Category: News
Man found guilty of murdering Cook County judge in 2017
A jury on Wednesday found a man guilty of murdering a Cook County judge, following a seven-day trial during which prosecutors said the assailants watched the judge and his girlfriend for days before shooting and killing him in a robbery attempt.
Raymond Myles, 66, a longtime jurist at the county’s main courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue, died from his wounds after the shooting on April 10, 2017 outside his home on the Far South Side.
The slaying, believed to be the first of a judge in more than three decades, shocked his colleagues in the local court system and resulted in a sweeping police investigation.
Earl Wilson, 54, was convicted of murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and armed robbery in the shooting in the 9400 block of South Forest Avenue. Wilson’s co-defendant, Joshua Smith, pleaded guilty in 2024 to armed robbery and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
The trial unfolded at a branch courthouse in south suburban Bridgeview before DuPage County Judge Jeffrey McKay, who was appointed due to the potential for conflicts of interest if Myles’ fellow judges in Cook County were to hear the case.
Family members of Myles gathered in the gallery each day. His son, Raymond Myles Jr., testified during the trial’s first day, describing how he called home for a routine check-in and then learned his father had been killed.
“(I) broke down and cried,” the younger Myles said.
Wilson’s attorneys denied that he was involved in the shooting, arguing that the motive for the attack centered around Smith’s family. Smith’s father was previously married to Myles’ girlfriend, and was not happy about the divorce or her new boyfriend, they said.
“Nothing about this case is what it seems,” said Assistant Public Defender Takenya Nixon.
Myles and his girlfriend rose before sunrise each morning to go to the gym before work, and were heading out that morning when they were confronted by a gunman who took Myles’ girlfriend’s gym bag.
Prosecutors said the shooters believed she carried money in the bag, but it had no cash in it that morning.
“Please, hurry,” the girlfriend, Venita Parrish said on the recording of the 911 call. “Oh, my Lord, please hurry.”
It was still dark when Parrish and Myles left the home that morning, she said. That’s when she saw — in her peripheral vision — someone lurking on the side of the brick house.
She ran, then fell and started screaming, she said.
“He said, ‘B—-, shut up,’” she testified.
Myles rushed outside and exchanged words with the attacker before he was shot and killed. According to prosecutors, he pled with the shooters, saying: “You don’t have to do this.”
After his killing, court employees remembered Myles as a hard-working and friendly judge. He was a Cubs fan and wore a team jacket to work during the team’s 2016 World Series run.
“Everyone here is devastated,” then-presiding judge of the Criminal Division LeRoy K. Martin Jr. said at the time. “People know when a judge is fair.”
Myles earned his law degree from the University of Illinois and worked as a prosecutor and a private-practice defense attorney before taking the bench in 1999.
For years, Myles presided over what was then known as bond court, the notoriously chaotic place for first appearances for new arrestees.
Among high profile cases he oversaw in that role, Myles ordered William Balfour to be held without bail in the 2008 killings of three relatives of singer Jennifer Hudson and refused to grant a controversial gag order in the infamous murder of seven people at a Brown’s Chicken in Palatine.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/man-found-guilty-of-murdering-cook-county-judge-in-2017/
La Liga guardará un minuto de silencio antes de los partidos por víctimas de accidentes de tren
Por JOSEPH WILSON
BARCELONA (AP) — La Liga guardará un minuto de silencio antes de los partidos de este fin de semana en memoria de las víctimas de los dos mortales accidentes de tren ocurridos en el país en la última semana.
Al menos 43 personas murieron el domingo pasado al sur de España cuando un tren de alta velocidad se salió de la vía y provocó que un segundo tren que pasaba en sentido contrario se descarrilara. Esto fue seguido por otro accidente el martes, cuando un tren en las afueras de Barcelona chocó contra un muro de contención que colapsó, matando a una persona.
El padre del jugador del Getafe, David Cordón, fue una de las víctimas del primer incidente, dijo el club de Madrid. Getafe enfrenta el lunes al Girona. Cordón no está disponible debido a una lesión.
Los incidentes han conmocionado a la nación que lidera Europa en viajes en tren de alta velocidad y tiene millones de trabajadores que dependen del servicio de cercanías todos los días.
