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Packers receiver Allen Lazard completely lost Xavier Crawford on his touchdown catch Sunday. | AP Photos

They came into the season with Jaylon Johnson and a bunch of questions. The answers haven’t been good.

The Bears tried to convince everyone that everything was fine at cornerback as they headed into this season with Jaylon Johnson as their only sure thing after salary-cap trouble forced them to cut Kyle Fuller.

Now that their plan has predictably blown up, the Bears are trying to spin it, but it’s hard to argue with these disastrous results: They’ve allowed the sixth-highest completion percentage, eighth-highest yards passing per game, fourth-most passing touchdowns and second-highest passer rating.

Only coach Matt Nagy would be audacious enough to defend this plan. General manager Ryan Pace might, too, but he refuses to speak to the media during the season.

One of the Bears’ mostly costly errors was assuming second-year cornerback Kindle Vildor was poised to break out as an NFL starter. The grounds for this projection were unclear. Vildor was a fifth-round pick out of Georgia Southern, the 19th player selected at his position, and barely saw the field other than special teams until late in his rookie season.

It was quite a leap to mark him down as the No. 2 corner, and opposing quarterbacks have feasted on him all season. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s breaking point was when Vildor was primarily responsible for a blown coverage in the final minute that cost the Bears a game against the Ravens, and he has played minimally since.

“We know that being a young guy coming into that position, there’s going to be times where you’re gonna get beat, and how do you react to that?” Nagy said. “Throughout most of the season, he’s done pretty well.”

Incorrect. And that aversion to acknowledge reality by him and Pace is what got the Bears into this mess in the first place.

Vildor has been targeted 51 times and allowed 35 catches for 541 yards and five touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. That computes to a staggering 136.2 opponent passer rating, and on average, throwing his way yields 10.6 yards. He has also committed six penalties.

Here are the other cornerbacks upon whom they’ve relied:

–Artie Burns, a former Steelers draft bust whom the Bears avoided playing for even one snap until giving him a shot in place of Vildor in Week 12.

–Marqui Christian, an opening-day starter who struggled so badly that he was benched for the next five games and has played just 30 defensive snaps since.

–Xavier Crawford, who played on defense in just two of the first 11 games and gave up two touchdowns in the loss to the Packers.

Christian and Crawford would almost certainly be relegated to practice squads if they were cut. That’s a safe bet considering that’s where both of them were most of last season.

There was no rash of injuries that created this situation for the Bears. All of this could’ve been foreseen.

The only deviations from Pace’s initial plan were Duke Shelley getting hurt in Week 11 and the failed experiment of taking a flyer on Desmond Trufant.

Trufant arrived as a 30-year-old coming off injury and allowed nearly 69% completions the season before. He has been on two teams since and hasn’t played much. He wouldn’t have helped.

The cornerback situation has only gotten worse since getting destroyed by the Packers. Crawford is in the concussion protocol, and Burns is on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Considering that they’re already playing practice-squad-level players, they’re out of quality options. They signed former Chiefs seventh-round cornerback Thakarius “BoPete” Keyes, who spent a month without being on an NFL roster before the Bears called.

The worst part of this problem? It won’t be easy to fix. The best way to address it would be in the draft, but the Bears have just two picks in the first four rounds. As brutal as it has been to watch this season, it might not get much better anytime soon.

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Bears rookie left tackle Teven Jenkins played 49-of-62 offensive snaps against the Packers on Sunday night in place of injured starter Jason Peters. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times, Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Bears coach Matt Nagy said Jason Peters will start at LT against the Vikings if he’s healthy. But with RT Larry Borom going on the COVID-19 list, Jenkins could get another chance to play.

Nothing’s ever easy for the Bears.

Justin Fields is the most promising quarterback prospect the Bears have drafted in years, yet his introduction to Bears football has been problematic all season — from the awkward pairing with Andy Dalton in training camp to the nine-sack disaster against the Browns in Week 3 to his promotion to the full-time starting job in Week 5 against the Raiders.

It’s been the same rocky situation with rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, the second-round draft pick who was drafted to immediately fill Charles Leno’s vacant spot at left tackle. As with Fields, every bit of good news has been dampened by reality.

Jenkins was considered a first-round draft pick — projected to the Bears at No. 20 overall in several mock drafts. So he seemed like a bargain when the Bears got him in at 39th overall. But he arrived at training camp with a back injury, had surgery in August and spent most of the season on injured reserve.

