Category: News
Agreement reached by LOFS fire, West Porter fire district
Nudged along by a drama-free meeting held by the Porter County Board of Commissioners Thursday evening, the West Porter Township Fire Protection District and the Lakes of the Four Seasons Volunteer Fire Force entered into a contract for fire and EMS services with advanced life support capability for 2026.
The commissioners also promised to address the funding challenges that had the two parties at loggerheads since July with the formation of a Blue Ribbon Committee to study the complex topic of providing services to an area that involves three government entities and fading financial support while straddling a county line.
Less than two hours after Thursday’s special meeting, representatives from the West Porter Township Fire Protection District and the Lakes of the Four Seasons Volunteer Fire Force reached a tentative contract agreement. (Shelley Jones/Post-Tribune)
Glenn Gritzon, a 21-year resident of the Porter County side of LOFS, sat near the back of the commissioners’ full chamber late Thursday afternoon waiting for the meeting to begin. His sentiments are representative of many of his fellow aging neighbors for whom access to first responders at an advanced life support level is top of mind. “There’s things you count on when you get a little older and stability’s a nice factor,” he said.
Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, then took the floor. He told the audience the board, which appoints the five-member WPTFPD board, had been trying to address conflict between the fire district board and the fire department for the better part of three years.
He admitted that a revolving door of fire board members had not solved the problem. “We can’t leave this room tonight without agreeing to a short-term solution,” he said. “Put down the swords, the finger-pointing, the disagreements.”
Lawyers for the two parties then took turns speaking.
LOFSVFF Board Attorney Nathan Vis, who has represented the department since 2012, told the commissioners “rampant growth” and “soaring costs” along with decreasing volunteerism have increased the need to fund a paid fire force. He said the department can’t be expected to operate on less than last year’s full-service advanced life support contract of $320,000.
He argued that his client needed approximately $350,000. “The dollars are there,” he said, adding that a rumor that cumulative funds cannot be used is untrue. He said the fund can be used for infrastructure and equipment. “I’ve got the Indiana code in front of me,” he said of the defining law.
“Good lawyer,” a woman in the audience murmured.
For his part, WPTFPD Attorney Adam Sworden said Senate Enrolled Act 1 was directly impacting the district’s finances. He said the district lost approximately $27,000 to $30,000 in the tax levy published Nov. 14. “Moving forward, we’re not likely to receive an increase,” he said.
While he wasn’t the board attorney during the last contract negotiations, Sworden said it was his understanding those figures were discussed and agreed to when talks of the formation of a fire territory between the district, the Town of Winfield, and Winfield Township were still alive and well, with attendant projected increases in funding.
Sworden said expanding the size of the district would ultimately provide better services. “If you expand that, you’re pulling in more rooftops, more assessed value,” he said.
Commissioner Barb Regnitz, R-Center, asked if there was enough runway to plan for 2027. “The runway to produce funds would be exceedingly tight,” answered County Attorney Scott McClure. “I think we would be in a definite squeeze to get that done.”
Biggs said he wasn’t concerned and also asked McClure for his interpretation of Vin’s statements that the cumulative fund could be used for capital purchases. “That’s correct,” McClure answered.
“You want to go home knowing you go home and you call 911 somebody’s going to pick up,” Biggs told the crowd. “Don’t worry about that.”
“We do worry about that,” replied a man in the full-capacity audience.
By the time the meeting wrapped up, members of the negotiating committees on both sides were preparing to enter into another round of talks down the hall. Less than two hours later, they had come to an agreement that calls for a $289,000 contract for 2026, which includes ALS-level care.
“It was pretty quick,” said Gary Elliott, board president of the LOFSVFF “I think we were always very close in my opinion and we just had to do the final steps.”
“Everybody’s happy. There was give and take on both sides,” said Craig Klauer, chair of the WPTFPD board.
Biggs said he would like a seven to nine-member Blue Ribbon Committee appointed by the end of February to explore better supporting the district and fire force. He said expanding the district in some way is a given. “There’s just simply not enough rooftops,” he said. “You should definitely have more resources to handle that call volume.
“We are really going to do a deep dive,” he added. “What’s the difference between a district and a territory?” He said officials from the town of Hebron would also be queried on their interest in a partnership.
Both the WPTFPD and LOFSVFF representatives were heartened by the promise of a solution. “I think we’re all relieved bringing this to the attention of the commissioners and that they will hopefully be able to provide more assistance to the district to secure more funding for this area,” Elliott said.
“I’m glad that they’re taking that approach,” Klauer added. “They’re listening to us, the constituents, the residents, so A+ on them.”
Denis Shultman, founder of the West Porter Township Fire Territory Discussion Group on Facebook, was conflicted. “Now I look forward to the future,” she said after the meeting, and also, “I don’t know that I’m optimistic. It’s going to take a lot of work. There’s no simple solution.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/agreement-reached-by-lofs-fire-west-porter-fire-district/
Candlelight shopping: Homewood businesses dim lights to welcome customers
A collection of downtown Homewood businesses dimmed their lights, placed candles and stayed open late for pre-Christmas shoppers Thursday night.