Partidos clave
A pesar de su reciente agitación y cambio de entrenador, el Real Madrid visita el sábado al Villarreal con la oportunidad de retomar el liderazgo.
Una victoria del Madrid, que ocupa el segundo lugar, sobre el Villarreal, que ocupa el tercer lugar, le permitiría superar al Barcelona y recuperar el liderazgo antes de que su principal rival juegue el domingo contra el Real Oviedo.
El Villarreal, que tiene un partido menos, está a siete puntos del Madrid. Así que el partido en casa es una oportunidad —quizás la última— para mantener viva su remota posibilidad de postularse por el título.
Contra el modesto Oviedo, el Barcelona intentará sacudirse la derrota del fin de semana pasado ante la Real Sociedad, que puso fin a una racha de 11 victorias consecutivas para el equipo de Hansi Flick.
La Real Sociedad, por su parte, juega el domingo en casa contra el Celta de Vigo. Permanece invicta en cuatro partidos entre La Liga y la Copa del Rey bajo el nuevo entrenador estadounidense Pellegrino Matarazzo, quien la ha llevado al noveno lugar.
Jugadores a seguir
Vinícius Júnior ayudó a calmar a los enfadados aficionados del Madrid al anotar un gol y asistir en otros tres en una goleada el martes 6-1 sobre el Mónaco en la Liga de Campeones.
Ha sido blanco de abucheos por parte de los aficionados del Madrid debido al mal juego del equipo y por supuestamente debido a que no apoyó al ahora exentrenador Xabi Alonso, quien fue despedido la semana pasada y reemplazado por Álvaro Arbeloa.
Se espera que Brahim Díaz regrese a los entrenamientos del Madrid el jueves después de haber ayudado a Marruecos a llegar a la final de la Copa Africana de Naciones, que perdió 1-0 ante Senegal. Díaz desperdició una oportunidad de ganar potencialmente cuando disparó su penalti en el tiempo de descuento directamente a los brazos del portero antes del gol de Senegal.
El centrocampista del Barcelona, Fermín López, quien estuvo cerca de unirse al Chelsea en el verano, está en racha. Tiene diez goles en todas las competiciones, incluidos dos en una victoria 4-2 ante el Slavia Praga.
Fuera de acción
Pedri, el motor que hace funcionar el juego de pases del Barcelona, se lesionó el isquiotibial derecho en Praga y fue sustituido al inicio de la segunda mitad. El club dice que estará fuera por un mes.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Zelensky Blasts Europe’s Inaction, Paralysis As Greenland Sideshow Consumes Attention
Zelensky Blasts Europe’s Inaction, Paralysis As Greenland Sideshow Consumes Attention
“Europe loves to discuss the future but avoids taking action today.” As Bloomberg has described it, a visibly angry Zelensky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tore into European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. “Where is the line of leaders who are ready to act?” he questioned.
Highlighting that his own capital is in the midst of a power and water crisis after nightly Russian bombardment, Zelensky shamed European capitals for being unwilling to stop Putin, now nearly four years into the war. This included emphasis on the failed push to outright seize frozen Russian assets in Europe. Is he taking a page from Trump’s playbook, taking the opportunity to blame and lash out at Europe? The talk had themes of a fragmented Europe which looks lost in the face of much stronger and more decisive US power and Trump’s demands.
Zelensky in Davos, Shutterstock/BBC
“Why can President Trump stop tankers from the shadow fleet and seize oil, when Europe doesn’t?” Zelensky posed. “If Putin has no money, there is no war for Europe.”
“We should not accept that Europe is just a salad of small and middle powers, seasoned with enemies of Europe,” Zelensky continued. “When Ukraine is with you, no one will wipe their feet on you. And you will always have a way to act – and act in time.”
“To defend our land is a very expensive task,” he had also said during the later Q&A session. Zelensky mentioned that in his meeting with President Donald Trump earlier in the day, which lasted about an hour, he left as his final communication to Trump that Ukraine desperately needs more anti-air defenses, especially Patriot missiles.
Trump for his part had said it was a good meeting, and that “Everybody wants to have the war end,” – but that he’ll have to “see what happens,” adding that the US is meeting with Russia tomorrow.
