Bortles is a free agent whose career includes four seasons working under offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett when both were in Jacksonville.

GREEN BAY — Regardless of whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers resolves his beef with the organization, the Green Bay Packers are in the market for at least two quarterbacks to help them get through the offseason and training camp.

One of those is expected to be a veteran who could start if necessary.

A person familiar with the situation told the USA TODAY Network that the Packers were expected to bring Blake Bortles to town Wednesday or Thursday to meet with him and that a deal seemed likely. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal was not yet finalized. It’s not known if the Packers have interest in any other veterans, but they could sign Bortles on the spot and get him ready to take part in upcoming on-field organized team activities (OTAs).

ESPN reported that Bortles was set to sign a one-year deal.

Bortles is a free agent whose career includes four seasons working under offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett when both were in Jacksonville.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said after the draft that even if Rodgers were taking part in offseason workouts, coach Matt LaFleur would need one more quarterback on the roster and possibly two. In addition to a veteran, the Packers will probably bring in an undrafted free agent or young street free agent to fill out the position.

“We’ll add a third arm or maybe a fourth arm as we go through this,” Gutekunst said after the final rounds of the draft. “We’ve kind of had some conversations before the draft with some veterans and then there’s some rookie guys we’re looking at as well.

“So, we would never go into camp with two or at least have three men, possibly four.”

Since 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love has been the only quarterback attending the virtual meetings that constitute the four-week Phase One part of the voluntary off-season program, which ends this week. Phase Two begins next week with limited on-field work at the Packers’ facility and expands to full OTA practices on May 24.

Signing Bortles now would allow him to get up to speed with the offense and be ready to take snaps when the OTAs begin whether Rodgers is there or not.

Bortles, 29, has started 73 games, all during his five-year stint with the Jaguars starting in 2014 when he was the No. 3 pick in the draft.

The Jaguars released him in March 2019 and he spent a year with the Los Angeles Rams, appearing in three games and attempting two passes. He signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos in ’20, was released in October and then re-signed to the Broncos’ practice squad, where he stayed until the Los Angeles Rams signed him to their active roster Dec. 28 after starter Jared Goff injured his thumb.

The 6-5, 236-pound Bortles was the backup quarterback for the Rams behind Goff when the Packers beat them in the divisional round of the playoffs at Lambeau Field.

When Hackett was offensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Bortles played some of his best football, including the 2017 season when he completed 60.2% of his passes, threw for 3,687 yards and 21 touchdowns and was intercepted 13 times (84.7 rating).

The Jaguars went 10-6 and made it to the AFC championship game.

Over his five seasons in Jacksonville, however, Bortles was a huge disappointment. He went 11-34 on his first three seasons and threw nearly as many interceptions (51) as touchdowns (69). He finished his time in Jacksonville with 103 touchdowns, 75 interceptions and an 80.6 rating.

Read more at usatoday.com

Read More

Bryant was removed from the game in the seventh inning after taking a 95 mph fastball off his left wrist.

CLEVELAND – Third baseman Kris Bryant was removed in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Indians after being hit on the left wrist.

Bryant didn’t start the game as he was recovering from an illness, but with the game tied in the seventh, manager David Ross turned to Bryant for an at-bat late in the game.

On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Bryant was drilled in the left wrist/forearm by a 95 mph fastball from Cleveland reliever Cal Quantrill. After taking a long walk down the first-base line and talking with head athletic trainer PJ Mainville, Bryant left the game.

“I think it’s just a contusion,” Ross said. “We were pinch-running for him either way. He’s felt pretty crappy. So we were running for him no matter what.”

Bryant was removed in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game after dealing with congestion/breathing issues throughout the game. The Cubs’ third baseman has been arguably the best hitter in baseball this season, slashing .308/.400/.650 with nine home runs and an MLB-leading 23 extra-base hits this season.

“He’s just super under the weather,” Ross said before the game. “He didn’t sleep much last night. Just not feeling good.”

Happ and Hoerner on the mend, Arrieta to start Friday

After putting several players on the 10-day injured list over the last week, the Cubs are one the verge of getting a few of those players back. Infielder Nico Hoerner has been increasing his baseball activities for the last week and recently started taking batting practice. Hoerner could be ready to come off the IL as soon as Friday.

