Category: News
Harvey approaches 2 months with no City Council meetings, despite mass layoffs and financial crisis
The last Harvey City Council meeting was at the end of October, when residents accused the administration of lacking transparency in the midst of a major financial crisis.
Since then, every one of the City Council’s regular biweekly meetings has been canceled.
Harvey ordinarily has City Council meetings on the second and fourth Monday of each month, for a total of 24 scheduled meetings a year. The most recent scheduled meeting, which was canceled, would have been Monday, and would have been the last meeting of the year.
A spokesperson for Mayor Christopher Clark said it was not unusual for the final meeting in December to be canceled due to Christmas, despite it being listed on the city’s website.
Fourth Ward Ald. Tracy Key said in the past, the city had scheduled around Christmas so that end-of-year conversations could still be held.
“Even with Christmastime, which always falls at the end, sometimes we would have it like the week before,” Key said.
Clark said in a statement that given the city’s state of fiscal crisis, not holding meetings was the financially responsible course of action.
“Canceling meetings in this moment is about responsible leadership, not disengagement,” Clark said. “The City of Harvey is currently navigating staffing shortages and financial constraints, and we are being mindful of how public tax dollars are used. When there is nothing new to report, it is in the city’s best interests to focus our time and funds on the work towards stabilizing finances and bringing our employees back to work. We cannot afford to waste any public resources.”
However, critics of Clark have said that the move feels like avoidance.
At a special City Council meeting Oct. 16, outside the normal schedule, Clark led the audience through an hour-and-a-half long presentation about the city’s debilitating financial struggles, which he said were largely the result of corruption and mismanagement by the administration of the previous mayor, Eric Kellogg.
Under Kellogg, the city diverted water payments owed to the city of Chicago and failed to make required payments to the fire and police pension funds, he said. Compounding problems are Harvey’s high tax rates and correspondingly low collection rates, the third lowest in Cook County.
Due to the financial hole that Harvey had been left in, Clark said, its only solution was to petition the state for financially distressed status, and to partially shut down city functions until help arrived. Harvey’s City Council voted unanimously to declare Harvey in financial distress under the Illinois Financially Distressed City Law, which would allow for the state to step in to oversee Harvey’s finances.
Key said he believes that, especially with the state of uncertainty brought on by the declaration, the city should be required to have at least the 24 regular City Council meetings.
“If not, it’s taking away the residents’ rights to be able to speak and be informed,” Key said. “I’m kind of disturbed with that.”
There has been no visible movement from the state regarding the city’s declaration of financial distress.
In the week following the declaration, Harvey laid off 40% of its city staff, including major cuts to the Fire Department and Police Department. A later round of layoffs brought the Fire Department well below half strength.
Following those developments, there was only one more Harvey City Council meeting, Oct. 27. The last meeting before the hiatus was rancorous, with a resident being escorted out by police from the preceding Finance Committee meeting before the City Council even convened.
At that meeting, Clark and a majority of the City Council voted to approve bill lists for the city and approved the sale of a set of city-owned properties to an entity called Turlington Homes for redevelopment, over objections from Key and 2nd Ward Ald. Colby Chapman.
Turlington Homes was established as a business Oct. 2. Its website remains empty. The resolution approving the sale said that the city was “willing to assist the developer by selling the Redevelopment Property at a discounted sale price,” though a price was not specified.
“You didn’t even say how much you sold our land for,” Chapman said. “It’s ours, because if the city owns it, then it’s mine too, it’s everyone’s who lives in the city. We own it.”
During public comment at that meeting, several residents strongly criticized Clark and the members of City Council for approving expenses as normal when the city was in crisis, and for approving the sale to Turlington Homes with no discussion or debate.
Subsequently, every City Council meeting has been quietly canceled with no agenda posted and, Chapman said, a lack of communication to City Council members. Each of the scheduled meetings appears on the city website, but never occurs.
“I’ve called, I’ve emailed, and I have yet to receive any responses on anything,” Chapman said.
