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Last year was not exactly a banner one for the bridal business. Kate Reavey, owner of the event space and decoration rental company Chicago Vintage Weddings, planned just eight celebrations, compared with the usual 30. “I was going out of my mind,” Reavey says, “and everyone in the wedding industry is feeling so down.” Yet while walking her dog along Damen Avenue in the fall, she saw all those “For Rent” signs not as a dark cloud but as an opportunity for evolution. She leased a 2,000-square-foot space and within a month opened Capucine, a modern-day general store with a vaguely French-castle vibe. Shoppers can grab locally made Katherine Anne Confections truffles, Foggy Dog sustainable pet toys, or Capucine-branded candles, as well as jewelry by Pilsen-based Mashallah. They’ll also find antique furniture and an assortment of frilly cake stands, brass candlesticks, and vintage flatware, some plucked from Reavey’s event planning warehouse, that they can combine to create their own dream tablescape. “Opening a boutique was very much an impulse, but it felt like injecting a ray of sunshine,” Reavey says. “It’s something to do, it makes people happy, and it’s a way to provide income for my vendors.” And of giving back, too: Five percent of the profits go to a different nonprofit each season. 1804 N. Damen Ave.

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China plate

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SopranoLabs body oil

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Crystal coupe

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Mashallah brass earrings

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Maison Blanche thank-you cards

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From a Mies van der Rohe masterpiece to a Lake Shore Drive Beaux Arts classic, here’s what just hit the market.Read More

A man has been charged with murder after allegedly firing the shot that struck and killed an 11-year-old girl in March at a Far South Side gas station.

Marcus Starkey, 27, faces a count of first-degree murder in the death of 11-year-old Ny’Andrea Dyer, Chicago police said.

He also faces counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery for allegedly wounding an 18-year-old man he was targeting March 1 at the gas station in the 100 block of West 127th Street.

Starkey, of the Jeffery Manor neighborhood, was extradited from Minnesota to Chicago on Thursday, police said. He was expected to appear in Cook County court later Friday.

Before she was shot, Ny’Andrea was in the back seat of a car at a gas pump when two people outside fired shots at each other, authorities said. A stray bullet allegedly fired by Starkey struck her head, critically wounding her for weeks. She died March 22 at Comer Children’s Hospital.

The wounded 18-year-old man, shot in his groin area, returned fire but didn’t hit anyone, police said. He was charged with illegal gun possession.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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Authorities have released the names of two women who died in a house fire early Thursday in Clearing on the Southwest Side.

The women were identified as Judy Austin, 60, and April Tadla, 41, by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Authorities responded to the fire about 2:10 a.m. in the 5200 block of West 64th Place, Chicago police said.

A man and woman from the residence, 57 and 60, were taken to Holy Cross Hospital in serious condition, and the woman was later pronounced dead, police said. The third woman, 41, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where she was pronounced dead.

An investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing. Autopsy results haven’t been released.

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Chicago Bears Draft: Kyle Trask and 5 prospects to avoid by Ryan Heckman

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(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) Chicago Cubs

There was a lot of buzz about Chicago baseball this offseason, but not from the team on the north side of the city. For the Chicago Cubs, it was a time that left more questions than answers. As improbable as it seems, a rebuild may be on the horizon for the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs frustrated fans in the offseason by shedding some top talent.

While the Chicago White Sox made more moves to bolster their already impressive roster, the Cubs were busy shedding talent. The team traded their best pitcher from last season and a Cy Young candidate in Yu Darvish. It was a shocking move.

Fans were perplexed that the Cubs would make the deal with the San Diego Padres without getting one of their top three prospects in return.

There were more embarrassments for the Cubs and their fans this offseason that didn’t involve the roster. Beloved play-by-play TV broadcaster Len Kasper is headed to the south side to cover the White Sox on the radio. It was an odd exit, to say the least.

Heyward’s flag and Rizzo’s cleats. The #Cubs welcome Chicago back to Wrigley Field: https://t.co/fSRiWeLKmt pic.twitter.com/eWwNwP7aJ6

— Brian Cassella (@briancassella) April 1, 2021

The team’s own TV station, the Marquee Network, was routinely criticized. Some speculated the network’s dress code requiring the broadcast team to wear suits and ties was a reason for some tension with Kasper. That dress requirement was dropped for this season.

I’m not sure if that’s really the reason for Kasper’s departure but it’s an odd requirement for a broadcast team in this era. There weren’t many positive stories about the Cubs this offseason. Negative stories began to pile up.

Former 2016 World Series heroes Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester signed deals with the Washington Nationals. Before the Darvish trade, the Cubs let pitcher Jose Quintana walk away in free agency. Then there was the insulting contract extension offer to first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

It hurts to say it but there’s not much to be optimistic about as a Cubs fan this season. Despite that, there are three young up-and-coming players you can focus on this season with eyes to the future.

