Category: News
Lake County looking to extend digital equity push past 2026: ‘Everything is online’
Lake County’s Digital Equity Coalition is proud of the work it’s done getting vulnerable populations connected to the modern world, but uncertainty lies ahead for it and many programs as COVID-era federal funding draws to a close.
The coalition is part of the broader Digital Growth Initiative, which came about when the Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plan was passed in December 2023 through the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The push is meant to “bridge the digital divide,” Digital Equity Manager Keay Crandall said.
The initiative has three key areas of work — affordability, access and adoption — with various projects falling under its umbrella.
According to Crandall, the on-the-ground work is done through the Digital Navigator Program, which teaches people basic digital literacy and computer skills — such as setting up an email account or their online portal with their health care provider — through workshops, video calls and classes.
Those who go through the training have the opportunity to receive their own laptop.
Looking at their numbers, Crandall said the coalition has hit some “big milestones,” in services and engagement with the community.
Between June of 2024 and November of 2025, Crandall said nearly 3,700 residents have been served over almost 3,000 group and individual training sessions, distributing 965 new and refurbished laptops. By year’s end, she expected they would serve about 4,000 residents.
“We’re really proud of those metrics,” Crandall said. “It showcases what our internal team of 10 and our external community partners … have been able to accomplish together over the last year or so.”
Digital Equity Coordinator Kim Lunt said the Digital Equity Coalition is made of “community anchor institutions” — organizations such as libraries, community centers and local government entities, where people can convene and receive essential services.
Meeting monthly, the coalition is a “forum for partners and residents to come together and connect on digital equity work.”
While the initiative is funded through the end of 2026, Deputy County Administrator Matt Meyers said it’s one of various programs using the $135 million Lake County received through ARPA that they are trying to ensure are sustained past 2026.
Over 80 projects are running using ARPA funding, Meyers said, with the federal money needing to be used up by Dec. 31, 2026, or be returned.
“The Lake County Board, one of the things that they wanted to ensure was that when we start these programs … how do we ensure that we can try and sustain them, and that we’re not just cutting them off as soon as the funding is gone,” Meyer said.
That was something they are still looking into, he said, with the next year to figure out funding.
Three device distribution events are planned for 2026, as well as continued work with community organizations, Crandall said. They were also taking applications from Lake County organizations for North Star digital literacy licenses, so they can provide the assessments and even the free laptops.
Looking ahead, Crandall said they’re also working on public Wi-Fi projects in Waukegan and North Chicago, hoping to implement public networks in the downtown areas, as well as training for those who may not have internet access at home.
The modern era is built around digital access and skills, Lunt said, making it a “necessity.”
“Everything is online, and ultimately there is a big gap, known as the digital divide,” Lunt said. “There are many folks that land in this area where they don’t have the skills to navigate, they don’t have the device, they don’t have the internet, or they don’t have a combination of any of those three things.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/lake-county-digital-equity/
Of Notoriety: Hammond High, Gary Lew Wallace grads star in sold-out holiday parody
David Cerda will forever be hailed as our local-claim-to-fame, clever crowned ruler of stage camp, all from humble region roots as a 1979 graduate of Hammond High School. His Hell in a Handbag Productions, based in Chicago, is now in season 24 of silly send-up shows.
The holidays have been fruitful for Cerda and company for packing in audiences for a mostly sold-out run of Cerda’s new world premiere of Hell in a Handbag Productions’ “The Real Housewives of The North Pole,” the latest parody written by Artistic Director Cerda and directed by Tommy Bullington. It opened Nov. 20, added more performances, and now is playing through Jan. 4 at The Clutch, Handbag’s boutique 70-seat performance space at 4335 N. Western Ave. in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood.
“The Real Housewives of The North Pole” features ensemble members including Cerda, reprising the role of gossipy socialite Gladys Dasher, along with David Lipschutz portraying producer and media personality Andy Cohen, Terry McCarthy as makeup artist Cookie, and Robert Williams as Mrs. Frosty the Snowman.
