Category: News
Case dropped against Harvey Park Board member who alleged politically motivated arrest
A domestic violence case against Harvey Park Board member Lakeisha Brown-Oneal was dismissed Tuesday.
Brown-Oneal was arrested Dec. 29 following an allegation of domestic violence. Brown-Oneal told the Daily Southtown she was not the aggressor and said she suspected her arrest was an act of political retaliation. Brown-Oneal is one of two board members at the Harvey Park District suing other members for allegedly preventing her from conducting her duties.
Prosecutors said the case would be dismissed because the accuser did not wish to proceed and the state did not otherwise have sufficient evidence to prosecute the case.
An order for protection which had been issued against Brown-Oneal was also terminated, according to court documents.
Brown-Oneal did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/case-dropped-harvey-park-board-member/
Robert Burleigh, children’s book author who ‘brought words to life,’ dies at 90
Robert Burleigh’s work as an artist extended across the fields of poetry, oil painting, music and writing more than 50 children’s picture books in a career that began as a newspaper reporter.
“He was multitalented,” said Wendell Minor, a longtime illustrator who collaborated with Burleigh on more than a dozen children’s books. “He just brought words to life, which gave me encouragement to do the best job I could.”
Burleigh, 90, died of prostate cancer Jan. 12 in Grand Haven, Michigan, said his daughter Nina Burleigh, also a writer. He had been a Grand Haven resident since 2008 and prior to that had lived in Old Town.
Born at Michael Reese Hospital, Burleigh grew up in the South Shore neighborhood and graduated from Hyde Park High School. In 1957, he earned a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University in Indiana.
Burleigh got a master’s degree in humanities from the University of Chicago in 1962 and spent his early career as a reporter for the Southtown Economist newspaper. In 1964, Burleigh began teaching, joining the English department at Wilson Junior College — now Kennedy-King College — on the South Side.
Burleigh also was a poet, and in 1965, with his friend Stuart McCarrell, he co-founded and co-edited Xenia: A Magazine of Poetry & Comment, a short-lived Chicago poetry magazine. Burleigh published a book of poetry and drawings, “The Triumph of Mittens,” in 1979.
Robert Burleigh (Mark Burleigh)
In 1967, Burleigh moved his family briefly to San Francisco during the famed Summer of Love. He later moved his family to rural Michigan, where he taught for a time at an elementary school in Nottawa Township, about 90 minutes northeast of Grand Rapids.
Back in Chicago, Burleigh worked for a Lincoln Park company called the Society for Visual Education, or SVE, which produced educational games and filmstrips.
A self-taught artist, Burleigh initially wrote reviews for the New Art Examiner. In the late 1970s, he began sculpting, and soon shifted to painting. Under the name Burleigh Kronquist, which he used solely for his artmaking and which is a nod to his mother’s maiden name, Burleigh regularly displayed his work in shows in Chicago, New York City, Michigan and Portland, Oregon.
Burleigh achieved his greatest impact from writing children’s books. Starting in the early 1990s, he provided the text for dozens of books for children ranging in age from preschool to fifth grade, including biographies and survival stories. For instance, he wrote “One Giant Leap,” a historical account of the first moon landing; “Home Run,” about baseball star Babe Ruth; “Night Flight,” about aviator Amelia Earhart; and “Langston’s Train Ride,” about poet and writer Langston Hughes.
In a 1998 Tribune review, English professor and children’s book reviewer Mary Harris Russell said Burleigh’s writing in “Home Run” was “smoothly in touch with the poetry of that perfect moment when ‘the fat part of the bat’ hits ‘on the center of the ball.’” And in a 2000 review of “Messenger, Messenger,” Burleigh’s book about a fictional urban bicycle messenger, Russell wrote that Burleigh’s authentic prose included “strongly rhythmic words (that) make us feel the surging energy as well.”
“He was really just a master at the poetic form,” said Christy Ottaviano, a publisher with her own imprint who, beginning in the 1990s, edited about 10 of Burleigh’s books. “Sometimes he wrote in poetry and sometimes he wrote in prose, but there was always this wonderful rhythm and rhyme and cadence to his work that made it stand out. He was facile with language, and it showed in the books.”