The lack of meetings also means that no bills have come before the City Council for approval since the meeting at the end of October, when invoices from July 18 to Oct. 21 were approved.
Chapman said the lack of meetings and public information makes it hard for Harvey residents to see a future for the city.
“If individuals are seeing increased property taxes, financial distress being called in our city, what is holding them to have a belief that there’s a quality of life, a path forward for Harvey?” Chapman said.
The next scheduled meeting is set for Jan. 12, next year.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/23/harvey-2-months-no-city-council-meetings/
The EU’s Failed Attempt To Steal Russia’s Seized Assets Was Self-Discrediting
The EU’s Failed Attempt To Steal Russia’s Seized Assets Was Self-Discrediting
Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,
It arguably dealt irreparable damage to the bloc’s reputation as a safe location in which foreigners the world over could store and invest their financial assets after influential members left no doubt about their desire to steal its assets, thus signaling that they might try to steal other countries’ one day too.
It was assessed last week that “The EU’s New Policy Towards Russia’s Seized Assets Isn’t About Helping Ukraine” after influential members of the bloc moved to either outright confiscate at least some of Russia’s seized assets for giving to Ukraine or use at least some of them as collateral for a loan to it. As was written, the real purpose was denying the US access to these funds for joint projects with Russia per point 14 of Trump’s reported 28-point peace deal framework, not arming Ukraine or reconstructing it.
For as much as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her compatriot German Chancellor Friedrich Merz tried, they failed to reach consensus on this unprecedented move, which would have provoked the US’ wrath like was explained in the analysis above. Instead, they reached a compromise whereby members – except Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia – will raise common debt to finance a €90 billion loan to Ukraine over the next two years, thus perpetuating the conflict.
This was an attempt to “save face” after their whopping 16-hour-long talks on this issue since no outcome at all would have exposed the bloc’s impotency, yet The Economist concluded right afterwards that the US will still see it that way since its two most powerful politicians ultimately didn’t get their way. To add insult to the injury inflicted upon the German Chancellor’s reputation, the Financial Times then cited a source who claimed that “Macron betrayed Merz” by not backing the latter’s plot.
The EU’s failed attempt to steal Russia’s seized assets was therefore self-discrediting for him and von der Leyen personally but also for the EU as a whole since it arguably dealt irreparable damage to the bloc’s reputation as a safe location in which foreigners the world over could store and invest their financial assets. Even though Russia’s seized ones weren’t (yet?) stolen, there’s no longer any doubt that influential members of the EU had the intent to do so, thus shattering the aforesaid perception.
As was written in the analysis hyperlinked to in the introduction, “Foreign investors might be spooked into fearing that their assets are no longer safe and could thus pull them from EU banks and not deposit future ones there either. The bloc might therefore ultimately lose hundreds of billions of dollars, perhaps upwards of a trillion or even more with time”. After all, since they tried to steal Russia’s assets, they might also try to steal the assets of other countries with which they might have problems one day too.
Unlike Russia, however, relatively less significant states might not have the chance to reach a deal along the lines of the US’ proposed one whereby a share of these assets would be returned in the form of joint investments if other conditions are met. Even so, the EU would still have to cross the Rubicon by authorizing the theft of those countries’ seized assets and also importantly defend this decision in court when it’s legally challenged, with a supportive ruling dealing a deathblow to the bloc’s reputation.
Top non-Western countries like China and India, which are the possible targets of European political (and perhaps other forms of) aggression after Russia, might not want to risk that and could thus begin transferring some of their EU-based assets and not depositing more (at least at scale) in the future. It remains to be seen just how financially damaging the EU’s failed attempt to steal Russia’s seized assets was, but there’s no doubt that it was self-discrediting, which in any case damages the bloc’s reputation.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/23/2025 – 13:20
Presidente electo de Chile y mandatario ecuatoriano dialogan en Quito sobre seguridad y migración
Associated Press
QUITO (AP) — A pocos días de su triunfo en el balotaje presidencial de Chile, el ultraderechista José Antonio Kast se reunió el martes en Quito con el presidente de Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, en un intento de fortalecer los lazos con los gobiernos de derecha de la región y para abordar asuntos referidos a la seguridad, la migración y el comercio bilateral.
