Get daily culture news sent to your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to Newcity Today here.
DESIGN
Ordinance On Chicago’s “Conversion Units” Refreshed
An expansion of accessory dwelling units across Chicago is under consideration, reports Chicago Cityscape. “Last year’s ADU citywide expansion bill was among the… unadopted ordinances killed in City Council on May 24, but new 44th Ward alderperson Bennett Lawson introduced a replacement bill.” Fellow incoming alderperson Bill Conway told the publication, “I am all for expanding the ADU pilot citywide. In the 34th Ward, there are likely UIC students living in ADUs currently, to give one example of who benefits from them, and it’s important that we bring them online and up to building code standards.”
Florida’s Toxic Lead Pipes Get More Cash Than Chicago’s
“When it came time to split up the first batch of $15 billion Congress set aside last year to replace toxic lead pipes, Illinois officials had plenty of reasons to expect they would get the biggest share,” front-pages the Tribune. “But when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last month how it plans to share nearly $3 billion this year, Florida got the biggest cut. Another state surprisingly in the top ten: Texas… Utility groups have long estimated [Illinois] leads the nation in the number of lead service lines connecting homes and two-flats to municipal water systems, largely because Chicago’s plumbing code required use of the brain-damaging metal until 1986, decades after most other major U.S. cities had banned it.”
Software CEO Programs $7.25 Million For Bucktown House
“Jason Fried, CEO of Chicago-based software firm 37Signals, is selling a Bucktown house designed by a noted architect to resemble a converted warehouse,” reports Crain’s. “Fried and his wife, Caroline Linder, are asking $7.25 million for their five-bedroom, 8,000-square-foot house built in 2013 on Wood Street.”
Eviction Prevention “Early Resolution Program” Saves Homes
“A Cook County program implemented during the height of the pandemic to provide legal and financial support to landlords and tenants behind on their rent has dramatically slowed down the eviction process, drawing praise and pushback from renters and property owners,” reports the Trib. “Before the pandemic, it could take just a few weeks for a tenant to be evicted. Now it takes at least a couple of months. The slowdown, tenants’ attorneys argue, is necessary to ensure that everyone, including landlords, gets the help that they need. But the extra time leads to financial distress for property owners, argue landlords’ attorneys… Without eviction diversion programs and right-to-counsel laws, experts estimate that nationwide, ninety-percent of landlords but only ten-percent of tenants would be represented by attorneys in court.”
Bloomberg Bows To Costly “Utopia” Of “Lifestyle Office”
“City leaders are trying to figure out what the future looks like for their downtowns full of half-empty office buildings. Here in the middle of 2023, the speed of the return-to-office movement is somewhere between a trickle and a stall,” writes Bloomberg with only a hint of panic. IMAX is their avatar. “IMAX Corp.—operators of theaters with super-sized screens and super-sized ticket prices—saw its revenues in this year’s first quarter exceed the same period in 2019, for instance. Nobody has a house big enough for a screen that measures fifty-nine-by-seventy-nine feet. IMAX is growing while older theaters that can’t keep pace on the amenities front are in decline… Based on the evidence we have, that’s a reasonable way of thinking about the state of offices now and what’s likely to work in the future.”
“The Related Companies, developers of projects like Hudson Yards in New York City, recently put out a presentation [‘The Future Of Office’] on the future of the office where they coined the phrase ‘lifestyle office’ to describe the model that’s currently thriving and has the brightest future.” Their “lifestyle office” is “the IMAX version of an office building, packed with amenities including beautiful design, unique experiences, world-class shopping and culture, and plenty of greenspace. Related Companies says its lifestyle office vision represents less than five-percent of the market and has significant rent premiums and lower vacancy rates compared with the rest of the market.”
Second Thompson Center Documentary Online
Through June 18, MAS Context is hosting Nathan Eddy’s “Starship Chicago II.” “Chicago’s postmodern people’s palace, the seventeenth-floor James R. Thompson Center, has been spared the wrecking ball,” the site posts. “As the controversial icon is radically transformed from a public office building into Google’s downtown headquarters, some of the building’s most notable features, including the perennially controversial color scheme, will be replaced. The central atrium will remain open to the public but will cease to be a publicly owned space. The project raises fundamental questions about the urban environment: What is the future of public space in the city? How does a change in aesthetics impact architectural integrity? To whom does the city belong? Through interviews with the key architects, developers, city officials, and preservationists involved in this ongoing saga, an existential question emerges: What gives a building soul?” Interviewees include Elizabeth Blasius, Phil Castillo, Stewart Hicks, Evan Jahn, Bonnie McDonald, Mike Reschke and Ward Miller. Details and link here.
