Category: News
Schools closing, warming shelters open ahead of cold snap
Schools are closing or operating remotely and warming shelters are opening their doors as temperatures in Northwest Indiana are expected to plunge into the negative single digits Friday and wind chills as low as -28 are predicted, according to the National Weather Service.
A collapsing polar vortex is expected to bring high winds, a chance of snow and freezing temperatures through the weekend as dangerously frigid air from Siberia and the North Pole is expected to dip the Great Lakes into subzero territory.
Chicago’s 2014 weather saw a polar vortex that trapped the city in an arctic freeze in early January and 82 inches of snow, the city’s third-snowiest winter. (Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune)
“A piece of (the polar vortex) will break off and meander southward into our area,” said Gino Izzi, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory from 3 a.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Saturday for Northwest Indiana.
A polar vortex is a constant cold, low-pressure system of air that circulates counterclockwise around both of the Earth’s poles, acting like a wall that contains cold air. A jet stream is a band of strong wind that generally travels from west to east and acts as a boundary between cold, polar air and warmer air farther south. A weak polar vortex can cause the jet stream to buckle, sending Arctic air from the North Pole southward, according to NWS.
When a polar vortex collapsed in 2014 and brought dramatic subzero arctic air and windchills to the Midwest, Izzi said many Chicagoans started loosely referring to other severe winter storms as “polar vortexes.” This time it’s not expected to be as severe as in 2014 when that vortex was centered directly over the Great Lakes; this year it is farther north over Canada.
This winter may also be less predictable due to a weak La Niña year.
La Niña is a climate pattern of cooler-than-average ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. During a La Niña year, cooler-than-average global ocean temperatures bring cold weather to the Midwest and Great Lakes. But La Niña weather conditions are also highly variable, Izzi said.
Indiana state agencies recommend the following precautions if you must leave your house in hazardous conditions: Slow down and adjust your speed to road conditions, especially in snow; Check conditions and forecasts before you hit the road; Allow plenty of time to reach your destination safely; Never tailgate or drive beside a snowplow; Leave extra space between your vehicle and the one in front of you; Prepare an emergency kit with snacks, water, a phone charger, sand or cat litter, flares or bright LED alternatives, a flashlight, and blankets or extra clothing; Keep your vehicle full of gas and check your battery, fluids and spare tire; and Clear all snow and ice from your vehicle’s windows, lights, and signals.
Schools
Among K-12 schools, most are moving to elearning on Friday, including the Crown Point, Gary, East Chicago, Griffith, Hammond, Hanover, Highland, Hobart, Lake Central, Lake Station, Lake Ridge, Merrillville, River Forest, Tri-Creek, and Whiting districts in Lake County. Munster is starting its elearning on a two-hour delay.
In Porter County, East Porter, Duneland, Valparaiso, Portage, Union Township, and Boone Township schools are all having elearning days.
Both Purdue University Northwest campuses at Hammond and Westville will operate remotely on Friday. For updates about the status of PNW campus operations, see pnw.edu/alerts.
At Valparaiso University, all in-person academic classes on Friday will be suspended while normal campus operations will continue. The Valparaiso International Center’s Fourth Friday presentation on Jamaica, originally scheduled for Friday, has been rescheduled for March 27.
Warming shelters
In Valparaiso, the YMCA, located at 1201 Cumberland Crossing will be open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.. on Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Valparaiso Branch of the Porter County Public Library, located at 103 Jefferson St., is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Daybreak Recovery Center, located at 500 Don Hovey Drive, is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
In Portage, warming shelters are set up at Woodland Park, Portage Public Library and South Haven Public Library. Woodland Park is open 8 a.m. to 4 pm., Monday through Friday. The libraries are open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Portage fire stations are also available as temporary warming shelters. For transportation, call the Portage Police Department at (219) 762-3122. The Portage Township trustee’s office has an emergency shelter line at (219) 741-9442.
