The snowy owls of the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary had flown the coop. At least, that’s what I heard. My son and I decided to see for ourselves.

I’d been making plans since I first heard the Arctic visitors landed on the shore of Lake Michigan along Chicago’s North Side. I’ve taken my son, now a Chicago Public Schools junior, to the remarkable piece of ornithological green space since he was little. This would be a nice weekend adventure for us, I thought. Some quality time.

But shifting obligations and increasingly busy schedules, the siren call of the couch on a frigid Saturday afternoon, Thanksgiving out of state, all of these things postponed our father-son search for the owls. The thought persisted through the general background noise of life, not to mention the camouflaged federal agents patrolling the neighborhood, the worrying refrain of economic soothsayers, headline hand-wringing over artificial intelligence, the White House consideration of dusting off our nuclear arms for fresh tests. It’s enough to make anyone say, “Forget it. I’m staying inside with a bourbon and watching ‘Stranger Things.’”

But finally, on a recent Sunday, we found the time and committed. I checked with others who had seen the owls for tips and guidance — but they told me the owls were all but certainly gone already.

“We’re going anyway,” I said, pulling my hat down over my ears and handing my son a pair of my old boots because he wanted to wear his Nikes. I was touched to see he’d already grabbed the binoculars his grandparents had gotten him during the pandemic when we first dabbled in birding as a way to get outside and escape the uncertain state of the world. They dangled from a black lanyard around his neck.

The owls landed in Chicago the weekend of Nov. 25, The Associated Press reported at the time. Signage was posted asking visitors to give the birds space. Birders begged one another to stop posting pictures of the beautiful birds online to avoid oversaturating the birds’ space with that dreaded species: the lookie-loo (not including us, of course). When we arrived at the sanctuary that Sunday, I was pleased to see a limited amount of foot traffic. I grew cautiously optimistic. Maybe they were still here. We parked the car by the harbor and walked through the wooden zigzag fencing before stepping into something out of a Robert Frost poem. Black boughs bending under crusts of snow created a daylight-perforated tunnel of soaking bark against the bright blue sky. Little birds, mostly starlings and cardinals, flew in droves and sang to one another.

But, as we were warned, no snowy owls perched on a branch for us to see. We marched through the snow, craning our necks for such comical false alarms as an old dead beehive adorned with a snowcap, a white plastic bag stuck to the arthritic fingers of a leafless tree blowing in the wind and the occasional snowy squirrel’s nest. It was a gorgeous afternoon in an idyllic place — so much so that we almost forgot why we’d come in the first place. We soaked in the majesty of one of Chicago’s oases (it has many) that we all too often might take for granted.

Despite knowing in my heart we weren’t likely to see the owls, we pushed on (maybe sometimes to my kid’s chagrin) and beheld the green and frigid whitecaps of Lake Michigan exploding along the break wall before dissolving into a December mist. An armada of white clouds hung over the lake and downtown’s skyline loomed to the south where the sun broke through the cloud cover.

We ducked down a small trail that would take us back into the heart of the sanctuary when it got too cold out in the open and continued scanning the treetops with what little hope that remained in us.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Dad,” my son said.

Maybe I was the only hopeful one. Just as I was ready to throw in the towel and appease the kid, it happened. An explosion of feathers soared out of the winter brush and flew up to a perch over our path.

It looked down on us with regal disdain.

A hawk. Not an owl. But still a sight to behold.

“Whoa,” my son said, impressed — which immediately made our numb fingers and stinging noses worth it.

I fumbled my phone out of my pocket and took a terrible photo of the hawk. It flew to another branch and then dropped out of sight.

“That was so cool,” my son said.

Yeah, it was.

When we trudged back to the sanctuary’s center, I spoke to a birder in arctic gear carrying a telephoto lens over his shoulder.

“Seen any owls?” I asked.

“The snowies? No, they’re gone,” he told me with an understanding smile. “But they’ll be back.”

From a bird’s-eye view, we probably didn’t look like we were doing much of anything. Just a couple of black dots in a field of white and brown. But from where we were standing, despite not finding Chicago’s most popular seasonal visitors, it was another miraculous day outside — reveling in the search for something that had already come to pass.