He was activated off IR on Dec. 4 — a major victory for the Bears considering their luck with offensive line injuries. But by then, veteran Jason Peters was entrenched at left tackle, rookie Larry Borom was established at right tackle, and there was no room for Jenkins to get the live-game experience that could jump-start his NFL career.

And when he finally got that opportunity — as a replacement for the injured Peters in the first quarter against the Packers on Sunday night at Lambeau Field — it wasn’t pretty. Jenkins committed four penalties — two holding calls and two false starts — and looked like a talented but inexperienced rookie in a 45-30 loss.

It’s likely there was nothing Jenkins could do to intrigue coach Matt Nagy and offensive line coach Juan Castillo to give him more playing time regardless of Peters’ status. But his shaky performance sealed that decision. Nagy said Peters will start against the Vikings on Monday night at Soldier Field if he is healthy.

But opportunity could be knocking again for Jenkins. Borom was put on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday. If he can’t play against the Vikings, Jenkins could replace him at right tackle. Lachavious Simmons, a 2020 seventh-round draft pick, is the current back-up to Borom on the Bears’ depth

However it shakes out, the Bears are going to have to get creative if Jenkins plays. Jenkins figures to be better prepared with a full week of practice, but likely will need some help against the Vikings, who rank second in the NFL in sacks per pass play.

The Bears gave Jenkins help on 16 of 32 drop-backs against against the Packers, Nagy said. Even when Jenkins was beaten by Preston Smith for a strip-sack of Fields in the third quarter, the Bears had tight end Jimmy Graham chip Smith — the chip just wasn’t as effective as it needed to be for the rookie in his first NFL game.

Bears center Sam Mustipher, who was in a similar situation last season when his first NFL snaps came on the fly as an in-game injury replacement — against Aaron Donald and the Rams — knows what Jenkins went through.

“Tough situation,” Mustipher said. “Any time you have a guy who hasn’t had an opportunity to play a lot of live football snaps — not only game snaps, but just practice snaps in general — that was tough.

“Teven’s a hard-working guy, though. He’s gonna get it right. He has the mental fortitude and understanding that in this league, it’s a long game. It’s just getting the fundamentals and basics. That takes repetition. That takes experience. That’s all it is. Luckily for him, he’s young. He’s got a lot of football left in his carer. It was a great learning experience.”

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Borom has started six consecutive games after hurting his ankle in the season opener. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

The Bears are now in jeopardy of playing without their two starting tackles Monday.

Bears rookie right tackle Larry Borom, a rare bright spot this season, faces the possibility of missing the game against the Vikings on Monday after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Bears put him on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Borom, who is vaccinated, must test negative twice to play again. Those negative results have to be 24 hours apart, so he needs the first one by Sunday.

That’s brutal for the Bears, who were already uncertain whether they would have starting left tackle Jason Peters. He exited the Packers game Sunday with an ankle injury and was replaced by rookie Teven Jenkins, who struggled.

Bears coach Matt Nagy said Monday he was considering moving Jenkins to right tackle, where he played at Oklahoma State, and playing Borom in Peters’ spot. Now, he’ll weigh the possibility of Jenkins and either Lachavious Simmons or utility man Alex Bars starting at offensive tackle against a Vikings defense that leads the NFL in sacks.

The Bears opened the season with Germain Ifedi at right tackle, but he has been out since Week 5 with a knee injury. They also have Elijah Wilkinson as a backup tackle, but he’s on the reserve/COVID-19 list as well.

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Edward (Adam Pascal) and Vivian (Olivia Valli) meet in “Pretty Woman: The Musical.” | Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

As in the movie on which it is based, “Pretty Woman: The Musical” is all about peddling soft-focus, rose-colored fantasy rather than anything remotely akin to real life.

“Pretty Woman: The Musical” tells a dated-at-best story that has made a few, incremental improvements since its initial Broadway tryout here in 2018.

The 1980s-set musical directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell still follows the plot set forth in the 1990 rom-com that cemented Julia Roberts’ star status and revived Richard Gere’s leading-man chops. This is “Cinderella,” only the title character is your basic sex workerwith a heart of gold.

