One look outside the window for winter 2026 and it’s easy to be confused.

January temperatures in the 60s one day and then a drop into the teens just hours later.

Wind and rain contrasted by sunshine and snowflakes all in the same day have become a new norm.

It’s no wonder the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society has moved up their date for the Third Annual Groundhog Day Gala Dinner this year to Saturday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1120 119th St. in Whiting. Music, a full bar and a multi-course feast are part of the fundraising festivities until 11 p.m. All money raised supports the new Whiting-Robertsdale History Museum, which opened last year in 2025. Individual tickets are $100 and tables are $800 to accommodate eight guests.

Reservations are required by calling Gayle Kosalko at 219-659-8129 or visiting www.wrhistoricalsociety.com to purchase tickets online.

The Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society was started as a Bicentennial project in 1976. Since that time, it has amassed a large collection of historical items related to the Whiting-Robertsdale area, all now housed at the organization’s new museum location at 1606 119th St. in Whiting.

Banners and grinning groundhog décor depictions welcomed guests to a red-carpet entrance to the 2nd Annual Groundhog Day Gala Dinner in 2025 at the Whiting Knights of Columbus Hall in Whiting. (Philip Potempa/for Post-Tribune)

This is a special year since it is the 50th anniversary year for the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society. I attended last year’s gala event for the first time, and it was both fun and filled with surprises paired with the buffet feast.

We no longer have a media star local groundhog who garners TV time as our Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana weather soothsayers. In the past, both Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo had noted groundhogs among their animal numbers for viewing. For many years, Chicago media would trek to witness the weather predictions of our zoo weathercast creatures. Brookfield Zoo’s named groundhogs over the years have included Chipper T., Sunshine, Cloudy and Tumbleweed, among others.

Today, both zoos stake claim to “wild” groundhogs who are spotted on their zoo properties frequently, but none has finessed in weather forecasting.

At our own farm, we have a number of groundhogs who live around our acreage, including one near our farm’s footbridge over the field ditches and another that likes to burrow under our late collie Laddie’s long vacant backyard doghouse. There are groundhogs who construct sturdy underground lairs lined with large gravel pieces positioned alongside the trek of what’s left of the abandoned railroad dividing our farm field landscape, as well as their likely relatives who dig their homes in the sand floor of the farm machine shed where Dad’s 1948 John Deere tractor is housed.

Here’s some of the dirt I dug up about groundhogs and the many traditions and tales associated with popular ways of predicting weather, with some help from the Purdue Extension Office.

The lore associated with Groundhog Day, which is always observed on Feb. 2, is that if the groundhog sees its shadow, expect six more weeks of winter. If it doesn’t see its shadow, spring is just around the corner. As for “just around the corner,” that seems to be open to interpretation and debate.

One of the theories of how this holiday originated connects it to European farmers in the 18th Century. In Europe, where winters are milder than in the Midwest, farmers watch hedgehogs (a smaller underground cousin) or badgers (larger, more aggressive cousins to groundhogs) come out of hibernation in early February. Their appearance was a sign that it was time to begin spring planting. Since the U.S. doesn’t have hedgehogs and badgers tend to be more to the south and west of North America, Dutch settlers settled for the weather wisdom of groundhogs, which can be found throughout the Midwest and along the East Coast.

Groundhogs hibernate when the temperature drops to 50 degrees for an extended period. During hibernation, a groundhog’s body drops from 90 degrees to 38 degrees. They only take a breath about once every minute as their heart rate slows to four to six beats per minute.

Of course, one of the world’s most famous groundhogs shares my same name and lives in a luxurious den (that’s the animal’s preferred hole with leaves and sticks for bedding) in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. “Punxsutawney Phil” lives on a hill (with commercial heating, believe it or not) that is called “Gobbler’s Knob.” Throughout the years, Phil’s record has been the standard for the Feb. 2 outcome for most of the country, despite his zip code. Statistics show he is accurate about one-third of the time. Phil’s handlers sometimes use a special homemade carrot-shaped cake to coax out the fickle, furry fellow. The cake is made of carrots, honey and syrup.

Groundhogs are often referred to as “woodchucks” (as my dad usually referred to them) and are members of the squirrel family of mammals known as “marmots,” which include chipmunks, squirrels and prairie dogs. And despite that famous nursery rhyme, woodchucks don’t like wood but get labeled a pest because of their hole-digging and habit of chewing on flowers and vegetable garden plants. Their true diet consists primarily of plants, seeds, insects and maybe an occasional small bird.