Along for this sleighing stage ride are Kelly Opalko as a dippy production assistant, Taylor Mercado Owen as suave sobriety coach Carlos, Britain Shutters as a salty Suzy Snowflake, Anna Rose Steinmeyer as Clarice, wife of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Honey West as tipsy Mrs. Ruth Claus. Honey West, who was born and raised in Gary, is a 1979 graduate of Lew Wallace High School and earned a musical theatre degree from Indiana University.
The 90-minute plot entails Santa and all the North Pole’s “power players” being indicted for fraud. It’s the women of the North Pole who decide to save their families from financial ruin by agreeing to an offer from Andy Cohen from the Bravo network, who whisks them into reality TV stardom with his latest broadcast production, “The Real Housewives of the North Pole.” Audiences also get a dose of plenty of cameo appearances by some of the North Pole’s most famous (and infamous) citizens through the magic of elf workshop technology.
David Cerda originated the character of gossipy Gladys Dasher back when he first dreamed up the idea for the tale of “Rudolph, the Red-Hosed Reindeer,” his silly cross-dressing deer adaptation he dreamed up in 1997. His script originally had Gladys as hailing from Lowell, Indiana. During the 13th annual run of “Rudolph, the Red-Hosed Reindeer,” Cerda added a new subplot based on the TV pop culture headlines of the year and included a “Dancing with the Stars” competition to the storyline, including the addition of the Suzy Snowflake character.
“Like it or not, ‘The Real Housewives series’ is also a pop cultural phenomenon, so it’s only natural that Handbag would tackle it, head on,” Cerda said.
“I find the entire Bravo and Andy Cohen universe both compelling and cringeworthy, and I think it’s a barometer of the world we live in today. Handbag Productions is known for its satirical take on pop culture, making it the perfect company to bring this over-the-top reality series to life on stage. The series mirrors society’s obsession with fame and excess, highlighting both the allure and absurdity of modern celebrity culture.”
Final performances of “The Real Housewives of the North Pole” are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 1, 2 and 3 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4. General admission is $44.25 with VIP reserved seating paired with a drink ticket for $56.25 at handbagproductions.org.
Hell in a Handbag has a mission statement “dedicated to the preservation, exploration and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage.” It is a501(c)(3) not-for-profit.
“As we enter this 24th year, I can’t help but feel proud to have survived for as long as we have,” Cerda said.
“Handbag is more than a theater company. We’re part of the Chicago community and the ensemble doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. We are here to celebrate who we are through the lens of camp and the theater of the ridiculous as a uniquely queer art form. I’ve been told I belong in an institution, but I’ve never imagined Handbag would become a Chicago institution.”
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and weekly radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at philpotempa@gmail.com.
Putin Authorizes Military Reserve Call-Up To Protect Critical Energy Sites
Putin Authorizes Military Reserve Call-Up To Protect Critical Energy Sites
One significant theme which emerged over the course of the last year of the Russia-Ukraine war is greater Ukrainian effectiveness in striking Russian territory, sometimes even distant targets many hundreds of miles away.
On a regular basis at this point, oil and gas infrastructure and refineries are blown up, export terminals damaged, and even military bases and government buildings come under attack. President Vladimir Putin is taking fresh action, on Tuesday having signed a decree granting the military authority to call up members of Russia’s mobilization reserve next year.
The new injections in troops expected for 2026 will feature “special” training assemblies focused on securing and guarding critical infrastructure.
This as Gazprom’s gas exports are falling to decades-lows, also amid far-reaching Western sanctions:
Russia’s Gazprom cut gas supplies to Europe by a further 44% in 2025, reducing flows to 18 billion cubic meters (bcm), Reuters reported Tuesday. Reuters’ calculations were based on data from the TurkStream pipeline, now the only remaining route for Russian gas deliveries to Europe.
The volumes mark the lowest level of Russian gas exports to Europe since 1973, when the Soviet Union delivered 6.8 bcm under its first supply contracts with Austria and Italy. Exports then rose to 19.3 bcm by 1975 following the launch of the “gas-for-pipes” deal with Germany, climbed to 54.8 bcm by 1980 and reached around 110 bcm by the early 1990s.
