Next Year’s Election Is A Choice Between Peace & War, Warns Hungarian PM Orbán

Tyler Durden
Sun, 12/28/2025 – 07:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/next-years-election-choice-between-peace-war-warns-hungarian-pm-orban 

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — After soaring to the NFC’s top playoff seed last season, the Detroit Lions won’t be returning to the postseason this year, and they could end up at the bottom of the NFC North.

This was not the expected outcome for a team that won 15 games last season and started the year as a Super Bowl favorite.

The Lions (8-8) were bounced from playoff contention Thursday with a 23-10 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They have lost three straight games for the first time since 2022.

Chicago Bears clinch their 1st NFC North title since 2018

Coach Dan Campbell’s team — which lost both coordinators from last year’s 15-2 squad — is struggling on both sides of the ball. The Lions have failed to rush for at least 100 yards in three straight games, and the defense has given up an average of nearly 32 points over the last six.

“It sucks,” quarterback Jared Goff said of missing the playoffs. “We’ll reflect on the whole season after next week, but yeah, it sucks.”

With the season ending earlier than anyone in Detroit wanted, Campbell suggested that major changes are possible.

“I’m going to be looking at a lot of things, because I do not like being home for the playoffs, and I know our guys don’t either,” Campbell said. “Whenever you lose, man, it’s takes a village. Everyone is involved, including myself. I’m always going to look at myself first.”

Campbell intends to set a high bar as the Lions prepare for their season finale at the division-leading Chicago Bears in Week 18.

“We got one game to go,” he said. “I expect everybody to be ready to go when we get back in a couple of days, be locked in and be ready when we get on a plane to go to Chicago. You know, to be locked in one more time. That’s what I expect and then we’ll go from there.”

What’s working

The Lions have 48 sacks on the season, their most since producing 50 in 1999. They totaled seven sacks against the Vikings, their most since having eight against the Vikings in 2014. Aidan Hutchinson had two sacks to reach a career-high 13½ on the season.

What needs help

Lions quarterback Jared Goff, left, speaks with coach Dan Campbell during the first half of a game against the Vikings on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. The Lions lost 23-10 and were eliminated from playoff contention. (Abbie Parr/AP)

The Lions offensive line, once the catalyst of their rise to the NFL’s elite, has become a liability. The line’s decline due to injuries, illness and lack of depth was on full display as the Vikings’ pressure overwhelmed a patchwork front that surrendered five sacks, eight tackles for a loss and eight quarterback hits.

Stock up

Wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa continues his impressive rookie season. He caught his sixth touchdown pass of the year Thursday, a high-point grab in the back of the end zone. TeSlaa set a franchise record for the most games (six) with a touchdown catch by a rookie receiver.

Stock down

Goff had one of his worst games with the Lions. He accounted for five of their six turnovers, throwing back-to-back interceptions in the third quarter and losing three fumbles. The Lions had only eight giveaways on the season entering the game.

Key number

3 — The Vikings finished with 3 net passing yards — the second‑fewest by a victorious team in the past 42 seasons. The Houston Texans beat the Oakland Raiders 23-14 with minus-5 passing yards on Dec. 3, 2006.

Next steps

To avoid going from first to worst in the NFC North, the Lions need to beat the Bears and coach Ben Johnson, their former offensive coordinator.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/detroit-lions-dan-campbell-nfc-north/ 

Christmas may be over, but the days following the holiday are filled with their own brand of anticipation for shoppers.

In the Fox Valley, thousands are flocking to area malls and shopping centers in search of post-holiday sales, as well as a chance to use gift cards or money they received for Christmas.

Friday morning in St. Charles, Michael Shake and his family from West Chicago were on a mission as they visited a Target store at 3885 E. Main St.

“We’re here so my daughter can spend her Christmas cash,” Shake said as he and his wife Jenna and daughter Ellie, 6, prepared to enter the store. “My daughter’s great-grandmother gave her some money. We’re just here for her.”

“I want a safety mask so I can play with my Nerf guns,” Ellie said.

Many retailers look at the week after Christmas as another busy time as shoppers head to the stores in search of whatever they didn’t get for Christmas or to find deals.

At Fox Valley Mall in Aurora, Kristina Arias, senior director of marketing, said that after Christmas, “shopping shifts from urgency to choice.”

“There’s a pre-Christmas and a post-Christmas push,” Arias said. “They’re both similar, but really do the same in terms of getting rid of the inventory.

“Shoppers have more time and less pressure and, again, they want to feel confident in spending on what they actually want, especially post-holiday. Those deals make the purchases feel smarter and intentional,” Arias said.

It should be a busy time at the mall, according to Arias.

“The week after Christmas is super busy, one part because many people are still on vacation, but also because shoppers are being more thoughtful with their spending and taking advantage of the promotions and comparing options,” Arias said. “They really want to make purchases that make them feel like they’re getting a good value.”

Exchanges and gift cards, Arias said, “create a sense of flexibility for customers” as well as often making them spend even more money.

“I think that flexibility leads shoppers to browse longer. They trade up and make additional purchases while they are already here,” she said. “It does benefit the center and our retailers significantly. People will often throw in more of their own money to get something in addition to the gift card and it increases that perception of value.”

Bernie Saad of Bartlett was out shopping in St. Charles on Friday and said she and her family were “in search of Christmas lights and wrapping paper.”

“We already cashed out some gift cards at Menard’s before we got here,” Bernie’s husband William said. “I’m OK with this. The kids got some cash from relatives so that might be part of the day.”

Lenny Jaimes, manager at the Michael Kors store at Chicago Premium Outlets mall in Aurora, expects to see a lot of gift card purchases and buyers looking for restocked merchandise over the days ahead. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)

Lenny Jaimes, manager at Michael Kors at Chicago Premium Outlets mall in Aurora, said it has been an active shopping season this year and expects that to continue.