DINING & DRINKING
Trib Edit Board Goes After Restaurant Service Fees, Says Pandemic Pricing Is Done
“The pandemic emergency is officially over. But for many full-service local eateries, the battle for survival is emphatically not over. A period of labor shortages, iffy finances and desperate experimentation lives on,” writes the Chicago Tribune editorial board. “The reality is that independent neighborhood restaurants need their communities to support them as much as ever… The reality, though, is that restaurants can only do so much: Embrace tech, boost takeout and delivery, add lower-cost menu options, reduce portions of high-cost items, provide vegan or plant-based dishes for customers who insist on those and—oh, yes—raise prices.”
“Message to the restaurant industry: Sympathy is giving way to frustration and customers are feeling gouged… Our advice is to phase out the digital menus that need to be pinched or expanded on smartphones, the igloos and yurts for outdoor dining during Chicago’s frigid winters, the deceptive service charges sneaked into bills that wind up going to restaurant owners rather than workers. And, please, stop shoving devices in our faces that start the tip options at twenty-percent and go up from there.”
James Beard Foundation Has New Problems With Investigations Of Restaurants
“The group behind ‘the Oscars of the food world’ created a new process to weed out nominees with problematic pasts. But that process has troubles of its own,” reports the New York Times. “The foundation does not comment on specific ethics investigations, in order to keep them confidential, but that confidentiality presents potential issues of its own. In order to maintain it, the organization does not remove the names of those disqualified from previously issued news releases, from the ballot or even from the program at the gala… For 2022, the awards were rebuilt to consider not just culinary excellence, but also equity, leadership, sustainability, diversity and other values aligned with the group’s new mission. ‘We are watching an institution self-correct in real time,’ said Erick Williams, the chef-owner of the Chicago restaurant Virtue and last year’s winner for Best Chef: Great Lakes. ‘The ceiling had to be cracked, the mold had to be reshaped.'”
Logan Square-Avondale Latest Quarter For Resto Burglaries
“At least three more small businesses in the Logan Square and Avondale area have been hit by burglars in a string of break-ins,” reports Block Club. Lula Cafe, Dante’s and The Brewed are the latest. The Brewed co-owner Nick Mayor tells the site that “their doughnut delivery driver discovered the break-in. It took police about two-and-a-half hours to show up, which Mayor found ‘very frustrating.’ Police didn’t respond to a question about the slow response time.” Lula’s Jason Hammel: “I don’t have a lot to say except that I would recommend to owners and managers in the neighborhood to discuss security and safety with staff, keep cash drawers empty and open, maintain as little cash as possible on hand, and to have a clear [standard operating procedure] for after-hours communication.”
Brunt Of Bud Hate Hits Beer Distributors?
“Truck drivers delivering Bud Light have received the middle finger from passersby, distributors have faced intentional collisions from shopping carts as they drop off beer and vendors have endured homophobic jokes calling them ‘gay beer salesmen,'” allege top executives at powerful beer distribution companies, reports ABC. “The losses have strained Anheuser-Busch distributors that draw a significant portion of their revenue from Bud Light, the company’s top-selling beer.” A former Anheuser-Busch InBev exec tells the network, “The biggest losers here are the 500 independent businesses in the U.S. that distribute Anheuser-Busch products… Those are the people really hurting.”
River North Furniture Store Hosts All-Day Café With Pickleball Courts
“Grammar is the new restaurant with ‘Detroit-style pizza’ inside Architectural Artifacts in River North,” reports Eater Chicago. “Architectural Artifacts founder Stuart Grannen carefully transported his unique pieces to display in its new home. Beyond the new showroom, the space houses a pickleball court, private event spaces, and a restaurant. Grannen partnered with the owner of Avondale Bowl, Luke Blahnik, and brought in Lula Cafe executive chef Andrew Holladay to create a cafe menu.”
