Consumer Stock Bosses Reinforce ‘K-Shaped’ Bifurcation Theme

Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/09/2025 – 06:55

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/consumer-stock-bosses-reinforce-k-shaped-bifurcation-theme 

Por KELVIN CHAN

LONDRES (AP) — Google enfrentaba una nueva pesquisa antimonopolio por parte de los reguladores de la Unión Europea, quienes abrieron una investigación el martes sobre el uso que hace la compañía del contenido en línea para sus modelos y servicios de inteligencia artificial.

La Comisión Europea, que es el principal organismo de control antimonopolio del bloque de 27 naciones, dijo que analiza si Google ha violado las normas de competencia a través del uso de contenido de editores web, así como de material subido a YouTube con fines de inteligencia artificial.

A los reguladores les preocupa que Google se haya otorgado una ventaja injusta al utilizar contenido para dos servicios de búsqueda, AI Overviews y AI Mode, sin pagar a los editores ni permitirles optar por no participar. AI Overviews genera automáticamente resúmenes que aparecen en la parte superior de sus resultados de búsqueda tradicionales, mientras que AI Mode proporciona respuestas estilo chatbot a las consultas de búsqueda.

También están examinando si Google utiliza videos subidos a YouTube en condiciones similares para entrenar sus modelos de IA generativa, mientras excluye a los desarrolladores de modelos de IA rivales.

“Esta queja corre el riesgo de sofocar la innovación en un mercado que es más competitivo que nunca. Los europeos merecen beneficiarse de las últimas tecnologías y continuaremos trabajando estrechamente con las industrias de noticias y creativas mientras hacen la transición a la era de la IA”, afirmó Google en un comunicado.

La Comisión, que es el brazo ejecutivo del bloque, lleva a cabo la investigación bajo las regulaciones de competencia de larga data de la UE, en lugar de su más reciente Ley de Mercados Digitales que fue elaborada para evitar que las grandes empresas tecnológicas monopolicen los mercados en línea.

“La IA está trayendo una innovación notable y muchos beneficios para las personas y empresas en toda Europa, pero este progreso no puede darse a expensas de los principios en el corazón de nuestras sociedades”, dijo en un comunicado Teresa Ribera, vicepresidenta de la comisión a cargo de los asuntos de competencia.

“Es por eso que estamos investigando si Google puede haber impuesto términos y condiciones injustos a los editores y creadores de contenido, mientras coloca a los desarrolladores de modelos de IA rivales en desventaja, en violación de las normas de competencia de la UE”.

Bruselas no tiene un plazo para concluir el caso, que podría resultar en sanciones, incluida una multa de hasta el 10% de los ingresos globales anuales de la compañía.

___

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/2025/12/09/google-enfrenta-nueva-investigacin-antimonopolio-en-europa-por-el-contenido-que-utiliza-para-ia/ 

In his latest special for WTTW, Geoffrey Baer meets with a cross-section of workers around the city to get a behind-the-scenes look at what their jobs entail. “Chicago Works,” airing Tuesday, tackles a variety of professions, from city employees on rat patrol to the crew at the United Center responsible for the frequent basketball-court-to-ice-rink changeovers.

It’s a solid enough promise, and Baer, a longtime fixture on Chicago public television, has always been an enthusiastic host with a real appreciation and curiosity for the city and its quirks. But the special fails to create that delicious feeling of falling down a rabbit hole and discovering new and fascinating information. You don’t even get much sense of the personalities of the everyday people featured herein.

It would be unfair to expect something more along the lines of Studs Terkel’s “Working,” the 1974 non-fiction book that explored how we feel about our work lives.

There’s also a certain amount of boosterism at play, at the expense of good old-fashioned honesty.

Take the segment on Chicago’s river bridges, a type of raiseable bridge called a trunnion bascule bridge. Here’s Baer’s intro: “They’ve starred in movies. They tie up traffic. They’re historic.”