“The local shops along this corridor agree to stay open late and offer something special for the customers,” said Diane Matthews, manager of The Village Door, a nonprofit consignment shop that benefits the Cancer Support Center. “Tonight, we dimmed our lights, put out the candles and customers can come by and collect a piece of a garland.”
The event is one of several annual special events organized by the Homewood Business Association to promote businesses throughout the year.
The Christmas event used to be called Elves Night Out, said Lisa Komorowski, president of the business association, but the event was rebranded in an effort to recover attendance after COVID-19 caused it to slump.
“This is the second year we’re doing this, and we think it’s cute and cozy,” Komorowski said.
Komorowski owns Loulou Belle, a boutique and one of the participating businesses. She was placing out charcuterie cups and spiced cider for customers as the event started.
“It is beautiful in here,” Loulou Belle customer Mary Lane said, admiring the candlelit shop.
Lane didn’t known about the event ahead of time, she said.
Another participating business was Van Sipma Jewelers, a family-owned jewelry store that marked its 125th anniversary this year.
“Last year was a really good response,” said Ashley Van Sipma.
Tea lights in decorated bags mark participating businesses in downtown Homewood on Thursday evening. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
Van Sipma is the daughter of the business’s current owners, and will eventually be the fifth generation of her family to run the shop.
“It’s a little interesting to turn the lights down for a jewelry store,” Van Sipma said, laughing. “Right? We still want everything to sparkle.”
While businesses like Van Sipma’s are community staples, other participating businesses opened recently.
Beyond the Book, a bookstore that aims to also serve as a community space and creative hub, opened in October, owner Tenia Davis said. Candlelight shopping was her first Homewood Business Association event.
Dave Larsen scans prices for a customer buying a set of books including “The Jungle Book” and “Treasure Island” at Beyond the Book Thursday evening. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
“As a new business, everyone in the business association has just been so welcoming,” Davis said. “Everything has been a first, the last three, four weeks.”
Davis, who has lived in Flossmoor for more than 20 years, said she hopes to make connections and support creative projects with her business, which has a podcast studio in the back. She also wants to get involved in publishing.
“I’m excited to participate and I’m even more excited to have people come in and meet more neighbors,” Davis said.
Ten businesses participated in the event.
Lisa Komorowski, owner of Loulou Belle and president of the Homewood Business Association, prepares snacks and cider for shoppers ahead of Thursday’s candlelight shopping event. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
“It’s fun for the shoppers and residents, and it’s good exposure for the stores,” said Suzy Moore, co-owner of UpsaDaisy Boutique. UpsaDaisy Boutique offered a 25% discount for the event.
Julie Smith, the other co-owner, said she and Moore are looking forward to another business association event the last Saturday in January, when shoppers are encouraged to come in early in pajamas. The earlier customers arrive, she said, the better the discount they get, to a maximum of 50% off for those who arrive before 8 a.m.
“We will open at 7 a.m., and there’ll be people waiting,” Smith said. “People come in their pajamas, we do coffee and doughnuts and that kind of stuff.”
For Thursday’s event, UpsaDaisy Boutique had prosecco and gingerbread cookies.
Valerie Burr and her mother, Lana Graser, browse at UpsaDaisy Boutique during Thursday’s Homewood Business Association event. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
A candle burns in Loulou Belle, Lisa Komorowski’s business, on Thursday evening. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
Valerie Burr, a Homewood resident, said she learned about the event from her mother, Lana Graser, who saw it on social media.
“I love the hometown feel,” Burr said. The family started their evening shopping at UpsaDaisy Boutique, but said they planned to visit all the participating businesses.
While Graser doesn’t live in Homewood, she said she comes into the town frequently for such events.
“We do a lot of special events in Homewood. We’re usually here for just about every one,” Graser said. “I love Homewood, and I love my daughter, so I come to a lot of these things. I just love the atmosphere.”
elewis@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/homewood-downtown-business-candlelight-shopping/
Russia Keeps Slamming The Door In Europe’s Face
Russia Keeps Slamming The Door In Europe’s Face
By Maartje Wijffelaars, Senior Economist at Rabobank
Crash Averted
It’s been a busy week in Europe, before the start of the holiday season. Heavy meetings in Brussels, monetary policy decisions, and intense peace talks in which Europe is trying hard to get its foot in the door, while Russia—at times aided by the U.S.—continues to slam it shut.
Yesterday, EU leaders have agreed to provide a EUR 90bn loan to Ukraine for 2026-2027. The EU won’t use frozen Russian assets as collateral, but rather borrow money on the capital markets against the headroom in the EU budget. The headroom is the difference between existing budget commitments and the amount EU countries can be called upon to contribute to the budget.
Put simply, this means that if Ukraine fails to repay, EU governments are liable through their contributions to the EU budget. Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia managed to get an opt out from the guarantees, in exchange for not blocking the loan. Leaders agreed that Ukraine would only have to repay the loan if it receives reparation payments from Russia. Absent those payments, Russian assets remain immobilized and the EU could still decide to use the frozen assets to repay the loan. Yet that would still require a majority agreement in the Council, which is as unlikely to gain approval from Belgium and others later as it was now.
