Category: News
Hard Rock provides free tuition for Gary grads
Qualified Gary high school graduates can receive free college tuition for four years at Indiana University Northwest from a scholarship program funded by Hard Rock Casino of Northern Indiana, officials said Tuesday.
The Urban League of Northwest Indiana co-sponsors the program.
“This scholarship is about possibility – ensuring every Gary student knows that college is within reach and that IU Northwest is their home to grow, learn and lead,” said IU Northwest Chancellor Arrick Jackson.
Applicants must be a 2025 or 2026 graduate of any Gary high school or home school; have a minimum 2.5 grade point average and a Core 40 diploma; complete 30 to 40 hours of community service work and plan to attend IU Northwest as a first-year student pursuing either a two-year or four-year degree.
Scholarship recipients will receive free tuition for up to four years based on FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as long as they maintain a 2.5 GPA.
Students can apply at go.iu.edu/hard-rock.
The deadline is Jan. 31, 2027.
Applicants must submit: a completed scholarship application; a resume; high school transcript; IU Northwest acceptance letter and proof of community service.
Last year, Hard Rock Casino provided $250,000 in scholarships to 30 Gary high school graduates for full tuition at IU Northwest. The Urban League screened applicants and determined the winners.For questions, contact Veronica Zizumbo: vzizumbo@ulofnwi.org or 219-887-9621.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/hard-rock-provides-free-tuition-for-gary-grads/
Sech apoya a la selección de Panamá rumbo al mundial
Por BERENICE BAUTISTA
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (AP) — Sech estaba tan emocionado por el pase de la selección panameña de fútbol a la Copa Mundial 2026 que ofreció un concierto gratuito en la Calle 50 de Ciudad de Panamá cuando lo lograron.
“Fue increíble en verdad, sí fue una historia de mucho esfuerzo”, dijo el músico urbano panameño. “Había mucha fe, pero estaba complicado, porque no dependíamos ni siquiera solamente de nosotros, sino que también Surinam perdiera”.
Panamá se clasificó en la última jornada de las eliminatorias de la Concacaf con una victoria por 3-0 sobre El Salvador en el Estadio Rommel Fernández. Finalizaron como líderes de su grupo y afianzaron su pase directo gracias a la derrota de Surinam ante Guatemala.
El concierto de Sech fue espontáneo.
“Literalmente ganaron, me emocioné, llamé y lo hicimos real”, recordó. “Como buenos panameños, felices y lindos que somos, nos fuimos para la calle”.
Ahora su atención estará puesta en el sorteo del viernes para conocer los grupos de la Copa Mundial.
Sech se encontraba de visita en México para su presentación en el Coca-Cola Flow Fest y dijo que le gustaría regresar al país para ver un partido del mundial.
Durante su concierto interpretó éxitos y colaboraciones destacadas como “Otro trago”, “Relación”, “Ignorantes”, “Sigues con él”, “Elegí” y “Porfa”.
“Es un festival increíble, literalmente es un mar de gente”, dijo Sech sobre el Flow que reunió a 84.000 asistentes el día que se presentó. “Me acuerdo la primera vez que llegué que la gente se movió así, como si fuera un mar, pero increíble. Creo que la gente ahí está realmente puesta para pasarla bien”.
Sech termina 2025 con varios sencillos que han llegado a las listas de popularidad, desde “Priti” con Danny Ocean, “Paris” con Boza y “Novio No” con Ryan Castro y Kybba.
“Yo creo que ha sido un año bien especial porque yo me siento que es como si volviera a comenzar”, señaló. “Volvimos a conectar con la gente, yo conmigo mismo también. Musicalmente hablando, creo que son colaboraciones y canciones que a mí me fascinan”, dijo.
“Novio No” es una canción de dance hall que le gusta especialmente a Sech pues es un estilo de música que lo ha acompañado desde siempre.
“Es mi cultura, es de donde yo vengo, lo primero que escuché fue reggae en español, dance hall. ¿Me entiendes? Eso literalmente es lo que yo siento”, apuntó.
En la letra una chica se niega a tener un novio “¿Noviecito pa’ qué? ¿Pa’ que mienta?/¿Noviecito pa’ qué? ¿Pa’ que falle?/¿Noviecito pa’ qué? Si estamo’ on fire”, cantan.
