Category: News
Robert Suárez y los Bravos de Atlanta acuerdan contrato de 45 millones por tres años
ATLANTA (AP) — El relevista venezolano Robert Suárez y los Bravos de Atlanta acordaron el jueves un contrato de tres años por 45 millones.
Suárez, dos veces All-Star, recibirá un salario de 13 millones en 2026 y 16 millones en cada una de las dos temporadas siguientes. Donará el 1% de su salario a la Fundación de los Bravos de Atlanta.
El derecho de 34 años tuvo un récord de 4-6 con 40 salvamentos y una efectividad de 2.97 este año y ha acumulado 76 salvamentos en las últimas dos temporadas.
Tiene un récord de 22-13 con una efectividad de 2.91 y 77 salvamentos en cuatro temporadas en las Grandes Ligas, todas con San Diego.
El lanzador zurdo Ryan Rolison fue colocado en asignación.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Argentina reporta inflación 2,5% en noviembre; tercer mes consecutivo de aceleración
Associated Press
BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina registró en noviembre un repunte de la inflación por tercer mes consecutivo con una variación de 2,5%, impulsada por aumentos de alimentos, combustibles y tarifas de servicios públicos.
Junto con el índice de precios mensual, el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) reportó el jueves que la inflación acumulada en los 11 primeros meses del año fue de 27,9% y que la interanual —respecto de noviembre de 2024— fue de 31,4%.
La política anti-inflacionaria del presidente ultraliberal Javier Milei venía siendo exitosa para frenar el ritmo vertiginoso que había tomado el indicador desde fines de 2023. Sin embargo, la medición oficial ha retomado la senda ascendente en septiembre (2,1%) y octubre (2,3%).
Pese a que el dato no es alentador, el ministro de Economía Luis Caputo destacó en sus redes sociales que “a casi dos años de gestión, y partiendo de un 25,5% mensual en diciembre de 2023, la inflación se redujo a los menores niveles en ocho años”.
El funcionario enfatizó además que la inflación acumulada en los primeros 11 meses fue la menor para ese período desde 2017.
La mala noticia para el gobierno, coinciden los analistas, es que en noviembre el rubro alimentos volvió a tener una marcada influencia sobre el cálculo de inflación con una variación de 2,8%.
“Tanto la carne como las frutas impactaron en la dinámica, en particular en las primeras dos semanas del mes, con correcciones del 5,8% y 18,7% respectivamente”, analizó la consultora Eco Go.
También impactaron sobre el cálculo los rubros vivienda, agua, electricidad y otros combustibles (3,4%) por aumentos en las tarifas de servicios públicos y combustible, y el de transporte (3,4%).
El relevamiento de expectativas del mercado que realiza el Banco Central proyecta una inflación de 2,1% para diciembre.
Directiva de Mets recibe críticas tras salidas de Alonso, Díaz y Nimmo
Por MIKE FITZPATRICK
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Brandon Nimmo fue el primero. Luego fue Edwin Díaz y Pete Alonso en días consecutivos en las reuniones de invierno del béisbol.
Tres favoritos de los fanáticos se fueron en dos semanas y media, un golpe devastador para los enojados seguidores de los Mets de Nueva York que se preguntan qué se está tramando en los despachos.
Mientras el club se embarca en una gran renovación, basta decir que el propietario Steve Cohen y el presidente de operaciones de béisbol David Stearns no son la pareja más popular en Queens en este momento.
“Soy muy optimista sobre hacia dónde se encamina nuestra temporada baja. Ciertamente tenemos trabajo por hacer, pero hay muchos buenos jugadores disponibles. Confío en que nos gustará dónde estará nuestro equipo una vez que lleguemos al día de apertura”, señaló Stearns el martes en Florida, antes de la noticia de la firma de Alonso con Baltimore.
Sin embargo, qué diferencia hace un año.
Cohen y Stearns fueron la sensación de la ciudad el diciembre pasado, superando a los Yankees de Nueva York por el codiciado agente libre Juan Soto con un contrato récord de 765 millones de dólares.
