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Chicago will host International Jazz Day 2026. Here’s what’s coming this spring.

Alongside city and state officials, representatives for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz on Tuesday announced details for the 15th annual International Jazz Day, a month of jazz programming culminating in a globally broadcast concert at the Lyric Opera House on April 30.

Herbie Hancock, 85, announced a partial lineup in a pre-taped video message during the announcement at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Those performing this spring include saxophonist Melissa Aldana; pianist and bandleader John Beasley; trumpeter and composer Terrence Blanchard; singers Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gregory Porter and Diane Reeves; guitarist Bobby Broom; drummer Teri Lyne Carrington; composer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier; bassist Christian McBride; and, in Hancock’s words, “a few very special surprise” guests.

Among the headliners with Chicago ties are Renee Fleming, operatic soprano and formerly a creative consultant at Lyric Opera; pianist and 2023 Tribune Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz Jahari Stampley; Chicago-based singer Lizz Wright; and trumpeter Marquis Hill and vibraphonist Joel Ross, both of whom are from Chicago.

During Tuesday’s press conference, Herbie Hancock Institute president Tom Carter said he expects this year’s International Jazz Day to be the organization’s largest yet. (Hancock could not attend in person, having been scheduled to perform at a memorial for architect Frank Gehry in Los Angeles, where he lives.)

“All eyes will shine here on the city of Chicago,” Carter said.

Hancock was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2011 and promptly set to work on organizing the first International Jazz Day in 2012. The event remains a joint effort between UNESCO and the Washington, D.C.-based Herbie Hancock Institute, formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.

“All 194 nations of the world supported this. No abstentions, no votes against it,” Carter said. “It was an endorsement of America’s music, and how jazz unites the world.”

Chicago was announced as the 2026 host city last spring. Previous hosts have included Paris, Havana and Istanbul. The last American city to host International Jazz Day was Washington, D.C., in 2016.

Singer Kurt Elling speaks at the Chicago Cultural Center, Jan. 20, 2026, where the performer lineup and programming for the UNESCO International Jazz Day 2026 in Chicago was announced. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Singer Kurt Elling — whose career began in Chicago, and who returned to the city in recent years — was a key early advocate for bringing the event to Chicago, especially to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. He and Hancock will act as co-artistic directors for the 2026 iteration.

“Jazz Day has been all over the world, but almost never in the United States. And the home for jazz is right here,” Elling told the Tribune.

Elling and other civic leaders founded the Chicago Jazz Alliance, a nonprofit helmed by former EXPO Chicago president Tony Karman, to organize a formal bid to host the event. Governor JB Pritzker also gave the campaign an essential push when he cold-called Herbie Hancock Institute president Tom Carter on the heels of last year’s iteration, in Abu Dhabi, asking him to consider Chicago for Jazz Day 2026.

“This is going to be an incredible celebration of an art form that helped shape America’s cultural heartbeat,” Pritzker said during Tuesday’s press conference.

Hancock and Elling say they had always hoped that International Jazz Day would come to Chicago. The city is internationally recognized as a crucible for the art form, from Louis Armstrong’s presence here in the 1920s to the influence of the South Side’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) on the international avant-garde.

Speaking at the press conference, Mayor Brandon Johnson paid homage to that history, citing Chicagoans like Ramsey Lewis and Nat King Cole.

Mayor Brandon Johnson laughs after Tom Carter, president of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, tells him Herbie wants the mayor to play drums with him, during a press conference at the Chicago Cultural Center, Jan. 20, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

“The evolution of jazz music is proof positive of our city’s unique spirit,” Johnson said. “We are ready to showcase that spirit to the world as we host International Jazz Day.”

Hancock himself changed the genre forever through his maverick forays into jazz fusion in the 1970s. But he first learned about jazz through a student talent show at Hyde Park High School — now Hyde Park Academy High School — in the 1950s.

“Something clicked for me,” Hancock said in the video message. “Jazz opened doors for me to creativity, to self-expression, and to freedom. And that is exactly why we celebrate International Jazz Day.”

Tuesday’s announcement included programming details for the week of the April 30 All-Star Global Concert, with further concerts earlier in the month still to be announced. The Jazz Institute of Chicago will also host jazz club tours the evening of April 27, and April 28 has been designated “Neighborhood Jazz Night,” with organizations bringing nine performances to spaces on the city’s South and West Sides.

To honor Hancock’s jazz origin story, the Hyde Park Academy High School will host a special tribute concert on the morning of Wednesday, April 29. After the All-Star Global Concert, further concerts on May 1 and 2 at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts and Chicago Symphony Orchestra will bring the event to a close.

The All-Star Global Concert, always scheduled for April 30, will be broadcast in 190 countries. Previous All-Star concerts have been viewed by hundreds of millions of viewers.

