Category: News
Evelyn Ingram improves her defense but keeps piling up the points for Lockport. ‘Definitely had to develop.’
A girl nicknamed “Bellie” helped Lockport’s Evelyn Ingram learn how to play lockdown defense.
Plainfield North’s Isabella Koldoff and Ingram did plenty of battling during practice and one-on-one drills after practice for the Wolverinas AAU team.
“We both worked on staying in front of each other,” Ingram said of Koldoff. “We played in the summer and in the fall. She’s very physical, so she challenges me. And she’s quick.”
That extra work by Ingram, a junior forward, hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Porters.
“One of the biggest changes from last year is her defense has stepped up,” Lockport coach Darien Jacobs said of Ingram. “She has been strong off ball and on ball.”
Ingram came through with another strong performance Wednesday night.
Lockport’s Evelyn Ingram (55) shoots a free throw against the host Spartans during an Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament game on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown)
Not only did she chalk up seven rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot on the defensive end, Ingram led Lockport with 14 points in a 55-38 win over the host Spartans in the final game of pool play at the Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament.
Carroll recruit Laura Arstikaitis scored 13 points for the Porters (9-4), while Katie Peetz added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophie Hynes had eight points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
Oak Lawn (5-5) was paced by Bianca Fleitas with 15 points. Kenadie Haubenreiser added 10.
Lockport moves on to face Lincoln-Way East (6-5) in the third-place game of the tournament at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, while Marist (11-1) meets up with Providence (10-1) for the title at noon.
Lockport’s Evelyn Ingram (55) makes a pass against the host Spartans during an Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament game on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown)
Ingram’s defensive improvement, meanwhile, has helped complement an offensive game that features a variety of skills. Her role was different last season as a sophomore, but she’s taking charge on offense this winter.
“Our makeup last year was a little different,” Jacobs said. “Alaina Peetz would get the ball on the inside and Lucy Hynes would drive in a big situation.
“Without those two this year, Evelyn has been able to face the basket more and attack. That’s why she’s standing out a little bit more. She can hit the threes and finish at the rim.”
Leading the team in scoring has become a habit so far for Ingram.
Lockport’s Evelyn Ingram (55) goes up for a layup against the host Spartans during an Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament game on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown)
Ingram opened up on the right note with a 17-point performance in a 50-27 win over Morris in the WJOL Tournament. She followed that up with 18 points in the next game, a 65-38 nonconference win over Wheaton North.
She erupted for 11 points in the first quarter of a 67-32 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais and then put up 20-point efforts against both Lincoln-Way East and Sandburg.
Ingram, Arstikaitis and Peetz each made back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter Wednesday to give Lockport some breathing room with a 22-12 lead.
Although the Porters went from a 12-win season in 2023-24 to one of its best seasons in program history at 28-5, they would like to keep that success going.
“We’re hoping to win conference — we should,” Arstikaitis said. “Recently, we have a few close games and some losses. We’re working on perfecting our defense.
“We need to stop teams from scoring. That was our main thing we did last year.”
Lockport’s Evelyn Ingram (55) passes the ball against the host Spartans during an Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament game on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown)
The 5-foot-10 Ingram pointed out that she started playing basketball in first grade.
“I was around the game right away and I grew to love it,” she said. “I definitely had to develop. I was a lot younger than the girls I was playing with. I had to work to get to the point they were at.”
But now, she’s at a point that impresses her teammates.
“She can hit a three or drive for an and-one,” Arstikaitis said. “She brings in some aggression and everybody ends up piling in on her, which mean the shooters are open.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/evelyn-ingram-lockport-oak-lawn-ihsa-girls-basketball/
Jackson anota 28 puntos, Landale encesta 4 triples y Grizzlies vencen 116-110 a Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. anotó 28 puntos y capturó 12 rebotes para liderar un ataque equilibrado, y los Grizzlies de Memphis vencieron el miércoles 116-110 a los Timberwolves de Minnesota.
Jock Landale sumó 20 puntos y diez rebotes a la causa de los Grizzlies, que han ganado cuatro de cinco encuentros y siete de nueve. Jaylen Wells totalizó 17 puntos, Cedric Coward añadió 13 y Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sumó 12.
El español Santi Aldama capturó 11 rebotes.
Julius Randle anotó 21 puntos para los Timberwolves. Donte DiVincenzo contabilizó 19 puntos y 11 rebotes, y Rudy Gobert añadió 16 unidades y 16 tableros, pero Minnesota perdió por segunda vez en nueve partidos. Naz Reid también anotó 16 tantos.