Ottaviano recalled working with Burleigh on books about President Abraham Lincoln, writer Henry David Thoreau and painter Edward Hopper.
“He would take these really giant figures and make them accessible to children,” she said. “I’ve done this job a long time, and it’s really hard to do that. He’d bring them to life, and with Wendell Minor’s beautiful art, the books were always well-received, and they’d make best-of lists. That’s why we kept doing them.”
Minor, who met Burleigh at a book fair in Aurora, said one of the duo’s best known books is “Edward Hopper Paints His World.”
“We were both Hopper fans, and I said to him, what do you think — there’s no biography for children about Hopper,” Minor recalled. “Even though he was in Grand Haven, and I was in Connecticut, we got along well.”
Burleigh also wrote books for children about mythical figures such as Hercules and Pandora, as well as about subjects such as chocolate.
Burleigh never retired from writing, his daughter said. Outside of work, Burleigh enjoyed playing basketball at a Chicago YMCA until he was in his 70s, said Frank Zirbel, a longtime friend.
“He lived for art, that’s for sure,” Zirbel said. “He was just an adventurer, and he never really stopped.”
His first marriage, to Berta Thomas, ended in divorce. In addition to his daughter, Burleigh is survived by his wife, Jenny Roberts; a son, Mark; another daughter, Julie; a sister, Judy Myers; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service is being planned.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/robert-burleigh-writer-obituary/
Despite cold, Chicago matches rare January mark with seven homicides in a single day
Sunday, Jan. 18, was one of the most violent winter days in Chicago’s recent history.
Seven people were shot and killed across the city in less than 18 hours. City violence data shows it was just the fourth January day to see at least seven homicides since 1991.
At least three of the victims were teenagers. Another was a woman, reportedly a mother of five, killed outside her home as she was on her way to church. A pair of home invasions on the West Side left two other men dead.
The depths of winter usually bring a slight respite from gun violence, though January 2025 also saw a similar spate of shootings. But still, the holiday weekend’s flash of violence — another man was shot and killed in Little Village on Monday — was a far cry from the steep drop in shootings felt across the city in recent years.
Chicago police officials declined to comment.
Just after 4 a.m. Sunday, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the head in the 5200 block of South Christiana Avenue in Gage Park, according to Chicago police.. Someone drove the boy — who remained unidentified as of Tuesday morning — to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Minutes later, about 5 miles east in the 6400 block of South Drexel Avenue, 36-year-old Kiara Jenkins was shot to death outside her home. ABC 7 reported that the mother of five was killed as she was leaving home to attend early morning church service.
Later that hour, in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, 40-year-old Kelly Brown was killed in his home when someone “opened fire from a rear doorway,” according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Another home invasion in East Garfield Park that morning took the life of a still-unidentified 37-year-old man. He was in his residence in the 3100 block of West Warren Boulevard when someone broke in and shot him three times, police said.
Two other teens — a 19-year-old man and 17-year-old girl — were killed in separate shootings later Sunday.
Angel Aviles was driving in the 5800 block of West Walton Street about 6:30 p.m. when someone approached his vehicle and shot him in the head and leg, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Three hours later, Melissa Catrejon, 17, was traveling in a vehicle in the 1800 block of North Latrobe Avenue “when she was shot at by a known male offender who fled the scene,” according to police.
That same hour, a 37-year-old man was fatally shot as he sat in a vehicle in the 100 block of East 118th Place in West Pullman. He remains unidentified.
The city finished 2025 with just over 400 homicides, the fourth consecutive year with sizable declines in violence. Even with that sustained progress, last winter saw a similar jolt of shootings when eight people were killed in the first six days of the year.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/chicago-january-seven-homicides-one-day/
Women’s boutique store Francesca’s to close all of its locations, including Naperville’s
Francesca’s, a women’s clothing and gifts store chain with a location in Naperville, is shutting down all of its remaining stores.
While the company has not announced its closure publicly, a Francesca’s customer service representative told Women’s Wear Daily that it was liquidating its inventory and would be closing all of its locations soon. Other sources told the news outlet that some of the retailer’s employees were abruptly let go and that an inventory liquidation was to begin last week.
Frances McCarrell, a part-time sales cashier at Francesca’s in Naperville, said she did not know what date the Naperville store would be closing. Signs on its front windows announced that all merchandise was discounted by 10% to 30%.