Sure. And they were used by our previous mayor during the Black Lives Matter protests to literally cut off the city’s South Side from the North Side, like some kind of medieval draw bridge. There’s no mention of that because Baer’s too busy showing us how things work. But we don’t even get more than a short, very general idea of how the bridges function: Machinery moves and the bridge goes up. OK.

At the Shedd Aquarium, Baer talks to a trainer as she’s feeding a beluga whale and asks her thoughts on her work. “There’s nothing quite like them,” she says of her charges. “It’s very special.” This is not a critique of her, but if that’s the kind of pleasantly bland, nonspecific answer Baer’s questions generate, then he’s not asking interesting enough questions, like: What’s the most complicated part of your job? What’s the most memorable day on your job? What’s one thing about your job that isn’t common knowledge? What do you hate about your job?

He does ask a version of “Did you always want to do this?” throughout the special, and it’s always something of a dead end. When Baer asks this of a Metra train engineer, the answer is no. Despite being a third-generation train man, his family actually encouraged him not to go into this profession. Baer laughs but doesn’t ask the obvious follow-up: Why? Here’s what he does ask: Why do you think kids like trains so much? “I don’t know,” comes the answer. “That’s probably a question for a child psychologist.”

In all fairness, these deadpan responses become very funny as the special goes on, and maybe that’s at least one of Baer’s intentions here, as the straight man setting up the punchline. After being informed by a Streets and Sanitation worker that rats can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter, Baer asks, “Do you kind of respect them?” The woman pauses, confused. “No,” she says, “I kill them.” At the International Produce Market near Pilsen, where produce wholesalers are based, Baer notes that a lot of the activity happens in the middle of the night. Why is that, he asks? “Well, because you have to stock the shelves at the grocery stores before all the customers get in.” Talking to the Zamboni operator at the United Center, Baer asks the guy if he ever met Frank Zamboni, the inventor of said ice resurfacing machine. Yes, comes the answer. What was he like? Pause. “Normal guy.”

Baer visits the set of NBC’s “Chicago Fire,” and I was legitimately interested to learn that in scenes where everything is meant to be aflame, the props need to survive multiple takes. On this day, they’re filming on a set dressed to look like a recording studio, and the props — electric piano, control console, even a spiral book — are made of steel, rather than flammable materials. That’s a funky enough detail that it would have been fun to learn more about that job, of fashioning everyday items from steel (and then what happens to them afterward?).

Some of the professions featured here have been the subject of similar short TV packages, including a look inside the Wrigley Field manual scoreboard, and you get the sense that the segments were determined not only by what interests Baer and his producers, but also who was willing to take part. But future specials could refine their approach in ways that might be fruitful. We live in a moment where federal services that once worked fairly efficiently in the background (and therefore were not top of mind for most of us) are being intentionally dismantled. Suddenly, the value of all those invisible workers at the National Weather Service or the FDA becomes overt, and I think there’s a space where Baer could offer insight locally, by spelling out all kinds of city services we rarely think about because we don’t have to — when they work.

Public works and city services provide a real and valuable function, and having a better understanding of some of that is not only compelling but creates a better sense of what makes the city tick. That can, and should, be public television’s bailiwick. Especially now.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/geoffrey-baer-chicago-works/ 

Another $222 Million Saved In Terminated Contracts: DOGE

Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/09/2025 – 06:30

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/another-222-million-saved-terminated-contracts-doge 

Griff isn’t a student, a member of the faculty or even a huskie. But the golden retriever fits right in at Oak Park and River Forest High School just the same.

Griff is the school’s new — and first — facility dog, and after only a week at the job he’s already turning heads and making friends.

“He has been inundated with students and staff alike wanting to meet him and pet him,” said Ginger Bencola, the high school’s prevention and wellness coordinator. She’s also Griff’s handler, so she’s seen the impact he’s had on the school.

“I feel like any hallway I walk through with him, heads turn and there are smiles,” she said. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”

It’s all good for Griff, who, at a year-and-a-half, has enough energy and patience for everyone and everything — which is good. As the facility dog, patience is his job. Griff comes to the school courtesy of Paws Giving Independence, a nonprofit that specializes in service animals.

