Category: News
Traffic snarls lead state to explore second entrance at Dunes State Park
During the steamy summer months, Indiana Dunes State Park and its Lake Michigan beach fill with eager visitors seeking fun and recreation.
Long lines of vehicles gridlock Indiana 49 as far north as U.S. 12 as visitors from Northwest Indiana and nearby states journey to the park.
Last year, nearly 2 million visitors flocked to the popular park for its beaches, hiking trails and camping. Beachgoers and campers with big recreational vehicles must all pass through a single entrance along Indiana 49.
Improving congestion and emergency response time at the single entrance point has led state officials to begin exploring a second entrance for the popular park, although no timeline has been set for the improvement.
State Department of Natural Resources spokesman Marty Benson said the state initiated the project and conversations were in the initial phase.
“We look forward to discussing the possibility of a second entrance further with local officials and other stakeholders,” he said last week.
Tremont Road in Porter is the targeted site for the second entrance.
So far, Benson said the DNR has begun talking with officials at the Indiana Department of Transportation “with the goal of improving access to customers and emergency services at one of its most visited state parks.”
Porter Fire Chief Jay Craig sees the multi-jurisdictional layers that surround the park as the biggest hurdle to establishing another entrance.
The state park spans over 2,000 acres with about 16 miles of hiking trails, a campground, nature center and a pavilion/restaurant that overlooks the lake.
The Indiana Dunes National Park is located on both the east and west sides of the state park.
The state park lies within Westchester Township and Craig said it contracts with Porter for fire and emergency services at the park.
Craig, a career firefighter who’s been chief since 2018, said peak times can be dangerous for firefighters on firetrucks trying to get around backups.
One of the solutions is for firetrucks to go in the wrong lane of Indiana 49 to evade congestion.
“My biggest fear is having to take our emergency vehicles down the wrong lane of traffic,” Craig said. “We work well with the state park. When they know we’re coming, they’ll hold traffic.”
During summer holidays, Craig said the fire department will station firefighters on ATVs inside the park to respond quickly to emergencies.
Citing budget constraints and increases for maintenance and upkeep, the state raised entry fees to the state park for 2026.
The new out-of-state entry fee is $20, up from $12. The out-of-state annual pass for any DNR property increased from $70 to $120.
The DNR calculated that the nonresident fee hikes would increase revenues by more than $1.5 million. It includes $574,192 in daily entry fees and $155,744 from the sale of annual passes at Dunes State Park.
State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, said he visits the state park regularly and sees traffic backups frequently.
Pol and other Northwest Indiana lawmakers sent a letter to state officials last month in support of the DNR’s consideration of a second park entrance. They said it would provide greater safety and security to visitors, first responders and area residents.
They said the state park and national park reported $236 million in direct spending and $135 million in total economic impact to the surrounding region last year.
The state park hosted 1,992,602 visitors in 2024.
The letter stated the park entrance has exceeded its functional capacity. The entrance being explored uses Tremont Road, less than a mile east of Indiana 49. It would ease the access for visitors and emergency responders, they said.
Pol said lawmakers heard concerns from constituents about the congestion in the summer and their safety worries.
“The Dunes is the most incredible place in Indiana and we have to ensure any more encroachments on this beautiful land are done with the smallest impact and only as absolutely necessary to safely enjoy the Dunes,” Pol said.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Indiana voters likely to see judge residency question in the 2026 ballot
Indiana voters will likely see a ballot question in the November election to amend the state constitution as it relates to where city and town court judges live.
State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron, said about 7 years ago he met with then-Lowell Town Judge Christopher Buckley to talk about legislation.
During that discussion, Aylesworth said Buckley, who is now a Porter County Superior Court Judge, mentioned that he and his wife lived in Valparaiso, but he had been renting an apartment in Lowell to establish residency there because of a state statute that requires city and town officers to live in their jurisdiction.
“I thought, this is sort of silly. I didn’t pay much more attention to it, but then the more I got into it the more I found out,” Aylesworth said.
Article 6, Section 6 of the Indiana constitution states that “all county, township, and town officers, shall reside within their respective counties, townships and towns and shall keep their respective offices at such places therein, and perform such duties, as may be directed by law.”