Our heroine/trope-come-to-life is Vivian Ward (Olivia Valli, granddaughter of legendary singer Frankie Valli) a sex worker (“pro” in the production’s vernacular) who yearns to leave the biz. She gets the chance to do just that when rich, handsome businessman Edward Lewis (Adam Pascal) hires her for six days to be at his “beck and call.”

The question driving the plot: Will Viv and Ed stay together after their six-day contract is finished? This is a rom-com, not a tragedy, and the answer is obvious from the outset. As in the movie on which it is based, “Pretty Woman: The Musical” is all about peddling soft-focus, rose-colored fantasy rather than anything remotely akin to real life.

There have been tweaks since the show premiered here: The book (by the movie’s director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J. F. Lawton) no longer includes a dead sex worker in a dumpster in its opening scenes. It does have a clever level of self-referential humor at times, such as when lyricists/composers Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance rhyme “platinum card” with “let’s hit him hard.” Also on the plus side: The score has enough money notes to buy an entire K-Tel collection of 1980s power ballads.

The book takes pains to give lip service to Viv’s supposed autonomy, which her best friend Kit De Luca (Jessica Crouch, nailing the sassy-best-friend cliche) repeatedly insists is total because “they say when, where, who” they turn tricks with. (Nobody ever uses the word “trick” in this sanitized take on sex work.) A scene where a pimp shakes Kit down and demands his cut of her earnings shows that for what it is: malarky, packaged as empowerment.

Mitchell creates plenty of visually pleasing dance numbers. “You and I” soars with operatic grace. The opening “Welcome to Hollywood” sets the scene with energy to spare. But he also stumbles at times. When Vivian and Edward have sex, they do so with a corps of gracefully twirling dancers surrounding them, providing a gauzy skim of flowy skirts whenever things threaten to go beyond first base. It plays like something out of a Barbara Cartland novel, as illustrated by Cosmo editorials.

Yet even when cheese abounds, the cast sells the material.

Adam Pascal’s bad-boy growl sounds as good as it did in 1996, when he created the role of Roger in “Rent.” His delivery of “Freedom” shows precisely why he’s a bona fide Broadway star. Valli’s Vivian has pipes for days and is credibly feisty. She also brings a fittingly calculated artifice to her physical vocabulary as Vivian and Ed negotiate the terms of their deal. Tellingly, her body language changes along with her character as the plot progresses.

The supporting characters include a breakout performance from Kyle Taylor Parker as the Happy Man, a sort of fairy godfather who holds the story together and keeps it moving with luminous charisma and seemingly effortless footwork reminiscent of a young Ben Vereen. And as the opera star Violetta, who transfixes Vivian with her soaring soprano, Amma Osei will knock your socks off.

Hint: Stick around for the entire curtain call. Otherwise, you’ll miss a rollicking, infectiously joyful all-cast take on Roy Orbison and Bill Dee’s iconic title tune. It would be better if it were incorporated into the production at some point before curtain call, but it is irresistibly entertaining nonetheless.

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Bears general manager Ryan Pace (left) and head coach Matt Nagy pose after Nagy’s introductory press conference on Jan. 9, 2018. | Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

They fell in love with a person, not a football coach.

It might seem unfair to dig up quotes about what the Bears saw in Matt Nagy when they hired him in 2018. When an NFL team names a new coach, love isn’t just in the air. It is the air. Owners gush. General managers become bards. There’s no room for descriptions of a regular guy who favors earth tones. No one finds a former neighbor of the coach who says, “He always struck me as unremarkable.”

Team officials are trying to sell the new coach to the fan base, if not to themselves, and what you get is a spigot of sweet nothings turned on full blast.

So, yeah, we probably should forgive the Bears their embellishment and ignore everything they said about Nagy in the moment.

On the other hand, what the hell.

Here’s some of what the principals said in a 2018 Sun-Times article about the interview process with Nagy:

Team chairman George McCaskey had told general manager Ryan Pace to go into the sessions prepared: “But that’s like telling the Pope to make sure he says his prayers before he goes to bed. (Pace is) the epitome of thoroughness.”

McCaskey: “I was very happy with the result. I was very happy with the process. The thing I was thinking is that Bears fans are going to love this guy.”

Team president Ted Phillips, on what he had hoped for from candidates during the interview process: “God, it’d be nice if, when we’re talking to these guys, one of them or all of them say — and they say it with conviction – ‘I really want to be the coach of the Bears, and here’s why.’ “

McCaskey: “(Nagy) said, ‘I really, really want to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears.’ “

Phillips: “He just always came across as real.”

