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Joel Quenneville remains the Panthers coach as of Thursday. | AP Photos

Quenneville met Thursday with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, but there hasn’t been a decision yet.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Three days after an investigation found former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was involved in the Hawks’ 2010 sexual assault scandal, his seemingly tenuous future as Panthers coach remains unknown.

Quenneville met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York on Thursday. He was accompanied to the meeting by Panthers president Matt Caldwell and general manager Bill Zito, ESPN reported.

But there has been no resolution yet. All options — termination, resignation or suspension — remain on the table, TSN reported.

Ex-Hawks GM Stan Bowman told Jenner & Block investigators that Quenneville lobbied against taking immediate action regarding former Hawks video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged assault of Kyle Beach during a now-infamous May 2010 meeting of Hawks leadership.

On Wednesday, Beach added to the pressure against Quenneville, saying he witnessed meetings about the assault in Quenneville’s office and that there’s “absolutely no way that he can deny knowing it.”

Meanwhile, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff — a former Hawks assistant GM who was found to have also been in that 2010 cover-up meeting — moved up his scheduled meeting with Bettman to Friday, TSN reported.

Beach: Hawks trying to ‘destroy’ lawsuit

In a new statement Thursday, Beach thanked the hockey community for its “outpouring of endless love and support” this week.

But Beach also said his “battle is really just beginning,” alleging the Hawks “continue to attempt to destroy my case in court.”

The Hawks did file a support to their motion to dismiss Beach’s lawsuit Tuesday. But they said Wednesday that was done only to meet an unfortunately timed, court-mandated deadline and that they do intend to settle the case, with initial talks scheduled with Beach’s lawyer next week.

The legal proceedings have been lengthy and convoluted all summer, so it may take weeks to determine each side’s true intentions moving forward.

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Cassie Beck stars in the North American tour of “What The Constitution Means To Me.” | Joan Marcus

A highly entertaining, deeply informative and ultimately hopeful examination of the document that impacts every single one of us, every single day of our lives.

In the second half of playwright Heidi Schreck’s remarkable exploration of the United States Constitution, she cites a statistic that’s jaw-dropping. Since the start of the 21st century, more U.S. women have been killed by their male partners than all the Americans killed in wars.

It’s shocking, until you consider the context provided by the 100-minute, Tony Award-winning “What the Constitution Means to Me.” As the production running through Nov. 21 at the Broadway Playhouse makes clear, we’re talking about a document designed to serve and protect men who owned property, property that included other human beings. It’s tempting to minimize the White Supremacy baked into the Founders work. After all, the Constitution was written centuries ago. We’ve changed so much since then.

But have things changed all that much if men are still killing their female partners in numbers that overtake war casualties and reach the level of a public health crisis? Sort of, according to Schreck’s highly entertaining, deeply informative and ultimately hopeful examination of the document that impacts every single one of us, every single day of our lives.

Directed by Oliver Butler, and set within the confines of an American Legion Hall, the fourth-wall-demolishing, autobiographical play stars Cassie Beck as Schreck. She has the audience in hand from the start, when she asks all male property owners to raise their hands. Everybody else in the theater? Sorry, the Founders said you don’t count, we’re told. At least not as much, Beck-as-Schreck explains before explicating a roster of historical judicial decisions proving the statement, starting with the Dred Scott decision and continuing to present day.

The playwright knows her stuff: At 15, Schreck traveled the country debating other teens about elements of the U.S. Constitution, earning enough prize money to pay for college. On stage, she’s overseen by an unnamed “legionnaire” (Mike Iveson) judging her every emotion and every word.

In viewing the U.S. Constitution through the lens of its impact on her family, Schreck shows in graphic terms that violent oppression, ignorance and misogyny have been woven into the Constitution so finely and so thoroughly, that they seem as natural as the air we breathe.

The line between comedy and tragedy in the script is whisker-thin: When the audience hears the (all-male) 1965 Supreme Court attempting to discuss female birth control, it sounds like an outtake from “Love, American Style” starring the Three Stooges. The irony of men who can’t bring themselves to say “I.U.D.” or “uterus” out loud while making the laws governing both is inescapable.

Joan Marcus
Jocelyn Shek (left) and Cassie Beck debate many issues in the North American tour of “What The Constitution Means To Me.”

It’s crucial to stress that “Constitution” is as hilarious as it is harrowing, incongruous as that sounds. Schreck’s family provides a lens for immigration issues, domestic violence and reproductive rights and how they shaped her family, from the great-grandmother who died of “melancholia” in an asylum to Schreck’s abortion generations later.

