Benjamin Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift with the United States since the fighting began last week and could complicate international efforts to reach a cease-fire.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from U.S. President Joe Biden to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead.

Netanyahu’s tough comments marked the first public rift between the two close allies since the fighting began last week and could complicate international efforts to reach a cease-fire.

After a visit to military headquarters, Netanyahu said he “greatly appreciates the support of the American president,” but said Israel will push ahead “to return the calm and security to you, citizens of Israel.”

He said he is “determined to continue this operation until its aim is met.”

He spoke shortly after Biden told Netanyahu “that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire,” the White House said.

Biden had previously avoided pressing Israel more directly and publicly for a cease-fire with Gaza’s Hamas militant rulers. But pressure has been ramping up on him to intervene more forcefully as other diplomatic efforts also gather strength.

Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to press ahead with the operation, and his tough response to Biden signaled he had no intentions of stopping. In another sign of potential escalation, militants in Lebanon fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday.

Egyptian negotiators have also been working to halt the fighting, and an Egyptian diplomat said that some of the country’s top officials are waiting for Israel’s response to a cease-fire offer. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he hoped to fly to Israel for talks Thursday with Israelis and Palestinians.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it was widening its strikes on militant targets in southern Gaza to blunt continuing rocket fire from Hamas. At least nine people were killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The current round of fighting between Israel and Hamas began May 10 when the militant group fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions.

Since then, Israel has pounded Gaza with hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas’ militant infrastructure, and Hamas and other militant groups embedded in residential areas have fired more than 3,700 rockets at Israeli cities, with hundreds falling short and most of the rest intercepted.

At least 227 Palestinians have been killed, including 64 children and 38 women, with 1,620 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians. Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130. Some 58,000 Palestinians have fled their homes.

Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a soldier, have been killed.

On Wednesday, militants in Lebanon fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, threatening to open up a new front in fighting.

The rocket attack, which drew Israeli artillery fire in response but apparently did not cause any injuries, raised the possibility of dragging Israel into renewed conflict with the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to its north.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006, has stayed out of the fighting for now.

But the barrage appears to be carefully calibrated to send a political message that the group, which has tens of thousands of missiles, could join the battle at any time. Israel considers Hezbollah to be its most formidable threat, and has threatened widespread destruction in Lebanon if war were to erupt.

The rockets are widely believed to be fired by Palestinian factions based in south Lebanon. But they cannot operate without Hezbollah’s tacit consent.

In the Gaza Strip, one of the Israeli airstrikes destroyed the home of an extended family.

Residents surveyed the piles of bricks, concrete and other debris that had once been the home of 40 members of al-Astal family in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. They said a warning missile struck the building five minutes before the airstrike, allowing everyone to escape.

Ahmed al-Astal, a university professor, described a scene of panic, with men, women and children racing out of the building. Some of the women didn’t even have time to cover their hair with Muslim headscarves, he said.

“We had just gotten down to the street, breathless, when the devastating bombardment came,” he said. “They left nothing but destruction, the children’s cries filling the street. … This is happening, and there is no one to help us. We ask God to help us.”

The Israeli military said it struck a militant tunnel network around the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah, with 52 aircraft hitting 40 underground targets.

Among the nine people killed Wednesday was a reporter for Hamas-run Al-Aqsa radio and two people who died when warning missiles crashed into their apartment.

Military officials, meanwhile, said a mysterious explosion that killed eight members of a Palestinian family on the first day of the fighting was caused by a misfired rocket from Gaza. “This wasn’t an Israeli attack,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman.

Since the fighting began, Gaza’s infrastructure, already weakened by a 14-year blockade, has rapidly deteriorated. Medical supplies, water and fuel for electricity are running low in the territory, on which Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007.

Israeli attacks have damaged at least 18 hospitals and clinics and destroyed one health facility, the World Health Organization said. Nearly half of all essential drugs have run out.

The Gaza Health Ministry said it had salvaged coronavirus vaccines after shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike damaged the territory’s only testing facility, which also administered hundreds of vaccines. The operations were relocated to another clinic.