Leaders have also stated that Ukraine entrance to the EU is an important part of peace negotiations and that it is important to make progress on that front. Some argue that the EU’s mutual defense clause could provide similar guarantees to NATO’s Article 5, whose relevance has been questioned by the U.S. That said, support EU member states have to lend to a fellow in case of attack “to the best of their ability” arguably not necessarily concerns military aid. Broad agreement on the importance of Ukraine membership, however, doesn’t mean leaders agree Ukraine should be able to enter without fulfilling the legal and institutional requirements that are attached to EU membership – or at all if you ask Hungary’s Orbán. Necessity is the mother of invention, but the process could easily still take years.
In that light, reports that the US, EU allies and Ukraine are getting close to a formal agreement on strong security guarantees for Ukraine are more promising. It would allow for EU boots on the ground at a distance from the frozen frontline, in case of a peace deal. Talks are said to continue today and tomorrow in the US. That said, Russia has so far been unwilling to allow NATO forces on the ground in Ukraine. So it’s highly doubtful that Putin would agree to a deal including forces of individual NATO members being stationed in Ukraine. If anything, Putin made clear this week that the territorial goals of his invasion have not changed and that he wants to pursue those goals either through diplomacy or force.
Meanwhile, the Mercosur deal hasn’t made it to a vote yet. The Commission’s Von der Leyen was supposed to travel to South America this Saturday to sign the deal. But, France, Italy, Poland and Hungary, remained unhappy with the safeguards to protect EU farmers already included and asked for more. The vote has been pushed to January, after Italy’s Meloni called Brazil’s president Lula to ask for a one-month delay at most, to get the deal done. Lula said he would inform Mercosur countries. Earlier this week, Lula stated that the deal is in fact already more beneficial for the EU than the Mercosur block and isn’t interested in adding more safeguards to cap EU imports. So it remains to be seen if agreement can be reached.
Over to the monetary policy meetings. The ECB kept its deposit facility rate at 2% yesterday, as we had expected. They also upwardly revised their inflation and growth outlook for next year and lowered it somewhat for 2027 to (partially?) correct for the delay of ETS2 from 2027 to 2028.
With respect to growth, Lagarde stressed that the economy has been resilient so far and that trade tensions have eased. At the same time, however, she argued that the international environment is still volatile and that weak external demand will be a drag on growth. Instead, consumption should support the economy and “business investment and substantial govt investments should increasingly underpin the economy.” This matches our own view as we’ve laid out in this week’s Eurozone 2026 outlook piece, although we are somewhat less optimistic than the ECB. We project growth to come in at 0.9% next year and 1.2% in 2027, compared to the ECB’s forecast of 1.2% and 1.4%, respectively.
As for guidance, the ECB reiterated that its data-dependent and will determine its rate action meeting-by-meeting. According to our forecasts this means that the ECB is likely to keep rates on hold in the coming year and will hike twice in 2027, in March and June. For a thorough assessment of yesterday’s announcements and outlook, please see Bas van Geffen’s take here.
Across the Channel, the BoE cut its interest rate with 25bp to 3.75%. The cut was broadly expected and so was the 5-4 vote. As our UK strategist Stefan Koopman noted beforehand, the labour market is cooling, wage growth is slowing, inflation is finally coming down and fiscal policy will tighten further next year. The MPC repeated that the Bank Rate is “likely to continue on a gradual downward path,” but warned that decisions on further easing will become a “closer call.” Bailey voted in favour of the cut and signalled that he sees scope for further easing, but is explicitly looking for progress in inflation expectations and in forward-looking wage indicators. So that’s something to watch out for in the months ahead, Stefan Koopman notes. He expects two 25bp cuts in 2026, one in February and one in April, while acknowledging that decisions to move remain highly data-dependent. For more insights please see his post-meeting comment.
Other monetary policy announcements came from the Norges Bank, Riksbank, Banxico and the Bank of Japan. Norges Bank and Riksbank kept their interest rate constant, as expected, while Banxico lowered its overnight policy rate by 25bp to 7% as we had projected. Our Mexico strategist see at least two more 25bp cuts from Banxico in 2026. The BoJ hiked its policy rate to 0.75%, which is low in international comparison, but the highest level in three decades. Its 10-year yield also reached multi-decade highs at 2%.
At the other side of the Atlantic, November’s CPI print in the US supported rate cut bets, stocks and bonds. Both headline and core CPI came in 0.4pp lower than expected at 2.7%y/y and 2.6% y/y, respectively, down from 3% in September. There is no figure published for October due to lacking survey input. But as we understand it, the shutdown has also influenced the November figure due to the measures used to correct for missing October data. This suggests shelter inflation, for example, is underestimated. Nevertheless, investors embraced the soft print, with the S&P 500 up 0.8% for example, although it is still down 0.8% on the week. A cut by April is now over 90% priced in. Recall that our Fed watcher Philip Marey expects a cut in March, June and September next year, as Trump’s influence over the Fed grows.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/19/2025 – 13:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/russia-keeps-slamming-door-europes-face
Proposed Glenview industrial project on 29-acre site, with Northbrook address, gets mixed reaction
Redevelopment plans for the former CVS Health headquarters and vacant land belonging to Northwestern Memorial Hospital near I-294 in Glenview received a mixed response from a village panel charged with considering the proposal.
