Naomi Judd, of Grammy-Winning Duo The Judds, Dies at 76

Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, has died. She was 76.

The daughters announced her death on Saturday in a statement provided to The Associated Press.

“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement said. “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.” The statement did not elaborate further.

The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday and they had just announced an arena tour to begin in the fall, their first tour together in over a decade. They also made a return to awards shows when they performed at the CMT Music Awards earlier this month.

“Honored to have witnessed “Love Can Build a Bridge” just a few short weeks ago,” singer Maren Morris posted on Twitter on Saturday.

“This is heartbreaking news! Naomi Judd was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known,” singer Travis Tritt posted on Twitter, noting that he had worked with Judd several times on screen and during performances.

The mother-daughter performers scored 14 No. 1 songs in a career that spanned nearly three decades. After rising to the top of country music, they called it quits in 1991 after doctors diagnosed Naomi Judd with hepatitis. Wynonna continued her solo career.

The Judds’ hits included “Love Can Build a Bridge” in 1990,“Mama He’s Crazy” in 1984, “Why Not Me” in 1984,“Turn It Loose” in 1988, “Girls Night Out” in 1985, “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain” in 1986 and “Grandpa” in 1986.

Born Diana Ellen Judd in Ashland, Kentucky, Naomi was working as a nurse in Nashville, when she and Wynonna started singing together professionally. Their unique harmonies, together with elements of acoustic music, bluegrass and blues, made them stand out in the genre at the time.

“We had a such a stamp of originality on what we were trying to do,” Naomi Judd told The AP after it was announced that they would be joining the Country Music Hall of Fame.

TheJuddsreleased six studio albums and an EP between 1984 and 1991 and won nine Country Music Association Awards and seven from the Academy of Country Music. They earned a total of five Grammy Awards together on hits like “Why Not Me” and “Give A Little Love.”

The Judds sang about family, the belief in marriage and the virtue of fidelity. Because Naomi was so young looking, the two were mistaken for sisters early in their career.

They first got attention singing on Ralph Emery’s morning show in early 1980, where the host named them the “Soap Sisters” because Naomi said she used to make her own soap.

After the success of “Mama He’s Crazy,” they won the Horizon Award at the 1984 CMA Awards. Naomi started her speech by saying “Slap the dog and spit in the fire!”

Daughter Ashley Judd is an actor known for her roles in such movies as “Kiss the Girls,” ″Double Jeopardy” and “Heat.”

Naomi Judd is also survived by her husband and fellow singer, Larry Strickland, who was a backup singer for Elvis Presley.

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3-year-old girl killed in Bronzeville apartment fire

A 3-year-old girl died in a fire April 30, 2022 on the South Side.

Chicago Fire Media

A 3-year-old girl died in an apartment fire early Saturday in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side.

Multiple 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. led fire crews to the blaze in the 600 block of East 43rd Street, where a “heavy fire” had broken out in the rear of the three-story apartment building, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

Firefighters forced their way into the building and tried to stifle flames that were blowing out of the rear door.

The girl, who was on the second floor, was found unresponsive once officials cleared enough of the fire to start a search, Langford said.

Crews “literally ran” to the ambulance with her, performing CPR on the move, Langford said.

She was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital initially in “very critical” condition with smoke inhalation and burns as paramedics tried CPR, but was pronounced dead shortly after, Langford said. Her name has not yet been released.

The girl had been home with her 13-year-old brother, who was listed in good condition.

The girl’s mother, who was at work at the time, pulled up to the scene in her car as firefighters were responding to the blaze, officials said.

The fire was ruled to be incendiary, or caused by a human event such as cooking, according to Langford.

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White Sox relieved after x-rays on Andrew Vaughn come back negative

It appears Andrew Vaughn avoided a major injury after getting hit with a ninth-inning pitch Friday night.

AP Photos

The White Sox actually got some good injury news.

Before Saturday’s game with the Angels, the team said x-rays on Andrew Vaughn’s right hand were negative. Vaughn, who was hit by a 93.8 mph Mike Mayers fastball during the ninth inning of Friday’s 5-1 loss, is day-to-day but not in Saturday’s lineup.

“It’s pretty sore. Definitely not doing too great,” said Vaughn, whose hand was taped up when he spoke with reporters by his locker. “You take 95 to the hand, it never feels good. Glad nothing’s broken. I’ll be back soon as possible.”

After getting hit, Vaughn was able to stay in the game to run the bases. Sox manager Tony La Russa was encouraged by seeing that from Vaughn.

“He’s tough enough and he’s good enough, too,” said La Russa, who hoped Vaughn would be OK for Sunday. “A good combination for our future.”

While it’s not great that Vaughn was hit, the last thing the Sox needed was another long-term injury. Losing Vaughn would’ve been another significant blow to a team that’s struggled through the first month of the season, entering the last game of April 7-12. 

In 53 at-bats, Vaughn has a .933 OPS, including a .367 on-base percentage.

“I’ve been feeling good,” Vaughn said. “I’m feeling confident, good with my approach and swing. Everything feels good.”

The same isn’t really true for the Sox offense. 

As a team, the Sox are hitting .180/.232/.282 with 32 runs scored over the last 14 games. Over that span, the Sox have scored three runs or fewer 12 times, and haven’t collected more than two hits with runners in scoring position in any game.

La Russa, though, isn’t ready to throw out the Sox’ offensive potential because of a rough April that has been impacted by crummy weather.

“In spring training I said don’t fall in or out of love in spring training. Too early,” La Russa said. “Same thing in the season. Good hitters are going to hit. Just keep them healthy, keep them working.”