“As far as post-Christmas goes, I’ve been here almost three years and I know we’ll see more gift cards used but probably not a lot of returns,” Jaimes said. “People are still shopping for something they didn’t have time to get as well. Most that come in are using gift cards and some come to see if we have more stock than we did at the end of the days leading up to Christmas.”

Julie Anderson from Manhattan was at the outlet mall Friday morning and she had already exchanged a purse.

Michael and Jenna Shake and their daughter Ellie, 6, from West Chicago, visit a Target store in St. Charles on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, for some post-Christmas shopping. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)

“I found what I wanted and I plan to stop at a few more places,” she said. “When I’m out like this I’m looking around for bargains mostly.”

Kenika Carter-Aldridge of Chicago came to Chicago Premium Outlets on Friday “because of the different stores and hopefully, lower prices.”

She admitted that, in terms of shopping, Friday’s mission was about getting something for herself.

“I prefer to wait until after Christmas in order to really see what I want as opposed to just getting something and being done,” she said.

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/christmas-is-over-but-shopping-season-in-the-aurora-area-keeps-on-rolling/ 

In the weeks ahead, Josh Kreutz will return home from Champaign to train with his father at his gym.

Olin Kreutz, the former six-time Pro Bowl center for the Chicago Bears, will work with his son on continuing to build up his strength and cleaning up his technique so he can take his shot at drawing NFL attention.

But first, Josh, a center like his father, has to close out his final chapter with Illinois. After five seasons, two stints as captain and 36 career starts, Josh will start his last game with the Illini (8-4) against Tennessee (8-4) on Tuesday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.

Departing players looking toward their next steps in football sometimes opt out of bowl games. The Illini will be without a couple of their stars — outside linebacker Gabe Jacas and left tackle J.C. Davis, who opted out as they look toward their NFL futures. But several other seniors will play, including quarterback Luke Altmyer.

And Kreutz will be there snapping to him.

“When there’s a football game to be played, I just want to play,” Josh said. “I want to be there for my teammates, want to play with my brother one last time. I want to just play honestly. I love playing football.”

Josh’s final Illini game will close out a special time for the Kreutz family. For the last four years, Josh and his brother, James, a redshirt junior rotational linebacker for Illinois with one start this season, have played together in orange and blue, trained together and even lived together for three years.

Tuesday’s game at Nissan Stadium will mark the end of a long football journey together that included watching the tail end of their father’s career and then finding their own love of the game — with the help of their father’s instruction.

Coach at home

Bears center Olin Kreutz (57) reacts during the first quarter against the Saints in the NFC championship game on Jan. 21, 2007, at Soldier Field. (Jim Prisching/Chicago Tribune)

Josh, 22, and James, 21, are old enough to remember their father’s last seasons with the Bears and his final NFL season, with the New Orleans Saints in 2011. James doesn’t remember a lot about the Bears-Green Bay Packers NFC championship game in the 2010 season, but he does remember how cold it was.

It was during their family’s time in New Orleans that they began their tackle football careers together, when Josh was a quarterback and defensive lineman and James was a center and linebacker. James, whose body type fit playing linebacker, stuck at that position and settled into it as his place in high school. When they moved back to Illinois the next year after New Orleans, Josh moved to the offensive line.

“Obviously I was decent at it, so I think that kind of just made me stick there,” Josh said. “I think I wanted to play quarterback, but I don’t know how good I was at throwing the ball.”

Olin coached the brothers in middle school at School of St. Mary in Lake Forest. The move to coaching after 14 years playing in the NFL didn’t come naturally. He consulted with coaches Tony Wise, Bob Wylie and Harry Hiestand about how to put the things you do in football into words — and how to explain that to young people — a skill that later translated into his broadcasting career.

The brothers said he taught them everything, from technique to film study to training to the way they should play the game.

“First of all I made sure that that’s what they wanted to do, and that they enjoyed it, and they did,” Olin, 48, said. “Then kind of just always talked about how the game should be played. Make sure you respect the game and how to learn the game and how the game can teach you about life and preparing for life. It actually can teach you about how to study things. Even your classes in school is the same way you study for football. So just always using football as a tool to really teach them how to become adults.”

Olin said it wasn’t all easy trying to guide his sons.

“Some days are good and some days are bad, right?” Olin said. “And some days, I’m sure I was harder on them than I should have been, and even now, I still am. I expect them to play at a certain level in a certain way, and talk to them a lot about that. But some days I was probably way too hard on them at their young age for football. But that’s the great thing about coaching kids football and coaching your own kids is you learn just as much from them as they learn from you.”

Illinois linebacker James Kreutz (41) calls out to teammates in the second quarter against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 29, 2025, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Olin said he felt lucky that his sons had good coaches as they advanced in their playing careers. They played under former NFL linebacker John Holecek at Loyola Academy before moving to Bret Bielema’s staff at Illinois. Josh had committed to former Illinois coach Lovie Smith but stayed when Bielema was hired, and James, who wanted to play with his brother, followed a year behind.

Olin didn’t want to step in unless he was needed. He wanted them to learn the game their own way. He did offer help to Josh when he moved to center at Illinois, sometimes talking to him about different techniques and fundamentals and using his old film as a teaching tool. Josh said it was a big help to study his father.

“He’s really done a ton of work himself, to learn the position and put in the time to develop his craft and get better and better at being center,” Olin said.

Most of the instruction Olin offered in recent years was about their approach to the game: Hustle to the ball. Pick your teammate up off the ground. If a teammate is in a fight, make sure you’re there.

Bielema said on WSCR-AM 670 over the summer that Olin let his sons make their own marks at Illinois.

“Obviously Olin and all he has accomplished, he has a huge name in Chicago. But those two boys have made a name for themselves,” Bielema said. “There’s a reason he named them Josh and James. He wanted them to be who they are. And man, they have really set a standard here that’s pretty awesome to watch every day.”