Phillips: “Ryan came up to my room. It was 10:30 at night. He goes, ‘Hey, he’s our guy. There is no doubt.’ “

Almost four seasons later, Nagy seems to be on his way out of Chicago. The Bears have underperformed during his tenure, and their offense, Nagy’s supposed area of expertise, has been a running joke. Many fans couldn’t be more disgusted with him.

How could the Bears have missed so badly? The easy answer, the answer that’s never wrong, the answer that covers every organizational screw-up, is that these are the Bears. They do dumb like a skunk does stink.

But we’re thorough people who demand deeper answers than that. The bottom line is that the Bears fell in love with a person, not a football coach.

Nagy’s job interview with McCaskey, Phillips and Pace lasted 4 1/2 hours. Pace arrived with 15 pages of questions. I wouldn’t be able to come up with 15 pages of questions to ask Jesus. It wasn’t a due-diligence problem. It was an eyesight problem. The three men saw something in Nagy that wasn’t there and, worse, they didn’t see what was right in front of them — Nagy’s almost complete lack of experience calling and designing plays. He had been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in name only for most of two seasons. Coach Andy Reid called the vast majority of plays for the team.

So what did the Bears see? They saw nice.

“He’s a natural leader, highly intelligent, he’s got outstanding character … a great person,” Pace had said at Nagy’s introductory press conference.

And that’s it, isn’t it? The Bears ended up hiring somebody who made them feel good, just like Pace had made McCaskey comfortable three years earlier. Here was another guy who wouldn’t make the chairman’s life difficult.

I’m nice, you’re nice, let’s be nice together. That approach would be absolutely wonderful if this were Lions Club International. The Bears could spread their nice-guy-ness around the world. But this is the NFL, where nice has about as much use as soccer balls do.

The very thing that’s held in highest esteem in professional football – hard work — is a problem when it comes to identifying true coaching ability. A coach who watches tape until his eyes fall out is looked upon with admiration. But that’s not talent. That has nothing to do with being able to devise a good offense. Being only vaguely acquainted with your family because you’re always at the office won’t help a coach know the right play to call on third-and-5 with a game on the line.

The Chiefs had Reid and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. That erroneously informed Pace what kind of head coach Nagy could be. Everybody loved Nagy the man. A coach was needed.

The scariest part of all of this is the very good possibility that Pace will still be employed when it’s time to find Nagy’s replacement. What will he see in the next coach that’s not there?

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Gov. Pritzker has picked a development team that will take over the James R. Thompson Center in the Loop, favoring a plan that would preserve the building. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be cloudy with a high near 65 degrees. Tonight will be very windy, with a low around 41 degrees and a 90% chance of precipitation. A high wind warning has also been issued for the Chicago area, with gusts as high as 75 mph. Tomorrow will be sunny and breezy with a high near 45 degrees.

Top story

Pritzker opts for saving Thompson Center

Gov. J.B. Pritzker picked a development team that will take over the James R. Thompson Center in the Loop, favoring a plan that would preserve the 17-story building.

Pritzker chose a proposal from a group led by Michael Reschke, chairman of Prime Group, a longtime developer in the region. His plan calls for preserving the building as a mixed-use property, with the state retaining about a 30% ownership.

In a move sure to be hailed by preservationists, Reschke will pay $70 million upfront and the state will retain some offices in the Thompson Center.

State officials had received proposals from two groups vying for the building.

Reschke said he expects the sale to close within six months and renovations to start within a year. He said the project, a “gut renovation” including a new glass curtain wall and mechanical systems, should take two years from start to finish, with a budget of $280 million.

Reschke said members of the development group initially “were a bit cynical, because of the reputation the building had. But we took a very hard, conscientious look at the opportunity to make further investment in LaSalle Street, for the benefit of local businesses, the city and the state.”

The former home of state government in Chicago opened in 1985 and was designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Helmut Jahn, who died in May. Preservationists have argued the Thompson Center, with its soaring atrium and generous public space, is a postmodern landmark and keeping it would honor Jahn’s contributions in his hometown.

Detractors regard the design as dated and inefficient. Pritzker was in their ranks. His administration has repeatedly called the building “oversized, outdated and expensive,” estimating it would require $325 million in repairs. Today, he bumped up that estimate to more than half a billion dollars. The state skimped on maintenance over the years and experts said it cut corners during construction, such as rejecting double-pane glass for single-pane.

