chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Blackhawks are 28th in 1-goal games and have conceded the 2nd most ‘high-danger’ chances. Here’s wha

Blackhawks are 28th in 1-goal games and have conceded the 2nd most ‘high-danger’ chances. Here’s what they’re doing to fix that to keep playoff hopes alive.

“ We know where we are in the standings and we know what we ’ re up against .
But @ @ @ @ @ most of our games — obviously try to get all of them , but I @ @ @ @ @ realistic that is — coming out with two points in most of the games is @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to help us climb up the standings .
”

The Blackhawks entered their game against the Oilers on Thursday night at the United Center with a fighting chance at a Western Conference wild-card spot, though they were fortunate even to be in range.
Advertisement
The Hawks haven’t fared well in close games, posting a .385 winning percentage in one-goal contests, 28th in the NHL, entering Thursday. Their eight one-goal losses in regulation are tied for sixth-most. Their 10 one-goal wins rank 28th, just head of the Maple Leafs, Senators and Red Wings.
The Hawks have been undermined by a tendency to give up high-quality scoring chances, which can be traced in part to giveaways and defensive breakdowns in their zone.
Advertisement
Still, they were six points out entering Thursday’s game, and several Hawks expressed optimism that they’ve identified the problems and are taking steps to fix them.
For one, they need consistency from shift to shift, coach Jeremy Colliton said.
“Start the game on time,” he said, a reference to low-energy first periods.
Added forward Dylan Strome: “Just eliminate the high-danger scoring chances. We give up a lot of shots in the slot.”
The Hawks have given up the second-most high-danger scoring chances — 691 — in five-on-five situations. They also tied for most goals against in that category with 86, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Over their previous 10 games, they ranked worst in high-danger scoring chances allowed per 60 minutes and fourth in high-danger goals at 2.06 per 60 minutes.
Those numbers, though daunting, aren’t always an indicator of a win or a loss. The Hawks gave up 17 such scoring chances to the Ducks on Tuesday in a a 6-2 win. The Flames scored three high-danger goals in a game in which the Hawks routed them 8-4.
There also was a three-game stretch in February against the Jets, Oilers and Canucks during which the Hawks held opponents to just five or fewer such scoring chances — yet they lost all three by at least two goals.
Advertisement
But there are times when it has mattered, particularly against other wild-card contenders.
The Hawks allowed 14 high-danger shots — two for goals — in a 3-2 loss to the Jets last month.
In a Feb. 19 home loss, the Hawks played the Rangers closer than the 6-3 score indicated, but the Rangers converted four of their 15 high-scoring opportunities as the Hawks defense wilted in the third period.
Such breakdowns put undue stress on the goaltending.
“We rely heavily on our goalies,” Strome said. “We relied a lot on Lenny (Robin Lehner) earlier in the year and Crow’s (Corey Crawford) been unbelievable the past seven or eight games. He’s been standing on his head. We don’t even deserve to be in a lot of the games that we’ve lost that he’s kept us in.
“We’re finding a way to put some goals in now and give him some support. When you have confidence in your goalie it makes it a lot easier to play offense and take some more chances.”
Advertisement
Reminiscent of the axiom that the best defense is a good offense, Colliton said the team has worked lately on making sure breakouts from the defensive zone are as clean as possible and that skaters are making better decisions with the puck.
It cuts down on turnovers in transition and puts opponents on their heels, he said.
“That helps because when we force the opposition to defend, it just takes the pressure off, gives everyone a chance to breathe, and we can build momentum in our game,” Colliton said.
And if they do fall behind by a goal or two, the Hawks are learning not to panic.
Said Colliton: “The periods of the game where they have control, we have to weather the storm and get it turned as quickly as we can. And the details will help you: your play away from the puck, your work ethic away from the puck, managing the puck when we have it, being an option, wanting to share the load as far as carrying the puck from zone to zone.
“Those are all things we can do to help ourselves be more consistent.”
Advertisement
Chicago Tribune Sports Weekdays A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
Veterans have been a calming voice, Strome said, advising younger players to compete all 60 minutes regardless of the score.
“It’s just finding ways to win,” he said. “We’ve been trailing in a couple of games. Trailing against a really good Tampa Bay team in the third period and come back and win that one with five straight goals. We’ve got some confidence and have been playing good ever since.”
Count Strome among the Hawks who are “very optimistic” they’ve turned a corner.
“We were 12 points out a week and a half ago — obviously six now — so we made up some ground,” he said, adding that he believes the Hawks are in better position to make a wild-card push than they were last season. “Anything can happen.”
Alex DeBrincat agreed.
“Obviously, this is a big month for us — a lot of home games, a lot of points on the table,” he said. “We’ve got to look at the big picture but also take it game by game.
Advertisement
“We know where we are in the standings and we know what we’re up against. But ... coming out with two points in most of the games is big for us and it’s going to help us climb up the standings.”


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish — scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start — and Jason Kipnis are ou

Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish — scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start — and Jason Kipnis are out with illnesses

“ He ’ s proven he can come up here and be a big-league player , ” Epstein said of @ @ @ @ @ to put him in position to be the best player that he can be , @ @ @ @ @ t been made .
He brings obvious things to the table , including a lot @ @ @ @ @ t have in abundance in other places .

MESA, Ariz. — Yu Darvish, presumed to be the Cubs’ opening-day starter against the Brewers on March 26 in Milwaukee, was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Thursday with an illness.
Darvish and second baseman Jason Kipnis sat out after coming down with a bug. Manager David Ross and starter Jose Quintana previously were out with flu-like symptoms
Advertisement
“My understanding is they think it’s just a daily illness,” Cubs President Theo Epstein said. “He should be fine tomorrow.”
Reliever James Norwood started in place of Darvish against the Rangers at Sloan Park and pitched a scoreless inning in a 5-0 Cubs loss. Darvish is scheduled to throw a three-inning simulated game Friday, keeping him on schedule and the spring rotation order intact.
Advertisement
Ross missed the first three games of the spring with flu-like symptoms.
“I’m good, thank goodness,” Ross said Thursday. “I don’t know if I started all this crap. We’ve got a couple guys banged up, but just taking precautions, especially with all the stuff going around. … Extra cautious in that area, just make sure we do our best not to spread it around.”
Ross doesn’t have a game plan for Darvish because the Cubs don’t know how long the pitcher will be out.
Ross added that he doesn’t know if the illness will affect his plans for opening day. The Cubs have not announced the opening-day starter, though Darvish’s dominant second half last season makes him a strong choice.
“Just depends on how long all these guys miss and how things line up,” Ross said. “That’s why we (delay the announcement). You can come up with the flu or even a little stomach ache or a bad back. There’s a ton of things that can happen, so we just wait and see.”
In his lone Cactus League start, Darvish hit 98 mph on his fastball and struck out three in two innings.
If Darvish isn’t ready for the start of the season, Ross presumably would choose between Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester. Hendricks has not allowed a run in two outings covering five innings, while Lester was roughed up in his first start but recovered nicely in his second.
Kipnis, who signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs, is hitting .200 in six games. He shouldn’t be affected much by a short absence, though it’s unknown how much time he’ll miss. Rookie Nico Hoerner and David Bote are also competing at second.
Advertisement
Hoerner is a rookie shortstop making the transition to second after being an emergency call-up in September when Javier Baez and Addison Russell were injured. The Cubs have to decide whether he’would be better off with more development in the minors.
Chicago Tribune Sports Weekdays A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
“He’s proven he can come up here and be a big-league player,” Epstein said of Hoerner. "Just try to put him in position to be the best player that he can be, and that decision hasn’t been made. He brings obvious things to the table, including a lot of things we don’t have in abundance in other places.
“We also want to make sure he ends up being the best player he can possibly be over the long haul. So we’ll try to figure out how much of that we could accomplish up here.”
Also, first baseman Anthony Rizzo was scratched from Thursday’s game after splitting open a blister on his right middle finger.
Brad Wieck is rehabbing from his heart procedure and likely won’t be ready for the start of the season.
The left-handed reliever underwent a cardiac ablation Feb. 24 to prevent the recurrence of an abnormal heartbeat. He has been playing long toss this week and is schedule to extend it to 90 feet Friday, then be tested Monday before the team determines whether he can begin a full week of throwing.
“Our only concern is letting that vein completely heal before putting a lot of pressure on it,” Wieck said.
Advertisement
After a successful end of the 2019 season — he was 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 14 outings being acquired in a July 31 trade with the Padres — Wieck was expected to open the season in the Cubs bullpen.
“Sometimes crummy stuff happens, and you’ve just got to deal with it and move on,” he said.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Environmental activists, pipeline proponents pack hearing in Chicago on Dakota Access expansion plan

Environmental activists, pipeline proponents pack hearing in Chicago on Dakota Access expansion plans

Dakota Access , in a June filing with the commerce commission , detailed its desire to increase pipeline volume and @ @ @ @ @ route .
The simple reason for the changes , they say , is increased production @ @ @ @ @ .
In order to handle the increased flow , the company wants to build a @ @ @ @ @ 40 million pump station near Carthage in western Illinois and add two pumps and replace @ @ @ @ @ and tank hub near the towns of Patoka and Vernon along U.S. Highway 51 .

Opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline expansion chant "No more fossil fuels" at a news conference before a scheduled hearing before the Illinois Commerce Commission in Chicago on March 5, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Dozens of environmental activists and union laborers turned out in force Thursday morning for the Illinois Commerce Commission hearing on the proposed expansion of the Dakota Access pipeline, which transports crude oil from North Dakota to a terminal in central Illinois.
Opponents of the expansion, which would increase the flow of oil through the pipeline from a daily average of 560,000 barrels to 1.1 million barrels, argue the increased amount is dangerous to the environment and an unnecessary reliance on fossil fuel. Proponents, including members of the Laborers’ International Union who wore bright orange sweatshirts, jackets and shirts to the meeting at the Bilandic Building in the Loop, say the pipeline expansion is safe, a boost to the American economy and will create construction jobs in Illinois.
Advertisement
The evidentiary hearing that began Thursday is much like a court proceeding. The pipeline company, which is petitioning the Illinois Commerce Commission for approval to expand capacity and build new pump stations, and environmental groups, which are protesting the plans, can call upon witnesses and ask questions in front of an administrative law judge. A final decision on the fate of the proposed pipeline upgrades is still months away.
While the public is able to attend, there is no time allotted for public comment. That restriction did not prevent activists and pro-pipeline union members from packing the eighth-floor hearing room. People stood along the side of the room, which holds about 100 people, and the crowd overflowed into the hallway.
Advertisement
Deni Mathews, chairwoman of the group Save Our Illinois Land, among the groups which has filed a series of objections to the plans, said she is not sure what effect activists’ presence will have on the future of the project but that transparency in the process and bringing the plans to the public’s attention are part of activists’ goal.
“This hearing is bone-dry in terms of content, but I think it’s important to open up these different commissions and make sure the public knows what’s going on,” Mathews said.
SOIL board member Paul Berland said he wished the hearing focused more on the overarching issue of climate change, instead of the intricacies of the specific pipeline proposals. Still, he said the fight against the pipeline is part of an overall effort to stand up to the oil and gas industry.
“The fact is that there is more and more global warming occurring across the world and this pipeline is going to have devastating consequences and it’s just going to get worse,” Berland said. “But we’re also concerned about the environmental damage, as well. So it’s multiple facets.”
Several labor unions have formally filed support for the plans with the commerce commission. The presence of dozens of members reinforced that support.
Craig Stevens, spokesman for a coalition of businesses, trade associations and labor groups called Grow America’s Infrastructure Now, said the pipeline is “incredibly important to Illinois and our nation’s economy.” Increasing Dakota Access capacity will allow more American crude oil to be transported to market while also freeing up Midwestern rail cars to transport more commodities such as corn and soybeans, he said.
“Really the question, I think, that the American electorate needs to think about is, ‘What are we going to do to power our nation?’” Stevens said. He argued the pipeline is safe and “one of the most technologically advanced pipelines ever constructed.”
The company that operates Dakota Access, Energy Transfer, says the expansion will not increase the risk of ruptures or spills. The pipeline, the company says, was initially built to handle the flow of more oil than the current amount.
Advertisement
“Our plan to optimize the pipeline’s capacity is well within the design parameters of the current system,” a company spokeswoman wrote in response to previous questions from the Tribune. “The additional pumps and the enhanced safety controls along the route, i.e., surge tanks, will not change the risk profile of the pipeline or the maximum operating pressure. The Dakota Access pipeline will continue to operate safely at the optimized capacity.”
Dakota Access, in a June filing with the commerce commission, detailed its desire to increase pipeline volume and upgrade pumping infrastructure along the route. The simple reason for the changes, they say, is increased production and demand for crude oil. In order to handle the increased flow, the company wants to build a $35 million to $40 million pump station near Carthage in western Illinois and add two pumps and replace two others at the pump and tank hub near the towns of Patoka and Vernon along U.S. Highway 51.
Those upgrades, the company says, will allow it to increase the daily flow through the pipeline to as much as 1.1 million barrels per day. The Williston Basin in North Dakota, which includes the Bakken region, is producing about 1.4 million barrels per day, up 29% from when the Dakota Access pipeline began operating in June 2017, according to a recent company filing for the commerce commission.
The company forecasts that production will continue to increase over the next five years because of advances in “recovery and drilling technology.”
Richard Kuprewicz, a pipeline engineer tapped for written testimony by the environmental groups, said during a phone interview prior to the hearing that he’s not convinced the pipeline can safely handle the increased pressure that will come with increased flow.
Federal regulations, Kuprewicz said, don’t govern these specifics, so the company “better know how to do this and it better not allow the pipeline to fail.”
Advertisement
The potential for a 15-feet-per-second rate of flow is higher than the 5 to 8 feet per second that is customary for similarly designed pipelines, said Kuprewicz, the president of a company that investigates gas and liquid pipelines who has been called for testimony at the federal level and has consulted with numerous government agencies on pipeline spills.
“That’s a pretty high velocity,” Kuprewicz said. “That gets my attention. ... You are at a velocity where the surge risk is real. I really want the company to be able to show that they have designed stuff that will prevent this."
The hearing comes after Dakota Access has been filling the airwaves with advertisements, touting the benefits of the pipeline for Illinois and the Midwest. Dakota Access ads have been running on local Chicago television and radio stations, and this week the company took out a half-page ad in the Chicago Tribune as well as a digital ad on the Tribune’s homepage.
The pipeline was also showcased during a regional spot that ran on Fox-32 during the Super Bowl in early February. The Super Bowl ad reached 1.8 million people (ages 18 and older), according to Fox spokeswoman Victoria Gurrieri.
Illinois and Iowa must still approve the plan before it can move forward.
After the hearing, which could stretch into Friday, the administrative law judge will consider the testimony and issue a proposed order, which usually occurs several weeks after the hearing. Then each side will again have the ability to respond to the order before the case finally heads to the full panel of ICC commissioners. Eventually, the commissioners will vote on whether the oil companies can increase capacity on the pipeline and issue a final order.
Advertisement
poconnell@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Jury at trial of man accused of killing Cmdr. Paul Bauer views photographs of crime scene

But under follow-up questioning from prosecutors , Ryan said that if someone were standing outside the stairwell and firing down @ @ @ @ @ sense for the bullet to land near the doors behind them .
And small pieces @ @ @ @ @ moved around to unexpected places as people walk through crime scenes in the initial chaos @ @ @ @

Shomari Legghette, 47, gestures as he walks out of the courtroom on Oct. 28, 2020, after being sentenced in the first-degree murder of Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Before the third day of testimony at the trial of the man accused in the fatal shooting of Cmdr. Paul Bauer, the judge overseeing the case issued a warning from the bench.
“There will be displayed in certain photographic evidence ... material that might prove a little sensitive for family members to see,” Judge Erica Reddick told the gallery, one side of which was packed with Bauer’s family and supporters, including his widow.
Advertisement
“If at any time viewing anything on the screen is disturbing or upsetting for you to see, please feel free to quietly exit the room."
Nobody did.
Advertisement
With that, prosecutors trying Shomari Legghette for Bauer’s murder began to display, one by one, photos taken from the scene of the fatal shooting in February 2018.
Bullet fragments in the steep Thompson Center stairwell where Bauer was shot. The commander’s standard-issue clip-on tie, resting atop a fired cartridge casing. His handcuffs lying in a pool of blood.
And a photo from later that evening, after police recovered Bauer’s clothing from the morgue: his blood-soaked uniform shirt, complete with name tag, police star and the silver oak-leaf pins indicating his rank. Through it all, Bauer’s family, seated in the front of the courtroom, made no sound.
Legghette, 46, is facing trial for first-degree murder in Bauer’s slaying, a broad-daylight shooting in the middle of the Loop that stunned the city. Bauer, a 31-year veteran, was the highest-ranking officer killed on the job in decades.
Bauer, downtown for a meeting with aldermen after attending a training session, heard a radio call of a fleeing suspect and spotted Legghette running nearby moments later, authorities said.
Bauer chased Legghette to the top of a stairwell outside the Thompson Center and attempted to detain him, authorities said. The two struggled and ended up on a landing below before Bauer was shot.
Advertisement
Legghette’s defense so far has focused on two theories. He shot Bauer in self-defense, not knowing that his pursuer was a police officer, attorney Scott Kamin said in opening statements Tuesday.
In addition, Kamin has hinted that Legghette will take the stand and say that someone else also fired shots into the stairwell that day — a theory that, thus far, every eyewitness has refuted.
Kamin continued to advance that narrative as he cross-examined now-retired Chicago police forensic investigator David Ryan on the stand.
Ryan testified that his team recovered a fired bullet far outside the stairwell, near the doors to the Thompson Center.
But under follow-up questioning from prosecutors, Ryan said that if someone were standing outside the stairwell and firing down, it would make little sense for the bullet to land near the doors behind them. And small pieces of evidence can easily be moved around to unexpected places as people walk through crime scenes in the initial chaos, he said.
Advertisement
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Charges dropped against mother arrested while grieving the slaying of her daughter — but her record

Charges dropped against mother arrested while grieving the slaying of her daughter — but her record is not yet cleared

Jaya Beemon was one of five people shot inside the store near the 7900 block of South Avalon Avenue .
@ @ @ @ @ a date , also a nursing student at Malcolm X College .
Her date was @ @ @ @ @ stabilized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital .
The other three injured were a 17-year-old girl shot @ @ @ @ @ and ankle ; an 18-year-old woman shot in the back ; and a 63-year-old man @ @ @ @ @

