What’s New

Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment on stage at Chicago’s theaters. From local productions to Broadway hits, our guide has the latest on shows in the city. Bookmark this page and check back for updates and ticket information.

PlayMakers Laboratory

Ashley Bland

What: “Stories Under the Sun” is the newest production by family-friendly PlayMakers Laboratory. It’s presented July 6-8 as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night out in the Parks. The stories featured are written by Chicago elementary school students, adapted for the stage and performed by PlayMakers company members.

When/Where: Performances are at Cole Park, 361 E. 85th (5 p.m. July 6), Gill Park, 825 W. Sheridan (5 p.m. July 7) and Moore Park, 5085 W. Adams (5 p.m. July 8)

Admission: free/all ages

Visit: playmakerslab.org.

The Artistic Home Theatre

What: The Artistic Home presents “Summer on the Patio,” a seasonlong event which invites theatergoers to share in the creative workshop process via free staged readings and open rehearsals of three contemporary plays: Maria Irene Fornes’ “Mud” (To Aug. 27), Martyna Majok’s “Ironbound” (To Aug. 28) and Craig Wright’s “The Pavilion” (To Aug. 22).

Where: It all takes place at the company’s new space at 3054 N. Milwaukee with rehearsals in July and staged readings in August.

Admission: free

Visit theartistichome.org

Aura CuriAtlas Physical Theatre

What: Aura CuriAtlas Physical Theatre collaborates with interdisciplinary, conceptual storyteller S.L. Feemster for a staging of “ConFront(ed),” a digital-physical work with a trip-hop soundscape, crafted around the observations of nine bodies in motion.

When: Streams to July 14

Tickets: $5-$25

Visit: https://www.acphysicaltheatre.com

Interrobang Theatre Project

Interrobang Theatre Project

What: Interrobang Theatre Project’s season closes with the online world premiere of Susan Chenet’s “Dingleberries,” directed by Georgette Verdin. The dark comedy, based on actual events, follows the story of a middle school theater teacher whose playwriting dreams begin to come true when a regional company selects her avant-garde play as its next production.

When: The play streams June 24-July 18

Tickets: $15

Visit: interrobangtheatreproject.org

Courtesy of Neil Verma

A Red Orchid Theatre

What: A Red Orchid Theatre’s experimental audio book, “American Bottom.” Collectively conceived by Brett Neveu, Neil Verma (who also directs), Matthew Muniz, Ele Matelan, Rich Sparks and Frankie Pedersen, the multi-disciplinary piece is inspired by the area of Southern Illinois called American Bottom. It’s the fictional story of a man who disappeared near the site of the Cahokia Mounds as told by the people who knew him.

When: streams through June 27

Tickets: $15

Visit: aredorchidtheatre.org

American Blues Theatre

Alonzo Zamarro Photo

What: American Blues Theater presents Ada Cheng performing her new work “Loving Across Borders” Cheng explores how one learns womanhood, love, and abuse in different sociopolitical and cultural contexts through personal stories.

When: 7 p.m. June 25

Tickets: $25 suggested donation

Visit: americanbluestheater.com.

Summer in the Parks

What: Brightside Theatre and the Naperville Park District present “Summer in the Parks: The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein.” The free hour-long revue features tunes from the iconic composers’ musicals including “The King and I,” “South Pacific,” “Oklahoma,” “The Sound of Music” and more.

When: Performances are at 7 p.m. June 30, July 21 and Aug. 11

Where: Wagner Family Pavilion in the 95^th Street Community Plaza, 3109 Cedar Glade Dr., Naperville.

Visit: brightsidetheatre.com

Hubbard Street Dance

Film still courtesy of Kevin Michael Briggs

What: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s season concludes with “Greener Grass,” a full company work choreographed and directed by former company dancer Jie-Hung Connie Shiau with original music by Jerome Begin and videography/editing by Kevin Michael Briggs. The piece is Shiau’s response to reports of “re-education camps,” used to forcibly contain Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other traditionally Muslim minority groups in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Zone. “Of course, I will never be able to fully understand the pain of the Uyghurs and Kazakhs,” Shiau says, “but I’d like to use my voice as an artist to draw attention to these issues and encourage people to take action.”

When: Performances livestream at 7:30 pm. June 24, 26 and 2 p.m. June 27.

Admission: free

Visit: hubbardstreetdance.com.