Richard Ray is a writer and media professional in Chicago. He formerly was an editor for WMAQ-Ch. 5 and a reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/opinion-chicago-snowy-owls/ 

Chicago’s historic budget battle, pitting Mayor Brandon Johnson against an increasingly restive City Council, has reached the throw-ideas-against-the-wall stage of discussion and debate.

Increasing the grocery bag tax, selling advertising on light poles and snowplows, offering augmented-reality experiences around Millennium Park, installing slot machines at O’Hare International Airport: The novel and desperate ideas keep rolling out.

Every little bit might help, I guess. But many of the ideas are helplessly small. The proposed 5-cents-per-bag hike in the tax on grocery bags would raise less than $9 million. Up against a $1.19 billion budget gap, that wouldn’t do much good.

When such ideas suck up time and attention — with a Dec. 31 deadline fast approaching — the distraction comes at the cost of inattention to bigger issues that could have long-lasting, negative impact on the city.

Exhibit A in the category of underemphasized issues is the billions in new debt Johnson wants to sell in order to balance the city’s $16.6 billion budget. 

Debate over the head tax, grocery tax and garbage fees has sucked up time and attention. But Johnson’s borrowing plans, which will have both immediate and yearslong ramifications, have not gotten nearly enough focus.

Initially, Johnson proposed selling $3.8 billion in debt — new borrowings and refinancing — to cover the city’s budget gap. But the plan now is scaled back, by $1 billion altogether, after pushback led by Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, and others.

Even at that lower amount, Johnson still is proposing a daunting surge of indebtedness for a city with more burden on its balance sheet than any other in the U.S. — some $65 billion in long-term debt and unfunded pension liabilities.

This is risky business for the city — the elected officials, yes, but for residents, too. Standard & Poor’s already has warned that it’s keeping a close eye on Chicago, with a negative outlook. A credit downgrade could be an inevitable result of the budget stalemate. Even if the City Council somehow passes a balanced budget in time to meet a Dec. 31 deadline and avoids a government shutdown, it could still happen. 

After all, a responsibly run city doesn’t flirt with economic calamity, for a second straight year, like this one is doing.

Weeks of contentious hearings and veto threats, hourslong negotiations that make little progress, accusations of “immoral” motivation and flirtation with job-killing ideas have done us no good. 

There are questions about why Chicago needs to borrow so much, as the Tribune Editorial Board has noted in these pages.

After all, the city already has $2.4 billion in unused borrowing ability, thanks to prior authorizations granted by the City Council, according to Conway. For example, a $1.25 billion bond issue, targeted for economic development projects, has barely been put to use in more than a year since the council authorized it. 

Taxpayers are paying the cost of borrowing that money: The mayor ought to put it into job-creating projects, as he said he would do. And by asking for more borrowing authority on top of approvals already granted to him, Johnson is signaling that the city’s thirst for new debt is far from quenched.

Of even more concern is the way the Johnson administration plans to structure its new debt. 

Contrary to best practices, the Johnson administration plans to sell bonds to fund some operating expenses: $166 million for back pay to Chicago firefighters and $285 million to cover police settlements and judgments.

Against their own better judgment, even the budget hawks in the City Council have backed this plan. The back pay and police settlements built up over years, they reason, so it’s sensible to borrow to pay them down. That kind of thinking is slippery, leading to more debt and more downgrades, and it would be good to see council members resist such temptation and focus instead on cutting costs and streamlining government. 

It’s good that the bulk of Johnson’s borrowing plan would go toward conventional purposes such as roads, bridges and other infrastructure. But the way Johnson plans to structure the loans is concerning. 

These bonds would be seriously back-end-loaded. Johnson’s plans, first spelled out in detail in an amortization table shared with the City Council last month, call for the city to pay interest only — putting off the paydown of principal — for years after the bonds are sold. 

This would help with cash flow now, while Johnson is in office, but substantially increase the cost of the debt, shifting immense financial burdens to future years.

On one bond issue included in Johnson’s initial plans, the city would put nothing toward paying down the principal amount for 19 years after the bonds are sold, according to the budget document released to the City Council. Altogether, the mayor’s original plan set the city on course to accumulate more than $2 billion in interest payments before putting a dollar toward principal.

It’s a kick-the-can approach that rating agencies dislike and taxpayers should dread.