Eso se produjo tras un inesperado avance a la Serie de Campeonato de la Liga Nacional 2024, después de que Stearns lograra grandes éxitos con varias adquisiciones poco reconocidas durante su primer año a cargo: Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, José Iglesias y Tyrone Taylor.
Seguramente, con el respaldo financiero de Cohen y el intelecto de Stearns, los Mets estaban preparados para dar un gran mordisco a la Gran Manzana en los años venideros.
Pero mientras sus principales rivales continuaron prosperando este año, los Mets terminaron 83-79 y se perdieron los playoffs. Los segundos mayores gastadores del béisbol, con 429 millones de dólares en nómina y proyección de impuesto de lujo, tuvieron un colapso sorprendente al cerrar 38-55 tras haber presumido del mejor récord en las mayores (45-24) el 12 de junio.
El día después de que terminó la temporada, Stearns asumió la culpa por equívocos en la fecha límite de cambios. Cohen se disculpó con los fanáticos en las redes sociales. El cuerpo técnico bajo el mando del mánager Carlos Mendoza fue depurado de inmediato.
Muchos pensaron que Cohen, uno de los propietarios más ricos en los deportes profesionales, rápidamente recurriría a su robusta billetera este invierno, al menos para mantener a Díaz y Alonso de salir en la agencia libre. Pero eso realmente no ha sucedido.
“Steve nos da todo lo que necesitamos. Tenemos muchos recursos. Ningún equipo tiene recursos interminables”, señaló Stearns esta semana.
Después de que los Mets firmaron al relevista dos veces All-Star Devin Williams con un contrato de 51 millones de dólares por tres años, Díaz acordó un contrato de 69 millones de dólares por tres años con los Dodgers de Los Ángeles, reinante doble campeones de la Serie Mundial, sujeto a un examen físico exitoso.
Informes de los medios indicaron que Nueva York fue superado por apenas 3 millones de dólares en la puja por los servicios del puertorriqueño Díaz, quien llegó en 2019 y ocupa el tercer lugar en la historia de la franquicia con 144 salvamentos.
Luego, el miércoles, se supo que Alonso acordó un contrato de 155 millones de dólares por cinco años con Baltimore, según dijo una persona con conocimiento de las negociaciones a The Associated Press. La persona habló con la AP bajo condición de anonimato porque el acuerdo estaba pendiente de un examen físico.
La persona dijo que los Mets expresaron interés en retener nuevamente el bate del primera base, lo cual hicieron la temporada baja pasada, pero decidieron esperar y ver qué sucedía entre Alonso y otros equipos en lugar de presionar una búsqueda ellos mismos.
“Estoy asombrado”, expresó en MLB Network Ron Darling, analista de transmisiones de los Mets y ex lanzador del equipo.
“Tal vez ahora entren en la carrera por Kyle Tucker, para un bate legítimo en el jardín. Pero es solo que, estos últimos dos días deben ser realmente difíciles para los fanáticos de los Mets”.
Todo esto después de que Nimmo, el jugador con más tiempo en el equipo, renunció a la cláusula de no canje en su contrato el mes pasado y aceptó un acuerdo con Texas por Marcus Semien, el segunda base ganador del Guante de Oro.
“Esos son tres jugadores increíblemente importantes, amados por la base de fanáticos, han demostrado que pueden lanzar o jugar en Nueva York. Eso no es algo fácil, ¿verdad? Y ahora, todos se han ido”, señaló Darling.
Alonso y Nimmo se combinaron para 63 jonrones y 218 carreras impulsadas la temporada pasada.
“Ahora le han pagado a Soto 765 millones para recibir 150 bases por bola el próximo año”, añadió Darling.
Stearns creció en Manhattan apoyando a los Mets, y Cohen era un ferviente fanático incluso antes de comprar el club hace cinco años. Pero han mostrado poco sentimentalismo cuando se trata de valorar a los jugadores clave, y Stearns dijo después de cambiar a Nimmo que “repetir exactamente el mismo grupo no era lo correcto”.