Despite the scare, it looks like Vaughn won’t be missing too much time.

“I was just sitting there and praying it wasn’t broken,” Vaughn said. “Once I heard the good news I was happy.”

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5 Illinois Counties at Medium Risk of COVID Transmission, but What Does That Mean?

Cases of COVID are going up across the United States, and the state of Illinois is also showing increases in numerous areas.

According to data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, five counties in the state are currently at a “medium risk” of COVID transmission, with the federal agency making a series of recommendations to residents living in the impacted communities.

So what does a “medium risk” of COVID transmission mean? Which counties are impacted? And what does the data look like in those areas? Here are the details you need to know.

Which Counties are at a ‘Medium Risk’ of COVID Transmission?

According to the CDC, there are five counties in the state of Illinois currently at “medium risk” of COVID transmission. Two of those counties, DuPage and Lake, are in the Chicago area.

The other three are clustered in central Illinois, with Champaign, Logan and McLean counties all in that risk range.

What Constitutes a ‘Medium Risk’ of COVID Transmission?  

According to the CDC, a combination of three metrics is used to determine a county’s risk factor for COVID transmission.

The first is the number of new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period. The second is the percentage of a county’s staffed inpatient hospital beds that are occupied by COVID patients, and the third is the number of new COVID cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days.

Under CDC guidelines, counties that are seeing fewer than 200 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents will be considered at medium-risk if they are averaging between 10 and 19.9 new COVID admissions per 100,000 residents, or if they are reporting between 10 and 14.9% hospital bed usage over a seven-day period.

Counties that are reporting more than 200 new COVID cases per day per 100,000 residents are at a medium-risk of COVID transmission. If their new COVID-19 admissions exceed 10 per 100,000 residents, or their percentage of staffed hospital bed usage exceeds 10%, then they would move to a “high risk” category.

What Are the Numbers in the Affected Counties?

DuPage County is currently considered to be at a “medium risk” of COVID transmission because of its case rate. According to the CDC, the county is seeing 258.64 new cases of COVID per 100,000 residents, putting it at an increased alert level.

The county is averaging 5.7 new COVID admissions per 100,000 residents, which is an elevated number but still below the number that would trigger a move to a “high risk” category. The county’s hospital bed usage is still low as well, only sitting at 1.8%.

Lake County is seeing nearly identical numbers, with 212.19 new cases per 100,000 residents. In fact, it’s new COVID admissions (5.7) and staffed hospital bed usage (1.8%) are identical to DuPage County, per CDC data.

Further downstate, McLean County is seeing 291.52 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents. Logan County is close behind at 283.04, and Champaign County has the highest number of new cases in the state at 352.9 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Even still, Champaign County’s new admissions (5.3) and staffed bed usage (1.5%) are still far below the “high risk” threshold.

What the CDC Recommends for The Five Counties

If you live in one of the counties currently in the “medium risk” category, the CDC still recommends staying up-to-date with COVID vaccines, and to get tested if you exhibit symptoms of COVID.

The main change from the low to medium risk categories is that individuals who are immunocompromised or otherwise at high-risk for severe illness are encouraged to talk to their health care providers about whether or not they should wear a mask and take other precautions related to COVID.

If a county moves to the high transmission risk level, then all residents are urged to wear masks indoors, and for immunocompromised individuals to take additional precautions.

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New Clues Emerge in the Death Investigation of Jelani Day

The discovery of Jelani Day’s iPhone—a crucial clue in the unsolved case—was pure luck.

Six weeks after Jelani’s body was found in the Illinois River, a man driving on I-55 north in Bloomington pulled over to secure a mattress tied to the roof of his car. By chance, he looked down at the side of the road and saw a shattered iPhone, it was Jelani Day’s.

“I want to know who’s involved. Who was his last conversation with?,” said Jelani’s brother D’Andre.

D’Andre and his mother Carmen are convinced the answers to what happened to Jelani are on messages locked in his iPhone which was sent to the FBI in Chicago.

“They haven’t been able to get inside the iPhone. They tell me there is software that’s only available for the iPhone up to the 11. Jelani had a 12 Max Pro, “ said Carmen Bolden Day.

Police sources close to the investigation, say that Jelani’s Verizon cellphone records show his iPhone was turned off at 9:21 am shortly after he was last seen buying marijuana at the Beyond Hello dispensary in Bloomington. His car was captured on video driving away.

Then, his cell was apparently tossed from the car onto the roadside off I-55 North in Bloomington.

NBC5 Investigates obtained heavily redacted police emails through the Freedom of Information Act. One email refers to a “extraction Report Apple iPhone” and notes “23 chats and 17 messages” found on Jelani’s cell. These details have been cross referenced from Jelani’s contact list.

Another email notes “six phone numbers of interest” but a detective also writes “nothing crazy on Jelani’s phone extraction.”

Despite national attention to Jelani’s case, the family says no one has come forward with any information that has panned out.

“They didn’t even come forward and say ‘yeah, I remember talking to him (Jelani) that day,’” remarked Carmen.

Police also recovered Jelani’s car from a wooded area in Peru. The license plate had been removed and they found a partially smoked marijuana cigar blunt in the car. There was something else—a journal—perhaps a possible clue into Jelani’s state of mind.

Police would not comment on the contents of the journal, but we do know there was no suicide note. Carmen said that Jelani’s journal began in 2016 but there were only two entries in 2021.  

More puzzling was the discovery of Jelani’s sneakers and shorts on a riverbank north of where his body was found. While the items contained DNA, it wasn’t Jelani’s and still has not been identified, raising even more questions for the family.

