Naperville Central senior forward Nate Abrahamson has always been known as a 3-point shooter.

That was his niche, and he was comfortable residing in it.

Then Naperville Central coach Mike Wilson kicked him out of it. Wilson needed the 6-foot-6 Abrahamson to expand his game.

“He worked on his game a lot in the offseason,” Naperville Central senior point guard TJ Hillman said. “He came into the program as just a shooter. That was his role.

“He was 6-6, and he could shoot, and that was about it.”

Abrahamson’s repertoire of skills is still a work in progress, but he’s no longer a one-trick pony.

“Now he can block shots, he can rebound, he can play defense,” Hillman said. “He’s really become a way better all-around player.”

Abrahamson got off to a slow start this season but has been stepping up lately.

“He’s been trying to find other ways to get himself going offensively, meaning other phases of the game,” Naperville Central assistant Mike Ortiz said. “So he’s been rebounding more, getting a little bit more physical.

“He’s definitely been a help presence for us, leading us in shot blocks the last four games.”

Naperville Central’s Nate Abrahamson (2) looks to pass during a nonconference game against Downers Grove South in Naperville on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)

Abrahamson demonstrated his newfound versatility again Wednesday. He scored 14 points, all in the second half, but also had three rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals in the Redhawks’ 66-59 loss to Downers Grove South in Naperville.

“(Wilson) asked me to block a lot of shots and be more aware of the help side,” Abrahamson said. “Sometimes I’m tasked with guarding a less effective player so that I can kind of sit back on them and mess things up with their good players, like I did today.”

Abrahamson attempted just two shots in the first half. But he contributed in other ways, assisting on Hillman’s 3-pointer that tied the game at 3-3 and on junior guard/forward Quinn Oeth’s 3-pointer that pulled the Redhawks (3-6) into a 15-15 tie late in the first quarter.

When the Mustangs (5-2) opened up a 45-31 lead in the third quarter, Abrahamson started looking for his shot more. Hillman found him for a 3-pointer that awoke him.

Abrahamson made another 3-pointer late in the third quarter and then hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth. Hillman followed with a drive to cut the gap to 57-54.

“It helps when your offense is going to get your defense going, but it’s really going to start on defense,” Abrahamson said. “Really for the whole team, it starts on defense, it starts with communication, and then eventually your offense gets going, like how we did in the second half.”

Naperville Central’s TJ Hillman (1) takes the ball to the basket against Downers Grove South during a nonconference game in Naperville on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)

Hillman, who finished with a team-high 20 points, later fed Abrahamson for an inside basket and then hit a 3-pointer to make it 63-59 with 1:35 left, but the Mustangs scored the final three points.

“Sometimes the scoring doesn’t start right away,” Hillman said. “I think I scored a couple early, and they started getting guys on me, and then Nate was opening up and hitting the shots that we need him to.

“I thought he played great tonight. We need that from him every night, and if he gives us that every night, we’re going to be a dangerous team.”

That is Abrahamson’s hope too.

“It was a rough start to the season, but I appreciate the coaching and all my teammates having faith in me,” he said. “I credit TJ a lot. We’ve been together since we were sophomores on varsity, so we’re really close. He’s probably my biggest supporter. I’m probably his biggest supporter.”

Hillman and Abrahamson trained together during the offseason.

“We got in the gym together, came to open gyms,” Hillman said. “We ran team drills where I was attacking him. He’s being used to guard guys who are quicker than him, and he’s getting better at it.”

Naperville Central’s Nate Abrahamson (2) collides with Downers Grove South’s Gavin Cigrand (25) in pursuit of a loose ball during a nonconference game in Naperville on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)

Hard work and good instruction have been the keys.

“I wasn’t a threat to drive the last two years,” Abrahamson said. “I wasn’t really ever taught how to drive, so I put a bunch of work in the offseason into my quickness and lifting in the weight room, which really helped me drive and open up my 3-pointer.”

Now Abrahamson, who has an offer from St. Mary’s in Minnesota, is opening up possibilities for the Redhawks.

“He’s really started to take that step forward and, in a sense, start to re-create his identity,” Ortiz said. “That’s just him trying to be a more mature player and having success with that.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/basketball-naperville-central-nate-abrahamson/ 

Good morning, Chicago.

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino praised Chicago and Evanston police departments for “assistance” yesterday as he and federal immigration agents drove through Chicago and the suburbs, prompting elected officials and residents to criticize police for alleged cooperation.

Chicago and Evanston police denied helping federal authorities with immigration enforcement as Bovino and his agents drove around for hours, appearing to make few arrests on their second day of the enforcement surge.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rebecca Johnson, Caroline Kubzansky and Gregory Royal Pratt.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the diminishing options as Mayor Brandon Johnson enters the final budget stretch, why the Bears say they’re looking into a new stadium in northwest Indiana and what to do in Chicago this weekend.

Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History

President Donald Trump speaks during an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

In prime-time address, President Trump insists the economy is stronger than many voters feel

President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech yesterday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas.

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, center, attends the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois Republicans in Congress urge President Donald Trump not to pardon ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan

Illinois’ three Republican members of Congress are urging President Donald Trump not to use his pardon powers to grant clemency to imprisoned former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Pardoning Madigan, a Southwest Side Democrat who for decades was arguably the state’s most powerful politician, “would send a dangerous message that public officials can betray the public trust with impunity,” U.S. Reps. Mike Bost of Murphysboro, Darin LaHood of Peoria and Mary Miller of Hindsboro wrote in a two-page letter to Trump.

A baby is held by his mother as lead pediatric medical assistant Symatha Williams administers vaccines, including Hepatitis B , DTaP, and rotavirus at Friend Family Health Center in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, June 24, 2021. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

In a break with federal guidance, Illinois will continue recommending hepatitis B vaccine for newborns

Illinois will continue to recommend that nearly all newborns receive hepatitis B vaccines in a break with federal guidance, the state health department announced yesterday.

Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, asks questions during a meeting of the Budget Committee of the City Council at City Hall, Dec. 17, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Brandon Johnson enters final budget stretch with diminishing options

To veto, or not to veto?

That is the question facing Mayor Brandon Johnson as an alternative budget plan from defiant aldermen marches toward a vote. And his public absence yesterday spoke volumes.

U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino walks with agents after detaining a person while conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Little Village on Dec. 16, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Lead prosecutor in Bovino murder-for-hire case unexpectedly leaving US attorney’s office ahead of trial

The federal prosecutor heading up a high-profile case alleging a Chicago gang member solicited the murder of Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino announced he’s leaving the U.S. attorney’s office just weeks ahead of a scheduled trial.

The Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge, a common path for Chicagoans to travel to Indiana, shown from South Ewing Avenue in South Chicago, Dec. 17, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bears say they’re looking into building a new stadium in northwest Indiana

The Bears are considering a move to northwest Indiana amid growing concerns that Illinois lawmakers will not approve the financial incentives needed to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, a top team official told the Tribune.

In an exclusive interview, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren confirmed the possibility of crossing state lines, but said the organization also would consider sites in other parts of Illinois.

What to know about the Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field to suburban Arlington Heights
Bears short-staffed at wide receiver as Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III remain sidelined
Bears LB D’Marco Jackson continues his Cinderella story with NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor

Minnesota Frost Captain, Kendall Coyne Schofield (26), left, and Montreal Victoire, Amanda Boulier (44) chase down a loose puck during a game at the Xcel Energy Center on March 26, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

PWHL tour brings women’s pro hockey — and Olympic gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield — to Rosemont

The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s 2025-26 Takeover Tour will make a stop at Allstate Arena in Rosemont at 1 p.m. Sunday, the league’s first game in the Chicago area. The back-to-back Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost will take on the Ottawa Charge in a rematch of last season’s finals.

Glenn Davis, co-artistic director at the Steppenwolf Theatre, is the Chicagoan of the Year in Theater, Dec. 11, 2025, in Chicago. Davis was a producer for the Tony and Pulitzer award wining play “Purpose.” (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicagoan of the Year in Theater: Glenn Davis is helping lead Steppenwolf into a new era

Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre had its struggles emerging from the pandemic, especially with the added burden of a costly new campus that opened on Halsted at a less-than-ideal moment for a company that needed to scale back production for financial reasons. But 2025 saw not just a recovery but a banner year for Chicago’s most famous theater company, long an emissary for this city that bespeaks of intense acting, ensemble commitment and serious theatrical craft.

The man behind much of this success was this year’s Chicagoan of the Year in Theater.

See the list of 2025 Chicagoans of the Year

Actor Anthony Rapp stands among lit trees along Michigan Avenue on Dec. 12, 2025, in Chicago. He is starring in “Home for the Holidays” at Lookingglass Theatre. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Anthony Rapp has an eclectic mix of songs for ‘Home for the Holidays’ at Lookingglass Theatre

Actor Anthony Rapp originated the role of Mark Cohen in the 1996 Broadway production of “Rent” and went on to appear in such Broadway shows as “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” (first seen in Skokie in 1998) and “If/Then.”

This weekend, he’s appearing at Lookingglass Theatre in an all-new seasonal cabaret show titled “Home for the Holidays,” which he has put together for the first time. He spoke over Zoom from his new home with his family in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood, where they recently moved from New York.

Shaquille O’Neal as DJ Diesel performs at Shaq’s Fun House Big Game Weekend at Talking Stick Resort on Feb. 10, 2023, in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

What to do in Chicago: Music by Shaquille O’Neal and Anthony Rapp, bull riding and holiday craft fairs

Here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/daywatch-bovino-praises-police-assistance-as-cpd-denies-support/ 

How Social Security Has Evolved

Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/18/2025 – 07:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/how-social-security-has-evolved 

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday made his most important U.S. appointment to date, naming a fellow Chicagoan as the next archbishop of New York to lead one of the biggest U.S. archdioceses as it navigates relations with the Trump administration and its immigration crackdown.