In Gary, the warming centers have two categories: Women, Children and Family Shelters and Men’s Shelters. In the first category, the Calumet Township Multi-Purpose Center, located at 1900 W. 41st Ave., will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., while men are welcome at Brother’s Keeper, located at 2120 Broadway, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In Hammond, the Civic Center, located at 5825 Sohl Ave, Sportsplex, located at 6630 Indianapolis Blvd.; and Jean Shepherd Center, located at 3031 J.F. Mahoney Dr., are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
In Hobart, the police station is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the public library is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and Maria Reiner Senior Center is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Safety tips
NIPSCO advises residents to clear snow and ice from intake and exhaust vents, which can help avoid carbon monoxide buildup and help appliances operate well. Space heaters, which are a source of winter home fires, should be used with caution, on hard surfaces and anything flammable should be at least three feet away. Do not burn charcoal or run a generator indoors. Never use a stove or oven as a source of heat. Meters should be clear and visible in case maintenance is required.
Frozen pipes can cause pipes to burst during extreme cold events. Let faucets drip, especially those adjacent to an exterior wall, according to the American Red Cross.
Chimneys should be cleaned and checked for blockage at least once a year before using your fireplace, NIPSCO stated in a rellease
If you smell any “rotten egg” odor of natural gas or think there may be a gas leak, stop what you are doing, leave the area immediately, and then call 911 and the NIPSCO emergency line at 1-800-634-3524. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, irregular breathing, and feeling ill or tired while at home, but fine when away.
For more winter weather and home safety tips, visit nipsco.com/winter.
To find out more about the resources available to help you manage your energy bill and pay down past due balances, call NIPSCO at 1-800-464-7726 or visit nipsco.com/assistance.
The Chicago Tribune contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/schools-closing-warming-shelters-open-ahead-of-cold-snap/
Texas AG Starts Investigation Into Vaccine-Related Financial Incentives
Texas AG Starts Investigation Into Vaccine-Related Financial Incentives
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Jan. 21 said he’s investigating incentives related to vaccinating children.
Paxton’s office said in a statement that the probe will cover pediatricians, insurers, vaccine companies, and other entities “engaged in deceptive or unlawful conduct by failing to disclose financial incentives connected to their administration of childhood vaccines.”
It noted that some pediatricians kick out families that refuse to adhere to a vaccine schedule and that doctors can receive bonuses for vaccinating.
An Epoch Times investigation found that insurers have offered bonuses as high as $400 per child as an incentive to vaccinate patients.
Paxton is issuing civil investigative demands for information to companies, including UnitedHealthcare and Pfizer.
“I will ensure that Big Pharma and Big Insurance don’t bribe medical providers to pressure parents to jab their kids with vaccines they feel aren’t safe or necessary,” Paxton said in a statement.
He said that Texans “deserve to have full faith in the recommendations of their medical providers—particularly when it involves the health of their children” and that “any provider or entity whose medical guidance is fueled by financial incentives from an insurance company, Big Pharma, or otherwise will be exposed.”
Paxton’s office did not respond to a request for more information.
UnitedHealthcare had said in a document, which was taken down after The Epoch Times’ story was published, that doctors were eligible for bonuses for patients who received vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and human papillomavirus.
The Epoch Times reached out to UnitedHealthcare and Pfizer for comment, but they did not respond by publication time.
Studies have found that vaccinations can be profitable, including a 2020 paper. Some doctors have said in surveys that they can lose money on vaccines due to certain factors, such as low reimbursements.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, which partners with vaccine manufacturers, has said that pediatricians do not profit from vaccines and are motivated to vaccinate because, the group says, vaccines are safe and effective.
Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that opposes vaccine mandates, said that the group was “very excited” about Paxton’s investigation.
Children’s Health Defense this week sued the American Academy of Pediatrics, accusing the organization of violating federal law by promoting the vaccine schedule as proven safe. The academy did not respond to a request for comment.
In its complaint, Children’s Health Defense mentioned how insurers offer bonuses for pediatricians whose patients receive certain vaccines, and pointed to a 2024 report from the academy that stated that “under value-based care models, pediatricians may receive a significant part of their payments based on performance metrics, one of which is completion of childhood and adolescent immunizations.”
Paxton’s previous investigations have included a probe into Pfizer for allegedly misrepresenting the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine and toothpaste manufacturers for promoting the use of too much toothpaste.
