When T.F. South’s Brie Hawthorne grew up playing basketball with her father and brothers, things got pretty physical.

She hit the concrete on more than one occasion, suffering some scrapes and cuts along the way. Unlike organized basketball, the game doesn’t stop for blood when the Hawthornes play.

“Sometimes, I got hurt and they would be like, ‘You’ll be OK,’’’ Brie said. “Eventually I would get up and start playing again.

“It’s just tough love, really.”

The 5-foot-1 junior guard continues show that toughness. She scored all 11 of her points in the first half Friday night to spark the host Red Wolves to a 73-19 win over Richards in a South Suburban Conference crossover in Lansing.

Hawthorne opened both the first and second quarters by draining 3-pointers, helping to set the tone for the biggest scoring output of the season by T.F. South (16-2, 4-0 SSC Blue).

Richards’ Ariana Grveles, left, and T.F. South’s Brie Hawthorne (2) battle for a ball during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

Asia Haynes led the Red Wolves (16-2, 4-0) with 13 points, adding five rebounds and four steals. Hawthorne and G’yah Capers each ended up with 11 points, followed by Gigi Dillon and Sharmaine Averhart with 10 points apiece. Dillon also had 10 rebounds and five steals,

Zofia Kuzmiuk paced Richards (7-8, 2-2 SSC Red) with five points.

It’s the 11th time this season the Red Wolves have held an opponent under 25 points.

“Early on, we like to get stops on defense and then turn it up after that and not put on the brakes.” Hawthorne said. “Our game starts with defense.”

T.F. South’s Brie Hawthorne (2) makes a 3-pointer against Richards during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

“I like how we play aggressive defense,” Haynes said. “Defense is our main thing, and when we all play aggressive on defense, the offense comes to us really easy.”

Hawthorne has been a big part of that defense, rattling opposing offenses with regularity.

“Defensively, she gets after it,” T.F South coach Eric Bryce said of Hawthorne. “She’s not afraid to get in people’s faces. She’ll get knocked down.

“Playing on the bottom of that 1-3-1 is not easy. She does a lot of running back and forth, and there are times when she is stuck having to rebound over there.”

T.F. South’s Gigi Dillon, middle, takes a shot inside against a group of players against Richards during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

Last season, Hawthorne averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals. She has been taking another step this winter.

“She has confidence in her leadership and 3-point shooting,” Bryce said of Hawthorne. “Last year, she was hesitant to shoot the three. She’s more confident with that this year.

“She’s a lot more confident in herself. When you are on a team with juniors and seniors and you are a sophomore, it’s a hard task. Now that she is a junior, she’s a lot more comfortable.”

Haynes likes the way Hawthorne helps run the offense.

“She’s good with the pace of the game,” Haynes said of Hawthorne. “She controls the game and makes sure everyone gets involved. And she is really good on defense.”

Hawthorne, meanwhile, loves the challenge the sport provides.

“It is something I do for fun, but it’s a sport where I know I can get better,” she said. “I love playing against real competition and people who are better than me. I want to step up to the challenge.”

T.F. South’s Brie Hawthorne (2) chases down a loose ball against Richards during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

As far as her size, every game presents a challenge but it hasn’t stopped her from succeeding.

“I use my speed as an advantage,” she said. “Even though I’m a small player, my actions are very big. There is always going to be a bigger player against me.

“But I try to show them other things that they might not have — different aspects.”

Since Bryce brought Hawthorne up to varsity in the middle of her freshman season, he hasn’t seen a lack of size hinder her.

“She makes up for in height with her fearlessness,” Bryce said. “And ability to lead the team.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/brie-hawthorne-tf-south-richards-ihsa-girls-basketball/ 

The Geneva Police Department’s number is being “spoofed” in a scam where a caller pretends to be a police officer and requests financial information, the department said in a news release on Friday.

The department is warning residents of the scam, saying that its phone number is being “spoofed,” making such calls appear legitimate.

In the scam, the caller pretends to be a Geneva police officer and tells people that a package containing drugs has been intercepted, a warrant for their arrest has been issued and that they may be victims of identity theft, according to the news release from the department.

The caller then asks for financial information to resolve the situation. Recipients questioning the caller were threatened with yelling and profanity, per the release.

The department said it has received reports of 11 such calls after recipients contacted the police department to verify them. People reporting the phone scam are current or former residents with 630 area codes.

