Category: News
RFK Jr. Drops 2026 MAHA Agenda To Banish Toxic Food Dyes And Kill Off Processed Poison
RFK Jr. Drops 2026 MAHA Agenda To Banish Toxic Food Dyes And Kill Off Processed Poison
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
In a game-changing move that’s set to shake up the corrupt food industry, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled his 2026 MAHA agenda – a no-holds-barred assault on the chemicals and loopholes poisoning the health of America.
The agenda, highlighted during a Fox News broadcast, targets eight critical areas: GRAS reform to close loopholes for untested additives, updating dietary guidelines to prioritize real nutrition over junk science, defining ultra-processed foods, front-of-pack labeling for radical transparency, a chemical review overhaul to weed out toxins, banning petroleum-based food dyes linked to hyperactivity and worse, enhancing infant formula safety, and launching a nutrition regulatory science program free from Big Pharma influence.
As highlighted in the segment by FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Kyle Diamantas, “2026 will be a fundamental transformational year for the Trump administration,” with Secretary Kennedy’s team at the FDA leading the charge on food reform.
? JUST IN: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2026 MAHA agenda has been RELEASED ?
– Petroleum-based food dyes
– Dietary guidelines
– Define ultra processed foods
– Infant formula safety
– “Generally Recognized As Safe” reform for food ingredients
– Front-of-pack labeling
-… pic.twitter.com/u9MpK0Si8Z
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 30, 2025
Diamantas further urged, “This is an issue that has gone on for far too long in our country when you talk about our national nutrition crisis – 70% of Americans are overweight or obese, we have over half of young adolescents who can’t qualify for military service, and 15,000 new cases of diabetes each week. So we have deep problems in this country – we want to tackle those head on.”
This push comes amid broader MAHA victories, but not without resistance from entrenched interests. Just days ago, a federal judge blocked enforcement of H.B. 2354, calling it “unconstitutionally vague” and halting a state-level crackdown on seven harmful additives like FD&C Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey had championed the bill, stating, “West Virginia ranks at the bottom of many public health metrics, which is why there’s no better place to lead the Make America Healthy Again mission. By eliminating harmful chemicals from our food, we’re taking steps toward improving the health of our residents and protecting our children from significant long-term health and learning challenges.”
Yet Kennedy’s federal agenda powers ahead, building on 2025 milestones like phasing out Red Dye No. 3 and reconstituting vaccine advisory committees with conflict-free experts.
The 2026 plan directly addresses the childhood chronic disease explosion – one in 31 kids now diagnosed with autism, allergies afflicting one in four children, and obesity rates that disqualify young people from defending the nation.
GRAS reform stands out as a major win against the “generally recognized as safe” scam that’s allowed over 1,000 untested ingredients into food since 1997 without proper FDA scrutiny. Kennedy’s team aims to slam that door shut, forcing real safety reviews instead of industry self-certification.
On dietary guidelines, due for a radical update in January 2026, expect a shift away from outdated saturated fat limits that have propped up processed garbage. As nutrition expert Jerold Mande noted in recent coverage, “They don’t see a strong future for animal products. They just keep getting more and more expensive,” pointing to a potential emphasis on whole foods over ultra-processed alternatives. School lunches and military meals could see massive improvements, with resources funneled toward fresh, untainted options.
Defining ultra-processed foods is another cornerstone, with Marlene Schwartz emphasizing, “If the dietary guidelines said something about ultra-processed foods that just got people paying attention, I think that would be great.” This could spark a nationwide awakening to the hidden dangers in everyday snacks, cutting into Big Food’s profits while slashing obesity and diabetes rates.
Front-of-pack labeling promises to empower consumers with clear warnings, bypassing the fine-print tricks that hide toxins. Coupled with the chemical review overhaul, this will expose and eliminate contaminants that have evaded oversight for decades.
The petroleum-based food dyes ban builds on Kennedy’s April 2025 pledge to eliminate six synthetic colors by year’s end, now extended into a full purge. Despite judicial roadblocks like the West Virginia ruling, federal action could override such hurdles, protecting kids from behavioral issues tied to these petroleum-derived poisons.
