The 9-4 Chicago Bears will play the 3-10 Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field in a Week 15 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, Fox-32).

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5 things to watch — plus our Week 15 predictions

Bears coach Ben Johnson stands on the sideline in the fourth quarter against the Packers on Dec. 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

At this point, every game is big for the Bears.

Coach Ben Johnson’s team returns to Soldier Field for a matchup against the Browns. With only four games remaining, the Bears — who hold the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC — need to keep winning if they’re going to reach the postseason.

This game will pit two much-discussed young quarterbacks against each other. There is, of course, the 2024 No. 1 pick in Caleb Williams suiting up for the Bears. On the other side, Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders will make his fourth NFL start after beginning the season buried on the depth chart. Read more here.

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Brrrrrrr down

Forecasters anticipate Sunday’s temperatures at Soldier Field climbing to a frosty 12 degrees, with the lows dipping back down into the single digits by nightfall.

The temperatures aren’t expected to eclipse the coldest Bears game at Soldier Field on record in December 2008, when the Bears beat the Packers in a game that saw temperatures reach just 2 degrees. Read more here.

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Bears need to be able to lean into their offense more with 4 games to go

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle talk before a game against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

As the Bears continue a push for the postseason through the most difficult stretch of their schedule, it makes sense they will lean into the strength of the roster, which is the offensive line.

Naturally, it took time for a new coaching staff to figure out where the team would excel, but for two months now, they’ve had a powerful running game that harkens back to the days when Walter Payton was the face of the franchise.

No, they don’t have a Payton in the backfield, but the combination of D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai has been highly productive behind the rebuilt line, and the Bears might just go as far as that group can push them. Read more here.

A shared sorrow for the Bears and Browns: The never-ending search for a franchise QB

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws a pass under pressure from the Titans on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)

Case Keenum is well aware of the jersey — the infamous, fan-altered jersey of former Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch with a long list of his successors under his nameplate. Keenum should know it. He’s on it.

“I’ve seen that shirt,” said Keenum, who played for the Browns from 2020-21 and joined the Bears as a free agent in April. “I think I’m probably the only undefeated quarterback on that list. … Minimum two games, right?”

It’s true. Keenum started two games in 2021 and won both, but he knows that’s not what the spirit of the jersey is all about. It’s a meme about futility. It’s about a franchise’s exhaustive yet fruitless search for a solution at the game’s most important position. Read more here.

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Bears Q&A: Could going up-tempo from the start spark Caleb Williams? What’s with DJ Moore’s role?
Shedeur Sanders, coming off a strong 3rd start for the Browns, is keeping his focus on improving

About last week

The game was on the line. The Bears faced fourth-and-inches from the Packers 14-yard line inside the final minute. Trailing by seven points, they needed a first down or the game was over.

Caleb Williams faked a handoff and rolled out to his left. Tight end Cole Kmet had a man beat in the end zone and Williams lofted a pass to him. But the pass was short of its target, and Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon came down with an interception that essentially ended the game, a 28-21 win for the Packers.

It was the 211th meeting in the storied Bears-Packers rivalry, and first place in the NFC North was on the line. With the win, the Packers move into first at 9-3-1. The Bears fall to 9-4 with the 8-5 Detroit Lions lurking behind them. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Bears. Read more here.

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Week 14 photos: Packers 28, Bears 21
Bears and Packers have played 211 times in the past 100 years: How the rivalry has unfolded

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/chicago-bears-cleveland-browns-week-15/ 

The Chicago Cubs have not shied away from waiting out the free-agent market in previous offseasons.

It’s an approach that at times has paid off, when how they value a player aligns with the years and financial commitment for the contract. The Cubs are taking that same steady approach, even if that means failing to land the top available players. It’s not what fans will want to hear as they look for the organization to build off a 92-win season and falling just short of the National League Championship Series.

The front office, though, is deliberate in its approach. How that might play out in free agency or through a trade to acquire an impactful starting pitcher, rebuilding the bullpen and potentially finding a power bat for the lineup will start to take shape in the coming weeks and in the lead-up to spring training.

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“If you have a really low (average annual value), long-term deals make a ton of sense, if you have really high AAVs, they start making less and less sense,” general manager Carter Hawkins said last week at the winter meetings. “Philosophically, I’m not against it, but if you value the player and think about how he’s going to value over year over year and you’re paying more than you think he’s worth, I’m definitely against that, and that definitely happens with all players.

