Stanford edges Arizona to win women’s NCAA titleon April 5, 2021 at 1:04 am

SAN ANTONIO — Tara VanDerveer hugged each of her Stanford players as they climbed the ladder to cut down a piece of the net.

It took 29 years, but VanDerveer and the Cardinal are NCAA women’s basketball champions again.

Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford beat Arizona 54-53, giving the Cardinal and their Hall of Fame coach their first national championship in 29 years on Sunday night.

“Getting through all the things we got through, we’re excited to win the COVID championship,” VanDerveer said. “The other one was not quite as close, the last one. But we’re really excited. No one knows the score, no one knows who scored, it’s a national championship and I’m really excited to represent Stanford. It’s a great team. We did not play a great game today, however. But if we can win, not playing as well as we need to, I’m excited.”

It wasn’t a masterpiece by any stretch with both teams struggling to score and missing easy layups and shots, but Stanford did just enough to pull off the win.

Stanford (31-2) built a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter before Arizona (21-6) cut it to 51-50 on star guard Aari McDonald’s 3-pointer.

After a timeout, Jones answered with a three-point play with 2:24 left. That would be Stanford’s last basket of the game. McDonald got the Wildcats with 54-53 with 36.6 seconds left converting three of four free throws.

“I just owe it all to my teammates, they have confidence in me when I don’t have confidence in myself,” said Jones, who was honored as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “I saw they needed me to come up big and I did.”

The Cardinal, after another timeout couldn’t even get a shot off, giving Arizona one last chance with 6.1 seconds left, but McDonald’s contested shot from the top of the key at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

“I got denied hard. I tried to turn the corner, they sent three at me. I took a tough, contested shot and it didn’t fall,” said McDonald, who fell near midcourt, slumped in disbelief while the Cardinal celebrated.

It’s been quite a journey for VanDerveer and the Cardinal this season. The team was forced on the road for nearly 10 weeks because of the coronavirus, spending 86 days in hotels during this nomadic season.

The team didn’t complain and went about their business and now have another NCAA championship. Along the way the Hall of Fame coach earned her 1,099th career victory to pass Pat Summitt for the most all time in women’s basketball history.

Now the 67-year-old coach has a third national title to go along with the ones she won in 1990 and 1992. That moved her into a tie with Baylor’s Kim Mulkey for third most all time behind Geno Auriemma and Summitt.

VanDerveer had many great teams between titles, including the ones led by Candice Wiggins and the Ogwumike sisters — Nneka and Chiney, but the Cardinal just couldn’t end their season with that elusive win in the title game until Sunday night.

It was the first women’s basketball championship for the Pac-12 since VanDerveer and Stanford won the title in 1992. The last time a team from the conference was in the title game was 2010 when the Cardinal lost to UConn. That game was also played in the Alamodome — the site of every game in this tournament from the Sweet 16 through Sunday’s championship game.

The entire NCAA Tournament was played in the San Antonio area because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Stanford had history on its side, Arizona has been building under coach Adia Barnes, who was the fourth Black woman to lead her team to the championship game, joining Carolyn Peck, Dawn Staley and C. Vivian Stringer. Peck and Staley won titles.

Barnes starred for the Wildcats as a player in the late 90s and came back to her alma mater five years ago. She guided the team to the WNIT title in 2019 and led them to their first NCAA title game ever. This was the team’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2005 — although the Wildcats would have made the NCAAs last season had it not been canceled by the coronavirus.

The Wildcats started the season No. 7 in the poll and moved up to as high as sixth — the best ranking ever in school history –for a few weeks.

McDonald, who followed her coach from Washington as a transfer, has been a huge reason for the team’s success. The 5-foot-6 guard, who is lightning quick, is one of the rare two-way players in the game who can make an impact on both ends of the court.

She struggled against the Cardinal, finishing with 22 points while going 5-for-20 from the field.

McDonald got the Wildcats on the board hitting a 3-pointer, but then Stanford scored the next 12 points. The Cardinal led 16-8 after one quarter.

Arizona got going in the second quarter and took a 21-20 lead before Stanford scored 11 straight points, highlighted by Lexie Hull’s four-point play. The Cardinal led 31-24 at the half. McDonald missed nine of her 11 shots in the first half.

The Wildcats were trying to be only the fourth team to trail by double digits and win a championship.

These teams met twice during the regular season and Stanford rolled past Arizona both times, winning by double digits in each game.