In Indiana, there are around 50 city and town court judges, said Kathryn Dolan, Indiana Supreme Court Chief Public Information Officer. The state has more than 700 judicial officers, including superior court judges, senior judges and magistrates, she said.
Indiana Supreme Court justice Loretta H. Rush speaks during a Lake County Veterans Treatment Court graduation ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Aylesworth said he met with Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush, who told him that a constitutional amendment would be needed to change the state statute about residency requirements for city and town judges.
To amend the state constitution, the two separately elected state legislatures have to approve a joint resolution. Then, the state legislature has to pass a piece of legislation with the constitutional amendment ballot question, Aylesworth said.
In the 2021 session, Aylesworth filed House Joint Resolution 1 that stated county, township, and town residency requirements prescribed by Article 6, Section 6 of the Indiana Constitution do not apply to city or town court judges.
The resolution wasn’t heard in committee during the 2021 session.
After the 2021 session, Aylesworth said he met with House Courts and Criminal Code Committee chairwoman State Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, to discuss the need for the constitutional amendment and got her support.
In the 2023 session, Aylesworth filed House Joint Resolution 6, which stated that the judge of a city or town shall reside in the county in which the city or town court is located or the bordering Indiana county that is the closest Indiana county to the city or town in which the court is located.
The resolution passed both chambers of the statehouse and was signed into law.
Two years later, during the 2025 session, Ayleworth filed House Joint Resolution 1, which had the same language as the 2023 House Joint Resolution 6. The resolution passed the state legislature and was signed into law.
For the 2026 session, Aylesworth has filed House Bill 1019, which proposes a constitutional amendment ballot question regarding the residency of a city or town court judge.
According to the bill, the ballot question will state: “Shall the Constitution of the state of Indiana be amended to permit the judge of a city or town court to reside in: (1) the county in which the court is located; or (2) the bordering county closest to the city or town in which the court is located? (This question concerns Article 6, Section 6 of the Constitution of the state of Indiana.)”
House Bill 1019 passed out of the House Court and Criminal Code Committee in a 12-0 vote on Wednesday. The committee members didn’t ask any questions or discuss the bill, and no one from the public testified ahead of the vote.
“It’s a fairly simple concept, expanding the area in which an attorney may live, because they have to be an attorney to be a city or town court judge. It expands that area so it can encourage more people to be eligible to sit as a judge,” Aylesworth said.
The federal and state constitutions are “living, breathing documents” that are amended when needed to adjust to the times, Aylesworth said.
If House Bill 1019 passes, the Indiana Secretary of State will work with each county to ensure the ballot question is included on the ballot for the November 2026 election, Aylesworth said.
“It’s like I’ve been stuck in this dream, I don’t want to say a bad dream. It’s a good dream because good things will happen. But, I’ve been stuck in this dream now for several years, and hopefully this will end this portion of the dream about updating the constitution,” Aylesworth said.
Russian Pundits, Military Bloggers, Are Angry: Maduro’s Capture Highlights Failed Zelensky Ouster
Russian Pundits, Military Bloggers, Are Angry: Maduro’s Capture Highlights Failed Zelensky Ouster
Earlier we featured the headline Chinese Social Media Explodes: US Invasion Of Venezuela A ‘Template’ For Move On Taiwan – which featured Chinese Weibo users complaining that if Washington can quickly invade and remove the leader of a ‘nuisance’ government in its own backyard, then China can forcibly reunite Taiwan.
There is a growing number of pro-Kremlin figures and Russian military bloggers now saying something very parallel but related to Ukraine. They are upset that Russia has dragged its feet in directly moving against President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, and they want more muscular direct action against the ‘illegitimate’ leader (as Putin has frequently called him) or at least his top officials.
Among the most prominent Russian figures to draw this parallel is hardline nationalist Alexander Dugin, who tragically lost his daughter in a car-bombing executed by Ukrainian intelligence, who described the fast-moving events in Venezuela as “a critical and urgent challenge for Russia.”
“The capture of Maduro demonstrates that international law no longer exists – only the law of force applies,” he said, framing this as a call for Russia to begin moving faster in Ukraine “at an accelerated pace”.