Downtown Naperville Alliance Executive Director Katie Wood said the alliance has not been informed of a closing date.
The Naperville store, located at 25 W. Jefferson Ave., has been in downtown Naperville since 2005, McCarrell said. According to Wood, it’s been at its current location for at least 15 years.
Founded in 1999, the Houston-based company had more than 450 stores across the country. According to Francesca’s website, there are about a dozen stores in Illinois, including locations in Chicago, Geneva, Algonquin, Aurora, Orland Park, Lombard, Schaumburg and Skokie.
In December 2020, the chain filed a Chapter 11 petition for bankruptcy court protection. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the company tried to cut costs and improve online sales but was unable to keep up with the impact, according to previous reporting by the Chicago Tribune. Following the filing, Francesca’s planned to close dozens of stores across the country, including five locations in Illinois, the Tribune reported.
Tiger Capital LLC, SB 360 Capital Group and Terramar Capital LLC acquired Francesca’s in early 2021 following the chain’s bankruptcy filing. In 2022, the chain expanded its reach with the creation of the Franki by Francesca’s tween line. The following year, the company also acquired Richer Poorer, a California-based clothing brand that has been worn by celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Jessica Alba and Suki Waterhouse.
Despite the expansion efforts, the company continued to struggle financially, with some vendors reporting in January 2024 that they had not been paid for months, according to Women’s Wear Daily reports. Two months later, the company was forced to cut costs and fired some people from leadership positions.
Francesca’s corporate headquarters and Terramar Capital for comment could not be reached for comment.
For some Naperville residents, news of the pending closure brought disappointment. Colleen Doyle, a Naperville resident since 2015, said Friday she had been shopping at Francesca’s for about a decade, noting that it had become her go-to store for “fun little birthday gifts” and one of the few places in downtown Naperville where her 11-year-old daughter could shop.
She noticed sales signs in the window while she was shopping Friday but did not think much of it until a sales cashier told her that all sales were final.
“She’s like, ‘We are closing.’ And I was like, ‘Wait, what?’” Doyle said. “I honestly thought they were going to be a victim of downtown Naperville increasing rent costs and then she told me that all 400 (stores) were closing and it was a whole bigger thing.”
After picking up a gift for her friend, Doyle decided to take advantage of the final sale. One special deal in which customers could buy one piece of jewelry and get another piece for $9 prompted her to buy a watch and a pair of earrings, she said.
“I was really sad,” Doyle said. “I let my group of six (friends) that I met with for lunch … know that it was closing, and one woman … she’s like ‘Oh my gosh, this sweater is from Francesca’s. Both of these bracelets are from Francesca’s.’ She’s like, ‘It’s my favorite little shop.’”
In the past, Francesca’s has participated in Naperville’s Halloween Hop, an annual event during which businesses hand out treats to guests. That helped make the chain store feel like it was part of the broader Naperville community, Doyle said.
“They came out and were part of the community, which you don’t necessarily see with corporate businesses in downtown,” she said. “You tend to see it with the mom and the pops (stores). So I think this one hurts a little more because it feels like we’re losing a mom and pop, even though it isn’t.”
cstein@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/francescas-downtown-naperville-closing/
Goldman Exec Denies Plan To Oust Top Lawyer Over Epstein Revelations
Goldman Exec Denies Plan To Oust Top Lawyer Over Epstein Revelations
A senior Goldman Sachs executive says rumors of a plan to oust general counsel and top adviser to CEO David Solomon, Kathryn Ruemmler, are “completely untrue,” after recent document dumps from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate revealed that she was far closer with him than previously known.
Ruemmler – a former top legal advisor in the Obama administration – told Goldman execs when they hired her that her relationship with Epstein was purely professional and stemmed from her time as a white-collar defense attorney at Latham & Watkins. It would later become public that she not only met with Epstein dozens of times and exchanged friendly emails for years, she was listed as an executor of Epstein’s will as recently as Jan. 18, 2019 – which had been removed before he died in prison on Aug. 10 of that year.
She was hired at Goldman in April 2020 as the bank’s head of regulatory affairs. In November of that year, she was forced to give a heads up to Goldman execs when the Daily Beast published an article revealing she was in the courtroom at Epstein’s 2019 arraignment.