Informes de tensión en el vestuario surgieron en las últimas semanas, aunque Mendoza descartó esa noción.
Alonso tiene el récord de la franquicia con 264 jonrones. Él y Nimmo se unen a una lista notable de pilares de los Mets formados en casa que eventualmente se fueron a otros lugares, desde Tug McGraw, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman y Jon Matlack hasta Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, José Reyes y Jacob deGrom.
David Wright sigue siendo uno de los pocos jugadores estrella de posición que pasó toda su carrera en azul y naranja.
La presión sobre Stearns, un éxito en un mercado pequeño en Milwaukee, ahora aumenta exponencialmente para tapar varios grandes huecos y reconstruir un contendiente. El tercera base Mark Vientos podría pasar a primera como reemplazo de Alonso, pero los planes particulares de Nueva York no están claros. Y cuantos más jugadores de calidad se vayan, más difícil se vuelve convencer a los agentes libres de que los Mets están actualmente equipados para ganar.
Lo que es cierto es que la defensa y el corrido de bases son prioridades para Stearns, además de que parece muy reacio a dar contratos de más de tres años a jugadores en sus 30.
Y cree en poner a los jóvenes en el campo, buscando flexibilidad en la plantilla y espacio en posiciones que proporcionarán oportunidades de juego para los prometedores bateadores en un sistema de ligas menores altamente calificado como Carson Benge, Jett Williams y Ryan Clifford.
“Nuestros recursos que tenemos aquí son una ventaja enorme. Y mientras asignemos esos recursos inteligentemente, seguirán siendo una ventaja enorme”, señaló Stearns.
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El escritor de béisbol de AP Ronald Blum y la escritora freelance de AP Kristie Ackert contribuyeron a este informe.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Presidente de Costa Rica visita El Salvador para hablar de seguridad con Bukele y conocer megacárcel
Associated Press
SAN SALVADOR (AP) — El presidente de Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, llegó el jueves a El Salvador en visita oficial para abordar con su homólogo Nayib Bukele temas sobre seguridad y cooperación, así como conocer el Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), una megaprisión donde están recluidos los pandilleros más peligrosos del país.
Casa Presidencial de El Salvador informó que la visita del mandatario costarricense busca “fortalecer lazos de cooperación y diálogo, además de establecer una agenda estratégica de trabajo conjunto que beneficiará a ambas naciones y a la región centroamericana”.
Chávez dijo el miércoles que Bukele lo había invitado para que trataran sobre las políticas de seguridad y que también aprovechará para conocer el CECOT, la prisión de máxima seguridad inaugurada en 2023 para recluir a los miembros de la llamadas maras o pandillas.
Se espera que ambos mandatarios suscriban acuerdos en materia de cooperación y dar seguimiento a otros sobre seguridad y comercio alcanzados el año pasado.
Bukele visitó Costa Rica en noviembre de 2024 y recorrió la principal cárcel de ese país conocida como La Reforma, habló con Chaves sobre el fenómeno de las pandillas en El Salvador y lo instó a reformar el sistema penitenciario de ese país.
El ministro de Paz y Justicia de Costa Rica, Gerald Campos Valverde visitó luego en abril El Salvador para un encuentro con su par en el que repasaron la política de mano dura aplicada por el gobierno de Bukele en los últimos tres años. Costa Rica está interesada en replicar parte de esa estrategia en un intento por combatir la creciente violencia y el aumento de los asesinatos.
Bukele ordenó la construcción de la megacárcel mientras emprendía su campaña contra las pandillas en marzo de 2022. Se inauguró un año después en la localidad de Tecoluca, a unos 72 kilómetros (45 millas) al este de la capital salvadoreña.
Tiene capacidad para albergar a 40.000 reclusos y consta de ocho pabellones extensos. Sus celdas alojan a entre 65 y 70 prisioneros cada una. No reciben visitas y no hay programas que los preparen para volver a la sociedad después de sus condenas, ni talleres, ni programas educativos. Nunca se les permite salir al exterior.