FILM & TELEVISION
Chicago Industry Exchange Presents “Producing Successful Arthouse Films”
Chicago Industry Exchange presents producer Julia Oh (“Bodies Bodies Bodies,” the forthcoming “Past Lives”) on “Producing Successful Arthouse Films,” with a “networking mixer” to follow the “candid in-depth conversation about getting distinctive independent films funded, produced and distributed.” Chicago Cultural Center, Friday, June 16, 5pm. Free registration here.
Movie House Investors Return To Sprucing Millions In Real Estate
“Cinemas were already upgrading before the pandemic—bringing in cushier seating, bigger screens, better sound equipment, and tastier food and beverage options,” reports the New York Times. “But many theaters also went into 2020 with thin margins and may have survived only because of federal pandemic relief programs. Now cinemas are spending millions of dollars to beef up their offerings and surpass moviegoing of old… The upgrades are part of an effort to make up for lost time. Domestic box office earnings so far this year still don’t match prepandemic levels. And experts say it could take years for the movie theater industry to recover from pandemic losses, possibly hampering operators’ ability to make investments to stay competitive.”
Emagine Opens In Batavia
“Emagine Entertainment, Inc. one of the nation’s leading innovators in motion picture exhibition, is opening the Emagine Batavia movie theater today. Emagine is also happy to announce that the world’s most popular ‘Halloween’ character, ‘Michael Myers’ actor James Jude Courtney, will be in attendance for both days, while the theater shows the 2018 ‘Halloween,’ in honor of the film’s fifth anniversary. Formerly the Randall 15 IMAX, the space was purchased by Emagine in spring 2020 and has been renovated into a luxurious and upscale movie theater with twelve state-of-the art auditoriums which includes two private screening rooms, a large format EMX screen and a SUPER EMX screen, all equipped with 4K projectors and feature luxury heated recliners and cuddle chairs.”
“A High Roller Room features a full-service bar, shuffleboard, video games, pool tables, large screen televisions and four Brunswick Duckpin Social bowling lanes. Emagine Batavia also features a brand new Super EMX auditorium, which is the largest Cinemascope screen in the state of Illinois. Measuring over ninety-six-feet wide and fifty-three-feet tall (the size of an NBA court flipped on its side), Emagine’s Super EMX will have a 4K laser-projected image paired with a Dolby Atmos immersive sound system with seventy channels of sound.” More here.
LIT
Arkansas Sued Over Threats To Prosecute Librarians
“The American Library Association and the Authors Guild are among a group of organisations bringing a lawsuit against the state of Arkansas over a law which makes it a crime for librarians to give children books with ‘obscene’ content,” reports the Guardian. The lawsuit in Governor Huckabee Sanders’ domain “involves seventeen plaintiffs, including the Central Arkansas Library System, the Association of American Publishers and the American Booksellers Association.”
Adds Publishers Weekly: The law, “which was signed by governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on March 31 and is set to take effect on August 1, removes an exemption from prosecution for school and public libraries and would empower virtually anyone to challenge the appropriateness of library materials in Arkansas. Library staff found to have ‘knowingly’ distributed or facilitating the distribution of allegedly obscene material to a minor—defined as anyone under eighteen—would be open to a potential felony charge.”
MEDIA
Are Tech CEOs Having The “Hallucinations”?
Naomi Klein in her column at the Guardian: “Warped hallucinations are indeed afoot in the world of A.I.–but it’s not the bots that are having them; it’s the tech CEOs who unleashed them, along with a phalanx of their fans, who are in the grips of wild hallucinations, both individually and collectively. Here I am defining hallucination not in the mystical or psychedelic sense, mind-altered states that can indeed assist in accessing profound, previously unperceived truths. No. These folks are just tripping: seeing, or at least claiming to see, evidence that is not there at all, even conjuring entire worlds that will put their products to use for our universal elevation and education.”
MUSIC
Terri Hemmert Updates
“Time heals. Most of the time. It’s healing me. I appreciate everyone’s support, from my siblings to total strangers, after that near miss being in the wrong place at the wrong time when bullets went flying. It was like being in a movie. But it wasn’t. But it was surreal,” WXRT stalwart Terri Hemmert posts on Facebook. “I’ve spent a lot of time reaching out to my twenty-eight friends who were there for the birthday party that never happened. I don’t care if I ever have another birthday party. Hopefully more birthdays. Grateful that my guests that night will continue to have more birthdays. The horror of gunfire is in the news every single day. Let’s not get used to it.”
