Category: News
Crete-Monee District 201 will ‘take time’ to decide on holding school on some holidays
After hearing concerns from parents and teachers Tuesday, Crete-Monee School District 201-U board members said they will take more time to consider a proposal to hold school on certain state holidays in the case of emergency closures other days.
Illinois law requires that school districts approve a waiver to hold school or schedule teacher institute, staff development or parent-teacher conferences on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the third Monday of January, President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday Feb. 12, Casimir Pulaski’s birthday, the first Monday of March, Columbus Day second Monday in October and Veterans Day Nov. 11.
The District 201-U Calendar Committee recommended the board approve the waiver in lieu of e-learning days, which the state allows only when all students have access to devices they can use to attend classes remotely.
Ghantel Perkins, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said starting next school year, the district will stop providing pre-kindergarten and elementary school students with personal computers to take home with them daily, so e-learning days will no longer be allowed during emergency school closures.
“Some emergency closures might require adding days to the end of our calendar year,” Perkins said.
Approving the waiver for the 2026-2027 school year would prevent that, allowing for school to instead be held on one of the approved holidays. State law requires the district recognize the person or people honored by the holiday through instructional activities provided that day, if school is held.
“(The holidays) would remain nonattendance days unless we needed to use them because of one of those emergency closures,” Perkins said.
Perkins said the recommendation was based on surveys of teachers and parents, many of whom said, “we just like sometimes to have a regular old school snow day.”
She said elementary school teachers reported rarely assigning homework using the Chromebooks that are sent home with students.
Brianne Werry, a Crete-Monee District 201-U parent, speaks in opposition to the district’s proposal to allow school to be held during select state holidays during Tuesday’s school board meeting. (Olivia Stevens/Daily Southtown)
But several teachers and parents opposed the plan Tuesday, including Brianne Werry, a district parent who works in child care.
Werry said the affected holidays provide “a brief mental reset” for herself and her child as well as some of her only opportunities to schedule daytime appointments.
“Speaking with several teachers, I have learned that they rely on these days for those same reasons,” Werry said. “I urge the school board to find other ways to fulfill the objectives proposed by this calendar change while meeting the goals of staff retention and staff well-being, along with student attendance.”
Other parents and district staff submitted messages, read by board President Maurice Brown. All three messages stressed the importance of the holidays, especially Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and Veterans Day, for many families and staff within the district, with one asking that the district not “reduce them to a scheduling inconvenience.”
The same person, who said she was a teacher and parent to a student, also shared sentiments expressed by Werry, saying the three-day weekends tied to some of the holidays “are important opportunities for rest, reflection and preventing burnout in a profession that is already stretched thin.”
The board ultimately decided to send the proposal back to the Calendar Committee, asking the group consider feedback received by parents and teachers before holding another public hearing. Board member William Sawallisch said board members were not involved in crafting the proposal and, as none of them are district employees, don’t have a personal stake in the decision being made.
“I’m just thinking that whatever emails or complaints (are received), shouldn’t they go to the committee and then the committee would come to us with the recommendation?” Sawallisch said. “And if they come to us in a month or however long and it’s the same decision, then it’s the same decision.”
Sawallisch added he hopes board members will prioritize district employee feedback, as they would be most impacted by any changes.
“I get the parents, but the school functions as a whole,” he said.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/crete-monee-district-201-holidays/
QB Dante Moore will return to Oregon next season rather than declare for the NFL draft
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has decided to return to the Ducks next season rather than declare for the NFL draft.
Moore, 20, announced his decision Wednesday on ESPN.
“When it comes to me just making my decision, of course I want to feel most prepared and what’s best for my situation, especially as a quarterback,” he said. “And with my decision, it’s been very tough. I prayed a lot about it, talked to many people, my mentors and people I just look up to.
“And with that being said, of course I’ll be coming back to Oregon for one more year, being able to play for the Oregon Ducks and reach our goal and be national champions.”
Moore completed nearly 72% of his throws this season for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Oregon finished 13-2.
Moore had been forecast to be the second quarterback selected in the NFL draft behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana.
The Ducks were coming off a 56-22 loss to Indiana in a College Football Playoff semifinal Friday night. Moore had three crucial turnovers in the first half, leading to three Indiana touchdowns that gave the Hoosiers a commanding 35-7 halftime lead.
Moore completed 24 of 39 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns against the Hoosiers.
Moore began his college career at UCLA but left after one season to sign with Oregon. He backed up Dillon Gabriel last season before moving up to the starting job when Gabriel departed for the NFL.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the Indiana loss that he hoped to have Moore return.