As part of the new order, the Kremlin will compile a list of facilities that require protection, while the Defense Ministry will determine which military units will be responsible for carrying out the new protection of assets and training.
At times, Moscow has even come under threat, grounding commercial planes, and this week the government has alleged a major Ukrainian drone attack which targeted one of Putin’s official residences – though all drones were intercepted by air defenses.
Ukraine has vehemently denied that it targeted Putin’s residence, but this still hasn’t stopped Putin from getting sympathetic statements from world leaders, such as President Trump and Indian leader Narendra Modi.
Russia’s mobilization reserve is made up of volunteers who have signed contracts agreeing to periodic service, but the Kremlin has been slow to tap these manpower sources, also given Putin has still not declared a legal ‘state of war’ in Ukraine.
Instead, it remains at the level of ‘special military operation’ – but in November Putin approved legislation broadening the conditions under which reservists can be used.
Now they can be called up even in peacetime, but only for ‘special assemblies’ and other security-related concerns, such as protecting the homeland from sabotage or drones.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 17:20
Yale No Longer Has A Single Republican Professor Across 27 Departments
Yale No Longer Has A Single Republican Professor Across 27 Departments
Yale has finally achieved liberal nirvana.
According to a recent report from the Buckley Institute, there is now not a single Republican found across 27 of 43 departments at Yale University. In a nation roughly evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats (with a slight advantage to the GOP), only 3 percent are Republicans across all Yale departments.
In comparison, roughly 83% of faculty are registered Democrats or primarily support Democratic candidates.
The Buckley Institute’s report looked at Yale’s undergraduate departments, as well as its School of Management and Law School.
The report is hardly surprising. In my book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I discuss these arguments to justify the current levels of intolerance and orthodoxy in higher education.
As we have discussed for years, universities have been effectively cleansing their ranks of Republicans and conservatives.
Many departments no longer have a single Republican faculty member in this academic echochamber.
A Georgetown study found that only nine percent of law school professors identify as conservative at the top 50 law schools — almost identical to the percentage of Trump voters found in the new poll.
There is little evidence that faculty members are interested in changing this culture or creating greater diversity at schools. In places like North Carolina State University, a study found that Democrats outnumbered Republicans 20 to 1.
Not long ago, I had a debate at Harvard Law School with Professor Randall Kennedy on whether Harvard protects free speech and intellectual diversity.
Kennedy rejected the notion that the elite school should strive to “look more like America.”
It is not just that schools like Harvard “do not look like America,” it does not even look like liberal Massachusetts, which is almost 30 percent Republican.
The Harvard Crimson has documented how the school’s departments have virtually eliminated Republicans. In one study of multiple departments last year, they found that more than 75 percent of the faculty self-identified as “liberal” or “very liberal.”
Only 5 percent identified as “conservative,” and only 0.4% as “very conservative.”
Consider that, according to Gallup, the U.S. population is roughly equally divided among conservatives (36%), moderates (35%), and liberals (26%).
So Harvard has three times the number of liberals as the nation at large, and less than 3% identify as “conservative” rather than 35% nationally.
Among law school faculty who have donated more than $200 to a political party, a breathtaking 91 percent of the Harvard faculty gave to democrats.
The student body exhibits the same biased selection. Harvard Crimson previously found that only 7 percent of incoming students identified as conservative. For the vast majority of liberal faculty and students, Harvard amplifies rather than stifles their viewpoints.
This does not happen randomly. Indeed, if a business reduced the number of women or minorities to less than 5 percent, a court would likely find de facto discrimination.
Again, universities have shown no serious commitment to ideological diversity. Faculty members have little incentive to add dissenting voices to their ranks. Moreover, faculty are now arguing against such ideological diversity.
Likewise, some sites, such as Above the Law, have supported the exclusion of conservative faculty. Senior Editor Joe Patrice defended “predominantly liberal faculties” by arguing that hiring a conservative law professor is akin to allowing a believer in geocentrism to teach at a university.
Nothing is likely to change so long as donors continue to blindly fund these programs and ignore the obvious intolerance for opposing views.