Evidence technicians place markers next to bullet casings at the scene where Jaya Beemon was killed and four other people were injured by gunshots on Feb. 25, 2020, in the 7900 block of South Avalon Avenue in Chicago's Avalon Park neighborhood. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Prosecutors on Thursday formally dropped misdemeanor charges that were filed against Nyisha Beemon the night her daughter was fatally shot in an Avalon Park convenience store last week.
But now the registered nurse said she will work to get her record expunged so she can continue working. “This is just step one,” Beemon said while leaving court.
Advertisement
Her daughter, Jaya Beemon, an 18-year-old nursing student at Malcolm X College, was killed while buying snacks at the South Side convenience store on Feb. 25. Nyisha Beemon was arrested at the University of Chicago Medical Center while grieving her daughter’s death, according to officials.
Jaya Beemon was one of five people shot inside the store near the 7900 block of South Avalon Avenue. Jaya Beemon stopped there with a date, also a nursing student at Malcolm X College. Her date was shot in the neck and stabilized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The other three injured were a 17-year-old girl shot in the arm, chest and ankle; an 18-year-old woman shot in the back; and a 63-year-old man shot in the leg.
Advertisement
Nyisha Beemon holds her daughter Justice Beemon, 8, during a news conference on Feb. 29, 2020, in front of the convenience store where her daughter Jaya Beemon was shot and killed earlier in the week. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
When Nyisha Beemon saw her daughter’s body, she was so overwhelmed with grief she began screaming and fell to the floor. Relatives said hospital workers complained about Beemon’s behavior and additional officers were called. According to relatives, Beemon was dragged away by officers and charged with two misdemeanors, battery and resisting arrest.
"There was no empathy. There was no sympathy. They treated us horribly,” Nyisha Beemon’s sister Tiana Beemon told the Tribune last week. Beemon spent that night in jail and was later bonded out, according to relatives.
While the case was dismissed Thursday morning, her record is not automatically expunged in Illinois. As a nurse, Beemon said she cannot have the charges remain on her record.
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office said it does not have the authority to clear criminal records, but will continue to work with Beemon.
Earlier this week, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx met with the family and criticized the Chicago Police Department for arresting Beemon. Her office said the charges were "inappropriate.”
ssherry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Poke bowls, new taco restaurant coming to Uptown Park Ridge

Poke Burrito , which has locations in Chicago , Oak Park and Deer Park , announced on its Facebook page @ @ @ @ @ open its new Park Ridge restaurant in April inside the former Maki Sushi .
Its @ @ @ @ @ describes its cuisine as “ Asian fusion , ramen ( and ) poke . ''

Poke Burrito, which has locations in Chicago, Oak Park and Deer Park, has announced plans to open at 12 S. Northwest Highway — formerly Maki Sushi — in Park Ridge. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press)
Two new restaurants — one serving up Asian fusion and the other, tacos — are coming to Uptown Park Ridge.
The city’s liquor license review board on March 2 recommended approval of liquor licenses for Poke Burrito, 12 S. Northwest Highway, and Tony’s Tacos, 16 S. Fairview Ave.
Advertisement
The recommendations will go to the Park Ridge City Council for final approval.
Poke Burrito, which has locations in Chicago, Oak Park and Deer Park, announced on its Facebook page that it is hoping to open its new Park Ridge restaurant in April inside the former Maki Sushi. Its application with the liquor commission describes its cuisine as “Asian fusion, ramen (and) poke."
Advertisement
Maki Sushi, which opened in 2000, closed its doors in early February.
According to its menu, Poke Burrito will serve varieties of Japanese ramen (wheat noodles served in broth with toppings), sushi rolls, poke bowls, and sushi burritos.
A few blocks to the west, Tony’s Tacos is proposed for a newly constructed building at 16 S. Fairview Ave., said Tim Schwarz of the city’s business licensing department.
The restaurant is owned by Tony Antonacci, who currently owns and operates Pennyville Station at 112 Main St.
Antonacci described his new venture as a “fast casual taco restaurant” that will also feature margaritas and beer.
He said he is hoping to open around the end of April or beginning of May, and his liquor license application indicates he is planning to have outdoor seating.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Art Van Furniture to close all stores, including location on Route 59 in Naperville

It entered the Chicago market in mid-2013 , with plans to invest more than $ 40 million in land , @ @ @ @ @ labor .
The state ’ s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity provided a $ @ @ @ @ @ 10 years and based on the company creating 35 jobs and making a $ 4.9 @ @ @ @ @ distribution facility .
The distribution center will close when final sales are completed , said @ @ @ @

Art Van has announced it is closing all 176 of its stores, including the one located on Route 59 in Naperville. (Art Van / HANDOUT)
Art Van Furniture, one of the Midwest’s largest furniture retailers, announced Thursday it would shut down all of its 176 stores, including one on Route 59 in Naperville.
Liquidation sales are scheduled to begin Friday.
Advertisement
The company, started in the Detroit area in 1959 and now based in Warren, Michigan, operates stores in the Chicago name under the names Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors. In addition to stores in Michigan and Illinois, it has locations in Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.
Shoppers inside the Art Van Furniture store in Chicago on Nov. 2, 2015. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
It entered the Chicago market in mid-2013, with plans to invest more than $40 million in land, store build-out, inventory and labor. The state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity provided a $404,000 tax credit spread over 10 years and based on the company creating 35 jobs and making a $4.9 million investment at its Bolingbrook distribution facility. The distribution center will close when final sales are completed, said spokeswoman Diane Charles.
Advertisement
The company’s website lists 24 stores in Illinois. Altogether, the shutdown will mean the loss of 520 jobs in Illinois, she said.
[ Nordstrom closing Trunk Club stores ]
Art Van drew attention for its creative marketing promotions. Those included free furniture if the temperature at O’Hare International Airport topped 100 degrees during part of the summer of 2016 and bets on heavy snowfall during Super Bowl games. In 2015, Art Van refunded a total of $2.5 million to about 1,200 furniture buyers when it snowed more than 3 inches during that year’s Super Bowl.
In 2017, Boston-based private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners acquired a majority stake in Art Van and the retailer began an aggressive expansion, including buying other chains and opening in spaces left empty by other retailers.
[ The Standard Club, long the social nexus for Chicago’s Jewish leaders, is closing May 1 amid financial struggles ]


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--After selling, Bill FitzGerald says farewell to his namesake music club

When the club was almost ready , FitzGerald said , he and brother Chris were up on a ladder along @ @ @ @ @ sign with the logo designed by their dad , the one the club still uses @ @ @ @ @ re very proud of it , ” he said .
“ And this , you @ @ @ @ @ walks by , and then he looks up at us , and we look down @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Hey , don ’ t you know , this is the street of broken @ @ @ @

Former owners Bill and Kate FitzGerald, far left and far right, stand on either side of new owner Will Duncan outside FitzGerald's Nightclub, March 2, 2020, in Berwyn. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
On the night of Bill FitzGerald’s last day as owner of his namesake Berwyn music club, as he and wife Kate received hugs from a steady stream of well wishers, as the photos from his family’s almost 40 years of ownership played on a big screen over his shoulder, as one more band inside the club delivered on the eternal promise of live music, something was not right.
He was outside in the tent that covered the patio area between the main club and the Sidebar. The FitzGerald’s campus was filled with friends, family and fans come to say goodbye in a celebration that fell somewhere between Irish wake and retirement party.
Advertisement
And this corner of the tent, on the early March night in the 30s, was getting a little chilly.
He walked over to check a portable heater, and his suspicion was confirmed.
Advertisement
“I’m going to go get the propane going and be right back,” he said.
Earlier that day FitzGerald signed the papers officially handing the business over to a new owner, Will Duncan, a 40-year-old minor partner in the Thalia Hall music club in Pilsen looking to make his own mark. Whether or not all systems were working was, frankly, not FitzGerald’s hassle anymore. But a club owner’s work is never done.
He disappeared into the Sidebar building for a minute. On the main stage the eclectic cover band Expo ‘76 was nearing its finale, an irresistibly sing-a-long version of the Faces’ “Ooh La La.” Above the outdoor tables hung a kind of Museum of FitzGerald’s, the official tee-shirts for the club’s big annual summertime American Music Festival, featuring designs by the likes of Lynda Barry and Jon Langford, one for every year dating back to 1989.
When FitzGerald returned, the portable heater was blowing warm air again and FitzGerald could talk in relative comfort. People weren’t sure he would get to this point during the 2-½ years in which the club was on the market, but he also sounded comfortable with the decision to sell.
“We've done as much as we can do here, and it's time to move on and let somebody else do it who’s got a little bit of the same vision, you know, but is maybe a little better funded and can bring this place into the new era,” he said.
Attendees listen to former co-owner Bill FitzGerald speak during a farewell party at FitzGerald's nightclub Wednesday March 4, 2020 in Berwyn, Ill. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
As in any conversation with him, it quickly came back to the musicians he loved and admired and had hired to play his stages through the years. One of the club’s first big “gets,” not long after FitzGerald and his family had finished renovating the old Deer Lodge during most of 1980, was Marcia Ball, the now 70-year-old Texas boogie-woogie blues piano player and singer.
“Marcia Ball and I had this little joke where I said, ‘Well, I'm going to stay open as long as you're playing,’” he recalled. “And I didn't. She outlasted me. She outlasted us.”
He looked around, taking in the property and the noise and the almost palpable conviviality. “This is a little bit of a miracle here,” he said.
Advertisement
New owner Duncan said earlier this week he knows that much of what he is buying is aura and that his aim is to keep the place pretty much as is, including the name on the door and the staff booking the music and serving the drinks.
He and head of music Donnie Biggins might filter in some new acts from time to time, they said. For instance, there’s no harm, Biggins said, in pulling some younger patrons from the city for events such as March 28’s Chicago Honky Tonk, a sort of one-day country music festival.
The regular patrons will be watching the new owner closely, though. “There’d be torches and pitchforks if he screwed it up,” Greg Neise, a longtime neighbor and customer, said Wednesday night, seated at the Sidebar. “This really is the last great American roadhouse.”
But he said FitzGerald’s is a retirement well earned. “I’ll just be happy not to see Bill climbing around on the roof anymore to nail in a shingle,” said Neise. “He deserves that.”
“This is my favorite place in the whole world,” said Larry Calkins, who grew up in Berwyn and now lives just west, in Brookfield. “My brothers, my nieces and nephews, my sons — we camp out here during the American Music Fest.”
As for new ownership, “as long as they do it like they say they’re going to, I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
Advertisement
Before the music started, the FitzGeralds delivered a farewell from the stage where Joe Ely, Brave Combo, Dave Alvin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Paycheck, Alejandro Escovedo and thousands more have played in a kind of rolling hall of fame of American roots music.
From left, Catherine FitzGerald Klisz, former co-owner Kate FitzGerald, Margaret FitzGerald, and former co-owner Bill FitzGerald, talk with attendees during a farewell party at FitzGerald's nightclub Wednesday March 4, 2020 in Berwyn, Ill. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Speaking on behalf of State Sen. Don Harmon, a club devotee stuck in Springfield, Patty Reilly-Murphy got up to deliver an official state proclamation thanking the FitzGeralds. Amid the “whereases,” she got choked up.
Bill FitzGerald, who’s now 67, took the microphone. He bought the place, backed by his family, for $60,000, he said, and then wasn’t able to open for nine months, until Dec. 1980, because so much work needed to be done.
He, too, got choked up during his description of the “simple idea” he said he had back then: “Wouldn’t it be great to own a bar and have music?”
When the club was almost ready, FitzGerald said, he and brother Chris were up on a ladder along Roosevelt Road hanging their custom-made sign with the logo designed by their dad, the one the club still uses today. “We’re very proud of it,” he said. “And this, you know, Six Pack Joe walks by, and then he looks up at us, and we look down. And he goes, ‘Hey, don’t you know, this is the street of broken dreams?’”
Kate FitzGerald, 62, told the crowd the club was really about them, that people talk about the “vibe” of the place, “but there’s no vibe without you guys.”
Advertisement
“Who was here for Alejandro when all the lights went out?” she said. “Did you leave? No! … Not to mention, you put our kids through school. You helped us buy our house. And it’s only because of you that we have a Subaru.”
Expo ‘76 seemed to be tailoring its setlist to the occasion. They opened with the Who’s “Long Live Rock” They played “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide” from the founding year, 1980. Lyrics reminded people to “enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think" and, of course, “I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger.”
Frontman Dag Juhlin had a message for the new owner, a reference to the FitzGeralds’ planned retirement to a Wisconsin town on the Mississippi River and their passion for the water.
“Once, maybe twice a year,” the singer said, “if you could just put a pontoon boat out in the parking lot — “
“ — that would be so comforting for all of us,” piped in drummer John Carpender.
As the evening rolled on, the Blackfoot Gypsies took the stage, channeling the Faces by way of the Black Crowes. Earlier, the outgoing owner said he was thrilled to learn the group was in the area, available to play this event. He described them as “our rock-'em, sock-'em fun band for the last three years.”
Advertisement
Midway through their set, FitzGerald walked through the back of the club and stepped into the adjacent hallway where the restrooms are. Something, apparently, wasn’t right and, once again, it was his job to fix it, at least for another hour or two.
FitzGerald came back through the door and flipped a wall switch. Now there was light in the hallway, and, as the guitar jangled on stage and the bass and drums drove the beat, he walked into it.
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Javy Cam is coming soon to a Cubs telecast: Marquee Sports Network plans to use a new infield camera