While Johnson has scaled down the size of his borrowing plans, back-end loading is still expected to feature in the 2026 budget. And Conway told me he remains concerned. 

“The can is kicked and kicked, and ultimately you kick it into a wall,” Conway said. “We are heading into a terrible situation.”

The scenario will take years to play out, but the credit rating agencies won’t wait for that. They’ll immediately look at Chicago’s debt plan in the context of their problems: a budget impasse last year, an even bigger problem this time and a looming deficit when work on the 2027 budget begins.

If Chicago is hit with a credit downgrade soon, as many market watchers expect, the city would be just a step above “junk” status. At that point, a single downgrade would put Chicago’s debt below investment grade.

This would raise borrowing costs. It also would cause a costly liquidity problem.

Partly that’s because many investment funds — holders of billions of dollars in Chicago’s general-obligation bonds — are forbidden in their contracts with investors from holding below-investment-grade bonds. A “junk” rating could set off panic selling by the big funds, with significant repercussions for Chicago’s fiscal future.

Chicago’s huge debt and substandard credit rating may seem to be marginal issues amid the high-drama budget battle between Johnson and the City Council. In fact, they’re among the biggest problems the budgeteers face as they push to finish next year’s budget. For the good of the city, they need to give these issues the credit they deserve. 

David Greising is president of the Better Government Association.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/column-chicago-borrowing-plan-brandon-johnson-greising/ 

Across the country, America’s mental health system is buckling under the weight of growing need and shrinking support. A new national poll from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Ipsos captures what many Chicagoans already know firsthand: People are overwhelmed, and our services are strained. Meanwhile, the much-needed traditional sources of federal funding that support health care and housing are few and far between. The absence of reliable partnerships at the national level underscores the need for local unity and robust community support.

Here in Chicago, federal cuts that slash funding for supportive housing, early intervention and Medicaid are direct affronts to mental health. This dismantling of basic resources is in stark contrast to what Americans actually want from their leaders. For instance, nearly 3 in 4 Americans oppose cuts to mental health programs, suicide prevention and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Our neighbors are deeply worried about what these cuts mean for their communities: diminished services and fewer supports for veterans, students and families navigating mental illnesses.

While Washington stalls or retreats, Chicago’s leaders have an opportunity to meet the moment with collaboration and support. After all, behind these numbers are human stories. Close to 1 in 5 Americans rate their own mental health as poor. Stress levels are soaring. Uncertainty about the future, the rising cost of living, financial strain, caregiving pressures and health concerns are taking a toll on families across the country, including in our very own neighborhoods.

If Congress won’t protect essential resources, then state and local leadership must collaborate and support a network of health care that includes mental health services. This means investing in community behavioral health clinics, expanding access to affordable and supportive housing, clarifying our crisis response systems, and ensuring that families can find timely, high-quality care without navigating a maze of underfunded services.

This is not just a policy issue. It is a public safety issue, an economic stability issue and a moral imperative. Our communities overwhelmingly support mental health investments. They know that when people receive the care they need, our communities are safer, stronger and more resilient.

Fund mental health care. Protect supportive housing. Strengthen our crisis response system with dignity and efficiency. Invest in prevention and long-term solutions for these chronic conditions.

The data is clear. The public is ready. The need is urgent.

— Matt Davison, CEO, NAMI Chicago

State’s energy challenge

The Dec. 17 article “Electricity shortages, higher bills on horizon” affirms a concern the solar and clean energy industries have been warning of for years and showcases why Illinois families and businesses dealt with outrageously high energy prices this summer.

The subject of the article, the Resource Adequacy Study recently released by the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Power Agency, makes it clear there are unprecedented levels of energy demand — driven by data centers, transportation and industrial expansion — and that Illinois does not have enough energy supply to meet that historic demand. Until we build more supply to meet the record levels of demand, prices will remain high or could climb even higher. And solar and storage are the most affordable and fastest technologies to deploy to the grid.

A solar farm near Waverly, Illinois, south of Springfield, on July 31, 2024. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

While the resource adequacy concern deserves attention and headlines, so does Illinois leadership. Thanks to Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly — led by Sen. Steve Stadelman, Rep. Robyn Gabel, Sen. Bill Cunningham, Rep. Jay Hoffman, Rep. Marcus Evans Jr. and Rep. Ann Williams — the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act passed in October to place Illinois on a new path to avoid the worst-case scenario involving resource adequacy.