Developer Scott Gibbel is looking to construct three buildings for “light industrial” uses on 29 acres of land at 2211-2305 Sanders Road in Glenview. The land contains the shuttered CVS Health Towers campus and undeveloped property where outpatient medical offices and ambulatory care had been proposed but never constructed, the village said.
The western portion of the site hosts a 5-story office building, 10-story office building, parking deck and surface parking areas, according to the village. CVS, which housed its CVS Health business center corporate offices there, vacated the site between 2021 and 2022, and the buildings have experienced a high level of vacancy since that time.
The properties have Northbrook addresses, but were annexed by the village of Glenview between 2004 and 2019.
Gibbel appeared before the Glenview New Development Commission on Dec. 10 with requests to rezone a portion of the property for light industrial use and build just under 400,000 square feet of industrial space across three buildings in a campus tentatively named O’Hare Park 294.
Special approval would be required for one of the buildings to stand at 46 feet tall, because the maximum height allowed under the village code is 36 feet.
After three hours of presentations, questions and citizen comments, the New Development Commission voted to continue consideration of the development requests to its Jan. 28 meeting.
If the commission recommends approval of the development, it will go to the Glenview Village Board for final action.
Gibbel told the commission that no tenants have yet been identified for the buildings, which sparked objections from some nearby residents who addressed the panel.
“We do not know what will be going in there,” said Peter Zorn, a resident of the adjacent Timberlane Estates in Northbrook. “I think that’s a concern for everyone.”
Residents voiced concerns that the development would end up attracting significant truck traffic on Sanders Road and possibly 24-hour operations.
Under Glenview’s Municipal Code, the zoning classification requested for the site, known as I-2, permits warehouses; manufacturing, packaging, processing and fulfillment facilities; delivery and distribution businesses; and repair services, among other uses.
Gibbel suggested the buildings may attract tenants like trade businesses, contractors, HVAC repair, plumbing, showroom and sales-oriented businesses, and light assembly. He acknowledged the “speculative nature” of the development, noting, “These companies want to see and touch the space before they commit to it.”
None of the buildings are designed for single tenants, he said.
“We are targeting a diverse range of tenants,” Gibbel said. “It is a marketplace for small businesses.”
Some residents also mentioned the site’s close proximity to the former Allstate headquarters in Glenview, which is being redeveloped into a 10-building logistics park by real estate developer Dermody Properties.
Resident Susan Eisenberg said new development on the 2211-2305 Sanders Road site should not be pursued until the logistics park, located one mile south on Sanders Road, is complete and the traffic impact from that is known.
Some members of the New Development Commission echoed concerns of the residents who addressed the panel.
“I’m uncomfortable with the zoning change itself and even the potential uses…which I think could lead to much of this building being a distribution center,” said Commissioner Elias Matsakis.
“I think that would severely impact the neighborhood.”
Commissioner Megan McClung said she couldn’t be sure all necessary zoning standards would be met because there has not been clarity on how the property will be used. She added that the community had not had enough time to review the proposal either.
Commissioner Glen Tracy suggested the buildings were being “squeezed” into the site.
“My initial feeling was, it’s over-developed,” he said. “It’s too big.”
Commissioners Ari Killian and Vincent Wilk said they supported the proposal and would vote to advance it to the Glenview Village Board.
“With appropriate site abatements and noise control, I think it would be a productive use,” Wilk said.
The proposed development must also conform to the Willow Road Corridor Plan, which was adopted in partnership with the Village of Northbrook and sets limitations on permitted uses for properties within the corridor.
“These properties are still under the original corridor agreement, which (called for) office and light industrial (uses),” said Glenview Village Attorney Julie Tappendorf.
The redeveloped 2211-2305 Sanders Road campus would be accessed from an existing signalized intersection on Sanders Road, from Evergreen Road and from a private AT&T property road on the south side, the village said. Truck traffic would be prohibited from driving north of the traffic signal on Sanders road, according to the village.
Gobierno de Trump apelará orden que revierte recortes de fondos federales a Harvard
Por COLLIN BINKLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — La administración Trump apelará la orden de una jueza federal que revierte recortes de miles de millones de dólares en financiamiento a la Universidad de Harvard, extendiendo un enfrentamiento sobre las demandas de la Casa Blanca para reformas en la prestigiosa institución académica.
El Departamento de Justicia presentó un aviso de apelación tarde el jueves en un par de demandas consolidadas presentadas por Harvard y la Asociación de Profesores Universitarios. El caso ha puesto a prueba el poder del gobierno para influir en la universidad más antigua y rica del país, que ha resistido una campaña de presión dirigida a universidades de élite en todo el país.
