ASHLAND, Virginia, EE.UU. (AP) — Un intruso enmascarado se metió en una tienda de licores de Virginia el sábado temprano mientras aún estaba cerrada y se dirigió al estante inferior, donde se almacenaba el whisky. El bandido rompió botellas, tiró una baldosa del techo y dejó alcohol regado en el piso.

El sospechoso actuó como un animal porque, de hecho, es un mapache.

Un empleado de la tienda de licores en el área de Ashland, Virginia, encontró al mapache dormido en el piso del baño tras su borrachera el sábado por la mañana.

“Personalmente, me gustan los mapaches”, afirmó Samantha Martin, una agente que trabaja en el control de animales local. “Son criaturas graciosas. Se cayó por una de las baldosas del techo y se desató por completo, bebiendo de todo”.

Martin dijo que llevó al mapache al refugio de animales, aunque tuvo su buena dosis de risas en el camino.

“Otro día en la vida de un agente de control de animales, supongo”, expresó.

El Refugio y Protección Animal del Condado de Hanover elogió a Martin por manejar el allanamiento y confirmó que el mapache se había recuperado.

“Después de unas horas de sueño y sin signos de lesiones (aparte de tal vez una resaca y malas decisiones de vida), fue liberado de manera segura de vuelta a la naturaleza, con la esperanza de haber aprendido que meterse sin permiso no es la solución”, dijo la agencia.

___

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/2025/12/02/mapache-se-emborracha-en-licorera-de-virginia-y-se-queda-dormido-en-el-bao/ 

Talks between Russia and the U.S. on ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were constructive, but much work remains, Yuri Ushakov, a senior adviser to President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Wednesday.

Putin met U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in the Kremlin in talks that began late Tuesday as part of a renewed push by the Trump administration to broker a peace deal. Both sides agreed not to disclose the substance of the talks.

Ushakov called the five-hour conversation “rather useful, constructive, rather substantive,” but added that the framework of the U.S. peace proposal was discussed rather than “specific wording.” Asked whether peace was closer or further away after these talks, Ushakov said: “Not further, that’s for sure.”

“But there’s still a lot of work to be done, both in Washington and in Moscow. That’s what’s been agreed upon. And contacts will continue,” the official said.

Putin’s aide also said that “so far, a compromise hasn’t been found” on the issue of territories, without which, he said, the Kremlin sees “no resolution to the crisis.”

“Some of the American proposals seem more or less acceptable, but they need to be discussed. Some of the wording that was proposed to us doesn’t suit us. So, the work will continue,” Ushakov said.

There were other points of disagreement, although Ushakov did not provide further details. “We could agree on some things, and the president confirmed this to his interlocutors. Other things provoked criticism, and the president also didn’t hide our critical and even negative attitude toward a number of proposals,” he said.

Trump peace plan is center of effort to end the war

The meeting came days after U.S. officials held talks with a Ukrainian team in Florida and which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described in cautiously optimistic terms.

At the center of the effort is Trump’s peace plan that became public last month and raised concerns about being tilted heavily toward Moscow. The proposal granted some of the Kremlin’s core demands that Kyiv has rejected as nonstarters, such as Ukraine ceding the entire eastern region of the Donbas to Russia and renouncing its bid to join NATO.

Negotiators have indicated the framework has changed, but it’s not clear how. Ushakov said several iterations of a peace plan were being discussed at the talks. The official refused to go into details, saying only: “At first there was one version, then this version was revised, and instead of one document, a few more appeared.”

On Tuesday, Putin accused Kyiv’s European allies of sabotaging the U.S.-led efforts to end the war.

“They don’t have a peace agenda, they’re on the side of the war,” Putin said of the Europeans.

Putin’s accusations appeared to be his latest attempt to sow dissension between Trump and European countries and set the stage for exempting Moscow from blame for any lack of progress.

He accused Europe of amending peace proposals with “demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia,” thus “blocking the entire peace process” and blaming Moscow for it. He also reiterated his long-held position that Russia has no plans to attack Europe — a concern regularly voiced by some European countries.