Javy Cam is coming soon to a Cubs telecast: Marquee Sports Network plans to use a new infield camera during a Cactus League game next week

“ It ’ s a partnership , and we definitely want his buy-in and we probably have it , ” @ @ @ @ @ worked closely with the team on miking players .
We really couldn ’ t ask @ @ @ @ @ bring perspectives on the Cubs to the viewers that they may not have been able @ @ @ @ @

MESA, Ariz. — Javy Cam is on the way to the Marquee Sports Network.
Advertisement
Marquee officials showed Cubs President Theo Epstein the special infield camera on a practice field Thursday at the Nike Performance Center. The tiny camera, which the network has been testing this spring, is located in the dirt near second base — close to shortstop Javier Baez — and Marquee hopes to use it in a Cactus League telecast Wednesday or March 12.
“It was done at the All-Star Game, and the league has allowed us to do some experimenting here,” Marquee general manager Mike McCarthy said at Sloan Park. “That’s a great thing about spring training and doing all these games — we’re able to try things.
Advertisement
“We were able to look at this Javy Baez fellow. He’s good at baseball is what this camera seems to illustrate.”
It’s not officially called Javy Cam, but it’s inevitable the camera will show off Baez’s dexterity at short. Marquee planned to show some video highlights on Thursday’s Cubs-Rangers telecast.
“This camera speaks for itself. It’s very cool,” McCarthy said. “And the Cubs have been so open to experimenting.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 21 Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Did Marquee need Epstein’s approval?
Chicago Tribune Sports Weekdays A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
“It’s a partnership, and we definitely want his buy-in and we probably have it,” McCarthy said. “We worked closely with the team on miking players. We really couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to bring perspectives on the Cubs to the viewers that they may not have been able to get before.”
McCarthy said the network is experimenting a lot this spring. Some things will be part of regular-season telecasts, and some won’t.
The horizontal-score bug, which differs from the vertical bugs in the corner on most teams’ telecasts, and the bottom-line crawl that provides news and scores are two components Cubs fans watching Marquee have been getting used to.
“We know that anything that’s new has a little bit of a marinating period,” McCarthy said. “We’re trying to decide on things like (the crawl). But we like what it’s giving in the way of information, and obviously we’re going to be tweaking things.”
Advertisement
So spring training telecasts are a work in progress?
“In a healthy way,” he said. “We’re getting feedback, a lot of it positive. A lot of ‘Hey, have you thought of this?’ That’s what makes it fun.
“I’ve been around sports awhile, and the passion of the Cubs fan is like no other. They really care, and that makes everybody better, which is great.”


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Former GOP U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock announces on Instagram that he’s gay, says his family still not fu

Former GOP U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock announces on Instagram that he’s gay, says his family still not fully accepting

Six months after striking a rare deal with prosecutors , in September 2019 he was officially cleared of criminal charges @ @ @ @ @ funds for private use .
Federal prosecutors in Chicago dropped all charges against him after @ @ @ @ @ during which he stayed out of trouble and paid back $ 68,000 to his congressional @ @ @ @ @ d used for personal expenses .
His record was wiped , meaning he would be @ @ @ @ @ office again if he chose to do so .

Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock appears March 6, 2019 after his scheduled hearing at the U.S. Dirksen Courthouse in Chicago. Federal prosecutors have agreed to drop all charges against him if he pays back money he owes to the Internal Revenue Service and his campaign fund. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
A post on Instagram on Thursday from the account of former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, a Republican who served the 18th Congressional District, including Peoria and part of Springfield, announced Schock is gay.
Schock said he has spent the past year making his way through a list of people he felt “should finally hear the news directly from me before I made a public statement.” The Instagram post contained a portion of a longer post posted on Schock’s website.
Advertisement
“The fact that I am gay is just one of those things in my life in need of explicit affirmation, to remove any doubt and to finally validate who I am as a person. In many ways I regret the time wasted in not having done so sooner,” he wrote.
Schock could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. The Peoria Journal Star said he confirmed in a text message that the posts were genuine.
Advertisement
Schock, once a rising Republican political star, resigned in 2015 amid a federal investigation that resulted in criminal charges. The sweeping criminal indictment in Springfield alleged he used his government and campaign funds to pay for personal luxuries, including private jets, skybox tickets at Soldier Field and paying for travel to get a haircut. He addressed the situation in his statement.
“I like to think I would have sorted all this out in the right way, had circumstances allowed. As it turned out, the opportunity quickly vanished in early 2015, when I found myself facing an array of false charges involving office and campaign expenses. That ordeal quickly descended into a years-long struggle to clear my name, so all-consuming that I chose to resign from the House and devote myself almost full time to the effort,” it said.
Six months after striking a rare deal with prosecutors, in September 2019 he was officially cleared of criminal charges alleging he used his campaign funds for private use. Federal prosecutors in Chicago dropped all charges against him after he completed a probationary period during which he stayed out of trouble and paid back $68,000 to his congressional campaign funds that he’d used for personal expenses. His record was wiped, meaning he would be free to run for public office again if he chose to do so.
In his announcement, Schock discussed what he considered to be years of speculation by news media, which, he said, used speculation by “dog whistle.” He said he threw himself into his work but didn’t feel he could come out at that time.
“Perhaps correctly, perhaps not, I assumed that revealing myself as their gay congressman would not go over well" with his constituents, he wrote. "I put my ambition over the truth, which not only hurt me, but others as well.”
He said being out of public office for the first time since his teens made him feel ready personally to come out, but he said when the people closest to him were subpoenaed, he continued to stay quiet.
Advertisement
“I truly wanted to tell my family and felt ready to do so, starting with Mom and Dad. But just as I felt comfortable enough to come out, government prosecutors weaponized questions about my personal life and used innuendo in an attempt to cast me as a person of deceptive habit and questionable character,” he wrote.
Schock’s attorneys asked a judge to throw out the felony indictment against him, in part because prosecutors asked witnesses about Schock’s sex life, including whether he was gay.
He said he continues to “hold out hope that, over time, my family will come to accept me as I am.”
Advertisement
He also confronts what he has been cautioned may be the reaction from those in the LGBTQ community, who may wonder why he didn’t do more to support his own community while he held office.
A Washington Post column by Steven Petrow addressed that issue as well. Petrow wrote: "Make no mistake: Schock, regardless of his sexual orientation, is no friend to the LGBT community. He has steadfastly opposed marriage equality and has voted against the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ hate-crime legislation, and LGBT employment non-discrimination. The Human Rights Campaign has awarded the congressman a rating of zero — its lowest — for each of his congressional terms.
Schock seemed to imply remorse for the earlier stances he took.
“The truth is that if I were in Congress today, I would support LGBTQ rights in every way I could,” he wrote.
He closed his post by saying there has been progress made with his family, although it has been slower and more incremental than he might like.
“I’m optimistic about the future and ready to write the next chapter of my life,” he wrote.
Advertisement
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Review: A Greek restaurant where the saganaki, sans flames, will become your favorite version — no ‘

Review: A Greek restaurant where the saganaki, sans flames, will become your favorite version — no ‘opa!’ required

Chef and owner Louie Alexakis is no newcomer to downtown .
His father-in-law owns Greek Islands and his uncle owns @ @ @ @ @ veterans — and Alexakis , in his words , “ did my years of service @ @ @ @ @ created his first Avli restaurant in Winnetka 11 years ago , then opened a sister @ @ @ @ @ in Lincoln Park in 2018 .
Last year , Alexakis jumped at the chance to @ @ @ @ @ Robata space to bring his dreams of Greek cuisine to the city center .

