Afternoon Edition: March 19

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be sunny and breezy with a high near 50 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 30 degrees. Tomorrow will be sunny and warmer with a high near 56 degrees and Sunday’s forecast is even better: sunny with a high near 62 degrees.

Top story

Loretto Hospital vaccinated more than 200 members of CEO’s suburban church

The city is cutting off vaccine doses allocated for Loretto Hospital, officials announced Thursday. Sun-Times file

The president and CEO of Loretto Hospital, who authorized vaccinations for workers at Trump Tower, where a fellow executive owns a unit, is now under fire for providing vaccinations to more than 200 members of his southwest suburban church.

The vaccinations were provided in February to congregants of Valley Kingdom Ministries International in southwest suburban Oak Forest, according to hospital spokeswoman Bonni Pear.

Pear said hospital President and CEO George Miller reached out directly to the Chicago Department of Public Health to ask about the church vaccinations before they took place.

“CDPH informed Mr. Miller that as long as the recipients lived, worked or received medical care in the city and were 1B-eligible they could be vaccinated. At the time the church vaccinations occurred, the mandate from CDPH was to vaccinate as many 1A and 1B-eligible Chicagoans as possible,” Pear said.

The hospital’s primary mission has been to vaccinate people who live in and around the predominantly black community in the Austin neighborhood where its located.

This comes on the heels of news the hospital provided inoculations to staff at Trump Tower who were ineligible.

The hospital’s board was expected to announce as early as this afternoon punishments for Miller and Dr. Anosh Ahmed, the hospital’s COO who owns a condo in Trump Tower.

Keep reading Mitch Dudek’s story here.

More news you need

1. About 12,000 times last year, Chicago police officers were alerted that people were violating court orders barring them from entering safety zones designed to protect victims of domestic violence. But even as the number of those warnings skyrocketed, only a few of those instances resulted in arrests.
2. When he ran for City Council, Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson failed to report he had ownership stakes in two Uptown apartment complexes that since have been sold for $85.5 million — despite laws requiring him to do so. And then, months after selling one of the properties, he voted to approve development plans there without disclosing his connection.
3. Public health officials today announced 135,525 more COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered statewide as Cook County expands eligibility for the coveted doses. The Cook County Department of Public Health started accepting appointments at noon from people 16 and older with underlying health conditions.
4. For the week of March 8 through 12 — the first week when all elementary grade levels were allowed back in classrooms — about 73% of those students who were expected to show up actually did, according to CPS. The district also said in-person attendance increased the longer schools have been open.
5. Trying to set himself apart from his predecessor, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is shutting down one of the chief campaign funds Mike Madigan relied on for decades to preserve his House majority and top leadership spot. “It won’t just be the Chris Welch Show,“ he said.
6. A new docuseries, “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise,” summons memories of the monster, his victims and the distraught survivors left behind. Our Richard Roeper reflects on his time covering Gacy in the 1990s, as the convicted murderer remained in headlines.
7. Bill Campbell, a veteran Chicago TV newsman who spent more than three decades with ABC7 Chicago, including as editorial and community relations director and talk show host, has died at age 70. Mr. Campbell, of north suburban Evanston, was for many years the public face of the station.

A bright one

Second City in-person shows scheduled to resume in May

Live from Chicago — it’s The Second City.

The iconic comedy hub, shuttered for a year, said it will reopen its doors on May 7 to in-person performances at the Piper’s Alley location. Tickets go on sale March 25 for new hourlong shows, Thursdays through Sundays, at both the Mainstage and e.t.c. theaters. Seating limits, per COVID-19 protocols, will be adhered to.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

In addition, in-person classes at The Second City Training Center are scheduled to return May 3, also with limited capacity.

“We realize that most people have binge-watched every TV show ever made at this point, so it’s exciting that live, in-person experiences are set to make their long-awaited return,” said The Second City’s executive producer Jon Carr.

Read Miriam Di Nunzio’s full story here.

From the press box

The NCAA tournament tipped off today with No. 1 seed Illinois beating Drexel 78-49. If Loyola wins its game this afternoon, the team will face off against Illinois on Sunday; here’s a preview from Steve Greenberg.

Columnist Rick Morrissey has some good news for newly signed quarterback Andy Dalton: A decent portion of Bears’ fans are remarkably forgiving. Even if he struggles in 2021, he’ll likely have half the fan base on his side.

And the Illinois high school football season starts tonight. Here’s a preview of the area’s top games.

Your daily question ☕

Who do you have winning March Madness? Tell us why.

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: If you could watch an extended version of any movie, a la “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” what would it be? Here’s what some of you said…

“‘The Wizard of Oz.’ I want to know what happens when Miss Gulch realizes Toto escaped from the basket. They left that whole part out at the end, Miss Gulch will surely come back!” — Seth Dominick

“Give us the three-hour cut of ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles.’” — Marnie Shure

“‘Irishman,’ ‘Casino,’ ‘Godfather.’” — J.P. Kula

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