Over the last four years in Champaign, it helped Olin and his wife, Wendi, feel comfortable, too, that the brothers had each other.

Pushing each other

Illinois offensive lineman Josh Kreutz (64) works through tackles in the first quarter against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 29, 2025, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Olin’s gym has a cage in it where the family will sometimes train through boxing or wrestling.

His sons are naturally competitive and push each other “in a good way,” but every once in a while those training bouts need to be dialed down.

“Sometimes, it does get a little too intense and a little heated, and they’ve got to walk it back,” Olin said. “But they’ve been pushing each other and challenging each other for years to learn the game, learn about what they’ve got to do and help each other through their ups and downs.”

Josh and James were one of five sets of brothers playing for Bielema this season, along with wide receiver Hudson Clement and running back Murphy Clement, defensive backs Torrie and Tywan Cox and Xavier and Xanai Scott and offensive lineman Ayden and Nathan Knapik.

Even though they don’t play the same position, the Kreutz brothers said they help each other all the time, whether that’s pushing each other in the weight room, getting good reps against each other in practice, talking technique or explaining what the other sees on offense or defense.

Josh said he admires that his brother is smart, instinctive and physical and plays hard.

James has 26 tackles, 2½ tackles for a loss and three pass breakups this season and thought he was playing better ball at the end of the year. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker had five tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup against Rutgers at the beginning of November and had a deflection against Northwestern that resulted in a Torrie Cox Jr. interception.

James called his brother smart, rugged and tough and said he has learned from how he fights through injuries. He said he has set the standard for how he and his teammates need to work.

Illinois linebacker James Kreutz (41) works special teams in the fourth quarter against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 29, 2025, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Josh, who is 6-2 and 290 pounds, has been an Illinois captain the last two seasons and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention player in 2023 and 2024. He started 30 straight games before he missed the Oct. 4 game against Purdue with an injury.

“Just seeing what he does every day, how he works, how he studies film, how he preps for a game,” James said. “We don’t play the (bowl) game until the 30th, but how much he’s prepping now (two weeks before the game), it just shows me like what you’ve got to do if you want to do this.”

James said he has loved watching Josh run out of the tunnel on game days as a starter, representing their family. They had a memorable last game together at Gies Memorial Stadium, a 20-13 win over Northwestern in a snowstorm.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, with all the snow and it being senior day, only half the stadium being full because of how much snow there was,” Josh said. “It was awesome. I mean, that first half was like something you dream about when you’re a kid, and you see people on TV playing in snow, and you go outside and play in snow. Getting that experience that was really awesome. I had a blast doing it.”

Former Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz sets up tailgating equipment before an Illinois-Western Illinois game at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 29, 2025, in Champaign. His sons, Josh and James, play for Illinois. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Former Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz sets up tailgating equipment with his family before an Illinois-Western Illinois game at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 29, 2025, in Champaign. His sons, Josh and James, play for Illinois. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Now, they hope to go out on a high note together at the bowl game, which Olin, Wendi and their four daughters will attend.

Both Kreutz brothers said they were so focused on the final game that they weren’t worried a lot about what’s next as Josh prepares for life after Illinois.

That’s part of what makes their dad proud of them.

“When I watch them play, the biggest thing is just to respect the game and look like you’re playing as hard as you can play and that you’re there for your teammates, you’re there for the team and you want the team to win,” Olin said. “And I always believe if you put the team first, everything else falls into place. So seeing them become those kind of young men that they are now is what makes you the most proud.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/illinois-football-josh-james-olin-kreutz/ 

The 11-4 Chicago Bears will play the 11-4 San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in a Week 17 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (7:20 p.m., NBC-5).

Want the latest Bears news? Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune to read it all — and sign up for our free Bears Insider newsletter.

5 things to watch — plus our predictions

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore celebrates his game-winning touchdown catch in overtime to defeat the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The road to Santa Clara, Calif., starts in … well, Santa Clara.

If the Bears can dare to dream of making it as far as Super Bowl LX, their most viable path begins with their first trip to host venue Levi’s Stadium, where they will face the 49ers on “Sunday Night Football.”

It’s two playoff-bound teams jockeying for position within not only the NFC, but also their own divisions. Read more here.

WR Rome Odunze will miss 4th consecutive game for Bears, but Luther Burden III poised to return
3 Bears — Kevin Byard III, Drew Dalman and Joe Thuney — are selected to NFC Pro Bowl roster
Bears DE Austin Booker says NFL fined him $5K apiece for 2 roughing-the-passer penalties on Jordan Love

Playoff picture

Bears coach Ben Johnson celebrates with wide receiver DJ Moore after his game-winning catch in overtime to defeat the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

At long last, the Bears have taken the North.

With the Packers’ 41-24 loss Saturday night against the Ravens, the Bears clinched the NFC North. Their first division title since 2018 guarantees they will begin the playoffs with a home game. A week ago, the Bears clinched their first playoff appearance since 2020 with a dramatic win against the Packers and a Lions loss the next day.

Now they’re officially kings of the NFC North. For the first time since general manager Ryan Poles took over the franchise’s football operations in January 2022 — and declared the team’s goal was to “take the North and never give it back” — the Bears finally can say they’ve accomplished it. Read more here.

Bears clinch their 1st playoff spot since 2020
Packers lose to Ravens 41-24, giving Bears the NFC North title
Vikings force 6 turnovers to eliminate Lions — and put Packers in playoffs
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Bears playoff appearances — including the ‘Sneakers Game,’ the ‘Fog Bowl’ and ‘Double Doink’

Bears complete a worst-to-first turnaround. Can they capitalize on it?

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) celebrate after Edmunds recovered a fumble against the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

There’s a gravitational force in the NFL that tends to pull the 32 teams toward the middle of the pack.

The bulk of the league regularly cycles through an ebb and flow, the kind of thing that can make a worst-to-first season not all that uncommon. The Bears have gone from last place in 2024 to first place, clinching the NFC North on Saturday night when the Packers lost to the Ravens in Green Bay.