Infant formula safety gets a spotlight through Operation Stork Speed, reviewing options to ensure the youngest aren’t exposed to harmful additives. And the nutrition regulatory science program will rebuild trust by grounding policies in unbiased research, free from lobbyist corruption.
Kennedy’s 2026 blueprint is a declaration of independence from the forces eroding American vitality. By prioritizing clean food, transparent science, and family health, MAHA delivers on the promise of a stronger, freer nation.
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Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 15:40
Gary man accused of attempted murder in shooting after fight
A Gary man has been charged with shooting a man who had broken up a fight between two women.
Raymond Santiago, 20, is charged with attempted murder; aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony; battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony; and battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony. According to court records, he is currently being held at Gary City Jail on $100,000 bond.
Shortly after midnight on Dec. 21, a witness told police that she and her boyfriend were in the 300 block of Fayette Street when the man was shot, according to the probable cause affidavit. Before the shooting, the girlfriend was involved in a physical altercation with her cousin’s friend. The man broke up the altercation, but the other woman called her brother to come and take out the man, court records state.
Police visited the shooting victim at University of Chicago Medical Center. He was alert but unable to speak due to a ventilator; the gunshot entered his chest and exited in the back, records state. The man provided written responses detailing what had occurred: His girlfriend and another woman were fighting, and he tried to break it up. As the man was walking away, a grey car drove past; a man got out of the car and told him to come here. He saw the man holding a gun and tried to take off running before he was shot, the affidavit states.
Doorbell camera footage from a nearby house shows a man saying, “Yo Huh, don’t run (expletive) or your (expletive) is gonna die.” He draws a firearm and fires between three and five shots at the victim, court records state. The shooter then runs away north on Fayette Street. Police found three spent 9mm shell casings on the ground, records state.
After the shooting, multiple license plate readers located near the scene picked up a white Hyundai Venue with an Indiana temporary license plate issued to Raymond Santiago. There were also images of Santiago picked up on surveillance cameras at a gas station located at 4901 Melton Road, the affidavit states.
Santiago told police that his sister called him, saying a man had stomped her. When he arrived at the scene, everyone was yelling and his sister pointed at the victim, saying, “It was him, it was him,” court records state. He said he asked the man, “are you the one that was beating on them girls?”
The man’s arm was inside his shirt, and his sister told him to run, records state. He told police that the man had moved too fast. At first, he told police that he didn’t know where the gun was, but then said he fled to Pennsylvania Street and threw a Glock 19 Gen 5 9mm into a wooded area near 21st Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive, the affidavit states.
Zelensky Claims Trump Is Considering US Boots On The Ground In Ukraine
Zelensky Claims Trump Is Considering US Boots On The Ground In Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has newly claimed that US President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of deploying American troops to Ukraine as negotiations toward peace with Moscow stall. This is presumably connected with promises of future ‘security guarantees’.
This is somewhat of a surprise, as the White House has made no indication of this in any statement whether public or based on anonymous officials. Throughout the nearly four-long war the question of Western ‘boots on the ground’ has been raised at various times.
But the US – whether under Biden or Trump – has always denied that sending American troops into Ukraine is a solution. Instead, it’s well understood that this could escalate things between Washington and Russia toward full-scale war.
Zelensky made the remarks during a WhatsApp conversation with journalists, according to Reuters national security correspondent Idress Ali, who then revealed his words on social media.
But the outlet has still stressed that Zelensky understands that the final decision rests with Trump.
“To be honest, this can only be confirmed by the President of the United States of America. These are US troops, and therefore it is America that makes such decisions. Of course, we are discussing this both with President Trump and with representatives of the Coalition [of the Willing],” Zelensky was quoted as saying.
And just like that, boots on the ground as a talking point is being echoed among EU leaders…
Polish Prime Minister Tusk:
The United States has declared its readiness to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine after concluding peace.
