What’s New

A memorial outside slain 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams’ grandmothers’ West Side home on April 21. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

The charges are the latest high-profile example of a key Justice Department initiative that drew Attorney General Merrick Garland to Chicago this summer.

An Indianapolis man is facing federal charges for the alleged illegal purchase of the gun that was later used to kill 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams in a West Side McDonald’s drive-thru, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The charges are the latest high-profile example of an alleged straw purchaser, a key target of a Justice Department violent crime initiative that drew U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to Chicago this summer.

Eric Keys, 23, is charged in federal court in Indianapolis with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and making a false statement about information required to be kept by a licensed firearms dealer. That’s according to a news release from the office of John Childress, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.

The news release alleges Keys illegally purchased a firearm last March in Indianapolis that was then used to kill a child in Chicago in April. Though the release does not identify Jaslyn by name, a source confirmed for the Chicago Sun-Times that she was the victim of the shooting.

Court records related to Keys’ case were not immediately available.

Three men — Devontay Anderson, Demond Goudy and Marion Lewis — are charged in Cook County in connection with Jaslyn’s murder. Anderson was arrested in Chicago in July following a national manhunt that also triggered federal charges.

A six-page federal complaint filed against Anderson described the scene of Jaslyn’s April 18 shooting in the 3200 block of West Roosevelt Road. It said police arrived at the McDonald’s there and found a 2003 Infiniti sedan “riddled with bullets” in the drive-thru lane. Jaslyn and her father had been in the Infiniti about 4:20 p.m. when two gunmen got out of an Audi and fired into the Infiniti, authorities said.

Jaslyn was killed, and her father was wounded.

The complaint also described surveillance video viewed by the Chicago Police Department. It said the Audi had three occupants when it pulled behind the Infiniti.

“Two adult males then exited the Audi,” the complaint said. “One male, later identified by CPD as Anderson, exited the rear passenger side of the Audi brandishing a Draco AK-47 pistol. The other male exited the Audi from the front passenger seat brandishing a Glock pistol. Both men opened fire on the Infiniti, firing dozens of rounds before re-entering the Audi and leaving the scene.”

Federal authorities in Indianapolis said investigators found a firearm in the home of one of the suspected shooters. An analysis by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined it was used to kill Jaslyn. Prosecutors allege it’s the same gun Keys illegally purchased in March.

Straw purchasers typically use their clean criminal records to put guns in the hands of people who aren’t supposed to have them. The news release from Childress’ office touted additional recent indictments charging Indianapolis residents with straw-purchasing crimes connected to Chicago murders, mass shootings and the unspecified shooting of a Chicago police officer.

Federal prosecutors in Chicago also filed straw-purchasing charges in August against Jamel Danzy, a Hammond man who allegedly made the illegal purchase of the gun used to kill Chicago Police Officer Ella French.

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Long Grove Apple Fest | Grimaldi Public Relations

Looking for something to do with your family? Check out our highlights of current events and activities for kids.

Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment in Chicago for kids and families to enjoy. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on the latest activities.

The Other Art Fair

Provided
The Other Art Fair

When: 3-10 p.m. Oct. 1, 11 a.m.-7 pm Oct. 2 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 3

Where: Revel Fulton Market, 1215 W. Fulton

What: Presented by Saatchi Art, this fair is an opportunity to browse the work and chat up more than 110 independent artists about their process and inspiration. There’s something for every budget with prices as little as $100. There’s work by emerging artists, a demonstration of screen printing and illustration art, music, an interactive mural and more. Tickets: $13.50, $15.

More information: For updated information regarding the fair’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit theotherartfair.com.

Statesville Haunted Prison

Provided
Statesville Haunted Prison

When: To Oct. 31

Where: 17250 S. Weber, Lockport

What: Halloween chills and thrills await in the final year of this spooky site. Rated one of the top 10 haunted attractions in the nation by The Scare Factor and featuring 30 rooms of horrifying creatures and convicts, it’s not for the weak of heart. Hours: 7-10 p.m. Thursday and Sunday; 7-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets: $30, $45.

More information: For updated information regarding the event’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit statesvillehauntedprison.com.

Forge Fear Month

When: Oct. 2-30

Where: 1001 Main Street, Lemont

What: The adventure park The Forge: Lemont Quarries presents fall-themed events including the Forge Fall Fest (Oct. 2), Zombie Apocalypse Laser Tag (Fridays-Sundays Oct. 2-31), a screening of “The Nightmare Before Christmas (Oct. 23), “The Tale of Talcott’s Stone — A Guided Adventure Game” (Oct. 29-30) and Fireside Ghost Stories with Orion Couling (Oct. 29-30). The park is open from 3:30-8 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission to the park is free; prices for activities vary.

