Willie Garson, who starred as Stanford Blatch on the HBO series “Sex and the City” and two spin-off feature films has died. He was 57. The cause of death has not been released.

News of his passing was confirmed by his family via social media, including his young son Nathen, who posted a loving tribute to his late father on Instagram.

“I love you so much papa,” Nathen wrote. “Rest In Peace and I’m so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I’m so proud of you. I will always love you, but I think it’s time for you to go on an adventure of your own. You’ll always be with me. Love you more than you will ever know and I’m glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person I’ve known. I’m glad you shared your love with me. I’ll never forget it or lose it.”

Garson was currently slated to reprise his role for the HBO series “And Just Like That,” a reboot of “Sex and the City,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon.

Garson was born in Highland Park, New Jersey, and studied theater and drama at Wesleyan University and Yale Drama School. His other television credits include his role as Mozzie the con artist on the USA Network series “White Collar,” as well as guest appearances on “Hawaii Five-O,” “NYPD Blue” and “Supergirl.”

On Twitter, Nixon, who starred as Miranda Hobbes on the series, remembered her “Sex and the City” co-star as “a source of light, friendship and show business lore.” “He was a consummate professional — always,” she wrote.

Mario Cantone, who co-starred as gay stylist Anthony Marantino on the HBO series opposite Garson’s Stanford (their two characters eventually married as part of the storyline for “Sex and the City 2”) expressed his sadness via Twitter, writing in part: “I couldn’t have had a more brilliant TV partner.”

In what appears to be his final Tweet, posted Sept. 4, Garson shared a message of love: “BE KIND TO EACH OTHER……ALWAYS. LOVE TO ALL. APRROACH KINDNESS.”

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Since December, Chicago Sun-Times journalism has received a host of national, state and regional honors. The awards recognize a wide range of work by 29 individual Sun-Times journalists, the newspaper’s editorial board and the entire staff.

They include:

Society for Features Journalism

In September 2021, two Sun-Times staffers received recognition — including one top honor — in the Society for Features Journalism’s Excellence-in-Features Awards:

Maureen O’Donnell | Society for Features Journalism’s 2021 Excellence-in-Features Awards, first place for best short feature for her Sept. 22, 2020, story “Pound cake another pandemic loss, long the queen dessert at many funeral repasts.” The contest judges called her story “funny and sweet,” saying her “descriptions of the repast food are mouth-watering” and praising “the gentle humor” of her writing.

Maureen O’Donnell | Society for Features Journalism’s 2021 Excellence-in-Features Awards, second place for general feature for her Nov. 1, 2020, story “A faithful caretaker of the ‘faithful departed.’ “

Stefano Esposito | Society for Features Journalism’s 2021 Excellence-in-Features Awards, honorable mention for short feature for his Jan. 26, 2020, story “Failure to launch.”

National Association of Black Journalists

In December 2020, one staff member received recognition for her lifetime achievement, and six Sun-Times staffers received honors for three powerful stories:

Mary Mitchell | Enshrined in the NABJ Hall of Fame, recognizing the work she’s done over the span of her career.

Mary Mitchell | NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards, first place for best feature for her July 26, 2019, report “A century of progress but still an invisible divide,” in which she wrote about how much — and how little — has changed in Chicago since the city’s 1919 race riots.

Carlos Ballesteros, Tom Schuba, Jon Seidel and Rachel Hinton | NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards, first place in the category “news-single story” for “Rev. Leon Finney Jr.’s free fall,” published Sept. 8, 2019, an examination of the precarious finances of a clout-heavy minister with decades of government contracts.

Manny Ramos | NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards, first place for business reporting for “Why tearing down Englewood to save it hasn’t worked,” by Manny Ramos, published Aug. 25, 2019, investigating systemic housing redevelopment failures in the South Side neighborhood.

National Society of Newspaper Columnists

Mark Brown | National Society of Newspaper Columnists, first place, general column writing, recognized for these two columns published in 2020:

‘Ghosts of summers past: When the big worries were bees, barbed wire, bullies — and that bull’

‘A 7-decade love story cut short by coronavirus’

Steve Greenberg | National Society of Newspaper Columnists, third place, sports columns, recognized for these two columns published in 2020:

‘Down but never out’

‘One-handed player’s passion for hoops has no limits’

National Headliner Awards

Nader Issa | National Headliner Awards, second place, education beat reporting, recognized for his reporting on the Chicago Public Schools. Three of his stories were honored for best education beat reporting in 2020:

‘At CPS high schools, a stark racial divide on when cops are called on students and arrests’

‘Inside the life of a homeless Chicago student in the age of the coronavirus: Fear of failing — or not surviving

‘From 1619 to now: How CPS students are learning about black history and white supremacy — and how that’s helping them understand George Floyd’

Illinois Associated Press Media Editors Awards

In May 2021, Sun-Times journalists were recognized with 10 first-place honors in the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors Awards for work published in 2020. Awards included breaking news coverage, best website, video storytelling, enterprise reporting, sports columns and editorial writing.