But Griff isn’t a traditional service animal in that he’s not assigned to a particular student or to a particular task. Rather, his assignment is the whole school and his task is to keep everyone feeling good.

Griff, a golden retriever, poses with his first day of school certificate at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Griff was recently brought in as the school’s full-time facility dog. (Oak Park and River Forest High School)

It is a big assignment.

“I would say Griff is going to be adding to the culture and climate,” Bencola said. She explained this means the dog will help students feel safe, secure and calm. Students may request time to pet him, relax with him or just be near him when they need it.

“Dogs have been proven to show reductions in stress and anxiety and comfort during difficult moments,” Bencola said.

High school has plenty of those moments and, in the past, the school has brought in dogs for tough times, like testing weeks.

Griff, the facility dog at Oak Park and River Forest High School, interacts with people in the office of Ginger Bencola, the high school’s prevention and wellness coordinator who also is Griff’s handler. (Oak Park and River Forest High School)

“I’ve brought in volunteer therapy dogs every year in our school,” Bencola said. “We’ve typically had lines down the hallways waiting to see the dogs, so we knew there was a need.”

But Griff is here to stay, and he’ll be around, day in and day out. In just a few days, Bencola said she’s heard from students who have said the dog has brightened their day.

“It’s clear he’s bringing joy to everyone,” she said.

So far, Griff is still being introduced to the students. With only a couple of weeks left in the semester, Griff is himself still getting used to his new role. Next semester, Bencola said, the role will become clearer.

“We’re going to start scheduling (meeting times with Griff) next semester, so if students are having a rough day or a rough moment, they’ll be able to reach out to their support person and request that support make an appointment to see Griff and if Griff is available, he’ll be able to meet him.”

Which is pretty much the same as any human support person.

People interact with Griff, Oak Park and River Forest High School’s new facility dog. Griff comes to the school from Paws Giving Independence, a nonprofit that specializes in service animals. (Oak Park and River Forest High School)

Bencola said she expects the system to go well and by the end of the school year the dog will be a familiar face on campus. She also said she expects more schools to adopt a model like this one.

“I know we’re not the first,” she said. “Yes, it’s becoming more common, but I don’t think it’s very common still. It’s an emerging field.”

But for OPRF, the results are clear. Griff is a good dog and a good fit.

“I’m excited,” said Bencola.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/oak-park-river-forest-facility-dog/ 

Rosca, a new bagel cafe making Mexican everything and hibiscus cured lox, just opened in Chicago.

“We don’t want to just be known as a bagel shop,” said chef and owner Felix Zepeda. The business’s other half, he said, is his general manager and girlfriend, Ariana Cabral. “We want to be known for a full immersive cafe vibe.”

Rosca celebrated its grand opening in Pilsen on Nov. 5.

His Mexican everything bagel has become the savory bestseller.

“Instead of things like Mediterranean oregano, we use Mexican oregano,” Zepeda said. “Instead of red chile flakes, we use ancho chile flakes, and we also throw in little things like dehydrated lime zest and some cumin seed, so it’s a lot of bold flavors that really scream Mexico.”

But that wasn’t his first creative bagel recipe.

“The blueberry coconut bagel,” said Zepeda. “That was the first flavor I nailed down and locked in.”

Blueberry has always been his go to bagel, with cinnamon raisin a close second, the latter inspiring his bestselling sweet from the bagel lab.

“Our cinnamon raisin churro,” said the chef. “We take the traditional cinnamon raisin bagel, dip it into vegan butter and toss it into cinnamon sugar to almost mimic a churro.”

He last worked at Rye Deli + Drink.

“That’s really where I started this bagel journey,” said Zepeda. “Their morning focus was scratch-made bagels, and it was around the time that COVID hit.”

During the first lockdown, he hit the books to figure out the whole bagel thing.

“Once I got to figure out the ins and outs of how to work with the dough and how the cooking process went, and just the whole craft in general, I just fell in love with it,” said the chef. “And didn’t look back.”