Though they make their home underground, they can also hold their own in the climbing department. When in danger, they will climb a tree for a quick escape or even swim a shallow stream to escape natural enemies like rattlesnakes, wolves, bears, foxes, mountain lions, hawks, dogs and a gun held by an angry farmer or hungry hunter. Yep. Many sportsmen eat groundhog meat for its tender and mild flavor.

An edible “groundhog garnish” crowns frosted log-designed cake rolls as the dessert finale course at the 2nd Annual Groundhog Day Gala Dinner in 2025 at the Whiting Knights of Columbus Hall in Whiting. (Philip Potempa/for Post-Tribune)

For the record, groundhogs have four toes on their front feet and five toes on each back foot and most adult groundhogs tip the scales at more than 20 pounds, with a lifespan of five years in the wild and up to 20 years in zoo captivity.

Dad’s beloved older sister, my Auntie Judy, who died at age 83 in December 2005, had a Feb. 2 Groundhog Day birthday. It’s always been easy to remember the date of her birthday. As so often mentioned in my columns and published cookbooks, Auntie Judy is one of the reasons this chronicling column was launched in April 2002 because of her fervent mission to preserve and pass along our family recipes. Today’s handwritten recipe for her delicious European pastry squares was tucked away in a cookbook preserved by her sister, my Auntie Lilly, in the farm pantry.

Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is a weekly radio show host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at PhilPotempa@gmail.com or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.

Auntie Judy’s European Pastry

Makes 12 pastry squares

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided use

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Work 1 cup flour, butter and sugar together and pat into an ungreased 7-inch-by-12-inch baking pan.

2. Bake pastry bottom layer in 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

3. While bottom layer is baking, mix together eggs, 2 tablespoons of flour, baking powder, brown sugar, chopped nuts, coconut and vanilla.

4. Spread top mixture over baked layer in pan and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or longer if needed.

5. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into squares and sprinkling with powdered sugar.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/from-the-farm-whiting-groundhog-day-gala-dinner-ready-for-trifecta-year/ 

Residential Electricity Prices Are Surging Even More

Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/09/2026 – 18:30

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/residential-electricity-prices-are-surging-even-more 

Por MICHAEL R. SISAK y LARRY NEUMEISTER

NUEVA YORK (AP) — Días después de la lectura de cargos contra el expresidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro en una corte de Nueva York, ha surgido una disputa sobre quién tiene el derecho de representarlo.

El abogado defensor Barry Pollack, quien estuvo con Maduro en la corte, acusó al abogado Bruce Fein de intentar unirse al caso sin autorización. Fein, quien fue subsecretario de Justicia durante la presidencia de Ronald Reagan, dijo que un juez le pidió el viernes que permitiera a Maduro resolver la disputa.

Fein le dijo al juez federal de Manhattan Alvin K. Hellerstein que “individuos situados de manera creíble” entre los allegados o la familia de Maduro habían buscado su asistencia para ayudarlo a navegar lo que el abogado llamó las “circunstancias extraordinarias, sorprendentes y traicioneras” de su captura y proceso criminal.

Fein dijo en una carta al juez que no había tenido contacto telefónico, por video u otro contacto directo con Maduro, quien está detenido en una cárcel federal en Brooklyn. Pero afirmó que Maduro “había expresado un deseo” de contar con su “asistencia en este asunto”.

La disputa salió a la luz el jueves cuando Pollack pidió a Hellerstein que rescindiera su aprobación para que Fein se uniera al equipo de abogados de Maduro. Pollack dijo que Fein no era el abogado de Maduro y que no había autorizado a Fein a presentar documentos que dijeran lo contrario al juez.

Pollack fue el único abogado que representó a Maduro el lunes, cuando el depuesto presidente de Venezuela y su esposa, Cilia Flores, se declararon inocentes de los cargos que alegan que trabajó con cárteles de drogas para facilitar el envío de miles de toneladas de cocaína a Estados Unidos. Dos días antes, el ejército de Estados Unidos sacó a Maduro y Flores de su casa en Caracas.

En una declaración escrita a Hellerstein, Pollack dijo que intentó contactar a Fein por teléfono y correo electrónico para preguntarle con qué base buscaba presentar su aparición en nombre de Maduro y qué autorización tenía para hacerlo.

“No ha respondido”, dijo Pollack.