CRGA mandates the procurement of new energy storage by 2030. Through storage and other proven solutions, CRGA is a multidimensional approach to building and connecting more energy supply quickly and affordably, making better use of the energy already connected to the grid, and ensuring the state has a better line of sight into the future of its energy demand and supply.

Another important insight from the study is that this challenge is not unique to Illinois. Nearly every state in the nation is grappling with the same resource adequacy problem. What makes Illinois unique is that it is the first state to take bold, comprehensive steps to change course and address the supply challenge head-on.

The study is a wake-up call for many. For Illinois, it’s a confirmation that passing CRGA was the right decision to ensure a reliable, affordable and clean energy future for all Illinoisans.

— Lesley McCain, executive director, Illinois Solar Energy & Storage Association

Grateful for governance

It took a while, but I knew Gov. JB Pritzker would sign legislation allowing doctors to help terminally ill people end their lives. Illinois becomes just the 11th state to allow medical aid in dying.

Pritzker said he was moved by supporters’ “dedication to standing up for freedom and choice at the end of life in the midst of personal heartbreak. Today, Illinois honors their strength and courage by enacting legislation that enables patients faced with debilitating terminal illnesses to make a decision, in consultation with a doctor, that helps them avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives.”

The “Right to die” law joins other sensible policy measures Illinois has enacted to make life better for all Illinoisans.

In 2011, Illinois became the 16th state to abolish the barbaric death penalty. In the 14 years since, just seven more states followed Illinois’ sensible lead. Two years later, Illinois became the 16th state to legalize same sex marriage. Had the Supreme Court not legalized it nationally, Illinois would likely still be an outlier in respecting every person’s marriage partner choice.

Illinois has always been at the forefront protecting a woman’s right to choose. So much so that many people from nearby anti-abortion rights states travel to Illinois for pregnancy care denied them by their home states.

Just recently, Illinois government pushed back hard against the federal law enforcement that is causing chaos and societal disruption on Chicago’s streets.

Illinois has problems. But overall, it is among the most decent, caring states for anyone to reside in. I’ve been privileged to enjoy humane Illinois governance now for 80 years.

— Walt Zlotow, Glen Ellyn

Chicago’s garbage fee

As I look over separate proposals for Chicago’s 2026 budget by the mayor and the City Council, I see many taxes that are going to be raised on Chicagoans. So why take a stand on the garbage fee?

Increases in the lease tax, expansion of the ride-share congestion zone and a higher cloud tax are all going to be passed on to hardworking Chicagoans. Mr. Mayor, stop your misguided stand on the garbage tax increase.

— Lee Berenbaum, Chicago

Inexplicable end to tax

The state will eliminate its 1% grocery tax on Jan. 1. Municipalities may continue to collect it in order to augment their budgets. For whatever reason, Chicago has chosen not to. This makes little sense.

We have long paid that tax, and continuing to do so would not be a new or unexpected expense, unlike any of the proposals being considered by the City Council and Mayor Brandon Johnson. The grocery tax revenue alone would not eliminate the budget deficit, but it would help provide a cushion.

It is true that a sales tax is regressive, but isn’t a small regressive tax preferable to cuts in services?

— Jeanne Martineau, Chicago

The fat in government

When I was 19 years old, I got a job downtown at a credit bureau. There were 11 jobs in the mailroom, and those jobs had been there forever. The company got bought out by TransUnion, which sent an efficiency expert to look at the business. He determined that the mailroom work could be done by five people, and six were laid off. I was one of the five left, and we were sure we couldn’t get the work done. We did, and nobody died trying.

I’ve lived in Chicago all my life and find it hard to believe there’s zero fat in city government. A place to start may be the Police Department. The Los Angeles Police Department has about 3,000 fewer sworn officers than the Chicago Police Department, but LA has lower crime rates.

Maybe we can import someone from there to implement greater efficiencies here.

— Gene Sweet, Chicago

Parking meter deal

Each time I read an article about Chicago’s never-ending budget crisis, I’m drawn to one of the worst deals made by any mayor in any major American city: Richard M. Daley’s 2008 giveaway of the city’s parking meters to a consortium headed by Morgan Stanley.

