No More Data Centers In Largest US Power Grid Unless They Can Be Reliably Served: Market Monitor

Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/02/2025 – 15:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/no-more-data-centers-largest-us-power-grid-unless-they-can-be-reliably-served-market 

An ordained minister who is a professor and dean at Syracuse University will begin his tenure as Valparaiso University’s 20th president at the start of the new year, the university’s board of directors announced Tuesday.

Rev. Brian E. Konkol, Ph.D., is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and an accomplished senior executive at Syracuse University.

“Rev. Konkol embodies the heart of Valpo through deep Lutheran roots, a passion for students, and a steady commitment to excellence,” said Robert D. Hansen, chairman of the Valparaiso University Board of Directors, in a release. “We are excited to welcome him to our community. His energy, faith, and optimism will serve Valpo well as we move forward together.”

Konkol replaces José Padilla, who in January announced his retirement at the end of this calendar year per his contract. That caps a five-year tenure which saw disruptions on campus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the expansion of partnerships and programs to bring in new students as faculty and programs were cut, and the controversial sale of key artwork from the university’s museum.

Padilla’s announcement came three months after the Faculty Senate took a majority vote of no-confidence in the university’s president. That vote was forwarded to the university’s Board of Directors as their October 2024 meeting began; the board issued a statement at the time saying it fully supported Padilla.

Outgoing Valparaiso University President Jose Padilla presents diplomas during the school’s conferring of degree ceremony in Valparaiso, Indiana, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

There will be a meet-and-greet with Konkol for members of the campus community from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday in the Community Room of the Christopher Center Library, according to university spokesman Michael Fenton.

“Rev. Konkol’s passion for higher education and Lutheran values make him an excellent fit for our University’s needs. We are thrilled to welcome him to campus, and hope the community will join us in welcoming him to the region,” Fenton said in an email to the Post-Tribune.

Konkol is a vice president, dean and professor at Syracuse University, and is a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Team. During his tenure, he led a transformational strategic plan and oversaw a 933% increase in student participation at Hendricks Chapel, expansion of more than 2,000 annual programs, and the development of a nationally recognized model for spiritual, ethical, and interfaith engagement in higher education, according to the statement from the board of directors.

Bolstered by an institutional focus on redefining and enhancing every aspect of the student experience and empowering faculty and research excellence, he also played a key leadership role in Syracuse’s successful $1.5 billion comprehensive campaign, including dramatic growth in annual giving and donor engagement, officials said.

“I congratulate Brian Konkol on his appointment as President of Valparaiso University,” Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said in the announcement. “Brian has been an exceptional leader at Syracuse University, bringing a deep commitment to student success, interfaith understanding, and academic excellence. He has led dialogue across differences, supported students in moments of joy and challenge, and strengthened the values that define us as an institution. Valparaiso has chosen a leader of great wisdom, compassion, and purpose. We are deeply grateful for Brian’s service to the Orange community and wish him every success in this new chapter.”

Before his tenure at Syracuse, Konkol served in Lutheran-based institutions around the world, including as chaplain of Gustavus Adolphus College, co-pastor at Lake Edge Lutheran Church, and pastor and country coordinator for the ELCA in Guyana and South Africa, deepening both his global perspective and his commitment to Lutheran higher learning and service.

“Valparaiso University is a blessing to our world, I have long admired its roots and reach, and to be called to serve alongside such a dedicated campus community is a dream come true,” Konkol said in the board’s announcement. “I thank God for the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends who brought us all to this moment. I fully believe our next chapter of life and learning will be fulfilling, and I embrace this opportunity with excitement for our shared future.”

Valpo’s national presidential search, launched in March, was led by a nine-member committee representing trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader campus community, with support from the firm Academic Search.

Konkol holds a master of divinity from Luther Seminary and both a master of theology and doctor of philosophy from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

He is married to Dr. Kristen Konkol, associate teaching professor and undergraduate director of exercise science at the David B. Falk College of Sport at Syracuse University. They are parents of two children, Khaya and Tobi.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/ordained-minister-announced-as-valparaiso-universitys-20th-president/ 

Serena Williams has taken the first step that would be required ahead of a comeback to tennis, registering with the sport’s drug-testing body, a spokesman for the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said Tuesday.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t competed since bidding farewell at the 2022 U.S. Open. At the time, Williams said she didn’t want to use the word “retiring” and instead declared she was “evolving” away from tennis.

