Liberal Think Tank Urges Democrats To Ditch ‘Abolish ICE’ Rhetoric Ahead Of Midterms

Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/14/2026 – 18:10

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/liberal-think-tank-urges-democrats-ditch-abolish-ice-rhetoric-ahead-midterms 

An Indiana man has been charged with aggravated arson for his role in allegedly setting a fire that destroyed a Carpentersville apartment building and displaced 24 families, the village’s interim police chief said.

The fire started about 12:30 a.m. Nov. 29 in a first-floor apartment of a building in the Meadowdale Apartments complex, 104 Meadowdale Court, with the blaze ultimately spreading to the roof, fire officials said at the time.

Carpentersville police detectives, working with the Indiana Department of Corrections and the FBI’s Chicago field office, arrested Garland H. McGhee, 30, of Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday, according to a news release issued by interim Police Chief Kevin Stankowitz.

McGhee has been charged with four felonies: aggravated arson, residential arson, arson to real and personal property, and criminal damage with fire or explosives in which damage exceeded $100,000. Aggravated arson is a class X felony.

No information on a possible motive or how investigators linked the case to McGhee has been released.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/carpentersville-fire-arrest-arson-gary-indiana/ 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Actor Michael Keaton has been named 2026 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

The theater group, which dates to 1844 and claims to be the world’s third-oldest still operating, announced Wednesday that Keaton will receive his Pudding Pot award at a celebratory roast Feb. 6. Afterward, Keaton will attend a performance of Hasty Pudding’s 177th production, “Salooney Tunes.”

Hasty Pudding Theatricals gives the awards to people who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.

The Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning actor is known for his roles in “Batman,” “Birdman,” “Beetlejuice,” and “Spotlight.” More recently Keaton has starred in and directed the short film “Sweetwater” and starred in and executive produced the eight-part Hulu miniseries “Dopesick.”

“He was Batman, then Birdman, and now, most importantly, he’s a Pudding man!” producer Eloise Tunnell said in a statement. “Keaton is no stranger to being a superhero, but let’s see if that training earns him a Pudding Pot. We cannot wait to welcome him on February 6th: until then, don’t say his name three times!”

Other recent Man of the Year winners have included Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds. Actor Jon Hamm won the award last year.

Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year Award, which dates to 1951, will be awarded Jan. 30.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/michael-keaton-hasty-pudding/ 

Nano Nuclear Enters The Asian Market

Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/14/2026 – 17:50

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/nano-nuclear-enters-asian-market 

Don’t let their branding name fool you.

The “Clown Princes of the Basketball Court,” the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, got their start 100 years ago in Chicago, not Harlem.

It was this week, on Jan. 16, 1926, a century ago that this team was formed at the Giles American Legion Post No. 87, on the South Side of Chicago, since all the original players were raised in and went to Wendell Phillips High School in the Bronzeville neighborhood.

The antics and extreme playing power of this Black basketball team soon attracted the attention of booking agents, including the management of the Savoy Ballroom, where they became an in-house favorite as the “Savoy Big Five.”

After several players left the team in the fall of 1928, they created their own team called the “Globe Trotters” and began to tour. Enter promotion wizard Abe Saperstein, who promised to take the team to new heights as a coach, manager, promoter and part-time player, and offered new name branding in 1929 as the “New York Harlem Globe Trotters,” a reference to Harlem being the epicenter of Black notoriety.

The Harlem Globetrotters continue as pop culture icons with a touring schedule of basketball hijinks that has fans from around the world cheering their tricks of the trade.

The team, with their signature red, white and blue stripes and stars uniforms and basketball spinning, have headlined plenty of exhibition games at Valparaiso University throughout the decades and given me plenty of fun fodder for my columns.

At 7 p.m. on Jan. 20, the Harlem Globetrotters are returning to the VU campus for a special exhibition game at the Athletics Recreation Center in the center of campus as one of the first dates of their “100 Year Tour.”

The marketing describes the event as: “From gravity-defying dunks to game-changing tricks, experience the team that redefined basketball with a historic celebration of 100 years of over-the-top fun with all-new surprises like the Golden Basketball by Spalding. It is a fan celebration with epic new pre-game magic, unforgettable post-game interactions and the most fan-fueled experience in sports.”

