The new artistic director wants to take ‘amazing feats of storytelling’ into more diverse realms; Rick Bayless wants to give more money to local theaters.
The story of House Theatre mirrors that of so many other legendary ensembles in Chicago. A group of friends meet in college and decide to start a company, doing shows aiming to bring originality and verve and epic vision to the stage by breaking fourth walls and questioning the traditional models of dramatic storytelling.…Read More
Here’s the latest news on how COVID-19 is impacting Chicago and Illinois.
On the same day President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion relief bill, he also announced he would direct states to make all American adults eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1.
Andrew Harnik/AP PhotoPresident Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks before signing the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus relief package, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Washington.
WASHINGTON — One year after the nation was brought to a near-standstill by the coronavirus, President Joe Biden is outlining his plan Thursday evening to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1 and get the country “closer to normal” by the Fourth of July. He’s using his first prime-time address to offer Americans fresh hope and appeal anew for their help.
Speaking in the White House East Room, Biden will announce moves to speed vaccinations, including directing that all states make all adults eligible for doses by May 1. Previewing his remarks, senior administration officials said Biden would also announce steps to expand the number of places and categories of people who can give shots, aiming to let Americans gather at least in small groups for the Independence Day holiday.
Biden is marking one year since the onset of the pandemic that has killed more than 530,000 Americans and disrupted the lives of countless more.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity to preview Biden’s remarks, officials said Biden would announce that he is deploying an additional 4,000 active-duty troops to support vaccination efforts and will allow more people — such as medical students, veterinarians and dentists — to deliver shots. He is also directing more doses toward some 950 community health centers and up to 20,000 retail pharmacies, to make it easier for people to get vaccinated.
6:04 p.m. Pop-up vaccination site visits Maywood senior home
Linda Blunt sat anxiously in the lobby of the Garden House Apartments in Maywood on Thursday, awaiting her turn to receive the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
She chatted merrily with her neighbors, bounced her legs and held her registration papers tight. Blunt, 65, was more than ready to move on, a year after the pandemic led to a lockdown that has kept her away from her family.
“I just want to see this over with and I want to see us finally get back to normal,” Blunt said. “At least with this we can get halfway to normal because we want to get back to visiting our families and enjoying ourselves.”
5:46 p.m. After COVID vaccine mix-up, South Side patients wait for second shots
About 150 people who were scheduled to get their second COVID-19 shots at South Shore Hospital this week will have to wait a few days after a vaccine ordering snafu.
The hospital had to call patients who were scheduled for their second and final doses of the Moderna vaccine Wednesday through Friday to let them know they didn’t have the shots on hand, Chief Executive Tim Caveney said.
The second Moderna dose is key to make sure the vaccine is more than 90% effective warding off the virus, researchers have said.
Small community hospitals like South Shore receive their COVID vaccines from the city’s Public Health Department, and a hospital employee didn’t send the order in time last week, Caveney said.
4 p.m. Soldiers staffing United Center vax site not getting enough food; Army working to fix problem with vendor
Soldiers running the mass vaccination site at the United Center have been hungry because they haven’t been fed enough food, a problem the Army says it’s aware of and trying to fix.
There are 222 soldiers, most from the 101st Airborne Division, who are staffing the vaccination site that opened Tuesday.
The soldiers arrived in Chicago on Friday and the food that’s been supplied to them since through a vendor hasn’t been adequate, Capt. Harpa Magnusdottir, an Army spokeswoman, acknowledged Wednesday.
“We are aware of the food contract being dissatisfactory to some of our soldiers. The leadership onsite, along with the contracting team, raised the issue with the vendor as soon as they were made aware. The vendor is working expeditiously to address these issues, and we expect them to be resolved quickly,” Magnusdottir said in an email.
“Soldiers’ well-being and readiness is our top priority,” Magnusdottir said.
Military spokesman Tim Lundberg said the issue arose because the contract with the vendor “wasn’t in firm enough language to ensure the food requirement was being met.”
The contract was rewritten on the fly and soldiers were to begin receiving hardier meals Wednesday.
Lundberg said the misstep “falls under the honest mistake category.”
