Category: News
Terry Savage: Now is the time to review retirement portfolios
If you are retired, this is the perfect moment to review your investment exposure and — if you will be older than 73 this year — to calculate your required minimum distribution (RMD) and plan for withdrawals from traditional IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Yes, it’s January, and markets are still near all-time highs, so it’s tempting to just ignore those year-end statements now arriving in the mail or available online. That could be your worst mistake of the year, right out of the starting gate.
Calculating RMDs
Although I recently wrote a column about RMDs, this bears repeating because it is so timely: Your 2026 RMDs are calculated based on the value of your retirement accounts and plans at year-end 2025.
Those are the statements that you are receiving in the mail right now. If you have several IRAs, you should total up the combined year-end value to determine your 2026 RMD.
You can use an online calculator at the website of your plan custodian, or go to www.Calculator.net/rmd. You’ll need your total account value and your age in order to calculate the amount that must be taken out.
With two or more IRAs, you can take the RMD from each account or chose to withdraw from one or more of them. If you have a 401(k), you must take a separate withdrawal from that account — unless you are still working for that company, in which case you do not have to take an RMD from that account.
You get to choose when to take your RMD, as long as it is completed by year-end. But for the vast majority of people, it makes sense to calculate your RMD in January and take distributions monthly or quarterly. And it makes sense to have income taxes withheld from each distribution. You can set up a plan now to have the money sent automatically to your bank account.
That means you should arrange to have enough liquidity in a money market inside the IRA so you don’t have to sell stocks or funds on a down day in order to facilitate the withdrawal. You’re not “playing” with this money, so consider setting aside a full year’s RMD in a money market fund, ready for automatic distributions.
And here’s a reminder: If you are thinking about doing a full or partial Roth conversion this year, and you’re over 73, you must take this year’s RMD before doing the conversion. Similarly, if you’re rolling over one IRA to another custodian, your RMD must be taken from that account first.
Don’t procrastinate. Set up your 2026 RMD right now!
Review your IRA investments
While you have your year-end statements in front of you to do your calculations, you should review your investments. It’s not just “mutual funds”! Each has a different exposure to the stock market. If you don’t know how “risky” your fund is, turn to Morningstar.com for an evaluation.
And you need to list all the funds in separate IRAs to do this evaluation. Likely you’re overlapping in areas exposed to risky tech stocks. Even the broad-based S&P 500 stock index fund is nearly 45% composed of tech-related stocks. You might not be as diversified as you think you are. And that means more risk if the market falls sharply.
This is your chance to move some money into equity-income funds, dividend funds or less-correlated sectors such as healthcare or even defense. Again, if you don’t have an adviser you trust, do your homework at Morningstar.com by searching for the term “portfolio X-Ray.”
And if you’re simply worried about your overall exposure to the stock market after years of double-digit gains, you can simply trim 20% off the top of each fund and move it to a money market account within your IRA, with no tax considerations. That’s money that lets you sleep at night.
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Don’t let your millennial stockbroker or financial adviser talk you out of this process. They’ll have years to make up for their own market mistakes. But you’ll be needing your cash to maintain your lifestyle long before that. Trust your instincts. You may miss some more profits — but you might avoid significant losses. And that’s The Savage Truth.
(Terry Savage is a registered investment adviser and the author of four best-selling books, including “The Savage Truth on Money.” Terry responds to questions on her blog at TerrySavage.com.)
Known as Burlington Central’s glue player, Ashley Waslo pours out career-high 19 points. ‘Means a lot to her.’
Senior guard Ashley Waslo can be considered a glue player for Burlington Central. She does a lot of stuff right for the Rockets but rarely gets the type of glory that stands out on the stat sheet.
The fact that coach Michael Carani recognizes her contributions isn’t lost on her.
“I appreciate that a lot that he sees the little things because a lot of people miss those things,” Waslo said of Carani. “I usually strive in doing the little things that not everyone sees.
“I appreciate that he sees that.”
It was Waslo appreciation night Tuesday as she stepped up and scored a career-high 19 points to spark Burlington Central to a 74-61 Fox Valley Conference victory over host Hampshire.
Waslo shot 7 of 11 for the Rockets (13-8, 7-2), including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, to go with 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Julia Scheuer also scored 19 points. Scarlett LaFleur followed with 14 and Kelsey Covey had 11.