Hoerner injured his left forearm in a collision with center fielder Ian Happ going for a fly ball on May 2. The 23-year-old infielder is slashing .389/.500/.556 with six doubles and three stolen bases this season.

Happ has also started to ramp up his workload over the last few days. The Cubs’ center fielder and lead-off man isn’t as far along as Happ, but continues after suffering a left rib bruise in the collision with Hoerner.

“Nico did not hit on the field yesterday, [Happ] did,” Ross said. “Nico was supposed to have his own session this morning out there to hit a little bit. I’ll get some feedback from that. He took a ton of ground balls and ran bases yesterday, everything seems to be progressing well for Nico.

“[Ian] still just probably a tick behind. Each day [he] improves pretty significantly. So the more he’s able to do, the better just to stay active.”

Starter Jake Arrieta is on track to make his return to the mound after suffering a cut on his right thumb. Arrieta threw a bullpen before Wednesday’s series finale and will start against the Tigers in Friday’s series opener.

Read More

Pederson had another big day at the plate, going 3-for-5 in the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday.

CLEVELAND – Like many Cubs’ players the month of April was not kind to outfielder Joc Pederson, but it looks like he’s starting to heat things up.

Pederson was the hottest hitter on the planet coming out of spring training as he hit a league-leading eight homers. But when the team headed to Chicago to start the season, he quickly fell on hard times.

Things had begun to spiral for the Cubs’ outfielder, hitting .137 (7-for-51) with one homer in 16 games before left wrist inflammation landed him on the 10-day injured list. But after a quick stint on the IL, Pederson has gotten locked in.

“Baseball is a strange game and sometimes it speeds up on you pretty quickly,” Pederson said after Wednesday’s 2-1 loss. “Unfortunately, I was on the IL, but you just have to make the best of a situation and get your mind back locked in so that you’re ready to go out there, compete and help the team win.

Pederson is having a monster month of May and continued his hot hitting in the Cubs’ 2-1 loss in 10 innings to the Indians with three more hits on Wednesday, going 5-for-10 in the two-game set.

The improved offense by Pederson has come at the right time as the Cubs have been hit by several injuries to position players over the last two weeks. The 29-year-old outfielder is hitting .444 (12-for-27) since returning from the IL on May 4.

Pederson looked like a shell of himself during April, but has looked like the player who was raking when the team left Arizona at the end of March.

“I was able to take a break mentally from that [stretch],” Pederson said. “Kind of been doing the same thing in the cage. Sometimes you put good swings on it, sometimes you don’t. You just keep it moving and stay positive.”

Manager David Ross had spoken all spring and during the early portion of the season about how he would give Pederson every opportunity to succeed, including against left-handed pitching, which has historically given Pederson problems.

“I think his timing. His timing is in sync, he’s using all fields,”Ross said. “I really thought he was pulling his hands in well when they’re trying to pitch him in. He’s stayed on some lefties and taken some balls up the middle, the other way.

“There’s been a whole field approach not trying to do too much. Touch the baseball when he has two strikes on him and he’s swinging for power when he’s in hitter’s counts.

Pederson’s offensive resurgence has mirrored an improved offensive stretch as a team. The Cubs didn’t have much to celebrate offensively, going 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position in the two games in Cleveland, but also collected 20 hits in the series. They’re hitting .260 as a club over their last 14 games, which ranks third in MLB over that stretch.

While the injuries will never be a team’s excuse, it is the Cubs’ reality that they’ve been without much of their lineup this month and have still found some offensive footing. When the likes of Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ and Jake Marisnick are healthy, things could really begin to turn.

“We’re banged up, but the grit, determination, fight and how these guys approached really good pitching while short-handed, I’ve been impressed with, to be honest with you,” Ross said “I would definitely say, I like where we’re at.”

“We’re close,” Pederson said. “Things are coming. The pitching has been great. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Read More

Days before Illinois enters the “bridge” phase of his reopening plan, Gov. J.B. Pritzker encouraged the state’s residents and tourists to get out and drive this summer with the Wednesday launch of a tourism campaign focused on seeing “all of Illinois.”

