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Regal Cinema to reopen US theaters in Aprilon March 23, 2021 at 4:45 pm

NEW YORK — Regal Cinemas, the second largest movie theater chain in the U.S., will reopen beginning April 2, its parent company, Cineworld Group, announced Tuesday.

Regal had been one of most notable holdouts in the gradual reopening of cinemas nationwide. For nearly half a year, its 7,211 screens and 549 theatres in the U.S. have been dark. Doors will open early next month with attendance limited to 25% to 50% capacity in about 500 locations.

Cineworld also agreed to a new multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Beginning next year, the studio’s releases will have a 45-day exclusive window at Regal cinemas, roughly slicing in half the traditional period. That doesn’t apply to Warner releases this year, which are streaming simultaneously on HBO Max when they open in theaters.

“We are very happy for the agreement with Warner Bros.” said Mooky Greidinger, chief executive of Cineworld. “This agreement shows the studio’s commitment to the theatrical business and we see this agreement as an important milestone in our 100-year relationship with Warner Bros.”

Regal’s April 2 reopening coincides with the release of Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla vs. Kong.”

The agreement is the latest in a reordering of the theatrical marketplace — a sea change accelerated by the pandemic but viewed as long-in-coming by some analysts given the rise in streaming services.

Universal Pictures last November agreed to deals with AMC and Cinemark — the first- and third-largest chains — to shrink the theatrical window to 17 days, or three weekends. Greidinger at the time said the company didn’t see “any business sense” in that model.

In the United Kingdom, where Cineworld is targeting a May reopening, the Warner agreement shortens the theatrical window to 31 days but can be extended to 45 days if a film reaches a certain box-office threshold.

About half of North American theaters were open as of last week, according to data firm Comscore. In the past few weeks, theaters have been allowed to reopen in New York and Los Angeles — the two largest U.S. markets — for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

“With capacity restrictions expanding to 50% or more across most U.S. states, we will be able to operate profitably in our biggest markets,” said Greidinger.

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Regal Cinema to reopen US theaters in Aprilon March 23, 2021 at 4:45 pm Read More »

Cairo Santos happy to stay ‘where my heart is’on March 23, 2021 at 4:31 pm

Entering free agency after a record-setting season is the ultimate timing in football. But Bears placekicker Cairo Santos was more interested in keeping a good thing going than seeking a financial bonanza.

Not that Santos didn’t get a huge raise after making 30-of-32 field goal attempts — including the last 27 in a row to break Robbie Gould’s franchise record — for a cap-friendly $910,000 last season. But the three-year, $9 million contract he signed March 11 still only puts him 17th among NFL kickers in average annual salary, per overthecap.com.

But clearly, Santos’ priority after bouncing around from one tryout to the next and kicking for three teams over three seasons following his injury-related demise with the Chiefs in 2017 was to stay in his comfort zone. Not only staying with the Bears, but also with special teams coach Chris Tabor, holder Pat O’Donnell and long-snapper Patrick Scales.

“I was telling my agent all along in the process, I’m rooting for this thing to work out,” Santos said. “That’s where my heart is, to remain with those guys.”

O’Donnell and Scales also were free agents who quickly re-signed. As Santos put it, “The band is back together.”

“It was a scenario that I wanted to happen from when we left our exit meetings,” Santos said. “We had great conversations between us three and the coaches and we were hoping to be back together. I think the three of us allows each of us to succeed to our full potential. And we help each other a lot in the way we work out and push each other to grind a little harder in the weight room, to shag balls, kick an extra set or go down to Soldier [Field]. I think I had a tear in my eyes and just happy having those guys together in the locker room.”

Bears general manager Ryan Pace has to be wishing he could solve every position quandary as well as he fixed the kicker issue he helped initiate by cutting Robbie Gould prior to the start of the 2016 season.

After three problematic seasons with Connor Barth, Mike Nugent, Santos and Cody Parkey, then the eight-kicker tryout circus in 2019, Pace suddenly has too many good kickers. Eddy Pineiro provided much-needed reliability in 2019 — making 23-of-28 field goal attempts, including his last 11 in a row.

And when Pineiro suffered an injury in training camp in 2020, Pace signed Santos, who was even better. Santos’ 93.8 percentage broke Robbie Gould’s single-season record of 89.7. He kicked a 55-yarder against the Panthers. He kicked a game-tying 51-yarder with 1:13 left in regulation against the Saints. And he was 4-for-4 (48, 42, 42, 35) in a 33-27 victory over the Vikings in Week 15.