“I think there are people withholding information—for whatever reason—I don’t care,” D’Andre said.

The family rejects any suggestion that Jelani took his own life saying that he had everything to live for at the time of his death, even volunteering to donate stem cells for his father, who had leukemia and needed a transplant.

Sadly, his father passed in April.

The Day family has lost a son, a brother and now a father but say their will to find out what happened to Jelani will never wane.

Twenty-five-year old Jelani Day was the fourth of Carmen Bolden Day’s five children raised in Danville, Illinois—two girls and three boys.

In August 2021, Jelani was set on getting a master’s degree in the competitive field of speech pathology at Illinois State University in downstate Normal, Illinois when he suddenly didn’t show up for class.

A week and a half after his mysterious disappearance, his body was found in the Illinois River in Peru an hour north of the downstate campus in Bloomington Normal.

The LaSalle coroner’s report said Jelani drowned, but his mother Carmen says her son was an experienced swimmer and she suspects foul play.

In December 2021, the Jelani Day Joint Task Force was announced to help identify and coordinate new leads in the death investigation. The task force includes Bloomington Police Department, Peru Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation-Chicago Division, LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office, City of LaSalle Police Department, Illinois State Police and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.  

The public can submit tips, anonymously via 1-800-CALL-FBI. The FBI is offering up to $10,000 for “substantial information” and the family is offering up to $25,000 in reward money.

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Fisherman in Critical Condition After Falling Into Fox River

A 73-year-old northern Illinois man was hospitalized in critical condition after being rescued from a Fox River channel, authorities said.

The rural Antioch man fell into the channel while trying to retrieve a fishing line Friday afternoon, Lake County sheriff’s deputies told the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

One of the rescuers, a 74-year-old man from Winthrop Harbor, was fishing with the victim in a small boat when the incident occurred, deputies said.

One of the men got his fishing line tangled in the weeds, deputies said. The victim tried to retrieve the line but fell into the cold water and was submerged for one to two minutes.

The 74-year-old attempted to hold the victim’s head above water from the boat. He was assisted by a 48-year-old man from Villa Park who heard the 74-year-old man’s calls for help and jumped into the water to help.

Sheriff’s deputies responded at 1:35 p.m. to the scene in unincorporated Lake County near Antioch. They arrived as the victim was being pulled from the water.

The victim was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

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Biden's $33B Ukraine Aid Request Signals a Long Conflict Ahead

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$500,000 in federal money to go to pre-apprenticeship electrical program for south suburban high school students

Sen. Dick Durbin on Friday announced $500,000 in funding for a program that will offer pre-apprenticeships to high school students in the south suburbs who are interested in a career in the electrical trades.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

A program that creates a pathway for high school students in the south suburbs to learn the electrical trade is getting $500,000 in federal funding.

The program, run by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134, provides a pre-apprenticeship and a fast lane into the industry, said Gene Kent, who heads up IBEW’s trade school.

The training program, in its first year, serves students at Thornton Township High School District 205 and Thornton Fractional School District 215.

Sen. Dick Durbin helped secure the federal funding and held a news conference Friday outside the union’s Bronzeville headquarters.

“It’s a great undertaking,” Durbin said. “You know, a lot of kids in high school never give a second thought about what they’re going to do for a living. They’re just having fun thinking about classes and social life. We’d like to focus them a little bit on their future, and the future needs of our city, county and state when it comes to the electrification of vehicles,” he said.

Durbin also announced $2 million in federal funding for the CTA to upgrade its 103rd Street bus garage to accommodate electric buses and charging infrastructure.

A new CTA electric bus provided a backdrop to the news conference. 

Durbin envisioned high school participants of the program eventually installing the charging stations in Chicago and beyond that will help combat a warming climate.

The CTA’s goal is to transition to an all-electric bus fleet by 2040.

“But we want this to happen much sooner,” Durbin said.

The CTA has 11 electric buses in service and 14 more are expected to hit the streets this year.

Its first two electric buses were put into service in 2014.

The e-buses are operating on the No. 66 Chicago, connecting the Austin neighborhood to the Near West Side and Navy Pier.

The CTA aims to prioritize e-bus deployment on routes serving South and West side neighborhoods that have been historically overburdened by air quality issues.

Among its first targets in the next few years will be routes serving the 95th Red Line hub.

To date, CTA has secured more than $130 million in grant funding to support the effort.

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Trump Loses Bid to Lift Contempt Charge Despite Swearing He Can't Find Subpoenaed Documents

• A New York judge kept a contempt of court finding in place against former President Donald Trump in place despite new affidavits from Trump and his lawyers.
• Those affidavits effectively argue he had complied with a subpoena from New York Attorney General Letitia James.
• The ruling by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron at a hearing called on short notice came four days after Engoron found Trump in contempt for failing to turn over documents sought by James.
• Engoron on Tuesday ordered that Trump immediately begin paying a $10,000 per day fine as a result of that contempt finding.

A New York judge Friday denied a request by lawyers for former President Donald Trump to lift a contempt of court finding despite the submission of new sworn affidavits from Trump and his attorneys that argue he has complied with a subpoena from the state attorney general.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron said that the new affidavits attesting to Trump’s and others’ inability to locate documents sought by Attorney General Letitia James were not sufficient to purge Trump of being held in contempt. And Engoron ordered Trump to submit a more detailed affidavit swearing to information related to the search for the requested documents.

