Arlington International Racecourse at 2200 Euclid Ave. in Arlington Heights. The Chicago Bears have a deal to purchase the 326-acre parcel. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Bears representatives so far have only said that the team is performing its “due diligence” in exploring the potential for a new stadium at the 326-acre suburban plot.

The CEO of the gambling corporation selling Arlington International Racecourse to the Chicago Bears said Thursday he expects the team to build “a world-class stadium” at the storied northwest suburban site.

In the first public comments from an executive on either side of the bombshell $197 million sale agreement announced last month, Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen expressed remorse for the loss of one sport at the Arlington Heights oval and excitement for the possible introduction of another.

“Although we are sad to close Arlington Park and would have loved to continue racing and investing in the region, we believe that the Chicago Bears will ultimately develop this prime real estate into a world-class stadium and development, with numerous amenities for fans and residents to enjoy over the coming decades,” Carstanjen said during a quarterly earnings call.

Bears representatives so far have only said that the team is performing its “due diligence” in exploring the potential for a new stadium at the 326-acre plot, where the final thoroughbred races were held a few days before the sale was announced Sept. 29.

Carstanjen called the decision to sell Arlington “a comment on the archaic racing laws that really haven’t been changed in a material way in [Illinois] in 30-plus years, and no longer worked.”

In fact, those laws changed drastically in 2019 with the passage of a massive gambling expansion that allows horse racing tracks to become “racinos” with slot machines and table games as a means of supplementing dwindling purses for the state’s struggling horse racing industry. Churchill Downs had lobbied for that privilege for decades alongside other gambling interests, only to pass on the opportunity, blaming high taxes.

Carstanjen dismissed that legislation, saying “it wasn’t really passed in a form that was enough to make up for the racing paradigm in the state.”

So instead of investing in the 93-year-old track, the Lousiville-based corporation is opting to sell it to the Bears, who outbid a group led by former Arlington International Racecourse president Roy Arnold that wanted to keep the ponies running.

Despite a Daily Herald report that another racing-minded group was courting the Bears about resuming racing, the team is “not pursuing any horse racing opportunities on the site,” Bears spokesman Scott Hagel said in an email.

The sale is not expected to close until late 2022 or early 2023, contingent on the team receiving approvals from officials in the suburb. Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said last week that his office has held preliminary meetings with team representatives, but that the Bears have yet to lay out specific visions for the land.

The team would be on the hook for about $87 million if they were to break its lease at Soldier Field after the estimated five years it could take to finish building a suburban dome.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has beckoned the organization back to the bargaining table in a bid to keep them on the lakefront. The team has expressed interest in opening a sportsbook at the aging stadium, but Lightfoot has been cool on that idea as her office also tries to attract developers for a full-blown casino in the city.

Carstanjen said Churchill Downs will not be one of the bidders for that casino license. Applications are due to Lightfoot’s office Friday.

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Dirksen Federal Courthouse, 219 S. Dearborn St. | Sun-Times file

Ramiro Barajas recruited, managed and supervised gamblers for Gregory Paloian, according to his plea agreement. He also gave them log-in credentials so they could place bets on the website Unclemicksports.com.

A wide-ranging federal gambling investigation led to another guilty plea Thursday, this time by a Chicago man who admitted he worked as an agent for bookie Gregory Paloian, who has purported mob ties.

Ramiro Barajas, 40, pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business between 2016 and 2019 during a video hearing before U.S. District Judge John Tharp. The judge set a sentencing hearing for Feb. 21.

Barajas recruited, managed and supervised gamblers for Paloian, according to his plea agreement. It said he also gave them log-in credentials so they could place bets on the website Unclemicksports.com, which is central to the related prosecution of Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice and others.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Terry Kinney has previously said in court that Paloian ran his operation involving about 60 gamblers through DelGiudice, “who had a well-established network all set up.”

U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow gave Paloian a two-and-a-half year prison sentence last April, but she later agreed to push his surrender date back until August 2022 for health reasons. Another Paolian agent, former Melrose Park police officer John Amabile, also pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Martha Pacold to six months in home detention.

Chicago police officer Nicholas Stella, indicted along with DelGiudice, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall to 15 months behind bars. DelGiudice’s sentencing is set for Feb. 4.

Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher also faced charges along with DelGiudice, but Donald Trump pardoned Urlacher in the final hours of his presidency last January.

Barajas shared winnings and losses with Paloian on a 25% basis and routinely communicated with Paloian to discuss the operation, according to Barajas’ plea agreement. During his hearing Thursday, Tharp asked Barajas whether he profited from particular bets.

