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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Matt Moore

Temporary casino could open this summer, CPD to work overtime during NASCAR weekend and more in your Chicago news roundup

State regulators gave preliminary approval to a plan for a temporary casino to open as early as this summer at the Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Ave., pictured here last July. (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

Good afternoon, Chicago.

What makes a place feel like a classic Chicago spot? 

For me, a few things come to mind — wood paneling, a bright and unique sign, maybe there’s a counter in the mix (probably laminate), or something on the menu that feels like it has cost the same for years, and the presence of regulars who give off the impression that there’s nowhere else they’d rather be. 

I’m thinking Sidekicks in Old Irving Park, where neon lights shine on wood-paneled walls, folks belt their hearts out and no one could care less how you sound. Or Lem’s Bar-B-Q in Greater Grand Crossing, where that big sign’s bright bulbs and neon green hue pull you into a line that wraps around the building as the smell hangs over you and everyone waits eagerly to get to the counter to order. Heck, I still get excited when I go to the Billy Goat Tavern under Michigan Avenue and buy a burger for about $5!

While we’ve lost plenty of storied businesses the last few years, I’m thankful that we still have so many institutions going strong these days. And thanks to your answers to Wednesday’s question of the day, I’ve got a few more “old-school Chicago” places to check out. 

But before we take off, here are the stories you need to know this afternoon.

⏱️: A 7-minute read

— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)


TODAY’S TOP STORY

Temporary Chicago casino could open this summer as Bally’s plan clears state hurdle

Reporting by Mitchell Armentrout 

Temporary casino could open soon: State regulators today handed down a key early approval to Bally’s Chicago casino plan, paving the way for the corporation to launch a temporary gambling house within a couple of months at the historic Medinah Temple in River North while it builds the permanent structure in River West. 

The vote: The four-member Illinois Gaming Board voted unanimously on a finding of “preliminary suitability” for Rhode Island-based Bally’s, which was former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pick to spearhead the casino that eluded generations of mayors before her. Lightfoot pushed Bally’s plan through the City Council last spring after a contentious operator selection process, and the corporation applied for state approval in August. 

Next steps: The gaming board’s “preliminary suitability” finding allows Bally’s to lay the groundwork for its operations both at Medinah and the $1.7 billion casino complex it has envisioned at the site of the Chicago Tribune printing press at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, which is expected to open by 2026. But the curtain won’t rise until Bally’s meets a final set of regulatory hurdles, including a test run of its slots and table games, before the temporary Medinah site can open. 

READ MORE


WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

The Seth P. Warner House in the 600 block of North Central Avenue in the Austin neighborhood, which caught fire early Thursday morning. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

OUR CITY IN COLOR 🎨

Artist Eskat’s mural as seen in April 2022 from Armitage and Racine avenues. (Robert Herguth/Sun-Times)

Reporting by Richie Requena

The owners of the building at 2001 N. Clybourn Ave. were thinking about commissioning a mural to go out front when they approached Levar Hoard for help.

But Hoard thought: Why not put it in the back, where three alleys converge?

The spot offers a good line of sight onto Armitage Avenue, which dead ends there at Racine Avenue and is “the most beautiful street in all of Chicago,” according to Hoard.

Hoard says he brought in Mexican artist Eskat to create the mural because of the way his style melds realism with an abstract sensibility. Eskat called the mural, which he painted in 2019, “En Busca del Camino” — which means “In Search of the Way.”

It stands four stories tall, seeming to snake up the building.

There’s a “symbolic woman” in the piece who’s supposed to be “from the Victorian era but brought to today with art — it’s a contemporary take,” Hoard says, that offers a nod to the many Victorian-style homes found in Lincoln Park.

READ MORE


BRIGHT ONE ✨

Logan Garcia graduated from Juarez High School in Pilsen this month. He is off to Loyola University Chicago, while his dad, James Garcia, is planning to start a trade program with a Hope Chicago scholarship. (Courtesy of Hope Chicago)

Father and son are heading to college with a surprise scholarship: ‘I was not expecting any of this’

Reporting by Nereida Moreno

Logan Garcia was a junior at Juarez High School in Pilsen when he learned that a local nonprofit would offer to pay for students to go to college for free, regardless of grades. To top it off, one of their parents would be eligible for a full scholarship as well.

Up to that point, Logan had been planning to get a job after high school — maybe as a barista or at the airport with his mom. He had watched his sisters struggle with college debt and wanted to find a different path. But everything changed when he found out he would receive the scholarship.

Philanthropists and entrepreneurs Pete Kadens and Ted Koenig launched Hope Chicago, which partnered with Juarez and four other public high schools to increase college access on the South and West sides.

At least four graduating classes will receive scholarships to one of 23 colleges or training programs in Illinois —that includes four years of tuition, room and board, a new laptop, plus books and fees.

For Logan’s family, the Hope Chicago scholarship has meant a chance at a fresh start. His father, James Garcia, wants to go back to school and explore a new career.

“I get a second wind or my next chapter,” he said.

READ MORE


YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️

If you had to choose only one Chicago restaurant to eat at — for every meal, every day — for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Tell us why.

Email us (please include your first and last name and where you live). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!


Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. 

Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Editor: Ellery Jones

Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore

Copy editor: Angie Myers

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