Ambos equipos jugaron sin su máximo anotador. Anthony Edwards de Minnesota se perdió su tercer partido consecutivo debido a una lesión en el pie derecho, y Ja Morant estuvo fuera por los Grizzlies debido a un esguince en el tobillo izquierdo, sufrido en la victoria del lunes, por 121-103 contra los Clippers.
Memphis también jugó sin Cam Spencer, quien se perdió el partido por razones personales. El base había anotado un récord personal de 27 puntos en la victoria en Los Ángeles.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
El presidente de Bolivia elimina el subsidio a los combustibles y decreta alzas del 100%
Por CARLOS VALDEZ
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — El presidente boliviano Rodrigo Paz eliminó el miércoles los subsidios a los combustibles aplicados durante dos décadas y anunció alzas del 100%, a la vez que decretó un aumento salarial del 20% para compensar el impacto de la medida.
El precio del litro de gasolina casi se duplicó, de 3,7 bolivianos a 6,96 bolivianos, mientras que el precio del diésel pasó de 3,72 a 9.80 bolivianos por litro. Los precios estarán vigentes seis meses y habrá libre importación de carburantes, informó el mandatario de centroderecha en un mensaje al país.
Para compensar el ajuste, Paz anunció un aumento salarial del 20% e incrementos a otros bonos ya existentes para ancianos y estudiantes. Asimismo, indicó que habrá un bono de compensación para trabajadores informales.
“Es un momento muy difícil. Hemos recibido un país herido en su economía, sin dólares, con una inflación creciente y sin combustibles. Un enfermo se sana con la verdad, y hemos decidido dar certidumbre con precios claros de los combustibles y el abastecimiento garantizado”, declaró Paz desde la casa de Gobierno, rodeado de sus ministros.
“Es el punto final de un modelo de mentira, despilfarro y corrupción, y el inicio de una etapa de sinceramiento y reconstrucción nacional”, agregó el mandatario, en alusión a los 20 años de gobiernos izquierdistas de Evo Morales (2006-2019) y Luis Arce (2020-2025), quienes mantuvieron los subsidios como parte central de su programa.
La economía del país está en quiebra, con las reservas internacionales casi agotadas, escasez de dólares y sin dinero para importar combustibles, que el país no produce. La subvención a los combustibles, que se profundizó en los gobiernos de Morales y Arce, significaba una sangría anual de más de 2.000 millones de dólares al año, según el ministro de Economía, José Gabriel Espinoza.
“Sanar la economía es parte de nuestra filosofía de gobierno”, expresó Paz, quien heredó la peor crisis económica en 40 años, con una inflación que cerrará el año en 22% y un déficit fiscal del 12,5% del producto interno bruto, agregó Espinoza.
Durante la campaña, y aún después de asumir el gobierno el 8 de noviembre, Paz prometió ajustes graduales a los precios de los combustibles para evitar un impacto fuerte en la economía de la población, pero al final optó por un alza del 100%.
El sector agroindustrial había pedido retirar los subsidios para garantizar el abastecimiento, ya que la escasez está paralizando el aparato productivo, pero los transportistas del sector público exigieron mantener la subvención.
No hubo reacciones inmediatas de los sectores sindicales el miércoles por la noche. Por su parte, muchas estaciones de servicio en La Paz suspendieron la venta para ajustar sus precios tras conocerse el anuncio del mandatario.
Thiago Silva y Fluminense rescinden contrato; el defensor busca mudarse a Europa
RÍO DE JANEIRO (AP) — El veterano defensor Thiago Silva terminó su estadía en Fluminense el miércoles y buscaría regresar a Europa para reavivar sus esperanzas de jugar para Brasil en la Copa del Mundo.
Fluminense anunció la rescisión del contrato del defensor de 41 años seis meses antes de lo previsto. Se había unido al club de Río de Janeiro en mayo del año pasado.
Mediante un comunicado, el equipo brasileño manifestó que el exdefensor del Milan, Paris Saint-Germain y Chelsea deja atrás “un legado de dedicación y amor a Fluminense”. También había jugado para este club entre 2006 y 2008.
El martes, el exdefensor del Chelsea John Terry dijo en TikTok que le encantaría ver al defensor regresar a Stamford Bridge, donde el brasileño ganó el título de la Liga de Campeones en 2021.
“Sus dos hijos están en nuestra academia. No hay duda de que va a estar de regreso en Londres aquí con su familia para Navidad”, comentó Terry.
