Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
Next month, the Chicago Red Stars will take on San Francisco’s Bay Football Club at Wrigley Field.
The June 8 match will go down as the first National Women’s Soccer League game to be played at the Friendly Confines.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll break down some of the stakes surrounding this historic moment for the Red Stars franchise.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on why Chicago public schools are rejecting their budgets, who won the Illinois Small Business Person of the Year Award and more community news you need to know below.
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Red Stars using game at Wrigley as chance to ‘direct their own future’
Reporting by Annie Costabile
Something to prove: When the Red Stars drew 25,000 fans to their doubleheader with the Fire in 2022, skeptics had a lot to say. Their most common rejoinder was, “They only did that well because it was a doubleheader.” On June 8, the Red Stars will have an opportunity to refute that claim when they play Bay FC at Wrigley Field.
The stakes: There’s a lot more riding on the Wrigley match than quieting the naysayers. Not only will it be the first National Women’s Soccer League game to be played at Wrigley, but strong ticket sales would also give the Red Stars an argument in their attempt to get a piece of the public funding pie for a new stadium.
Value proposition: What the Red Stars think they can provide to the community is an investment in young women. If their plans to build a stadium are successful, their primary goal would be to create economic benefits. But they say they also want to provide young women with access to their facilities through soccer academies or high school tournaments.
Breaking with Bridgeview?SeatGeek Stadium, the Red Stars’ current suburban home, has long been a source of frustration for the franchise in terms of fan growth. Many fans can’t afford to make the long commute to Bridgeview, and there isn’t a convenient public transportation option to the suburb. From a pragmatic standpoint, the Red Stars know being in the city will give them the best opportunity to continue developing their fan base.
Key quote: “By demonstrating that we can fill a stadium, legislators will have their eyes open to both the quality of play in the NWSL and where these women deserve to play,” Red Stars President Karen Leetzow said.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Schools reject budgets: Several elected local school councils in Chicago are either refusing to approve budgets sent by the school district or are approving those budgets with a message to let the district leaders know they don’t think they are receiving enough resources for the coming year.
- New Etta owner shares plans: Johann Moonesinghe, a tech entrepreneur from Texas, has purchased the bankrupt Etta restaurant group and plans to expand the Chicago brand with hundreds of new locations across the nation.
- Shell game? Northwestern University students are creating fake shells to lure in sea predators for research. The students will travel to Miami later this month to test the shells in the field.
- Community rallies around Berwyn venue: Although FitzGerald’s was burglarized early Saturday morning, the scheduled shows went on as planned the same evening thanks to staff and friends who pulled together.
- Parallel version of Chicago: On the locally made Apple TV+ series “Dark Matter,” skyscrapers can crumble, Lake Michigan can freeze and a power plant in Robbins can house an alternate reality machine.
- ‘Kubelik’ filming notice: To help keep away big crowds during filming, the people behind the hit TV show “The Bear” have used the name of Rafael Kubelík, who was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director from 1950 to 1953.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS 🌱
I caught up with reporter David Struett, who recommends a trip to an under-appreciated park in the Bridgeport neighborhood, Henry C. Palmisano Park.
Located at 27th and Halsted, Palmisano Park offers a stunning view of the skyline on top of a rare city hill, David says.
Why you should go: “It’s great for picnics, a stroll and offers probably the best 360-degree view of fireworks on July 4,” David says. “It’s the gem of Bridgeport.”
Take a stroll: “Trails in the 26-acre park take you through slopes covered in native prairie grass and down to a fishing pond lined by the cliffs of what was formerly Stearns Quarry,” David tells me. “The quarry stopped operating in the 1970s, and the site eventually became a landfill for construction material. The city bought the land and turned its trash hill into one of the city’s most unique parks.”
Dive deeper: Opened in 2009, the park is a short walk from the Orange Line and has ample free parking on 29th Street, David says. The Chicago Park District has an insightful audio tour of the park online here.
📍 Henry C. Palmisano Nature Park, 2700 S. Halsted St.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Kilwins owner named Illinois small-business person of the year by Small Business Administration
Reporting by Amy Yee
Kilwins franchise owner Jacqueline “Jackie” Jackson stood in her Andersonville store near glass cases full of decadent truffles, caramel apples and nut caramel turtles like the ones her late mother loved.
After several rough starts running a string of Kilwins chocolate shops, Jackson’s perseverance was recognized Thursday at an awards ceremony with family, friends and officials.
She was named the Illinois Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration Great Lakes region. Jackson is a model of “resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Geri Aglipay, SBA regional administrator, who presented the award.
Jackson owns five Chicago-area Kilwins, the Michigan-based chocolatier and ice cream shop founded in 1947 that now has outlets in some 26 states.
Jackson opened her first Kilwins more than a decade ago in southwest suburban Orland Park. Today, she has two locations in downtown Chicago — on Michigan Avenue and at Navy Pier — and a store in the Andersonville neighborhood and suburban Geneva and Evanston. She expects to open a store in the River North neighborhood this month. Her staff has grown from 10 employees to more than 75.
Her advice to other small-business owners?
“Things will happen, but you got to pick up and keep going. Don’t give up. It’s going to be tough.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s the best non-Cubs event you’ve seen at Wrigley Field? Tell us what made it the best.
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