“You want to be disciplined but you don’t want to be rigid, and we have to be agile and understand that we don’t have everything perfect and we might have to make changes in our context, change our needs, change the leverage of bringing in particular players, reliever, starters, position players, all of those things change. You have to factor all that in as you’re thinking about how much you would give a player or how many players you would give away to get a player.”

Here are four things we heard from the Cubs last week at the winter meetings.

1. Bullpen remains a focus.

Building the bullpen is expected to be an endeavor that tests the Cubs’ ability to find relievers through different avenues, given how many arms they need for the pen and minor-league depth.

After signing veteran right-hander Phil Maton to a two-year deal last month, the Cubs added another reliever last week by signing left-hander Hoby Milner, a source confirmed to the Tribune. Milner, 34, spent three seasons in Milwaukee with manager Craig Counsell (2021-23) and is coming off a 2025 campaign with the Texas Rangers in which he posted a 3.84 ERA in 73 appearances.

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Projecting who might be used as Counsell’s high-leverage arms is too hard to project with so many unknowns still surrounding what the bullpen could look like. However, Counsell expects Maton to pitch in leverage spots.

“The bullpen, what we thought about our bullpen going into the season — maybe what we thought, we were wrong, we were pretty wrong on it,” Counsell said at the winter meetings. “We ended up pitching pretty well. But I think at the start of the season, it maybe wasn’t the guys we expected to do it. It just shows, get a bunch of good arms and kind of see what happens and have enough abilities to pivot when you have to during the season.”

Counsell envisions a bounce-back season from Porter Hodge being an important piece to how the bullpen shakes out.

2. Building a better bench a challenging priority.

Pinch hitter Justin Turner hits a walk-off two-run double to give the Cubs a 5-4 win over the Marlins on May 13, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs were among the healthiest in the majors for their starting position-player group.

Beyond the injuries to Kyle Tucker and Miguel Amaya, the Cubs largely didn’t need to rely on their bench options much aside from the situations Counsell opted to use veteran Justin Turner as a pinch hitter for Michael Busch. The Cubs know there could be a big health regression because of the flukiness that can happen year to year with injuries.

The Cubs, though, don’t have many platoon at-bats to offer prospective appealing bench players who would give them the best depth to lessen the drop-off from one of their starting position players.

“There’s a lot of players who want to establish themselves or reestablish themselves as everyday players, and when you’re offering them a not everyday role, they’re kind of thinking, OK, what are the odds they might even get a chance to do that?” Hawkins said. “Now, you could overpay someone in order to do that role part time, but then there’s opportunity cost of those dollars. So therein lies the challenge.”

Optimally, Hawkins added, players come up from the minors to fill those bench roles and learn to matriculate into the big leagues effectively.

“But, yeah, it’s an interesting problem to have,” Hawkins said. “I think you saw it with teams like ours, or teams like the Braves, where you have this very set position player group, and we’re not an attractive spot for someone that necessarily can go play multiple positions, but that can also change on a dime.

“So it’s trying to sell the environment to the player, trying to sell just how we potentially would use him. I think having Craig Counsell really helps that he’s able to articulate those roles really effectively. He was in those roles a lot as a player, so that offsets a little bit of it. But given where our roster is right now, it’s a harder sell.”

3. High praise for Moisés Ballesteros.

Cubs designated hitting Moisés Ballesteros grounds into a forceout against the Marlins on May 13, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs are confident Ballesteros can hit in the majors.

That belief gives the organization an internal backup plan if they don’t acquire a more proven hitter in the coming months. Counsell called Ballesteros and top prospect Owen Caissie important players for 2026, at least with how the roster currently is constructed. Ballesteros in particular is well-positioned to begin the season in the majors.

“He’s at the point where if he can help the major-league team, he’s going to be in the major leagues,” Counsell said of Ballesteros. “There’s not an everyday catching job in the major leagues for him. But as constructed right now, we’ve got room for at-bats, and I would prioritize the major leagues right now. But that can change with roster stuff.”

Only 22, Ballesteros impressed the Cubs in his 20 big-leagues games. Pending offseason moves, Seiya Suzuki is expected to shift back to right field, creating a need at designated hitter. Ballesteros started just once behind the plate in the majors last season, and his performance was encouraging. The Cubs will look to continue to get him action at catcher if he is part of the big-league team, though it won’t be frequent at No. 3 on depth chart behind Carson Kelly and Amaya.

4. Quantifying Nico Hoerner’s value.

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner high-fives teammates in the dugout after scoring against the Mets on Sept. 23, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Coming off a career-best season that saw him win his second Gold Glove Award, Hoerner was a key cog in helping the Cubs return to the postseason for the first time since 2020.