Thiago Silva ayudó a Fluminense a alcanzar las semifinales del Mundial de Clubes en julio y fue titular la mayor parte de la temporada, que termina en diciembre para los clubes brasileños.
El defensor estuvo en la selección de Brasil para las últimas cuatro Copas del Mundo. También ganó la Copa Confederaciones 2013 y la Copa América 2019 con el equipo nacional.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
What The Scopes Trial Was Really About
What The Scopes Trial Was Really About
Authored by J Scott Turner via RealClearScience,
This is the centennial year for the Scopes “monkey trial” in Dayton, Tennessee, 1925’s “trial of the century”. In the dock was John Scopes, a substitute high school teacher who was accused of violating the state’s recently passed Butler Act, which prohibited any state school from teaching any theory of the origin of man that contradicted the account in Genesis. Scopes’ conviction was later overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court on a technicality.
By any objective measure, the Scopes trial should arouse no greater attention in 2025 than Dayton’s 1925 Strawberry Festival. It set no legal precedent, led to no repeal of the Butler Act, and everyone involved just got on with their lives. Yet here we are, still talking about it a hundred years later, in commemorative conferences, in high profile commentaries, on podcasts, and even a documentary (full disclosure, produced by me).
Interest in the Scopes trial has been kept alive by a prevailing narrative that has built up over the last century: of two titans of 1920s America, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, squaring off in an epic courtroom confrontation of science versus religion, evolution versus creation, academic freedom versus state control of education.
We have known for some time that little of this narrative is true. The Scopes trial was a put-up job, instigated by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Dayton town luminaries who wanted to bring commerce and publicity to their small town and its sluggish economy. The “epic confrontation” was more performative than substantive, with drama provided by the defense’s claim that evolutionism and Darwinism were crystalline scientific truths, and that any contrary claims, particularly when the doubts were religiously-motivated, posed a threat to civilization itself. Ever since 1925, scientists generally have bought into the Scopes defense’s narrative. But just how strong was their case?
The Scopes defense team brought in a group of scientific expert witnesses to inform the Court how misguided the Butler Act was. The judge, John Raulston, allowed one of the experts, Maynard Metcalf of Johns Hopkins, to testify, but with the jury absent. Based on Metcalf’s testimony, Raulston barred the defense from calling any of the other expert witnesses, and struck Metcalf’s testimony from the trial transcript. Even so, Raulston invited the experts to submit written statements for the trial record, essentially amicus curiae briefs. Their statements give us a window into the strength of the defense’s case.
To put the matter politely, the experts were underwhelming. Metcalf’s testimony was supercilious and condescending, resting on the presumption that something had to be true because he, an expert, said it. The others’ statements were vague and tended to wander off-topic. Two of the experts trotted out the dubious Piltdown Man fossil as proof of the “missing link” between apes and humans. At best, this was evidence of expert laziness and wishful thinking. Since its “discovery” in 1912, doubts had swirled about the Piltdown fossils’ authenticity, later definitively revealed by Charles Oakley and Joseph Weiner as a hoax and an “evolutionary absurdity.”
Aside from those faux pas, the experts fell into a logical error: an insistent conflation of evolutionism – the proposition that life on Earth has a history – with Darwinism, a proposed mechanism for evolution. In the Scopes trial record, the two terms are used interchangeably, one the synonym of the other, when they are in fact quite distinct things.
Since the mid-nineteenth century, evolutionism has rested on a solid scientific foundation, both for life in general, and for human origins in particular. We know it is scientific because scientific knowledge is by its nature tentative and provisional, which the science of human origins exemplifies. In 1925, the science of human origins painted a different sketch of human origins than the one we presently paint, but then as now, the sketch is informed by the ongoing dialogue with nature that defines science. Our picture of human origins will continue to adjust as more evidence emerges.
In 1925, in contrast, Darwinism was at its lowest scientific ebb since its inception in 1859. This period is known broadly as the eclipse of Darwinism. Darwinism’s most serious challenge came from Thomas Hunt Morgan’s mutationist theory for evolution, which he claimed invalidated Darwinian natural selection or at least relegated it to a minor role. While Darwinism’s bacon would eventually be pulled out of the fire by Ronald Fisher’s “genetical theory of natural selection”, that was still five years into the future. How, then, did the scientifically weak Darwinian idea come to be synonymously bound to the more scientifically robust evolutionism, both at the Scopes trial, and in the minds of the public?
