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2 Chicago police officers shot in suburban LyonsSophie Sherryon October 21, 2021 at 3:39 am

Two CPD officers were shot Oct. 20, 2021, in suburban Lyons. | Sun-Times file photo

Two people were taken into custody following the incident and a weapon was recovered, according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Tom Ahern.

Two Chicago police officers were shot Wednesday night in southwest suburban Lyons.

The officers were engaged in a chase near the 8000 block of South Ogden Avenue when there was an “exchange of gunfire,” according to the Village of Lyons.

The officers were transported to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn and their conditions were not yet known, according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Tom Ahern

Two people were taken into custody following the incident and a gun was recovered, Ahern said.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

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2 Chicago police officers shot in suburban LyonsSophie Sherryon October 21, 2021 at 3:39 am Read More »

Chicago Craft Beer Weekend, October 22-24on October 21, 2021 at 4:19 am

The Beeronaut

Chicago Craft Beer Weekend, October 22-24

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Chicago Craft Beer Weekend, October 22-24on October 21, 2021 at 4:19 am Read More »

Man fatally shot on Lower West SideSun-Times Wireon October 21, 2021 at 3:24 am

A man was fatally shot Oct. 20, 2021, in Heart of Chicago on the Lower West Side. | Sun-Times file photo

The 58-year-old was standing on a sidewalk about 8 p.m. in the 2100 block of South Leavitt Street when someone in a white van opened fire, Chicago police said.

A man was fatally shot Wednesday night in Heart of Chicago on the Lower West Side.

The 58-year-old was standing on a sidewalk about 8 p.m. in the 2100 block of South Leavitt Street when someone in a white van opened fire, Chicago police said.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

There was no one in custody.

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Man fatally shot on Lower West SideSun-Times Wireon October 21, 2021 at 3:24 am Read More »

An original ‘Chicago Fire’ star leaves the show but says he’s in the city to stayDarel Jevenson October 21, 2021 at 3:08 am

“Chicago Fire” actor Eamonn Walker (from left), executive producer Derek Haas and co-stars Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney celebrate the show’s 200th episode. | NBC

The actor saying goodbye is one of six cast members who date back to Episode 1.

As the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51 said goodbye to a longtime colleague, the actor who played him said he’s still going to call Chicago home.

(SPOILERS FOLLOW)

Jesse Spencer, known to “Chicago Fire” viewers as Capt. Matthew Casey, exited the series on its 200th episode Tuesday. He’s one of six cast members — along with Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg, Eamonn Walker, Christian Stolte and Joe Minoso — who have been part of the show for all of its 10 seasons.

“It was a difficult decision because I’ve loved the show from the start,” the Australian-born actor said in a press conference reported by TV Line, “but there are other things that I would like to do in the future, and there’s some family that I need to take care of.”

The story had Casey moving to Oregon to be caretaker for the two sons of his late best friend Andy Darden — and able to return to Chicago anytime.

It’s not an unappealing prospect for Spencer. “There is the potential for me to come back,” he said. “I still am in Chicago right now. I’m not running off to Los Angeles or anything, although I might escape for a little bit of the winter. My home here with my wife is in Chicago, and so I’m still going to be here.”

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An original ‘Chicago Fire’ star leaves the show but says he’s in the city to stayDarel Jevenson October 21, 2021 at 3:08 am Read More »

2 shot — including 63-year-old man — while driving in AustinSun-Times Wireon October 21, 2021 at 2:18 am

Two people were injured in a shooting Oct. 20, 2021, in Austin on the West Side. | Archive Sun-Times

The two were traveling in a van in the 600 block of North Laramie Avenue when a dark-colored vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.

Two people were shot, including a 63-year-old man, while driving Wednesday night in Austin on the West Side.

About 6:40 p.m., the two were traveling in a van in the 600 block of North Laramie Avenue when a dark-colored vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.

The pair’s van then came to stop after crashing into another vehicle in the 500 block of North Central Avenue, police said.

