The latest addition to Chicago's steakhouse scene leaves plenty to be desired.

Review: Prime & Provisions
222 N. LaSalle St. 312-726-7777
Rating: ! 1/2 (out of four) Proceed with caution 
>>Read more about our ratings

Prime & Provisions. It sounds like some kind of glamping retreat for investment bankers, right? With its luxury pricing and bevy of dry-aged steaks, that's not far from the truth, but it's actually the newest entry in the downtown steakhouse game from Dineamic Group. Though the founders-Luke Stoioff and David Rekhson-might be most known for creating bro-friendly bars Bull & Bear and Public House, their current strategy is to move from bars with good eats to mature, full-fledged restaurants. That brought on the opening of Italian restaurant Siena Tavern with "Top Chef" fan favorite Fabio Viviani in 2013, and now, Prime & Provisions, which opened earlier this month in the Loop.

Rather than a nouveau steakhouse with an edgy vibe, they instead committed to a revival of the full-fledged old-school Chicago steakhouse. "So many [new steakhouses] are adding 10 different types of new dishes or five different kinds of sauce. That's not who we are. We're reverting back to basics. We don't want to reinvent the wheel," Rekhson said. "We want to celebrate the great lineage [of steakhouses] with classics. Our menu only has about 25-30 items, what we call 'complete cravers,' made from better and fresher ingredients." I stopped in to see if they achieved what they set out to do.

A dining room fit for The Donald
On the surface, they have. The entryway features a sign lined with fancy peacock feathers. The dining room is outfitted with wrought iron, massive drum pendants and a curved half barrel-shaped ceiling so fancy, it's fit to cradle Donald Trump. The place drips with elegance. Many of the booths are outfitted with tufted leather and filled with mod glasses-wearing, French-cuffed dudes and model-esque ladies. One of the booths is uniquely lined with a zebra print that only Liberace might love-it's a nod, Rekhson said, to the famed Booth One at Pump Room, once a VIP perch for Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and the informal clubhouse of famed Sun-Times gossip columnist Irv Kupcinet. The dining room also features a lot of plate glass windows, some with a view of the Chicago River and others with a view of all the ruddy steak glory of the on-premise dry-aging room.     

You've (not) been served
The service didn't rise to the elegance of the room, at least not at first. Servers wore shiny dark green vests that look less Gibson's and more high school prom, and once sat, our table waited waterless, menuless and neglected for at least 10 minutes. Rekhson told me that the focus here is on team-style service, that "when food is ready, it's all hands on deck to get that sizzling steak to the table." And it's true, after the initial miss, at least three different servers delivered our plates during the meal. They were blazing hot and more than once we were told to be careful not to touch the plates because they were hot. I also appreciated that Rekhson made his way around the dining room to check on diners and thank them for coming. 

I believe the Dineamic guys are genuinely invested and eventually will get things right. Rekhson and executive chef Anthony Fraske were gracious and understanding when I explained the shortcomings of my meal in our later interview. But in the meantime, their servers are enthusiastically recommending the heirloom tomato salad ($14) dripping with creamy Wisconsin gorgonzola and pickled onion in the middle of May. Miraculously (considering they're not in season until later this summer), one of those tomatoes was perfect, with a steak-like heartiness, but the other two were mealier than stale cornbread. The pickled onion was a nice touch that cut through the richness of the cheese. 

Mother cluckin' awesome fried chicken
A steakhouse's reason for being, of course, is meat. And typically, that's beef. But what you really want at Prime & Provisions is the fried chicken ($12 for half portion, $18 for full portion). The shattery crust glinted with salt crystals and was adorned with jewel-like curlicues of candied orange zest and flecks of emerald-colored rosemary. Served with a chili-infused bourbon-barrel aged maple syrup for dipping, I don't think I've had better fried chicken in Chicago. I also tried the turbinado sugar-crusted heritage-breed duroc pork bacon ($12)-the slab nearly an inch thick and as long as a baby's arm-swimming in a pool of more bourbon maple syrup and dark chocolate. It reminded me of Vosges Haut Chocolat's famous Mo's Bacon Bar on steroids, but the bacon itself was a little chewy. 

Burn, baby, burn
So, what of the beef? Chef Fraske raved-with the kind of intensity Blackhawks play-by-play legend Pat Foley does when Patrick Kane scores a spin-o-rama goal-about the beef here being "never ever." That means "100-percent natural, antibiotic-free, never-ever-been-inoculated prime black angus" from Creekstone Farms in Kansas, he said. The steaks are also dry-aged for at least 35 days; my server said mine was actually 45 days old. At $72, the 22-ounce bone-in-ribeye certainly set a record for the most I've ever paid for a steak. (Had I not been so protective of the RedEye expense account, there's the option to go for a $120 porterhouse for two.) Though I ordered the rib-eye rare, the interior varied between rare and medium rare and was riddled with a lot of fat-and I'm not talking gentle marbling, but thick, snowy-colored gelled hunks of it. I especially liked the funky blue cheese-like flavor present in each bite as a product of the dry-aging, but I didn't love the fact that the edges were acrid with carbon. Whatever you do at a steakhouse, the first rule is you do not burn a steak that costs the equivalent of almost nine hours of hard-won labor at Chicago's current minimum wage rates. I asked Fraske how this might happen and he said, "We actually want to char them. We use an induction top broiler that's super-hot. One man's char is another man's delight." The gruyere-laden potatoes au gratin ($12) were also bubbling with char that tasted like ash and covered with dry, frizzled leeks that reminded me of Redfoo's hairstyle. Frankly, with all the burning going on, I was ready to call Taylor Kinney, aka Kelly Severide on "Chicago Fire," to put this mother out.

A bone to pick
I moved on to seafood in hopes of a better result. Unfortunately, the dover sole ($48) was mushy and doused in brown butter. Even though the menu described it as expertly filleted, it looked like Edward Scissorhands had butchered it and, while eating it, I encountered a handful of pin bones that I had to spit out. I washed down my resentment with a well-balanced Hemingway daiquiri ($14) brimming with rum, lime and grapefruit juices, and complimented my bitterness with a pitch-perfect negroni ($14).

A happy ending
I also found a bit of a rebound in firm florets of purple cauliflower sprinkled with salty parmesan and pistachio ($12) that had satisfying winey notes, as well as a tangy, boozy tequila-lime icebox cake ($12)-created by Dineamic corporate pastry chef Amy Arnold-that tasted like a mashup of key lime pie and killer cheesecake. 

Bottom line
With Chicago Cut Steakhouse across the river delivering pitch-perfect service and pristinely cooked splurge-worthy beef, the Prime & Provisions crew is going to have a tough time competing if they don't up their game. Though it serves some of the best fried chicken in town and has a beautifully designed dining room, right now, Prime & Provisions is unfortunately just another slightly below-average expensive Chicago steakhouse.

Michael Nagrant is a RedEye special contributor. Reporters visit restaurants unannounced and meals are paid for by RedEye. redeye@redeyechicago.com | @redeyeeatdrink

CTA Yellow Line riders will have to wait at least several more weeks before service can be restored after an embankment collapse, causing frustration over longer commute times.

For Manar Elkheir, of Skokie, that inconvenience means as much as an hour tacked on to her work-to-school commute.

"It's ruined my life," she said.

Elkheir, 20, said she typically takes the Yellow Line after a morning shift at the Starbucks across the street from the Dempster stop, then transfers to the Red Line to get to her classes at DePaul University.

Shuttle buses provided by the CTA as a substitute take at least three times as long, and are unpredictable because it isn't a permanent bus route, Elkheir said. "It's something you can't really time. I end up late everywhere."

Allison Fore, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, said it will be two more weeks before officials know an exact timeline for all necessary repairs, and then "several more weeks" beyond that for the final stage of work.

The line was closed late Sunday night when an embankment collapsed along McCormick Boulevard between Howard and Oakton streets in Skokie during a reclamation district project. The collapse was caused by failure of the earth retention system during the construction of the disinfection facility at the O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant, Fore said.

Timothy Steffey, 59, said he rode the line around 5:18 p.m. Sunday - about four hours before an operator noticed a bend in the rail and saw downed power lines, causing the CTA to suspend service.