It wasn’t immediately clear when or where — or even if — Williams actually will play again. Her agent did not immediately return a request for comment.

Bounces first reported the decision by Williams, 44, to place her name back in the testing pool with the ITIA, which oversees anti-doping and anti-corruption efforts.

“She is on the list and back in the testing pool,” ITIA spokesman Adrian Bassett wrote to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Athletes returning to testing need to provide information on their whereabouts — details on their location when they are not at an official event and times when they are available to give samples. Someone who retires while they are on the list and later comes back needs to be available for testing for six months before they are allowed to return to competition.

Williams’ older sister, Venus, returned to competition in July at age 45 after nearly 1½ years away from the tour; she never had announced her retirement. At the U.S. Open, Venus became the oldest player to play singles since 1981.

When Venus, a seven-time major singles champion, came back at the DC Open, she spoke about wishing Serena would join her back on tour. They claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair.

“I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,” Venus said at the time when asked about a video on social media that showed Serena swinging a racket. “But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/serena-williams-comeback-drug-tests/ 

Nothing says “happy holidays” like a 1960s-style aluminum Christmas tree in the former home of a mobster.

That’s one of the attractions that awaits those who attend the 27th annual Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society Holiday House Walk on Dec. 5 and 6.

Each house will be decorated for Christmas. Each owner picks a theme.

One of the four houses on the walk — a sprawling, 60-year-old white ranch owned by Diane and Dave Ruhl — once was owned by a mobster known as Chuckie English.

Their house will be decorated in a “midcentury mobster theme with music by The Rat Pack playing,” Diane said.

Diane has been buying decorations that were popular in the 1960s and ‘70s, but an illuminated Tommy gun will not be on display. “I should, I should,” she said.

According to what the couple has learned since they purchased the house, if walls could talk they’d tell quite a story.

Chuckie English lived with his wife in neighboring River Forest, Diane said, and the ranch was for his mistress.

“She lived here and all the business went down here,” Diane, 51, said.

That “business” was racketeering, making book for illegal betting, she said.

A building inspector told Diane and Dave Ruhl the circuit boards in their basement could provide enough electricity to power a factory. Their home, once owned by a mobster who was gunned down in 1985, is featured on the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society Holiday House Walk. (Steve Metsch/Pioneer Press)

All that needs a lot of electricity, as noted by a building inspector whose “jaw dropped” when he saw the many circuit boards in the basement, Diane said.

“He said ‘You have enough electricity to electrify a factory’,” she said.

The Ruhls bought the house 10 years ago, “a steal” for $380,000, she said. They were intrigued by the mix of “mid-century modern and Sopranos gaudy,” Diane said.

“It was a museum timepiece. It had not been touched since 1965.

“There are the mobster touches. Marble everywhere. Ornate brass on all the doors and drawers. The carpet was pink. The walls were pink. It was pink, gold and ornate (in here),” Diane said.

She and Dave made some changes, like adding a fireplace, bookshelves and removing a wall.

But it’s hard to renovate a house “built like a bunker.”

That included a wall that had sheet metal from floor to ceiling inside, causing contractors extra work and probably offering protections from bullets.

A ranch house that has ties to organized crime in the 1960s and ’70s is among those featured on the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society Holiday House Walk. (Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society)

“This window,” she said pointing to the living room picture window, “had iron blinds that would come down at a certain time of night. They were on a timer.”

“Every window outside of these are like ‘bullet windows,’ high up,” she said. “That’s so you can’t be shot.”

Windows are six feet above the floor in bedrooms.

Living in a house with mob ties has led to visits from neighbors asking to see inside. “It’s been a fun thing for the neighborhood,” she said.

Dave, 50, said he was eventually won over by the unusual nature of the house, but “we made fun of it when we first saw it.”

One thing not on the house walk tour is the home’s creepy crawlspace.

“The rumor is there’s a getaway tunnel from the crawlspace out to the park. I will never go to the end of the crawlspace. It’s creepy,” Diane said.