Next: A familiar name…

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Twenty years after the release of their self-titled debut LP, freaky supergroup Tomahawk have returned with their fifth and best album yet, Tonic Immobility. Formed in 1999 by the best of the best from the avant-punk and noise-rock scenes, Tomahawk originally consisted of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle vocalist Mike Patton, the Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison, Helmet and Battles drummer John Stanier, and Cows and Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis—who has since been replaced by Melvins and Bungle alum Trevor Dunn.…Read More

The Chicago Bulls are on a five-game losing streak over the last five games. They have not yet won a game since acquiring Nikola Vucevic and four players before the trade deadline. “In their now five-game losing streak, Bulls opponents are averaging 116.2 points per game and shooting 52.4 percent,” according to NBC Sports Chicago writer Rob […]

Here’s what the Chicago Bulls need to break their five-game losing streak – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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If Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace could operate in hindsight, the team likely wouldn’t be in the position they currently find themselves in. The Bears have a quarterback problem, just as they have had many times in their illustrious history. They not only have a quarterback problem, but a few holes in their current […]

Chicago Bears Draft: Kyle Trask and 5 prospects to avoid – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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I encountered only one group on the Chicago lakefront set up for netting smelt on opening night Thursday.

The lack of smelt netters on the lakefront made the limited crowd at the Cubs opener looked huge by comparison.

“I only put one net in,” said Pete Kopf, who had his usual crew of family and friends on the east side of the mouth of Montrose Harbor.

His crew is the only one I saw out in the first hour and a half (nets may go in at 7 p.m.) of opening night, as I also checked the Shedd Aquarium and Belmont Harbor. Conditions (north winds and waves) and street parking restrictions may have contributed to nobody being between Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium; high cost of parking may have contributed to the lack of groups at Belmont.

Of course, a winter-like night may have contributed, too. It will be interesting to see what the coming week of beautiful weather does to bring out smelt netters.

For Kopf, the night held hope and history, “First of our opening day of the smelt season. Being it was all shutdown last year, this year it might be a little better.”

That is probably wishful thinking, as the preview visit with USGS guys suggested. Click here for the smelt preview of prospects.

Asked the last good smelting he remembered, Kopf said, “Almost 18 years ago, maybe 15 years ago. It was fun. Every 10 minutes, you were pulling up nets with smelt. The next morning you had smelt and eggs.”

The memories kept coming.

“I remember 25 years ago at North Avenue, they were using throw nets,” he said.

Kopf gave his lone net the first check: Completely empty.

“I want to get three at least and bite the head off one,” he said.

Biting the head off the first smelt is a Chicago tradition and rite of passage.

As always, food and drink set the ambiance for the night.

“We got the hot dogs and hamburgers,” Kopf said.

When I checked their table, my scavenger skills coming through, they also had brats, chips, cheese and crackers, and beverages.

The season runs through April 30.

Chicago Park District regulations remain the same–nets may go in at 7 p.m., must be out of the parks by 1 a.m., no open fires, no closed tents, no parking on grass or sidewalks, dispose of coals in appropriate trash receptacles–with added COVID precautions such as social distancing this year. The park district’s informational card is available from Henry’s Sports and Bait, Park Bait and park district security.

Dale Bowman

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Chicago Cubs: Tough way to begin a season with question marks by Vincent Parise

As the 2021 NFL Draft gets closer, the Chicago Bears still don’t have a long-term solution at the quarterback position. The franchise did invest in veteran Andy Dalton this offseason but Dalton isn’t a long-term option. Rather, the 33-year-old quarterback is nothing more than a bridge option who’s going to buy the Bears time to figure out QB.

One name that’s been floated around recently is Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond. Not considered to be one of the top prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mond’s film has many wondering: Should the Bears buy into the Mond hype and take him on day two or three of the 2021 NFL Draft as a developmental player?

Over the last few years, the NFL has seen guys like Dak Prescott and Gardner Minshew burst onto the scene after having been late-round draft picks. Many wonder if Mond could see a similar rise, as long as he ends up in the right situation.

Should the Chicago Bears buy into the Kellen Mond hype going into the draft?

The Bears front office knows their seat is hot heading into 2021. General manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy need to figure out QB and the NFL Draft clearly provides both with an opportunity one last time.

Mond is an intriguing prospect. For many, he’s considered to be a day two or three pick. However, had he been more consistent throughout his college career his stock would have risen significantly.

When watching Mond on film, one trait sticks out almost immediately and that is Poise. Regardless of the situation that is around him, he’s incredibly poised. This same trait should translate to the next level where he’ll be tasked with facing more complicated defenses.

Perhaps the biggest area where Mond needs to improve is his decision-making. The Bears are too familiar with how erratic decision-making by the quarterback can hold back an offense. Oftentimes, Mond is seen forcing balls into tight windows which is something that will hurt him in the NFL, especially since windows are significantly smaller compared to college.

In terms of production, Mond was pretty solid over a four-year period. He started 46 games, threw for 9661 yards, 71 touchdowns, and just 27 interceptions. He also completed 59 percent of his passes and averaged 7.1 yards per pass.

Overall, Mond is a prospect who is an average athlete and while his skillset allows him to be effective in the short and intermediate areas of the field as a thrower, his decision-making is what is truly holding him back.

Related Story: The Chicago Bears should target some small school draft prospects

It all comes down to whether or not Chicago believes they can fix Mond and his decision-making. Can he play faster? Those are two questions that will need to be answered. Right now, however, it’s hard to fully buy into him as a prospect.

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