Beginning in the late 19th century, Darwinism became transformed into an ideology – “popular Darwinism” – that could be enlisted as support for a wide range of political and social causes. Some of these were flatly contradictory to one another. “Social Darwinism”, for example, has been a justification both for generous social welfare programs, and for abolishing them entirely. Generally, popular Darwinism has served as a proxy for progressive ideology, like Wilson’s “living constitution.”
The nebulousness of popular Darwinism puts William Jennings Bryan and the anti-evolution movements in the 1920s South in a different light. Bryan’s principal complaint about popular Darwinism was its fundamental emptiness: that if Darwinism could mean anything at all, it also could mean nothing at all, making it a nihilistic ideology that would bear bitter fruit wherever it took root. The social and economic upheavals in the decade following the Great War seemed to provide ample evidence for Bryan’s argument, which resonated strongly in the largely agrarian and tradition-minded South. It was not ignorance and religious bigotry that was at work here. To the contrary, people of the South were paying close attention to events, and were not liking what they saw.
Bryan’s critique of Darwinism was the seed crystal that precipitated these anxieties into political action, among them the passage of the Butler Act. John Butler was a communicant of the fundamentalist Primitive Baptist Church, but his eponymous Act drew support from across a broad spectrum of Tennessee society, both secular and religious. So strong was that support that Tennessee’s progressive Democrat governor, Austin Peay, felt compelled to sign it into law.
What was at stake in the Scopes trial was not a conflict of science versus religion, or evolution versus creation. Rather, it was a political tussle over a different question entirely, namely, who gets to decide how parents educate their children? In passing the Butler Act, the people of Tennessee arrogated that decision to themselves. For their temerity, the ACLU decided it had to parachute into Dayton to take the decision back. To the extent that the high-minded rhetoric of the Scopes defense played a role, it was a political agenda masquerading as science.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/17/2025 – 23:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/what-scopes-trial-was-really-about
Basketball and local scores for the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County
High school and local college results and highlights from the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County coverage areas.
Email Daily Southtown results to southtownsports@gmail.com, Beacon-News, Courier-News and Naperville Sun results to tribwestsports@gmail.com and News-Sun results to newssunsports@gmail.com.
SATURDAY’S EVENT
LOCAL COLLEGES
FOOTBALL
NCAA DIVISION III SEMIFINAL
John Carroll (Ohio) (12-1) at North Central College (13-0), 3:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOLS
BOYS BASKETBALL
Andrew 64, Tinley Park 46
Downers Grove South 66, Naperville Central 59
Naperville Central (3-6): T.J. Hillman 20 points. Nate Abrahamson 14 points.
Grayslake North 56, Bradley Tech (Wis.) 34
Kaneland 66, Marmion 50
Kohala (Hawaii) 69, De La Salle 61
Lemont 55, West Aurora 52
Lemont (7-2): Zane Schneider 19 points. Ryan Crane 15 points; GW 3-pointer.
Minooka 75, Bremen 44
Plano 60, Marengo 59
Plano (6-4, 3-0 Kishwaukee River): Ethan Taxis 20 points; GW layup.
Sandwich 55, Harvard 43
Sandwich (3-6, 1-2 Kishwaukee River): Brady Behringer 14 points, 12 rebounds. Griffin Somlock 12 points.
Stevenson 75, South Elgin 33
Stevenson (6-2): Donny Williams 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. Rocco Pagliocca 16 points, 4 assists.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Hillcrest 41, Bishop McNamara 32
Julian 46, Morgan Park 36
Manteno 46, Beecher 25
MCHENRY NORTHERN ILLINOIS HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Grant 41, Lakes 30
Lakes (4-9): Gianna Gray 11 points. Ryan Horvath 9 points.
OAK LAWN HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Lockport 55, Oak Lawn 38
Marist 63, Lincoln-Way East 47
Marist (11-1): Lily Porter 19 points. Olivia Cosme 15 points. Caroline Flynn 13 points.
Providence 75, Romeoville 35
Providence (11-1): Layken Callahan 19 points. Landrie Callahan 17 points. Kennady Kotowski 15 points.
PEARL CITY HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Orangeville 67, Indian Creek 35, fifth
LOCAL COLLEGES
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Aurora University 78, Concordia 73
AU (7-3, 4-1 NACC): Cullen Rauls 21 points. Mekhi Doby 20 points, 4 rebounds.
Judson 70, Great Lakes Christian (Mich.) 64
Judson (3-9): Dayton Hoover 18 points, 11 rebounds.
North Central College 65, Hope (Mich.) 58
NCC (3-5): Alejandro Diaz 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists. Tyler Swierczek 13 points, 4 rebounds.