For now, most Yale departments have succeeded in creating a safe space for the ideologically intolerant.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 17:00
County residents have options in disposing of Christmas trees: ‘They can’t be disposed of in a landfill’
As the end of the holiday season nears, Lake County residents wondering what to do with their natural Christmas trees have a variety of options. Many of the possibilities are free, and some may turn the trees into wood chips lining the trail in a nearby forest preserve.
John Nelson, chief operations officer for the Lake County Forest Preserves District, said people can take their tree to a nearby forest preserve — there are eight sites available around the county — to place it in a designated container. There is an ecological reason to recycle the tree.
“They can’t be disposed of in a landfill,” Nelson said. “If they are taken there, they will degrade and cause more problems. People can also compost them in their backyard. That is another option.”
The Lake County Forest Preserves District, LRS and possibly other waste haulers provide free natural Christmas tree disposal — artificial trees are not eligible — to most residents in Lake County in an effort to keep them out of landfills.
Though all county residents can take their trees to one of the eight forest preserve locations, Chris Manley, LRS’s general manager for northern Illinois, said people living in communities where his company is the waste hauler can leave them curbside for pickup.
For those who have a different waste hauler, Manley said most trash disposal companies offer a similar service. The requirements can vary by community, including the deadline. Towns served by LRS offer the service for between two to four weeks.
“You should check with your municipality,” Manley said. “Most of them have provisions in their contract with the municipality dealing with Christmas trees. They vary.”
Nelson said all trees must be stripped of ornaments, lights, cords and other attached items before being taken to the forest preserve. They cannot be placed in bags. Manley said the same is true for people leaving their tree curbside.
While Manley said LRS’s deadline varies depending on the city or village, Nelson said people have until Feb. 1 to take their trees to forest preserves. In Waukegan, they should be left curbside on a resident’s normal pickup day.
“Some people want to get it out of the way before the needles start to fall on the floor, while others want to hang onto the holiday spirit as long as they can,” he said.
Trees taken to a forest preserve will mostly be turned into wood chips for placement on trails in many of the forest preserves district’s properties. Nelson said the chips eventually wear out and need to be replaced. An ongoing supply is necessary.
Manley said LRS takes the trees to nearby businesses that have a use for the wood. Generally, they will be turned into chips or mulch. Some municipalities collect them for a week to dump them in lakes or ponds for fish cribs. LRS gathers them later in January.
Once someone enters the forest preserve, Nelson said there will be signs directing them to the container for the trees. They must be left in the designated area. The preserves are open from 6:30 a.m. through sunset daily.
The eight locations are Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside, Greenbelt Forest Preserve in North Chicago, Half Day Forest Preserve in Vernon Hills, Heron Creek Forest Preserve in Lake Zurich, Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda, Old School Forest Preserve in Mettawa, Ryerson Conservation Area in Riverwoods and Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve in Wadsworth.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/lake-county-christmas-tree-recycle/
Sports betting lobby suing to block Chicago’s new online wagering tax set to go into effect Thursday
The sports betting lobby filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block Chicago’s new tax on online wagering set to go into effect Jan 1.
The national Sports Betting Alliance sued the city in Cook County Circuit Court, arguing the sports betting tax included in the final 2026 budget passed by City Council this month is unconstitutional. The levy will require a new license for all operators and tax online bets in the city at 10.25%.
Aldermen passed that tax and others in a revenue package vote this month that cut out Mayor Brandon Johnson’s controversial head tax, in a historic act of defiance. The mayor later refused to sign the full budget after the City Council’s final approval but he also opted not to veto it, meaning it will go into effect. The sports betting tax was his idea and is projected to raise $26.2 million to help close next year’s $1.19 billion budget gap.
A spokesperson for Johnson said the city has not yet received the lawsuit.
The suit names the city and its Department of Finance, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Ivan Capifali and Comptroller Michael Belsky. The sports betting lobby argues that the state retains the right to tax online sports betting because the revenue constitutes a form of “income-based taxation,” which means the Illinois General Assembly would need to grant the city the power to enact that levy.
In the suit’s request for a temporary injunction against the tax taking effect in the new year, the sports betting lobby threatened to turn its machines off otherwise.