This includes, for example, the presence of American troops on the border or on the line of contact between Ukraine and Russia. pic.twitter.com/bIJUhyjQam
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 30, 2025
Russian media has also picked up on the remarks…
Zelensky says US BOOTS ON THE GROUND in Ukraine being discussed
But troop deployment is ‘UP TO THE UNITED STATES’ pic.twitter.com/VCXa10ttDw
— RT (@RT_com) December 30, 2025
President Trump has regularly emphasized that he won’t contemplate boots on the ground in Ukraine, for example last August:
President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged that American troops would not be on the ground in Ukraine — but provided little other insight into the scale of U.S. security guarantees as he pushes to end Russia’s war on its neighbor.
“You have my assurance, and I’m president,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends,” when asked what assurances he has that there won’t be American boots in the country to defend against another Russian incursion.
Needless to say such a moved, if he were to reverse his own policy, would be hugely unpopular among Trump’s base. And broadly the American public would likely see such a risky move as recipe for another US troop quagmire abroad, and in a very complex battlespace.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 15:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-claims-trump-considering-us-boots-ground-ukraine
Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, has died at 35
BOSTON — Environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, has died. She was 35.
Schlossberg, the daughter of Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg, revealed she had terminal cancer in a November 2025 essay in The New Yorker. A family statement disclosing her death was released Tuesday on social media by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
“Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” the family’s statement said. It did not disclose a cause of death or say where she died.
Schlossberg was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in May 2024 at 34. After the birth of her second child, her doctor noticed her white blood cell count was high. It turned out to be acute myeloid leukemia with a rare mutation, mostly seen in older people.
In the essay, “A Battle With My Blood,” Schlossberg recounted going through rounds of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants and participating in clinical trials. During the most recent trial, she wrote, her doctor told her “he could keep me alive for a year, maybe.”
Schlossberg also criticized policies pushed by her mother’s cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in the essay, saying policies he backed could hurt cancer patients like her. Her mother had urged senators to reject his confirmation.
“As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines, technology that could be used against certain cancers,” the essay reads.
Schlossberg had worked as a reporter covering climate change and the environment for The New York Times’ Science section. Her 2019 book “Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have” won the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Rachel Carson Environment Book Award in 2020.
Schlossberg wrote in The New Yorker essay that she feared her daughter and son wouldn’t remember her. She felt cheated and sad that she wouldn’t get to keep living “the wonderful life” she had with her husband, George Moran. While her parents and siblings, Rose and Jack, tried to hide their pain from her, she said she felt it every day.
“For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter, and to protect my mother and never make her upset or angry,” she said. “Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family’s life, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/tatiana-schlossberg-jfk-granddaughter-obit/
Afternoon Briefing: Barrington consignment store nearly emptied by burglars
Good afternoon, Chicago.
A Chicago nonprofit, in conjunction with the American Federation of Teachers, is suing the U.S. Department of Education over funding cuts to a program that has long provided wraparound services to students in high-poverty and rural areas.
For decades, multiyear grants through the FSCS program have helped public elementary and secondary schools provide a range of supportive services — from social, health, nutrition and mental health support to family resources — to students and their families, especially those in vulnerable situations.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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People yell at U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and other agents while they stop at a gas station during an immigration enforcement action, Dec. 17, 2025, in Evanston. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
‘Help is on the way’: Audio captures Border Patrol and 911 dispatchers before CPD response
On the second day of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino’s brief, chaotic return to Chicago earlier this month, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisor dialed 911 as a convoy of federal vehicles sped north on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Read more here.
More top news stories:
Aurora police to respond to all ShotSpotter activations on New Year’s Eve to curb celebratory gunfire
Today in Chicago History: ‘Fireproof’ Iroquois Theatre set ablaze when light ignites curtain — more than 600 killed
A person walks past Restyle Designers Barrington on Dec. 29, 2025, in Barrington. Six people broke into the high-end designer consignment store the previous day. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Barrington business nearly emptied by early morning burglars during the weekend
Barrington police are investigating the early Sunday burglary of a Cook Street consignment business. Read more here.