St. Francis 81, Milligan (Tenn.) 67
St. Francis (8-2): Joffrey Nunnally 22 points. Brady Cooper 17 points. Damarcies Moore 13 points, 13 rebounds.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Aurora University 91, Beloit (Wis.) 43
AU (8-2): Kylie Fischbach 16 points. Jennifer Heinberg 11 points.
Concordia 71, Judson 61
Lewis 74, Central State (Ohio) 44
Lewis (4-7): Yahaira Bueno 14 points, 6 assists. Ally Cesarini 14 points, 4 assists, 4 steals.
North Central College 90, Illinois College 73
NCC (7-3): Ameli Sanchez 28 points, 5 steals. Biz Daly 24 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists.
St. Francis 91, Clarke (Iowa) 65
St. Francis (13-0): Le’lani Harris 34 points, 7 rebounds. Tykara Harrison 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals.
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOLS
BOYS BASKETBALL
Brother Rice 39, Providence 33
Brother Rice (7-2): Adam McBrearty 10 points.
Crete-Monee 51, Richards 44
Crystal Lake Central 69, Lakes 46
Lakes (5-4): Ben Newcomb 14 points.
Grant 84, Badger (Wis.) 75
Grant (5-2): Charles Schlicht 23 points, 7 rebounds. D.J. Stitts 20 points, 4 rebounds.
Grayslake Central 42, Carmel 41
Grayslake Central (7-3): Carson Woods 17 points.
Hope Academy 54, Lake Forest 47 (OT)
Larkin 52, West Chicago 42
Lincoln-Way Central 50, Lincoln-Way East 45 (OT)
Lincoln-Way Central (7-2, 3-1 SWSC): Alex Panos 18 points. Micah Evans 16 points.
Lockport 66, Sandburg 37
Marian Catholic 52, Shepard 47
Marian (3-5): Cardan Gordon 12 points. Landon Mays 10 points.
Shepard (4-5): Aaron Arrambide 21 points. Brendin Thomas 12 rebounds.
Marist 66, Ag. Science 23
Metea Valley 57, Yorkville 49
Metea (4-3): Tre Watkins 26 points, 12 rebounds.
Yorkville (5-3): Braydon Porter 18 points.
Morton 54, Argo 44
Argo (3-6): Adrian Lee-Horton 20 points.
Mount Carmel 70, Montini 40
Mount Carmel (6-3): Marshaun Thornton 20 points. Logan Wessel 12 points.
Mundelein 51, Prairie Ridge 44
Ottawa 55, Plano 41
Plano (5-4): Cooper Beatty 11 points, 6 rebounds.
St. Laurence 68, St. Rita 37
St. Laurence (10-0): Noah Corro 22 points. Reggie Stevens 12 points. Logan Brown 12 points.
Somonauk 42, Putnam County 38
Somonauk (4-6): Landon Johnson 14 points.
South Elgin 51, Elgin 41
Stagg 51, Bradley-Bourbonnais 36
Stagg (8-1, 2-1 SWSC): Mohammad Farhan 15 points, 8 rebounds. Petar Zoko 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists.
Thornridge 80, Ellison 64
Thornwood 60, Corliss 51
West Aurora 82, Streamwood 20
Yorkville Christian 66, Ottawa Marquette 29
Yorkville Christian (5-2): Jordan Purvis 20 points, 7 rebounds.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glenbrook North 59, Mundelein 52
Mundelein (10-1): Casey Vyverman 27 points. Grace Dunigan 10 points.
Grayslake Central 51, Antioch 33
Grayslake Central (6-4, 4-0 Northern Lake County): Peyton Hoffmann 17 points, 11 rebounds. Addison Thomas 13 points, 6 rebounds.
Kaneland 52, Stillman Valley 45
Kaneland (7-3): Amani Meeks 16 points.
Lincoln-Way East 48, Lincoln-Way Central 36
Richmond-Burton 43, Sandwich 37
Sandburg 49, Lockport 44
Sandburg (5-5, 2-2 SWSC): Zoe Trunk 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals. M.K. Terry 11 points. Ellie Driscoll 10 points.
Lockport (8-4, 4-1): Evelyn Ingram 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. Katie Peetz 14 rebounds.
South Elgin 46, Elgin 14
West Chicago 47, Larkin 36
MCHENRY NORTHERN ILLINOIS HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Wauconda 52, Deerfield 22
Wauconda (10-0): Sarah Palmer 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals. Alexia Manalo 9 points, 5 rebounds.