The Sun-Times also swept the statewide competition’s three top honors — for general excellence (for the best showing overall in all categories), a best-in-show “sweepstakes” honor selected from among the winners in all categories and “news innovator of the year.”

One staff member also received a lifetime achievement recognition.

The Sun-Times staff also swept 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in two categories — sports columns and editorial writing — and was recognized with 1st and 2nd place awards for video storytelling and enterprise reporting.

The top honors

Mary Mitchell | Lincoln League of Journalists induction, a lifetime achievement honor “bestowed on professionals whose careers have greatly advanced the cause of newspaper journalism in Illinois.”

Sun-Times staff | General excellence, first place, recognized for the best overall showing among big-circulation newspapers in the competition.

Frank Main and Andy Grimm | Editorial / writing sweepstakes winner, recognized for the investigative series “Long delays for justice.”

Mark Brown | top prize in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists column contest for work published in 2020 — first place for general column writing, recognized for these two columns: ‘Ghosts of summers past: When the big worries were bees, barbed wire, bullies — and that bull,’ and ‘A 7-decade love story cut short by coronavirus,’

The columnists group also recognized Steve Greenberg, who got third place for sports columns for these two columns: ‘Down but never out,’ and ‘One-handed player’s passion for hoops has no limits,’.

Paul Saltzman and Alice Bazerghi | “News innovator of the year,” recognized for a yearlong daily reader outreach that used a daily newsletter and social media to solicit readers on their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic and their views on issues related to the pandemic. This effort produced dozens of stories (including multiple page 1 stories) and a curated stream of the findings.

Other IAPME Awards first-place honors

Sun-Times staff | Best website, recognized for chicago.suntimes.com, the Chicago Sun-Times’ main web portal.

Sun-Times staff | Breaking news coverage, recognized for “3 shot, 2 of them fatally, as third night of unrest grips Kenosha.”

Sun-Times editorial board | Editorial writing, recognized for “Strife on the streets and police reform” editorials.

Frank Main and Andy Grimm | Enterprise reporting, recognized for the investigative series “Long delays for justice.”

Rick Morrissey | Sports columns, recognized for a selection of three sports columns.

Sun-Times staff | Video storytelling, recognized for “Experience Illinois’ first day of legal recreational pot in under 3 minutes,” a video compilation of reports from Jan. 1, 2020, the day Illinois first allowed the sale of marijuana for recreational use.

Studs Terkel Community Media Awards

In May 2021, Maureen O’Donnell received the Studs Terkel Community Media Awards for her obituaries that provide an insightful look into the lives of ordinary people in and around Chicago. The honor spotlights journalists “whose work is driven by service and connection to their communities.”

Maureen O’Donnell | Studs Terkel Community Media Awards, recognized for a selection of obituaries.

Illinois Press Association Editorial Excellence Contest

In May, Sun-Times journalists were recognized with 22 first-place awards in the Illinois Press Association’s editorial excellence contest for work published in 2020 — as well as an award in the IPA’s advertising contest for the best newspaper promotion for “Lost and found: rescuing the Sun-Times photo archive,” a print and video report by Brian Ernst, Ashlee Rezin Garcia and Brian Rich.

The winning entries included top honors for: editorial writing, sports coverage, news reporting, government beat coverage, business reporting, obituary writing, feature writing, columns, photography, design, graphics, video journalism, best website, best coverage of taxes, investigative reporting and agricultural coverage.

Frank Main and Andy Grimm | News reporting-series, recognized for the investigative series “Long delays for justice.”

Sun-Times editorial board | Local editorial, recognized for “Strife on the streets and police reform” editorials.

Neil Steinberg, Ashlee Rezin Garcia | News reporting-single story, recognized for “Our worst day,” an inside look at a hospital during the coronavirus epidemic.

Tom Schuba | Government beat reporting, recognized for a series of stories documenting failures by the state of Illinois to meet social justice and diversity goals in legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.

Tim Novak and Lauren FitzPatrick | Business and economic reporting, recognized for a series of investigative reports documenting failures by the Cook County Land Bank Authority.

Maureen O’Donnell | Obituary tribute, recognized for her Danny Leake obituary, “Longtime sound engineer for Stevie Wonder, Lane Tech grad.”