Bishop Ronald Hicks, the current bishop of Joliet, Illinois, replaces the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a prominent conservative figure in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. Hicks takes over after Dolan last week finalized a plan to establish a $300 million fund to compensate victims of sexual abuse who had sued the archdiocese.

Dolan had submitted his resignation in February, as required when he turned 75. But the Vatican often waits to make important leadership changes in dioceses if there is lingering abuse litigation or other governance matters that need to be resolved by the outgoing bishop.

The handover, though, represents a significant new chapter for the U.S. Catholic Church, which is forging a new era with the Chicago-born Leo as the first American pope. Leo and the U.S. hierarchy have already shown willingness to challenge the Trump administration on immigration and other issues, and Hicks is seen as very much a Leo-style bishop.

A call for solidarity with immigrants

Hicks, 58, grew up in South Holland, Illinois, a short distance from the suburban Chicago childhood home of Leo, the former Robert Prevost.

Like Prevost, who spent 20 years as a missionary in Peru, Hicks worked for five years in El Salvador heading a church-run orphanage program that operated in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries.

“Taking a new position as archbishop of New York is an enormous responsibility, but I can honestly say that Bishop Hicks is up to the task,” said the Rev. Eusebius Martis, who has known Hicks since the mid-1980s and worked with him at Mundelein Seminary, the Chicago archdiocesan seminary.

He said New York was lucky to have him.

“He is a wonderful man, always thoughtful and attentive to the needs of seminarians,” Martis, professor of sacramental theology at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Sant’Anselmo, the Benedictine University in Rome, said in an email.

In November, Hicks endorsed a special message from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemning the Trump administration’s immigration raids, which have targeted Chicago in particular.

In a statement then urging Catholics to share the message, Hicks said it “affirms our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters as it expresses our concerns, opposition, and hopes with clarity and conviction. It is grounded in the church’s enduring commitment to the Catholic social teaching of human dignity and a call for meaningful immigration reform.”

A similar hometown

Though they both hail from Chicago, Hicks only met the future pope in 2024, when then-Cardinal Prevost visited one of Hicks’ parishes and took part in a question and answer conversation for the public.

Then-Auxiliary Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, left, meets with Pope Francis on Dec. 12, 2019, just before Hicks was named bishop of the Joliet Diocese. (Diocese of Joliet)

Hicks, who sat in the front pew, said he learned that day what sort of future pope Leo would be and said he liked what he saw both in his public remarks and then in their private conversation. “Five minutes turned into 10 minutes and the 10 minutes turned into 15 and the 15 turned into 20,” Hicks told local Chicago WGN-TV news after Leo’s May election.

He said he recognized their shared backgrounds and priorities to build bridges. “We grew up literally in the same radius, in the same neighborhood together. We played in the same parks, went swimming in the same pools, like the same pizza places.”

Hicks served as a parish priest in Chicago and dean of training at Mundelein Seminary before Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich made him vicar general of the archdiocese in 2015. Three years later, Hicks was made an auxiliary bishop, and in 2020 Pope Francis named him bishop of Joliet, serving around 520,000 Catholics in seven counties.

Ronald Hicks offers a greeting as he walks into the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus for his installation as the Diocese of Joliet’s sixth bishop on Sept. 29, 2020. (Bill Jones/for the Daily Southtown)

Cupich, seen as a progressive in the U.S. church, has been a close adviser to both Francis and Leo, and Hicks’ appointment to such a prominent job likely could not have come without Cupich’s endorsement.

A pastor for New York

The New York archdiocese is among the largest in the nation, serving roughly 2.5 million Catholics in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City, as well as seven counties to the north.

The gregarious Dolan is one of the most high-profile Catholic leaders in the United States and a prominent voice in the city.

Dolan is widely viewed as conservative, writing a 2018 Wall Street Journal column headlined “The Democrats Abandon Catholics.” Yet in 2023, he also wrote a letter of welcome to a conference at Fordham University celebrating outreach programs aimed at LGBTQ+ Catholics, and he welcomed LGBTQ+ participation in the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Dolan has ties to the current Republican administration. As archbishop of New York, Dolan hosted the annual Al Smith white-tie dinner that raises millions of dollars for Catholic charities. It has traditionally offered candidates from both parties the chance to trade lighthearted barbs ahead of Election Day, though in 2024 only Donald Trump participated since Democratic nominee Kamala Harris declined the invitation.

Trump, who has long-standing connections to his native New York City, later had the cardinal pray at his inauguration and appointed Dolan to his new Religious Liberty Commission.