Crystal Lake South 54, Grayslake North 44
LOCAL COLLEGES
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) 78, Trinity Christian 58
Ferris State (Mich.) 66, Lewis 64
Lewis (2-7): Arius Alijosius 15 points. Timofel Komissarov 13 points, 5 rebounds.
St. Thomas (Fla.) 67, St. Francis 53
St. Francis (7-2): Brady Cooper 17 points. Delshawn Simms 13 points.
NEWS AND NOTES
Governors State’s Vincent Mays (offense) and St. Xavier’s Alaina Peetz (defense) were named basketball players of the week in the CCAC. … North Central College’s Biz Daly was chosen women’s basketball player of the week in the CCIW.
Compiled by Josh Krockey.
Seahawks y Rams se enfrentan en partido clave por el título divisional
Por ANDREW DESTIN
RENTON, Washington, EE.UU. (AP) — Sam Darnold estuvo lejos de su mejor nivel la última vez que él y los Seahawks de Seattle se enfrentaron al equipo de su ciudad natal. Y es plenamente consciente de que necesitará desempeñarse mejor que aquel 16 de noviembre, cuando lanzó cuatro intercepciones contra los Rams de Los Ángeles.
El partido de revancha de Darnold y los Seahawks, este jueves por la noche contra los Rams, tiene importantes implicaciones para el título de la División Oeste de la Conferencia Nacional. Los Seahawks (11-3) y los Rams (11-3) están empatados en la cima y un juego por delante de los 49ers.
Una victoria para cualquiera de los equipos lo pondría en una posición privilegiada para asegurar el título y potencialmente el primer puesto en los playoffs.
“Estamos emocionados por este desafío”, dijo Darnold. “Obviamente, es un partido divisional, y jugar contra estos chicos la última vez no fue mi mejor esfuerzo. Siento que, como ofensiva, sólo tenemos que seguir haciendo lo que hemos estado practicando, mantenernos en los detalles. Pero insisto, este equipo tiene una defensiva muy buena”.
La defensiva de los Rams, que ocupa el 13er puesto en la NFL en yardas totales permitidas, causó todo tipo de problemas para Darnold en noviembre. La ofensiva de los Seahawks ha tenido dificultades en ocasiones desde entonces y no ha anotado un touchdown en el primer cuarto desde una victoria sobre Arizona, obtenida el 9 de noviembre.
Aun así, Seattle tiene una defensiva situada entre las cinco mejores y ha permitido 25 puntos totales en sus últimos tres partidos. Según el entrenador de los Rams, Sean McVay, Los Ángeles será desafiado tanto como los Seahawks.
“No hay debilidades”, dijo McVay. “Este es un equipo de fútbol americano tan completo como el mejor que existe”.
Tal evaluación tampoco estaría fuera de lugar para los Rams, un equipo que ha ganado ocho de sus últimos nueve duelos y ha anotado al menos 40 puntos en tres de sus últimos siete partidos. Los Seahawks tienen al receptor líder de la NFL, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, pero Puka Nacua de Los Ángeles no se queda atrás con la segunda mayor cantidad de yardas por recepción en la liga.
Sin terceras opciones
Si la lesión en el tendón de la corva de Davante Adams lo deja fuera el jueves, los Rams carecerán del líder de la liga en recepciones de touchdown y el objetivo favorito de corta distancia del quarterback Matthew Stafford. Aún peor, los Rams realmente no tienen un tercer receptor abierto. Stafford lanza sólo 58 veces en toda la temporada a receptores que no se llaman Adams o Nacua.
Eso se debe en parte a que McVay ha adoptado formaciones de tres alas cerradas en un grado sorprendente, pero los receptores Tutu Atwell y el novato Konata Mumpfield deberían ver un aumento en su escaso tiempo de juego si Adams no juega.
Secundaria sospechosa
La actuación de cuatro intercepciones de los Rams en su primer encuentro con los Seahawks fue un partido inusualmente bueno para una secundaria de Los Ángeles que con frecuencia ha parecido el eslabón más débil de este equipo. Los esquineros Cobie Durant y Emmanuel Forbes Jr. no pudieron hacer mucho para frenar a los receptores estrella de los Lions la semana pasada.