"It had a funny lean," said Steffey, who takes the line five days a week between his job at the Crafty Beaver home store in Skokie and his home in Rogers Park. "Thank God nobody got hurt."

Steffey, who doesn't own a car, said his commute is about an extra 12 minutes on the shuttle bus, plus time spent waiting for that bus.

Since work began, reclamation district contractors have stabilized the area and built a base for ComEd to remove damaged electric poles, Fore said. Track also has been removed.

In the next two weeks, workers will take soil samples so engineers can look beneath the ground to determine the stability of the slope, Fore said. That process will show what repairs are warranted.

In the meantime, preliminary design plans are underway, Fore said. The district is also bringing in equipment from around the country that will eventually be used to repair the site.

Work will actually begin in the next couple of weeks, she said.

CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said the transit agency's portion of the work can't begin until the reclamation district completes its repairs. Once the tracks are rebuilt, the CTA will run tests before service is restored to the line, Chase said.

"We have a lot of work we have to do," she said.

The Yellow Line, which serves commuters between Skokie and Chicago, has the smallest ridership of the CTA's eight lines, according to CTA data. Last year, 986,000 passengers entered Yellow Line stations. On average weekdays, about 2,900 people use the line.

The CTA will continue shuttle buses for the duration of the project until service is restored, officials said.

kthayer@tribpub.com

Twitter @knthayer

A miniature golf course has opened at Maggie Daley Park downtown.

For $10, golfers can play 18 holes on a temporary course set up on the concrete that was once covered with ice for the skating ribbon. The mini golf course will be set up through Sept. 27, according to Mini City Golf.

Before the park was tranformed from Daley Bicentennial Plaza into Maggie Daley Park, there was a miniature golf course by the seasonal alfresco cafe The Green at Grant Park, on Monroe Street, west of Lake Shore Drive.

A new restaurant will eventually open at the south end of the park. But a food kiosk by the climbing wall and ice ribbon has opened for business with prices ranging from $2 for chips to $7 for a turkey sandwich.

On Friday, kids swarmed the children's play garden - slinking down the slides, and hopping in front of the water features. 

The climbing walls in the park opened earlier this month and the ice skating ribbon last December. Only the lawn areas of the park are fenced off as is the section on the northeast corner near Lake Shore Drive where Peanut Park is located.

A Chicago police officer was given a five-day suspension after he was caught on video seemingly asleep in his marked SUV, the department announced Friday.

The video was shared more than 25,000 times when it was posted to Facebook on May 15th.

It's unclear when the video footage was taken. But it was shot in the area of 63rd Street and Campbell Avenue in the Southwest Side's Chicago Lawn community, an area with a high crime rate. 

The officer, who was not identified by the department, came forward and was suspended for five days without pay.

"This incident is unacceptable and not in keeping with the high expectations placed on our officers by this department and the residents of Chicago," the department said Friday in a prepared statement.

The video lasts for over a minute. It appears to show the officer asleep in his uniform while wearing a pair of sunglasses. 

In the video, the man who shot the footage pointed out that the officer was parked in a neighborhood that has had problems with gun violence.

TLC confirmed in a statement that the series had been yanked "effective immediately," though it is not clear if the series has been canceled outright.

"We are deeply saddened and troubled by this heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and victims at this difficult time," TLC said.

Word of the allegations against Josh Duggar, now 27 and married with children of his own, surfaced earlier this week. The Arkansas-based family issued a lengthy statement to People magazine on Thursday acknowledging the past incidents.

"Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends," Duggar said in a statement to People. "I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life."

The fact that the incidents apparently came to the attention of law enforcement officials raises questions about whether TLC or Discovery Communications executives were aware of Josh Duggar's past when the series about the expansive Duggar clan was greenlighted in 2008 after the family was featured in a series of specials. It's unclear if charges were ever filed against Josh Duggar. TLC would not comment on the question of whether execs were aware of the incidents.

"19 Kids" just wrapped its ninth season last week. It was not immediately clear if more episodes had been ordered prior to the news this week.

The hasty shelving of "19 Kids" echoes the situation last year that forced TLC to cancel another successful docu series, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." The mother of the pre-teen beauty pageant contestant at the center of that show was accused of dating a man who had been convicted on child molestation charges.

"19 Kids," like "Honey Boo Boo" and A&E's "Duck Dynasty," has been part of the trend of docu-series set among unusual families living in rural areas. The growth of what has become known as the "hillbilly" genre of reality TV has drawn criticism that class and cultural differences are being exploited in ways that exacerbate the nation's rural/urban divide. The various controversies that have enveloped those three shows have only added more fuel to the fire that the shows perpetuate negative stereotypes about rural communities.

"19 Kids," which bowed as "17 Kids and Counting," revolves around the extended family of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, parents of Josh, who also issued a statement to People.

"Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives," the pair said in a statement. "When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes, and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before."

"19 Kids" has a been a staple of TLC's schedule and a source of numerous specials as the older kids in the clan grow up and have children of their own. TLC most recently scored with the May 5 two-hour special featuring the birth of another grandchild for Jim Bob and Michelle.

Josh Duggar on Thursday resigned from his post as executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council, an org described as having a mission to "fortify the traditional foundations of civil society." It has advocated against same-sex marriage laws and other LGBT rights issues in various states.

Variety

Boozy ice pops, $1 oysters and more things to do in Chicago on Tuesday, May 26. 

EAT

Out of the Rubble

International House at the University of Chicago

1414 E. 59th St. 312-427-2533

A benefit for the Middle East Children's Alliance's efforts in Gaza includes dinner from Haifa Cafe plus spoken word and music performances. 6:30 p.m. $15-$30. Tickets: gazakids.brownpapertickets.com

Nicky's Week

Ra Sushi

1139 N. State St. 312-274-0011

Running through Sunday, the Gold Coast restaurant's 11th annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital gives the nonprofit all of the proceeds from select menu items including edamame ($3.49), shrimp nigiri ($4.49) and pork gyoza ($5.69). 11 a.m.-midnight.

$1 Oysters

Joe Fish

445 N. Dearborn St. 312-832-7700

Take advantage of this daily deal and snack on discounted bivalves while sipping $5 glasses of sauvignon blanc in the River North restaurant's bar area. 3-7 p.m.

DRINK

New Cocktails

The Kensington

812 N. Orleans St. 312-380-0004

The rooftop lounge serves summery sippers including the Garden Gin Smash, a blend of gin, orange cordial, blueberries, basil, lime juice and sparkling water ($12), and boozy freeze pops ($10). 5-midnight.

DO

'The Healer'

Chicago Dramatists

1105 W. Chicago Ave. 773-878-8864

See Rachel DuBose's new play about a girl who must deal with her inner darkness to protect her family as part of Pegasus Theatre Chicago's Spring Muse Festival: Hope & Justice, which runs through Thursday. 7 p.m. Tickets: pegasustheatrechicago.org

REDEYE TIP OF THE DAY

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow discusses policies that work against marginalized people at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Harold Washington Library (400 S. State St.).

Danielle Moore-Willis didn't hesitate when she heard gunfire and shouts outside her Englewood home late Monday night.  She quickly dressed and ran out to help.

There, under the yellow light of a street lamp, lay a man bleeding.

"It's as if time stood still. It was only a couple people and they were talking to him, trying to keep him alert," she said. "I knew he was bleeding from somewhere, I didn't know where and I couldn't figure it out. And he was breathing. . . I remember somebody talking to me and it's just like a blur, it's like it's surreal. It's surreal."

Moore-Willis, trained in CPR, dropped to her knees and pumped the man's chest. She yelled for help. She breathed into his mouth.  A police SUV pulled up next to her, two officers inside. An ambulance a few seconds later.

Moore-Willis emerged from the parkway, covered in the man's blood, as paramedics started to treat him. He wasn't talking, wasn't moving much and he struggled to breathe.

"I broke down hysterically because I had this overwhelming sense of guilt, like, I hope my efforts were enough," she said.  Police said the man, 25 years old, was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

The man was one of the last victims of a Memorial Day weekend in Chicago that saw 12 people killed and 44 people wounded, a toll only slightly higher than the previous weekend in the city.