More information: For updated information regarding the park’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit forgeparks.com.

Neighborhood festivals

Northalsted Business Alliance
Miss Foozie performs at a past Pride Fest.

Pride Fest returns with live music, drag shows, food, arts and crafts, a pet parade and more. From 4-10 p.m. Oct. 1 and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Oct. 2-3 at Halsted and Waveland. Admission: $15 donation. Visit chicagoevents.com. … Lincoln Square Apple Fest features apple-inspired items, arts and crafts, craft beers and hard ciders, apple cider, caramel apples, children’s activities, music and apples for sale from area farms. From 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 2-3 on Lincoln from Lawrence to Wilson. Visit lincolnsquare.org.

WPB Art Quest

Photo by Garrett Karp
“Butterfly Effect,” a mural by Ali Six

When: Ongoing

Where: Wicker Park, Bucktown

What: The WPB Art Quest offers free self-guided tours of Wicker Park and Bucktown, including sculptures, galleries and murals. Among the murals is a new creation by street artist Ali Six titled “Butterfly Effect,” which is a tribute to Olga Maria Calderon, who was killed a year ago in a stabbing at a nearby Walgreens. From Sept. 15-Oct. 15, registration is optional; anyone who purchases a $45 ticket will receive a limited-edition t-shirt featuring Ali Six’s new mural. A portion of the proceeds will go to charity.

More information: A map of murals and public art is available at wickerparkbucktown.com/muralspublicwork

Haunted houses

13th Floor
The spirits of the underworld emerge in “Spirit of Halloween.”

When: Sept. 10-Nov. 13

Where: 5050 River Rd, Schiller Park

What: The haunted house season kicks off with two all-new shows from 13th Floor Chicago. “Bad Blood” revolves around an ancient feud between vampires and werewolves, and in “Spirit of Halloween,” a witch casts a spell to summon the spirits of the underworld. Tickets: $19.99+.

More information: For vaccination and/or mask policies, visit 13thfloorchicago.com.

Chicago Fireboat Tours

Courtesy Chicago Fireboat Tours
Chicago Fireboat Tours offer great views of Chicago’s waterways.

When: Ongoing

Where: DuSable Harbors, 111 N. Lake Shore Dr.

What: Built in 1936, the Fred A. Busse was the largest, diesel-powered fireboat in the world at the time and served the Chicago Fire Department from 1937-1981. The current owners renovated the retired fireboat, which is now in its second season cruising Chicago waterways. Tickets: $35-$40, $19.50 ages 4-12.

More information: fireboattours.com

‘Par Excellence Redux’

When: “The Back Nine” (Oct. 13-Jan. 2)

Where: Tee off at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill, Elmhurst

What: A fun exhibit features a fully playable 18-hole mini-golf course created by more than 20 artists, designers and architects from Chicago and beyond. The family-friendly course pays homage to the School of the Art Institute’s wildly popular 1988 exhibition “Par Excellence.” Course themes range from social justice to the occult and include a fortune-telling hole that has the power to dramatically change scores as well as a hole that challenges players with an optical illusion. Admission is $5-$10 (online timed reservations); children 4 and under free.

More information: elmhurstartmuseum.org

Chicago Children’s Museum

Where: Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand

When: Ongoing

What: Fun and learning are on the agenda at the popular family gathering spot, offering a wide variety of exhibits aimed at improving children’s lives by creating a community where play and learning connect. Babies and toddlers can enjoy “Treehouse Trails” and “Kids Town” while “Tinker Lab” and “Dinosaur Expedition” will enthrall older children. Admission: $19.

More information: chicagochildrensmuseum.org.

‘Hello Helios: The warming suns of Chicago’s Greektown’

Courtesy Greektown Chicago
Detail view of James Mesple’s Sun and Moon Image featured in the “Hello Helios” exhibit in Greektown

When: Through spring 2022

Where: Halsted from Monroe to Van Buren

What: Welcome summer with a new outdoor exhibit celebrating the start of summer with 24 artworks inspired by the sun and related mythologies from Greek, Aztec, Yoruba, Japanese and Native American cultures.

More information: greektownchicago.org

Kayak for Conservation

Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium’s popular “Kayak for Conservation” program.

