Read More

Two days ago, the Chicago Bulls took down the number one seed in the Eastern Conference for the second time this season. This time, it was on the road and the Bulls were down double digits in the third quarter. The Brooklyn Nets were maintaining control, while it felt as though the game was right […] Chicago Bulls: LaVine, DeRozan join conversation with Kobe, Shaq – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

At least six people were killed and 24 others wounded in citywide shootings since Friday evening. | Sun-Times file

Across the city over the weekend, six people were killed and 24 others were wounded by gunfire.

A 15-year-old boy was shot, a CTA bus driver was beaten and two cops were injured as police responded to a large group of youths in downtown Chicago Saturday night.

Police said they arrested at least 22 juveniles and recovered two “replica firearms.”

As officers were containing the crowds, a 15-year-old boy was shot about 11:20 p.m. in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue, police said. He had bumped into someone walking in the opposite direction and they began arguing, police said. The boy was shot in the arm and taken taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital in good condition, police said.

No one was in custody for the shooting.

Less than three hours earlier, a CTA bus driver was beaten in the Loop, allegedly by 15-year-old boy. The driver, 49, got out of his bus to inspect for damage after hearing a loud noise in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue about 9 p.m., police said. He was pushed and repeatedly punched by two people, police said.

He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with bruises to his face and body, police said, and was listed in fair condition.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested moments later and charged with one felony count of aggravated battery to a transit employee, police said.

Two police officers were also injured while responding to incidents in the Loop Saturday night. One officer’s arm was broken, the other officer’s injuries were unknown. Police released no other details about how they were hurt.

At least 22 minors were arrested in the downtown area Saturday night. Nine of them were charged with violating curfew. Police said they recovered two “replica firearms.”

The police department issued a statement Sunday saying it “had sufficient resources deployed to manage the crowd and ensure public safety. Street outreach workers coordinated efforts with police.”

Weekend violence

Across the city over the weekend, six people were killed and 24 others were wounded by gunfire.

One person was killed and two others were critically wounded Sunday morning in Jefferson Park on the Northwest Side. A woman and man, 20 and 23, were walking in an alley about 4:30 a.m. in the 4800 block of North Central Avenue when someone opened fire, striking them both, Chicago police said. Another man, 23, was inside a building when he was hit by gunfire, police said. The woman, Meagan Bilbo, was pronounced dead at Community First Hospital. One man went to Illinois Masonic Medical Center while the other went to Evanston Hospital, police said. Both were listed in critical condition.
About an hour earlier, two people were shot, one fatally, on the Near West Side. About 3:20 a.m., a woman and man, 41 and 56, were sitting in a car in the 300 block of South Hoyne Avenue when they were struck by gunfire, police said. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where the man was pronounced dead, police said. His name hasn’t been released. The woman was in good condition, according to officials.
A man was fatally shot Friday night outside a home in West Chatham, officials said. Lynnez Patterson, 44, was arguing with a male acquaintance on his porch about 8:25 p.m. in the first block of 78th Place, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The acquaintance then shot the man multiple times, striking him in the torso and head, police said. He was taken to Stroger, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
A few hours later, a woman was shot inside a building in South Shore. About 8:20 p.m., the 27-year-old was shot in the head by someone in a hallway in the 7100 block of South Ridgeland Avenue, police said. She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, police said. She has not yet been identified.
An 18-year-old man was killed Saturday night in Englewood on the South Side. The man was walking through a gas station about 8 p.m. in the 1100 block of West 63rd Street when a vehicle drove by and someone from inside opened fire, police said. He was shot multiple times in the body and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His name hasn’t been released.
A few hours earlier, Parrish Peeples was fatally shot in West Englewood, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The 54-year-old was standing on the porch of a home about 5:15 p.m. in the 6500 block of South Claremont Avenue when people got out of a vehicle and fired shots at her, police said. She was struck in the leg and abdomen and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Other shootings

Two teens were wounded in two separate shootings Sunday, one in Englewood, the other in Pullman on the South Side. About 12:45 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was in the 6800 block of South Green Street, when he heard shots and felt a pain, Chicago police said. He was struck in the right arm and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, in good condition.
About 15 minutes later, a 17-year-old girl was in the 12500 block of South Lowe Street, buying narcotics, when she got into an argument with someone she knew who fired shots at her, police said. She was struck in the leg, and brought to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, in good condition.
A 17-year-old passenger was shot and seriously wounded Saturday night in Chicago Lawn on the South Side. About 9:20 p.m., the teen was a passenger in a car traveling in the 3400 block of West 61st Place when the vehicle he was in passed by two males who were shouting at him, police said. The driver of the car heard gunfire, and the teen was shot in the back of his head, police said. He was taken to Christ, where he was in serious condition, police said.
A man was critically wounded in a shooting Friday evening just blocks from the Mag Mile. About 6:50 p.m., the 31-year-old was inside a vehicle in the first block of East Huron Street when another vehicle pulled up alongside and someone opened fire, police said. He was shot in the legs and brought himself to Stroger in critical condition, police said.
A man was shot Sunday night on DuSable Lake Shore Drive on the Near South Side. The 19-year-old was walking about 9:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Lake Shore Drive when he was struck in his knee by gunfire, police said. He was taken by a friend to Gottlieb Hospital, where he was in fair condition, police said.