Stefano Esposito | feature writing, recognized for “‘25 years later, Fox River Grove Metra-school bus crash still haunts engineer, other survivors,” a retelling of a horrific crash in which he got the train engineer to talk for the first time to any reporter — 25 years after the crash.

Rachel Hinton, Ashlee Rezin Garcia and Brian Rich | feature writing-personality profile, recognized for “Resettlement, reunification and romance,” the richly reported story — in print and video — of a refugee couple finally together in the United States after nearly four years apart.

Mary Mitchell | original columns, for a selection of three columns.

Tyler LaRiviere | feature photo, for “My kind of town,” a photo shot June 4, 2020, of Chicago police officers using a CTA bus and themselves to block Black Lives Matter marchers heading toward police headquarters after George Floyd’s death.

Akiko Spencer | informational graphic, for a Sports Saturday graphic headlined “10 more men of steal.”
Akiko Spencer’s winning graphic.
Eric White | single-page design, for a front-page design highlighting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.Eric White’s winning design.
Sun-Times staff | newspaper design, recognizing outstanding design throughout the newspaper based on two complete editions.

Darel Jevens | headline writing, for selection of five headlines.

Sun-Times sports staff | sports section, recognizing outstanding work based on two sample sports sections.

Sun-Times sports staff | special section, recognizing “Visionaries,” a 2020 baseball preview section.

Ben Pope | sports feature, for “Last fan standing,” for a story, told through the eyes of fans who were there, of the last pro sports game in Chicago before the coronavirus pandemic shut things down.

Tom Schuba | agriculture reporting, for ” ‘Epic failure’ on legal weed licensing in Illinois” series.

Rachel Hinton, Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Brian Rich and Brian Ernst | video journalism, recognized for “Resettlement, reunification and romance,” the richly reported story — in print and video — of a refugee couple finally together in the United States after nearly four years apart.

Sun-Times staff | Best website, recognized for chicago.suntimes.com, the Chicago Sun-Times’ main web portal.

Tim Novak and Lauren FitzPatrick | best coverage of taxation, Maurice Scott Award, recognized for a series of investigative reports documenting failures by the Cook County Land Bank Authority.

Frank Main and Andy Grimm | investigative / enterprise reporting, Knight Chair Award, recognized for the investigative series “Long delays for justice.”

Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism

In May, Sun-Times journalists were recognized with 12 top honors in the Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, sponsored by the Chicago Headline Club, an affiliate of the Society of Professional Journalists, for work published in 2020.

The winning entries included “bests” for politics and government reporting, columns, editorial writing, business reporting, sports writing, design and breaking news coverage.

Altogether, 14 individual Sun-Times staffers — as well as the Sun-Times staff for the year-in-review special section, best news website, best email newsletter and general excellence in online journalism — won top honors.

Sun-Times winners

o Frank Main and Andy Grimm | Politics and government reporting, recognized for the investigative series “Long delays for justice.”

o Ismael Perez | News column / commentary, recognized for a selection of three columns: “Mexican mother raised American children,” “Remote learning bilingual students challenges Chicago public schools” and “Non-voting Latino ballot box.”

o Lee Bey | Editorial writing, recognized for a series of “Keep Mercy Hospital open” editorials.

o Tim Novak and Robert Herguth | Business / consumer reporting, recognized for reports examining “What Chicago’s COVID hospital cost.”

o Ben Pope | Sports story, recognized for “Last fan standing,” looking at the last pro sports event in Chicago before the coronavirus pandemic shut things down.

o Ashlee Rezin Garcia | News photo, recognized for “Burning rage,” capturing a police car set on fire during protests following the killing of George Floyd.

o Eric White | Best design (among all newspapers regardless of circulation), recognized for three examples of page 1 design.

o Sun-Times staff | Best special news section (among all newspapers regardless of circulation), recognized for “2020: The year in review.”

o Sun-Times staff | News website, recognized for chicago.suntimes.com, the Chicago Sun-Times’ main web portal.

o Sun-Times staff | Email newsletter, recognized for “Chicago coronavirus newsletter” daily email newsletter.

o Tom Schuba, Rachel Hinton, Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Jake Wittich, Brian Ernst and Brian Rich | Breaking news, recognized for “Customers turned away as recreational weed sales wrap up historic first day in Illinois.”

o Sun-Times staff | General excellence in online journalism.

READ MARY MITCHELL’S NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING COLUMN

READ MARK BROWN’S NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING COLUMNS

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We are deep into the problematic and increasingly cringe-worthy Netflix original movie “The Starling” when Chris O’Dowd’s Jack starts playing with a group of kids on Visiting Day at a mental health facility where he is a client. We just know this whimsical moment is going to turn sideways — and when it does, we’re as horrified as the children and the parents and the staffers who witness Jack’s meltdown.