“I had more losses than wins,” Barajas said. “But yes.”

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The Leighton Criminal Courthouse | Sun-Times file

Cook County prosecutors dropped multiple murder and burglary charges against Nicholas Heisler as part of a plea deal.

A 27-year-old man was sentenced to more than two decades in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to home invasion in a 2014 robbery that left retired Chicago Police Sgt. Elmer Brown dead.

Cook County Judge James Obbish sentenced Nicholas Heisler to 23 years and six months in prison after Heisler pleaded guilty to the single count in a deal reached with prosecutors.

As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped multiple murder and burglary charges against Heisler, according to court records.

Heisler was 20 years old and living in Indiana when he was charged with Brown’s murder, along with Jesse Kazmierski, 18, and Jeremy Mendez, who was 16 at the time.

Cook County sheriff’s office
Nicholas Heisler in an undated booking photo

Kazmierski, 25, pleaded guilty to murder in 2019 and is currently serving a 33-year sentence at the Pontiac Correctional Center, state prison records show.

Prosecutors dropped all charges against Mendez in 2017, according to court records.

Brown, 73, was shot in the face during the March 10, 2014 robbery and died two weeks later.

He and his wife had been watching TV when the three robbers rang the doorbell at Brown’s East Side home looking for money that they believed the 38-year police veteran kept inside a safe at his home, the Chicago Sun-Times previously reported.

Illinois Department of Corrections
Jesse Kazmierski

Brown’s wife was lying face-down during the robbery. After she heard the gunshot, she then saw her husband lying in a hallway, prosecutors said.

The group made off with some cash, a rifle and a knife from the home, prosecutors said.

It wasn’t clear who fired the shot that killed Brown, since all three assailants had covered their faces with their sweatshirts during the robbery, prosecutors said.

Heilser was charged in December that year and had been held without bail at the Cook County jail since.

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The former Bulls standout is named team ambassador leading up the game against the Knicks and “Joakim Noah Night.”

Joakim Noah always did things his own way.

That’s how one goes from NBA antagonist to Bulls ambassador throughout a career.

Nicknamed “Stick” and then “Stick Stickity” while growing up in New York, Noah started in the shadow of his famous tennis star father, Yannick, but emerged as a star in his own right for a Bulls franchise that gambled on him coming out of Florida.

They weren’t gambling on Noah Thursday night. They were honoring him.

Not only was Noah’s nine-year career with the Bulls celebrated at the United Center on “Joakim Noah Night,” but the team announced in the afternoon that Noah was named a Bulls ambassador.

“When Joakim played for the Bulls, you could see how much he cared about the kids and everything that’s going on in the city,” Bulls president and COO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “He still comes into town, and he still cares so much. People in Chicago realize that he was more than just a basketball player, he was someone who cared about the community, someone who was going to do his best to make a difference in this world and he has. Joakim embodies every quality you’d want in a team ambassador. This is a natural next step for a former player with such strong history of giving back to Chicago.”

In his Bulls career, Noah was a two-time All-Star (2013, 2014) and a three-time All-Defensive team selection (First Team in 2013 and 2014, and Second Team in 2011). The big man was also named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.

In 572 regular-season games, he averaged 9.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, three assists, 1.41 blocks and 0.84 steals in 29.5 minutes per game, guiding the Bulls to the playoffs seven times.

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Mauricio Ramirez, 32, was ordered held on $500,000 bail for criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

A former Chicago Park District lifeguard supervisor was ordered held on $500,000 bail Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who worked for him.

Mauricio Ramirez, 32, began talking to the girl in July while she worked as a lifeguard under his supervision, Cook County prosecutors said.

During their initial conversations, the girl told Ramirez she was a junior in high school, prosecutors said.

Later, Ramirez began picking the girl up from her high school and they would drive to various locations, including his house, where he sexually assaulted her on at least seven separate occasions, prosecutors said.

In September, the girl told a friend and her parents what had happened and she was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where a sexual assault kit was administered, prosecutors said.

Ramirez was first arrested on Oct. 12 in connection with the case.

At that time, he agreed to provide his DNA for testing and was released from custody, prosecutors said.

Ramirez was arrested again Wednesday on criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges after tests showed his DNA matched samples taken from the girl’s sexual assault kit, prosecutors said.

Ramirez’s phone records show that he was in regular contact with the girl between July and September, but the records did not show the contents of their conversations, prosecutors said.