Avli, a four-month-old Greek restaurant, is an important addition to the River North dining scene. Not only is it a serious fine-dining independent in a neighborhood overrun with chain eateries and nightclubs posing as restaurants, but it’s also a new Greek restaurant opening at a time when luxury housing starts are gradually pricing Chicago’s Greektown out of existence.
Chef and owner Louie Alexakis, back, with lunchtime diners. Alexakis did his "years of service" in his family's Greek restaurants. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Chef and owner Louie Alexakis is no newcomer to downtown. His father-in-law owns Greek Islands and his uncle owns Santorini — both longtime Greektown veterans — and Alexakis, in his words, “did my years of service” at both. He created his first Avli restaurant in Winnetka 11 years ago, then opened a sister property, Avli Taverna, in Lincoln Park in 2018. Last year, Alexakis jumped at the chance to take over the old Sumi Robata space to bring his dreams of Greek cuisine to the city center.
Advertisement
“That means I’m more stupid than you thought,” Alexakis joked.
The main dining room. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The River North location came with challenges. It’s a narrow, two-story building (plus basement), its interior space bisected by a stairwell. The first thing Alexakis did was build new stairs out over the patio space, costing him some outdoor seating but giving the interior spaces better continuity.
Advertisement
At street level there’s a long bar and a few white-cloth tables (and reasonably comfortable chairs); the second floor is the main dining room, with its own restrooms and service bar. Both are accessible via stairs or elevator, which is how the food arrives, although that’s done so surreptitiously that most diners have no idea where the kitchen might be.
The exterior of Avli River North. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The closer Alexakis gets to the city center, the more sophisticated the food tends to be. In Winnetka, the saganaki is flamed tableside in tourist-pleasing fashion; here and in Lincoln Park, it’s simply a baked triangle of cheese topped with peppered fig marmalade and honey. (It will become your favorite version.) Whole fish is filleted tableside in Lincoln Park and Winnetka; here, the lavraki (sea bass) arrives as twin, pan-seared fillets graced with lemon, garlic and oregano, alongside wild greens with a hint of ouzo.
The mussels mastiha. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Also unique to the River North menu are the soutzoukakia, cumin-seasoned lamb and beef meatballs in a hearty tomato sauce (“as rustic as you can get,” says Alexakis, accurately) and an equally rustic kleftiko, a main course of braised short rib, root vegetables and potatoes. (This dish needs more seasoning.) Steamed mussels are fairly ordinary, though some mastiha (an aromatic Greek liqueur) boosts the broth somewhat. Better is kakazia, a fisherman’s stew containing lobster tail, sea bass, mussels and shrimp in a saffron-ouzo-tomato broth.
The kakazia. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Start with one of the traditional spreads with pita triangles. The taramosalata, made with smoked cod roe (which gives this version more depth than the traditional preparation), is a good pick, as is the spicy feta and roasted pepper tirokafteri.
Shared plates are hit or miss. I’m a fan of the kataifi prawns, baked in shredded phyllo. And the plump zucchini fritters, served on a bed of smooth skordalia (garlic-potato spread), are addictive. Skewered-pork souvlakia were overcooked at my table.
The lavraki. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Main courses include the taverna-style lamb chops, thin-cut chops that didn’t do much for me, flavorwise; I’d go with the aforementioned kakazia, and the vegetarian papoutsakia (grilled eggplant with tomatoes, onions and pepper) is delicious.
The gyros sandwich. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
And for all the elevated tradition on Avli’s menu, one of the best dishes in the house is the gyros sandwich, an irony Alexakis acknowledges. But it will still surprise.
“In Greece, gyros is pork,” he said. “Just a fact; hand-stacked pork belly and shoulder, like al pastor. We go with 100 percent Berkshire pork shoulder; if Greece had Bershire pork, they’d all be using it.”
Advertisement
The dish is presented as two sandwiches, two pita rounds topped with lean-but-juicy pork, some tomatoes and raw onions and a hefty dollop of tzatziki sauce. There’s so much meat that, even split in two, it’s knife-and-fork eating.
There are only three desserts: vanilla ice cream with a caramel-baklava center, a chocolate cake and bougatsa, a mille-feuille stack of crisp phyllo and custard, topped with preserved sour cherries.
The bar which features a short list of cocktails and a wine menu of all Greek offerings. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
In addition to a short list of cocktails (the Teach Me to Dance is a fun drink), there’s an all-Greek wine list that includes a few natural wines from newer, smaller producers.
One of Alexakis’ goals is for servers to communicate effectively and informatively; to date, that is a goal unmet. On weekend visits, the waiters I observed were working hard to keep up with orders; time for detailed menu explanations simply didn’t exist. I had my best experience sitting at the bar on a quiet night, when the bartender chatted about the dishes and offered smart wine picks. (Greek wine lists are not my strength.)
I look forward to late spring, and the opening of Avli’s outdoor patio, because those 40 seats have got to be more quiet than the anvil-and-hammer rattling that goes on inside. (The close proximity of the tables, which are on the small side, adds to the noise level.) If you plan to converse, try visiting earlier in the week.
Avli River North
702 N. Wells St.
Advertisement
312-643-5656
Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
avli.us
Tribune rating: ★
Open: Dinner daily; lunch Monday-Friday
Prices: Main courses $16-$38
Noise: Conversation-challenged
Advertisement
Ratings key: ★ ★ ★ ★ outstanding; ★ ★ ★ excellent; ★ ★ very good; ★ good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--The Standard Club, long the social nexus for Chicago’s Jewish leaders, is closing May 1 amid financi

The Standard Club, long the social nexus for Chicago’s Jewish leaders, is closing May 1 amid financial struggles

“ I have the greatest memories of The Standard Club , ” said Richard Edelman , 65 , president and @ @ @ @ @ dad was a member from 1948 until his death in 2013 .
“ I was @ @ @ @ @ morning gym class from age six to 12 years old .
It was a key @ @ @ @ @ up . ''

For more than 150 years, The Standard Club has been the social nexus for Chicago’s Jewish elite, hosting everything from business lunches to weddings at the members-only downtown institution.
But times have changed. Facing dwindling membership and usage, the financially challenged club announced this week it is selling its storied building and closing May 1.
Advertisement
The Standard Club, on South Plymouth Court, in Chicago on March 5, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“Unfortunately, the club has recently faced challenging business circumstances similar to those that have faced many urban private clubs in terms of membership, usage and revenue,” The Standard Club said in a statement Wednesday. “The board has come to the very difficult decision that club operations are no longer sustainable.”
The club has retained commercial real estate broker CBRE to sell its longtime home, a 10-story building at 320 S. Plymouth Court, built in 1926.
Advertisement
Founded in 1869, The Standard Club was long a who’s who of Chicago Jewish business leaders. Early members included Julius Rosenwald, a former Sears president who helped found the Museum of Science and Industry, and Max Adler, a businessman and philanthropist who helped create the Adler Planetarium. Other notable members over the years have included Daniel Edelman, founder of the public relations firm bearing his name; Bulls and White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf; and Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Julius Rosenwald, seen here in 1926, was a Chicago businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as the part-owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and for starting the Rosenwald Fund, which donated millions to educate rural African-American children in the South. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
The club has a gym, swimming pool, banquet halls, hotel rooms, lounges and dining facilities, hosting everything from weddings and bar mitzvahs to special events. It was also known for its business power lunches, where three-course schmoozing closed countless deals.
“I have the greatest memories of The Standard Club,” said Richard Edelman, 65, president and CEO of Edelman, whose dad was a member from 1948 until his death in 2013. “I was in The Standard Club Saturday morning gym class from age six to 12 years old. It was a key part of my life growing up."
Edelman said he regularly played paddle ball with his father, followed by a schvitz in the steam room, where he found himself sweating next to everyone from influential Chicago federal judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz to legendary Chicago Bears quarterback Sid Luckman.
It was a memorable education, Edelman said.
“I would go into the steam room and I’m sitting there with all these Chicago judges and politicians talking about how deals were going down,” Edelman said. “I was 10 years old.”
But in recent years, The Standard Club, like a number of private urban clubs, has struggled to attract a new generation of members. And the facilities have fallen into some disrepair. Last year, the club asked members to pay extra assessments to address the aging infrastructure.
The exterior of the Standard Club at 320 Plymouth Court, one of Chicago's downtown clubs, in 1957. (Chicago Tribune)
A similar fate met the Chicago Athletic Association, a private, century-old club at 12 S. Michigan Ave., where civic leaders such as Marshall Field, Potter Palmer and Cyrus McCormick once played sports and hung out. It closed its doors in 2007, reopening under new owners as a boutique hotel.
Advertisement
Dwindling membership and the growing cost of keeping The Standard Club going led to the decision to sell the building. The Standard Club is holding out the possibility that it will find "a new home for a new type of club” after the sale.
Whether The Standard Club survives in any form after May 1, it is the end of an era in Chicago history.
“It was the center of Jewish recreational life in the city,” Edelman said. “It’s a real passage of something important.”
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--City Hall, community groups reach agreement on proposed ordinance setting up civilian board for poli

City Hall, community groups reach agreement on proposed ordinance setting up civilian board for police oversight

In addition to the commission , the ordinance establishes three-member district councils in each of Chicago ’ s 22 police @ @ @ @ @ responsible for nominating commission members , who will be selected by the mayor and confirmed @ @ @ @ @ Commission members will be selected based on their expertise in areas such as civil rights @ @ @ @ @ with immigrant and undocumented communities , and law .
Two of the seven commissioners will @ @ @ @ @ 18 to 24 and have experienced police misconduct .