Felix Zepeda is owner, chef and “bagelologist” at Rosca in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

He went from selling bagels out of his condo on weekends seven months ago to the bagel cafe.

“Now we have our own brick and mortar inside of Hoste, which is an event space,” said Zepeda. “It is a beautiful hidden gem in Pilsen.”

He grew up in the neighborhood, and some of his bagel flavors came from his favorite things to eat as a kid, including Mexican fruit lollipops coated with spicy chile powder and tangy chamoy.

“My mango pepita bagel,” said the chef. “It has Tajín on top and mango inside.

All of his bagels begin with organic einkorn wheat berries that he stone mills in-house to flour, he said, transformed to naturally fermented vegan sourdough.

“Every single one is hand rolled by me,” he added.

They also make cream cheese and labneh from scratch, and offer a vegan cream cheese flavored with their add-ins. Zepeda just introduced his hibiscus-cured lox, too.

“We cure it in salt, sugar, some fresh dill, lemons and rehydrated hibiscus flowers,” said the chef. The flowers come from brewing hibiscus water for their hibiscus and blackberry agua fresca. “We layer rehydrated hibiscus flowers right on top of our salmon to give it a nice pink kiss for that perfect hue.”

Hibiscus cured lox is served at Rosca in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

They’re still waiting for espresso equipment, but the menu is coming soon, and will be a little bit different.

“Like a wine pairing for our bagels,” said Zepeda. Every bagel will have an espresso drink recommendation, from a cortado to affogato to cold brew to a pineapple tonic. “Very chef-driven, because a lot of my background is in steakhouses.”

For his signature Mexican everything bagel, he’s working on a Mexican Coke espresso hibiscus refresher to pair.

“The same approach that I’m taking with the bagels, I’m also going to be taking with our beverage program,” he said. A popular piña mango agua fresca is already available, house-made with fresh fruit, including pineapple.

When you walk in, the first thing you’ll see is a traditional hand-painted Talavera vase made in Mexico. The decor is meant to feel modern, said the chef, but comfortable.

“I like to describe it as if your cousin inherited Grandma’s house and made it into a cafe,” he said. “Like we don’t have the plastic on the sofas anymore, so you can chill and eat on the couches.”

1857 W. 16th St. (inside Hoste event venue), bkdrosca.com

More new restaurant openings, in alphabetical order:

Bar Tutto

Top Chef winner Joe Flamm just opened an all-day Italian escape. Bar Tutto said buongiorno in Fulton Market on Dec. 9. Get a gianduja cornetto at breakfast, rustic panini for lunch and crisp fritti misti at dinner.

1110 W. Carroll Ave., bartuttochicago.com

Brûlée 

Chef and founder Emani Roberts celebrates flavor, culture and connection at her debut breakfast and brunch restaurant. Brûlée officially opened in the South Loop on Nov. 6. The Black woman-owned business has created an avocado croast (croissant toast), lobster and sweet potato waffle, plus a signature brûlée French toast.

2036 S. Michigan Ave., bruleechicago.com

Chomp

Pizzaiolo Travis Hezel is a one-man show who only makes one kind of pizza at an “L” station in Chicago. Chomp started slicing in Pilsen on Nov. 5. Hezel offers what he calls plain slices: cheese on thin crust made with Janie’s Mill organic flour, served on paper plates.

1710 W. 18th St., chomp.pizza

HolyPeño

The zabiha halal fast food restaurateurs behind Holy Buckets Halal Chicken & Pizza just launched a new Mexican-inspired concept. HolyPeño soft opened in Bridgeview on Nov. 24. Look for loaded bowls, or bring your own chip bags for fillings, plus churro milk cake for dessert.

8473 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview; instagram.com/holypenousa

New Sound Cafe

Husband and wife owners and operators Andrew Follett and Hannah Follett have restored a historic gospel record shop into a community cafe in their neighborhood on the West Side. New Sound Cafe began serving in Austin on Nov. 22. The Follets roast their own beans and offer snacks from Trini’s Tasty Pastries, including cinnamon rolls, biscuits and breakfast sandwiches.