Después que en un solo día las pandillas asesinaron a 62 personas en todo el país, a iniciativa de Bukele el Congreso aprobó el régimen de excepción que suspende varias garantías constitucionales, como el de ser informado sobre los motivos de la detención o el de tener acceso a un abogado. Además, las fuerzas de seguridad pueden intervenir las telecomunicaciones sin orden judicial y se extiende la detención sin audiencia judicial de 72 horas a 15 días.
Durante la vigencia del régimen de excepción, l as autoridades han detenido a más de 90.200 personas por presuntos cargos de pertener o estar asociados a pandillas.
El propio gobierno ha reconocido que la mayoría de los detenidos se encuentran en prisión a la espera de un juicio y que más de 8.000 han tenido que ser liberados por falta de pruebas. En tanto, organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos advierten que podría haber hasta 25.000 inocentes encarcelados.
Trump Admin Pulls 9,500 Truck Drivers Off The Road For Failing English Tests
Trump Admin Pulls 9,500 Truck Drivers Off The Road For Failing English Tests
Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said more than 9,500 commercial truckers have been taken out of service for failing English-language proficiency checks, a cumulative enforcement tally he said highlights an ongoing effort to keep unqualified operators from posing dangers on the nation’s roads.
“We’ve now knocked 9,500 truck drivers out of service for failing to speak our national language — ENGLISH!” Duffy wrote in a Dec. 10 post on X. “This administration will always put you and your family’s safety first.”
The tally reflects cumulative enforcement actions taken since May, when the Department of Transportation reinstated out-of-service penalties for drivers who cannot read or speak English well enough to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
President Donald Trump and Duffy have both said the renewed enforcement is necessary to ensure truckers can understand road signs, communicate with police and inspectors, and follow instructions at checkpoints and weigh stations.
“America First means safety first,” Duffy said in May. “Americans are a lot safer on roads alongside truckers who can understand and interpret our traffic signs. This common-sense change ensures the penalty for failure to comply is more than a slap on the wrist.”
The crackdown comes after Trump signed an executive order in March designating English as the country’s official language. In April, he signed another order directing Duffy to ensure that commercial truck drivers who fail to meet English-language proficiency standards are taken out of service.
“My Administration will enforce the law to protect the safety of American truckers, drivers, passengers, and others, including by upholding the safety enforcement regulations that ensure that anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and proficient in our national language, English,” Trump wrote in the April order. “This is common sense.”
Trump’s April order scrapped an Obama-era rule under which inspectors could cite truckers for failing English requirements but were not allowed to remove them from service, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in a May memo.
Fatal Crashes Prompt Wider Crackdown
The English-proficiency push is part of a broader campaign to tighten oversight of commercial licensing after a series of fatal crashes involving foreign or nondomiciled drivers. Several of those drivers were later found to have failed English tests or held licenses issued in error by states.
In one Florida case, Indian national Harjinder Singh was accused of killing three people after making an illegal U-turn in a semi-truck.
Harjinder Singh is escorted onto an airplane by Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and law enforcement in Stockton, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2025. Benjamin Fanjoy/AP Photo
Officials said Singh—who was in the United States illegally—failed an English exam, answered only two of 12 questions correctly, and could identify just one of four road signs. Despite that, Washington state issued him a full-term commercial driver’s license (CDL) in 2023, and California issued a second CDL in 2024.
Singh pleaded not guilty in September. The Epoch Times reached out to Singh’s attorney for comment at the time but did not receive a response.
Federal reviews have identified similar cases in California, New York, Pennsylvania, and other states, prompting widespread scrutiny of state licensing practices.
States Face Pressure, Funding Loss
The mass disqualifications follow the Transportation Department’s ongoing audit of how states issue nondomiciled CDLs to foreign drivers. In September, Duffy issued emergency restrictions after auditors found a “catastrophic pattern” of noncompliance in multiple jurisdictions, with California singled out as the most severe case.
The audit found that more than 25 percent of California’s no-domiciled CDLs were issued improperly, many to drivers whose lawful presence in the United States had expired months or years earlier. One Brazilian national received endorsements to operate school buses after his immigration documents had lapsed, in a case the Transportation Department described as shocking.