His case against Pfizer was dismissed in 2024. The toothpaste probe led to companies agreeing to redesign boxes for toothpaste containing fluoride.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 18:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/texas-ag-starts-investigation-vaccine-related-financial-incentives
CTA to focus on safety, cleanliness and bus service improvements in 2026, acting president says
The CTA will focus on safety, cleanliness and improvements to bus service in 2026, its acting president, Nora Leerhsen, said Thursday.
Leerhsen’s speech at a City Club of Chicago luncheon comes at a critical juncture for the CTA. Until state lawmakers passed a landmark transit funding bill by the skin of their teeth last fall, the agency had spent months planning to make drastic service cuts and layoffs this year. But after lawmakers approved $1.5 billion in annual funding for mass transit, the agency reversed course almost overnight.
The CTA said it would no longer raise fares or lay off workers this year. Instead of cutting service, it said it could improve it.
But the CTA is also starting 2026 fending off threats from the administration of President Donald Trump, which last year froze almost $2 billion in federal grant dollars for the agency’s long-awaited Red Line Extension on the Far South Side before invoking high-profile violence on the system in threats it might withhold millions more dollars from the transit agency.
On Thursday, Leerhsen touted progress she said the agency had made in hiring and transit service while carefully observing how close the agency had come to disaster.
“The structural deficit faced by CTA, Metra, Pace and (the Regional Transportation Authority) could have led to the largest service cut in CTA’s history, threatening to derail the progress we’ve made in recent years,” she said.
The state’s landmark transit bill doesn’t go into effect until June. Agency officials have cautioned that they do not know exactly how much money the CTA will receive in new funding this year, and have thus far avoided making too many specific commitments regarding plans for service improvements.
Leerhsen has already announced that the agency plans to run Orange Line trains 24 hours a day. Currently, only the Red and Blue lines run 24 hours.
On Thursday, Leerhsen said the agency also plans to work to address “bus bunching” — when buses pile up and arrive one after another in quick succession — and large gaps in bus service.
“We’re really laser-focused right now at monitoring where we’re seeing bus bunching complaints come in, where we’re seeing gaps in service,” she said speaking with reporters after the City Club event.
Leerhsen said she also wanted the CTA to push for more bus priority infrastructure — like dedicated bus lanes — that she said would improve bus service, efforts that would require the cooperation of the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Leerhsen also touted the agency’s planned Red Line Extension, of which early-stage work is underway.
The CTA’s 95th Street station in the Dan Ryan Expressway median connects the end of the Red Line with multiple bus routes as seen on Dec. 15, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
But in October, the Trump administration froze almost $2 billion in funds for the project, citing the agency’s diversity requirements for contractors. The CTA has maintained that the massive project remains on track, although sources have indicated that the agency could start having trouble continuing to make payments if the freeze continues.
In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation told the Tribune that the CTA had been informed it had “contracting practices that are inconsistent with Equal Protection principles of the U.S. Constitution” and would need to “eradicate” those practices to regain access to the grant funds.
When asked about the Red Line extension status by RTA board Chairman Kirk Dillard Thursday, Leerhsen reiterated that the agency was “full speed ahead” on the project.
“We are in an exchange with the federal government regarding certain requirements around it, we’ve been fully responsive, and we’re hopeful to have a resolution soon,” Leerhsen said.
Leerhsen also focused on safety Thursday, which she said is the issue that comes up the most when she talks with both riders and CTA employees.
Nora Leerhsen, acting CTA president, speaks during a City Club program at Maggiano’s Banquets, in Chicago, Jan. 22, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
While violent crime on the system remains elevated from pre-pandemic levels, it has dropped about 10% since 2022.
Despite those improvements, the agency has become the target of threats from the Trump administration, which has threatened to withhold $50 million in federal funds from the agency unless it addresses safety issues to its satisfaction.
Transit leaders have at times struggled to reconcile their ongoing efforts to fight crime on the system with doubts about the intentions and approach of the Trump administration, which has repeatedly used the threat to withhold federal funds as a political cudgel against blue cities and states.
In December, the feds issued a “special directive” to the CTA, telling the agency to improve safety or face funding cuts. The Trump administration rejected the agency’s first safety plan, which included a boost to the number of Chicago police officers who participate in a program to patrol the transit system on their days off. The feds asked the CTA to submit an updated plan, which is still in the works.
Leerhsen said Thursday the agency was “working closely” with Chicago police on an updated safety plan to submit to the federal government.