“Creo que en este momento, tanto yo como mucha gente hemos pasado quizá por muchas decepciones, por muchas cosas y por algunos no confiamos”, dijo Sech, quien a pesar de todo no se niega a darle una oportunidad al amor. “Yo creo que hay que amar, hay que atreverse. El amor es lindo, en verdad”.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/sech-apoya-a-la-seleccin-de-panam-rumbo-al-mundial/
Erling Haaland anota su gol 100 en la Premier y Man City vence 5-4 a Fulham
Por JAMES ROBSON
Erling Haaland llegó el martes a los 100 goles en la Liga Premier y el Manchester City se acercó a dos puntos del líder Arsenal.
Haaland abrió el marcador en la trepidante victoria 5-4 del City ante Fulham, en la que el equipo de Pep Guardiola sobrevivió a una dramática remontada en la visita a Craven Cottage.
El City ganaba 5-1 al cabo de 54 minutos, pero Fulham reaccionó y casi logró el empate en el tiempo de descuento cuando el remate de Josh King fue despejado de la raya por Josko Gvardiol.
Haaland celebró después frente a los aficionados que viajaron, tras convertirse en el jugador más rápido en alcanzar un centenar de goles en la Premier.
Su gol a los 17 minutos, con una definición a quemarropa fue su número 100 en 111 partidos. El inglés Alan Shearer había mantenido el récord al alcanzar ese hito en 124 partidos.
Lo más importante para el City fue una victoria que redujo la distancia con el puntero Arsenal, que el miércoles recibe a Brentford.
El City se fue al descanso con una ventaja 3-1 gracias a los goles de Tijani Reijnders (37) y Phil Foden (44) que se sumaron al de Haaland. Emile Smith-Rowe hizo el primero de Fulham en los descuentos de la primera parte.
Foden consiguió su segundo gol al inicio de la segunda mitad y el autogol de Sander Berge aparentemente tenía sentenciado el encuentro.
Eso fue hasta que Fulham reaccionó.
Alex Iwobi (57) consiguió el segundo de Fulham con un disparo combeado desde fuera del área. Samuel Chukwueze luego anotó dos tantos (72 y 78) en el espacio de seis minutos para dejar servido un tenso final.
Jack Grealish, el extremo cedido por el City, firmó el gol con el que Everton doblegó 1-0 a Bournemouth.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Chicago Bears’ Week 16 matchup with Green Bay Packers scheduled for prime-time kickoff
The Week 16 matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, Dec. 20, will be played at 7:20 p.m. at Soldier Field. The kickoff time was previously unannounced. This will be the first Bears-Packers game in prime time since 2022.
With the college football regular season over, Week 16 will be the first weekend with Saturday NFL games. A Saturday doubleheader will begin with the Philadelphia Eagles against the Washington Commanders at 4 p.m. The Bears and the Packers will play at 7:20 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on Fox.
The Bears and Packers will square off twice over the next three weeks, with the first meeting coming at 3:25 p.m. this Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
The Bears will have back-to-back prime-time matchups with the Saturday night game against the Packers on Dec. 20, followed by a meeting with the San Francisco 49ers on “Sunday Night Football” on Dec. 28.
The only remaining unscheduled regular-season game for the Bears is now the Week 18 finale against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/chicago-bears-green-bay-packers-week-16-kickoff/
After ominous signs from 7th Circuit, attorneys abruptly move to dismiss lawsuit restricting use of force by immigration agents as appeal looms
In what appears to be a longer-term legal strategy, the plaintiffs in an injunction case limiting the use of force by immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz on Tuesday abruptly moved to dismiss the underlying lawsuit in the midst of an appeal by the Trump administration.
In the request, lawyers representing a consortium of media outlets and other plaintiffs noted that it appeared the immigration enforcement surge “has ended” in Chicago and that “counsel has not received a single report of unconstitutional behavior that necessitated this case” since Nov. 8.
If the dismissal is granted, it could effectively end a case that came to symbolize the havoc Midway Blitz caused in Chicago and led to U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issuing a scathing ruling limiting the use of tear gas or other munitions against journalists and protesters, among other restrictions.
