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Afternoon Edition: Aug. 3, 2021Matt Mooreon August 3, 2021 at 8:00 pm

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

Afternoon Edition

Chicago’s most important news of the day, delivered every weekday afternoon. Plus, a bonus issue on Saturdays that dives into the city’s storied history.

This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a high near 82 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 63. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 84.

Top story

Lightfoot: No regrets on Lollapalooza or concerns it will become super-spreader event

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said today she doesn’t fear a surge of coronavirus cases tied to Lollapalooza, in part because her public health commissioner “went incognito” to the music festival without valid proof of vaccination and was turned away.

During a live interview on WVON-AM (1690), Lightfoot said she is “well aware” of a video appearing to show young people being “waved through” the Lollapalooza gates by people who were supposed to be checking vaccination cards, but “weren’t even looking at” those credentials.

But the mayor offered a possible explanation. Once attendees were screened and showed credentials proving they’d been vaccinated, they were issued a wristband. So the video could have been people with wristbands being waved through, Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot said her confidence about the safety of Lollapalooza stems from the city’s vigilance in holding event organizers to their promised protocols and testing that system to make certain they did.

Attendees were required to either show their own vaccination card — and a valid ID proving they were the person whose name is on the card — or proof that they had tested negative for the coronavirus no more than 72 hours before the concert.

Lightfoot said she has “no regrets” about green-lighting the festival, a major money-maker for Chicago that filled hotels and restaurants.

Two days after it ended, the mayor remains confident Chicago’s premier music festival — the largest of its kind in the world this year — will not turn out to be a “super-spreader” event. She argued just the opposite.

Fran Spielman has more on where the mayor stands after Lolla here.

More news you need

  1. Scoot over, Vautravers Building! A 127-year-old Lake View structure is on the move, literally, to get out of the way of a CTA track rebuilding project. The move 30 feet west and four feet south — as part of the CTA’s Red and Purple modernization — is set to wrap up today.
  2. To cut down on long lines and long waits at Chicago-area driver services centers, the Secretary of State’s office will require appointments for many locations beginning in September. The state will also expand its remote renewal program for eligible drivers.
  3. The Blackhawks finally committed yesterday to publicly releasing the findings of an ongoing sexual assault investigation. The probe stems from lawsuits claiming the Hawks grossly mishandled an alleged May 2010 sexual assault of an ex-player by a former coach.
  4. The CDC’s latest guidance says people who are fully vaccinated should get tested three to five days after a potential exposure even if they don’t have symptoms. The guidance comes amid concerns of the contagious Delta variant, which now accounts for most coronavirus infections.
  5. The Metro echoed those concerns in its announcement today that concert goers will need to show proof of vaccination in order to enter the Wrigleyville concert hall. Additionally, masks will be recommended for all fans.
  6. Employees at the Art Institute are organizing a union and asking managers not to interfere with their campaign, potentially opening a new frontier in local labor activism. Organizers said they hope to unionize about 330 museum employees, some of whom were affected by furloughs and temporary pay cuts during the pandemic.

A bright one

For Rookie, Lollapalooza was a homecoming — and a dream come true

For the members of Chicago rock band Rookie, stepping on to the stage at Lollapalooza Friday felt like a dream, years in the making.

The five piece looked out onto the early afternoon crowd and swiftly jammed through their first few songs, letting their brand of 1970s-inspired roots rock blast through the festival grounds, enticing sleepy concertgoers to stop by.

For years Max Loebman (guitar/vocals), (guitar/vocals), Christopher Devlin (bass/vocals), Joe Bordenaro (drums/vocals) and Justin Bell (keys/vocals) each cut their teeth playing in the Chicago D.I.Y. scene. But after filling in for members in each other’s respective bands, the group decided to form Rookie in 2017.

