Evening Rush for Monday, March 31, 2014

SHARE Evening Rush for Monday, March 31, 2014

Grace Bourg of Shorewood holds her son Elliott, 2, outside U.S. Cellular field before the opener against the Minnesota Twins. | Michael Schmidt/Sun-Times

Opening day is finally here

We’ve already heard the doom-and-gloom projections for both Chicago teams, but at least for a few hours, both Cubs and White Sox fans could be somewhat excited as baseball returns — even if that will quickly fade.

After Monday’s 1-0 loss to the Pirates, Cubs manager Rick Renteria will forever be a trivia question as he became the first manager to lose a replay challenge. On the South Side before the opener against the Twins, White Sox GM Rick Hahn said while he’s optimistic, the team is “not there yet.” [Cubs | White Sox | Live blog | Photo gallery: Presidential first pitches]

Healthcare.gov crashes on deadline day

Shocking, really. [Early & Often]

Picture this

Four years ago, a Chicago real estate investor stumbled upon a box of negatives and discovered the work of an incredible street photographer. [Mother Jones]

Quick trigger

A northwest side man has the honor of being the first concealed carry permit holder arrested in Chicago. [Sun-Times]

We’ll drink to that

Clinic offering “intravenous hydration therapy” plans to open in May. [DNAinfo Chicago]

Convicted cop wants revenge

Former Chicago cop Steve Mandell has been writing poison pen letters to police and prosecutors. [Sun-Times]

Those poor minor leaguers

Should we care that they barely make $1,000 a month? [Slate]

On second thought …

Ald. Scott Waguespack has withdrawn his support for a controversial strip club. [Early & Often]

In case you missed it

Here’s the Jonathan Toews GIF you probably don’t want to see. [Voices]

Much more than a slum

Get a look inside Kowloon Walled City, once considered the densest settlement on earth. [CNN]

The Bright One

It’ll only cost you $55 to propose to your lady at U.S. Cellular Field. [Voices]

Commute

Sudoku; Weather; Traffic; CTA; Metra; Flight delays

And finally

A Japanese company has simulated what would happen if 1,500 people all texted and walked at the same time. [Daily Dot]

The Latest
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Erdogan’s government vetoed Sweden’s bid to join NATO and purchased Russian missile-defense systems. But it also helped broker a crucial deal that allowed Ukrainian grain shipments and averted a global food crisis.
Police said Oscar Montes and another man were seen on a police surveillance camera striking a man seated in a car late Friday in the 2300 block of South Washtenaw Avenue.
Russia launched the attack overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones, a senior Kyiv military official said. The attack lasted more than five hours, with air defense reportedly shooting down more than 40 drones.
Chicago historically records surges of shootings on Memorial Day weekend with the unofficial start of summer.