In a statement Tuesday, the board for the Chicago Headline Club, the lead plaintiff in the case, claimed victory, saying that Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and his team of agents left town soon after Ellis’ injunction was entered.
“To no one’s surprise, the federal government appealed, and the lower court’s preliminary injunction was stayed in the meantime,” the statement said. “Given that the Border Patrol and other federal agencies have reduced their presence for now, we don’t see a need to keep the court fight going. We’ll take the win.”
According to the motion to dismiss, the Department of Justice has agreed to drop its appeal as long as Ellis dismisses the lawsuit “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled.
It’s not clear, however, if the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals would drop the matter entirely. The court had issued an expedited briefing schedule and set arguments for later this month.
In asking the 7th Circuit for an emergency stay, lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice wrote earlier this month that the case was a “perfect example” of a growing trend in the nation’s courts to issue sweeping injunctions that violate the separation of powers and “superintend law-enforcement activities under threat of contempt.”
Days later, a conservative three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit granted the stay and set the case for expedited briefing, saying the government was likely to succeed on those arguments.
“The preliminary injunction entered by the district court is overbroad,” the order said. “In no uncertain terms, the district court’s order enjoins an expansive range of defendants, including the President of the United States, the entire Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, and anyone acting in concert with them. … The practical effect is to enjoin all law enforcement officers within the Executive Branch.”
Ellis’ injunction also requires government officials to submit all future guidelines for use of force to the court for review, “a mandate impermissibly infringing on principles of separation of powers on this record,” the appeals court said.
The injunction was also too “prescriptive” in barring the “use of scores of riot control weapons and other devices in a way that resembles a federal regulation,” the appellate court order said.
All three judges on the panel hearing the appeal are Republican nominees. Judge Frank Easterbook was nominated by President Ronald Reagan, while Judge Michael Scudder and Judge Michael Brennan were each nominated by Trump in his first term.
While the judge’s warned not to read too much into its order for a stay, it was clear that the court was poised to severely limit — if not overturn — Ellis’ injunction, which could have greatly hampered any future efforts to rein in immigration enforcement practices should it pick up again in the spring.
In her injunction ruling, Ellis earlier this month revealed new information gleaned from body-worn cameras and other evidence showing how agents used tear gas and flash-bang grenades on fleeing protesters, shot a praying minister in the face with pepper balls and even used ChatGPT to help write a report.
The 233-page written ruling took readers methodically through many of the high-profile melees between immigration agents and protesters during the two-month operation, including incidents in Albany Park, Old Irving Park, Evanston and the East Side.
Ellis wrote in the opinion that, over and over, body-worn camera footage from the agents undermined what was eventually put in their use-of-force reports, rendering their statements unreliable.
The reports also misidentified “neighborhood moms and dads, Chicago Bears fans, people dressed in Halloween costumes, and the lawyer who lives on the block” as professional agitators, Ellis wrote, while the body cameras at times captured the agents’ apparent glee in deploying tear gas and other munitions on residential streets.
Ellis’ preliminary injunction prohibits immigration agents from deploying tear gas or other munitions before issuing two explicit warnings, requires agents in the field to have body cameras and wear clear identification on their uniforms and forbids law enforcement from targeting journalists or interrupting their news gathering in most circumstances.
Unlike a previously entered temporary restraining order, the preliminary injunction was to remain in effect until a final decision on the merits of the case is made, either at trial or through a settlement. Ellis had tentatively set a hearing on permanent injunction for March.
In its appeal brief filed last week, the Department of Justice argued Ellis’ injunction order was “untenably overbroad” and improperly empowers her to “micromanage how federal agents respond to disruptive and often violent protests throughout the Chicago area.”
“What began as a complaint by a handful of journalists and protesters alleging that federal officers targeted them with crowd-control devices at a few protests in September and early October has transformed into an instrument for judicial micromanagement of federal law-enforcement operations,” lawyers for the Department of Justice wrote in the brief. “The injunction broadly obstructs the enforcement of the nation’s laws, chills the exercise of executive power, and subverts the constitutional structure.”
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
Column: Trump deserves praise, support for effort to end war
President Donald Trump deserves sincere praise and encouragement for his continuing, so far pretty thankless effort to bring about peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. He quite properly emphasizes the terrible human carnage of this conflict, involving civilians as well as the military.