“Absent injunctive relief, SBA members would be unable to continue operations in Chicago and remain in compliance with the Chicago Ordinance Amendments as interpreted by the City,” the complaint says. “They would thus be faced with an impossible choice: operate without a City license or cease online sports book operations entirely within the City.”
There has also been pressure from Springfield Democrats who say the city’s tax will eat a hole in state revenue by driving away the businesses or pushing them to operate illegally. Illinois already taxes sports betting statewide in tiers, so the city’s new levy would be on top of any state taxes.
However, when Johnson pitched his original 2026 budget plan, he described the city tax and other measures as targeting big tech and corporations, which he said are profiting from Chicagoans.
The change imposes a 10.25% tax on the adjusted gaming receipts of any sports betting licensee active in the city. The $26.2 million Johnson anticipated the levy would bring in 2026 is more than the $16.5 million the city was projected to raise from casino revenues in 2025.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/chicago-online-gambling-lawsuit/
Feds Charge Mexican-American With Trying To Arm ISIS Via Undercover FBI Agent
Feds Charge Mexican-American With Trying To Arm ISIS Via Undercover FBI Agent
The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old Texas resident and charged him with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization — namely, ISIS. Depending on their level of faith in domestic counter-terror enforcement, some observers will applaud the news unquestioningly, while others may wonder if it’s another situation where the man in handcuffs wouldn’t have progressed to criminal action without police encouragement and assistance.
That man in custody and facing up to 20 years in federal prison is John Michael Garza, a 21-year-old resident of Midlothian, Texas, a town about 25 miles southwest of Dallas. As is so often the case when the feds announce the foiling of a US-based terrorist plot, Garza didn’t actually get in touch with ISIS, but was instead maneuvered into engaging with undercover police and federal agents posing as terrorists.
Garza’s father tells NBC 5 that his son has been diagnosed with a neurological disorder, and never expressed pro-ISIS sentiments. He says authorities preyed on his impaired son, pushing him to take actions he’d never have taken of his own volition.
Garza was arrested last week, but the case began in mid-October, when a “New York police employee” (as the DOJ release describes the person) came across Garza’s social media account, and noticed that he followed several pro-ISIS accounts, and commented on one post by such an account. Next, that NYPD undercover contacted Garza via social media. After describing himself as a Mexican-American in Texas, Garza engaged with the undercover throughout November and December. He said he ascribed to ISIS’s philosophy, and sent the undercover various official ISIS media releases.
Garza also sent the uncover person “small amounts” of cryptocurrency — allegedly with the understanding that he was helping ISIS buy weapons and other supplies — and allegedly sent a video of a suicide vehicle-bombing and another giving instructions on creating explosives. He’s also alleged to have explained how to mix explosive ingredients and surround them with nails. Next, the FBI says, Garza said he intended to buy bomb components, and agreed to meet with another person whom he believed to be an ISIS follower too. That meeting with an undercover FBI agent took place on Monday, Dec 22, with Garza allegedly handing over what the FBI describes as “several explosive components.” The release doesn’t specify if that was more than, say, nails and a PVC pipe.
FBI Director Kash Patel proclaimed victory:
“Today’s announcement underscores the FBI’s commitment to combatting terrorism and demonstrates our continuous work to disrupt and thwart terrorist plots against the American public. Let this serve as a warning to those who plan to conduct attacks against the United States on behalf of terrorist organizations – you will be brought to justice.”
More details should come out with a Dec 30 probable cause and detention hearing at the US District Court for Northern Texas. While Garza may have someday taken deadly action on his own, for now, the pivotal roles played by undercover NYPD and FBI agents can’t help make us wonder if the case can be summed up with this classic meme:
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 16:40
From Tax-Cuts To Tariff-Stability: US Economy Poised For Solid Growth In 2026
From Tax-Cuts To Tariff-Stability: US Economy Poised For Solid Growth In 2026
Authored by Andrew Moran via The Epoch Times,
The turbulence that defined the U.S. economy in 2025 is expected to ease next year…
Following President Donald Trump’s unveiling of his sweeping global tariffs plan, the consensus on Wall Street was that the United States would potentially face a downturn or, at the very least, a stagflation-type scenario: anemic growth, high inflation, and elevated unemployment.