“But if Europe suddenly wants to wage a war with us and starts it, we are ready right away. There can be no doubt about that,” Putin said.

Russia started the war in 2022 with its full-scale invasion of a sovereign European country, and European governments have since spent billions of dollars to support Ukraine financially and militarily, to wean themselves from energy dependence on Russia, and to strengthen their own militaries to deter Moscow from seizing more territory by force.

They worry that if Russia gets what it wants in Ukraine, it will have free rein to threaten or disrupt other European countries, which already have faced incursions from Russian drones and fighter jets, and an alleged widespread Russian sabotage campaign.

Trump’s peace plan relies on Europe to provide the bulk of the financing and security guarantees for a postwar Ukraine, even though no Europeans appear to have been consulted on the original plan. That’s why European governments have pushed to ensure that peace efforts address their concerns, too.

Coinciding with Witkoff’s trip, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Ireland, continuing his visits to European countries that have helped sustain his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

High-stakes negotiations

Zelenskyy said Tuesday he was expecting swift reports from the U.S. envoys in Moscow on whether talks could move forward, after Trump’s initial 28-point plan was whittled down to 20 items in Sunday’s talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Florida.

“The future and the next steps depend on these signals. Such steps will change throughout today, even hour by hour, I believe,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.

“If the signals show fair play with our partners, we then might meet very soon, meet with the American delegation,” he said.

“There is a lot of dialogue, but we need results. Our people are dying every day,” Zelenskyy said. “I am ready … to meet with President Trump. It all depends on today’s talks.”

Building on progress in Florida

After months of frustration in trying to stop the fighting, Trump deployed officials to get traction for his peace proposals. Asked about a possible meeting between Putin and Trump, presidential aide Ushakov said it would depend on the progress of the peace effort.

The talks have followed parallel lines so far, with Rubio sitting down with Ukrainian officials. Zelenskyy said he met Tuesday with the Ukrainian delegation that returned from the negotiations with U.S. representatives in Florida. Rubio said those talks made progress.

Zelenskyy said the Florida talks took as their cue a document that both sides drafted at an earlier meeting in Geneva. The Ukrainian leader said that document was now “finalized,” although he didn’t explain what that meant.

Ukrainian diplomats are working to ensure that European partners are “substantially involved” in decision-making, Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app, and warned about what he said were Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at steering the negotiations.

European leaders want a say

Zelenskyy met with political leaders and lawmakers in Dublin on his first official visit. Ireland is officially neutral and isn’t a member of NATO but has sent nonlethal military support to Ukraine. More than 100,000 Ukrainians have moved to Ireland since Russia launched its war on Feb. 24, 2022.

It remains unclear how envoys are going to bridge the gap between the two sides on such basic differences as who keeps what territory. European officials say the road to peace will be long.

European leaders want to make their voices heard after being largely sidelined by Washington. They are also working on future security guarantees for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy under pressure

Zelenskyy is under severe pressure in one of the darkest periods of the war for his country. As well as managing diplomatic pressure, he must find money to keep Ukraine afloat, address a corruption scandal that has reached the top echelons of his government, and keep Russia at bay on the battlefield.

The Kremlin late Monday claimed that Russian forces have captured the key city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Zelenskyy, however, said in Paris that fighting was still ongoing in Pokrovsk on Monday.

Ukraine’s general staff on Tuesday also denied Russia’s claims to have captured Pokrovsk, saying it was a propaganda stunt. The Ukrainian army is readying additional logistic routes to deliver supplies to troops in the area, the Facebook post said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/us-russia-talks-ukraine-war/ 

It happened again. A line of hyper and hungry Bears fans started forming outside The Wieners Circle at 5 a.m. Tuesday, despite the bitter 23-degree temperature. It was all in the name of free hot dogs, courtesy of Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who rose to the hot dog stand’s challenge and took off his shirt after Friday’s win against the Philadelphia Eagles.