A sign at a press conference held by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy at the Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington on Oct. 30, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
“What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American,” Duffy said in September. “Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers–often times illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it.”
The Transportation Department has since threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal highway safety funds from California, Washington, and New Mexico unless they fully enforce English-language rules and revoke improperly issued licenses. California alone risks losing more than $40 million, though state officials have said they already require English testing during commercial road exams.
The language crackdown coincides with heightened immigration enforcement targeting commercial drivers who are in the country illegally.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in October that 146 illegal immigrants operating semi-trucks were arrested during a joint ICE–Indiana State Police operation near the Illinois border. More than 40 drivers held CDLs issued by states including California, Illinois, and New York.
“Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs,” Noem said in an Oct. 30 statement. “And yet, sanctuary states around the country have been issuing illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses. The Trump Administration is ending the chaos.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 14:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-admin-pulls-9500-truck-drivers-road-failing-english-tests
Holiday Express at Blackberry Farm in Aurora canceled on Saturday and Sunday due to expected frigid weather
Due to “dangerously low temperatures expected this weekend,” Fox Valley Park District officials said they have made the decision to cancel all Holiday Express events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Blackberry Farm in Aurora.
The cancellation includes the Hot Cocoa with Anna & Elsa and Storytime with the Grinch programs set for this weekend – separate ticketed events held in conjunction with Holiday Express.
Guests who purchased tickets for Saturday or Sunday will receive a full refund and have been notified by email, according to a statement from the district on Thursday.
Holiday Express at Blackberry Farm at 100 S. Barnes Road in Aurora will be held Friday evening and next weekend as scheduled, district officials said.
“All of our decisions are made with the safety of our guests and staff at the forefront, and the expected conditions simply won’t allow us to operate safely,” Fox Valley Park District Recreation Superintendent Becky Harling said in the statement.
“It was an easy decision in terms of safety, but difficult because we understand the disappointment,” Harling said. “We always want to make sure that the experience matches or exceeds the price of the ticket and we just wouldn’t be able to fulfill that this weekend.”
‘Growing pains’: Mundelein struggling to balance rapid growth and its impact
Go back 15 years, and Mundelein was a different place.
Take Archer Avenue, which was once a small, worn road bordered by a wall of shrubs, half-grown trees and mid-sized apartments. Today, drivers can see the Village Hall and a growing collection of multi-story, large-scale apartments.
Those changes, and many other developments around the area, are the results of decades of planning, local leaders past and present say, as Mundelein takes advantage of its unique position to expand.
But as major projects take shape to the west, Mundelein is facing some growing pains, and not necessarily from the expected sources.
While many recent Village Board meetings have run long with numerous residents attending to speak, many are there on behalf of Mundelein’s school districts, which have openly feuded with the village over impact fees for future developments.
The conflict has grown out of a surge of residential developments in the last decade, and big plans on the drawing board for even more future growth.
Water and land
Steve Lentz is a former mayor of Mundelein, holding office from 2013 until he chose not to run for reelection in April. He pointed to the village’s water reclamation facility, which Mundelein owns, as a critical resource for the community’s development over the years.
While other communities have to go through various approvals for new developments to get water and sewer, he said the plant’s excess capacity makes Mundelein “very well positioned to just say ‘yes.’”
“It’s the village’s largest asset,” Lentz said.
Going back 20 to 25 years ago, he said the “main complaint” in Mundelein was the lack of a coherent downtown. It was still an industrial area.
Starting in the early to mid-2000s, village leadership at the time commissioned a transit-oriented development plan, based around the existing train station, to revitalize the area.
It’s a model that’s been used across the country over the years, from San Francisco to Chicago.
“You increase density in your downtown area, you have more people and they’re able to walk around,” Lentz said. “Then businesses will be attracted to that greater population, and spring up to serve their needs.”
During the 2008 financial crisis, Lentz said Mundelein “took the bull by the horns,” acquiring various industrial properties on the cheap with plans to redevelop. Box factories, lumber yards and recycling centers were transformed into what the area is today.