At least 15 others were wounded in shootings in Chicago from Friday, 5 p.m. to Monday, 5 a.m.

Three people were killed and 26 others wounded in gun violence across Chicago last weekend.

Read More

Daughter considers buying her another one but fears it would put her mother in an awkward position.

DEAR ABBY: My mother, who is 85, lives under the domination of my 88-year-old father. After retirement, Dad has remained active and has taken up hobbies that fill the entire house. Mom was an award-winning photographer, but medical issues now prevent her from enjoying that activity the way she used to. She has always enjoyed music and had a keyboard she felt comfortable playing, but only when Dad was away. My father tends to be very critical, which is why I think she would only play in private.

Recently, thinking Mom no longer used it, my dad donated her keyboard. He said it was taking up space. Mom recently confided to me that she was devastated when it happened. I would like to purchase another keyboard for Mom for her birthday, but I don’t want her to feel betrayed. I’m not sure if I should talk with Dad about it beforehand. He is sure to ask Mom why she wasn’t more vocal about her feelings in the first place, thus putting her in an uncomfortable position. Do you have any suggestions? — LOVING DAUGHTER IN WASHINGTON

DEAR DAUGHTER: Have a chat with dear old Dad. Tell him what you plan to do and why. If he expresses puzzlement about why you’re doing it, point out that between the two of them his is the dominant personality, which may be why your mother didn’t speak up on her own behalf. While you’re at it, suggest that the next time he has the urge to dispose of your mother’s property, he should first ask how she feels about it. It may be a wake-up call he needs.

DEAR ABBY: I was in a relationship (nine months) up until about a month ago. Without going into a lot of detail, the guy I was seeing ghosted me without any warning. We had a great conversation on a Thursday night, and Friday morning he blocked my calls, email, etc. I have no idea what happened.

The night before, I accidentally FaceTimed him (my phone was in my pocket), and his son answered. I thought he had called me, but apparently, I called him. Keep in mind I had never met his son the entire time we were together. This isn’t the first time he has stopped speaking to me for reasons only he knows, but this is the first time he has gone this far.

I’m trying to move past it, but I’m having a hard time. Even though we dated for only nine months, I talked to him about everything, and we had such great times together. I want to understand why he did what he did to get some closure, but I don’t know what to do. Do I need to just let this go? — GHOSTED AGAIN IN ALABAMA

DEAR GHOSTED AGAIN: Your ex may have been upset because, until your FaceTime call, his son didn’t know he was seeing anyone. I’m not a mind reader, and neither are you. You stated that this isn’t the first time he has clammed up and given you the silent treatment. A relationship based on such immaturity and poor communication skills would not be healthy for you anyway. Stanch your bleeding and move on. You have my sympathy.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

Read More

Travel along the Bungalow Belt to see where you can buy the classic Chicago single-family home.Read More

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a very interesting season. They had a tough stretch where they didn’t play well early on but won all of those games except one. Unfortunately, the one loss was to Cincinnati and that is the reason that they are finishing the season ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff […] Notre Dame: Fifth in the College Football Playoff isn’t bad – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Yuchi Chiu (from left), Dara Cameron, Audrey Billings, Brandon Dahlquist, Manny Buckley and Joe Dempsey play radio actors playing movie characters in “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago.” | Michael Brosilow

American Blues Theater lassos a miracle, a show that, over 20 editions, has worked as both great storytelling and a flashback to another age of show business.

“Can you believe it’s already December?” asked actor Michael Mahler from the stage at Victory Gardens Theater. “My goodness, the 1940s are flying by, aren’t they?”

While it was a throwaway gag — maybe improvised, maybe scripted — Mahler’s joke neatly accomplished two goals. First, it acknowledged our tenuous relationship with the passing of time after nearly two years of pandemic conditions: How is it already another holiday season? Did 2021 even happen?

And second, it underlines the gentle conceit of American Blues Theater’s holiday perennial, “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago.” Forget your 21st-century troubles for an hour and a half, this show says, and travel back with us to America’s post-World War II afterglow.