“After an incredibly difficult year in which the pandemic kept us all close to home and staying apart, life-saving vaccines are bringing us back to life and heading toward a summer of fun and venturing out,” Pritzker said at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

“I’m proud to launch the ‘Time for Me to Drive Campaign,’ inviting people to see all of Illinois, showing off adventures of all kinds — historic sites and winery tours, state parks and rock climbing, hiking and zip lining, hundreds of craft breweries and thousands of excellent restaurants across the entire state,” Pritzker said.

The campaign highlights the “fun and beauty” of the state’s diverse communities, as well as its natural assets and man-made ones, through a $6 million media campaign sound tracked by a play on Downstate Champaign band REO Speedwagon’s “Time for Me to Fly.”

“If you want to see the sights, if you want to change your scenery, if you want to travel safely, come to Illinois,” Pritzker said.

Blue Room Stream

Those interested in seeing what the state has to offer can go to enjoyillinois.com for trip ideas and proposed itineraries for visits that range from romantic getaways to Galena in northwestern Illinois to a dose of nature in DuPage County.

The ad campaign is marketed toward state residents and those in border states. The ad will appear in seven states and 18 markets, Sylvia Garcia, the acting director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said, adding that the campaign is part of the state’s “ongoing work toward a strong recovery for the tourism industry over the long term.”

The push to see Illinois’ sites comes as recent surveys show about half of Americans plan to travel this summer — half of that number plan to do so via car, the governor said.

Pointing to coronavirus case numbers trending in a more positive direction, Pritzker said nearly a week ago that he’d ease more COVID-19 business restrictions across the state starting this Friday. Barring another surge of infections, or a downturn in other reopening metrics, he’ll let the state fully reopen June 11.

Entering the “bridge” stage, which is a 28-day period between Phases 4 and 5 of his original reopening plan, means museums, amusement parks and zoos will be able to increase capacity from 25% to 60%, while festivals and other general admission outdoor events will be able to seat 30 people per 1,000 square feet.

Meetings, conferences and conventions will also see their capacity limit increase to either 1,000 people or 60% — whichever is less — with the same applying to theaters and performing arts venues.

Read More

Chicago Bears Schedule Release: Primetime against Pittsburgh Steelers for Week 9 by Jordan Campbell

Next1 of 3Prev post

Use your (arrows) to browse

Chicago Cubs (Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

A couple of tough losses for the Chicago Cubs against the Cleveland Indians. Here were five takeaways from the two-game set.

The Chicago Cubs came away with no wins in their two-game series with the Cleveland Indians in what was generally a matchup of good pitching from both the starters and relievers, to go along with timely hitting. The Cubs have played a lot of tight ballgames lately, losing by a final score of 3-2 on Tuesday and winning on Wednesday 2-1.

In fact, if you look back at the Cubs’ last ten games, nine of their last ten games have been decided by one run.

Jason Heyward noted over the weekend the importance for the Cubs to learn how to win these tight ballgames.

“I think it’s very big,” Heyward said after Saturday’s win over the Pirates. “They’re not easy games to win. It’s nice to be able to pull those victories out, and gain some trust, whether it’s the pitching staff or the offense. I think it’s good to have that experience, and it’s good to gel that way.”

Here were my five takeaways from the Cubs’ two-game set against the Indians.

1. Cubs had Shane Bieber on the ropes and let him off

Against one of the game’s best pitchers, the Chicago Cubs looked like they were going to make Shane Bieber‘s outing on Tuesday night a short one. After Anthony Rizzo led the inning off with a double, Willson Contreras hit a slow chopper up in the middle and into centerfield, plating the Cubs first baseman.

As a side note, it was good to see Contreras get a base knock, as the Cubs catcher went 1-for-17 on the homestand.

The visitors proceeded to load the bases with the potential to really open the floodgates. Instead, Ildemaro Vargas struck out, and Eric Sogard bounced into an inning-ending double play. Speaking of Sogard, he would plate the Cubs’ only other run of the game, a towering home run in the fifth inning.