Dr. Majdi Dhair, head of preventive medicine at the ministry, said the territory was already struggling to recover from a coronavirus wave that hit in February, with more than 4,200 active cases. At least 986 people have died from COVID-19 in Gaza, which only has enough supplies to vaccinate some 55,000 people out of a population of 2 million.

Among the buildings leveled by Israeli airstrikes was one housing The Associated Press’ Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating in the building. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Israel had given the U.S. information about the bombing, without elaborating.

The AP has called for an independent investigation. The news organization’s president, Gary Pruitt, has said the AP had no indication Hamas was present in the building and that “this is something we check as best we can.”

The fighting, the worst since a 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, has ignited protests around the world and inspired Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories to call a general strike Tuesday. It was a rare collective action that spanned boundaries central to decades of failed peace efforts. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.

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Krauss reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Zeina Karam in Beirut, Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

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The French government is lifting restrictions incrementally to stave off a resurgence of COVID-19 and to give citizens back some of their world famous lifestyle.

PARIS — It’s a grand day for the French. Cafe and restaurant terraces reopened Wednesday after a six-month coronavirus shutdown deprived residents of the essence of French “joie de vivre” — sipping coffee and red wine with friends.

The French government is lifting restrictions incrementally to stave off a resurgence of COVID-19 and to give citizens back some of their world famous lifestyle. As part of the plan’s first stage, France’s 7 p.m. nightly curfew was pushed back to 9 p.m. and museums, theaters and cinemas reopened along with outdoor cafe terraces.

President Emmanuel Macron took a seat at a café terrace, chatting with customers. Prime Minister Jean Castex, who planned to attend a cinema later Wednesday, projected a mood of measured optimism.

“Let’s get used to try and live together,” Macron told reporters. “If we manage to get well organized collectively and continue vaccinating, have a common discipline as citizens, there’s no reason why we can’t continue moving forward.”

Actor Emmanuelle Beart went to a movie theater opening in Paris where her latest film “L’Etreinte” (“The Embrace”) was showing. The appetite for seeing movies was such that many in Paris lined up at breakfast to see a movie instead of getting their morning croissant.

Moviegoer Michael Souhaite, who works in the industry, set his alarm clock to make sure he would make a 9 a.m. showing of “Drunk.”

“I really need to go to the movies,” he said. “I go to movies maybe twice a week, minimum. So for me, it was really, really, really important… Today, it’s almost emotional to be here.”

France is not the first European country to start getting back a semblance of social and cultural life. Italy, Belgium, Hungary and other nations already allow outdoor dining while drinking and eating indoors began Monday in Britain.

Eateries in France have been closed since the end of October, the longest time of any European country except Poland, where bars and restaurants reopened Saturday for outdoor service after being closed for seven months.

Still, the French government has put limits on how much fun can be had. Movie theaters can only seat 35% of capacity, while museums must restrict entries to allow space between visitors. Restaurants can fill only 50% of their outdoor seating and have no more than six people at a table.

Top figures in France’s restaurant industry were frustrated over the government’s perceived failure to protect their prized gastronomy from the worst. Yet many, like Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, have chosen to hold their ire over the crippling six-month closures to imagine instead the future of buzzing dining areas and swilled bottles of wine.

“Has (the government) done enough? The answer is ‘No’… (But) optimism is a decision. We have decided to be optimistic. French gastronomy will continue,” he said.

Starting on June 9, the French government plans to move the curfew back to 11 p.m. and to permit indoor dining. Also on that date, France will begin to welcome tourists from non-EU destinations provided they have some sort of coronavirus passport or health pass. The final phase of the three-stage reopening plan is scheduled for June 30, when the curfew will end and all other restrictions will be lifted, if pandemic conditions allow.

Macron’s plans to bring France out of the pandemic aren’t just about bringing long-closed restaurants, boutiques and museums back to life, but also about preparing his possible campaign for a second term. Before next year’s presidential election, Macron is focusing on saving jobs and reviving the pandemic-battered French economy.

France has recorded more than 108,000 deaths due to COVID-19, among the highest tolls in Europe. But virus deaths, admissions to critical care units and the coronavirus infection rate are now on the decline.