Kast, del Partido Republicano de Chile, se impuso el 14 de diciembre en las urnas a la izquierdista Jeannette Jara apuntalando la tendencia conservadora en la región. Asumirá la presidencia el 11 de marzo de 2026.
El conservador chileno fue recibido por Noboa en el palacio presidencial, en el centro de la capital ecuatoriana, en el marco de actos protocolares. Ninguno ofreció declaraciones.
En un mensaje de X, la presidencia de Ecuador informó sin dar más detalles que durante el encuentro dialogaron sobre “la importancia de fortalecer la cooperación en seguridad, lucha contra el crimen organizado, movilidad humana e impulso al comercio entre ambas naciones”.
Kast había anticipado la seguridad como un tema prioritario en su agenda de diálogo con otros líderes internacionales. “Ecuador tiene un problema real con el crimen organizado (…) Ustedes ven la situación que está ocurriendo en Perú, que no es muy distinta a la que ocurre en otros países de nuestro continente, y tenemos que sentarnos a conversar”, aseveró previo a abordar el avión que lo condujo a Quito.
Ecuador, otrora uno de los países más seguros de la región, se apresta a cerrar 2025 como el año más violento de su historia con más de 9.000 homicidios, según el Observatorio Ecuatoriano del Crimen Organizado y otros índices de criminalidad global. La cifra supera las 7.063 muertes violentas registradas en 2024 y el récord anterior de 2023 con 8.248.
Aunque con cifras considerablemente menores, Chile también ha experimentado un ascenso en los niveles de inseguridad en los últimos años, tras la llegada de bandas criminales que lo han expuesto a delitos antes poco vistos. El país sudamericano cerró 2024 con 1.207 homicidios.
Frente a ese panorama Noboa ha defendido la política de mano dura sostenida en el despliegue de fuerzas de seguridad, que ha sido cuestionada por expertos debido a su falta de éxito y por organismos de derechos humanos nacionales e internacionales como violatoria de derechos humanos.
En una línea similar, Kast —condescendiente con la dictadura militar de Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990)— sostuvo hace poco durante un discurso electoral que “vamos a recuperar el orden, la seguridad, el poder y la autoridad del Estado”.
Tras su triunfo, el primer encuentro de Kast con un mandatario de la región fue con el ultraderechista argentino Javier Milei. En enero lo hará con el presidente interino de Perú, José Jerí.
Liberan a activista migratoria de Colorado Jeanette Vizguerra, informan defensores.
Por COLLEEN SLEVIN
DENVER (AP) — Jeanette Vizguerra, una destacada activista migratoria y laboral de Colorado fue liberada el lunes después de pasar nueve meses detenida en una instalación de inmigración, informaron sus seguidores.
Vizguerra salió de un centro de detención de inmigración en los suburbios de Denver un día después de que un juez dictaminó que podía pagar una fianza de 5.000 dólares, según el American Friends Service Committee, el cual ha estado trabajando con los abogados y la familia de Vizguerra.
El grupo publicó fotografías de Vizguerra, madre de cuatro hijos, junto a su hija, su yerno y su nieto después de salir del centro de detención en Aurora, Colorado.
Vizguerra cobró relevancia después de refugiarse en iglesias de Colorado para evitar su deportación durante el primer mandato del presidente Donald Trump. La revista Time la nombró como una de las personas más influyentes del mundo en 2017. Fue arrestada a principios de este año en el estacionamiento de la tienda Target del área de Denver en la que trabajaba.
El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional afirmó el martes en un comunicado que Vizguerra ha recibido “todo el debido proceso” y que seguirá llevando a cabo su trabajo.