The story should end then and there, with Jack remaining a patient in that facility for a very long time because he’s clearly a troubled individual. But we still have a long way to go, and that won’t be the last time “The Starling” takes a wrong turn and goes farther into the weeds and asks us to come along on a treacly, sugar-substitute journey, with a manufactured, unearned conclusion.

Here’s the confounding thing about “The Starling.” The screenplay by Matt Harris was once on the Black List, a famous, annual survey of the most prominent and promising scripts yet to be produced. Director Theodore Melfi has delivered such excellent gems as “St. Vincent” and “Hidden Figures.” In addition to the eminently likable McCarthy and O’Dowd, the cast features Kevin Kline, Laura Harrier, Daveed Diggs, Loretta Devine and Timothy Olyphant. So much talent — and everyone goes down with the ship in one of the worst movies of 2021. (Everyone in that supporting cast save Kline is given minor, meaningless, one-dimensional roles. What a waste!)

I mean, this is the kind of movie where Kline’s kindly veterinarian, who used to be a psychoanalyst, is named Dr. Larry Fine. “Like the Three Stooges?” says McCarthy’s Lilly, upon hearing his name.

Yes, like the Three Stooges.

With one of the most overwrought scores in recent movie history setting the melodramatic tone, “The Starling” tells the story of Lilly and Jack (O’Dowd), a happily married couple whose world is shattered when their infant daughter dies of SIDS. The bulk of the story takes place one year later, with Lilly going through the motions at her job as a clerk in a grocery store, while Jack is in the mental health facility after a suicide attempt. Even though Lilly has a relatively low-paying job and Jack was a grade school teacher, they have a photo spread-worthy, spacious farm house in Northern California thanks to an inheritance, and Lilly decides to plant a garden in the front yard — but her efforts are continually thwarted by a nasty, territorial, obviously CGI starling that keeps destroying the vegetables and literally bonking Lilly on the head, to the point where she starts wearing a football helmet every time she ventures out, because of course there would be a football helmet in the house.

For no reason other than to introduce Kevin Kline into the movie, a therapist at Jack’s facility recommends that Lilly talk to Kline’s Larry, who has a kind of Doctor Dolittle veterinary practice going on, and reluctantly agrees to talk to Lilly even though he gave up the whole counseling-humans thing years ago. McCarthy and Kline are wonderful together as Lilly pours her heart out to Larry and we can see this is a shot at redemption for both of them, but the dialogue is so heavy-handed and so stuffed with metaphors that at one point, after Larry tells Lilly starlings aren’t meant to live alone (just like people!), Lilly cracks, “Real subtle stuff.”

It’s not a good thing when characters in a movie are voicing opinions the viewers are having at the same time.

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A west suburban Catholic high school has offered a coaching job to a woman who had been initially turned down when the school learned she was married to another woman — a reversal the coach and school community praised as the right thing to do.

On Tuesday, Benet Academy said it offered Amanda Kammes the job of girls’ lacrosse head coach after a Monday evening meeting of the school’s board of directors. Kammes has accepted the job at the school, which enrolls 1,300 students.

“The board has heard from members of the Benet community on all sides of this issue over the past several days,” the school said in a statement.

The school acknowledged it had previously rescinded the job offer “upon learning that she is in a same-sex marriage.” But it added that the board “determined that Ms. Kammes’ background and experience made her the right candidate for the position.

“Going forward we will look for opportunities for dialogue in our community about how we remain true to our Catholic mission while meeting people where they are in their personal journey through life,” the school said. “For now, we hope that this is the first step in healing the Benet community.”

A veteran lacrosse coach and Benet alum, Kammes was offered the head coaching position at the school about two weeks ago, but the offer was rescinded after she listed her wife as an emergency contact. She was reportedly not given an explanation as to why at the time.

Eileen Galvin Healy, vice chair of the school board, said by phone Tuesday that the board met Monday in an advisory capacity in hopes of being able to “reconcile the situation.”

She said while the board didn’t have a comment on the original move to rescind the job offer, she personally was pleased with the school’s decision to reverse course and hire Kammes.

“We are inclusive and loving of all people,” Healy said.

In a statement issued after the reversal, Kammes said “never in my life have I been prouder to be a Redwing. The past week provided a chance for Benet to rally together in the name of community, sportsmanship, and social change, and I’m beyond grateful that Benet reconsidered their decision.”