Given the fundamental values and ideals of our nation, seeking — and ideally, fulfilling — the role of committed peacemaker is directly in line with the human and egalitarian values expressed brilliantly in our Declaration of Independence. Our Civil War reconfirmed that egalitarian commitment, at enormous human cost.
The 20th century brought a reluctant United States into international leadership, decisively. U.S. resources and leadership were vital to defending Europe, and then Asia, from the powerful expansionist drives of dictatorship, in the second of these wars, turning back and then destroying the new menace of militarist totalitarianism.
When the Cold War emerged not long after the end of the Second World War, the U.S. was committed to international leadership, and again eventually secured victory. Initially, this commitment was much more on the part of the nation’s leaders than the public at large.
Thanks to extremely skillful, courageous presidents, in particular Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, the commitment to internationalism became general, and isolationism faded.
President Trump’s efforts regarding Ukraine are directly in line with this powerful tradition, yet there has been no broad rallying of support, either at home or abroad.
Why is this the case? The reasons are numerous and rather complex.
First, established mainstream media, abroad as well as at home, has become accustomed to almost automatically opposing Trump. Actually, he has encouraged the adversarial relationship, especially in his initial rise to national political influence and power in 2015-2016. Hostility to established institutions and powers, including the dominant mass media, was a central theme and remains important. “Draining and swamp,” in Washington and elsewhere, remains persuasive.
Second, Europe’s leaders have been publicly critical of Trump’s efforts regarding Ukraine, including his latest peace proposal. Very blunt public criticism by the administration regarding Europe’s alleged failures and shortcomings, especially regarding defense, has created distance and friction. Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have provided a continuing background chorus to Trump’s adversarial stance.
Third, and related, Trump’s disdain for traditional diplomacy, handled quietly and behind the scenes, has significantly exacerbated problems with the Europeans.
Yet European leaders on their own have not yet been able to organize an effective, successful end to Russia’s military aggression.
Literally for decades, the European Union has aspired to a cohesive international role. For this reason, Henry Kissinger, during the Nixon administration, declared 1973 to be “The Year of Europe,” with great media fanfare. He – and his boss – were acknowledging at least the ambition, if not the reality.
Trump has stirred the Europeans to do more on national defense. Particularly notable is Germany’s planning to use highways for aircraft runways as well as military ground transport. This particular effort recalls the Third Reich’s successful use of highways for the efficient movement of the military.
Today, however, the goal is effective defense against outside aggression against the durable NATO alliance rather than initiating aggression against others.
Russia is demonstrating expanded capability. The Wall Street Journal has reported in detail on Moscow’s destruction of Ukrainian forces by drones behind the front lines. Until now, Ukraine has had the upper hand in this capacity.
Let’s hope Trump’s peace effort is successful.
Arthur I. Cyr is author of “After the Cold War – American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia” (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan).
Contact acyr@carthage.edu
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/column-arthur-i-cyr-ukraine-peace/
‘Got Gold’ For The Coming Reckoning?
‘Got Gold’ For The Coming Reckoning?
Authored by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog,
“China has been understating its gold reserves by possibly a factor of 10. I believe this is the biggest story in world finance. The West is either asleep at the wheel or ignoring it.”
– Dominic Frisby
The Financial Times reported that China is under-reporting their gold reserves, subversively hiding the fact they have accumulated 10 times as much gold as they have officially reported. The charts and data below from Visual Capitalist are based on “officially” reported numbers. Even these fake numbers show China accumulating gold at a rapid pace over the last five years. According to these charts, The U.S. supposedly has 8,133 tons of gold, but Trump’s unfulfilled promise to audit Fort Knox puts that figure in doubt. Officially, China has the sixth largest amount of gold at 2,280 tons. Unofficially, China’s reserves are at least 5,000 tons, with some estimates exceeding the U.S. levels.
The 140% increase in the price of gold over the last three years is telling a story the legacy media propaganda outlets don’t want told. The decline of the dollar and western civilization are a reflection of the soaring price of gold. And this isn’t a recent development. The beginning of the end began at the start of this century. The shills and bimbos on CNBC will blather endlessly about stocks for the long-run without ever revealing these facts:
The price of gold on January 1, 2000 was $289 per ounce. The current price is $4,256 per ounce. So, gold has gone up by a factor of 14.7 in the first quarter of this century.