Stanford edges Arizona to win women’s NCAA titleon April 5, 2021 at 1:04 am Read More »

Man, 18, stole Cook County judge’s vehicle during 3-day ‘crime spree,’ prosecutors sayon April 5, 2021 at 1:46 am

An 18-year-old man was ordered held without bail Sunday after prosecutors alleged he carried out a brazen three-day “crime spree” last month that included stealing a Cook County judge’s vehicle.

Antonio Butler was arrested Friday and charged with felony counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking, armed robbery with a firearm and receiving or possessing a stolen motor vehicle. During Butler’s initial court hearing Sunday, prosecutors noted that some of his alleged crimes remained under investigation, leaving the door open for additional charges.

The alleged crime spree started March 25, when Butler allegedly stole an Audi A4 that was later used in an armed robbery early the following morning in the 3700 block of West 16^th Street.

Officers responded to the scene of the robbery but the Audi was able to get away, according to Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy. Murphy said the Audi was then used that day in a pair of thefts at gas stations, a carjacking and an armed robbery, among other alleged crimes.

The following morning, officers responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle in the 3300 block of West 19^th Street and found Butler sleeping in the Audi, Murphy said. When Butler disobeyed the officers’ commands, they broke out the car’s windows. Butler then allegedly took off, crashing into two marked Chicago police vehicles during his escape.

Butler later posted a livestream to Facebook that showed him smoking marijuana with a gun in his lap as he bragged about losing the cops, Murphy said. In the video, the Audi’s windows were clearly smashed.

Just before noon on March 27, Butler allegedly used the Audi to pull up alongside the judge’s vehicle at a gas station, Murphy said. He then crouched down, got into the judge’s vehicle and took off, leaving the Audi behind.

Last Friday, Butler was taken into custody after officers identified him as a suspect in the crime spree during a traffic stop. During the stop, the driver of the vehicle took off, striking two police cruisers and two other vehicles before he and Butler were apprehended.

Murphy noted that Butler had an extensive criminal history as a minor and was sentenced to over a year in the Juvenile Department of Corrections in a 2016 gun case. Butler’s public defender described his client as a high school senior and lifelong Chicago resident who works odd jobs.

Judge Susana Ortiz denied him bail and set his next court date for Friday.

Man, 18, stole Cook County judge’s vehicle during 3-day ‘crime spree,’ prosecutors sayon April 5, 2021 at 1:46 am Read More »

Naturally Detox Your Bodyon April 4, 2021 at 11:49 pm

Spiritual and Physical Wellness

Naturally Detox Your Body

Naturally Detox Your Bodyon April 4, 2021 at 11:49 pm Read More »

Coronavirus live blog, April 4, 2021: Illinois’ troubling upward trend in coronavirus numbers continues as health officials report 2,449 new cases statewideon April 4, 2021 at 9:59 pm

News

5:00 p.m. Illinois’ coronavirus positivity rate remains at a two-month high

Illinois’ coronavirus positivity rate remained at a two-month high Sunday, continuing a troubling upward trend that could lead officials to tighten restrictions on businesses once again.

State health officials reported 2,449 new and probable COVID-19 cases that were detected among 64,116 tests processed in the last day. That kept the state’s seven-day positivity rate for a second day at 3.8%, the highest it’s been since Feb. 2.

In March, that figure, which experts use to gauge how rapidly the virus is spreading, dropped to the lowest since summer. In fact, the state’s seven-day positivity rate remained below 3% for nearly six weeks, from Feb. 15 to March 27.

Over the last week, though, that figure has been on a gradual rise.

While the state’s overall positivity rate remains well below the peak levels seen last fall, suburban Cook County and Chicago’s test positivity rates have climbed steadily and are creeping toward the 8% benchmark that could result in a scaling back of recently expanded indoor business capacity limits.

The Chicagoland area’s databases aren’t updated on weekends. But as of Friday, both suburban Cook County and Chicago had a test positivity rate of 5%. For Chicago, that’s up more than a full percentage point from the previous week, when that figure checked in at 3.7% March 26.

Officials warned Saturday that tighter coronavirus restrictions could soon be in store for businesses in suburban Cook County if this upward trend continues.

“We may very well have to clamp down within a matter of days,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-lead and senior medical officer for the Cook County Department of Public Health, who partially blamed the uptick on COVID fatigue. “I’m not promising that one way or the other. We need to evaluate exactly what kinds of activities and movements do we think are really pushing this surge.”