In Zelensky’s speech he interestingly alluded to distractions currently facing global leaders, including Greenland and Iran. He paralleled the deadly Iran protests with the world’s ‘inaction’ in Ukraine. He went so far as to charge global leaders of not wanting to extend support for Iranians, “and the democracy they need”.
“When you refuse to help people fighting for freedom, the consequences return – and they are always negative,” Zelensky said. According to more:
Zelensky then moves on to international discussion about the Iranian protests, which he says has “drowned in blood”.
Linking the example of the US’s capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, he comes back to the impasse over Ukraine, saying that while Maduro is in New York awaiting trial, “Putin is not”.
Zelensky, as usual, didn’t disappoint, and preemptively thwarted any Russian-American compromise agreements. Speaking at the Davos Forum, he proposed trying Putin like Maduro, demanded the deployment of European troop contingents on Ukrainian territory after the end of… pic.twitter.com/hI2En26j5M
— Victor vicktop55 commentary (@vick55top) January 22, 2026
On Greenland, he said European leaders seem to believe someone else will do something to resolve the issue. Still, everyone is “waiting for America to cool down on this topic, waiting for it to pass away,” he said.
One interesting moment came in Zelensky’s introductory remarks, in which he referenced the early 1990s film Groundhog Day – where the lead character repeats the same day over and over again.
“No one wants to live like that,” Zelensky observed, “repeating the same thing for weeks, months, years. And that’s how we live now.”
Meanwhile, while Zelensky spoke in Davos…
BREAKING: Macron:
This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag.
The operation was conducted on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies. It… pic.twitter.com/T0M0yO0Bvp
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 22, 2026
Despite the change in tone and sentiment when addressing Europe, there’s not much even the ‘coalition of the willing’ can do in the face of Zelensky’s impassioned plea – which was also filled with frustration. If the Western alliance keeps poking Russia too strongly, the bear will react in even bigger ways – already as each side is trying to keep a lid on prior nuclear threats and rhetoric.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 10:20
Fed’s Favorite Inflation Indicator Refuses To Show Any Signs Of Runaway ‘Trump Tariff’ Costs
Fed’s Favorite Inflation Indicator Refuses To Show Any Signs Of Runaway ‘Trump Tariff’ Costs
Before we all get too excited, bear in mind that this is November’s data – so still horribly stale (and also missing October’s data point entirely) – but it’s all we have for now, so let’s dive in…
The Fed’s favorite inflation indicator – Core PCE – rose 0.2% MoM (as expected), which leave it up 2.8% YoY (as expected), slightly lower than September’s +2.9%…
Source: Bloomberg
Bear in mind that this morning’s third look at Q3 GDP printed a +2.9% YoY for Core PCE.
Under the hood, the biggest driver of Core PCE remains Services costs – not tariff-driven Goods prices…
Source: Bloomberg
In fact, on a MoM basis, Non-durable goods prices saw deflation for the second month in a row…
Source: Bloomberg
Headline PCE rose 2.8% YoY (es expected), stubbornly refusing to show any signs of runaway Trump tariff costs…
Source: Bloomberg
The closely-watched SuperCore PCE rose 0.2% MoM which ticked up the YoY rise to 3.1%…
Source: Bloomberg
After surging in October, November saw Financial Services & Insurance and Healthcare cost inflation slow…
Source: Bloomberg
Meanwhile, amid rising prices, Americans’ spending outpaced incomes once again…
Source: Bloomberg
…with wage growth slowing for all:
Private worker wages and salaries: 4.1% YoY, down from 4.5%, lowest since June 2025
Govt work wages and salaries 2.6%, tied for lowest since March 2021
All of which dragged the savings rate down to its lowest since Nov 2022…
TL/DR: While this data is admittedly stale, it shows no signs of 1) tariff-driven inflation or 2) a slowing consumer.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 10:12
La NBA y Abu Dabi amplían su alianza con más juegos de pretemporada y una academia
Por TIM REYNOLDS
La NBA y el Departamento de Cultura y Turismo de Abu Dhabi anunciaron el jueves que continuarán su asociación. La liga acordó seguir llevando juegos de pretemporada a la nación del medio oriente, además de que las partes completaron conversaciones para lanzar una nueva academia global en la capital de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos para los mejores jugadores masculinos.