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) pushes the ball up the court against Hampshire in the third quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Mikala Amegasse led all scorers with 25 points for Hampshire (10-11, 5-4), with 20 coming during the second half. Veronica Dumoulin added 12 points and Peyton McCarthy picked up 11.
Carani knows how valuable the 5-foot-5 Waslo is to Burlington Central’s success. He was glad that others got to see it firsthand Tuesday.
“She’s one of those people that stays under the radar at times,” Carani said of Waslo. “I want other people to see it. She’s earning it day in and day out.
“It’s great to see her have nights like that where it shows up a little bit more in the stats. In a game like this, it means a lot to her.”
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) passes the ball against Hampshire in the first quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Waslo and Co. wasted little time getting started Tuesday.
Burlington Central started the game shooting 7 of 7 from the field. Waslo and Covey each drained a pair of 3-pointers during that run. Scheuer added three layups.
The Rockets then ended the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 39-18 lead.
“We were moving the ball around really good, which was getting me those open shots, so that was really good,” Waslo said. “This was really good for us.”
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) reacts to a foul against Hampshire during the third quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
And Waslo excels at those types of things.
“She’s very court aware,” Carani said. “She’s got good experience, great court vision. It doesn’t always show in the numbers, but she’s one that really hits people when they’re in position.
“(Tuesday) we were moving and cutting without the basketball.”
At halftime, Hampshire coach Eric Samuelson expressed his displeasure with the first half to his players and the Whip-Purs responded.
The Rockets pushed the lead to 50-25 with 3:40 left in the third quarter, but Hampshire didn’t back down as Amegasse put the Whip-Purs on her back.
Back-to-back layups off her steals cut the deficit to 62-53 with 3:55 left in the fourth.
“I told them as we were coming out for the fourth quarter, ‘Look, here’s where we’re at,” Samuelson said. “We’re down 18. We have to go for a jailbreak. We’re going to just have to leave it all out there.”
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) blocks the lane on Hampshire’s Sydney Bennick (5) during the second quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
The late fade was a concern to Carani.
“That’s where we’ve had some inconsistencies, putting four quarters together,” Carani said. “If they go on a run, we have to dig in and find a way to get a stop.
“There was a lot that went well, but there’s still a lot to pull away.”
Waslo knows that there is much to work on, but coming off of a rough season last winter, she’s happy with where things are going.
“We’re doing pretty well right now,” Waslo said. “There are things we can definitely work on, but we’re in a pretty good spot, much better than we were last year.
“I think we just keep growing as a team, which is great.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
3 takeaways as the Chicago Bulls beat the Los Angeles Clippers on the strength of their 3s
For a half-second, Coby White thought about pushing his luck.
It was deep in the fourth quarter of a 138-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bulls held an unshakeable 31-point lead. White had knocked down 3-pointers on his last two trips down the court. There was nothing much to lose and plenty to gain as a crowd containing Bears star Caleb Williams and Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong rumbled excitedly for one more shot.
White pulled up in transition, tucking the ball up toward his chin in a pantomime of his shot. But a heartbeat later, he thought better of the heat check, dumping the ball back to a trailing teammate and grinning as if sharing a joke with himself.
After barely shooting above 31% for most of the season, White made 13 3-pointers in the last two wins, a welcome relief for a player whose game is typically elevated behind the arc.
“It’s only been two games,” White said with a laugh. “But I just want to take it game by game and hopefully just continue to stack games, God willing. … I think any shooter would tell you there’s going to be ebbs and flows, but it always evens out at the end of the day.”
Although he didn’t stretch himself too far with that final shot, White still pushed himself to punctuate the win by scoring five of his six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The Bulls tied a franchise record for total 3-pointers made in the game, sinking 25 as a collective. Matas Buzelis, Ayo Dosunmu and Kevin Huerter added four 3-pointers each.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
1. One shining quarter.
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, right, drives to the basket against LA Clippers guard Kobe Sanders during the first half in Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Bulls won the game by winning the second quarter.
Most of the game was relatively evenly matched. But that wasn’t true in the second quarter, when the Bulls outscored the Clippers 45-19 in a 12-minute sprint that defined the rest of the game. Despite taking more shots than the Bulls, the Clippers went 9-for-26 in this short span and missed all six of their attempts from behind the arc.