Her name also appears hundreds of times in a 500-page log of emails between Epstein and his lawyers that are still under seal because Epstein’s estate has cited attorney-client privilege, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In November, Congress released dozens of emails she had exchanged with Epstein, including some disparaging President Trump, that sparked a panic among some Goldman executives.
“Trump is so gross,” Ruemmler wrote in a 2017 message with Epstein. He replied “worse in real life and upclose.” -WSJ
Goldman Panics
After an April 2023 report in the Journal detailing the more extensive connections between Ruemmler and Epstein – including how the two had “met dozens of times, that Epstein had visited apartments she was considering buying and that he offered assistance with her travel planning,” including a 2017 plan to take her to ‘pedo island,’ bankers complained to senior management – pointing out that she had a role on the firm’s reputational risk committee. The bankers were essentially told to stand down.
Then, at a dinner organized at CEO David Solomon’s Manhattan apartment in 2024, several women who attended told the Journal that they were appalled that Solomon had Ruemmler help organize the event. Solomon, at a later gathering with high-ranking women, complained that Ruemmler had garnered that kind of reaction – and couldn’t believe that there were senior women at the firm who would bristle at her. Solomon told the WSJ in a statement that no women had ever raised concerns to him about Ruemmler’s involvement in the dinner.
Concern inside Goldman had picked up by spring 2025 as the public’s focus on releasing the Epstein files intensified. The Trump administration initially vowed to release everything and then pulled back. Some high up the ranks at Goldman thought the firm dodged a bullet, people familiar with the matter said. The relief was short-lived when the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Epstein estate in August.
In September, the House committee released the Jan. 18, 2019, version of Epstein’s will that listed Ruemmler as a backup executor.
Her presence on the will had been discovered by some at Goldman as far back as 2023 when an external lawyer informed a Goldman executive, people familiar with the matter said. -WSJ
Ouster in the Works?
According to the new report, Goldman exec John Rogers – who brought Ruemmler into the bank, reportedly told close associates he was formulating a contingency plan for her exit later this year, according to people familiar with the matter. The idea would be to let her save face with as graceful an exit as possible.
When asked about it, Rogers told the outlet “That is completely untrue.” Another person familiar with the matter said that Solomon hasn’t been involved with the plan.
Ruemmler, meanwhile, doubled down on her assertion that she kept things professional, telling the Journal that her association with Epstein was from when “it was my job to engage with people and companies that had serious legal and public relations problems. Many were under criminal investigation, and many had been convicted of crimes.”
She also insists that she never represented Epstein or advocated on her behalf, despite Epstein texting an unknown individual with “what Kathy suggests we tell Waco” (later corrected to WaPo, as in the Washington Post).
Epstein also told some of his lawyers in 2019 that Ruemmler, a former federal prosecutor, could be a valuable asset to his legal defense. Some on his team discussed asking her to prepare a character witness letter for a bail hearing – as well as she, among other female lawyers under consideration, could cross-examine some of Epstein’s accusers, people familiar with the matter told the Journal.
Ruemmler denied this, telling the outlet that she never drafted a letter, nor was she asked to cross-examine victims.
Goldman spox Tony Fratto also told the Journal: “Before she accepted the offer to join Goldman Sachs, she proactively disclosed her association with Jeffrey Epstein and other high-profile clients and contacts who might attract media attention, so that the firm would be aware of them. The firm did its own diligence and was satisfied. Nobody involved in Kathy’s hiring had concerns about her prior legal work.”
However, recent disclosures have triggered internal and external reviews, which are expected to continue if more information comes to light, according to the report.
Ruemmler and Epstein’s relationship appears to have really taken off in 2014, the year she left the Obama administration and was a partner at Latham & Watkins. She was put into Epstein’s orbit by Reid Weingarten – a layer at Steptoe who also transferred his client, Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild Group – to Ruemmler. In 2015, Epstein has entered into a $25 million consulting agreement with the Swiss bank that he negotiated with Ariane de Rothschild – one of his associates.