Dolan was Trump’s pick to succeed Pope Francis, though Dolan did criticize the president for sharing an AI-generated image of Trump, who is not a Catholic, dressed up as a pope before the May conclave that ultimately elected Leo.

Dolan was named archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI in February 2009 after serving as archbishop of Milwaukee. He was made cardinal in 2012 and headed the U.S. bishops conference from 2010-2013.

A first task to oversee abuse settlements

In one of his biggest first tasks, Hicks will have to oversee the implementation of the abuse settlement fund that Dolan finalized, which is to be paid for by reducing the archdiocesan budget and selling off assets. The aim is to cover settlements for most, if not all of the roughly 1,300 outstanding abuse claims against the archdiocese.

Hicks is no stranger to managing the fallout of the abuse scandal, after the Joliet diocese under his predecessors and the rest of the Illinois church came under scathing criticism by the state’s attorney general in 2023.

A five-year investigation found that 451 Catholic clergy abused 1,997 children in Illinois between 1950 and 2019. Hicks had been appointed to lead the Joliet church in 2020. The attorney general’s report was generally positive in recognizing the diocese’s current child protection policies, but documented several cases where previous Joliet bishops moved known abusers around, disparaged victims and refused to accept responsibility for their role in enabling the abuse.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/pope-leo-bishop-ronald-hicks-archbishop-new-york/ 

Por ELDAR EMRIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia y Herzegovina (AP) — Las autoridades en Sarajevo cancelaron vuelos, dieron instrucciones de que los niños permanecieran en interiores y prohibieron los trabajos de construcción el jueves, mientras una densa capa de niebla envolvía la capital bosnia.

Sarajevo enfrenta tradicionalmente una grave contaminación durante el invierno, principalmente por la calefacción de las casas y la contaminación del transporte. La ciudad está ubicada en un valle rodeado de montañas que pueden mantener el aire contaminado atrapado durante días si no hay viento.

Varios vuelos desde el aeropuerto de Sarajevo fueron cancelados, y los autos se movían despacio y con escasa visibilidad durante la hora pico de la mañana. Algunos residentes de Sarajevo se usaban mascarillas para protegerse del aire tóxico.

La empresa suiza de tecnología de calidad del aire IQAir clasificó el jueves la calidad del aire en Sarajevo como “insalubre”. La ciudad a menudo encabeza la lista de lugares con mala calidad del aire a nivel mundial.

Las autoridades prohibieron el miércoles los camiones de más de 3,5 toneladas en el centro de la ciudad de Sarajevo, junto con los autos y camiones que no cumplen con los estándares ambientales de la Unión Europea. También se ha prohibido cualquier trabajo de construcción al aire libre, así como las aglomeraciones públicas.

Los expertos han advertido que la exposición a PM2,5, pequeñas partículas inhalables con un diámetro de 2,5 micrómetros o menos, ha llevado a un aumento en las infecciones respiratorias, así como en el cáncer, enfermedades cardiovasculares y muertes prematuras en Sarajevo, otras ciudades importantes de Bosnia y en otros lugares de los Balcanes Occidentales.

Muchos países balcánicos tienen un historial deficiente en la protección del medio ambiente a pesar de las promesas de mejorar la situación mientras intentan acercarse a la membresía de la UE. Los ríos balcánicos a menudo están obstruidos con basura y el reciclaje es casi inexistente, mientras que muchas ciudades han visto una construcción desenfrenada que disminuye las zonas verdes.

El aire en Belgrado, la capital de la vecina Serbia, también fue considerado “insalubre para grupos sensibles” el jueves.

____

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/2025/12/18/la-capital-de-bosnia-pide-mantener-a-los-nios-en-interiores-debido-a-una-niebla-contaminada/ 

GREEN BAY — Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley offered a bold prediction regarding Micah Parsons’ eventual return from the torn anterior cruciate ligament that ended the superstar pass rusher’s season prematurely.

“If I were a betting man, I would bet that he comes back even better and probably breaks the sack record next year,” Hafley said Wednesday.

Hafley also is bullish about the Packers’ chances of continuing to play quality defense even without Parsons, who suffered the left knee injury in the third quarter of the Packers’ 34-26 road loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Chicago Bears Q&A: Why are Green Bay Packers favored on Saturday? What happens if a football hits a pigeon?

The Packers (9-4-1) play their first full game without Parsons this season when they visit the Chicago Bears (10-4) on Saturday with the NFC North lead at stake.

“We’ve got really good players, we’ve played good defense and we’re going to continue to play good defense,” Hafley said. “Our guys understand that, and I think it’s important for everyone to understand that these guys have a lot of pride, and they’re going to get even closer because of this. And they’re going to play well.”

Statistics suggest the Packers defense could struggle without Parsons, who had a team-high 12½ sacks.

Although the Packers have allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game (294.6) and eighth-fewest points per game (20.1) in the NFL, their game against the Broncos exposed their vulnerability when they’re not applying a consistent pass rush. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix wasn’t sacked as he threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns.