When: Ongoing

Where: Kayak Chicago: 1220 W LeMoyne,

What: Get close to nature via the Shedd Aquarium’s popular Kayak for Conservation program, which features a variety of socially distant kayaking experiences on the Chicago River. Participants learn about the river’s environmental history and discover wildlife living in its ecosystem. Sessions are open to all levels of kayakers (including newbies) and are led by Shedd’s wildlife conservation experts. The cost is pay-what-you-can ranging from $20-$100 per participant, with a recommended $40, the base cost of the program.

More information: sheddaquarium.org/kayak

‘Take Flight’

Museum of Science and Industry
The Boeing 747 at “Take Flight.”

When: Permanent

Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.

What: The MSI’s Boeing 747 reopens with a reimagined exhibit that explores modern aviation and the science of flight. The plane’s interior has been restored and new interactive elements have been added. Tickets: $12.95, $21.95.

More information: msichicago.org

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Zhazha Casanova, owner of Magic Selfies, takes a selfie in the bathtub photo booth in the South Loop. | Mark Capapas/Sun-Times

Magic Selfies owner Zhazha Casanova champions a “hustlers’ spirit,” and hopes it rubs off on her three daughters.

Magic Selfies owner Zhazha Casanova, no matter what she’s done over time, takes pride in creating moments for customers they will remember for years to come.

“I just love creating experiences. I feel like life is all about experiencing moments,” said Casanova. “There are certain moments that stick with you like: ‘Man, that was a good time.’ “

Casanova, a Mather High School alumna and Miami native, opened the South Loop’s Magic Selfies in February amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of creating “happy moments” for customers far and wide.

The museum, which is located in the Roosevelt Collection Shops, has about 16,000 Instagram followers, and a steady customer base — an example of Casanova’s drive and promotion.

Each room includes powerful themes that change periodically such as a bathtub filled with rubber ducks, newspaper pages, a basketball motif, sunflowers, and a lifesize unicorn, among other backdrops.

“I can create these different rooms for people to come in and do that versus me helping one person individually,” said Casanova, who says she’s created Christmas and Beetlejuice-themed pop-ups. “It’s like I can help a lot of people; I’m sure there’s at least one person that you’re following or one person that you’ve seen that has a picture in one of these rooms.

“Some people come in here, and they’re so shy like: ‘Oh, I don’t know what to do.’ By the time they come back here, they’re a whole different person. In this space, you can be who you want to be. You can do TikTok [videos], and not feel stupid because everybody else around you is doing the same thing.”

Casanova, a creative director by trade, has a process where imagines the themes for each room. She also rents a room that customers can utilize for birthday parties and other events.

Mark Capapas/Sun-Times
Zhazha Casanova, owner of Magic Selfies, looks at a sign that reads “Hustle” in the money photo booth in the South Loop.

“The process is basically just figuring out what’s hot, what do people want, what colors do they want,” said Casanova. “It’s easy to put things up there, but it has to be what the people like. You can’t just be like: ‘OK, I might like the color pink,’ but everybody might not like pink. I’m saying I have to dibble and dabble and see what it’s looking like right now and what goes with the themes of this moment. It’s figuring out what rooms and what themes I want to create.”

Which rooms are the customers’ favorites?

Casanova says it’s “The Hustle Room,” where customers can throw fake dollar bills around, and she has an inclination as to why the room resonates.

“I think it’s a very powerful room,” she said. ” ‘Hustle’ means never giving up. It means consistency. It means always having a backup [plan]. I’ll always have a backup because when you’re a hustler you’re hustling. … The hustlers’ mentality is being consistent with what you need to do and getting s– done.”

Mark Capapas/Sun-Times
Zhazha Casanova has created a series of themed selfie rooms with diverse backgrounds at Magic Selfies.

Casanova, a brand manager with Bombay Sapphire, has passed on the entrepreneurial spirit to her three daughters, and one of them works at Magic Selfie.

“I’m a kid at heart, so it’s all about for me showing them a way you can have fun and be a boss and you can make money, and do all these things that you want to do,” said Casanova. “I love creating and how to create stuff for people, so it was really important for me to showcase that. Your passion isn’t stopped because you have kids or anything like that; it should grow stronger so your kids can see anything is possible.

“Raising kids is very scary. I think sometimes when you’re a young parent you lose yourself; I never lost myself, and I think my kids appreciate that. I’m an honest parent and I show them anything is really possible.”

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks inside Mi Tierra En La Villita restaurant in Little Village on Thursday. | Mark Capapas/Sun-Times

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the possibility of publicly financing a new stadium is “not something that we’re looking at” — but he didn’t rule it out.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday said he’d be disappointed if the Bears leave Soldier Field in favor of a new stadium in Arlington Heights, but the Chicago Democrat was noncommittal about the prospect of publicly financing a billion-dollar project — something a group of state lawmakers are lining up to block.