Ruemmler took on Rothschild as a Latham client, representing it in a U.S. regulatory matter. Latham has said Epstein wasn’t one of the firm’s clients. Weingarten went on to become one of the lawyers who represented Epstein in his 2019 criminal case. -WSJ
So it looks like Goldman is publicly standing behind their former Epstein gal-pal top lawyer, for now.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 15:40
Column: South Korea deserves praise for handling of impeachment
South Korean government prosecutors have recommended that former President Yoon Suk Yeol be punished with death for his stunning effort early in December 2024 to return to dictatorship. This is an important story regarding wrenching developments in an extremely close strategic ally of the United States.
Separately, he was sentenced to five years in prison for obstruction, but a range of other charges are still pending. Yoon also has various options. He could seek a reduction in sentence at an appeal trial, and carry the effort all the way to the Supreme Court of South Korea.
The entire process will likely take years. South Korea today is judicially careful.
Conservative Yoon served as a career prosecutor before being elected president of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 2022. That relatively narrow background may explain his sudden and surprising declaration of national emergency and attempt to impose strict martial law.
Yoon’s rationale was that the nation had somehow grown weaker and was vulnerable to the communist forces of North Korea. He declared emergency rule was in effect and ordered the military to seize control of parliament.
This was a crucial, pivotal moment and military leaders reacted responsibly – and shrewdly.
Under this presidential directive, ROK Army soldiers did go to the parliament building, surrounded and entered the premises, but then went no further.
Militaries, by definition, are heavy-handed. South Korea, for many years, was ruled by a harsh military dictatorship. The fact that on this occasion senior officers chose a very light touch, preserving still-new representative institutions while not directly disobeying a direct presidential order, is extraordinary – and deserves far more comment and commendation than has been received.
Armed soldiers refrained from interfering with the business of the people’s elected representatives. That was the key moment and decision. Had the Army seized control, even temporarily, the still relatively new democratic institutions of South Korea would have been put in serious jeopardy.
Later in December 2024, Yoon was impeached by parliament. An arrest warrant was issued. An attempt to serve the warrant led to a tense, hours-long standoff with the president’s bodyguards at the presidential residence, where Yoon had confined himself. Finally, on Jan. 15, Yoon surrendered to authorities.
Yoon’s troubled presidency mercifully came to an end on April 4, 2025. The nation’s Constitutional Court formally ruled that he had exceeded his authority and overstepped the law in declaring martial law and attempting to use the special powers thereof to maintain control of the government.
Following the Constitution, a presidential election was held in June. The winner was Yoon’s rival Lee Jae-myung. Lee and supporters are on the political left. For example, he quickly moved to improve relations with China.
The recent decision of the court has confirmed that parliament was justified in voting to impeach Yoon, who was charged with insurrection. He is the first president to be charged with a crime while in office, though not the first to face prosecution.
No less than four former presidents of South Korea have been imprisoned following indictment, trial and conviction. However, no one has been executed in South Korea since 1997, and leniency characterizes appeals results.
A peasant society, the entire Korean peninsula was devastated by the Korean War of 1950-53. Today, the Republic of Korea ranks among the world’s top economies.
This remarkable nation has fully vindicated strong U.S. support during the Korean War and since.
Arthur I. Cyr is the author of “After the Cold War – American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia” (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan).
Contact acyr@carthage.edu
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/arthur-i-cyr-column-south-korea/
Shellenberger: The Left Is Getting People Killed At This Point
Shellenberger: The Left Is Getting People Killed At This Point
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
Investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger has accused the radical left of getting people killed through ongoing delusions and interference with federal immigration enforcement, pointing to the fatal shooting of Renee Good as a prime example.
Appearing on FOX News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Shellenberger highlighted how leftist rhetoric and actions are radicalizing individuals like Good, leading them into perilous situations while obstructing lawful operations.
“I think left is getting people killed at this point. There’s no other way to say it,” Shellenberger stated. “These are not difficult issues, legally, morally. The public voted for a president who is implementing his policies, it’s undemocratic to halt the implementation of those policies, which is what is happening.”
