🌱 Ricketts Bid Sparks Controversy + Cresco Labs Makes Major Move

Good morning, Lakeview! Here's the news for Thursday.

First, today's weather: Cooler with rain and drizzle. High: 43 Low: 39.

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Here are the top 4 stories today in Lakeview:

1. Sunnyside Dispensary owner Cresco Labs will acquire New York-based Columbia Care Inc. for $2 billion. The move means Chicago-based Cresco will become the nation’s largest cannabis company. (Paid source: Sun-Times)

2. The first Black player from Chelsea FC is unhappy with the Ricketts family’s bid to purchase the team. Paul Canoville tweeted "a big fat anti-racism NO to the Ricketts bid,” stemming from patriarch Joe Ricketts’ 2019 comments calling Islam a “cult.” The Cubs owners issued a statement rejecting “any form of hate” and promoting their relationship to Chicago’s communities of color. (Patch)

3. A new bar will move into a closed Clark Street pool hall in Edgewater, Block Club reports. Whiskey Girl Tavern is expected to open this spring at the former location of Pressure Billiards. (Block Club)

4. The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce is planning a Women’s History Month paint night on March 28 at Amor y Tequila. Local artists Heather Gentile-Collins and Jennifer Toomey will teach attendees how to paint women-inspired designs. (Chamber)

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Today in Lakeview:

• Local artist Amanda Brodie Stenlund showcases oil paintings of Roscoe Village at Praha. (6 p.m.)
• Test your “Shrek” knowledge at Replay Lincoln Park’s trivia night. (7 p.m.)
• Stream movies from the JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival, which ends Sunday. (All day)

From my notebook:

• Illinois ranked 25th in the U.S. for employment recovery at this stage of the pandemic. (Center Square)
• Riot Fest has raised more than $65,000 for aid in Ukraine. (NBC)
• Home Run Inn is celebrating its 75th anniversary today by giving away 10,000 free pizzas to Chicagoans in need. (Block Club)
• The Cubs and White Sox announced their promotional schedules for the 2022 season, including bobbleheads of Nico Hoerner and Tim Anderson. (MLB)
• Sean Hayes gives a “jaw-dropping performance” at the Goodman Theatre in “Good Night, Oscar,” which runs through April 24. (Third Coast Review)

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That's all for now! See you tomorrow for the Friday edition of the Daily.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.