At 7 a.m., S. Rosen’s, the longtime bakery on Polk Street, delivered 2,000 hot dog buns. Hours later, at 11 a.m., the doors finally opened and The Wieners Circle staff started handing out free hot dogs and their signature slights.

Only in Chicago does an NFL coach taking off his shirt impact so many lives, laughed Emma Kreis, operations manager at The Wieners Circle.

“But this is what we do and we love it,” Kreis said. “Seeing this all come together again has been so wholesome.”

The event transpired the same as it had in September, when The Wieners Circle’s social media post on ‘X’ resulted in free hot dogs after Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams threw four touchdowns. Kreis said she and owner Ari Levy share an office, so she catches how the ideas spiral into reality in real time. About a week after the stand handed out “glizzies” for Williams’ performance, Levy put another offer out there.

“We were in the office and he was like, you know what we’re going to do? If (Ben Johnson) takes his shirt off during or after any Bears victory this year, we’re going to do free hot dogs again,” Kreis laughed. “And I said, well, you just tweeted it so he’s probably going to do it.”

Bob Keen lines up with Bears fans for free hot dogs, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood after coach Ben Johnson took his shirt off in a postgame celebration for a win over the Eagles. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

During a late October media session, Johnson said he was aware of The Wieners Circle’s proclamation.

“That’s been mentioned,” he said. “It’s a little disturbing. Why would we want to see that?”

But when asked if he wanted to feed the people of Chicago, he admitted he was a man of the people. “So time will tell.”

Much to the delight and surprise of fans across Chicagoland, the Bears have had their first winning season since 2018, currently at the top of the NFC. They’ve won nine of their last 10 games, so a no-shirt Johnson was on the table for nine weeks.

But Friday’s 24-15 win against the defending Super Bowl champions was well worth the wait, Kreis said. And Johnson alluding to the free hot dogs as he ripped his shirt off was even cooler, she noted.

“First of all, what a team player. I mean, he’s got to be one of the best coaches ever,” she said. “And if anyone’s going to bear the temperature for a free hot dog, it’s going to be people in this city.”

On Friday, after Johnson ripped off his shirt, flexing his arms, he yelled, “They’re hungry for some hot dogs!” The team went wild.

As did the line outside The Wieners Circle on Tuesday, despite the slushy snow and globs of mud on the sidewalk. Rolling chants of “Thank you, Ben Johnson!” kept erupting outside the storefront, as customers further down the winding line stuck their necks out to catch a glimpse of the chaos happening under the iconic sign that read: “We got a new Mayor Johnson.” Most of the customers came for the hoopla, not just the hot dogs.

Bears fans line up for free hot dogs, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood after coach Ben Johnson took his shirt off in a postgame celebration for a win over the Eagles. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

But some customers, like KJ Gaiter, a Lincoln Park resident who coaches baseball at Oz Park, were experiencing The Wieners Circle for the first time.

“The line was wrapped around the corner when I came, but I decided that no matter the weather, I wanted to be here supporting the Bears,” Gaiter said.

He waited in line for around 45 minutes before entering the “staging area” where The Wieners Circle staff was hurling insults at the customers in front.

Regan Eggert, one of the restaurant’s comedic employees, was watching the tip jar closely.

“Broke [expletive]! You better throw some money in my jar, [expletive]!”

“Come over ugly. Out of breath and [expletive] … tweety bird looking. What’s wrong with you?”

Further down Clark Street, customer Dennis Shim was wearing a bright purple Baltimore Ravens sweatshirt, a surefire way to feel the wrath of The Wieners Circle on a Bears-related free hot dog day. Shim said he used to live in Baltimore, but was born in Chicago.

“I’m willing to take my punishment; it’s all about the experience,” he laughed. Next to him was David Wright, another customer. The men were talking about the impact the Bears have on their fan base.

“I never knew Dennis until now, never met him in my life,” Wright said. “But now, in this line, we are exclusively together. I love this guy!”

For Wright, the Bears represent togetherness — even when the team isn’t 9-3 and the coach isn’t great.