The department emphasized that it doesn’t make unsolicited phone calls demanding financial information, nor do officers threaten people to achieve cooperation during an investigation. Police warned residents not to provide any confidential information to these scam calls.

The police department warned the community to be alert to phone scams that may appear or sound convincing, and said residents, as a general rule, should not provide financial or personal information over the phone, especially during unsolicited calls.

Residents who have concerns about the legitimacy of a call claiming to be from police should contact the department at 630-232-4736 to verify, the release noted. Anyone who is the victim of a scam should report it to their local law enforcement agency, and can also file reports with the Federal Trade Commission or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/geneva-police-phone-scam/ 

Micro Greenland Lender Whipsaws As Trump Headlines Ignite Investor Frenzy

Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/09/2026 – 14:05

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/micro-greenland-lender-whipsaws-trump-headlines-ignite-investor-frenzy 

Waukegan is finding it increasingly challenging to find the mostly older houses with lead pipes in need of changing, as the city’s replacement program plans to double the number of homes with copper pipes in the near future.

When the city launched the pipe-replacement program three years ago, it began with an education effort simplifying the way residents can use technology to let the Water Department know the type of pipes in homes by taking a picture and sending it to the city online.

Along with using a computer or cellular telephone, representatives of Robinson Engineering, the contractor, began and continue to go door to door in neighborhoods likely to have lead pipes to gather the information enabling replacement. Cooperation has been underwhelming, officials say.

Diane Moeller, a project engineer with Robinson Engineering who is overseeing the Waukegan project, said educational efforts about the online endeavor yield approximately a 10% return. Door-to-door efforts are also falling short.

“People are afraid to open the door, though it has been more productive,” Moeller said. “This is a basic step to contact the homeowner to get into the home to allow the contractor to do the replacement.”

The city plans to finish replacing lead pipes with copper in 500 homes by April 30, and another 1,000 in the fiscal year starting May 1, to continue eliminating the possibility of water contamination throughout Waukegan.

For Mayor Sam Cunningham, the lead line replacement project is one of the most important things the city is doing for its residents. He said in an email that it potentially makes for a healthier community.

“Safe water is non-negotiable and that is why lead service line replacement is a top priority,” Cunningham said. “As we rebuild Waukegan, we are addressing lead line replacements with a citywide approach, ensuring no neighborhood is left behind.”

With funding for the project coming from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), Moeller said Robinson Engineering applies for the grants each year. This year’s amount is $7 million, which allowed for doubling the current year’s total.

During the initial two years of the project, Antonio Dominguez, the city’s director of water utilities, said 1,000 lead pipes were replaced with copper. Since May 1, 350 lead pipes have been replaced, and 150 more are anticipated by April 30.

Dominguez said that in many of the older homes, lead pipes bring water from the water main under the street to the building. The portion of the pipe leading to the shutoff valve is city property, but the short amount of pipe from the valve to the water meter belongs to the homeowner.

Over the next 10 years, Dominguez said the city hopes to complete the project, estimating there are still 8,000 homes that will need the replacement after May 2027.

Going online to waukegansurvey.com and following the instructions enables residents to use a cellular telephone camera to take a picture of the water connection and send it to the city without anyone coming inside. This provides the necessary information, officials said.

Cunningham said in an effort to make the project as efficient as possible, plans will be made to coordinate infrastructure improvement projects with lead water line replacement.

“The replacements are being coordinated with road resurfacing projects to reduce costs and construction impacts, ensuring efficient and financially responsible investments that protect the health of our residents today and for generations to come,” he said.

David Motley, the city’s public relations director, said the city wants to complete the project while funding from the IEPA remains available. Dominguez said the cost to the homeowner would be between $10,000 and $15,000 if there is no longer money available from the state.

Moeller said residents’ resistance was more of a problem in the fall than it was earlier in 2025. Not only did Operation Midway Blitz make residents more apprehensive, but it also interfered with the work itself. Immigration enforcement agents had a strong presence in the area from early September to mid-November.

“They stopped work and took a utility locator,” Moeller said. “Any time we saw them, we shut down.”

Over the summer, Moeller said she went into neighborhoods, talked to people and explained the project. As they became more comfortable with her, people started to open their doors for the project.