It was a tough break for Pineiro, but a fitting one for Santos, who lost his job with the Chiefs in similar fashion. After being put on injured reserve with a groin injury early in the 2017 season, the Chiefs signed Harrison Butker off the Panthers’ practice squad and Butker almost immediately won the job — making 38-of-42 field goals (90.5%).

That sent Santos on the comeback trail, where nagging groin injuries threatened his career. His brief stint with the Bears in 2017 as a replacement for Barth ended because of a recurrence of the injury. The perseverance to get here was more physical than mental, though now that he’s back, it’s probably both.

“It was sort of a week-to-week thing and I took advantage of that to make it to a long-term [contract],” Santos said. “It’s a dream come true to have a home again, something that I’ve been searching for the last several years. It means a lot to have that — I don’t want to call it stability because as a kicker you’re always on your toes — but just to see the future more than just one week at a time.”

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Cairo Santos happy to stay ‘where my heart is’on March 23, 2021 at 4:31 pm Read More »

State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flapon March 23, 2021 at 3:09 pm

State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford has resigned from the board of trustees at Loretto Hospital over how it handled revelations of improperly providing vaccinations to people not yet eligible for the shots.

“I am very disappointed with the recent developments at The Loretto Hospital regarding its use of coronavirus vaccine entrusted to the hospital,” Ford said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.

“Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to The Loretto Hospital’s Board Chairman Edward Hogan because I strongly disagreed with how the reprimand of the hospital leadership was handled. As the state representative for the hospital and as a resident in its service area, I will continue to fight for resources for The Loretto Hospital, a safety-net hospital in the Austin community.”

Hospital CEO George Miller and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Anosh Ahmed have come under fire in recent days after revelations the hospital improperly provided vaccinations to workers at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lives; at a suburban church where Miller is a member; and a luxury watch shop on the Gold Coast where Ahmed shops.

Block Club Chicago broke the stories.

Hospital spokeswoman Bonni Pear has said the two executives received reprimands, but details about what punishments they face have not been revealed.

In a phone call Tuesday, Ford said, “It’s critical that consequences are more transparent.”

Ford previously told the Chicago Sun-Times the two would face “harsh reprimands.”

Loretto had no immediate comment about Ford’s resignation.

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State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flapon March 23, 2021 at 3:09 pm Read More »

Garrett Crochet easing way toward triple digits, 2021 seasonon March 23, 2021 at 3:53 pm

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Left-hander Garrett Crochet caught everyone’s fancy touching 101 and 102 mph last season.

A few months removed from college, the Sox’ No. 11 overall pick in the draft also mixed in a plus slider and was close to unhittable. He didn’t allow a run in five appearances.

But in Cactus League games, Crochet hasn’t touched 100 yet.

“I wouldn’t look too far into it,” pitching coach Ethan Katz told the Sun-Times. “Those games [season] are high intensity, but he’s popping 98 and 99, and easily in a real game everything flowing right with his mechanics you can be seeing 100, 101 again.

“I don’t look too much into that because there is stuff they’re working on, a bunch of guys in spring, mentally and physically, and the results in spring don’t mean what you’re going to see in the regular season.”

Crochet gained 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, so that is different. He also has altered his delivery a bit.

“It was a little more crossfire … so he’s working hard on the side to get better direction toward home plate,” Katz said. “It’s also his first time through spring training. He had a different offseason than normal and he put on some good weight.”

Crochet left Game 3 of the Sox’ Wild Card series against the Athletics with a forearm strain, so the recovery from that made for a different offseason.

“When you have a little down time there is a tendency for pitchers where stuff creeps in that you’re not trying to have happen and you have to readjust,” Katz said. “He’s readjusting nicely and it’s starting to come together for him.”

Crochet is scheduled to make his seventh appearance of the spring against the Cubs in Mesa, Ariz., today. He has allowed one run in six appearances covering six innings this spring. He struck out two batters in a scoreless inning against the Diamondbacks Sunday, and has six strikeouts total.

“Every time I go back out there, I feel a lot more comfortable,” he said after a recent outing.

“Once the season gets going and we’re competing against other teams, obviously won’t be able to hold back at that point. Not really even that I’m holding back right now, just trying to perform well and earn myself a spot on the team.”