Michael Shellenberger on ICE Protests: ‘The Left is Getting People Killed’ | Mike LaChance, The Gateway Pundit
Writer and political analyst Michael Shellenberger appeared on the Jesse Watters show this week to talk about the unhinged anti-ICE protests and the consequences of… pic.twitter.com/S4oUKaKndy
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) January 19, 2026
He referenced prior incidents of leftist extremism, noting, “A year ago, we were talking about the left setting Teslas on fire. Obviously, between then and now, Charlie Kirk was murdered, the radicalization of the left is ongoing here.”
Shellenberger portrayed Good as a victim of this radicalization, caught in a web of misinformation. “Renee Good, the woman that was killed, is a victim of all this herself. She’s in the grip of a delusion. Her partner afterwards said that she couldn’t believe that they were using real bullets. They’re not in reality. They’re in some total fantasy universe.”
He continued, “They imagine they’re fighting Nazis. They don’t understand that a majority of their fellow Americans, you know, voted to implement the policies that ICE is implementing, and they imagine the police would use fake bullets.”
Shellenberger called for accountability, suggesting intervention in cases where protesters endanger children. “They’re going to need Child Protective Services if those reports are true of these people bringing children to a violent protest. That’s putting their children at risk.”
He emphasized the broader implications: “I mean, it’s a dangerous moment, Jesse. I hope this will finally serve as a wake-up call to the left, because, yes, they’re getting people killed. It’s as simple as that.”
Addressing host Jesse Watters’ point about media figures like Wolf Blitzer misrepresenting the incident, Shellenberger criticized the disconnect. Watters remarked, “I mean, Mike, did you see Wolf Blitzer? It’s like day 10 of this, and he still thinks this woman was just randomly caught in traffic after dropping her six-year-old off at school?”
Shellenberger also targeted professional politicians like Ilhan Omar and Tim Walz for cynically amplifying the narrative. In response to Watters asking if they truly believe their own rhetoric comparing the situation to the Civil War or Nazi Germany, Shellenberger replied, “Oh, no, of course they don’t. I mean, it’s very cynical, as you’re pointing out. I think you’re spot on.”
“The real villains here are the people that were spreading – that are spreading the lies that are deceiving people like Renee Good, who is going and committing acts, imagining that she’s invulnerable, getting in the middle of a police operation, imagining that that is somehow – that really, I mean, that’s the only way that that could have happened, is that she thought she was invulnerable,” the journalist urged.
He reiterated, “Her partner said she couldn’t believe it was real bullets. That’s the level we’re dealing with here.”
Shellenberger underscored the illegality of interfering with federal operations: “So, I mean, the whole thing – this is what the left wanted, unfortunately. I think the question of whether or not this is good politics is a different one, but at least on the moral level, you know, federal government, we have a democracy. The federal government is implementing its policy, and it is illegal and dangerous to interfere in that.”
The critique aligns with the revelations about Good’s involvement in anti-ICE activism. As detailed in our previous report, Good was part of the “ICE Watch” network, trained to disrupt deportation efforts, and footage showed her blocking traffic before accelerating toward agents.
Protests have spread, with clashes in Minneapolis and other cities, prompting the Trump administration to deploy additional federal agents. Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act amid escalating tensions.
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 15:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/shellenberger-left-getting-people-killed-point
“I’m $6K Behind”: Maryland Power Bill Crisis Sparks Debt Panic As 14,000 Residents Cry For Help Online
“I’m $6K Behind”: Maryland Power Bill Crisis Sparks Debt Panic As 14,000 Residents Cry For Help Online
The Maryland power bill crisis first came to our attention in August 2024, when years of poor power-grid management by Democrats (mostly due to backfiring ‘green’ policies) in the state collided with surging electricity demand from AI data centers.
Fast forward to today: the power bill crisis in the one-party rule state of Democratic Party kings and queens, headed by leftist Gov. Wes Moore, who has presidential ambitions, is getting hammered in the polling numbers (new data from Annapolis-based Gonzales Research & Media) as struggling Marylanders are financially crushed by mounting power-bill debt and venting their frustration in a Facebook group with nearly 14,000 angry residents.
The Facebook group called “BGE Victims” has amassed 13.7k members, with many in the group pointing fingers at not just the local utility BGE or the grid operator PJM, but also the one-party rule of Democrats in the state who have masqueraded as competent managers but in reality are far-left activists looting the state’s coffers to fund pet projects from supporting illegal aliens to all things woke.