Leerhsen also announced the CTA this week had begun a new “transit rider interaction program” in coordination with Chicago police officers who serve on the transit system. The program will involve groups of police officers lining train platforms and “getting on and off each train as it passes through to see if anything needs attention,” Leerhsen said.
“This visible law enforcement presence will serve as a deterrent to crime,” she said.
Leerhsen also spoke to the challenge of addressing safety concerns on a system that is open to the public 24 hours a day.
“CTA’s vehicles and platforms are in many respects a stage upon which the city’s greatest triumphs play out, while at the same time, yes, some of its tragedy,” Leerhsen said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/cta-safety-buses-cleanliness-nora-leerhsen/
Baltimore Ravens hire LA Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as new coach, replacing John Harbaugh
BALTIMORE — Jesse Minter is heading back to Baltimore, this time as the Ravens’ next head coach.
The club hired the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator on Thursday. Minter replaces John Harbaugh, who was fired earlier this month after 18 years when the Ravens failed to make the playoffs.
Minter spent four seasons on Harbaugh’s staff from 2017-20, working his way up to become the defensive backs coach during his final season before taking the defensive coordinator job at Vanderbilt.
Minter, 42, was one of the hottest names on the market. He interviewed virtually with several teams — including the Pittsburgh Steelers, who also are looking for a coach after Mike Tomlin stepped down last week — before landing in Baltimore, where his job will be to help two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson take the next step in a career that’s been consistently snakebit in the postseason.
“This is an organization whose values, culture and tradition of excellence reflect everything I believe about the game of football and how it should be played,” Minter said in a statement.
Minter has been with the Chargers for two seasons after two years as defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan. Minter’s partnership with both Harbaughs helped him build a resume that made him the right fit to replace John Harbaugh and become the fourth head coach in the Ravens’ 31-year history.
“Jesse is a strong leader who possesses a brilliant football mind and a spirit that will resonate with our players and fanbase alike,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “Jesse comes from a football family, with success at every level of the sport, and we are confident that he is the right coach to lead the Ravens forward.”
The Chargers were fifth in the league in total defense this season, allowing 285.2 yards per game. They allowed a league-low 17.7 points per game in 2024. The Wolverines led the nation in total defense in 2023 en route to winning the College Football Playoff national championship.
Minter also spent four seasons with the Ravens from 2017-20, rising from a defensive assistant to defensive backs coach his final year. He also interviewed for the head coach openings in Atlanta and Miami this week. The Las Vegas Raiders, Steelers and Tennessee Titans also have requested interviews.
The Ravens endured a tumultuous 2025 season marked by a 1-5 start and major injuries, from Jackson to defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. The Ravens recovered to head into a Week 18 showdown with the Steelers for the AFC North title.
Rookie kicker Tyler Loop’s potential game-winning field goal on the final play sailed wide right, handing the division crown to the Steelers.
Harbaugh, the NFL’s second-longest tenured head coach, was out of a job days later. Harbaugh didn’t stay out of work long. The New York Giants hired him to the same position last week.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/jesse-minter-baltimore-ravens-coach/
Karen Leigh Baldwin, daughter of ‘Brady Bunch’ dad Robert Reed, has died
Karen Leigh Baldwin, a Northbrook resident and the real-life daughter of television actor Robert Reed of “The Brady Bunch,” has died.
Baldwin, 69, died Nov. 29, according to her brother John Bergquist of Scottsdale, Arizona. A cause of death was not provided.
Baldwin grew up in Wilmette and was the daughter of Reed and Marilyn Bergquist. The couple later divorced, and Reed went on to a long acting career, gaining huge popular fame for portraying Mike Brady, the father on the popular television series “The Brady Bunch,” which originally aired from 1969 to 1974 and spawned multiple spinoffs and reunion movies.
“They had a long-distance relationship, but they weren’t particularly close,” Bergquist said.
Despite that distance, Baldwin appeared in a Season 2 episode of The Brady Bunch titled “Slumber Party,” playing a friend of the oldest daughter, Marcia. Also appearing in small roles in the episode were the daughters of Florence Henderson, who played wife and mom Carol Brady, and executive producer Sherwood Schwartz.