Complete programming for International Jazz Day will be announced at a later date. But the All-Star Global Concert may have an unexpected guest musician. After Johnson teased that he was ready to sit in for the concert during his remarks, Carter followed up.

“Herbie told me privately to tell you to get your sticks out,” he told the mayor, to laughter.

Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer.

 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/chicago-will-host-international-jazz-day-heres-whats-coming-this-spring/ 

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‘Bullying is not a federal crime’: Trial opens for alleged con man accused of extorting local restaurateur

Chicago’s restaurant industry harbors a few colorful characters, and their dealings aren’t always pretty.

“When you go get a steak on Rush Street, you don’t really know what goes on in the back room,” defense attorney Damon Cheronis told a jury Tuesday on the 19th floor of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.

Prosecutors on Tuesday argued that Jawad Fakroune’s alleged attack on Adolfo Garcia in the back room of Garcia’s now-shuttered martini and oyster joint Yours Truly went way beyond the occasionally cutthroat interactions that can characterize the seedier side of the city’s restaurant scene and the people who make their living by it.

Over about 20 minutes, late on Nov. 25, 2024, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Rothblatt said, Fakroune beat up Garcia in the kitchen of Yours Truly and told him he would kill him and his children if that’s what it took to recoup $1.5 million from Garcia’s struggling restaurants.

“When (Fakroune) wasn’t getting his money back as quickly as he wanted it, he resorted to violence and threats,” Rothblatt said.

Fakroune, 47, faces two charges of extortion for the beating and subsequent communications with Garcia, whom prosecutors allege was so fearful after the attack that he began sleeping next to a butcher knife.

Fakroune is accused of posing as Angelino Escobar, the son of the famed Columbian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, and lying to people about his connections to nonexistent Italian mafiosos to ensure payback on his loans. His trial, which got underway late Tuesday afternoon, promises to open a window into Fakroune’s fast-paced and often shadowy world of business dealings with the city’s restaurateurs, which prosecutors allege took place under multiple aliases.

But Cheronis, Fakroune’s defense attorney, warned the jury that “the things (Fakroune) did, the things he said, they way he acted, they are not morally right, but they are not illegal.”

Cheronis said that he wouldn’t ask that the jury approve of Fakroune’s conduct in the kitchen of Yours Truly in November 2024. But, he said, hostile and aggressive behavior didn’t amount to extortion, either. For Fakroune to be convicted of extortion, he said, the jurors would need to agree with federal prosecutors that he’d entered a lending agreement with Garcia.

“Bullying is not a federal crime,” he said. “This was a toxic business relationship that blew up in the ugliest way possible, but there was no extension of credit.”

Cheronis also sought to paint Garcia as a shady character who was in financial free fall, hemorrhaging money to “side partners and secret deals,” lying about what he owed and desperate to avoid his own troubles with the law.

Prosecutors said they expect Garcia, the government’s star witness, to spend much of Wednesday on the witness stand.

Fakroune appeared aware of the fact that the confrontation at Yours Truly was captured on the restaurant’s surveillance system, Rothblatt said, and at one point looked into one of the cameras to claim that the FBI wouldn’t catch him. He left Chicago later that month, prosecutors said, and went to stay in an apartment on the Manhattan’s Lower West Side.

When federal agents knocked on that apartment door in New York about a month later, Fakroune allegedly fled wearing only his underwear and ran “in a naked jaunt” — barefoot and only grabbing a black garbage bag to cover himself up — about a mile until he escaped out the back door of an upscale Italian restaurant, claiming to have been robbed.

Federal authorities ultimately arrested him in Michigan City, Indiana, in January 2025. He’s been incarcerated since then at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago while the extortion case and a second case alleging fraud and tax evasion are pending against him.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/bullying-is-not-a-federal-crime-trial-opens-for-alleged-con-man-accused-of-extorting-local-restauranteur/ 

Posted in News

Trump Says ‘Agitators’ In Minnesota Church Should Be Jailed, Wants Broader Investigation

Trump Says ‘Agitators’ In Minnesota Church Should Be Jailed, Wants Broader Investigation

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

President Donald Trump said that people who stormed a Minneapolis church over the past weekend should be jailed, while calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate two local Democratic politicians.

President Donald Trump speaks during the “Great, Historic Investment in Rural Health Roundtable” in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 16, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

“Just watched footage of the Church Raid in Minnesota by the agitators and insurrectionists. These people are professionals! No person acts the way they act,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on early Tuesday.

The individuals who appeared at the church “are highly trained to scream, rant, and rave, like lunatics, in a certain manner, just like they are doing. They are troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country.”

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out,” referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and “Justice for Renee Good,” a protester who was shot in Minnesota by an ICE agent as she hit him with her car while trying to escape custody. The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors also leads the local ICE field office overseeing some operations in the Twin Cities area.