Four years after the idea was first floated and after months of intense negotiations, City Hall and community groups have reached consensus on how to craft Chicago’s first civilian police oversight board, city leaders announced Thursday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a proposed ordinance that would create the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
Advertisement
“Since day one, Mayor Lightfoot has been clear that implementing civilian oversight over the Chicago Police Department is an essential component for building greater transparency, accountability and trust between our law enforcement and the residents they serve," according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
The details around the new seven-member commission are sure to be met with some resistance in the coming weeks as the proposal heads to the City Council for a vote, with some elements of earlier drafts stripped away. And there remain other vocal activist groups who have supported greater control over the department than the new board would have as proposed.
Advertisement
But after decades of police abuse scandals and costly civil rights settlements that severely damaged relationships between the department and residents, the creation of the commission means residents will be able to weigh in on key matters, including by reviewing and approving policy and submitting the names of superintendent candidates to the mayor.
The proposal for the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability comes after hundreds of meetings between city officials and the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability, a consortium of neighborhood organizations.
“Following more than 200 meetings with community leaders and organizations from across Chicago, we are delivering on our campaign promise with an ordinance developed in partnership with GAPA leadership that establishes a civilian oversight body that is committed to making our neighborhoods safer by not only increasing accountability but also ensuring community members have a voice at every level,” Lightfoot said. "We look forward to working with the City Council to pass this legislation as soon as possible.”
Ald. Chris Taliaferro, who chairs the City Council public safety committee, released a statement saying the proposal would “strengthen this city.”
“Having an elected and community voice in policy, procedure and practices of our police department and Civilian Office of Police Accountability (will serve as a catalyst to increase trust between our city’s residents and the Chicago Police Department,” Taliaferro said.
In addition to the commission, the ordinance establishes three-member district councils in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts. The councils are responsible for nominating commission members, who will be selected by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Commission members will be selected based on their expertise in areas such as civil rights, social work, work with immigrant and undocumented communities, and law. Two of the seven commissioners will be between the ages of 18 to 24 and have experienced police misconduct.
Experts who testified at a City Council hearing in January said Chicago, despite having numerous discipline oversight boards, has always lacked a formal way to get ongoing and direct insight from residents. Such input, they argued, is what restores trust in policing and creates a way to effect systemic change.
Advertisement
“The missing element is the robust citizen input,” police accountability expert Samuel Walker said.
Earlier plans called for the board to have the ability to issue a no-confidence vote against a superintendent, which would then be delivered to the City Council and mayor for consideration. But that option was removed from the new proposal, which could lead to criticism from activists who want greater authority to potentially sanction a superintendent.
Citizen oversight was first proposed by the Police Accountability Task Force that Lightfoot chaired for former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting scandal.
As the city reeled from the release of disturbing footage of a white officer shooting McDonald 16 times as the teen, armed with a pocket knife, appeared to walk away, Emanuel announced several reforms .
Emanuel vowed to create an oversight board but deferred to community groups’ requests that they help design it.
asweeney@chicagotribune.com
Advertisement
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--The Bears did not have dinner with Eli Manning this week. Or Joe Montana or Roger Staubach.

So there you have it .
Joe Montana ’ s in the mix .
Maybe .
Which has to be @ @ @ @ @ for Eli Manning , whose purported dinner with the Bears on Wednesday night — a @ @ @ @ @ have said emphatically didn ’ t occur — created a predictable wave of social media @ @ @ @ @ early hours of Thursday .

In the interest of learning as fast as possible whom the Bears’ next quarterback could possibly, maybe, potentially be, the Tribune has reached out to Simone Adamley.
Starter? Backup? Doesn’t really matter. Just need a few hot names. Some scuttlebutt. A juicy rumor or two to chew on until dinnertime.
Advertisement
Adamley is as trusted as many NFL “insiders” profess to be these days. Plus she has Chicago ties. You may recall she was in Mr. Lorensax’s econ class at a North Shore high school in the mid-1980s, her desk just a few seats in front of Ferris Bueller’s.
And, well, as reliable as ever, Adamley now has people telling her the Bears might indeed be connected to a quarterback with multiple Super Bowl rings.
Advertisement
Coincidentally, Adamley’s best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with a girl who saw Bears general manager Ryan Pace and Joe Montana heading for dessert at 31 Flavors last night.
Whoa! Right?
Added Adamley: “I guess it’s pretty serious.”
So there you have it. Joe Montana’s in the mix. Maybe. Which has to be a shock to the system for Eli Manning, whose purported dinner with the Bears on Wednesday night — a meal that multiple actual sources have said emphatically didn’t occur — created a predictable wave of social media titillation overnight and into the early hours of Thursday.
Eli Manning? Readying for a 17th NFL season? With the Bears?
You know the rules of modern info-sharing, right? The only thing more exciting than a rumor is a big rumor. Reality be damned.
That’s what this was, naturally. A rumor. Don’t call it a report. Please, please, please don’t call it a report.
Reports, typically, are published or broadcast somewhere beyond Twitter and in the good ol’ days of yore, were also backed by old-school reporting.
Advertisement
Journalism. Fact-checking. Confirmation. With repercussions for being wrong.
You know, the things that prevent conversation from becoming a cesspool of conjecture and innuendo.
As the Eli-and-the-Bears gossip goes, it’s hard to pin down precisely when it began, when it caught fire and how it spread so impressively. But in the late hours of Wednesday night, the claim could be directly tied on Twitter to a sports-loving breaking-news dog (@LeroyInsider).
Hearing from sources that Eli Manning is meeting for dinner with the Chicago Bears this evening bark bark — NFL Insider Leroy (@LeroyInsider) March 5, 2020
There was also an analyst for a sports cable network in New York (@BrianstevensSNY) who tweeted that Peyton Manning convinced his younger brother to have dinner with the Bears. But that analyst for a sports cable network in New York later deleted his tweet and assertion.
A new member of the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network, pre- and postgame studio host Cole Wright (@ColeWright), relayed what he read on Twitter, but then seemed to second-guess its validity somewhat and couldn’t decide how much ownership of the rumor to take.
I am not reporting this as news...this is merely a reaction to hearing of the meeting....
I was really wondering what was on the menu...Chicago has more great spots to eat than anywhere in the world..... pic.twitter.com/bmsujylc2S — Cole Wright (@ColeWright) March 5, 2020
From there? Well, the playground was open for activity.
Advertisement
Go nuts, people. To borrow from Bears coach Matt Nagy, be you.
But just to reiterate as firmly as possible: Eli Manning will not be wearing a Bears uniform in 2020. There’s absolutely nothing there. No contract chatter. No dinner. Nothing.
Thankfully, for everyone’s sake, that fire was extinguished before it was even 12 hours old.
Still, though, we have 11 more days until the NFL’s free-agency negotiating window opens and actual developments can begin to occur. So none of us is in the clear just yet.
After all, we also have this Bears-Joe Montana lead to chase now. And for that, there’s only one thing left to say:
Thank you, Simone.


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Booked it! Chicago theater casting announcements for Mar. 5

Broadway In Chicago and The Nederlander Organization announced casting for the pre-Broadway world premiere of “ Once Upon A One @ @ @ @ @ Apr .
14-May 17 .
The musical features an original story by Jon Hartmere and @ @ @ @ @ princesses set to the songs of the Britney Spears .