“I’ll be doing more community-building,” Moeller said. “We’ll hold town halls and an open house. The aldermen are going to go door to door.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/waukegan-lead-pipe-replacement/ 

Por ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ

LA HABANA (AP) — Primero fue una crisis económica de cinco años que atenazó a Cuba generando una masiva ola de emigrantes. Ahora, la inestable situación de Venezuela —uno sus mayores soportes comerciales— podría causar más aprietos a la isla e incrementar la diáspora de sus habitantes.

Desde 2020, y pese al apoyo de sus aliados políticos, la nación caribeña apenas pudo salir adelante para conseguir petróleo con el que mover su economía, al tiempo que millones de personas se marcharon agobiadas por los apagones, la carestía o el desabastecimiento.

Ahora, los cubanos observan preocupados las incidencias en Venezuela —entre sus cercanos socios ideológicos—cuyos embarques de crudo estarían comprometidos tras la captura de barcos tanqueros por parte de Estados Unidos y la salida del poder de Nicolás Maduro.

Para los expertos, el resultado podría ser una mayor asfixia de la economía cubana incrementando la emigración de isleños.

Una economía tambaleante

“La situación económica es realmente deprimente”, dijo a The Associated Press Ernesto Macías, un médico de 53 años, mientras esperaba en una larga fila para realizar trámites frente a la Embajada de España en La Habana. “Cada día estamos peor y sobre todo (se emigra) por los hijos de uno, que merecen un futuro mejor”.

Como muchos cubanos, Macias opinó q ue la inestabilidad en Venezuela traerá aún más dificultades materiales para la isla, es decir menos petróleo, más cortes de luz, más colas y carestía.

En Cuba, el Producto Interno Bruto cayó un 15% en los últimos seis años. En diciembre el presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel indicó que solo en 2025 este decrecimiento fue del 4%.

Aunque la economía cubana nunca terminó de despegar luego de la caída de la Unión Soviética en los años 90, vivió una relativa prosperidad entre 2000 y 2019 con el auge del turismo y la exportación de servicios, níquel, rones o tabaco. Aunque siempre dependió de Venezuela para el petróleo.

Con la llegada en 2020 de la pandemia del COVID-19 y sobre todo un radical incremento de las sanciones de Estados Unidos para presionar por cambios políticos, que asfixió a todos los sectores de la nación caribeña, la crisis se desató con fuerza.

Petróleo, el insumo estratégico

En cuanto al combustible, Cuba apenas produce un 40% de sus necesidades y además gasta cada año unos 2.000 millones de dólares en compras de alimentos básicos en el mercado internacional, que suelen entregarse subvencionados a toda la población, como el arroz.

“Basado en servicios de rastreo por satélite, Cuba recibe actualmente 35.000 barriles diarios de Venezuela y 5.500 barriles diarios de México ”, indicó a la AP Jorge Piñón, un experto del Instituto de Energía de la Universidad de Texas. “Y aproximadamente 7.500 barriles diarios de Rusia”, agregó.

El miércoles las autoridades estadounidenses informaron que habían incautado dos tanqueros venezolanos, con lo que suman al menos cuatro desde que Washington advirtiera en diciembre que interceptaría las cargas venezolanas en alta mar.

El gobierno estadounidense tiene la intención de controlar la distribución de los productos petroleros de Venezuela a nivel mundial tras capturar a Maduro en una incursión militar efectuada el sábado en Caracas. La Habana estuvo entre los primeros en rechazar la operación.

No hay confirmación oficial de que el combustible incautado o los barcos vinieran a Cuba, aunque los expertos consideran que cualquier obstrucción en la línea de abastecimiento tiene un impacto debido a la fragilidad de la economía isleña.

En un recorrido el viernes la AP pudo observar las colas usuales de automóviles en las gasolineras sin llegar a los extremos de 2024, cuando estas se extendieron por días. Tampoco hubo un incremento de apagones a los ya fuertes que sufre la población y se programan semanalmente.

Repercusión en la ola migratoria

“El más probable escenario es un aumento significativo de la migración”, dijo a The Associated Press el economista cubano Arturo López Levy, investigador asociado al Instituto de Estudios Regionales Comparados de la Universidad de Denver y profesor de la Universidad Estatal de Georgia.

El escenario de crisis de los últimos cinco años reconfiguró la demografía de la isla: envejecimiento, disminución de la natalidad y una dramática emigración, que en un 80% es de personas entre los 15 y 59 años, la edad laboral.