The marquee promoted Bears coach Ben Johnson as fans line up for free hot dogs, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood after Johnson took his shirt off in a postgame celebration for a win over the Eagles. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

“What’s even more special is that Johnson understands that we’re a hardcore fan base. There’s only one team in Chicago that everybody rallies around,” he said. “Some people are into basketball, some are into hockey, some people like soccer, but everyone — no matter how bad they are — roots for the Bears.”

Shim, in his purple outfit, cautiously approached the counter while filming his interaction with the staff. He received an astounding: NO!

Every now and then outside, a small crowd would scuffle around a male customer willing to take his shirt off. “YEAH!” quickly followed by roaring gratitude for Ben Johnson, again. A Johnson lookalike came ready for his close-up, dressed in a blue Bears quarter zip and a headset.

Another doppelganger, Ald. Timothy Knudsen, 43rd, is completely self-aware of his similarities. He said he even dressed as Johnson for Halloween. Knudsen swung by to support the local business and ignited even more excitement, especially as he flashed a smile eerily similar to Johnson’s.

After two successful free hot dog giveaways, Kreis said it might be a feat trying to top that enthusiasm — at least for a little while.

“I’m sure there will be something else — Ari will probably tweet something else soon,” Kreis joked.

For customer Xochil Olivarez, a Wieners Circle cheeseburger is a frequent lunch pick. She said she even gets free stuff because they’re pretty fond of her. Despite visiting often, Olivarez decided to join the masses on Tuesday.

“We gotta be equal with the other people,” said Olivarez. Next to her, her friend joked that Olivarez was so happy about the Bears, she’ll probably just cry.

“Let’s not jinx it!” Olivarez said. “And the coach — he has a sexy body.” Others in line chuckled and agreed with her statement.

Bears fans cheer while lining up for free hot dogs, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Past noon, the line started to shrink. West Lakeview resident Graeme Phillips said he came at an ideal time, only having waited 10 minutes before he was near the front entrance.

Phillips said he was eager to go inside because he had a feeling his picture was up on The Wieners Circle’s “Wall of Shame.”

“One time, I wore jorts with cowboy boots, and they didn’t approve. They just laughed. They laughed at me the entire time and then took a picture,” he said. “I was incredibly dishevelled from the previous night.”

(He did indeed make the wall.)

Tickled at the customers who kept taking their shirts off, Phillips said moments like free hot dog days embody the spirit of the city.

“I think it’s inspiring because I think that they probably don’t look as good as Ben Johnson underneath,” he joked. “It’s just amazing — bringing together people from so many backgrounds. I’ve heard this quote before, I don’t know who it’s by, but it’s true — there’s a certain feeling in Chicago when the Bears are good.”

Column: When a shirtless coach and a free hot dog rallied an entire city. Only in Chicago.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/wieners-circle-free-hot-dogs-ben-johnson/ 

The masked burglar broke into the closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored. The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed and alcohol pooled on the floor.

The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon.

On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland, Virginia-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.

“I personally like raccoons,” said Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”

Martin said she took the raccoon back to the animal shelter, though she had her fair share of giggles along the way.

“Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess,” she said.

The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter commended Martin for handling the break-in, and confirmed the raccoon had sobered up.

“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” the agency said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/drunk-raccoon-passes-out/ 

Chinese Magnet-Makers Find Loopholes To Dodge Beijing’s Rare-Earth Export Controls

Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/02/2025 – 18:50

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/chinese-magnet-makers-find-loopholes-dodge-beijings-rare-earth-export-controls 

Pat Fitzgerald was a part of Northwestern’s football program for 26 years, first as an All-America linebacker, then as an assistant to coach Randy Walker and finally as head coach for 17 seasons.

On Tuesday, he stepped in front of reporters in East Lansing, Mich., wearing a suit with a green-and-white-striped tie and concluded his opening statement by pumping his fist, smiling and uttering, “Go Green.”

Two and a half years after Northwestern fired Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal in Evanston, he officially was back in the Big Ten as Michigan State’s coach. The Spartans signed Fitzgerald to a five-year contract to replace Jonathan Smith, whom they fired after two seasons and a 9-15 record.