Pollack indicó que habló con Maduro por teléfono el jueves y confirmó que Maduro “no conoce al señor Fein y no se ha comunicado con el señor Fein, mucho menos lo ha contratado, autorizado para presentarse o de alguna otra manera actuar como representante del señor Maduro”.

Pollack dijo que Maduro lo autorizó a pedir a Hellerstein que modificara el expediente judicial para que ya no mostrara a Fein como representante de Maduro.

Fein, en su respuesta el viernes, le dijo al juez que no disputa ni cuestiona la exactitud de las afirmaciones de Pollack. En cambio, sugirió que Hellerstein interrogara a Maduro en privado para “determinar definitivamente los deseos de representación del presidente Maduro”, incluyendo si desea ser representado por Pollack, Fein o ambos.

“Maduro fue aprehendido bajo circunstancias extraordinarias, sorprendentes y traicioneras, incluyendo la privación de libertad, restricciones de custodia en las comunicaciones e inmersión inmediata en un proceso penal extranjero en una lengua extranjera, lleno de potencial para malentendidos o errores de comunicación”, escribió Fein.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/surge-disputa-en-eeuu-sobre-quin-representar-al-expresidente-venezolano-nicols-maduro-en-la-corte/ 

WREXHAM, Gales (AP) — Los equipos de la máxima categoría entraron en actividad en la Copa de la FA el viernes y uno de ellos fue derribado de inmediato.

El Wrexham de la segunda división eliminó al Nottingham Forest de la Liga Primier por 4-3 en penales después de que su emocionante partido terminó 3-3 tras los 90 minutos y el tiempo extra.

El portero de Wrexham, Arthur Okonkwo, fue el héroe, al atajar dos penales para llevar a su equipo a la cuarta ronda.

La escuadra galesa, copropiedad de los actores Ryan Reynolds y Rob McElhenney, estaba 2-0 arriba al descanso gracias a los goles de Liberato Cacace y Ollie Rathbone.

El brasileño Igor Jesus descontó con un cabezazo a los 64 minutos, sólo para que Dominic Hyam restableciera la ventaja de dos goles del Wrexham con una palomita diez minutos después.

El suplente de Forest, Callum Hudson-Odoi, anotó a los 76 y 89 minutos para enviar el partido a una prórroga que no deparó goles.

James MacLean falló por el Wrexham, pero Okonkwo tapó los tiros de Igor Jesus y Omari Hutchinson para llevar a los aficionados locales al éxtasis.

“El entrenador nos habló antes del partido, nos contó sobre la historia del club y cómo podemos vencer a equipos que están muy por encima de nosotros”, dijo Okonkwo, jubiloso. “Fue increíble ganar el partido al final. Sólo tenemos que disfrutar el momento.”

La Copa de la FA comenzó en agosto con 446 clubes que soñaban con un lugar en la famosa final en el Estadio de Wembley. Los conjuntos de las dos máximas categorías no ingresan sino hasta esta tercera ronda.

El triunfo del viernes fue otro capítulo memorable en la mejoría del club galés que fue comprado en 2021 por la dupla de Hollywood.

Las estrellas han supervisado el rápido despegue de Wrexham y han visto tres ascensos consecutivos. Se encuentra noveno en la segunda división y la victoria del viernes fue su quinta consecutiva en todas las competiciones.

_____

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/wrexham-elimina-a-nottingham-forest-en-penales-y-avanza-a-4ta-ronda-de-copa-fa/ 

Newly released video of Wednesday’s ICE shooting in Minneapolis appears to show the officer’s point of view just moments before he opened fire, leaving a 37-year-old mother of three dead.

Footage obtained by Minnesota outlet Alpha News on Friday begins with Renee Nicole Good speaking to the federal officer who would shoot her seconds later while she was in her vehicle. The agent has since been identified by local media as 43-year-old Jonathan Ross.

BREAKING: Alpha News has obtained cellphone footage showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/p2wks0zew0

— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) January 9, 2026

“That’s fine dude, I’m not mad at you,” Good says to Ross, who’s filming the encounter on his cellphone.

He then circles around the vehicle where Renee Nicole Good’s wife, Rebecca Good, begins arguing with the agent on the street while recording on her own phone. Rebecca appears to tell Ross that she’s a U.S. citizen and a military veteran.

“You want to come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy,” she defiantly adds.