“Dante has been exceptional,” Lanning said. “It’s gone right for us 13 times. It didn’t go right tonight. You can’t let that overshadow (the season). Every one of us has unbelievable disappointment. Learn from it.”
Moore’s decision comes after former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola announced he would be transferring to Oregon and after Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman declared for the NFL draft.
Sadiq had a team-high 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns this past season, his first as a starter. He’s expected to be a first-round draft pick.
Thieneman finished the season with 96 tackles, including 3½ for a loss, as well as five pass breakups and two interceptions.
Among the players who have announced they will return to the Ducks are center Iapani Laloulu, a finalist for the Remington Trophy this season, tight end Jamari Johnson and defensive ends Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/oregon-dante-moore-nfl-draft/
Verizon outage disrupts calling and data services for phone customers across the US
NEW YORK — Many Verizon customers encountered a widespread outage on Wednesday, disrupting calling and other cellular services across the U.S.
The New York-based carrier acknowledged that there was an “issue impacting wireless voice and data services.” Verizon didn’t specify what was causing the disruptions, but said in an update shared on social media that it had deployed its engineering teams and was working to resolve the problem “as quickly as possible.”
Outage tracker Downdetector showed that Verizon customers began to report issues with their service around noon E.T. Reports appeared to peak at more than 175,000 by 12:30 p.m. ET — but still remained elevated later into the afternoon, sitting at nearly 68,000 as of 2:30 p.m. ET.
Impacted customers said they saw “SOS” or other no signal messages on their phones. In cities like New York, warnings were sent out noting that the outage may disrupt 911 calls — urging residents try landlines or a device from another carrier, if available, in case of an emergency, or visit local police or fire stations in person.
When cellular outages happen, some phone companies also urge consumers to try to connect to Wi-Fi and use internet calling. If Wi-Fi is still unavailable, there can be a limited number of other options — including sending messages via satellite on newer iPhones.
“Everything’s On The Table”: JPM CFO Signals Possible Fight With Trump Over Credit Card Rate Cap
“Everything’s On The Table”: JPM CFO Signals Possible Fight With Trump Over Credit Card Rate Cap
Wall Street has benefited greatly from the Trump administration’s economic policies and “Make America Great Again” agenda and has largely been supportive of the president. That relationship abruptly fractured last Friday when the president called for a one-year cap on credit card interest rates at 10%.
All it took was President Trump’s Truth Social post prioritizing working-class Americans over Wall Street, in which the president said, “AFFORDABILITY! Effective January 20, 2026, I, as President of the United States, am calling for a one-year cap on credit card interest rates of 10%,” to put big bank CEOs on notice, with some now preparing to mount a fight against the White House.
Two months later… https://t.co/POf3Y4jlrq pic.twitter.com/D4BlY4PD1i
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 10, 2026
Leading that charge appears to be JPMorgan Chase CFO Jeremy Barnum, who signaled during an earnings call on Tuesday that banks could challenge Trump’s move to cap credit card interest rates for a year.
“If you wind up with weakly supported directives to radically change our business that aren’t justified, you have to assume that everything’s on the table,” Barnum told analysts following JPMorgan’s fourth-quarter earnings report (read here). “We owe that to shareholders.”
Barnum argued that a rate cap would backfire by shrinking credit availability rather than lowering borrowing costs, ultimately hurting consumers, spending, and the broader economy. His warning echoed concerns raised earlier this week by UBS analysts Erika Najarian and Tim Chiodo.
“Our belief is that actions like this will have the exact opposite consequence to what the administration wants for consumers,” Barnum said. “Instead of lowering the price of credit, we’ll simply reduce the supply of credit, and that will be bad for everyone: consumers, the wider economy, and yes, at the margin, for us.”
Additional color via X user The Transcript …
$JPM CFO warns that capping credit card interest rates could “severely reduce access to credit, especially for those who need it most.”
Also says that it would be “severely negative consequences for consumers….for the economy” and “obviously be bad for us as well.” https://t.co/dWyY2Blgut pic.twitter.com/cmAGD4zaGg
— The Transcript (@TheTranscript_) January 13, 2026
The average U.S. credit card APR is about 20%, according to the latest data from Bankrate. Rates are much higher for subprime and store cards.
A stalled bill proposed by Josh Hawley and Bernie Sanders would have imposed a 10% cap for 5 years, versus Trump’s 1-year cap. Consumer-heavy industries beyond banking warned of ripple effects of less credit in the system, such as Delta Air Lines.