After flying in Tuesday morning, Fitzgerald promised during his on-campus introduction to bring to Michigan State a coaching philosophy “centered around being the best player development program in the nation.”

“We develop our young men as people, as students and as world-class athletes,” he said. “This will happen through a values-based approach. The two cornerstones of those are choices we make every day. I expressed them to the team this morning: the choice of our attitude and the choice of our investment.

“Smiles on our face, swagger to our walk, a confidence, an openness, a happiness to be able to be privileged to be a part of the Spartan community and a relentless investment. And that will be consistent hard work, day in and day out, in the grind to what it takes to be Big Ten champions.”

Fitzgerald’s return to coaching comes after he settled a $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit against Northwestern in August.

He was fired in July 2023 when the Northwestern athletic department said football players reported hazing that included “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature.” Fitzgerald later sued the university for breach of contract, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In a statement after the settlement, Northwestern said its investigation did not find that Fitzgerald directed or condoned hazing.

Fitzgerald said Tuesday he remains proud of what the Wildcats accomplished while he was there on the field — a 110-101 record, 10 bowl appearances and two Big Ten West titles — in the classroom and in the community and said he was grateful for the players, staff and families there.

“Like anyone who has coached and competed long enough, I’ve had moments to reflect now and learn and grow,” Fitzgerald said. “The experience has made me a better leader, a better man, a better husband, a better father and a better coach. And it has reinforced my commitment to creating an environment that’s going to be built on trust, discipline, communication and accountability.”

Fitzgerald said after the settlement and the university’s statement that he felt “100% vindicated.” But he also noted that “you always learn and evolve.” He said Michigan State will have team meetings “about zero tolerance for a lot of different behaviors.” And he expects to “communicate and go right down the middle” of any issues that arise on a day-to-day basis.

“There are definitely aspects and areas we all have to work on,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s all of our responsibilities, but as mine, it’s the ultimate responsibility. That’s definitely what I’ve learned that we’ll work toward.”

After his departure from Northwestern, Fitzgerald was a volunteer coach at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, where his sons attended high school. He also went on what he called a “learning sabbatical” as he visited the teams of friends in coaching.

“What it did give me an opportunity to do is reflect and go around and see other schools, see how they’re doing things, get to NFL organizations and just stand back and watch as this new college landscape unfolds,” he said. “What it’s given me is some great clarity. This will always be about the players, and how we can focus and develop them is what it’s all about.”

Michigan State President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, from left, new football coach Pat Fitzgerald and athletic director J Batt are photographed with a jersey during a news conference Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (Robin Buckson/Detroit News via AP)

Fitzgerald said his representatives talked with eight schools about job openings. When Michigan State was presented to his family — wife Stacy and three sons — around the kitchen table after he and athletic director J Batt first spoke, there was an immediate positive reaction.

“To see my boys smile, that’s when I knew, but I didn’t want to overhype it because you never know where these things go,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said his alignment with Batt and university President Kevin Guskiewicz on values and the resources that will be provided to student-athletes and the coaching staff made his excitement level rise. And as a Midwest and Big Ten guy, it felt right.

“It was almost a no-brainer for me when the opportunity was presented,” Fitzgerald said.

He said after he signed his contract Monday afternoon, he got on a Zoom with Michigan State players, attended an hourlong compliance meeting and spent until about 11:30 p.m. calling and FaceTiming recruits. His first order of business upon arrival Tuesday was to meet with the team.

Batt said Fitzgerald can have an immediate impact on the Michigan State program.

“You feel Coach’s energy,” Batt said. “His attention to detail will be supreme. And I know our team will reflect all those parts and pieces. A little bit of toughness and grit might go with it as well.”

Fitzgerald grew emotional a couple of times during the news conference, including when he was asked about his hunger to return to coaching.

“As far as my motivation, you don’t have to ask me about that,” Fitzgerald said. “I’ve been dreaming about this day for a long time. … I’m just so grateful and so thankful. Our family is.

