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Sports

Larry Nassar’s final appeal is rejected by the Michigan Supreme Court

DETROIT — The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday rejected a final appeal from sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, including Olympic medalists.Attorneys for Nassar said he was treated unfairly in 2018 and deserved a new hearing, based on vengeful remarks by a judge who called him a “monster” who would “wither” in prison like the wicked witch in “The Wizard of Oz.”Advertisement“I just signed your death warrant,” Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said of Nassar’s 40-year sentence.The state Supreme Court said Nassar’s appeal was a “close question” and that it had “concerns” over the judge’s conduct. But the court also noted that Aquilina, despite her provocative comments, stuck to the sentencing agreement worked out by lawyers in the case.Advertisement“We decline to expend additional judicial resources and further subject the victims in this case to additional trauma where the questions at hand present nothing more than an academic exercise,” the court said in a two-page order.More than 150 victims spoke or submitted statements during an extraordinary seven-day hearing in Aquilina’s court more than four years ago.“It’s over. … Almost six years after I filed the police report, it’s finally over,” Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar, said Friday on Twitter.It’s over. MI Supreme Court declined to hear Larry’s appeal.Almost six years after I filed the police report, it’s finally over. https://t.co/cleZxOqTsM— Rachael Denhollander (@R_Denhollander) June 17, 2022

Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts and other athletes with his hands under the guise of medical treatment for hip and leg injuries. He worked at Michigan State University and at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, traveling the world with the elites of the sport.“Our Constitution does not allow for cruel and unusual punishment,” Aquilina told Nassar. “If it did, I have to say I might allow what he did to all of these beautiful souls, these young women in their childhood. I would allow someone or many people to do to him what he did to others.”Nassar subsequently received another 40-year sentence in a separate case in a neighboring county.He is currently in federal prison for child pornography crimes in a different case that grew out of the same investigation. The sentences effectively mean Nassar, 58, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.The Nassar case turned Aquilina into a celebrity. She appeared at the 2018 ESPY awards in Los Angeles, where his victims were honored. The judge said she trademarked her name after it started appearing on T-shirts, including one worn by actress Natalie Portman on “Saturday Night Live.”AdvertisementThe scandal hasn’t faded. More than 100 women, including Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, are collectively seeking more than $1 billion from the federal government for the FBI’s failure to stop Nassar when agents became aware of allegations against him in 2015. He was arrested by Michigan State University police in 2016, more than a year later.Michigan State, which was accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted by him. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement.

Sports

Phil Mickelson misses the cut at U.S. Open in Brookline, doesn’t talk to reporters

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Phil Mickelson’s tee shot on No. 3 landed in the rough to the right, and when he arrived at his ball he saw a man sitting on the ground, holding an icepack to his right temple, with medical staff gathered around.Mickelson went over and gave the man a glove and apologized. One problem: It was Sam Horsfield’s shot from the neighboring sixth hole that hit him.Advertisement“It’s just instinct,” Mickelson said, drawing laughter from the gallery. “I would normally think it’s me.”That’s how things went for the six-time U.S. Open runner-up at The Country Club this week: a series of apologies, interrupted by a whole lot of bad golf shots.Advertisement“Wish I had played better,” Mickelson, who declined to talk to reporters, said in a transcript that was distributed by the USGA on Friday after he followed a first-round 78 with a 3-over 73 to miss the cut.The plus-11 finish left him in the clubhouse ahead of just one PGA Tour regular and far beneath the projected cut line of 4 over.“It was OK. I had a good day,” he said.Phil Mickelson greets fans during the second round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)A six-time major champion who has become the face of the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf tour, Mickelson was competing on American soil for the first time in more than four months. But if the fans held his cash grab against him, they didn’t let it show.“Phil, liven it up!”“Long live Phil!”“You’ve got work to do!”“A 62 makes the cut, Phil!”Advertisement“You and me forever, baby!”“Call it a comeback, Phil!”And fans in a tent next to the sixth tee sang him “Happy Birthday.”“The fans here have always been terrific, and they really support all sports,” Mickelson said, according to the transcript. “I love it when we bring golf here because they create a really special atmosphere.”But Mickelson had little else to smile about. Starting on the 10th hole, he made back-to-back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 13-14-15 and needed a 15-footer to save par on the third hole after nearly winding up in the gallery with his drive.He wasn’t as lucky on No. 4, a 493-yard par 4, where he missed a 12-foot par putt and left himself almost as much coming back for bogey. But the 52-year-old left-hander — his birthday was actually Thursday — followed with back-to-back birdies.AdvertisementHe sank a 43-foot putt from the front apron on the fifth hole and an even longer one on the sixth, both times acknowledging the crowd’s cheers with a thumbs-up and wave. On his way to the seventh tee, he gave his ball to a 9-year-old girl standing by the ropes.“I enjoyed the week,” said Mickelson, who left Brookline still needing a U.S. Open victory to complete his career Grand Slam. “It was spectacular to come back to such a historic course, and I thought the setup was remarkable. Just really showcased what a special place this is.”