“Encontraremos, arrestaremos y deportaremos a los extranjeros ilegales, sin importar si fueron destacados como ‘Persona del Año de Time’”, señaló.
Vizguerra, quien llegó a Colorado en 1997 procedente de Ciudad de México, ha estado luchando contra su deportación desde 2009, después de que fue detenida en los suburbios de Denver y se le encontró en posesión de una tarjeta de Seguro Social falsa con su propio nombre y fecha de nacimiento, pero con el número real de otra persona, según una demanda que presentó en 2019 contra el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE por sus iniciales en inglés). De acuerdo con la demanda, Vizguerra no sabía en ese momento que el número pertenecía a otra persona.
Los abogados de Vizguerra han dicho que el ICE intentaba deportarla basándose en una orden que nunca fue válida e impugnaron su detención ante un tribunal federal.
Un juez federal ordenó recientemente una audiencia de fianza en el tribunal de inmigración para determinar si Vizguerra debía permanecer detenida mientras se desarrolla su caso.
American Friends Service Committee difundió un comunicado en el que Vizguerra agradeció a sus abogados, quienes han estado trabajando en su caso de forma gratuita.
“Ellos entienden que este caso es más grande que yo. Esta lucha es por los derechos constitucionales que todos compartimos, los derechos humanos y la dignidad para todas las personas”, expresó.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Chicago White Sox sign left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb to a 1-year, $4.5 million deal
The Chicago White Sox continued to stack up on left-handed pitching this offseason, signing Sean Newcomb to a one-year, $4.5 million contract Tuesday.
Newcomb, 32, went 2-5 with a 2.73 ERA, two saves, four holds and 91 strikeouts in 48 combined appearances (five starts) for the Boston Red Sox and the Athletics in 2025.
Newcomb ranked fifth in the majors among left-handed relievers in ERA (2.19) and tied for seventh in innings pitched (70). He was dealt to the A’s on May 27, and his 1.75 ERA after May 29 was the seventh-best among major-league relievers with at least 45 innings pitched.
He is 30-30 with a 4.20 ERA, four saves, 25 holds and 529 strikeouts in 223 outings (65 starts) during nine major-league seasons with the Atlanta Braves (2017-22), Chicago Cubs (2022), A’s (2023-24, 2025) and Red Sox (2025).
His 92 1/3 innings in 2025 were the third-most in his career. He pitched 164 innings in 2018 while making 30 starts (31 overall appearances) with the Braves. And he had 100 innings in 19 starts with the Braves during his rookie season in 2017.
Newcomb worked largely in a relief role in 2019 and appeared in a career-high 55 games (four starts). His first five outings in 2025 with the Red Sox were starts before shifting to the bullpen.
Newcomb’s signing comes two weeks after the White Sox and left-handed starter Anthony Kay formally agreed to terms on a two-year, $12-million deal. Kay, who has five years of major-league experience, spent the last two seasons with the Yokohama BayStars in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Japanese Central League.
In November, the White Sox acquired left-handed pitcher Chris Murphy in a trade with the Red Sox. While Murphy made 23 relief appearances during three stints with the Red Sox in 2025, he does have experience in the minors as a starter.
To make room for Newcomb on the 40-man roster, the White Sox designated left-handed pitcher Ryan Rolison for assignment. The Sox had claimed Rolison, 28, off waivers from the Braves on Dec. 12. He made his major-league debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2025, going 1-0 with a 7.02 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31 appearances (one start) over four stints.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/23/chicago-white-sox-sean-newcomb/
Christmas party brings joy to Marklund residents in Elgin
Tiernan was beyond happy when Santa Claus knelt next to his wheelchair and reached out to hold his hand.
The 20-year-old is nonverbal but his smile said it all.
“His smile is contagious,” his mother, Janna, said.
There were lots of smiles at Marklund Wasmond Center Saturday when Santa and Mrs. Claus delivered presents during a holiday party for those who live at the facility. Jolly old St. Nick had lots of helpers who donated presents and assisted residents in opening each one.