Cuba cerró 2024 con 9,7 millones de habitantes y en diciembre de 2025 funcionarios dijeron que había en la isla 9,6 millones.

Cifras de la Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas indicaron que entre 2020 y 2024 la nación experimentó un descenso de 1,4 millones de personas. Para los expertos el factor clave es la migración externa.

Estados Unidos era el principal destino de cubanos hasta enero de 2025, cuando la ofensiva en contra de los inmigrantes cerró las fronteras. Ahora, según los expertos, hay muchas personas en tránsito por México y Brasil e instalaciones de migrantes en España.

“La migración ha sobrepasado lo que en demografía llamaríamos la cúspide de su potencial, como variable”, dijo a la AP Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos, economista cubano especializado en población del Centro Cristiano de Reflexión y Diálogo. “Los montos han sido tan brutales que es difícil que se vuelvan a repetir porque ya toda la gente que tenía los recursos para emigrar lo ha hecho”.

Sin embargo, “las salidas van a continuar”, aclaró Albizu-Campos.

“El combustible es un factor que lo afecta todo, empezando por los precios”, explicó el experto sobre la crisis en Venezuela y un potencial recorte de los envíos. “La gente va a sentir que estamos en peores condiciones y personas que no hubieran tenido la estrategia de irse van a sentir la necesidad (de partir)”.

————

Siga a Andrea Rodríguez en X: https://x.com/ARodriguezAP

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/crisis-econmica-falta-de-petrleo-y-emigracin-abren-un-escenario-complejo-para-cuba/ 

Last year was loud. Explosive. Chaotic.

It was scary and hard and the news was so often disturbing.

Everyone everywhere was yelling. On our TVs, on our devices, in our faces. Threats. Demands. F-bombs. For the first time in my life, I felt afraid and sad for our nation’s future.

And already, 2026 seems to be taking us farther down that dark path. Costs continue to rise, services continue to be cut, safety seems precarious. And trust and truth are on shaky ground.

As hard as it is to look away from the constant shock and awe, I now realize that giving the noisemakers our constant attention comes at the expense of equally important moments.

Even in dark times, children deserve a childhood, elders deserve their golden years, artists and creators deserve an outlet, and nature deserves our presence.

Last year was rough but it also brought joy and wonder. Far from the madding crowd of Washington, I experienced many blessings, so why not count them?

Here are snippets of softness from 2025:

I was schooled in the world of KPOP Demon Hunters by my 9-year-old granddaughter. Every time she visited, we played the soundtrack or watched the movie and danced with abandon. The combination of innocence, hope and endorphins made me believe we were indeed “Gonna be, Gonna be Golden.”
Throughout the year, I discovered fabulous audiobooks — “A Gentleman in Moscow,” “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” and “Letters from Father Christmas” — that were poignantly written and beautifully narrated with fabulously subtle European accents that sounded like literary symphonies.
On a lovely June afternoon, we floated along the Chicago River, we were regaled with stories, short and tall, of the city’s colorful past.

A hummingbird dining at one of the flowers in her garden was one of those quiet moments in 2025 that helped columnist Donna Vickroy remember that everything is bad in this world. (Donna Vickroy/Naperville Sun)