3:40 p.m. Americans’ $1,400 stimulus checks may arrive soon after Biden signs relief plan into law
WASHINGTON — The White House says the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans funded by the American Rescue Plan will start showing up in bank accounts as early as this weekend.
Press secretary Jen Psaki says the government will make the first direct deposits this weekend. She says payments will continue throughout the next several weeks.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in the Oval Office on Thursday.
2:16 p.m. Vaccinations rising statewide, health officials say
Illinois Public Health officials said Thursday the state’s seven-day average for vaccine shots reached a high of 98,166 doses.
Two weeks ago, the rolling average was 69,736 doses a day.
The highest single day number is 134,239, all administered March 5. On Wednesday, 112,776 doses were administered in Illinois.
The state Department of Public Health also reported 1,700 new cases of COVID-19 and 55 additional deaths. Thirty people in Cook County died of the virus, including a woman in her 20s and another woman over 100 years old.
The new cases were diagnosed from 89,893 tests and lowered Illinois’ average positivity rate to 2.2% — hovering near the lowest it’s ever been.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are as low as they’ve been since July, with 1,118 beds occupied Wednesday night. Of those, 231 patients were in intensive care and 102 patients were on ventilators.
The state’s average daily fatality rate over the past week is 28, down from 53 a month ago.
More than 1.2 million Illinois residents have been infected since the pandemic began a year ago.
1:28 p.m. Biden set to sign $1.9T relief bill before speech to nation
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to sign into law Thursday the $1.9 trillion relief package that he says will help the U.S. defeat the virus and nurse the economy back to health.
He originally planned to sign the bill on Friday. But the White House moved that up to Thursday afternoon, hours before the president plans to give his first prime-time address to the American public on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic.
Chief of staff Ron Klain tweeted that the bill actually arrived at the White House late Wednesday, more quickly than than anticipated. “We want to move as fast as possible,” he said.
He added, “We will hold our celebration of the signing on Friday, as planned, with congressional leaders!”
Previewing his remarks, Biden said he would “talk about what we’ve been through as a nation this past year, but more importantly, I’m going to talk about what comes next.”
Biden’s challenge Thursday night will be to honor the sacrifices made by Americans over the last year while encouraging them to remain vigilant despite “virus fatigue” and growing impatience to resume normal activities given the tantalizing promise of vaccines. Speaking on the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration of a pandemic, he’ll mourn the dead, but also project optimism about the future.
“This is a chance for him to really beam into everybody’s living rooms and to be both the mourner in chief and to explain how he’s leading the country out of this,” said presidential historian and Rice University professor Douglas Brinkley.
12:07 p.m. From job cuts to online commerce, virus reshaped US economy
WASHINGTON — At first, it was expected to be brief. At least that was the hope.
Instead, a once-in-a-century pandemic has ground on for a year, throwing millions out of work and upending wide swathes of the American economy. Delivery services thrived while restaurants suffered. Home offices replaced downtown offices. Travel and entertainment spending dried up.
The job losses were swift and harsh. But they hardly fell equally across the economy. Black and Hispanic workers fared worse than others. And many women, mostly mothers, felt compelled to quit the workforce to care for children being schooled online from home. Despite the job cuts, Americans as a whole socked away a record level of savings, buoyed by government aid to the unemployed and income that higher-paid workers, hunkered down at home, managed to squirrel away.
After a year of ghostly airports, empty sports stadiums and constant Zoom meetings, growing signs suggest that the economy is strengthening. Hiring picked up in February. Business restrictions have eased as the pace of viral infections has ebbed. Yet the economy remains far from normal.
11:40 a.m. 1 in 5 in US lost someone close in pandemic: poll
WASHINGTON — About 1 in 5 Americans say they lost a relative or close friend to the coronavirus, highlighting the division between heartache and hope as the country itches to get back to normal a year into the pandemic.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research illustrates how the stage is set for a two-tiered recovery. The public’s worry about the virus has dropped to its lowest point since the fall, before the holidays brought skyrocketing cases into the new year.
But people still in mourning express frustration at the continued struggle to stay safe.