The 63-year-old man was struck in the arm and transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said. The other person suffered a gunshot wound to the mouth and was taken to the same hospital in critical condition, police said.

No other injuries were reported. Area Four detectives are investigating.

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2 shot — including 63-year-old man — while driving in AustinSun-Times Wireon October 21, 2021 at 2:18 am Read More »

No to Bo? Gaming board deals Lynwood and Bo Jackson backed Calumet City bids out of south suburban casino gameMitchell Armentrouton October 21, 2021 at 12:08 am

Former baseball and football athlete Bo Jackson, left, in 2005; lllinois Gaming Board chairman Charles Schmadeke, right, in 2019. | John J. Kim; Hilitski/Sun-Times file

Regulators on Wednesday advanced proposals from Matteson and a site straddling Homewood and East Hazel Crest. The final selection is expected to be made by early next year.

The south suburban casino race is down to a pair.

Nearly two years after applications were submitted to open a south suburban gambling temple, state regulators on Wednesday narrowed the field of four casino hopefuls down to two competing proposals: one at a site straddling the border of Homewood and East Hazel Crest, and another in Matteson.

The Illinois Gaming Board voted 4-0 to advance those bids and reject pitches from Calumet and Lynwood, with board chairman Charles Schmadeke saying during a virtual meeting that the culling was based on “the quality of the development presentation, and the support to and from the local community.”

The Gaming Board is expected to make a final selection for the long-coveted casino license by early 2022.

The Homewood-East Hazel Crest bid is led by Alabama-based Wind Creek Hospitality, part of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which runs 10 gambling operations in Alabama, Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania and the Caribbean island of Curacao. During a public presentation last week, project partners said they’d build a $300 million, 64,000-square-foot casino near 175th Street and Halsted Street off Interstate 80, along with a 21-story hotel and an entertainment center.

Provided by Wind Creek Hospitality
Artist’s rendering of a casino proposed by Wind Creek Hospitality just off Interstate 80 near 175h Street and Halsted, straddling the border of suburban Homewood and East Hazel Crest.

“This development promises to be the best in and for the entire Southland region — with job creation, economic and community investment, sustained operational excellence, and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion in all phases of construction and operation,” Wind Creek CEO Jay Dorris said in an email.

The group is represented by former gaming board general counsel Donna More, who also launched a failed bid to unseat Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in the 2020 Democratic primary election.

The Matteson bid is led by Hinsdale businessman Rob Miller and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a Native American tribe that runs 22 casinos. They’re calling for a $300 million complex at the shuttered Lincoln Mall at Lincoln Highway and Cicero Avenue. It would include a 123,000-square foot casino, 200-room hotel and a convention center, partners said.

Provided
A rendering of a casino proposed for the corner of Cicero Avenue and Lincoln Highway in Matteson.

Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin noted that colleagues in the Southland Regional Mayoral Black Caucus voted to back her town’s bid.

“We are pleased and extremely excited,” Chalmers-Currin said. “I think the Gaming Board saw the commitment to diversity and the community in this project.”

The failed Calumet City bid was backed by two-sport legend Bo Jackson as well as suburban entrepreneur Dan Fischer — who has already landed himself a new casino in Rockford despite a Gaming Board investigation of his video gambling empire.

Earlier this month, Jackson told the Sun-Times that he was drawn to the investment group because it had committed to partnering with nearby South Suburban College on a new hospitality management program.

“Some people might look at this as a gaming casino,” he told the newspaper. “I’m looking at it as an opportunity for a lot of people, a lot of underprivileged kids.”

On Wednesday, project manager Timothy Hughes said in an email: “We are disappointed that our proposal — which would open a temporary casino in 90 days to immediately begin revitalizing the economic engine of Calumet City and had extensive community support plus a strong operator with a proven track record — was deemed insufficient to proceed to the next round.”