The S&P 500 was 1,469 on January 1, 2000. The S&P 500 is currently 6,849. Therefore, it is up by a factor of 4.7 in the first quarter of this century.
The NASDAQ was 4,131 on January 1, 2000. The NASDAQ is currently 23,365. So, even with an AI bubble driving the NASDAQ to all-time highs, it is only up by a factor of 5.7.
Stocks have done pretty well, but gold has been the asset class of the century, without question. This increase in value is really related to the 47% decline in the purchasing power of the USD, according to the bullshit BLS CPI. In reality, the USD has declined in value by at least 70% since 2000. I’m sure the 14.7 fold increase in the price of gold has nothing to do with the 6.7 fold increase in the national debt ($5.7 trillion to $38.3 trillion) or the 11.1 fold increase in the Federal Reserve balance sheet ($592 billion to $6.58 trillion). The price of gold is a true reflection of a profligate empire of debt hurtling towards its rendezvous with the destiny all empires eventually meet – collapse.
China, Russia and the rest of the BRICS countries are positioning themselves for the final economic battle with the American empire. They have been rapidly selling U.S. Treasuries and replacing them with gold and now silver. The top two gold mining producing countries in the world are China and Russia, accounting for approximately 20% of worldwide production. The American empire of debt is in its death throes, threatening, bullying and making blustering proclamations towards countries not toeing the line of USD dominance. The central bankers across the globe see the writing on the wall and that is why they are accumulating gold.
Those running the show (aka invisible government) have used every derivative manipulation trick their Wall Street cabal partners could muster for the last fifteen years to try and suppress the price of gold and silver. But reality is beginning to overwhelm their false narratives and their fraudulent market schemes. The shit has begun hitting the fan and those in control are growing desperate. They can’t deliver the metal, because they don’t have it.
The question all holders of gold and silver want answered is: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
In the short-term (1 to 2 years) it is anyone’s guess what will happen, but over the longer term (3 to 8 years) it is a certainty an economic catastrophe caused by the hundreds of trillions in unpayable global debt will engulf the world. Trump and his neo-con handlers are looking to abscond with Venezuela’s 300 billion barrels of oil reserves under the guise of fighting drug traffickers, in order to keep this teetering jenga tower of debt from collapsing in the next year.
All options are on the table for desperate oligarchs, including: World War 3; civil war; engineered stock market collapse; new fake pandemic; or a myriad of other options designed to strike fear into the hearts of the ignorant masses. Gold’s price rise has pulled back the curtain on the wizards of Wall Street, revealing their weakness and vulnerability. The oligarchs need to create an enormous false flag event in order to implement their Great Reset, with mandatory use of CBDCs, creating a digital gulag with no escape for the terrified masses. Your savings accounts and 401ks would be bailed in (aka absconded) to save Wall Street. Possession of physical gold and silver would be declared illegal, just as gold was in 1933 by FDR. Government jackboots would be tasked with confiscation.
Their debt based world is tumbling down. A final catastrophe for the USD is a certainty, unless the ruling elite can use their fear tactics to achieve their goal of creating a global digital gulag. There are several world leaders who could derail their plans and millions of critical thinking, liberty loving patriots who will refuse to bend the knee to these psychopaths in suits.
“There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved.”
– Ludwig von Mises
Nothing can stop the financial collapse baked into this catastrophe cake, but what comes after the collapse is still in question. If or when a new country arises from the ashes of this empire, having gold and silver in your possession would probably be a beneficial step for your future.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/02/2025 – 17:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/precious-metals/got-gold-coming-reckoning
‘Nunca satisfechos’: Patriots llegan a su semana de descanso con una racha de 10 victorias
Por KYLE HIGHTOWER
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, EE.UU. (AP) — Los Patriots de Nueva Inglaterra pasaron de ganar 11 títulos consecutivos del Este de la AFC durante la era de Bill Belichick y Tom Brady, a quedar detrás Buffalo en cada una de las últimas cinco temporadas.
Después de una dominante victoria 33-15 sobre los Giants de Nueva York el lunes por la noche, Nueva Inglaterra entra en su semana de descanso inmerso en una racha de 10 victorias consecutivas.