Oak Park resident Diane Ruhl has been busy searching out authentic midcentury ornaments to decorate her house for the annual fundraiser for the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society. She’s going for a 1960s/’70s theme. (Steve Metsch/Pioneer Press)

Also not on the tour is a room in the attic that can only be locked from the outside. Diane and Dave aren’t hazarding guesses what that was used for.

They and their 14-year-old son, Griffin, have not seen the ghost of English or any other mobsters from the Chicago Outfit.

As for English, he was 70 when he was gunned down gangland style in 1985, taking several shots to the head.

While the other three houses on the walk aren’t as nefarious, each has its own special charm.

Addresses are not revealed except to ticket holders, but Rowena Abrahams, marketing director for the OPRF Infant Welfare Society, was happy to talk about the other houses.

One house has a ballroom with a working organ and indoor shuffleboard court. “We are so grateful to the owner for opening their home,” Abrahams said.

Another house has a “stunning outdoor living space” and was restored by a local architect. Fingers are crossed for good weather so folks can appreciate the outdoor space, Abrahams said.

The third is a three-story house that has a log cabin room on the top floor complete with a moose head and pool table.

“They’ll have access to all three floors including the log cabin (room). It was designed in 1925,” Abrahams said.

Four homes with interesting stories will be featured on the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society Holiday House Walk, where docents will be on hand to answer questions and relay information. (Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society)

The house walk committee begins work early each year to recruit homeowners, Abrahams said.

Tickets for the house walk are for sale at https://oprfiws.org/holiday-housewalk.

Prices are $70 in advance and $75 the days of. Walk hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 6.

“Last year, we had about 900 tickets purchased. We hope to have a similar number of not more. It’s our main fundraiser for the clinic, which has been around 100-plus years,” Abrahams said.

A  $250 Fast Pass allows the ticket bearer to go to the front of the line at each house.

The fundraiser includes a holiday market – featuring works of 22 vendors – that will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. Dec. 5 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6. The market will be at the IWS Children’s Clinic, 28 Madison Street, Oak Park.

The organization dates back to 1916. The core goal is to provide medical, dental and behavioral services for underserved infants, children and young adults up to age 21.

In fiscal year 2025, the clinic provided close to 8,000 health care visits to nearly 3,000 patients from Chicago, the western suburbs, Cook County, and DuPage County.

OPRF IWS is supported by donors, staff, members, and volunteers, advancing the health and well-being of children in need so they can grow into healthy, productive adults, a news release said.

Homeowners won’t be in their houses for the walk, Abrahams noted, but docents are well-versed in the lore, be it a ballroom, log cabin, outdoor space or a mobster’s lair.

Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/oak-park-mobster-holiday-house-walk/ 

All six schools in Zion Elementary School District 6, as well as the district office, remained closed for the second consecutive day on Tuesday due to a cybersecurity incident discovered on Sunday, according to the district’s website.

Before- and after-school activities were cancelled both Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday afternoon, there was no word on when school or related activities would resume.

School officials first discovered the breach on Sunday and responded quickly, according to the website. The incident may have compromised electronic files and servers throughout the district.

“We are working diligently to determine the credibility and full extent of this potential breach,” the district said on its website. Schools and the district office were closed, “to allow for a thorough, immediate investigation of this matter.”

Efforts to restore systems and determine the extent of damage continued Tuesday as “some district services have been suspended,” according to the website.

“We are working diligently with third-party cybersecurity specialists to evaluate the nature and scope of this incident and restore functionality as securely and quickly as possible,” the district said.

The seven-school district has just under 2,100 students, according to the Illinois State Board of Education annual report card.

There are three elementary schools — Beulah Park, East and Lakeview — for preschoolers through second grade, two elementary schools for third through fifth graders — Elmwood and West –, and two middle schools — Shiloh and Zion Central.

Students who attend out-of-district instructional programs will continue going to class, according to the website. Transportation there will continue as scheduled.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/zion-elementary-school-district-6/ 

Times have been tough for movie exhibitors thanks to the one-two punch of streaming and a pandemic, but Chicago’s Music Box Theatre is going strong regardless. The historic art house cinema on Tuesday announced the addition of a new 100-seat third screen at its Southport Avenue location, as well as the purchase of another historic venue in the Midwest with the Heights Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Locally, the new theater space is being carved out of two adjacent storefronts, paid for by the Music Box’s owners as well as a community development grant from the City of Chicago. The additional venue will create more flexibility for festivals, extended runs and filmmaker events. The space is expected to open in summer 2026 and it comes on the heels of some improvements made to the existing theaters last year, with the installation of new, more comfortable seating.