His effect on the Cubs might be difficult for other teams to fully quantify, but his intensity and steadiness doesn’t go unnoticed by people within the organization. From his bat-to-ball skills, leadership and elite defense at second base, it could prove valuable to the Cubs to find middle ground and extend Hoerner, who turns 29 in May. Hoerner, earning $12 million in 2026, is entering the final year of the three-year, $35 million deal he signed in March 2023.

“Everybody has their own intangible qualities,” Counsell said. “Nico is great at some really things that I think other people think they’re good at and they’re not as good at it. I’m not talking about just players, I’m just talking about people. Like when you say show up every day and like complete every rep, every rep is completed perfectly. That’s who Nico is. And that seems like, well, that’s easy, everybody can do that, I do that. Well, you don’t do it. I would put Nico at the top of the list for how he does that.

“In a sport like baseball, with so many games and so many moments, it shows up a lot. It’s a great trait to have, and it’s what made Nico a very good baseball player.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/chicago-cubs-winter-meetings-bullpen-bench/ 

Schmal, Sanchez receive Chief’s Award

The Lake County Public Defender’s office recently recognized two Lake County staffers with The Chief’s Award during the office’s quarterly meeting.

Scott Schmal, Lake County finance director, and attorney Felipe Sanchez each were presented the award by Marce Gonzalez Jr., chief public defender of Lake County, according to a release.

Gonzalez, who selects the annual recipients, said he created the award in 2019 to recognize “a friend who supports and shares the vision of the Public Defender Office.”

Scott Schmal, Lake County finance director, left, and attorney Felipe Sanchez, right, were presented the Chief’s Award recently by Lake County Chief Public Defender Marce Gonzalez Jr. (Photo provided by Lake County Council)

Franciscan adds physician in Michigan City

Dr. Alicja Milik is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Michigan City, a release said.

Milik, an internal medicine specialist, earned her medical degree from the Medical University of Lublin in Lublin, Poland. She completed her residency at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Milik is accepting new patients at the Franciscan Physician Network Coolspring Health Center, 1225 E. Coolspring Ave., Suite 2E, in Michigan City. Call 219-878-5014.

Dr. Alicja Milik is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Michigan City. (Photo provided by Franciscan Physician Network)

Morton High student wins Congressional App challenge

A Morton High School student has won the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Indiana’s First Congressional District, according to a release from U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland.

Josue Pedraza used JavaScript to create his winning application, “RoboticsMuse.”  The application is an educational hub with resources and interactive lessons for students to learn more about robotics and find a community of peers who are also interested in STEM, the release said.

A demonstration video of the “RoboticsMuse” app can be found on YouTube.  “RoboticsMuse” will be part of a rotating display in the U.S. Capitol and will also be featured on the House.gov website for one year.

The annual nationwide academic competition is for middle school and high school students.

Cursive Academy gains non-profit status

Cursive Academy has achieved non-profit status as a 501c3 organization, according to a release.

The academy is owned by Terrell Whittington and his wife/co-founder, Chelsea Whittington. Founded in June, Cursive Academy has graduated 83 students teaching participants the basics of cursive handwriting and how to sign their name, the release said.

In addition to securing the 501c3 designation, Lois Whittaker, of Royalty Strategic Consultants,  will assist the Whittingtons in identifying grants and providing help with the grant application process, the release said.

To mark the non-profit designation, Terrell Whittington will teach a free, two-day cursive workshop from 3-4:30 p.m. Dec. 22 and 23 at the Gary Public Library, 220 W. 5th Ave., Gary. To reserve a spot for the course or to learn more about Cursive Academy, send an email to Chelsea@CWHITT.biz.

College of Technology receives cybersecurity grants

Purdue University Northwest’s College of Technology has been awarded more than $3 million through two separate U.S. Department of Defense grants to advance education and workforce development in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, a release said.

PNW’s Center for Cybersecurity, a research center administered by the College of Technology, received $3 million in continued support for its AI-cybersecurity workforce certification training online programs, the release said.

PNW’s program is free for accepted applicants and provides tracks in AI literacy, cybersecurity administration and digital forensics. To learn more, visit pnw.edu/cybersecurity.

First cohort graduates from mentorship program

The Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association has announced the graduation of the inaugural cohort of its mentorship program, marking a milestone in the organization’s mission to uplift and inspire women, according to a release.

A celebration was held during the recent Professional Women’s Conference  at the Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa in Michigan City, where both mentees and mentors were honored, the release said.

