Northwestern

Freshman Jesus Estrada walked to the batter’s box, inserted into the lineup as a pinch hitter with his team, the Benito Juarez Community Academy Eagles, already leading Back of the Yards College Prep by 14 runs. As he was taking practice swings, getting ready for his only at-bat of the day, the umpire told him to back away from the plate so the opposing pitcher could finish throwing his warmup pitches.

Estrada looked back at the umpire with confusion painted across his face. His native language is Spanish, and he is still learning English. 

The Latino community in Los Angeles has been hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which is a sign of larger systemic issues within the medical field.

While only 50% of Latinos had received a single COVID-19 dose through August 2021, there has seemingly always been seeds of distrust in the Latino community of those working in the medical field.

Evanston Township High School alum Elyjah Williams has quickly become a jack-of-all-trades on the court for Northwestern University. The versatility he provides is a big part of what makes him so valuable. Fans and teammates focus on his versatility on the offensive end, but he’s also able to guard most positions on the floor with his unique blend of size, strength and speed.

Currently all high school sports at Chicago Public Schools are on track to continue through the spring season without missing a beat, but that was up in the air during the recent CPS work stoppage.

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On Jan. 4, the Chicago Teachers Union voted to work remotely instead of reporting for in-person instruction, closing the third-largest school district in the country. The union demanded that CPS leadership create a more robust COVID-19 testing policy. One thing it wanted to see was increased testing of students to stay ahead of outbreaks.

Super Bowl Sunday and the Rams taking the trophy on their home turf – it’s the one day you would expect LA to fully live in the moment. But someone was missing.

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With the champagne flowing as the Rams celebrated their Super Bowl victory, wide receiver Cooper Kupp sailed into the sea of blue and gold for the Rams’ championship parade last month donning a Black Mamba Kobe Bryant jersey, a tribute to the city’s fallen idol.

Sean McVay was tired, his voice almost completely shot. And he had good reason to be.

His Los Angeles Rams had just claimed their second Super Bowl in franchise history, and the first since 2000, only 12 hours earlier.