Somehow, the summer gifted us the best flower and vegetable gardens we’ve ever had. In order to hear the buzzing of bees, the flutter of dragonfly wings and the manic flitting of tiny hummingbird, you have to put the rest of life on “silence.”
On an evening in August, buffeted by a soft, lake breeze, we joined a chorus of fans belting out Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” at his Northerly Island concert.
Early one Saturday in September, at an intersection on the Ile de la Cite in Paris, we encountered a group of nuns singing their way to Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. We followed their heavenly voices into the historic, sun-dappled house of worship, which had survived a horrific fire in 2019. Reconstruction is now complete and the cathedral is even more breathtaking. We ended our tour feeling similarly restored.
A few days later, in Germany, we watched in awe as our ferry boat captain turned off the engine in the middle of Lake Konigssee and played the trumpet. Over the soft slapping of waves against the hull, we heard the mountains echo his notes. Mother Nature has impeccable acoustics.
Sometimes it was the absence of noise that caught our attention. Spend enough time with zinnias, and you realize harmony comes in color. We watched in awe one night as the Northern Lights hovered over our backyard. And on a stroll through Swallow Cliff Woods, we noted how elegantly red and yellow autumn leaves float to the ground.
On an afternoon visit in December, my 6-year-old grandson asked for paper, markers and scissors and spent nearly an hour cutting and coloring. When he was done, he slapped three paper houses on the kitchen table and said, “Onna, which do you choose — straw, sticks, or red bricks?” Of course, I chose unwisely so he could set me straight.
A week before Christmas, we sat inside the candlelit Oak Park Arts Center as the Metropolis String Quartet performed works by Vivaldi and Mariah Carey. It was festive and lovely and riveting as the audience chimed in to “Jingle Bells.” For a long moment, the world seemed perfectly at peace.
In late December, we made our annual trek to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle to be wowed by the lights and soundtrack of its Illumination display. When we reached the hanging lanterns, the 3-year-old paused and yelled, “Look at that.” And all of us did, for a long time.
On many weekends we traveled into Chicago, where the sounds of everyday life were invigorating. The clanging of breakfast plates inside Lou Mitchell’s diner, the rhythmic slapping of running shoes along the lakefront, and the roar of the crowd at Wrigley Field.
On a particular Saturday in October, thousands of like-minded people gathered in Grant Park to protest the wannabe monarchy, but also to sing, comfort and give voice to the silenced. The event was filled with messages of hope and compassion, which made me love this city even more.
Soon after, I heard a plea for help from a community of people who were so afraid to leave their homes that they were on the brink of starvation. I couldn’t stop the madness that put them in harm’s way but I could certainly bring food.

That’s when I realized how great is the sound of your conscience singing the praises of your actions.

I hold fast to the belief that “whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers” is the definition of who you are, but I also know that where you allow your energy to go, so follows your power.

Yes, 2025 was a trying year, a hurtful year, a year I hope to never repeat. But the pain and ugliness that came from powers beyond our control was also met with incredible courage and compassion.

And this lifelong newsie learned an important lesson: When you turn down the dissonance, music gets where it needs to go.

Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years. She can be reached at donnavickroy4@gmail.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/vickroy-2025-chaos-new-year/ 

A 73-year-old Oswego Township man has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexual abuse of two minors under the age of 13 between 1999 and 2001, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said on Thursday.

According to statements presented in court by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Lori Schmidt and Morgan Wilkinson, Bruce Bennett, 73, committed multiple acts of sexual abuse against two children, both under the age of 13, a news release from the State’s Attorney’s Office said.

The abuse occurred on multiple occasions in his home, and Bennett knew the victims and held a position of trust over them, according to the release.

The case was investigated by the Kane County Child Advocacy Center, the release said, and Bennett has since been convicted by a jury of 12 felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and two felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Bennett also had a prior conviction in 2023 in DuPage County for possession of child pornography, the news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office noted.

Bennett has been sentenced to 75 years in state prison, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office, of which he must serve at least 85% of the sentence, receiving credit for 769 days served in the Kane County jail. He must also register for life as a sexual offender, the release said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/oswego-township-man-sentenced-to-75-years-in-prison-for-sexual-abuse-of-two-minors/ 

As construction on the 34-story Bally’s Chicago hotel steadily rises skyward over the Ohio feeder ramp, things are looking up for the region’s casinos in 2026 amid a building boom that is reshaping the gambling landscape.

Chicago-area casinos are coming off a big year in 2025, as three new facilities boosted revenue and brought millions of additional players to the tables and slot machines.

It may be a whole new game in 2026, with the $1.7 billion Bally’s Chicago casino complex and a new land-based Hollywood Casino Aurora set to open. Several other casinos are putting shovels in the ground along both sides of the Wisconsin border for future development projects.

The state’s 17 casinos generated more than $1.9 billion in adjusted gross receipts in 2025, a 15% year-over-year gain, while admissions were up nearly 20% to more than 15.5 million visitors, according to data published Friday by the Illinois Gaming Board.

New casinos at Wind Creek Chicago Southland, Hard Rock Rockford and a new land-based Hollywood Casino Joliet all contributed to robust gains in 2025, which also saw the opening of the first Illinois racino at the downstate Fairmount Park horse racing track in April.

The building boom was created by Illinois’ sweeping 2019 gambling expansion bill, which added everything from six new casinos and land-based gaming to sports betting.

Rivers Casino Des Plaines remained the state’s busiest gambling palace last year with $503 million in adjusted gross receipts and nearly 3 million visitors, but the new venues are rapidly gaining ground.