“I’m a Bears fan, and I know that it would be disappointing for me if the Chicago Bears moved outside of the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference in Little Village. “I think that the Bears and the city of Chicago need to work out their differences in order for us to end up with the Bears staying in the city.”

“There’s something about having them in the city. … There’s a tradition I think that we all feel, many of us, about the city of Chicago. Having said that, this is a private enterprise engaging with city governments to decide what’s best for them,” he said.

The team announced Wednesday it reached a $197 million deal to buy 326 acres previously home to Arlington International Racecourse, which likely ran its final races last weekend. Mayor Lori Lightfoot sounded resigned to the idea of the team skipping town but has urged the team to return to the negotiating table to keep them on the lakefront.

As for whether he’d support using public money to sweeten the pot for the Bears — either for a new stadium or for more upgrades at Soldier Field — the governor said “that’s not something that we’re looking at,” but he didn’t rule it out.

“It’s very important for us to focus on our fiscal situation in the state, making sure that we’re building up the infrastructure of the state and that we’re balancing our budget,” he said.

Mark Capapas/Sun-Times
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a news conference Thursday at a restaurant in Little Village.

But state Sen. Robert Peters, a Hyde Park Democrat whose district includes Soldier Field, took a hardline stance against the potential move. He filed legislation dubbed the “Monsters of the Midway Act” that seeks to prohibit the Bears from moving without an agreement with the city.

Peters noted taxpayers will have shelled out $660 million by the time the total debt from Soldier Field’s oft-ridiculed renovation is paid off a decade from now.

“If the owners want to move the team, that’s fine, but they owe a debt to the city and its taxpayers who have been paying for their stadium,” Peters said in a statement.

Other lawmakers are calling for a timeout before throwing public dollars at the team. A House resolution sponsored by state Reps. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, and Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, would urge the General Assembly to “take all necessary steps to ensure that no state or local taxpayer money is used in the construction of new professional sport stadiums.”

That measure would offer legislators a chance to “step back, catch our breath and say we want to be involved in this process,” Zalewski said.

There was a “serious social and public commitment to the Bears and to Soldier Field and the city of Chicago in the early 2000s, and it was done with a lot of public funding,” Zalewski said.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
State Rep. Michael J. Zalewski, D-Riverside, pictured in March 2020.

“The indications are that if this were to go forward and the Bears were to relocate to Arlington Heights, it would be a private transaction, but that’s a big assumption,” Zalewski said.

“There’s not just the stadium, there’s transportation costs — the only way to get in and out of Arlington Heights is Route 53, that’s 85,000 people moving in and out of the northwest suburb on a weekly basis, not to mention if there’s a Final Four or a Super Bowl. … The sense of the chamber resolution’s to just ask everyone to take the temperature on how they feel as an initial starting point.”

Zalewski said he didn’t think the resolution would get total agreement in the chamber, and other legislators, such as state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, could have different ideas.

Carroll, whose district currently includes part of Arlington Heights, said he hasn’t been asked to support the measure and isn’t sure he would.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times file
Arlington International Racecourse, pictured earlier this week, is in line to be purchased by the Chicago Bears.

“The Chicago Bears haven’t asked us for anything yet, and, as a matter of fact, they put out $197 million of their own money to buy the site,” Carroll said. “I understand why some of the reps that are on that resolution are, because nobody wants to be the person that lost the Bears. I think everybody wants to do everything in their power to certainly keep them, but at the same time, until there’s pen to paper, it’s kind of hard to know where we’re going with this.”

Pritzker said he hasn’t been approached by the Bears nor by officials from Chicago or Arlington Heights, who he said “are going to have to make their own decisions” about potentially subsidizing upgrades for the team.

Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes declined to comment on whether the Bears have made any specific asks or if he’d be open to them.

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A group of workers, supporters, and elected officials march towards El Milagro’s headquarters for a press conference, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The charge filed Thursday with the National Labor Relations Board comes after workers for the popular tortilla brand came forward with allegations of harsh working conditions and sexual harassment.

El Milagro employees filed a formal labor complaint Thursday against the popular tortilla brand and later urged company leaders to address their claims of workplace sexual harassment and oppressive working conditions during a protest alongside elected officials in Little Village.

Organizers with Arise Chicago, a nonprofit workers rights group supporting the El Milagro employees, announced during the protest that an unfair labor practices charge has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board amid the simmering dispute.

“It would have been so simple to sit down and talk,” Jorge Mujica, of Arise, said to company leaders after detailing the charge.