Twelve people, including three shot Monday afternoon, died from their wounds. Two of the 12 homicide victims were killed Friday night into Saturday morning; four were killed Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning; and three of the victims were killed Sunday night. 

Shooting incidents in the city are up nearly 25 percent so far this year. Through May 17, there were 693 shooting incidents, up from 560 for the same period last year, a 24 percent jump, according to the most recent police statistics available. For all of last year, shooting incidents rose to 2,084, up nearly 12 percent from 1,866 in 2013.

The most violent neighborhood this past weekend was Englewood, where 12 people were shot between Friday and Monday.  

Following an awards ceremony for Chicago police at a downtown hotel Tuesday, Superintendent Garry McCarthy declined to discuss the weekend violence. Last week, following a speech he gave for the City Club of Chicago, McCarthy also avoided a throng of reporters asking about street violence.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who also attended the ceremony, said he has been in touch with the family of 4-year-old Jacele Johnson, who along with two other people were shot Friday night outside a gathering in the Englewood neighborhood.

"This is not just the job of the police department," Emanuel said. "It's not just the job of the government to do after-school or summer job activities, although we're going to do that. It's the job of all of us coming together as neighborhoods and communities to secure our streets."

In the Englewood neighorhood, Moore-Willis lives on a stretch of Normal Avenue immortalized by Chicago rappers who spelled the street backwards to identify their faction of Black Disciples. Tucked behind Saint Bernard Hospital and Healthcare Center, the block is marked with gang letters B and D inside Stars of David drawn on light poles.

Looming over Normal Avenue is the Englewood Terrace Apartment complex where Moore-Willis grew up in.  The neighborhood has been her home except for the time she lived with her husband while he was in the Army.

Moore-Willis is a former daycare worker who is active in ministry groups that work to curb violence.  Her work  brings her into close contact with the families of gunshot victims.

"But you can never get used to this, at all," she said. "You know, you can't."

She calls Chicago her Ninevah where, according to the Bible, God sent Jonah to rid the city of its wickedness.

"There's always been stuff over there and to feel like you got out and now you're sucked back in but you feel this overwhelming sense of purpose to help," she said. "It's just this conflicting thing because for me, the easiest thing for me would be let me move somewhere else."

As she spoke, Moore-Willis stood on Normal Avenue outside yellow crime tape.  Her eyes looked tired, and she clutched her hands under her chin.

Willis-Moore's youngest child, a 10-year-old boy, had started to panic because he thought her husband had been shot. Her husband got home a couple minutes later and tried to calm everyone down.

"My eldest was up, she kept coming out and bringing me wet paper towels and I couldn't understand why she was bringing me wet paper towels," she said. "And when my husband came home, he was like, you have blood all over your face."

The wounded man had intervened in an argument between a man and a woman earlier in the evening, according to police. The other man left, came back with a gun and started shooting. He was arrested not long afterward on the West Side, police said.

Hours after the shooting, evidence technicians still had not arrived, bogged down with a dozen other shootings and homicides from earlier in the day.

The man's father -- for whom he was named -- paced the scene trying to find out what happened. He wore camouflage pants but no shirt or shoes. He had rushed to the scene when he found out what happened.

A friend of the father tried to calm him down, but was concerned about red police tape that many people associate with homicides.

"It don't look pretty man," the father said. "It don't look pretty."

A man approached the scene and shouted for police as he got closer. He said he was trying to find his "grandbaby." They let him in and, minutes later, he lifted tape as a woman and a small girl walked underneath.

"Wanna go with granddaddy? Don't like that, do you?" he asked the girl.

The girl, about knee height in a dress with short braids and bewildered eyes, shook her head slowly as she walked. She wore the woman's jacket.

"I know it," he said. "Scarin' the hell out of her, man."

In the rock paper scissors of neighborhood patrollers, joggers beat strollers, strollers beat dog walkers and dog walkers beat joggers. As part of the dog-owning community in Chicago, I know that we take walks as though we are leading some kind of welcome wagon down the block while working a slightly more dangerous mall security beat.

Just about every dog owner I've come across while living in Chicago is super nice and equally respectful. Dog code goes beyond etiquette as just this year the collective of fur-parents stood vigilant against an intense canine flu outbreak that turned dog parks and sidewalks alike into butt-sniffing petri dishes. That being said, it's those few neighbors who exude a pet owner confidence that would be the same as the parents who still put a 'baby on board' decal on their car.

No one in my mind is more of an arrogant pet owner than the dog owner who walks their dog while holding the leash-that's no longer connected to their pet. It's not legal if you want to be a snitch. More importantly, these people saunter around as though they're the canine Obi Wan who can with a gentle swipe of their hand, control the mind and actions of their best friend.

Some dogs really are under control by their owners and that's impressive. I've yet to become a Jedi dog owner. At least I can admit that. My friend's dad was the canine Obi Wan of my youth. He could masterfully control this half retriever half bovine mix named Snickers with the simple whistle or snap of his fingers. That dog would sit staring at the cars driving by and not move, that's some pup control or just a solid example of the laws of inertia.

I appreciate the level of trust these owners have in their pets. I mean, I look at my dog licking her butt and then trying to kiss my face shortly after and I think, yeah this dog has complete control of her thoughts and actions. That's the thing. We don't know your dog. Whether it be a tiny, horribly squeaky purse pooch, or a blatant shelter rescue pure breed pit bull walking the street, I'd prefer if you don't play a game of 'let's hope this doesn't go terribly wrong.'

The dog walking code of conduct is simple. See a dog coming your way, ask the owner if they're a friendly dog. That question is a polite way of asking, "Hey any chance this animal is still an animal?!" All that is thrown out the window when the Jedi dog walker let's his or her pup walk in front as though it's walking a security detail. When asking the owner whose dog is off-leash already if the pet is friendly, it's important when I shout "Is he friendly?!' to also include the undertone of "Are you a freaking moron?!"

My adversity to the off-leash dogs lies completely with the fact that my dog is not a fan of dogs smaller than herself. I don't know what happened back in the puppy mill in Tennessee that Anti-Cruelty saved her from, but apparently, if a dog is small enough to fit in her belly, she is compelled to let that dog know she can make it happen. So for that reason, I avoid interacting with most other dogs that are small, or under the influence of the canine Force.

Dogs walking down the street with their owners are a constant reminder that life is full of simple joys. Whenever I see an owner walking their dog off-leash, I promise to not get worked up, they may just be using their leash for one of their kids instead.

Mike Maxwell is a RedEye special contributor.

Google is commemorating what would have been the 64th birthday of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, with five "doodles" on its search page Tuesday.

In two of the doodles, little girls float up from the ground, as if traveling in space.

"I hope I've been able to capture some of the wonders that Sally must have felt up there floating free above it all," the artist of the doodles, Olivia Huynh, explained in a short video.

On June 18, 1983, Ride became the first American woman to travel into space.

"I never even imagined I could be an astronaut,"Ride said in a Chicago Tribune story in April 1983, several months before her historic space mission.

"I guess because I just assumed there would never be a place for women."

After her career at NASA, she retired and started Sally Ride Science, where she encouraged young people and especially girls to enter fields related to science and technology, Huynh said.

"Once a young girl asked her what it was like to be weightless in space," her life partner Tam O'Shaughnessy, was quoted in the video as saying.

"Sally asked the students to imagine that suddenly gravity was not holding them down. The students were mesmerized. Now imagine floating up out of your seats, bumping into each other and rising to the ceiling. Sally encouraged the same freedom in their lives and inspired them to pursue what they loved and change the world by doing so," O'Shaughnessy said.

Ride died of pancreatic cancer July 23, 2012.

mmrodriguez@tribune.com

@merjourn

Perhaps more famous than Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," Outkast's "Ms. Jackson" or Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" are the studios in which they were birthed: London's Abbey Road; Atlanta's Stankonia; and Kingston, Jamaica's Tuff Gong. Ask any musician and they'll likely tell you they'd kill for a chance to record in the very booths once graced by such Grammy winners. But now they don't have to.