Marklund, located at 1435 Summit St., is a nonprofit residential and therapeutic center serving infants, children, teens, and adults with severe and profound developmental disabilities and have special health-care needs.
Marklund has been doing its gift opening event for more than 20 years, said Dawn Lassiter-Brueske, director of marketing and communications. It brought the tradition to Elgin after it merged with the former Little Angels Center for Exceptional Care in 2016, she said.
Sarah appears delighted with her gifts, a stuffed unicorn and a Care Bear, during a Christmas party Saturday at the Marklund Wasmond Center in Elgin, which cares for people with profound developmental disabilities. She’s seen here with longtime Marklund volunteer Arlana Fako. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News)
The event helps “give our residents new faces to see and new friends to make,” Lassiter-Brueske said. It also helps more people learn about Marklund, she said.
It’s nice to have volunteers visit, especially this time of year, Lassiter-Brueske said. “We get a lot more groups who want to come and spread holiday cheer,” she said.
George and Arlana Fako have been volunteering for the Christmas gift opening event for 30 years. The couple got involved after George made a donation to the organization and was recruited to help out, they said.
“They give to us like we give to them,” Arlana Fako said as she opened a gift for Sarah.
Sarah has lived at Marklund for five years, her brother, Gio Martinez, said.
“I think it’s great every year,” he said. “It’s special. It’s nice to be able to enjoy this, together with everyone.”
Sarah clapped when another present was delivered. She started to tear the Christmas wrapping off while Martinez held the gift, which was a Care Bear. She happily pressed the blue stuffed animal to her cheek.
Martinez said his sister was excited as he gently rubbed her head to calm her down a little.
Nearby, volunteer Cheryl Bachman sang a Christmas carol to a girl named Adriana. The young girl received a pink massage ball that Bachman used on her arms. Bachman knows calming techniques because she has a grandson with autism, she said.
“I’m a grandma. I’m an educator. It’s part of me,” she said.
Marklund had more than 150 volunteers Saturday for the center’s 82 residents, said Melanie Toth, a volunteer engagement specialist.
“It was the first time for many of the volunteers. A lot of them said they were looking forward to coming back and volunteering,” Toth said.
Gift donations come from corporations and businesses, including Elgin Community College, she said. The Elgin Police Department delivered a gift to every resident and donated gift cards, she said.
This season, area groups have visited Marklund to perform Christmas concerts, including Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet and the Larkin High School chorus, Toth said.
Among the volunteers were Steve and Christine Richards, who accompanied their son, Carson, and his Boy Scout Pack 107 from Elburn. Steve helped Amanda open a present and showed her the white fleece blanket decorated with red cherries.
Amanda flashed a smile when she saw what she had received.
Volunteer Steve Richards helps Amanda open her presents Saturday during a Christmas party at the Marklund Wasmond Center in Elgin. She flashed a smile after every gift was opened. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News)
“It has been a lot of fun and exciting,” said Christine Richards, noting that helping there felt good.
As volunteers helped Tiernan open his presents, including a Chicago Bears Caleb Williams jersey, his mother took a photo with her phone. Her son has been at Marklund for a few years.
Tiernan had an accident when he was 10 that left him in a wheelchair and unable to communicate. “He’s doing very well. He just communicates visually. He’s made progress,” his mom said.
As for Marklund, “I love the help he has here. He has 24 hours of nursing care, which is hard for me to do at home, by myself, as a single mom,” Janna said. “If I’m having a bad day, coming to see him is the best thing because he’s always happy. He’s always smiling. I’m thankful that I still have him.”
And she’s grateful to all the people who donated and volunteered to make her son’s holiday a little brighter.
“I can’t even express my gratitude,” Janna said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/23/marklund-christmas-party-elgin-gifts/
Gasolina en EEUU a su precio más bajo de este año
Por WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
La gasolina en Estados Unidos estuvo en diciembre a su precio más bajo de todo el año, anunció la asociación de automovilistas AAA.