“We didn’t have a chance to grieve. It’s almost like it happened yesterday for us. It’s still fresh,” said Nettie Parks of Volusia County, Florida, whose only brother died of COVID-19 last April. Because of travel restrictions, Parks and her five sisters have yet to hold a memorial.
Parks, 60, said she retired from her customer service job last year in part because of worry about workplace exposure, and now she is watching with dread as more states and cities relax health rules.
Only about 3 in 10 Americans are very worried about themselves or a family member being infected with the virus, down from about 4 in 10 in recent months. Still, a majority are at least somewhat worried.
“They’re letting their guard down and they shouldn’t,” Parks said. “People are going to have to realize this thing is not going anywhere. It’s not over.”
11:07 a.m. Cook County launches rental assistance program for suburban residents
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday launched a program that will provide millions in rental assistance to residents of suburban Cook County.
The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program will disburse $65 million to help renters facing eviction and allow landlords to apply for relief on behalf of their tenants.
“We know that working families in the suburbs are suffering,” Preckwinkle said Thursday morning at a virtual news conference. “Unpaid rent, evictions, foreclosures and other debts can have a lasting negative impact on a person’s life and future…we’re here to help.”
People seeking help can visit www.cookcountyil.gov/recovery to begin the application process. The deadline is April 2.
The millions in financial relief is from federal COVID-19 relief funds.
Preference will be given to households that earn between 50% and 80% of area median income, as well as to people who’ve become unemployed within 90 days of applying.
The maximum amount available to applicants seeking rental assistance is $15,000.
Applicants can also seek to tap an additional $8 million available for utility assistance and services to help with foreclosures and other debt burdens.
“During this time and over the past year, I have seen endless constituents coming to our office asking for any type of help, whether it’s a lead in a job opportunity or any other cash assistance,” Cook County Commissioner Alma E. Anaya said. “Programs like this make a real impact in people’s lives.”
9:02 a.m. Family of Illinois’ 1st COVID-19 death reflects on pandemic anniversary: ‘I wish you never knew us’
March 2 would have been the late Wanda Bailey’s 64th birthday.
Bailey’s sister, the late Patricia Frieson, would have been 62 on Nov. 27, had the retired nurse not succumbed on March 16, 2020, to the novel coronavirus, a disease declared a global pandemic five days earlier.
Frieson, the sixth daughter in an African American family of nine siblings from Chicago’s Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, became the first person to die of COVID-19 in Illinois.
The nation’s first known COVID death had occurred 51⁄2 weeks earlier, in California.
Tragically, on Mar. 25, just nine days after Frieson’s passing, her sister, Bailey, succumbed to a virus that by then had claimed 26 lives in Illinois — COVID fatalities about to escalate nationwide at an astronomical rate. By the end of May, it had claimed 100,000 lives.
“I wish you never knew us,” said Frieson’s brother, Anthony Frieson, 58, of the South Side, with whom we’d spoken last year after the death of his first sister.
“At the same time, I hope the story you wrote concerning my family made others more aware to do the things they needed to do so that hopefully none of their family members got sick. I hope that it helped others follow protocol and helped them get through it,” he said recently, in an exclusive interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.
He chatted while preparing for a small family gathering planned that evening at the home of a niece — masked, of course, and socially distanced — both to celebrate Bailey’s birthday and to remember both sisters on this somber anniversary.
Don Cooper looks on during his final season with the Sox. | Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Cooper said on AM-670, “It’s not fun when people you really look up to and admire and care for — care for, that’s the best way to put it — don’t care for you quite as much.”
Eighteen years as White Sox pitching coach. Over three decades in the Sox organization. Thick as thieves with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
You’d better believe it stung Don Cooper to get fired. Cooper, 65, put it all out there Thursday in an appearance on 670-AM’s Parkins & Spiegel Show.
“I spent more than half my life there,” he said, “and it’s not fun when people you really look up to and admire and care for — care for, that’s the best way to put it — don’t care for you quite as much.”
Who didn’t care for him?
“Obviously nobody,” he said.
Cooper expressed his gratitude for all those years on the South Side and said the Sox’ pitching remains important to him. He called the years after the trades of starters Chris Sale to the Red Sox and Jose Quintana to the Cubs “painful,” though he agreed the rebuilding phase probably was necessary.