La jueza Allison Burroughs falló en septiembre que los amplios recortes de la administración Trump violaron los derechos de la Primera Enmienda de Harvard. Explicó que el gobierno impuso condiciones inconstitucionales sobre el financiamiento federal de Harvard y no siguió los procedimientos federales que permiten al gobierno sancionar a las universidades por violaciones de derechos civiles.
La administración Trump recortó más de 2.600 millones de dólares a Harvard por acusaciones de que había sido lenta en abordar el sesgo antijudío en el campus. Burroughs rechazó esa noción, diciendo que el gobierno estaba usando el antisemitismo “como una cortina de humo para un ataque dirigido e ideológicamente motivado contra las principales universidades de este país”.
El aviso de apelación es un primer paso en el esfuerzo del gobierno para que se revoque el fallo. No proporciona argumentos legales detrás de la apelación.
Harvard declaró que sus funcionarios “siguen confiando en nuestra posición legal”.
“El tribunal de distrito federal falló a favor de Harvard en septiembre, restableciendo fondos críticos para la investigación que avanza en la ciencia y los avances médicos que salvan vidas, fortalece la seguridad nacional y mejora la competitividad y las prioridades económicas de nuestra nación”, dijo Harvard.
Todd Wolfson, presidente de la asociación, indicó que la apelación es “solo una continuación de su campaña descarada para detener el financiamiento crítico de la investigación en un intento de disuadir a las universidades y al profesorado de participar en cualquier discurso, enseñanza e investigación que Donald Trump desapruebe”.
La Casa Blanca no comentó.
Harvard ha sido el principal objetivo de Trump en una campaña para usar el financiamiento federal de investigaciones para impulsar reformas en las universidades que, según el gobierno de Trump, han sido invadidas por una “ideología woke”. Harvard ha luchado contra las amplias demandas del gobierno, incluso cuando otras como las universidades de Columbia, Brown y Cornell llegan a acuerdos con el gobierno.
Harvard y la Casa Blanca han continuado las negociaciones en medio de la batalla legal, y Trump ha indicado múltiples veces que una resolución era inminente. En septiembre, dijo que los funcionarios estaban cerca de un acuerdo que requeriría un pago de 500 millones de dólares de Harvard para crear una “gran escuela de oficios” para producir trabajadores para plantas estadounidenses.
El acuerdo nunca se materializó y Trump ha estado en silencio sobre el tema desde entonces.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Gary drug ring head Caldwell receives 14 years in prison
Teddia “Teddy” Caldwell, 50, on Thursday, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, ending years worth of court proceedings for the head of the notorious Gary drug ring.
U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon handed down the sentence, to run concurrently, after Caldwell admitted to leading a cocaine ring and aiding in the murder of Kevin Hood, a rival car wash owner and alleged drug dealer. Caldwell has testified in the trials of others involved with the murder, and Simon said he is “one of the most important and best cooperators” for the court.
“Had you not cooperated and been convicted, you would’ve been sentenced to life,” Simon told Caldwell.
Simon called the case “terrible all around,” and said that it wasn’t Caldwell’s first time in the system, referring to multiple armed robberies. He also said Caldwell had a limited work history and served in the military but was discharged for bad conduct.
Simon also said he is sympathetic to the fact that Caldwell’s mother was addicted to drugs and “somewhat abusive,” and that he has “serious medical issues.” Even though he ran a drug ring, Caldwell didn’t have many drug and alcohol issues, Simon said, which also helped the sentence.
“I hope that this sentence gives you hope for the future,” Simon said. “I’m only doing this because of your cooperation.”
During his sentencing, Caldwell began crying while apologizing to Hood’s family and his own family and friends. He also thanked the court for the opportunity to speak.
“I sit here a different man than I was when I walked in eight years ago,” Caldwell said. “I can honestly say that I’ve learned a lot and turned my life around.”
Several of Hood’s family members spoke during Caldwell’s sentencing, including his mother, Ellan Hood, and aunt, Mary Lee. His aunt said that his death remains difficult for the family, and they’re continuously reminded about how they never got to say goodbye.
“I saw him lying on the ground that day, and that still haunts me,” Lee said. “Kevin Hood, Jr. will never be forgotten because he’s given us so much to remember.”
Ellan Hood told the court that no one else’s family should go through what they’ve gone through, and no one’s child deserves to die like her son did.
“This is bittersweet,” she said. “I’m glad this horrendous case is over, but Kevin is still not coming home.”
Caldwell pled guilty in August 2022, according to Post-Tribune archives. Caldwell admitted to leading a cocaine ring from 2016 to 2018, according to court documents, which sold drugs out of his home and car wash business, Da Wash, located at Broadway and E. 20th Place.
Caldwell admitted to conspiring with Taquan “Boonie” Clarke, Devontae Martin and an unnamed person to rob Hood. The four men took a “large amount” of “cocaine and/or money,” and split the proceeds, according to Caldwell’s plea agreement.