The triple digits are probably yet to come. Not getting there yet “also has to do with him recovering from an offseason that was different based on what happened last year,” Katz said. “He’s still getting into the swing of things he’s been eased into, and we want to make sure he has ample amount of rest and that we’re not doing anything to stress him too much in spring training.

“He’s working through some things but looking better and better each time out.”

‘A pretty cool guy’

Tim Anderson got in front of concerns there would be tension between himself, a new age star of a different era where players are expressing themselves with bat flips and the like, and 76-year-old manager Tony La Russa.

Anderson said getting to know La Russa and vice versa has eased the transition from former manager Rick Renteria.

“You’re going to figure out somebody when you don’t know them and it’s different when you meet them,” Anderson said. “There’s a lot of people who don’t like me but they don’t know me. And once you get to know me I think I’m a pretty cool guy.”

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Garrett Crochet easing way toward triple digits, 2021 seasonon March 23, 2021 at 3:53 pm Read More »

Police identify 21-year-old man as suspect in killing of 10 people at Colorado supermarketon March 23, 2021 at 3:14 pm

BOULDER, Colo. — Police on Tuesday identified a 21-year-old man as the suspect in the killing of 10 people at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket.

Authorities also identified nine victims after previously identifying a police officer who had been killed.

The victims ranged in age from 20 to 65, said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold.

The shooting Monday at the crowded supermarket sent terrorized shoppers and workers scrambling for safety and stunned a state and a nation that has grieved several mass killings.

Herold said police engaged in a shootout with the suspect inside the supermarket and that is when Officer Eric Talley was killed.

The suspect was undergoing treatment at a hospital and was expected to be booked into the county jail later Tuesday, said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.

Investigators don’t know yet why the suspect opened fire inside the grocery store, Dougherty said. He said the investigation is in the early stages but that detectives believe the suspect was the only shooter, Dougherty said.

A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press that the gunman used an AR-15 rifle, a lightweight semi-automatic rifle. Officials were working fast to trace the gun. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Police identify 21-year-old man as suspect in killing of 10 people at Colorado supermarketon March 23, 2021 at 3:14 pm Read More »

Chicago Foreclosure Activity Slowly Drifting Up But Remains Lowon March 23, 2021 at 2:02 pm

Getting Real

Chicago Foreclosure Activity Slowly Drifting Up But Remains Low

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Chicago Foreclosure Activity Slowly Drifting Up But Remains Lowon March 23, 2021 at 2:02 pm Read More »

Boundaries? We don’t need no stinking boundarieson March 23, 2021 at 3:31 pm

The Chicago Board of Tirade

Boundaries? We don’t need no stinking boundaries

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Boundaries? We don’t need no stinking boundarieson March 23, 2021 at 3:31 pm Read More »

State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flapon March 23, 2021 at 1:54 pm

State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford has resigned from the board of trustees at Loretto Hospital over how it handled revelations of improperly providing vaccinations to people not yet eligible for the shots.

“I am very disappointed with the recent developments at The Loretto Hospital regarding its use of coronavirus vaccine entrusted to the hospital,” Ford said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.

“Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to The Loretto Hospital’s Board Chairman Edward Hogan because I strongly disagreed with how the reprimand of the hospital leadership was handled. As the state representative for the hospital and as a resident in its service area, I will continue to fight for resources for The Loretto Hospital, a safety-net hospital in the Austin community.”

The hospital’s CEO George Miller and COO Dr. Anosh Ahmed have come under fire in recent days after revelations the hospital improperly provided vaccinations to workers at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lives; at a suburban church that Miller is a member of; and a luxury watch shop on the Gold Coast where Ahmed shops.

Block Club Chicago broke the stories.

A hospital spokesman has said the two executives received reprimands, but details about what punishments they face have not been revealed.

In a phone call Tuesday morning, Ford said “it’s critical that consequences are more transparent.”

Ford previously told the Chicago Sun-Times the two would face “harsh reprimands.”

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State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flapon March 23, 2021 at 1:54 pm Read More »

Chicago public health officials said increasing vaccine supply is priority over opening 24-hour vaccination site (LIVE UPDATES)on March 23, 2021 at 2:39 pm

Latest

Chicago won’t open a 24-hour vaccination site yet, Arwady says

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Chicago public health officials said they have no plans to open a vaccination site that would be open 24 hours a day — as some other cities have done.