Next: Takeaways 2 & 3

Next1 of 3Prev post

Use your (arrows) to browse

Read More

Chicago Cubs: Five key takeaways from series with Indians by Ryan Sikes

Ahead of the NFL released their full 2021 NFL Regular Season schedule on Wednesday night, the full regular season scheduled for the Chicago Bears has leaked for the 2021 season. Danny Parkins of 670 The Score has been all over the leaks for the Bears’ 2021 regular seasons and was the first to leak the full slate of games for the Bears.

Full #Bears Schedule:

Wk 1: @ Rams SNF
Wk 2: Cincy
Wk 3: @ Cleveland
Wk 4: Detroit
Wk 5: @ Raiders (Vegas!)
Wk 6: GB
Wk 7: @ TB
Wk 8: San Fran
Wk 9: @ Pitt MNF
WK 10: BYE
WK 11: Baltimore
WK 12: @ DET
WK 13: Arz
WK 14: @ GB SNF
WK 15: Min MNF
WK 16: @ Sea
WK 17: NYG
WK 18: @ Min

— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) May 12, 2021

The biggest takeaway from the full 2021 regular season schedule for the Bears is that the team has a total of five primetime games. The amount of primetime games that the Bears have in 2021 is an indicator that the NFL fully believes that Justin Fields will be the Bears’ starting quarterback by at least midway through the season.

One game that Fields may have circled on his calendar is the Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers. During the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers overlooked Fields in favor of North Dakota State product Trey Lance. Fields could be looking to give the 49ers’ the Patrick Mahomes treatment from when the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback taunted the Bears during a game after throwing a touchdown pass.

This schedule for the Chicago Bears makes it feasible that Justin Fields could be the Week 1 starter.

For as much nonsensical talk that there has been regarding the idea that the Bears need to hide Fields during the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. It’s worth noting that the next five games after Week 1 are against mediocre defenses at best. Furthering the logical idea that there is no reason for Fields to not be the Bears’ starting quarterback at the start of the season.

The encouraging sign is that there is no gauntlet stretch of games for the Bears during the 2021 regular season. The Bears’ strength of schedule heading into the 2021 NFL Regular Season schedule was among the worst but the “tough games” are spread out throughout the season as opposed to in a consecutive stretch. That makes it much more likely for the Bears to avoid a six-game losing streak like the one they had during the 2020 NFL Regular Season.

In regards to the Bye Week, it could not be at a better time for the Bears. The Bears’ bye week during the 2021 regular season is in Week 10 and that is about as close to the halfway point of the regular season that a team can get. With a team that has aging veterans on defense in the form of Akiem Hicks and Danny Trevathan, a bye week halfway through the season is the perfect time to recharge the batteries for a run during the second half of the season.

Hot: The Chicago Bears schedule has one great NFC North primetime game

What are your thoughts on the full 2021 NFL Regular Season scheduled for the Chicago Bears? Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts.

Read More

The attorney said there is no reason to believe the three men were handling or “knowingly using explosive devices.”

A lawyer hired by the family of three men killed in an explosion near Starved Rock State Park raised questions Wednesday about their deaths, saying “there is no reason to believe” they were “knowingly using explosive devices.”

Attorney Tara R. Devine raised the possibility that the deaths of brothers Inmer Rivera Tejada, 39, and Rafael Rivera Tejada, 36, and their nephew Guillermo Rivera Tejada, 26, were connected to nearby demolition work for a bridge project.

The three men were found last Thursday about 100 yards west of the Route 178 bridge in Utica.

“We will be hiring some of the best experts in the country to assist us in our investigation and hopefully bring peace of mind to Inmer, Rafael and Guillermo’s family,” Devine said in a statement.

All three victims were from the Chicago area.

LaSalle County Coroner Rich Ploch told the Sun-Times last week that the men may have been fishing along the Illinois River and ignited black powder while trying to light a fire to cook food.

Autopsy results will likely take a few weeks as Illinois State Police continue to investigate the explosion.

State police have not provided any update on the investigation.

Read More

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

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be sunny with a high near 61 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 42 degrees. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 67.

Top story

Police reform advocates want to stop apparent Lightfoot nominee for top COPA job

Police reform advocates are mobilizing behind the scenes to stop Mayor Lori Lightfoot from appointing the chief operating officer of the Public Building Commission to run Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Lori Lypson’s only experience in investigating police wrongdoing was more than 20 years ago when she spent a year as supervising investigator for the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards.