Ramirez most recently been working for Amazon since he left the park district after 15 years of employment, his attorney Paul De Luca told Judge Marie McCarthy Thursday.

De Luca noted Ramirez had cooperated with the investigation and would agree to be placed on electronic monitoring if he was able to post bond.

McCarthy called Ramirez a danger to the community.

A spokeswoman for the park district declined to comment Thursday.

Ramirez was placed on unpaid emergency suspension by the park district on Sept. 13 “pending the outcome of an (inspector general) investigation,” according to personnel records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

“You are further prohibited from having contact with other park district employees and visiting park district facilities,” he was told.

Ramirez resigned on Oct. 4, saying he was “pursuing other career opportunities.”

The resignation was a major development in the ongoing investigation of sexual harassment and abuse among park district lifeguards that raised questions about an alleged cover-up in then-Supt. Mike Kelly’s administration.

Kelly resigned days later when Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on the park district’s board of commissioners to fire him over his handling of the allegations.

The Sun-Times reported in August that an Oak Street Beach lifeguard sent 11 pages of explosive allegations in February 2020 to Kelly about lifeguards’ conduct during the summer of 2019.

Ramirez is expected back in court on Nov. 15.

Contributing: Lauren FitzPatrick and Fran Spielman

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Bears running back Khalil Herbert (24) had 18 carries for 100 yards against the Buccaneers’ top-ranked run defense last week — the most by a single rusher against the Buccaneers this season. | Don Montague/AP Photos

They’ve established the run in four games with Bill Lazor calling plays. But parlaying that success into a productive passing game has been problematic. They’re sixth in rushing, but 32nd in passing.

The Bears’ offense under Matt Nagy is a twisted version of an old boxing maxim: They can run, but they can’t pass.

When the Bears established a running game against the Lions (188 yards) and Raiders (143) in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s first two games as the play-caller, the next logical step was an expansion of the passing game. In football theory, the defense focusing on stopping the running game should create opportunities in the passing game.

“You’re always trying to stay one step ahead of the defenses,” Nagy said after the Bears rushed for 143 yards but passed for 109 in a 20-9 victory over the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in Week 5.

“Maybe some games are some play-actions off that that are more successful than others. Maybe it’s drop-back or maybe it’s RPO or it’s getting out on the edge with movements and nakeds. It’s all based off the things you see that a team is going to [do].”

It sounds good in theory, but in practice it hasn’t quite worked out. The Bears have continued to run well against the Packers (140 yards) and even against the Buccaneers’ No. 1-ranked run defense (143 yards). But that has yet to translate to an improvement in the passing game. The Bears had 137 net passing yards against the Packers and 168 against the Buccaneers.

In the last four games, in fact, the Bears have rushed for 153.5 yards per game — fourth best in the NFL in that span. But they’re 32nd and last in the NFL in passing in that same span (149.8).

It seems like yet another red flag for the slow-developing Bears offense. Of the top eight rushing teams in the NFL this season, seen of them are in the top 11 in total offense. The outlier is the Bears, who are sixth in rushing and 32nd in total offense.

What’s up with that?

“I don’t think it has anything to do with the run game,” Lazor said of the Bears’ low passing-game production. “I think it has to do with [having] to be better with the details of the pass game — fitting it together; making the plays when they’re available. I don’t just mean jumping up and catching the ball. I mean, blocking the person we’re supposed to block; being together with how we’re going to block it; the timing of the firmness of protection; matching the timing of the routes.”

Lazor, who acknowledges reality as much as anyone on Matt Nagy’s staff, knows it’s a significant bugaboo. “When you’re 32nd [in the NFL], we could spend a lot of time talking about this,” he said.

Indeed, the little things are keeping the Bears’ passing offense from getting off the ground. On the second play against the Buccaneers, rookie running back Khalil Herbert reacted too late to a blitz pick-up and Justin Fields was sacked. On the Bears’ next possession, tight end Cole Kmet dropped a third-and-eight pass to force a punt.

“There were only probably two or three drives in that game — and the game was already out of hand — where you really felt we got into a rhythm, whether that was tempo or some completions,” Nagy said. “So you can get to a point to where you’re struggling and things don’t feel like they’re going your way and then people start to press, and that’s what we don’t want.”

Fields has started just five games in an offense that has been struggling for years regardless of the quarterback. But there are few signs of a breakthrough. The light at the end of the tunnel still looks like an oncoming train.