That doesn’t mean moving on with Ethan Katz in and him out is the way Cooper would’ve drawn things up.
“The bottom line is it hurt,” he said. “When you’re no longer a part of something, it hurts. But I’m over the hurt and, trust me, I’ve moved on.”
Sliders on the menu
Lucas Giolito established himself among baseball’s best right-handers in 2019 and 2020, but he wants to take his game up another notch. Adding a plus slider to his riding fastball and changeup can do that.
“The big focus of mine in the offseason and spring right now is command of my sider,” Gioito said. “Over the course of the 2020 season, I was able to refine my slider and shape. The consistency out of my hand, moving the way I want it to, that showed later in the season when we were going slider more and more — especially that playoff game [against the Athletics].”
In Game 1 of the Wild Card series, Giolito had three pitches working. The result? A perfect game into the seventh inning.
“The next step is, OK, I own the slider,” he said. “I know how it needs to move, and the next step is cementing it to where I can always go to it and feel confident in it. I’ll throw the changeup in a 3-0 count. I can’t say the same for the slider, but that’s where I want it to be.”
Giolito is scheduled to make his third spring start Friday at the Rangers.
Gambler threatened Rays, Sox
In July 2019, the Sox went to Tampa, Florida, and took two out of three from the Rays. A sports gambler from Napa, California, allegedly took to anonymous Instagram accounts after one of the games and posted violent threats to several Rays players and at least one from the Sox. Benjamin Tucker Patz, 24, pleaded guilty in Tampa federal court. According to reports, he sent similar threats to athletes on various teams across sports.
It’s never a bad time for a “W” when you’re Tony La Russa. | AP Photos
“Bad managing,” he said. “Because the guys are trying hard, so I’ll manage better. Or try to.”
Spring training is all about working out the kinks. Getting back into the swing. Finding a groove. Ramping up. Not screwing up. That last one, especially, during a pandemic.
Here’s what it isn’t about: winning and losing. That stuff can wait for the regular season, when every move counts and every blunder threatens to leave a nasty mark in the standings.
Look, they don’t call it the Cactus League because the White Sox and 14 other teams just happen to be playing their spring baseball in Arizona. Wait, did you really think that was the reason?
Fine, it is. But it might as well be because who wins and who loses is about as riveting as watching a scaly, spiny, leafless plant do a whole lot of just standing around in the desert.
All of which is to say: Nobody really cares.
Correction: Nobody really cares as much as back-again Sox manager Tony La Russa.
“That’s actually the first thing at the top of [my] list,” La Russa said Thursday as the Sox — 1-6-3 — prepared for a game against the Reds in Goodyear. “That’s why you keep the score.
“Six times that we’ve been losers, it has messed up the rest of the day. You try to draw some positives because work got in, all that stuff, but you’ve just got to manage better. [It has been] bad managing. Because the guys are trying hard, so I’ll manage better. Or try to.”
By the sounds of it, the return of La Russa, 76, has been nothing less than an unmitigated disaster. That isn’t actually true, mind you. How could it be? The man just climbed back into a uniform. And did we mention it’s spring training?
“Professionally, the game dictates how you feel,” he said.
One supposes that’s simply the nature of La Russa, known far and wide for the extent of his competitive burn. Losses have always eaten at him. It must be one of the not-so-secrets to his vast pile of managerial successes.
But maybe he’s pulling our legs a bit on the spring thing?
“I was always taught — my dad said — ‘You get confused, keep it simple.’ Our team plays their team, and they’re keeping score. So the people that pay you to manage or coach or play, they want to win the game.”
OK, maybe he isn’t. Holy cacti, he cares a lot.
The Sox lost three straight heading into Thursday, and it was kind of ugly going by the scoreboard. They were shut out in two of those games and really haven’t started hitting yet on the whole. They faced three starting pitchers — the Rockies’ German Marquez, the Dodgers’ Julio Urias and the Padres’ Blake Snell — who combined for eight shutout innings.
“Great practice,” La Russa said, “because they’re seeing guys who seem to me like they’re opening-season ready. So it’s good for us, and we’re working on it, and I think we’re going to get better and better.”