Con un récord de 11-2 y 3-0 en juegos de la división, el primer partido de los Patriots después de la semana de descanso será el duelo del 14 de diciembre contra los Bills (8-4, 2-2), que perdieron 23-20 ante Nueva Inglaterra en Buffalo en la Semana 5.
Esto también ha solidificado la posición de los Patriots como contendientes al Super Bowl en la primera temporada del entrenador Mike Vrabel. Y ha hecho que su mensaje al equipo durante el próximo descanso sea simple.
“No hemos terminado. No estamos satisfechos. Creo que los campeones nunca están satisfechos”, afirmó Vrabel. “Creo que puedes apreciar dónde estás, pero al mismo tiempo nunca estar satisfecho o complaciente”.
También quiere recordar a sus jugadores que no hay nada garantizado cuando retomen las prácticas. Esta temporada, los equipos tienen un récord de 16-12 tras su semana de descanso.
Sus jugadores no creen que mantener el enfoque sea un problema para este grupo.
“Hemos establecido un estándar para nosotros mismos. Siento que todos los jugadores lo han aceptado, y siento que está dando frutos”, expresó el corredor Rhamondre Stevenson.
El receptor Kayshon Boutte cree que eso se debe a que la actitud es completamente diferente a la que persistió la temporada pasada rumbo a un final 4-13.
“Creo que simplemente, siendo la forma en que terminó la temporada pasada, dejando eso atrás, una nueva temporada y un nuevo punto de inflexión”, comentó Boutte. “Estamos en 11-dos ahora mismo, así que quiero decir, es genial. No se puede pedir una mejor sensación”.
Lo que está funcionando
Drake Maye nuevamente fue recibido con cánticos de “¡MVP!” durante la victoria del lunes. Con cada semana que pasa, comienza a sentirse como si fuera mucho más que solo buenos deseos de los fanáticos locales. A lo largo de 13 juegos, el mariscal de campo de segundo año se encuentra en la cima de la NFL con 3.412 yardas por pase, un porcentaje de pases completados del 71,cinco por ciento y un índice de pasador de 111,nueve. Sus 23 pases de touchdown ocupan el tercer lugar en la liga.
“Lo veo. Es un crack”, dijo Stevenson. “Es un crack cada semana y eso realmente no es una sorpresa”.
Lo que necesita ayuda
Aunque movieron bien el balón en la ofensiva, los Patriots terminaron pudieron llevar uno de cinco en la zona roja, conformándose con cuatro goles de campo. Aún no les ha perjudicado, pero la capacidad de terminar esas series con touchdowns es algo que necesita mejorar si quieren hacer una carrera profunda en los playoffs.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
La Grange Area League of Women Voters forum: Affordable housing could help pump cash into economy
Affordable housing is important not only from a humanitarian standpoint, but it affects the larger economy as well, according to a speaker at a recent La Grange Area League of Women Voters forum on the subject.
“It strengthens our local economy because it brings more people,” said Tina Rounds, CEO of BEDS Plus, the La Grange-based nonprofit that has been working since 1988 to help people in suburban Cook County facing housing crisis. “People who work here can live here … and they can be lifelong community members, which we all strive to be.”
About 35 people gathered at the La Grange Public Library Nov. 19 to learn more about the subject.
Rounds said BEDS Plus distributed an average of $3,500 to clients for housing last year.
“I always think that of all of the things someone might spend $3,500 on, that keeps a family from becoming homeless in our community,” she said. “That kind of brings it into perspective.”
Rounds said affordable housing is often difficult to define. Many experts considered it affordable if persons could afford rental payments at 30% of their income. If rent was 50% of income, that person would be considered house/cost burdened; 80% would be considered extremely cost burdened.
Rounds said that of people living in the lowest levels of poverty, 70% are paying 80% or more for housing.
“Which leaves no room for crisis, it leaves no room for food and extra support that they might need for their children or family members for medical costs,” she said. “We might grumble about the price of eggs but this (housing costs) is directly affecting their ability to live.”
Rounds stressed the Chicago area was particularly troublesome for low-income people seeking affordable housing.
“It’s a tough place for us to live,” she said. “It’s expensive.”