House Speaker Mike Johnson urged caution, warning that efforts to lower costs could have unintended consequences: “We have a lot of work to go [on] consensus around it, but you got to be very careful as we go forward in that in our zeal to bring down costs … you don’t want to have negative secondary effects.”
Read more about why UBS analysts say Trump’s 10% one-year cap on credit card interest rates is “unlikely” here.
Trump’s incoming fight with big banks on capping credit card rates is not unexpected given his administration’s massive push for affordability this year.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/14/2026 – 15:15
Verizon outage affects tens of thousands of users, tracking site shows
Verizon said on Wednesday that it was working to restore its mobile and data services, as more than 170,000 users reported outages to the website Downdetector, which tracks user reports of service disruptions.
That number had dropped to about 100,000 by 2 p.m. Eastern.
Some users said their mobile devices displayed “SOS” in the status bar where their network signal normally appeared.
Downdetector showed that the outage began just after noon on Wednesday.
The site’s outage map showed that the most disruptions were in major metropolitan areas such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington and Portland, Oregon. It was not clear what caused the interruption in service.
“We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers,” said a spokesperson for Verizon, Karen Schulz. “Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly. We understand how important reliable connectivity is and apologize for the inconvenience.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Sin City ‘Preacher’ faces up to 20 years after RICO guilty plea
A former Sin City Deciples president faces up to 20 years after a new guilty plea last week in federal court on a RICO charge.
Bernard Smith, 63, a.k.a. “Flirt” or “Preacher,” of Gary, formally admitted Friday his involvement in the notorious Gary motorcycle gang.
His sentencing hearing is April 17 before U.S. District Judge Phillip Simon.
His guilty plea, without a plea agreement, does not formally implicate him in two previously admitted murders and a drug conspiracy. However, the killings could factor into his prison sentence.
Federal prosecutors indicted him in October 2021 in U.S. District Court in Hammond as part of a 15-man racketeering and drug conspiracy for the Sin City Deciples.
The 57-page superseding indictment read like a television drama, weaving a tale of influence, obedience, intimidation, an internal power struggle, drugs, guns and murder spanning multiple states and including local, regional and national chapters of the Sin City Deciples.
Smith pleaded guilty in 2023 to the RICO charge, or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and a drug dealing count, but Simon granted his request to withdraw from the plea, rarely allowed, in May 2024.
In those documents, Smith admitted to committing a pair of decades-old killings, including Rodney Boone, the son of Gary’s first Black police chief, on Aug. 22, 2003.
Boone, 40, a resident of the Small Farms apartments near 25th Avenue and Grant Street, was killed after he argued with Smith, police said.
Boone was in front of his apartment when someone in a pickup drove near him and fired. Smith lived in the same complex.
Smith was arrested back in 2004 for Boone’s death, newspaper archives show.
Boone’s father was the first Black police chief of a major city, appointed to the city’s top spot in 1970 by then-Mayor Richard G. Hatcher. Charles Boone, 91, died in 2022 in Norfolk, Virginia.
In the prior plea, Smith also admitted to Erik Walker’s Feb. 23, 1995, death.
Both were at a Broadway Avenue restaurant when they argued and pulled guns on each other. Walker’s gun was cocked and he tried to fire an empty gun. Smith shot him dead.
In the bid to withdraw the prior plea, Smith’s former lawyer Sheldon Nagelberg made several arguments in court filings, including that both slayings happened years before the Sin City investigation started around 2009 and that federal jurisdiction shouldn’t apply to their deaths.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Toth refuted those arguments and said Smith’s culpability wasn’t questioned, saying he had “buyer’s remorse.”
Federal prosecutors dropped the drug count in December.
Lawyer Russell Brown is representing Smith.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
mcolias@post-trib.com
Indian Prairie District 204 board OKs over $17 million in construction bids for planned summer renovations
Plans for summer construction projects are underway at Indian Prairie School District 204, where the school board on Monday approved bids for renovation projects totaling over $17 million.
Indian Prairie is currently undergoing a major facilities overhaul after the passage of a bond referendum question in 2024 meant to help pay for renovations across the district.
In 2024, voters approved a proposal from the district to sell up to $420 million in bonds to pay for facility improvements. Without the bonds, the district would have needed to cut the equivalent of 50 full-time positions to pay for some of these projects, officials have said.