For just over $1 billion, the group gained near total control of street parking for 75 years. Even more painful, by 2019, Chicago Parking Meters LLC had made back its initial $1.15 billion investment plus $500 million in profit. It doesn’t take a genius to guesstimate that CPM will earn billions more before the contract expires in 2084.

Has the agreement been litigated? Yes. It has been challenged multiple times, each time unsuccessfully. Let’s try another approach.

I urge Mayor Brandon Johnson to assemble a team to approach CPM and its principals — Morgan Stanley, Allianz Capital Partners and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority — and discuss possible modifications to the contract. Perhaps the investors can be persuaded that the existing agreement fails to serve their long-term interests or those of Chicago.

— John Mjoseth, Chicago

Editorial shows favor

The Dec. 9 editorial regarding Orland Park adopts the village’s storyline while doing little of the homework readers should expect from an editorial board (“Orland Park has become a village held hostage by a political grudge”).

To be clear, a Cook County court’s recent ruling on the village’s lawsuit against me came after the editorial, so I am not suggesting the board could have quoted that order on Dec. 9. Still, the editorial relies on assumptions and press statements rather than the public record. The board did not attend hearings, review filings or verify the village’s most serious accusations before presenting them to readers as settled fact.

The editorial acknowledges that it is “not clear” which documents I supposedly posted, yet proceeds to treat the village’s claim that I released “sensitive internal documents” as credible. I did not release any village documents or confidential information. The order was only to redact nine bullets and three sentences out of 136 pages. Those allegations have been repeated in news releases, but repetition does not make them true.

The editorial board also places a heavy weight on an extremely limited August temporary restraining order while conceding it does not know whether my posts caused any concrete harm. Temporary orders are issued quickly, without full briefing or evidentiary hearings, and are not findings of fact. Editorial boards should know the difference — especially when constitutional speech rights are implicated.

The broader context matters. The village’s lawsuit seeks not just document removal but to silence a political critic through injunctions, retractions and damages — all funded by taxpayers. That framing is absent from the editorial, which instead casts the dispute as little more than “sour grapes” from a former officeholder.

Since the editorial ran, the case has advanced in a way that underscores why caution and diligence were warranted. In a written order filed Dec. 12, Judge Caroline Kate Moreland rejected the village’s requests for an injunction and retraction and ruled that its attempt to restrict my speech was an unconstitutional prior restraint. One claim remains, and the village has already put on its case; I have not yet presented mine.

The Tribune Editorial Board rightly prides itself on defending the First Amendment. That commitment should not depend on whether the speaker is a newsroom or a private citizen criticizing government. When later developments reveal that an official narrative was incomplete or misleading, the record deserves correction.

— Keith Pekau, former mayor, Orland Park

Property assessments

I agree with the comments by Mike Cello in his Sunday letter (“Mayor’s tax plans”) but for a slightly different reason. Illinois law requires that all real property in Illinois be assessed at one-third of market value. Cook County assesses residential properties at 10% of market value and commercial properties at 25% of market value. Neither percentage equals one-third. So, Illinois applies an equalization factor before calculating the tax amounts.

For 2024, the equalization factor was 3.0355, and that increases all assessments. The equalization factor works for residential properties and brings the assessments up to one-third of market. However, it impacts commercial properties differently. If a residence and a commercial property each have a market value of $100,000, the Cook County assessment for the residence would be $10,000, and for the commercial parcel, it would be $25,000. When you multiply those amounts by three, the residence has an equalized value of $30,000 (about one-third of market), but the commercial parcel has an equalized value of $75,000 (three-fourths of market). To level out the tax hit, the assessor would need to find the market value of the commercial parcel to be $50,000. When you multiply that amount by 25% and then by three, you arrive at an equalized value of $37,500, closer to one-third of the true market value of $100,000.

Market valuation shenanigans most likely happen but probably do not result in 50% market value reductions for all commercial parcels. However, if every parcel were simply assessed at one-third of market value, no equalization factor would enter the picture. Doing that would result in commercial parcels having lower assessments in Cook County, which would necessitate increasing the tax rates.

The various taxing bodies still need the same funding. Residential properties would end up paying much more than they currently do as commercial parcels would no longer be subsidizing residential taxes. Perhaps that is why Cook County perpetuates the 10% and 25% assessment levels.