Read the full story from Madeline Kenney here.

3:09 p.m. Christians celebrate second pandemic Easter, some with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

VATICAN CITY — Christianity’s most joyous feast day was celebrated worldwide with the faithful spaced apart in pews and singing choruses of “Hallelujah” through face coverings on a second Easter Sunday marked by pandemic precautions.

From vast Roman Catholic cathedrals to Protestant churches, worshippers followed regulations on the coronavirus. In some European countries, citizens lined up on Easter for their turn to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

In the Lombardy region of Italy, where the pandemic first erupted in the West, a hospital gave a traditional dove-shaped Easter cake symbolizing peace to each person waiting to get vaccinated. Many who came were in their 80s.

A soccer team in Lyon, France, opened its stadium as a vaccination center for the long holiday weekend. Some 9,000 people were expected to receive their shots there over three days as the French government tries to speed up vaccinations amid a fresh outbreak of infections.

In the Holy Land, travel restrictions and quarantine regulations prevented foreign pilgrims from flocking to religious sites in Jerusalem during Holy Week, which culminates in Easter celebrations. Pope Francis lamented that the pandemic has prevented some churchgoers from attending services.

At St. Peter’s Basilica, the 200 or so faithful allowed to attend looked lost in the cavernous cathedral. Normally, thousands would be at the Mass celebrated by Francis, and more than 100,00 would sometimes assemble outside in St. Peter’s Square to receive his Easter blessing afterward.

Read the full story here.

1:26 p.m. UK to test series of measures to determine if people can return to mass gatherings

LONDON — Britain is planning to test a series of measures including “coronavirus status certifications” over the coming weeks to see if they can allow people to safely return to mass gatherings at sports arenas, nightclubs and concerts.

People attending a range of events this month and in May, including a club night and key FA Cup soccer matches, will need to be tested both before and after. The trials will also gather evidence on how ventilation and different approaches to social distancing could enable large events to go ahead.

Officials are also developing plans to test out COVID-19 passports that are expected to show if a person has received a vaccine, has recently tested negative for the virus, or has some immunity due to having had coronavirus in the previous six months.

The issue of vaccine passports has been a hotly debated topic around the world, including in the United States and Israel. The question is how much governments, employers, venues and other places have a right to know about a person’s virus status. Many disagree over what the right balance is between a person’s right to medical privacy and the collective right of people in groups not to be infected with a dangerous disease by others.

Read the full story here.

9:05 a.m. From child care to COVID-19, rising job market faces obstacles

WASHINGTON — A surge in hiring in the United States last month — 916,000 added jobs, the most since August — coincides with growing confidence that a blistering pace of job growth will continue as vaccinations increase and federal aid fuels economic growth.

The most optimistic economists even predict that between now and year’s end, the nation could produce as many as 10 million more jobs and restore the labor market to its pre-pandemic level.

Maybe so. Yet even in normal times, it would be hard to regain all those jobs so quickly. And these aren’t normal times.

Many people who’ve been thrown out of the labor force remain fearful of the coronavirus and reluctant to take face-to-face service jobs. Millions of women are still caring for children attending school online — and can’t take jobs because they can’t find or afford child care.

Extended unemployment aid has meant that some employers might have to pay more to attract workers, which they may feel unable to do. And some people will need new skills before they can land a job to replace the one they lost.

While few doubt that the trillions in federal money flowing through the economy will help accelerate hiring, the challenges are sure to endure. Here’s a look at some of them:

Read more here.

New Cases & Vaccination Numbers

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,839 new cases of the deadly respiratory disease were diagnosed across the state.
The state reported 13 more COVID-19 deaths, including that of a Cook County woman in her 40s.
Illinois’ pandemic death toll is up to 21,361, among almost 1.3 million who have tested positive over the past year.
Public health officials announced Friday that more than 6 million COVID-19 vaccinations have now gone into Illinois arms.

Coronavirus live blog, April 4, 2021: Illinois’ troubling upward trend in coronavirus numbers continues as health officials report 2,449 new cases statewideon April 4, 2021 at 9:59 pm Read More »

Family of 13-year-old fatally shot by Chicago cop decries alleged gang directive to shoot police cars, urges public to remain peacefulon April 4, 2021 at 10:29 pm

The family of a 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed last week by a Chicago cop issued a statement Sunday condemning allegations laid out in a recent alert issued by police leaders warning that factions of the Latin Kings “were instructed by ranking members to shoot at unmarked Chicago police vehicles.”