The bonds are to be paid for using a continuation of an existing 37-cent property tax per $100 of equalized assessed value that would otherwise have expired at the end of 2026, meaning the tax rate for residents in terms of their contribution to capital projects will effectively remain flat as a result of the referendum question’s passage, according to officials.
Since the referendum question was passed, the district has been preparing for and proceeding with work on projects across district buildings that are set to extend through 2032. The work includes school-specific renovations at Waubonsie Valley High School, Neuqua Valley High School, Metea Valley High School, the Birkett Freshman Center and Gregory and Hill middle schools, along with district-wide safety and security upgrades, LED lighting installations and other infrastructure projects.
Among the major bond referendum-funded projects touted by Indian Prairie is the building of secure school entrances at a number of the district’s buildings.
The district has said that safety and security improvements were its highest priority in using the bond funds. District staff has previously explained that the “secure vestibules” are meant to ensure that every school has a single and secure entryway where visitors must first interact with the main office before they can get into the school. The projects are being completed in phases over several years, District 204 Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley has said.
Plans call for the building of secure entryways at 11 district schools this summer.
Last month, the school board approved contracts with two construction managers for the secure entryway projects, along with bid packages for six of those schools’ renovations.
Pepper Construction Co., based in Barrington, will be managing the secure vestibule projects at Welch Elementary, White Eagle Elementary, Young Elementary, Kendall Elementary, Crone Middle and Scullen Middle schools. Bids for those projects were approved by the school board last month.
Chicago-based construction manager Bulley & Andrews will be the construction manager for the secure entryways at the remaining schools slated to get them this summer: Still Middle, Gregory Middle, Granger Middle, Fischer Middle and Metea Valley High School.
On Monday, bids for those five schools were approved, coming in at almost $9 million.
The school board also approved on Monday additional bid packages for the secure entryways being managed by Pepper Construction, in the amount of $373,300. The total cost for the secure entryways at those six schools is around $6.1 million, which the district says is under its original construction estimate.
Also approved Monday were bids for renovations to the Birkett Freshman Center, to the tune of about $8 million.
Part of the district’s facilities overhaul is a plan to make additions to the Neuqua Valley High School building to accommodate freshmen students, who will be brought back into the main high school building in 2027 after many years of taking classes at the Birkett Freshman Center. Doing so will free up Birkett for other uses, like housing the district’s STEPS and Gail McKinzie programs.
STEPS, or Supportive Training Experiences Post-Secondary, is a job training program for students with special needs. Gail McKinzie High School, also part of the district, offers a credit recovery program.
The bids approved Monday are for summer work at Birkett that will be managed by Bulley & Andrews, and, per a memo from Bulley & Andrews, will include things like electrical, plumbing, mechanical and carpet and flooring work.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/indian-prairie-summer-renovations/
Afternoon Briefing: DOJ looks to settle suit over Illinois National Guard deployment
Good afternoon, Chicago.
After a defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court, lawyers for the Department of Justice told a federal judge today they’re looking to settle litigation over President Donald Trump’s controversial efforts to deploy National Guard troops to the Chicago area to bolster immigration enforcement.
The development came as U.S. District Judge April Perry held a status hearing on next steps in the lawsuit brought by Illinois, which had been headed toward a lengthy preliminary injunction hearing over the legality of Trump’s mobilization of the Guard.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Owner Shams Frough clears snow in front of Rugistan rug store in Chicago’s in Lincoln Square, Jan. 14, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune
Snow expected to continue as temps fall to high teens
Tonight, officials expect scattered flurries and blustery conditions with temperatures falling in the high teens. Read more here.
More top news stories:
More civilian investigators coming to CPD Internal Affairs to tackle backlog
Merrillville man gets 2.5 years for pocketing $840K in COVID-19 loans
Travelers walk through Terminal 3 at O’Hare International Airport on Sept. 25, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago considers selling naming rights at O’Hare and Midway international airports
The city is inviting potential sponsors to describe their interest in sponsoring a range of airport assets, including parking lots, elevators, family restrooms and airport shuttle buses and stops. Read more here.