Since 2002, when the NFL moved to eight four-team divisions, 25 teams had gone from the outhouse to the penthouse entering this season. While there wasn’t a single example last year, the Bears (11-4) joined the group Saturday, and the 49ers (11-4) — the Bears’ opponent Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium — have a chance to do so this year, as do the Patriots (12-3). Read more here.

5 things we learned from the Bears, including how naysayers fueled Caleb Williams when told ‘I can’t win here’
Bears Q&A: Would Ben Johnson rest players for the playoffs? Will Nahshon Wright be re-signed?

Ozzy Trapilo follows his father’s football legacy

Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo works to protect quarterback Caleb Williams in the second quarter against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The thought was there when Ozzy Trapilo first stepped onto an NFL field for the Bears season opener. “It’s always kind of in the back of my mind,” he said.

Growing up with his two older sisters in the Boston area, there was memorabilia all over his childhood home. Trapilo was nearing his third birthday when his father, Steve, died of a heart attack at age 39 in 2004. But there were memories all around him from his father’s time playing football at Boston College and in the NFL for the Saints.

“So you kind of know,” Trapilo said. “As long as I can remember really. That was like a fundamental part of him.” Read more here.

Bears QB Caleb Williams dubbed each offensive lineman an ‘Avengers’ character: Here’s who he picked
‘Bully’ ball for Bears? How a play using 2 tight ends in the backfield can stymie a defense.

About 2025

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams celebrates the win over the Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

A year ago, the Bears were spiraling, losing 10 consecutive games and firing coach Matt Eberflus. Now, under first-year coach Ben Johnson, they have won 11 games for the first time in seven years, have clinched their first playoff berth in five years and are one of the best stories of the 2025 NFL season.

A lot has happened between then and now. Read more here.

About last week

Caleb Williams lofted a 46-yard touchdown pass to receiver DJ Moore for a walk-off touchdown in overtime, giving the Chicago Bears a 22-16 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Soldier Field.

In stunning fashion, the Bears erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit with a furious comeback. Read more here.

Improbable win puts Bears in control of the NFC North: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Week 16
Inside the Caleb Williams-to-DJ Moore OT touchdown for a Bears win that ‘blew up’ Soldier Field
Undrafted Jahdae Walker grabs game-tying TD for the Bears: ‘We put that in our rookie’s hands’
Bears and Packers have played 212 times in the past 100 years: How the rivalry has unfolded
Bears fans celebrate winning season as team considers move to Indiana: ‘They need to stay in Illinois’

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/chicago-bears-san-francisco-49ers-week-17/ 

Watching sports has never been easier than it was in 2025, as long as you could afford to subscribe to cable or satellite TV and all the necessary streaming services you’d need for a blissful experience.

This week alone you needed a Netflix subscription for two NFL games on Christmas afternoon, Amazon Prime for the Christmas night game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, and Peacock for Saturday night’s Green Bay Packers-Baltimore Ravens game. And though I already pay extra for the Comcast Xfinity’s so-called “ultimate sports” tier to watch local teams, Friday’s Chicago Bulls-Philadelphia 76ers game was on Amazon Prime instead of Chicago Sports Network, which suggests Comcast should change its top tier to “ultimate lite.”

Missing a game is not the end of the world, and fortunately I have enough family members to share passwords so I can basically watch whatever I want. But I feel for the sports fan on a fixed income without siblings for password-sharing. Paying three streamers for a sports fix on a holiday weekend is not advisable.

The alternative, of course, is not watching at all.

It’s not as difficult as you might imagine, and the money you save can be used for other purposes, such as groceries, health care or perhaps even a real vacation from the sports world.

Weaning myself away from a sports-heavy diet was a personal goal in 2025. Engaging with the sports world is a great way to relax, but it also can be stressful if you’re too emotionally involved, as I get when my college team, Mizzou, perennially disappoints.

Sports watching can be a toxic stew these days with nonstop gambling references, preening coaches, managers and players, off-the-field scandals and endless timeouts for replays to determine whether the nose of the football touched the turf for a nanosecond or someone’s fingernail touched a basketball before it went out of bounds.

Add to that the parade of repetitive commercials from corporations, accompanied by a classic rock song from a band you once admired, only adds to the stress level.

A sports diet in 2025 was the only answer, but looking back on the year, I failed miserably.

I still watch and listen to sports way too much, even when the team I’m watching is hopelessly out of contention and the games are meaningless. The proliferation of televised sports has made it harder to cut back. There’s always something else on on another channel, unlike my youth when we had only the three networks and a few independent stations including WGN-Ch. 9 and WSNS-Ch. 44. If you’re thinking this is evolving into a “get off my lawn” column, you’ll be happy to know I’m watching the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl while I write this.

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) celebrates his game-winning touchdown catch in overtime to defeat the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

So how did this sports obsession become a problem? I blame it on my upbringing, when my dad watched every White Sox and Bears game from the beginning of the season to the end, like comfort food for the brain. Our Sundays are still noisy rituals of food and family with the volume of whatever game on TV that afternoon kept low enough for everyone to shout over. It’s a lifestyle choice many Chicagoans know and enjoy, especially during this wild Bears season.

While I failed to end my obsessive relationship with sports, I did succeed in cutting down on listening to sports-talk radio, watching sports-talk debate shows, scrolling through sports news on social media and reading about sports I have only a minor interest in.

You can do it, too, though for some that would probably entail reading less of this column, which I completely support if it improves your mental health. Feel free to tune me out, starting … now.

If you’re still here and want to know my secrets to a healthier sports diet in 2026, here are some handy tips.

Keep your car radio tuned to FM stations.

The majority of sports-talk radio is delivered on AM stations, and if you’re like me you listen to sports-talk shows mostly while driving. I can listen for hours and hours if I’m on a long-distance drive.