Ready for Opening Day? That’s more than doubtful. Nobody is ready yet. The people who lay the foul lines, rake the mound and wash the uniforms aren’t ready.
But at least La Russa used the words “great” and “good” in regard to his own team, a team that happens to be more than a little talented.
“At some point,” he said, “based on what I’ve seen, we’re going to improve and improve, and I believe we’ll be tough to play. We’re going to win our share. More than our share, hopefully.”
By that, he meant once the games start counting for real — during the season.
He’s not alone, as every NBA coach will be dealing with load management and trying to find practice time, but Donovan said on Thursday that it will be a feel thing for all the coaches.
There was no shootaround on Thursday morning.
There won’t be a shootaround on Friday, either.
The next logical practice day? Maybe on Monday, and that’s written in pencil, not pen.
The NBA coaching manual has a lot of information in it, but five games over a seven-night span and a lot of the same throughout the second half of the season? There’s no chapter on how to navigate that.
That’s what Bulls coach Billy Donovan, and really all the NBA coaches, have to figure out.
“There’s three parts to that; just your eyes what you are watching to see how guys are moving and playing,’’ Donovan said, when asked how he and his staff will try and load manage. “The other part is taking their inventory, how they are feeling, what they are going through physically, mentally, emotionally. And then the medical part plays a big piece just in terms of the loads, managing that and looking at the numbers and how they are feeling, so obviously if guys are ok and able to play and want to play, we certainly want to do that.
“I think it’s extremely important that players are honest about how they are feeling and what they are going through. We should be as most teams maybe fresher physically in just having some time off but obviously a little bit rusty in some other areas. But as this second half unfolds and the number of games we have, I think there has to be a daily check in to see where guys are at physically and is it a wise choice to maybe have somebody sit out a game to kind of recuperate and get ready for the next one.’’
What Donovan has on his side with this roster is options.
He’s been very creative in combinations and matchups throughout the first half, unconcerned with how deep he’s gone with his bench.
All of that will be in play over the next few months.
What will initially be difficult is finding practice time to build up the conditioning of both Lauri Markkanen {right shoulder} and Otto Porter Jr. (back), who had missed a significant number of games entering the break.
Both returned against the 76ers, but both were admittedly rusty.
“If a guy is feeling good and he wants to play, I think you have to side with the player,’’ Donovan said of his mentality. “I think just for myself or medical to say, ‘No, you are not playing tonight. This is our decision and you are going to sit.’ I don’t think that’s good because I think you want a competitive group.’’
Otto-pilot
Porter had no reaction to rumors that he could be headed for a buyout, insisting that the business of basketball goes through his representation, and all has been quiet on that end.
“I have no idea, to be honest with you, I have no idea,’’ Porter said of a buyout scenario. “Like I said, I’ve just been in the gym every day, trying to get my body back, and whatever is going on out there, I have no idea about. My agent would probably tell me if something was going on, but he hasn’t said anything.’’
Porter was making $28.4 million this season, but headed for free agency this summer. Asked if he was putting an emphasis on showcasing his talent the second half, especially after a mostly-injured first half, Porter downplayed that as well.
“I’m just focused on the team right now,’’ Porter said.
It’s the greenest (and luckiest) time of the year! St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago is always the weekend before March 17th and most of us Chicagoans are ready to get our shamrock on. Although COVID is still a thing, there are plenty of restaurants and bars celebrating safely. Check ‘em out below.
This Irish bar and restaurant will be celebrating St. Paddy’s Day for two whole weeks. Stop by now until March 17th for corned beef, pints of Guinness, Irish music and more. Sláinte!
Craving an authentic St. Paddy’s Day meal? Tuscan Hen has you covered with their Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner. For just $18.95, you can enjoy House Braised Corned Beef, Cabbage, Carrots, Housemade Soda Bread, and a Bailey’s Irish Cream Cannoli. Learn more here.
This Wicker Park hotspot is serving up traditional favorites: a Reuben Sandwich with Corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut, and secret sauce, on marbled rye. And Creamy Potato Soup with Hickory-smoked peppered bacon, Cheddar Jack, and green onions. We’ll take both.