Lucky Plush

Alan Epstein

What: The dance-theater ensemble Lucky Plush Productions, in partnership with the Harris Theatre for Music and Dance, Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, Links Hall and the Logan Center for the Arts, presents “The Map of Now,” an interactive digital festival that pairs the aesthetics of ’80s retro video games with dance, theater, music and comedy. After creating their own avatar, participants navigate to and inside virtual recreations of the four venues where they click on icons for a variety of performances. Performers include BAPS, Donnetta Jackson + Bril Barrett, Chloe Johnston, Lucky Plush, Jeremy Owens, Darling Shear, Sam Trump, avery r. young, Sojourner Zenobia and more.

When: 7:30 p.m. June 25-26

Tickets: $5-$50

Visit: luckyplush.com/map-of-now.

Steppenwolf Theatre

Joan Marcus/WP Theater

What: The final entry in the Steppenwolf NOW virtual season is “Where We Stand,” a storytelling tour-de-force about community and accountability written and performed by Donnetta Lavinia Grays. Through poetic verse and music, the drama challenges our ability to forgive and our ideas of mercy and who might deserve it. The filmed play captures a performance originally presented at Baltimore Center Stage co-produced with WP Theater.

When/tickets: A $75 ticket includes all six of the productions in the NOW series available online through Aug. 31

Visit: steppenwolf.org/now

Goodman Theatre

What: The Goodman Theatre’s “Live” series, which brings together technology, videography and stage production, continues with Adrienne Kennedy’s “Ohio State Murders.” Directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, the drama is the story of a student who arrives at Ohio State University in 1949 and soon discovers there is no safe haven in academia. Years later she returns as an accomplished author to speak about her work and unravel a chilling mystery.

When: Livestreams at 7:30 p.m. June 17-18, 2 and 7:30 p.m. June 19 and 2 p.m. June 20.

Tickets: $25

Visit: goodmantheatre.org/live

Writers Theatre

Michael Halberstam

What: In Reginald Edmund’s “Ride Share,” a co-production of Black Lives, Black Words and Writers Theatre, everything in Marcus’ (Kamal Angelo Bolden) life is going smoothly until he’s laid off from his job. To make ends meet, he becomes a ride share driver. Edmund says the drama, directed by Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway, “takes us on a journey into the depths of the Black male experience in America.”

When: Streams June 23-July 25

Tickets: $40-$100

Visit writerstheatre.org

Court Theatre

What: Court Theatre presents an online staging of Owen McCafferty’s “Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912),” directed by Vanessa Stalling. The drama tells the story of the sinking of the HMS Titanic using verbatim testimonies from a court investigation of the wreck that probe the causes of the catastrophe, the value systems that enabled it and if indeed it was actually preventable.

When: Streams on-demand June 14-July 11

Tickets: $20-$30. Visit courttheatre.org.

Summer Nights with Northlight

What: Summer Nights with Northlight is a cabaret series held at Evanston restaurants to benefit Northlight Theatre. The performers are Alexis J. Roston and Kelvin Roston Jr. (June 10, Good to Go Jamaican, 711 W. Howard), Linda Solotaire (July 27, Sketchbook Brewing Company, 4901 Main, Skokie) and Heidi Kettenring (Aug. 24, Peckish Pig, 623 W. Howard).

When: Performances times are 6 p.m.

Tickets: $60 includes light dinner and select drinks. Visit northlight.org.

Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collective

What: Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collectivepresents “Emerge,” a new cabaret series featuring music, drag performance, comedy and spoken word First up at 10 p.m. June 11 is the retro blues trio Improper Behavior featuring vocalist Sharon Waltham, guitarist Keith Fort and upright bass player Gregory Redfeairn.

When: every second Friday of the month

Where: Porkchop, 1132 W. Grand

Tickets: $20. Visit labyrinthartsperformance.com.

Ghostlight Theatre

Ghostlight Ensemble

WHAT: Ghostlight Theatre’s “Make/Believe,” its annual festival for young audiences, takes place virtually this year. Featured are six new short plays that run the gamut from “Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things,” about a child with no memory lost at sea to “It’s Poppin’,” about a balloon afraid of soaring through the clouds, to “Splash of Magic,” about a young Black girl trying to conquer her fear of swimming.

WHEN: The festival streams live at 2 p.m. June 5-6 and on demand to July 4

TICKETS: $1-$10

INFO: ghostlightensemble.com.

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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.