The tour promotional kit promises: “Every Harlem Globetrotters game serves up unprecedented fan interaction opportunities before, during and after the game so fans can meet their favorite players.

Additional fan options include the Magic Pass Pre-Show Event, the Celebrity Court Pre-Show Event and purchasing a limited-edition replica game ball. All customers must have a game ticket and a premium experience pass for entry.”

General admission with reserved seating ranges from $25 to $45, with the added options of “The Magic Pass” available from 5:30-6 p.m. for an additional $25 gains fans access to 30-minutes of pre-game on-the-court fun with the players, plus photo ops and autograph moments while having the first chance at merchandise.

“A Celebrity Court Pass” for an additional $100 fee nets fans an up-close seating section for the pre-game warm-ups starting at 6:15 p.m. and a commemorative lanyard. As for the limited edition golden 100-year game ball replica from Spalding, it’s priced at $75. Visit www.valpoathletics.com or call 219-464-5233.

I grew up as a fan of the Harlem Globetrotters during the 1970s when the team consisted of Fred “Curly” Neal, who died at age 77 in 2020, Hubert “Geese” Ausbie, who is now age 87, Meadowlark Lemon, who died at age 83 in 2015, Sweet Lou Dunbar, who is 72, and Bobby Joe (B.J.) Mason, who died at age 70 in 2006.

The Harlem Globetrotters voiced animated counterparts of themselves as guest stars on Scooby-Doo’s Saturday morning cartoon series in 1973 before given their own animated cartoon show on Saturday mornings the following year, which also aired on CBS. (Hanna-Barbera Archive, 1973)

During my 1970s youth, the Harlem Globetrotters had their own Saturday morning animated cartoon series in 1974, and made special guest star appearances on Scooby-Doo’s Saturday morning cartoon series around the same time, with the players mentioned above providing their vocal talents for their cartoon counterparts.

My first time interviewing the Harlem Globetrotters was for a Jan. 7, 1997, story when I wrote for The South Bend Tribune, marking the 75th anniversary of the team’s founding as the team visited area high schools, including my own alma mater North Judson-San Pierre High School while promoting their upcoming exhibition game the same week at Valparaiso University.

At that time, the team was being coached by then 67-year-old former player Hubert “Geese” Ausbie, who sported 24 years of antics on the courts. He reminded me that our own local Hoosier claim-to-fame Opal “Shagg” Courtney played for the Globetrotters during the 1934-36 seasons, and he said he remains best remembered for inventing the trick of spinning the basketball on his index finger as well as rolling the ball across his shoulders onto his arms.

He died at age 89 in 2001 and is buried in Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Hobart.

Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and weekly radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at philpotempa@gmail.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/of-notoriety-harlem-globetrotters-celebrating-milestone-at-valparaiso-university/ 

Whatever transpires between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams during Sunday’s divisional-round playoff game at Soldier Field, it’ll be tough to top the scene after the win over the Green Bay Packers.

“It was just a movie,” Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon said. “I guess in my head, I always thought this game, like the setup of it, was just going to be something historical.

“That’s what I kept telling everybody, but at the same time, just enjoying it as another game.”

After fellow cornerback Jaylon Johnson got home from the game, he got in bed and watched a little TV but had trouble drifting off.

“Couldn’t really sleep,” he said. “I was kind of in and out of sleep, like, ‘Dang, this really happened.’”

Defensive end Montez Sweat said the mayhem at Soldier Field during the Bears’ rally from an 18-point deficit — the biggest postseason comeback in franchise history — created the “best atmosphere” of his seven-year career.

“I was thinking about it yesterday, this is probably the most fun I’ve had as a player,” he said. “Just playing football, playoff football. It’s fun.”

With its season-high 60,338 in attendance, Soldier Field was shaking — literally — after the Bears’ comeback win against the Packers.

The question is, can the Bears get Soldier Field rocking as much against the Los Angeles Rams?

“Next week we’re expecting the same thing,” Sweat said. “The fans showed up and showed out last week. The stakes are higher this week, so I’m expecting even bigger.”

Here are five things we learned Wednesday at Halas Hall as the Bears continued preparation for the Rams.