Dimitri Panoutsos performs with Rookie during day two of Lollapalooza on Friday, July 30 in Grant Park.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

As a new unit, the band began making a name for itself throughout the following years, rising with the likes of fellow Chicago scenemates Twin Peaks and Beach Bunny.

But by the time they released their debut self titled album — a gritty, catchy album with soraing guitars and smart melodies — in 2020, all momentum had stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tour dates were canceled — including a stint at Lollapalooza 2020 — venues shut down, and the band was tasked with figuring out what to do next.

So they did what they’ve always done — they got together and jammed.

More from my conversation with Loebman and Panoutsos at Lollapalooza here.

From the press box

Your daily question ?

NYC announced today it will require vaccination proof for indoor dining and gyms. Should Chicago do the same? Tell us why or why not.

Yesterday we asked you: Neil Steinberg says an S. Rosen’s bun is the true star of a Chicago-style hot dog. What’s your favorite part of a Chicago dog? Here’s some of what you said…

“I have to agree with him on the Rosen’s hot dog bun. However, the true star of a Chi-town dog is the hot dawg itself. It has to be a Vienna Beef hot dog. Plus, the bright green relish, diced onions, mustard, tomatoes, sports peppers and celery salt compliment the hot dog. There is no substitute.” — Vicki Trinidad

“Sport peppers cannot be substituted by anything.” — Jim Pabst

“All of it, but the neon relish is my jam.” — Nesha Williams

“The Vienna beef dog.” – Donald Lehner

“I relish to say, the mustard!” — Victoria Smith Farley

“Chicago relish and sport peppers.” — Jackie Ingram

“Relish, peppers and celery salt.” — Sanford Madnick

“It starts with a Vienna, Kosher-style hot dog.” – Lori Ellen

“My favorite thing is just visiting Chicago to have one.” — Jay Thrash

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Afternoon Edition: Aug. 3, 2021Matt Mooreon August 3, 2021 at 8:00 pm Read More »

The Bulls add DeMar DeRozan to the mix and now have a ‘Plan B’Joe Cowleyon August 3, 2021 at 8:26 pm

The on-the-court upgrades the Bulls made on the first two days of free agency will be immediate.

A pure play-making point guard in Lonzo Ball, who understands how to run a team with pace, as well as having positional size and a willingness to defend to impact both ends of the floor, and then a pick-and-roll defensive expert in Alex Caruso, who understands winning and doing the dirty work that impact games.

Then on Tuesday, a sign-and trade with the Spurs to land small forward DeMar DeRozan for a cost to the Bulls of three years and $85 million, sending out yet another first-round future pick, veteran Thad Young and an expiring contract in Al-Farouq Aminu.

Throw the price tags for each out the window for now, however.

The last two days were about the Bulls becoming a better constructed team for how they want to play this upcoming season.

Bigger picture?

The organization is now better constructed in case of a Zach LaVine exit — whether the guard wants to leave on his own or his financial asking price forces the front office to break the glass in case of emergency. Do DeRozan, Caruso or Ball have the same skillset as LaVine? No, but they offer a safety net for possibly the next three-to-four years that at least gives the Bulls a second wave of talent to build off of.

Something the franchise didn’t have before the free agent period began.

In a perfect scenario, the timelines will mesh where the 31-year-old DeRozan, LaVine and Nikola Vucevic can start pushing the Bulls into the postseason with a new cast of characters this upcoming season, while forward Patrick Williams and Ball continue pushing towards high-ceiling trajectories they had in the evaluation process.

If it doesn’t work with LaVine, however, Plan B is still in-house.

Because of his unselfishness and willingness to be a defensive-minded presence, Ball should be an attractive Robin to a pure scorer that suffers from Batman syndrome.

Then factor in what Williams should start becoming as early as this upcoming season. This is still a league where two-way wing defenders rule the land, and with a skillset that could blossom into doing just that, the Bulls could be looking at a Williams-Ball future with even more excitement than the immediate LaVine-Vucevic model.