5958 W. Lake St., newsoundcafe.com

Petite Edith

Chef Jenner Tomaska and his wife and business partner Katrina Bravo, both of Michelin-starred Esmé, have added a little bistro sister to their family. Petite Edith said bienvenue in River North on Nov. 21. The seafood-centric, Midwest-meets-French menu features fougasse with white anchovies, razor clams casino and king crab toast.

878 N. Wells St., petiteedith.com

In reopening news:

Gale Street Inn, the 62-year-old restaurant best known for its old-school fall-off-the-bone ribs in Jefferson Park, has reopened under new owner, neighborhood resident and restaurateur Paulo Villabona on Dec. 4. Its former owner had abruptly closed the restaurant in June.

4914 N. Milwaukee Ave., galestreetinn.com

In closing news:

Proxi, the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant open since 2017, which just shifted to a coastal Asian focus this April, will close in the West Loop on Dec. 31.

565 W. Randolph St., 312-466-1950, proxichicago.com

Smoke Daddy BBQ Wicker Park, which opened in 1994 as one of the first restaurants in the neighborhood renaissance, will close permanently on Jan. 4, 2026. (The Wrigleyville location will remain open.)

1804 W. Division St., 773-772-6656, thesmokedaddy.com

The Chicago Diner Logan Square, an outpost of the pioneering vegetarian and vegan comfort food restaurant with the slogan “meat free since ‘83” will close its sibling outpost after 13 years on Dec. 12. (The original Lakeview location will remain open.)

2333 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-252-3211, veggiediner.com

White Eagle Events & Convention Center, the destination banquet hall that once marked life and death milestones for generations of Polish American Chicagoans, has closed after 78 years. It was founded by the legendary Ted S. Przybylo near the intersection of Division Street and Western Avenue in 1947, but moved to Niles in 1967 and sold in 2015.

White Eagle in Niles closes after decades as a hub for Polish community and political powerhouses

Do you have notable restaurant news in the Chicago area? Email restaurant critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu at lchu@chicagotribune.com.

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/restaurant-news-rosca-mexican-bagels-pilsen/ 

During the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, five major studios competed for actors, directors, scripts and audiences. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Radio-Keith-Orpheum, Paramount, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox all had clout. Still, some in Hollywood worried about the consolidation of power, which explains why Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks founded United Artists, which became one of the “Little Three” studios along with Universal and Columbia Pictures.

The era was notorious for controlling and often shady behavior but no one can say there was not ample competition.

To say that the business of commissioning, producing and exhibiting motion pictures has changed is to understate. The old boundaries between what is film and what is television have effectively vanished, content being just content now, and we suspect that many people reading this editorial no longer regularly go to a movie theater, preferring instead to stream films at home, using personally owned equipment that would have been the envy not just of the movie palaces of old but of the suburban multiplexes of more recent vintage. This change of preference, hastened by an entity called Netflix that once shipped DVDs through the mail, has had a detrimental effect on big American cities, once well stocked with movie palaces, leading to crowded sidewalks and restaurants.

All that said, movies and TV shows still get made and the best of them still find an audience and in the business of Hollywood, consumer preferences cannot be ignored.

Which brings us to the extraordinary machinations of this week. Friday, Netflix announced it had agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business for $72 billion (in a cash-and-stock deal); the assumption was that the company would first carve out its cable unit, appeasing regulators and sticking the likes of CNN, TNT and Discovery in a separate public company, but meaning that Netflix, a $400 billion company, would control HBO Max, the premiere outlet for prestige TV, as well as the venerable Warner Bros. itself with its Harry Potter and DC Comics franchises, among others.

Hollywood howled not least because some of its most powerful players never have trusted Netflix, which they see as a tech company. They view Amazon, which has bought up most of the rest of what we still prefer to think of as Hollywood, in much the same terms.