Set designer Rachel Hauck’s version of an American Legion hall is a canny reminder of the rights and privileges under the microscope: Dozens of photos of men stare down as Schreck battles to earn the approval that will lead to scholarship funds.

The play flags in the finale, when Beck and L.A. high schooler Emilyn Toffler (Jocelyn Shek at some performances) face-off for an extemporaneous debate, moderated by the “legionnaire.”. It’s an impressive but wholly unnecessary display of quick wits and amazing research skills, an addendum that dilutes the power of what preceded it. But these are minor issues; this is a four-star script delivered with power to spare.

That a battle speaks to the heart of who we are, and how we treat each other both now and historically.

Joan Marcus
Mike Iveson portrays the judgmental legionnaire in “What The Constitution Means To Me.”

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It’s been a difficult week for the Bears. | Kyusung Gong/AP

It’s just one thing after another for the Bears.

Patrick Finley and Mark Potash detail the Bears’ week from hell and pick different winners for Sunday’s game against the 49ers.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 members and their supporters protested against COVID-19 vaccine mandates outside City Hall on Monday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Cook County Judge Raymond Mitchell said he will issue his ruling Monday. On Friday, a federal judge could issue a ruling in another lawsuit over the mandate brought by a group of firefighters and water department employees.

A Cook County judge said he will deliver a ruling next week on whether the city must halt its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for police officers.

Judge Raymond Mitchell heard arguments in the case Thursday afternoon from attorneys for the Fraternal Order of Police and the city of Chicago.

The FOP is seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the city from enforcing its order requiring all city workers to share their vaccination status on an online portal and submit to twice-weekly testing if they are not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. All employees must be vaccinated by Jan. 1.

Joel D’Alba, the police union’s attorney, argued an arbitrator is needed to help negotiate the vaccine mandates, and the city should be ordered to stop enforcing its mandate until the matter is resolved.

Mitchell interjected with questions occasionally, such as asking why the FOP is against requiring officers to disclose their vaccination status to the city when they are already “required to supply all kinds of medical information.”

D’Alba said the portal for reporting vaccine status is untrustworthy and is different than how traditional medical records are stored.

The city agreed there was a need to go into arbitration but its attorney said it needs to be able to enforce the citywide mandate for its employees.

But Mitchell said this current mandate presents a unique issue in this labor dispute if arbitration isn’t complete by Jan. 1. How can an officer seek remedy through arbitration if they’ve already been vaccinated?

“With regard to reporting and testing — an arbitrator decides that wasn’t proper, [and then] the reports, the tests can be purged but the vaccine can’t. That can’t be undone,” Mitchell said. “Isn’t there a real risk that the plaintiffs will, if you will, not lose their day in court but lose their way in a meaningful arbitration if they have to submit to the vaccine before the arbitrator has adjudicated their claims?”

Michael Warner, an attorney for the city, said that risk doesn’t justifies issuing a restraining order. If an officer doesn’t want to get a vaccine, they would be placed on a no-pay status — which is not the same as being suspended or fired — and wait until an arbitrator rules.

Mitchell said his ruling will be issued Monday afternoon. On Friday, a special meeting of the City Council has been called in an attempt to force a vote on an ordinance that would repeal the mayor’s vaccination order.

Meanwhile, a group of Chicago firefighters and water department employees have gone to federal court to challenge the vaccine mandates from City Hall and Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Their bid to block those mandates is set for a potential ruling Friday before U.S. District Judge John Lee.

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The Chicago Bulls are the surprise team of the NBA starting the 2021 season 4-0 for the first time since 1996. Next up is the much improved 3-1 New York Knicks- making this the marquee match up of the evening. While the Bulls have started the season undefeated, they have had the luxury of facing […] Chicago Bulls: Upcoming schedule will be a great benchmark – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Chris Tabor has been the Bears’ special teams coordinator since 2018. | David Richard/AP

If Nagy, who tested positive for the coronavirus Monday, isn’t cleared by Sunday, Tabor will handle challenges, timeouts, going for it on fourth downs and other head-coaching duties.

The Bears are on the brink of having special teams coordinator Chris Tabor run the team Sunday against the 49ers, and he was already in full head coach mode during his press conference Thursday morning.

Among the many questions Tabor dodged was what his coaching style will be when it comes to overarching game-day decisions like whether to go for it on fourth downs. His 10 minutes on the mic were every bit as exasperating as coach Matt Nagy’s sessions have been lately.

“If I gave you how I really feel about everything, I guess it wouldn’t be much of a surprise [on game day],” Tabor said. “So I guess we’ll just have to pull off on that one.”