Hanging out in Little Italy? Get your shenanigans on with $4 green Miller Lites, $5 Irish Car Bombs, and $6 Guinness Pints. Or if you’re ~really~ looking to party, go for their $25 bottomless green mimosas. Irish today, hungover tomorrow.
If you’ll be in the West Loop on March 13, head over to PB&J for a pop-up St. Pat’s celebration. You know the drill: green beer, Red Bull cocktails, Guinness, and more specials. And if you run the St. Paddy’s Day 5K, congratulations. Also you’ll get a free beer.
How sweet is this? Chicago’s iconic donut shop is dishing up green mint hot chocolate, Irish cream cold brew, mint Oreo shakes, and emerald-dipped donuts. Sugar crash in 3, 2, 1…totally worth it.
How to have the perfect St. Patty’s Day: secure a table at Cafe Robey. Order their Irish Patty Melt with Guinness Mayo. Wash it down with a few shots of Jameson (on special). And keep the party going by tacking on a few buckets of’ beer. Best. Day. EVER.
Don’t sleep on this Bucktown bar. Here’s what’s going down: a Guinness Glass Giveaway on March 12, Pot of Gold Trivia on March 15, and a Guinness jersey Giveaway on St. Patty’s Day. Make your reservations here.
Rewired Pizza Cafe & Bar, the new lowkey haunt in Edgewater, is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day all month long. Created by Bar Manager RC Schultz, the March themed cocktail is I’m Not Irish, But Drink This Anyway with vodka, crème de menthe liqueur, crème de cacao liqueur, cream, and Dolin Blanc vermouth ($9). From the coffee bar, guests can enjoy the Pot of Gold with thyme and star anise demerara, milk, espresso, and Lucky Charms (small: $4; medium: $4.50; large: $5). Chef Jesus Escobedo has also created festive Irish-themed food specials like a Reuben Pizza with sauerkraut, corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, mozzarella and Swiss cheese (small: $14; medium: $18; large: $22) and Green Mac & Cheese with cavatappi pasta, house made green cheese sauce and toasted bread crumbs ($10).
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, The Rambler Kitchen + Tap in North Center will open early at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 13. Two $30 per person food and drink packages will be available throughout the day for guests who book a table of 4 to 6. The Brunch Package will run 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and features one brunch dish along with mimosas, bloody marys, and green draft beer. The Lunch Package, available from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., includes a menu item, green draft beer and house liquor. Both packages include complimentary St. Patrick’s Day swag. Space is limited. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.theramblerchicago.com.
Also, on Sunday, March 14, The Rambler will host a “Get The Green Out-Cha!” day-after St. Patrick’s Day brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The full brunch menu will be available as well as themed items like Corned Beef Hash, Bangers and Mash, and Bacon and Beans. Drinks will include green draft beer, Irish coffee, mimosas, Guinness and more.
For Chiagoans looking to spend the holiday at home, The Rambler will offer an “Irish Pub Experience at Home” To-Go Package from Saturday, March 13 through Wednesday, March 17. The $60 package is available to pre-order for pick up or delivery. The festive box will include Two Corned Beef Platters with slow cooked corned beef, red potato, and cabbage, a bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey, and a four pack of Guinness with two Guinness Imperial pint glasses, beads, tattoos and other St. Patrick’s Day decor. Patrons can opt to order the dinner for one person without alcohol for $16.
The Graystone Tavern
The Graystone Tavern in Wrigleyville will open early at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 13 to celebrate Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend. A $30 food and drink package available from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m featuring mimosas, green draft beer and choice of a breakfast sandwich (egg and ham or sausage, or egg and cheese on an English muffin). On Wednesday, March 17, $5 Guinness pints will be on special all evening.
Guests can safely enjoy the festivities in Graystone’s new winterized, heated beer garden. The space features string lights overhead, seven TVs, and games like bags, giant Jenga and giant Connect 4. For table reservations, email [email protected].
St Patrick’s Day Chicago Featured Image Credit: The Rambler Chicago
Move over, ChicagoFire FC, there’s a new football club in town. This summer, soccer fans all throughout the city will find themselves with a new soccer club to root for in Chicago House AC. This newest addition to the Chicago sports scene will host their home games at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. And with the NISA season set to begin in August, there’s a good chance we could see some fans in the stands if city officials continue with their decisions to reopen stadiums as it becomes safer to do so. With a whole new franchise, roster, coaching staff, logo, and more, we’re here to help get you up to speed on all things Chicago House AC.