The chief administrator of OPS at that time? Lori Lightfoot.

Lightfoot and Lypson teamed up again in May 2005 at the city’s Department of Procurement Services.

At the time, Lightfoot and longtime friend Mary Dempsey were sent into Procurement Services by Mayor Richard M. Daley to clean up the mess after the Hired Truck and minority contracting scandals.

Read the full story from Fran Spielman and Frank Main here.

More news you need

1. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s health team is pumping $225 million into a rapid COVID-19 testing program for students returning to middle and high schools statewide this fall. The covidSHIELD saliva testing system will help ensure a more normal looking school year for younger kids, officials say.
2. If students plan to return to Northwestern University’s campus in the fall, they’ll need to be vaccinated, according to an email sent to students today. Northwestern joins a growing list of Chicago-based colleges requiring their students be vaccinated.
3. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is poised to be named President Joe Biden’s U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Read Lynn Sweet’s rundown of what you need to know about the expected nomination.
4. A Chicago real estate agent who lost her job with @properties because of her ties to the U.S. Capitol riot in January is suing over an MSNBC report in which she claims the network wrongly told viewers she had been criminally charged, court records show. The lawsuit claims Libby Andrews “had no notoriety of any kind” prior to a Jan. 10 broadcast, though her name appeared in multiple news reports after her firing.
5. Taverns across the state would be able to reward patrons who can prove they got a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine with a free beer — or other alcoholic beverage — under a bill introduced by state Rep. Mike Zalewski. The bill would limit the promotions to one free alcoholic beverage.

A bright one

Raised bike lanes to be installed in Chicago to better protect cyclists

If Copenhagen can install raised bike lanes to prevent motorists from invading space reserved for cyclists, why can’t Chicago try it?

Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi asked essentially that question during a virtual address to the Rotary Club of Chicago yesterday, then answered it in a way that delighted her fellow cyclists.

Biagi noted Chicago’s cycling plan is “a decade old.” It’s high-time to “update the technology, think differently about it and get some of those measures and policies in place where we can do the carrot and the stick at the same time,” she said.

Wikimedia Commons

“Our curb management planning will be taking on these issues. Whether it’s enforcement. Whether it’s some street design that we can do. How do we set the conditions so we’re actually creating places where pick-ups and drop-offs — there’s a way that it’s less of an impediment,” the commissioner said.

“We’re also experimenting with raised bike lanes, by the way. You see those in Copenhagen, one of my favorite cities to cycle around,” Biagi said.

“We’re not Copenhagen,” she added, but the city is exploring ways to “embed into the infrastructure” bike lanes that keep cars out. It also makes enforcement easier: “It’s very clear: I don’t have to be here to ticket you. You can’t even use this space.”

Read Fran Spielman’s full story here.

From the press box

The Bears’ full 2021 regular-season schedule won’t be unveiled until tonight, but our reporters have been tracking early details coming out about the games. The team will have at least three matchups on national TV, including the Sept. 12 season opener against the Rams on “Sunday Night Football.”

The Bears getting primetime treatment for Week 1 has fueled speculation that the team could be pressured to turn to Justin Fields sooner than later. “I think we’ll all know when it’s Justin’s time to go win a football game,” QB coach John DeFilippo said today.

And after Blackhawks star Patrick Kane spent the 2020-21 season battling an undisclosed injury, he’s hoping to spend the summer getting back to 100% for the fall.

Your daily question ☕

As the weather slowly warms up, some swimmers are already taking to Lake Michigan. When is the lake warm enough for you to swim?

