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Bulls’ Lonzo Ball finally takes positive steps in wrist injury rehab

Lonzo Ball injury updates usually end with a sigh and a thud.

That’s why Saturday was a bit surprising.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan revealed that not only did Ball have his best rehab session earlier in the day, but could start going through contact at some point next week as he continues his return from a right wrist injury.

“(Saturday) was probably the best day he had in terms of shooting the basketball,” Donovan said. “I think that was probably the point, whatever it was, a week or 10 days ago, we got him doing that where he was having some discomfort shooting. And (Saturday) he actually felt pretty good doing that, so there’s been significant progress over the last 10 days, but until he can get into some contact, using his hands, passing, catching, those kinds of things … we can at least keep moving forward.”

Ball, who missed two-and-a-half seasons after having three separate surgeries on his left knee, began this season coming off the bench and on strict minutes restrictions. He fell on the wrist in his third game played, however, and was out since.

If he does start going through contact over the next week, he could be looking at an early December return.

Either way, what’s really impressed Donovan has been Ball’s attitude. He’s not only trying to show the Bulls, and really the entire NBA, that he can be a key rotation piece moving forward, but he’s doing so on an expiring contract.

Rather than having anxiety or concern with his situation, Ball has remained realistic about his current standing.

“The thing with him is he handles everything in stride,” Donovan said. “Even the constant setbacks with his knee, it’s like he never changed. It was like, ‘OK, it is what it is, I can’t change it, this is how I have to attack this going forward.’ I think he took the same approach with his wrist. He’s not ever come across to me as stressed out or, ‘I got to get back, I got to show …’ I give him a lot of credit for even wrapping his head around that.”

Donovan did warn, however, that when Ball is able to return, he will start from scratch on his minutes restriction, which means back to 15-16 minutes per game.

Back-to-backs will remain out of the question, but the hope is to try and get Ball up to that 22–24-minute threshold at some point.

Dunk that!

Rookie Matas Buzelis continued to get extended playing time with Patrick Williams (left foot) sidelined and continued to show an aggressiveness in wanting to attack the rim.

The next step of his progression, however, is to learn that everything doesn’t need to be a highlight dunk. That was on display in the win over Atlanta, when Buzelis reached back for a one-handed slam in the third quarter, but the ball was deflected out of his hand.

“I think as he gets a little older he’s going to realize, ‘Three points is better than two, or possibly one.’ “ Donovan said, referring to the idea that he could have scored the basket and drawn the foul if he would have kept two hands on the ball. “Those are learning points for him.”

Yes and no. He’s learning, but Buzelis also admitted that it’s in his nature to attack the rim.

“I’m 6-10, athletic, so I’m going to use that to my advantage,” Buzelis said. “I’m always thinking attack the rim with aggression.”

Bugging out

Second-year wing Julian Phillips missed the Memphis game with a bug that’s been going around the team for the past few weeks.



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Jack Elliott throws five TD passes as Mount Carmel rolls into Class 7A title game

This season hasn’t gone anything like planned for Mount Carmel — from the up-and-down regular season to an injury to its best player.

But that player — Vanderbilt-bound quarterback Jack Elliott — is back with a vengeance, and the Caravan have their swagger back going into the state finals next weekend.

Elliott threw five touchdown passes, including four in a whirlwind second quarter, and Mount Carmel cruised to a 43-24 road victory against rival St. Rita in a Class 7A semifinal Saturday.

The Caravan (10-3), who are tied with Joliet Catholic for the IHSA lead with 15 state titles, will play Batavia at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Stadium in Normal. Joliet Catholic also will go for its 16th title next weekend. The Hilltoppers will play two-time defending champ Nazareth at 10 a.m. Saturday in a rematch of the Class 5A title game last season.

Elliott’s day was done before the second quarter was finished. He was 9-for-11 for 121 yards with two touchdown passes to Quentin Burrell and one each to Zander Gorman, Cooper Lehman and Marshaun Thornton.

Just as important, Elliott made plays with his legs, gaining 68 yards on eight carries. Mount Carmel missed Elliott’s running earlier this season, both when he was sidelined entirely and when he returned with strict instructions not to tuck in the football and take off.

‘‘I saw with [former teammate Darrion Dupree] especially, kids in the bottom of the pile [were] twisting [his] ankle, twisting his knee,’’ Elliott said. ‘‘I learned from him you’ve got to protect yourself always.’’

When Elliott does that, he takes Mount Carmel’s offense to another level and has coaches looking for new superlatives.

‘‘He’s another coach on the field,’’ Caravan coach Jordan Lynch said. ‘‘As good as the offense is clicking . . . Jack’s calling a certain percentage of those plays. He’s relaying the information and checking out of it, getting us the right look.