At a press conference on the city’s vaccinations efforts, officials were asked about the possibility of opening an around-the-clock center to speed up vaccines and increase accessibility for essential workers. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the main focus right now is increasing vaccine supply.

“At this point, there’s not plans for a 24-hour situation,” Arwady said “We’ll see what the demand looks like and we’ll see what the vaccine supply looks like.”

Chicago is set to expand vaccine eligibility next Monday to additional essential workers like those in food service and hospitality, as well as those over 16 years old with underlying health conditions.

Since the start of the vaccine rollout, the city has prioritized healthcare and the first group of essential workers, according to Arwady.

“We’re always interested in new ideas, but we’ve been very focused here,” Arwady said “So, we’ll keep prioritizing those workers and we’ll see if they are more creative things we need to do to reach them.”

Read the full story from Sophie Sherry here.

News

9:30 a.m. State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flap

State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford has resigned from the board of trustees at Loretto Hospital over how it handled revelations of improperly providing vaccinations to people not yet eligible for the shots.

“I am very disappointed with the recent developments at The Loretto Hospital regarding its use of coronavirus vaccine entrusted to the hospital,” Ford said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.

“Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to The Loretto Hospital’s Board Chairman Edward Hogan because I strongly disagreed with how the reprimand of the hospital leadership was handled. As the state representative for the hospital and as a resident in its service area, I will continue to fight for resources for The Loretto Hospital, a safety-net hospital in the Austin community.”

The hospital’s CEO George Miller and COO Dr. Anosh Ahmed have come under fire in recent days after revelations the hospital improperly provided vaccinations to workers at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lives; at a suburban church that Miller is a member of; and a luxury watch shop on the Gold Coast where Ahmed shops.

Block Club Chicago broke the stories.

A hospital spokesman has said the two executives received reprimands, but details about what punishments they face have not been revealed.

In a phone call Tuesday morning, Ford said “it’s critical that consequences are more transparent.”

Ford previously told the Chicago Sun-Times the two would face “harsh reprimands.”

Read the full story from Mitch Dudek here.

New Cases & Vaccination Numbers

  • Illinois logged another 1,220 new confirmed, and probable, cases of the coronavirus, as well as 22 deaths.
  • The new cases were found in a batch of 47,374 tests.
  • So far, nearly one in three adult Illinois residents have received the vaccine, including about 64% of those 65 and older.

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Chicago public health officials said increasing vaccine supply is priority over opening 24-hour vaccination site (LIVE UPDATES)on March 23, 2021 at 2:39 pm Read More »

Murder charge filed in Humboldt Park quadruple shootingon March 23, 2021 at 2:01 pm

A Hermosa man previously charged in connection to a 2019 quadruple shooting in Humboldt Park now faces a murder charge in the same shooting.

Keshawn Keaton was initially charged with torching the car used in the July 4, 2019, shooting. But now, Keaton faces a count of murder and three counts of attempted murder, police announced Tuesday.

Police said Keaton, 20, was arrested Monday after police identified him as a participant in the shooting in the 3400 block of West Iowa Street. He was expected to appear in court on the new charges later Tuesday.

Pierre Teamer, 32, was killed after gunfire broke out that morning near Iowa Street and Homan Avenue, police said then. Three other males — ages 17, 23 and 31 — were wounded. The shooting was the largest from that July Fourth weekend, which saw five people killed and 63 others wounded.

Officers tried to chase a white sedan that fled the scene of the shooting but lost sight of the car, only to find it abandoned that afternoon, police said then.

Keaton was arrested after the shooting and charged with arson for allegedly torching the car. In court, prosecutors said Keaton was a reputed member of the TNG faction of the Conservative Vicelords street gang. After his initial arrest, he admitted to wiping down the car and pouring lighter fluid onto it, prosecutors said.

An arrest report from then noted that Keaton was identified as a “participant” in both the arson and the shooting. Court records show Keaton was initially held without bail on the arson charge, but was later released after his bail was modified.

He pleaded not guilty to the arson charge, and was brought back into court in December 2020 for allegedly violating the terms of his home electronic monitoring, court records show. The arson case remained pending.

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

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Murder charge filed in Humboldt Park quadruple shootingon March 23, 2021 at 2:01 pm Read More »