David Roeder and Mitchell Armentrout have more on Pritzker’s plan for the Thompson Center.

More news you need

Ald. Carrie Austin, Chicago’s second-most senior alderperson, collapsed in her seat at today’s City Council meeting, prompting a brief recess, followed by a prayer for her healing. After the Council chambers were cleared, Austin was evaluated by Chicago Fire Department paramedics and taken out of the chambers conscious and transported to a hospital.

Before Austin’s medical emergency, the Council today approved a $2.9 million settlement for Anjanette Young, who was the victim of a 2019 botched police raid that forced her to stand naked and humiliated before a dozen police officers. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acknowledged that “a lot of trust in me” has been “breached” by her Law Department’s efforts to conceal video of the raid.

The city’s alderpeople also agreed today to lift Chicago’s ban on sports betting –and impose a 2% tax on gross revenues from it. The move paves the way for sportsbooks to open in and around Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field, the United Center and Wintrust Arena.

Special Prosecutor Dan Webb today called for the release of his full report into the controversial handling of Jussie Smollett’s case by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office. Webb, who was appointed in 2019 to probe the case and how it was handled by Foxx’s office, made his request ahead of a hearing set for Monday.

Illinois’ second confirmed case of COVID-19’s Omicron variant has been found in suburban Cook County, public health officials announced today. The person, who had received two vaccine doses, wasn’t suffering from any symptoms at the time the variant case was detected yesterday, officials said.

The Lightfoot administration is planning to pump more than $400 million into its own community safety plan that targets 15 areas it considers to be the most violent. The plan was unveiled more than a year ago and has produced few results so far, Sun-times data shows.

Illinois will begin accepting applications for a chunk of $45 million in grant money generated through taxing cannabis sales. The money will target residents adversely affected by disinvestment, violence and drug war-era policies that have disproportionately impacted communities of color, Gov. Pritzker said during a news conference today.

A bright one

Ravenswood sculpture doubles as pollinator, bringing eco-diversity to a manufacturing hub

Artists Janet Austin and Emily Moorhead-Wallace want their art to not only catch the attention of residents but have a functional, environmental purpose. Their latest sculpture doubles as a pollinator, meeting the optimal dwelling needs of indigenous pollinators, solitary bees and other insects.

“In the urban environment, educating people about pollinators as well as giving a place for those pollinators to nest creates the best habitat overall for people and for the wildlife,” Moorhead-Wallace said.

It is made of corten steel, which can rust outdoors without deteriorating. “This will last longer than we will be alive,” Austin said.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Artist Emily Moorhead-Wallace fills up her sculpture, “Pollinator Habitat,” with wood and other natural materials that will attract bees and other insects.

The structure at Ravenswood and Sunnyside avenues carries a “goofiness” in its tree shape, Austin said, and features etchings of butterflies, squirrels, bees and bunnies. The style of the etchings are borrowed from Craftsman architecture, which is popular in the neighborhood.

The “Pollinator Habitat” is the final installation for the new Ravenswood Sculpture Garden. Established by the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and Community Council, the sculpture garden is a series of six public art pieces sprawled across Ravenswood’s industrial corridor.

A manufacturing hub during the industrial boom in the early 1900s, artists and businesses have since laid down roots in the neighborhood and the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce wanted to reflect that with the project.

Sneha Dey has the full story behind the sculpture here.

From the press box

Holiday basketball tournaments are back for the first time in two years. Michael O’Brien looks at the biggest ones, and wonders which will end up being the next fan favorite.

Before the Bulls were shut down for the week after 10 players entered the NBA’s COVID-19 protocol, there were two areas that had coach Billy Donovan concerned. This pause should fix at least one of those problems, Joe Cowley writes.
With the 4-9 Bears expected to fire coach Matt Nagy after four seasons, one big question in particular looms: Do they have the right guy to find the right guy? Mark Potash on one of the biggest questions facing the franchise.

Stagg football star TJ Griffin committed to the University of Illinois this morning.

Here’s where other local recruits committed to on Signing Day.

Your daily question ?

What’s the best Christmas movie of all time? Tell us why.

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: Is “Elf on the Shelf” friend or foe to parents during the busy holiday season?