The move comes after a group of El Milagro workers walked off the job last Thursday and held their first protest in front of the company’s tortilleria at 3048 W. 26thSt., where they called for fair wages and brought to light the allegations of harsh and unsafe working conditions and pervasive sexual harassment.

Some workers complained they were later locked out of one of the company’s tortilla production facilities and only let back inside to retrieve their belongings after they called Chicago police.

Company leaders have since ignored a request to meet this week to discuss the list of grievances and have “further insulted the workers,” according to Arise Working Center Director Laura Garza. While the workers haven’t unionized, organizers claimed the company hired “a union buster and a psychologist to intimidate the workers” and distributed letters this week to instill fear in them.

As a result, the labor charge was signed earlier Thursday. An unsigned copy of the complaint reviewed by the Sun-Times states, “I was retaliated against after I participated in several concerted protected activities to improve my working conditions.”

El Milagro didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alma Sanchez has repeatedly blown the whistle about sexual harassment she and other El Milagro employees have allegedly faced at work – allegations she had long suppressed fearing she could be fired. But given the outpouring of support she’s received, Sanchez explained Thursday the prospect of reprisal would no longer silence her.

“That’s what I have to tell all my workers and all the public: Forget about fear,” she said through an interpreter. “Yes, there are risks. But I am willing to take them because my voice has to be heard.”

Sanchez and two other El Milagro employees were joined by a list of elected officials, including state Sen. Celina Villanueva; state Reps. Aaron Ortiz, Theresa Mah and Edgar Gonzalez; Cook County Commissioners Brandon Johnson and Alma Anaya; and Alds. Mike Rodriguez and Byron Sigcho-Lopez. Some of the political leaders, including Anaya, D-7th, spoke out strongly in support of the workers and vowed to fight for their interests.

“Don’t tarnish the name Milagro,” she said. “Don’t tarnish the reputation that you have built of being a staple in the community because the second that you’re messing with the workers — that you’re messing with our community — we will take our claws out and we will protect ours.”

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Cook Country Board Commissioner Alma Anaya, of the 7th District, speaks to reporters during a press conference outside El Milagro’s headquarters located at 3048 W. 26th St., Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.Read More

Neil Bluhm, chairman of Rivers Casino, pictured in 2019. Bluhm and partners at Churchill Downs withdrew their proposal for a Waukegan casino shortly after the company announced the sale of Arlington Park to the Bears. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

The move could suggest billionaire Neil Bluhm is focusing efforts on landing the long-sought Chicago casino.

One of the state’s most influential gambling companies withdrew its bid to win the right to open a new casino in Waukegan just hours after it announced it would sell Arlington International Racecourse to the Chicago Bears, officials said Thursday.

Churchill Downs Inc. confirmed the flashy $197.2 million agreement with the Bears Wednesday morning, a deal that — if finalized — ensures no rival casino developer breaks ground on the northwest suburban oval that’s only a short drive away from the company’s premier Illinois cash cow: Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.

By Wednesday afternoon, Churchill Downs notified Illinois gambling regulators it was withdrawing its Waukegan casino license application that was submitted nearly two years ago as a joint venture with billionaire Rivers chairman Neil Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming.

The turning of the cards could suggest Bluhm and company are going all in with a proposal for the newly authorized Chicago mega-casino, though he’s kept a poker face on that possibility so far.

Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter revealed the Churchill Downs-Rush Street group had pulled out of the running for the Waukegan casino just before a random drawing Thursday to select the order of public presentations for two remaining groups still competing for the license.

“We thank the City of Waukegan, Illinois Gaming Board, and others who had reviewed our application and appreciated the opportunity to be considered. We wish the city and remaining bidders well,” a spokesman for Bluhm’s group said in an email.

Rush Street spokesman Dennis Culloton said it was only a coincidence they withdrew the same day Churchill Downs announced the sale of Arlington. Rush Street does not have a stake in the 326-acre parcel that could be the destination for the Bears — but it does have a sponsorship deal with the team.

“Quite simply, a lot has changed since 2019,” Culloton said.

The bid was pulled after regulators spent nearly two years vetting it along with a wave of other hopefuls looking for a piece of the pie in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2019 gambling expansion that added six new casinos. A Gaming Board spokesman declined to comment on the drain of resources at the perennially overworked and understaffed agency.

Churchill Downs previously drew the wrath of the Illinois horse racing industry for passing up on the opportunity to open a “racino” at Arlington, which likely ran its final races last weekend. Critics have argued the company’s true intention was to shield Rivers Casino from competition, though Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen has insisted they want to open a thoroughbred racetrack somewhere else in the state.