Barry Williams, who portrayed Greg Brady, said Baldwin was on set for one day during the taping.
“We knew Florence’s kids because they all lived with her in Los Angeles, but this was the first time I met Karen,” Williams said. “It was about the meshing of the TV family and the real-life family.”
Williams added that Reed was enthusiastic about the appearance. “I know Robert was excited to have her there and not just bring her in as a guest, but as a ‘guest star,’” he said.
Williams said he met Baldwin a few other times, including sometime between 2005 and 2010, when she explored the idea of writing a book about her father and how such a project might evolve. He said he does not believe the book was ever completed and did not know why.
Reed died in 1992, but Baldwin maintained a photograph of herself with her father on her Facebook page. “To my knowledge, they were on good terms at the end,” Bergquist said.
Baldwin adored horses and went on to work as a trainer, teaching students in horse jumping. “That was her greatest love,” Bergquist said. She also competed in a national jumper event at Madison Square Garden in New York, according to her online obituary.
Bergquist said Baldwin also worked at a collection agency.
Survivors include her son, William Baldwin; her mother, Marilyn; her former husband Robert Baldwin, and siblings Peter, Mark and John Bergquist and Jane Danowit, according to her online obituary.
Services have been held.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/karen-baldwin-daughter-brady-bunch-robert-reed-died/
Legislation Proposed To Make It Easier To Denaturalize Somali Fraudsters
Legislation Proposed To Make It Easier To Denaturalize Somali Fraudsters
In the wake of the massive Somali-fraud scandal out of Minnesota and other states, President Donald Trump wants to denaturalize American immigrants convicted of crimes and deport them, but the current legal framework and federal bureaucracy make such sweeping denaturalization efforts difficult to achieve quickly.
“I would do it in a heartbeat if they were dishonest,” Trump told the New York Times earlier this month. “I think that many of the people that came in from Somalia, they hate our country.”
Existing federal law provides limited pathways for revoking the citizenship of naturalized citizens. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act the government can denaturalize individuals who obtained citizenship through fraud, misrepresentation, or the concealment of material facts during the naturalization process. The law does not allow automatic revocation based solely on crimes committed after naturalization. Current denaturalization proceedings require civil lawsuits filed by the Department of Justice in federal court or criminal prosecutions for naturalization fraud, both demanding individualized evidence, extensive litigation, and meeting high burdens of proof. Civil cases require “clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence,” while criminal prosecutions demand proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) has proposed a solution to this problem. He’s introduced the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act in the Senate to expand federal denaturalization authority. The legislation creates a 10-year window after naturalization during which citizens who commit specified crimes could face citizenship revocation and deportation. Among those offenses are welfare fraud exceeding $10,000, aggravated felonies, espionage, and joining terrorist organizations, a category the bill explicitly extends to gangs and drug cartels. The measure also lowers the threshold for federal authorities to begin denaturalization proceedings by broadening the legal grounds beyond fraud committed during the citizenship application process.
The bill even includes a fallback provision that automatically reduces the revocation window from ten years to five years if courts strike down the longer period as unconstitutional.
“American citizenship is a privilege, and anyone hoping to be a part of our great nation must demonstrate a sincere attachment to our Constitution, upstanding moral character, and a commitment to the happiness and good order of the United States,” Schmitt said in a statement. “The rampant fraud uncovered in Minnesota must be a wakeup call. People who commit felony fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist organizations like drug cartels shortly after taking their citizenship oaths fail to uphold the basic standards of citizenship. They must be denaturalized because they have proven they never met the requirements for the great honor of American citizenship in the first place. We must protect and restore the institution of American citizenship. No more talk. It’s time for action.”
The White House publicly endorsed the legislation.
“The Somali fraud scandal is one of the greatest financial scandals in American history,” said Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor. “All Somali refugees, or any other immigrants, who have committed fraud against the United States must be immediately denaturalized and deported. We applaud Senator Schmitt for his leadership.”
Schmitt believes the Somali-based fraud is just the “tip of the iceberg” of what will soon be uncovered.
“There’s also a bunch of money that went out the door at the end of the Biden administration that had nothing to do with COVID, but it was under the auspices of these COVID funds. I think you’re gonna see another wave of fraud,” he told Fox News’s Harris Faulkner earlier this week. “So, I think that’s probably at the heart of why Tim Walz’s demise here … is headline news.”