El promedio nacional para la gasolina sin plomo se ha mantenido por debajo de los 3 dólares desde el 2 de diciembre, cayendo a su nivel más bajo de aproximadamente 2,85 por galón el lunes.
Esa cifra ha subido ligeramente desde entonces, situándose más cerca de 2,86 dólares por galón el martes, pero en general, los consumidores que se dirigen a la carretera antes de las vacaciones de Navidad probablemente seguirán viendo precios moderados.
Como siempre, algunos estados tienen promedios más baratos que otros, debido a factores que van desde el suministro de refinerías cercanas hasta los requisitos locales de combustible. Hawai tuvo el promedio más alto de aproximadamente 4,44 dólares por galón el martes, según AAA, seguido de 4,30 en California y 3,92 en Washington. Mientras tanto, Oklahoma tuvo el promedio más bajo de aproximadamente 2,30 dólares por galón, seguido de casi 2,42 tanto en Arkansas como en Iowa.
A nivel nacional, la gasolina sin plomo ha bajado más de 18 centavos en comparación con esta época del año pasado, y 21 centavos desde hace un mes. Hasta ahora, AAA dice que los precios vistos este mes marcan el diciembre más barato para los precios de la gasolina desde 2020, cuando la pandemia de COVID-19 sacudió la economía.
La organización de viajes señala que los precios más bajos de este mes llegan mientras el suministro sigue siendo fuerte. El petróleo crudo, el ingrediente principal de la gasolina, también ha estado a un nivel relativamente moderado, con el West Texas Intermediate permaneciendo por debajo de los 60 dólares por barril durante la mayor parte de diciembre.
La baja de precios es bienvenida para los consumidores que han estado sintiendo precios más altos en otras partes de sus presupuestos, desde comestibles hasta regalos navideños, en medio de la inflación continua y los aranceles del presidente Donald Trump sobre las importaciones extranjeras.
Los datos del gobierno mostraron que los precios al consumidor se enfriaron en noviembre, aumentando solo un 2,7% respecto al año anterior. Pero la inflación interanual aún se mantiene muy por encima del objetivo del 2% de la Reserva Federal, y los economistas advirtieron rápidamente que las cifras del mes pasado eran sospechosas debido a retrasos y posibles distorsiones por el cierre federal de 43 días.
La mayoría de los estadounidenses han continuado expresando enojo y frustración por el alto costo de vida, así como por un mercado laboral incierto. El martes, el Conference Board dijo que su índice de confianza del consumidor cayó en diciembre a su nivel más bajo desde abril.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/23/gasolina-en-eeuu-a-su-precio-ms-bajo-de-este-ao/
Slot, DT de Liverpool: Alexander Isak estará fuera dos meses tras entrada ‘imprudente’
Associated Press
LIVERPOOL, Inglaterra (AP) — El delantero del Liverpool, Alexander Isak, estará fuera de juego durante dos meses debido a una fractura de tobillo y peroné tras una entrada que el entrenador Arne Slot describió como imprudente el martes.
Isak fue operado el lunes, dos días después de lesionarse al marcar el primer gol en la victoria por 2-1 sobre el Tottenham en la Liga Premier.
“Va a ser una lesión larga, de un par de meses. Es una gran decepción para él y, como resultado, para nosotros. Para mí, fue una entrada imprudente. He dicho mucho sobre la entrada de Xavi Simons (quien fue expulsado por un golpe en la pantorrilla de Virgil van Dijk en el mismo partido), que para mí fue completamente involuntaria.”
“No creo que alguna vez se produzca una lesión por una entrada así. Pero la entrada de (Micky) van de Ven (sobre Isak), si haces una entrada así diez veces, diez veces hay una seria posibilidad de que el jugador sufra una lesión grave.”
El analista de televisión y gran figura del Liverpool, Jamie Carragher, defendió a Van de Ven.
