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3 children seriously hurt in house fire in Washington Parkon March 18, 2021 at 7:17 am

Three children were seriously hurt in a house fire Wednesday in Washington Park on the South Side.

The blaze was reported just before midnight at a housing development in the 6100 block of South Wabash Avenue, according to Chicago fire officials.

One of the children, a 10-year-old girl, threw a mattress from a third floor window and jumped to safety, fire officials said. Two boys, 4 and 2-years-old, were rescued from a window by a ladder.

Each of the children were taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in serious condition, fire officials said. No adult was at the home at the time of the fire.

Fire personnel were able to contain the blaze to one unit, and it was put out, fire officials said.

The Department of Health Care and Family Services were not available for comment Thursday morning.

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Chicago Post-St. Pat Craft Beer Weekend, March 19-21on March 18, 2021 at 4:20 am

The Beeronaut

Chicago Post-St. Pat Craft Beer Weekend, March 19-21

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Chicago Post-St. Pat Craft Beer Weekend, March 19-21on March 18, 2021 at 4:20 am Read More »

Firefighter falls through floor at Englewood fire; no injuries reportedon March 18, 2021 at 3:30 am

A Chicago firefighter fell through a floor while responding to a blaze Wednesday in Englewood on the South Side.

Crews were called to the scene of a fire about 9:35 p.m. in the 6900 block of South Green Street, Chicago fire officials said.

One firefighter fell through the floor while crews battled the flames, but was not injured, fire officials said.

He was quickly removed from the building by other firefighters and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center as a precaution, fire officials said. He was listed in good condition.

The fire was rapidly extinguished, fire officials said, and no other injuries were reported.

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Firefighter falls through floor at Englewood fire; no injuries reportedon March 18, 2021 at 3:30 am Read More »

Tough times — and a possible Target store — offer Chicago a chance to rethink the Mag MileCST Editorial Boardon March 17, 2021 at 11:32 pm

A nearly empty sidewalk on North Michigan in Magnificent Mile, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020.
A nearly empty sidewalk along the “Magnificent Mile” on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

It’s time to rethink the Mag Mile in a way that keeps it special.

There is a fair amount of fretting these days, at least from some quarters, over the state of Magnificent Mile.

And not without good reason. Over the past year, Chicago’s premiere shopping district has been socked by a pandemic-related economic downturn, last summer’s looting and retail tenants such as Macy’s leaving the strip.

All of this places North Michigan Avenue at a crossroads. And while we don’t think it’s as dire as some believe — such as those who are huffing and puffing over the notion of a Target store (the horror!) moving into Macy’s space in the Water Tower — we do think it’s time to rethink the Mag Mile in a way that keeps it special and makes it more unique.

“On one hand, [North Michigan Avenue] is a really cool place, but it’s also kind of elite,” says urban planning professor Teresa Cordova, director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute.

“How do you not lose that while you try to expand the audience?” she says. “I see it as an opportunity.”

A more magnificent Mile?

Among higher-end shopping districts across the nation, North Michigan Avenue isn’t alone in its troubles.

Beverly Hills’ three-block-long Rodeo Drive suffers from many of the same issues plaguing the Magnificent Mile. Nearly a dozen upscale merchants decamped from the commercial strip last year, including Lacoste, Michael Kors, Piaget and Battaglia.

“It’s very difficult to have a brick-and-mortar store and make money, [especially] when they’re not allowed to operate normally,” West Coast commercial real estate broker Jay Luchs told the Hollywood Reporter. “What does that do to any tenant? It’s a problem.”

Still, Rodeo Drive’s cachet continues to draw interest — a lesson, there, for North Michigan Avenue. The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce says four new retailers are interested in moving onto the strip, plus a new Chanel flagship store.

Meanwhile, landowners on Rodeo Drive are experimenting with leases that are shorter than the typical decade-long agreements. The short-term deals allow retailers to “test the waters,” Luchs says.

Larger and additional fixes could be needed to bring shoppers — and shops — back to North Michigan Avenue. The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions will help, naturally, but the street also could do more make the experience there more unique.

That means continuing to focus on bringing and maintaining reasonably exclusive businesses that have a Chicago flavor.

“Can you imagine a place that sells high-end necklaces that were made on the South Side?” Cordova says. “Or from the Polish community? How can we be creative?”

Changes might also include reshaping the streetscape and adding more sidewalk entertainment to the mix, so that the strip feels more like a destination — and less like a conveyer belt that delivers shoppers to retailers’ doors.

And even in the context of last summer’s troubles, reviving Michigan Avenue also means resisting the urge to harden the street with an expanded network of bollards, barriers and security cameras. Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who represents a portion of the shopping district, is a fan of adding these measures. We’d want to see it done in way that doesn’t make the street feel like an encampment.