Amanda Orenchuk, the village’s community development director, said Mundelein is historically a more affordable community in Lake County, with about 30% of housing falling into the “attainable” designation by the state.
Post-2008, Mundelein updated its zoning ordinances, Orenchuk said, moving to encourage more development. Village officials also implemented the use of Tax Increment Financing districts, a financing tool that funds current improvements with future property tax increases.
Driving around downtown, the push for development is still visible. It’s easy to spot the rising concrete stairwells and elevator shafts of under-construction apartment buildings near the Metra station, bringing many hundreds of housing units.
And with housing comes improved retail development, according to Bill Shiner, CEO of the Shiner Group. Formed in 1982, the group was the developer of what is today the Long Meadow Commons shopping center, situated northwest of the Route 176 and North Midlothian Road intersection.
When the group first broke ground in Mundelein, Shiner said he never would have envisioned the changes downtown has seen.
“What they’ve done there, I thought was an extraordinary master plan,” he said.
Housing, schools and business are all intertwined in the community, Shiner said. More housing and robust schools attract people, and retail follows. Retail sales mean revenue for the community, including the schools. When looking at a community’s health, those different factors can’t be examined in isolation, he said.
Residential growth is critical, Shiner argued. Without it, retail and business — whether national chains or local shops — stagnate, and that means less money for the schools and dropping property values.
Developments stoke controversy
But some newer projects have led to long and angry Village Board meetings.
To the west is the future location of Ivanhoe Village, several hundred acres owned by the wealthy Wirtz family — which also owns the Chicago Blackhawks — planned over several decades to become a community of more than 3,000 housing units and millions of square feet of commercial space.
And just to the east of that is the proposed Walnut Ridge housing development, one of the newest proposals from the Pulte Home Company. It’s positioned as a continuation of the nearby Sheldon Woods, and would bring an additional 150-plus housing units. Mundelein annexed land for the development last month.
The Wirtz development has been the source of many months of controversy regarding impact fees from the developer, with leaders of Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120 and Fremont School District 79 saying new developments will overwhelm the schools’ capacity and could even require the construction of a new school.
The village has argued the numbers are far less dire, and the developer agreed to a 10-year lookback during negotiations, where officials will compare the projections for child populations from today and the reality in the decade, paying for any discrepancy.
The developers also agreed to several concessions to aid the schools, including a cap on units built per year, $1.1 million in upfront cash to be split between the districts, and the paying of fees even on senior-targeted and senior-restricted housing.
The Walnut Ridge development has only thrown more fuel on the fire. It’s the first time Mundelein is applying a new impact-fee ordinance, village Trustee Kara Lambert said, meant to set a baseline for negotiations with developers.
It’s a fairly common ordinance in the region, according to Mundelein staff, with similar ordinances in Buffalo Grove, Libertyville, Grayslake and Vernon Hills, among other municipalities.
But the result has upset the districts and Lambert, who say the per-house impact fees have been significantly reduced in the Walnut Ridge project. Lambert was the sole vote against approval last month, emphasizing the need to be responsible with developments.
She focused on the lower impact fees per housing unit for the schools in comparison to the similar Sheldon Woods development, also from Pulte.
Walnut Ridge was a “test case” for the new ordinance, but as the community already faces division over Ivanhoe Village, this most recent incident was poor timing and “left such a sour taste in my mouth,” she said, calling it “salt on the wound.”
Whether this is a development-specific issue, or a broader concern regarding housing developments and the school districts is uncertain in Lambert’s mind, calling it “growing pains.”
Explaining the impact fees, Orenchuk said in a statement that the taxing districts have “many years” of voluntary donation agreements with developers. She said developers are sometimes more willing to give donations “above and beyond the amounts” of “typically calculated impact fees” using a standard formula.
“Developers and taxing bodies negotiated a mutually acceptable donation agreement using their own methodology,” Orenchuk said in a statement. Those donation agreements were incorporated into development, redevelopment and annexation agreements.