The alert, issued Thursday, said factions of the gang in the Ogden patrol district on the Southwest Side planned to retaliate following the police killing of Adam Toledo early March 29 in an alley in the 2400 block of South Sawyer Avenue. While the alert warned that members of the gang were likely to shoot at unmarked police vehicles, it didn’t say why the Kings would be retaliating.

“This report, if true, is extremely disturbing,” Adeena Weiss Ortiz, the family’s attorney, said in the statement. “Let me be perfectly clear, the Toledo family condemns violence against police and all other members of the community.”

Police officials have declined to comment on the report.

In the family’s statement, they broadly condemned any calls for violence in the wake of the shooting and urged the public “to remain respectful, peaceful, and law abiding in expressing their grief over Adam’s death.”

Adam’s mother, Elizabeth Toledo, added: “No one has anything to gain by inciting violence.

“Adam was a sweet and loving boy,” she said. “He would not want anyone else to be injured or die in his name.”

It wasn’t until two days later that the boy’s mother was notified of his death — and three days later until authorities revealed publicly that he was just 13. After that disclosure, the fatal police shooting quickly drew widespread media attention and prompted some protests.

Police officials previously reported that, on the day of the shooting, officers responded to calls of gunfire and found Adam and a man in an alley to the west of the 2300 block of South Sawyer. An officer then chased Adam, who was shot in the chest and killed in what police described as an “armed confrontation.”

Police later released a photo of a gun allegedly found at the scene near Farragut Career Academy High School.

The city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates all police shootings, first said state law prohibited the release of video footage of the shooting. But Friday, the agency reversed course and announced it would show the “troubling video footage” to the Toledo family before making it public.

Debbie Price, a spokeswoman for the family, said they still hadn’t seen the footage Sunday morning.

Contributing: Frank Main, Sam Kelly, David Struett, Stefano Esposito

Family of 13-year-old fatally shot by Chicago cop decries alleged gang directive to shoot police cars, urges public to remain peacefulon April 4, 2021 at 10:29 pm Read More »

Gonzaga vs. Baylor: a shot at perfection and a championship matchup well worth the waiton April 4, 2021 at 9:14 pm

All Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Baylor’s Scott Drew could do was smile despite the stress, wish each other well and hope for the best.

It was Dec. 5 in a pandemic season that could fly off the rails at any moment. The game of the year in college basketball — No. 1 Bulldogs vs. No. 2 Bears — had just been canceled, hours before tipoff, because of a positive COVID-19 test. Both coaches still felt the sting of the previous postseason being called off before their teams could take the court as No. 1 seeds. And now this.

Could it really happen — to be that good and that unlucky — two years in a row?

Few and Drew chatted for a while that day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and came to an agreement: If we can just find our ways to the end of the season, let’s play this game after all. Right here, in Indianapolis, in the Final Four.

How about that?

A game that had to happen is about to happen. It’s Goliath vs. Goliath, great on great, pull up a chair and prepare to jump out of it repeatedly. Gonzaga (31-0) against Baylor (27-2) — this time at Lucas Oil Stadium — should be Monday-night magic from the opening tip.

“They’ve got pros, we’ve got pros,” Bears guard Jared Butler said. “They win a lot of games, we win a lot of games. I think we match up well.”

It’s not often that teams this outstanding come together, not even in national championship games. Duke-Wisconsin in 2015 was big-time. Kansas-Memphis in 2008 comes to mind. Florida-Ohio State in 2007 certainly is up there with any matchup since, including this one. We mustn’t forget Illinois-North Carolina in 2005, either.

But Gonzaga and Butler have simply been different from everybody else from the moment the season started. The Zags — trying to become the first unbeaten champ since Indiana in 1976 — have been the No. 1 team all along, but not for a second have they risen above suspicion that there was an absolute monster out there capable of taking them down.

“We’re going to have to play great,” Few said.

It’ll take all they’ve got. It might even take another heroic shot like the 45-footer Jalen Suggs nailed at the buzzer in overtime to devastate UCLA 93-90. If can’t-miss Johnny Juzang and the 11th-seeded Bruins could push the Zags to the limit, first-team All-American Jared Butler, third-teamer Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague — the leading members of the best, deepest perimeter group in the country — undoubtedly have the goods.