“People like going there because they find things that can’t find somewhere else,” Cordova said. “But designwise, spaces that could be more friendly after you’re shopping [are needed]. Outdoor spaces. If you go down to State Street … you see musicians and street artists. You don’t get much of that [on the Mag Mile] except by the Wrigley Building.”

Letting go of ‘back in the day’

The State Street example is worthy of examination. The Great Street was Chicago’s top shopping district for much of the 20th century, jam packed with retail flagships such as Marshall Field’s and Carson Pirie Scott, as well as a mile-long run of shoe stores, speciality shops, banks, offices and other commerce.

But the rise of the Mag Mile, suburban shopping malls and shifting retail demographics in the 1970s delivered body blows the nearly put State Street down for the count. Turning the thoroughfare into a pedestrian mall in 1979 was almost the death knell.

So State Street found a new, multi-use purpose for itself. Educational facilities such as DePaul University, the School of the Art Institute and Robert Morris University moved onto the street. So did artistic nonprofits such as the Joffrey Ballet and the Siskel Center.

You can still shop on State Street — the heart of it was never quite lost — but there are other things there also. Even residences. North Michigan Avenue was designed and built as a mixed-use street, and the North Michigan Avenue Association’s Vision 2025 plan anticipates more uses.

But the document, created in 2015 — which feels like a lifetime ago already — might now have to be even bolder in seeking new functions and players to the street.

“Sometimes, you gotta let go of ‘back in the day,’ “ Cordova says. “But what we don’t want to do is say ‘It isn’t what it was,’ and lament.”

Send letters to [email protected].

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Tough times — and a possible Target store — offer Chicago a chance to rethink the Mag MileCST Editorial Boardon March 17, 2021 at 11:32 pm Read More »

The Mix: Chicago Shakespeare streaming, Restaurant Week and more fun things to do March 18-24Mary Houlihan – For the Sun-Timeson March 17, 2021 at 11:33 pm

The Princess (Jennie Greenberry, at right) and Rosaline (Laura Rook) gleefully read through a love letter mistakenly delivered into the wrong hands, as Katherine (Taylor Blim) and Maria (Jennifer Latimore) look on in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of Love’s Labor’s Lost, directed by Marti Maraden. Photo by Liz Lauren
The Princess (Jennie Greenberry, right) and Rosaline (Laura Rook) gleefully read through a love letter mistakenly delivered into the wrong hands as Katherine (Taylor Blim) and Maria (Jennifer Latimore) look on in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” directed by Marti Maraden. | Liz Lauren

There’s much to do in the week ahead in Chicago.

All about Shakespeare

Chicago Shakespeare Theater has a new batch of plays for its Chicago ShakesSTREAM series beginning with a newly edited film of its 2017 staging of the playful romantic comedy “Love’s Labor’s Lost” (March 15-28). This is followed by two recently filmed solo shows by Tim Crouch inspired by Shakespeare’s supporting characters: “I, Banquo” (March 22-April 18) reexamines “Macbeth” through the eyes of the title character’s murdered friend, and “I, Cinna” (April 5-May 2) follows the apolitical and doomed poet in “Julius Caesar” as he explores words and actions, protests and power. Rounding out the online season are two new audio plays — “Measure for Measure” and “Twelfth Night” (both streaming April 19-May 6) — and “We Are Out There” (May 24-June 20), a digital prologue to Joe Kinosian, Kellen Blair and Daniel Schloss’ new musical “It Came From Outer Space,” which will have its world premiere next year. Tickets: $25, $100 for entire series. Visit chicagoshakes.com.

Get growing

The Great Grow Along photo attached; credit: Courtesy of City Grange
Courtesy of City Grange
The Great Grow Along

It’s time to start thinking about what’s going in that garden you’ve been thinking about all winter. The Great Grow Along, presented by the garden center City Grange (locations in Lincoln Square and Beverly), is a three-day virtual garden festival from March 19-21 featuring more than 40 sessions with authors and gardening experts. Topics range from edible gardening and DIY landscaping to urban gardening and caring for houseplants. Tickets: $29.95 (the sessions will be available to attendees for six months). Visit greatgrowalong.com.

Eating it up

With the past year so hard on local restaurants, it’s now time to show more support to your favorite eateries and even discover a new one to add to that list. Chicago Restaurant Week, the 17-day celebration of the Chicago area dining scene, runs March 19-April 4. For the first time, the popular event will include pickup and delivery, in addition to limited indoor and al fresco dining. Restaurants will offer prix-fixe menus for lunch or brunch ($25) and dinner ($39 or $55). For more information and a list of participating restaurants, visit www.choosechicago.com/chicago-restaurant-week/.