Then, on Monday, a wrench was thrown in the works in the form of a hostile bid from Paramount Skydance, which is controlled by David Ellison, for all of Warner Bros. Discovery, with an all-cash offer reportedly worth almost $78 billion. The figures being banded about, which are higher than the GDP of numerous world nations, give a sense of what is at stake here and also how much big money has infiltrated the entertainment business.

Which deal is better is for Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders to decide, or rather should be. And, for the record, we’re not fans of a yet-bigger Netflix; rarely has Neflix equaled the producing artistry of HBO, which it would now control. You did not see “The Wire,” “Succession” and “The Sopranos” on Netflix, despite its monster budgets.

But one Donald J. Trump also has his stubby fingers in this pie. He’s already been quoted saying that he has concerns about the Netflix/Warner merger (“could be a problem”) and that he intends to be “personally involved’ in the negotiations.

Trump is, of course, famously friendly with centibillionaire (a quaint term, no?) Larry Ellison, father of David, and close observers are worrying that the fix might well be in, especially since Paramount’s bid is being backed by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a former White House adviser who is popping up in the discourse all over the place. David Ellison even said on CNBC, “We’ve had great conversations with the president about this, but I don’t want to speak for him.”

We imagine he has done plenty of speaking already.

We’ve come here to say two things. One is that the movie business, like all businesses, needs healthy competition, especially since so much of its talent operates on a freelance basis and thus needs numerous outlets, lest compensation be reduced and, frankly, really good movie ideas not get made due to the whim of some suit. Audiences need choices, too, and Netflix already is a very dominant presence.

But Trump’s friendship with the Ellisons, and the presence of his son-in-law in this fight, should have no bearing on whatever regulatory decisions are made. Indeed, we call on Trump to recuse himself, which is about as likely to happen as Americans charging out of their family rooms and basements en masse and returning to the movie theaters that figured so pleasurably in most of their youths.

But that doesn’t stop us roaring like the MGM lion.

Stay off the screen on this one, Mr. President.

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/editorial-netflix-paramount-warner-hbo-donald-trump-david-ellison/ 

The whistleblower Mark Felt — more famously known as “Deep Throat” — secretly provided information to Washington Post reporters about Nixon administration abuses of power, which were central to exposing Watergate and ultimately led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. Former senior Enron executive Sherron Watkins warned leadership that the company was built on fraudulent accounting in the early 2000s.

Watergate changed history. In Orland Park, one self-proclaimed watchdog appears intent on turning post-election sour grapes into a cottage industry.

In April, the southwest suburb endured a bitter mayoral race pitting former friends and neighbors against one another.

It seems their grudge match may never end. 

Former Orland Park Village President Keith Pekau lost his bid for reelection, defeated by labor-backed former village Trustee and Clerk Jim Dodge. 

Orland Park Village President Jim Dodge talks to residents concerned about a proposed vehicle repossession lot project in Orland Park before the Cook County Zoning Board holds a public meeting, May 7, 2025, in Chicago. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)

Since then, Pekau has continued his crusade, setting himself up as a watchdog critiquing village governance and policymaking. In August, Cook County Circuit Judge Kate Moreland issued a temporary restraining order requiring Pekau to remove confidential village information he’d posted on his blog and social media, and to stop publishing additional confidential material. It’s not clear now exactly which documents Pekau posted. The village described them as “sensitive internal documents” relating to ongoing litigation and nonpublic information about employees. We don’t know whether his posts caused concrete harm; we do know a judge found this activity serious enough to order their removal.

The village is seeking to make that restraining order permanent. 

“I will not be silenced,” Pekau posted online in response. “I will keep bringing you the facts they don’t want you to hear.”

“They want a fight? They’ve got one,” he added.

We imagine few ordinary residents want this fight to continue, especially given these legal contests cost both time and taxpayer resources. We got a firsthand glimpse of the bad blood ahead of the consolidated elections in April when we spoke with both candidates. In a joint virtual appearance before us, the candidates told the editorial board they used to be neighbors, and that Pekau’s children used to babysit Dodge’s kids. We were left wondering what changed since then. 