Responding to the church incident, DOJ Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the department is investigating federal civil rights violations who she said were “desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!” she wrote in a post on social media.

Dhillon said in an interview with the Daily Wire that DOJ prosecutors went to Minneapolis on Monday to investigate the church case, suggesting that the protesters were violating the rights of the church-goers.

“You can have your protest in a park, you can have a march, you can get a permit for a large gathering, but you can’t just go wherever you want and tear things up and disrupt,” she told the outlet. “And that’s what these people did. And so now, people are afraid to go to church. And that is an absolute disgrace in this country.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi has also written that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted by the department.

In his social media post, Trump also took aim at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), calling on the DOJ to investigate both in response to the recent unrest in Minnesota.

Both Walz and Omar have been critical of the Trump administration’s operation targeting illegal immigration in Minnesota, with Omar saying last week that the Twin Cities area is “under attack” by the federal government.

There is no modern precedent for this level of federal overreach, violence, and lawlessness carried out in the name of immigration enforcement,” she said.

Walz also said that he believes Trump is seeking “violence in the streets” with the federal operation, adding that “Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace.” He then said, “Don’t give him what he wants.”

The Epoch Times contacted Walz’s and Omar’s offices for comment on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 19:15

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-says-agitators-minnesota-church-should-be-jailed-wants-broader-investigation 

Posted in News

Daily Horoscope for January 21, 2026

General Daily Insight for January 21, 2026

A lot of noise may obscure today’s details, but we’re capable of piercing through it. The emotional Moon shifts into Pisces, softening our mood with a dose of empathy. With the luminous Sun meeting chatty Mercury at 10:48 AM EST, we can speak up to move plans forward. Through the afternoon, choices benefit from honest dialogue as we search for common ground. We ought to be ready to make second and third drafts of our projects! Our words are important to nourish cooperation going forward.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Your leadership is presently invaluable. With the amped-up Sun coordinating with savvy Mercury in your 11th House of Friendship, you’ve got the fiery charisma to rally teammates around your plans — whether you’re spearheading a professional endeavour or making plans for a group dinner. Don’t bulldoze alternate opinions, but you can deftly explain the reasoning behind your own ideas. If someone hesitates, give them time to respond, because shared goals deserve space for honest input. Invite collaboration to ensure everyone can enjoy shared wins.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Slow and steady wins today’s race. The impactful Sun and brisk Mercury are aligning in your 10th House of Pride, ensuring that your dedicated work is as crisp and constructive as you want. It’s also more likely for authority figures to notice that good work (and appreciate how it proves your expertise). Taking your time should pay off. If recognition feels overdue, share results plainly and let your consistency speak, because quiet confidence reads stronger than big promises. Be open about your process.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Certain conversations can offer fantastic insights at the moment. The vibrant Sun meets clever Mercury, inviting you to reach beyond your usual scripts and explore fresh ideas. Because this alignment energizes your 9th House of Travel, you may map a future trip with a friend and learn more by asking thoughtful questions. If a debate appears, keep it curious rather than competitive, because playful listening turns differences into bridges and helps you find the wisest answers. Ask thoughtful questions to expand your worldview.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Peace and communication need one another even more than usual. Your 8th House of Depth hosts today’s conjunction between the stubborn Sun and tricky Mercury, which creates an opening to have honest conversations with the people you care about. Fraught topics can be spoken about, but you must use care — especially when it comes to any shared finances. If past issues are still causing pain, this would be a wise moment to talk about why. Name the truth gently to build deeper trust.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Bold ideas and heartfelt connections await! You’re ready to listen to your loved ones — and they should be ready to listen to you. This is thanks to the Sun conjoining Mercury in your partner-oriented 7th house. You may schedule a check-in with someone important and address expectations, and your generous spirit helps the discussion feel warm rather than transactional. Even though past miscommunications could have caused tension or brought distance, today’s careful discussions can create a fertile ground for future peace.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Minor tweaks add up to major improvements. Refinement becomes easier as the almighty Sun meets quick Mercury in your 6th House of Habits, supporting practical fixes that streamline tasks and lighten your load. This can apply at home or at work, as you rewrite professional templates or reorganize your bathroom counters. As you neaten your surroundings, you’re simultaneously neatening your mind. If your body asks for care, keep routines gentle and consistent to have the greatest effect. Aim for simple care that soothes your soul.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Cosmic harmony may smooth any potentially rough interactions. Your 5th House of Ideation brightens as the radiant Sun meets information-gathering Mercury, encouraging playful expression and compliments. When in charge of an event, let sources of joy be your inspiration — especially if something goes wrong along the way and you have to adapt on the fly. Wherever you are, you can have a massive impact on the tone of the day. Be optimistic regarding creative risks! Allowing happiness to lead the way is key.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Certain truths could surface with little warning. A deep conversation wants light as the dynamic Sun meets wordy Mercury, supporting your efforts to lay out your foundational needs in a way others understand. You may initiate a boundary talk with a relative, wherein your determined calm keeps the process respectful and real, even if feelings run hot. While emotions could surge, do your best to stay level-headed. If relational changes are necessary, choose a clear goal that those involved can sustain over time.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Afternoon chats can bring surprising bright turns. Your 3rd House of Multi-Tasking receives the light of the Sun and Mercury’s conjunction, boosting local connections and helping messages land clearly when you need traction. You may call a sibling or a nearby friend to coordinate plans, and your upbeat mood makes finding solutions easier. If distractions pull you away from your main goal, do your best to block out any distractions for at least an hour. Keep it light so momentum keeps flowing forward.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