“It’s going to be a dogfight, man,” Suggs said. “There’s no other way to put it.”

After his team was dominated 78-59 in a Saturday semifinal, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson — who, at 65, has been around the block a time or two — said he’d never seen five guards like Baylor’s, with “no dropoff.” A few hours later, UCLA’s Mick Cronin tried to make sense of his red-hot team playing an almost perfect game against Gonzaga but losing anyway.

“True greatness is giving our best effort,” Cronin said, quoting John Wooden.

And just how good are the Zags? Here’s one way to look at it: Corey Kispert, a first-team All-American and the West Coast Conference player of the year, is their third-best player. That’s a matter of opinion, not fact, but it might be difficult to find anyone paying attention who would disagree. It’s no knock on Kispert, a 6-7 scorer, at all. Point guard Suggs — a freshman sure to be one of the top NBA draft picks in July — and sophomore big man Drew Timme are that terrific.

Few has coached at Gonzaga since 1989, when he was a 26-year-old graduate assistant. A decade later, he took the reins of the program. The only NCAA Tournament the Zags have missed since then was amid the pandemic that shut down the sports world.

“At the end of the year, when I’m standing in a river all by myself somewhere in Montana or Idaho or Alaska, then I’ll kind of laugh by myself about where we were in ’89-90 to now,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”

It’s his time to win it all, which would be a first for Gonzaga.

Or is it? Baylor, too, is going for national title No. 1.

Neither team got its shot a year ago. Butler described the loss of that opportunity as a “tornado hitting our town in Waco, Texas, and just destroying everything.”

Well, look what blew back in — the best matchup college basketball lovers could ask for.

Gonzaga vs. Baylor: a shot at perfection and a championship matchup well worth the waiton April 4, 2021 at 9:14 pm Read More »

Illinois’ troubling upward trend in coronavirus numbers continues as health officials report 2,449 new cases statewide (LIVE UPDATES)on April 4, 2021 at 9:30 pm

Latest

Illinois’ coronavirus positivity rate remains at a two-month high

Illinois’ coronavirus positivity rate remained at a two-month high Sunday, continuing a troubling upward trend that could lead officials to tighten restrictions on businesses once again.

Over the last week, though, that figure has been on a gradual rise.

Officials warned Saturday that tighter coronavirus restrictions could soon be in store for businesses in suburban Cook County if this upward trend continues.

Read the full story from Madeline Kenney here.

News

3:09 p.m. Christians celebrate second pandemic Easter, some with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

Read the full story here.

1:26 p.m. UK to test series of measures to determine if people can return to mass gatherings

Read the full story here.

9:05 a.m. From child care to COVID-19, rising job market faces obstacles

The most optimistic economists even predict that between now and year’s end, the nation could produce as many as 10 million more jobs and restore the labor market to its pre-pandemic level.

Maybe so. Yet even in normal times, it would be hard to regain all those jobs so quickly. And these aren’t normal times.

While few doubt that the trillions in federal money flowing through the economy will help accelerate hiring, the challenges are sure to endure. Here’s a look at some of them:

Read more here.

New Cases & Vaccination Numbers

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,839 new cases of the deadly respiratory disease were diagnosed across the state.
The state reported 13 more COVID-19 deaths, including that of a Cook County woman in her 40s.
Illinois’ pandemic death toll is up to 21,361, among almost 1.3 million who have tested positive over the past year.
Public health officials announced Friday that more than 6 million COVID-19 vaccinations have now gone into Illinois arms.

Illinois’ troubling upward trend in coronavirus numbers continues as health officials report 2,449 new cases statewide (LIVE UPDATES)on April 4, 2021 at 9:30 pm Read More »

Christians celebrate second pandemic Easter, some with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccineon April 4, 2021 at 8:08 pm

But this year, as in 2020, crowds are banned from gathering in Italy and at the Vatican. Francis delivered his noon Easter address on world affairs from inside the basilica, using the occasion to appeal anew that vaccines reach the poorest countries.

The pontiff sounded weary as he noted that pandemic measures have affected religious holiday traditions and kept some faithful from public worship.

“We pray that these restrictions, as well as all restrictions on freedom of worship and religion worldwide, may be lifted and everyone be allowed to pray and praise God freely,” Francis said.

In Syria, where a national vaccination program has yet to begin, churchgoers in the Lady of Damascus Church prayed for a way out of the economic and political crisis, only worsened by the pandemic.