Those economic forecasts had appeared to be materializing after the economy contracted by 0.6 percent in the first quarter. However, in the following months, GDP growth rebounded to 3.8 percent in the second quarter and 4.3 percent during the July–September period.
If the Atlanta Federal Reserve’s widely watched GDPNow Model fourth-quarter estimate of 3 percent is accurate, full-year growth will be 2.8 percent—higher than the 2.1 percent Blue Chip consensus.
While surveys continue to highlight consumers’ frustrations with stubbornly high prices, the data show inflation has steadied, easing to 2.7 percent in November.
In the first year of the president’s second term, consumer prices have risen by approximately 2 percent, compared with an increase of about 6 percent during President Joe Biden’s first year.
Trump’s tariff pursuits have also helped the White House achieve its goal of narrowing the trade deficit.
In September, the U.S. trade gap unexpectedly shrank to $52.8 billion, the lowest level since June 2020. This was driven by a sizable increase in exports and a minuscule rise in imports.
The president has attributed these improvements to his administration’s trade pursuits.
“Tariffs are creating great wealth, and unprecedented national security for the USA,” Trump wrote in a Dec. 27 Truth Social post. “Trade deficit has been cut by 60%, actually unheard of. 4.3% GDP, and going way up. No inflation! We are respected as a country again.”
Employment conditions, meanwhile, have continued to cool off from the red-hot post-COVID-19 pandemic era levels.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent in November—the highest reading since September 2021. Although this remains historically low, market watchers fear that economic uncertainty could adversely affect payrolls, prolonging the recent trend of a “low fire, low hire” environment.
Although a multitude of headwinds gripped the U.S. economy throughout 2025—the government shutdown, “K-shaped” trends that saw stronger growth enjoyed by the wealthy, and tariffs—the nation shrugged them off.
Looking ahead, economic observers are optimistic about 2026, although with some reservations.
Boom Town
The world’s largest economy could face boom times as a series of tailwinds support the U.S. marketplace.
Goldman Sachs projects next year’s growth will be 2.6 percent.
BNP Paribas and the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s December 2025 Blue Chip Economic Indicators suggest the consensus 2026 GDP growth rate will be 1.9 percent.
“2026 is expected to be a solid year for the economy,” Mark Malek, CIO at Siebert Financial, said in a note emailed to The Epoch Times. “Fiscal stimulus is about to kick in from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, continued AI CAPEX, smaller trade deficits, and the Fed.”
White House officials are betting big that fiscal stimulus from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be a victory for Main Street and Wall Street, contributing to growth prospects.
President Donald Trump, joined by Republican lawmakers, signs the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law during an Independence Day military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on July 4, 2025. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
“We’re going to go back to the kind of non-inflationary growth where working Americans do better than supervised workers. Lower-income households do well,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business earlier this month.
“Main Street, Wall Street can both do well. And my guess is both have a very good year next year.”
The Federal Reserve’s less restrictive monetary policy stance could be another boon for the economic landscape.
Officials lowered interest rates three times in 2025, and the Fed is expected to cut rates at least once more in 2026. While the market has already priced in lower interest rates, they could begin to work their way through the economy as next year progresses.
At the same time, the central bank’s policy path in the second half remains uncertain as the president is expected to replace Chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May.
“The focus now shifts to thresholds for January and 2026 and whether Powell can credibly signal a pause,” Christian Hoffman, head of fixed income at Thornburg Investment Management, said in a note emailed to The Epoch Times.
“With just one cut penciled in for 2026 and one for 2027, the Fed is threading the needle between risk management and not completely ignoring inflation.”
The continued buildout of artificial intelligence (AI), rising U.S. stock forecasts, and strong household balance sheets could be additional contributors to gross domestic product.
But while there is reason for optimism, there could still be risks ahead, says Rick Pederson, economist and chief strategy officer at Bow River Capital.