In a letter to Engoron, lawyers for James said that he should not lift the contempt order, which has a $10,000-per-day fine against Trump attached to it, until more extensive searches for the documents are conducted than the ones Trump’s lawyers said had been done.

That search, the AG’s lawyers said, should include all of Trump’s mobile phones, Trump Tower in Manhattan, each of Trump’s properties where he maintains a “private residence” and “personal office,” off-site storage locations, and in “all electronic devices issued by the Trump Organization to Trump’s executive assistants.

Engoron effectively agreed, writing in an order later Friday that the affidavits filed by Trump and his lawyers “are insufficient in that they fail to specify who searched for each respective request, at what time, where, and using what search protocols.”

“Furthermore, Mr. Trump’s personal affidavit is completely devoid of any useful detail,” the judge wrote. “Notably, it fails to state where he kept his files, how his files were stored in the regular course of business, who had access to such files, what, if any, the retention policy was for such files, and, importantly, where he believes such files are currently located.”

Engoron’s ruling upholding his contempt order was issued at a hearing called on such short notice that it was not publicly announced by the court.

The hearing came four days after Engoron found Trump in contempt for failing to turn over documents to James by the March 31 deadline set by the judge for compliance to the subpoena.

James’ civil investigation is eyeing claims that the Trump Organization improperly manipulated the stated valuations of various real estate assets for financial gain.

Engoron on Tuesday ordered that Trump immediately begin paying a $10,000-per-day fine as a result of the contempt finding.

Read more of CNBC’s politics coverage:

• Russia releases U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed; European gas prices surge after supply stoppage
• ‘Trump has willfully disobeyed a lawful order of this court,’ New York judge says as $10,000 per-day fines start
• Senate confirms Lael Brainard as Fed vice chair

On Wednesday, Trump’s lawyers filed affidavits in court under seal from themselves and Trump, saying they had been unable to locate the documents James wants to see.

“In accordance and compliance with the [contempt] Order, it is respectfully requested that this Court purge the finding of civil contempt,” Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba wrote in that filing.

Engoron at a hearing Monday had questioned why Trump had not previously submitted an affidavit personally but instead relied on Habba to make the claim that he could not find the documents.

In his two-sentence affidavit signed in Palm Beach, Fla., Trump said that “to the best of my knowledge, I do not have any of the documents requested in the subpoena … in my personal possession.”

Trump added that if there are any relevant records remaining, “I believe they would be in the possession of custody of the Trump Organization.”

That echoes what his lawyer Habba previously told Engoron.

Habba and another attorney from her firm, Michael Madaio, in separate affidavits filed Wednesday, said that after conducting a comprehensive search, they found that Trump did not possess any additional documents that could be provided in response to eight categories of records demanded in James’ subpoena.

“Respondent’s productions and responses to the Subpoena are complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief,” Habba wrote.

“No documents or information responsive to the Subpoena have been withheld from Respondent’s production and response.

Habba earlier this week appealed Engoron’s contempt finding. That appeal has yet to be heard.

Habba in an emailed statement said, “Today’s events have made it overwhelmingly clear that this case no longer has anything to do with the proper application of legal principles governing discovery disclosure.”

“The Court completely disregarded the detailed affidavits that demonstrate the meticulous efforts undertaken to effectuate this search,” Habba said. “This Court has improperly held my client in contempt for a violation that he did not commit solely because the [Office of the Attorney General] declared it ‘insufficient’ without any basis.”

“The tactics employed by this Court, including the dramatic pounding of the gavel, the statements directed to our client from the bench, and direct comments to the press have reduced this hearing to the likes of a public spectacle,” she said. “We will zealously prosecute our appeal of the Court’s improper application of both law and fact.”

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Riccardo Muti, CSO review: stellar performances of Montgomery commission, Beethoven No. 6

Maestro Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major (Pastoral ) on Thursday night at Symphony Center.|

© Todd Rosenberg Photography

The musical creators whom the Chicago Symphony Orchestra chooses as composers-in-residence typically already have a significant and growing reputation, but the appointment adds an organizational imprimatur, a kind of seal of approval. In addition, the post comes with a series of significant perquisites, including performances of past works and commissions of new ones.

In the launch of a set of three concerts Thursday evening, the orchestra presented the first of three commissioned works by New York-based Jessie Montgomery, who began her three-year tenure as composer-in-residence in July.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, conductor     

cso review

When: 8 p.m. April 30; 7:30 p.m. May 3

Where: Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan

Tickets: $39-$399

Info: cso.org

Continuing the coincidental emphasis on the number three, Montgomery’s world premiere was one of three selections on this anything-but-routine program, each offering its own distinctive source of interest and appeal. 

Back on the podium was music director Riccardo Muti, who contracted COVID-19 in early April and was forced to cancel five conducting appearances. At that time, a symphony spokeswoman reported that the maestro’s symptoms were mild, and he appeared to be back in fine form Thursday evening.

Montgomery wrote “Hymn for Everyone” during the pandemic and, according to the program notes accompanying the 12-minute or so piece, it “snapped into focus” after the death of the composer’s mother in May.

Mead composer-in-residence Jessie Montgomery acknowledges the audience following the world premiere performance of “Hymn for Everyone,” a CSO commission, Thursday night at Symphony Center.

© Todd Rosenberg Photography

The composer calls the work a “kind of meditation for orchestra,” and that seems like an apt description. But given the circumstances from which it emerged, it is not surprising that the hymn offers a troubled, unsettled meditation, almost a lamentation, with black clouds hanging overhead and dark currents running through it. Recurring sometimes insistently and sometimes even jarringly throughout are the chimes, which seem to signal the unstoppable passage of time at certain points and suggest a chilling death knell at others.