Performapaloozathon Lands At Northeastern
Performapaloozathon, a year-end jamboree in which 700 K-12 students from The People’s Music School perform in seven hours of musical performances, takes place at Northeastern Illinois University on Saturday, June 3, 9am-5pm. “The People’s Music School is Chicago’s oldest and largest one hundred percent tuition-free music school, serving only students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford the opportunity,” the group relays. “NEIU will be transformed into a vibrant hub of music and excitement, captivating nearly 1,500 attendees from across Chicago.” More here.
STAGE
Goodman’s “Swing State” Registers Off-Broadway
Rebecca Gilman’s “Swing State,” produced by the Goodman, will transfer with the original Chicago cast to the Minetta Lane Theatre in Manhattan beginning September 8 for a seven-week limited engagement, which will be recorded by presenter Audible. “Gilman is the most-produced contemporary playwright in Goodman Theatre history. ‘Swing State’ marks her sixth with director Robert Falls over a collaboration of over thirty-five years,” Goodman relays.
Students Put On Play Banned By Their Ft. Wayne High School
Ft. Wayne high school students put on “Marian, or the True Tale Of Robin Hood” themselves, in a 1,500-seat outdoor theater with “security personnel in bulletproof vests,” reports the Washington Post. Its “LGBTQ storylines drew complaints from parents, spurring Carroll High School to cancel ‘Marian’ in February out of concern for students’ safety.” A GoFundMe paid for the production, pulling “in $80,000 in under two weeks. Nonprofit Fort Wayne Pride, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, stepped in as fiscal agent, managing the money.”
Yippie Fest Applications Open
Yippie Fest will return with its seventh annual happening on stage from August 4-6, presenting theater, performance, and more at Pride Arts. Yippie Fest began in 2017 as an event inspired by the Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Festival (1989-2016). The application for individual and group acts in theater and performance is available, with no application fee. Accepted artists are given a weekend pass to see any other show. More here.
British Actors Say The Groundlings Are Revolting
“What’s it like to star in a play when audience members watch football, ring friends, open lagers or pass round entire chickens? Actors vent their anger at the ‘Netflix mindset’ of the new post-COVID generation,” reports the Guardian.
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
Ald. Anthony Napolitano Says Migrants Massed In Chicago Are Not Fault Of Texas Governor
“Ald. Anthony Napolitano says it’s unfair to blame [Texas governor] Abbott for sending migrants to sanctuary city Chicago,” posts Gregory Pratt of the Trib. Pratt continues a report from the City Council: “Andre Vasquez calls out state and Congress for not giving city of Chicago the money it needs to deal with its issues… Mayor Johnson calling for the sergeant at arms to restore order in City Council chambers as anti-migrant speakers keep disrupting. The city of Chicago is a long way from racial harmony as loud voices in the Black and white communities speak out against migrant funding… City Council votes 34-13 to approve $51 million to help deal with migrant crisis.”
Chicago Ridge Cancels Ridge Fest As Precaution Against Violence And Reaction Against Booking Of Ted Nugent
“Security concerns have led to organizers canceling yet another summer festival,” reports CBS 2, “the annual Ridge Fest in southwest suburban Chicago Ridge.” Chicago Ridge Mayor Chuck Tokar said, “I think in the social climate or the tense times that we’re living in right now, I think the trustees had a legitimate concern.” Another difficulty: the town had booked Ted Nugent, who has advocated violence against Democrats from the stage, as their lead attraction. “A lot of people love him and then there’re some detractors,” Tokar said. “There’s no question about it. You know some people think that he’s a bad guy for some reason.”
Union League Boys & Girls Clubs Grants $215,000 In Scholarships To South And West Side Students
Forty-nine current and recent high school graduates from Chicago’s South and West sides have received a total of $215,600 in scholarships granted by Union League Boys & Girls Club. “Twenty-four recent high school graduates, in addition to twenty-five currently enrolled students, representing the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and Columbia College Chicago, are receiving financial and developmental support via the students’ involvement in Union League Boys & Girls Clubs serving the Pilsen, West Town, Humboldt Park, South Lawndale, and Englewood communities.”