The six-month program pairs emerging professionals with seasoned leaders, creating one-on-one mentoring relationships that foster growth, confidence and career development.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/business-news-pnw-receives-cybersecurity-grants/ 

Nikola Vučević doesn’t always wear his frustration well.

The center knows it. He’s a bit of a hothead. When he gets mad — at the referees, at teammates, at himself — he’s known to rip a towel in half or aim a middle finger at the bench. He has to remind his eldest son, Filip, not to follow his stead of arguing with the officials in his rec soccer games.

But lately, Vučević’s frustration has become more acute.

It was a problem before the veteran center was benched in Friday’s road win over the Charlotte Hornets, spending the final 18 minutes, 58 seconds on the bench as backups Zach Collins and Jalen Smith anchored the fourth quarter to help the Bulls break a seven-game skid.

He’s the lone veteran on a roster otherwise committed to rebuilding around young talent. The team’s breathless pace of play sometimes leaves him behind. And in recent weeks, it has been hard to escape the question nagging at the back of his mind: What am I doing here?

“It’s not always easy, to be honest with you, when the team is struggling, when you are struggling, when things are not going your way,” Vučević told the Tribune. “It’s happened a couple times now and sometimes it’s hard. Those questions do creep into your mind and you think about it and you get caught into it, especially when things are not going well. I think it’s natural, it’s human nature, but you just have to find a way to limit it as much as possible.”

It doesn’t help that the question is often being posed to Vučević — by a fan, by a friend, by the media, even by his wife. And he knows this clamor will only get louder in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 5 trade deadline, and the Bulls should be major sellers after a disastrous start to the season.

Vučević doesn’t obscure his outlook on the future in Chicago. He has been bluntly open for months about his reticence to spend the final years of his career in a rebuild. At 35, Vučević has played in only 16 playoff games. He would like to increase that number — substantially — before he retires from the game.

For the most part, that desire for competitiveness hasn’t seeped into the center’s performance. He has missed only 27 games since being traded to the Bulls in 2021. He committed wholeheartedly when the Bulls completely revamped their style of play. And he recorded the best shooting season of his career last year.

But this season, there has been a disconnect. Sometimes, it’s fatigue. The Bulls were missing seven primary rotation players because of injury at one point. Even so, they are still attempting to maintain a rigorous pace of play that particularly challenges a center.

Bulls center Nikola Vučević (9) reacts on the floor in the second half against the Nets on Dec. 3, 2025, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

And the problem is also internal. Vučević can feel himself struggling to engage. He’s tired of losing. He’s tired of feeling helpless on defense. And he’s tired of questioning whether he’ll even end the season in Chicago.

“I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Nah, it’s not happened to me.’ It has,” Vučević said. “You get frustrated and you shut down. But you try to regroup and find a way to stay locked in because we all have a part in this.”

When a game is going poorly for the Bulls, it’s easy to nitpick one consistency — the team’s lack of rim protection with Vučević in the paint.

This isn’t new. Vučević was not a defensive star during his decade with the Orlando Magic. The Bulls did not scout him in 2021 to improve their defense. But this season, the center’s greatest weakness has ballooned into a critical liability for the Bulls.

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić shoots over the Bulls’ Nikola Vučević on Nov. 17, 2025, at Ball Arena in Denver. (AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post)

Vučević has never blocked shots at a prolific pace, but his resistance at the rim has plummeted to only 0.3 blocks per game this season. Opponents have made 66.4% of their shots in the restricted area with Vučević as the primary defender this season.

“He has not been a great rim protector,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s tried to play his verticals, but he’s not a shot blocker. He’s not a rim protector. It’s not who he is. In order for him to be productive in pick and roll, it’s a partnership between him and the guard.”

It might seem like a reflection of effort. When the center threw a lackadaisical pass straight into the chest of a Hornets defender. When opponents bound easily to snag an offensive rebound over the center’s outstretched hands. When he struggled to stay off his heels while attempting to keep in front of a player away from the rim.

Sometimes it is. But in reality, Vučević is struggling with a mix of lacking both skill and intention.

Vučević does not close out to open shooters on the perimeter. When he does, he gets blown by with apparent ease. The center has to play in drop to successfully navigate the pick-and-roll, which places a higher burden on guards to get into the ball and avoid getting stuck on the screen. If a screen creates separation and allows the ball to get below the guard, Vučević is in trouble.

In previous seasons, the Bulls could somewhat obscure this weakness with a stronger slate of defensive guards. But without players such as Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball on the court, the weakest points of Vučević’s defense are on display every night.