The Bulls, meanwhile, could not miss when they put the ball on the floor. They missed only one shot from inside the arc in the second quarter — and still managed to shoot 57.1% from 3-point range — as Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis racked up points at the rim in transition. Eight different players scored in the shooting onslaught.
Few deficits are truly insurmountable in the modern NBA. But a 21-point differential at the half gave the Bulls enough breathing room to live on through the second half. They matched the Clippers evenly in a 34-32 third quarter. On the second night of a back-to-back without Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles could do nothing to chip away at the lead before crumbling in the fourth quarter.
2. Get to the rim.
The 3-pointers stood out considerably, but balance was still key in Tuesday’s win. The Bulls scored only one 2-point basket in the first quarter, netting six of their 15 3-pointers in that frame. But once the Bulls began to crack open channels from the wings to the rim, the game opened up into a free-for-all of downhill movement. Nikola Vučević bounded past Ivica Zubac for a rare two-handed slam off the dribble. Buzelis threw down emphatic dunks in transition. The Bulls tallied a combined 40 points at the rim.
Buzelis offered a portrait of the ideal balance of scoring, logging half of his makes from 3-point range and the other half at the rim, with no attempts from outside the restricted area. This type of scoring is crucial to the identity of the Bulls, who still rank second overall in the NBA in total shot volume within the restricted area.
3. Josh Giddey nears a return.
The Bulls could return to their preferred starting lineup as soon as Thursday’s game in Minnesota, as starting guard Josh Giddey prepares to return from a 10-game absence due to a hamstring strain.
Coach Billy Donovan said the guard is “trending in the right direction” after practicing Sunday with Windy City and Tuesday with the Bulls. He is expected to travel with the team for Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves, although Donovan did not guarantee that Giddey would be made available for that game.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/chicago-bulls-los-angeles-clippers-shooting/
Bo Bichette y los Mets cierran contrato de 126 millones de dólares por 3 años
Por MIKE FITZPATRICK
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Bo Bichette y los Mets de Nueva York formalizaron su contrato de tres años y 126 millones de dólares el martes por la noche.
Bichette, campocorto dos veces elegido al Juego de Estrellas con los Azulejos de Toronto, se moverá a la tercera base con los Mets, que tienen al boricua Francisco Lindor como campocorto. Bichette nunca ha jugado un encuentro profesional en la esquina caliente.
El equipo lo presentará este miércoles durante una conferencia de prensa en el Citi Field.
“A lo largo de su carrera, Bo se ha distinguido como uno de los mejores bateadores puros diestros en el béisbol”, recalcó David Stearns, presidente de operaciones deportivas de los Mets, en un comunicado de prensa mediante el que anunció el acuerdo.
“Posee la rara combinación de habilidades de bateo de élite y poder que impactará nuestra alineación. Más allá de sus habilidades en el campo, Bo se ha ganado la reputación de ser uno de los competidores más intensos en nuestro deporte. Estamos emocionados de agregarlo a nuestro equipo y creemos que encaja muy bien en nuestra organización”.
Bichette puede rescindir el acuerdo después de la primera o segunda temporada para convertirse nuevamente en agente libre. Recibiría 47 millones de dólares por un año y 89 millones por dos años.
El acuerdo no contiene dinero diferido y Bichette obtiene una cláusula que impide cualquier canje. Su valor promedio anual de 42 millones de dólares se empata como el sexto más alto en la historia del béisbol.
Es la noticia más reciente en un receso agitado para los Mets, que enfurecieron a los fanáticos al dejar que el popular toletero Pete Alonso y el cerrador estelar Edwin Díaz se fueran en la agencia libre. Stearns también intercambió a otros dos pilares, el jardinero Brandon Nimmo y el versátil veterano Jeff McNeil, ambos jugadores formados en casa.
Nueva York firmó al cerrador Devin Williams con un contrato de tres años y 51 millones de dólares, al infielder dominicano Jorge Polanco con un acuerdo de dos años y 40 millones de dólares, y al relevista Luke Weaver con un contrato de dos años y 22 millones de dólares.
Aunque carece del poder de Alonso, Bichette es un bateador probado con manos rápidas. Les da a los Mets un potente bate derecho para ayudar a complementar al zurdo dominicano Juan Soto.
Sin embargo, debido a su inexperiencia en la tercera base, Bichette se convierte en la última incógnita en el campo para Nueva York, aunque Stearns ha insistido en que el equipo debe mejorar su defensa y está decidido a hacerlo.