One of the first things you might find yourself wondering is, why did they name themselves Chicago House AC? It all started with management who wanted this new franchise to be part of the Chicago community. And in their effort to start that relationship off the right way, they turned to the fans for ideas on what to name the team. The name “Chicago House” was coined by Brian Costin, who said, “Chicago House music has always been about peace, love, and acceptance, and has influenced music culture all over the globe,” in a statement released by the club. Fan voting eventually whittled the options down to Chicago House and Point Chicago at the end, with Chicago House taking over as a heavy favorite.
After they found themselves with a new name, Chicago House AC needed a logo. The current design, which was also developed using fan submissions, ties the city’s history, musical culture, and sport into one. The lines form the letters ‘Ch’ and also represent the Chicago skyline. The colors of the logo have meaning too, with the black used to represent the city’s founder, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, the green comes from the lion sculptures outside of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the rusty-orange pays tribute to the industrial past of the city.
As of now, the club doesn’t have an official roster of players that’s available to the public. They’ll need to field a group of starters, backups, and a few goalies to make themselves competitive in the National Independent Soccer Association. Fortunately, Chicago House AC management will have until the end of summer to do so.
Advertisement
Speaking of management, that is something the club does have figured out. Peter Wilt is the clubs’ President and CEO, and Night Train Veeck will take on the Chief Operating Officer role. One notable name from the front office staff that Chicago soccer fans might recognize is head coach, CJ Brown. Brown is a former member of the Chicago Fire FC. He played for the club for 12 seasons back when they didn’t even have the ‘FC’ in their name. He leads the Fire franchise in games played and was inducted into the Chicago Fire’s Hall of Fame in 2012.
Like the club roster, no official start date has been announced outside of August this year. The NISA will begin play for their spring Legends Cup tournament next month, but Chicago House AC will not participate. Despite the lack of an official schedule, fans have the opportunity to secure season tickets on the team’s website. It’ll only be a matter of time before they take the field!
For a long time, the Chicago Bears were dealing with a bad kicker situation. They signed Cory Parkey to be that guy before his terrible 2018 season. The problem is that he was a terrible kicker on a football team that went 12-4. It looked like a team that could need their kicker down the stretch and the writing was on the wall that he wouldn’t be able to handle it. Well, he sure wasn’t able to handle it as he doinked the game-winning Field Goal in their playoff game.
After that now infamous play, the Bears quickly became the punchline of kicking jokes. People still make fun of it today but the Bears don’t care. They have their guy. Cairo Santos was awesome for the Chicago Bears in 2020 and he is being rewarded for it.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears and Santos agreed on a 16 million dollar, five-year contract extension with a max value of 17.5 million. The catch is that the final two years are voidable so the deal is really a nine million dollar three-year deal with a max value of 11 million. This is the perfect deal for both the Bears and Santos.
The Bears are the fifth team that Santos has played on in his NFL career. There is no doubt that his 2020 season with them is what earned him this deal. There is no longer an issue with the Bears and their kickers for the foreseeable future. Of course, Santos needs to keep kicking well in order to be worth this deal but it is fair to believe he can.
After a record-setting season, #Bears have agreed to terms with K Cairo Santos on a $16M, 5-year contract with a max value of $17.5M.
Final 2 years of deal are voidable so it’s really a $9M, 3-year deal with max value of $11M.
It is some much-needed good news for this franchise. One of their big problems before 2020 was the kicker. Now, if they can figure out how to move the football more, they might actually be able to take advantage of having a good kicker. You can’t rely solely on field goals but you need to have that as a part of your game.
With a guy like Santos in the mix, we can go into 2021 with the kicker being the least of the worries. It is a good deal for the Bears and Santos is now taken care of on an individual level. He can just go out there and worry about kicking that ball through uprights instead of worrying about where he is going to play the following year.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22364299/AP21070701004804.jpg)
whole 
The Graystone Tavern