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“I’m aware that my defense is not my strength on the court,” Vučević said. “I try to do my best. There’s some things I’m good at, some things I’m not. I know when the team is struggling and we haven’t played well, some of it defensively I could have done better. I know that sometimes maybe I have a little bit of a bad rap about my defense in general. It’s just the way it is. What’s most important to me is talking to my coaches, to my teammates and trying to do the best I can.”

It’s not only defense. Vučević can’t contest the backboard with the same rigorous intensity as younger centers. He logs only 2.2 offensive rebounds per game, an output that’s too low for a team that desperately needs to create additional possessions for its offense. Smith and Collins still can’t match the purity of Vučević’s outside shot, but they wreak havoc on the interior.

Change might not be immediate for the Bulls. Donovan did not want to overreact to a couple of quarters — even if they resulted in the Bulls’ first win in almost three weeks.

“I wouldn’t want to take one game and sit there and say, ‘OK, after one game, we’re going to change everything.’ I don’t think that would be fair,” Donovan said.

But that doesn’t mean any rotation is set in stone. With all three centers available, Donovan is prepared to try different versions of two-big rotations with Smith operating at the 4, a different look that helps the Bulls combat opponents on the offensive glass. And both backups could be vying for increased starting and closing minutes in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Donovan said he was encouraged by how Vučević reacted to his decision to sit the center in Charlotte, noting his positivity and encouragement as a leader on the bench.

This has been a consistent aspect of Donovan’s relationship with the veteran center. Even when Vučević is struggling internally, he seeks out his teammates and coaches with the goal of making improvements. During the most recent losing streak, Vučević requested a meeting with Donovan to discuss how he could help the team break out of its rut, focusing on solutions rather than frustrations.

“That’s not a guy that’s disengaged,” Donovan said. “There’s no reason for him to do that if he was disengaged.”

The Bulls still need Vučević. He’s the most veteran player on a young team craving leadership. He has been the most clutch shooter on the roster this season. And even if his future in Chicago doesn’t extend beyond this season, the center is still a key to consistency on offense.

But as the Bulls prepare for the next step of their rebuild, they might need to begin envisioning a new version of this roster — one without Vučević.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/chicago-bulls-nikola-vucevic-starting-job/ 

If you haven’t heard, it’s going to be a little chilly Sunday when the Chicago Bears play the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field, with temperatures dipping into the single digits and a wind chill well below zero.

It could be one of the coldest days in Bears history, which of course is full of mostly forgettable freezefests because the Bears play their home games in the winter at an old stadium located next to a large lake.

Everyone seems to love the idea of watching players endure frigid conditions, much more so than watching those same players sweat their tails off in the heat of early September. We all remember the NFL Films highlights of linebackers breathing in slow motion on frigid days, showing the tiny droplets of water turning into a misty haze. And if your favorite team is winning games when it’s freezing, it’s often looked upon as a sign they’re built for the cold and are playoff-ready, even if that’s a mirage.

Bears are chill about frigid forecast for Sunday’s game: ‘It’s Chicago, man. It’s cold here every day.’

Bears and Browns players were asked about it all week, and most gave the usual replies that suggested they’re embracing the brutal weather conditions.

“It’s just Soldier Field,” Bears offensive lineman Theo Benedet said. “No one knows the weather, the wind there, better than us, so I’m excited.”

Bears fans will be layered up, of course, and some no doubt will be liquored up as well. You already can envision multiple Bears fans pulling a Ben Johnson and removing their shirts for the TV cameras. Unlike the Bears coach, they won’t need the lure of free hot dogs to become exhibitionists for a day.

The oft-told story that cold weather brings out the best in Bears fans is a myth that dates to the Super Bowl-winning team of 1985, ignoring the fact that some of the biggest losses came in ice-cold playoff games. Winning brings out the best in fans, not freezing in unison.

Nevertheless, we enjoy the reputation. The scene of hardy Bears fans shrugging off the elements at Soldier Field is an image we’ve seen repeatedly over the years. Having tough guys such as Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka and Steve McMichael as our role models makes us feel as if we’re kindred spirits, even if we’re watching from our living-room couches and not impersonating an ice cube in the stands.

It’s what the experts call “Bears osmosis” — that feeling their toughness somehow rubbed off on us.

If the Bears owners have their way, days like Sunday will soon be a thing of the past. A fixed roof stadium is coming at some point, potentially turning us into softer-than-marshmallow Lions or Vikings fans in our own climate-controlled environment. Green Bay Packers fans will be laughing at us and clinging to their lofty reputation forged by games at Lambeau Field, the original frozen tundra.