‘‘He’s the best player not only in the state but in the Midwest and top in the country, in my belief. I’ve never had a player with that much determination and will to win.’’

‘‘I’ll say that’s the best player in the state, Jack Elliott,’’ Mustangs coach Martin Hopkins said. ‘‘His will and determination says a lot about him. You can see he has that ‘it’ factor.’’

Burrell knows the struggle Elliott goes through to balance staying healthy and playing free.

‘‘He’s been smart, but you can’t take the dog out of the man, right?’’ Burrell said. ‘‘He’s competitive, and he wants to get the first down, he wants to get that extra yard. And that’s what helps us be who we are.’’

Leading 7-0 after one quarter, Mount Carmel scored on Elliott’s touchdown toss to Gorman on the first play of the second. After St. Rita (10-3) went three-and-out, Elliott threw consecutive 30-yard passes to Lehman, the second for a touchdown.

On the Mustangs’ first play after the kickoff, sophomore Taveras Harrington had a 35-yard pick-six. Before the second quarter was over, Elliott added touchdown passes to Burrell and Thornton, and it was 43-0.

‘‘Practice was great; we put the work in,’’ Burrell said. ‘‘And it showed out there today. When we start clicking, nobody can stop us.’’



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Howard Brown to provide $1 million in back pay to laid off workers as part of settlement

A group of employees laid off by Howard Brown Health will receive $1 million in back pay as part of a settlement the health center reached earlier this month with the National Labor Relations Board.

Under the settlement, announced Friday, Howard Brown also must pay the laid-off employees a total of $48,000 in 401(k) reimbursements and $60,000 in compensation for financial harm caused by the layoffs, according to the NLRB.

Howard Brown, the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ health center, also must offer to reinstate the laid-off employees, stop violating federal law regarding negotiating with the union and post notice of this online and at its facilities.

In its March 2024 complaint against Howard Brown, the NLRB alleged the company threatened and surveilled employees, refused to hand over information to the union and bypassed the union to try to negotiate with employees directly — in addition to laying off 55 employees without bargaining.

“This agreement represents an important step in our path to healing and moving forward as a united organization,” said Robin Gay, interim president and CEO of Howard Brown Health, in a statement.

Mera Flores, who had worked at the Sheridan office for nearly two years before being laid off, said she was happy with the settlement, but won’t consider returning without changes in management.

“I just don’t trust them now. They just have people in charge who don’t care about the [queer] community, but care about money and how they look to the [queer] community,” Flores said. “They’d all have to be gone for me to come back.”

Howard Brown Health previously said the initial layoffs in December 2022, which eliminated 61 union positions and four nonunion positions in December 2022, were needed to close an estimated $12 million budget gap attributed to changes in pharmaceutical legislation and the end of some COVID-19 assistance programs. A three-day strike ensued, bringing about 440 employees citywide to the picket line for the second time in two months.

During the layoff proposals, union leaders said they’d seen no evidence of the financial issues and had also found listings for jobs included in the layoffs on sites like LinkedIn, which a Sun-Times reporter was able to confirm.

The cuts included all drug abuse case managers at South Side locations, members of the gender-affirming care team for youth and 14 of the 15 members of the In Power team, which was dedicated to helping survivors of sexual assault navigate the healthcare and legal systems.

“There’s nothing like that now, not in the city, not in the Midwest,” Flores, a former member of the team, said.

A three-year contract was ratified in May after the resignation of former CEO and President David Munar and more than 17 months of negotiations.

Since then, the company closed two clinics in recent months and laid off 43 in a second round of layoffs this July — including 12 of the workers whose jobs were reinstated as part of a separate NLRB ruling — leaving Flores to wonder what the company got out of the nearly two-year ordeal.

“At the end of the day, they still have the union and we’re getting our money back,” Flores said. “So all of this was for nothing.”



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Food vendor shot, attacker killed in Austin shootout

A food vendor was wounded and a man killed in an exchange of gunfire during a fight Friday night in Austin.

A man, 34, approached the vendor, a 35-year-old man who has a concealed carry license, and started a fight with him about 8:50 p.m. in the 300 block of South Central Avenue, Chicago police said.

The 34-year-old pulled out a gun, and the two exchanged gunfire, police said.

The younger man suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his body. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He was identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Demitrius Manning.

The vendor was shot in his arm and was taken in good condition to Stroger Hospital, police said.

Both firearms were recovered at the scene. Detectives are investigating.



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Man dies after found shot in Humboldt Park

A man has died after he was found shot Thursday in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.