More top business stories:
Saks Fifth Avenue seeks bankruptcy protection
This year’s North American Car of the Year award winner announced
Chicago Blackhawks’ Nick Lardis takes a shot in the first period of a game against the Dallas Stars at the United Center in Chicago on Jan. 1, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Nick Lardis getting comfortable with the Chicago Blackhawks after call up: ‘It feels a little more normal’
It was a wild 24 hours for Blackhawks forward Nick Lardis on Dec. 13. Connor Bedard had gone down with a shoulder injury the day before in St. Louis, and the Hawks suddenly needed a forward who could score. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Connor Bedard is back at Blackhawks practice after illness — and Frank Nazar gets in some work
Residents on both sides of new Benet Academy sports stadium plan speak out
Even with more than 7,500 recording credits to his name, horn player Bobby Lewis still practices daily at home in Wilmette ahead of an upcoming concert celebrating his 90th birthday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Column: Defying the calendar and playing on, jazzman Bobby Lewis is turning 90
The great singer Peggy Lee once said of him, “I like him best when he plays in pastels, but every note is beautiful … is loving. Bobby loves life as he loves music … and I love Bobby Lewis.” Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
MCA comedy show sends in the ‘experimental clown artist’ for a trio of dark performances
John Mellencamp announces a greatest-hits tour, coming to Tinley Park
3 Chicago artists are among the 2026 winners of $50,000 USA Fellowships
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (John McDonnell/AP)
Greenlandic and Danish officials meet with Vance and Rubio as Trump insists on US control of island
Officials from Greenland and Denmark met in Washington today with top White House officials as President Donald Trump moved to ratchet up the pressure by suggesting that NATO should help the United States acquire the world’s largest island and saying anything less than it being under American control is unacceptable. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
FBI searches home of Washington Post reporter in classified documents probe, newspaper says
US suspending immigrant visa processing from 75 countries over public assistance
Trump Truth Store to reopen in Crystal Lake after summer shutdown amid eviction threat
A taste of Mar-a-Lago is coming to northwest suburban Crystal Lake.
After closing under threat of eviction six months ago, the controversial Trump Truth Store is reopening in a new location — a larger venue, which will offer even more MAGA-themed merchandise as well as recreational and social activities designed to bring together like-minded Trumpites.
The new Trump Truth Store is scheduled to open at 829 S. Virginia Road in Crystal Lake on Saturday.
The shop is just over 3,100 square feet, roughly three times the size of its previous location in northwest suburban Huntley, where the business was accused of multiple municipal sign and building code ordinance violations — in part over a life-size Trump inflatable that waved outside the store along Illinois Route 47.
Business owner Lisa Fleischmann shut down the brick-and-mortar store and vacated the premises in mid-July as part of a settlement with her landlord Ricky Lynfield Inc., which had threatened the business with eviction after several citations because of alleged code violations.
The landlord said those infractions violated the terms of the lease and demanded the store either comply with local ordinances or leave.
But Fleischmann said she’s elated for her retail revival in the new location — which will be bigger, better and stronger than the previous venue.
“It’s really big,” she added. “I definitely get my steps in every day.”
Crystal Lake officials said they were aware of the store’s relocation to their suburb, adding that the business must abide by all city ordinances.
“The city has sign permit rules and regulations that will apply to the business, just like any other retail establishment,” said Kathryn Cowlin, Crystal Lake’s director of community development. “The business has been made aware of the rules and regulations, and the city will expect the business to abide by those regulations.”
Fleischmann said she had intended to leave the Huntley store even before the eviction proceedings began, primarily because the space was too small to house her broader vision of a local spot dedicated to making America great again.
The new store will be open only four days — Thursday through Sunday — a week at first. There will be special hours on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Fleischmann said, noting that January and February aren’t typically lucrative retail months.
“I’m getting new shirts and new stuff,” she said. “All of that’s coming in next week.”
Patrons will be able to purchase a variety of MAGA-themed merchandise there including T-shirts reading “ICE ICE BABY” with an image of Trump dressed as a federal immigration agent, a nod to recent ramped up immigration enforcement, much of which has centered in the Chicago area.
There’s also apparel lauding the “Gulf of America” and the “Make American Healthy Again” movement.
Lisa Fleischmann hangs a sign inside her Trump Truth Store and Hangout on Jan. 13, 2026. The store is scheduled to reopen at 829 S. Virginia Road in Crystal Lake. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Another shirt bears the message, “My rights don’t end where your feelings begin,” the words surrounding an American flag with rifles in place of its traditional stripes.
The Crystal Lake location had a two-day soft launch in late December when Fleischmann briefly opened the doors to customers looking to buy gifts before Christmas. She said she didn’t advertise much for that temporary debut.
Fleischmann said she plans to host a grand opening with a ribbon-cutting celebration in March, when she intends to expand hours and add more leisure offerings.
Some of those activities include Trump-themed bingo games and crafts for children, as well as a mock oval office where patrons can pose for photographs at a replica of the president’s desk.