Contrary to popular belief, you can watch a Bears game and not have to hear what every ex-Bear thinks about it afterward. Try it. You’ll like it.

Leave the TV off on weekday mornings and afternoons.

This means no Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee or Barstool personalities shouting about the Dallas Cowboys. Your ears will thank you.

White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf attends a ceremony to unveil a new statue of Mark Buehrle on July 11, 2025, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Observe the “.500 rule.”

It’s simple. Don’t watch games if your team is currently under .500 and the season is well underway. That’s difficult in Chicago, especially if Jerry Reinsdorf owns your favorite team.

Ignore sports-related posts.

With a click of the button you can unfollow any or all sports-related X or Instagram accounts. It’s not so much the posts that are time-consuming, but the comments underneath from the ubiquitous trolls, who’ve multiplied exponentially since Elon Musk ruined Twitter.

Avoid pregame and postgame programming.

This was very difficult for me because I enjoy so many TV analysts, from Ozzie Guillen to Charles Barkley. But if you watch enough games you can probably analyze them yourself and don’t really need to watch the commercials afterward.

The mute button is your friend.

You will be amazed how easy it is to watch games without the sound on. Closed-captioning is available if you feel the need to follow along with the announcers. Read a book, listen to music or do anything else while “watching” a game. When something important happens, you can always unmute it.

Give up one sport for one season.

Everyone has a top four or five sports. Whatever is last on your list, stop watching and following for an entire season and see whether you can go without it. If we learned anything from the pandemic year of 2020, it’s that life goes on without sports.

Maybe 2026 can be a liberating experience for you. Of course, Bears fans might want to delay their sports diet until after the Super Bowl, just in case.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/sports-watching-diet-2026-resolution/ 

Nearly all of Aurora city government’s departments have seen changes in leadership this year after a large number of top employees departed City Hall.

Aurora saw a change in the highest position of city leadership this year too, when John Laesch was elected mayor over incumbent Richard Irvin. Most of the employees who left their top spots at City Hall this year did so after the election in April, with many resigning or retiring around when Laesch took office in May.

Laesch said he didn’t think turnover was unusual during a change in administration.

City departments that have seen a change in upper leadership include Police, Fire, Community Services, Public Works, Finance, Law, Human Resources and Information Technology.

The mayor’s office also has all-new staff, including in the professional positions that help the mayor manage the city.

The top staff in the mayor’s office under Irvin all served out their last day on May 13. That included former Chief Management Officer Alex Alexandrou, who retired; former Deputy Chief of Staff Alex Voigt, who now is the city administrator of Geneva; former Deputy Chief of Staff Maria Lindsay and former Deputy Mayor Guillermo Trujillo, who retired.

Some of those positions have since changed names, but the mayor’s office professional staff now includes Chief of Staff Shannon Cameron, Deputy Chief of Staff Nicholas Richard-Thompson, Deputy Mayor Casildo “Casey” Cuevas and Director of Fiscal Integrity and Government Operations Brian Caputo.

Others left at the same time as those in the mayor’s office, including former Chief Community Services Officer Viviana Ramirez and former Chief Information Officer Michael Pegues. The Information Technology Department is now led by Ram Tyagi, and the Community Services Department is headed by Nicole Mullins.

Former Chief Engagement and Equity Officer Clayton Muhammad, who also acted as one of Aurora’s main spokespersons and was hailed as “the voice of Aurora” by Laesch, left his city role a few weeks later. The department Muhammad led, Community Affairs, was eliminated through the recently-approved 2026 budget, with officials saying the department’s duties would be split among others.

Both of Aurora’s public safety departments saw their top leaders retire this year.

Former Police Chief Keith Cross retired around the end of May. Matt Thomas, who served as deputy police chief under Cross, was appointed by Irvin but was sworn in by Laesch as the next police chief.

Then in late November, David McCabe retired as fire chief. Currently serving as the interim chief is Deputy Chief Kevin Nickel.

The Aurora Emergency Management Agency, which is under the fire department, also saw a change in leadership this year. Natalie Wiza, who had served as the EMA’s coordinator since 2020, left in October and is now Naperville’s emergency manager, according to her LinkedIn. Theodore Van De Sampel is now serving as the interim coordinator.

The leaders of other city departments had similar departures, with some retiring and others taking different jobs.

Former Corporation Counsel Richard Veenstra, who led the law department, was replaced by Yordana Wysocki. Her appointment to the position previously held by Veenstra was approved by the Aurora City Council in June.

Chris Minick, who led the finance department as chief financial officer and city treasurer, left the city in the summer. He now works as Montgomery’s finance director, and his former role at the city of Aurora has since been filled by Stacy Peterson, who was previously the director of financial operations.

Former Chief Human Resources Officer Alisia Lewis retired in September after working at the city since 1996. Later that month, Laesch appointed Michele Clark — who was the director of equity, diversity and inclusion — as the interim chief human resources officer.

Earlier in the year before Laesch was elected, Ken Schroth left his position as Aurora’s director of public works and city engineer. He is now the assistant utilities director of Panama City Beach, Florida, Schroth’s LinkedIn profile and that city’s website shows.

Jason Bauer was appointed to be Aurora’s new director of public works and city engineer in July after serving in the role as interim for months.

Within departments, there have also been some leadership changes.

One example is Ruthy Harris, who was director of property standards. A city spokesperson said she was let go due to a reorganization within the division, and that Assistant Director Josue Alcaraz is currently serving in the role as interim.

Ed Sieben, the city’s former zoning administrator, also retired this year. That position was filled by Tracey Vacek, who has worked in the planning department since 2004, according to her LinkedIn.

Another example is Martha Paschke, who was serving as the director of Innovation and Strategy until her position was eliminated this year. She had worked on projects like the Aurora’s Promise student savings accounts, addressing homelessness and improving access to services to boost upward mobility, she recently told The Beacon-News.