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

Yesterday it was National Eat What You Want Day, so we asked you: What are you having for dinner tonight? Here’s some of what you said…

“New York strip steak, broccoli, baked potato, and fresh green salad.” — Thomas Gregory Ray

“Mixed vegetables, broccoli, orange, yellow peppers, garlic, thin slice of lemon, ginger thin slices, and shrimp stir-fried. And on the side, white rice, soy sauce and fish sauce with cayenne pepper!” — Ivan Ruíz

“Filet mignon, baked potato, sautéed mushrooms, corn, and garlic bread!” — Judy Fish Freshley

“Six Pack Of Beer And A Package Of Oreos!” — Leroy Altman

“I just had cereal for lunch, breakfast was a scotch egg and dinner will probably be pizza, considering I’m making the dough for it right now.” — Leslie Kollene Warren

“I don’t care, what do you want?”— Judd Fox

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

Read More

His store drew legions of jazz and blues fans from around the world. His devotion to the music boosted the genres alive and helped make recordings accessible.

Bob Koester, longtime owner of Chicago’s legendary Jazz Record Mart and founder of the Delmark record label, died Wednesday at 88.

His store drew legions of jazz and blues fans from around the world. His devotion to the music boosted the genres alive and helped make recordings accessible.

Bruce Iglauer, founder of Chicago’s Alligator Records label, has called Mr. Koester “the spiritual godfather of a whole generation of entrepreneurs who put the music ahead of the money.

“Bob deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the popularity of blues in America today, much more credit than he’s ever been given,” Iglauer told the Chicago Sun-Times in 1993. “Without Bob, not only would Alligator not have happened but Living Blues magazine wouldn’t have happened because a bunch of us who hung out at the Record Mart started that. Probably Flying Fish” — another Chicago record label — “wouldn’t have happened because [founder] Bruce Kaplan was part of that crowd, too.”

“He was a one-of-a-kind guy,” his friend John Holden said. “He probably brought more to the Chicago music scene than any other individual in the last 50 years.”

Mr. Koester, who previously had had a stroke, was in hospice care, according to a relative who confirmed his death.

Mr. Koester ran the Jazz Record Mart for decades at various downtown locations, calling it the “World’s Largest Jazz and Blues Specialty Store.” He said high rent contributed to his decision to close in 2016, when the store was at 29 W. Illinois St.

The same year, he opened Bob’s Blues & Jazz Mart at 3419 W. Irving Park Rd., which hosted live concerts and an 87th birthday celebration for him last year.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Mr. Koester sold records from his dorm room before dropping out of St. Louis University. He and a partner started the Blue Note record shop in that city in 1952, “and we stole the Blue Note label logo for our sign,” he once told the Sun-Times.

A year after opening that record store, he founded Delmark, which grew into a significant label that recorded stars including Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Big Joe Williams. It also reissued work by artists including Dinah Washington.

“I felt that, if I was going to operate a jazz store, I would do it from the ground floor and do it from a major market,” he said in the Sun-Times interview. “I decided, if I’m going to deal with discounting, I’d better go to Chicago. I moved here in August 1958.”

The following year, he bought Seymour’s Jazz Record Mart at 439 S. Wabash Ave. Over the years, he operated at different locations before reopening on Irving Park Road. He sold Delmark in 2018.

He knew plenty of jazz greats but also a few rock legends. Friends said Mr. Koester told them he was responsible for the name of Iggy Pop’s band, the Stooges. According to the story, Pop had been staying with him when Mr. Koester woke up one night and heard him and his musician buddies playing loud music and bouncing off the furniture in his home. As The New York Times later wrotet, he threw them out, shouting, “ ‘You guys are a bunch of stooges.’ ”

He acknowledged he could be irascible at times. He’d sometimes admonish customers to close the store’s front door so the heat wouldn’t escape.

A fan of classic Hollywood movies, he’d invite friends to his home for screenings from his extensive film collection.

“I wanted to be a movie cameraman, but I got seduced by the music,” he told the Sun-Times.

And though he was a member of the Blues Hall of Fame, he remained self-effacing.

Holden said he would explain his legacy by saying: “I recognized good talent when I heard it.”

Read More

Chicago police say a man fired into a crowd in the 3100 block of West Madison, Chicago police said.

A man was shot and killed after leaving a funeral service Wednesday afternoon in East Garfield Park, according to Chicago police.

A group of people had gotten into an argument in the 3100 block of West Madison and one of them fired into the crowd leaving the service about 12:05 p.m., Chicago police said.

A 29-year-old man was shot and pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

The men fled into a nearby alley and left in a car, police said.

No one was in custody.

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

Read More