DeRozan is almost a bonus, lurking for the next three years after spending the first12 seasons being a career 20.1-points per game scorer, to go along with a 2020-21 season in which he also had a career-best 6.9 assists.

Either way it works out, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas can at least sleep well at night knowing that he provided LaVine with the best team he’s ever played on not named Team USA, and at least gave LaVine something to think about when it comes times to make financial decisions on his own future.

Because of the three additions, any chance the Bulls had of clearing more cap space to give LaVine a raise for the upcoming season and then extend him at a higher number off of that went out the window.

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The Bulls add DeMar DeRozan to the mix and now have a ‘Plan B’Joe Cowleyon August 3, 2021 at 8:26 pm Read More »

Chicago Bulls flip the script with huge DeMar DeRozan sign-and-tradeRyan Heckmanon August 3, 2021 at 8:43 pm

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)

Monday night when NBA free agency opened up, the Chicago Bulls flew out of the gates running. Vice President Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley went to work in a hurry.

To get things going almost immediately as the bell rang at 5pm CST, the Bulls agreed to a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, sending point guard Lonzo Ball to Chicago. After bringing in Alex Caruso and netting themselves a trade exception by dealing Daniel Theis to the Houston Rockets, the Bulls were in prime position for another move.

Day 2 began with Bulls fans knowing that coveted trade exception could land a player like DeMar DeRozan, who was an unrestricted free agent coming off a few years with the San Antonio Spurs. The sign-and-trade has been a popular move this offseason and teams have made great use of it. This was yet another opportunity for the Bulls, and Karnisovas took full advantage.

Tuesday afternoon, the Bulls agreed on a massive deal with the Spurs which saw DeRozan sign with Chicago. The Bulls sent forwards Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu to San Antonio, along with a future first rounder and a pair of future seconds.

The DeMar DeRozan deal ensures these Chicago Bulls are serious about winning a championship.

This was a monster deal, not based off of the return to San Antonio but because of how much it means to Bulls fans everywhere. For the first offseason in over a decade, fans can look forward to winning basketball. For the first time in nearly two decades, fans can appreciate having an aggressive front office that cares about winning basketball.

The two underlying wins, here, are pretty incredible. The Bulls’ first-round pick that goes to San Antonio will be sent no sooner than 2025, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. By then, there’s no chance the Bulls’ pick will mean much to the Spurs. If all goes according to plan, the Bulls will be picking far outside the lottery at that time.

Secondly, the Spurs took on the salary of Aminu, which added up to $10.2 million for this season. Young’s salary was a similar $10 million as well, but getting Aminu off the books was a crafty move by Karnisovas and Eversley.

Speaking of Eversley, his time with DeRozan in Toronto certainly helped the Bulls in their quest to sign the 31-year-old wing.

DeRozan may just be one of the most underrated players in the league today, mostly because he’s never played on a championship team. The Spurs have been less than competent since their legends broke up, but DeRozan has still put up strong lines.

Last year, DeRozan averaged roughly 21 points per game, nearly 7.0 assists and shot the ball at a 50 percent clip.

These are not your Gar Forman and John Paxson-led Bulls, folks. The script has been flipped and Chicago can get genuinely excited about Bulls basketball once again.

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Chicago Bulls flip the script with huge DeMar DeRozan sign-and-tradeRyan Heckmanon August 3, 2021 at 8:43 pm Read More »

New York City compassionate Democrat Mayor mandates vaxxed ONLY can work and eat indoorson August 3, 2021 at 8:44 pm

Life is a TV Dinner

New York City compassionate Democrat Mayor mandates vaxxed ONLY can work and eat indoors

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New York City compassionate Democrat Mayor mandates vaxxed ONLY can work and eat indoorson August 3, 2021 at 8:44 pm Read More »

Gender equity review recommends NCAA hold men’s and women’s Final Four at same siteRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:34 pm

A law firm hired to investigate gender equity concerns at NCAA championship events released a blistering report Tuesday that recommended holding the men’s and women’s Final Fours at the same site and offering financial incentives to schools to improve their women’s basketball programs.