1. The dramatic comebacks are nice, but …

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) celebrates with teammates after catching a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Packers on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

When the Bears scored 25 points in the final quarter to beat the Packers 31-27, they completed their seventh fourth-quarter comeback between the regular season and postseason.

“We’d rather not be in those circumstances because it is definitely a fast heartbeat going on, and everybody is on the edge of their seats, but it’s exciting,” Sweat said.

And the Bears aren’t the only ones who can play the cardiac kids.

According to NFL Pro’s Next Gen Stats, for the regular and postseason combined, the Bears rank third in expected-points-added per play in the fourth quarter at plus-0.24; the Rams rank second at plus-0.25.

That was evident when they rallied twice Sunday in the fourth quarter, the second of which came on Matthew Stafford’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left to give the Rams a 31-28 wild-card-round win over the Carolina Panthers.

“We don’t want to put ourselves in a hole against a team like this, like we’ve done a number of times this year,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “We talked about playing a complete game on offense. This is the week that that needs to happen for us to be able to beat this team.”

“We’d rather not be in those positions, but if we are we’re comfortable in that position.”

2. It never snows in Southern California?

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson jumps over hurdles while warming up for an NFC wild-card-round playoff game against the Packers on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Soldier Field likely won’t get snowfall either (like it teased during pregame Saturday), but it will be cold for the 5:30 p.m. kickoff Sunday. The National Weather Service has forecast the high near 19 degrees and a low that night around 9.

“It seems like it’s going to be pretty damn cold,” Sean McVay told Rams reporters Monday. “Get your gloves on.”

The stereotype is that teams from comfy climates such as Los Angeles don’t play well in winter weather, that L.A. types are more likely to say “chill” than deal with chills.

Safety Kevin Byard III, who spent nearly eight years of his 10-year career with the Tennessee Titans, said even Bears players aren’t used to many games like Saturday’s 32 degrees with 25-degree wind chill.

The game against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 14, also at Soldier Field, was recorded as 8 degrees with a minus-2 wind chill.

“We haven’t played in a city this cold,” Byard said. “But I think our bodies are very acclimated to it now. I think (coach) Ben (Johnson) has been doing a good job of making us practice in this cold weather. No heaters on the field, which has been a complaint for the most part for a lot of guys. But in these scenarios, in this time of year, kind of looking back on it, it’s like, hey, it actually might be good that we didn’t have any heaters because our bodies are going to be fully acclimatized to this weather.

“Now, is that going to make a huge difference for the Rams? Who knows?”

Brrrrr down: The coldest Chicago Bears games played at Soldier Field

Since 2017, McVay’s first season as Rams coach, L.A. has played in four road games at outdoor stadiums in which the temperature was under 32 degrees, according to Stathead.

The Rams lost to the Packers (15 degrees on Dec. 19, 2022) and Bears (29 degrees on Dec. 9, 2018), and they beat the New York Jets (23 degrees on Dec. 22, 2024) and Denver Broncos (25 degrees on Oct. 14, 2018).

“Everybody’s not from Illinois,” Byard said. “People (are) from Florida, Texas, wherever it be, they don’t like being in the cold, so maybe it’ll affect them as well.”

3. Caleb Williams’ preparation helps “late in games.”

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws a pass in the fourth quarter against the Packers on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Running back D’Andre Swift said the second-year quarterback has taken the biggest step in his preparation.

“I’m not in the meetings with him day in and day out, but I always see his car is here longer, his car is here earlier, and he always has a notebook in his hand, always going over something,” Swift said. “He’s taking his process very, very seriously.”

Added Williams: “It definitely frees me, the confidence and belief going into games from my preparation and the growth from my preparation.”

He credited Johnson and the coaching staff with helping him improve in that aspect.

“Being able to have the belief and faith in myself from my preparation going into games definitely helps,” Williams said. “Especially late in games, especially leaning back on what you study, leaning back on your training and all those small things.”

4. The Bears want to get the ground game back on track.

Bears running back D’Andre Swift scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NFC wild-card game against the Packers on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

The 281 rushing yards the Bears stuffed down the Eagles’ throats in Week 13 seem like a distant memory.

In the last three games, they had 110 against the San Francisco 49ers, 65 against the Detroit Lions and 93 against the Packers.