Wind Creek, a 70,000-square-foot casino and adjacent hotel in south suburban East Hazel Crest, completed its first full year as the second busiest casino in Illinois, generating nearly $198 million in revenue and more than 2.1 million admissions in 2025.

Hard Rock Casino Rockford, which moved from a temporary facility to a $300 million permanent casino in late 2024, ranked third in the state and grew revenue by nearly 50% to more than $146 million, welcoming 1.4 million visitors, according to Gaming Board data.

Grand Victoria in Elgin, Bally’s Chicago and American Place in Waukegan rounded out the top of the leaderboard for 2025, but the rankings could change dramatically as new facilities begin to come online this year.

Topping the list is the planned fourth quarter opening of the permanent Bally’s Chicago facility, a $1.7 billion casino, hotel and entertainment complex rising up on the 30-acre former site of the Tribune’s Freedom Center printing plant in River West.

Selected by the city in 2022, Rhode Island-based Bally’s is building an entertainment complex that includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions, making it the state’s largest casino.

In 2024, Bally’s had to relocate the prominent hotel tower under construction south of the casino after it was determined that driving caissons into the ground might damage municipal water management infrastructure pipes along the Chicago River.

The permanent casino site, currently a sea of towering cranes and rising steel frames, remains on target for a fourth quarter opening, a Bally’s spokesperson said this week.

Gaming in Chicago’s Bally’s Casino Medinah Temple location can be seen at street level, April 11, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Bally’s has been operating in a smaller temporary casino at Medinah Temple in River North since September 2023, with revenue falling far short of projections. Last year, Bally’s ranked fifth in the state and was roughly flat with nearly $125 million in adjusted gross receipts and 1.3 million visitors, according to Gaming Board data.

While the expansive new casino is expected to boost revenue and admissions, Bally’s has another incentive to vacate its current home at Medinah Temple, with its three-year temporary license — two years plus a 12-month extension — set to expire in September.

“In Bally’s Chicago’s case, Bally’s requested and received the 12-month extension, so under current law it must cease operations in its temporary facility in September,” said Gaming Board spokesperson Beth Kaufman. “Legislative action is required to allow for another extension.”

A more imminent casino opening is coming for one of the state’s original riverboats.

Hollywood Casino Aurora is planning to move into its new $360 million land-based facility near I-88 and Chicago Premium Outlets mall “late in the first half” of 2026, a casino spokesperson said. The exterior is completed and work is underway on the interior of the complex, which will include 1,200 gaming positions, a 220-room hotel, a retail sportsbook, a spa, a 12,000-square-foot event center and a food hall.

The co-owned Hollywood Casino Joliet launched its new $185 million land-based casino in August with similar amenities, and saw significant gains in revenue and admissions during the fourth quarter. In December, the casino ranked fifth in the state with more than $11 million in adjusted gross receipts, up 47.5% year-over-year, according to Gaming Board data.

Chef Stephanie Izard talks about the food at her new restaurant Lucky Goat in the Boulevard food hall during a media preview, Aug. 7, 2025, of the new Hollywood Casino in Joliet. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Meanwhile in Waukegan, the permanent $500 million American Place Casino, delayed by a lawsuit, the governmental approval process and financing issues, is expected to finally break ground in the first quarter, according to Alex Stolyar, senior vice president and chief development officer of casino owner Full House Resorts.

American Place, which ranked sixth last year with nearly $122 million in adjusted gross receipts, has been operating out of a temporary facility since February 2023, but plans for the permanent casino were put on hold as a lawsuit challenging the licensing process, brought by Potawatomi Casino against Waukegan and the Illinois Gaming Board, worked its way through the courts

In January 2025, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the decision to award Full House the casino license, restarting the development process. The Waukegan City Council approved a revised site plan in September, but groundbreaking has been delayed as Full House seeks to line up the remaining $302 million needed to complete the permanent facility, Stolyar told the Tribune.

“We’re finalizing the financing,” Stolyar said. “We’re looking at different options, and just want to make sure we make the best financial decision for the company and for our shareholders.”

Granted an 18-month legislative extension because of the litigation, American Place is planning to open the permanent casino by the August 2027 expiration of the temporary license. The new facility will have 1,200 slot machines, more than 60 table games, restaurants, a sportsbook and other amenities, while the temporary casino will be repurposed as an event venue, Stolyar said.