One more titillating mystery for the 49ers to ponder. They’ll have to study the 2001 Culver-Stockton College Wildcats to get a glimpse of Tabor’s tendencies. In nearly three decades of coaching in high school, college and the pros, that was Tabor’s one season as head coach.

And he actually did pretty well. The Wildcats went 6-5 in NAIA play, putting up their first winning season in 25 years, and broke the school record for points in a season. You should’ve seen the 54-21 thumping they laid on William Jewell College.

Considering the Bears are 30th in the NFL at 14.4 points per game, maybe they could borrow a page from whatever worked so well for Tabor’s Eagles.

“I learned things from learning how to line the field to ordering the equipment to leading a team and handling different situations,” Tabor said. “I got a little taste of that, and you know if something ever happens down the road, you always feel like you’ve been prepared by what’s happened in the past.”

It seems unlikely that much from that experience will translate to coaching an NFL game 20 years later, but maybe Tabor has a killer pre-game speech he’s been waiting to deliver.

He had zero interest in discussing his current head-coaching duties, preferring to stick to his usual purview of special teams — which hasn’t been going great — and maintaining that Nagy is still steering the Bears despite testing positive for coronavirus and having to work remotely.

As Tabor portrayed it, Nagy is still doing almost all his normal duties other than conducting practice. Nagy said he watches live via an iPad.

Nagy said Wednesday he had no idea how soon he might be back, which implied that he had yet to test negative. He must do so twice, 24 hours apart, to be cleared to rejoin the team. If that doesn’t happen by Sunday, Tabor will fill in for him.

Most of the basics will stay the same. Tabor isn’t about to switch back to Andy Dalton at quarterback or take play calling back from offensive coordinator Bill Lazor or anything crazy like that.

But he will oversee plenty that will be new to him. He’ll be in charge of timeouts, challenges and big decisions like going for it on fourth down or springing a trick play in a crucial spot.

“If that ever came up, you’ve always been preparing yourself your whole life to do that,” Tabor said. “I’ve watched a lot of football games and have thought about those types of things, so if it ever did come up, put yourself in a good position to help the team.”

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Arlington International Racecourse at 2200 Euclid Ave. in Arlington Heights. The Chicago Bears have a deal to purchase the 326-acre parcel. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Bears representatives so far have only said that the team is performing its “due diligence” in exploring the potential for a new stadium at the 326-acre suburban plot.

The CEO of the gambling corporation selling Arlington International Racecourse to the Chicago Bears said Thursday he expects the team to build “a world-class stadium” at the storied northwest suburban site.

In the first public comments from an executive on either side of the bombshell $197 million sale agreement announced last month, Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen expressed remorse for the loss of one sport at the Arlington Heights oval and excitement for the possible introduction of another.

“Although we are sad to close Arlington Park and would have loved to continue racing and investing in the region, we believe that the Chicago Bears will ultimately develop this prime real estate into a world-class stadium and development, with numerous amenities for fans and residents to enjoy over the coming decades,” Carstanjen said during a quarterly earnings call.

Bears representatives so far have only said that the team is performing its “due diligence” in exploring the potential for a new stadium at the 326-acre plot, where the final thoroughbred races were held a few days before the sale was announced Sept. 29.

Carstanjen called the decision to sell Arlington “a comment on the archaic racing laws that really haven’t been changed in a material way in [Illinois] in 30-plus years, and no longer worked.”

In fact, those laws changed drastically in 2019 with the passage of a massive gambling expansion that allows horse racing tracks to become “racinos” with slot machines and table games as a means of supplementing dwindling purses for the state’s struggling horse racing industry. Churchill Downs had lobbied for that privilege for decades alongside other gambling interests, only to pass on the opportunity, blaming high taxes.

Carstanjen dismissed that legislation, saying “it wasn’t really passed in a form that was enough to make up for the racing paradigm in the state.”

So instead of investing in the 93-year-old track, the Lousiville-based corporation is opting to sell it to the Bears, who outbid a group led by former Arlington International Racecourse president Roy Arnold that wanted to keep the ponies running.

Despite a Daily Herald report that another racing-minded group was courting the Bears about resuming racing, the team is “not pursuing any horse racing opportunities on the site,” Bears spokesman Scott Hagel said in an email.

The sale is not expected to close until late 2022 or early 2023, contingent on the team receiving approvals from officials in the suburb. Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said last week that his office has held preliminary meetings with team representatives, but that the Bears have yet to lay out specific visions for the land.