No se divulgaron los términos financieros, aunque es razonable esperar que la extensión de nueve años valga bien más de 300 millones de dólares, esto en relación a los 25 millones de euros (29,2 millones de dólares) que pagó el DCT a la EuroLeague para ser anfitrión de la Final Four de esa liga el año pasado.
La extensión también llega en un momento en que la NBA y FIBA están trabajando para lanzar una nueva liga en Europa, posiblemente tan pronto como el próximo año. DCT tiene profundos lazos con el Manchester City, que se cree que es una de las franquicias que se ha reunido con la NBA sobre la posibilidad de pujar por un lugar en la nueva empresa de baloncesto. Manchester City también tiene una participación en el Co-Op Live Arena, donde la NBA llevará un juego de temporada regular en 2027.
“Extender nuestra asociación con la NBA fortalece aún más la posición de Abu Dhabi como el nuevo hogar del baloncesto en el Oriente Medio y refuerza nuestro compromiso con nuestra juventud, inspirando a nuestra comunidad, diversificando la economía y elevando la posición del emirato como un destino global”, indicó Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, presidente del DCT Abu Dhabi.
Khalifa Al Mubarak es hermano de Khaldoon Al Mubarak, quien preside el Manchester City y es un alto ejecutivo de Mubadala, uno de los fondos soberanos de Abu Dhabi.
La NBA ha jugado en Abu Dhabi en cada una de las últimas cuatro pretemporadas: Milwaukee y Atlanta fueron en 2022, Dallas y Minnesota en 2023, Boston y Denver fueron en 2024 y Nueva York y Filadelfia en la pretemporada de 2025.
El equipo de baloncesto de Estados Unidos también visitó Abu Dhabi para su preparación a la Copa Mundial de Baloncesto 2023 en Filipinas y los Juegos Olímpicos de París 2024. Se cree que el equipo de baloncesto de Estados Unidos podría regresar allí en 2027 antes de la próxima Copa Mundial, que se jugará en Qatar.
Los juegos de la NBA se han transmitido en los EAU durante casi 40 años, y la liga, citando una investigación proporcionada por YouGov, dice que “la participación en el baloncesto ha aumentado en un 60% en los EAU y la base de fanáticos del baloncesto en el país ha crecido en más del 25%” desde que comenzaron los viajes anuales de pretemporada en 2022.
“Nuestra colaboración con DCT Abu Dhabi ha sido fundamental para aumentar la participación y el fanatismo por el baloncesto en los EAU y en todo el Oriente Medio”, explicó Mark Tatum, subcomisionado y director de operaciones de la NBA.
La planeada Academia Global de la NBA en Abu Dhabi será considerada el centro global para el programa de la Academia NBA de la liga. De acuerdo con la liga, operará durante todo el año y servirá como un “programa de desarrollo de baloncesto de élite y académico para los mejores estudiantes-atletas de secundaria de los EAU, el Oriente Medio y de todo el mundo”. La academia también tendrá algunas actividades de desarrollo de baloncesto para chicas locales, dijo la liga.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
“Totally Absurd”: Circle CEO Rejects Bank-Run Fearmongering Over Stablecoin Yields
“Totally Absurd”: Circle CEO Rejects Bank-Run Fearmongering Over Stablecoin Yields
Authored by Helen Partz via CoinTelegraph.com,
Jeremy Allaire, CEO of the publicly listed stablecoin issuer Circle, said interest payments on stablecoins do not pose a threat to banks.
Speaking Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Allaire described concerns that stablecoin yields could cause bank runs as “totally absurd,” citing historical precedents and existing reward-based financial services already in use.
“They help with stickiness, they help with customer traction,” Allaire said, adding that interest itself is not large enough to undermine monetary policy.
Allaire’s comments came amid heated debate over stablecoin yields, including in discussions over the US CLARITY Act, which aims to establish a federal market structure framework for digital assets.
Allaire points to money market funds as a historical parallel
Allaire pointed to government money market funds as a historical parallel, noting they faced similar warnings about draining bank deposits.