“We came to the church for Easter so we get rid of the pandemic that we are in,” said Bassam Assaf. “Of course, we are not scared of coronavirus. It is the reality that we face, but it cannot stop us from coming and praying to God to take us out of this ordeal and help the world.”

A service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem was celebrated by the senior Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land. That is the site where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. Israel’s successful vaccination campaign has allowed reopening of many places, including religious sites.

The pandemic kept Seville’s Brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection from sending its ornate Easter float, bearing a towering statue of Jesus, through the streets of the Spanish city. Instead, the Brotherhood posted videos and old photos from their last procession, two years ago.

Some Pentecostal Christians in South Africa canceled a three-day retreat starting on Good Friday. On the hills overlooking Soweto, a Johannesburg township, Apostolic Pentecostals gathered in small groups Sunday to mark Easter.

In South Korea, Yoido Full Gospel Church, the country’s biggest Protestant church, allowed only about 2,000 people to attend Easter service, or about 17% of the capacity of the main building. Masked worshippers sang hymns and prayed as the service was broadcast online and by Christian TV channels.

Intent on tamping down weeks of surging infections, the Italian government ordered people to stay home for the three-day weekend except for essential errands. Premier Mario Draghi’s government did allow one visit to family or friends per day in residents’ home regions over the weekend, which includes the national holiday on Monday.

Italy permits religious services in the pandemic if capacity is limited and masks are worn. But early on, the predominantly Roman Catholic country’s many churches were open only for individual prayer.

Hundreds of Catholics gathered in the mammoth Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the Easter Vigil service Saturday evening. Every other pew was kept empty and masks were mandatory. Still, the solemn liturgy marked a new, hopeful beginning for the congregation after a turbulent year.

After all-virtual Easter services last year, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City was at half-capacity for Sunday’s Mass. Worshippers spaced themselves out in the vaulted neo-Gothic cathedral, which can seat more than 2,000. The choir sang through masks.

In Detroit, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church opened for in-person Easter services for the first time in more than a year, with capacity limits and social distancing rules in place. The Rev. Charles Christian Adams told the Detroit Free Press that people need church, especially after the congregation lost at least 14 members to COVID-19.

In Florida, Eastgate Christian Fellowship in Panama City Beach hosted its annual sunrise service on the beach. The church had to scrap the service last year because all beaches were closed. Pastor Janelle Green estimated that about 400 people participated.

Robin Fox of Palm Bay, planned to spend Sunday driving her mother to Orlando to get a second dose of vaccine at a Federal Emergency Management Agency walk-up site.

“She’s getting that freedom on the same day that (people go to) church to celebrate Jesus being risen, so I said (to her), ‘it’s kind of like you’re being risen also,'” Fox said.

Christians celebrate second pandemic Easter, some with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccineon April 4, 2021 at 8:08 pm Read More »

Coronavirus cases continue to trend upward despite productive vaccination days (LIVE UPDATES)on April 4, 2021 at 8:09 pm

Latest

2,839 new COVID-19 cases in Illinois as Cook County faces ‘the beginning of another surge’

A troubling rise in COVID-19 cases across the Chicago area and the rest of Illinois means another coronavirus “clamp-down” could soon be in store for businesses in suburban Cook County, officials warned Saturday.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,839 new cases of the deadly respiratory disease were diagnosed across the state, raising Illinois’ average testing positivity rate to 3.8%. That figure has almost doubled in just three weeks.

Hospitals statewide have seen a 32% increase in COVID-19 patients over that period, with 1,426 beds occupied Friday night.

And with about 600 people testing positive in Cook County each day — most of them young adults — suburban cases have more than doubled over the past month, according to Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-lead and senior medical officer for the Cook County Department of Public Health.

“We are in the beginnings of another surge now,” Rubin said during a virtual news conference. “Maybe this is as high as we’ll go, and maybe it’ll level out and go down. We can’t say. It’s very very hard to predict. But that’s one of the reasons we’re pushing out vaccine as quickly as we get it.”

The state reported its second-most productive vaccination day yet with 145,315 doses administered Friday. At a rolling average of 110,057 shots given per day, Illinois is vaccinating more people than ever — but still, only 18.2% of the population have been fully immunized.

Read the full story from Mitchell Armentrout here.

News

3:09 p.m. Christians celebrate second pandemic Easter, some with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

Read the full story here.

1:26 p.m. UK to test series of measures to determine if people can return to mass gatherings

Read the full story here.