The team would be on the hook for about $87 million if they were to break its lease at Soldier Field after the estimated five years it could take to finish building a suburban dome.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has beckoned the organization back to the bargaining table in a bid to keep them on the lakefront. The team has expressed interest in opening a sportsbook at the aging stadium, but Lightfoot has been cool on that idea as her office also tries to attract developers for a full-blown casino in the city.

Carstanjen said Churchill Downs will not be one of the bidders for that casino license. Applications are due to Lightfoot’s office Friday.

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Dirksen Federal Courthouse, 219 S. Dearborn St. | Sun-Times file

Ramiro Barajas recruited, managed and supervised gamblers for Gregory Paloian, according to his plea agreement. He also gave them log-in credentials so they could place bets on the website Unclemicksports.com.

A wide-ranging federal gambling investigation led to another guilty plea Thursday, this time by a Chicago man who admitted he worked as an agent for bookie Gregory Paloian, who has purported mob ties.

Ramiro Barajas, 40, pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business between 2016 and 2019 during a video hearing before U.S. District Judge John Tharp. The judge set a sentencing hearing for Feb. 21.

Barajas recruited, managed and supervised gamblers for Paloian, according to his plea agreement. It said he also gave them log-in credentials so they could place bets on the website Unclemicksports.com, which is central to the related prosecution of Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice and others.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Kinney has previously said in court that Paloian ran his operation involving about 60 gamblers through DelGiudice, “who had a well-established network all set up.”

U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow gave Paloian a two-and-a-half year prison sentence last April, but she later agreed to push his surrender date back until August 2022 for health reasons. Another Paolian agent, former Melrose Park police officer John Amabile, also pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Martha Pacold to six months in home detention.

Chicago police officer Nicholas Stella, indicted along with DelGiudice, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall to 15 months behind bars. DelGiudice’s sentencing is set for Feb. 4.

Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher also faced charges along with DelGiudice, but Donald Trump pardoned Urlacher in the final hours of his presidency last January.

Barajas shared winnings and losses with Paloian on a 25% basis and routinely communicated with Paloian to discuss the operation, according to Barajas’ plea agreement. During his hearing Thursday, Tharp asked Barajas whether he profited from particular bets.

“I had more losses than wins,” Barajas said. “But yes.”

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Mauricio Ramirez, 32, was ordered held on $500,000 bail for criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

A former Chicago Park District lifeguard supervisor was ordered held on $500,000 bail Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who worked for him.

Mauricio Ramirez, 32, began talking to the girl in July while she worked as a lifeguard under his supervision, Cook County prosecutors said.

During their initial conversations, the girl told Ramirez she was a junior in high school, prosecutors said.

Later, Ramirez began picking the girl up from her high school and they would drive to various locations, including his house, where he sexually assaulted her on at least seven separate occasions, prosecutors said.

In September, the girl told a friend and her parents what had happened and she was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where a sexual assault kit was administered, prosecutors said.

Ramirez was first arrested on Oct. 12 in connection with the case.

At that time, he agreed to provide his DNA for testing and was released from custody, prosecutors said.

Ramirez was arrested again Wednesday on criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges after tests showed his DNA matched samples taken from the girl’s sexual assault kit, prosecutors said.

Ramirez’s phone records show that he was in regular contact with the girl between July and September, but the records did not show the contents of their conversations, prosecutors said.

Ramirez most recently been working for Amazon since he left the park district after 15 years of employment, his attorney Paul De Luca told Judge Marie McCarthy Thursday.

De Luca noted Ramirez had cooperated with the investigation and would agree to be placed on electronic monitoring if he was able to post bond.

McCarthy called Ramirez a danger to the community.

A spokeswoman for the park district declined to comment Thursday.

Ramirez was placed on unpaid emergency suspension by the park district on Sept. 13 “pending the outcome of an (inspector general) investigation,” according to personnel records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

“You are further prohibited from having contact with other park district employees and visiting park district facilities,” he was told.

Ramirez resigned on Oct. 4, saying he was “pursuing other career opportunities.”

The resignation was a major development in the ongoing investigation of sexual harassment and abuse among park district lifeguards that raised questions about an alleged cover-up in then-Supt. Mike Kelly’s administration.

Kelly resigned days later when Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on the park district’s board of commissioners to fire him over his handling of the allegations.

The Sun-Times reported in August that an Oak Street Beach lifeguard sent 11 pages of explosive allegations in February 2020 to Kelly about lifeguards’ conduct during the summer of 2019.

Ramirez is expected back in court on Nov. 15.

Contributing: Lauren FitzPatrick and Fran Spielman

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