Taste of Chicago To Go

Sun-Times file

What: New and reimagined, Taste of Chicago to Go replaces the usual Grant Park festival this summer as food, music and dance events are offered across the city. Highlights include pop-up events at Pullman City Market (July 7), Austin Town Hall City Market (July 8), The Hatchery (July 10), the West Englewood neighborhood (July 10) and Eli’s Cheesecake Co. (July 10). There’s also a special “Taste-ing” event at Goose Island Brewery’s Tap Room (July 9); an afternoon of Puerto Rican food and coffee with Marisel Vera, author of “The Taste of Sugar,” at !WEPA! Mercado del Pueblo (July 9); a Picnic in White at Millennium Park produced by women restaurateurs (July 11), and pop-up music performances at participating eateries citywide (July 7-11).

Where: Locations vary

When: July 7-11

Admission: free

Visit tasteofchicago.us

Tempel Lipizzans’ stallions

Courtesy Tempel Lipizzans

When: Ongoing

Where: Tempel Farms, 17000 Wadsworth, Old Mill Creek.

What: The stallions return for a new season of equestrian dressage along with interactive, educational events. Performances feature synchronized movements set to classical music that show off the strength, beauty and intelligence of the Lipizzan horse. Following each event, there are self-guided tours through the stables to meet and pet the equine stars and ask questions of riders and trainers about how the Lipizzans are raised, trained and taught to “dance.” Tickets: $35, $25 for ages 4-14.

More information: tempelfarms.com

Elmhurst Art Museum

What: A fun new exhibit, “Par Excellence Redux,” at the Elmhurst Art Museum features a fully playable 18-hole mini-golf course created by more than 20 artists, designers and architects from Chicago and beyond. It pays homage to the School of the Art Institute’s wildly popular 1988 exhibition “Par Excellence.” The family-friendly course throughout the museum includes “The Front 9” (July 7-Sept. 16) and “The Back Nine” (Oct. 13-Jan. 2). 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.

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

Admission: $5, $10 (online timed reservations); children 4 and under free

Visit: elmhurstartmuseum.org

Chicago Children’s Museum

What: Fun and learning are on the agenda when the Chicago Children’s Museum reopens July 2. The popular family gathering spot offers 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.

Where: Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand

Admission: $19

Visit: chicagochildrensmuseum.org.

Pride in the Park

‘Becoming Jane’

Hugo van Lawick/National Geographic

What: Generations have been inspired by the work of primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall who has not only shown the urgent need to protect chimpanzees but also redefined species conservation to include the needs of local people and the environments. A new exhibit at the Field Museum, “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Jane Goodall,” follows her journey from a curious young child in England to a passionate scientist studying chimpanzees in Africa. Included in the exhibit are a recreation of her field research tent, a hologram-like projection of Goodall who shares her fieldwork memories, augmented reality activities and a projection of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park.

When: To Sept. 6

Where: Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr.

Tickets: $18-$32. Visit fieldmuseum.org.

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

Courtesy Greektown Chicago

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

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

‘Make/Believe’

Ghostlight Ensemble

When: On demand to July 4

Where: Online

What: Ghostlight Theatre’s annual festival for young audiences takes place virtually this year. Featured are six new short plays that run the gamut from “Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things,” about a child with no memory lost at sea, to “It’s Poppin’,” about a balloon afraid of soaring through the clouds, to “Splash of Magic,” about a girl trying to conquer her fear of swimming. Tickets: $1-$10.

More information: ghostlightensemble.com

‘Take Flight’

Museum of Science and Industry

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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Pity the kids movie that follows Pixar’s act.

The Walt Disney Co.’s animation studio has long been a standard bearer that can be tough to match. But even knowing the inevitable drop-off to come, “The Boss Baby: Family Business” is still an awfully steep slide from the splendid, shimmering “Luca.”

The Dreamworks sequel to 2017’s (checks notes) Oscar-nominated “The Boss Baby” again pushes a simple, funny but difficult to elaborate on image — a baby in suit — to zany extremes. It was a good enough conceit for Marla Frazee’s original children’s book; toddlers can indeed be tyrants. But each movie has hyperactively swaddled that thin premise with a frenetic, over-plotted, off-the-wall cartoon blitz.

Director Tom McGrath (the “Madagascar” movies) returns for “The Boss Baby: Family Business” (in theaters and streaming on Peacock on Friday), and fast forwards to adulthood. Older brother Tim (James Marsden, taking over for Tobey Maguire) has grown up to be a stay-at-home dad married to the high-powered Carol (Eva Longoria), with their science-obsessed, high-achieving daughter, Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt), and infant Tina (Amy Sedaris).

Boss Baby Ted (Alec Baldwin, adding to his closet of suits, including Donald Trump, Jack Donaghy and Blake in “Glengarry Glen Ross”) has, naturally, turned into a hedge fund CEO. The brothers have drifted apart, while still harboring Ted’s secret that he was an agent for Baby Corp., a conglomerate that makes an adult-intelligence-giving baby formula. The movie opens with Tim lamenting that childhood only comes once, but “Boss Baby” is a totem to the truism that adults and children aren’t really so different, and are sometimes even interchangeable.