Yet it has been “around $11 trillion of dollar money market funds that grew in various different circumstances,” Allaire said, adding that this has not stopped lending.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire at the WEF panel on Thursday. Source: WEF
“Meanwhile, lending is already shifting away from banks toward private credit and capital markets. In the US, much of GDP growth over multiple cycles has been funded through capital-market debt, not bank loans,” he said. “We want to build models for lending that build on top of stablecoins.”
Circle CEO says stablecoins are the only viable money for AI agents
Allaire also highlighted artificial intelligence as a major driver of future stablecoin adoption.
He said “billions of AI agents” will need a payment system, adding that “there is no other alternative other than stablecoins to do that right now.”
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. Source: YZi Labs
Similar views were echoed elsewhere at the forum. Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said Thursday at Davos that crypto payments could be essential for AI-driven transactions.
In September, Galaxy Digital CEO Michael Novogratz predicted that AI agents will become the biggest stablecoin user “sometime in the near distant future.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/22/2026 – 10:00
Policía de Uganda detiene a aliado clave de candidato opositor tras elecciones presidenciales
POr RODNEY MUHUMUZA
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — La policía detuvo el jueves a un aliado clave de la figura opositora Bobi Wine, acusándolo de participar en episodios de violencia en una parte remota del centro de Uganda durante las elecciones de la semana pasada.
Muwanga Kivumbi, legislador y vicepresidente del partido Plataforma de Unidad Nacional de Wine, probablemente enfrentará cargos penales por su presunta participación en la violencia ocurrida en su circunscripción que dejó siete personas muertas, dijo el portavoz de la policía Kituuma Rusoke.
Las siete personas fueron asesinadas por personal de seguridad no identificado que disparó contra la casa de Kivumbi en Butambala. Kivumbi habló entre lágrimas en los funerales de los fallecidos, diciendo que todos eran víctimas de la violencia perpetrada por las fuerzas armadas.
Wine, cuyo nombre real es Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, dice que se ha escondido desde que el presidente Yoweri Museveni, quien ha estado en el poder desde 1986, fuera declarado ganador de las elecciones presidenciales del jueves.
Museveni obtuvo el 71,6% de los votos mientras que Wine, su rival más cercano, obtuvo el 24,7%, según los resultados oficiales, que Wine rechazó como falsos.
En un discurso televisado el domingo, Museveni acusó a la oposición de intentar fomentar la violencia durante la votación, diciendo que las personas asesinadas en Butambala atacaron a la policía con machetes. Instó a los líderes religiosos a acercarse a los jóvenes que, dijo, probablemente sean inducidos a la violencia.
Rusoke, el portavoz de la policía, dijo que Wine no era buscado y que no sabía de ningún intento de hacerle daño.
“Protegimos a Bobi Wine durante toda la elección”, dijo. “¿Por qué se sentiría inseguro después del final de la elección? Lógicamente, no hay razón.”
Contra Wine “no hay acusación”, añadió.
Pero algunos de los 21 sospechosos detenidos por la violencia electoral en Butambala señalaron a Kivumbi, quien perdió su intento de mantener su escaño en el Parlamento, dijo Kituuma.
“Hubo enfrentamientos entre la policía y sus seguidores”, dijo.
Las elecciones en Uganda estuvieron marcadas por un cierre de internet de varios días y la falla de las máquinas de identificación biométrica de votantes, situaciones que causaron retrasos en el inicio de la votación en áreas como Kampala, la capital. Wine también ha alegado que se llenaron urnas en algunas áreas consideradas como bastiones de Museveni.
Las fuerzas de seguridad fueron una presencia constante en toda la campaña. Wine dijo que las autoridades lo siguieron y acosaron a sus seguidores, a menudo usando gas lacrimógeno contra ellos. Hizo campaña con un chaleco antibalas y casco por temores de seguridad.
Museveni, de 81 años, gobernará durante un séptimo mandato de cinco años que lo acercaría a mantenerse por cinco décadas en el poder.
Sus seguidores le atribuyen la relativa paz y estabilidad que convierte a Uganda en un hogar para cientos de miles de personas que huyen de la violencia en otras partes de la región. Pero no ha dicho cuándo se retirará, y no tiene rivales en los altos niveles de su partido, conocido como Movimiento de Resistencia Nacional.