The issue prompted a letter signed by six area school districts, including Fremont and D120, calling for revisions to the impact-fee ordinance, including the districts in annexation and zoning decisions, and creating a joint committee with representatives from various area taxing bodies, including the schools.
Fremont’s Superintendent Trisha Kocanda said the districts want to have a greater say in planning, to make sure they “maintain education standards” and ensure “growth pays for growth.”
With the controversy over Ivanhoe Village and now Walnut Ridge, Kocanda argues they have broader concerns with Mundelein.
“We’ve been moving backwards as far as being able to be productive,” she said.
In previous public statements, Mundelein leaders have emphasized moving past the impact-fee controversy, which has continued despite the election of a new mayor and board members.
Mundelein’s future
Ivanhoe Village will take more than two decades to be fully completed, and its unprecedented scale for Mundelein will leave the village transformed. But beyond that sizable project, Lentz said there’s otherwise limited vacant land out west in the village, meaning other developments will likely continue to be focused around the downtown.
Mundelein Mayor Robin Meier, for her part, said her focus looking ahead will be “business retention and growth.” That includes the use of events, arts and entertainment to draw in people. Mundelein is also pushing for better public transit, and seeking partners for downtown opportunity sites, she said
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/mundelein-new-developments/
Putin Doubles Down On Backing Maduro As US Prepares To Seize More Oil Tankers
Putin Doubles Down On Backing Maduro As US Prepares To Seize More Oil Tankers
The Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday and reassured him of Moscow’s support, at a moment he’s facing likely regime change action at the hands of US military might.
Putin expressed support for Maduro’s rule “in the face of growing external pressure,” but they also discussed their advancing a strategic partnership and the areas of ongoing economic and energy projects. Moscow has long stood by Caracas’ side throughout years of growing isolation and sanctions.
The Kremlin statement added that “Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government’s policy of safeguarding national interests and sovereignty amid mounting external pressure.”
Wednesday saw elite American special forces operators board and seize a Venezuelan oil tanker. They were filmed rappelling onto the ship’s deck from a helicopter, with rifles at the ready.
This has serious repercussions for Russia too, given Moscow has been a longtime trading partner with Caracas, and it raises the potential that Russian tankers in the Caribbean could be intercepted.
Perhaps even more notably, Reuters reports that Washington is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Further direct interventions by the U.S. are expected in the coming weeks targeting ships carrying Venezuelan oil that may also have transported oil from other countries targeted by U.S. sanctions, such as Iran, according to the sources familiar with the matter who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Last weekend Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that his country would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Venezuela in this time of crisis, but didn’t offer anything concrete.
“This is primarily due to the desire to assert the unquestioning dominance of the United States in the region, this is a trademark of the Trump administration,” Ryabkov explained.
According to some more of the latest developments via Newsweek:
Initial reports on Wednesday cited U.S. officials saying the Coast Guard carried out the tanker seizure under international maritime law, targeting vessels tied to alleged illicit PDVSA-linked crude shipments.
U.S President Donald Trump later confirmed the seizure, hinting that “other things are happening,” but offered no further details.
A senior Trump administration official described the move as a “judicial enforcement action on a stateless vessel” last docked in Venezuela.
Oil prices jumped on the news: Brent crude rose 0.8 percent to $62.35 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate climbed to $58.46.
Analysts warn the seizure may further strain U.S.–Venezuela relations and deter shippers already wary of handling sanctioned Venezuelan crude.
Maduro has long accused Washington of seeking to overthrow him and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves; the nation’s production has fallen from over 2 million barrels a day to roughly 1 million.
The seizure comes after Trump renewed threats of intervention by land, air, or sea, including a recent U.S. fighter jet flyover near Venezuelan airspace.
Caracas condemned the action as “international piracy” and “brazen theft,” accusing the U.S. of trying to control its natural resources.
Trump called the tanker the “largest ever” seized by the U.S.