Polanco tiene algo de experiencia en las Grandes Ligas en la primera base, donde él y Mark Vientos, anteriormente un tercera base, son los principales candidatos para reemplazar a Alonso.
Bichette bateó para .311 con 18 jonrones, 94 carreras impulsadas y un OPS de .840 en 139 juegos para los Azulejos el año pasado. Conectó un jonrón de tres carreras contra Shohei Ohtani en el séptimo juego de la Serie Mundial contra los Dodgers de Los Ángeles.
A finales de la temporada pasada, Bichette se torció la rodilla izquierda el 6 de septiembre, en una colisión con el receptor de los Yankees de Nueva York, Austin Wells, manteniendo al infielder fuera de la alineación hasta la Serie Mundial. Regresó para el primer encuentro contra los Dodgers y jugó en la segunda base por primera vez en seis años.
Bichette lideró la Liga Americana en hits en 2021 y 2022. Terminó segundo en las Grandes Ligas en promedio de bateo la temporada pasada, detrás del toletero de los Yankees, Aaron Judge.
Bichette rechazó una oferta calificada de 22,025,000 dólares de los Azulejos en noviembre, por lo que recibirán una selección adicional en el draft en julio después de la cuarta ronda.
Nueva York pierde su segunda y quinta selecciones más altas en el draft, junto con un millón de dólares en la asignación del fondo de bonificación de firmas internacionales de 2027.
Bichette, quien cumplirá 28 años en marzo, había pasado toda su carrera con los Azulejos desde que lo seleccionaron en la segunda ronda del draft amateur de 2016. Tiene un promedio de bateo de .294 en su carrera con 111 jonrones y un OPS de .806 en 748 juegos de Grandes Ligas.
Es hijo del ex toletero de Grandes Ligas Dante Bichette, un jardinero cuatro veces seleccionado al Juego de Estrellas.
___
Los escritores de béisbol de AP Ronald Blum y David Brandt y el escritor deportivo de AP Dan Gelston contribuyeron a este informe.
_____
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Sengun roza el triple-doble y lidera la remontada de los Rockets para vencer 111-106 a los Spurs
HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun tuvo 20 puntos, 13 rebotes y nueve asistencias para ayudar a los Rockets de Houston a remontar y vencer el martes 111-106 sobre los Spurs de San Antonio.
Reed Sheppard anotó 12 de sus 21 unidades en el último cuarto y Kevin Durant añadió 18 puntos para ayudar a los Rockets a conseguir su tercera victoria consecutiva.
El inicio del partido se retrasó 22 minutos después de que un jugador dobló uno de los aros durante el calentamiento que tuvo que ser reemplazado.
Los Rockets estuvieron en desventaja por hasta 16 puntos y estaban abajo por diez antes de comenzar el último cuarto con una gran racha para cerrar la brecha.
El juego estaba empatado con aproximadamente dos minutos por jugar cuando Sheppard bloqueó un intento de triple de Julian Champagnie. Jabari Smith Jr. puso a los Rockets al frente 106-104 con un tiro a ddistancia unos segundos después.
Sengun encestó con unos 30 segundos restantes para ampliar la ventaja a 108-104 antes de que Stephon Castle fallara un intento de triple. Sheppard añadió dos tiros libres después de eso para sellar la victoria.
Champagnie firmó ocho triples y lideró a los Spurs con 27 puntos en una noche en la que Victor Wembanyama fue limitado a 14 unidades con diez rebotes.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/deportes
Escobar: Empire Of Chaos, Plunder, & Strikes In Panic Of Being Evicted From Eurasia
Escobar: Empire Of Chaos, Plunder, & Strikes In Panic Of Being Evicted From Eurasia
Authored by Pepe Escobar,
The whole planet is somehow convulsed by neo-Caligula’s latest scam: because he did not get his “peace” Nobel from Norway, part of his megalomanic narcissist revenge is to bag Greenland from Denmark (in Empire-speak, who cares? These Scandinavians are all the same anyway).
In neo-Caligula’s own words: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
That seals the Empire of Chaos completely morphed into the Empire of Plunder and now the Empire of Permanent Strikes.
Assorted Euro-chihuahuas dared to dispatch a tiny bunch of dog-sled conductors to defend Greenland from neo-Caligula. To no avail. They were instantly hit with tariffs. The strike remains in effect until the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland.