Dr. Michel Slama, chief of the intensive care unit at Amiens Hospital, said his stance, like Macron’s, was “optimistic but prudent.”

“We are attentive about the reopening but worried is not the word,” he told The Associated Press. “There has been a significant drop in emergency hospital admissions for the virus in France. That’s good news. The high vaccine rate now, we hope, will help us avoid a new wave.”

About 40% of France’s adult population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose — but that rate is still well behind Britain’s 70% and behind several other EU nations.

Tourists waited with excitement and palpable emotion as the cordon around the world’s most visited museum and home of the “Mona Lisa,” the Louvre, was finally lifted.

“I am extremely moved. In fact, just as I entered the Louvre, really just in the gallery, I immediately started crying. Real tears of joy,” said Pauline Lacroix, a psychotherapist.

“It means a lot, you know. It means COVID-19 is starting to finish, when it’s the opening of all museums and public areas,” said another visitor, Walid Hneini.

Paris resident Benoit Puez was more understated about the opening up, giving it a Gallic shrug.

“Maybe I didn’t really miss it, but we are happy it’s reopening. It’s a stage,” he said.

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Thomas Adamson reported from Leeds, England. Masha Macpherson, John Leicester and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris contributed.

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Lollapalooza’s return to Grant Park later this summer will feature Foo Fighters; Post Malone; Miley Cyrus, and Tyler, the Creator as headliners, organizers announced Wednesday, a day after the city confirmed it gave the green light for the festival to be held July 29 through Aug. 1.

Other popular acts slated to take the stage for the four-day event include Megan Thee Stallion, Steve Aoki and Modest Mouse. Daily schedules with details on set times for the whole lineup will be released at a later date.

Tickets go on sale at noon CT on Lollapalooza’s website. Four-day general admission passes are listed for $350, although prices will increase in phases as the festival’s start draws closer. It’ll cost a lot more if you’re looking for VIP access or a hotel package.

And while the festival will be held at “full capacity,” the city will require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results in order to enter.

The presence of Foo Fighters atop the lineup isn’t a surprise after lead singer Dave Grohl appeared in a YouTube video with Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday to promote the festival. The band is having a busy 2021, with a recent appearance at the “Vax Live” charity event and tour dates picking up.

Check out the full lineup for Lollapalooza 2021 below.

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A state appeals court overturned a trial judge’s finding that convicted child molester and defrocked priest Daniel McCormack can be held longer than his sentence.

A three-judge panel in the Illinois First District Appellate Court unanimously decided the prosecution failed to prove McCormack’s mental disorder would likely cause him to reoffend, according to court records filed Tuesday.

McCormack, one of Chicago’s most notorious and recent offenders in the Catholic church’s sex abuse scandal, completed his five-year sentence in 2009 for molesting five boys in St. Agatha’s parish, where he worked as a priest, teacher and basketball coach. He has remained in custody at a downstate detention facility for sex offenders since.

In 2017, Judge Dennis Porter declared McCormack a sexually violent person who should remain indefinitely in a state facility for sex offenders.

But the appellate court reversed that decision, saying prosecutors “failed to prove McCormack’s mental disorder renders him substantially likely to reoffend.”

During the 2017 bench trial, Dr. Angelique Stanislaus, a psychiatrist and the state’s witness, and Dr. Raymond Wood, a psychologist who served as the defense expert, both concluded that McCormack had pedophilic disorder.

But while Wood said that McCormack had a “below average” risk of reoffending, Stanislaus said the former Chicago priest’s likelihood of reoffending is “substantially probable, meaning much more likely than not,” according to the court’s filing.

McCormack’s defense argued that the prosecution failed to prove the former priest qualifies as a sexually violent person in two ways: One, it didn’t prove how any mental disorder McCormack may have would create a risk for him to reoffend, and two, if his mental disorder does create a risk, the prosecution didn’t prove “substantial probability” that he would commit future sexual violence acts.

The three-judge panel ruled the prosecution “left too much to inference when questioning Stanislaus.”