To say that commercial properties do not pay their fair share of taxes is disingenuous.

— Karen Meehan, Chicago

Note to readers: We’d like to know your hopes for the new year. Please send us a letter, of no more than 400 words, to letters@chicagotribune.com by Sunday, Dec. 28. Include your full name and city/town.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/letters-121925-illinois-chicago-mental-health/ 

Married for more than a decade to a man who defined and shaped the sexual landscape of this nation, Millie Hefner Gunn led a rewarding and active life, raising two children and remaining curious and active until her death on Dec. 13. She died at The Clare, the Near North Side senior living facility, where she had moved in 2021. She was 99 years old.

“My mom was my biggest cheerleader and inspiration, and a joy to be with,” said her daughter Christie Hefner, a strategic advisor and board member of several companies and non-profit organizations. “She was smart and funny and full of life until the very end.”

Born Mildred Williams in Chicago on March 10, 1926, she was one of five daughters of Henry Williams, a streetcar conductor, and Mary, a housewife. She first met Hugh Hefner when both were students at Steinmetz High School on the Northwest Side.

The teenagers kept in touch while Hefner served two years in the U.S. Army and later graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in psychology, while she attended the same school, getting a teaching degree.

They started dating after college and married on June 15, 1949. “We both had serious doubts before getting married,” Hefner told a reporter decades later. “But I had no other game plan except to get married and, somehow, live happily ever after.”

They lived for a time with Hefner’s parents, then moved to Hyde Park, furnishing their apartment stylishly with a Henry Miller dining room set and Eames furniture.

While she taught school and worked various other jobs and her husband was making $60 a week writing copy in the promotion department of Esquire magazine, the couple started a family. Soon came a daughter, Christie, in 1952 and a son, David, arriving three years later.

“But very soon I started becoming afraid that I was turning into my parents,” Hefner told a reporter years later. “I started to see that happening to my peers. People who were so much fun in high school were going dull.”

He began to fashion a men’s magazine on the kitchen table. He took out loans and borrowed from friends and relatives and started a magazine in 1953 he called Playboy. The first issue, featuring Marilyn Monroe on its cover and, less clothed, inside, was a success, selling more than 50,000 copies. Within a few years its circulation was in the millions and it had become a cultural phenomenon.

The couple divorced in 1959. She got custody of the two children and moved to a North Side high-rise. She dated and married Ed Gunn, a partner in her divorce attorney’s firm, took the name Millie Hefner Gunn and moved to Wilmette, where she became active in local politics, played duplicate bridge, competitive golf and bowled in a league. She and Hefner fostered a close relationship with their children.

There is no question that her early support and encouragement helped fuel Hefner’s ambitions, and it was notable that she chose to define herself away from the glare of fame, never trying to capitalize on a connection to a world famous ex-husband.

Hefner remarried in 1989 to Kimberley Conrad, then to third wife Crystal Harris in 2012.

“Obviously he wasn’t a hands-on father,” says Christie Hefner, who would attend New Trier High School and Brandeis University and would become president and CEO of Playboy Enterprises. “But he was a good father. I had my 16th birthday party at the mansion. There was never a period of time when I didn’t see him.”

Divorced from Gunn after 11 years, Millie and Hefner crafted what would remain a deep friendship. She would meet and eventually marry Pierre Rohrbach, a Swiss emigre, hair stylist and salon owner on the North Shore, and, says Christie, “the love of her life.”

The couple would be together for nearly 50 years, traveling extensively. There were golf trips to Scotland and Thailand, safaris in Kenya, and sailing around the Greek Islands. Closer to home, they were avid opera goers and frequent guests at cultural and political events.

“She had always wanted to return to the working world,” said Christie. “But Ed Gunn didn’t approve. Pierre was all for it, but like many of the women of her generation, my mother was smart, well educated, had been a school teacher, but didn’t have a marketable resume.”

Shortly after Christie began as an executive with Playboy Enterprises in the 1980s, her mother was hired to oversee a new retail concept combining fashion and music, called Playtique. That wasn’t successful, but Millie began to work in the firm’s human resources department, running such programs as tuition reimbursement, relocations, blood drives, and employee get-togethers.