“There will be no more motivated coach to get this program where it needs to be than I will be compared to anywhere else in the country. I promise you that.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/pat-fitzgerald-michigan-state-northwestern/ 

TURÍN (AP) — Juventus avanzó a los cuartos de final de la Copa Italia el martes con una victoria de 2-0 sobre Udinese, después de que el joven defensor Matteo Palma anotó en propia puerta y concedió un penalti.

La Juve, que ostenta el récord de más trofeos de la Copa de Italia con 15, se enfrentará a continuación al Atalanta o al Genoa, que chocan este miércoles.

Los Bianconeri tomaron la delantera a mitad del primer tiempo cuando el internacional estadounidense Weston McKennie hizo un buen trabajo por la banda derecha antes de enviar un centro rasante que Palma envió a su propia red en un intento de anticiparse a Jonathan David.

Una revisión de video en la segunda mitad detectó que Palma, joven de 17 años, había cometido una falta sobre el colombiano Juan Cabal en el área. El suplente Manuel Locatelli ejecutó el penalti resultante directamente al centro.

_____

Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/juventus-avanza-a-cuartos-de-copa-italia-con-triunfo-2-0-sobre-udinese/ 

Energy Affordability Has Become The Kitchen-Table Issue Of The 2020s

Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/02/2025 – 18:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/energy-affordability-has-become-kitchen-table-issue-2020s 

It’s been a rough month for Alinea and chef Grant Achatz.

Not only did Achatz’s iconic Chicago restaurant get demoted from three stars to two by the Michelin Guide, but it’s now in danger of falling behind The Wieners Circle as the place to see and be seen.

As The Wieners Circle’s foul-mouthed cashier Poochie might say: “Tough (bleeping) luck, you (bleeping bleeps).”

Everyone was there Tuesday for the big day at The Wieners Circle — the guy wearing 1985 Bears drip, people dressed like hot dogs and plastic mustard containers, various shirtless men, and, of course, a dog in a Caleb Williams jersey.

It was another free hot dog giveaway by the North Side hot dog stand, courtesy of owner Ari Levy and the “shirtless maniac” who made it all happen, Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson.

An offer from The Wieners Circle to give away free dogs if Johnson removed his shirt during or after a game came to fruition last Friday when Johnson took it off following the Bears’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles, leading to Tuesday’s frenzied feast of free frankfurters.

Earl Johnson dresses as Bears coach Ben Johnson as fans line up for free hot dogs, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Though Johnson wasn’t on hand to witness the celebration resulting from his exhibitionism, there was, naturally, a Ben Johnson imitator who shed his shirt for the multitude of TV cameras and reporters.

“Ben is obviously the cultural icon of Chicago right now,” said Earl Johnson, a 43-year-old Wicker Park resident who is no relation to shirtless Ben. “He’s completely changed the city.”

The faux Johnson said the free hot dog was not the real draw. More important, he theorized, was showing the Bears “that we’re also on this ride with them” until the end.

“What if they hold a promotion like this and only four people show up?” he asked.

Like many others on hand, Earl Johnson also showed up back in late September when The Wieners Circle held their first giveaway after promising free dogs if Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys.

That successful giveaway prompted Levy to come up with his next great idea — more free dogs if Johnson showed off his six-pack. It took two months and eight more Bears wins for Johnson to answer the call to glory.

Tuesday’s giveaway was even bigger than the first. The video of the shirtless Johnson in the Bears locker room had gone viral and made national headlines. An internet meme showed a statue of a shirtless Johnson erected outside the South entrance of Soldier Field. Not since a shirtless father and son ran out on the field and attacked a coach at White Sox Park in 2002 had a bare-chested man garnered so much attention in this town.

It could only happen in Chicago.

Bob Keen lines up with Bears fans for free hot dogs Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood after coach Ben Johnson took his shirt off in a postgame celebration for a win over the Eagles. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

With wind chills in the single digits, people lined Clark Street on a half-shoveled sidewalk that was filled with slush and very difficult to navigate. The line wrapped west around Drummond Place, but everyone polled seemed to agree it would be worth the wait.