Euro-chihuahuas – following the Global South – may have finally woken up to the new paradigm: Strike Geopolitics.
Neo-Caligula did not get regime change in Caracas – and his oil mirage was refuted even by US energy majors. He did not get regime change in Tehran – even if CIA, Mossad and assorted NGOs worked full time to deliver.
So Plan C is Greenland, essential for imperial lebensraum purposes, as collateral for the unpayable $38 trillion – and rising – debt.
By all means that does not imply ditching the Iran obsession. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is moving into a position in the Sea of Oman/Persian Gulf where it would be able to strike Iran before the end of the week. All attack scenarios remain in place.
Assuming all hell breaks loose, this may become an even more humiliating replay of the 12-day war in June last year, which the death cult in West Asia spent as much as 14 months planning.
The 12-day war not only failed as a regime change op; it engendered a sample of Iranian retaliation so hardcore that Tel Aviv still has not recovered. Tehran has been explicit, over and over again, that the same fate awaits neo-Caligula’s forces in Iran and across the Gulf in case of renewed strikes.
Why the regime change obsession endures
As for the equally, miserably failed regime change op on Iran these past few weeks, it featured on the forefront the pathetic Clown Prince Reza Pahlavi, safely ensconced in Maryland, massively plugged by US media as a “unifying political figure” capable of reassessing the “lived catastrophe of clerical rule”.
Neo-Caligula was too busy to care about these ideological niceties. What he wanted was to accelerate the proceedings by – what else – applying Empire of Permanent Strikes logic: bombing Iran.
Diversionist spin, predictably, went ballistic. The death cult in West Asia may have asked Moscow to tell Tehran that they would not strike if Iran did not strike first. As if Tehran – and Moscow – could trust anything coming from Tel Aviv.
The Gulfie crowd – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman – may have asked neo-Caligula not to strike, because that would have set the whole Gulf on fire and generate “grave blowback”.
The real deal – once again – was TACO. There was simply no gamed US strike scenario that would have allowed lightning quick regime change, the only acceptable outcome. Thus back to bagging Greenland.
It took only a few days to unmask the massive propaganda campaign across NATOstan about “mass casualties” among Iran protesters.
The – fake – figures came from the Center for Human Rights in Iran, located in, where else, New York, and financed by the CIA-infested National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington and other assorted disinformation entities.
The list of reasons for urgent regime change in Iran though remains off the charts, featuring, among others, these four key elements:
Tehran must ditch the Axis of Resistance across West Asia supporting Palestine.
Because Iran is at the privileged crossroads of trade/energy connectivity corridors in Eurasia, both its connections with the
International North–South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) and China’s New Silk Roads (BRI) must be severed. That means blowing up from the inside organic intra-BRICS cooperation between Russia, Iran, India and China.
As over 90% of Iranian oil exports go to China – and are settled in yuan – that’s a serious threat to the petrodollar: the ultimate anathema. That’s where in Empire of Permanent Strikes terms, Iran aligns with Venezuela. It’s our – petrodollar – way or the highway.
The staying power of the never-ending dream of an Iran under the Shah remix – complete with a Shah-style SAVAK secret police; cozy Mossad ties to rein in those Arab barbarians; and a sprawling CIA-run net of surveillance hubs targeting both Russia and China.
How to counter a “regime-change war”
Tehran is not spooked by sanctions – as it has endured over 6,000 of them over four decades, designed to totally strangle its economy and even bring oil exports, in imperial terminology, down “to zero”.
Even under maximum pressure, Iran was capable of building the most extensive industrial base across West Asia; relentlessly invested in self-sufficiency and state of the art military hardware; joined the SCO in 2023 and BRICS in 2024; and for all practical purposes developed a top Global South knowledge economy.
Tsunamis of – digital – ink have been spent on why China has not properly helped Iran so far against imperial maximum pressure, for instance supporting Tehran against the speculative attacks on the rial. That would have cost Beijing almost nothing – compared to its level of foreign reserves.
The speculative attack on the rial was arguably the essential trigger of the protests across Iran. It’s essential to remember that hunger salaries were a key contributor to the collapse of Syria.
It’s up to Beijing to – diplomatically – answer this uncomfortable question. The spirit of BRICS Plus – call it Bandung 1955 Plus – may not survive when we all know this current world war is essentially about resources and finance, which need to be mobilized and properly deployed.