More top business stories:
Lake County business officials hope to build on strong 2025
How to build an emergency fund, pay off debt and make a plan for your money in 2026
Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly before a game Nov. 6, 2025, in Denver. (David Zalubowski/AP)
Northwestern hires Chip Kelly, the longtime college and NFL coach, to be its new offensive coordinator
Chip Kelly, 62, had a highly successful stint as Oregon’s head coach from 2009-12, going 46-7 and taking the Ducks to the national championship game in his final season. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Chicago Bulls’ Coby White and Josh Giddey exit with injuries in 136-101 blowout loss to Minnesota Timberwolves
Connor Bedard skates before Chicago Blackhawks practice for 1st time since injuring his shoulder
Ralph Fiennes stars in “28 Years Later: The Bone Collector.” (Columbia Pictures)
Movies for winter 2026: Post-apocalyptic thrillers, crime stories and gothic romance
The bigger financial questions surrounding the long- and short-term viability of the movie industry are out of our hands, which means our only job as moviegoers is to pick and choose what we want to see. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
More musicians cancel Kennedy Center concerts following addition of President Donald Trump’s name to building
Unleash the hounds! And terriers and lapdogs. The American Kennel Club adds 3 breeds.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., arrives on stage at the inaugural Make America Healthy Again summit at the Waldorf Astoria, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Rod Lamkey Jr./AP)
In a tumultuous year, US health policy has been dramatically reshaped under RFK Jr.
In the whirlwind first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, some of the most polarizing changes have taken place within the Department of Health and Human Services, where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has openly rebuffed the medical establishment as he converts the ideas of his Make America Healthy Again movement into public policy. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen port over weapons shipment from UAE, issues warning to Abu Dhabi
SNAP bans on soda, candy and other foods take effect in five states Jan. 1
Everyone’s A Lender Now: Shadow Banking USA
Everyone’s A Lender Now: Shadow Banking USA
Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,
How much private credit has been put in place but isn’t in the official credit total is unknown and very likely unknowable. That means total systemic risk is also unknowable.
Everyone wants to lend us money now, even though they’re not banks: the insurance company Progressive offered us a loan, PayPal offers us a business loan every time we log in, and the payment processor Stripe includes a pitch to borrow money on its dashboard page.
Then there’s the ubiquitous payment plans offered by seemingly every vendor / retailer.
These are parts of the shadow banking system (SBS) that we see, but most of the system is hidden in the global economy’s complex financial plumbing. The shadow banking system differs from nation to nation, as it developed to avoid whatever is tightly regulated or restricted within each banking system.
Here is a general definition:
“Shadow banking in the U.S. refers to non-bank financial institutions and activities that provide services similar to traditional commercial banks but operate largely outside of conventional banking regulations. The sector has grown significantly in recent years and plays a major role in the financial system, though it also poses systemic risks due to its lack of transparency and regulatory oversight.”
In a global economy dependent on credit, leverage, artifice and speculation, the expansion of shadow banking is highly incentivized. How much of this activity and debt ends up in official statistics of credit is hard to know, even for experts, given that the goal of shadow banking is to avoid the regulations and restrictions that increase transaction costs and limit risk.
Risk brings us to the treacherous territory between known unknowns and unknown unknowns, as risk is a funny thing: it cannot be extinguished, but it can be cloaked, transferred to others, sold to the unsuspecting as “safe,” or buried beneath complexity. It can also lay dormant, slowly dissolving whatever holds the system together, a process that remains hidden until the avalanche surprises everyone who thought the snowmass was stable because it appeared stable.
These links shed some light on the scale, asymmetries and risks built into a sprawling, highly interconnected, highly leveraged shadow banking system with few institutional safeguards or backstops.
Nonbank Financial Intermediation (NBFI or “Shadow Banking”) and Capital Markets Policy
Shadow Banks: Out of the Eyes of Regulators
Bank Turmoil Is Paving the Way for Even Bigger ‘Shadow Banks’
Total known credit is already a systemic risk.
How much private credit has been put in place but isn’t in the official credit total is unknown and very likely unknowable. That means total systemic risk is also unknowable.