Some killed time by chanting “Green Bay sucks,” which seemed to warm them up a bit. They passed by a trash can that, for some reason, was nicknamed “Aaron Rodgers.”

Almost everyone had their phones at the ready, waiting to get a photo of the marquee — “We got a new Mayor Johnson” — and perhaps to get a video of themselves getting insulted by the cashier.

The famous Poochie, the queen of profane insults, was not working Tuesday. But her partner in grime, the equally foul-mouthed Regan, was up to the task, swearing like a Streets & San worker on a St. Paddy’s Day binge:

“Bear down, mother (bleeps).”

“Put some money in the (tip) bucket, (bleep).”

“Good luck with your (bleeping) child support, you (bleep).”

“If you don’t move it, I’m going to be cracking your (bleeping) head like a (bleeping) coconut.”

Shannon Lahey-Petzold dresses for the occasion as Bears fans line up for free hot dogs, Dec. 2, 2025, at The Wieners Circle in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood after coach Ben Johnson took his shirt off in a postgame celebration for a win over the Eagles. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Those were the polite insults.

Regan also offered to put some things on the hot dogs that no one would put on a hot dog. The crowd ate it up, though not literally, thank goodness.

Where else but Chicago would someone be willing to freeze their tail off in a long line and have their manhood challenged for a free hot dog?

Some were on hand to get attention. Employees of the Chicago Dogs minor-league team handed out free Dogs caps and brought their mascot, a giant mustard bottle nicknamed “Squeeze,” who was called a “big yellow (bleep)” and ordered to get out of the way. A fire truck from Engine No. 78 in Wrigleyville parked in front and blasted “Bear Down, Chicago Bears” at a billion decibels. An alderman showed up to give his support, or perhaps to get on the 5 o’clock news.

It was the kind of Chicago sports celebration that reminded one of the days when a certain coach from a certain town had everyone under his magic spell.

Could Ben Johnson turn into the second coming of “Da Coach,” Mike Ditka?

Chicago Bears fans line up again for free Wieners Circle hot dogs, cheering ‘thank you, Ben Johnson’

“Oh yeah, I honestly think so,” said Bob Keen, a Logan Square resident wearing Bears-colored Zubaz and a Rozelle headband in honor of 1980s Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. “He’s got a long way to go because Ditka is a legend in this town, not just for winning, but for the character and the way he related to the city specifically.

“Ben Johnson has a different angle on it than Ditka, but he’s a man for his time. I can see him as a thinking man’s Ditka, if you will.”

Earl Johnson, the Ben Johnson imitator, was not yet willing to put the Da Shirtless Coach on the same pedestal as Da Coach himself.

“Probably not,” he said. “I mean, a Hall of Fame coach, the 1985 Bears, the (Super Bowl) shuffle? Win a Super Bowl, and then we’ll talk. But this is something different. We’re not there yet, but I like what’s happening.”

It’s too soon to refer to Ben Johnson as “Ditka-esque,” but he’s already making an impression. Johnson’s “good, better, best” mantra was repeatedly uttered by those in line on Tuesday, and someone even managed to give it a Wieners Circle twist.

“Good. Better. Best get your (bleeping bleep) out the (bleeping) way, you Green Bay (bleeps).”

It was enough to make a grown man cry.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/chicago-bears-ben-johnson-weiners-circle-hot-dogs/ 

The Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education reached an impasse again on Monday, unable to make a decision on schools it will close on July 1, 2026. That complicates the district’s efforts to cut costs and balance its budget, outlined in its Structural Deficit Reduction Plan.

The board members voted in much the same way they did in November, when they reached an impasse over closing Kingsley Elementary School and Lincolnwood Elementary School, or just Kingsley, at the end of this school year.

The board now faces uncertainty about whether it will be able to close any schools at the end of the school year, aside from the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, a decision the district’s administration says is necessary for the district’s long-term financial goals.