He also called Tim Walz the poster child for “not only how out of touch the Democrats are, but how corrupt they are when they actually govern.”
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) just filed legislation REVOKING the citizenship of legal migrants who commit fraud and serious felonies, including the Somalis in Minnesota
GET IT PASSED! 🔥
The SCAM Act applies to serious crimes after being naturalized: “It’s evidence… pic.twitter.com/IvTiCuhfml
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 19, 2026
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 18:00
Letters to the Editor: Council’s vote on data center misguided, hurts economy
Council’s vote on data center misguided, hurts economy
The Naperville City Council regrettably rushed a vote to deny Karis Critical’s proposed investment to redevelop a portion of the former Lucent campus into a state-of-the-art data center. This is disappointing to the DuPage County Building Trades.
For families to afford to live in Naperville, we need our jobs corridor to provide jobs, and those celebrating the denial of a significant investment to renew a vacant property in Naperville’s research corridor are misguided. Make no mistake about it, six elected officials took years of high-paying, high-skilled work away from the men and women of the trades, hurting local families, the economy and our community.
Jobs are dignity, careers are stability, and a strong jobs corridor in Naperville is the foundation for both. Unfortunately, in Naperville personal agendas became more important than process, officials prioritized politics over fact gathering, and our community lost an investment that would have propelled the community forward for years to come.
The DuPage County Building Trades represents 24 affiliate construction trades and 30,000 union members who live, work and shop in DuPage County. We, and the community, deserved better.
Frank Gravina, Secretary/Treasurer of the DuPage County Building Trades
Business Manager, I.B.E.W Local Union 701
Share your views
Submit letters to the editor via email to suburbanletters@tribpub.com. Please include your name, address and town of residence for publication. We also need your phone number and email address for confirmation. Letters should be no more than 400 words.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/letters-naperville-council-data-center/
Oscar snubs and surprises: Ariana Grande, Paul Mescal and Jesse Plemons overlooked in nominations
After such a strong year for movies, the brutal limitations of Oscar nominations were bound to have some big omissions. But there were several genuine shockers Thursday morning, including widely expected nominees like Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal missing out on nods in their respective acting categories. In some cases, that meant room for long overdue recognition, as with Delroy Lindo, who earned his first nomination for “Sinners.”
Here are the biggest snubs and surprises:
SNUB: Ariana Grande and “Wicked: For Good”
“Wicked” got a staggering 10 nominations last year, and yet its much darker sequel, “Wicked: For Good,” ended up with zero. That’s possibly because the film wasn’t as well received as the first by critics — but most still thought that Grande would snag another supporting nomination for her effervescent Glinda. It also means that Cynthia Erivo was left out of best actress, though she wasn’t on many prediction lists this time around, and that it was roundly rejected for both crafts and — with two new, original options — song (yet somehow Diane Warren still managed to get through again).
Review: Lumbering ‘Wicked: For Good’ gets some levity from Ariana Grande
SURPRISE: Delroy Lindo, “Sinners”
One of the best surprises of the morning was Lindo’s supporting actor nod for playing the hard-drinking blues great Delta Slim in “Sinners.” It’s his first ever Oscar nomination and long overdue. But his inclusion also meant that another “sure thing” didn’t make it.
SNUB: Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”
That seemingly sure thing was Mescal, who delivered an achingly poignant performance as the grieving father William Shakespeare in “Hamnet.” It would have been his second Oscar nomination; in 2023, he was recognized for playing another sad father in “Aftersun.”
SNUB: Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein”
It was widely assumed that three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro would get a best director nomination for “Frankenstein,” his lifetime passion project that got nine other nominations. The slight surprise is that the academy nominated Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value” instead. Somewhat shockingly, del Toro has only been nominated for best director once, for “The Shape of Water” (he won that year).
SURPRISE: Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”
Who says awards campaigns don’t pay off? Kate Hudson made it into the best actress category on a wave of celebrity support and goodwill for her performance as Claire Sardina, one part of a Neil Diamond tribute act. It’s recognition that was a long time coming. Her first and last acting nomination was 25 years ago, for playing Penny Lane in “Almost Famous.”