The review by Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP had been highly anticipated. The firm was hired in March after the NCAA failed to provide equal amenities to the teams in the men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments.

“With respect to women’s basketball, the NCAA has not lived up to its stated commitment to ‘diversity, inclusion and gender equity among its student-athletes, coaches and administrators,'” the report concludes.

Among other things, female players, coaches and staff criticized the NCAA for not initially providing a full weight training area for the women’s teams in San Antonio earlier this year, noting the men’s teams did not have the same problem in and around Indianapolis.

Because of the the pandemic, the NCAA made the unusual move of playing the entire men’s and women’s basketball tournaments at two sites this year.

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Gender equity review recommends NCAA hold men’s and women’s Final Four at same siteRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:34 pm Read More »

Officer dead, suspect killed in violence outside PentagonAssociated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:23 pm

WASHINGTON — An officer died after being stabbed Tuesday during a burst of violence at a transit station outside the Pentagon, and a suspect was shot by law enforcement and died at the scene, officials said.

The Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military, was temporarily placed on lockdown after gunshots were fired Tuesday morning near the entrance of the building, a Pentagon police officer who was stabbed later died, according to officials who were not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

More details about the violence were expected at a Pentagon news conference. The connection between the shooting and the stabbing of the officer was not immediately clear. The authorities did not immediately provide details or the sequence of events.

The incident occurred on a Metro bus platform that is part of the Pentagon Transit Center and just steps from the Pentagon, according to the Pentagon Protection Force Protection Agency. The facility is just steps from the Pentagon building, which is in Arlington County, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

An Associated Press reporter near the building heard multiple gunshots, then a pause, then at least one additional shot. Another AP journalist heard police yelling “shooter.”

A Pentagon announcement said the facility was on lockdown due to “police activity.” The agency responsible for security at the building, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, tweeted shortly before noon that the scene of the incident was secure. The lockdown was lifted except for the area around the crime scene.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were at the White House meeting with President Joe Biden, at the time of the shooting.

In 2010, two officers with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency were wounded when a gunman approached them at a security screening area. The officers, who survived, returned fire, fatally wounding the gunman, identified as John Patrick Bedell.

_____

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Colleen Long contributed to this report.

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Officer dead, suspect killed in violence outside PentagonAssociated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:23 pm Read More »

NYC will require vaccination proof for indoor dining, gymsAssociated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:05 pm

NEW YORK — New York City will soon require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone who wants to dine indoors at a restaurant, see a performance or go to the gym, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday, making it the first big city in the U.S. to impose such restrictions.

The new requirement, which will be phased in over several weeks in August and September, is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the delta variant. People will have to show proof that they have had at least one dose of a vaccine.

“The only way to patronize these establishments indoors will be if you’re vaccinated,” de Blasio said. “The goal here is to convince everyone that this is the time. If we’re going to stop the delta variant, the time is now. And that means getting vaccinated right now.”

The Democrat said some details still need to be worked out, including rules affecting children under 12, who are not yet eligible for any of the approved vaccines. The policy will go into effect on Aug. 16 but inspections and enforcement won’t begin until Sept. 13, the week that the city’s public schools reopen for the fall.

Vaccination cards will be accepted as proof of inoculation, along with state and city apps.

De Blasio has focused on getting as many New Yorkers vaccinated as possible while resisting calls to mandate masks indoors, as several cities and counties in California have done.

De Blasio said Monday he was making “a strong recommendation” that everyone wear a mask in public indoor settings but stressed that the city’s “overwhelming strategic thrust” remained getting more people vaccinated.

Asked Tuesday about a mask mandate, de Blasio said all options were on the table but reiterated that the city’s policy is “vaccine-centric.”