About 2:50 p.m., responding officers found the 40-year-old suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near a sidewalk in the 4300 block of West Cortez Avenue, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was shot in the head and several times throughout his body, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 7:10 p.m. Thursday, officials said. His name hasn’t been released.

No arrests have been reported.



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Driver sought in Chicago Lawn fatal hit-and-run

Chicago police are searching for the driver who struck and killed a pedestrian Wednesday evening in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.

The pedestrian, a 54-year-old woman, was crossing the street about 6 p.m. in the 6700 block of South Western Avenue when the driver of a gray or black four-door sedan hit her and continued driving, police said.

The woman was pronounced dead about 11:30 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy was pending, and her name hasn’t been released.

Anyone with information is urged to contact CPD’s Major Accident Investigation Unit at (312) 745-4521. Anonymous tips can be submitted at cpdtip.com.



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The rise in rifle use in Illinois deer hunting

Rifle use among Illinois deer hunters appears set to make a major jump.

Preliminary data from the youth deer season (Oct. 12-14) makes that a bullet point in the second full year for select single-shot centerfire rifles being allowed in deer hunting. We’ll know soon.

The first part of Illinois’ firearm deer season opened Friday and runs through Sunday, Nov. 24; the second part is Dec. 5-8.

“In 2023, in the regular firearm season, hunters reported that approximately 19% of the deer taken were killed with rifles,” emailed Dan Skinner, forest wildlife program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “But when we looked at just the youth season, that number was much higher – closer to 34%. This is not surprising, given many centerfire rifle proponents are quick to tout their lighter recoil when compared to slug guns, so it seems predictable that youth hunters would adopt rifles at a rate higher than the overall average.

“Preliminary data from the 2024 youth season shows a significant jump in rifle use; approximately 52% of successful youth deer hunters used rifles this year. This surge in youth rifle usage coupled with the fact that I cannot walk into a sporting goods store’s hunting section in Illinois without walking past a wall of Buckhammers, Blackouts, Legends and the like lead me to believe that we will see use of rifles in the 2024 firearm season continue to increase.”

Under the regulations (effective Jan. 1, 2023) allowing select rifle use in Illinois deer hunting, the single-shot centerfire rifles are legal with “a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding one and two-fifths inches, OR a straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger. Both must be available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a capability of at least 500-foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. Full-metal jacket bullets may not be used to harvest deer.”

Richard Music was an early one who took advantage of the new regulations on opening day last year in Jo Daviess County to take a double-beam buck at 110 yards with a Ruger American .450 Bushmaster.

“Hoping for another just like him Friday morning for the ’24 opener,” he messaged.

buck2023rifleRichardMusic.jpg

Richard Music shot this big buck on opening day of firearm deer season in 2023 with a rifle, the first full season in modern times when select rifles where allowed for deer hunting in Illinois.

The big advantages over shotgun slugs are accuracy and distance and, as Skinner mentioned, the lighter recoil compared to a slug gun.

Alexa Tazelaar, then 9, bore that out on opening day of the youth season last year in Peoria County.

“Recoil is a major win with the .350 Legend, and my daughter shot it with ease,” her dad Ron explained. “But also the ballistics and accuracy are very appealing, as well as its popularity, making ammo readily available. They are also very affordable.”

botw10-25-23daughter.jpg

Alexa Tazelaar, then 9, was among the wave of young hunters who switched to rifles for the youth season in 2023, first full year select rifles were allowed for deer hunting in modern Illinois.

As somebody also considering buying a crossbow, I’ll second his last sentence.



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Michigan beats Northwestern 50-6 to become bowl-eligible

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Kalel Mullings ran for 92 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, leading Michigan to a 50-6 win over Northwestern on Saturday to make the defending national champions eligible for a bowl.

“That’s goal No. 1 of any college football team,” quarterback Davis Warren said. “It means a lot to get another game.”

The Wolverines (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) needed the victory to secure a spot in the postseason because they will be heavy underdogs next week against rival and second-ranked Ohio State on the road.

“We understand what’s in front of us, but we’re going to celebrate the win,” Warren said.

The Wildcats (4-7, 2-6) likely knocked themselves out of contention for a bowl by losing for the fourth time in five games.

Michigan’s Aamir Hall made a diving interception on the opening drive and Mullings had a 2-yard run on the ensuing possession for his first of three scores. He had two touchdown runs in the third quarter.

Luke Akers made field goals on consecutive drives in the second quarter to cut Northwestern’s deficit to 10-6 and the Wolverines scored the next 40 points.

“I told the team it was poor,” Wildcats coach David Braun said. “It was embarrassing. We got dominated in all three phases of the game tonight.”

Warren started the scoring barrage with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland with eight seconds left in the first half.