* * *
My new book Investing In Revolution is available at a 10% discount ($18 for the paperback, $24 for the hardcover and $8.95 for the ebook edition). Introduction (free)
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Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 15:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/everyones-lender-now-shadow-banking-usa
Around the Southland: Evergreen Park students donate 300 toys, Chick Evans winners, more
Evergreen Park student toy drive generates 300 items for Toys for Tots
A Toys for Tots drive led by students in the National Honor Society at Evergreen Park Community High School in the first two weeks of December brought in more than 300 toys donated by students and staff.
The toys will be given to children in need in Evergreen Park and Worth Township.
The Honor Society’s toy drive is an annual tradition, but this year another organization helped with the effort: the school’s baseball team and Coach Andrew Massey contributed after the team’s own holiday event.
Society sponsor Ben Nesler, the high school’s department chairman for social studies and business technology, was pleased by the drive. “During the holiday season we know that a great deal is asked for, and we are proud to say our Mustang Nation gave back,” he said via a news release.
Turn Christmas trees into trail chips at Lake Katherine
Instead of putting their natural Christmas trees in the trash, area residents are invited to recycle them at Lake Katherine Nature Center, 7402 W. Lake Katherine Drive in Palos Heights.
Trees may be dropped off until Jan. 31 in the designated area at the end of the parking lot near the farm implements. All decorations should be removed.
Trees will be chipped and distributed along the preserve’s trails in the spring. Information is at 708-361-1873.
Chick Evans scholarships awarded to Marist seniors
Marist High School seniors Hector Castillo and Olubukola Onomole have won the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship, a highly competitive full-tuition college scholarship.
Castillo, a graduate of St. Germaine School in Oak Lawn, plays on Marist’s tennis team, serves as a peer tutor and is a member of the French National Honor Society and Amnesty International. He also was named a Posse Scholar, a highly selective full-tuition merit scholarship awarded to students recognized for their leadership potential and academic promise,” per a news release.
Onimole, who graduated from Veterans Memorial Middle School in Blue Island, serves as an officer with Student Ambassadors, is student council vice president, on the Green Team executive board, co-president of the Book Club and a member of the track team and speech team. She also manages Marist’s hockey team and is involved with the Black Student Union, French National Honor Society, National Honor Society and Marist Youth.
The scholarship, renewable for up to four years, is awarded by the Evans Scholars Foundation of the Western Golf Association to caddies who apply. They must show a strong caddie record, financial need, outstanding character and an excellent academic record.
Pathlights benefits from pair of trivia nights
Early bird rates end Jan. 9 for Pathlights’ trivia night, set for Feb. 19 in Tinley Park and March 12 in Oak Lawn.
The event raises money for emergency support services for older adults and caregivers served by the nonprofit agency. The fee of $40 to attend either event goes up to $45 or $80 to attend both.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and trivia starts at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 at Bremen Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2791, 17147 Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park, or March 12 at Johnson-Phelps Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5220, 9514 S. 52nd Ave. in Oak Lawn.
Split-the-pot and other raffles will be included. Sign up by visiting pathlights.org/event. The last day to do so is Feb. 15 and March 8. Call 708-361-0219.
Mindfulness retreat planned at The Center
Those looking for peace and space to think about the new year or to decompress after holiday stress are invited to Awake at The Center: A Day of Mindfulness in the Outdoors, set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 10 at The Center, 12700 Southwest Highway in Palos Park.
The retreat will be led by Sharon and Dan Morley and other leaders of the organization’s Sunday morning mindfulness team. Participants will walk, sit, listen and share the beauty of the grounds in the morning. The afternoon features the healing sounds of crystal bowls with the help of Jalima Cuesta.
Wear clothing appropriate for the weather. Those who get cold can warm up by the center’s fireplace. The fee is $65, which includes leadership, lunch, and retreat supplies. Register at 708-361-3650.