“Right now what we want to nail is people getting vaccinated, and, very bluntly, showing that life is much better when you’re vaccinated,” he added. “You can do so much more when you’re vaccinated. You have more freedom when you’re vaccinated, and you have a lot less, you have fewer choices, fewer opportunities if you’re not vaccinated.”

The mayor announced last week that city employees would be required to get vaccinated by mid-September or to face weekly testing, and he has offered a $100 incentive for city residents who get inoculated.

De Blasio said Tuesday that he did not think checking vaccination status should be too difficult for businesses, which already have to take tickets or show diners to a table.

Some restaurateurs disagreed.

Seongmin Jun, the manager of Dear Han Cafe, wondered how he would check vaccination cards while handling the periodic rush of patrons and serving as the cafe’s only barista.

“Will customers get offended for checking if they got COVID vaccinations? I mean I don’t know how to do that, or even if I will have time to do that,” Jun said.

The coffee shop opened just months before the pandemic spread early last year.

“They’re making it too hard for businesspeople,” Jun said, but acknowledged that something has to be done to get the outbreak under control. “I get what they are trying to say, but there must be another way to reduce the cases of COVID.”

Sean Ogs, manager of the nearby Woodside Cafe in Queens, said he was “floored” when he heard the news about the new vaccination mandate.

“We’ve already been in a struggle. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with it,” Ogs said. “It’s going to be extra work. It’ll make things impossible.”

Woodside Cafe customer Debbie McCarthy, who is unvaccinated, said she was turned away over the weekend from several establishments that had already begun requiring proof of vaccinations from patrons.

“I’m a little shocked they would do that,” said McCarthy, who said she recovered from COVID-19 a few months ago and believes her natural antibodies will protect from future infections. “Why are they so afraid of people who haven’t been vaccinated? I think we should have a choice.”

Scientists recommend vaccination for people who have had the virus, saying it’s unclear how long immunity without vaccination for those who have recovered would last.

Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, a restaurant group, said he supports the new policy.

“Mandating vaccine requirements for restaurant and bar employees and customers to work and dine indoors is a very difficult step, but ultimately may prove an essential move to protecting public health and ensuring that New York City does not revert to restrictions and shut down orders that would again absolutely devastate small businesses that have not yet recovered from the pandemic,” Rigie said in a statement.

Fitness studio owner Bill Zanker said he supports the newly announced policy as well, even though it comes as another hurdle after a long coronavirus shutdown.

“We’ve got to encourage people to get vaccinated. … We’re happy to enforce that,” said Zanker, the CEO of GRIT BXNG, a Manhattan studio that offers boxing-related workouts and a full bar. “Unfortunately, it will affect the business again.”

The studio had been open for just seven months before the pandemic shutdown began in March 2020. Since reopening this past May, GRIT has checked patrons’ vaccination status, offering some inoculated-only classes where people could go without masks, while unvaccinated people had to take other classes and cover their faces, he said. About 25% of the patrons are unvaccinated, he said.

Major performance venues including Broadway theaters and the Metropolitan Opera have already announced that vaccinations will be required for patrons.

About 66% of adults in New York City are fully vaccinated, according to official data.

On Monday, the U.S. reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one COVID-19 shot into 70% of American adults — a month late and amid a surge by the delta variant that is overwhelming hospitals and prompting renewed pandemic regulations around the country.

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Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

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NYC will require vaccination proof for indoor dining, gymsAssociated Presson August 3, 2021 at 7:05 pm Read More »

Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo fires back at Jed HoyerVincent Pariseon August 3, 2021 at 6:53 pm

Chicago Cubs (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

By now, everyone knows about the Chicago Cubs and how they dismantled the core that won the World Series in 2016. It was the greatest run in the history of the organization. Now, some of the greatest players in franchise history are gone.

Yesterday, Jed Hoyer went on ESPN 1000‘s Kap and J-Hood and gave some insight on the trades and how they went down. He also made some comments about the players and not really wanting to be Cubs.