Montgomery clearly knows her way around the orchestra, creating multilayered ensemble sections, with, as she describes, mini-choirs within the whole, and searching solos for such instruments as the English horn and clarinet. The piece ends with a final angry downward scale in the low brass, culminating with a long, sustained chord—a kind of final meditation—for the flutes and trumpet.

The orchestra handled it all with aplomb, Muti infusing the work’s debut performance with smoldering intensity and nuanced drama.

Next came the orchestra’s first-ever performance of the Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor by Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889), a largely forgotten contemporary of Giuseppe Verdi who conducted the premiere of his opera, “Aida.”

CSO Principal Bass Alexander Hanna was the featured soloist in the CSO’s first performance of Bottesini’s Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B Minor on Thursday night at Symphony Center.|

© Todd Rosenberg Photography

This agreeable work, very much in the Romantic spirit of its time, has endured as a showpiece for the double bass, which is exactly what Bottesini, known as “the Paganini of the double bass,” wanted it to be. And in that way, it functions beautifully.

Because of its massive size, the double bass is sometimes misconstrued as musically ungainly and unwieldy. But as he breezed through the work’s tricky passagework, his left hand flying along the fingerboard, Alexander Hanna, the orchestra’s principal bassist, made the instrument seem just the opposite—lithe and graceful.

Perhaps most impressive was the singing fluidity and full-throated yet vibrant timbres he drew from the instrument, especially during the lovely, slow second movement. We are used to hearing the bass’ low, growling voice, but much of the writing in this piece was positioned in the instrument’s lesser-known, more cello-like middle register with the biggest surprises coming with some of the high notes that Hanna pulled off with ease.

As much as those two pieces had to offer, arguably the high point of the evening came in the second half as Muti and the orchestra offered a spellbinding take on Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, “Pastoral.”

Many times in the genial first movement and gentle, slow second movement Muti did not beat time at all, just offering a cue here, sometimes with a nod of his head, or a gesture there. This was not so much Muti interpreting this work but trusting the musicians and allowing the music to flow in a wonderfully free and unfettered way.

  

  

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Whole Foods to Close Chicago's Englewood Location After Opening Just Six Years Ago

Whole Foods Market plans to close its Englewood store after opening the grocery with great fanfare just six years ago.

The Englewood store as well as another one in the DePaul University Welcome Center in Lincoln Park are among six stores the grocery chain plans to close nationwide. The company was not specific about closing dates, saying the stores will close in the coming months.

“As we continue to position Whole Foods Market for long-term success, we regularly evaluate the performance and growth potential of each of our stores, and we have made the difficult decision to close six stores. We are supporting impacted Team Members through this transition and expect that all interested, eligible Team Members will find positions at our other locations,” a Whole Foods spokesperson said Friday.

Shoppers at the Englewood market were shocked to hear Friday about the store’s closing.

Phillip Backstrol was thrilled when the store opened six years ago. The 65-year-old prefers to shop at Whole Foods for the variety of organic vegetables.

“I thought it was great,” said Backstrol.

Now, Backstrol will need to drive downtown to find those vegetables.

Local Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) could not be reached for comment.

Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) said she’s “sad,” but not at all surprised that the store derisively known as “Whole Paycheck” was closing its doors.

Taylor represents a South Side ward that includes Englewood with a border across the street from the Whole Foods store.

“The community needs a grocery store. Whole Foods was just expensive. And a lot of people did not shop there. So, I understand it. But that should have been a community ask” to reduce store prices, Taylor said.

“It’s sad. But I hope that we do one of two things: That we convince another grocer to come. Or we have our own home-grown grocer. We’ve got to do something, though. We cannot waste that TIF money. And the community needs a grocery store.”

With relentless push from then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Whole Foods agreed to open the Englewood store amid concerns about whether residents of the impoverished South Side ward could afford to shop there.

The project depended on an $11 million city subsidy for site preparation that also required an expiring tax increment finance district to be extended while money was “ported over” from a neighboring TIF.

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Solar Eclipse 2022: How to Watch This Weekend

A partial solar eclipse is set to round out the month of April with a total lunar eclipse on the way next month, and though only one will be visible from Illinois, there are still ways to watch.

According to NASA, the partial solar eclipse on the evening of April 30 can be spotted amid clear skies in Chile, Argentina, most of Uruguay, western Paraguay, southwestern Bolivia, southeastern Peru and a small area of southwestern Brazil.

Along parts of the northwestern coastline of Antarctica, in the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern coast of South America, including the Falkland Islands, and in much of the South Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean, the eclipse will also be visible.

“A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth, fully or partially blocking the Sun’s light in some areas. During a partial eclipse, the Moon and Sun are not perfectly aligned, so the Moon does not completely cover the Sun. This gives the Sun a crescent shape, or makes it appear as if a ‘bite’ has been taken out of the Sun, depending on how much of the Sun is covered by the Moon,” NASA said on its website.

Timeanddate.com will carry a free livestream of the partial eclipse next weekend here.

Chicagoans could catch a rare sight next month though, as a total lunar eclipse will be visible in the Midwest in on May 15.

According to the Adler Planetarium, a Flower Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow at 8:32 p.m. to create a total lunar eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon is fully engulfed by the Earth’s shadow. Once totality begins, the Moon can appear reddish due to our atmosphere scattering away the bluer rays of the Sun’s light, just like the Sun appears reddish right before sunset. As our Director of Public Observing Michelle Nichols likes to say, “Think of a lunar eclipse as showing you the color of the collective sunrises and sunsets happening around the entire edge of the Earth at that exact moment.” Pretty cool, right?