She worked into her 70s, finally retiring but then completing the Great Books program at the University of Chicago, and, full circle, tutoring kindergarteners in North Chicago.

Pierre’s deteriorating health necessitated a move from their Northfield townhouse into The Clare in 2021. “They were able to see one another every day until Pierre’s death (in 2023). She stayed alert, continued to read the New York Times and worried about the state of the nation,” said Christie, who lives nearby and was a frequent visitor. “She continued to root for the Bears and the White Sox and went to games during her last months.”

In addition to her daughter, she is survived by son David; sister Elizabeth Wilson and many nieces, nephews and their children. A memorial service is being planned for the new year.

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/millie-hefner-gunn-obituary/ 

British Teachers To “Spot Misogyny” In Boys And Target Them For Reeducation

Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/19/2025 – 05:45

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/uk-tackle-national-emergency-over-misogyny-behavioral-courses-children 

Today is Friday, Dec. 19, the 353rd day of 2025. There are 12 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 19, 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice. (He was subsequently acquitted by the Senate.)

Also on this date:

In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington led his army of more than 12,000 soldiers to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the winter.

In 1907, 239 workers died in an explosion at the Darr coal mine near Van Meter, Pennsylvania.

In 1960, fire broke out on the hangar deck of the nearly completed aircraft carrier USS Constellation at the New York Naval Shipyard, killing 50 civilian workers.

In 1972, Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, concluding the Apollo program of crewed lunar landings.

In 2008, citing imminent danger to the national economy, President George W. Bush ordered a $17.4 billion emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry.

In 2011, North Korea announced the death two days earlier of leader Kim Jong Il; North Koreans marched by the thousands to mourn while state media proclaimed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as the nation’s new leader.

In 2016, a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State. (The suspected attacker was killed in a police shootout four days later.)

Related Articles

In 2023, a strong earthquake rocked a mountainous region of northwestern China, killing 131 people, reducing homes to rubble and leaving residents outside in below-freezing winter weather.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Tim Reid is 81. Singer Janie Fricke is 78. Actor Jennifer Beals is 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis is 61. Olympic skiing gold medalist Alberto Tomba is 59. Actor Kristy Swanson is 56. Model Tyson Beckford is 55. Actor Alyssa Milano is 53. Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is 53. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is 45. Actor Annie Murphy is 39. Journalist Ronan Farrow is 38.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/today-in-history-bill-clinton-impeached-2/ 

Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Dec. 19, according to the Tribune’s archives.

Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.

Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)

High temperature: 64 degrees (1877)
Low temperature: Minus 14 degrees (1983)
Precipitation: 2.66 inches (1895)
Snowfall: 8.3 inches (1973)

On an icy Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears tied the Green Bay Packers 3-3 during a Christmas fund charity game on Dec. 19, 1926. The Bears were scoreless with five minutes to play when Paddy Driscoll drop-kicked the tying field goal. (Chicago Tribune)

1926: The Chicago Bears played the Green Bay Packers for the first time at Soldier Field.

Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have played 211 times in the past 100 years: How the rivalry has unfolded

The game ended in a 3-3 tie.

Frank Nitti, who had been shot several times, and F.J. Fara are at Bridewell Hospital, circa 1932. Nitti was shot by Sgt. Harry Lang during a raid on Nitti’s gang headquarters in downtown Chicago. (Chicago American)

1932: Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti was shot but survived. But — Chicago being Chicago — Nitti was arrested and his assailants were given a medal. Nitti later took his own life in North Riverside.

Judge John Paul Stevens stands with his wife, Elizabeth, left, and daughters Elizabeth, 14, Kathryn Jedlicka, 24, and Susan, 12, right, in front of their home at 8118 S. Garfield Ave. in Burr Ridge on Nov. 29, 1975. (Ray Gora/Chicago Tribune)

1975: Chicago native John Paul Stevens was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice.

Stevens, a judge in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 1970, “came as somewhat of a surprise as he is relatively unknown outside of Illinois legal circles,” Tribune reporter Glen Elsasser wrote after Stevens’ nomination to the bench was announced. Yet President Gerald Ford told reporters at the White House he believed Stevens “to be the best qualified to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.”

He served on the court for nearly 35 years — more than twice the average tenure for a justice, according to the AP. Stevens died in 2019.