American Blues asks us to imagine ourselves as the studio audience for a radio-play version of the beloved Frank Capra film, which starred Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a humble pillar of the small town of Bedford Falls. In a moment of desperation, George’s guardian angel Clarence swoops in to show him just how much worse off the world would have been if George had never been born.

There’s no playwright credited for American Blues’ adaptation. You might wonder if the same copyright confusion that led to the Capra movie being believed to be in the public domain for many years — thus leading to the box-office flop’s evolution into a Christmas-season classic via endless repetition on broadcast TV — applies here as well.

But whoever the adapter, ABT’s version is a faithful if compressed retelling of the screenplay by Capra, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, itself adapted from an original short story by Philip Van Doren Stern.

George (here played by Brandon Dahlquist) is a stand-up guy whose yen to explore the world outside Bedford Falls is repeatedly frustrated by circumstance and duty. Archangel Joseph (Manny Buckley) shows apprentice angel Clarence (Joe Dempsey) a highlight reel of George’s life. This includes George saving his kid brother Harry (Yuchi Chiu) from drowning in a frozen lake; George’s courtship and marriage to the practical and forthright Mary (Audrey Billings), and his defense of his family’s small building-and-loan operation from the predatory slumlord Mr. Potter (Dempsey again).

The film clocks in at a little over two hours; ABT’s rendition of the story takes up at most 65 of the stage production’s 90 uninterrupted minutes, but it doesn’t feel shortchanged.

The rest of the stage show’s running time is devoted to the trappings of the radio-play pretense. The performers are on stage from the moment the house opens, addressing one another by their real-life names, as versions of their real-life selves. (All eight bodies onstage, who include the charming Dara Cameron and the talented Foley artist Shawn J. Goudie in addition to those already named, are stage actors who are playing radio actors who are in turn playing film characters.)

For a good 15 minutes or so after the audience has taken its seats, the cast engages in “pre-show” audience warm-up business: leading Christmas carol sing-alongs, bantering with out-of-town visitors, and generally setting the holiday spirit.

Mahler (who also serves as music director and multi-instrumentalist), Dahlquist, Goudie and Chiu deliver a barbershop-quartet style “Winter Wonderland”; Cameron and Mahler join forces for a spare rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

In the performance of “Wonderful Life” itself, the actors generally let the concept be the star. It’s undeniably fun to watch the masterful Dempsey flip between Clarence and Potter, just as Buckley expertly switches off between Joseph and George’s bumbling Uncle Billy. Sometimes the mere choreography of the actors trading off space in front of the three foreground microphones gives you a hint of how thrilling the new medium of radio must have been back in the day.

But there are moments where director Gwendolyn Whiteside cleverly lets her actors drop the meta facade and just inhabit their characters. At the point when, in the film, George and Mary share a telephone receiver, and the closeness of their faces answers a question they’d both been trying to avoid, Whiteside has Dahlquist and Billings share a microphone; lighting designer Katy Peterson Viccellio mutes the rest of the stage, and for a second, the tension is all too real.

This is American Blues Theater’s 20th edition of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I first saw the company’s version in 2007. (Last winter, when theaters were dark, ABT produced it as a true audio play, available to stream online).

Among the enduring traditions of this production are the “commercial breaks,” when cast members read messages that have been paid for by members of that night’s audience. On Friday, many of these missives included plays on the phrase “wonderful life.” They also confirmed, via private sentiments publicly delivered, that this production has become as vital a part of the holidays for some families as the black-and-white classic it’s based on.

Read More

A man was shot Dec. 5 on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. | Sun-Times file photo

The 19-year-old was walking about 9:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Lake Shore Drive when he was struck by gunfire, police said.

A man was shot Sunday night on DuSable Lake Shore Drive on the Near South Side.

The 19-year-old was walking about 9:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Lake Shore Drive when he was struck in his knee by gunfire, Chicago police said.

He was taken by a friend to Gottlieb Hospital, where he was in fair condition, police said.

No one was in custody.

Read More

Three people were in custody after shots were fired at Chicago police officers Dec. 5 on the South Side. | Sun-Times file

No officers were injured and police didn’t return fire.

Three people were in custody Sunday night after shots were fired at two Chicago police officers in Gresham on the South Side.

A male and female officer were driving west about 11 p.m. near the 7900 block of South Vincennes Avenue when they heard a gunshot and noticed a car in the lane next to them attempting to flee, Chicago police said.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver didn’t comply, police said. He stopped in an alley in the 7700 block of South Emerald Avenue, officials said.

Two men, 20 and 23, tried fleeing on foot, but were placed in custody, police said. A 29-year-old woman in the car was also arrested, authorities said.

Police didn’t return fire and no officers were injured.

Read More

Read More