“I had been looking forward to expanding on this work and was surprised when the current administration decided to eliminate my position,” Paschke said. “I miss the team I was honored to work with and the stakeholders I was privileged to collaborate with.”

Mayor Laesch said he doesn’t think it is out of the ordinary to see a change in staff alongside changes to mission and goals when a new administration comes in. Most left on their own, while others either weren’t meeting standards or weren’t agreeing on the new mission and goals, he said.

There’s been an adjustment period among new leadership, according to Laesch. And really, he said, “we’re still under it.”

rsmith@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/aurora-city-hall-saw-high-turnover-of-top-city-employees-in-2025/ 

High-Pressure NatGas Line Ruptures Outside Los Angeles, Forcing Major Highway Shutdown

Tyler Durden
Sun, 12/28/2025 – 07:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/high-pressure-natgas-line-ruptures-outside-los-angeles-forcing-major-highway-shutdown 

PARIS — Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist and far-right supporter, has died. She was 91.

Bardot died Sunday at her home in southern France, according to Bruno Jacquelin, of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. Speaking to The Associated Press, he gave no cause of death, and said no arrangements have yet been made for funeral or memorial services. She had been hospitalized last month.

Bardot became an international celebrity as a sexualized teen bride in the 1956 movie “And God Created Woman.” Directed by her then-husband, Roger Vadim, it triggered a scandal with scenes of the long-legged beauty dancing on tables naked.

At the height of a cinema career that spanned some 28 films and three marriages, Bardot came to symbolize a nation bursting out of bourgeois respectability. Her tousled, blond hair, voluptuous figure and pouty irreverence made her one of France’s best-known stars.

Such was her widespread appeal that in 1969 her features were chosen to be the model for “Marianne,” the national emblem of France and the official Gallic seal. Bardot’s face appeared on statues, postage stamps and even on coins.

‘’We are mourning a legend,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote Sunday on X.

Bardot’s second career as an animal rights activist was equally sensational. She traveled to the Arctic to blow the whistle on the slaughter of baby seals; she condemned the use of animals in laboratory experiments; and she opposed Muslim slaughter rituals.

“Man is an insatiable predator,” Bardot told The Associated Press on her 73rd birthday, in 2007. “I don’t care about my past glory. That means nothing in the face of an animal that suffers, since it has no power, no words to defend itself.”

Her activism earned her compatriots’ respect and, in 1985, she was awarded the Legion of Honor, the nation’s highest recognition.

A turn to the far right

Later, however, she fell from public grace as her animal protection diatribes took on a decidedly extremist tone. She frequently decried the influx of immigrants into France, especially Muslims.

She was convicted and fined five times in French courts of inciting racial hatred, in incidents inspired by her opposition to the Muslim practice of slaughtering sheep during annual religious holidays.

Bardot’s 1992 marriage to fourth husband Bernard d’Ormale, a onetime adviser to National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, contributed to her political shift. She described Le Pen, an outspoken nationalist with multiple racism convictions of his own, as a “lovely, intelligent man.”

In 2012, she wrote a letter in support of the presidential bid of Marine Le Pen, who now leads her father’s renamed National Rally party. Le Pen paid homage Sunday to an “exceptional woman” who was “incredibly French.”

In 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement, Bardot said in an interview that most actors protesting sexual harassment in the film industry were “hypocritical” and “ridiculous” because many played “the teases” with producers to land parts.

She said she had never had been a victim of sexual harassment and found it “charming to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a nice little ass.”

A privileged, but ‘difficult’ upbringing

Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born Sept. 28, 1934, to a wealthy industrialist. A shy, secretive child, she studied classical ballet and was discovered by a family friend who put her on the cover of Elle magazine at age 14.

Bardot once described her childhood as “difficult” and said her father was a strict disciplinarian who would sometimes punish her with a horse whip.

But it was French movie producer Vadim, whom she married in 1952, who saw her potential and wrote “And God Created Woman” to showcase her provocative sensuality, an explosive cocktail of childlike innocence and raw sexuality.

The film, which portrayed Bardot as a bored newlywed who beds her brother-in-law, had a decisive influence on New Wave directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, and came to embody the hedonism and sexual freedom of the 1960s.

The film was a box-office hit, and it made Bardot a superstar. Her girlish pout, tiny waist and generous bust were often more appreciated than her talent.

“It’s an embarrassment to have acted so badly,” Bardot said of her early films. “I suffered a lot in the beginning. I was really treated like someone less than nothing.”

Bardot’s unabashed, off-screen love affair with co-star Jean-Louis Trintignant further shocked the nation. It eradicated the boundaries between her public and private life and turned her into a hot prize for paparazzi.

Bardot never adjusted to the limelight. She blamed the constant press attention for the suicide attempt that followed 10 months after the birth of her only child, Nicolas. Photographers had broken into her house two weeks before she gave birth to snap a picture of her pregnant.

Nicolas’ father was Jacques Charrier, a French actor whom she married in 1959 but who never felt comfortable in his role as Monsieur Bardot. Bardot soon gave up her son to his father, and later said she had been chronically depressed and unready for the duties of being a mother.

“I was looking for roots then,” she said in an interview. “I had none to offer.”

In her 1996 autobiography “Initiales B.B.,” she likened her pregnancy to “a tumor growing inside me,” and described Charrier as “temperamental and abusive.”

Bardot married her third husband, West German millionaire playboy Gunther Sachs, in 1966, but the relationship again ended in divorce three years later.

Among her films were “A Parisian” (1957); “In Case of Misfortune,” in which she starred in 1958 with screen legend Jean Gabin; “The Truth” (1960); “Private Life” (1962); “A Ravishing Idiot” (1964); “Shalako” (1968); “Women” (1969); “The Bear And The Doll” (1970); “Rum Boulevard” (1971); and “Don Juan” (1973).