Parsons’ league-high 83 quarterback pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, are nearly twice the total of any other Packer. They will need former first-round picks Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness to recapture the form they showed early in the season when they capitalized on all the attention offenses were giving to Parsons.

Gary ranks second on the team with 42 pressures, but all 7½ of his sacks this season came in the first seven games. Van Ness had 1½ sacks in the first five games, then missed seven of the Packers’ next eight games with a foot injury. Van Ness returned to play 22 snaps and post two tackles against the Broncos.

Gary said the Packers plan to play the rest of the season in a way that would impress Parsons.

“The No. 1 thing is, he wants us to turn the page and continue to play ball and get wins,” Gary said.

The Packers still have many of the key players from a defense that ranked fifth in yards allowed and sixth in points allowed last season. That gives them confidence they can still contain offenses even without Parsons chasing quarterbacks.

The Packers did send three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys in the trade that got them Parsons. They also lost Devonte Wyatt, whose four sacks rank third on the team, to a season-ending ankle injury.

Yet they still have confidence they can continue to thrive without Parsons.

“We’ve still got the pen in our hand,” Gary said. “We can still write our story.”

If the Packers can pick up the slack and make a deep postseason run after losing Parsons, they should feel even better about themselves next year, whenever they get him back. Hafley said he expects the 26-year-old to come back better than ever.

After Hafley talked about the possibility of Parsons breaking the single-season sack record next year, he was asked if he specifically meant the league record. Michael Strahan set that record with 22½ in 2001 and T.J. Watt tied that mark 20 years later, though the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett has 21½ with three games remaining.

Hafley didn’t back down from his faith in Parsons or the rest of his players.

“He’s the type of guy — give Micah adversity and watch what happens,” Hafley said. “Give our defense and give our team adversity, and watch what happens. We’ll find out.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/green-bay-packers-micah-parsons-jeff-hafley/ 

Aurora resident Lisa Hardekopf always looks forward to the Christmas season even though it means having thousands of cars pass her home and those of her neighbors on what is usually a quiet street.

“After all these years it’s the sense of peace it brings me as I hear the music playing outside and see the lights as cars go by,” the president of the Lehnertz Avenue Association said over the weekend about the annual drive-thru Christmas display on her street. “I don’t know how to explain to you how peaceful it is to sit at my window at night next to my Christmas tree, watching people go by slowly and listening to the music. It’s soft and gentle, and I love that feeling.”

The 74th annual Aurora drive-thru Lehnertz Avenue Christmas display opened on Sunday. It includes an array of lawn signs, cutout figures, religious and secular characters and more.

The drive-thru display runs daily from 5 to 10:30 p.m. through Jan. 2.

The Lehnertz Avenue holiday effort can be traced back to the 1950s.

“We have guys that have been doing this for years and it’s coordinating with the younger ones in terms of when they can get home from work and get a trailer somewhere to move things,” Hardekopf said about setting up the display. “We have others from around the area that know what we do and when, and they show up to help.”

Mary Gaddis, 69, said the annual holiday display is special.

“I grew up on this street and moved away for six years and moved back,” she said. “It’s about community and the true meaning of Christmas.”

Aurora resident Lisa Hardekopf, president of the Lehnertz Avenue Association, enjoys a moment on opening night of the annual drive-thru Lehnertz Avenue Christmas display in Aurora on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)

To get all the work done on the display, the Lehnertz Avenue Association has a number of committees, she said.

“Everybody is divided into committees. We have a book and candle committee, a sheep and shepherd committee, a lights on the pole committee, a Noel committee, a backdrop committee and a nativity set committee,” she said. “We need all that and we like having all the help. We put out an SOS at church and people come.”

Longtime resident Sue Gardner, 79, said she was one of those residents who needed help as her display depicting sheep and shepherds is stored in her basement “and I wasn’t going to bring it up myself,” she said.

After nearly three decades in the neighborhood, Gardner says the Lehnertz Avenue Christmas season ritual never gets old.

A display stands in a yard on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, as part of the annual drive-thru Lehnertz Avenue Christmas display in Aurora. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)

“I like seeing the cars come down and I like seeing that we have an opportunity to explain what the real Christmas is,” she said. “We’re celebrating the birth of Christmas and it’s not about snowmen and reindeer and Santa Claus. He’s nice and he brings gifts, but we’re one of the few places that celebrates the real meaning of Christmas.”

While many residents on Lehnertz Avenue have a long history of living on the street, Hardekopf said that a new “member” was even added last year.

“We had somebody last year who had just moved in at Christmas time and somehow they had sheep and shepherds and we were rearranging for them trying to make sure that they got to be part of it, and letting them know – here’s how this works, here’s how you’re going to light things and your display,” she said.