“The war in Ukraine must under no circumstances be stopped – not before victory is achieved,” he argued on Telegram. Dugin explained stridently:
“Look at Venezuela. If we do not destroy them now, they will destroy us tomorrow – or even today. If necessary, we must be prepared to fight the United States as well. We may not be able to conquer them, but we will be able to defend ourselves.”
Another example is pro-Kremlin war correspondent Alexander Kots, who has over 500,000 followers on Telegram. He wrote:
“Judging by the footage published from Venezuela, U.S. forces encountered no resistance in the air or on the ground. I cannot imagine Russian helicopters operating freely over Kyiv. Ukraine had been preparing for a war with Russia for eight years, while Venezuela spent years putting on military parades.”
Kots then criticized, “Today, we are fighting an enemy that is formidable in its own right and enjoys unprecedented support…We tripped over our own rake in 2022” – and added: “But the world is still full of examples from which lessons can be learned.”
Starshe Eddy, which is a pro-war Telegram channel with around 600,000 followers, also heaped ample criticism on how Moscow leadership has executed the ‘special military operation’ – saying it should be more efficient in moving against top Ukrainian officials::
“Clearly, no one is tasking the military with abducting [Zelensky]. He is of far greater use where he is in his current role rather than in Lefortovo Prison [in Moscow]. That said, there are many lower-ranking figures whose elimination would bring prestige and acclaim.”
Another pundit, Alexander Kartavykh, said, “If you launch the next ‘special military operation’ without removing the military and political leadership and with naive ideas of brotherly nations in your head, you’re f***ing idiots and your descendants will curse you.”
-Banned opposition media
-Banned opposition parties
-Banned the right to collectively bargain
-Killed his own countrymen on behalf of NATO
-Runs one of the most corrupt governments in the world
Zelensky is everything they tell us Nicolas Maduro is. United States is the… pic.twitter.com/pe93wdxzFU
— Nick Cruse 🥋 (@SocialistMMA) January 6, 2026
As for more potential fallout from Trump’s Venezuela intervention, countries like Iran will likely see a greater incentive for a secret nuclear weapons or other WMD program. Others will surely beef up their anti-air capabilities, especially if Washington has deemed them a ‘rogue’ state.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/07/2026 – 14:35
Ecuador dice que justicia de España libera a presunto líder criminal pedido en extradición
Associated Press
QUITO (AP) — Ecuador dijo el miércoles que la justicia de España liberó a un presunto líder criminal al que las autoridades del país andino acusan de cargos de terrorismo y narcotráfico, y contra quien gestiona un pedido de extradición.
Se trata del ecuatoriano William Alcívar, alias “Comandante Willy”, quien es señalado como el jefe de los Tiguerones, una organización delincuencial que la policía ecuatoriana vincula con delitos como narcotráfico, minería ilegal, sicariato, homicidios y secuestros.
El ministro del Interior, John Reimberg, declaró a la prensa que Alcívar, quien quedó en libertad el miércoles, tiene dos notificaciones rojas en la Interpol. The Associated Press llamó a la embajada de España en Quito para pedir informaicón, pero no obtuvo ninguna respuesta de momento.
Alcívar estuvo detenido en España desde octubre del 2024, mientras Ecuador adelantaba los trámites de extradición acusándolo también de haber ordenado en enero del 2024 una violenta toma de las instalaciones del canal estatal TC Televisión, donde junto a un grupo de armados irrumpió en un programa en vivo y tomó cautivos a periodistas y trabajadores a quienes amenazó con armas y explosivos.
La irrupción en TC Televisión se produjo en medio de una espiral de violencia criminal caracterizada por el incesante incremento de muertes violentas y secuestros, a lo que se sumó la fuga de una prisión estatal de Guayaquil de Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito”, quien fungía como máximo líder de otra peligrosa banda criminal, Los Choneros.
Ecuador extraditó a Fito en julio del año pasado luego de haberlo recapturado.
Reimberg advirtió que la liberación de Alcívar no solo es motivo de preocupación para Ecuador. También “debería preocupar a todos ciudadanos españoles” porque han decidido liberar “a un terrorista en territorio español”, acotó.