And that brings us to China’s leadership seriously evaluating whether it’s worth to remain a sort of larger version of Germany: embryonically self-centered; harboring fear; and fundamentally selfish in economic and financial terms. The – auspicious – alternative is for China to create sufficiently sized credit facilities within BRICS to an array of friendly nations.
Whatever happens next, it’s clear that the Empire of Permanent Strikes not only will remain “actively hostile” to a multipolar, multi-nodal world; the hostility will be marinated in a toxic sludge of anger and revenge, and subordinated to the ultimate, panic fear: the Empire’s slowly but surely, inexorable expulsion from Eurasia.
Cue to White House Special Representative Witkoff – the real estate Bismarck – enouncing the imperial diktats to Iran:
Stop enriching uranium. Out of the question,
Reduce missile stockpiles. Out of the question.
Reduce approximately 2000 kg of enriched nuclear material (3.67–60 %). That might be negotiated.
Stop supporting “regional proxies” – as in the Axis of Resistance. Out of the question.
Tehran will never bow down to the diktats. But even if it did, the – promised – imperial reward would be the lifting of sanctions (the US Congress will never do it) and a “return to the international community”. Iran is already part of the international community at the UN and inside BRICS, SCO and the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU), among other institutions.
So the neo-Caligula regime change obsession – in fact mirrored as a NATOstan obsession – will keep ruling. Tehran is not intimidated. Cue to the strategic advisor to Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mahdi Mohammadi:
“We know that we are facing a regime-change war in which the only way to achieve victory is to make credible the threat that, during the 12-day war, although it was ready, did not get the opportunity to be carried out: a geographically expansive war of attrition, focused on the Persian Gulf energy markets, on the basis of steadily increasing missile firepower, lasting at least several months.”
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 23:25
Boston cream brownies are the boxed mix hack anyone can make
If I had to choose just one dessert to eat for the rest of time, I’d pick brownies. They are rich, chewy (or cakey, if that’s your preference), and chocolate-y. They’re a cinch to make from scratch, and even easier to make from a boxed mix. In fact, brownie mix is one of the few baking mixes that I consistently keep on hand for quick and easy after-dinner treats.
Brownie batter takes just minutes to make, so I spend the rest of my baking time dreaming up new flavor mash-ups. An idea struck when I saw Molly Allen’s Boston cream pie bars. I couldn’t get over the thick, pudgy layer of vanilla custard and the rich chocolate topping. The only thing that could make these bars better in my mind was to assemble them on a brownie base, so that’s what I did to make Boston cream brownies. If you love brownies as much as I do, this takes them up to the next level.
Why you’ll love it
Three decadent layers. This bar dessert is made with layers of chocolate ganache, rich vanilla custard, and chewy brownie.
Plenty to share. These are deliciously rich, so bite-size portions will satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. One batch goes a long way.
Key ingredients in Boston cream brownies
Boxed brownie mix: Use your favorite boxed brownie mix and grab the ingredients listed to make the batter on the package. Depending on the brand, you may need vegetable oil or melted butter, water or milk, and an egg or two.
Instant vanilla pudding mix: Use 3 (3.4-ounce) boxes of instant vanilla pudding mix instead of homemade pastry cream to make this dessert even easier. Make sure to buy the instant variety and not cook and serve.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the base of the rich ganache layer.
Heavy cream: Stir some of the heavy cream into the instant pudding mix for the custard layer, then heat the rest until simmering and pour over chocolate for the ganache.
Corn syrup: This ingredient (which isn’t the same as high fructose corn syrup) gives the ganache a glossy finish.
Boston Cream Brownies
Serves 24
1 (16- to 18-ounce) box brownie mix
Vegetable oil or butter, water or milk, and eggs needed for brownie mix (see package directions)
3 (3.4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
4 3/4 cups cold heavy cream, divided
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Make the brownie layer:
1. Heat the oven to 325 F. Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with two pieces of overlapping parchment paper, arranging them perpendicular to each other so that the paper extends over all four sides by a few inches.
2. Prepare the batter from 1 (17- to 18-ounce) box brownie mix according to the package directions. Transfer to the baking pan and smooth out the top.
3. Bake until the top is dry and smooth and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Place on a rack and let cool for at least 1 hour.