Review: ‘Song Sung Blue’ hits a winning note, based on a real story
SNUB: Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”
Hudson’s inclusion meant that Chase Infiniti did not get her first Oscar nomination for “One Battle After Another.” Her performance as the teen Willa, wrapped up in a life-or-death situation of her parents’ making, was the heart of Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece, and an arrestingly great screen debut.
SNUB: Amanda Seyfried, “The Testament of Ann Lee”
Amanda Seyfried was not as widely expected to get a leading actress nomination as Infiniti was, but she deserved one for her visceral, ecstatic turn as Shakers founder Ann Lee. With only one nomination to her name, for playing Marion Davies in “Mank,” Seyfried is becoming one of our most underappreciated talents, at least as far as awards are concerned.
SURPRISE: Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
Oscar voters hate to be boxed in, and apparently this year they heard the cries about biases against horror movies. Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” was certainly one of the most talked about films of the year, but that doesn’t always translate at awards time. But Amy Madigan, who seemed like the rebellious, out-of-the-box pick for critics groups, made it into the hypercompetitive supporting actress category. Not included, however, were the women of “Marty Supreme,” Gwyneth Paltrow and Odessa A’zion, or Regina Hall for “One Battle After Another.”
SNUB: Jafar Panahi and “It Was Just an Accident”
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi did get nominations for the Palme d’Or-winning revenge drama “It Was Just an Accident” (original screenplay and international feature), but it seems like a wild oversight that one of our most vital and persecuted filmmakers wasn’t also recognized for best picture and best director. Panahi filmed “It Was Just an Accident” clandestinely in Iran following a seven-month stint in prison that only ended in 2023 once he went on a hunger strike. A Tehran court in December sentenced him to a year in prison in absentia and imposed a two-year travel ban on him leaving Iran.
SNUB: “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”
The Oscars have long overlooked anime, despite its immense popularity and quality and, this year, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” which has made over $722 million worldwide, was the big oversight in the animation category. Even “Elio” was nominated.
SNUB: Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia”
Another headscratcher was Jesse Plemons missing out on a best actor nomination for his raw turn as the conspiracy theorist who kidnaps and tortures Emma Stone’s CEO character in “Bugonia.” As one of our great next generation character actors, it’s wild that he’s only been nominated once, for “The Power of the Dog.” But Plemons not making it in meant that Ethan Hawke did for his unassailably wonderful performance as the witty and deeply insecure Lorenz Hart in “Blue Moon.”
Review: ‘Bugonia,’ starring Emma Stone, is often uncomfortable and darkly funny
SURPRISE: “F1”
The Formula One racing movie “F1” might have been a big crowd pleaser and a hit for Apple, but it hadn’t been on many lists for a best picture nomination.
SNUB: “Jay Kelly”
Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly” might have once been a top Oscar nominee. It’s everything the academy tends to swoon over, a lovingly comedic ode to their industry and the people in it. Adam Sandler was great! As was Nicholas Britell’s score. But this year it was just another film that got zero nominations.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/oscar-nominations-snubs-and-surprises/
Naperville News Digest: Library releases report showing strong library use; Will County to hold vaccination clinic on Wednesday
Library releases report showing strong library use
About 81% of Naperville households have at least one library card, an all-time high, according to the Naperville Public Library’s annual report released this week.
In 2025, the number of cardholders increased by nearly 10%, and the library instituted a new policy to automatically renew library cards for Naperville residents, making it easier for the cards to remain active, library officials said.
Patrons checked out more than 3.3 million items last year, which saved about $28 million by borrowing and not buying them, officials said. Of those, about 1.1 million were digital materials.
There were about 1.2 million trips to the three library branches last year, which offered a total of more than 2,200 programs and 1,200 story times, the report said.
Nearly 2,000 children participated in the winter reading program, which ran from Dec. 15, 2024, to Jan. 31, 2025, and nearly 10,000 people participated in the summer reading program, which ran from June 1 to Aug. 15.
Will County to hold vaccination clinic on Wednesday
The Will County Health Department will hold a vaccination clinic from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, in its community room, 501 Ella Ave., Joliet, to help combat the rise of respiratory illness.
The clinic will be walk-in only, with no appointments accepted. Those who attend should bring identification, immunization records and an insurance card, if available.