In Minneapolis, the Heights Theater is a “renowned 1926 atmospheric movie palace featuring original plasterwork, crystal chandeliers, and its signature Mighty Wurlitzer organ,” according to a statement. Its programming history has much in common with that of the Music Box — with first-run showings alongside older films, as well as the ability to screen 70mm prints — so both the historic nature of the venue and its focus will be familiar territory for the new owners. The theater will close briefly after its annual New Year’s Day screening of “Holiday Inn” and reopen Jan. 9 with “Father Mother Sister Brother,” the new comedy from director Jim Jarmusch starring Cate Blanchett.

Music Box Theatre is spending $750k for new seats and a spiffing up

Per the announcement, the Music Box intends to maintain annual traditions including its “White Christmas” screenings, its Celebration of Cinema festival, a film noir series and an Alfred Hitchcock series, while adding some new programming: Late-night screenings on the weekend and Saturday morning cinema geared towards kids.

“The Heights has always been about celebrating great films with great people,” said Tom Letness, outgoing owner. “I’m thrilled to pass it on to Music Box Theatre, whose passion for cinema and commitment to presentation match what I’ve built here.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/music-box-expansion/ 

The city of Naperville will host its first intergenerational dialogue event Saturday at Nichols Library.

Aptly titled “Connecting Across the Generations,” the event brings together senior residents and young people from North Central College and the community to share stories and discuss navigating life.

“One of the things I have been wanting to do since last year or the year before is to really see how we can work the senior community into what it is that we’re doing,” said Geneace Williams, Naperville’s diversity, equity and inclusion manager. “I am a firm believer in intergenerational growth, that it takes all generations for us to achieve whatever it is that we’re trying to achieve in life.”

Naperville has an active Senior Task Force, which was created to “address the unique needs of Naperville’s growing senior population,” according to the city’s website. However, in a municipality with more than 150,000 people, there are still many seniors who have not been reached and could be more actively involved in the broader community, Williams said.

To help reach those people, Williams tasked an intern working in her office to come up with an intergenerational activity. The intern, a North Central College student-athlete named Sara Sterner, suggested bringing together students from her college and senior citizens from across Naperville to exchange stories and share wisdom.

Sterner put up flyers on her campus and included the event in a student newsletter to encourage her peers to participate. To reach the older population, Williams reached out to the Senior Task Force and other groups to held spread the word.

“It really is just about building community across ages,” Williams said. “(Sterner) has done just a phenomenal job of coming up with the idea of, ‘Let’s have conversations. Let’s put together seniors with members of either the athletic department or other students on campus who are interested in participating.’”

The event is similar to speed dating. Participants will engage in a round robin of conversations, with each lasting about five minutes. Stations will be set up with a variety of questions and other conversation starters to spark dialogue, allowing for people to cover all different kinds of topics as they move from group to group.

While Williams said they’re seeking senior citizens who are retired, people in their 50s and 60s who are not retired are welcome to participate as well. Similarly, while the event is drawing on North Central College students for its younger age group, those who are of college age but not necessarily enrolled at the school may also participate.

When asked why senior citizens and students should participate in this event, Williams said the goal is for everyone to gain knowledge and insight.

For the elderly population, that may be a lesson on how to use certain kinds of technology. If an older person has grandchildren in their life, hearing a perspective on life from a young person may help that older person better connect with their grandchildren.

As for the younger population, it is a great opportunity to receive a perspective on different aspects of life, such as career and relationships, from the people who have gone through much of it.

“I’m just a firm believer that both sides will get something out of this,” Williams said. “But certainly the older persons are going to want to share wisdom. And wisdom doesn’t always come easy so I’m really hoping that students will learn the value and understand the value of having some wise words shared with them about life from people who’ve already lived it.”