There’s no need to overcomplicate things! The Sun joins precocious Mercury in your 2nd House of Logistics for a caring conjunction. Professionally, this is great energy for pricing your work fairly or negotiating with vendors and customers alike. In your personal life, you can apply it to organizing your possessions or honing your talents. In any circumstances, your steady tone keeps the conversation constructive. If doubt whispers, review the data and confirm your priorities as necessary. Make measured choices that reinforce your long-term stability.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

The stars are aligned to strengthen your voice into a clarion call! The spirited Sun meets talkative Mercury in your friendly sign, providing a lift anywhere you might need it. They’re aligning your internal thoughts and your external presentation so people understand exactly where you stand. When you speak up, your independent style should land as clear rather than contrary. If feedback arrives, filter it for usefulness and keep moving, because your authentic tone attracts supporters who appreciate your vision. Share boldly!

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Subtle details are more vital than usual. With the Sun and Mercury embracing within your intuitive 12th house, you’ve currently got a gift for noticing things others might miss. Listen to your inner voice, especially if you need to leave the house for work or errands today. The universe’s messages will come through as you slow your pace and soften judgments. Avoid sensory overload when possible, and if it isn’t possible, take a nice, long break after the chaos ends. Protect your quiet time.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/daily-horoscope-for-january-21-2026/ 

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Presidente del Perú asistirá al Parlamento para informar sobre citas no registradas con empresario

Associated Press

LIMA (AP) — El presidente interino de Perú, José Jerí, asistirá el miércoles al Parlamento para informar sobre sus citas clandestinas con un empresario chino que, tras ser reveladas por la prensa, han provocado una investigación preliminar de la fiscalía por presunta corrupción y una crisis política en su gobierno.

La comisión de fiscalización publicó el martes su agenda del miércoles donde se indica que Jerí se presentará para informar sobre sus citas no registradas en sus actividades oficiales —obligatorias por ley para evitar conflictos de intereses— con el empresario chino Yang Zhihua, de 53 años.

La primera cita ocurrió el 26 de diciembre en un restaurante chino donde Jerí asistió encapuchado y llevando un bolso, mientras que la segunda reunión fue el 6 de enero en una tienda mayorista de Yang que estaba clausurada por el municipio limeño. En esta se ve a Jerí moviendo los brazos de forma agitada mientras habla por teléfono con alguien no identificado al momento y es observado por Yang.

El primer ministro Ernesto Álvarez dijo la víspera a la prensa que en ambas reuniones Jerí coordinó sobre la celebración del Día de la Confraternidad Peruano–China, que se celebrará el 1 de febrero. China es el primer socio comercial de Perú por más de una década.

Más búsquedas de la prensa local en los registros de visitas al despacho presidencial han hallado más ingresos de Yang al palacio de gobierno. El 12 de diciembre Yang entró al palacio de gobierno junto a otro empresario de esa misma nacionalidad, Ji Wu Xiaodong, quien cumple arresto domiciliario mientras es investigado por la fiscalía por su presunta vinculación con un grupo criminal de tráfico de madera en la Amazonía.

El mandatario no ha explicado por qué Ji Wu Xiaodong, pese a tener arresto domiciliario y no poder abandonar su casa, ha ingresado otras dos veces más al palacio presidencial el 29 de diciembre y el 5 de enero.

El lunes, la fiscalía general anunció que inició una investigación preliminar contra el presidente Jerí por presunto tráfico de influencias y patrocinio ilegal de intereses. La oficina de prensa del Ministerio Público confirmó a The Associated Press que la investigación preliminar se encuentra “en estado reservado”.

Las noticias sobre las reuniones de Jerí empezaron hace más de una semana y el mandatario ha señalado que conoce a Yang, a quien llama “Johnny”, desde “hace mucho tiempo por las actividades de la embajada China”.

Jerí, de 38 años y con escasa experiencia política, era presidente del Parlamento cuando el 10 de octubre reemplazó a la entonces presidenta Dina Boluarte (2022-2025), destituida luego de que los principales partidos del Congreso le retiraron el apoyo.