Beekeeping, fun with ducks set at Plum Creek Nature Center
Two programs are planned by the Forest Preserve District of Will County at Plum Creek Nature Center, 27064 Dutton Road in Beecher, with one featuring duck-related play for preschoolers and facts about beekeeping for people of all ages.
Preschoolers 3 to 5 years old and their caregivers can enjoy an evening of duck-themed fun with Nature Play Day After Hours – Ducks in a Row, planned for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 6 at the preserve. They’ll enjoy games, crafts, stories and a duck hunt inside and outside. Attendees also will get a peek at the federal duck stamp art display. Sign up by Jan. 4 for this free session.
Meet a Beekeeper takes place 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 10 at the center. Participants will learn about the science and art of beekeeping with local beekeeper Dad Bradley. It’s designed for all ages and is free.
To sign up for either program, call 708-946-2216.
Send news to communitynews@southtownstar.com.
Elgin News Digest: Christmas tree curbside pickup, mulching in Elgin area; Dundee High School alum named a Chicagoan of the Year
Christmas tree curbside pickup, mulching in Elgin area
Kane County’s online list of communities picking up natural Christmas trees and other holiday greenery and locations where trees can be mulched include several locations in the Elgin area.
Carpentersville and Sleepy Hollow waste haulers will take trees and wreaths with both regular trash and recycling throughout the month of January. In East Dundee and West Dundee, similar pickups will be made in the first two full weeks in January.
In Elgin, pickups will take done on regular collection days through Saturday, Jan. 17, and in South Elgin the same will be done in the first three weeks of January.
Dundee Township residents can have undecorated trees mulched anytime through Thursday, Jan. 15, by leaving them outside the Dundee Township Road District offfice, 1900 Sleepy Hollow Road, Sleepy Hollow. For more information, call 847-426-0898.
Natural trees also can be dropped off from 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Monday to Friday during the first two weeks of January at Midwest Compost, 1320 Spaulding Road, Elgin. There are no residency requirements. For pricing, call 847-931-2900.
eWorks will accept unwanted strings of holiday lights and extension cords from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday all year at Kane County’s West Dundee Recycling Center, 900 Angle Tarn, West Dundee.
For more information, go to kanecountyil.gov/Recycling/Pages/christmasTreeRecycling.aspx.
Nicholas Baird, currently principal at Ellis Middle School in Elgin, will be the first principal of Legacy Middle School, which is currently under construction in Elgin. (School District U-46)
Three administrators promoted by School District U-46
The District U-46 School Board has appointed three internal candidates to new leadership roles in the 2026-27 school year.
William J. Johnson, currently executive director of high schools, will become assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, according to a news release. He will replace Brian Tennison, who is retiring.
Nicholas Baird, currently principal at Ellis Middle School in Elgin, will be the first principal of Legacy Middle School, which is currently under construction in Elgin. Baird has been with U-46 his entire educational career and is a U-46 graduate.
Cody Papp, currently assistant principal at Sunnydale Elementary School in Streamwood, will be the principal of Illinois Park Elementary School in Elgin in the 2026-27 academic year. (School District U-46)
Cody Papp, currently assistant principal at Sunnydale Elementary School in Streamwood, has been chosen principal of Illinois Park Elementary School in Elgin, where she once was an early childhood special education teacher. Papp will assume leadership of the school for the 2026-27 school year when it transitions from an early childhood center into an elementary school.
Doug McConnell prepares with his team at Wilmette Harbor to start his swim on Sept. 13, 2020, from Evanston to Chicago as a fundraiser for ALS research. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Dundee High School alum named a Chicagoan of the Year
Douglas McConnell, Dundee Community High School Class of 1975, has been named a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine.
McConnell, 68, is an investment banker who now lives in Barrington. According to the magazine, McConnell is an avid open water swimmer who has swum the English Channel and around the island of Manhattan.
He and his late sister, Ellen, founded A Long Swim, which has raised more than $3 million for ALS research, according to the magazine. McConnell was also responsible for getting the necessary approvals for the September Chicago River Swim, which raised $100,000 for ALS research and $50,000 to teach children how to swim.