Column: Will there be more birthdays for the Uptown Theatre? A new book looks at its history

1981: The J. Geils Band played the last concert at the Uptown Theatre in Chicago before it closed.

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/chicago-history-december-19/ 

The End Of ‘Welcome Culture’: Majority Of Germans Want Immigration Moratorium, Mass Deportations

Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/19/2025 – 05:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/end-welcome-culture-majority-germans-want-immigration-moratorium-mass-deportations 

Por KANIS LEUNG

HONG KONG (AP) — Los habitantes de Hong Kong ofrecieron flores e hicieron reverencias fuera de una funeraria el viernes para rendir homenaje a un bombero que fue uno de los 160 fallecidos por el incendio más mortífero de la ciudad en décadas.

Ho Wai-ho perdió la vida combatiendo el enorme incendio que envolvió siete edificios de un complejo habitacional el 26 de noviembre. Tenía 37 años. El Departamento de Bomberos le ha otorgado póstumamente el título de bombero senior.

Una serie de coronas de flores se encontraba fuera del Universal Funeral Parlour, con tarjetas de agradecimiento de los residentes colocadas en su muro. Funcionarios de alto rango, entre ellos el mandatario de Hong Kong, John Lee, estuvieron entre los asistentes al funeral.

Después de la ceremonia, se pararon fuera de la funeraria para despedir la carroza fúnebre que llevaba el retrato de Ho al frente. Decenas de bomberos realizaron un saludo cuando el ataúd de Ho, cubierto con una bandera regional de Hong Kong, partía.

Antes del funeral, algunos residentes vestidos de negro colocaron flores en un área de duelo fuera del lugar. Una mujer lloró cuando rindió homenaje, y un hombre hizo un gesto de saludo.

El residente Andy Fong, quien llevó flores amarillas, dijo que esperaba que Ho pudiera descansar en paz.

“Es desgarrador. Aunque nunca nos conocimos, ha entristecido a todos los hongkoneses”, expresó.

El jubilado Tse Pak-yin elogió a Ho por su valentía.

“Espero que sea feliz. Aún no se había casado y es una gran pena”, comentó.

Ho deja atrás a sus padres, sus dos hermanos y su prometida.

La carroza fúnebre se dirigió al complejo Wang Fuk Court, el sitio del incendio, para otra ceremonia antes de dirigirse a la estación de bomberos donde Ho trabajaba. En la estación, sus colegas rindieron sus últimos homenajes, con algunos oficiales marchando a ambos lados de la carroza fúnebre conforme avanzaba. Fue enterrado en Gallant Garden, un cementerio para funcionarios públicos que mueren en el cumplimiento del deber.

En un comunicado del lunes, el Departamento de Bomberos indicó que Ho era un miembro trabajador, educado y dedicado, muy respetado por sus colegas.

El peor incendio del centro financiero desde 1948 estalló el 26 de noviembre en Wang Fuk Court, en el distrito suburbano norteño de Tai Po. Estaba en medio de un proyecto de renovación de varios meses con edificios cubiertos por andamios de bambú y redes verdes.

Las autoridades han señalado que las redes de nailon plástico de baja calidad y los paneles de espuma instalados en las ventanas contribuyeron a la rápida propagación de las llamas.

Miles de residentes afectados se han mudado a viviendas transitorias, hoteles y albergues juveniles, batallando para recuperarse de la pérdida de vidas y de hogares que les llevó años adquirir. La tragedia ha dolido a muchos residentes en toda la ciudad.

Aunque se realizaron arrestos, algunos residentes han expresado preocupaciones sobre la supervisión gubernamental en los proyectos de mantenimiento de edificios y los esfuerzos de investigación oficiales.

La semana pasada, el gobierno anunció una comisión independiente liderada por un juez para investigar la causa y se espera que concluya el trabajo en nueve meses, junto con nuevos requisitos para verificar los estándares de las redes.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/hong-kong-llora-la-muerte-de-bombero-en-el-incendio-ms-mortal-en-dcadas/ 

Russia Sentences UK ‘Mercenary’ To 13 Years In Prison Camp After Capture In Ukraine

Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/19/2025 – 04:15

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-sentences-uk-mercenary-13-years-prison-camp-after-capture-ukraine