Some hawks have long viewed Venezuela as a Latin American satellite state of Russian influence…
According to this column, “In Venezuela, the Department of War is indeed playing offense, as Trump promised, but the opponent isn’t really Maduro, it’s Putin” pic.twitter.com/1W0ros2WvM
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) December 7, 2025
While Russia has been a longtime ally of President Maduro, it is unlikely to come to his defense in any direct way, also given the delicate and sensitive efforts to improve bilateral ties with Washington amid talks to de-escalate the Ukraine war. This despite Caracas having formally pleaded for more help from Moscow of late, including arms deliveries.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 14:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/putin-doubles-down-backing-maduro-after-us-seizes-oil-tanker
Michigan left scrambling to find a new coach after Sherrone Moore’s firing and arrest
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sherrone Moore spent the night in jail awaiting arraignment while college football’s winningest program suddenly started searching for a new coach.
Michigan has quite a mess on its hands.
The NCAA put the program on probation less than four months ago, stemming from a sign-stealing scandal, and athletic director Warde Manuel has said penalties will cost the department more than $30 million.
And now the Wolverines are scrambling to find a new leader for their shaken football team.
Manuel informed the team of his decision to fire Moore on Wednesday afternoon for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
The move leaves Michigan looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.
Without a coach in place for next season, the program might lose a slew of players in the transfer portal this winter.
Moore led the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.
He signed a five-year contract last year with a base annual salary of $5.5 million. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.
Michigan is set to play No. 13 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to the Jim Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach.
Moore was suspended for two games as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to the scandal. The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.
He also was suspended for the season opener during the 2023 national championship season as part of the the school’s self-imposed penalties for impermissible texts and calls to high school prospects during part of a pandemic-related dead period for contact with potential recruits.
Moore was arrested Wednesday night after his firing. In response to media inquiries about Moore, Pittsfield Township police issued a statement that said officers were called to investigate an alleged assault and took a person into custody without mentioning a name.
The police department said the suspect was scheduled for arraignment Friday.
The 39-year-old Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment before he was taken into custody.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/michigan-scrambling-new-coach-sherrone-moore/
Conservation officers say take care on frozen surfaces; stay off shelf ice
The early arrival of winter in Northwest Indiana has triggered a warning from Indiana Conservation officers to be careful when venturing onto frozen surfaces, and especially stay off the shelf ice along the Lake Michigan shore.
Every year, there have been cases throughout the state where a person falls through the ice and loses their life. A 22-year-old man from Indianapolis died on Feb. 21, 2022, after he fell through shelf ice at West Beach in the Indiana Dunes National Park.
Indiana Conservation officers urge caution when walking on frozen lakes, ponds, rivers, streams or retention ponds.
The rule of thumb is to believe that all ice is thin ice, unless proven otherwise.
Along the Lake Michigan shoreline, ice crusts have already begun to form earlier than usual.
Doug Lang, manager of the Indiana Dunes State Park, said that shelf ice usually doesn’t occur until January after a number of consecutive days of below-freezing temperatures.
Last year, there were about 20 days when significant formations of shelf ice were present.
A warning sign about shelf ice is posted at the main beach area for the Indiana Dunes State Park. (Jim Woods/for Post-Tribune)
Northwest Indiana has been inundated with more snow already, so it’s likely there will be more days of significant shelf ice this winter season along the Lake Michigan shore.
The Indiana Dunes State Park at the end of November posted signs in three different locations that warn: “Do not risk your life. Stay off the shelf ice.”
Shelf ice can be beautiful to behold.
“It looks like a hill of full, solid ice,” Lang said.
Those who climb the shelf ice hills may feel like they are on a secure surface.
However, there is water flowing underneath and there is a danger that the ice can separate, causing the person to fall through, Lang said.
“We try to educate people the best we can, through social media,” Lang said.
Indiana Conservation officers have the following tips, in addition to assuming that no ice is safe:
*Test the thickness of ice with an ice auger. At least 4 inches is recommended for ice fishing; 5 inches is recommended for snowmobiling.
*Wear a life jacket or flotation coat.
*Have ice picks and rope gear handy.
*Before going on ice, notify family or friends concerning your whereabouts.
*Don’t test the thickness of the ice while alone.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/conservation-offices-say-stay-off-shelf-ice/