Of course, one of the players he is talking about is former Cubs’ first baseman, Anthony Rizzo. Well, on the very same station the very next day, Anthony Rizzo went on and fired back at Jed Hoyer. He was asked about his response to what Hoyer said and he didn’t seem too happy about it. He wondered why he would even say something like that.

He was also sure to point out that the things that he and his teammates have and can accomplish on the field cost money, implying that the Cubs were not willing to pay that money. He said it was like a bad breakup which is starting to seem that way. Things might have been a little messier in the negotiations than we thought.

Anthony Rizzo went on the radio and talked about the Chicago Cubs trading him.

“There is one common denominator that no one signed.” Anthony Rizzo told David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood during the interview.

It is weird to hear all of these things being said when at one point, it seemed like the Cubs were the new model franchise in Major League Baseball. Now, they are dealing with this sort of thing. Anthony did have some nice things to say about the way things went in Chicago as well during his tenure there. He is happy that this was his home for such a long time and that they had such great success.

Rizzo is not in a race for the playoffs with the New York Yankees. They are out of a playoff spot right now but they are hoping that their new additions can help them increase their chances of competing for one with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. It is going to be a lot of fun to see Rizzo actually play for a team that has playoff hopes this year. As for the Cubs, they will try to pick up the pieces from this major fallout. It is going to be a long time before they are good again.

Related Story: 3 mistakes led to the Cubs dismantle

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Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo fires back at Jed HoyerVincent Pariseon August 3, 2021 at 6:53 pm Read More »

A Coincidental Conversation™ about “A-Ha” moments, authenticity, and the Disney Difference with WDW Radio host Lou Mongelloon August 3, 2021 at 7:36 pm

Where Are We Going So Fast?

A Coincidental Conversation™ about “A-Ha” moments, authenticity, and the Disney Difference with WDW Radio host Lou Mongello

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A Coincidental Conversation™ about “A-Ha” moments, authenticity, and the Disney Difference with WDW Radio host Lou Mongelloon August 3, 2021 at 7:36 pm Read More »

Pac-12, Big 12 consider creating an allianceRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 6:33 pm

The commissioners of the Pac-12 and Big 12 met Tuesday to discuss how the conferences might benefit from working together or maybe even merging.

Two people with knowledge of the meeting said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and George Kliavkoff from the Pac-12 were discussing the potential for strategic planning between the two conferences.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the leagues were not immediately sharing details of internal discussions. The Athletic was first to report the meeting.

The Big 12 is trying to regroup after being stunned by Texas and Oklahoma’s decision to move to the Southeastern Conference. For now, the move is scheduled for 2025, but the Big 12 has to start looking at how to move forward without their flagship programs immediately.

The remaining eight Big 12 schools — Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia — are facing a huge drop in the value of their next television contract without Texas and Oklahoma in the conference.

The Big 12’s current TV deal runs out in 2025. Bowlsby told Texas lawmakers at a hearing in Austin on Monday that losing Texas and Oklahoma could slash the conference’s television revenue by about 50%. He said the TV deals accounted for about $280 million in revenue distributed to the schools.

The Pac-12’s current television deal is similar in value to the Big 12’s and expires in 2024.

Kilavkoff, a former MGM executive who took over as Pac-12 commissioner on July 1, has said the conference is in no rush to add members to a 12-member league that includes Southern California, Oregon, Stanford and Washington.

A full merger of the Big 12 and Pac-12 would create a 20-team conference.

The conferences could also consider a scheduling agreement or alliance that creates regular nonconference matchups in the high-profile sports of football and basketball as a way of potentially increasing the value of each league’s next TV deals, one of the people familiar with the meeting told AP.

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Pac-12, Big 12 consider creating an allianceRalph D. Russo | Associated Presson August 3, 2021 at 6:33 pm Read More »