Author: chicagoinquirer

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It’s been 17 years since the African Festival of the Arts started in Chicago. Patrick Woodtor, a Liberian American was the brain behind it all along. However, last year some board members stepped down for younger generations and Joseph M. Harrington, an  assistant commissioner with the City of Chicago  becomes the first African American board chairman of the African International House.  In an interview with Adenike Oluwadare, staff writer with the Chicago Inquirer, he espoused his vision for the festival and other programs in waiting for the largest community event in the windy City. Excerpts: Inquirer: How has it been…

by Chris Megerian LUSAKA, Zambia  — Vice President Kamala Harris may have traveled halfway around the world to reach this corner of Africa, but she was welcomed as a “daughter of our own country” when she sat down with Zambia’s leader. The visit, President Hakainde Hichilema said, was “like a homecoming.” It was a reference to a childhood trip to Zambia when Harris’ grandfather worked here, but she heard similar refrains throughout her weeklong trip to Africa that ended Saturday. In Ghana, President Nana Akufo-Addo told Harris “you’re welcome home.” In Tanzania, a sign in Swahili told Harris to “feel…

by Patrick Rose CHICAGO— William Contreras hit a tiebreaking two-run single in Milwaukee’s three-run eighth inning, and the Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Saturday for the team’s first win of the season. Brandon Woodruff pitched six sharp innings for Milwaukee, and Devin Williams worked a rocky ninth for the save. The Brewers lost 4-0 to the Cubs on Thursday on opening day. Dansby Swanson collected three more hits for Chicago, and Ian Happ homered. Justin Steele struck out eight in six innings. The Cubs led 1-0 before the Brewers rallied in the eighth in cold, windy conditions at…

by Mary Clare Jalonick, Colleen Long and Lindsay Whitehurst WASHINGTON  — Nine months ago, President Joe Biden signed a sweeping bipartisan gun law, the most significant legislative response to gun violence in decades. “Lives will be saved,” he said at the White House. The law has already prevented some potentially dangerous people from owning guns. Yet since that signing last summer, the tally of mass shootings in the United States has only grown. Five dead at a nightclub in Colorado. Eleven killed at a dance hall in California. And just this past week, three 9-year-olds and three adults were shot…

by Chris Megerian LUSAKA, Zambia  — Vice President Kamala Harris is pushing for $7 billion in private-sector investments to help Africa prepare for the effects of climate change. The announcement comes as she wraps up her weeklong trip to the continent on Saturday. Harris plans to visit a farm outside Lusaka where workers are using new techniques and technology to grow more produce, part of her effort to demonstrate ways to secure food supplies despite global warming. “The United States is committed to these types of innovative solutions to support climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience,” she said Friday during a…

by Jill Colvin NEW YORK  — When Donald Trump steps before a judge next week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. It will also represent a reckoning for a man long nicknamed “Teflon Don,” who until now has managed to skirt serious legal jeopardy despite 40 years of legal scrutiny. Trump, who is the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is expected to turn himself in Tuesday. He faces charges including at least one felony offense related to hush money payments…

by Steve Reed CHARLOTTE, N.C.  — Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan each scored 23 points and the Chicago Bulls routed the injury-plagued Charlotte Hornets 121-91 on Friday night to take a big step toward reaching the NBA’s play-in tournament. Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who entered the game having lost three of their previous five games and clinging to the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. However, Chicago’s win combined with the Orlando Magic’s 116-109 victory over Washington on Friday night leaves the Bulls three games head of the Wizards for the…

by Jill Colvin NEW YORK  — The historic indictment of former President Donald Trump thrust the 2024 presidential election into uncharted territory, raising the remarkable prospect that the leading contender for the Republican nomination will seek the White House while also facing trial for criminal charges in New York. In an acknowledgment of the sway the former president holds with the voters who will decide the GOP contest next year, those eyeing a primary challenge to Trump were quick to criticize the indictment. Without naming Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiscalled the move “un-American.” Former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life…

by Michael R. Sisak and Will Weissert NEW YORK  — Former President Donald Trump will be arraigned Tuesday after his indictment in Manhattan, court officials said Friday, his formal surrender and arrest presenting the historic, shocking scene of a former U.S. commander in chief forced to stand before a judge. When Trump turns himself in, he’ll be booked mostly like anyone else facing charges, mugshot and all. But he isn’t expected to be put in handcuffs, he’ll have Secret Service protection and will almost certainly be released that day. As Trump and his lawyers prepared for his defense, the prosecutor…