The latest
Lawry’s The Prime Rib cites coronavirus in closure announcement
Lawry’s The Prime Rib, which has been a River North staple for nearly half a century, is shutting its doors at the end of this year.
Ryan Wilson, CEO of Lawry’s Inc., said the beloved steakhouse, located at 100 E. Ontario St., is closing due to a confluence of unfortunate events, including the coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest and an expiring lease.
Wilson said discussions about potentially closing Lawry’s in Chicago have been going on for weeks. Staffers were notified of the news Saturday.
“We’ve done everything we can to hold on, but as things continue to — I don’t want to say drag on, but as the pandemic and closures get longer, we’re playing the long game here,” Wilson told the Sun-Times in a phone interview Sunday. “[We] decided we need to hit pause for our time right now in Chicago and our time at 100 E. Ontario.”
Read the full report from Madeline Kenney here.
News
7:39 a.m. Suburban athletes show up for Let Us Play protest, but city turnout is small
Saturday’s Let Us Play protest at the Thompson Center was designed to be a show of force and numbers to put pressure on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to change his mind and allow all fall sports, especially football, to be played now instead of in the spring.
That isn’t how it turned out. An estimated 400-500 people showed up, the overwhelming majority wearing apparel from Lincoln-Way East, Loyola and Batavia. There wasn’t a single Chicago school with a significant presence. Brother Rice coach Brian Badke was on hand with three players and there was a coach or two in attendance from about 10 Public League teams.
Read the full story by Michael O’Brien here.
New Cases
State health officials on Sunday announced 1,402 new coronavirus cases and 14 additional deaths.
Analysis & Commentary
8:07 a.m. Thanks for lifting our spirits, Sox and Cubs, and for playing with class in strange times
A great way to follow baseball through a Chicago summer is to dip in and dip out, to come and go.
We might listen to a game on the radio outdoors, after mowing the lawn or while walking the dog. We might slip back inside to catch a big moment on TV.
Baseball’s our summer soundtrack, our daily diversion, our companion.
This summer, baseball has been a little less of all that, due to a shortened season and an eerie emptiness at ballparks because of the pandemic. But the game has also meant all the more to us for just the same reason.
We are stuck at home. We are stuck in our lives. We can’t do this and we can’t do that. A Saturday is not much different than a Wednesday when there is no weekend concert, no getting together with friends at a restaurant, no family gathering.
But there is baseball. And here in Chicago, the baseball’s been good — and it’s not over yet.