Epic grid mismanagement, such as retiring fossil fuel power plants and de-growthing the grid with unreliable solar and wind to solve what Democrats say is a climate crisis emergency, has been nothing more than mismanagement, and the end result has been the financial destruction of the working class.
“I just joined this post and I’m in the same situation as a lot of people my BG& bill is 800dollars a month and I have no idea why I’ve called them and they’ve even came out and they told me the same thing that they told other people change my lightbulbs do this do that and it’s still that much right now I’m in a worse situation than ever my BgE bill has accumulated. I’m not kidding to almost $6000 behind they can’t cut the electric off till the end of February,” Baltimore resident Sheryl Harrison wrote in the group, posting her total past due amount from her electricity bill that tops nearly $6,100.
The panic is real in Maryland. Working-class folks are drowning in power bill debt.
Some residents are instructing folks how to bypass meters to get free power. That’s how bad the power crisis is in Maryland.
Folks are learning that their power bill crisis is merely the result of grid mismanagement by Democrats.
Power bill debt is mounting.
Folks are learning.
About 1.5 years ago, we wrote a note explaining how Maryland “couldn’t import itself out of an energy crisis,” amid the urgent need to boost in-state power generation. At the time, we noted that roughly 40% of the electricity consumed by Marylanders was imported from surrounding states.
ESG Legal Solutions penned a note warning that Maryland’s “apocalyptic environmentalism” was one of the key drivers of the state’s power-grid crisis, a reality that was well visible to anyone except left-wing politicians as they pursued state-killing green policies in the name of fighting climate change.
On top of the epic grid mismanagement that failed to properly expand spare capacity for data centers, we have also warned that the latest PJM auction suggests that, absent price controls, power bills in the state could rise even further.
Here’s the latest:
Local elections matter. It’s time for Marylanders to wake up or risk being financially slaughtered by decades of bad decisions made by Democrats.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 15:00
Flower dogs? Fake cakes? Wedding show features latest trends
Do-it-yourself trends, in addition to repurposing antiques for throwback wedding themes, were among the topics featured Sunday at The Lehmann Mansion Wedding Show in Lake Villa.
The show attracted more than 100 visitors and 20 wedding vendors. Visitors could partake of the free large charcuterie board and exhibitor-baked-goods samples.
Maria Roman, who runs Champagne Petal Luxury Floral Rentals with spouse Cameron Grant, said one option for couples is to rent wedding props to save money.
Roman said. “We’ve seen after the wedding, everyone trying to sell all their stuff, and it’s not as easy as you think,” Roman said. “So that’s where we come in. Have us come and set up; have us take it down.
“We’re trying to provide the rental options, so it’s seamless and stress-free,” she said. “I feel like 2026 is starting to trend more vintage. The old-world style is really coming back — more aged hydrangeas, kind of more wispy.”
Another trend is the decline of large wedding cakes, according to Lehmann Mansion account manager Sara Placuszok.
In her veil, Donna, the mannequin head and mascot of makeup stylist and bridal artistry vendor Jaide Janota of Jaide & Co., is part of the table area at The Lehmann Mansion Wedding Show in Lake Villa at The Lehmann Mansion on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
“Because weddings are so expensive, I believe tiered wedding cakes will become less popular in the 2026 season,” she said. “A lot of couples have a small cake for them to cut, and then choose to bring in either assorted desserts for guests, or bring in sheet cakes from the grocery store. Both options are less expensive.”
Cake pops and cupcakes were offered at the vendor table of Pink Cupcake Creations, operated by Ashley Savers.
“As a sweets vendor, I definitely think we’re going more non-traditional,” Savers said. “People who still want a cake for nice pictures of the cake-cutting will opt to do a fake cake. The whole cake is fake except for the piece they cut.
“They can still feed each other and take the pictures; nobody else knows,” she said.
Cake pops and cupcakes are offered by The Pink Cupcake Creations, operated by Ashley Savers, at The Lehmann Mansion Wedding Show in Lake Villa at The Lehmann Mansion on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
Placuszok said live painters and illustrators “are being used a lot,” while traditional garter and bouquet tosses are becoming “very rare.”