May’s Flower Moon is also called the Blood Moon by some due to the red color it gives off. However, that isn’t unique to this year as the moon typically appears red during a lunar eclipse, the planetarium wrote.

This interactive map shows which stage of the eclipse will be visible from your location.

The planetarium noted that the eclipse will begin at 8:32 p.m., then move into a partial eclipse at 9:27 p.m. Totality is set to start at 10:29 p.m. and end at 11:53 p.m. The partial lunar eclipse will then end 12:55 a.m. on May 16.

In about two years, a total solar eclipse will also be visible from Illinois.

On April 8, 2024, the event will be the last visible total solar eclipse from the U.S. until 2045.

More 31 million people across 13 states — including Illinois — live in “the path of totality” for the event — meaning those places will see 100% totality.

According to the website nationaleclipse.com, in Illinois, the state of totality will begin on April 8, 2024 at 1:58 p.m. and end at 2:06 p.m.

This image from nationaleclipse.com outlines the total solar eclipse’s path in Illinois.

In southern Illinois near Carbondale, the eclipse will be in the path of totality, meaning a total solar eclipse will be visible. The eclipse path map on timeanddate.com shows that in Chicago, the solar eclipse will only partially visible in Chicago, at 93.9%.

Check to see what the visibility will be in your city, here.

According to the Adler Planetarium, a solar eclipse can only occur at the New Moon Phase, when the arrangement in space is a line between the Sun, Moon, and Earth.

The moon, directly between the sun and Earth, casts a shadow on the planet, darkening the daytime sky. Those in the dark part of the moon’s shadow, the umbra, will experience a total eclipse, while those in the light part, the penumbra, will see a partial eclipse.

The period of totality refers to the time during a total eclipse when the moon completely obscures the sun. The period of totality is usually brief, lasting just a few minutes. Astronomy.com says the maximum period of totality for the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse is four minutes and 28 seconds.

The longest period of totality for the 2017 solar eclipse was quite a bit shorter, just about two minutes and 40 seconds, according to NASA.

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Joffrey Ballet review: Steinbeck and Balanchine make for an emotionally jarring pairing

Alberto Velazquez (from left) Xavier Núñez and Dylan Gutierrez are among the cast of the Joffrey Ballet’s world-premiere production of “Of Mice and Men.”

Cheryl Mann

Few stories are more embedded in the American psyche than John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” which virtually all middle-school or high-school students read at some point in their English classes.

Published in 1937, John Steinbeck’s famous novella centers on two Depression-era migrant farm workers—Lennie, a good-hearted but mentally disabled giant, and George, his loyal if sometimes disgruntled friend and guardian.  

Because of its narrative simplicity and emotional power, this story, which takes a tragic turn when Lennie accidentally kills another worker’s wife, turns out to be well-suited to adaptation as a ballet.

The Joffrey Ballet— ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘Serenade’

of mice and men joffrey

When: 7:30 p.m. April 29, with eight additional performances through May 8

Where: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker

Tickets: $35-$199

Info: joffrey.org

That became clear Wednesday evening when the Joffrey Ballet presented the world premiere of Cathy Marston’s intense, involving dance setting of the book in a program paired with George Balanchine’s “Serenade.” The duo offering runs for nine more performances through May 8.

Marston, a British choreographer whose credits include an adaptation of “Jane Eyre” that the Joffrey Ballet presented in 2019, is adept at conveying character through movement—the sneering aggressiveness of Curley (Fernando Duarte) or the hunched awkwardness of Lennie (Dylan Gutierrez).

After an opening sequence, in which the entire story is foretold in dreamy, fast-action fashion, the action largely follows the book, with one scene blending into the next, with high-energy athleticism, push-off partnering and leg-extended turns propelling the action forward.

The ballet runs about 55 minutes, and it could probably benefit from a slight trim to make the action and storytelling more streamlined and focused. It would also have been nice to get more of a sense of the closeness between George and Lennie, perhaps in a calm moment early on.  

Marston’s most inventive and insightful intervention is portraying George with two dancers. They are dressed alike and meant to convey the different, sometimes conflicted sides of the character, one who feels a commitment and almost familial bond to Lennie and the other who wants to be free and independent.    

The scenes with the three dancers are the ballet’s focal points, with the Xavier Núñez and Alberto Velazquez turning in powerful, well-matched performances as George, and Gutierrez potently conveying the gawky innocence and child-like impulses of Lennie. 

The ballet is set to a largely effective, vaguely roots-tinged score by Academy Award-nominated composer Thomas Newman, with conductor Scott Speck and the Lyric Opera Orchestra performing in conjunction with a recorded track of sound effects and altered instrumental sounds. Piano, guitar and solo violin take the lead with sharp chords and dissonances along the way conveying the darker moods.

Demonstrating the Joffrey’s impressive versatility, perhaps its greatest strength, the evening opened in an entirely different realm emotionally, stylistically and aesthetically. The company presented its first-ever performance of “Serenade” (1935), the first work created in the United States by George Balanchine, arguably the most distinguished choreographer of the 20th century.

This upbeat, vibrant work for 26 dancers, with the women in flowing blue tutus, was built around a class in dance technique and was originally set on students. It showcases some of the trademark qualities of Balanchine’s choreography, including speedy footwork, interweaving, ever-evolving patterns, and use of the corps de ballet as not just decoration but as integral parts of the ballet.