Perú celebrará comicios generales el 12 de abril para elegir al nuevo presidente, 130 diputados, 60 senadores y cinco parlamentarios andinos.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/presidente-del-per-asistir-al-parlamento-para-informar-sobre-citas-no-registradas-con-empresario/ 

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Republican hopeful Ted Dabrowski defends TV ad likening Gov. JB Pritzker to communist Poland, Ecuador turmoil

Republican governor candidate Ted Dabrowski on Tuesday defended a new TV ad in which he compares Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s actions to the Stalinist leadership of 1960s Poland and turmoil in Ecuador that led to a military coup.

“In 1960, my parents immigrated to Chicago, Dad from communist Poland, Mom from Ecuador. They came here for a better life. Today, politicians like JB Pritzker are behaving just like those politicians my parents fled,” Dabrowski said in the ad, which was aired after the third quarter of Sunday’s Chicago Bears game.

Poland was run by allies of Soviet leader Josef Stalin who were known for their authoritarian rule, including Boleslaw Bierut, who, through 1956, headed a secret police responsible for the deaths of thousands. Another Polish leader at the time, Wladyslaw Gomulka, oversaw the persecution of the Catholic Church and anti-communist opposition. At the same time, Ecuador’s populist government grew increasingly unstable, leading to a 1963 military coup.

But Dabrowski said his commercial was not referencing political ideology. Rather, he was referring to his parents having “fled for opportunity and freedom,” he said. “And in Illinois, people are fleeing for, in some cases, freedom, some for opportunity. They can’t make it work here” and leave the state.

Still, Dabrowski was critical of Pritzker’s comparisons of Donald Trump’s presidency to 1930s Nazi Germany and the governor’s description of aggressive enforcement by federal immigration agents as acting like “storm troopers.” Dabrowski blamed Pritzker for stirring up “chaos” among those protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection actions during Operation Midway Blitz.

Dabrowski’s comments came after a wide-ranging meeting with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, where he labeled Illinois “an extreme state on so many things — culturally and fiscally” while he tried to avoid discussing controversies surrounding Trump’s call for taking over Greenland and his use of tariffs on foreign goods.

“I am a huge supporter of many things that Trump has done. Controlling the border has been key. Trying to bring back manufacturing is so important, especially in Illinois,” he said, also citing the president’s backing of school choice and “safe cities.”

“So, there’s a lot of things that I think he’s doing great. His geopolitics, we have to figure out where they play out,” he said, describing himself as in support of “free markets” that contrast with a tough tariff policy. But he said Trump is always negotiating and using “leverage” and that he’s “using the power of America, the power of leverage” to get much better deals. Dabrowski pushed back on editorial board members for focusing on national issues despite their impacts on Chicago and Illinois.

“With all due respect, I don’t disagree with you on how important those things are,” he said, adding he was appearing at the meeting to discuss Pritzker. “And I can’t change Trump’s policies, but I sure as hell, heck, can change Pritzker’s.”

Dabrowski, a Wilmette resident and the former president of the conservative policy advocacy group Wirepoints, is one of four major candidates seeking the March 17 Republican nomination for governor to challenge Pritzker, a two-term incumbent. Others in the field include unsuccessful 2022 GOP nominee Darren Bailey, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and real estate and gambling tycoon Rick Heidner.

Dabrowski took a shot at Bailey, a farmer and former state lawmaker from downstate Louisville, who has gained traction in his current run largely on name recognition from his 2022 bid. Dabrowski contended that Bailey’s 13 percentage point loss to Pritzker four years ago was in part due to his failure to connect with Cook County voters.

“So the big difference between me and him — right off the bat — is I’m from Cook County, my running mate’s from Cook County, we’re professionals. I think we know how to, what’s the right word, operate and work with people in Cook County and the suburbs,” Dabrowski said of himself and running mate Carrie Mendoza of Glencoe. “I don’t think Darren understood how to handle or understands how to handle up here. He’s a farmer, and I respect farmers. I value the heck out of farmers, but I don’t think he knew how to operate here.”

Asked by the editorial board what programs that go against conservative Republican orthodoxy he could support to attract Democrats and independent voters, Dabrowski said he believed his agenda, touting traditional GOP issues of lower taxes and business growth, along with opposition to diversity and equity and transgender programs in public schools, resonated with all voters in general.

Dabrowski acknowledged that dealing with Democratic supermajorities in the state legislature would prevent the state from adopting many of his positions, including reversing current sanctuary policies and laws.

“When I’m governor, I will spend the next four years campaigning. This will not be, will not be … ‘Oh, we’re in, now let’s make change.’ It’s obvious, right?” he said. “People need to be able to connect the dots between policies that they don’t like or policies that are failing, and who’s in control of the legislature. And over time, we need to either moderate their positions, because one thing is we might not be able to change their offices, but we can change how they vote.”