Añadió que Ecuador presentó ante la justicia española todos los documentos requeridos para pedir la extradición de Alcívar y que insistirá a través de la Cancillería en su recaptura.
Reimberg aseguró que tras la liberación de Alcívar recibió amenazas de muerte, al igual que el presidente Daniel Noboa.
Las autoridades han asegurado que la violencia criminal, desde hace cinco años, es producto de disputas entre bandas locales por rutas para la exportación de droga y territorios de distribución. Afirman que estos grupos ecuatorianos tienen estrechos vínculos con cárteles del narcotráfico de México y Colombia.
New food pyramid puts protein and vegetables at the top
Americans should eat more whole foods and protein, fewer highly processed foods and less added sugar, according to the latest edition of federal nutrition advice released Wednesday by the Trump administration.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued the 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which offer updated recommendations for a healthy diet and provide the foundation for federal nutrition programs and policies. They come as Kennedy has for months stressed overhauling the U.S. food supply as part of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.
“Our message is clear: Eat real food,” Kennedy said at a White House briefing.
The guidelines emphasize consumption of fresh vegetables, whole grains and dairy products, long advised as part of a healthy eating plan. Officials released a new graphic depicting an inverted version of the long-abandoned food pyramid, with protein, dairy, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables at the top and whole grains at the bottom.
But they also take a new stance on “highly processed” foods, and refined carbohydrates, urging consumers to avoid “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy.” That’s a different term for ultraprocessed foods, the tasty, energy-dense products that make up more than half the calories in the U.S. diet and have been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
The new guidance backs away from revoking long-standing advice to limit saturated fats, despite signals from Kennedy and Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary that the administration would push for more consumption of animal fats to end the “war” on saturated fats.
Instead, the document suggests that Americans should choose whole-food sources of saturated fat — such as meat, whole-fat dairy or avocados — while continuing to limit saturated fat consumption to no more than 10% of daily calories. The guidance says “other options can include butter or beef tallow,” despite previous recommendations to avoid those fats.
Guidelines were due for an update
The dietary guidelines, required by law to be updated every five years, provide a template for a healthy diet. But in a country where more than half of adults have a diet-related chronic disease, few Americans actually follow the guidance, research shows.
The new recommendations drew praise from some prominent nutrition and medical experts.
“There should be broad agreement that eating more whole foods and reducing highly processed carbohydrates is a major advance in how we approach diet and health,” said Dr. David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner who has written books about diet and nutrition and has sent a petition to the FDA to remove key ingredients in ultraprocessed foods.
“The guidelines affirm that food is medicine and offer clear direction patients and physicians can use to improve health,” said Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association.
Other experts were relieved that the guidelines didn’t go against decades of nutrition evidence linking saturated fat to heart disease, but they were critical of the guidelines’ focus on meat and dairy as a primary source of protein instead of plant-based sources.
“Overall, if people eat the way these are recommended, they will be eating more calories, not less,” said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist and food policy expert who advised previous editions of the guidance.
The new document is just 10 pages, upholding Kennedy’s pledge to create a simple, understandable guideline. Previous editions of the dietary guidelines have grown over the years, from a 19-page pamphlet in 1980 to the 164-page document issued in 2020, which included a four-page executive summary.
The guidance will have the most profound effect on the federally funded National School Lunch Program, which is required to follow the guidelines to feed nearly 30 million U.S. children on a typical school day.
The Agriculture Department will have to translate the recommendations into specific requirements for school meals, a process that can take years, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association. The latest school nutrition standards were proposed in 2023 but won’t be fully implemented until 2027, she noted.
Science advisers didn’t make ultraprocessed food recommendations
The new guidelines skip the advice of a 20-member panel of nutrition experts, who met for nearly two years to review the latest scientific evidence on diet and health.
That panel didn’t make recommendations about ultraprocessed food. Although a host of studies have shown links between ultraprocessed foods and poor health outcomes, the nutrition experts had concerns with the quality of the research and the certainty that those foods, and not other factors, were causing the problems.