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The Kitchn: This endlessly comforting jambalaya is the ultimate one-pot meal
Make the custard and ganache:
1. Whisk 3 (3.4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding mix and 3 3/4 cups of the cold heavy cream together in a large bowl until smooth; it will be very thick. Spread evenly over the brownie layer. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. After about 5 minutes, make the ganache.
2. Place 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/4 cup light corn syrup in a medium heat-proof bowl. Bring the remaining 1 cup heavy cream to a full simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth.
3. Let cool for 3 minutes if you’d like to pour on the ganache for a smooth finish, or let cool for 5 minutes if you’d like to make a swooping pattern in the ganache.
4. Pour the ganache over the custard in an even layer. Use the back of a spoon or butter knife to make a swooping pattern in the ganache if desired. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 24 pieces, wiping the knife clean between each cut for the cleanest-looking slices.
Recipe note: Refrigerate the brownies in an airtight container for up to three days.
(Patty Catalano is a food editor for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)
A scorer on sophomore level, Grady Ruane adjust to new role for Lockport’s varsity. ‘All of the little things.’
Sophomore forward Grady Ruane is the newcomer, representing a burst of fresh air for Lockport.
Called up to the varsity earlier in the season, Ruane has emerged as a versatile and heady talent who knows what is expected out of him for the Porters. And it’s a tad bit different now.
“When I was on the sophomore team, I was expected to score a lot more,” Ruane said. “Rebounding, boxing out, getting physical, my role is more about doing all of the little things.”
Those little things added up Tuesday night.
The 6-foot Ruane scored 10 points and added seven rebounds and four steals, lifting the Porters to a 60-41 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over host Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox.
Junior guard Nedas Venckus made six 3-pointers and scored 22 of his career-high 36 points in the first half for Lockport (16-4, 7-2), which avenged a 57-53 loss to the Knights on Dec. 9 in double overtime. His twin brother, Nojus, also a junior guard, chipped in with nine points.
Lockport’s Grady Ruane (32) defends against Lincoln-Way Central’s Alex Panos (21) during a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Senior forward Micah Evans and junior forward Nick Brzezniak scored 12 points apiece for Lincoln-Way Central (13-6, 6-3). Senior guard Alex Panos picked up 10 points.
Ruane, meanwhile, converted a 3-pointer and also finished off a 3-point play in helping the Porters build a 38-22 lead at halftime.
“Grady is a very tough player,” Nedas Venckus said. “He’s unselfish and very smart. He knows how to be in the right place to make the plays. He’s on the court to win and do whatever we need.”
Lockport coach David Wilson has watched Ruane flourish as a 3-point and defensive specialist.
Lockport’s Grady Ruane (32) lines up his free throw against Lincoln-Way Central during a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
“He’s smart as hell and he’s physical — those are two qualities that coaches dream about,” Wilson said. “He’s a welcome addition who’s not a liability on the floor. He has great feet, great instincts.
“He complements what we’re trying to do defensively and he’s not afraid of competition by any means.”
Being on varsity as a sophomore is almost like a shock to the system.
“Originally, I thought I was just up for practice because we had some injuries,” Ruane said. “The coaches had me stay up and play games and I was really excited.
Lockport’s Nojus Venckus (10) goes up for a layup on Lincoln-Way Central’s Nick Brzezniak (22) during a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
“At first, I thought I’d just get ready for next season. Now, I’m playing a lot more.”
With the amount of defensive attention the Venckus twins command, Ruane has learned how to adjust his game accordingly.
He showed a deft touch passing out of the high post or the wing as well as taking bigger defenders off the dribble and getting to the basket.
“I look to follow the twins because they’re our scorers or set screens and roll to the basket,” Ruane said. “I’ve spent a lot of time working on my shot and that has become a bigger part of my game.”
His ability as a secondary scoring option hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Lockport’s Grady Ruane (32) jumps to make a pass against Lincoln-Way Central’s Nathan Gehrke (5) during a SouthWest Suburban Conference game in New Lenox on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
“When defenses are trying to put their best defenders on me and my brother, Grady just gets to shine out there,” Nojus Venckus said. “He’s really smart for a sophomore.
“He’s very reliable and knows where to be on the floor all the time.”
As his time on the court has expanded, Ruane’s confidence and maturity have reached a different level. Quiet and studious off the court, he loves listening to music.