“That really gave us some momentum going into the half,” Warren said.

Donovan Edwards and Tavierre Dunlap each had a 20-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter when the Wolverines also had a field goal and safety in their highest-scoring game since they had 52 points twice last season.

Warren had career highs with 26 completions and 35 passing attempts for 195 yards, his second-highest total, with a touchdown and an interception.

Northwestern’s Jack Lausch was 10 of 21 for 106 yards and matched a career high with two interceptions.

The Wildcats were held to 10 yards rushing, including 33 yards they lost on six sacks.

“They couldn’t get the run game going and there was very little they could do in the pass game,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “It seemed like they were just searching and couldn’t do much because our defense was playing so well.”

Tailgate scene

Bryce Underwood, who flipped his commitment to Michigan after pledging to play at LSU, posed for a photo with sign-stealer Connor Stalions before going on the field during pregame warmups.

The top-rated quarterback played at Belleville High School, where Stalions was a volunteer coach for the team during the playoffs. Earlier this fall, Stalions was a volunteer defensive coordinator at Detroit Mumford High School.

The takeaway

Northwestern: Braun inherited Pat Fitzgerald’s program in July, 2023, when he was fired due to a hazing scandal, and was named Big Ten coach of the Year. The Wildcats have been a disappointment after closing last year with four straight wins, including at the Las Vegas Bowl, to earn an 8-5 record.

Michigan: It was a good week for college football’s winningest program. Sherrone Moore landed Underwood, a desperately needed quarterback, and led the team to a win to earn a bowl bid after postseason play was put in doubt by losing four of the previous five games

Up next

Northwestern: Plays Illinois (8-3, 5-3) on Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Michigan: The Buckeyes (10-1, 7-1, CFP No. 2) host The Game on Saturday and are expected to easily break a three-game losing streak against the three-time defending Big Ten champions.



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Chicago outdoors: Forest Preserve buck, tree stand falls & Forest Preserves of Cook County acres

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED

“My daughter Julia [Plous] shot this photo [on Tuesday] as we were walking our dog along the left bank of the North Branch in the Bunker Hill Forest Preserve,: F. K. Plous emailed. “It appears to be a 10-point buck. He was remarkably calm and let Julia approach to about 15 feet before he began to edge away. Even then he did not bolt, just withdrew a little (until our little bulldog, Toby, decided to give chase).”

BOTW Unplugged, the celebration of live big bucks around Chicago outdoors, runs as apt in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Sunday. To make submissions, email [email protected] or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside), or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).

WILD TIMES

SCI

Sunday, Dec. 8: Annual Christmas Brunch, Safari Club International, Illinois & Chicago chapter, $60 adults, $40 for 5-12, 4 and younger free, Drury Lane Theater, Oakbrook Terrace, RSVP by Wednesday, Nov. 27, https://sci-illinois.com/christmas-brunch/

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Through Sunday, Nov. 24: First part of firearm deer season

Monday, Nov. 25: Final day, applications for deer Late-winter/CWD Special Hunt Area permits

BIG NUMBER

More than 70,000: Acres held by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, a landmark made possible Tuesday by the “Forest Preserves’ Board of Commissioners by voting to add a 68-acre plot of land to the Preserves along Deer Creek in unincorporated Cook County.” It’s at Glenwood Dyer Road and Ridge Road. FPCC now holds 70,042 acres.

LAST WORD

“Most tree stand accidents can be avoided by using a functional and trustworthy fall arrest system and thoroughly examining every tree stand component prior to use. The consequences of falling from a tree stand can have a lasting impact on hunters and their loved ones. The Illinois Conservation Police strongly emphasize prioritizing safety in all hunting endeavors.”

Jed Whitchurch, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resource’s Office of Law Enforcement



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Judge dismisses charges against Waukegan city clerk

Felony charges of official misconduct and misapplication of funds against Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly were dismissed by a judge this week.

Kilkelly had been named in a 15-count indictment returned in March accusing her of giving thousands of dollars in credits to businesses that did not qualify for the financial support. The credits allegedly were in relation to businesses that were applying for liquor and gambling licenses.

All 15 charges were dismissed Friday by Lake County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Fix.

“The past several months has been extremely stressful for me, my family and friends. With this ruling, I am very grateful this is finally over,” Kilkelly said in a statement.

“I would also like to thank the Waukegan residents who have always supported me and who sent me their support and their well wishes during this very difficult time,” she said. “As someone who has dedicated over 40 years of their life to the Waukegan community, I promise to continue serving and helping all Waukegan residents as their city clerk.”

Kilkelly, a Democrat, was elected city clerk in 2017. She is seeking reelection in April.



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