“Se ha hablado mucho sobre muchas de las entradas en el juego de los jugadores del Tottenham y muchas de ellas no fueron inteligentes. Me he puesto en la posición de Van de Ven y es una entrada que probablemente haría. Está tratando de bloquearlo, es solo el seguimiento. No sé dónde más piensa alguien que va a ir su pie. Tiene que hacer esa entrada. No puedes dejar que el delantero simplemente dispare en esa situación”, señaló Carragher el lunes a Sky Sports.
“Es simplemente muy mala suerte para Isak. Es probablemente uno de los primeros destellos que hemos visto de su verdadera calidad con la camiseta del Liverpool.”
Slot estaba doblemente decepcionado por Isak porque el internacional sueco apenas estaba alcanzando su ritmo.
El fichaje récord británico de 170 millones de dólares no tuvo pretemporada debido a su disputa con el Newcastle y luego su estado físico se vio afectado por una lesión en la ingle en octubre.
Liverpool lo estaba preparando pacientemente y había comenzado cinco de los últimos nueve partidos, pero Slot, quien espera que Isak regrese antes del final de la temporada, no cree que esté tan en forma como lo estuvo la temporada pasada con el Newcastle.
“Ha sido un período realmente desafiante y difícil para él. Usualmente, cuando te unes a un nuevo club —él también estaba muy emocionado— quieres mostrar todas las cualidades que tienes, pero eso fue simplemente imposible”, manifestó Slot.
“Quizás nadie lo entienda, pero si no has entrenado a un nivel serio durante tres o cuatro meses con el equipo y estás jugando en esta liga, tienes que estar en la cima de tu juego para impactar en un partido de fútbol.
“Eso tomó meses porque no hubo pretemporada, solo partidos, partidos, partidos y casi nada de tiempo para entrenar. Todos sabíamos que le tomaría tiempo y por eso es tan desafortunado que ahora esté lesionado porque todos vimos con su gol contra el West Ham y con este gol (contra el Tottenham) que se acerca cada vez más al jugador que fue la temporada pasada en el Newcastle.”
Lake County-based virtual school serves thousands in Illinois: ‘It offers choices that meet their needs’
From credit recovery for a failing grade to taking an advanced high school math class not offered at an eighth-grader’s middle school, the Illinois Virtual Schools & Academy, based in Lake County, offers kindergarteners through high school seniors a chance to achieve their academic goals.
Abandoned by Peoria’s public schools in 2022 when the need for virtual education significantly lessened as the state and nation came out of the coronavirus pandemic, Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools Michael Karner believed there were still needs throughout Illinois.
With a grant of $2 million from the New School Venture Fund, Karner brought the state’s virtual school to the office of the regional superintendent in Grayslake in June of 2022. At first, it was only offered to high school students. It became full-time that winter.
“It served students who were in the hospital and would (otherwise) miss a lot of time in school,” Karner said. “Students used it for credit recovery or supplemental courses,” he added, referring to courses not offered in their district. “The grade is part of their record in their home district.”
The Illinois Virtual Schools & Academy served 6,374 students during the 2024-2025 school year, meeting a variety of full-time and part-time academic needs.
Currently available with 304 partner schools across 196 school districts in Illinois, encompassing 65 of the state’s 102 counties, Karner said the school continues to grow. A majority of the students supplement their curriculum with courses not offered in their local school.
Should a student want to take a foreign language not offered at their home school — including American Sign Language — or an advanced calculus class, Karner said they can do it through the virtual school.
“A Zip Code should not dictate what course (a student) is offered,” Karner said. “Advanced placement or some foreign languages may not be offered in some parts of the state. They’re taught by certified Illinois teachers.”
Among the Illinois Virtual Schools & Academy are athletes in sports like hockey, football or tennis who devote a great deal of time to their sports.
Michael Lubelfeld, the superintendent of North Shore School District 112 serving Highland Park and Highwood, said there are times the Illinois virtual school meets the needs of students in the district.