“We agree there is a probability that McCormack’s mental disorder could cause him to reoffend, but Stanislaus failed to offer an explanation as to why the risk is ‘substantial,'” the court said in its decision. “Even taking the evidence in light most favorable to the State, it fails to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that McCormack is a sexually violent person as defined in the Act.”

McCormack’s attorney Michael Johnson said he was “grateful that the appellate court followed the law and… held the State to standards for appellate review of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The court’s decision won’t be final until a mandate is issued, which will be in 35 days, Johnson said. During that time, the attorney general could file a petition for a leave to appeal the ruling to the Illinois Supreme Court.

The Office of Attorney General is reviewing the decision and evaluating its options, spokeswoman Annie Thompson said.

“It is worth noting, however, that following his most recent evaluation in July 2020 — which is required annually under the state’s Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act — an expert evaluator found Daniel McCormack to be sexually violent,” Thompson said in a statement.

The archdiocese has paid out more than $20 million to settle lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by McCormack, the Sun-Times previously reported.

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President Joe Biden greatly increased the pressure on Israel to end the war with the Palestinians that has killed more than 200 people, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a telephone call Wednesday that he expected “significant de-escalation” by day’s end.

Biden asked Netanyahu to move “toward the path to a cease-fire,” according to a White House description of their conversation.

Biden’s call came as political and international pressure mounts on him to intervene more forcefully to push an end to the hostilities. Biden, until Wednesday, had avoided pressing Israel more directly and publicly for a cease-fire, or conveyed that level of urgency for ending Israeli airstrikes targeting Hamas in the thickly populated Gaza Strip.

His administration had relied instead on what officials described as “quiet, intensive” diplomacy, including quashing a U.N. Security Council statement that would have addressed a cease-fire. The administration’s handling opened a divide between Biden and Democratic lawmakers, dozens of whom have called for a cease-fire.

Egypt and some others have worked without success to broker a halt to fighting, while Hamas officials indicated publicly they would keep up their rocket barrages into Israel as long Israel continued airstrikes. Hamas’ top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said this week that the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but “will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.”

Netanyahu had given no sign of plans to immediately wind down Israeli airstrikes targeting Hamas leaders and supply tunnels in Gaza, a 25-mile by 6-mile strip of territory that is home to more than 2 million people.

“You can either conquer them, and that’s always an open possibility, or you can deter them,” he told foreign ambassadors. “We are engaged right now in forceful deterrence, but I have to say, we don’t rule out anything.”

The fighting, the worst Israeli-Palestinian violence since 2014, has killed at least 219 Palestinians and 12 people in Israel.

The latest strikes came as diplomatic efforts aimed at a cease-fire gathered strength and Gaza’s infrastructure, already weakened by a 14-year blockade, rapidly deteriorated. Medical supplies, water and fuel for electricity are running low in territory, on which Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Boston coach Brad Stevens tapped into his experience coaching Butler to back-to-back NCAA championship games to prepare his Celtics.

Steve Kerr is ready to play two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry nearly every minute if that’s what it takes for the Golden State Warriors to get one win.

This is not how NBA players and coaches normally prepare for championship runs. Yes, this is the NBA postseason, but it’s not the playoffs. It’s the league’s new play-in tournament.

LeBron James may not have been in anything like this since high school or the Olympics. For others, this has a March Madness feel to it.

“It’s exciting,” Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said. “It’s one chance closer to get the opportunity to make the playoffs. So win or go home game. … You win and you move on, you lose you go home.”

Just ask the Charlotte Hornets, whose season came to an abrupt end Tuesday night in the NBA’s first play-in game after stumbling early and being pounded by the Indiana Pacers in what felt like an opening-round mismatch.

Welcome to the NBA’s mini version of the NCAA Tournament: Eight teams chasing four spots.

“We still have the opportunity to still make the playoffs,” Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant said. “We know what’s at stake. Just got to go out, handle business. Two games, one at a time.”

Stevens has been through survive-and-advance tournaments with great success: He took Butler to the NCAA championship game in 2010 and 2011. This isn’t exactly like those college-coaching days, but close enough for Stephens to draw a parallel.