District 65 Board members Sergio Hernandez, Mya Wilkins and Andrew Wymer voted to close both Kingsley and Lincolnwood Schools, but faced opposition from board members Maria Opdycke, Patricia Anderson and Nichole Pinkard, who voted to only close Kingsley.

When a motion to only close Kingsley was on the table, Opdycke, Anderson and Pinkard voted to close it, with the objections of Hernandez, Wilkins and Wymer blocking the Board from committing to that scenario.

Part of the board’s inability to reach a deciding vote comes from the resignation of Board member Omar Salem, which came before the Board took a vote on school closures. With the vacant Board seat, there have been multiple 3-3 votes that have stymied any action on future school closures.

A previous Board of Education voted in 2024 to close Bessie Rhodes on June 30, 2025.

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board President Patricia Anderson listens to her colleagues on the Board of Education at a meeting on Dec. 1, 2025. At the meeting, the board deadlocked on two separate votes: one would have closed one school, the other two. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

The board has a Dec. 16 Special Board of Education meeting to appoint a new member, who could potentially cast a tie-breaking vote on school closures.

A simple majority of the board would be needed to appoint the new member. If the board should deadlock again and not fill the vacancy within 60 days of Salem’s Nov. 4 resignation, the regional superintendent of schools is required to appoint a board member within 30 days thereafter.

At a previous board meeting on Nov. 20, Superintendent Angel Turner told the Board that its inability to make a decision on school closures before winter break will result in no school closures at the end of this school year.

Before the Board took its vote, each member spoke briefly to explain their vote.

“I’m fine with saying next year, at this time, that Lincolnwood School would be on conversation for closure, but I believe in this community, this Board, the educators and the community, that we can come up with a better solution that does not harm the marginalized population,” Pinkard said.

“I’m voting tonight for a two-school scenario because it is the only option for us that centers the long-term financial sustainability of our entire district,” Wymer said

“I cannot vote for a one-school closure, because I would have to violate my vote to act in the best interest of the whole district, not just one neighborhood,” he added.

After the vote, a hush fell over the large audience at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center. In a turnabout of the mood in weeks passed, which varied from impassioned protests and public comment sessions where residents slammed the Board, applauded and heckled one another, attendees turned somber after the board failed to close a single school after four votes.

Esteban Quiñones, a member of the grassroots group The Legion of Data Nerds, a group of data experts who have been critical of the district’s school closure process, said while he wouldn’t have predicted the board’s vote, he wasn’t surprised by it either.

“It’s a little deflating… I think most of the community, whether they differ on the number, understand that we need to close at least one school…” he said.

“We were hopeful that there would at least be some compromise today, where if they can’t agree on two, then they would at least settle on one of the two,” Quiñones said.

Quiñones contested that the Board could not vote on the same measures after a new board member is appointed. The district’s administration did not respond to inquiries from Pioneer Press regarding whether the board could still vote in January, or later, to close a school at the end of this school year.

Oakton School parent Lindsey White, a frequent public commenter, said that the blame for the Board’s indecisiveness comes from the Board’s president, Anderson.

Before the start of the school year, the district’s administration floated a proposal to close up to four schools at the end of the school year.

“I think there’s going to be a large attempt to paint this as this all falls on the shoulders of the three board members who voted against closing one school only. But this is truly a failure of Board leadership, and an inability of that leadership to have effective conversations over this entire fall break,” White said.

White anticipated that when the Board has a chance to vote on school closures next year, the district’s financial problems will only be exacerbated, causing even more school closures to come down the pike.

The Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education convening on its Dec. 1, 2025 board meeting. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

The district began its Structural Deficit Reduction Plan to cut millions of dollars in expenses in 2023, just months after Turner began her tenure at the district. A review of the district’s finances found that the district had a deficit greater than $10 million for two years prior under then-Superintendent Devon Horton.

Horton’s recently announced indictment from the federal government where he was accused of embezzlement during his tenure by hiring his friends to do little or no work for the district has further complicated trust with the district’s administration, the Board of Education and the public.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/d65-school-board-impasse-blocks-path-to-any-school-closures/