Dabrowski said he was “very disappointed” by the tenure of Illinois’ last GOP governor, one-termer Bruce Rauner, who was defeated by Pritzker. He contended that Rauner failed to engage voters when he took office, as he had during his winning campaign.

“He had the support of the people, and he should have kept using the support of the people … and he didn’t,” Dabrowski said of Rauner, a wealthy venture capitalist who has since moved to Florida. “And then, of course, he started flipping his policies, and then he lost everybody, and he confused everybody, and he lost support of his base, and he never had support of those who may have crossed over to give him a chance.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/ted-dabrowski-defends-tv-ad-pritzker-communist/ 

Posted in News

Daily Herald, longtime suburban Chicago newspaper, notifies state of potential sale

The publisher of the Daily Herald filed notice with the state earlier this month that it is considering a sale of the northwest suburban newspaper.

In a Jan. 6 letter to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Paddock Publications said it was notifying the state and its employees 120 days before the potential sale, a requirement of a new law to support the dwindling number of local news outlets across Illinois.

Executives at Paddock Publications did not respond to a request for comment, and the name of the prospective buyer was not disclosed in the filing.

Founded in 1872 as the Cook County Herald, the suburban Chicago newspaper has grown into the third largest daily print publication in Illinois, with a current circulation of 52,410, according to its website. Owned by the Paddock family for more than a century, the newspaper was converted to an employee stock ownership plan in 2018.

In 2023, Tribune Publishing bought the Daily Herald printing plant for an undisclosed price, shifting its own operations there the following year when the Chicago newspaper vacated the Freedom Center to make way for the permanent Bally’s Chicago casino, which is under construction and set for a delayed opening next year.

Paddock Publications fired up the presses at the $50 million printing plant on 21 acres by the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway in 2003 to churn out its flagship Daily Herald. As part of the Schaumburg plant acquisition, Tribune began printing the Daily Herald under contract.

Enacted Jan. 1, 2025, the Strengthening Community Media Act requires a local news organization to give 120 days written notice to employees, the DCEO, county officials and “any in-state nonprofit organization in the business of buying local news organizations” before selling to a new company.

The legislation cites the declining number of local newspapers and reporters across the state and the need to combat misinformation and provide trusted news sources as the impetus for the required advance sale disclosure.

Local newspapers have been in steep decline during the new millennium as digital competition eats away the legacy print model, creating an increasing number of “news deserts” with no local news.

The number of newspapers in the U.S. has declined by nearly 3,500 over the past 20 years, while the industry has lost more than three-quarters of its jobs, according to the 2025 State of Local News report by Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.

Illinois has lost nearly 48% of its local newspapers since 2005, the ninth largest decline in the U.S., according to the study.

Meanwhile, more than 200 newspapers changed hands across the U.S. last year, according to the study. Fewer than 15% of daily newspapers remain independently owned, as large chains increasingly dominate the media landscape, the Medill report found.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/daily-herald-suburban-newspaper-potential-sale/ 

Posted in News

“Extraordinary Times”: Ted Cruz Predicts Iran, Venezuela, & Cuba Could All Fall Within Six Months

“Extraordinary Times”: Ted Cruz Predicts Iran, Venezuela, & Cuba Could All Fall Within Six Months

The world may be approaching a turning point not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union. At least, that’s what Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) predicts. Appearing on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Cruz said the globe is on the brink of a historic realignment, predicting that three long-standing anti-American regimes could collapse in a matter of months—a shift with worldwide implications. 

And it could arrive far sooner than many expect.

“We are living in extraordinary times,” Cruz said, arguing that the pace of global change “exceeds anything we have seen in decades.”

According to Cruz, the unrest now gripping Iran could soon extend far beyond its borders.

“There is a very real possibility that in the next six months the regimes in Iran, in Venezuela, and Cuba will all fall,” he said. 

Cruz went further, suggesting those nations could soon choose a dramatically different path.

“There is a real possibility that Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba will all democratically elect new leaders.”

He framed the moment as one with sweeping consequences for the United States and the world.

“Instead of fomenting violence, fomenting attacks on America, instead of waging war on America, there is a real chance in the next six months that the people of those three countries will elect leaders who embrace freedom and free enterprise and who want to stand with America,” he said.

If that happens, Cruz added, “it is difficult to think of anything more consequential,” comparing the potential shift to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

The Texas senator laid much of the blame for global instability squarely on Tehran, calling Iran “the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism.”

He pointed to its financial backing of terror groups, saying, “They have paid for and funded… 90 percent of the funding of Hamas comes from Iran, 90 percent of the funding for Hezbollah comes from Iran.” Cruz also noted that Iran has sent terrorists abroad, “including sending terrorists to, among other places, Venezuela, and targeting Americans.”

He also credited President Trump for his support for the people of Iran and highlighted what he called a decisive escalation from the White House in recent days.

