Good morning, Chicago.
George Wendt was a child of Beverly, that tightly-knit, leafy neighborhood on the South Side where he was celebrated Sunday. He was also a product of Old Town, that equally lovely but more frenetic neighborhood where he lived for a time and enlivened the stage of the Second City, where he was celebrated Monday.
Wendt died May 20 in Los Angeles, where he had lived since 1980 with his wife, Bernadette Birkett, whom he had met at the Second City. He was 76 years old. Cardiac arrest was the cause. Newspapers and TV headlines blared the sad news.
And so, in from a wicked rain they came, hundreds of people packing the pews for an 11 a.m. Sunday mass at Christ the King Catholic Church, long the Wendt family parish. Many entered to the song “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” which was the theme for “Cheers,” the popular NBC comedy that ran for 11 seasons with Wendt appearing in all 275 episodes as the bar denizen Norm Peterson (yes, the character had a last name).
They heard the song again at the end of the service, along with Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”
There had been only a few mentions of Wendt during the service and by its end, the rain had stopped and most of the churchgoers walked a few short blocks to the corner of 92nd Place and Bell Avenue for the official street-naming ceremony.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rick Kogan.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including why unionized nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet have filed suit, Capital One layoffs hitting the former Discover headquarters and our picks of restaurant and bar specials for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.
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Illinois elections board divided, meaning nearly $10 million fine against Senate President Don Harmon unlikely
The Illinois State Board of Elections split evenly along party lines on state Senate President Don Harmon’s appeal of a recommendation that he violated state campaign finance laws, making it unlikely that it has the legal authority to impose a nearly $10 million fine against him for accepting campaign contributions in excess of legal limits.
Wary aldermen begin Chicago budget talks as Gov. JB Pritzker says he opposes head tax
As Chicago aldermen began to wrap their minds around Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposal yesterday, what lies ahead at City Hall came into focus: another long, uphill battle.
ICE arrests Chicago man whose teenage daughter is fighting cancer: ‘He belongs with her’
Ofelia Torres has spent almost every day of the past month at Lurie Children’s Hospital, where the 16-year-old Lake View High School student is fighting cancer.
After a tough few weeks where the disease spread through her body and doctors inserted a drain in her abdomen to relieve fluid, the Torres family worked with her oncologist to arrange a short getaway over the weekend, where she and three of her closest friends could enjoy a Saturday of simple pleasures and normalcy before a scheduled return to the hospital and chemotherapy. The girls were getting their nails done as Ofelia’s father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was at work.
Hours later, he called his wife Sandibell Hidalgo from a number that came up on caller ID as “prison / jail.”
Amid criticism of police tactics, Broadview protesters begin appearing in court
About 3 miles from the west suburban immigration processing center that has become a flashpoint for protests in recent weeks, a Cook County judge sat across from a woman who had been arrested there and ordered her to stay away from the Broadview facility.
Unionized nurses never received promised COVID-19 bonus pay at St. Joseph Medical Center, lawsuit alleges
Unionized nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet never received a promised pandemic-era bonus, the Illinois Nurses Association alleges in a lawsuit filed in federal court Monday.
The petition seeks to compel the hospital, its owner Prime Healthcare and former owner Ascension to go to arbitration over the matter.
Capital One layoffs hitting former Discover headquarters in Riverwoods
When Capital One closed on its $35 billion acquisition of Discover Financial Services in May, it brought together two credit card giants — and thousands of employees — under one roof.
There may be a little more room at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods these days, after the newly merged company laid off nearly 600 employees in August and September.
Chicago Bulls need to reverse trend of slow starts to the season. Injuries and a tough schedule won’t help.
The Bulls know a thing or two about finishing strong.
In fact, it has become a rallying cry for the front office. Since the final buzzer of a play-in tournament blowout put the Bulls out of their misery back in April, the brief success at the end of the regular season has been the favored fixation of executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas.
Chicago Bears Q&A: Do the coaches feel better about Caleb Williams being the long-term QB solution?
The Bears bring a four-game winning streak — their first in seven years — to Baltimore this week for Sunday’s game against the Ravens.
While a rejuvenated running game and opportunistic defense carried them to a Week 7 victory against the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Caleb Williams appeared to take a step back. As Williams nears the midpoint of his second season, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs breaks down Williams’ progress in the weekly Bears mailbag.
The Louvre reopens 3 days after thieves took off with French crown jewels in daylight heist
The Louvre reopened today to long lines beneath its landmark Paris glass pyramid, just three days after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of the century.
The Sunday morning heist, which unfolded just 250 meters (270 yards) from the Mona Lisa, has has prompted a national reckoning and raised questions about the museum’s newly proposed security measures.
Do ferns make sounds? A new installation at the Lincoln Park Conservatory ponders ‘what if?’
“We’re all used to consuming music, but a sound installation is distinct in some key ways,” says Alex Inglizian. He’s the technical director and chief engineer at Experimental Sound Studio, a Chicago nonprofit that calls itself a “hub for sonic experimentation.” Since 2001, ESS has programmed sound installations for the Lincoln Park Conservatory’s Fern Room.
Guide: 35 restaurant and bar specials and events for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos
Oct. 31 is a Friday this year, which has left Chicago bars and restaurants split on when to celebrate Halloween. That means you have two full weekends to show off your costume, whether you’re dressing up alongside your pup for a contest, bringing the kids to a family-friendly bash or sipping themed drinks at a lounge that’s decked out for spooky season.
There are bakeries offering treats that are way better than fun-sized candy and Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 1 where you can sip tequila and support local artists. So get dressed up and don’t be scared to head to these 35 Halloween events.