Photo courtesy Arlington International Racecourse
The Arlington Million in 2015).

Carstanjen has been noncommittal so far about the prospect of applying for the Chicago casino, which has drawn a tepid response from other major national gaming developers concerned with high taxes. So has Bluhm, who has close ties to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

It’s not clear if either — or both in tandem — have applied to run the 4,000-position Chicago casino, but they’d be instant front-runners. With interest flagging at the city’s August application deadline, Lightfoot pushed it back to Oct. 29.

Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming was among the companies that responded to the city’s initial request for information seeking ideas last summer for the long-sought Chicago mega-casino. Culloton said making a formal pitch for it is still “under consideration.”

The two remaining Waukegan casino applicants — Las Vegas developer Full House Resorts and Lakeside Casino LLC, a company led by former Grayslake state Sen. Michael Bond — will make their final public cases for the north suburban license Oct. 13.

Four development groups competing for one license in the south suburbs will also make their final pitches: Calumet City, Lynwood, Matteson and a site that straddles Homewood and East Hazel Crest.

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Chicago police work the scene where multiple people were shot near the Grand Avenue, Halsted Street, and Milwaukee Avenue intersection, in the West Town neighborhood, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

It was the evening rush hour Wednesday, and Milwaukee Avenue was crowded with people running errands, leaving work, walking their dogs.

In the shadow of half a dozen gleaming downtown high rises lies a stretch of Milwaukee Avenue that needs but shuns attention.

A square of plywood covers a window in the door at Richard’s Bar. Inside, a middle-aged man with a lighted cigarette in his hand asks to be left alone.

To get service at the messenger business two doors down requires a stroll down a reeking alley to a scuffed metal door with no sign on it.

The two blocks of Milwaukee between Grand and Hubbard may appear neglected, but for many it’s their way into and out of downtown. A short stroll away, at Grand and Halsted, new condo buildings and hipster bars crowd the intersection.

Wednesday evening, the street was jammed with people running errands, leaving work or walking their dogs when gunmen hanging out of car windows wildly fired at another car.

“There were people diving and there was gunpowder in the air,” said Steven Caruso, the man behind the door at Advanced Messenger Service.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Crime scene tape wrapped on some fence near N Milwaukee and W Hubbard in the Fulton River District Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.

Five people were hit. One was riding a bicycle, another was in the backseat of a ride-share. One man was shot in the back and taken to the hospital in critical condition.

One West Town resident said he was driving with his wife down Milwaukee Avenue — just minutes from their home — when the gunfire started.

“There’s a park right there. It was such a beautiful day. I can’t tell you how many people were in the street,” he said. “The Starbucks patio was packed, there were literally 20 people crossing the street there at Jewel.”

He was near the Metra tracks when he heard a popping noise and turned to see a person with a gun hanging out the window of a car speeding toward him.

“I said to my wife, ‘Get down, get down,'” said the resident, who didn’t want to be named. “I needed my wife to survive to raise our daughter. That was the only thing that popped in my head.”

He heard the car pass and then saw someone open fire on a car stopped in the intersection. “He was just firing into the car endlessly — 20, 30 bullets — I could see the metal flying off. The only place I’d ever seen that — in a movie.”

The two cars sped off. The resident saw a biker who had been shot and called 911. Another pedestrian ran over and took off his shirt to apply as a tourniquet.

“I realized we were in a war zone for that two and a half blocks and very lucky to be alive,” he said.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago police work the scene where multiple people were shot near the Grand Avenue, Halsted Street, and Milwaukee Avenue intersection, in the West Town neighborhood, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.

The resident and other people who frequent this stretch of Milwaukee said they rarely hear gunfire, and that the shooting was a shock.

People get a little rambunctious outside Emmit’s Bar on St. Patrick’s Day. And a few years ago, a man danced naked outside a nearby Italian restaurant.

But police data shows shootings have been spiking around there this year.

There have been at least nine people shot this year in the police beat that covers where the shooting happened. There was just one shooting victim there all of last year, a fatality, one shooting victim in 2019, none in 2018, one in 2017 and two in 2016.

There were two shootings reported in the beat last week: A woman shot while sitting in a car, and a man who showed up at his girlfriend’s home with gunshot wounds to the chest and back.

On Thursday, scraps of knotted police tape still fluttered on rusting lampposts along Milwaukee. On the sidewalk under Metra tracks, a discarded latex glove lay a few feet from what appeared to be a pool of dried blood.

At Richard’s, the handful of patrons in the bar either didn’t see the shootout or preferred not to discuss it.

Then one customer, playing a video game, turned and barked: “Call the mayor! Ask her what happened. She’s got all the answers.”