Customers will be able to gather at a counter with barstools and drink coffee; big-screen televisions will air recorded Trump speeches and other MAGA-related media.
The new store will be called the Trump Truth Store and Hangout, reflecting the wider array of the business’s offerings, she added.
Fleischmann said she plans to advertise the new name in a large light-up sign outside.
She doesn’t know yet if she’ll install the Trump inflatable outside again, adding that she’s “holding off until everything is finalized” with the new venue.
Fleischmann said she doesn’t anticipate the new store will have problems with local ordinances in Crystal Lake, a city of about 40,000 roughly 50 miles from downtown Chicago.
The new store is in a more industrial area, Fleischmann said, adding that she prefers that scene over the previous strip mall site in Huntley.
“I think where I’m located is way better. Because blue-collar people are way more awake than people who actually went to college and stuff,” she said. “I love the area I’m in. I absolutely love it. I’ve gotten so much positive feedback. Just people passing by.”
She still contends that Huntley’s rules and regulations “were ridiculous.”
The store owner has claimed that village officials targeted her business because of its political leanings, while arguing that its municipal rules were overburdensome as well as antiquated.
In a written statement last year, Huntley officials said they had been attempting to work with Fleischmann for months to comply with village ordinances, which apply to businesses throughout the suburb of about 28,000 people.
“However, Ms. Fleischmann insists on maintaining signage in violation of the ordinance that includes temporary banners, flags, inflatable figures and signs placed within the right-of-way,” the statement said.
The Huntley store had been the scene of dueling protests in May, when roughly a hundred Trump Truth Store patrons gathered to support the business as it faced eviction.
Many were decked out in MAGA-themed apparel for the occasion, including a 12-year-old girl who came dressed as the president.
Roughly a half-mile away, some 200 protesters flocked to oppose the store. An organizer had told the Tribune the counterprotesters were rallying against Trump and his administration but also to declare that businesses must follow local codes and regulations.
As for the store in Crystal Lake, recent reactions on social media appeared to be mixed.
Some customers expressed excitement at the prospect of Trump Truth’s return to the northwest suburbs.
“We can’t wait to see what you are going to do with your new place!! Looking forward to seeing it!” one fan posted on Facebook. “Also, thanks for continuing to find somewhere that supporters of our President are welcome. Always take this to heart, you are very much appreciated. Thank you Lisa.”
Another patron referred to the new location as “the BIG BEAUTIFUL store,” followed by several exclamation marks.
But others have opposed its opening, with some detractors calling the business “a cult” and its name “an oxymoron.”
Someone on Facebook asked if presidential pardons would be for sale. Another commenter inquired about potential “Jeffrey Epstein merch.”
A few predicted the store’s second term would be short-lived.
“Can’t wait for it to close down again,” one critic posted on Facebook.
Connor Bedard is back at Chicago Blackhawks practice after illness — and Frank Nazar gets in some work
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard returned to practice Wednesday after missing Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers because of illness. He was a victim of the bug that has ran rampant across the team in the past week.
“I tried to get myself up and go — I was trying to get to the game — but it didn’t work out unfortunately,” Bedard said. “It sucks to miss, obviously, but it is what it is.”
Bedard participated in the morning skate before the Edmonton game with no limitations. He revealed, though, that he wasn’t exactly 100%.
“It (hit) a little before (morning skate), and then I went back to bed for 20-30 minutes,” he said. “And then I was good enough and skated, and then after that, it started coming. You kind of wish it was earlier, so you had a little more time to get it out.”
Bedard had returned Friday in a 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals after missing the previous 12 games because of a shoulder injury. He had two assists Saturday in the Hawks’ 3-0 road win against the Nashville Predators, giving him 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) this season.
The Hawks will play 11 games in the next 21 days before the NHL breaks for the Winter Olympics beginning Feb. 5. It’s a gauntlet, but Bedard and Co. believe it will be good for gaining a rhythm.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys and we’re getting into the flow of it (with) more games under everyone’s belt,” Bedard said. “You get in such a routine that it becomes so natural. That’s where we’ve got to use pregame skates to do some stuff and fix some things.”
Center Frank Nazar took the ice Wednesday for the first time since he was hit in the face by a puck Dec. 20 in a 6-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators. He skated by himself in a noncontact sweater before practice.
Forward Teuvo Teräväinen won’t play against the Calgary Flames on Thursday because of the upper-body injury he suffered Monday. Forward Sam Lafferty didn’t practice Wednesday because of illness.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/chicago-blackhawks-connor-bedard-practice-illness/
