskin return home to cheers, a drug test to debunk rumorsAssociated Presson May 24, 2021 at 11:25 am Read More »

Chicago Bears: 3 veterans who can still be cut for cap spaceVincent Pariseon May 24, 2021 at 11:00 am

The Chicago Bears have had a very dramatic offseason. They got it started by handing a franchise tag to wide receiver Allen Robinson. He and the organization have been at odds over the contract extension talk for a while now so they have some convincing to do if they want him to play there beyond […]

Chicago Bears: 3 veterans who can still be cut for cap spaceDa Windy CityDa Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Chicago Bears: 3 veterans who can still be cut for cap spaceVincent Pariseon May 24, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »