Time Out Chicago news

While the Blackhawks and Bulls could use upgrades on the ice and on the court, they may have to settle for a massive new scoreboard at the arena they share. The United Center recently released plans for a massive new scoreboard that will be installed in time for the 2109-2020 season. Replacing the arena's current jumbotron, the new scoreboard will be the largest screen display of its kind in NBA and NHL venues. The scoreboard will feature 8,600 square feet of screens, including a continuous inner ring display that will be viewable from seats near the court and the ice—in total, the new board will feature nearly four times more LED screen displays than the current scoreboard. The most noteworthy elements of the new set-up are four additional screens housed inside of the scoreboard that can be extended from the bottom of the unit and a series of smoke machines that can be used to add additional impact to replays and videos. Most importantly, the upgrade should make the experience of watching the game for the nosebleeds a bit more enjoyable, with bigger screens that give everyone in the arena a better view of the action happening down below. You'll be able to check out the latest in jumbotron technology when the Bulls and the Blackhawks begin their respective seasons later this year. For now, you can take a look at the gigantic, smoke-spewing screens that will soon hang in the center over the United Center via this video rendering. 2019 United Center Scoreboard from United

Aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, is one of nature's rarest and most beautiful phenomenons. In North America, the elusive pastel-colored skies can be viewed in northern regions of the continent—like Canada and Alaska—but due to an abnormal geomagnetic storm, Chicagoans may be able to see them on Saturday night. The "storm," which is expected to reach Earth on Saturday, is scientifically known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), a.k.a. a giant cloud of charged particles that originates from the layer of gas surrounding the sun. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the CME could temporarily strengthen the scope of the northern lights, making it possible for Chicagoans to gaze up and see the stunning natural phenomenon. Don't get your hopes up just yet: As with any cosmic occurrence, the northern lights are incredibly unpredictable, says Michelle Nichols, the director of public observing at Adler Planetarium. The technicolored light show may not reach Chicago at all. "There's no one place [or time] we can tell people to look, there's no one place we can tell people to go," says Nichols. "If you want to take a chance, go far from the city, where you're farther away from light pollution." Nichols adds that even if the northern lights are visible, they won't have their famous green curtain structure you've probably seen in photos. Due to how far south Chicago is from the North Pole, they will instead appear as a general glow, whi

This morning in City Hall, mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle gained an endorsement from one of Chicago's most famous residents—a guy who might be hosting his own music festival this summer. Grammy Award-winning artist Chance the Rapper endorsed Preckwinkle at a press conference, similar to the one he held to throw his support behind former mayoral candidate Amara Enyia in October. Despite holding rallies with Chance and accepting his financial support, Enyia was only able to garner 8 percent of the vote on February 26, putting her in sixth place among the field of 14 candidates. During his press conference, Chance explained that he talked to many city activists and young people before making his decision to back Preckwinkle instead of her opponent, former Chicago Police Board president Lori Lightfoot. "The resounding voice has been that they don't necessarily feel comfortable or safe with going into a city where Lori Lightfoot sits on the fifth floor," Chance said. “[Lightfoot’s] past record as a prosecutor has not been in the best interest of young black people in Chicago.” While significant, Chance's show of support for Preckwinkle doesn't come as much of a surprise—his father, Ken Bennett, is Preckwinkle's campaign co-chairman. Chance's rejection of a candidate with ties to the Chicago Police Department is also in line with his history of speaking out against police brutality and violence towards young black people not just in Chicago, but across the country. Preckwink

Food halls are all the rage right now and Wrigleyville is the latest Chicago neighborhood to embrace the trend. This summer will see the launch of Cargo Food Authority, a new food hall concept that opened its first location late last year at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Wrigleyville location will take up residence inside a new development on the the corner of Addison and Clark Streets (directly across from Wrigley Field) which already houses Lucky Strike Social, Shake Shack and a Harley Davidson store. True to its name, Cargo Food Authority utilizes repurposed shipping containers as food stalls and kitchens that serve the type of cuisines you'd expect to order from a food truck. Guest will be able to order from a variety of stalls, with dishes like fried chicken, poke bowls, burgers, grilled cheese, ramen and "pizza-stuffed burritos" on the menu. The food hall will also contain a bar housed in a retrofitted double-decker bus that serves craft beer and draft cocktails to the always-thirsty Wrigleyville crowds. Cargo will include elements that reflect its location in Wrigleyville, such as an ivy-covered wall, a selfie scoreboard and raised stadium with a view of a giant wall of TVs that will screen the action across the street on game days. Guests will also be able to blow off steam in the food hall's pitching cage and gawk at a collection of sports memorabilia. Whether you need a meal before heading to the Friendly Confines or a place to watch the Cubs from afar, y

Though he's dropped a few new songs here and there, lately Chance the Rapper has been busy getting married to his longtime partner Kirsten Corley and supporting Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enya. Back in February, Chance announced via an Instagram video that he's been working on plenty of new music and plans to release another album in July (his manager Pat Corcoran confirmed the month of the album's release). While we don't know exactly when in July Chance's new album (he's referring to it as an #owbum) will drop, the Chicago rapper is already starting to reveal his post-release plans. In a series of tweets posted this morning, Chance announced a string of cities where he plans to headline concerts after his new record hits the streets, including New York, Atlanta, L.A., Seattle and Miami. According to his tweets, Chance isn't just planning to play a concert in Chicago—he'll be headlining a festival. Gotta festival in Chicago after my #owbum drop @patthemanager 👀 — Chance Owbum 📅 (@chancetherapper) March 20, 2019 Lollapalooza's newly released lineup rules out a return appearance from Chance, at least in a headlining capacity (we're almost positive that he'll show up to perform with his friends). The only other Chicago music festival that takes place after July and is big enough to host a set from the famous rapper is Riot Fest, but Chance probably won't wait until September to play his hometown. That means that Chance is likely plan

The full 2019 Lollapalooza lineup has arrived, and a few of our artist predictions turned out to be correct. When the gigantic summer music festival returns to Grant Park from August 1 to 4, it will feature headlining sets from pop princess Ariana Grande, Donald Glover's hip-hop alter-ego Childish Gambino, alt-rock duo Twenty One Pilots, New York rockers the Strokes, psychedelic outfit Tame Impala and EDM hit-makers the Chainsmokers. RECOMMENDED: Check out photos and coverage of Lollapalooza This year's Lolla undercard is also full of pleasant surprises, including Grammy-winning country artist Kacey Musgraves, hip-hop icon Lil Wayne (we're guessing that Chance the Rapper will show up for this set), R&B explorer Janelle Monáe, "Take Me To Church" singer Hozier, Jack Black's band Tenacious D and indie rock stalwarts Death Cab For Cutie. There are even a few artists that we'd usually expect to see on the Pitchfork Music Festival lineup making the move to the bigger stages of Grant Park, such as Mitski, Sharon Van Etten, (Sandy) Alex G and Tierra Whack. Tickets for Lollapalooza 2019 went on sale yesterday, and sales are likely to pick up now that the lineup is out in the wild. This year, you'll pay $340 for a general admission four-day pass, or $135 for a single-day ticket (you'll be able to sang these when single-day lineups are released in the coming weeks). As usual, Lolla is offering a full slate of upgraded and VIP ticket options, with perks like access to private lounges

Pretty soon, you may finally be able to find a Divvy bike no matter where you happen to be in Chicago. Last week, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and the Chicago Department of Transportation proposed a massive amendment that would significantly alter the city's current contract with Lyft, which last year acquired Motivate—the company that operates the city's Divvy bike-sharing system. Under the proposal, Lyft would invest $50 million in 10,500 new electric pedal-assist bikes and 175 new docking stations over the next three years. This huge investment would put Divvy bikes in all 50 wards of Chicago by 2021, fulfilling the program's promise of providing an alternative mode of transportation to every part of the city. As part of the deal, Lyft would become the new sponsor of Divvy (replacing the current sponsor, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois) and gain the right to plaster its logo on every one of the bright blue bikes. For those wondering, electric pedal-assist bikes (e-bikes for short) aren't motorcycles—instead, they use a small motor that makes pedaling easier and allow riders to cruise through the streets at faster speeds. E-bikes have been shown to reduce commute times, but the higher traveling speeds could cause more accidents, especially on the packed streets of downtown Chicago. New bikes joining the Divvy fleet will also sport a hybrid locking technology that would allow riders to lock bikes to conventional bike racks. In theory, this could make it possible to simply lo

In April, Chicagoans will head to the polls (again!) to vote in a special runoff election that will elect Chicago's first black female mayor. Runoff elections are a relatively new development in Chicago politics, so if you're confused about why we're already heading back to the voting booth, take a look at our guide to navigating the special election. When is election day? Chicagoans will head to the polls (again) on Tuesday, April 2. Polls are open from 6am to 7pm. Who's on the ballot? The entire city will vote for the next mayor and the city's treasurer. In the mayoral race, Lori Lightfoot is running against Toni Preckwinkle, while in the treasurer race, Ameya Pawar is facing Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Fifteen wards are also having runoff aldermanic elections. Can I vote early? Yes, early voting for the runoff election opened on Monday, March 18 at all 50 ward sites and the Loop Super Site (175 W Washington). Site hours vary, so check before you head to polls, but most are open from 9am–5pm. Where do I vote if I'm voting on election day? Early voters get to cast their ballot at any polling place, but on election day you are required vote at your assigned ward site. Who is eligible to vote in the runoff election? If you're an U.S. citizen who will be 18 years old by April 2, 2019 and you have lived in your Chicago precinct at least 30 days, you are eligible to vote. Didn't vote in Chicago's February election? It doesn't matter! You can still cast a ballot in April

The list of mega-developments potentially taking shape in Chicago just got bigger. Last night at a community meeting, Wisconsin-based company Landmark Development unveiled renderings for One Central, a multibillion-dollar proposal that could revitalize 34 acres of the South Loop. At the center of the project is a new transit hub that would be located southwest of Soldier Field. The proposed station would be the largest transit hub in Chicago, with access to Metra, Amtrak and CTA trains. A building sitting above the transportation center could house restaurants, shops, hotels and entertainment options for travelers and residents alike. Landmark Development has also proposed the creation of an autonomous tram system, called the Chi-Line, that would offer service between McCormick Place and North Michigan Avenue via a route that runs parallel to the existing Metra tracks. The remainder of the development would be built on a gigantic platform set atop a portion of the Metra rails that run through the South Loop. Renderings for the project depict a series of new high-rises and skyscrapers that are situated between the Field Museum and the northernmost portion of McCormick Place. One Central would extend Chicago's skyline south to 21st Street, where some tall buildings have already sprung up around the Wintrust Arena and McCormick Place. The current plans for One Central also include more than 15 acres of new parks and green space, as well as a Lake Shore Drive walkway that woul

Having access to concerts, movie screenings, dance performances and all of the other free events in Millennium Park is one of the greatest perks of summer in Chicago. Evenings on the lawn are even more attractive when you factor in the park's generous BYOB policy, which allows attendees to bring their own beer and wine to enjoy while taking in a show at the Pritzker Pavilion. While you can cart a bag full of booze to the majority of Millennium Park events, there are a few notable exceptions to the rule. Just like last year, Millennium Park will be prohibiting outside alcohol at Pritzker Pavilion's seven most highly attended events this summer. That includes popular festivals like the Chicago Blues Festival and Chicago Jazz Festival, as well as annual events like the Broadway in Chicago Summer Concert and the always-packed Grant Park Music Festival Fourth of July concert. Of course, it's not as if these events will be dry—guests can grab a drink at bars stationed around park grounds.  Visitors to Millennium Park this summer should also be prepared for bag checks when passing through park's security permitter, which is usually situated around the Great Lawn at Pritzker Pavilion. While you're free to bring beer, wine and food into the park, items like metal cutlery, skateboards and tents are prohibited at events, concerts and festivals (a complete list of prohibited items is available on the Millennium Park website). Take a look at the complete list of Millennium Park events