Bears fans brave the cold during a game against the Packers on Dec. 22, 2008, at Soldier Field.(Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)

Truthfully, if the McCaskeys wanted to sell the idea of a domed stadium to Bears fans, Sunday would probably be the perfect time to do so. A single rendering of fans relaxing in their new, 72-degree, fixed-roof stadium in Arlington Heights would be a great juxtaposition with the reality of the Browns game — fans bundled up to the hilt, waiting in long lines on the concourse to get into a cramped, heated rest room and trying to avoid frostbite at Soldier Field or on the long, postgame walk to the Roosevelt Street “L” station.

Instead, the Bears made their big pivot at the start of the 2025 season, refocusing on the team-owned site in Arlington Heights back in August when the weather was warm and no one was thinking about wind chill factors or the possibility of having a 9-4 team heading into the final four games of the regular season.

Timing is everything, and five months later, the Bears are still at square one, waiting for the state legislature to approve of a property-tax relief bill that would get the ball rolling on their stadium complex proposal. Maybe next year.

Surveys have shown that Chicagoans want the Bears to stay in Chicago, but don’t want to help subsidize a new stadium. A recent by the University of Chicago’s Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation found that 65.2% actively oppose using any public funding for a new stadium in Chicago.

That’s no surprise.

They’ve already been burned by the public funding of what’s now called Rate Field — which White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and future successor Justin Ishbia want to abandon — and by the Soldier Field renovation that was widely panned. Fool us twice, shame on us.

Brrrrr down: The 10 coldest Chicago Bears games played at Soldier Field

The Bears, to their credit, are willing to pay a couple of billion dollars to build their new stadium in the northwest suburb but say they need a little help. Eventually I think they’ll get some government support, and the shovels will hit the dirt.

Still, whether Bears fans want a fixed roof — the modern term for a domed stadium — has never really been answered. The U of C poll didn’t even bother to ask, and it’s also not a topic the Bears care to bring up. They already have decided a fixed-roof proposal is the only way to go for year-round concerts and events, and perhaps even a Super Bowl in the distant future.

Since it’s not up for debate, why even bother?

Curiosity, mostly.

The early arrival of a mini polar vortex and the possibility of playoff games in mid-January, when the really cold stuff moves in, make me wonder if most Bears fans are secretly hoping for a dome while pretending to prefer the status quo.

Sure, we like to think days like Sunday build character and embellish the reputation of Chicago as a tough, gritty city that can endure any kind of weather conditions.

But down deep, we still like feeling our toes.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/chicago-bears-weather-new-stadium/ 

Erdogan Warns Against Black Sea Becoming Zone For ‘Score-Settling’ After Strikes

Tyler Durden
Sun, 12/14/2025 – 07:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/erdogan-warns-against-black-sea-being-turned-zone-score-settling-after-strikes 

Por KIMBERLEE KRUESI y JENNIFER McDERMOTT

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island EE.UU. (AP) — La policía en Rhode Island anunció la detención de una persona en relación con el tiroteo en el campus de la Universidad de Brown que mató a dos personas e hirió a otras nueve.

La portavoz de la policía Kristy dosReis confirmó la información. Se convocó una conferencia de prensa para las siete de la mañana para proporcionar más detalles.

Cientos de policías habían peinado el campus, así como los vecindarios cercanos, y revisaban videos en la búsqueda de un tirador que abrió fuego en un aula, matando a dos personas e hiriendo a otras nueve.

La búsqueda se extendió hasta bien entrada la noche, mucho después del tiroteo del sábado por la tarde en el edificio de ingeniería de la escuela de la Ivy League en Providence, Rhode Island, durante los exámenes finales.

El video de vigilancia publicado por la policía muestra al sospechoso, vestido de negro, caminando tranquilamente lejos de la escena. Su rostro no es visible y los investigadores dijeron que no estaba claro si el sospechoso era un estudiante.

El sospechoso fue visto por última vez saliendo del edificio de ingeniería y algunos testigos dijeron a la policía que el sospechoso, que podría tener unos 30 años, podría haber empleado una máscara de camuflaje, dijo el subjefe de policía de Providence, Timothy O’Hara.

La presidenta de la universidad, Christina Paxson, dijo que le informaron que diez personas baleadas eran estudiantes. Otra persona resultó herida por fragmentos del tiroteo, pero no estaba claro si era un estudiante, dijo.