Tina turns out to be a Baby Corp. agent, too, and she summons Tim and Ted back to the conglomerate for a new mission — shrinking back to their ages in the last movie to go undercover and investigate the principal, Dr. Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum, spookily clownish) of Tabitha’s school. Dr. Armstrong is cooking up a baby revolution that’s completely absurd yet not without its merits. The school pageant, which Tabitha is anxiously preparing for, bluntly lays climate change at the feet of an older generation. In a bit that recalls the similarly colorful but much better “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” Dr. Armstrong’s plot preys on parents’ addiction to smart phones. The young, of course, have good reason to think they could do better with the world.

The plot is so madcap, with running gags tossed in along the way, that “Family Business” feels designed to prompt dizzied parents to plea for plot pointers from their diminutive movie companions. It’s a manic movie in a familiarly corporate kind of way that provides kids with a computer-generated candy rush. The movie’s own business imperatives occasionally show through like a leaky diaper.

But I will say, “Boss Baby” grows on you a little. There’s a dazzlingly animated scene shared between kid-sized Tim and his daughter Tabitha on creativity and being yourself set to Cat Stevens’ “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out.” It’s a good enough moment to redeem “Family Business,” even if you’re still tempted to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

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SURFSIDE, Fla. — Rescue efforts at the site of a partially collapsed Florida condominium building resumed Thursday evening after a 15-hour pause for safety concerns, and officials said they had started planning for the likely demolition of the remaining structure.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the decision about the demolition needed to be made “extremely carefully and methodically,” considering the effect on the search-and-rescue operations.

The rescue work was halted shortly after 2 a.m. amid concerns about the stability of the part of the tower that still stands. Crews noticed widening cracks and up to a foot of movement in a large column. It was not immediately clear why authorities changed course.

“Finding missing loved ones continues to be at the forefront of our operations,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue tweeted soon after search efforts resumed.

The stoppage had threatened to dim hopes for finding anyone alive in the debris a week after the tower came down. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said the halt was worrisome since “minutes and hours matter, lives are at stake.”

Emily Michot/Miami Herald via AP

The rescue operations unfolded on the same day that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the devastated community.

The collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South beachfront condominium killed at least 18 people and left 145 missing. Hundreds of search-and-rescue personnel have painstakingly searched the pancaked rubble for potential signs of life, but no one has been rescued since the first hours after the collapse.

“This is life and death,” Biden said during a briefing. “We can do it, just the simple act of everyone doing what needs to be done, makes a difference.”

“There’s gonna be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological help in the days and months that follow,” he said. “And so, we’re not going anywhere.”

Crews noticed several expansions in cracks they had been monitoring. They also observed 6 to 12 inches of movement in a large column hanging from the structure “that could fall and cause damage to support columns” in the underground parking garage, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky said.

In addition, they noticed movement in the debris pile and slight movement in some concrete floor slabs “that could cause additional failure of the building,” he said.

Officials will work with structural engineers and other experts to “develop options” to continue rescue operations, Cominsky said.

Critical points around the site have been monitored with sensors since the rescue operation began, said Scott Nacheman, a structures specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He said there were alarming indications of movement Wednesday night at three locations.

“What was of specific concern was that over the last six days we had not seen that type of significant movement, or in some locations any movement in those elements of the structure,” Nacheman said Thursday during a briefing for family members.

Rescuers also use laser devices that can detect shifts of a few millimeters, Cominsky said.

“We are constantly monitoring the building,” he said.

Heavy equipment in the rubble pile caused vibrations, according to Nacheman. Rain has also been entering exposed parts of the building, saturating items and adding weight to the floors.

Covering parts of the structure to prevent further water damage or tearing down the building risks additional loss of life because those steps would require sending people back inside, Nacheman said. Demolition would also add debris on top of areas that have already been cleared of rubble.

Peter Milian is a cousin of Marcus Guara, who died along with his wife, Anaely Rodriguez, and their two children, 10-year-old Lucia Guara and 4-year-old Emma Guara. Milian said he understands why the rescue work had to be temporarily halted and is confident search efforts will continue.

“I mean, they’ve done everything they can. But we trust the people that are on the ground. And obviously, they’ve got to do what’s best for their people, right? Because it is a dangerous situation,” he said.