“I’m pretty quiet, but I’m also very competitive and I love to win and I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said. “I’m just trying to figure out whatever is missing out there and fill that spot.”
Ruane has thrived as an energy and hustle player who does not need the ball to be effective. His impact also goes beyond traditional stats.
“I started playing the game when I was younger and I’ve just always loved it,” he said. “Now playing in all of these big games has given me a lot of confidence.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Watch: Creepy Guy Trains Crows For Months To Attack MAGA Hats
Watch: Creepy Guy Trains Crows For Months To Attack MAGA Hats
A man styling himself “biz_dave” on Threads claims to have orchestrated what can only be described as the Resistance’s most feather-brained gambit yet: training crows to pilfer red baseball caps in service of opposing President Donald Trump. Naturally, this has elevated him to something approaching sainthood among the online Resistance.
Dave claimed that the operation involved conditioning a murder of crows – a term that has never seemed more apt – to recognize a feeding station and subsequently engage in aerial larceny against red headwear. The sad man’s admirers have dubbed the result an “anti-MAGA flying army,” a phrase that does more to explain the current state of progressive activism than any think-piece possibly could, the Daily Star reports.
Dave has meticulously chronicled his ornithological jihad on Threads, offering videos, photographs, and a veritable field manual for those inspired to conscript their own backyard fauna into the culture wars. He began with the fundamentals of corvid care: “The crows will eat lots of things, but I recommend sticking to peanuts, chicken scraps, mealworms, and dog kibble.” One pictures him at the grocery store, carefully selecting provisions for his feathered shock troops.
Dave confessed that the true obstacle was less philosophical than practical.
“Getting the crows to come regularly to the feeding place took the longest. That was about a 4-month endeavor,” he claimed. Four months – roughly the length of time required to master a foreign language or complete a professional certification – devoted instead to establishing diplomatic relations with local scavengers. Following a reliable peanut subsidy and months of patient courtship, the birds apparently agreed to join the cause. “Once they were coming regularly, it was only about three months to get them to the hat removal stage,” Dave said, according to the Daily Star.
As is customary with such internet crusades, the project eventually metastasized from quirky stunt into moral imperative. Dave solemnly declared his political awakening: “I tried to be centrist for a long time but I no longer believe that is a moral option.” Centrism having been ruled out, training crows to harass strangers was evidently the next logical step.
Even Reddit – not typically a bastion of leftwing restraint – produced some skeptics.
“OK, so I love this for the people wearing those red hats, but this would absolutely not be good for the crows,” one user noted.
Another observed: “I really don’t like pulling wild animals into stupid human shit like this.”
A third commenter offered a tactical suggestion with a certain elemental appeal: “Now train it to poop on the hat.“
After attempting to jail and assassinate Trump, training crows is all the anti-MAGA crusaders have left.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 23:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-creepy-guy-trains-crows-months-attack-maga-hats
Bulls igualan récord de franquicia con 25 triples en victoria 138-110 sobre Clippers
CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White anotó 27 puntos y encestó 6 de los 25 triples de los Bulls, que igualaron el récord de la franquicia, y Chicago, con un tiro caliente, venció el martes 138-110 a los ascendentes Clippers de Los Ángeles.
White nuevamente estuvo encendido después de que el domingo tuviera seis triples, su máximo de campaña, ante Brooklyn. Pero el martes los Bulls encestaron 25 de 47 tiros de tres.
Matas Buzelis agregó 21 unidades, Ayo Dosunmu tuvo 18 y Kevin Huerter 14. Los tres jugadores encestaron cuatro triples.
Nikola Vucevic añadió 19 puntos y ocho rebotes, y los Bulls dominaron a un equipo que venía en racha. Los Clippers habían ganado seis seguidos y 13 de 15 desde que iniciaron 6-21.
Chicago lideraba por 21 tantos al medio tiempo después de igualar un máximo de temporada con 45 puntos en el segundo cuarto.
James Harden lideró a Los Angeles con 24 puntos. John Collins anotó 23 y empató su máximo de temporada con cinco triples.
Kawhi Leonard se perdió su tercer juego consecutivo. El seis veces All-Star ha estado lidiando con un esguince en el tobillo derecho y un moretón en la rodilla izquierda.
Los Bulls lideraban 70-49 al descanso después de dominar a Los Angeles 45-19 en el segundo período.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/deportes