La búsqueda del tirador paralizó el campus, los vecindarios cercanos llenos de elegantes casas de ladrillo y el centro de la ciudad en la capital de Rhode Island. Las calles, que normalmente están llenas de actividad los fines de semana, estaban inquietantemente silenciosas.

Los estudiantes se mantuvieron a cubierto durante horas hasta la noche. Agentes con equipo táctico sacaron a los estudiantes de algunos edificios del campus y los llevaron a un centro deportivo para que esperasen allí. Otros llegaron al refugio en autobuses sin abrigos ni pertenencias.

El alcalde aconsejó a las personas quedarse en casa

Los investigadores no estaban seguros de inmediato de cómo el tirador ingresó al aula en el primer piso. Las puertas exteriores del edificio estaban desbloqueadas, pero las salas utilizadas para los exámenes finales requerían acceso con tarjeta, dijo el alcalde de Providence, Brett Smiley.

Él alentó a las personas que viven cerca del campus a quedarse a cubierto o no regresar a casa hasta que se levantara la orden de refugiarse donde estuvieran.

“El corazón de la comunidad de Brown está roto y el corazón de Providence se ha roto con él”, dijo Smiley.

Las autoridades creen que el tirador usó una pistola, según un funcionario que no estaba autorizado a comentar una investigación en curso y habló bajo condición de anonimato.

El gobernador demócrata, Dan McKee, prometió que se estaban desplegando todos los recursos para atrapar al sospechoso. Rhode Island tiene algunas de las leyes de armas más estrictas en Estados Unidos.

Nueve personas con heridas de bala fueron llevadas al Hospital de Rhode Island, donde una estaba en estado crítico. Seis requirieron cuidados intensivos pero no estaban empeorando y dos estaban estables, dijo la portavoz del hospital, Kelly Brennan.

Se estaban realizando exámenes durante el tiroteo

Se estaban celebrando los exámenes de diseño de ingeniería cuando ocurrió el tiroteo en el edificio Barus & Holley, un complejo de siete pisos que alberga la Facultad de Ingeniería y el Departamento de Física. El edificio incluye más de 100 laboratorios, docenas de aulas y oficinas, según el sitio web de la universidad.

Emma Ferraro, estudiante de ingeniería química, estaba en el vestíbulo del edificio trabajando en un proyecto final cuando oyó fuertes estallidos provenientes del lado este. Al darse cuenta de que eran disparos, corrió hacia la puerta y se dirigió a un edificio cercano donde se refugió durante varias horas.

Exconcursante de “Survivor” acababa de salir del edificio

Eva Erickson, candidata a doctorado y que fue subcampeona a principios de este año en el concurso de CBS “Survivor”, dijo que salió de su laboratorio en el edificio de ingeniería 15 minutos antes de que sonaran los disparos.

La estudiante de ingeniería y ciencias térmicas compartió momentos sinceros en “Survivor” como la primera concursante abiertamente autista del programa. Estaba confinada en el gimnasio del campus después del tiroteo y compartió en las redes sociales que el único otro miembro de su laboratorio que estaba presente fue evacuado de manera segura.

Alex Bruce, estudiante de último año de bioquímica en Brown, estaba trabajando en un proyecto de investigación final en su residencia, justo al otro lado de la calle del edificio, cuando oyó sirenas afuera.

“Estoy aquí temblando”, dijo, mirando por la ventana mientras agentes armados rodeaban su residencia.

Estudiantes se escondieron debajo de los escritorios

Estudiantes en un laboratorio cercano apagaron las luces y se escondieron debajo de los escritorios después de recibir una alerta sobre el tiroteo, dijo Chiangheng Chien, estudiante de doctorado en ingeniería que estaba a una cuadra de la escena.

Mari Camara, de 20 años, una estudiante de tercer año de la ciudad de Nueva York, estaba saliendo de la biblioteca y se apresuró a entrar en una taquería para buscar refugio. Pasó más de tres horas allí, enviando mensajes de texto a amigos mientras la policía registraba el campus.

“Todos están igual que yo, sorprendidos y aterrorizados de que algo así haya sucedido”, dijo.

Brown, la séptima institución de educación superior más antigua en Estados Unidos, es una de las universidades más prestigiosas del país con aproximadamente 7,300 estudiantes de pregrado y más de 3.000 estudiantes de posgrado. La matrícula, la vivienda y otras tarifas ascienden a casi 100.000 dólares por año, según la universidad.