“It’s a little bit like the NCAA Tournament from the standpoint of quick turnaround,” Stevens said before his Celtics secured the seventh seed with a 118-100 victory against the Washington Wizards. “We haven’t been in this situation much.”

Kerr is approaching these play-in games like one-game playoffs, much like a wild card or deciding game in the baseball postseason. That makes playing the newly crowned scoring champ every second possible — not something he would do during the regular season.

“It’s an option now because we’re in the thick of it and every game is crucial,” Kerr said. “But that’s about the limit, I would hesitate to play him much more than that. He has so much on his shoulders. It’s not easy playing for 40 minutes the way he plays especially.”

James might still be mad about the NBA’s new postseason play-in format, yet he and the defending NBA champs are in the middle of one of the biggest showdowns Wednesday night.

It’s LeBron vs. Steph, superstars who have regularly shared the NBA Finals stage now fighting for the West’s No. 7 seed. Kerr played Curry almost 40 minutes in the Warriors’ win Sunday against Memphis that determined play-in seeding.

Kerr likes the format even though his Warriors could end up missing the playoffs. Kerr believes it made the final month of the regular season much more interesting.

“We had really interesting mini battles in the standings, teams trying to stay out of the play-in at 7 and 8,” Kerr said. “So you had kind of a mini pennant race going on for fifth and sixth.”

San Antonio would already be sitting at home if not for the new format.

Instead, the 10th-seeded Spurs have a chance to keep playing as long as they keep winning starting Wednesday night at No. 9 Memphis.

Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV, in his third season, has never been in this situation with the added bonus of trying to make the playoffs. His college team, Miami, lost its one NCAA Tournament game his one season in 2018.

“So, I’m starving, I’m hungry, I’m excited,” Walker said. “I’m ready to play with my team and get the W.”

The NBA experimented last summer with a play-in format after the restart to the pandemic-shortened season. Memphis and Portland squared off for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. Portland needed only one game to knock out the Grizzlies.

Murray has been in enough NBA playoff games that the Spurs guard doesn’t think the experience of playing a single-elimination event like the NCAA Tournament, high school or AAU can help.

“It’s the NBA, both of those levels can never compare to this level,” Murray said. “I’ve been to the playoffs before, I know the atmosphere. I know the win or go home situation.”

Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks put it in perspective. It’s not a seven-game series, it’s survive and advance “or go to Cabo, as they say.”

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What was your view of the police while growing up in West Pullman?

My community had its share of violence. Even with all of that, the thing that made me most scared was red and blue lights in my rearview mirror. Billions of dollars are paying for this institution, and people still have to have conversations with their children about how to not get killed by the police.

What did your parents tell you?

Say “Yes, sir. No, sir.” Keep your hands on the wheel. Don’t be disrespectful. Don’t make any fidgety movement. Follow their directions. Pray.

What drew you to this role?

I interned at the public defender’s office as a law student. One of my tasks was going into the back of the courtroom and meeting with the men and women who have court dates that day. One of the first days, I link eyes with a guy I went to grade school with. After that, I looked at a fifth-grade picture and compared the number of dudes that were in jail or lost their lives to the number of guys that had gotten through. That day I decided I was going to be a public defender.

What do you know now that you didn’t know then?

The public defender’s office has a monopoly, quite frankly, on the stories, the narratives, the data, all the things that we can use to learn about why the system is broken. Our attorneys and investigators are literally in the trenches on the fight against mass incarceration, on the fight against wrongful convictions, on the fight against permanent punishments. I’m so excited to put our team in the center of this conversation around reform.

What changes do you have in mind?

Substantive sentencing reform. We use our prison system to punish. I don’t think that we do a very good job of using our system to get folks better. I would really think about how we use our prisons, how long people go to prison, and how often we give folks felony records.

How hopeful are you about being able to make changes?

People are understanding how broken the legal system is and how we can benefit from changing it. With that said, we live in a big city where people are nervous about crime. Sometimes, they convolute making the system more fair with making us less safe. It’s not true. But that common thought is always a risk.