Opening ceremonies, which included a very brief outdoor program due to the cold on Sunday, began just after 6 p.m. and included a blessing of the display’s nativity crib, at the northwest corner of Lehnertz Avenue and Ohio Street, by the Rev. Godwin Asuquo, pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Aurora.

The 74th annual drive-thru Lehnertz Avenue Christmas display in Aurora includes a nativity scene at the northwest corner of Lehnertz Avenue and Ohio Street. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)

Godwin said it was his third straight year attending the event.

“I want to be part of the tradition,” he said. “It’s something that pastors from the church always wanted to be a part of there.

“I do it because I want to be part of the beautiful history of the community that I am now a part of,” he said. “It’s good to belong to that long history and be a part of that tradition. There is so much darkness and separation, and this reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world and this light brings us together.”

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/for-nearly-75-years-lehnertz-avenue-christmas-display-has-been-a-holiday-staple-in-aurora/ 

Indian Prairie School District 204’s board on Monday approved more construction-related measures, as its multi-year facilities overhaul continues.

The items approved Monday by the board include contracts and bids for the district’s plan to construct secure entryways at 11 district schools, and a solar installation project at several schools. The items were approved by the district’s school board as part of the consent agenda at its meeting on Monday.

In 2024, voters approved a proposal from District 204 to sell up to $420 million in bonds to pay for facility improvements. Without the bonds, the district would have needed to cut the equivalent of 50 full-time positions to pay for some of these projects, officials said.

The bonds are to be paid for using a continuation of an existing 37-cent property tax per $100 of equalized assessed value that would otherwise have expired at the end of 2026, meaning the tax rate for residents in terms of their contribution to capital projects will effectively remain flat as a result of the referendum question’s passage.

Since then, the district has been preparing for and proceeding with work on major projects across district buildings that are set to extend through 2032. The projects include school-specific renovations at Waubonsie Valley High School, Neuqua Valley High School, Metea Valley High School, the Birkett Freshman Center and Gregory and Hill middle schools, along with district-wide safety and security upgrades, LED lighting installations and other infrastructure projects.

Indian Prairie recently was visited by Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders, who toured some school buildings to see the facility upgrades, the district noted in a press release on Monday.

One of the major bond referendum-funded projects that has been touted by Indian Prairie is the building of secure school entrances at a number of the district’s buildings.

The district has said that safety and security improvements were its highest priority in using the bond funds. District staff has previously explained that the “secure vestibules” are meant to ensure that every school has a single and secure entryway where visitors must first interact with the main office before they can get into the school. The projects are being completed in phases over several years, District 204 Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley has said.

Approved Monday were contracts with two construction managers for the secure entryway projects at a total of 11 district schools, along with bid packages for some of the schools’ renovations. The projects are slated to be done in 2026, according to documents included in Monday’s meeting agenda.

Pepper Construction Co., based in Barrington, will be managing the secure vestibule projects at Welch Elementary, White Eagle Elementary, Young Elementary, Kendall Elementary, Crone Middle and Scullen Middle schools, per a district memo. The company will also be handling stadium renovations at Waubonsie Valley.

Bids for the secure entryways at those six schools were also approved by the school board Monday, coming in at a little over $6.5 million, according to a district memo.

And Chicago-based construction manager Bulley and Andrews will be the construction manager for the secure entryways at Still Middle, Gregory Middle, Granger Middle, Fischer Middle and Metea Valley High School, per a memo from the district. The company will also be overseeing the stadium work at Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley high schools.

The construction budget for those five schools’ secure vestibules is around $10.6 million, according to a document included in Monday’s meeting agenda. The bids for the remaining five schools’ new entryways are set to come to the board for approval in January, according to a district memo.

The school board also OK’d bids for furniture installation for 10 of the 11 new secure entryways — all but Metea Valley, which is set to get built-in furniture under a different bid package — coming to a little under $400,000, per a district memo.

And, the board also approved a contract for solar installation at several district elementary schools — Brooks, Gombert, Steck, McCarty and Georgetown. In a memo, the district explained that the roofs have been recently replaced at these schools, which is why they’ve been selected for getting solar panels. The total for the project is over $4.3 million, but the district said that rebates from ComEd, state renewable energy credits and a federal incentive mean the final cost will be a little under $1 million.

mmorrow@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/district-204-board-oks-contracts-bids-for-secure-entryway-projects-and-solar-installation-at-some-district-schools/ 

There will be a professional hockey game Sunday in the Chicago area. For some, it will be their first experience seeing the game like this.

There will be hits, goals and possibly fights. But Windy City hockey fans won’t be cheering on Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar or any Chicago Blackhawks. Nor the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s 2025-26 Takeover Tour will make a stop at Allstate Arena in Rosemont at 1 p.m. Sunday, the league’s first game in the Chicago area. The back-to-back Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost will take on the Ottawa Charge in a rematch of last season’s finals.