A separately financed boutique hotel and a second phase hotel tower are also in the works.

Getting construction started is job one, but down the road, Stolyar expects the permanent Waukegan casino to become a major player in the Chicago area.

“We’re expecting a significant boost over our current operations,” Stolyar said.

That certainly was the case for Hard Rock Casino Rockford, which opened its $300 million permanent casino in August 2024 after nearly three years in temporary digs. The casino, on the site of the former Clock Tower Resort off Interstate Highway 90, includes nearly 1,300 slot machines, 50 live table games, a sportsbook and a 2,100-seat concert venue.

Last year, Hard Rock Rockford jumped from seventh to third in the state in gambling revenue, and also proved a strong entertainment draw, with more than 70 ticketed shows spanning everything from comedy to music to mixed martial arts.

Not surprisingly, a diverse lineup that ran the gamut from Larry the Cable Guy to Air Supply had some hits and misses, Geno Iafrate, president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, told the Tribune.

“The first full year was really about trying a whole bunch of different types of shows, figuring out what the market wants,” Iafrate said. “We’re happy with our entertainment venue, but we need to refine that strategy going into 2026.”

Beyond tweaking its entertainment offerings, Hard Rock is also exploring the addition of a hotel and other amenities to defend its turf against the Ho-Chunk Nation, which is building a $405 million casino complex 18 miles away in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Ho-Chunk is expected to open a 240,000-square-foot casino this summer. The second phase will add a conference center and an 18-story hotel, becoming the tallest building in Beloit, in 2027.

Hard Rock is hoping to stay one step ahead of its new competitor north of the border.

“Future expansion is critical for us, and we are focused on it,” Iafrate said. “We have some grand plans for Hard Rock 2.0 that go well beyond what we currently have today.”

Iafrate said Hard Rock is working with city, county and state officials on the expansion plans, and the casino expects to make some announcements in the near future.

If all goes well, shovels will hit the dirt again this year in Rockford, with a major addition opening up at the nascent permanent casino in 2027, Iafrate said.

“Status quo is not our goal,” Iafrate said.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/gambling-ballys-hollywood-casino/ 

TERSKOL, Rusia (AP) — Cada vez que Nikita Filippov compite, es una lucha cuesta arriba. En los Juegos Olímpicos, aún más.

El esquiador de 23 años de la península de Kamchatka, en el lejano oriente de Rusia, es un aspirante a medalla en el nuevo y desafiante deporte olímpico de esquí de montaña, que consiste en subir corriendo una pendiente y luego descender esquiando.

En los Juegos Olímpicos de Milán-Cortina, será uno de los pocos rusos que competirán como “Atletas Neutrales Individuales”. Esto significa que formalmente no representan a su país. No pueden llevar ningún símbolo ruso y no escucharán el himno nacional ruso si ganan una medalla de oro.

“Me da más celo competitivo en la carrera porque quiero demostrar a todos que somos fuertes, incluso sin la bandera o el himno, y que podemos vencer a cualquiera”, afirmó Filippov a The Associated Press en un campamento de entrenamiento en las montañas del Cáucaso. “Creo que todos saben de dónde venimos y tal vez eso incluso atrae más atención”.

Muchos deportes prohibieron a los atletas rusos competir como parte de las repercusiones diplomáticas después de que las tropas rusas se trasladaran a Ucrania cuatro días después de los últimos Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno en 2022. Antes de los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 2024 en París, el Comité Olímpico Internacional abrió gradualmente caminos para que los atletas de Rusia y su aliado Bielorrusia se clasificaran con estatus neutral.

Quince rusos compitieron como atletas neutrales en París. El tenis aportó la única medalla.

El número podría ser aún menor en Milán-Cortina. Al igual que en París, no podrán desfilar como delegación en la ceremonia de apertura.

Filippov, el primer atleta “neutral” ruso en calificar un lugar para Milán-Cortina, dijo que eso no le molestaba.

“Tendré más descanso y más fuerza en la carrera que otros atletas”, expresó.

Sin Ovechkin

Cuántos rusos se unirán a Filippov en los Juegos sigue siendo incierto. En diciembre, el Ministro de Deportes ruso, Mikhail Degtyarev, dijo al canal Match TV que esperaba que un máximo de 15 o 20 atletas podrían clasificarse, pero apenas tres rusos y un bielorruso han recibido y aceptado invitaciones hasta ahora.