Here’s what some of you said…

“That thing is creepy. We’ve never done it at our house.” — Jenny Morales

“Not our thing. If it brings you joy, more power to you.” — Joe Medearis

“Just another thing to do, but might be worth it if your children revere the thing. To our family, it’s more of a Creeper in a Sleeper — and not allowed anywhere near our children. Being watched by a toy is creepy.” — Christine Bock

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

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Chicago City Council on Wednesday lifted the ban on sportsbooks and imposed a 2% tax on gross revenues from it. | Julio Cortez/AP Photos

Some mayoral allies denounced the city’s take as “peanuts for an industry that is growing” and “not a sufficient reward for the risks we’re taking.”

A divided City Council agreed Wednesday to lift the Chicago ban on sports betting –and impose a 2% tax on gross revenues from it — paving the way for sportsbooks to open in and around Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field, the United Center and Wintrust Arena.

With nine dissenting votes, the Council agreed to get a small piece of the action from a sports betting phenomenon that has already triggered $7 billion of wagering statewide.

The 2% city tax on gross revenues from sports betting is expected to generate $400,000 to $500,000 a year based on an estimated $25 million in annual revenues from sports betting in Chicago.

Three mayoral allies — Budget Committee Chairwoman Pat Dowell (3rd), Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) and Energy and Environmental Protection Committee Chair George Cardenas (12th), Lightfoot’s deputy floor leader — have denounced the city’s take as “peanuts for an industry that is growing” and “not a sufficient reward for the risks we’re taking.”

South Side Ald. David Moore (17th) was the only member to air concerns about the lack of minority participation on the City Council floor.

“I told everybody after George Floyd and this COVID, I’m not going back to what people call normal because that wasn’t normal, especially for African Americans. We see the numbers. We see the disparities constantly. I’m not going back to that,” Moore said.

Moore said Chicago sports moguls need to be “intentional” about “bringing partners on” and “investing in communities” instead of making vague promises.

“I appreciate the turkeys. I appreciate the toys. But you know what? Everybody’s giving toys and turkeys. … Things gotta be substance so people can begin to buy their own toys and turkeys,” Moore told his colleagues.

The vote Wednesday ends the political equivalent of a heavyweight boxing match that had chief sponsor, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), feeling “like an ant in between elephants with all of these billionaires fighting over this stuff.”

In one corner are the owners of the Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, Sox, Bears and Sky. In the other corner was Neil Bluhm, billionaire of the Des Plaines-based Rivers Casino that already includes a sportsbook. Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming company is also part of two separate groups vying to build a Chicago casino.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has raked in political cash from both groups.

She received more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from Bluhm’s daughter Leslie and her sister Meredith Bluhm-Wolf. She has also received $131,491 from the family of Bulls and Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, the Wirtz family that owns the Blackhawks, and from Laura Ricketts of the billionaire family that owns the Cubs.

Just this week, Laura Ricketts and her wife, Brooke Skinner Ricketts, were on the host committee for the third annual “Women’s Spotlight” fundraiser for LightPAC at Theater on the Lake.

Blum has argued that the $500,000 in annual revenue the city would generate by imposing a 2% tax on gross revenues from sports betting — for a total tax of 19% — would be “small potatoes” compared to the $12 million in casino revenue it stands to lose by authorizing five “mini-casinos.”

“While people are betting on sports at Wrigley Field or United Center — fantastic locations [that] will open two-and-a-half years before a casino so people will be used to going there — they won’t be at the casino betting on casino games. For every $1 of sports betting you’re losing, you lose about $3 or $4 of casino revenue. While they’re there, they walk around and play slot machines. They play roulette. They play blackjack. That’s big money,” Bluhm has said.

During the public comment period before Wednesday’s meeting, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts countered that “sports bar restaurants with a limited number” of betting windows are “not mini-casinos in any way.”

“As shown by the experience in other jurisdictions, testimony of large casino operators and the conclusion of the only independent study — the study commissioned by the city — this will not have an economic impact on the viability of any potential future Chicago casino,” Ricketts said.

“The fact is, sports gaming is less than 2% of casino revenue, and there is no evidence that even that would be affected by this ordinance.”

Ricketts reiterated that the Cubs are “ready to go today” on a $100 million partnership with DraftKings that will pave the way for Wrigley Field to house the first stadium sportsbook in Major League Baseball in time for the 2023 season.