Rebecca then tries to get back inside the SUV but realizes the passenger side door is locked. As other federal agents approach the vehicle and shout at Renee to “get out of the car,” Rebecca can be heard saying, “Drive baby, drive!”

Renee Nicole Good’s partner, Rebecca Good (pictured), is recorded arguing with the federal agent. (X.com)

At that point, Ross has made his way around the front of the SUV when Renee starts driving away, the vehicle appearing to make contact with the officer. Still holding a cellphone in one hand, Ross fires a shot through the windshield. A total of three gunshots can be heard.

Renee’s vehicle continues moving forward as a voice off-camera says, “F—ing b—h!” The 47-second clip ends with her SUV crashing into a parked car.

Renee died of gunshot wounds to her head.

Video released on Thursday shows Rebecca grieving in the aftermath of the shooting, which took place just a few blocks from where she and Renee lived.

“I made her come down here, it’s my fault,” she sobs.

Former neighbors told the media the couple had previously lived in Kansas City, Mo., but moved to Canada when Trump was elected in 2024. They returned to the U.S. in recent months and settled in Minnesota.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has justified the shooting, saying Ross acted in self-defense to protect himself and his fellow law enforcement officers. She claimed Renee was engaging in “an act of domestic terrorism” when she pulled her vehicle toward him and that he was lucky to be alive.

Vice President JD Vance, who earlier claimed Renee was part of a “broader leftwing network,” reposted Ross’ cellphone footage, claiming it exonerates his actions.

Related Articles

“Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed and murdered an innocent woman,” Vance wrote on social media Friday. “The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self-defense.”

Renee’s defenders argue the officer put himself in harm’s way and exercised poor judgement by standing in front of the vehicle. Policing experts have said some of the choices he made in that moment defy practices that nearly every law enforcement agency has followed for decades.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/minnesota-ice-shooting-video/ 

In a last-minute effort to save a landmarked structure along the Fox River from being torn down, a group of Geneva residents is proposing the structure be turned into a visitor information center.

On Monday evening, the Geneva City Council is expected to vote on whether the limestone structure, formerly part of the Mill Race Inn, can be demolished. Last month, the city’s Historic Preservation Commission unanimously shot down a request by Dave Patzelt, the president of Geneva-based Shodeen Group, to demolish the structure.

Patzelt then appealed the decision, which is why the matter now goes to the full council for a vote.

But, before the meeting on Jan. 12, some Geneva residents have pulled together a pitch to save the landmark structure.

The structure in question was previously part of the Mill Race Inn restaurant, which operated from the 1930s until it shuttered in 2011.

Though perhaps most famously a part of the popular eatery, the building existed long before that. It first housed a blacksmith shop in the 1840s, but, before it became part of the longstanding Geneva restaurant, housed a number of other businesses too: a wagon manufacturing and blacksmithing shop, a cooperage and a carriage painting shop, for example.

But, after the former Mill Race Inn site was acquired by Geneva-based development company Shodeen Group, demolition of most of the property began in 2016. The 1840s-era limestone sections, at the time, were to be evaluated as to whether they could be considered a historic landmark or be incorporated within any future development of the property.

What remains of the limestone building — which was designated as a landmark in 2018 — weathered multiple requests by its owner to demolish it over the years, none of which ultimately came to fruition.

Then, in October, Patzelt again asked the city to demolish the structure, arguing that keeping the structure is no longer in the majority of the community’s best interest. The matter came to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission last month, and was again shot down.

The property is no longer owned by Shodeen itself, according to Patzelt, but by the Mill Race Land Company, LLC, though Shodeen Construction Company remains listed as the contractor on the original application for demolition from October.

Patzelt appealed to the City Council the day after the Preservation Commission determination was made. The council can now vote to uphold, amend or reverse entirely the commission’s decision, but a reversal or modification requires a two-thirds majority of the aldermen to vote for it. The vote must occur within 30 calendar days of an appeal being made.

So, in advance of Monday’s planned vote, a group of Geneva residents has come together in an attempt to stop the structure from being torn down — complete with an architectural model of what the blacksmith shop may have once looked like.

As a downpour carried on outside, around two dozen residents — including a few members of the Historic Preservation Commission and Geneva Ald. Mark Reinecke — gathered for a meeting on Thursday at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Geneva to talk about the proposal, and the fate of what was once the Alexander Brothers’ Blacksmith Shop.

With the architectural model of the Blacksmith Shop front and center in the meeting room, the residents listened to Alan Leahigh, a preservation advocate who lives in Geneva’s 1st Ward, where the structure is located. Leahigh is one of the residents behind the recent push to preserve the Blacksmith Shop.

