Author: staff

Sports

NBA point guard Rajon Rondo waved gun at mother of his children: complaint

The mother of Rajon Rondo’s children has been granted an emergency protective order after he allegedly pulled a gun on her and threatened to kill her.Ashley Bachelor, the NBA point guard’s 36-year-old ex-girlfriend, claims that Rondo was playing video games with their son last week when she asked the boy to finish doing laundry, according to the order obtained by the Louisville Courier Journal Monday.AdvertisementRondo, 36, became “enraged” and “ripped the video game console from the wall” when their son got up, smashed a tea cup in front of their daughter, began throwing things around the house and outside, then drove his car onto the lawn, according to Bachelor.“You’re dead,” he allegedly told her when she asked why he was acting out.AdvertisementRajon Rondo most recently played with the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Instead of calling police, Bachelor said she called the former police chief personally, scared of how Rondo would continue to react. He left, then came back 15 minutes and began hitting the back window with a gun, according to the protective order request.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Still waving his gun, Rondo allegedly screamed at both children, asking why they were afraid of him.Rondo’s parents eventually showed up and he let the children back inside the house, but “could not be calmed down.”Despite Rondo trying to block the door, Bachelor said she was able to get inside and bring the children upstairs with her.The former police chief, Yvette Gentry, was eventually able to get the gun from Rondo, who left the house.Rondo has been ordered to stay 500 feet away from Bachelor and their children, and must surrender all firearms.The NBA said it is “aware of the report and are in the process of gathering more information.”Rondo, who played college basketball at the University of Kentucky, was on the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers this season and is now an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in the NBA.

Sports

Chicago Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri is highest-paid MLS player at nearly $8.2M

NEW YORK — Chicago Fire midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri is Major League Soccer’s highest-paid player, jumping past Los Angeles FC attacker Carlos Vela.The 30-year-old Swiss international, who joined Chicago this season from Lyon, has a base salary of $7.35 million and total compensation of $8,153,000, according to figures released Tuesday by the Major League Soccer Players Association.AdvertisementHe is expected to be passed by Italian winger Lorenzo Insigne, who joins Toronto this summer from Napoli.[ [Don’t miss] Xherdan Shaqiri signs with the Chicago Fire for a club-record $7.5 million fee — the team’s most significant signing in years ]LA Galaxy forward Javier Hernandez began the season in second at $6 million and Inter Miami striker Gonzalo Higuaín third with a $5.1 million base and $5,793,750 in total compensation.AdvertisementToronto midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo is fourth ($3.8 million, $4,693,000), followed by New England forward Jozy Altidore ($3,706,139 $4,264,963), Atlanta forward Josef Martínez ($3.75 million, $4,141,667), Vela ($2.25 million, $4.05 million), Atlanta midfielder/forward Luiz Araújo ($3.6 million, $3,941,667), Columbus midfielder Lucas Zelarayán ($3.1 million, $3.7 million) and New England midfielder Carles Gil ($3,25 million, $3,545,833).Atlanta has the highest payroll, with guaranteed compensation of $20,999,272, followed by the Galaxy at $20,128,040, Miami at $18,882,628 and New England at $18,141,886.Salt Lake is last at $10,477,859.The union said the average for senior roster players, not including designated players who count only partly under a team’s salary cap, increased by 10.3% to $438,728 from $397,753 in 2021.

Lifestyle

Instead of power raking your lawn this spring, try these best mowing practices

“I have been getting conflicting advice on power raking my lawn in the spring and collecting grass clippings when I mow the lawn throughout the growing season. Can you please give me your point of view on these maintenance issues?”— Amy Brill, Park RidgeAdvertisementIn general, I do not recommend power raking a lawn unless there is excessive thatch buildup to remove. Thatch is a layer of living plant material and organic matter that builds up between the living turf grass above and the root system and soil below. Once this layer gets thicker than a ½-inch, it can create issues with the performance and maintenance of your lawn.Core aerating your lawn on an annual basis will help prevent and correct the excessive formation of thatch and is my preferred maintenance approach versus power raking in most situations. It’s too late in my mind to power rake now, as most lawns have started actively growing. The wet and cold spring delayed a lot of gardening work.AdvertisementBest mowing practices for spring include leaving grass longer than you might expect. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)Proper mowing practices can have a big impact on the health and appearance of your lawn. I prefer to cut at a height of 3 to 3 ½ inches. The grass will develop a deeper root system and be better able to withstand stress when the weather gets hotter and drier. The taller grass will also help discourage weeds.It is OK to cut at a shorter height in the early season, when growing conditions are typically ideal for bluegrass. Cutting at a lower height in early spring allows you to neaten up your lawn as it is starting to grow and before it broadly passes the 3-inch height mark. I cut at 2 to 2 ½ inches for the last cut of the year in late fall.Use a mulching mower to recycle the clippings back into the lawn and save yourself time in bagging and disposing of the clippings. The mulching mowers do not work well in tall, wet grass, so if the lawn gets away from you, you will need to cut a narrower strip of grass each pass and walk slower to avoid clogging and stalling the mower.It is best to avoid leaving clumps of grass on the lawn, so you may need to mow twice or rake some to break up any remaining clumps of grass. I continue using a mulching mower in fall as the leaves fall and do not bag them. My yard has several large oak trees, so there are a lot of leaves to mow over in the fall. You should cover the grass with shredded leaves to avoid smothering the lawn over winter. When I finish mowing in the fall, you can see small pieces of leaves on the ground, but the grass is not covered.For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

News

Living room absurdism

It may be difficult to comprehend today just how shocking Edward Albee’s drama Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was when it premiered in October 1962, the…