“In the last two days, a really important step occurred where President Trump came out unequivocally and said, ‘It is time for new leadership in Iran,’” Cruz said. He continued, quoting the president’s words directly: “It is time for the Ayatollah Khomeini, his religious dictatorship to end.” Cruz called that statement “massively important.”

When Bartiromo pressed him on whether the United States should take direct action, Cruz argued that Washington should pursue maximum pressure with the explicit goal of toppling the Iranian regime. He said the regime openly defines itself by hatred of the United States, pointing to the Ayatollah’s routine participation in “Death to America” chants and to the fact that Iran even commemorates the 1979 U.S. embassy takeover with an annual “Death to America Day.”

Cruz also backed President Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying the president concluded the risk of allowing a theocratic dictatorship to obtain nuclear weapons was intolerable. In Cruz’s view, the strike represented the most consequential foreign policy move of Trump’s second term. He contrasted that approach with the Obama administration’s response to Iran’s 2009 Green Revolution, when widespread protests were met with American restraint. Cruz said the United States squandered that moment by refusing to stand firmly with the Iranian people. This time, he argued, Trump has sent a clear message to Tehran that violently suppressing protesters will carry serious consequences.

Today, exclusively on @SundayFutures with @MariaBartiromo, Texas Senator Ted Cruz @tedcruz @SenTedCruz spoke about Iranians fighting for freedom against Khamenei’s regime. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/QMwsF5JtRy

— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) January 18, 2026

Reagan won the Cold War by refusing to treat communist dictators as moral equals worthy of endless dialogue. Trump applies that same principle to Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba—regimes that have survived for decades solely because the establishment lacked the courage to finish them off. 

Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 18:50

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/extraordinary-times-ted-cruz-predicts-iran-venezuela-cuba-could-all-fall-within-six 

Posted in News

Vinícius se gana a la afición con 3 asistencias y 1 tanto en la goleada 6-1 del Real Madrid

Por TALES AZZONI

MADRID (AP) — Con tres asistencias y un gol, Vinícius Júnior silenció el martes a los aficionados que lo habían abucheado nuevamente al inicio del encuentro en que el Real Madrid terminó goleando 6-1 al Mónaco en la Liga de Campeones.

Parte de la multitud en el Estadio Santiago Bernabéu abucheó al delantero brasileño casi cada vez que tocaba el balón al principio del partido en Madrid. Las muestras de rechazo se disiparon a medida que avanzaba el encuentro y prácticamente desaparecieron cuando Vinícius anotó su primer gol esta temporada en la Liga de Campeones a los 63 minutos.

Los abucheos iniciales no fueron tan fuertes como en la victoria del sábado por 2-0 sobre el Levante en la liga española. En ambas ocasiones, los aficionados pitaron cuando se anunció el nombre de Vinícius en la alineación titular, pero esta vez el partido terminó con los aficionados del lado del jugador que fue elegido el hombre del partido.

Vinícius ha tenido una temporada gris y algunos aficionados lo veían como una de las razones por las que el entrenador Xabi Alonso fue reemplazado la semana pasada.

El brasileño se confrontó con el exastro del Madrid y de la selección española. Alonso fue reemplazado como estratega tras una caótica etapa de ocho meses.

Según se informa, Vinícius fue el principal jugador que no apoyó a Alonso en el vestuario.

Vinícius anotó el martes con un disparo bien colocado después de superar a un par de defensores y tirar al ángulo superior. No se dirigió hacia los aficionados para celebrar, sino que abrazó a sus compañeros cerca del centro del campo y luego corrió hacia la banda para saludar y abrazar al nuevo entrenador del Madrid, Álvaro Arbeloa.

Asimismo, asistió en los goles de Kylian Mbappé a los 26 minutos y de Franco Mastantuono a los 51. El brasileño también asistió con un centro que llevó a un autogol del defensor del Mónaco, Thilo Kehrer, a los 55.

“Vini, estamos contigo”, decía una pancarta sostenida por un aficionado en el Bernabéu.

Mbappé anotó en el quinto minuto para poner a los anfitriones por delante. Abrazó a Vinícius después de su segundo gol en la primera mitad, y nuevamente tras el silbatazo final.

Mbappé y Arbeloa habían salido en defensa de Vinícius recientemente. Mbappé dijo que el público no debería señalar a Vinícius como el culpable de las dificultades del equipo.

Muchos aficionados aplaudieron un intento de Vinícius en el séptimo minuto, errado por poco desde dentro del área. A los 40, cuando jugó mal un balón, algunos de los aficionados comenzaron a abuchear nuevamente, pero muchos más aplaudieron en respuesta.

No hubo abucheos inmediatos hacia el presidente del club, Florentino Pérez, como sí había sucedido contra el Levante.