During a private meeting with family members, Biden drew on his own experiences with grief to try to comfort them. Biden lost his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash and decades later lost an adult son to brain cancer.

“I just wish there was something I could do to ease the pain,” he said in a video posted on Instagram by Jacqueline Patoka, a woman who was close to a couple and their daughter who are still missing.

Biden spoke of wanting to switch places with a lost or missing loved one. “The waiting, the waiting is unbearable,” he said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said state engineers, the fire department and county officials are exploring options on how to deal with the structural concerns.

“Obviously, we believe that continuing searching is very, very important,” DeSantis said, adding that the state will “provide whatever resources they need” to allow the search to continue.

Cominsky confirmed Thursday that workers tried to rescue a woman shortly after the building collapsed when they heard a voice in the rubble.

“We were searching for a female voice … we heard for several hours, and eventually we didn’t hear her voice anymore,” he said.

Cominsky said they continued searching. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have success on that,” he said.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. A 2018 engineering report found that the building’s ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had “major structural damage” and needed extensive repairs. The report also found “abundant cracking” of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.

Just two months before the building came down, the president of its board wrote a letter to residents saying that structural problems identified in the 2018 inspection had “gotten significantly worse” and that major repairs would cost at least $15.5 million. With bids for the work still pending, the building suddenly collapsed last Thursday.

___

Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale and Mark Kennedy in New York contributed to this report.

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July. Peak summer, at last. A long holiday weekend ahead. Escapist book season is here. What are you reading, and why?

Being a journalist, books are constantly pitched at me. Most are easily allowed to fly past without swinging. “This book is a must-read for all who want to understand the current crisis of identity and the importance of reaffirming European and in particular Swiss democratic traditions…”

But “On Skein of Death” by Allie Pleiter caught my attention, for two reasons.

First, it’s a mystery set in a yarn shop. You might recall that five years ago, staring into the abyss of the Donald Trump presidency, I took up knitting, hoping it might be a distraction from the gathering disaster.

Knitting proved harder than expected and I soon gave up. But not before several visits to Three Bags Full, the local yarn store, which seemed a perfect setting for a mystery. That might require some explanation. Whenever I visit a cactus show at the Botanic Garden, I amuse myself imagining that the quiet, pale succulent society members, when not in public hovering over their beloved prickly pears and saguaros, are privately at each other’s throats, riven with conflict, betrayal and death. Something like that.

Second, the author lives in a western suburb.

Pleiter grew up in New England, came here to go to Northwestern, as a theater major, then ended up in fundraising. She started writing professionally on a dare.

“The bulk of my career is in category romance,” said Pleiter, who has written 50 books and can have four in the works at any given time. “I’m such a passionate knitter. I’ve been putting knitting characters in my books for years. It’s part of my brand.”

A yarn company was looking to start a knitting-based mystery series.

“A colleague said, ‘You really ought to do this.’ I discovered I really enjoyed it. I loved the intellectual challenge of creating the mystery to be solved,” Pleiter said. “It’s fun to flex new muscles. Romance is a really specific kind of book. It’s fun to go out and do something completely different.”

I enjoyed “Skein” on a few levels. There was of course the yarn store. Sleuth-to-be Libby Beckett is the owner of Y.A.R.N, a knitters’ paradise in Collinsville, Maryland.

“Every knitter dreams of opening up her ideal yarn shop, and this was a chance for me to live that daydream,” she said.

The book struck me as a portal into the fondest dreams of suburban American women — the inadequate husband banished offstage before the action even begins. The band of caring, dynamic friends. The merely irksome (as opposed to toxic and insane) mother. The loyal dog. The appealing but not handsy potential boyfriend. The steady stream of baked goods. As someone who binge-read dozens of Robert Parker novels, I know the background, what Spencer and Susan are cooking for dinner, is as important as the crime itself. If not more. Solving the crime can seem almost secondary.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘secondary,'” Pleiter said. “It holds equal weight to mystery. For cozy mysteries, it is as much about the character and her community and the relationships. Readers want to fall in love with the sleuth and revisit her again and again and again.”

“Cozy mystery” is the name of the subgenre.

“It’s a pretty standard mechanism,” she said. “The murder doesn’t take place on the page. The body is discovered. You don’t want it too grisly. There certainly are mysteries that tap into that. But people read cozies because they want something lighter. They don’t want to get into the mechanics of killing someone.”

I sure don’t. The action is set in motion with the arrival of Norwegian knitting pattern celebrity Perle Lonager. At the risk of applying thought to something that is meant to be accepted as a given (“These spells Hermione keeps casting, what is the physics behind them?”), I had to ask: Are there really rock star pattern designers?