Juego terrestre anémico
El juego terrestre de los Seahawks fue casi inexistente la semana pasada, ya que totalizaron sólo tres yardas en nueve acarreos antes del medio tiempo. Seattle terminó con un mínimo de la temporada de 50 yardas por tierra; Kenneth Walker III tuvo 17 yardas en nueve acarreos. Ambas cifras son las más bajas de su temporada.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Cuba implementará tasa cambiaria flotante para reducir el mercado negro
Por ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
LA HABANA (AP) — Cuba abrirá su mercado cambiario a una tasa flotante para canjes de pesos por divisas extranjeras, informaron el miércoles las autoridades.
Con la decisión se busca hacer frente a un cada vez más poderoso mercado negro de dólares, el cual está prácticamente controlando los precios de la moneda nacional, tanto entre la población en general como entre los nacientes empresarios.
La tasa de cambio flotante entrará vigor el jueves, y el Banco Central de Cuba (BCC) pondrá a diario el precio del cambio de pesos por dólar, indicó la presidenta de esa entidad, Juana Lilia Delgado, en una comparecencia especial en televisión.
Delgado no dio un monto exacto de arrancada, ni detalles sobre cómo hará efectivo el cambio de moneda entre la población o los empresarios. Dicho mecanismo está semiparalizado a nivel estatal desde hace cinco años, por lo que los interesados buscan convertir su dinero —por ejemplo, quienes reciben remesas, o emprendedores que deben importar — en el incontrolable mercado informal.
La funcionaria indicó que la tasa estará disponible cada jornada en la página web del BCC, y con ello se espera que el gobierno retome el control del mercado de divisas.
“Esta transformación cambiaria busca recuperar la convertibilidad del peso cubano, fortalecer la institucionalidad monetaria y avanzar de manera ordenada hacia la convergencia cambiaria y monetaria”, expresó Delgado, que en la isla tiene rango de ministra.
La nueva tasa flotante será la tercera con valor oficial vigente, pues se sumará a las que valúan un dólar en 24 pesos cubanos –válida para empresas estatales y sus operaciones—, y una segunda –para personas naturales– en 120 pesos cubanos por dólar.
En el mercado negro —cuya fijación de precios flotantes lideran páginas de internet especializadas ubicadas afuera de Cuba, y que la población consulta masivamente— un dólar se canjea por 440 pesos cubanos, una diferencia notable con cualquiera de las dos tasas oficiales.
“Una unificación inmediata de la tasa de cambio, sin una etapa de transición, podría provocar una devaluación brusca, con efectos inflacionarios mayores a los actuales y profundización de la pérdida del poder adquisitivo de la moneda nacional frente a las divisas”, expresó Delgado.
Cuba atraviesa una fuerte crisis económica, ocasionada por la paralización de las actividades durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y un incremento radical de las sanciones de Estados Unidos con el fin de que haya un cambio de gobierno en la isla.
Además, un fallido intento de unificación monetaria y cambiaria en 2021 con la eliminación del histórico CUC —una moneda emitida por Cuba, pero con paridad al dólar— con el fin de dejar sólo el peso cubano generó un proceso inflacionario, pérdida del poder adquisitivo y dolarización creciente de la economía.
Previamente en el año, el gobierno de la isla había anunciado que implementaría la tasa flotante para retomar el control cambiario.
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Andrea Rodríguez está en X como: https://x.com/ARodriguezAP
Ancient RNA Extracted From Extinct Woolly Mammoth Fuels De-Extinction Dreams
Ancient RNA Extracted From Extinct Woolly Mammoth Fuels De-Extinction Dreams
European researchers have achieved a milestone in paleogenomics by sequencing RNA from a woolly mammoth specimen dating back approximately 39,000 to 40,000 years, roughly three times older than the previous record for ancient RNA.
The RNA was recovered from a well-preserved juvenile mammoth known as Yuka, discovered in northern Siberian permafrost in 2010, according to Love Dalén, a professor of evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University and lead author of a study published in the journal Cell. Dalén told the Wall Street Journal that the findings could aid in identifying the genetic traits responsible for the mammoth’s distinctive woolly coat. The researcher first encountered the specimen, named after the Yukagir region where it was found by locals, during a visit to Yakutsk, Russia, in 2012.
The skin and muscle of Yuka’s front left leg are exceptionally well preserved
Love Dalen
“While the path to de-extinction might be a little bit longer than most people appreciate, I think this is actually a very important steppingstone on the way,” said Marc Friedländer, an RNA biologist from Stockholm University and a co-author of the paper.
The Wall Street Journal notes:
Yuka’s legs were intact, as were the animal’s foot pads and trunk, covered in reddish-brown fur. The skull, genitalia and internal organs were missing. Genetic analyses revealed the animal was a male; some of the RNA had come from a Y chromosome.