In a new program announced today by sneaker company Converse's Rubber Tracks, the doors of such legendary studios will now open to emerging musicians to record original music -- for free.

Opened in 2011, Rubber Tracks is Converse's state-of-the-art recording studio in Brooklyn, NY. The 5,200-square-foot space provides new artists from all genres access to a top-level recording studio at no cost.

"Since we opened our first permanent Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn four years ago, we've had aspirations to elevate this program even further, hoping to extend this opportunity to artists across the globe," Converse Global Music Marketing Director Jed Lewis said in a statement. "With this new Converse Rubber Tracks program, we will unlock the doors to some of the greatest recording studios in music history and we're ecstatic to offer this extraordinary experience to emerging artists worldwide."

The 12 studios participating include Abbey Road Studios; Sunset Sound in Los Angeles; Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin; Tuff Gong; Greenhouse Studios in Iceland; the Warehouse Studio in Canada; Avast Recording Co. in Seattle; Stankonia; Studios 301 in Australia; Toca do Bandido in Brazil; the Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn; and a second Converse Rubber Tracks in Boston, slated to open this summer.

"I think it's a great publicity opportunity for us," Sunset Sound general manager Craig Hubler told The Times, "to introduce ourselves to a new generation of musicians who are up and coming and looking for an opportunity to record and get their music out there in some way other than YouTube or Twitter or whatever."

He said the legendary studio -- where megastars like the Doors, Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones recorded some of their most iconic records -- has taken on mostly young "rock-'n'-roller types" in recent years, so it anticipates that the program will help it expand its clientele in that community.

Since 2011, Converse has granted artists -- mostly small-time indie-rock bands but also a handful of singer-songwriters, rappers and other acts -- one to two days of recording time at Rubber Tracks' state-of-the-art Brooklyn location. The product of those two days is owned entirely by the artists, though they are video-recorded while in session and, afterward, are given the option to release any of the music to Converse for use on its website.

This new program is the latest installment in a recent uptick of brand-funded artist development, in which companies like Converse, Citigroup and even State Farm have invested large chunks of their marketing budgets -- as Lewis told The Times in December -- "to give something back" to creative communities.

Musicians interested in the program can apply online through June 24. After a planning session with studio producers, chosen artists will be taken to one of the participating studios of choice in September, with most travel accommodations arranged, and select expenses covered, by Converse.

Once the winners are chosen, a total of 84 recording sessions will take place within a 10-day period in September.

Times staff writer Devon Maloney contributed to this report.

Follow @PopHiss and @TrevellAnderson on Twitter for more music news.

Expect lots and lots of sand this Friday at Wrigley Field. Budweiser Bleacher Fridays is back with a Beach Bash May 29, where the Cubs play host to the Kansas City Royals. "The Sand Pirate" Janet Moore Schrader will be in the bleachers creating a Cubs-themed sand castle in the "Platform 14" area during the game.

I was fortunate enough to hang out with Janet at North Avenue Beach for a preview of what's in store this Friday. Check out the Snapchat story above to see her sandy creation.

During the event on Friday, fans in the Budweiser Bleachers are encouraged to wear their favorite beach attire for the event and share photos on Twitter and Instagram using the #BudFridays hashtag.

Welcome to RedEye's coverage of "The Bachelorette," arguably the most misogynistic show on television! The format is pretty simple: Five women of RedEye each drafted five of the 25 competing men. Everyone gets one point for every man who gets through each week.

Amy Schumer spoke for all of America (or at least all of RedEye) this week when she said all of her friends are obsessed with "The Bachelorette" because "You just sit at home and judge other people and are like, 'I'm fine.'" Pretty much, Amy! Can you stick around and narrate the rest of this season, please?

This week was one of boxing, underwater kissing and stand-up comedy, as well as sometimes-DETOUR! The Brady and Britt show. OK, this is "The Bachelorette," not "The Bachelorette Rejects," but ABC should be able to make a spinoff out of this somehow.

The episode also left us with no rose ceremony and a cliffhanger (if the cliff was like your front stoop), so no points were awarded this week. But that didn't stop our men from making asses of themselves.

Team One - 3 points

By: Gwendolyn Purdom

Clint

Tony

Josh

Kupah

Brady

I like to think of myself in much the same way my draft pick Tony thinks of Kaitlyn-as a combination lock-and in last night's full-service episode, my remaining team members truly cracked the code to my ridiculous-television-mocking heart. Though my boys lost out on the reality show prize for being the first person to utter the phrase "I'm not here to make friends" to JJ The Turd (as queen Amy Schumer so eloquently dubbed him), they won, in so many ways, this week's effort to make themselves memorable.

Case in point: Kupah, whom I obviously chose for my roster solely because of his name's similarity to the Nintendo character's, quickly proved himself to be a nemesis to more than just the Super Mario Bros. Dude built on the terribleness of last week's woman-hating trophy wife comments by first ignoring Kaitlyn on the group date, then helpfully mansplaining that she was misguided in her instinct to cut him loose for being the worst with the persuasive argument that he really wanted to be there because she was "hot" and had "pretty eyes." Plus, he went out with a bang with that to-be-continued rant/potential fist fight with the cameraman outside the mansion. Well done, Bowser.

Speaking of testosterone, I, again like Tony, am shocked that ABC would ever DREAM of pitting the men against each other in a violent boxing competition to subtly represent the battle for Kaitlyn's heart. Luckily, Tony was excused from that date, presumably because he's already set in the black eye department, and we the lucky audience got to see the healer attempt "stand up" instead. And by stand up, I mean a poor man's rambling Jeff Goldblum impression, only without the charm and raw sexual magnetism.

As far as making any kind of positive impression, my dino-sketching boy Clint is still going strong. Not only did the hunky Chicago architectural engineer nab the first one-on-one date, the man, according to Kaitlyn, has three levels of kissing and clearly impressed Gisele, the Conceptual Underwater Photographer, which we all know is no easy feat.

Even Brady, who left last week to follow his heart-and any possibility that moderate TV fame might help his music career-scored some valuable screen time. He valiantly rescued Britt from a lifetime of weeping to her mom alone in a hotel room (in full makeup), and the two are now dating. So, I'm pretty sure I get my point back from last week, right?

Team Two - 5 points

By: Rianne Coale

Ryan B.

Joshua

Tanner

Cory

Daniel

I feel like I'm going to be asking myself this each week, but WHY am I watching this nonsense again? Maybe it's just me, but I'm like utterly confused on why there are two group dates. Why not just have one big group date? Isn't that what this show is all about anyway? Gather a mess of testosterone and a hint of estrogen in a confined space and see how many guys Kaitlyn slobbers on.

Tanner (my sassy and affable-looking guy) and Daniel (my fashion-designing star child) both got selected to go on the first group date, but surprise, surprise ... they didn't really make a huge impression. My pack of dudes really need to start stepping it up. I mean come on, it's a game right? First one to the finish wins? WHY. ARE. THEY. NOT. TRYING. HARDER?

Don't even get me started on Joshua, Cory and Ryan B. They weren't selected for anything. Losers. Ugh. I've decided that I have drafted a team of unmotivated, unimpressionable losers. Great. There's DRAMA happening on the show now, and where are my guys?

Team Three - 4 points

By: Jessica Thompson

Ben Z.

JJ

Jonathon

Ryan M.

Joe

Forget the guys. Let's be real here, the best possible outcome for all of us is to have Amy Schumer return for all subsequent episodes of this series. She can help us weed out the "little turds" on a weekly basis.

Although JJ didn't go on the boxing date, I'm sure every other guy would've loved to have clobbered him like Ben Z. clobbered Jared. Ben Z. held nothing back when he whaled on his boxing ring opponents, giving Jared a concussion and himself the first group date rose. Ahh, good ol' caveman competitions putting brawn over everything. Cue the planted crowd of squealing girls!

As if JJ's head couldn't get any bigger, he snagged the second group date rose. When he's not ragging on Tony, he's tooting his own horn about how smart he is. He and his flower-pinned lapel gave Kaitlyn an unwarranted and pushy pep talk at the cocktail party, all the while sporting red wine teeth. Was it just me, or was Kaitlyn physically recoiling to his touch?

Jonathan had an interesting moment when Kupah hinted at them being there to fill a diversity quota. Kupah's not returning, but will Jonathan get a rose? Who knows?

Joe is my last hope for an actual connection with Kaitlyn. He shines not on the comedy stage, but in his alone time with Kaitlyn. His utterance of, "Well, I'll be," after a steamy kiss left Kaitlyn melted in a puddle at his feet. Still, JJ gets the rose. *Gagging*

Team Four - 3 points

By: Morgan Olsen

Jared

Justin

Corey

Bradley

David

My team held it down last night. All three of my remaining players ended up on the first group date at the boxing gym with Laila Ali. Cheesy analogies about love and boxing were made, punches were thrown and protective head gear was worn by all. The date came to a head when 160-lb. Jared was paired against 200-lb. Ben Z. The odds were stacked against Jared, and he went down almost immediately in a glorious, slow-motion montage.

Was I worried? Nah, the underdogs usually get some extra attention on the second half of the date. That wasn't the case though, because Jared had to be taken to the hospital for an MRI. Justin and Corey got some time with Kaitlyn until producers handed her a mysterious note that read, "Come downstairs right now. I need to see you" (or something equally dramatic). Kaitlyn obliged and went outside to find Jared, who couldn't stay for the party (doctor's orders) but wanted to milk a little one-on-one time while he could. That's when Jared and his head injury got the first make out session of the evening. I cheered from the sidelines like a proud soccer mom. Kaitlyn called the kiss "hot," Jared went back to bed and the night continued without much action for Justin or Corey.

The next hour of TV crawled by and my team stayed under the radar for the most part. Though we were cheated out of a rose ceremony this time around, I'm hopeful that Jared, Justin and Corey will make it to the next round. Also, new drinking game rule: Every time Kaitlyn says "It was SO HOT," take a shot.

Team Five - 4 points

By Lauren Chval 

Shawn B.

Ben H.

Chris

Ian

Shawn E.

It wasn't the greatest week for my warriors. I mean, sure, they didn't do anything as ridiculous as Tony/Kupah/JJ, but Team Five was decided under the radar for this episode. And we all know the cardinal sin of reality TV is not doing anything to warrant camera time.

Ben H. was on the boxing date, but I was suspicious of this because he is totally unseen until he goes head-to-head with Jared and loses immediately. Come on, Ben H. JARED? You lost a physical fight to Love Man, the guy who can't even grow a full beard?

Later, Ian and Chris suffer major confidence issues on the standup comedy date. Amy Schumer makes fun of Chris for wearing a toothpaste-colored shirt, which is maybe too on point for a dentist, and then he makes his whole routine about how unfunny he is. Also, "Cupcake" has been added to his name graphic by an ingenious producer, and while it brought me a laugh, it doesn't look good for his future. Would you invite someone nicknamed "Cupcake" into the Fantasy Suite?

Speaking of the Fantasy Suite, Ian said (of standup), "Probably my biggest concern is freezing up." THAT DOES NOT BODE WELL, IAN.

Finally, my golden boy Shawn B. was nowhere to be found this week! Seriously, we had waded through 97 minutes of crap before his Gosling-esque face graced the screen. You better have a big date lined up next week, buddy.

Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.

Brandon Saad picked the perfect time to come into his own.

The Blackhawks forward is a up for a new contract following the 2015 playoffs, and if his stats and the praise from his teammates' are any indication, the soon-to-be restricted free agent is in for a big payday.

The 22-year-old Pittsburgh native was fourth on the team in points in the regular season with 52 (23 goals, 29 assists). He also has six points in this postseason, including a shorthanded goal in the Hawks' Game 4 win against Anaheim.

RedEye caught up Saad and his teammates to find out how he's grown as a player and what makes him stand out.

SAAD ON SAAD

What drew you to hockey? 

I played a lot of sports growing up. Just tried to be a well-rounded athlete and then when I got to high school, I just focused on hockey. I've always seemed to have success at it and always had more fun playing it. I love the speed of the game, that always excited me and it's something I wanted to pursue.

Where have you improved the most?

I just think that consistency. It's something where [I'm] gaining confidence and feeling confident out there and comfortable. It's knowing every night I can bring something to the table; it's something I feel good about. 

What have you learned from playing on a line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa?

Playing with them, it's been tremendous for me. They play at both ends of the ice and you can see with them, puck possession is the biggest thing. When you hold on to the puck and put forth that extra effort to hold on to the puck, it's less time in your defensive zone and that's where you strive on offense. Those guys have been huge for my development. 

JONATHAN TOEWS ON SAAD

I think he's a smart player. I said this when it was his first year in the league. He was scoring, he was making big plays, making a difference in games. 

I think you see that with a young player sometimes, they might have a couple good games and they get all excited and maybe sit back and rest on their laurels as they say, but he just wasn't satisfied. I think he kept building off of the good games that he had. I think he just continues to do that. 

You watch him out there with "Hoss" [Hossa], they're two great players to play with. They're just so complete, they're amazing skaters, they're good defensive [players], they're big strong bodies. I think 'Saader' knows he's a complete player that way and I don't think he's focusing on one or two specific things. I think he's working on his entire game and that's a really good thing for him. 

ANDREW SHAW ON SAAD

I just think he's more consistent [now]. He's always had that ability to make plays, score goals, play great defensively, and now it's all coming together. He's playing that way game in and game out.

What's he like off the ice?

He's great. He likes to joke around, likes to hang with the guys. We always call him "chimes" because he's always chiming in on anybody else getting picked on that day. 

MARIAN HOSSA ON SAAD

He's such a powerful skater. He can take a guy one on one, he's got one of the best steps in the middle, it's really tough to defend. He's shooting the puck really well, his defensive game is getting really, really good. At such a young age, he's got a dominant game in him.  

Saad credits you and Toews for the growth of his game. Has he asked a lot of questions or is it from the chemistry of playing with you both?

I think it's from watching because I remember when I was a younger player, I liked to watch older players and get something from that. He never asks anything because I think he's such a smart player he understands how to play the game.

I remember him [the] first year he came over, he was like searching, learning, and then this year and [the] year before he made a huge step. 

Scott King is a RedEye special contributor. @ScottKingMedia

For more RedEye sports, click here.

The first and only time John Mulaney performed at The Chicago Theatre was in 2010.

He was hired to do a seven-minute set at "Ellen's Somewhat Special Special" during TBS' Just for Laughs Chicago. A dream come true, of course, for any young comic. But as hilarious and beloved as the now 32-year-old comedian was at the time, nobody ever wants to follow a celebration for the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the heart of the city.

"The Blackhawks had just won so they brought them out; there were acrobats, Ellen [DeGeneres] was doing magic tricks and then they were basically like, 'And now here is a young man in a shirt and pants,'" Mulaney said.

But this is a guy who, without question, understands the significance of Chicago's sports loyalties. He is, after all, a Chicagoan.

So many of his fans in Chicago know the version of Mulaney who starred in his own Fox sitcom, "Mulaney." Or the version who wrote for "Saturday Night Live," playing a part in creating Bill Hader's Stefon character. Or the version who created the side-splitting "New In Town" special in 2012 with Comedy Central. Or even the version who regularly appeared on VH1's "Best Week Ever "from 2005-2009.

But for Mulaney, the version of himself he knows best is the guy who was born and raised in Chicago, which is not only the birthplace of himself as a person but also his material as a comic.

"I had this interesting situation of first doing stand-up in New York City, yet always going back home and performing at Chicago Underground," Mulaney said. "Chicago has no rival as a comedy city. Ask anyone who tours, they always look forward to that Chicago stop-and me more than anyone, since I'm from there. There is such a built-in comedy community in Chicago. It's probably the best place to start doing comedy."

Mulaney headlines two shows on May 30 at The Chicago Theatre. He promises to do well over seven minutes of material this time around.

---

John Mulaney
Go: 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. May 30 at The Chicago Theatre (175 N. State)
Tickets: $27.50-$47.50. thechicagotheatre.com
---

I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask: When you travel back to Chicago for this show, what are the things you make sure to do when you're on a time crunch?
I grew up there, so it's mundane stuff like seeing friends. There are so many great culinary places, but I lived here from 0 to 18. I ate at my house. I wasn't out at Schwa when I was 10. There was Nookies and The Wieners Circle. I would eat a piece of toast and then go walk around.

Did you see shows here growing up?
I'd go see my little sister do The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour at The Annoyance Theatre. 

You got married last summer. Did writing material get easier or more difficult as a married man? So much material for comics comes from being this single guy or girl and kind of experiencing life as someone just trying their best.
The writing continues; the song remains the same. I just have new experiences in my life now, being married. It's the same with anything that you take on. Like having a kid. At a certain point, the biggest thing to get around is doing too much comedy. You don't have a life. I think the reason there were so many airport jokes was because comedians were traveling so much and you have your brain on. You're absorbing it all like how you're treated at the United lounge, or something.

[Laughs.] That makes a lot of sense, actually.
It's autobiographical. You talk about what's going on. So for me, nothing has changed in the writing of anything. I love traveling, but I do it differently now. After you fall in love, you don't want to be gone for 30 days. So, I do it at my own pace.

What's easier for you, life onstage or offstage?
I gave my life to comedy completely. I was on the road or sleeping on the couch at "SNL," working there 36 hours in a row. It's an interesting thing. I see the change [in my life] now. Who knows? I still have been incredibly busy since then. But, in a nice way, you go, "OK, if I bomb in Staten Island [New York] tonight, I know I'm at least coming home tonight to my wife."

Comedians like yourself are so good-or maybe the word is "comfortable"-with pinning yourself down before others can. Why is that the case for you?
Most standups study themselves. For me, it came naturally, I'm not a person who's angry; I'm not angry at the world in that way. I'm annoyed by a lot of things and exasperated by a lot of things. But I have had an extremely fortunate life. I have had too many years of an extremely nice existence to have any anger going outward. I look at myself and say, "You are a 32-year-old lanky white guy who can't even stand up straight." I'm the most useless animal there is. I think it's safe to say in 2015, the lanky white man is the most useless animal there is.

Someone told me you never fully move into or decorate any office space you work in.
I think that's a little more of my superstitious type. I want to be able to move out of an office in 20 minutes. Put everything in my backpack and go. I heard that David Letterman once said that if he was fired, he could just pick up his wallet and leave. It's a transient existence.

Where's a place-like a physical location-that people would be surprised you wrote a bit or sketch that really worked?
When I just started dating my now wife, I took her on a trip that was run through Delta Airlines. It was delayed a full day and then canceled. We came back the next day, found out it was delayed again, then canceled again. We were with one group of passengers for the same 48 hours. Finally, by the time we got off the plane, there were actual police there because they thought we'd riot.

I've heard you do this joke. It's hysterical.
Thank you! I put together this joke about traveling with my girlfriend and traveling with Delta. I remember being in the moment and thinking, "This is funny." I think I know that all the time. When things are really bad, I know part of me thinks, "This is really funny." Jokes come out of anything.

Is your mind constantly wandering, never being satisfied with any sort of accomplishment, already figuring out the next thing to make yourself happy when you know, honestly, that probably won't do it either? Because that's how I am.
I wish I could be in the moment. I'm not good at that. What I have found is that a couple years later, I'll think about something I did and say to myself, "That was crazy. That was fun. I enjoyed that. That was interesting. I can't believe I did that." I'm a little bit hyper-present, I think, normally about how one line didn't do as well as the night before. I have had times where I've tried to really take a second to myself and think, "This is really great." I did that at Carnegie Hall.

You graduated with an English literature degree from Georgetown University. Do you often still use that knowledge in life?
No. I was doing comedy in college. When I was 18, I met Nick Kroll and Mike Birbiglia. I went to a good school, which can be a detriment to comedy sometimes. You might be a lured by traditional options that a good school can get you. By going to college and seeing people who were ambitious, it shows you how someone has the opportunity to be very good in their field. I think to myself sometimes, "Look at that person. They're very respected in their field. Wouldn't it be great to be one of the better people at what I do?" But I was so ready to do comedy by my senior year that I was pretty checked out.

For years you wrote for "Saturday Night Live" and, as a stand-up comedian, had to shine from behind the camera through writing and on scripts. How long into that process did you forget about the idea of performing and become OK with writing?
It was not a tough transition. I went in thinking, "I'm a comedian. I would obviously love to be on this show, but to be doing something and wanting to do something else is a miserable situation." There is so much you can do as a writer there. Being a writer might be better than being a cast member. I know this might sound delusional, but you have a great deal of control as a writer. You get to do a lot more than the cast. You're putting things together and learning how to make television. You're learning how to shoot stuff, you're sitting with editors and learning how the whole show is put together. There are a lot of experiences as a writer that I wouldn't have had as a cast member. I was out doing stand-up, so I was still doing the "look at me, look at me" thing. But if I would have been chomping at the bit to be on camera? I wouldn't have had a good time. Plus, I was such a geek and fan of the show, the experience of being a writer was extremely beneficial in and of itself.

You grew up in Chicago in the 1990s. That environment has to be a huge part of who you are today.
Everywhere I go and perform, a lot of what I talk about is from my experience of growing up in Chicago the strange free upbringing I had walking around as a kid, as opposed to what kids have now. We were little citizens. Our parents loved us, but they were busy people. I would get on the bus and just go downtown and walk around the city all day. Maybe see a movie. Try and buy cigarettes until the cops would chase us into a corner and ask us where we went to high school. We'd go to photocopy places on Lincoln Avenue to try and make fake IDs. I think a lot of that formed who I am. A free citizen left to his own devices, kind of.

What's the craziest thing you've ever seen while out at night in Chicago?
It was outside a liquor store on Lincoln Avenue. It's my favorite memory. We were in high school and my friend John was going to try to buy beer for us. He went in alone and came out of with two 24-pack cases of Natty Light under his arms. He was holding them like suitcases. We asked him how he bought them and he just looked at us and said, "The guy was asleep. Run!" [Laughs.] He just lifted them out of the cooler and walked out.

The restaurant you've eaten the most meals at in the city?
Demon Dogs, which is gone now. It was decorated with Chicago album covers, right under the Fullerton train station.

Venue, even if it's not a comedy club, that you wish you could do a quick-set inside of?
Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It would be funny to do stand-up there. 

If you had to nickname Chicago something besides the Windy City, you would pick
The City of Backpacks, because thinking about Chicagoans with Chicago accents saying that word is funny to me.

And everyone in Chicago is always wearing a backpack.
So many backpacks. 

Drug abuse-including and especially alcohol abuse-costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost productivity each year.

But new government data released earlier this year can now tell us exactly which industries' employees drink the most, which do the most drugs, and where employees are most likely not just to use drugs, but abuse them.

When it comes to drug use, hotel and restaurant workers are the heaviest users, hands-down: 19 percent of them used an illicit drug in the past month.

They're followed by arts and entertainment workers at 14 percent and, perhaps surprisingly, managers at 12 percent. You might take some comfort knowing that your kids' school teachers are among the least likely to be heavy drinkers or drug users: only 5 percent of educators drink heavily, and a similar proportion report regular drug use.

And in what will certainly come as a shock to anyone who's observed Congress in recent years, public administrators-e.g., government employees-are the group least likely to use illicit drugs.

Now on to drinking. Mining is tough work and dangerous, so it may not be surprising that miners are the hardest drinkers in the federal survey-nothing like spending the day deep underground surrounded by tons of rock to make you crave a cold one when you get home. Eighteen percent of miners are "heavy drinkers," defined here as "drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on five or more days in the past 30 days."

They're followed by construction workers at 17 percent, and hotel and restaurant workers at 12 percent.

Now it's important to note that much of this variation isn't necessarily a direct function of the nature of the work in these industries, but rather of the types of people who work in them. For instance, we know that men drink and do drugs more heavily than women, and that young people are more into drugs and alcohol than older ones.

So if an industry is dominated by young or male workers, it stands to reason that you'll see higher rates of drinking and drug use in that industry. For instance, the researchers write that one reason miners drink so much is that miners tend to be young and male.

Construction workers, on the other hand, showed abnormally high heavy drinking rates even after controlling for age and gender.

If some of that alcohol use is spilling over on to the job it could be a problem, given the dangerous nature of that work. However, the researchers found no difference in the distribution of drug use across the industries even when controlling for age and gender.

Whether young or old, male or female, restaurant and hotel workers truly are the heaviest drug users in the nation. There's something of a false equivalence going on in these two categories, drug use and heavy drinking. The researchers didn't break the numbers down by specific drug, but given that marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance, it's a safe bet that many people would show up in the "drug use" category simply if they smoked a joint or two in the 30 days prior to the survey.

This is, unequivocally, much less harmful or risky behavior than drinking heavily over that same time period.

But the study did separately break out workers who would qualify as having a substance abuse disorder for either drugs or alcohol. To meet that criteria, your substance use would either need to interfere with your ability to do work, or cause you legal trouble or interpersonal problems, or otherwise put you in danger.

And again, hotel and restaurant workers show the highest rate of past-year substance abuse problems, followed by construction workers and employees in the arts and entertainment industry. Managers also make a relatively strong showing in this category.

Ingraham writes about politics, drug policy and all things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center.

You can find our coverage online and in print every Wednesday this year. As ever, we'd like to hear your feedback. If you want us to consider sharing your stories related to addiction in our publication, please send them to redeye@redeyechicago.com with "Addiction" in the subject line.

Wine deals, free coffee and more things to do in Chicago on May 27.

EAT

Feast Menus
Mott St
1401 N. Ashland Ave. 773-687-9977
Groups of four or more can order one of three multi-course meals featuring dishes chosen by chef Edward Kim including steamed dumplings, a charcuterie board and oyster mushrooms. 6-10 p.m. $38.88-$88.88

DRINK

10-Year Anniversary (Free!)
Caffe Rom
71 S. Franklin St. 312-379-0291
The Loop coffee shop offers free cups of its limited-edition anniversary coffee blend plus cake and raffles. The party also takes place at Caffe Rom's 180 N. Stetson Ave. and 400 E. South Water St. locations. 2-4 p.m. Free.

Wine Wednesdays
Bin 36
161 N. Jefferson St. 312-995-6560
Try any of the West Loop wine bar's 13 flights of four two-ounce pours (normally $15-$21) for $12 during this weekly deal. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

DO

All Together Now (Free!)
La Catrina Cafe
1011 W. 18th St. 312-473-0038
The benefit for Slow Roll Chicago includes a bike ride, live and silent auctions, New Belgium Brewing beer and food. 5-9 p.m. Free.

'Stick Fly'
Windy City Playhouse
3014 W. Irving Park Road 312-374-3196
Catch a preview of Lydia R. Diamond's drama about a family spending a three-day summer weekend at their vacation home in Martha's Vineyard. 7:30 p.m. $15-$30. Tickets: windycityplayhouse.com/stick-fly

REDEYE TIP OF THE DAY
Tickets are on sale for the Rising Stars Chef Awards June 8 at Lincoln Park Zoo at starchefs.com.

With less than two weeks until The 606 opens to the public, the creation of another rails-to-trails project on Chicago's Northwest Side is in the works.

Called the Weber Spur Trail, a 2.7-mile-long multi-use path would stretch from Sunnyside Avenue north to Devon Avenue on a run of Union Pacific Railroad; railway traffic ceased there in the mid-2000s and the tracks were later removed, according to the city.

At various points, the proposed Weber Spur Trail crosses at and above street level, intersects with the Sauganash Trail, connects to the Elston Avenue bike lane and crosses through LaBagh Woods, part of the Cook County forest preserve network, and over the North Branch of the Chicago River as well as the Edens and Kennedy expressways.

"This is a great project that's going to provide us with some wonderful recreational opportunities for our entire community," Ald. Margaret Laurino (39^th) said at a public meeting Tuesday night at North Park University.

The city is asking residents what they would like to see on the swath of land, still owned by Union Pacific, where overgrown weeds and a gravel path now exist. Officials are looking for feedback on access points, types of recreational uses, seating, public art, maintenance, security and lighting.

The width of the land varies from measuring 25 feet to 100 feet. The railroad tracks were removed in 2009 and people walk along it now although they're not supposed to, said Janet Attarian, Chicago Department of Transportation project manager.

The project is similar to The 606, which runs along Bloomingdale Avenue for 2.7 miles on what used to be the Canadian Pacific rail line from Ridgeway Avenue on the west to Ashland Avenue on the east. The $95 million project will connect to six ground-level parks and run through Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square and Humboldt Park. The elevated trail is set to open on June 6.

Meanwhile, the city estimates it will take about three years to design and acquire land for the Weber Spur Trail.

While there is no design concept yet, the city is planning to develop two miles first from Devon Avenue to Elston Avenue and later extend it south to Sunnyside Avenue because the last segment has six viaducts and bridges over expressways, which can be costly to rebuild if necessary, Attarian said.

Construction is expected to cost at least $9 million and take about a year.

Another public meeting will be scheduled for the summer, Attarian said.

Bears Chairman George McCaskey continues to ride waves of emotions since learning of Ray McDonald's arrest on Monday. Knowing he signed off on the second chance that McDonald squandered in only 62 days has triggered disappointment, second guessing and deep reflection.

First and foremost, though, McCaskey was sad after McDonald was taken into custody in Santa Clara, Calif., on misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment charges.

"Sadness for the child, for the child's mother, and for the entire situation," he said Wednesday at Halas Hall.

McDonald's plight, after all, goes beyond the football team that returned to practice without him. McCaskey understands in the wake of a situation that left everyone involved a loser.

"Domestic violence is a vexing social problem," said McCaskey, a member of the NFL's recently-created Conduct Committee. "The NFL has had some high-profile cases, including this one. And the NFL, because it's a leader in society, is called upon to take action, which we are doing. We're not going to do it by ourselves, but I think we have an opportunity to make an impact."

It was McDonald's second domestic violence arrest in nine months and the fourth time in the last year a woman has accused him of assault. None of the first three cases has resulted in formal charges against McDonald, and police still are investigating Monday's incident.

Nonetheless, Bears general manager Ryan Pace released McDonald hours after he was taken into custody Monday, saying he didn't uphold the standard made clear to him.

"I wasn't involved because I didn't need to be," McCaskey said of the transaction.

The Bears' football operation turned the page with relative ease at the first of the club's 10 full spring practices. Other defensive ends filled the first-string role McDonald temporarily held, and work resumed just as it always does in a league that constantly churns through players.

"All you want in a locker room is character guys," said running back Matt Forte, who acknowledged his first thought after McDonald's arrest centered on how it would diminish the defense. "You get a character guy, and he makes the team better. It's not only about himself."

From McCaskey's perch, the questions linger. He was the one who initially vetoed general manager Ryan Pace's request to sign McDonald. He was the one who changed his mind after meeting with McDonald, calling McDonald's parents and consulting with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, McDonald's coordinator with the 49ers the last four seasons.

McCaskey continues to self-examine his role in bringing McDonald aboard, only the third personnel move in which he ever has involved himself.

"What more could I have done?" he wondered aloud. "Is there somebody else we could have consulted with? Should I have taken more time to make a decision? I don't know. We thought we had a good structure, a good support system. We thought we had safeguards in place in case something like this happened."

McCaskey has absorbed public criticism for not contacting McDonald's accusers as part of the Bears' evaluation in March.

"I've thought about that a lot, too," he said. "Not just before signing him but since. One of my concerns was the bias that anybody has in that situation. An alleged victim wants to make sure that the charges are filed, while the alleged perpetrator is doing everything he can to make sure charges aren't filed. So that was part of it.

"But a larger concern to me is I didn't want to interfere with any criminal investigation or with any league investigation by talking to the child's mother."

Pace accepted McCaskey's veto in March and was prepared to move on before McDonald pressed the issue personally with the chairman. So it was no surprise Wednesday when McCaskey said he still has full confidence in his general manager.

In hindsight, McCaskey believes the Bears' system for evaluating a player with character concerns accomplished its goal and could be applied again in the future.

"We have the reinforcement of that process so we can make a better decision," he said.

rcampbell@tribpub.com

Twitter @Rich_Campbell

Revolution Brewing is one of the nation's fastest-growing breweries, but its blistering growth has knocked it out of compliance with Illinois' liquor law.

The problem: Revolution's massive production brewery on Kedzie Avenue, and its brewpub on Milwaukee Avenue, constitute two different types of brewing facilities. State law currently says that cross-ownership of various types of breweries - meaning a production brewery and a brewpub - is only legal for breweries that make less than 30,000 barrels of beer per year.

Because Revolution surged past 50,000 barrels of production last year, the brewery has operated outside the letter of the state's liquor laws.

"We've been taking a lot of risk and investing a lot of money with an unclear future," Revolution founder Josh Deth said. "But we didn't slow down because we felt good about our chances for a change in the law."

That change seems poised to arrive. In an agreement hailed by both sides that negotiated it - brewers and distributors - an updated law is expected to come before the Illinois General Assembly this week that clears up a patchwork of rules that brewers have long criticized as stymieing growth and innovation. The new legislation would allow a brewer to make 120,000 barrels of beer per year - well more than almost every brewery in Chicago - while operating as many as three retail facilities, such as brewpubs and taprooms. Current law, which has been cobbled together over years of negotiations, limits brewers to 30,000 barrels of production if they own multiple types of breweries.

"A lot of people stand to benefit," Deth said. "This creates flexibility brewers need for innovative business models."

John Barley, co-founder of Solemn Oath Brewery and the president of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, hailed the pending legislation, saying that it "will allow for a lot of very cool customer-friendly concepts that we haven't seen in the state of Illinois that are happening across the country."

Retail beer location comes in various forms in other states, such as Stone Brewing Co.'s retail shops in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas that feature a combination of tasting rooms, growler filling stations and merchandise for sale - even though beer isn't brewed at most of them. A production brewery would be hesitant to open such shops - or even a brewpub, as Solemn Oath plans to do in Chicago - if it wasn't able to grow past 30,000 barrels a year, Barley said.

The legislation was hammered out after close to a year of negotiation between the Craft Brewers Guild (representing people who make beer in Illinois) and the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois (which represents the businesses that distribute that beer to bars, stores and restaurants). Both sides admit that their relationship has not always been productive, resulting in the patchwork of laws that brewers have said restrained their ability to grow.

Both also agree that the compromise was helped by a change in the conversation; whereas brewers had long made the right to self-distribute their primary issue - something the distributors wanted to rein in - explosive growth in the industry has changed the brewers' interest more toward the ability to grow. The new legislation doesn't touch the amount of beer that breweries are able to self-distribute: up to 7,500 barrels, provided that it is a brewery that makes less than 30,000 barrels annually. Breweries making more than 30,000 barrels cannot self-distribute.

Barley said it was important to the Brewers Guild for small breweries to be able to self-distribute, but that their interest has changed.

"It's really about allowing this industry to grow in a way that we see the market pushing for it - cross-tier ownership of brewpubs and production breweries," he said.

Bob Myers, president of the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, called the legislation a long-term fix between the sometimes-dueling interests of the people who make beer and the distributors whose role in selling that beer is codified by the state's three-tier system. That system prohibits breweries from both making and selling their own beer (with the exception of in a tap room or brewpub, and those who qualify for self-distribution).

"We were obviously concerned about preserving the three-tier system," Myers said. "On the other hand, we also want to sell more beer. We want to elevate breweries to a level where they can explode while maintaining that three-tier system. This is a bill that's pro-small business and pro-craft beer."

Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, who is the House chief sponsor of the measure, said she expects a vote and successful passage this week.

"All parties are very, very happy with this and it reflects the market," she said, adding that it is important for legislators to modernize food and drink regulations "in a way that's both consumer and business friendly."

"We have to conform to what the public wants and what the market is telling us," she said.

The law that stands to be changed thwarted a plan by St. Louis' Schlafly brewery to enter the Chicago market last year by opening a brewpub in the West Loop. The problem, as ruled by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, was that Schlafly made more than 30,000 barrels of beer per year. Dan Kopman, a co-founder of the 24-year-old brewery, said the ruling was deeply frustrating, and forced Schlafly to change tactics and distribute in the traditional manner - bottles, cans and kegs - instead.

"There's no doubt about it," Kopman said. "But for those of us who were here at the beginning of craft beer in the 1980s and '90s, overcoming legal and legislative hurdles has always been part of the industry. If we got overly frustrated about these barriers back in the '80s and '90s, none of us would be here today."

Because Schlafly has begun distributing beer in Chicago, the plan for a brewpub is on hold even if the updated law allows for it.

"This is great progress, but now we're going to have a 120,000-barrel limit to consider," Kopman said. "So does the law answer the ultimate question? If we go back and consider a brewpub in Chicago and we sign a lease, what happens if we get over 120,000 barrels?"

jbnoel@tribune.com

Twitter @joshbnoel

A West Side man whose video of himself smoking marijuana with his pet chameleon went viral and led to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge was acquitted Wednesday by a Cook County judge who found his behavior immature but not criminal.

Bruce Blunt, 40, whose brief trial drew some laughs from spectators, including attorneys, said he sometimes blew smoke into the mouth of his chameleon, Binna, because it seemed to calm the sometimes aggressive reptile.

Earlier this year, he posted a video of the two on Facebook that within days far exceeded 500,000 views and, according to trial testimony, triggered a complaint to Chicago authorities from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Chicago police arrested Blunt near his mother's home after conducting brief surveillance to find him over several days, according to trial testimony.

"I blew a little smoke on her and it didn't harm her," Blunt said outside the Branch 43 courthouse at 3150 W. Flournoy St. "It calms her down because I see a difference in her mood."

"She turns lime green," his fiancee Kellie Williams added. "She's more relaxed."

In the video, Blunt holds Binna in his hand and twice blows smoke into her mouth. Each time, the chameleon closes her mouth, appearing to ingest it and then opens her mouth again.

Prosecutors said the video proved Blunt had criminally mistreated his pet.

"It's just a little guy," said Assistant State's Attorney Mike Bagnowski, speculating what effect the marijuana smoke would have on Blunt's attorney before withdrawing the remark. "He blew smoke not once but twice into its mouth."

Attorneys went back into the chambers of Judge Robert Kuzas to play the video for him. After hearing brief closing arguments, Kuzas acquitted Blunt of the misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.

Blunt's behavior was "really, really uncalled for and immature" but didn't rise to the level of criminal behavior, said Kuzas, noting the reptile didn't appear to suffer.

"The chameleon didn't change it's demeanor, it didn't change its color," the judge said. "There's a finding of not guilty."

Stephanie Bell, PETA's cruelty casework director, said in a telephone interview that she was disappointed in the ruling and wished prosecutors had called an expert to testify about the harm marijuana smoke can cause small reptiles.

"Forcing any animal to breathe in smoke without their consent or understanding - especially of a mind-altering or psychoactive nature - it's cruelty, and obviously local officials agreed with us," she said.

Dr. Susan Horton, a veterinarian and owner of Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital in Skokie, said it's quite common for veterinary clinics to treat birds harmed after their owners breathed marijuana smoke into their faces, perhaps not knowing the effect it has on the much-smaller creatures.

It can cause anything from "mild sedation to a full-on seizure," Horton said, adding that her clinic had to euthanize a cockatoo that had been severely brain damaged by marijuana smoke.

Horton said pet owners "think it's funny, but it's actually very cruel."

Now cleared of wrongdoing, Blunt hopes to get his beloved chameleon back from the city's Animal Care and Control center - both for his sake as well as that of his 10-year-old daughter. He still has Binna's terrarium in a spare room that also contains two geckos, a 75-gallon saltwater aquarium and a guinea pig.

"The (PETA) people, they really did a number on me, calling me a jerk ... and saying I'm abusing animals," Blunt said. "Man, if they only knew. I've never hurt an animal in my life - I take in stray cats and dogs. I love animals, man."

sschmadeke@tribpub.com

Twitter @SteveSchmadeke