Hood, 43, of Gary, was killed on July 28, 2017, during the robbery outside his business, Shine on Hand Car Wash, located near 15th and Massachusetts streets, according to the Gary Police Department. Martin drove through the car wash with an AK-47-style rifle to rob Hood of money and cocaine, according to the superseding indictment.
Martin jumped out of the vehicle, and the two got into a physical fight, during which his gun was discharged, according to court records.
Caldwell saw Martin and Hood fighting in the street, and Clarke ran up and shot Hood, according to court records.
Authorities linked another murder to Caldwell’s organization, but he only pleaded guilty in connection to Hood’s death.
In May, Devonte Hodge, 30, of Gary, received a life sentence at federal court for his involvement in the October 2016 murder of Akeem Oliver, 29. Both were involved with Caldwell’s drug ring, and Oliver was giving police information about Isaiah “Drizzy” Edwards’ June 2016 murder.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nozick called Hodge a “committed witness killer” at his hearing, and he estimated that Hodge could be responsible for as many as five to seven murders, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Caldwell is the estranged husband of Gary Councilwoman Linda Barnes Caldwell, D-5th, who wrote a letter in February on his behalf, calling him a “hardworking father” who was “deeply committed to providing for his family,” according to court documents.
“He acknowledges that he has made mistakes in the past,” Barnes Caldwell wrote.
Post-Tribune archives and staff writer Meredith Colias-Pete contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/gary-drug-ring-head-caldwell-receives-14-years-in-prison/
‘A Disgrace’: Dems Erupt As Kennedy Center Board Votes To Rename It ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’
‘A Disgrace’: Dems Erupt As Kennedy Center Board Votes To Rename It ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’
Democrats and Kennedy family members raged on Thursday after President Trump’s handpicked board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center voted to rename it the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” The move is certain to draw legal challenges centering on the fact that the center’s current name is set by statute. For now, however, we can sit back and watch the fireworks exploding all along the country’s left. Here’s a sampling:
“It’s a disgrace,” seethed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“If he defaces the place with his name, we will spackle it over,” fumed Washington Rep. Rick Larsen.”Congress named the Kennedy Center to honor the slain President… Nothing Trump does will change it.”
“It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy,” railed JFK’s niece Maria Shriver. “This is not dignified. This is not funny.”
“I was honored by it,” Trump told reporters after the news broke. “The board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country, and I was surprised by it. I was honored by it.” Despite his expression of surprise, Trump himself has previously engaged in his own half-joking rebranding of the venue:
In February, Trump maneuvered himself into the chairmanship of the Kennedy Center board, ousting Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein. Trump fired board members and filled vacancies with allies like Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles, the wife of the Commerce secretary, and the wife of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. They voted Trump in, while giving the boot to Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter and tapping Ric Grennell as her replacement. Grenell’s most noteworthy experience in managing theater was his service as acting Director of National Intelligence.
The statute that created the center states that it will be “designated as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” It includes no explicit provision delegating to the board of trustees the authority to rename it. “The Kennedy Center Board has no authority to actually rename the Kennedy Center in the absence of legislative action, and we’re going to make that clear,” said Jeffries on Thursday. He noted the issue wouldn’t be his top priority, stressing that the restoration of Affordable Care Act tax credits ranks higher.
More than just a named venue, the building was designated to serve as the sole national memorial — a living memorial — to Kennedy, in lieu of something like the temple that is the Lincoln Memorial. “We never considered or were permitted to name any part of the building for another human being because it was the official memorial for President Kennedy,” former Kennedy Center president Michael Kaiser told the New York Times. Similarly, Joe Kennedy III, grandson of JFK’s brother Robert, said, “It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”
LBJ breaks ground for JFK’s national memorial– John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts–December 1964, a year after the assassination (RFK in rear): pic.twitter.com/TGM1fD8FP6
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) December 18, 2025
The Kennedy Center board includes various ex officio members — people who serve by virtue of their offices — including Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, who said she was shocked as fellow board member and Trump crony Sergio Gor made the proposal. “It was such a surprise to me when they said we’re going to rename it,” she told the Times. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and pushed my button. But then I was muted.” Separately, Beatty said, “As I continued to try to unmute to ask questions and voiced my opposition to this, I received a note saying that I would not be unmuted.”
Kennedy Center PR VP Roma Daravi disputed Beatty’s account. “The entire board was invited to attend in person and the privilege of listening in on the meeting was granted to all members, even those without a vote, such as ex-officio member Joyce Beatty,” she said.
The ascendancy of Trump and his allies at the Kennedy Center prompted a wave of cancellations by artists themselves, as well as resignations of people associated with the venue. In a bizarre March incident, a woke leftist and former program director at the Kennedy Center’s Opera Institute was fired after bizarrely stripping down in a 35-minute video posted on YouTube and X, during which he ranted against President Trump’s takeover.
To its credit, the new Trump-led JFK Center has scrubbed drag shows and other degenerate programming from the schedule. In February, leftists gasped as a gay men’s chorus performance was yanked off. With the National Symphony Orchestra, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC was set to put on a show called “A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride.” Timed for late May, the show was meant to kick off Pride month. It was replaced by the Wizard of Oz.