“Well, I suppose ‘rock star’ is probably overstating it. There are designers who have a really passionate following.”

I couldn’t help trying to fact-check that, and was surprised what I found.

“We’ve done a few of those events at Three Bags Full,” said employee Adrienne Levin. “We had a woman who owns a yarn company in Denmark. We did a luncheon, where she did a fashion show and a meet-and-great and she signed some books.”

But nobody murdered?

“None were murdered, at least at our store,” said Levin. “None that I know of.”

I suppose I should squint hard and be critical, so readers know what they’re getting into. Allie Pleiter isn’t Scott Turrow. “On Skein of Death” isn’t “Presumed Innocent.” But I didn’t have to force myself to finish it and, being an author myself who breathlessly pores over reviews searching for the money shot, I have no trouble providing one. Ready?

“On Skein of Death” is a contemporary, well-written, fast-paced mystery set among the knitting needles, one that held my interest better than knitting itself did. Knitters will want to keep Allie Pleiter’s new book in their project bags for emotional succor when their fingers tire and the supply of butterscotch blondies runs low. The second Riverbank Knitting Mystery, “Knit or Dye Trying” is out in February, and I suppose I’ll have to read it. It’s easier than trying to finish that green scarf in the bottom of my closet.

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A 9-year-old girl was critically wounded in a shooting that also left a man hurt near the border of the Grand Crossing and Chatham neighborhoods on the South Side Thursday.

They were in the 800 block of East 79th Street when a car approached and someone inside opened fire about 2:45 p.m., Chicago police said.

The girl was struck in the head and taken to Comer Children’s hospital in critical condition, police said.

The man was shot in the foot and was in good condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.

No arrests have been reported.

Supt. David Brown told reporters he believed she was “in the crossfire of two gangs going at it.”

“There’s a significant rise in young people, children, being shot here and everywhere in the country, but here specifically,” he said during a news conference he had called about this year’s violence. “[They’re] likely not the target, though. Likely an innocent bystander.”

Earlier Thursday, an 8-year-old girl was wounded in a triple shooting that left a woman dead in Roseland on the Far South Side. The girl was struck in the arm and was in good condition at Roseland Community Hospital.

The Sun-Times reported last month that more children 15 or younger have been shot this year than this time last year.

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Halfway through the year, more people have been shot and more people have been killed in Chicago than this time last year, when violence reached levels not seen since the mid-1990s.

Chicago has seen at least 336 homicides for the first six months of the year, just two more than at this point in 2020 but 33 percent more than 2019’s 252 homicides, according to an analysis by the Sun-Times.

In all, 14 neighborhoods have seen more murders this year than the same time last year, led by Austin with 28, North Lawndale with 21 and Englewood with 18.

The city has recorded at least 1,892 shootings through June 28, the most recently available statistics, an increase of almost 12 percent compared to 2020’s 1,692 and a 53 percent increase over 2019’s 1,234 shootings during the same time.

Last year was one of the deadliest in the city in decades, with 775 killed, a sharp spike from the 500 homicides in 2019.

In a press release Thursday summarizing the year so far, the Chicago Police Department emphasized a drop in violence this past May and June, bolstering their argument that the rate of increase from last year is slowing.

Both months saw a drop in shootings and homicides, according to Sun-Times data, though they were still much higher than in 2019.

The department said its data also shows there have been fewer murders this year than last year, but those numbers do not count killings on expressways that are investigated by the Illinois State Police. The department’s numbers also do not include police-involved homicides.

The Sun-Times data includes all deaths labeled homicides by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. By that measure, this has been a deadlier year so far than last year.

The department did acknowledge in its release that hundreds of more people have been shot in the city this year than last year, with numbers roughly the same as the Sun-Times’.

In reporting carjackings, the department chose not to include a comparison from last year while claiming the attacks were down.

The police statement noted a 42 percent decline in carjackings since January of this year. But carjackings are actually up 51 percent when compared to the same period in 2020. In just the first six months of this year, Chicago has already seen nearly 150 more carjackings than the whole of 2019.

Supt. David Brown on Thursday denied that his department is selectively reporting crime statistics, saying it chose to highlight certain numbers to acknowledge officers’ “hard work.”

“It’s not cherry-picking, but no one’s bragging,” Brown said. “One crime is one too many. That’s our standard.”

Noting that shootings and homicides have dropped off in recent months, Brown said the statistics reflect that officers have made “some progress in our fight against violent crime.”