The recommendations on highly processed foods drew cautiously positive reactions. The FDA and the Agriculture Department are already working on a definition of ultraprocessed foods, but it’s expected to take time.
Not all highly processed foods are unhealthy, said Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“I think the focus should be on highly processed carbohydrates,” he said, noting that processing of protein or fats can be benign or even helpful.
More protein recommended
The guidelines made a few other notable changes, including a call to potentially double protein consumption.
The previous recommended dietary allowance called for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight — about 54 grams daily for a 150-pound person. The new recommendation is 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. An average American man consumes about 100 grams of protein per day, or about twice the previously recommended limit.
Makary said the new advice supersedes protein guidance that was based on the “bare minimum” required for health.
Ludwig also noted that the earlier recommendation was the minimum amount needed to prevent protein deficiency and said higher amounts of protein might be beneficial.
“A moderate increase in protein to help displace the processed carbohydrates makes sense,” he said.
Officials with the American Heart Association, however, called for more research on protein consumption and the best sources for optimal health.
“Pending that research, we encourage consumers to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and to limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow, which are linked to increased cardiovascular risk,” the group said in a statement.
Avoid added sugars
The guidelines advise avoiding or sharply limiting added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners, saying “no amount” is considered part of a healthy diet.
No one meal should contain more than 10 grams of added sugars, or about 2 teaspoons, the new guidelines say.
Previous federal guidelines recommended limiting added sugars to less than 10% of daily calories for people older than 2, but to aim for less. That’s about 12 teaspoons a day in a 2,000-calorie daily diet. Children younger than 2 should have no added sugars at all, the older guidance said.
In general, most Americans consume about 17 teaspoons of added sugars per day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Alcohol limits removed
The new guidelines roll back previous recommendations to limit alcohol to one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less per day for men.
Instead, the guidance advises Americans to “consume less alcohol for better health.” They also say that alcohol should be avoided by pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol use disorder and those who are unable to control the amount they drink.
ICE Agent Shoots Woman Attempting To Run Over Officer During Minneapolis Illegal Alien Crackdown
ICE Agent Shoots Woman Attempting To Run Over Officer During Minneapolis Illegal Alien Crackdown
A federal immigration officer shot and killed a person whom Homeland Security described as a “violent rioter,” while local Democratic lawmakers said she was a “legal observer,” after DHS said she attempted to run over an agent. The incident comes as ICE officers in Minneapolis conduct targeted operations to deport criminal illegal aliens, and Democrats ramp up rhetoric and pressure campaigns on the ground against these agents.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the incident in an X post in the early afternoon:
Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism.
An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.
He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.
The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.
This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement. These men and women who are simply enforcing the law on the books are facing 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats.
This is an evolving situation, and we will give the public more information as soon as it becomes available.
Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism.…
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) January 7, 2026
Video of the deadly shooting has surfaced on X, showing an ICE agent asking the woman, who was blocking the street with an SUV, to step out of the vehicle. She did not comply and instead accelerated toward another agent, at which point the agent fired multiple rounds into the vehicle, striking the woman, who died moments later.
X has disabled the embed. View here.
The office of Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat of Minnesota, and Representative Ilhan Omar, another Democrat whose congressional district includes the scene of the shooting, said the woman was a “legal observer.”
Gov. Tim Walz’s office said the shooting occurred in a residential neighborhood in South Minneapolis. He asked people in the community to remain calm.
The New York Times noted, “Hundreds of people gathered at the scene in protest of the presence of immigration agents. The shooting took place in a middle-class residential neighborhood in Minneapolis, about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.”
“DHS correctly identifies the causal link between Democrat rhetoric and domestic terrorism. These politicians painted targets on federal agents, and a violent extremist acted on their orders. The officer responded with the only currency the mob respects. Force. When you attempt to murder the enforcers of our sovereignty, you invite your own destruction. The blood is on the hands of every sanctuary city official who encouraged this insurrection. We stand with ICE and the rule of law,” X user Saggezza Eterna said.
*Developing…
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/07/2026 – 13:58
UnsAIfe
UnsAIfe
AI systems are moving from novelty to infrastructure. They write, code, search, and increasingly act on our behalf.