An architectural model, created by Craig Elliott, of a now-landmarked structure along the Fox River in Geneva as it was believed to have looked in the mid-19th century when it was a blacksmith shop sits at a meeting of Geneva residents on Jan. 8, 2026. (Molly Morrow/The Beacon-News)

Leahigh said that, because “unfortunately, (they) don’t have a time machine,” making a model was “the next best thing.”

The model itself was constructed by Craig Elliott, who also joined the resident meeting on Thursday. It was meant to represent what the Alexander Brothers’ Blacksmith Shop may have looked like in the 1840s. It features the shop itself, as well as the nearby mill race.

Also displayed at the meeting was a watercolor painting by Chuck Cassell of the old Blacksmith Shop. Leahigh said a conversation with Cassell was part of what prompted this recent effort to save the structure.

“The trouble is that everybody sees these ruins, these remnants, and they’re ugly,” Leahigh said at the meeting on Thursday. “Let’s get (rid of) the ugliness, and I think most people really agree with that, but people didn’t have much of a vision of what it might have looked like (in) the beginning.”

Thus, following some research into the structure’s history, the architectural model and the painting ultimately came about, Leahigh explained.

“We think this is a pretty good representation,” Leahigh said. “We’ve done measurements, so … the ratios are all correct and so forth.”

These efforts had been in progress before the most recent demolition request from Shodeen, Leahigh explained, but upon hearing about the request, the involved residents finished up the project for the public to see.

“The problem is that people don’t, all they see is the ruins there, and don’t see the possibilities of what it was and what it could be,” Leahigh said.

But, even if the council votes to keep the structure standing, Leahigh noted that there needs to be a vision for how it could be used.

His group’s suggestion? A visitor information center for the tri-cities: Geneva, St. Charles and Batavia.

Leahigh pointed to how such a project could serve those using the nearby Fox River trail, canoers and kayakers and other visitors to downtown Geneva.

He also pointed to how it could serve as a sort of bicentennial project in the coming years. James and Charity Herrington and their family, often considered the founders of Geneva, first arrived in the area in 1835, according to the city’s history.

How does such a project come to fruition? Leahigh, on Thursday, said that is “not (their) expertise” and that the expected costs are “a little out of (their) lane,” but said that “the city’s got to grab hold and do something” if the developer will not.

Patzelt, in an email to The Beacon-News, on Friday said that week was “the first that (he has) heard of” the visitor center idea. Pointing to previous requests from those in favor of preserving the structure for additional time to determine how it might be used, Patzelt said that no one “willing to rehabilitate, relocate, reuse, or repurpose materials … has come forward” in the years since.

As for the reuse of the building in general, Patzelt cited a 2022 estimate of $1.5 million to renovate and restore the structure, saying that there is “nobody that (Shodeen is) aware of who will fund paying to restore the structure and then pay to continue to maintain the structure.”

“It is unfortunate that the remnant structure is simply not (reusable),” Patzelt said in the email.

At Thursday’s meeting, some residents questioned whether the project would be feasible or desired by Shodeen, and discussed what could be done in advance of Monday’s meeting.

Reinecke, who represents the 5th Ward, suggested at the meeting that residents who are opposed to the structure being torn down should “keep (their) eye on” the fact that they do not want the structure torn down, and that whatever comes next can be negotiated in the future.

On Monday, the council is to decide whether to grant or deny the demolition request “upon consideration of the written record of the commission’s decision and the applicant’s appeal,” per the city.

“Monday’s special City Council meeting will be tightly managed to ensure due process is followed every step of the way,” Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns told The Beacon-News on Friday.

The City Council meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at 109 James St. in Geneva.

mmorrow@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/geneva-residents-pushing-to-save-landmarked-structure/ 

A longtime Gary motorcycle gang operative pleaded guilty again in federal court Friday.

Bernard Smith, 63, a.k.a. “Flirt” or “Preacher,” of Gary, formally admitted to a RICO charge, court filings show.

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.

The terms of Smith’s latest guilty plea were not immediately known. His lawyer Russell Brown did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

His sentencing hearing is April 17 before U.S. District Judge Phillip Simon.

Smith pleaded guilty in 2023 to the RICO charge and a drug dealing count. Simon granted his request to withdraw from the plea – a rare move – in May 2024 and set it for trial.