The Ho-Chunk Nation was behind the Lynwood proposal, which was opposed by Mayor Jada Curry, who took office a year and a half into the slow-moving selection process. Representatives for the group didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Gaming Board is also weighing two finalists for a new casino license earmarked for north suburban Waukegan. Las Vegas developer Full House Resorts is up against Lakeside Casino LLC, a company led by former Grayslake state Sen. Michael Bond, who already has his own video gaming company. A selection is also expected by early next year.

It’s all part of the massive gambling expansion signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2019 that promises to add six casinos to Illinois’ current field of 10. The Rockford casino and another in downstate Williamson County have already received preliminary approvals. Another is in the pipeline for Danville, and applications to run a Chicago megacasino are due to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office by next week.

The two remaining south suburban bidders are expected to address the Gaming Board at a special meeting next week.

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No to Bo? Gaming board deals Lynwood and Bo Jackson backed Calumet City bids out of south suburban casino gameMitchell Armentrouton October 21, 2021 at 12:08 am Read More »

Hospital system employees face firing as vaccine mandate deadlines approachBrett Chaseon October 21, 2021 at 12:21 am

Advocate Aurora Health is the largest hospital system in Illinois and Wisconsin. | Brian Ernst/Sun-Times

Advocate Aurora Health has fired more than 400 employees who refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Other hospitals are threatening to fire employees or approaching deadlines for their own vaccine mandates.

Advocate Aurora Health, the largest hospital system in Illinois and Wisconsin, has fired more than 400 employees who refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

Almost half of the 440 recently terminated employees worked part time, the company said in a statement. The number is less than 1% of about 75,000 employees.

The system, which operates as Advocate Health Care in Illinois, announced in early August it would require its workers to get vaccinated. Other large hospitals made similar announcements just before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced full government approval of the Pfizer vaccine. Two other vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are being administered under an emergency authorization from FDA.

“With about 99% of our team members compliant or in the process of becoming compliant with our vaccine policy, we are protecting the health and safety of our patients, communities and each other,” Advocate said in a statement.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul got his COVID-19 vaccination in March at Advocate Health Care’s vaccine clinic at Imani Village in the Cottage Grove Heights.

Advocate is not providing a breakdown for the positions among those fired — nurses, doctors or other employees — and a spokesman declined to provide additional comment.

When it announced its mandate in August, Advocate said it would make limited exceptions for religious or medical reasons. The announcement also coincided with a rise in cases over the summer attributed to a highly contagious form of the virus known as the Delta variant.

Advocate Aurora operates 26 hospitals in the two states.

Other hospitals are either threatening to fire employees or approaching deadlines for their own vaccine mandates.

Rush University Medical Center said fewer than 100 of its more than 11,000 employees are still unvaccinated after the hospital system set an Oct. 1 deadline for mandatory shots.

“Those who are not in compliance will be suspended and then likely would be let go if they do not take the necessary steps,” Rush said in a statement.

At Northwestern Medicine and NorthShore University HealthSystem, workers have until Oct. 31 to get vaccinated.

And at AMITA Health, workers have until Nov. 12 to get the shot. As of Oct. 19, about 88 percent of associates have received at least one dose of the vaccine. “We remain confident this percentage will increase in the coming weeks and associates will avoid any disciplinary steps,” AMITA said in a statement.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker in August issued a vaccination mandate for state health care workers.

Brett Chase’s reporting on the environment and public health is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

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Hospital system employees face firing as vaccine mandate deadlines approachBrett Chaseon October 21, 2021 at 12:21 am Read More »

Lightfoot says she won’t defund police, says most Chicagoans want more copsFran Spielmanon October 20, 2021 at 11:14 pm

Wednesday’s Chicago Police Department graduation ceremony at Navy Pier was the first since early in the pandemic. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

At a graduation ceremony for police recruits and newly-promoted officers Wednesday, the mayor acknowledged it’s a “very tough time” for cops but said “our residents are desperate for your help and your support.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she will “never yield” to the voices who want to defund the police because the Chicagoans who make up what Police Supt. David Brown calls the “silent majority” overwhelmingly support the police.