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Dyett’s Joshua Seay-Chancellor (23) runs the ball past Chicago Richards’ Travon Tyler (3). | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Seay-Chancellor scored two touchdowns, recovered a fumble and ran in three two-point conversions in just the first quarter of the Eagles 30-6 win against Richards.

Chicago Richards has an issue with starting games slowly.

“We always wait until it is halfway over to start playing,” Warriors coach Shawon Grey said. “You make your bed right there.”

Dyett running back/defensive end Joshua Seay-Chancellor took full advantage. The 6-1, 230 pound senior is an absolute load at the Chicago Conference level.

Seay-Chancellor scored two touchdowns, recovered a fumble and ran in three two-point conversions in just the first quarter of the Eagles 30-6 win against Richards.

“This is my first year playing running back so I’m still trying to get used to it,” Seay-Chancellor said. “I’ve been doing defensive end since freshman year so that is a little more comfortable.”

You can see a tiny flash of hesitancy right after Seay-Chancellor gets the handoff, likely due to his inexperience. But once he gets going it takes a few players to bring him down.

Seay-Chancellor had 14 carries for 70 yards with two short touchdown runs. He threw down a pair of tacklers on his way to a 30-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery.

“It’s been amazing to see the progress with [Seay-Chancellor],” Dyett senior Jonathan Norman said.

Seay-Chancellor has 14 touchdowns this season and admitted he’s keeping his eye on the MaxPreps stats: “I was tenth in the state heading into this week and I’d like to keep that going.”

Norman caught two passes for 37 yards and had a five-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

The Eagles (4-2, 4-0 Chicago Michigan Avenue) lost their first two games of the season to Hyde Park and South Shore. But they’ve settled in since then and dominated their conference.

“We picked each other up after those losses,” Norman said. “No one got too negative. That was important.”

Dyett will wrap up its season with games against Woodlawn and Englewood.

“This helps give us a hold on the conference,” said Eagles coach Marques Reed, who took over the program during the spring season. “Bouncing back from the first two losses and going on this run will help us set the culture. This is my first full season. We are building, getting the numbers out and making sure the kids do the right thing on the field and in the classroom. Everyone is getting excited.”

Richards (3-3, 2-1) also featured a breakout player. Quarterback/defensive back Donnie Buckner was 4-for-9 passing for 88 yards and had three interceptions in the game, one he returned 50 yards for a touchdown.

“We just keep starting too slow,” Buckner said. “They only scored six points in the second half. When I got that pick and scored I felt like we had the momentum but then we slowed back down.”

The Eagles are rebuilding their program after dropping football and then co-oping with Harper for a few seasons.

“[Seay-Chancellor] is a big back but we have our own big running back in [junior Denzell Hill],” Gray said. “We just couldn’t get him going.”

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Bears rookie nose tackle Khyiris Tonga had five tackles against the Browns last week. Tonga is playing in place of injured starter Eddie Goldman. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

With nose tackle Eddie Goldman practicing Thursday and possibly playing Sunday against the Lions, Tonga still could figure in the rotation. “He’s getting better every week,” Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai said.

Nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who has missed the Bears’ first three games because of a nagging knee injury, was a full participant at practice Thursday — the first step toward playing against the Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field. It would be Goldman’s first regular-season game since Week 17 of the 2019 season.

After missing that much time — and a being out the last three weeks because of the knee injury, Goldman likely would play limited snaps. Regardless of how much Goldman plays, the Bears are comfortable with the progress of rookie nose tackle Khyiris Tonga, who has made an impact in Goldman’s place.

“A big, thick presence down the middle of the defense and he’s getting better each week,” Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. “That’s the good thing, because as a rookie, you just never know how quickly guys will develop. He’s taken it on and embraced all the coaching that we’re giving him. Coach [Chris] Rumph is doing a good job with him and I think he’s going to continue to get better.”

The 25-year-old Tonga, a seventh-round draft pick from Brigham Young, had five tackles against the Browns. He lost a quarterback hit when he was called for roughing the passer when he took Baker Mayfield down. It did not not appear there was much Tonga could do on the play.

“We try to teach guys that they’ve got to fall on the side — that’s the way the league is,” Desai said. “Fallling straight on the quarterback while you’re sacking him, you’re gonna get called.”

Mack still out

Linebacker Khalil Mack (sprained foot) missed his second straight practice. Safety Tashaun Gipson (hamstring), backup linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe (hamstring) backup tight end Jesse James (personal) and backup cornerback Xavier Crawford (back) also were out.