“I’m positive about the economy in 2026, with some reservations,” Pederson said in a note emailed to The Epoch Times.
“I don’t believe a recession is coming for a number of reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t risks. It’s going to be an interesting year. I expect positive economic growth, but it won’t be without a few micro-level surprises.”
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 16:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/tax-cuts-tariff-stability-us-economy-poised-solid-growth-2026
Seven new businesses, including Illinois’ first 99 Ranch Market, to open in Naperville shopping center
Seven new Asian businesses, including the first Illinois location for the national supermarket chain 99 Ranch Market, will be opening their doors at Naperville’s Riverbrook Shopping Center.
“We’re aiming for summer,” said Heather Nguyen, development partner at NewQuest Asia-Pacific. “It’s probably going to be the third quarter before a lot of these tenants will open but definitely in 2026.”
Beyond 99 Ranch Market, businesses confirmed so far are Teso Life, Fat Miilk Coffee, Ban Le Sandwiches, Gen Korean BBQ, Kitakata Ramen and Tokyo Shokudo.
They are part of a larger redevelopment of Riverbrook Shopping Center at North Aurora Road and Raymond Drive by the Houston-based real estate company NewQuest. Much of NewQuest’s portfolio, which is valued at $2.3 billion and features more than a hundred projects, includes massive shopping centers anchored by major American retailers like Target and Krogers.
In 2013, Nguyen said she formed an Asia-Pacific division focused on bringing Asian concepts and companies to major shopping centers, providing those businesses with “a platform for them to grow into and go mainstream,” whether it be companies from abroad or U.S.-based companies that focus on Asian culture and products.
A redeveloped Riverbrook Shopping Center following exterior renovations and landscape improvements. (NewQuest)
“We wanted to make it more accessible and easy to appreciate, if you will,” Nguyen said. “And many people who are interested in different Asian cuisines can have it here and not have to travel all the way to Asia.”
That’s exactly what NewQuest plans to do for the Riverbrook, which about a decade ago had been anchored by a now-closed Dominick’s grocery store.
“We look for areas that have growth, a lot of young families moving in, and usually the indicator for that is going to be where the best schools are,” Nguyen said. “And so I’ve read a lot about the articles about Naperville schools and the community being the top place to live in America.”
Nguyen ventured out to Naperville one weekend in 2021 to learn more about the city. When she spotted Riverbrook Shopping Center, she was struck by the number of vacant stores.
“And I just called … the original developer and owner at the time and asked him like, ‘Everything else is pretty full around you. Why is your shopping center vacant?’” Nguyen said. “And he had explained to me that his partner had passed and that they were just ready to sell. So I stepped in and worked on our group to buy it.”
At the time of its purchase, about 35% of the 140,892-square-foot strip mall was leased.
The Riverbrook Shopping Center in Naperville before redevelopment. (NewQuest)
While seven businesses have been confirmed, Nguyen said she aims to bring in more than 20, including a mix of restaurants, retailers and entertainment.
“We went through a full renovation of the center to upgrade electrical to handle the load of restaurants that we want to bring in,” said Nguyen said, noting that the facade of the center was improved as well.
The new 40,000-square-foot 99 Ranch Market will be one of the development’s anchors. Founded in 1984 in Southern California, the company was created by Taiwanese immigrant Roger Chen, who noticed a cultural gap between the food he wanted to recreate from his home country and the food available to him at typical American supermarket chains, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
Thanks in part to a large Asian population in California, 99 Ranch Market quickly took off and has now grown to be one of the largest retailers for Asian groceries in the country, with dozens of locations across the U.S. This past year, 99 Ranch Market opened its first locations in Portland, Oregon, and New York City, according to company news releases.
“It’s very similar as to what H Mart will carry, but there are differences because H Mart is a Korean grocery store and this is more of a Taiwanese-Chinese grocery store,” Nguyen said. “But they both have really blended to carry and merchandise for really everyone.”
A coming soon sign for Fat Miilk Coffee at the Riverbrook Shopping Center on Dec. 20, 2025. (Scott Wehrli)
One specialty section that shoppers can look forward to is 99 Ranch Market’s hot deli section, which includes dim sum and BBQ Chinese meats like roast duck and pork.