“Most of the time, the bride will dedicate her bouquet to her mom, as the mom doesn’t get highlighted enough during the wedding when, for the most part, the mom is the one doing as much work as the bride,” she said.
“Sweetheart tables are being used most often, rather than the traditional head table with their bridal party,” Placuszok continued. “It gives the couple space away from everyone so they can enjoy dinner.”
QR code seating charts are popular, too.
From left, Brock Lundman of Richmond and his fiancee Madison Thompson of Richmond take a photo through a wedding arch for rent. of, on right, Madison’s mother Dawn Zerbicki of McHenry. Madison and Brock are getting married on Oct. 16, 2026 at The Lehmann Mansion. Taken at The Lehmann Mansion Wedding Show in Lake Villa at The Lehmann Mansion on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
“I’ve seen a trend already with couples choosing their favorite albums and using a fake vinyl record to write the names of each person at the tables,” Placuszok said. “Not only does it create a more personalized seating chart, but it looks super cool as well.”
Alana Procknow, the owner and wedding attendant of Wags of Love, said dog lovers are hiring pet sitters and stylists to feature their pets at their weddings.
“They should be included in the big day with no burden really to the family and the friends,” Procknow said. “They can be the ring bearer, the flower dog, the best dog or just the pup of honor.
“Last year, we did 105 weddings,” she said. “Dogs are family, and they deserve their special moment in the celebration.”
As a wedding video plays back on the screen on left, facing, patron Cathy Arends of Gurnee visits with the Maira Ochoa photo and wedding vendor table at The Lehmann Mansion Wedding Show in Lake Villa at The Lehmann Mansion on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
Madison Thompson and Brock Lundman, an engaged couple from Richmond, are planning an October wedding at The Lehmann Mansion and are excited about its historic appeal rather than any recent trends.
“I have no idea what any trend is right now,” the bride-to-be said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/lehmann-mansion-wedding-show/
Mexico Quells Strike Rumors As US Issues Written Assurance: No Military Flights
Mexico Quells Strike Rumors As US Issues Written Assurance: No Military Flights
Seeking to tamp down speculation that US bombs and drones could actually be flying south of the border to do cartel raids, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Washington has assured her there will be no American military flights over Mexico.
Sheinbaum said Monday she received “written” guarantees from the US that American military aircraft would not operate over Mexican territory or in its sovereign airspace, adding that Washington also pledged to notify Mexico City and seek approval in advance of any such potential military operations.
Her comments followed notifications from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warning civilian pilots to be alert for possible military flights over Mexico and parts of Central and South America.
For example, last Friday:
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued notices to airlines, urging them to “exercise caution” over Mexico and other Central American countries, as well as Ecuador and Colombia, due to “military activities”.
On Friday, the FAA released a series of advisories that come amid an ongoing US military buildup in the Latin America region, including US military attacks on Venezuela, and US President Donald Trump’s warning to Cuba and threats of strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia, leaving many in the region on edge.
The central American country has understandably been on edge going back to the January 3rd US military raid on Caracas to overthrow and apprehend Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, and also amid the months-long major build-up of US naval forces in the Caribbean Sea.
Still, President Trump has been pressing Sheinbaum to greenlight US military action against drug cartels operating in Mexico, a demand she has repeatedly rejected in defense of Mexican sovereignty, which would also be immensely unpopular with her constituency.
Various media reports have speculated that Trump could still move forward with authorizing strikes on suspected drug laboratories and raids targeting cartel leadership, given that during this administration Washington has designated several Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
On the question of illegal drugs and weapons flowing into the United States, Sheinbaum has said, “The other side also has to do its part. This consumption crisis they have over there also has to be addressed from a public health perspective, through education campaigns.”
Trump’s own clear warnings have sparked fears of military incursions into Mexico…
Trump confirmed on Hannity that the US will begin conducting land strikes on cartel assets in Mexico.
He says “the cartels are running Mexico”.
The Deep State racketeering network is going to be obliterated. The South/Central American cartels are going to be wiped out. pic.twitter.com/BW142m90M9
— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) January 9, 2026
Since Maduro’s ouster by military force, the US drone attacks on alleged narco-trafficking boats have gone curiously silent – suggesting the series of actions were all about public signaling, or in other words propaganda and even just a distraction.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/20/2026 – 14:20