A social media post by School District 300 noted that McConnell is also an inductee into the Dundee-Crown High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Dundee and Irving Crown High Schools merged in 1983 at the Crown campus in Carpentersville. The former Dundee High building is now Carpentersville Middle School.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/30/elgin-christmas-mulch-mcconnell-magazine/
Addressing gap, Habitat builds transitional home for vets with children
Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana plans to build its first transitional home for military veterans with children, the agency announced Monday.
The house, in Lake Station, marks a partnership with the city and the Lake County Economic Development Department.
Officials said the initiative helps close a housing gap in Lake County, where all transitional and veteran rental housing options are limited to one-bedroom units, which do not accommodate veterans returning from deployment with children.
“We identified a need a couple years ago and found everything available in Northwest Indiana is not for families,” said Dawn Michaels, Habitat’s outgoing executive director, whose last day is Wednesday. She’s been named chief operating officer for the Northwest Indiana Realtors Association.
She said veterans’ organizations in Northwest Indiana agreed there’s a need for transitional family housing.
Habitat has been building homes in Lake Station’s Riverwalk subdivision for the past few years. The new veterans’ home is in a different location, Michaels said.
“We chose Lake Station because the mayor is very supportive, and it has a lot of veterans,” she said. It’s also very affordable, she added.
“This collaboration reflects our city’s commitment to supporting veterans, strengthening families, and creating opportunities for stability and success,” said Mayor Bill Carroll in a statement.
In a departure from the typical Habitat project, Michaels said the veteran’s family will rent the home initially and not take part in its construction, but it could represent a path to home ownership.
“We anticipate working with that family in order for them to be a homeowner. The goal is to transition them and create a wealth-building asset,” she said.
“We want our families to age in place. This is a perfect way to have a veteran go from renting to home ownership,” Michaels said.
The Lake County Community Economic Development Department provided financial support for the project.
“By investing in solutions that keep families together, we strengthen both individual households and the broader community,” said Tim Brown, its executive director.
The home is fully completed and move-in ready, and Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana is accepting applications from a veteran parent with children.
For application information, contact Family Services at Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana, 219-923-7265 x1305 or email familyservices@nwihabitat.org.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
New Pattern Suggests Two “Sizable” Snow Events For US Northeast
New Pattern Suggests Two “Sizable” Snow Events For US Northeast
Meteorologist Mike Masco has identified what he says could be a very active storm pattern for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic from around New Year’s Day into mid-January.
“I’ve been deconstructing the pattern this morning, and there are three key features that support an active stretch across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including the potential for at least two sizable snow events, plus several smaller ones,” Masco wrote on X.
Masco is a meteorologist for New York City-based PIX11 News and focuses on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
He explained what the active post-New Year pattern could bring on a region-by-region basis:
• West-based negative NAO (Greenland block), shown by the black circle, slows the pattern and reorients the jet stream from southwest to northeast, and at times south to north. This keeps shortwaves and lows closer to the coast. It is not a guaranteed blockbuster, but it keeps inverted troughs and sneaky coastal setups in play, with one possible around New Year’s Day.
• Rockies ridge (critical), shown by the purple box, forces storm energy south of New York City and Philadelphia. Without it, storms track north and turn weaker and wetter. With it, colder tracks and better snow potential are more likely.
• Western Atlantic ridge (underrated), shown by the blue box, helps keep systems near the coast and supports Miller B-type setups, favoring more traditional snowstorms rather than just clippers.
Timing: The pattern sets up around New Year’s Day and lasts into mid-January. There is no locked-in timeline for a major storm yet. A New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day clipper is likely to bring light snow across the region, with redevelopment potential toward Boston.
Here is Masco’s forecast map:
Peak winter is still several weeks away.
Washington, DC’s Heating Degree Days, a weather-based metric used to estimate how much energy is needed to heat buildings, will be above 30-year averages.
This implies higher NatGas demand, thus higher prices.
NatGas prices jumped in November and December on cold weather patterns across the US East.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/30/2025 – 14:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/new-pattern-suggests-two-sizable-snow-events-us-northeast