The company of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of "As You Like It" (top row) Jennifer Latimore, Liam Quealy, Cher Álvarez and Juan Chioran; (middle row) Tony Carter, Austin Eckert, Heidi Kettenring, Kayvon Khoshkam and Kevin Gudahl; (bottom row) Michael Mahler, Adam Wesley Brown, Steven Pringle, Bri Sudia and Kieran McCabe. (Courtesy of Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
Here are the casting announcements in Chicago this week.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater announced casting for “As You Like It,” running Apr. 30-June 21. This ‘60s-inspired adaptation infuses the Bard’s romantic comedy with the hit songs from The Beatles.
Advertisement
Daryl Cloran adapts and will direct, Ben Elliot will music supervise, Jonathan Hawley Purvis will choreograph and fight choreograph and Michael Mahler will music direct.
adapts and will direct, will music supervise, will choreograph and fight choreograph and will music direct. The cast will feature: Jennifer Latimore , Liam Quealy , Cher Álvarez , Juan Chioran , Kevin Gudahl , Tony Carter , Kayvon Khoshkam , Michael Mahler , Heidi Kettenring , Adam Wesley Brown , Austin Eckert , Kieran McCabe , Steven Pringle and Bri Sudia .
, , , , , , , , , , , , and . The production team includes: Rick Boynton , creative consultant; Pam Johnson , scenic design; Carmen Alatorre , costume design; Marcus Doshi , lighting design; Richard Jarvie , wig and make-up design; Larry Yando , verse coach and Jasmine Bracey , assistant director.
, creative consultant; , scenic design; , costume design; , lighting design; , wig and make-up design; , verse coach and , assistant director. All performances will take place at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier
For more information, visit www.chicagoshakes.com
Broadway In Chicago and The Nederlander Organization announced casting for the pre-Broadway world premiere of “Once Upon A One More Time,” running Apr. 14-May 17. The musical features an original story by Jon Hartmere and follows a group of fairytale princesses set to the songs of the Britney Spears.
Keone & Mari Madrid will direct and choreograph a cast of: Briga Heelan , Justin Guarini , Simon Callow , Emily Skinner , Brooke Dillman , Aisha Jackson , Mimi Scardulla , Tess Soltau , Ashley Chiu , Raymond J Lee , Wonu Ogunfowora , Ryan Steele , Allie Trimm , Morgan Weed , Matt Allen , Belinda Allyn , Viva Boresi , Stephen Brower , Jennifer Florentino , Selene Haro , Joshua Daniel Johnson , Amy Hillner Larsen , Korinne Tetlow , Salisha Thomas , Matthew Tiberi , Josh Tolle , Kevin Trinio Perdido and Diana Marie Vaden .
will direct and choreograph a cast of: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . The production team includes: David Leveaux , as creative consultant, Anna Fleischle , scenic design; Loren Elstein , costume and hair design; Sonoyo Nishikawa , lighting design; Andrew Keister , sound design; Sven Ortel , projection design; Ashley Rae Callahan , wig design; Hardt Casting , casting; Charlotte Wilcox Company , general management and Bonnie Becker , production stage manager.
, as creative consultant, , scenic design; , costume and hair design; , lighting design; , sound design; , projection design; , wig design; , casting; , general management and , production stage manager. All performances will take place at James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W Randolph St.
For more information, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com
Underscore Theatre Company announced casting for the world premiere of “Notes & Letters,” running Apr. 17-May 23. The musical features book, music and lyrics by Annabelle Revak, based on Revak’s great-great grandfather’s letters sent to his family upon his immigration to Chicago.
Advertisement
Leah Geis will direct, Anna Wegener will music direct and Ebrin R. Stanley will choreograph.
will direct, will music direct and will choreograph. The cast will feature: Katy Campbell , Tessa Dettman , Michael Mejia and Steven Romero Schaeffer . Swings include Nate Hall and Madeline Lauzon .
, , and . Swings include and . The production team includes: Milo Bue , scenic design; Christina Leinicke , costume design; Daniel Friedman , lighting design; Tim McNulty , sound design; Colleen E. Keith , properties design; Nicholas Reinhart , production manager; Forrest Hejkal , technical director; Karla Meyer , board operator and Christine Lauer , stage manager.
, scenic design; , costume design; , lighting design; , sound design; , properties design; , production manager; , technical director; , board operator and , stage manager. All performances will take place at The Understudy, 4609 N. Clark St.
For more information, visit www.underscoretheatre.org
Blank Theatre Company announced casting for “Nine,” running Mar. 28-Apr. 26. Based on Federico Fellini’s film, “8 1/2,” the musical tells the story of a visionary film director and the frustrations of the many women in his life.
Elyse Dolan will direct, Danny Kapinos will music direct and Britta Lynn Schlicht will choreograph.
will direct, will music direct and will choreograph. The cast includes: Justin Horvath-Adair , Amanda Horvath-Adair , Claire Latourette , Alexandria Neyhart , Wendy Parman , Brittney Brown , Teaira Burge , Colie Smigliani , Halle Bins , Laura Brennan , Chamaya Moody , Henry Lombardo and Miguel Cardenas . The understudies are Michael Mejia and Beth Ann Stripling .
, , , , , , , , , , , and . The understudies are and . The production team includes: Katie Capp , assistant director; Jason Fleece , dialect coach; Jeremy Hollis , scenic design; Julie Jachym , stage manager; Kyle Mayes , intimacy coordinator; Colin Bradley Meyer , costume design; Seth Torres , lighting design and Sophie Vitello , dramaturg.
, assistant director; , dialect coach; , scenic design; , stage manager; , intimacy coordinator; , costume design; , lighting design and , dramaturg. All performances will take place at Stage 773, 1225 W Belmont Ave.
For more information, visit www.blanktheatrecompany.org
Artemisia Theatre announced casting for Lauren Ferebee’s “Every Waiting Heart,” running June 5-28. This new play tracks the pioneer women who settled in to the Nebraska Territory in 1848.
Artistic director Julie Proudfoot will direct a cast of: Sarah Beth Tanner , Patty Malaney , Anita Kavuu Ng’ang’a , Harmony Zhang , Myesha-Tiara , John Ham and Tamarus Harvell . Understudies are Whitney Dottery , Ilirida Memedovski , Sarah-Lucy Hill and Jake Drummond .
will direct a cast of: , , , , , and . Understudies are , , and . The production team includes: Alyssa Mohn , set design; Rachel Sypniewski , costume design; Becca Venable , lighting and sound design; Eren Ahn , properties design; Scott Myers , fight director; Kristin Schoenback , assistant director and dramaturge; Rachel Hunsinger , stage manager and intimacy director.
, set design; , costume design; , lighting and sound design; , properties design; , fight director; , assistant director and dramaturge; , stage manager and intimacy director. All performances will take place at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.
For more information, visit www.artemisiatheatre.org
On The Spot Theatre Company announced casting for a double feature of Mike Brayndick’s “Double Date" and “The Ninth Planet,” running Apr. 3-May 2.
Pat Henderson will direct “Double Date,” which follows a high school teacher navigating the online dating scene.
will direct “Double Date,” which follows a high school teacher navigating the online dating scene. Brayndick will direct “The Ninth Planet” about a couple looking to save their marriage by traveling to the neighborhood they fell in love in.
will direct “The Ninth Planet” about a couple looking to save their marriage by traveling to the neighborhood they fell in love in. The cast will feature: Stephen Buhrman , Megan Casady , Mackenzie Lee Taylor , Connor Kendall and Emma Brayndick .
, , , and . All performances will take place at the Berger Park Coach House Theater, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.
For more information, visit www.onthespottheatrecompany.com
hgreenspan@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network among the sports channels left out of Sinclair’s new YouTube TV deal. S

Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network among the sports channels left out of Sinclair’s new YouTube TV deal. Sister network YES blasts streamer’s ‘selfish reasons’ and ‘total disregard’ for fans.

With three weeks to go until baseball ’ s opening day , however , there remain disagreements about how much @ @ @ @ @ .
As a result , there are four channels in the nation ’ s three @ @ @ @ @ and YouTube TV have not come to terms .

Efforts to get cord-cutter service YouTube TV to carry Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs’ new TV channel in partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group, remain in limbo.
You’ve heard of “Deal or No Deal”? These outfits are playing “Deal and No Deal.”
Advertisement
Sinclair announced Thursday that it reached carriage agreements with the pay-streaming service from Google parent Alphabet for 19 of its regional sports networks.
With three weeks to go until baseball’s opening day, however, there remain disagreements about how much local sports programming is worth. As a result, there are four channels in the nation’s three largest markets for which Sinclair and YouTube TV have not come to terms.
Advertisement
Marquee, which launched last month but has yet to be picked up by YouTube TV, is among those Sinclair outlets not covered by the agreement.
The pact with YouTube TV also omits New York’s YES Network and Los Angeles’ Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket. All three have been removed from the streaming service, at least temporarily.
“We value our ongoing relationship with YouTube TV, however, we are deeply disappointed with its decision to not carry certain RSNs,” said David Gibber, Sinclair’s senior vice president and general counsel, in a statement. “We offered competitive market terms but, ultimately, YouTube TV declined.”
A spokesman for Marquee declined comment.
YES, in which Sinclair is partnered with the Yankees, Amazon and others, echoed some of Marquee’s earlier carriage talking points but far more bluntly than anyone connected with the Cubs channel has to date.
YouTube TV has dropped the YES Network. pic.twitter.com/RxVgSIjQsR — YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 5, 2020
“YouTube TV, for its own selfish reasons and with total disregard for its YES customers, has refused to pay the market rate and accept market terms and conditions that other YES distributors have agreed to,” the New York-based network said.
“When YouTube TV realized it could not get a sweetheart, below-market deal, it dropped the YES Network.”
YES also pointed out that even though it has been dropped by YouTube TV, the service has not lowered its price.
Advertisement
Of the RSN rift with Sinclair, YouTube TV acknowledged on Twitter that it had “reached an agreement” but no longer would offer the Sinclair regional sports channels in select areas.
We've reached an agreement with Sinclair and we’ll no longer be able to offer FOX Regional Sports Networks in select areas as of March 5th. If your area is impacted by a channel loss, you’ll be notified in the YouTube TV app soon. — TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) March 5, 2020
Gibber’s Sinclair statement urged “YouTube TV subscribers who value these RSNs to turn to other streaming services or their local cable or satellite provider for continued access,” or to give YouTube TV direct feedback.
Marquee will be the exclusive home of the roughly 150 regular-season games the Cubs control within the team’s multistate TV market, as designated by Major League Baseball.
All told, Sinclair’s regional sports networks — including the onetime Fox regional sports networks and YES that Sinclair acquired last year — hold local TV rights to more than 40 MLB, NBA and NHL teams across the country.
Fans have reason to feel a sense of whiplash over the Sinclair-YouTube negotiations over the last week.
Chicago Tribune Sports Weekdays A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
YouTube TV on Feb. 27 said negotiations over how much it will pay Sinclair to include the company’s RSNs in its subscription service were at an impasse. The streamer said this meant it would have to drop all the channels over the weekend.
Advertisement
This hard-line stance appeared to bode poorly for Marquee, which relies on revenue from both carriage fees TV service services provide and advertising based on their overall reach.
It also was a dark cloud for Cubs fans in the team’s designated market who either rely on YouTube TV as an alternative to cable or satellite or view it as an attractive option should services such as Comcast’s Xfinity not come to terms on carrying Marquee.
A ray of hope emerged when tensions between YouTube TV and Sinclair thawed for a temporary extension that continued to make the channels available without disruption.
Those negotiations yielded the renewals announced Thursday, as well as the notable omissions that took YES, Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West off the service.
Among the 19 Sinclair-owned regional networks with renewed deals on YouTube TV in their respective markets are Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports North, Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports San Diego, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports Southeast, Fox Sports Sun and SportsTime Ohio.
“We are pleased that YouTube TV was able to agree to terms on 19 of our RSNs and that they will continue to provide subscribers with access to some of the most in-demand sports networks in the nation,” Gibber said. “Millions of fans across the country tune into sports content daily and, at Sinclair, our goal is to make this as widely accessible as possible.”