“Yeah, it feels like it’s dipped a little bit,” Ben Johnson said. “Not something that we certainly want.

“Certainly late in the season, we wanted that to pick up, playoffs, weather games like this, you certainly want to be able to lean on your run game. So those are some elements we’re looking at.”

Swift said the matchup against the Packers played into the most recent performance.

“Playing a team three times (in a month) is tough in itself, but they did a lot of things defensively that kind of put us in a bind.”

But both he and Ben Johnson contend the running game’s struggles are correctable.

“It’s both efficient runs to stay on track and ahead of the chains, and also explosive runs as well,” Ben Johnson said. “Where can we find a few of those? I’ll say this, we got a really tough opponent in that regard.”

During the regular season, the Rams ranked 12th in run defense, allowing 110.8 yards per game.

“The front is their strength,” Ben Johnson said. “These guys at the line of scrimmage are really good football players. They shed blocks at an elite level. They are relentless. They’re violent really across the board.”

5. The numbers understate Sweat’s full impact in the Packers game.

Sweat had three quarterback pressures, including forcing Jordan Love’s throwaway on third-and-10 with 12:52 left in the game.

He also batted Love’s pass attempt from behind with 13 seconds left.

“I mean over the game, I guess we was getting a beat for how they wanted to block our front,” Sweat said. “We switched it up a little bit (in the second half). … DA (defensive coordinator Dennis Allen) was calling a couple pressures.

“But at the end of the day, the game was on the line, (the) season was on the line, so we just had to step it up.”

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He received a game ball after the win.

“It meant a lot,” Sweat said. “I wasn’t necessarily expecting it.”

Ben Johnson said Sweat is someone the team counts on.

“I know the sack numbers is what everybody looks at when it comes to edge rushers,” he said. And he’s at double digits (10), he’s played really good football in that regard. But as I’ve told him, as the year’s gone along, for me, it’s not just the sacks, it’s also the pressures and the quarterback hits.”

Sweat had three hits on Love.

“When you’re watching from the sideline and you’re feeling him affecting the quarterback (in) a different type of way, I do think that’s really important,” Ben Johnson said. “So he stepped up.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/chicago-bears-los-angeles-rams-playoffs-rally/ 

Alleging violations of the U.S. Constitution and federal law during the chaotic and at times violent immigration crackdowns in Chicago and Minneapolis, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and roughly 70 Democratic colleagues on Wednesday moved to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a largely symbolic move as Republicans maintain a narrow House majority.

Kelly, speaking at a Washington news conference, acknowledged the long odds of moving the articles of impeachment against Noem through the GOP-controlled House. But the seven-term congresswoman from south suburban Lynwood, who is running in Illinois’ March 17 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, said growing support for the effort and a groundswell of public opposition to the tactics of federal immigration agents, most recently the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis a week ago, will put pressure on Noem.

“Maybe I’m an optimist, but I’m hoping against hope that when she sees … the momentum, the public, the polls, that are so much against what she’s doing, that she will realize that she’s a public servant and that she’s serving the American people, and the American people do not like what she’s doing or what they’re seeing,” Kelly said.

The first step toward removing Noem from office would be for the Republican-controlled House to approve the charges in the impeachment resolution, an unlikely scenario even after some GOP lawmakers have broken with party leadership and President Donald Trump recently on issues including the release of files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the extension of Affordable Care Act tax subsidies. The Republican-controlled Senate would then have to vote to convict Noem and remove her from office by a two-thirds majority vote.

The 10-page resolution, which includes three articles alleging Noem obstructed Congress, violated the public trust and engaged in self-dealing, had been in the works for some time and “wasn’t just a knee-jerk reaction” to recent events, Kelly said, but she and other supporters felt that “enough was enough.”

The first article of impeachment alleges Noem has “willfully and systematically refused to comply with the law” by denying members of Congress access to ICE facilities and instituting a seven-day notice requirement for lawmakers seeking entry. While that scenario has played out several times at the ICE processing center in west suburban Broadview, the impeachment resolution highlights instances in California and elsewhere.

Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., from left, Nydia Velasquez, D-N.Y., Robin Kelly, D-Ill., Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., face reporters to call for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her handling of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Donald Trump, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 14, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Focusing largely on the conduct of federal immigration agents in the Chicago area during last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz, the second article alleges Noem “has repeatedly violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, the First and Fourth Amendments of the United States Constitution, and due process rights of American citizens by directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to make widespread warrantless arrests, forgo due process, and use violence against United States citizens, lawful residents, and other individuals.”

In addition to the fatal shooting last week in Minnesota, the resolution highlights the dramatic raid on an apartment building in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood in September, during which “federal agents used military-style tactics to raid apartments, dragging United States citizens, military veterans, and seniors out of their apartments in zip ties and detaining residents, several U.S. citizens, for hours”; the use of “tear gas on children having a Halloween parade” in the Old Irving Park neighborhood in violation of a federal court order; and the October shooting that wounded Marimar Martinez after she allegedly rammed a Border Patrol agent’s vehicle, though a federal judge in November dismissed charges against Martinez.

Finally, Kelly’s resolution alleges Noem engaged in self-dealing, using “the cover of a national emergency to bypass the competitive bidding process and direct federal dollars to close associates,” specifically through “a $200 million ad campaign for recruiting ICE agents.” Noem awarded multimillion-dollar, no-bid contracts to GOP-led firms, including one that formed days before the award, and subcontracted with a company run by the husband of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, the resolution alleges.

In a statement, a Homeland Security spokesperson dismissed the allegations and said Kelly’s actions were motivated by politics.

“Rep. Kelly is more focused on showmanship and fundraising clicks than actually cleaning up her crime-ridden Chicago district,” the statement said. “We hope she would get serious about doing her job to protect American people, which is what this Department is doing under Secretary Noem.”

Kelly represents a district that stretches from the South Side of Chicago to Danville in central Illinois.

Underscoring the low chances of a Noem impeachment before Democrats have a chance to take back control of the House in November’s midterm elections, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said at a separate news conference Wednesday that members of his party “haven’t had a caucus-wide conversation on that issue.”

“Clearly, we’re going to have to explore what accountability looks like as it relates to an out-of-control administration,” Jeffries said in response to a question about calls from some House Democrats to impeach Trump, Noem or other administration officials.

Even among Kelly’s 13 fellow Democrats in Illinois’ 17-member congressional delegation, only eight had signed on as co-sponsors of the impeachment resolution as of Wednesday afternoon. Those who didn’t co-sponsor included the state’s two Latino members of Congress, U.S. Reps. Jesús “Chuy” García and Delia Ramirez, both of Chicago.

Among those co-sponsoring the resolution is Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, who is running against Kelly in the Democratic Senate primary.

In December, Ramirez sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee requesting an investigation into Noem’s potentially impeachable offenses. In response to a social media post Tuesday highlighting criticism of progressive Democrats who’ve embraced calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ramirez responded, “Fine! Abolish ICE AND DHS.”

Noting that Ramirez first called for Noem’s impeachment in September, a spokesman for the two-term congresswoman said she supports all efforts to hold the Homeland Security secretary accountable but remains “focused on working with the Judiciary Committee on a caucus-wide strategy to successfully have Noem removed — through resignation, termination, or impeachment.”

“If Congresswoman Kelly’s articles of impeachment come to the floor, Ramirez will vote for them,” spokesman Jowen Ortiz Cintrón wrote in an emailed statement.

The other Democrats who hadn’t signed on included three who represent suburban districts that could be more competitive in the November general election: Brad Schneider of Highland Park and Bill Foster and Lauren Underwood, both of Naperville. None of the three responded to requests for comment on the impeachment resolution.

Underwood is the top Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Homeland Security’s budget.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/robin-kelly-kristi-noem-impeachment-immigration/ 

The Score, the longtime Chicago sports radio leader which launched as a daytime-only AM station more than three decades ago, is adding an FM simulcast.

The full schedule of WSCR-AM 670, including Cubs and Bulls play-by-play, along with a roster of sports talk hosts such as “Mully & Haugh,” will air on co-owned 104.3 FM beginning Feb. 2., group station owner Audacy announced Wednesday.

“We’re excited to expand The Score’s reach through this FM simulcast, bringing our premier sports content to an even wider audience so they can join the conversation and stay connected to their favorite Chicago teams,” Kevin Cassidy, senior vice president and market manager of Audacy Chicago, said in a news release.