“Every sports venue is looking for ways to contribute to the economic health of our neighborhoods on non-game days. … This ordinance will attract more people on days when we don’t have games and generate more activities on game days themselves,” Ricketts said.

“This ordinance is also good for our sports teams. Incremental attendance and marketing relationships with our sports gaming partners will provide our sports teams with extra resources that can be used to put more competitive teams on the field and, importantly help us keep up with other teams that are monetizing their sports gaming opportunities.”

Last week, a joint City Council committee delayed a vote on the sports wagering ordinance amid complaints that the 2% city tax was “peanuts” and that minorities were getting nothing out of it.

Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) argued then that the city was moving “too fast” and “too early” before knowing how sports betting will affect a downtown casino and that 2% is “not a sufficient reward for the risks we’re taking.”

Ethics Committee Chair Michele Smith (43rd) has noted that revenues from a Chicago casino will be used to shore up police and fire pension funds.

“That means, if anything cannibalized it, people are gonna ask more of the property taxpayers.”

Under the plan, sports betting would be authorized at a stadium or in a “permanent building or structure located within a five-block radius” of those stadiums.

Sports wagering would also be authorized inside inter-track wagering facilities and inside a Chicago casino, which has been authorized by the Illinois General Assembly but is years away from being built.

No more than 15 kiosks or wagering windows would be allowed at each location unless bettors can also buy food and drink.

No one under age 21 would be allowed to place a bet. Sports wagering would be prohibited from midnight to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday; midnight Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday; and 1 to 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The city would issue two types of sports wagering licenses: “primary” and “secondary.” Primary sports licenses would start at $50,000 a year and cost $25,000 for annual renewal. Secondary sports licenses would start at $10,000, with an annual renewal fee of $5,000.

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Paramedics were called to City Hall after Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) collapsed in her seat Wednesday afternoon during the Chicago City Council meeting. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

“At times like these, we take life for granted. We don’t know when and where anything can happen to any one of us,” Ald. Emma Mitts said. “So, right now Lord, we’re asking for your blessings for our colleague, Ald. Austin,”

Indicted Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), Chicago’s second most senior alderperson, collapsed in her seat at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, prompting a brief recess, followed by a prayer for her healing.

After the Council chambers were cleared, Austin was evaluated by Chicago Fire Department paramedics and taken out of the chambers conscious.

Fire officials said she was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition.

When the council reconvened, License Committee Chairman Emma Mitts led her colleagues in prayer for Austin, who is beloved by her colleagues and endeared herself to them even more by choosing political retirement over fighting a new ward map that shifted the 34th Ward to the North Side.

“At times like these, we take life for granted. We don’t know when and where anything can happen to any one of us,” Mitts said.

“So, right now Lord, we’re asking for your blessings for our colleague, Ald. Austin, as she goes in and lets the doctors do the work that they do to make sure that her health is good and she’s good. You say, `Ask and it shall be given.’ We’re calling upon you because you are the one who has all of the power. All of the medicine. Everything she needs to be able to be healed.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) chats with another alderman Wednesday morning during the Chicago City Council meeting at City Hall.

Austin has pleaded not guilty to charges that she took home improvement bribes — including new kitchen cabinets and granite countertops — from a developer seeking her help in navigating a project through the City Hall bureaucracy. She is also accused of lying to FBI agents who sought to question her about the perks.

Wednesday’s collapse was just the latest in a string of health-related challenges for Austin, 72.

Last year, she tested positive for the coronavirus after what sources described as a bleeding episode that initially appeared to signal complications from the surgery she had five years ago to repair a torn aorta that nearly killed her.

Though COVID-19 is commonly associated with severe respiratory symptoms, coronavirus patients also can develop blood clots leading to serious blockages such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and stroke.

Two years ago, Austin was bounced as Budget Committee chairman by Mayor Lori Lightfoot only to be appeased with a consolation prize — as chairman of the newly-created Committee on Contract Oversight and Equity.

She resigned from that job in August under pressure from Lightfoot.

Six years ago, Austin choked back tears as she talked in surprising detail about the health crisis that nearly killed her. It was stunning in an era when privacy laws allow public officials to conceal the true nature of their health issues.

“I tore my aorta. I almost wasn’t here. But I’m grateful that God allowed me to be here. I was in the hospital 29 days. For the first two weeks, I was unconscious. I was in a coma. Blood pressure went up over 300. The bottom number was 205. They couldn’t bring it down. But I’m grateful for the God that I serve because I’m sitting here today,” Austin said on that day as her colleagues applauded.

