Events

Illinois governor JB Pritzker has closed all bars and restaurants (except for carry-out and delivery) from the close of business tonight until March 30th: “There are no easy decisions left to make as we address this unprecedented crisis,” Pritzker said at a news conference Sunday afternoon. “Every choice now is hard, and it comes with real consequences for our residents. But as your governor I cannot let the gravity of these choices prevent us from taking the actions that the science and the experts say...

Some dingleberry from Tennessee thought he'd make easy money by stocking up on hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. Now he's got a garage full of things Amazon won't let him sell. And he's whining about it to the New York Times: On March 1, the day after the first coronavirus death in the United States was announced, brothers Matt and Noah Colvin set out in a silver S.U.V. to pick up some hand sanitizer. Driving around Chattanooga, Tenn., they hit a Dollar Tree, then a Walmart, a Staples and a Home...

Welcome to stop #21 on the Brews and Choos project. Brewery: Flossmoor Station, 1035 Sterling Ave., FlossmoorTrain line: Metra Electric, FlossmoorTime from Chicago: 54 minutes (Zone E)Distance from station: 200 m This unusual place took over Flossmoor's historic 1906 railway depot in 1996 (but, ironically, it's not directly accessible from the railway). Flossmoor natives Dean and Carolyn Armstrong rescued the building from demolition and built out a pretty decent restaurant. Inside they have a four-room...

Those words appear on the cover of a 450-page CDC-written manual called "Crisis Risk Emergency Communications." Apparently, if anyone in the Trump Administration has read the book, they have chosen to do the opposite, instead of bungling everything accidentally: Protecting vulnerable people from a virus that, according to some projections, could infect millions and kill hundreds of thousands, depends on U.S. leaders issuing clear public health instructions and the public’s trust to follow directions...

Last night I had the wonderful experience of performing Bach's Johannes-Passion with the Apollo Chorus of Chicago and the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. I say "performing" because, recognizing that we had already cancelled our performance on Saturday and would probably cancel Sunday's as well, this was our one shot. Three months of preparation, hours of study and practicing German diction, gone. And I'm on my second half-personal-day at home dealing with the cleanup, which has included a few hundred...

Welcome to stops #19 and #20 on the Brews and Choos project. Note: Oppidan Spirits no longer has tastings at the Waukegan location, but they still make amazing Bourbon. Brewery: Nightshade & Dark's Pandemonium Brewing Co, 216 W Clayton St., WaukeganDistillery: Oppidan Spirits, 220 W Clayton St., WaukeganTrain line: Metra Union Pacific North, Waukegan.Time from Chicago (Ogilvie): 75 minutes, zone HDistance from station: 800 m Nightshade & Dark's and Oppidan occupy the same space in central Waukegan in an...

We just sent this out: Apollo community, After much deliberation, and in consultation with Music Director Stephen Alltop, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, and both of our concert venues, we have decided to cancel our concert at St Luke’s scheduled for this Saturday March 14th. The ESO has agreed that tickets to Saturday’s performance will be honored on Sunday at 3pm at the Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church performance. If you bought a ticket through our online system for Saturday’s performance and...

What an exciting 24 hours. President Trump made a statement from the Oval Office last night about the COVID-19 pandemic that completely failed to reassure anyone, in part because it contained numerous errors and misstatements. By announcing a ban on travel from the Schengen area of 26 European countries that applies to non-US residents, he enraged our European allies while doing nothing to stop the spread of the virus for the simple reason that the virus has already spread to the US. Not to mention...

I spent an hour trying (unsuccessfully) to track down a monitor to replace the one that sparked, popped, and went black on me this morning. That's going to set me back $150 for a replacement, which isn't so bad, considering. Less personally, the following also happened in the last 24 hours: Former Vice President Joe Biden thumped US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in most of the 6 primary-election states yesterday. Closer to home, the Illinois House district just south of me has become the center of...

Welcome to stop #18 on the Brews and Choos project. The tasting room closed in 2023, but FEW continues producing spirits. Distillery: FEW Spirits, 918 Chicago Ave., Evanston, Ill.Train line: Metra Union Pacific North, Evanston–Main St. (Also CTA Purple Line, Main)Time from Chicago (Ogilvie): 20 minutes, zone 2Distance from station: 200 m (200 m from CTA) Disclosure: FEW Spirits has been a contributor to the Apollo Chorus of Chicago for several years. I serve on the Apollo Chorus Board of Directors...