There are many iconic moments in “Serenade,” none more so than the opening, which features 17 dancers in a double-diamond pattern standing serenely with one arm raised gently to the right with the palm out. After a few gradual changes in arm position, the women snap their parallel feet into standard first position—a shift that remains startling no matter how many times one sees this work.  

Even though this ballet is more than 80 years old, it feels utterly contemporary. There is something eminently satisfying and reassuring about watching this piece, where every gesture, every step feels just right. That is a definition of a classic, which this work most definitely is. 

The dancing in this work was universally strong with the speed, precision and elegance this work demands. Stand-out individual performances include Gayeon Jung and Stefan Goncalvez as the soloists in the waltz section and the spunky presence and nimble footwork of Valeria Chaykina. 

The pairing of these two very different ballets, one narrative and one abstract, one grim and one upbeat, is unquestionably jarring. One suspects that these striking contrasts, as well as the proportional emphasis on women in “Serenade” and men in “Of Mice and Men,” were the very reasons the two were put together, and, in the end, the juxtaposition works. 

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Should You Rent or Buy a House? Here's What a Finance Expert Says You Should Know

With mortgage rates rising, many potential buyers still staring down high home and rental prices, and sellers weighing their options, how do you when it’s time to buy or rent?

Elevated home prices and tight inventory come against a backdrop that has seen inflation at a four-decade high, making homeownership less attainable, particularly for first-time buyers.

Although the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged down for the first time in two months this week, the slight decline comes after a swift ascent to levels that have not been seen in more than a decade.

After seven weeks of increases, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage inched down to 5.1% from 5.11% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Last week’s average rate was the highest since April of 2010. One year ago the 30-year rate stood at 2.98%.

Freddie Mac reported that the average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those refinancing their homes, rose to 4.4% from 4.38% last week. One year ago it stood at 2.31%.

NBC 5 asked Sharon Epperson, a senior personal finance correspondent for CNBC, her advice for those questioning what they should do. Here’s what she said:

Q: With interest rates going up, how are you currently advising people on the real estate market?

“Well, you know, you really have to assess if this is the right time for you to buy or move into a new home and get a mortgage. It may not be, but rents are also going up. So it’s really another case of looking at what your priorities are and where you are right now. You know, before you can get into a mortgage, before you make a decision on whether to continue to rent or whether to buy, you’ve got to understand what your financial picture is going to look like in both situations. So do a budget for both cases. How much are you spending now on housing and how much will you spend in your new home if you decide to buy or rent another place? So those are some of the key things you need to do, but many people don’t even know what it costs for them to live for one month. They’ve never written it all down. They’ve never looked at those numbers. Now is the time to do that. So you know where you stand. That will help you to side where you need to go next.”

Q: Should potential homebuyers be worried with rates going up?

“If you have a down payment for a home already, if you have very little or no credit card debt, if you feel like you have enough savings – three to six months savings for emergencies, because there’s always an emergency with a house… then you may be ready to do this. And you may want to take advantage of the fact that rates are where they are now and perhaps they could go higher. So you want to take advantage of it at this time. But if you’ve said no to any or many of those things, this may not be the time for you.”

Q: What about refinancing?

“Well, you know, rates have certainly gone up. But one of the best moves that I made in the pandemic was to refi my mortgage. And I did it at a time, again, when we were seeing a lot of volatility in the markets back in March of 2020. And I talked to someone who is the head of retirement research at a major financial institution about what people should be doing with their overall investments and he turned to debt. He said, ‘Well, you need to get rid of your liabilities, you need to reduce your liabilities and refinance.’ Refinancing your mortgage can be a great way to do that. I expected him to talk about mutual funds, about different places to be able to put your money, whether it should be an equity or fixed income, but no, he focused on debt. And I think that it’s a very good thing for people to think about. If you are able to lower your debt, refinance and make it a payment that is more affordable for you, or a payment that makes more sense for you long-term, then I think this is a time to look at refinancing your mortgage.”

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Blackhawks hire Cubs’ Jeff Greenberg as new associate general manager

The Blackhawks hired Jeff Greenberg as associate general manager Thursday.

Chicago Blackhawks

During the Blackhawks’ general manager search, former Cubs executive Jeff Greenberg emerged as a surprise finalist but ultimately lost out to Kyle Davidson.

Less than two months later, however, Greenberg joined the Hawks nonetheless. He was hired Thursday as associate GM.

Greenberg and Norm Maciver, who was hired away from the Kraken last month to also serve as an associate GM, will support Davidson as the three-man leadership team heading the Hawks’ front office.

“[Jeff] reached out to congratulate me after I was named general manager, and we connected instantly over our parallel paths, shared love for hockey and vision for this sport’s future,” Davidson said in a statement. “I’m excited for our fans to see what he, alongside Norm, can bring as key voices at the table — a table that will continue to grow with other leaders we will add to the team.”

Greenberg, 36, spent the last 11 years with the Cubs, rising through the ranks to most recently serve as assistant GM. He largely operated behind the scenes but played an instrumental role in developing the talent evaluation and information processing systems that helped propel the Cubs to their 2016 World Series title.

He’ll serve a similar role with the Hawks, bringing methods from baseball that haven’t been widely implemented in hockey up to this point.

The Hawks say he’ll work alongside all aspects of the hockey operations department — including scouting, development, analytics and coaching at both the NHL and minor-league levels — to modernize and optimize their systems and decision-making processes.

“What I’ve learned about the Blackhawks is they’re serious about using this rebuilding period to not only set this franchise up to be the best in hockey, but the best in all of sports moving forward,” Greenberg said in a statement. “There couldn’t be a more exciting time to get in on the ground floor of this journey and pursue every possible solution to put this team back on the path to winning hockey.”