New dance film

Winifred Haun & Dancers perform “Press on, regardless.”
Matthew Gregory Hollis
Winifred Haun & Dancers perform “Press on, regardless.”

Winifred Haun and Dancers’ interesting new work “Press on, regardless” is now streaming. Filmed in various locations at Links Hall (doorways, a dressing room, a closet and the seating area), it features seven company members in a series of solos, duets and group performances. In the vignettes, Haun “explores circular, inverted movement that creates a disorienting but ultimately calming visual journey.” Stream the performance free at https://vimeo.com/520197021. The company also is hosting a free Wine with Wini online event (6 p.m. March 19), which takes an inside look at the making of “Press on.” To register, visit winifredhaun.org.

Latino theater fest

Catherine French in “Memorias de Una Presidiaria (Memories of a Convict”; Courtesy of Water People Theater
Courtesy of Water People Theater
Catherine French in “Memorias de Una Presidiaria (Memories of a Convict).”

Water People Theater presents “FIT 2.0,” an international online festival of Latino Theatre running March 18-27. More than a dozen plays are featured including Miguel De Cervantes’ “El Merolico en el Encierro (The Merolico in the Confinement),” about a charlatan salesman who reflects on human nature; Eduardo Pardo’s “La Chica del Paraguas Rojo (The Girl with the Red Umbrella),” in which two people discuss love in modern times, and Catherine French’s “Memorias de una Presidiaria (Memories of a Convict),” about a woman wrongly convicted of a crime who reflects on family ties, love and life. Audience members can help select the three winners of this year’s festival. Tickets: $7 per play. For a full schedule of plays, visit waterpeople.org.

Explore Marvel’s world

Guests can take photos next to life-size representations of favorite Marvel characters including Black Panther, Spider-Man and the Hulk at “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.”
Sandro Vannini
Guests can take photos next to life-size representations of favorite Marvel characters including Black Panther, Spider-Man and the Hulk at “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.”

Super heroes get the museum treatment in a new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes” celebrates Marvel history with more than 300 artifacts including original comic book pages, sculptures, interactive displays and costumes and props from Marvel’s popular films. Fans can dig into the origins of Spider-Man, Black Panther, Hulk and Captain Marvel to see how the characters have evolved over the past 80 years to become a pop-culture mainstay. To Oct. 24 at Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive. Tickets: $12.95, $21.95 (museum entry); $9-$18 (“Marvel” exhibit). Visit msichicago.org.

Virtual stage

Felicia P. Fields
Joe Mazza
Felicia P. Fields

In addition to some great performances, Porchlight Music Theatre’s annual benefit “Chicago Sings Rock & Roll Broadway” includes the presentation of the Guy Adkins Award to Tony Award-nominated actress Felicia P. Fields. Streams at 7 p.m. March 20 and on demand to April 18. Tickets: $25+. Visit porchlightmusictheatre.org. … Lifeline Theatre presents a six-part audio drama adaptation of Christopher M. Walsh’s “Miss Holmes,” inspired by the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Streams to April 30. Tickets: $20 or pay-what-you-can. Visit lifelinetheatre.com. … Hate crimes against Asian Americans are the focus of next episode of Collaboraction’s monthly talk show “Crucial Connections.” Streams free at 8 p.m. March 18. Visit collaboraction.org. … The Goodman Theatre offers a free reading of Ada A.’s “Tokens of Promise,” a satire about modern-day job searching. Streams at 7 p.m. March 20. Visit goodmantheatre.org. … Sideshow Theatre presents a reading of Ellen Steves’ “Thin Mints,” which follows a troop of Bonfire Girls during a five-day jamboree as they prepare for an important election. Streams at 7 p.m. March 19. Tickets: $10 or pay-what-you-can. Visit sideshowtheatre.org.

Mary Houlihan is a local freelance writer.

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The Mix: Chicago Shakespeare streaming, Restaurant Week and more fun things to do March 18-24Mary Houlihan – For the Sun-Timeson March 17, 2021 at 11:33 pm Read More »

Lyric and CSO face the musicDeanna Isaacson March 17, 2021 at 3:00 pm


A year after the shutdown, they’re bringing it back.

It was Friday, the 13th of March, 2020, when Lyric Opera general director Anthony Freud had to cancel the company’s decade-in-the-making, mega-bucks project—a three-week run of Richard Wagner’s four-opera opus, the Ring Cycle. The perfect date for what Freud calls “about as nightmarish a scenario as is possible to contemplate” for an opera company: pulling the plug on this internationally promoted project three-quarters of the way into rehearsal.…Read More

Lyric and CSO face the musicDeanna Isaacson March 17, 2021 at 3:00 pm Read More »