That speed has put a spotlight on a harder question: how seriously are AI companies managing the risks that come with more capable models?
This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Niccolo Conte, visualizes and compares the safety scores of major AI companies using data from the AI Safety Index published by the Future of Life Institute, which scores companies across six key metrics.
Which AI Companies Prioritize Safety Most?
Based on the scores across six key metrics of AI safety, Anthropic, the creators of Claude, scored highest overall with a C+.
Anthropic was the only company that scored an “A” grade in two categories, with an A- in both governance and accountability along with information sharing.
The table below shows the overall grade of each AI company in terms of safety, along with their grades in specific safety categories.
Following Anthropic was OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT, which received a C grade overall. The only category it scored higher than Anthropic in was in the current harms category, partially thanks to the fact that OpenAI was the only company with a published whistleblowing policy at the time of the report’s publication.
Chinese companies Zhipu.AI and DeepSeek both received failing grades overall, though the report notes that China’s stricter national AI regulations may explain their weaker performance on Western-aligned self-governance and transparency metrics.
Understanding “AI Safety” and Why it Matters
A useful AI safety program is more than a promise to “be responsible.” It shows up as concrete processes: documented evaluations, clear thresholds for when to pause or limit deployment, and a trail of public reporting that lets outsiders understand what was tested and why.
Companies that score well tend to communicate more about how they handle model behavior, misuse risks, and incident response.
In contrast, lower-rated firms often appear opaque—either disclosing less overall or providing safety statements that are hard to verify.
In highlighting companies’ weak points when it comes to AI safety, the report from the Future of Life Institute notes that the AI industry is both fundamentally unprepared for its stated goals of reaching artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Along with this, it states that AI capabilities are accelerating far faster than risk management practices, and the lack of a regulatory floor means companies can cut corners on safety in order to get ahead in the race towards AGI.
To learn more about AI companies, check out this graphic on Voronoi that charts the skyrocketing revenues of Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/07/2026 – 13:55
Park Forest police announce first-degree murder charges in May 2025 death of Dolton man
First-degree murder charges were filed against Camarion Reed-Bell, 21, of Chicago Heights, in connection with the May 2025 shooting death of Kevin M. Miller Jr., 26, of Dolton, Park Forest police said.
Miller was shot and killed May 15, 2025, in the 0–100 block of Krotiak Road in Park Forest.
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office approved a first-degree murder charge last month against Reed-Bell, who was already in custody on unrelated charges, police said.
The shooting was not random and Miller and Reed-Bell were known to each other, the police statement said.
In court documents petitioning for Reed-Bell to be held in pre-trial detention, prosecutors said the shooting was motivated by jealousy, with the altercation that led to Miller’s death being prompted by Miller spending time with Reed-Bell’s girlfriend.
Reed-Bell tracked down and confronted the two when they were sitting together in his girlfriend’s car, jumping on the hood and shouting at his girlfriend, and the confrontation escalated to violence, prosecutors said.
Cook County Judge Luciano Panici ordered Reed-Bell held in custody while awaiting trial. A public defender appointed to represent Reed-Bell could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
A preliminary hearing for Reed-Bell is scheduled for Jan. 14.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/park-forest-murder-charges-dolton-man/
Why Hawthorne racetrack was temporarily shut down over the weekend: ‘This is another embarrassing failure’
Hawthorne Race Course was forced to temporarily halt operations this past weekend for failing to meet licensing requirements, regulators said, and operators in the horse racing industry said its checks have been bouncing.
The track in west suburban Stickney has been beset by financial troubles, including liens seeking to recover unpaid debts, and its inability to open a proposed casino.
The failures have prompted harness racing participants to renew their call for state legislation to revoke Hawthorne’s veto power over any competing new racino in the south suburbs.
The Illinois Racing Board confirmed that the track was unable to open the first weekend of this year due to its failure to meet the requirements to obtain an operating license for 2026, including various surety bonds to cover the track’s financial obligations.
“Over the weekend, they were able to correct the deficiencies and are now in compliance,” the racing board announced in a statement Monday. Racing and off-track betting were expected to resume this coming weekend, but horse owners and trainers remained alarmed about the track’s finances.