Of course, all these political theatrics on the DC stage are just one act in the dark comedy of an American empire in accelerating decline — an empire hurtling toward insolvency, losing its morality and social cohesiveness, and subordinating its interests to those of foreign powers.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/19/2025 – 12:40
Barcelona encabeza pagos de la UEFA por jugadoras en la Eurocopa Femenina 2025
NYON, Suiza (AP) — Barcelona recibió el pago más alto de un fondo de 10,5 millones de dólares (nueve millones de euros) que recompensó a 103 clubes cuyos jugadoras fueron seleccionadas para el Campeonato Europeo Femenino de 2025.
Barcelona ganó 664.000 dólares (567.000 euros) pagados a una tasa diaria de 1.280 dólares (1.095 euros) durante el tiempo que las jugadoras participaron en el torneo de 16 naciones en Suiza en julio.
Las estrellas españolas Aitana Bonmatí y Alexia Putellas encabezaron a diez jugadoras del ganador de tres ediciones de la Liga de Campeones Femenina en el equipo finalista derrotado, además de Keira Walsh de la campeona Inglaterra. Barcelona también contó con las delanteras Caroline Graham Hansen con Noruega, Ewa Pajor con Polonia y Sydney Schertenleib con Suiza.
Bayern Múnich fue el siguiente con 545.000 dólares (465.000 euros), incluyendo a siete en el equipo semifinalista de Alemania, Georgia Stanway de Inglaterra y la capitana de Dinamarca Pernille Harder.
Chelsea ganó 541.000 dólares (462.000 euros) y la Juventus, que proporcionó la mayor parte del equipo semifinalista de Italia, ganó 486.000 dólares (415.000 euros) de la UEFA.
Los clubes ingleses en conjunto ganaron 2,78 millones de dólares (2,37 millones de euros), los equipos alemanes obtuvieron 1,64 millones de dólares (1,4 millones de euros) y más de 1,52 millones de dólares (1,3 millones de euros) fueron para Italia.
Los clubes españoles en conjunto ganaron 1,36 millones de dólares (1,16 millones de euros), más de la mitad fueron a manos del Barcelona.
Donna Vickroy: A holiday miracle: Saved by a stranger on Christmas Eve
Sometimes in our darkest hour, a light appears just long enough to get us through.
On a Christmas Eve long, long ago, a young man found himself in need of a miracle.
To understand the peril this former utility worker was in we need to recall what life was like some 40-plus years ago.
Back in the ’80s, there were no cell phones on which to call your spouse to say you’d be late for the holiday gathering or to ping a coworker to come to your assistance or to text 911 because you were on the verge of freezing to death.
Phone communication was carried over a vast network of wires connected to central facilities. In Chicago, Illinois Bell installers climbed poles to make those connections happen. Needless to say, they were well acquainted with birds, squirrels and freezing temperatures as they hovered among the rooflines, bringing human connection to the metropolitan area.
The disrupted path of a landline phone inside a newly converted apartment in an old factory district near Racine and Hubbard in Chicago is where our story begins.
Dave Cetera was a young union worker back then. He had a wife and a baby, and a big extended family waiting on him back in the southwest suburbs that fateful holiday night.
At 4:15 p.m., dispatch “informed me they had one last job … and no one can go home until someone takes it,” he recalled.
There went the foreman’s efforts to get everyone home early for the holiday.
“The good news,” Cetera said, the job “was an ‘IT’ — inside terminal. Should be easy and warm,” and come wrapped in overtime pay.
He arrived at 4:30 and was greeted by an anxious customer who’d been waiting all day for service.
As they climbed the stairs to the third floor, Cetera noticed the other floors were vacant.
Inside the client’s home, the heat was cranked. While the customer showed Cetera the freight elevator, he complained about how hard it had been to keep the loft warm. He said he was already late for a holiday party. Could Cetera just close the door, which would automatically lock, on his way out?
Cetera agreed, took off his coat and got to work.
He knew better than to let the customer leave, possibly leading to all kinds of liability, safety and theft concerns. “But it was Christmas and everyone had some place to be,” he said.
Cetera figured it was just a loose wire and he’d be out of there in no time.
“I put my toner/beeper in the wall jack and proceeded to the basement, to find and connect that wire,” he said.
The converted factory freight elevator was an 8-by-8-foot compartment with 4-foot steel walls, diamond fencing to the ceiling and some open cross bars attached to the center wire lift cable.
“I pulled down the metal mesh gate and pressed the basement button. Unlike modern passenger elevators with side-to-side door openings, freight elevators have a top and bottom metal-jawed mouth that clangs loudly when closed,” he said.
At the bottom, the jaws opened and he lifted the gate to exit.
“I used my flashlight to walk to the terminal and sure enough there was the loose wire hanging in the box, the toner sound emitting from it,” he said. “I verified his phone number on the correct IT binding post and attached it.
“Done.”