In that deal, Smith admitted to a pair of decades-old killings, including the son of Gary’s first Black police chief.

Smith admitted he shot and killed Rodney Boone 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 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.”

Smith is a former Sin City Desciples motorcycle club president and board member.

Post-Tribune archives contributed.

mcolias@post-trib.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/sin-city-preacher-pleads-guilty-again-to-rico-charge-filings/ 

Polar-palooza being held at Creek Bend Nature Center

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County will hold “Polar-palooza” from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Creek Bend Nature Center, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles.

A family-friendly winter festival, it will feature arcade-style activities indoors and outdoors in which people earn tickets to redeem for prizes, according to the district’s website. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration is required. For more information, go to www.kaneforest.com/calendar/events/polar-palooza.

Gail Borden Public Library releases 2025 usage statistics

The Gail Borden Public Library District tallied 544,708 patron visits to its three locations in 2025, according to year-end statistics.

In 2025, 966,920 books and other items were borrowed, 109,260 questions answered by reference librarians and 57,782 people attended library programs, library officials said.

Additionally, volunteers put in a collective 8,476 hours; 6,192 new library cards were issued, 2,305 new passport applications were processed and 1,069 license plate renewal stickers sold.

South Elgin/Countryside fire district wraps up busy year

South Elgin and Countryside First Protection District reported on social media that 2025 was its busiest year ever.

The district handled 4,143 calls for service in 2025, up 1% from 2024, according to the post.

It fielded 2,905 calls for ambulance service; 448 good intent, nonemergency calls; 354 false alarms; 226 service calls; 103 calls for hazardous conditions; 101 fires; and six special incidents.

The fire district encompasses 24 square miles and serves about 30,000 residents in South Elgin and parts of Bartlett, Campton Hills and unincorporated St. Charles, according to its website.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s new raptor research project has staffers banding and taking samples from common raptor species as well as recording such things as body measurements, age and sex. (Forest Preserve District of Kane County)

Kane County wildlife staff banding raptors as part of project

Wildlife staff for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County embarked on a new raptor research project in partnership with Millikin University and the Illinois Raptor Center.

Staffers are banding and taking samples from common raptor species throughout the county, according to a district social media post. Upon safe capture, information such as body measurements, age and sex are recorded.

Raptor banding helps with the understanding of raptor movement and habitat selection and provides overall health assessments, the post said. It’s also providing information about the red-tailed hawk subspecies in the county.

Samples taken from individual birds will be used in a variety of regional raptor health studies, and red-tailed hawk research will be used to contribute to a larger, long-term collaborative study, officials said.

Electronic waste recycling effort starts in South Elgin

South Elgin residents can now recycle electronic items at no extra collection cost.

The service will take up to six items, including one TV per scheduled collection, according to a village social media post. Televisions must weigh less than 50 pounds.

Pickup will take place on the same day as trash/recycling service, but the village’s contractor, Groot Inc., must be notified at least 48 hours in advance of items being left out for pickup.

Electronic items that will be taken include laptops, printers, DVD players and computer hard drives. For a full list and more information, go to southelgin.com/news_detail_T42_R591.php.

To arrange a pickup, call Groot at 847-429-7370.

Sherman breast cancer patient honored at Bulls’ event

Gilberts resident Jessica Craig, an Advocate Sherman Hospital breast cancer patient, was among a group of Advocate Health Care cancer patients and survivors who took part Dec. 17 in the Chicago Bulls “Court of Dreams” event at the United Center.

Craig, 33, an oncology nurse at the Advocate Infusion Center in Crystal Lake, decided to get a mammogram after giving birth to her second child when she noticed changes to her breasts, a news release said. She was diagnosed in June 2024 with stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer that had metastasized in the liver, lymph nodes and bones.

Craig began chemotherapy and has been receiving treatments every three weeks at Sherman Hospital in Elgin. While she will need to undergo treatment indefinitely, her numbers have significantly improved, the release said.

At the Bulls game, Craig and the other patients participated in a scrimmage led by Bulls radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky and Bulls legend Bill Wennington. Bulls guard Tre Jones, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor, gave them wellness gifts and words of encouragement, the release said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/elgin-polar-palooza-raptors-library-fire/ 

“The Giant Sucking Sound”: Exodus From California Continues For Taxpayers & Businesses

Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/09/2026 – 18:05

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/giant-sucking-sound-exodus-california-continues-taxpayers-businesses