With the exception of 1963’s critically acclaimed “Contempt,” directed by Godard, Bardot’s films were rarely complicated by plots. Often they were vehicles to display Bardot in scanty dresses or frolicking nude in the sun.

“It was never a great passion of mine,” she said of filmmaking. “And it can be deadly sometimes. Marilyn (Monroe) perished because of it.”

Bardot retired to her Riviera villa in St. Tropez at the age of 39 in 1973 after “The Woman Grabber.”

Reinventing herself in middle age

She emerged a decade later with a new persona: An animal rights lobbyist, her face was wrinkled and her voice was deep following years of heavy smoking. She abandoned her jet-set life and sold off movie memorabilia and jewelry to create a foundation devoted exclusively to the prevention of animal cruelty.

Her activism knew no borders. She urged South Korea to ban the sale of dog meat and once wrote to U.S. President Bill Clinton asking why the U.S. Navy recaptured two dolphins it had released into the wild.

She attacked centuries-old French and Italian sporting traditions including the Palio, a free-for-all horse race, and campaigned on behalf of wolves, rabbits, kittens and turtle doves.

“It’s true that sometimes I get carried away, but when I see how slowly things move forward … my distress takes over,” Bardot told the AP when asked about her racial hatred convictions and opposition to Muslim ritual slaughter,

In 1997, several towns removed Bardot-inspired statues of Marianne after the actress voiced anti-immigrant sentiment. Also that year, she received death threats after calling for a ban on the sale of horse meat.

Bardot once said that she identified with the animals that she was trying to save.

“I can understand hunted animals because of the way I was treated,” Bardot said. “What happened to me was inhuman. I was constantly surrounded by the world press.”

Ganley contributed to this story before her retirement. Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/brigitte-bardot-dies/ 

ALTON, Illinois — Where the Wood and Mississippi rivers meet in southern Illinois, over a million cubic yards of toxic coal ash sit on the edge of Illinois’ floodplain, threatening the waterways that surround it.

The retired Wood River Power Station is home to one of 72 coal ash impoundments, or ponds, across Illinois that contain byproducts from former coal combustion plants, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. 

On Black Friday, while many Americans spent the day recuperating from Thanksgiving festivities, Alton residents gathered at a public meeting to discuss the future of Wood River.

“(Developers) have come in and left this desolate brownfield with groundwater contamination leaching into significant bodies of water,” said Toni Oplt, chair of the Metro East Green Alliance. “They have held this community captive.”

The alliance is a local clean energy advocacy group and partner of Sierra Club’s Illinois chapter focused on holding fossil fuel companies accountable for pollution. 

Despite a statewide commitment to move beyond Illinois’ history of coal ash pollution, policy experts and community activists say incomplete or delayed permit proposals, and IEPA budget and staffing cuts are stalling closure approvals, prolonging Illinois communities’ exposure to toxic coal ash.  

In 2019, Illinois passed the Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act, which created rules beyond what federal regulators mandate to guarantee oversight at inactive coal plants and ensure proper and timely closure of coal ash ponds.

Under the act, all Illinois utility companies were required to submit permit applications for coal ash closure and cleanup by 2022. 

From left, Toni Oplt, Larry Evans and Sally Burgess, who are members of the Metro East Green Alliance, an Alton advocacy group that is partnered with the Sierra Club, stand near the retired Wood River Power Station in East Alton. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

So far, 23 companies have submitted applications, but only two draft permits have been issued by the IEPA.

The IEPA says the complexity of coal ash closures, which require extensive groundwater and engineering analysis, has caused holdups in approving these permits. 

“Coal combustion residual permits are among the most technically complex permits issued by the Illinois EPA,” IEPA public information officer Kim Biggs said. “The Illinois EPA is moving forward carefully to ensure permits are accurate, legally defensible and protective of public health and the environment.”

The Illinois rules also require developers to host public hearings like Alton’s to ensure transparency with the public on closure and cleanup plans in their communities.

A historic river town with stunning limestone bluffs and views of the Mississippi River, Alton is known as a former industrial and manufacturing hub of Illinois. But as mills, plants and quarries have closed down, Alton has been left with fewer jobs and more pollution. 

For Wood River, a coal plant that closed in 2016, Alton residents have been waiting for nearly a decade for developers to address coal ash ponds that threaten the groundwater that flows into major Midwest river systems. 

Wood River is further behind in the process than most retired coal sites, according to Andrew Rehn, the climate policy director at Prairie Rivers Network.

When the coal plant shuttered, a company called CTI Development, which specializes in decommissioning, cleaning up and redeveloping retired industrial sites, purchased Wood River and took on the liability of cleaning up the coal ash ponds. 

Three years after the state’s 2022 permit deadline passed, CTI first shared a plan for Wood River ahead of the Black Friday meeting. 

“This has gone on basically since Dynegy shuttered that plant in 2016, and we’ve been in constant fights,” Oplt said. “So you can see why the people in this room are very skeptical.” 

Last year, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a complaint against the company over failure to meet permit application deadlines for Wood River coal ash ponds. 

Wood River is not the only coal ash site that’s been under scrutiny by the the attorney general. Raoul filed a similar complaint against Finch Development last year for delays in submitting its coal ash pond closure applications at Havana Power Station in Havana, Illinois. 

Raoul said he’s committed to holding utility companies accountable and enforcing laws that protect the environment, communities and public health, according to a statement from his office. 

Beyond Wood River and Havana, dozens of other coal ash ponds across Illinois pose risks because of a lack of state momentum, according to Rehn. 

“In (the Wood River) case, the company itself was way behind on the process,” Rehn said. “But what we’ve seen statewide is that even for the companies that submitted in 2022, we aren’t really seeing progress from the IEPA.” 

Most sites that submitted permit applications on time are still waiting for IEPA approval, according to Rehn. 