“When I came home, I was home a week. The rest of it was tearing. It was tearing [near] my spine. I went to the hospital at Northwestern. I got three stents. So, I’m doing pretty good unless it decides to go the other way. Then, it’ll be instant death. But if it happens, I’m ready to see the Lord because I have served him all of my life.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Paramedics were called to City Hall after Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) collapsed in her seat Wednesday afternoon during the Chicago City Council meeting.

Austin’s decision to retire from politics rather than fight the new ward map has made it easier for the Black Caucus to accommodate the loss of more than 85,000 African-American residents over the last decade.

The move drew praise from Lightfoot, who came to office at odds with Austin, but has forged a surprisingly close alliance with her ever since.

“Ald. Austin made the determination that she would give up her ward as part of this remap process, that’s a heck of a thing,” the mayor said recently.

Lightfoot argued then that the allegations against Austin “aren’t even remotely the same” to that of indicted Ald. Ed Burke (14th), whose resignation Lightfoot has repeatedly demanded.

“Every time that I’m down there, anytime there’s a project there, any time that she’s talking about her community, she has a fire for them and advocating for people in the area that many people in the city don’t know much about and never been to. So I think that would be a big important part of her legacy,” the mayor said.

Contributing: Dave Struett

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Signage on display in windows of businesses to show support for Oxford High School on December 7 in Oxford, Michigan. | Emily Elconin/Getty Images

While simply passing a law will never mean that everyone adheres to it, passing such laws will also result in more awareness, which in turn will get more people to act responsibly.

The recent school shooting in Oxford, Michigan that left four students dead and seven wounded has highlighted the need for laws requiring safe storage of guns and ammunition.

So far, it appears from published reports that the 15-year-old suspected shooter could have obtained the gun from an unlocked dresser in his parents’ home. Had there been a law in Michigan on safe storage, this tragedy may have been avoided.

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Here in Illinois, House Bill 2254, the Safe Gun Storage bill, would require that firearms be secured in a locked container and properly engaged so the firearm is inaccessible or unusable to anyone other than the owner or lawfully authorized user.

Not surprisingly, the bill failed when it was first proposed in 2019 and 2020. But since the Michigan tragedy, the bill or a similar bill will likely be reintroduced.

Safe gun storage laws are especially important for families of divorce, as some parents may not be on the same page when it comes to gun safety. Such laws also raise public awareness, which in turn will get more people to act responsibly.

It is also important to note that a safe gun storage bill is not an infringement on legal gun ownership. Such proposals should be welcomed by all responsible gun owners.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald also charged the alleged shooter’s parents with involuntary manslaughter, partly because they allegedly allowed their son access to a handgun while ignoring glaring warnings that he was on the brink of violence. Parents of underage school shooters have come under scrutiny before, but rarely held criminally responsible — even though many shooters obtained their guns from home.

We will have to wait and see what facts emerge in court. However, one thing seems certain: If the gun had been locked and secured, other questions would be moot — and four beautiful students would still be alive.

Jeffery Leving, founder, Law Offices of Jeffery Leving

The elderly die of more than COVID

It is not fair to constantly depress people with daily news about death from COVID-19 while cancer is the number one killer of the young and old. And kidney disease is never mentioned while thousands die from kidney failure.

I am 85 and all of my friends have died after getting vaccinated because they were diabetic and had kidney failure, heart disease and cancer. Some were obese, never exercised, ate unhealthy processed foods, and continued to drink alcohol, which weakens the immune system.

As we age, our organs age and do not function properly. My heart does not pump as well as it did when I was a youngster. My kidneys are old and cannot filter waste from my blood as efficiently as they did when I was young. As a result, I cannot enjoy lots of high-potassium foods, because the old kidneys cannot handle too much potassium and other electrolytes, lipids, calcium, proteins, sugar, alcohol, etc. I have to follow a restricted diet.

They will not tell you to give up your alcohol, junk foods, weed, and sweets, which all weaken the immune system, because they are money-makers. Vaccination cannot perform a miracle of life while abuse of the body continues.

Yvonne Black, retired teacher and guidance counselor

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Chicago chefs share seasonal recipes for cookies, churros, brownies, and granola.Read More