“The virtual school serves the unique and realistic needs of some students,” Lubelfeld said. “It’s an alternative school and alternative education for some of our kids. It offers choices that meet their needs. What works for one student may work differently for another.”
Lubelfeld said offerings at the virtual school allow families whose children were home-schooled or in private schools to return to the public schools, “because the hybrid model meets their needs.”
Nearly all of the more than 6,000 students take a course or two from the virtual school and do the rest at the public or private school in their community. Karner said about 50 students are on the full-time roster.
By the fall of 2022, the school was expanded to include middle school students and, in 2023, Karner said the virtual school was opened for a summer program for kindergartners through eighth graders. It now serves elementary, middle and high school students.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/23/lake-county-virtual-school/
Colombia declara emergencia económica en un esfuerzo polémico por aumentar recaudación de impuestos
Por MANUEL RUEDA
BOGOTÁ (AP) — El gobierno de Colombia ha declarado por decreto una emergencia económica que permite a la administración del presidente de izquierda Gustavo Petro establecer impuestos sin el aval del Congreso, con el fin de incrementar la recaudación para cubrir la financiación de sectores como el ejército y la salud pública, además de hacer frente al pago de la deuda.
El decreto que declara el estado de emergencia durante 30 días fue emitido el lunes por la noche por Petro, cuyo gobierno no logró obtener recientemente la aprobación por parte del Congreso de un nuevo proyecto de reforma tributaria que habría aumentado el presupuesto del gobierno en unos 4.000 millones de dólares en 2026, un año en el que el país celebrará elecciones presidenciales y legislativas.
El gasto público bajo Petro, quien fue elegido en 2022, se ha disparado hasta niveles que ahora superan el gasto durante la pandemia del COVID-19 que se produjo dos años antes, con el gobierno nacional de Colombia manejando un presupuesto de aproximadamente 134.000 millones de dólares en 2025.
El decreto señala que el gobierno necesita más recursos para pagar subsidios eléctricos, cubrir pagos a aseguradoras de salud e invertir alrededor de 700 millones de dólares en infraestructura en contra de los drones que usan los grupos rebeldes.
Permite al gobierno emitir las medidas “que sean necesarias” para “conjurar la crisis” económica del país “e impedir la extensión de sus efectos.”
Las asociaciones empresariales en Colombia han sido muy críticas del decreto de emergencia, al que han descrito como una medida autoritaria diseñada para eludir la supervisión del Congreso sobre las finanzas públicas.
En un mensaje publicado el martes en la red social X, Bruce Mac Master, presidente de la Asociación Nacional de Industriales de Colombia, dijo que el decreto era un “caso flagrante de abuso del derecho” por parte de Petro y su gabinete.
La prensa colombiana se hizo eco la semana pasada del supuesto borrador del decreto que sugiere que el gobierno planea utilizar la normativa para imponer nuevos impuestos al patrimonio de empresas e individuos, así como establecer un elevado tributo a las ventas de licores, incluyendo el ron y el vino.
El gobierno aún no ha detallado los impuestos que impondría bajo la emergencia económica. Estos tendrían que anunciarse en los próximos días mediante la publicación de un nuevo decreto, emitido bajo los parámetros establecidos por la emergencia económica.
Sin embargo, muchos analistas esperan que la Corte Constitucional de Colombia anule el decreto del gobierno.
Según la ley colombiana, los estados de emergencia económica solo pueden declararse cuando existe una amenaza grave, inminente e inesperada para el orden económico de la nación.
Jorge Restrepo, profesor de economía de la Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá, dijo a The Associated Press que será difícil para el gobierno colombiano convencer al máximo tribunal del país de que su decreto cumple con los requisitos legales.
“Esta no era una situación imprevisible… como una guerra o un desastre natural”, dijo sobre el actual déficit presupuestario de Colombia. “Desde mediados del año pasado sabíamos que estaba ocurriendo una crisis fiscal.”