“We want to acknowledge that they run toward bullets, want to acknowledge that they go down dark alleys no one would go down,” he said. “They confront violent offenders no one else would confront. They risk everything for us, the least we could do is acknowledge their achievement.”

On the carjacking numbers, Brown said the department chose to highlight a limited window for the crimes to show a dramatic improvement, which he attributed to a task force that now numbers 50 officers and has made 750 arrests.

After recording 84 carjackings a week in January, Brown noted that number has fallen to 20 a week. “Don’t we want to keep those officers encouraged to continue to push that number down?” he said. “Well let’s acknowledge what they did.”

Nineteen aldermen have called for a special Chicago City Council meeting Friday morning and have demanded that Brown show up to discuss his department’s response to the violence.

One of the last shootings in June was an attack in Little Village that wounded two 15-year-old boys and two other teens. The Sun-Times reported last month that more children 15 or younger have been shot so far this year.

In Wednesday’s shooting, the teens were walking in the 2200 block of South Millard Avenue when a dark-colored SUV approached and someone inside began firing about 8:20 p.m., police said.

One of the 15-year-olds suffered a gunshot wound to the buttocks and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. The other 15-year-old was struck in the left thigh and taken to the hospital in good condition.

An 18-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was listed in serious condition at the hospital. Another 18-year-old was struck in the foot and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. The dark-colored SUV fled the scene.

One of the first shootings in July in Chicago was an attack in Roseland on the Far South Side that killed a woman and wounded an 8-year-old girl and another woman.

The girl was inside the house when a bullet fired from a car outside hit her in the arm. Two women sitting on the porch were also shot, one of them fatally.

There have been at least 12 homicides in Roseland this year, up from nine for the same time last year, according to Sun-Times data. It ranks 11th among neighborhoods for homicides this year.

Roseland is in the Calumet Police District, which has seen a 73% increase in homicides this year and a 49% percent increase in shootings, according to statistics kept by the Chicago Police Department.

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SURFSIDE, Fla. — Rescue efforts at the site of a partially collapsed Florida condominium building resumed Thursday afternoon, about 15 hours after the work was halted out of concern about the stability of the remaining structure, the mayor said.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said he did not know why officials decided to restart the search. Rescuers were pulled off the pile of rubble shortly after 2 a.m. after crews noticed widening cracks and up to a foot of movement in a large column.

The stoppage threatened to keep search teams off the rubble pile and dim hopes for finding anyone alive in the debris a week after the tower came down.

The rescue operations unfolded on the same day that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the devastated community.

The collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South beachfront condominium killed at least 18 people and left 145 missing. Hundreds of search-and-rescue personnel have painstakingly searched the pancaked rubble for potential signs of life, but no one has been rescued since the first hours after the collapse.

“This is life and death,” Biden said during a briefing. “We can do it, just the simple act of everyone doing what needs to be done, makes a difference.”

“There’s gonna be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological help in the days and months that follow,” he said. “And so, we’re not going anywhere.”

Emily Michot/Miami Herald via AP

Rescue work was halted after crews noticed several expansions in cracks they had been monitoring. They also observed 6 to 12 inches of movement in a large column hanging from the structure “that could fall and cause damage to support columns” in the underground parking garage, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky said.

In addition, they noticed movement in the debris pile and slight movement in some concrete floor slabs “that could cause additional failure of the building,” he said.

Officials will work with structural engineers and other experts to “develop options” to continue rescue operations, Cominsky said.

Critical points around the site have been monitored with sensors since the rescue operation began, said Scott Nacheman, a structures specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He said there were alarming indications of movement Wednesday night at three locations.

“What was of specific concern was that over the last six days we had not seen that type of significant movement, or in some locations any movement in those elements of the structure,” Nacheman said Thursday during a briefing for family members.

Rescuers also use laser devices that can detect shifts of a few millimeters, Cominsky said.

“We are constantly monitoring the building,” he said.

David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP

Heavy equipment in the rubble pile caused vibrations, according to Nacheman. Rain has also been entering exposed parts of the building, saturating items and adding weight to the floors.

Covering parts of the structure to prevent further water damage or tearing down the building risks additional loss of life because those steps would require sending people back inside, Nacheman said. Demolition would also add debris on top of areas that have already been cleared of rubble.

Peter Milian is a cousin of Marcus Guara, who died along with his wife, Anaely Rodriguez, and their two children, 10-year-old Lucia Guara and 4-year-old Emma Guara. Milian said he understands why the rescue work had to be temporarily halted and is confident search efforts will continue.