News

Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show

Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by…

News

Juneteenth, Pride, and legacies

Many ways to celebrate and honor Juneteenth this week, as well as other outdoor and indoor gatherings and events—check it out! FRI 6/17 Roman Villarreal, a…

Lifestyle

A farewell to ‘the mother of La Villita,’ Manuelita Garcia, an activist who cared for the community until her last breath

For the last decades of her life, Manuela Garcia dedicated her time to advocating for the people — particularly the youth — of the Little Village community in Chicago. Even in her old age, “Manuelita,” as many call her, still watched for those in need by helping to feed homeless people and giving rides to work or doctor appointments to people who didn’t have a car.“Era como la madre de La Villita,” said Doris Hernandez, a longtime friend and a neighbor of Garcia. The two worked side by side, participating in various actions advocating for immigrant rights and resources for parents and teens in the neighborhood to fight street violence.AdvertisementOn May 29, Garcia died at the age of 96 after having a stroke, leaving a void not only in her family’s heart but a whole community, said her granddaughter Andrea Guzman.Manuela “Manuelita” Garcia with her granddaughter Andrea Guzman, at their Little Village home in 2005. The two spearheaded a hunger strike in 2001 at Camp Cesar Chavez that led to the construction of Little Village Lawndale High School on 31st and Kostner Avenue. (Milbert O. Brown / Chicago Tribune)Days after her grandmother died, Guzman slept in an unwashed rebozo (shawl) of hers. But Guzman is grateful for the time she spent with the woman who raised her since she was 5 years old.Advertisement“I’m grateful for the community she left me,” Guzman said.Though Manuelita had been involved with community organizations throughout her life while living in the community, she was recognized for spearheading a hunger strike in 2001 at Camp Cesar Chavez that led to the construction of Little Village Lawndale High School on 31st and Kostner Avenue.Guzman lived with her grandmother most of her life. From her she learned to be a fighter when she joined the hunger strike alongside her when she was only 17 years old.The grandmother, who was in her late 70s at the time, was the oldest parent and one of the most outspoken activists during the movement, recalled Hernandez. During the 19-day strike, the group demanded that Mayor Richard M. Daley and other local officials keep their promise of building a new school for the youth already suffering from gang violence.“My mother was always a strong advocate for education even though she didn’t have one,” said one of her sons, Francisco Garcia. His mother only got to fourth grade, he said. “But education and wisdom are not synonymous.”Protestors from Little Village descend on the mayor’s office at Chicago City Hall to deliver a letter with their demands for a new high school in their neighborhood in May 2001. (NANCY STONE / CHICAGO TRIBUNE)Just before the pandemic hit in 2020, on the eve of her 95th birthday, Manuelita was honored for her life and work with a City Council resolution presented by Ald. Michael Rodriguez, in front of a mural with a portrait of her face at the high school she fought for. Now, Rodriguez plans to introduce a resolution to name a street in Little Village after the woman who served as the block club president for more than 30 years, he said.“The recognition means that city council and all the residents of the city of Chicago recognize Manuela Garcia as leader, not just for the Little Village community but for our region as someone who deserves recognition,“ said Rodriguez. But importantly, he said, as a Latina leader.“We disproportionately recognize what females of color mean to our society and she is so emblematic of a group of people (who) are undercounted, underrepresented and under-celebrated.”AdvertisementPeople embrace outside of Epiphany Catholic church in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood during the funeral of community leader Manuela “Manuelita” Garcia on June 11, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)Rodriguez was one of the many community leaders and politicians who attended a recent mass and wake that honored Manuelita’s life. Hundreds of other community members also attended, and paid tribute to her life with a caravan that made a stop at every home in which she lived in the neighborhood.“She was a forceful presence during the movement while also having a very humble monolingual Spanish speaking background, she represented the best of us,” Rodriguez added.U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia also attended the ceremony, and honored Manuelita in Congress last week.“Manuelita Garcia was a force to be reckoned with, a fierce advocate for justice, a true fighter for the community, and a longtime Little Village resident,” he said during his speech.Manuelita began her work to advocate for education while working with ENLACE, a local organization that advocates for the well-being of the residents of Little Village in health, immigration and violence prevention.Her family hopes that her legacy of love and solidarity will forever remain in the hearts of Little Village residents.AdvertisementThe body of of community leader Manuelita de la Cruz Lopez Garcia is carried during her funeral at Epiphany Catholic Church on June 11, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)Manuelita began getting more involved in the community shortly after her husband died in 1985, recalled Francisco Garcia. And after raising her nine children and some grandchildren, the matriarch turned to help other mothers and youth in need, often speaking up against injustices, he said.She was born in the small border town of Roma, Texas, but moved to the Chicago area in 1953 after marrying her husband, her family said. Through her youth, she worked as maintenance personnel at General Motors in suburban Chicago and often had side jobs cleaning other homes and washing clothes for others.“She never retired,” her son smiled. “She got her second or third wind, she became even more active.”His mother, he said, enjoyed talking to people and helping out. In the late ’60s, Manuelita and her husband hosted an AM radio show where they would help promote businesses in the area and the work of democratic politicians and leaders working for the community.“She was an incredible and credible figure,” Garcia said.AdvertisementAlthough painful for Guzman, he believes that Manuelita’s passing is not necessarily a goodbye, but a “homegoing.”larodriguez@chicagotribune.com