At a graduation ceremony for police recruits and newly-promoted officers at Navy Pier — the first since early in the pandemic — Lightfoot acknowledged it’s a “very tough time to be the police” because of rising homicides, shootings and carjackings, unprecedented scrutiny and an anti-police movement that swept the nation after the death of George Floyd.

But Lightfoot urged the nearly 200 graduates and newly-promoted officers to block out the “loud saying a lot of loud things.”

“People want you — every day. I travel this city from neighborhood to neighborhood — all across the city, north and south east and west. And what I hear, what I know from polling that I’ve seen, is the loud voices that are calling for all sorts of things that are untethered from the reality that you face every single day — those are not the majority of voices in this city.

“Our residents are desperate for your help and your support. They want more police — not less police. We are not a city and will never be a city that bows to those arguing for de-funding. That’s not who we are. And that’s not what our residents want.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Lightfoot told new police graduates on Wednesday that she was opposed to defunding the police.

Lightfoot told graduates that residents also want to “get to know you as people because they recognize” cops are the “line between them and safety … [and] their ability to walk down the street every day and not worry about some danger or threat.”

Last year, however, Lightfoot balanced her pandemic-ravaged budget in part, by eliminating 614 police vacancies, literally shrinking the Chicago Police Department by attrition.

This year, she’s proposing a $189 million increase in police spending — to just under $1.9 billion — in part, by expanding officer wellness programs.

Meanwhile, the tidal wave of police retirements continues with 703 retirements already this year and 987 sworn vacancies.

Several Council members have demanded Lightfoot restore some positions.

But Lightfoot and Budget Director Susie Park have argued CPD will have enough trouble just filling vacancies at a time when declining interest in the policing profession is a national trend.

Still, many of the officers who graduated Wednesday said they were honored to take on the role.

Officer Sheila Mahon, 32, said she is excited to follow the legacy of her grandfather, who served as an officer for 31 years.

“It feels pretty good to walk in his footsteps,” she said. She said she is “looking for whatever the streets have to offer,” and that she chose the job because she enjoys helping communities.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Newly graduated police officer Krystal Rivera said she wanted to become a police officer because of the opportunity to help others.

Krystal Rivera, a single mother from Humboldt Park, said she always knew she wanted to be a police officer.

“For me, it’s a privilege,” she said. “I come from a family of serving. To help people in need, that’s my calling.”

The mayor’s message about the “silent majority” of Chicagoans who back the police was reinforced by Brown.

“Despite what you may read or hear — particularly on social media–the public by and large has your back. The silent majority of this country’s public has your back,” Brown told graduates. “The community is not your enemy. The community must be your partner.”

Brown also said officer wellness is “essential to a strong police department” — which is why he lobbied the mayor for an increase in the once-paltry number of counselors in the department.

“It is OK to say that I need to talk to a peer or professional. It is OK. And we are committed to providing that help that you might need,” the superintendent said.

The new officers are entering the force at a time when Lightfoot and police union president John Catanzara are engaged in a public battle around the mayor’s vaccine mandate for all city workers. Catanzara, who urged officers to resist the mandate, was banned from discussing the matter, and some city officers are opting to stay home without pay instead of complying with the mandate.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said he expects the vaccination rates among Chicago police officers to rise in the coming days

But Brown also said that all of the new cops who graduate Wednesday got the vaccine “on their own,” and that he’s had “encouraging interactions” with officers about the mandate.

According to Brown, 68% of Chicago police officers were vaccinated as of Wednesday morning, and he expects the number to climb to 80% by Monday. So far, the department has the worst rates of compliance with the mandate among all city workers.

“This vaccine mandate is about saving officers’ lives,” Brown said, noting that the COVID is the “number one killer of police officers in this country.”

“The words in the oath these officers just took answers any and all questions about the importance of the vaccine mandate.”

Rivera, who had only been minted as a new officer for mere minutes on Wednesday, was already defending the police union in its standoff with the city over the vaccine mandate.