“We know we can be a lot better,” Nagy said. “We know it because we see it on tape. The stuff that we show on film that we’ve done in the past — it’s there. Now it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”

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“All three Parlor Pizza Bar locations are under investigation following Wednesday raids by Chicago police and Internal Revenue Service special agents in River North, West Loop, and Wicker Park. Officers were staked out at the three restaurants while they conducted an active investigation.” via Eater Chicago.

Everyone’s [least] favorite pizza place and fall-back nightlife option, Parlor Pizza, was raided by the Chicago Police and IRS yesterday. Parlor, which is most popular amongst millennials with no originality, has locations in River North, West Loop, and Wicker Park. All three locations were staked out by law enforcement agencies on suspicion of tax evasion. According to Block Club Chicago, “About 1:30 p.m., officers were seen inside the Wicker Park eatery at 1824 W. Division St. They wore jackets that said “police” and “special agent.” All three locations now don signs outside saying the restaurant was closed and an orange ‘Do Not Enter” sign from the City of Chicago Department of Buildings shined brightest on the front door of each location. Things happened so fast that employees tried to show up to work as normal during the day and were locked out due to the investigation.

Parlor Pizza Bar has made a name for itself in Chicago the past decade. After opening its’ flagship location in West Loop (Green and Washington) in 2014, it has expanded to Wicker Park (Division and Honore) in 2016 and River North (Kinzie and Dearborn) in 2018. Owners Michael Bisbee and Tim Hendricks, the duo responsible for LBN Group, wanted to create a hybrid pizza joint that was accommodating to families all size during the day but doubled as a hot nightlife hangout at night. Little did they know that in order to do that you have to pay your taxes.

There is no timetable or further information regarding the status of Parlor and when it may be open again. The only thing that is for certain is there is a large demographic of hungry Chicagoans who will be absent the ability to eat mediocre pizza and drink $7 Tecate’s at Chicago’s most overrated hangout spot.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to pay your taxes.

Featured Image Credit: OpenTable

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2020 was not a great year for the restaurant industry. Unfortunately, a lot of eateries had to shut down operations leading to many furloughs and layoffs. But 2021 gave us hope. Restaurants are (mostly) back to full capacity and people are dining out again. Which means the job market is pretty bonkers right now. So if you’ve ever wanted to work as a server, hostess, cook, or other position, there’s a good chance a job is waiting for you. Check out our roundup of the top Chicago restaurant groups looking for awesome people like you!

This innovative, modern organization owns and operates award-winning restaurants such as Alinea, Aviary, Next, and Roister. Top positions they’re hiring for include a Sous Chef, Bar Director, Bartender, Server, and a Commis. Alinea Group offers a competitive benefits package including a 401K + 4% match as well as paid time off, daily staff meals, and health insurance. 

If you’re looking to join a team of talented, driven individuals, you’ll want to apply at Boka. Restaurants include GT Fish & Oyster, Alla Vita, Girl & The Goat, Swift and Sons, plus more. Open positions range from a Pastry Cook, Restaurant Manager, Beverage Manager, Line Manager, Sous Chef, and more. Benefits and perks include dental and vision insurance, 401K, paid sick leave, and health benefits.

This iconic restaurant group is known for their massive cuts of meat and strong cocktails. But they also own and operate LUXBAR, Quartino Ristorante, ChiSox Bar & Grill, Cafe by the River, and more. Right now they’re looking for a Cocktail Server, Pastry Chef, Porter, Executive Chef, Servers, and more. According to Glassdoor, staff can enjoy complimentary meals before or after shifts and paid sick days. 

There’s a good chance you know at least one of their restaurants: Beatrix, Bub City, Joe’s Seafood, RJ Grunt’s, Ramen-San, shall we continue? LEYE is hiring for a boatload of positions including a Cook, Barista, Pastry Chef, Busser, Bartender, Host, and many more. They have generous employee benefits which include holiday pay, employee assistance programs, 401K, BCBS medical/dental insurance and a bunch of other great things. 

They’re the genesis behind Roots Pizza, VU Ultra Lounge, Utopian Tailgate, and other great eateries. And spoiler: they’re hiring! Maybe you’re looking for a role like Assistant General Manager, Line Cook, Server, Sous Chef, FOH Manager, or something else. And check out these dope benefits: restaurant discounts and employee meals, paid maternal and parental leave, holiday parties, advancement and career opportunities!

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Jonathan Toews addressed the media Wednesday about the Blackhawks sexual assault scandal. | Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

On a day when the Hawks and the hockey community needed to deliver empathy and demonstrate progress, Toews fell far short on both fronts.