Trevathan vs. Ogletree

Desai seemed to indicate that Danny Trevathan might not automatically return to the starting line up whenever he comes off the injured reserve list. Trevathan, who went on IR with a knee injury at the beginning of the season, is in a three-week window in which he can return to the active roster.

Asked if Ogletree has a role when Trevahtan returns, Desai said, “I’m not sure if that question has the assumption that one guy’s starting over the other. We’re going to evaluate all our positions like we do every week and we try to put the best combination of guys and keep the freshest guys on the field for as long as we can. So that will be a decision … when we’re ready to make it, we’ll make it as a staff.”

Backyard football

Tight end Cole Kmet, who played at St. Viator in Arlington Heights, was predictably enthused about the possibility of the Bears building a stadium on the site of Arlington Park.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Kmet said. “I don’t know how you guys [reporters] felt after going to SoFi [Stadium for the Rams game] but that place is pretty sweet. If you have that much land out in Arlington Heights, I can only imagine what they can do with that space. Could be pretty special.”

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Chicago police work the scene where multiple people were shot near the Grand Avenue, Halsted Street, and Milwaukee Avenue intersection, in the West Town neighborhood, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

It was the evening rush hour, and Milwaukee Avenue was crowded with people running errands, leaving work, walking their dogs.

In the shadow of half a dozen gleaming downtown high rises lies a stretch of Milwaukee Avenue that needs but shuns attention.

A square of plywood covers a window in the door at Richard’s Bar. Inside, a middle-aged man with a lighted cigarette in his hand asks to be left alone.

To get service at the messenger business two doors down requires a stroll down a reeking alley to a scuffed metal door with no sign on it.

The two blocks of Milwaukee between Grand and Hubbard may appear neglected, but for many it’s their way into and out of downtown. A short stroll away, at Grand and Halsted, new condo buildings and hipster bars crowd the intersection.

Wednesday evening, the street was jammed with people running errands, leaving work or walking their dogs when gunmen hanging out of car windows wildly fired at another car.

“There were people diving and there was gunpowder in the air,” said Steven Caruso, the man behind the door at Advanced Messenger Service.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Crime scene tape wrapped on some fence near N Milwaukee and W Hubbard in the Fulton River District Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.

Five people were hit. One was riding a bicycle, another was in the backseat of a ride-share. One man was shot in the back and taken to the hospital in critical condition.

One West Town resident said he was driving with his wife down Milwaukee Avenue — just minutes from their home — when the gunfire started.

“There’s a park right there. It was such a beautiful day. I can’t tell you how many people were in the street,” he said. “The Starbucks patio was packed, there were literally 20 people crossing the street there at Jewel.”

He was near the Metra tracks when he heard a popping noise and turned to see a person with a gun hanging out the window of a car speeding toward him.

“I said to my wife, “Get down, get down,'” said the resident, who didn’t want to be named. “I needed my wife to survive to raise our daughter. That was the only thing that popped in my head.”

He heard the car pass and then saw someone open fire on a car stopped in the intersection. “He was just firing into the car endlessly — 20, 30 bullets — I could see the metal flying off. The only place I’d ever seen that — in a movie.”

The two cars sped off. The resident saw a biker who had been shot and called 9-1-1. Another pedestrian ran over and took off his shirt to apply as a tourniquet.

“I realized we were in a war zone for that two and a half blocks and very lucky to be alive,” he said.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago police work the scene where multiple people were shot near the Grand Avenue, Halsted Street, and Milwaukee Avenue intersection, in the West Town neighborhood, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.

The resident and other people who frequent this stretch of Milwaukee said they rarely hear gunfire, and that the shooting was a shock.

People get a little rambunctious outside Emmit’s Bar on St. Patrick’s Day. And a few years ago, a man danced naked outside a nearby Italian restaurant.

But police data shows shootings have been spiking around there this year.

There have been at least nine people shot this year in the police beat that covers where the shooting happened. There was just one shooting victim there all of last year, a fatality, one shooting victim in 2019, none in 2018, one in 2017 and two in 2016.

There were two shootings reported in the beat last week: A woman shot while sitting in a car, and a man who showed up at his girlfriend’s home with gunshot wounds to the chest and back.

On Thursday, scraps of knotted police tape still fluttered on rusting lampposts along Milwaukee. On the sidewalk under Metra tracks, a discarded latex glove lay a few feet from what appeared to be a pool of dried blood.

At Richards, the handful of patrons in the bar either didn’t see the shootout or preferred not to discuss it.

Then one customer, playing a video game, turned and barked: “Call the mayor! Ask her what happened. She’s got all the answers.”

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