The FM simulcast will open up new listenership opportunities for The Score, but will also end the run for the music programming on WBMX 104.3 Jams, a  classic hip-hop station. The Score on WSCR-AM is tied for 12th among listeners in Chicago with a 2.9 share in December, while WBMX-FM is tied for 18th, according to the latest Nielsen ratings.

Audacy, the second-largest radio chain in the U.S. behind iHeartMedia, owns more than 220 stations nationwide and a large Chicago cluster that also includes news station WBBM-AM 780; Top-40 station WBBM-FM 96.3 (B96), country station WUSN-FM 99.5 (US-99); and legacy rock station WXRT-FM 93.1.

The Chicago stations were added by a 2017 megamerger with CBS Radio, whose acquisition precipitated a nine-month stay in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization for Philadelphia-based Audacy in 2024 amid mounting debt.

Immediately after the 2017 merger, 104.3 FM was flipped from classic hits to classic hip-hop. After more than eight years with the format, the station will soon be reborn as 104.3 The Score, broadcasting 24/7 sports.

“We’ve heard from The Score listeners and Chicago sports fans that they want to hear Chicago’s sports leader and Cubs and Bulls play-by-play on FM. We’re responding to that desire,” said Mitch Rosen, The Score’s vice president and brand manager.

Nationally, AM listenership has been in decline for years, losing ground to the clearer sound of FM radio, and more recently, satellite radio and the rise of digital media in the new millennium.

But Chicago remains one of the strongest AM markets in the country, led by WBBM-AM, WGN-AM  and WSCR-AM, which are perennial top-10 stations among local listeners.

There is precedent nonetheless for simulcasting legacy AM stations on FM to extend their reach. In 2011, then-owner CBS Radio began simulcasting WBBM-AM on 105.9 FM, bolstering its status as Chicago’s leading news station.

When The Score simulcast hits the airwaves next month in Chicago, it will be the 20th Audacy FM station to broadcast sports programming, the company said.

The Score, which launched in 1992 as a daytime-only station at AM 820, long ago shifted to a full-time frequency at 670 AM, becoming the leading sports talk station in Chicago. Adding an FM simulcast will likely boost its audience even more.

There is however, at least one cautionary tale of an FM sports talk flameout in recent Chicago radio history.  The Game, 87.7 FM, WGN’s entry into FM sports talk, lasted less than a year in 2014 before low ratings forced owners to pull the plug.

The station, which is actually a low-powered TV signal, eventually found success under new owners, Weigel Broadcasting. It was rebranded as MeTV FM and programmed with an eclectic oldies format that turned 87.7 FM into a competitive radio station. MeTV FM is currently ranked 16th in Chicago with a 2.2 share, according to Nielsen.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/sports-station-the-score-fm-simulcast/ 

Before Rick Garcia died Monday night, the indefatigable gay rights activist’s brother recalled a childhood photo.

The young Garcia sat between his parents in the black-and-white shot. His legs dangled off a chair as he waited to listen to the mayor of his hometown, St. Louis. He was a little boy “waiting to be an adult, waiting to fight his fight,” Garcia’s brother, David, said.

“And he did fight.”

After a four-decade career pushing for gay rights in Chicago, the hard-hitting political heavyweight who kept a laser focus on civil rights leaves behind the belts to prove it.

Garcia successfully pushed to have anti-gay attacks in Chicago classified as hate crimes. He spearheaded campaigns that banned discrimination against LGBTQ people in the city, county and state. And he helped lead the push to legalize gay marriage in Illinois.

“Every single law that passed in the city, state and county passed because of Rick,” close friend Tobi Williams said.

Garcia, who died of heart failure, was 69.

Friends, fellow activists and family credit Garcia’s incessant spirit and willingness to work with anyone for the many hard-won legislative victories he helped secure. Garcia played a critical role in organizing LGBTQ Chicagoans into a political force, they said.

Equality Illinois, the state’s leading LGBTQ advocacy group that he co-founded, praised him as a “towering figure” Tuesday.

“He was a fierce advocate in a pivotal era of our movement, unafraid to throw punches when our community was under attack and equally committed to coalition-building and lasting change,” said Art Johnston, a fellow co-founder and part of the so-called Gang of Four that led Chicago LGBT rights activism.