El COI y su nueva presidenta, Kirsty Coventry, favorecen permitir que los rusos compitan como neutrales en la mayoría de los eventos, aunque no en deportes de equipo como el hockey, lo que significa que Alexander Ovechkin y otras estrellas rusas de la NHL no estarán en Milán.

Los patinadores artísticos Adeliia Petrosian y Petr Gumennik podrían ser aspirantes a medalla y se clasificaron en septiembre. Un puñado de rusos probablemente competirán en otros deportes, dependiendo de los rankings y la aprobación del COI.

Los esquiadores de fondo Savelii Korostelev y Dariya Nepryaeva lograron terminar entre los 10 primeros en una serie competencias durante las vacaciones, poco después de regresar al ruedo internacional por primera vez desde 2022.

Los atletas no son elegibles para el estatus neutral del COI si tienen contrato con agencias de seguridad rusas o bielorrusas o el ejército, o si han expresado apoyo a las acciones de Rusia en Ucrania. Los funcionarios ucranianos han cuestionado si algunos de esos rusos que compiten en clasificatorios olímpicos realmente cumplen con las restricciones neutrales.

La mayoría de los organismos de deportes de invierno han permitido que los rusos compitan en dichos clasificatorios en las últimas semanas, en medio de una serie de derrotas legales para las políticas que prohíben a los atletas rusos.

Algunos han enfrentado obstáculos adicionales. Ningún ruso compitió en la Copa del Mundo de luge de la semana pasada en la vecina Letonia después de que el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores del país prohibiera la entrada de 14 atletas rusos al país. Dos saltadores de esquí rusos se han perdido una serie de eventos de la Copa del Mundo en toda Europa debido a problemas de visado.

La sombra de Sochi

Los atletas rusos no han competido bajo la bandera de su país en unos Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno desde 2014, cuando Rusia organizó unos Juegos manchados por el dopaje en Sochi.

A lo largo de años de batallas legales, las repercusiones de esos casos de dopaje significaron que los rusos tuvieron que competir en Pyeongchang en 2018 como “Atletas Olímpicos de Rusia” y en Beijing en 2022 como el Comité Olímpico Ruso, ambas veces sin el himno nacional.

La Agencia Mundial Antidopaje todavía lista al organismo nacional de pruebas de Rusia como “no conforme” y dice que no puede visitar Rusia para realizar controles en persona sobre su desempeño.

Rusia negó que el estado estuviera involucrado en el dopaje.

Cuatro días después de la ceremonia de clausura de Beijing, Moscú lanzó lo que llamó una “operación militar especial” en Ucrania y siguió una nueva ola de prohibiciones y sanciones de los organismos deportivos.

También podría haber un escrutinio continuo sobre el bienestar de los atletas rusos después de que un escándalo de dopaje en el patinaje artístico ensombreciera los Juegos Olímpicos de 2022 en Beijing.

Petrosian, la patinadora artística, es entrenada por Eteri Tutberidze, quien entrenó a Kamila Valieva, la entonces estrella patinadora de 15 años cuyas batallas legales por un control de dopaje que arrojó positivo terminaron en una prohibición.

El entorno de Valieva fue criticado por el entonces presidente del COI, Thomas Bach, en los Juegos Olímpicos de 2022 por “tremenda frialdad” en el trato a la patinadora, sin mencionar a Tutberidze por su nombre.

Petrosian es la última de una serie de jóvenes patinadoras entrenadas por Tutberidze con saltos espectaculares, de alta puntuación y alto riesgo. Es una de las pocas patinadoras en la historia en realizar un salto cuádruple en competencia, pero su limitada experiencia internacional como neutral significa que aún no lo ha hecho fuera de Rusia.

___

Ellingworth informó desde Düsseldorf, Alemania. Vladimir Kondrashov en Terskol, Brian Melley en Londres y Graham Dunbar en Ginebra contribuyeron a este informe.

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/sin-bandera-himno-ni-desfile-los-rusos-acuden-a-unos-aislados-juegos-olmpicos-de-invierno/ 

Seattle Judge Blocks Health Department From Rejecting Head Start Grants With DEI Terms

Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/09/2026 – 13:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/seattle-judge-blocks-health-department-rejecting-head-start-grants-dei-terms