Uganda no ha presenciado una transferencia pacífica del poder presidencial desde que se independizó del dominio colonial británico hace seis décadas.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
At Indiana, Benet’s Lenee Beaumont is ‘only scratching the surface’ after knee surgery. But her impact’s deep.
Former Benet star Lenee Beaumont has always loved playing basketball, but she appreciates it even more these days.
Beaumont, a 6-foot-1 redshirt sophomore guard for Indiana, was on an upward path after averaging 9.6 minutes per game as a freshman for a team that reached the Sweet 16.
“Going into my sophomore year, I finally understood what I needed to be great and needed to improve in, and I just lived in the gym and the weight room,” she said. “I felt like I put myself in a really good position by the end of the summer to play a significant role.”
But during the last practice of the summer season, Beaumont suffered a noncontact injury to her left knee. She tried to play through it but was in constant pain. Doctors diagnosed a torn lateral medial meniscus with additional damage to cartilage behind the knee.
“The best way to explain it is it is like a pothole in your knee,” Beaumont said.
In December 2024, Dr. Brian Cole, who is the Chicago Bulls’ team surgeon, repaired Beaumont’s knee. He implanted a piece of cadaver cartilage from a teenager who had died.
“I was on a donor list, which is about a month’s process, and then you wait for the perfect match,” Beaumont said. “It had to be from someone younger than me, and I was very fortunate to have Dr. Cole in my corner. He’s phenomenal.”
Beaumont is grateful for the anonymous donor. The surgery was a success.
Beaumont’s father, Michael, attends nearly all of her games. He said her injury felt like “a gut punch.”
“I’m one of those guys that use an old-fashioned planner, and I had her whole schedule on my planner,” Michael Beaumont said. “As a parent, I’ve seen her get hurt, but not injured where she’s shut down like that, so it was a struggle having to watch her go through the surgery and sit on the bench.
“But I was impressed that as the season went on, she was always engaged. She would tell me every time she was able to advance to this next stage, whether it was shooting in a chair and then standing up and shooting. It reminds you of everything you appreciate when you can play, to be healthy and take care of yourself.”
Lenee Beaumont is healthy and thriving. In her first season starting for the Hoosiers (11-8), she’s averaging 13.3 points and 4.5 rebounds while making 42.1% of her 3-point shots and 89.3% of her free throws. She leads the team in assists with 58, is second in scoring and is third in rebounding.
“Obviously, I’m in a much better role now,” Beaumont said. “I’m extremely grateful for it.
“It’s been a lot of growing both as a leader and as a player. I have a better perspective on everything because I was over a year removed from the sport that I love.”
Benet senior Lenee Beaumont stands on her home court in Lisle on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Beaumont was voted the 2023 Ms. Basketball of Illinois by statewide coaches and media. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Beaumont’s college career is on a similar trajectory as her high school career. She led Benet to state trophies in her junior and senior years and was Ms. Basketball of Illinois as a senior.
“I thought all along she was going to have a great college career,” Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. “Obviously, her freshman year, they were one of the top teams in the country. She got limited minutes, which is not unusual for a freshman in a program like that.
“Sophomore year, she got hurt and missed the whole year. She’s worked her way back, and she feels good and is happy.”
Beaumont spoke with Kilbride and Benet boys basketball coach Gene Heidkamp during Christmas break. She said this season reminds her of her Benet days.
“I’m playing heavy minutes,” Beaumont said. “The last time I played 30-plus minutes was my senior year of high school, so it’s been a while.
“You’ve got to really work to get yourself in game shape for 40 minutes. It’s great to be fresh for 20 minutes, but how are you going to respond in the third quarter when you are a little bit fatigued but you’ve still got to be able to make shots and defend on the other end? That’s been something to adjust to.”
Benet’s Lenee Beaumont attempts a free throw during the second overtime of the Class 4A state championship game against O’Fallon at Illinois State’s CEFCU Arena in Normal on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Rob Dicker / Naperville Sun)
Beaumont, whose brother Brendan won a state championship with the Benet boys basketball team last season and is a freshman forward at Carroll University, has made that adjustment.
“I’m pretty pleasantly surprised by some of my performances,” she said. “I kind of felt like myself again, and that’s always great to feel because for the longest time I didn’t feel comfortable out there.