Pekau has drawn parallels between himself and President Donald Trump, seemingly painting his current self-appointed crusade against the village as his own Russiagate. “Just as Trump refuses to quit nationally, we will not be silenced locally,” he wrote on Facebook in September.

Sure, it’s fair game to report on village goings-on and to bring issues to light. But Pekau should not leak privileged information, as Judge Moreland made clear in August. If he believes there’s corruption or mismanagement, he should bring evidence to law enforcement, the attorney general, the inspector general or a court. Otherwise, Dodge needs to be able to focus on improving life in the village.

In politics, it’s not unusual to dislike your opponent. But, unless Pekau has credible information of wrongdoing, he comes across as a sore loser by continuing to wage a campaign that was recently decided. It’s time for this to end.

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/orland-park-pekau-dodge-feud/ 

Address: 215 Prospect Ave., Highland Park

Price: $1,875,000

Listed: Nov. 15, 2025

This six-bedroom home has six full bathrooms, one half bath, a library, a sunroom, a terrace and a formal living room with a wood-burning fireplace. The kitchen is equipped with custom cabinetry, a butler’s pantry and a coffee bar. The primary suite, located on the second floor, has an adjoining sitting/dressing room, a wood-burning fireplace, and an updated bathroom. A bonus room on the third floor can be used as a playroom, a home office, a media lounge or a studio. A second-floor laundry completes this home, while a 1,600-square-foot coach house behind the main residence offers four garage bays, a two-bedroom suite and a conference room.

Listing agent: Keith Goad, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, 773-750-5201

Some listing photos are “virtually staged,” meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options.

To feature your luxury listing of $1,000,000 or more in Chicago Tribune’s Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com.

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

(Elizabeth Harper/Lady E Photography, LLC)

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/highland-park-home-of-the-week/ 

Although deeply worrisome, Northwestern University’s recent surrender to President Donald Trump’s ongoing bid to control higher education comes as no surprise (“Northwestern deal with Trump administration divides students, faculty,” Dec 2). The university has joined a prominent group of academic institutions that have capitulated to Trump’s ideological demands. From ending diversity, equity and inclusion programming to limiting campus space for transgender students, Northwestern has unraveled the social fabric of university life.

In canceling the 2024 Deering Meadow Agreement, the university has also withdrawn from its negotiated commitment to students protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This is not only a violation of students’ rights but also a breach of the principles of higher education. Universities should be places of open thought and discourse. Instead, Northwestern has allowed the federal government to infringe upon where students can belong and how they can identify — while suppressing their human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. In stifling student protesters and undermining protections for LGBTQ+ students, Northwestern has sent a chilling message to its students: Their needs, rights and identities come second to the ideological demands of the U.S. government.

As this climate of fear spreads throughout universities across the country, it is imperative that university leaders choose courage over compliance. They must stand firm in defending their students and preserving the academic integrity of their institutions, refuse to cave to political pressure and show the Trump administration that political coercion has no place in higher education.

— Justin Mazzola, deputy director of research, Amnesty International USA, New York

NU paying for fascism

What a shame that Northwestern University bent its knee to our current White House occupant. Our institutions need to stand pat and not bow under financial pressure. After all, what is the price of  our democracy?

To pay for fascism is a shame that will taint Northwestern for years to come.

— Chuck Kessler, Northbrook

Jewish students’ safety

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, a professor and department chair at Northwestern University, wrote an op-ed published Dec. 3, “Northwestern’s deal with federal government is not about antisemitism.” Unfortunately, the current debate regarding government policies toward higher education and the First Amendment ignores a real underlying problem — what is happening on college campuses to Jewish students. I can’t speak to government motives, but Hurd is misrepresenting facts about Northwestern and Israel and applying double standards.

Hurd asserts that Northwestern has never been unsafe for Jews. News outlets have reported on incidents at Northwestern after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack involving antisemitic vandalism and accusations of threats, slurs and other expressions of hate toward Jewish students. This environment is not safe for Jews.