As the hockey world collectively reflected on its flaws and transgressions Wednesday, taking an important step toward improving its culture, Jonathan Toews sounded conversely stuck in time and ignorant to the mood of the day.

Addressing the media after the Blackhawks’ loss to the Maple Leafs — Toews’ first public comments since the sexual assault investigation’s conclusion Tuesday and victim Kyle Beach’s step into the spotlight Wednesday — the Hawks captain struck all the wrong chords.

Toews’ eventual passionate defense of now-disgraced ex-general manager Stan Bowman was the worst of all, but his comments weren’t exactly commendable even before that point.

He first said he didn’t want to “exonerate himself,” but then promptly prioritized emphasizing he didn’t know about former video coach Brad Aldrich’s assault of Beach until training camp the following season, by which point Aldrich was finally out of Chicago (but not done assaulting other people).

Patrick Kane, speaking minutes before, by comparison led by praising Beach, saying it was “very courageous for him to come out and let his name be known to the world after everything he went through.”

Toews recalled hearing the story from a “bunch of guys” talking outside the Sutton Place Hotel on the Near North Side, where the Hawks were holding a meeting before the start of their 2010-11 training camp. But even then, he did “not really” consider taking any action in response.

“I thought what I’d heard was the beginning and the end of it,” Toews said. “Not that it was a joke, but it was something that wasn’t taken super seriously at the time. I thought Brad [Aldrich] being let go or resigning from the organization was the way that it was dealt with. To me, it was water under the bridge.

“Had I been more connected in any way to the situation and known some of the more gory details of it, I’d like to say, yeah, I would’ve acted differently in my role as captain, for sure.”

Toews described Beach as a “happy-go-lucky kid” — the exact same term used by Kane, who apparently knew Beach a bit better than Toews did — but focused more on the facts that Beach “never spent too much time here in Chicago” and that he “hasn’t been in contact [with Beach] for quite some time.”

While sentences of sympathy were scattered about, Toews’ comments carried a subtle yet discernible tone of separation and self-preservation taking precedence over responsibility and remorse.

And Toews’ goal to preserve himself and those most influential to his career — which Beach, his NHL dreams ruined by a cover-up that made him feel like he “didn’t exist,” evidently was not — carried over when he was asked if his opinions of Bowman and also-removed longtime executive Al MacIsaac had changed this week. On that front, Toews’ ignorance shifted from subtle to explicit.

“To me, Stan and Al, make any argument you want, they’re not directly complicit in the activities that happened,” Toews said.

“I just know them as people, and I’ve had a relationship and friendship with them for a long time as being part of the Blackhawks family. People like Al and Stan have made coming to the Blackhawks…one of the special places to play hockey.

“Regardless of mistakes that may have been made, for someone like Stan, who has done so much for the Blackhawks — and Al as well — to lose everything they care about and their livelihoods, as well… I don’t understand how that makes it go away, to just delete them from existence and [say], ‘That’s it, we’ll never hear from them again.'”

(To clarify, the investigation determined Bowman and MacIsaac were indeed involved and complicit in the May 23, 2010, meeting in which Hawks brass determined not to take any actions regarding Aldrich until three weeks later, after the Stanley Cup Final.)

Kane and coach Jeremy Colliton also mentioned their own strong personal relationships with Bowman, but did so in a way that made it clear they nonetheless understood Bowman’s culpability in Beach’s tragedy.

Kane called Bowman’s resignation “necessary” and “right,” albeit with some interspersed couching. Colliton said the actions detailed in the report were “unacceptable” and later apologized, unprompted, for “not being more specific about my sympathy and admiration for the courage of the victims…especially Kyle Beach.”

“It’s up to us, in leadership positions, to do everything we can to protect those without power,” Colliton added.

Meanwhile, Alex DeBrincat — who was 12 years old in 2010, nowhere near the Hawks — impressively withheld no punches when asked about Bowman’s exit, saying it was “a change that needed to happen” and “a good thing we parted ways.”

Yet Toews, despite being the most powerful player in the Hawks’ locker room in both 2010 and 2021, seemingly somehow missed the whole ‘accountability’ memo.

Ultimately, Toews’ careless Wednesday interview won’t cost him his spot on the team, strip him of his captaincy or directly affect him in any significant way. Part of that is because of hockey culture’s aforementioned flaws. Another part is because Toews — as only a player — truly was not as blameworthy in the cover-up as his coaches and managers, despite his misguided defense of them.

On a day when the Hawks and the hockey community needed to deliver empathy and demonstrate progress, however, Toews falling far short on both fronts was disappointing and unsettling.

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