The statement continued: “I am truly humbled at the outpouring of support. This community is full of highly intelligent, driven, socially aware and passionate people who will always stand up for what is right. I am encouraged, ready to move forward and coach Benet’s girls’ lacrosse team to success.”

Kammes previously coached lacrosse in Pennsylvania, leading a team to two state titles, and most recently coached at Montini Catholic High School in Lombard while also running the Lakeshore Lacrosse program in the Chicago area.

Benet Academy located at 2200 Maple Ave. in Lisle, Ill. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Students and parents had protested outside the school Monday, handing out rainbow masks to fellow classmates.

Supporters of the coach also created an online petition calling for Kammes’ reinstatement and for Benet to implement new, more inclusive policies. The petition had more than 4,100 online signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

Colleen Savell, an assistant lacrosse coach, said she was “beyond excited” at the news.

“I know that the girls on the team [and] the parents are just absolutely thrilled,” Savell said. “I just hope that the LGBTQ community at Benet does feel supported and that they know that they have so many people out there that really care about them.”

St. Procopius Abbey, which has operated Benet Academy in Lisle for 120 years, declined to comment late Tuesday.

Contributing: Nader Issa

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Federal prosecutors unveiled charges Tuesday against two additional Illinoisans accused of taking part in the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, including a man who purportedly wrote on Facebook that, “by the time we got there it was like going to the shopping mall.”

David Wiersma, 66, and Dawn Frankowski, 53, were arrested Tuesday and are charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to the Justice Department.

Wiersma was arrested in Posen, and Frankowski was arrested in Naperville, records show. They were later ordered released on $10,000 recognizance bonds. They are also now at least the 15th and 16th Illinoisans arrested in connection with the breach, which prosecutors say has resulted in what will likely be the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history.

At least three Illinoisans arrested in the breach have pleaded guilty. More than 600 people have been arrested nationwide.

Neither Wiersma nor Frankowski could be reached for comment Tuesday. Court records did not identify their defense attorneys.

Federal authorities say Dawn Frankowski identified herself as the woman circled in blue in this image.Justice Department

A 12-page charging document against Wiersma and Frankowski includes screenshots of Facebook posts apparently made by Wiersma. One reads, “It was staged by ANTIFA, BLM and Capitol police. The police moved barricades and encouraged people to go in. There are videos and I spoke with people. By the time we got there it was like going to the shopping mall. People talking and joking with police just coming and going. If i had thought at anytime we were in danger we would have left.”

The FBI was tipped off to Wiersma by someone who worked with him at PCI Energy Center, a division of Westinghouse Electric, in Lake Bluff, according to the document. On a separate Facebook account also allegedly tied to Wiersma, the feds said they found a video of a man wearing a red-and-blue baseball cap and an American-flag scarf they identified as Wiersma.

They said they were then able to find Wiersma in security footage from the Capitol. He was standing beside Frankowski, who they then tracked down by searching Wiersma’s cellphone records and a Facebook account.

Wiersma admitted during an interview with federal agents that he went to Washington, D.C., for a protest on Jan. 6, according to the document. But when he was asked about his social media posts, the feds say he refused to give further information without an attorney present.

However, the feds say Frankowski admitted she traveled to Washington with Wiersma and another unidentified man on Jan. 5. Following the Jan. 6 Save America Rally, she allegedly told agents she and Wiersma followed the crowd to the U.S. Capitol. The other man did not join them.

Frankowski allegedly told the feds that she entered the U.S. Capitol with Wiersma for what she thought was about 30 minutes.

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A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon two blocks from Simeon High School where he was a student.

The teen was shot around 2:40 p.m. by someone in a black car outside a business in the 8300 block of South Holland Road, Chicago police said. He was hit in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A backpack and sandals lay among over a dozen evidence markers that littered the parking lot and sidewalk in front of a BMO Harris Bank branch. Officers walked in and out of a nail salon and restaurant next to the bank.

“We heard the sound and saw people running,” said an employee at a GameStop store near the shooting who declined to be named. “Kids were leaving school and then it happened.”

The manager of a Potbelly was pulling into the restaurant parking lot when she heard gunshots and saw the teen lying on the ground in front of a bank. “I heard it but couldn’t see it,” said the manager, who declined to provide her name. “He was on the ground.”

The teen played on the school’s junior varsity football team. The Rev. Donovan Price said the boy’s father had been killed by gun violence within the last year and the teen hoped football would be his way out of the neighborhood.

Price said the boy had dreamed of getting “his mother out of the hood with football.”

He said the boy didn’t hang out with the wrong crowd, and had a good support system around him. That’s what makes his death even more tragic, he said.

“Unfortunately because of gun violence, we’re losing children,” he said. “We’re losing dreams, we’re losing a lot.”