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Art Van Furniture to close all stores, including 24 in Illinois

Art Van Furniture, one of the Midwest’s largest furniture retailers with almost 180 stores, including two dozen in Illinois, announced Thursday it will shut down.
Liquidation sales are scheduled to begin Friday.
Advertisement
The company, started in the Detroit area in 1959 and now based in Warren, Michigan, operates stores in the Chicago name under the names Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors. In addition to stores in Michigan and Illinois, it has locations in Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.
Shoppers inside the Art Van Furniture store in Chicago on Nov. 2, 2015. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
It entered the Chicago market in mid-2013, with plans to invest more than $40 million in land, store build-out, inventory and labor. The state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity provided a $404,000 tax credit spread over 10 years and based on the company creating 35 jobs and making a $4.9 million investment at its Bolingbrook distribution facility. The distribution center will close when final sales are completed, said spokeswoman Diane Charles.
Advertisement
The company’s website lists 24 stores in Illinois. Altogether, the shutdown will mean the loss of 520 jobs in Illinois, she said.
[ Nordstrom closing Trunk Club stores ]
Art Van drew attention for its creative marketing promotions. Those included free furniture if the temperature at O’Hare International Airport topped 100 degrees during part of the summer of 2016 and bets on heavy snowfall during Super Bowl games. In 2015, Art Van refunded a total of $2.5 million to about 1,200 furniture buyers when it snowed more than 3 inches during that year’s Super Bowl.
In 2017, Boston-based private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners acquired a majority stake in Art Van and the retailer began an aggressive expansion, including buying other chains and opening in spaces left empty by other retailers.
[ The Standard Club, long the social nexus for Chicago’s Jewish leaders, is closing May 1 amid financial struggles ]


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--2 Chicago chefs will duke it out for Vegas gig on Food Network’s newest competition show, debuting t

2 Chicago chefs will duke it out for Vegas gig on Food Network’s newest competition show, debuting tonight

“ You ’ re cooking for 16 or 17 hours a day , and you ’ re trying to stay @ @ @ @ @ yourself , ” he said .
“ Cooking in front of a camera all day @ @ @ @ @ your culinary point of view is just very difficult .
...
It ’ s probably @ @ @ @ @ things I ’ ve done in my 20 years .
”

Chicago chefs Lamar Moore, back, and Julia Helton, right, are among eight competitors on “Vegas Chef Prizefight," a new cooking competition on Food Network. (Food Network)
Two Chicago chefs are making their way westward — at least on your TV screen — for a new cooking competition show on Food Network.
Chefs Julia Helton and Lamar Moore are among the eight competitors on “Vegas Chef Prizefight,” aiming for a chance to be the head chef of the new restaurant in the famous Flamingo Las Vegas hotel on the Vegas strip.
Advertisement
The six-episode series begins at 9 p.m. Thursday and concludes April 9. Celebrity chef Anne Burrell will host.
Moore has been a buzzy name among Chicago’s culinary scene in recent years for his work at The Swill Inn and Currency Exchange Cafe. He told the Tribune he is currently consulting for Macy’s, working at the downtown State Street location in the Walnut Room.
Advertisement
“I’m here right now actually … redeveloping their menu, their concepts, and teaching and training staff,” he said.
At her 360°restaurantsolutions company, Helton also does consulting work, and she has previously spent time at Angelo’s Wine Bar, The Village Tap and La Boulangerie.
Moore said this will be his third appearance on the Food Network. During earlier appearances, he took losses on “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” so he was anxious to give it another try.
“And it was in Vegas, and who doesn’t want to go to Vegas?” he said.
Helton said she appeared on “The Taste,” a former ABC series, during its 2013-15 run. She and Moore both said they feel comfortable cooking in front of a camera, which is important in such TV competitions.
Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
“I’ve seen people who are fine, and the minute they get in front of a camera, they just freeze. And it’s like, ‘What happened to you?’” Helton said.
That comfort proved exceptionally important on “Prizefight.” While whittling down the field of eight competitors, Helton said there was a camera for every chef, plus more for general shots, adding to the already-challenging navigation of a kitchen.
Those are just the unseen challenges. Moore said the true challenge of “Prizefight” proved to be particularly difficult.
Advertisement
“You’re cooking for 16 or 17 hours a day, and you’re trying to stay away from mental warfare on yourself,” he said. “Cooking in front of a camera all day, while trying to maintain your culinary point of view is just very difficult. ... It’s probably one of the most intense things I’ve done in my 20 years.”
And while the competition and the will to win were strong, both chefs said they enjoyed the camaraderie of the show as well.
“We’re a bunch of chefs — of course we’re going to check out the food in a city like Vegas,” Helton said. “We all still text each other and are very supportive of each other. … Almost everybody on that show, we were there for each other just as much as it was a competition. Because it’s a team sport in a kitchen, you know?”
adlukach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-03-05--Hinsdale may consider moratorium on demolishing houses in historic district: ‘When all these homes a

Hinsdale may consider moratorium on demolishing houses in historic district: ‘When all these homes are gone, they’re gone’

“ When all these homes are gone , they ’ re gone , ” Cauley said .
“ There ’ @ @ @ @ @ to get them back .
Someday when somebody says what happened to all those beautiful @ @ @ @ @ years ago , and we say , one by one they disappeared and nobody did @ @ @ @ @ t want them to look back on this administration as being asleep at the switch @ @ @ @ @

Owners of this house, built about 1910, at 419 S. Oak St. in Hinsdale want to demolish it to build a new house on the site. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press)
Hinsdale officials want to find out whether preserving historic homes in the village is important to the community. To that end, they will hold a public hearing on whether to impose a moratorium of up to six months on demolishing any more houses in the Robbins Park Historic District. The date of the hearing has not been set yet.
The moratorium likely would not save three houses, two on Oak Street and one on Elm Street, in the historic district which the owners are planning to demolish to build new houses on the lots.
Advertisement
As part of applying for a demolition permit, property owners must present drawings of the home they want to build to the village’s Historic Preservation Commission, which decides whether to issue a certificate of appropriateness. The commission, whose decisions are advisory only, had public hearings Wednesday for each of the three houses.
The new owners of the house on the southwest corner of Seventh and Oak streets plan to replace it with a two-story house in the English arts and crafts style, that would have an attached two-car garage and a second two-car garage attached to the bathhouse.
Advertisement
Commission member Alexis Braden acknowledged what is proposed is a lovely home, but she would hate to see the Greek Revival house, built in 1928, currently on the site demolished.
“It’s structurally sound and architecturally significant,” Braden said. “This is one of the gems of our town.”
Peter Coules, the attorney for the new owners, said the property was for sale for a year and no one interested in preserving the house made an offer.
Braden countered that a year is not a long time for a house in Hinsdale to be on the market, especially in the multi-million dollar price range.
While the house looks decent from the street, the second floor has low, slanting ceilings that make the rooms difficult to use and there are other problems, such as mold and an obsolete heating system, Coules and the new owner Arnold Kozys said.
The Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission is reviewing plans to demolish this house, built about 1928, on the 700 block of South Oak Street and build a new house on the site. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press)
Ashley Dean Killpack, whose parents sold the house to Kozys, spoke during the public hearing, and agreed the house needed a lot of work, including renovating the second floor, repairing the roof and updating electrical and plumbing systems. But she lived in the house for several years recently and her mother lived there until Feb. 2019, she said.
Dean Killpack acknowledged she prefers to live in a home with an open floorplan, as opposed to the series of small rooms often found in houses built a century ago, but her parents’ house has high ceilings on the first floor and is worth saving.
“The bones of the house are great,” she said.
Advertisement
Julie Laux presented plans for a new two-story home at 641 S. Elm St., which would replace the Tudor-style house there, built about 1925. Laux said she will reuse parts of the old house, such as doors and windows, wherever possible in the new house.
The commission postponed review of the new home proposed for 419 S. Oak St. because the owner was not present. The existing home on the site is a mansion formerly owned by Philip R. Clarke, who was a village president and headed the committee that raised the money to build the Hinsdale Memorial Building, commission chairman John Bohnen said.
Only a handful of residents spoke during the public hearings for the three properties, including Sarah Barclay, who said she is renovating the 118-year-old house she lives in on Third Street.
Barclay said she does not like government interfering in people’s private lives, but the historic district in southeastern Hinsdale is beginning to look like every other neighborhood in the village, due to old houses being torn down and replaced with modern homes.
The commission did not make a recommendation on any of the homes and continued the public hearings to a future meeting.
“We are at that apex in Hinsdale, when we make a decision as a community whether or not we care about preserving our heritage and our historic homes,” Bohnen said.
Advertisement
At the village board meeting Tuesday, Village President Thomas Cauley, Jr., proposed the idea of a moratorium on demolition in the Robbins Park Historic District.
“When all these homes are gone, they’re gone,” Cauley said. “There’s nothing we can do to get them back. Someday when somebody says what happened to all those beautiful homes that were here 20 years ago, and we say, one by one they disappeared and nobody did anything, I don’t want them to look back on this administration as being asleep at the switch when this happened.”
The district, which is listed with the National Register of Historic Places, is bordered by Chicago Avenue on the north, Eight Street on the south, Garfield on the west and County Line Road on the east.
Ironically, another house at First and Elm street that had been designated a historic landmark was torn down Tuesday.
The family of the owners, the Fureys, who sought that designation for the house in 2002 came before the village board in 2018 and asked that the classification be removed to make it easier to sell. They had financial issues that made selling the home quickly a priority, but the landmark designation reduced the number of interested buyers, family members said. The Village Board withdrew the landmark classification.
The house at First and Elm streets in Hinsdale, formerly owned by Warren and Nancy Furey, was being demolished March 4, 2020. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press)
The moratorium would give the village staff and officials time to consider how to amend the zoning code to create criteria owners would have to meet, like “a hurdle,” to demonstrate the need to tear down a historic house, Cauley said. The unique historic houses are what make Hinsdale so special, he said.
Advertisement
Bohnen and other members of the commission said they have been working on suggestions for revising the historical preservation ordinances for the past 18 months and are nearly ready to present them to the Village Board.
This story was updated on March 5, 2020. .