Although she is vaccinated, she said she’s been “listening to veterans” about the need to “hold the line” and support cops who don’t want to get a shot.

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Lightfoot says she won’t defund police, says most Chicagoans want more copsFran Spielmanon October 20, 2021 at 11:14 pm Read More »

Why I can’t cancel Harry PotterSofia Felinoon October 20, 2021 at 11:08 pm

The art exhibit at the Hokin Gallery at Columbia College Chicago. | Sofia Felino/For the Sun-Times

There are some “problematic” works of art that, no matter how hard I tried, I don’t think I could ever divorce from the person I am today.

In April, a new art exhibit was installed in the grand front window of the Columbia College Chicago student center. The first time I walked past it, I noticed large stacked cardboard cutouts of album and book covers, movie and television posters, paintings and advertisements — many of which I not only recognized, but loved.

Featured artworks included the Harry Potter series, the books that taught me to love reading. I saw Frida Kahlo, the painter who taught me to love art.

But after taking a closer look at the installation, which is now on display at Hokin Gallery, my excitement turned to shame. On the back of each cutout was a reason the artist had been canceled.

J.K. Rowling, author of “Harry Potter,” has made controversial comments about transgender people. Kahlo has been accused of cultural appropriation.

The message I got was to leave the art behind and not look back.

This installation “Does the Art Excuse the Accused?” was curated by 2020 Columbia alum Madison Pope. It showcases the creations of artists who have been exposed for hateful or harmful behavior, along with comments, crowd-sourced via an online survey, from (mostly former) consumers of these artworks.

“The whole reason we put out the survey is because we want to know who people are talking about … [and which artists] come to their attention right away when we ask these questions,” Pope told me.

Pope doesn’t advocate for cancel culture or deplatforming artists financially. But this sentiment is far from universal. In our polarizing times, we are too quick to cancel artwork without carefully considering what that means.

I still consume plenty of problematic media. I do not do it unconsciously. When I walked into that exhibition and saw some of my favorite books, movies, and albums, I was not surprised by any of the allegations.

All of the harmful actions committed by artists whose work I adore I find reprehensible and do not condone in any way. I’ve spent a lot of time considering the exhibit’s titular question.

“I think it is very rare that we can’t separate an art and an artist,” Jim DeRogatis, adjunct professor at Columbia and music critic told me.

DeRogatis, who was the first journalist to bring musician and recently convicted sex offender R. Kelly’s crimes to light for the Chicago Sun-Times, believes the only instance in which the art and artist cannot separated is when the art itself is centered around the artist’s “misdeeds.” DeRogatis considers Kelly one of these artists.

“It’s a different situation,” he said. “And it’s rare, thankfully.”

DeRogatis believes everyone is entitled to decide whether or not they can separate the art from the artist, and that there are no right or wrong answers.

Here’s my answer: There are some “problematic” works of art that, no matter how hard I tried, I don’t think I could ever divorce from the person I am today.

But I agree with DeRogatis when he says this: “Art is a reason for living. And [if you say], ‘I just want to be entertained’ … you’re not a very good citizen, you’re not living in the world.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wit and mastery of the short story shaped the way I write. (Fitzgerald allegedly took ideas and writings from his wife, Zelda, without giving her credit.) “American Beauty,” starring Kevin Spacey, completely changed my outlook on life for the better.

It’s too late for me to cut the art out of my life, even if I stopped being an active consumer.

Sofia Felino is a senior at Columbia College Chicago majoring in creative writing and screenwriting and the co-director of photography for the Columbia Chronicle.

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Why I can’t cancel Harry PotterSofia Felinoon October 20, 2021 at 11:08 pm Read More »

No William Shatner, I don’t need to go into spaceon October 20, 2021 at 11:24 pm

Marching to a Different Drummer

No William Shatner, I don’t need to go into space

About ChicagoNow
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No William Shatner, I don’t need to go into spaceon October 20, 2021 at 11:24 pm Read More »