There are no out-of-pocket costs for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccines for infants up to eight months old and COVID-19 vaccines for all ages, a news release said.
Through the Illinois Vaccine Access Program and the Illinois Department of Public Health, the county can provide vaccines to all Illinois residents regardless of insurance coverage, the release said.
The clinic will also offer a low-cost flu shot for uninsured, underinsured and those with Medicaid, PPO Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. Flu cases are currently high throughout the state, the release said.
For more information, call 815-740-8143.
Discover COD, an informational session for students interested in attending College of DuPage, will be held Feb. 10 at the Student Services Center on the school’s Glen Ellyn campus. (Press Photography Network Inc./College of DuPage)
COD holding info session for prospective students
Students interested in attending College of DuPage can check out academic opportunities and student resources during a Discover COD session being held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Student Services Center on its Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.
Future sessions will take place at the same time and location on March 10 and April 28.
Check-in begins at 4:30 p.m. Registration is required, and each prospective student can bring up to two guests.
College officials will talk about degree programs and certificates, enrollment, scholarships, financial aid, and clubs and organizations on campus. There will also be a guided campus tour.
To register, go to cod.edu/discover-cod.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/naperville-library-use-vaccinations-dupage-cod/
Narrative Control Made Easy: Us Versus Them
Narrative Control Made Easy: Us Versus Them
Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,
Those in charge of narrative control are suffering from the delusion that they’re making sense. Everything is under control until it isn’t.
The name of the game in controlling the populace is narrative control, the current term for setting the context, priorities and agenda so the populace complies without being aware they’ve been bamboozled into accepting a system that benefits the few at the expense of the many.
The easiest way to control the narrative is to establish the false choice of an either-or binary: Us versus Them. This is easy because it bypasses our rational mind by tapping our hard-wired instinct to divide humanity into members of our group and Outsiders / Strangers who are potential threats until proven otherwise.
As a general rule, our values, opinions and fealties stretch along a spectrum. We may have loyalties to values that are typically categorized as “conservative” or “liberal” and find no conflict between them.
To control the narrative, all nuance and variability must be crushed into an all-or-nothing litmus test: if you disagree with even one of the narrowly defined litmus test standards for inclusion in the “conservative” or “liberal” group–as defined by those seeking to control the populace by controlling the narrative–then you are cast out as “an X in name only.”
The “other group” is vilified as servants of the Devil. Reading the diatribes mailed out to “loyalists” of the two political parties (seeking donations, of course–proving your loyalty is always about money) is a master class in parody that isn’t recognized as parody: “they” are seeking to pollute our precious bodily fluids under the malefic cover of deceptively attractive PR.
That all Us and Them binaries are false choices must never be exposed lest the rational mind awaken to the manipulation of a completely fabricated either-or narrative. This fabrication is the foundation of wartime propaganda, of course, as there are no limits on what must be done to rid the Earth of the enemy of all that is good and just.
This works just as well in politics and culture wars: rally the troops by enforcing litmus-test inclusion standards that serve the purposes of those in charge of the narrative factory while providing an identity and the benefits of membership to those who declare their fealty to the litmus test checklist.
Skeptics are targeted as backward heretics. If you question the current definition of “Progress”–Progress is whatever makes me more money–then you’re instantly tarred as a hopeless Luddite.
Once the consequences extend to money, income and security, fear kicks in. Standing up for sacred values is a good thing until it might cost us our jobs: when things get serious, we have to lie.
This enforcement of false-choice narratives pushes us into Ultra-Processed Life: everything is self-serving artifice, but pointing this out brings trouble, so we go along with the charade. There’s no meaning in the narrative other than enforcing compliance to what’s on the agenda of options, which are all false-choice binaries: would you choose to be a Good Person or a Bad Person? Hmm, that’s not much of a choice, is it?
The irony here is that those controlling the narratives see our compliance as “winning,” unaware that their control mechanisms have hollowed out the culture, politics and the economy, reducing everything to either-or binaries that are intrinsically false.
Falsities generate false signals, which lead to Model Collapse. Those in charge of narrative control are suffering from the delusion that they’re making sense. Everything is under control until it isn’t.
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Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 17:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/narrative-control-made-easy-us-versus-them