9:05 a.m. From child care to COVID-19, rising job market faces obstacles

The most optimistic economists even predict that between now and year’s end, the nation could produce as many as 10 million more jobs and restore the labor market to its pre-pandemic level.

Maybe so. Yet even in normal times, it would be hard to regain all those jobs so quickly. And these aren’t normal times.

While few doubt that the trillions in federal money flowing through the economy will help accelerate hiring, the challenges are sure to endure. Here’s a look at some of them:

Read more here.

New Cases & Vaccination Numbers

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,839 new cases of the deadly respiratory disease were diagnosed across the state.
The state reported 13 more COVID-19 deaths, including that of a Cook County woman in her 40s.
Illinois’ pandemic death toll is up to 21,361, among almost 1.3 million who have tested positive over the past year.
Public health officials announced Friday that more than 6 million COVID-19 vaccinations have now gone into Illinois arms.

Coronavirus cases continue to trend upward despite productive vaccination days (LIVE UPDATES)on April 4, 2021 at 8:09 pm Read More »

Blackhawks’ Philipp Kurashev, struggling with consistency, needs April revivalon April 4, 2021 at 8:33 pm

Hours after the Blackhawks acquired Vinnie Hinostroza on Friday, news that Philipp Kurashev had been demoted to the taxi squad briefly ignited confusion on Twitter.

It turned out to be a false alarm — it was simply a paper move. Kurashev was added back to the active roster for Saturday’s game against the Predators, and coach Jeremy Colliton insisted Hinostroza’s addition wouldn’t block any prospects like Kurashev from getting steady NHL starts.

But the initial news was believable because Kurashev, 21, has fallen off significantly in recent weeks.

“We haven’t played him as much lately,” Colliton admitted. “He had an outstanding stretch, and then consistency is part of the equation with a lot of guys in their first season in the league. We’re trying to help him find that [higher] minimum level.”

The Swiss rookie forward, in his first 31 games this year, tallied seven goals — including a Goal of the Year-candidate beauty Feb. 17 against the Red Wings — and five assists while averaging 12 minutes per game. He wasn’t a superstar, but his offensive creativity, quickness and agility added a dynamic element to the Hawks’ top nine.

But Kurashev has now gone without a point in seven consecutive games, and even beyond the box scores hasn’t generated much at all.

He has taken only four even-strength shot attempts, getting only two on goal, over the last six games. He has gone five straight games without an even-strength scoring chance. There have been occasional moments where his skill has resurfaced — a quick move around a defender, a well-crafted pass — but they’ve been rare and fruitless.

While fellow rookie Brandon Hagel chugs along with maximum-effort outings every day and Pius Suter cashes in on a steady diet of rebounds and retrievals, Kurashev has turned invisible — even though he’s the best of the three of them when the puck is actually on his stick and therefore arguably has the highest potential ceiling.

“In every game, he teases you with the upside that he has,” Colliton said. “What we’re hoping to get from him is the pace and the tempo every shift, and just awareness…to be on the defensive side [of opposing players] and get through hands to win battles and help move pucks ahead. If he does that, he’s going to be an extremely effective player.”

Kurashev echoed Colliton during an interview late last month that keeping his performance steady has been a challenge.

“For me, the biggest thing is consistency,” he said March 25. “We play so many games so it’s hard to always be at your best, but I’m just trying to get better every day as much as possible. The goal for this year is to keep improving.”

Kurashev’s playing time had dipped recently in accordance with his declining play. He averaged 10:09 of ice time over a six-game span and played only 8:13 on Thursday against the Hurricanes.

But Colliton gave Kurashev a vote of confidence Saturday, elevating him to the second-line center role in a big depth chart shakeup and giving him 14:33 of ice time. Kurashev is now back at his preferred center position, where he believes his “pretty good vision” is more efficient and allows him to “use my teammates a little bit more.”

Colliton had success earlier this year elevating, rather than demoting, Kurashev when his play dipped. He did it Jan. 31 against the Blue Jackets and Kurashev, on a line with Patrick Kane, turned in two points in a 3-1 win.

The hope is the same maneuver to jumpstart Kurashev will work again this April.

“I believe in him a lot,” Colliton said. “He can really help us if he can find a step above the current level he’s at.”

Blackhawks’ Philipp Kurashev, struggling with consistency, needs April revivalon April 4, 2021 at 8:33 pm Read More »

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