For Garcia, those carefully crafted coalitions often took surprising form.

He sometimes got Republicans to sign on to gay rights legislation before liberal Democrats, Williams recalled. He even had a close friendship with former Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, she added.

“He was honest. He always counted votes. He always knew who was voting how. He worked both sides of the aisle,” she said.

In 2001, Ryan made the surprise move of vetoing legislation that aimed to guarantee motorcyclists the right to use hotels, restaurants and stores. The governor sent it back to the Illinois General Assembly with one key addition: the same rights for gay and lesbian people.

It was Garcia’s idea, an example of his often eye-catching and creative political style.

“The beauty of this motorcycle bill is that it holds up a mirror to the opponents of the gay rights bill,” he said at the time. “It exposes their argument for what it is. How can you vote to protect motorcyclists if you can’t vote to protect everybody else?”

Ryan uses veto to push gay rights

The state finally banned discrimination by sexual orientation and gender identity in 2005.

“For folks who live in Cook County and the 15 cities that already have this legislation, I don’t think this law has that great an effect,” said Garcia, a media-savvy expert to whom reporters often turned to. “But it is going to have an impact on people like those that came to Peoria’s human rights office and were turned away. Now they’re protected.”

Gays feel relief over Illinois rights bill

Garcia’s run-ins with top state leaders were constant.

Williams said Garcia met frequently with Mayor Richard M. Daley to push gay rights, and recalled the mayor effusively greeting Garcia when the two would appear together at events around the city.

Garcia, made a member of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1999, similarly won over former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who once told him he would never get any legislation passed in the state, Williams added.

“Rick said, ‘Yeah, we’ll see about that.’ And Rick fought back,” she said.

Former Gov. Pat Quinn, who signed into law both the state’s legalization of same-sex civil union in 2011 and same-sex marriage in 2013, called Garcia a “zealous advocate.” He “wasn’t shy in any way” as he helped steer a movement from the front, Quinn recalled.

“He always understood you aren’t going to win by just rhetoric,” Quinn said. “He would get to the streets and talk to people. He was relentless.”

That force was evident in childhood, David Garcia said. Growing up, Garcia, who had four brothers and two sisters, was always the favorite. He spent weekends with his beloved grandmother and delighted lines of women who waited to dance with him at family weddings, David Garcia said.

In a 1996 Chicago Reader profile, Garcia recalled raising his finger at a theology professor speaking about the “sin” of homosexuality during a lecture he attended as a young man.

“You need a refresher course in theology. Gay people are entitled to friendship, love, and justice, according to the American Catholic bishops. What you said was neither friendly, loving, or just,” he recalled saying.

The retort landed him on local television. Around the same time, he worked fighting for farm workers’ rights alongside Cesar Chavez, a gig that got him “arrested all the time,” he told The Reader.

How to Win Enemies and Influence People

“There was always a fiery quality to him about justice and injustice,” David Garcia said. “I think it was because of the nuns.”

The devout Catholic’s initial activism was in part funded by small donations from nuns, both Williams and David Garcia said. David Garcia recalled once feeling like “Paul McCartney’s brother” when several St. Louis nuns realized who his brother was.

Williams said Garcia was “one breath away from being a priest.”

To her, he was “everything, better than a husband” as she raised her daughters as a single mother. Garcia’s partner, Ernie Hunsperger, died in 2020.

“We had front row seats to the changing of human rights,” Williams said. “He was honest. He was smart. And he knew his stuff. … He had the best reputation I have ever seen in Illinois.”

She credited him with raising millions of dollars for a Northalsted LGBTQ community center. He did the same to support unhoused LGBTQ people in Humboldt Park, she said.

Garcia’s hard-hitting style clashed at times with others in his movement. He was fired in December 2010 from his role leading the political efforts of Equality Illinois, a move that shook Chicago’s gay community.

At the time, he criticized the “well-mannered, nice and corporate” approach that he said the organization wanted. “That doesn’t work in Chicago,” he said.

“The style I have has been hard and rough like Chicago politics. You tell the truth, fight hard and keep your eyes on the prize,” Garcia said.

And as condolences and praise poured in from state leaders Tuesday — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Gov. JB Pritzker, US Rep. Robin Kelly and more — David Garcia acknowledged his brother’s approach.