“I feel like I’m only scratching the surface, which is super exciting for me.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/indiana-basketball-lenee-beaumont-benet/
Teenage boy wounded in Far South Side shooting
A 17-year-old boy was wounded Wednesday night in a shooting on the Far South Side in the Riverdale neighborhood, Chicago police said.
Around 10:10 p.m., the teenage boy was standing inside a yard in the 13000 block of South Evans Avenue when he saw a muzzle flash from a gun. Soon after, he realized he was shot.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and back, and was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital where he was listed in fair condition, police said.
No one was in custody and detectives were investigating.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/gun-violence-riverdale/
Chicago Bears’ Ben Johnson is a Coach of the Year finalist: See the other NFL award nominees
NEW YORK — Christian McCaffrey is the first player to be a finalist for three AP NFL awards in the same year, joining Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford in the running for The Associated Press 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player award.
McCaffrey and Maye are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year. McCaffrey and Lawrence are among the finalists for Comeback Player of the Year.
The winners will be announced at “NFL Honors” on Feb. 5. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz and Carr.
Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
Here are the finalists, in alphabetical order, for the eight AP NFL awards.
Most Valuable Player
Josh Allen, the reigning MVP, threw for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, posting a 102.2 passer rating while leading Buffalo to its seventh straight playoff appearance. He also ran for 14 TDs. The Bills were knocked out of the playoffs by Denver in the divisional round and fired coach Sean McDermott.
Trevor Lawrence helped Jacksonville win 13 games and the AFC South title. He had 4,007 yards passing, 29 TDs and 12 picks. The Jaguars were eliminated by the Bills in the wild-card round.
Christian McCaffrey, an All-Purpose All-Pro, ran for 1,202 yards and 10 TDs and caught 102 passes for 924 yards and seven TDs. He played a key role in helping the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers win 12 games.
Drake Maye had 4,394 yards passing, 31 TDs and eight picks to lead the New England Patriots to an AFC East title and an appearance in the AFC championship game on Sunday. Maye led the NFL in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (72).
Matthew Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards passing and 46 TDs. He threw eight picks and finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. Stafford was first-team All-Pro for the first time in his 17-year career.
Last year, Lamar Jackson was the first-team All-Pro QB but was edged out by Allen for MVP.
Coach of the Year
Liam Coen led the Jaguars to a 13-4 record and a division title in his first season, a nine-win turnaround for the franchise.
Ben Johnson guided the Chicago Bears to an 11-5 record and their first NFC North championship in seven seasons.
Mike Macdonald led the Seattle Seahawks to a 14-3 record and the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Seahawks host the Rams in the NFC championship game on Sunday.
Kyle Shanahan guided the 49ers to 12 wins despite a slew of injuries to key players, including losing defensive stars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the season.
Mike Vrabel, the 2021 AP NFL Coach of the Year, took the Patriots from worst to first, a 10-win turnaround in his first season with the team.
Assistant Coach of the Year
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are the finalists.
Comeback Player of the Year
Lawrence, McCaffrey, Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott are the finalists.
Defensive Player of the Year
All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. had 12 sacks for the Houston Texans and was a major part of the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense.
Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto had 14 sacks for the league’s second-ranked defense.
Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, a unanimous choice for All-Pro, set a single-season record with 23 sacks and had 33 tackles for loss. He was the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year.
Lions edge rusher Hutchinson had 14 1/2 sacks.
All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks in 13 1/2 games before tearing his ACL in his first season in Green Bay.
Offensive Player of the Year
Puka Nacua, Bijan Robinson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba join Maye and McCaffrey as finalists.
Nacua and Smith-Njigba were unanimous selections for All-Pro.
Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches for 1,715 yards and 10 TDs for the Rams. Smith-Njigba caught 119 passes and led the league with 1,793 yards receiving and had 10 TDs.
Robinson, who was All-Pro running back, led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage. He ran for 1,478 yards and seven TDs and caught 79 passes for 820 yards and four scores.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter, Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori, Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr., Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Falcons safety Xavier Watts are the finalists.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Saints quarterback Tyler Shough are the finalists.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/22/nfl-awards-ben-johnson-coach-of-year/