“Those are things that I think will be fun to have because as I’ve gone through I haven’t really found a place that has that yet in Naperville. I think there’s one other grocery store that maybe has it, but it’s not something that H Mart carries,” Nguyen said.
Asian goods department store Teso Life will also help anchor the plaza. Originally established in New York, Naperville will be the store’s second location in Illinois, Niles being the first.
“So that store is really fun. You’ll find things you never knew you needed, and they sell all kinds of things that are trending on TikTok, like all the skin care products, all the snacks from Japan, the latest ice cream craze that is coming on TikTok,” Nguyen said. “They really kind of lean into the trends and offer that all in one store, so it’s really fun for the entire family to shop.”
NewQuest is also bringing some local Asian Chicago businesses to town as well: Ba Le Sandwiches and Fat Miilk Coffee.
The former is a popular Vietnamese sandwich shop known for their banh mi sandwiches filled with everything from cured pork belly and pate to shredded chicken on a crunchy French bread. The latter specializes in authentic Vietnamese coffee. Lan Ho, owner of Fat Miilk, opened her first storefront in Chicago in 2024, but started her business with Fat Miilk during the pandemic after getting fired from her job.
“I know she’s got quite the following of customers from Naperville that drive into Chicago for her Vietnamese coffee,” Nguyen said. “And if you watched ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars,’ she was one of the finalists and so I’m excited to see her grow and open a location out here.”
National chain Gen Korean BBQ will provide Naperville residents with a lively, interactive grill-at-your-table experience. Tokyo Shokudo and Kitakata Ramen will give Naperville residents with two different options for Japanese food.
Tokyo Shokudo will offer a variety of dishes inspired by casual Japanese neighborhood eateries, with everything from sushi to udon noodles. Kitakata Ramen will specialize in hearty bowls of Kitakata-style ramen, one of the three main styles of ramen in Japan.
There are a number of restaurants NewQuest is in talks with for other possible tenants but Nguyen declined to name them because of ongoing negotiations.
“To me, restaurants have become the new kind of the next entertainment,” Nguyen said. “A lot of people like to do the gatherings around the table, and we are focused on bringing a great variety of restaurants to serve this community and be an attraction for a place where families can gather and celebrate any occasion.”
cstein@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/naperville-riverbrook-asian-restaurants-99-market/
US commits $480m in health funding to Ivory Coast, the latest to sign ‘America First’ health deals
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — The United States and Ivory Coast signed a health deal Tuesday requiring the U.S. to commit $480 million to the West African nation’s health sector as part of “America First” global health funding pacts that mirror the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
The signing in Ivory Coast’s capital of Abidjan covers areas such as HIV, malaria, maternal and child health, and global health security. It is the latest agreement the U.S. has entered with more than a dozen African countries, most of them hit by U.S. aid cuts, including Ivory Coast.
U.S. aid cuts have crippled health systems across the developing world, including in Africa, where many countries relied on the funding for crucial programs, including those responding to outbreaks of disease.
The new health pact is based on the principle of shared responsibility with Ivory Coast committing to provide up to 163 billion CFA francs ($292 million) by 2030, representing 60% of the overall commitment, according to Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé.
U.S. Ambassador to Ivory Coast Jessica Davis Ba said the U.S. government is moving “beyond the traditional aid approach toward a model focused on trade, innovation, and shared prosperity.”
“Today, our bilateral cooperation is entering a new phase. We are implementing the America First global health strategy,” the ambassador said.
The Trump administration says the new “America First” global health funding agreements are meant to increase self-sufficiency and eliminate what it says are ideology and waste from international assistance. The deals replace a patchwork of previous health agreements under the now-dismantled United States Agency for International Development.
In Ivory Coast, USAID had invested $115 million to support sectors such as health, education and aid for refugees mostly fleeing violence in neighboring Sahel states.
Analysts say the new approach to global health aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s pattern of dealing with other nations transactionally, using direct talks with foreign governments to promote his agenda abroad.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/us-health-funding-ivory-coast/