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Leading Chicago Law Firm Takes on Tough Injury and Cancer Cases

There are many people facing cancer diagnoses, and some of these might follow taking a drug that seemed harmless and beneficial for years. For example, some former Zantac users have learned there might be a connection between taking the medication and their cancer diagnoses, and people in this situation deserve to have a legal advocate who knows how to protect their rights. That advocate is Malman Law.

Steven Malman founded Malman Law to stand up for people who are injured through no fault of their own. Since 1994, the firm has become one of the leading authorities on personal injury cases in the Chicago area. The legal team takes on a wide range of personal injury cases, including car accidents, premises liability, product liability, nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, construction accidents, and worker’s compensation.

When researchers began connecting Zantac to cancer diagnoses, Malman Law knew they had to help. Taking on large pharmaceutical companies is never an easy task, but the team has the experience and resources to do so. The firm has since become the top legal representatives for Zantac lawsuits, which now make up some of the law firm’s most significant cases.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggested a withdrawal of all over-the-counter and prescription forms of Zantac and its generic counterpart ranitidine from the consumer market on April 1, 2020. This came after studies revealed that ranitidine products might have unhealthy levels of NDMA, a known probable carcinogen that can lead to the development of cancer in users.

While former Zantac users facing cancer diagnoses have a long road to financial and legal recovery, they can have peace of mind knowing that Malman Law is on their side. The legal team is committed to holding manufacturers of medication and other products accountable for all of the harm caused to unknowing consumers. They are representing cancer patients and seeking compensation for past and future medical bills, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and more. If someone died from cancer and their diagnosis might be connected to Zantac, Malman Law is ready to help families seek justice and compensation for wrongful death.

Steven Malman has lived and cared for the Chicago area his entire life, and he has dedicated his life’s work to standing up for people in the area who suffer harm due to the negligence of others. His experience has taught him and his team how to empathize with the situation of injured individuals and protect their rights at all costs.

The lawyers of Malman Law have seen firsthand how devastating the effects of an unexpected injury can be. They know that negligent individuals and corporations should be held fully accountable for all of the losses that they cause, whether it is from a traffic crash or selling medication with potentially harmful side effects.

With 25 years of experience representing people throughout the Windy City, Malman Law knows the personal attention and commitment needed to represent clients in the best manner possible. As the leader of the firm, Steven Malman ensures he has a personal touch on every case the team takes on. The attorneys have helped more than 25,000 people who suffered injuries in the Chicago and greater Illinois area, and they will continue to do so.

Anyone seeking a personal injury attorney should consider the experience, resources, and philosophy of the law firm. People often find this combination at Malman Law. The firm offers services regarding all types of personal injury cases in both English and Spanish. The fee system ensures that every single injured person can afford an attorney, as they do not receive any payment unless clients recover for their losses. The firm’s success depends on the success of its clients.

No case is too small or large for Malman Law. Whether someone slipped and fell in a grocery store or wants to take on big pharma, the lawyers are ready to help. They will always fight for maximum compensation that each client deserves. If insurance companies refuse to offer fair settlements, the experienced litigators are ready to file an injury lawsuit and represent the client’s rights in court.

In addition to helping injured clients, Malman Law is also committed to helping the community. The firm participates in many events, including A Night at the Museum, Sista Strut Breast Cancer Walk, Taste for the Homeless, Fiesta Del Sol Driver’s License Expo, and Diversity Scholarship Foundation.

If anyone needs help after an injury, they can trust Malman Law to take their case seriously and fight for their rights. Injured individuals can contact the firm directly.

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After taking the year off for obvious and heartbreaking reasons, Lollapalooza has been approved to return to Grant Park this summer, according to an exclusive report by Variety.

The music festival, which attracts roughly 100,000 suburban high schoolers in basketball jerseys, has been earmarked for the weekend of July 29th to August 1st and rumors have it that the festival will be allowed to come back at “near-to or full capacity.” Two weeks ago I couldn’t sit at Fireplace Inn with more than six people and now we’re ready to bring back the biggest music fest in the midwest in less than three months? I’m not mad about it, but OK.