Not quite.
Cetera got back into the elevator, closed the lift gate, hit the 3rd floor button and shivered as the metal jaws shut.
It was chilly in the basement, the elevator was affixed to an unheated outside wall, and Dave’s coat and gloves were on the third floor.
The car rose about six feet, lurched and stopped. He tried again. And again.
He pressed other buttons, in various combinations.
Then he started yelling. “Hey, anyone up there?”
Silence.
He thought of those movie scenes in which people hoist themselves to safety through the car ceiling.
“I reached over the steel side walls, climbed the metal grid and started hand over hand climbing the horizontal rail to reach the center wire cable,” he said. “But the horizontal bars were greasy and slippery. I crashed onto the elevator floor.”
In retrospect, he realized he would never have been able to force open the metal door shutters anyway.
“I was trapped,” he said. “I yelled until I was hoarse. Fear makes you work until you can’t.”
As panic set in and cold numbed his chances, he sat down with his tack hammer and gaveled out SOS before he switched to randomly banging on the metal apron.
After about 30 minutes, Cetera realized he was going to freeze to death alone in the dark on Christmas Eve.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice.
It sounded like a man with “maybe a Hispanic accent.”
The voice asked, “Hey, you stuck in the elevator down there?”
“Yeah,” Cetera yelled back.
In the dark, Cetera couldn’t distinguish where the voice was coming from but he suddenly noticed a light near the top of the shaft.
“I wasn’t sure if it was reflecting from the third floor or if it was some outdoor light glowing in from the city,” he said.
“At the pinnacle of the shaft, three-plus stories high, I could see the outline of a man crawling across a narrow beam to the center of the shaft,” Cetera said.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as his arm extended and his hand grabbed the cable wire on the pulley and gave it a tug,” Cetera said. “I heard him say, ‘OK.’”
Then it went dark again. “Down in the shaft gloom I could no longer see anything above me. I staggered to a standing position, pressed the third-floor button and up I went,” he said.
Inside the customer’s loft, he slapped the phone on the wall, heard the dial tone, grabbed his coat and tools, slammed the door and ran down the stairs to thank his rescuer.
“I was screaming, ‘Hey, hey, thank you, thank you,” but no one answered,” he said. He ran outside but there were no maintenance trucks or vans to be found.
As he stood on the street, watching the falling snow muffle the outline of cars and holiday lights in the distance, his heart swelled with gratitude.
He’d been rescued by a stranger on Christmas Eve. “I needed to see who or what had saved me. Was it a Christmas angel or one brave man?” he said.
He paused to take it all in, and then headed for home.
He’d carry the story always, and each Christmas he reopens the gift that couldn’t be repaid.
Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years. She can be reached at donnavickroy4@gmail.com.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/vickroy-christmas-saved-elevator-death/
First-Ever Ukrainian Attack On A Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker In Mediterranean Sea
First-Ever Ukrainian Attack On A Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker In Mediterranean Sea
Ukraine is hailing a “new, unprecedented special operation” after a Russia-linked oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Libya. Needless to say these waters are very distant from anywhere Ukraine operates in the war with Moscow forces.
Officials within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) are being quoted in international reports as saying the SBU deployed a drone in the Mediterranean which struck a so-called “shadow fleet” tanker used by Russia.
This would mark the first ever such Ukrainian attack on Russia’s shadow fleet in the Mediterranean sea, involving aerial drones utilized some 1,250 miles (2,000km) from its borders.
No details were given as to precisely how such an operation so distant from Ukraine’s borders was carried out, but the ship was reportedly empty at the time of being hit, and so potential environmental disasters have been ruled out.
The now damaged tanker has since been identified as the Oman-flagged Qendil. It was subject of a series of explosions after the drone directly hit its deck.
The SBU released footage of the attack to several Western media outlets, including BBC:
The SBU told the BBC this was its first such attack in neutral waters. BBC Verify has confirmed the shape of the ship in the video is consistent with available pictures of the Qendil. We also put frames from the video through a reverse-image search on Google to check it is new.
Location data transmitted by the Qendil put it 96 nautical miles south-west of the Greek island of Crete a few hours ago. Ship-tracking tool MarineTraffic shows the tanker entered the Mediterranean from the Suez Canal on 16 December.
Watch brief drone footage as the attack played out:
Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service struck the Russian tanker “QENDIL”, part of the so called ‘shadow fleet’, whilst it was sailing in the Mediterranean, according to Ukrainian outlet RBC. The attack took place more than 2,000km from Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/PrdZgwNibP
— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) December 19, 2025
Ukraine emphasized and boasted: “The SBU for the first time hit a tanker of the Russian ‘shadow fleet’ in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea.”
It follows an SBU strike on a Russian Kilo-class submarine which was docked at a key Russian Black Sea port, utilizing an underwater drone which seemed to easily get past all Russian defensive counter-measures. Ukraine has been losing ground along the front lines in east, but has become more and more effective at these types of irregular warfare operations – yet it will do nothing to change the tide of battlelines.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/19/2025 – 12:00