The boy was shot at a small business plaza where Simeon students hang out after classes, according to Aie’rianna Williams, a senior at the school. Williams said she has lost several classmates to violence during her time at Simeon.

“I’ve lost multiple classmates every year and it’s just heartbreaking,” she said at the scene. “There’s been only four weeks in school and another student is gone. It’s like, when is it going to stop? Because we all know, when I graduate it’s not going to stop.

“We’re going to hear about it again and again, and it’s tiring,” Williams said. “Just stop.”

Williams said she checked on a friend when the shots rang out.

“We’re students, we’re children,” she said. “Some of us haven’t even hit 18 yet and we have to lose so many people, some that we don’t know and some that we do. It’s sad, it’s messed up.

“I don’t care if it’s vengeance, I don’t care if it’s revenge,” she added. “That’s still a life you’re taking. It doesn’t matter.”

The Chatham community area has seen 22 homicides so far this year, two more than the same time last year, according to Sun-Times data.

Chatham is one of the city’s 15th most violent community areas that have been prioritized by the city for increased anti-violence funding and community programs, although some of those areas have seen little increased funding.

The police district that covers Chatham has seen a 15% increase in murders over the same time last year, from 55 to 63, according to police statistics. Shootings have risen 28%, from 185 to 237, over the same period.

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A west suburban Catholic high school has reversed itself and offered a coaching job to a woman who had been initially turned down when the school learned she was married to another woman.

Benet Academy offered Amanda Kammes the job of girls lacrosse head coach after a Monday evening meeting of the school’s board of directors. The board said Kammes has accepted the job.

“The board has heard from members of the Benet community on all sides of this issue over the past several days,” the school said in a statement.

The school acknowledged it had previously rescinded the job offer “upon learning that she is in a same-sex marriage.” But it added that the board “determined that Ms. Kammes’ background and experience made her the right candidate for the position.

“Going forward we will look for opportunities for dialogue in our community about how we remain true to our Catholic mission while meeting people where they are in their personal journey through life,” the school said. “For now, we hope that this is the first step in healing the Benet community.”

A veteran lacrosse coach and Benet alum, Kammes was offered the head coaching position at the school about two weeks ago, but the school turned her down after she listed her wife as an emergency contact.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Kammes said “never in my life have I been prouder to be a Redwing. The past week provided a chance for Benet to rally together in the name of community, sportsmanship, and social change, and I’m beyond grateful that Benet reconsidered their decision.”

The statement continued: “I am truly humbled at the outpouring of support. This community is full of highly intelligent, driven, socially aware and passionate people who will always stand up for what is right. I am encouraged, ready to move forward and coach Benet’s girls’ lacrosse team to success.”

Kammes previously coached lacrosse in Pennsylvania, leading a team to two state titles, and most recently coached at Montini Catholic High School in Lombard while also running the Lakeshore Lacrosse program in the Chicago area.

Students and parents had protested outside the school Monday, handing out rainbow masks to fellow classmates.

Students and alumni created an online petition calling for Kammes’ reinstatement and for Benet to implement new, more inclusive policies. The petition had more than 4,100 online signatures Tuesday afternoon.

Colleen Savell, the team’s assistant coach and a supporter of Kammes, said she was waiting for more details on the decision but added that she was “beyond excited” at the news.

“I know that the girls on the team [and[ the parents are just absolutely thrilled,” Savell said. “I just hope that the LGBTQ community at Benet does feel supported and that they know that they have so many people out there that really care about them.”

Eileen Galvin Healy, vice chair of the school board, said by phone Tuesday that the board met Monday in hopes of being able to “reconcile the situation.”

She said while the board didn’t have a comment on the original move to rescind the job offer, she personally was pleased with the school’s decision to reverse course and hire Kammes.

“We are inclusive and loving of all people,” Healy said.

The school has been educating students in Lisle for 120 years. About 1,300 students are enrolled.

Contributing: Nader Issa

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Federal prosecutors unveiled charges Tuesday against two additional Illinoisans accused of taking part in the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, including a man who purportedly wrote on Facebook that, “by the time we got there it was like going to the shopping mall.”

David Wiersma and Dawn Frankowski were arrested Tuesday and are charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to the Justice Department.

Wiersma was arrested in Posen, and Frankowski was arrested in Naperville, records show. They are at least the 15th and 16th Illinoisans arrested in connection with the breach, which prosecutors say has resulted in what will likely be the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history. At least three Illinoisans arrested in the breach have pleaded guilty.

More than 600 people have been arrested nationwide.

Neither Wiersma nor Frankowski could be reached for comment Tuesday. Court records did not identify their defense attorneys.