“This is a league that we dreamed about for so long, (and it’s) a league that I wish was in existence so many years ago for generations of players to have the opportunity that we now have today,” said Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, a Palos Heights native. “I know the impact that Sunday’s game will have on so many people who will see the PWHL for the first time.”

The PWHL opened play on New Year’s Day 2024 as another attempt at women’s professional hockey. It quickly gained a great reception, as the audience grew with each game.

Minnesota Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and Montreal Victoire’s Amanda Boulier chase down a loose puck during a game at the Xcel Energy Center on March 26, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

The 2024-25 Takeover Tour hosted 123,601 fans across nine cities. In 2024, Sports Business Journal voted the PWHL as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year.

Players go out on the ice to win the games, but they’re skating for a greater purpose. For the young girls who attend PWHL games, it’s a way to see that it’s no longer just a dream to go pro in hockey.

“Hearing how excited all those girls are every time I go home since this league has started, knowing that there are professional hockey players from Illinois, they’re so excited to even get the chance,” said Charge forward Taylor House, a Joliet native. “There’s so much excitement from these girls and the game has grown so much.”

Added Coyne Schofield: “I think if you asked a lot of girls how they got (into hockey), a lot of them said, ‘My older brother played.’ Now it’s: ‘I saw Taylor (House) play. I want to be like her.’ The visibility of the sport is so much greater than it was.”

Professional women’s hockey has been played at the United Center. The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) held its Dream Gap Tour, a showcase of the players, before the official PWHL launch.

It wasn’t an ideal situation. COVID-19 had its hands on the tour, as it did everything else.

“I remember we played at the United Center (and) there were no fans, there were tarps across the seats, so definitely a completely different time,” Coyne Schofield said. “That was the bridge to get us where we are today, and (now) we’re here and we’re here to stay.

“I’m so excited for professional (women’s) hockey to come to Chicago.”

Minnesota Frost captain, Kendall Coyne Schofield, greets her young son, Drew, and husband, Michael Schofield, before the start of a game against the Toronto Sceptres at the Xcel Energy Center on March 30, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

There are eight teams in the PWHL, including the Charge and Frost. The players didn’t hide their excitement about the possibility of a Chicago expansion team in the future.

“I don’t think you have to convince us we’d love to see a team in Chicago,” Coyne Schofield said.

Coyne Schofield is currently a player development coach with the Blackhawks, a position she has held since 2020. Her initial dream was to play for Chicago’s NHL team.

House grew up as a big Hawks fan. She doesn’t get the chance to come home and play much, so Sunday means more to her.

“(I’m) super excited, being able to be that close to home. The closest we usually get is Minnesota,” House said. “Last year I (had) a St. Louis game, but that’s still a five-hour drive for us.”

What should fans expect for their first PWHL game?

“They will see a fast, physical (and) competitive game, just like they go into any other professional sport environment,” Coyne Schofield said. “This will be the first for a lot of people, but I can almost guarantee you it won’t be their last because they’ll be wanting more.”

Added House: “We pack the crowd and it’s pure excitement. I know what that does to our bench and it makes it tougher to play when the away team has that type of energy behind them. That crowd energy can change a game, it could change play, it can affect everything.”

Sunday’s game will be another testament to how far women’s sports in general have advanced. The growth of the PWHL, WNBA, Athletes Unlimited Softball League and more is … well, “it’s about time,” as Coyne Schofield put it, and other players echo this sentiment.

“This is a dream, you can’t complain about anything,” House said. “I never would have thought that I’d be traveling the country, going to NHL arenas to play.

“I was used to 200, 300 (fans) and I was shocked if there was 1,000 somewhere. That was where we thought the limit was of those times. I don’t think there’s a limit now. We could fill every arena and I think that’s how the games have grown.”

They have a message for those planning to be at Allstate Arena: Stay awhile and have a good time.

“For anyone that’s watching or listening, get your tickets because we want to fill these buildings,” Coyne Schofield said. “We can show that we can come back and Chicago can be a great market.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/pwhl-hockey-rosemont-kendall-coyne-schofield/ 

The playoff scenarios are getting real. With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Chicago Bears have positioned themselves well — but they haven’t clinched anything yet.

The Bears finish the season by hosting the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, visiting the San Francisco 49ers in a Week 17 Sunday night game and hosting the Detroit Lions in Week 18. All three opponents are in the playoff hunt.

Here’s a look at the race for the postseason in the NFC.

What’s the current playoff picture?

Here’s where things stand heading into Week 16 (remember, division winners get the top four seeds).

Currently in

Rams (11-3)
Bears (10-4)
Eagles (9-5)
Buccaneers (7-7)
Seahawks (11-3)
49ers (10-4)
Packers (9-4-1)

Outside looking in

Lions (8-6)
Panthers (7-7)
Cowboys (6-7-1)

What does it mean for the Bears?

The Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys remain alive for their division titles, but neither is a threat for a wild-card spot. The Lions are the lone team that can steal a wild-card berth.