“For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association has been made aware that checks issued by Hawthorne Race Course have been returned unpaid by banks,” the association said on its website. “This is another embarrassing failure of Hawthorne Race Course.”
Hawthorne President Tim Carey has assured both the horse industry operators and the racing board that the funds are available and that everyone will be paid, the group reported.
“This is a positive development, to be sure, but the recent events relating to Hawthorne’s financial condition are deeply troubling,” the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association said. “The ITHA remains gravely concerned.”
Track officials didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Carey has noted that his track has kept racing alive in Illinois since the closure of Arlington International Racecourse in 2021. He repeatedly has told the racing board that he is working on getting a deal to build a new racing and casino facility, or racino, but has been unable to do so more than six years after state lawmakers authorized it.
Hawthorne’s previous proposal to build a racino in the south suburbs also fell through. Other operators have proposed building a new racino, and lawmakers are considering a measure to take away the extraordinary power they gave Hawthorne to prohibit any competitor from building a harness racetrack and casino in the area.
The thoroughbred association reported a significant decline in betting at Hawthorne in 2025, to $51 million, down from a handle of nearly $90 million in 2024, mostly from a drop in out-of-state simulcast betting, and a reduction in purses from nearly $11 million to $8 million.
Hawthorne also temporarily halted its off-track betting on the Kentucky Derby last year after a dispute over payments to Churchill Downs Inc.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/hawthorne-race-track-closed-reopens/
Immigration Agents Surge Into Minneapolis In ‘Largest Operation Ever’
Immigration Agents Surge Into Minneapolis In ‘Largest Operation Ever’
Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times,
The Trump administration has launched what officials described as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever Tuesday in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, initiating the deployment of federal agents and officers in a crackdown tied to widespread fraud investigations allegedly involving mainly Somali residents.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participating in an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Jan. 6, 2026, that resulted in the arrest of Tomas Espin Tapia, a fugitive wanted for murder and sexual assault in Ecuador. (DHS)DHS
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was on the ground early Tuesday as the sweep started, adding to the number of top federal officials focused on the state as federal investigations expand this week.
The Department of Homeland Security has made more than 1,000 arrests of illegal immigrants, many with criminal convictions, in Minnesota, including 150 in Minneapolis Monday, the agency reported.
“We have the largest immigration operation ever taking place right now,” acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons told Newsmax on Tuesday.
Federal agents and officers were going door to door at businesses in the area suspected of being involved in illegal hiring and fraud, Lyons said.
“We’re not leaving until the problem is solved,” DHS wrote on X Tuesday.
DHS and ICE did not return requests to confirm how many agents and officers were involved in the operations.
According to Noem, Minnesota authorities are not allowing immigration officers to access state detention centers to detain illegal immigrants with pending deportation orders. A large number of federal officers was needed after a lack of local support, Noem indicated in a social media post Tuesday.
“You won’t steal from Americans or break our laws and get away with it,” Noem said.
Included in Tuesday’s arrests was Tomas Espin Tapia, a fugitive wanted for murder in Ecuador, DHS reported.
Tapia illegally entered the U.S. in October 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden administration, according to the agency.
Tapia’s criminal history also includes sexual assault in Connecticut and previous convictions in Ecuador for robbery and extortion.
Mong Cheng, a criminal illegal immigrant from Laos who was convicted of homicide, vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, assault, and arson, was also among those arrested Tuesday, DHS reported.
Immigrant rights groups and elected officials in the Twin Cities area reported an increase in sightings of federal agents, especially around St. Paul.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz blasted the immigration operation, calling it “ridiculous.”
“Nobody is fooled into thinking this bafoonery [sic] is a reasonable use of taxpayer dollars,” Walz wrote on X. “It should not take 50 ICE agents to arrest one guy in a library.”
Walz dropped his reelection bid Monday as federal agencies expanded investigations into alleged systemwide social services fraud in the state.
The former vice presidential candidate said he needed time to concentrate on combating fraud.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/07/2026 – 13:35
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/immigration-agents-surge-minneapolis-largest-operation-ever