A Penn alum, Greenberg also holds a law degree from Columbia and worked for the Pirates, Diamondbacks and MLB league office before joining the Cubs. He does hold some hockey ties: he played hockey while growing in Pittsburgh and his father, Chuck, once nearly bought the Hurricanes.

But he’s unquestionably an unconventional, outside-the-box hire for the Hawks and in general for the NHL, which is notorious for recycling the same executives from one team to the next.

That was likely part of the appeal for Davidson, who took flak when he nabbed Maciver — a longtime Hawks executive up until early 2021 — after promising to bring in fresh voices and perspectives. He’d said earlier this month that future hiring decisions would reflect that need for freshness; Greenberg is likely just the tip of the iceberg, with many more front-office additions expected this offseason.

For the Cubs, meanwhile, Greenberg’s departure — he officially starts with the Hawks on May 9 — leaves a significant hole in their front-office leadership during the middle of the season.

Beneath baseball operations president Jed Hoyer and newly hired GM Carter Hawkins, Greenberg worked alongside Ehsan Bokhari and Craig Breslow as the three assistant GMs.

“Jeff...has done so much to make the Cubs a better organization over the last 10 seasons with his powerful combination of intelligence, work ethic, leadership and integrity,” Hoyer said in a statement. “He was critically involved in forward-looking decisions as we built the core of a world champion.

“As the Blackhawks look to build their next championship team, Jeff is an ideal hire. While I am sad to lose such a terrific employee and friend, I am thrilled that his future success will continue to benefit the city of Chicago.”

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Chicago Mansion Built for Titanic Survivor to Open for Public Next Week

A historic 16,000-square-foot Chicago mansion originally built in 1917 for a Titanic survivor will open to the public next week following a years-long restoration project.

Known as Adler on the Park, the mansion, located at 2700 N. Lakeview Ave., will begin hosting tours starting May 1, with special ticketed events being held each weekend through the month of May.

The tours will include a look inside 40 “uniquely-decorated” rooms, each designed by different Chicago interior designers, as the home was remodeled for residential use for the first time since 1946.

“It has been an exciting and fulfilling project to bring this home back to the residential market after so many years,” Leigh-Anne Kazma, Adler on the Park Showcase House organizer, said in a statement. “Adler on the Park is a historic treasure within Lincoln Park and Chicago. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate this new chapter for the home during the house tours, and hope that potential buyers will have the opportunity to see all the amenities and comfort that this home can offer.”

The property was first declared an historic landmark in 2016 and was split into two “luxury residencies that feature many of the original details and character of the home, juxtaposed against contemporary updates, to create a space that is both modern and historical,” organizers said.

Those looking to take a tour of the space can do so each Saturday and Sunday in May between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., including on Memorial Day, though showings will end at 2 p.m. A ticketed VIP preview party is also slated to be held on April 28, 2022.

Details on the home and how to purchase tickets can be found here.

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GM Ryan Poles brings fresh approach to Bears heading into first NFL Draft

Bears GM Ryan Poles has no first-round picks Thursday, but should enter the fray with two second-rounders and a third Friday.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

As Ryan Poles heads into his first draft as Bears general manager on Thursday, he’s thinking big — not big as in making a splash this week, but big picture. There’s no urgency to fill holes on a team that’s almost certainly a year or more away from competing.

He is urging discipline when it comes to prioritizing his long-term plan for the Bears, and that was evident as he restrained himself in free agency as well as his apparent disinterest in trading for a wide receiver like the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel. If Poles gets this draft right, he can find his own version of Samuel at a fraction of the cost and his grand ideas in play for 2023 and beyond.

“I truly believe in homegrown talent,” Poles said. “I truly believe in drafting the right players and developing them here, and that will help us in the long run.

“It’s being disciplined in both keeping draft capital to draft the right players and develop them, as well as the financial commitment. There’s consequences for all of those actions.”

When Poles took the job, he held a second- and third-round pick, then two fifths and a sixth. That’s not much help to fix a team rife with deficiencies. He traded Khalil Mack to add another second-rounder, so the Bears are scheduled to pick at Nos. 39, 48 and 71 on Friday.

There are significant needs at cornerback, wide receiver and on the offensive line.

It’s highly unlikely Poles will trade up into the first round Thursday, instead saying he’d “be in the business [of] moving back and trying to create more [picks],” if the right offers present themselves.

As he worked to ensure that he gets this right, Poles had to blend his philosophy with the scouting staff he inherited. If he wants to make changes in that department, he’ll do it after the draft.

One new approach he tried was anonymity. In the process of finalizing the team’s draft rankings, Poles put scenarios up on the video screen and had his scouts vote for a selection with their cell phones in order to take self-consciousness out of the equation.

“You just want to remove groupthink,” he said. “If I polled everyone and you had to raise your hand, sometimes you look around. It just removes that... I put [the results] on the screen and you could hear the oohs and ahhs. It was a really cool exercise.” 

He also tested his staff by running simulations of the draft to see who they’d pick based on who was available at those spots and had someone call in with various trade proposals.

Once he’d gone through all that, Poles was essentially done. He had a meeting scheduled Tuesday and then planned to step away ranking and analyzing until it was time to make some actual picks.

“You can talk yourself into anything at this point, he said. “That’s why I’m not overcooking this board. I’m taking a step back. Sometimes you keep staring at it and you keep sliding guys around and doing crazy stuff.”

There’s no margin for crazy stuff. The Bears have too many problems and too few picks for that.

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