Afternoon Edition: April 29, 2020

Muriel and Irv Kaage Jr. at his 90th birthday party. | Provided

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

More rain today, and tomorrow. Showers and a possible thunderstorm are in the forecast for this afternoon as the high reaches 57 degrees. Tonight, the low will be around 44 degrees, and tomorrow will be rainy with a high near 51. ☂️

Top story

Edison Park mainstays’ 7-decade love story ends with coronavirus deaths 36 hours apart

Irvin Kaage Jr. and his wife Muriel were known as the couple behind the Kaage’s Corner newsstand on Northwest Highway that’s been a mainstay in Edison Park for 77 years.

To family members, though, they will always be remembered for the enduring love story that spanned seven decades before the coronavirus brought it to an end this week.

Irv Jr., 92, died Sunday at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, and Muriel, 90, followed barely 36 hours later. Both had tested positive for COVID-19.

Just before Irv’s death, the hospital moved their beds together so they could hold hands, said their son, Irv III. It was a fitting end to the story the Kaages always delighted in telling — and retelling.

Irv Jr. was working at the newsstand then owned by his father, Irv Sr., when a bus driver friend told him about a beautiful blonde woman who rode his bus to downtown Chicago, where she was going to beauty school. Irv took the hint, boarded the bus and chatted up Muriel Planz for the length of the trip, eventually asking for her phone number.

We’re making our vital coronavirus coverage free for all readers. See the latest news here.

“I loved him from the first time we met,” Muriel would say. “He treated me like a queen.”

They got married and raised three children together: Irv III (known in the old neighborhood as Muggs), Patricia Yauch and Michael, who still runs the newsstand. Over the years, they added five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and a legion of grateful locals who got their first jobs at the newsstand.

At his 92nd birthday party in February, which also was the couple’s 70th anniversary, Irv said his goal was to live to 100.

Losing both parents at once would seem a double dose of heartbreak, but Irv III said it was better that way.

“They couldn’t be apart,” he said.

Read the full story from Mark Brown, which includes some beautiful tributes to Irv from his loyal newsstand customers.

More news you need

1. The extension of Illinois’ stay-at-home order through the end of May includes some significant changes. Most notably, a large number of state parks and golf courses will be permitted to reopen. Here’s a more detailed look at what’s reopening Friday.
2. A Republican lawmaker from northern Illinois has launched a second legal challenge against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. This time, the aim is to free more Illinoisans from its restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
3. Officials said another 92 people have died from COVID-19 in Illinois, as the case count in the state has reached more than 50,000. In total, 2,217 people have died of the coronavirus in the state.
4. Northwestern University has decided not to accept $8.5 million in federal stimulus money that it was allocated as part of an economic-relief package. The university’s decision comes after other wealthy schools gave back the funding or rejected it in the first place.
5. A biotech company said its experimental drug has proved effective against the new coronavirus in a major U.S. government study that put it to a strict test. The main impact it appears to have on patients is shortening recovery time.
6. Public transit systems are key to getting workers back on the job and restarting devastated economies, but everything from trains to bicycles will have to be re-imagined in the coronavirus era. Here are some ways cities around the world aim to keep people safe during their daily commutes.

A bright one

As he releases his first-length album, Chicago comedian Dwayne Kennedy says ‘it’s a good time for it to be heard’

Chicago-born comedian Dwayne Kennedy believes in meeting people on their level.

That’s why in this precarious time, Kennedy’s first full-length comedy album, “Who the Hell is Dwayne Kennedy?,” is coming out.

“People are looking for stuff to do, of course,” said Kennedy. “And because so many people are at home for so long, I guess they’re burning through content. So it’s a good time for it to be heard. And, you know, I think the potential for it to be heard may even be greater because of the adverse situation.”

Stand-up comedian Dwayne Kennedy outside Zanies Comedy Night Club in Old Town.

In his new album, Kennedy — who’s made appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!“ — touches on polarizing issues like race, religion and politics with a sharp wit that thrusts the audience into places some stand-up comedians are afraid to go.

It’s that self-assurance that has kept Kennedy’s name in the mix when comedians like Sarah Silverman, Maria Bamford, Hannibal Buress and Kumail Nanjiani talk about their influences.

“Man, it’s flattering and, you know, you don’t even really think about that. You just go up and do what you do,” said Kennedy.

Read Evan F. Moore’s full profile to learn how to get your hands on Kennedy’s comedy album.

From the press box

When the Blackhawks hired John McDonough as president and CEO over a decade ago, he brought a different mindset to the franchise. In firing McDonough on Monday, the Hawks appear ready for another philosophical change.

A legacy that will always shine brightly couldn’t save McDonough from the sausage grinder of the sports business, Rick Telander writes.

Your daily question ☕

How do you think life will be different once the pandemic ends?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you how the stay-at-home order is affecting your circle of family and friends. Here’s what some of you said…

“My children are stir crazy. No income. Everyday is riddled with fear and anxiety.” — Meg Meadows

“I’ve been way more communicative with my friends lately. My parents/family not so much since they’re older and prefer in person hangouts or the phone, which I don’t always have time for. I do miss hanging out with everyone in person though. I think when this is over we’ll hang out every weekend until the end.” — Emily Beauvais

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