Rounds noted that in La Grange, it would be difficult for a renter to find affordable housing, since the average rent in the village is $2,339, which would require an income of $95,000 to live affordably.
To illustrate the point further, Rounds pointed out that a minimum wage job would only be able to afford an apartment for $875 in La Grange; even someone with a white collar job making $70,000 could only comfortably afford to pay $1,750 for rent in the village.
According to figures from the state, La Grange’s share of affordable housing stands at 13.22%, with 399 affordable homes and 355 affordable rental units.
“So they’re meeting their minimum standard,” Rounds said, citing a 2003 Illinois state law setting goals for affordable housing.
Western Springs, which falls under the area served by BEDS Plus, is much worse, with only 2.8% affordable units of housing, leaving the village 298 units short of the state’s goal.
Rounds listed several reasons for the lack of affordable housing in recent years, including stagnant wages, what she described as the “financialization” of housing stock — where housing units are increasingly seen as investment opportunities for corporations — and barriers to greater production of housing. Those barriers include rising construction costs, regulatory burdens and local zoning control.
“It’s really complex, a multifaceted issue,” she said, stressing the supply of housing is not meeting demand. “The demand for housing is high, and there’s not enough housing being built.
“Construction costs are increasing. We’re trying to renovate a 55-room hotel and we’ve had to increase the costs three times just to keep up with current labor as well as other costs related to that building.”
As for solutions to the housing crisis, Rounds pointed to the BEDS Plus facility on Ogden and East avenues as an example of one way to meet demand, but said that there were several other options.
She referenced a newspaper article containing a quote from the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island.
”Our approach is robust and comprehensive. We are not just doing one thing. We’re making sure we don’t lose any existing units, promoting new construction and providing tenant protections for those who need it.”
Rounds mentioned an approach created by housing activists in the Netherlands that was another approach to affordable housing. “Social housing,” represents 29% of the housing stock in that country, begun by that country’s 284 housing associations.
“Many of them started with government investments, but now they’re sort of moved on from that,” she said. “And they’re asking a more benevolent investor than a corporate investor.”
To highlight the possibility that similar approaches could work in this country, Rounds noted that such approaches were taken in Highland Park and Winnetka.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Crystal Fabergé egg crafted for Russian royalty shatters record and sells for $30.2 million
LONDON — A rare crystal and diamond Fabergé egg crafted for Russia’s ruling family before it was toppled by revolution shattered records Tuesday as it sold at auction for $30.2 million.
The Winter Egg, which was compared to the iconic Mona Lisa, was just one of seven of the opulent ovoids remaining in private hands, Christie’s London auction house said.
The 4-inch tall egg is made from finely carved rock crystal, covered in a delicate snowflake motif wrought in platinum and 4,500 tiny diamonds. It opens to reveal a removable tiny basket of bejewelled quartz flowers symbolizing spring.
The sale price, which included a buyer’s premium, topped the $18.5 million paid at a 2007 Christie’s auction for another Fabergé egg created for the Rothschild banking family.
Craftsman Peter Carl Fabergé and his company created more than 50 of the eggs for Russia’s imperial family between 1885 and 1917, each elaborately unique and containing a hidden surprise. Czar Alexander III started the tradition by presenting an egg to his wife each Easter. His successor, Nicholas II, extended the gift to his wife and mother.
Czar Nicholas II commissioned the egg for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, as an Easter present in 1913. It was one of two eggs created by female designer Alma Pihl; her other egg is owned by Britain’s royal family.
The Romanov royal family ruled Russia for 300 years before the 1917 revolution ousted it. Nicholas and his family were executed in 1918.
Bought by a London dealer for 450 pounds when the cash-strapped Communist authorities sold off some of Russia’s artistic treasures in the 1920s, the egg changed hands several times. It was believed lost for two decades until it was auctioned by Christie’s in 1994 for more than 7 million Swiss francs ($5.6 million at the time). It sold again in 2002 for $9.6 million.
Each time the egg has sold, it has set a world record price for a Fabergé item, Christie’s said.
Margo Oganesian, the head of Christie’s Russian art department, called the egg “the ‘Mona Lisa’ for decorative arts,” a superb example of craft and design.
There are 43 surviving imperial Fabergé eggs, most in museums.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/faberge-egg-russian-royalty-sale/