The professor also asserts the government’s policies suppress free speech. The only suppression of free speech at Northwestern appears to be suppression of pro-Israel speech.

Hurd concludes her comments by noting that “singling out the state of Israel for special protection as a state exclusively for Jews may seem like a way of protecting Jews. Those premises and promises are up for debate. And should remain so.” Today, about 21% of the population of Israel is Ara — Muslims, Christians and members of the Druze. As citizens, they vote and are legislators and judges; they have even served on the Israeli Supreme Court. They constitute 25% of all physicians in Israel and represent about 19% of students enrolled in Israeli universities.

Debate government’s policies, but don’t ignore how Jewish students are treated on campuses or sweep antisemitism under the rug.

— Steve Frost, Buffalo Grove

Value of Palestinian lives

The return of the body of one Israeli hostage is national news in the United States.

But what about the thousands of Palestinian children whose bodies lie buried beneath the rubble in Gaza, which is slated to become construction sites under President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan?

Is there an answer, other than racism, that explains why Palestinian lives are worth so much less?

— Terry Hansen, Grafton, Wisconsin

Targets for detainment

I grew up in a small family business at 137 S. Albany Ave., a few blocks from Marshall High School on Chicago’s West Side. The company made paper tubes for mailing and packaging. We had a dozen employees, many from Mexico. I remember them well — Candelario, Esther, Jose and Antonio. Good people. Salt of the earth. These folks worked with my family for years.

Once, one of our employees, Jose M., was picked up by immigration agents and taken to a downtown detention center. I was in college at the time, and I went downtown to see what I could do. I showed agents Jose’s work records and W-2’s. A few weeks later, he was released and back at work.

Fast-forward to today: I am in favor of a controlled border, though I believe America should have a compassionate immigration system. President Donald Trump announced that he would control the border and zero in on arresting, detaining and deporting the criminals, drug mules and bad people. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol seem to concentrate on day care teachers, landscape workers, students, nannies, restaurant employees and children. Agents even lie in wait for those applying for green cards. Instead of focusing on bad actors and evildoers, they target folks with jobs, spouses of citizens and those who have lived here awhile. And this is happening in my neighborhood!

I agree with collaring the bad guys. But most immigrants who have lived and worked for years in America, who have families and pay taxes, are not “bad.” Targeting them is not only counterproductive but also contradicts the declared primary objective.

— Scott W. Petersen, Wilmette

Beauty — and cruelty

The absolutely gorgeous photo of a puddle reflecting fall leaves, taken by Tribune photojournalist John J. Kim, filled my heart with joy at God‘s beauty. Unfortunately, right below it on Page 5 of the Dec. 5 Tribune were photos of the Nativity scene at Lake Street Church of Evanston by Jillian Westerfield, associate minister, that broke my heart. They demonstrate not the beauty of God but the cruelty of man that is happening in our country right now. The Nativity portrays baby Jesus, with his wrists zip-tied, lying in a blanket of aluminum foil. Mary and Joseph are in respirators protecting their son from “masked centurions” labeled “ICE.”

The inhuman treatment of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement depicted in this Nativity scene brings to mind the Bible quote: “Jesus wept.”

How did our country get here, in which behavior like this by federal agents is accepted and normalized? Religious people must stand up in resistance. We are all children of God.

I also wept reading the powerful article by Richard Requena (“‘We just really saw a parallel’”).

— Elizabeth Butler Marren, Chicago

Illinois GOP candidates

As a lifelong Republican and a resident of the Chicago area for 50 years, I would love to follow state Rep. Dan Ugaste’s advice (“Stop one-party control,” Dec. 5) and vote Republican. However, voting for the candidates put forth by the current MAGA zealots and Jan. 6 deniers who control the Illinois Republican Party is not going to happen.

Provide some quality candidates who merit my trust, and I would be happy to stop voting for the least objectionable Democrat.

— James Miller, La Grange Park

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/letters-120925-northwestern/