Federal authorities say Dawn Frankowski identified herself as the woman circled in blue in this image.Justice Department

A 12-page charging document against Wiersma and Frankowski includes screenshots of Facebook posts apparently made by Wiersma. One reads, “It was staged by ANTIFA, BLM and Capitol police. The police moved barricades and encouraged people to go in. There are videos and I spoke with people. By the time we got there it was like going to the shopping mall. People talking and joking with police just coming and going. If i had thought at anytime we were in danger we would have left.”

The FBI was tipped off to Wiersma by someone who worked with him at PCI Energy Center, a division of Westinghouse Electric, in Lake Bluff, according to the document. On a separate Facebook account also allegedly tied to Wiersma, the feds said they found a video of a man wearing a red-and-blue baseball cap and an American-flag scarf they identified as Wiersma.

They said they were then able to find Wiersma in security footage from the Capitol. He was standing beside Frankowski, who they then tracked down by searching Wiersma’s cellphone records and a Facebook account.

Wiersma admitted during an interview with federal agents that he went to Washington, D.C., for a protest on Jan. 6, according to the document. But when he was asked about his social media posts, the feds say he refused to give further information without an attorney present.

However, the feds say Frankowski admitted she traveled to Washington with Wiersma and another unidentified man on Jan. 5. Following the Jan. 6 Save America Rally, she allegedly told agents she and Wiersma followed the crowd to the U.S. Capitol. The other man did not join them.

Frankowski allegedly told the feds that she entered the U.S. Capitol with Wiersma for what she thought was about 30 minutes.

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Sounds of kids blowing duck calls and occasional shotgun blasts wafted the banks of Wolf Lake Saturday. The incongruity of archery, duck calling, turkey mounts, fishing, shotgun shooting and a hot-dog lunch mingled in the second Chicago Family Outdoor Day at William W. Powers State Recreation Area on Chicago’s Southeast Side.

Juliana Senorski tried to teach her younger sisters–(front to back) Angelina, Josie, Frankie–how to cast and fish , but they seemed to have their own thing Saturday at the Chicago Family Outdoor Day at William W. Powers State Recreation Area.Dale Bowman

Juliana Senorski took charge to show her younger sister Angelina how to cast properly. Kevin Culhane and Carol McGhee had William, 5, and Morgan, 3, diligently blowing their orange duck calls. Displaying mounts of wild turkey varieties lined the Traveling Turkeys trailer. Connor Kmiec, 6, turned with a priceless expression when he hit a bullseye with an arrow, under the steadying hand of Dan Stephens of the Illinois Learn to Hunt program and watchful eye of his dad Carl, of the International Association of Machinists Local 126. Steve Wabi again instructed on shotgun handling, before taking adults or youth to the water’s edge to shoot at clay pigeons.

It was beautiful, and needed.

Kevin Culhane and Carol McGhee had William, 5, and Morgan, 3, making much use of the duck-call giveaways Saturday at the Chicago Family Outdoor Day at William W. Powers State Recreation Area.Dale Bowman

It also took a community–Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, New Concept Benefit Group, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, Illinois Learn to Hunt, Illinois Conservation Foundation, T.E.A.C.H. Outdoors, South Cook County chapter of Pheasants Forever, Illinois Department of Natural Resources–to pull it off.

The Traveling Turkeys trailer was one of the cool things Saturday at the Chicago Family Outdoor Day at William W. Powers State Recreation Area.Dale Bowman

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly cloudy with a high near 66 degrees and gusts as high as 20 mph. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 58 and a 40% chance of showers. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a high near 64 and also a 40% chance of showers.

Top story

Benet Academy reverses itself, offers coaching job to gay woman after public outcry

A west suburban Catholic school has reversed itself and offered a coaching job to a woman who had initially been turned down when the school learned she was married to another woman.

Benet Academy offered Amanda Kammes the job of girls lacrosse head coach and she accepted. The reversal was decided after a meeting last night by the school’s board.

“The board has heard from members of the Benet community on all sides of this issue over the past several days,” the school’s board of directors said in a statement.

“Going forward we will look for opportunities for dialogue in our community about how we remain true to our Catholic mission while meeting people where they are in their personal journey through life. For now, we hope that this is the first step in healing the Benet community.”

A veteran lacrosse coach, Kammes was offered the head coaching position at the school about two weeks ago, but the school turned her down after learning she was married to another woman.

Kammes previously coached lacrosse in Pennsylvania, leading a team to two state titles, and most recently coached at Montini Catholic High School in Lombard while also running the Lakeshore Lacrosse program in the Chicago area.