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Some sites like NRG Energy-owned Lincoln Stone Quarry in Joliet have been waiting over three years for a permit approval from the IEPA. Even Vermilion Power Plant, which was deemed a highly risky site by the IEPA and has been the subject of legal battles between owner Vistra and the attorney general’s office as it sits on a floodplain of Illinois’ only national scenic river, has been waiting nearly four years for its permit closure approval. 

The IEPA says it’s still reviewing sites like Vermilion before approving closure permits. 

Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, which advocates for environmental policies, believes these permit delays are the result of major staffing shortages and a shrinking IEPA budget. 

“There’s so many impacts that are happening to the coal industry and our ability to enforce and inspect what plants are left,” Walling said. “There are major air polluters that are waiting on permits for a very long time. I’ve heard of decade-long Clean Air Act permit delays.”

A report released by the Environmental Integrity Project this month shows that the IEPA has experienced a 21% budget cut and a 20% decrease in staffing over the past 15 years. 

But Rehn said he’s seen no updates on what’s holding up the IEPA on approving these closures. 

“There is no external movement at all,” Rehn said. “We have concerns related to ongoing pollution, and then we have concerns related to erosion and the coal ash impoundments failing and having a catastrophic spill.” 

When it comes to cleaning up coal ash ponds, Rehn says, “time is of the essence.”

Coal ash is the hazardous byproduct of burning coal, creating a slurry of carcinogenic heavy metals, explained Rehn. During coal plant operations, the sludge is dumped into holes in the ground, sometimes with a liner that prevents heavy metals from leaking into groundwater and sometimes without. 

The longer these ponds remain unaddressed, Rehn said, the more chance there is that toxic sludge will leach into groundwater or erode into river systems. 

The primary east pond coal ash impoundment at the defunct Wood River Power Station in East Alton on Dec. 11, 2025. Redevelopers are planning to consolidate and move the remaining coal ash from the east pond to the west pond, which has a liner and is farther from wetlands and Cahokia Creek. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

There are an estimated 746 coal ash ponds nationally, according to an Earthjustice report. Under the 2015 Coal Ash Residuals Rule, all unlined coal ash ponds in the U.S. were to stop receiving waste and begin closing by April 2021. An extension until October 2028 was issued in a later ruling. 

In November, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to extend the deadline once more, allowing 11 major plants to continue burning coal and dumping coal ash in unlined ponds until 2031, including three sites in Illinois: Newton and Baldwin in southern Illinois and Kincaid, south of Springfield.

A cautionary reminder of the stakes is the 2008 Kingston coal ash disaster, when a Tennessee plant collapsed and caused 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash to pollute the nearby Emory River. 

At least 60 cleanup workers died as a result, and Oplt and Rehn underscored the importance of remembering this incident in keeping pressure on Illinois. 

“The Kingston coal ash disaster destroyed hundreds of lives, and it’s still not taken care of,” Oplt said. “And it will be the future of many places in this country if something isn’t done.” 

In Wood River, there are four coal ash ponds that need to be closed. Contained in an east and a west complex, they sit on a floodplain and in close proximity to waterways including Wood River, Cahokia Creek and the Mississippi River. 

During the Black Friday meeting, CTI spokesperson Tucker Clements admitted CTI was to blame for the failure to meet deadlines. 

“Why wasn’t this done two or three years ago when it was supposed to be done?” Clements said. “Incompetence on our part, which is why I’m standing here instead of my predecessor. That’s why they plucked the guy doing field samples and put him behind a computer and on a stage. … It was poor management, and that person was held accountable and they’re gone. And I’ve spent the last year trying to right some wrongs.” 

Now, the redevelopment company has published its Wood River cleanup permit application that will be submitted to the Illinois EPA at the end of the year.

Although CTI held the required public meeting, Rehn and Alton residents criticized the choice of date. 

“This isn’t how you really get input from the public,” Rehn said. “You wouldn’t plan the meeting for Friday after Thanksgiving. Clearly, it is not among the company’s priorities.” 

Alton residents had to review the 1,600-page permit application and provide comments to CTI by mid-December. 

The plan would consolidate the coal ash from the east pond — which is closest to a wetland and has a damaged liner that leaks into groundwater during flooding — into the west pond complex, an area with only a partial liner, according to Clements. Then it would be capped and closed.

Oplt said she is concerned because the whole area sits on a floodplain, and flooding is inevitable due to climate change. 

“If it leaches, then people around here are going to have a problem,” Oplt said. “They’re going to have a problem with their drinking water. They’re going to have a problem with their recreational water.”

Clements agreed that if coal ash leaches into Wood River Creek, that would pose a major problem for recreation in Madison County; however, he assured the group that CTI is required to monitor the water treatment before it enters the creek.

But in the meeting room, many environmentalists said the company’s plan failed to consider long-term impacts to the local community. 

Sierra Club member Larry Evans is a lifelong Alton resident, whose father worked in the oil refineries in Wood River. Now an environmentalist, Evans is concerned about how the legacy of industry in river towns like Alton will be addressed. 

“How do we live in the middle of the trash we produce?”  Evans said. “It’s almost on every avenue here.”

Mississippi River towns like Alton and East Alton, Oplt said, rely on tourism revenue that comes from being a vital migratory flyover for endangered birds. 

“With the next big flood that comes along, that berm could breach that, the wetlands could flood and then leach out, and then what goes down the tubes from there?” Oplt said. “Any tourism, any safe drinking water, any property values, any chance of actually bringing new business into this community, onto that site, all those things wash right down the river.” 

Clements did not have an answer for many of the questions asked during the Black Friday meeting, but he said CTI will answer all questions and post them to the Wood River website before submitting the application to the IEPA. 

Despite leaving with more questions than answers, attendees like Evans are determined to show up to every meeting.

“Never walk out on a meeting, because if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Evans said. “That’s why I show up.” 

Christiana Freitag is a freelancer.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/illinois-coal-ash-ponds-closure-permits/