“Connecting Across the Generations” will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave. Registration is required at bit.ly/Napervillegenerations.

cstein@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/naperville-intergenerations-seniors-young-adults/ 

Nor’easter Dumps Snow Across Interior Northeast – Another Winter Threat Looms

Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/02/2025 – 14:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/noreaster-dumps-snow-across-interior-northeast-another-winter-threat-looms 

The lead backer of the Chicago City Council’s push to grant police the power to declare curfews on teens anywhere, anytime says he plans to float a compromise to Mayor Brandon Johnson following a mass shooting and another fatal shooting he believes could have been prevented.

Downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins plans to introduce his ordinance again after nine people were shot, including a 14-year-old boy who was killed, in two incidents linked to a large youth meetup following the city’s recent Millennium Park Christmas tree lighting. Police identified the Nov. 21 meetup as a cause for concern days ahead of time.

Johnson vetoed an ordinance passed by aldermen in a 27-to-22 June vote that would have empowered police Supt. Larry Snelling to declare a teen curfew in any slice of the city with as little as 30 minutes notice.

Hopkins, 2nd, told the Tribune Tuesday he is willing to extend the length of the notice period before such curfews can go into effect, a key point of disagreement between the mayor and the council majority that backed the alderman’s earlier plan.

“The truth is, we didn’t do everything we could have done to prevent this 14-year-old from losing his life,” Hopkins said. “And we could have, and we should have, and it’s not too late for the next potential event.”

Chicago Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, speaks to reporters on May 21, 2025, at Chicago City Hall after his proposed ordinance that would give Chicago’s police superintendent the power to declare “snap curfews” to curb large teen gatherings stalled in the City Council. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

For his part, Johnson declined Tuesday to take an immediate stance on the yet-to-be-refined proposal, but touted the city’s work in driving down crime.

“What we can’t do is give people a pacifier and make them believe that they are being made whole,” he said during a City Hall news conference.

Hopkins declined to say how long a notice period he is seeking. Discussions over a range of times are ongoing, and he plans to introduce the ordinance next week and push it forward after the city’s budget negotiations end, he said.

The alderman would prefer a “near instantaneous curfew,” he said, but acknowledged the mayor’s firm opposition to the 30-minute forewarning in the vetoed version.

The proposal marks yet another turn in the now years-long debate over teen curfews at City Hall. Hopkins revived his previous ordinance last March after similar youth meetups ended in two high-profile shootings.

The city has long employed a 10 p.m. citywide curfew on teens. Hopkins credited that curfew with enabling 18 curfew apprehensions Nov. 21 that he said effectively ended the chaotic gathering during which the shootings took place. Seven people were shot outside the Chicago Theatre, while a 14-year-old boy was killed and and an 18-year-old man was injured in a separate shooting the same night in the 100 block of South Dearborn Street.

Hopkins had at first sought an 8 p.m. teen curfew downtown last year, but amended the ordinance to allow teen curfews in any part of the city, at any time. Johnson showed cautious neutrality when the power to declare a curfew was set to be shared by the mayor’s office and police superintendent, but came out in opposition to the measure when Hopkins further amended it to place the power solely in the superintendent’s hands.

A police officer walks through the scene where multiple teens were shot outside the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 21, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Asked Tuesday about Hopkins’ broad plans, Johnson said he is using “every tool available to me to drive violence down in the city” and criticized the focus on one shooting while many others occur across Chicago.

Murders have dropped 28% compared with the same period last year, while shootings have declined 36%, according to Chicago Police Department data.

“We need adults, parents to absolutely know where their children are, where they’re going. These unsanctioned gatherings have proven to be detrimental and harmful,” he said. “That’s why we had not only additional police officers out there, we had [community violence intervention] workers. It’s why I’m working within my budget to make sure that we are redirecting young people towards positive interactions.”

City officials were well aware that teens planned to meet up as several viral social media posts invited people to the gathering or warned of possible violence. An extra 700 police were deployed downtown, Johnson said.

The mayor also signaled support for targeting social media companies over their role in spreading posts about teen meetups. Ald. William Hall, a close Johnson ally, plans to introduce an ordinance that would fine social media companies that do not take down posts that could spark such meetups when requested by the city.

“It frustrates me, because it does set our city back. I have worked incredibly hard to drive violence down in this city, because it doesn’t just affect us when it happens in a spectacle like that,” Johnson said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/downtown-alderman-teen-curfew-compromise-shootings/