Mbappé pareció disculparse con los aficionados del Mónaco, su exequipo, después de anotar. El francés suma 18 goles en la Liga de Campeones para el Madrid, la mayor cantidad de cualquier jugador en las primeras 20 apariciones con el club, por delante de los 14 de Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jude Bellingham, quien también fue abucheado por algunos aficionados el sábado, anotó el sexto gol del Madrid a los 80.

Vinícius estuvo cerca de anotar nuevamente en un contragolpe en el tiempo de descuento de la segunda mitad.

El Madrid llegó al partido contra el Levante tras una racha de dos descalabros consecutivas que incluyó la derrota en la final de la Supercopa de España en Arabia Saudí ante el Barcelona, lo que provocó la salida de Alonso, y una vergonzosa eliminación contra el Albacete en los octavos de final de la Copa del Rey.

Se guardó un minuto de silencio antes del partido en honor a las víctimas del accidente de tren que mató a más de 40 personas en el sur de España el domingo.

___

Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/vincius-se-gana-a-la-aficin-con-3-asistencias-y-1-tanto-en-la-goleada-6-1-del-real-madrid/ 

Posted in News

Former Chicago White Sox outfielder Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame

NEW YORK — Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, center fielders who excelled at the plate and with their gloves, were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

Jones played one of his 17 major-league seasons with the Chicago White Sox, slashing .230/.341/.486 and hitting 19 home runs with a 1.9 bWAR in 2010. He is the first native of Curaçao to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Beltrán, making his fourth appearance on the ballot, received 358 of 425 votes for 84.2% from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, 39 above the 319 needed for the 75% threshold.

Jones, in the ninth of 10 possible appearances, was picked on 333 ballots for 78.4%.

Beltrán moved up steadily from 46.5% in 2023 to 57.1% the following year and 70.3% in 2025, when he fell 19 votes short as Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were elected.

Beltrán was hired as the New York Mets’ manager on Nov. 1, 2019, then fired on Jan. 16 without having managed a game, three days after he was the only Astros player mentioned by name in a report by Major League Baseball regarding the team’s illicit use of electronics to steal signs during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series championship.

Chicago White Sox Andruw Jones hits an RBI double against the Minnesota Twins at U. S. Cellular Field, in Chicago, on Sunday, April 11, 2010. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/ Chicago Tribune)

Jones received just 7.3% in his first appearance in 2018 and didn’t get half the total until receiving 58.1% in 2023. He increased to 61.6% and 66.2%, falling 35 votes short last year.

They will be inducted at Cooperstown, New York, on July 26, along with second baseman Jeff Kent, voted in last month by the contemporary era committee.

BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years in the organization were eligible to vote.

Chase Utley (59.1%) was the only other candidate to get at least half the vote, improving from 39.8% last year. He was followed by Andy Pettitte at 48.5%, an increase from 27.9% last year, and Félix Hernández at 46.1%, up from 20.6%.

Cole Hamels topped first-time candidates at 23.8%. The other first-time players were all under 5% and will be dropped from future votes.

Steroids-tainted players again were kept from the hall. Alex Rodriguez received 40% in his fifth appearance, up from 7.1%, and Manny Ramirez 38.8% in his 10th and final appearance.

David Wright increased to 14.8% from 8.1%.

There were 11 blank ballots.

New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltrán lunges for the ball during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks, April 22, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)

A nine-time All-Star, the switch-hitting Beltrán batted .279 with 435 home runs and 1,587 RBIs over 20 seasons with Kansas City (1999-2004), Houston (2004, ’17), the Mets (2005-11), San Francisco (2011), St. Louis (2012-13), the New York Yankees (20014-16) and Texas (2016). He had 311 home runs hitting left-handed and 124 batting right-handed.

Beltrán was the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year and won three Gold Gloves, also hitting .307 in the postseason with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs in 65 games.

Jones batted .254 with 434 home runs, 1,289 RBIs and 152 stolen bases in 17 seasons with Atlanta (1996-2007), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), Texas (2009), the White Sox (2010) and the Yankees (2011-12). He finished his career with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League from 2013-14.

His batting average is the second-lowest for a position player voted to the Hall of Fame, just above the .253 of Ray Schalk, a superior defensive catcher, and just below the .256 of Harmon Killebrew, who hit 573 home runs.

A five-time All-Star, Jones earned 10 Gold Gloves. He joins Braves teammates Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones in the hall, along with manager Bobby Cox.

In the 1996 World Series opener at Yankee Stadium, Jones at 19 years, 5 months, became the youngest player to homer in a Series game, beating Mickey Mantle’s old mark by 18 months. Going deep against Pettitte in the second inning and Brian Boehringer in the third of a 12-1 rout, Jones became the second player to homer in his first two Series at-bats after Gene Tenace in 1972.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/andruw-jones-carlos-beltran-baseball-hall-of-fame/