Their stars rising, DeRozan and Dinwiddie give back to Compton

By Robbie Weinstein Medill Reports LOS ANGELES – Under sunny skies at Compton’s Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, DeMar DeRozan’s and Spencer Dinwiddie’s distinct paths to the NBA converged for one day. Visiting a class of first-graders Friday, the Compton-bred DeRozan, 28, helped students spell words like “train,” while Dinwiddie assembled an NBA-themed signpost, helping decorate a […]

Inside the sights, sounds and people of the Fake All-Star Saturday Night

By: Patrick Engel Medill Reports LOS ANGELES – There’s no need to wait until Saturday night. Here are the final dramatic moments of the NBA All-Star Verizon Slam Dunk contest. “It all comes down to this,” the emcee bellows. “Let’s see what Victor Oladipo has in store. He can make or break it right now.” […]

Of democracy, dogs and WiFi: Scenes from Cuba

This is the continuation of a multi-part series on Cuba. Read the previous collection of vignettes: “Connecting with Cuba: Exploring Havana in the 60th year of revolution” Finding clarity elusive HAVANA – Sprawled on the beds at our guest house, we preach to each other about what we do and don’t get about Cuba, as […]

Penn defeats Lake Central in defensive battle for Indiana’s 4A Regional Championship

Erik Alcantar Medill Reports Despite leading 15-3 in the second quarter, Lake Central High School fell to Penn High School’s Kingsmen 43-41 in the final game of Indiana’s LaPorte 4A Regional Championship. Penn captured its eighth regional girl’s  basketball championship in the program’s 43-year history. Penn  will take on Zionsville Community High School on Saturday  in the Semi-State round, and stands two […]