“I mean, they’ve done everything they can. But we trust the people that are on the ground. And obviously, they’ve got to do what’s best for their people, right? Because it is a dangerous situation,” he said.

During a private meeting with family members, Biden drew on his own experiences with grief to try to comfort them. Biden lost his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash and decades later lost an adult son to brain cancer.

“I just wish there was something I could do to ease the pain,” he said in a video posted on Instagram by Jacqueline Patoka, a woman who was close to a couple and their daughter who are still missing.

Biden spoke of wanting to switch places with a lost or missing loved one. “The waiting, the waiting is unbearable,” he said.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the search-and-rescue operation will continue as soon as it is safe to do so.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said state engineers, the fire department and county officials are exploring options on how to deal with the structural concerns.

“Obviously, we believe that continuing searching is very, very important,” DeSantis said, adding that the state will “provide whatever resources they need” to allow the search to continue.

Cominsky confirmed Thursday that workers tried to rescue a woman shortly after the building collapsed when they heard a voice in the rubble.

“We were searching for a female voice … we heard for several hours, and eventually we didn’t hear her voice anymore,” he said.

Cominsky said they continued searching. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have success on that,” he said.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. A 2018 engineering report found that the building’s ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had “major structural damage” and needed extensive repairs. The report also found “abundant cracking” of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.

Just two months before the building came down, the president of its board wrote a letter to residents saying that structural problems identified in the 2018 inspection had “gotten significantly worse” and that major repairs would cost at least $15.5 million. With bids for the work still pending, the building suddenly collapsed last Thursday.

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Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale and Mark Kennedy in New York contributed to this report.

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The White Sox have buried the Twins.

The defending AL Central champions were already gasping with an 11 ¹/₂ game deficit going into the series, but left town 14 ¹/₂ back after the first-place Sox completed a three-game sweep with an 8-5 victory Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Brian Goodwin and Zack Collins homered a day after the Sox hit six in a 13-3 win, and the Sox bounced back after left-hander Carlos Rodon surrendered a 3-0 lead in a four-run Twins fifth by scoring in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

“This club is resilient, man, relentless,” manager Tony La Russa said.

“It was one of the weirdest innings I’ve seen, a guy pitching so good and all of a sudden gives up four. But we came back and scored and the bullpen held them. Shows how tough these guys are between the ears.”

Michael Kopech (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth in his first appearance since May 26.

“It was a huge series for us,” Collins said. “I wouldn’t say anything is permanent in baseball until the season but it was good to get three wins against those guys. We have to keep taking care of business and get as many Ws as we can.”

The Sox (48-32) are 8-1 against the Twins (33-46) and have outscored them 76-37. The Sox have won four straight following a stretch of seven losses in eight games.

Moncada injures hand, likely out for Tigers series

Third baseman Yoan Moncada left the game with a bruised right hand and will likely miss the upcoming weekend series in Detroit, La Russa said.

Moncada made an awkward head-first slide into third base on Jose Abreu’s single in the third inning, and rolled over his hand, which swelled up on him. He stayed in the game and scored on Yasmani Grandal’s single but did not take his position in the top of the fourth inning.

Moncada, who missed Tuesday’s game against the Twins with a sore right shoulder, singled twice in two plate appearances.

Another first for Vaughn

Andrew Vaughn moved from left field to play third base for the first time. A first baseman converted to the outfield this season, Vaughn took the corner as Billy Hamilton entered the game in center field, moving Brian Goodwin to left field.

Vaughn was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and went 6-for-9 in the series with a homer and four RBI. He was replaced by Leury Garcia as a defensive replacement in the eighth.

Sheets has a series

Gavin Sheets, like Vaughn a converted first baseman, played all three games in right field after his callup from Triple-A Charlotte and went 5-for-11 with a home run, two doubles, five RBI and two runs scored. Sheets’ strong showing could force the Sox into a tough roster decision when veteran Adam Eaton (hamstring) is ready to return from the IL. Eaton, signed to a $7 million deal in the offseason, is batting .195/.296/.345.

Sheets is the second player in Sox history to record at least one hit and RBI in each of his first three career games.

This and that

Ryan Burr (0.00 ERA) pitched the eighth and allowed a hit for only the second time this season and has retired 18 of the last 19 batters faced.

*Yasmani Grandal (RBI single) has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games, batting .302/.392/.605 with four home runs in that stretch.

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The 25-year-old was standing on the porch about 4:15 p.m. in the 4000 block of West Van Buren Street when a car drove by and someone from inside fired shots.

By

Sun-Times Wire

Jul 1, 2021, 5:38pm CDT

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