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Los periodistas de Associated Press Alanna Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo y Seung Min Kim en Washington, Hannah Schoenbaum en Salt Lake City, Jack Dura en Bismarck, Dakota del Norte, Martha Bellisle en Seattle y John Seewer en Toledo, Ohio, contribuyeron.

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/la-polica-detiene-a-una-persona-en-relacin-con-el-tiroteo-mortal-en-la-universidad-de-brown/ 

Over the course of Thornton Township High School woodworking teacher Lamont Bibbie’s 39-year career, crafting and painting benches has become his trademark.

It started when he was in high school, Bibbie recalled Thursday, with him dumpster diving for construction materials.

“From that point, I connected with the art teacher and she was like, ‘I think this is going to be your journey,’” Bibbie said. “She’s deceased now, but she gathered me in that direction of art and woodworking and collecting works together.”

Bibbie, who is from Dixmoor, said he struggled academically and transferred high schools several times before graduating from Thornton, the school where he now teaches other students interested in woodworking.

Almost immediately after learning earlier this year that Robert Prevost, who grew up in Dolton, was the new pope, Bibbie said he was overwhelmed with a vision for a Pope Leo XIV bench.

“What this man has done for Dolton — he has literally put them on the map,” Bibbie said.

With the help of other Thornton Township District 205 students and teachers, Bibbie has brought his vision to life.

Two benches honoring the pope were donated to Dolton and were recently moved inside Prevost’s childhood home at 212 E. 141st Place.

“That’s almost like a miracle,” Bibbie said. “If you really want a stamp of approval, that’s it.”

Bibbie and students in his woodworking class constructed the benches from recycled wood and took design help from Amoz Wright’s graphic communications class.

The first bench shows both Pope Leo XIV and his childhood home, which was made with three-dimensional elements to indicate its importance to the pope’s story.

“The strong point of the first bench was the house,” Bibbie said.

Also symbolic to the bench was an array of dots in the background to represent the 1.4 billion Catholics the pope presides over, with red dots representing Catholic leaders in communities throughout the world.

A bench largely constructed by woodworking teacher Lamont Bibbie’s class shows Pope Leo XIV as well as an image of his childhood home in Dolton. (Lamont Bibbie)

Bibbie said he encouraged his students research Pope Leo XIV to learn more about the global relevance of his position. Bibbie himself is a spiritual leader at his church and said for inspiration, he visited Prevost’s childhood home and the nearby, now closed, church his family attended at 310 E. 137th St., Chicago.

Wright, in his second year of teaching at Thornton, said he was excited for his class to be brought onto the project. He’s a District 205 alumnus who as a professional artist creates murals that often reflect his journey with religious faith.

“For me, it was an opportunity to take a closer look at Dolton and just see some of the positivity that’s coming out of Dolton,” Wright said. “Not only being aware of the pope and how grand that title is, but allowing the students to see that something and someone so big could come from a place where we come from.”

Wright said the bench project also served as a positive introductory experience for students to collaborate not only with each other, but with another class.

Thornton High School District 205 students and teachers designed and constructed two benches to honor Pope Leo XIV’s Dolton history, one showing an image of the pope with the village’s colors as a backdrop. (Lamont Bibbie)

“This project was one that really gave the students the opportunity to work with a client,” Wright said. “For the students to be able to prepare a piece of work for someone other than just myself, the teacher. Because in reality, if they take on this pathway as a career, it could be moments like these that just give them an edge in the working world.”

Wright’s class took the lead on painting a bench that realistically depicts the pope in the bullseye of a blue-and-white backdrop, colors that represent Dolton.

Eighteen-year-old Jamari Brumfield, one of Wright’s students, said he was proud to have painted details on the bench’s seat and legs and worked with his classmates to choose colors “to make it really stand out.”

“It’s really about getting to know different artists and learning that art isn’t just one person,” Brumfield said. “Many people come together to make art, to inspire other people who want to do art or just to inspire people in general.”

Thornton High School District 205 teachers Amoz Wright and Lamont Bibbie sit in front of students who helped construct a bench honoring Pope Leo XIV: Lashon Washington, from left, Nevaeh Brown, Tanyja Campbell, Keanue Tyler and Lashonda Washington. (Lamont Bibbie)

Wright said he painted the realistic depiction of Prevost’s face that was important for him to “document a moment in time,” something taught to him by his mother, who is also an artist.

“She always was big on letting us know how important it was to be a historian when you’re an artist,” Wright said. “I think this moment for me was an opportunity to reflect on … becoming a historian.”

ostevens@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/thornton-district-205-pope-leo-home-dolton/