“His heart was in the right place. His methods might not have made a lot of people happy at the time. But in the long run, what he accomplished is something for them to be happy about,” he said.

“His impact, people are living it right now.”

Garcia is survived by two other brothers, Steven, and Anthony; three sisters Tina Arras, Daniella and Kerry; and his mother, Rita Warren, David Garcia said. Garcia’s family plans to host a memorial gathering Jan. 24 at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church, 4220 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, with a viewing at 1 p.m. and a funeral at 2 p.m.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/rick-garcia-chicago-gay-rights-activist-dies-69/ 

With a clarion call for civility, Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas asked the audience of 400 at the annual State of the City address Wednesday afternoon to use “generous amounts of grace” to push out the lack of respect eating at society.

“Now is the time to turn the tide and it must happen at the local level and work its way out,” Costas said in the main ballroom of the Porter County Expo Center, where he was hosted by the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce. He said the rules of civility are neither complex nor mysterious and told the audience to achieve it, we must “hold our core convictions tightly, but our many opinions loosely.”

It was Costas’ 18th time making a State of the City Address. He recognized “our talented city council members,” most of whom sat together at a table at the front of the room.

In a theme that touched on past, present and future, brought to mind, he said, by a Christmas holiday spent watching classic holiday films while recovering from knee replacement, Costas honored two women who passed away in 2025.

Former Clerk-Treasurer Sharon Swihart served the city in that role for 37 consecutive years under five different mayors. “She was authentic. She was loyal,” he said. Community member Lois Reiner “made her 96 years count,” he said, “generally living with light and conviction.”

Representing the best of Valparaiso’s present were 2025 Good Neighbor Award recipients Carlos Rivero and Elena Jambrina, owners of Don Quixote Restaurant, who Costas said, “have given away literally truckloads of food each year.”

Nora Burk looks a bit embarrassed as her father, Jack, takes her picture after she was announced as a Rising Star during the Valpo Chamber’s annual meeting at the Porter County Expo Center Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. Burk, 10, is a fifth grader at Central Elementary School. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

To celebrate the future of the city, Costas introduced Nora Burk, the city’s 2025 Rising Star. The Central Elementary fifth grader has tied warm blankets for people in need, made holiday place mats for Meals on Wheels, and crafted colorful dog toys for local animal shelters. “She often sacrifices her own recess to tutor classmates,” he said.

Costas also gave a sampling of accomplishments the city achieved last year, from $17 million in street and sidewalk investment to $80 million in utility infrastructure improvements. He said the city is close to acquiring access to Lake Michigan water as a secondary source, reducing reliance on groundwater, and $10 million was invested in the RePlay initiative to revitalize the city’s parks and recreation facilities.

The city’s V-Line bus service bought two new easy-entry buses and a new coach bus for the Chicago DASH service. The city’s police and fire departments are among only 14 in the state to hold CALEA accreditation, 25 additional AEDs were put on every police patrol car and there’s been an 18.2% drop in crime over the last two years.

Four new ambulances and two new fire trucks were added to the fleet, and upgrades were made to the rescue boat. Costas said the city’s AA stable bond rating is among the top 20 rated communities in the state, and the city tax rate has fallen every year for the last five years.

Valparaiso Fire Department assistant chief Eric White listens during the Valpo Chamber’s annual meeting at the Porter County Expo Center Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

“That’s a trend we hope to continue,” he said.

They were sentiments and information well-received by Valparaiso resident Brian Wiechert, who also serves as vice president of CoAction, an organization serving a variety of roles from housing assistance to 1,500 families to older adult services.

“He’s good at adding humor to serious stuff,” Weichert said after the speech. “I think there’s some encouraging words.”

Costas’ Democratic colleagues on the city council were also pleased with his message.

“It was an excellent speech that reminded us all of the importance of exercising humanity and civility more than ever,” said City Council Member Emilie Hunt, D-At-Large. “He did an excellent job of acknowledging how terrible it is right now and reminding us of the power of compassion.”

“It was an optimistic speech with optimism for 2026,” said City Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-Large.

Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/valparaiso-mayor-jon-costas-calls-for-civility-recognizes-city-accomplishments/