The Lollapalooza announcement comes on the heels of a few other Chicago summer staples also launching plans to return in Summer 2021. Chicago favorites such as Old Town Art Fair, Pride in the Park, Windy City Smokeout, The Chicago Auto Show, Hyde Park Jazz Fest, Printers Row Lit Fest, Market Days, Chinatown Summer Fair, and Southport Art Fair have all announced return dates, including capacity limits and augmentations to the festival experience.

Pitchfork Music Festival, which is regularly held in Union Park, is tentatively planned to come back September 10th through the 12th, per the Tribune. In addition, per Block Club Chicago, The Chicago Park District has placed and administrative reservation on Grant Park from July 14th through August 6th, aligning that with rumored festival dates and the two weeks needed to set up the festival.

The city has slowly started opening up. It seems that week by week we inch closer and closer to full normalcy. Just this week the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox announced they would be opening home games up to 60 percent capacity and the Cubs would experiment with a program that allowed fully vaccinated individuals to sit in the centerfield bleachers with no distancing limitations.

Of course now that the festival itself has been approved, a lineup is needed. And with that, speculation and rumor loves to run rampant. Organizers have hinted that a lineup could drop by the end of the month, but what fun is waiting. We at UrbanMatter are beyond excited to see Drake coincide his much anticipated release of Certified Lover Boy with Lollapalooza. Too much? Probably. But hey, that’s the game we’re in.

For more information, releases, and rumors, check back to this article for updates as they come through.

There it is, Chicago. It’s officially official. From the mouth of your mayor herself. Lollapalooza had been set for the weekend of July 29th and after much deliberation between city official and the public health department, it’s a full go. Now comes the fun part of rumoring headliners and the various acts that will converge on Grant Park for the one thing that’s most synonymous with Summertime Chicago.

One band we do know will be there is the Foo Fighter. Dave Grohl said in the video, “What’s up Chicago? I’ll see you this summer with my good friends the Foo Fighters.” At least we know the mid-90s will be well represented. The festival announced that the full lineup will be released sometime Wednesday.

It’s happening. @Lollapalooza returns.

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In alignment with our public health guidance, the world class festival returns to the city later this summer. However, full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test will be required to enjoy the festivities.

Get vaxxed. #OpenChicago pic.twitter.com/yQCSyYJQiz

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— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 18, 2021

“Here in Chicago, the word ‘Lollapalooza’ has always been synonymous with summer, great music and four days of unforgettable fun — which made last year’s decision to postpone it all the more difficult,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “Now, less than a year later and armed with a vaccine that is safe, effective and widely available, we are able to bring back one of our city’s most iconic summer music festivals.”

We’ll be back later today when the full lineup drops!

Featured Image Credit: Wikipedia

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Chicago Bears: Jalen Ramsey already providing bulletin board material by Ryan Heckman

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Chicago Bulls (Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)

While the majority of the league is involved in the NBA playoffs in some fashion, the Chicago Bulls fell just short of making the play-in tournament. As they sit back and watch their fellow Eastern Conference squads battle it out, one particular player likely can’t help but wonder: what if?

What if Zach LaVine wasn’t forced to miss a couple of weeks due to health and safety protocol? Had LaVine not tested positive for coronavirus, he would not have missed 11 games.

If LaVine played in all 11 of those games, chances are the Bulls would be involved in the playoffs in some fashion — and this entire conversation we’re about to have would be even easier.

Since the Bulls missed the postseason, LaVine and his teammates got their chance to hold an end-of-season press conference much sooner than they would have liked. During LaVine’s time with the media, he didn’t beat around the bush when it came to an important topic.

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine was asked about a potential max contract extension.

When the topic of a maximum contract extension came up, LaVine did acknowledge that he typically allows all of that to take care of itself — hinting that his agent would handle the details.

However, LaVine did offer one specific, pointed answer during his response, stating: “I definitely want what I deserve.”

That type of statement should send a clear message to Vice President Arturas Karnisovas and his general manager, Marc Eversley. LaVine wants to stick around Chicago, but he also wants a max deal.

After the Bulls getting what now looks like the ultimate bargain back in 2018, LaVine is after a much bigger paycheck. Does he deserve a max contract? In short: yes. But, there are three key reasons why the Bulls have to pay the man.

Next: 1. Leadership, Culture

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