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, adds another level of insight into an animal beyond DNA, Dalén said, showing which genes are active in a cell at one time. DNA contains the recipe for how to make an organism, but RNA passes along the instructions on how to build and operate it.
Although the specific RNA sequences have limited direct application to current editing efforts, experts say the proof that RNA survives millennia expands the toolkit for reconstructing ancient biology. This could help prioritize gene edits for traits like thick fur, cold tolerance, and fat metabolism.
“If at some point in the future that we want to bring back the mammoth or other extinct animals, then it’s very important to recognize that we need to understand them not just at the DNA level, but also all the other components that make up an animal, like the RNA and the proteins,” Friedländer said.
“The Russians said, ‘Come with me, and we’ll bring you to see something interesting,’” he said. “They walked me into this room, and there’s this dead mammoth lying on an autopsy table.”
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/17/2025 – 22:35
Making his varsity debut, freshman Titus Payton takes care of business for Andrew. ‘Whatever I have to do.’
Titus Payton had some mixed emotions as he prepared to make his varsity debut for Andrew.
The freshman forward has faith in his game and felt ready for the moment. On the other hand, he knew it was going to be a big step up. And there was certainly a bit of apprehension.
“I was kind of nervous about it,” Payton said. “But I know I have to get used to the varsity game and keep playing. I just put the work in, on and off the court, and that makes me confident in whatever I have to do.”
Payton took on the challenge and excelled in his first varsity game Wednesday night. He came off the bench and scored 12 points to help the visiting Thunderbolts roll to a 64-46 win over crosstown rival Tinley Park.
Ryan Dinnon finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Andrew (4-6), which also snapped a four-game losing streak — the last three defeats coming with Dinnon sidelined. Malik Mahmoud added 13 points and Justin Freeman contributed 10.
Jabron Brown led Tinley Park (1-8) with 13 points. Brooklyn Harris scored 10 points, while Jeff Tibbs and Omarion McCollum chipped in with seven apiece.
Andrew’s Titus Payton (42) converts a free throw against Tinley Park during a nonconference game in Tinley Park on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
Payton, meanwhile, entered the game late in the first quarter and quickly asserted himself, scoring inside and then converting a putback in the final seconds.
He added four more points in the second quarter.
“The pace was much faster and guys are much stronger out there,” Payton said. “I’ve got to get used to it.
“That’s how I adjust to the game, by getting to the rim and finding open guys or scoring myself.”
Andrew’s Ryan Dinnon (33) goes to the rim against Tinley Park during a nonconference game in Tinley Park on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
Dinnon liked what he saw from the varsity rookie.
“He’s obviously way younger than a lot of the people out there and it’s a physical game, so I was impressed with how he finished around the rim,” Dinnon said.
Andrew coach Justin Stirn pointed out that Payton earned the varsity opportunity with some impressive play on the sophomore team the last couple weeks.
“There’s going to be a bell curve to his development and his growth,” Stirn said. “He’s got to understand the pace of the game is a lot different and kids are a lot stronger.
Andrew’s Malik Mahmoud (3) dribbles around the Tinley Park defense during a nonconference game in Tinley Park on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
“There are going to be some ups and downs for him, but overall, he’s shown a very positive attitude. He wants to be coached. He doesn’t put his head down. That’s all you can ask for from a kid of that young age.”
Payton’s big first half helped Andrew open up a 38-22 halftime lead. Tinley Park used a 14-4 surge midway through the third quarter to pull within seven, but the Thunderbolts were able to pull away again in the fourth.
Payton has played travel with the prestigious MeanStreets program. That’s helped him prepare for high school basketball.
“I’ve played against guys that are much bigger,” he said. “I’m able to bring that experience here where guys on varsity are a lot stronger.”
Andrew’s Titus Payton (42) puts up a shot against Tinley Park during a nonconference game in Tinley Park on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
While Payton adjusts to playing at a new level, Dinnon plans to be there to lend a hand.
“I try to think back to my freshman year when I got brought up to varsity and think about what I struggled with and how I can help him be ready for that,” Dinnon said. “Everyone tries to put him in places to be successful.”
Payton also has a huge role model in his own family. His brother, Kahmari Montgomery, won five track state championships at Plainfield Central before winning an NCAA title at Houston and competing in Olympic Trials.
“I look up to him,” Payton said. “I want to be where he was at, but in my sport, basketball.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/titus-payton-andrew-tinley-park-ihsa-boys-basketball/