Students and parents protested outside the school yesterday, handing out rainbow masks to fellow classmates.

Read the full story here.

More news you need

A man faces a misdemeanor charge after allegedly attacking Ald. James Cappleman last weekend as he responded to a resident’s text about “a group of intoxicated individuals.” The man struck Cappleman on the head with a blunt object, police said.

A 32-year-old man was stabbed several times this morning while inside a River North restaurant. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with several lacerations and was listed in fair condition, police said.

The former CEO of Wood Dale-based Power Solutions International Inc. has been acquitted of all charges in a federal case that accused him of inflating revenue reports by $24 million. James Winemaster and two other former employees named in the case were found not guilty on all counts.

A spike in cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is driving a recent burst in visits to local emergency rooms by nervous parents. The common respiratory virus has prompted local health officials to issue a gentle reminder — unless it’s a true emergency, visit your pediatrician, not the ER.

A statewide hotel group says the Biden administration’s plans to ease COVID restrictions for foreign travelers offer the industry a glimmer of hope. Travelers will be required to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test before boarding, beginning in November.

Guinness has tapped Fulton Market to be the home of its second U.S. brewery. The Irish brewer is expected to open a beer house and brewery in the Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal Building, per Crain’s Chicago Business.

The Fugees — Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel — have announced they’re reuniting for a world tour, which will include a Chicago stop this fall. Hill’s previously scheduled Ravinia Festival performance this Saturday has been postponed to 2022 to accommodate the tour.

A bright one

Music, culture, family celebrated alongside heartache in ‘American Mariachi’

Playwright Jose Cruz Gonzalez grew up with mariachi music, as his parents were avid listeners.

And it was that music that many years later he would learn to play, an experience that would inspire his play “American Mariachi,” which is making its Chicago debut at the Goodman Theatre in a co-production with the Dallas Theater Center and as part of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance’s Destinos Festival.

Gonzalez is the first to admit he didn’t “have any kind of musical talent in his body” but he did have the desire to learn, and became proficient on the guitarron after taking lessons for 10 years while he was a professor at California State University Los Angeles.

He also studied the culture of mariachi, how it is traditionally passed down from father to son and why it’s an important aspect of the Mexican American community and how it’s the soundtrack of many lives.

Tiffany Solano (from left) Molly Hernandez, Amanda Raquel Martinez, Gloria Vivica Benavides and Lucy Godinez are shown in a scene from “American Mariachi” directed by Henry Godinez at Goodman Theatre.Liz Lauren

One day a fellow player mentioned to Gonzalez that she and her group had performed for an elderly woman on her birthday: “She described how when they played a certain song this woman would just come alive and sing along. This idea of music as memory stayed with me.”

“American Mariachi” would grow out of this idea. Set in the 1970s, the story revolves around a young woman Lucha (Tiffany Solano) caring for her mother, Amalia (Gigi Cervantes), who is suffering from dementia. One day, she plays an old record of mariachi songs which sparks her mother’s memory, which in turn inspires Lucha, against her father’s wishes, to create an all-female mariachi band — something unheard of in the ’70s. The cast also features Lucy Godinez, Amanda Raquel Martinez, Molly Hernandez, Gloria Vivica Benavides, Erendira Izguerra and Christopher Llewyn Ramirez.

The play is infused with mariachi music and includes members of the Chicago group Sones de Mexico performing on stage along with the actors who learned instruments for their roles. Sones co-founder Victor Pichardo serves as music director.

Mary Houlihan has more on the “American Mariachi” backstory here.

From the press box

Your daily question ?

How do you feel about the recent trend of restaurants forgoing printed menus for QR codes?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: How do you feel about restaurants that have adopted no-tipping policies and fixed service charges? Here’s what some of you said…

“They won’t retain the best servers. It will work itself out and hopefully, chain restaurants will just go away.” — Bridget Lattanzi

“I would gladly be a patron to a restaurant that did away with tipping, as long as they paid their staff appropriately. I would rather an employer of any kind pay their staff a fair wage than force any individual to depend on the kindness of strangers to help them make enough money to survive the week and/or month.” — Ashley Lewis

“I desire to pay for the value of the service rendered. Not a fixed amount developed to equalize value of work whether it is good or bad. I want to encourage high performance by service staff and I will do that by a higher tip.” — Philip H. Kaplan

“I think this is fine. In other countries (like Japan), tipping is not a tradition. To be employed in the serving industry just means that you have to give good service. If you give bad service, you can be fired (since you’re not meeting the job requirements).” — Daryl Patrick Yao

“Tipping to offset pathetic wages is a cruel sham to both customer and labor.” — Benjamin Johnson

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