The Los Angeles Rams are the only NFC team that has clinched a playoff spot. Thursday night’s game between the Rams and Seattle Seahawks has massive implications for the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed, which carries a first-round bye.

Similarly, the NFC North lead hangs in the balance in Saturday’s Bears-Packers matchup at Soldier Field (7:20 p.m., Fox-32).

According to the NFL, the Bears can clinch a playoff spot this week with a win and a Lions loss or tie Sunday at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers (3:25 p.m., CBS-2). The Bears also can clinch a spot with a tie against the Packers and a Lions loss.

The same two scenarios are true for the Packers if they win or tie Saturday. So a Bears-Packers tie and a Lions loss would put both the Bears and Packers in the playoffs.

NFL Next Gen Stats gives the Bears a 76% chance to make the playoffs. That’s the lowest among the seven NFC teams currently in playoff position. The Packers have an 89% chance, while the Lions are at 38%.

ESPN gives the Bears a 75% chance to reach the postseason and a 40% chance to win the division. The Athletic’s playoff simulator is higher on the Bears, giving them an 84% chance to make the postseason.

Bears captain Grady Jarrett said these next three weeks are about doing what they’ve been doing. Nothing changes.

“Getting back to the basics, especially late in the season, knowing we don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Jarrett said. “Really, just trust our training. The way we train, we definitely have built our bodies and minds to be able to really thrive in this position.”

What happens if the Bears win Saturday?

Bears safety Kevin Byard III (31) celebrates the win over the Browns on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Per The Athletic’s playoff simulator, if the Bears beat the Packers, they have an 83% chance to win the division and a 97% chance to make the postseason. If the Bears win any two of the next three games, The Athletic gives them better than a 99% chance of making the playoffs.

The Bears remain in contention for the No. 1 seed, but that depends heavily upon what the Rams and Seahawks do. Even if the Bears win all three of their remaining games, that wouldn’t guarantee them the No. 1 seed.

Per ESPN, the Rams have the highest likelihood to earn the No. 1 seed at 59%, while the Seahawks are next-best at 23%. The 49ers have a 12% chance and the Bears a 4% chance.

What happens if the Bears lose Saturday?

The Packers defense brings down Bears running back Kyle Monangai in the second quarter Dec. 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

If the Bears lose to the Packers, per The Athletic, their playoff chances drop to 70% and their likelihood to win the division falls to 20%. The NFC North race wouldn’t be over if the Bears lose, but the Packers would move back into first place at 10-4-1, while the Bears would drop to 10-5.

The Packers’ Week 4 tie with the Cowboys makes a tie for first place in the division highly unlikely. If the Packers win Saturday, the Bears still could win the division if they beat the 49ers and Lions and the Packers lost to either the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17 or the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. In that scenario, the Bears would finish 12-5 and the Packers 11-5-1.

If the Bears don’t win the division but still claim a wild-card spot, they are highly likely to wind up as the No. 7 seed. According to ESPN, the Bears are the second-likeliest team to earn the No. 2 seed at 34% (behind the Packers at 44%) and the third-likeliest to earn the No. 7 seed at 24%.

The Bears could move up to the No. 6 seed in a wild-card scenario if they beat the 49ers in Week 17. The No. 5 seed (the highest-seeded wild card) is unlikely given the records of the NFC West teams.

The No. 7 seed would pit the Bears against the No. 2 seed in the first round — and the team with the highest chances of landing the No. 2 seed, per ESPN, is the Packers at 44%. The Philadelphia Eagles have a 16% chance of sneaking up to the No. 2 seed.

So Saturday’s Bears-Packers matchup might not necessarily be the last one this season.

Odds and ends

Here are some other numbers that stand out this week:

Per the Bears, quarterback Caleb Williams now holds the record for the fewest interceptions (12) in his first 1,000 NFL pass attempts. Jacoby Brissett previously held the record with 14.
With 935 rushing yards, running back D’Andre Swift is zeroing in on his second 1,000-yard season. He recorded a career-high 1,049 in 2023 with the Eagles. Last season marked Swift’s career high in yards from scrimmage with 1,345 (959 rushing, 386 receiving). He has 1,189 yards from scrimmage this year with three games remaining.
Packers star edge rusher Micah Parsons has been on the field for 77.4% of the defensive snaps this season, including Sunday’s injury-shortened game. Parsons, who tore an ACL against the Denver Broncos, had eight QB pressures two weeks ago against the Bears and 83 for the season, per NFL Pro. His next-closest teammate is Rashan Gary with 42 pressures. The Packers have their work cut out for them trying to replace Parsons’ production.
After a limited snap count in his return from injury, Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards played 100% of the defensive snaps last week. Tremaine Edmunds is back at practice this week too, so the Bears are getting healthier at linebacker.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/chicago-bears-green-bay-packers-playoff-scenarios/