Good morning, Chicago.
We live in harsh and harmful times. All you need to do is look at the violence over the Fourth of July holiday. But behind the horror, good can emerge, hope survives.
Marc and Maureen Schulman have three daughters, now adults and leading successful and fulfilling lives, but the family will tell you that among the most rewarding and influential years of the girls’ young lives were those spent in the company of other members of the Happiness Club.
“The girls were really into singing and dancing and when they saw these kids of the Happiness Club perform, they begged us to let them join the group,” says Maureen. “They auditioned and got in and all three of them made great friends and had the most wonderful, creative time.”
That was more than two decades ago and Chicago’s Happiness Club remains in the hopeful business of changing young lives. Founded and still guided by a desire to bring arts and entertainment to children living in underserved neighborhoods, it has consistently attracted children from less beleaguered areas too.
It is in the nonprofit Happiness Club, which rehearses once or twice a week and performs some 60 shows a year, where a child from Roseland can meet and get to know a kid from Streeterville. It is where children can break down some of the barriers that separate us, diminish the fear that shadows the urban landscape.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rick Kogan.
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Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in 4 months hits a children’s hospital
Russian missiles blasted cities across Ukraine yesterday, damaging the country’s largest children’s hospital and other buildings in a fierce assault that interrupted heart surgeries and forced young cancer patients to take their treatments outdoors. At least 31 people were killed, officials said.
Patient sings along to rock song during first awake kidney transplant at Northwestern Medicine
While the general anesthesia used in many surgeries is “very safe,” said Dr. Vinayak Rohan, a transplant surgeon and the surgical director for kidney transplant at Northwestern, there is a subset of patients for whom general anesthesia carries higher risk, because of respiratory issues, age, or other issues.
Instead, some patients can have successful surgeries with regional anesthesia, where only the region of the body that’s being operated on gets anesthesia, and the patient remains awake. In John Nicholas’ case, he got a spinal anesthesia shot, a form of regional anesthesia that is also less invasive and can lead to a quicker recovery time.
Mayor Brandon Johnson says ‘no decision’ yet on moving NASCAR from 4th of July weekend
Mayor Brandon Johnson was tight-lipped Monday on the fate of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race after a lackluster audience showing and criticism from some over the diversion of hundreds of police officers to Grant Park during the historically violent holiday weekend.
Speaking at a news conference at Chicago police headquarters, the mayor condemned the grim tally of more than 100 people shot in the city over the Fourth of July weekend. But Johnson and Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling were noncommittal on moving the downtown NASCAR event to a different weekend, with Johnson instead punting the blame for its timing to his predecessor, Lori Lightfoot.
Climate change threatens overall firefly populations, study shows, but Midwest could see increase
For many who grew up east of the Mississippi River, yellow twinkling lights punctuate magical childhood memories. New England natives call them fireflies, but they’re known as lightning bugs from the Midwest to the South. No matter their regional name, they are a staple of warm summer evenings.
Yet concerns about how many more generations will be able to bask in the glow of this nostalgic phenomenon have emerged in recent decades as anecdotal reports and observations in certain locations seemingly indicate firefly numbers are dwindling.
Sheila’s concession stand in North Lawndale serves mini golfers while nurturing the community
Are you a seed or are you soil?
That was a question local artist and teacher Haman Cross III posed to a crowd of people under tents behind the Douglass Park Cultural Center on June 29. He was rallying the group of North Lawndale residents, teens, community organizers and city leaders next to the Douglass 18 Miniature Golf Course.
The query was a nod to the opening of Sheila’s, which is Sheila McNary’s namesake concession stand offering food for park visitors and those using the putt-putt space, which was revitalized in 2021.
Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan shoots a 3-pointer over Thunder guard Luguentz Dort during the first quarter of the season opener at the United Center on Oct. 25, 2023.
Column: The Bulls can replace DeMar DeRozan’s scoring, but not his aura
From the outside, it looks like another bad move for the Bulls, on top of the one that sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey. The team is getting progressively worse as the offseason continues, a trend that figures to continue when (or if?) they deal Zach LaVine, their only remaining player who has appeared in an All-Star game the past three years, writes Paul Sullivan.
From the inside, I’m sure executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas is patting himself on the back for kick-starting a rebuild that’s certain to buy him more time with Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
What to know — and who to watch — during the Summer Games in Paris
The 2024 Summer Games will begin on July 26 — with the opening ceremony on July 28 — and run through Aug. 11. Here’s the full schedule of events and how to watch or stream the events.
The Tribune’s Stacy St. Clair and Brian Cassella will be in Paris to bring you stories on Chicago’s athletes, their families and much more. You can read it all at chicagotribune.com/olympics. Sign up for our sports newsletter to get their latest dispatches — and follow us on Instagram for Q&As and a behind-the-scenes look at the Games. Allons-y!
Unfamiliar with the more than 40 competitions at the Summer Olympics and its athletes? Here’s our guide.
Column: Paramount’s new president was fired last year as CEO of NBCUniversal after allegations of sexual harassment
An $8 billion merger between two major Hollywood entities has made headlines, with Skydance Media, the Hollywood production company behind recent “Mission: Impossible” movies, taking over Paramount Global, which includes the movie studio Paramount Pictures as well as TV networks such as CBS, Showtime and Comedy Central.
The CEO of Skydance is David Ellison, who is the son of billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Ellison’s name has appeared in many headlines announcing the deal. The other name that’s also appeared? Jeff Shell, who will be president of the new company when the deal closes.
However, a key piece of information about Shell has been conspicuously absent in reporting so far across numerous outlets: Shell was the CEO of NBCUniversal until last year, when he was fired after allegations of sexual harassment by a female employee were corroborated.
Review: In ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Oak Park Festival Theatre, young love gets a little extra open-air magic
“Romeo and Juliet” contains some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful love poetry, but it’s easy for cynics to dismiss the lovesick teenagers as simply young and foolish. I’ve been guilty of this. After all, Juliet is only 13 in the original text. But in Oak Park Festival Theatre’s current production, director Peter G. Andersen poses a straightforward solution: aging Juliet up to nearly 18. Of course, 17 is still a shockingly young age to elope, but this change encourages the audience to take the eloquent lovers more seriously from the start.
Guide: 64 farmers markets in Chicago and the suburbs for 2024
Summer brings a bounty of produce to the Midwest and you can enjoy it freshly picked by shopping at one of the Chicago area’s many farmers markets. Run by communities and nonprofits, farmers markets can make it easier to eat healthy by offering a huge variety of fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs, with the selection changing week to week depending on what’s in season.
They also serve as a showcase for local businesses, with small vendors selling art, candles, jams, dog treats and more. Many markets provide extra fun through music and activities for kids, plus cooking demonstrations to inspire you. Check out our guide to find the closest market to you and get ready to create your own farm-to-table experience.
