Posted in News

The free-falling Chicago Bulls need help. Could Chicago native Anthony Davis offer answers?

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Chicago Bulls are nearing a fork in the road.

The first week of December isn’t a particularly meaningful stretch of the NBA season. Teams have played enough games to make sweeping statements about their success and playoff expectations. End-of-season award banter has begun in earnest. But the trade deadline — and all the drama that comes with it — is still more than two months away.

But not in Chicago.

The Bulls are in free fall at 9-10, standing empty-handed after burning up all the goodwill created by their 5-0 start. And according to an ESPN report, that desperation has pushed the Bulls to discuss internally options to trade for Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis.

The concept of a Davis trade is no surprise in Dallas, where the Mavericks are mired in the debacle that began when now-fired general manager Nico Harrison traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. The trade partner for a Davis deal is the biggest question, especially in Chicago, where it’s unclear if — or how — Davis could pull the Bulls back up the Eastern Conference standings.

Davis is a proven defensive superstar. He’s a Chicago native. And his addition immediately would redefine the Bulls’ weakest area. But is this the right time for a homecoming? For the Bulls, it all comes down to a price — and their willingness to change directions.

Chicago Bulls more reliant than ever on their bench to stay above .500: ‘Sustainability — that’s not there’

The Bulls are uninterested in trading the key members of their young core — Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Coby White — for a star like Davis, a source confirmed. They believe deeply in building a balanced roster around the development of the young trio, with rookie Noa Essengue potentially entering the fold in the future.

The Bulls front office knows its plan requires at least one of those young players to develop into an All-Star-caliber centerpiece. The Bulls believe they already struck on one in Giddey, who is averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds and 9.3 assists this season as he makes a case for a potential first-time All-Star selection. But that hasn’t been enough to power the Bulls past a dismal defense.

Here’s the main issue: The Bulls can’t stop anyone at the rim. Not a guard. Not a big. Not a wing. Opponents are scoring 44.2 points per game in the restricted area — the most in the league. Even when the Bulls get their offense going or get lucky with an opponent’s cold night from the 3-point arc, rim protection remains a gaping crack in the team’s basic foundation.

Starting center Nikola Vučević certainly isn’t slowing opponents at the rim, but in many ways he’s only a passenger to the pummeling the Bulls take in the paint due to their flimsy perimeter pressure. Still, the presence of a true shot stopper who can affect attempts at the rim would stop the bleeding long enough for the Bulls to figure out where to go next on defense.

This is where Davis could come in. If they want to survive the season, the Bulls need to make a change in the post, and Davis is a five-time All-Defensive player and three-time league leader in blocked shots. Although he didn’t earn an All-Defensive selection last season, he posted a 108 individual defensive rating and the fourth-best block rate (6%) in the league.

The only downside to Davis as a player is his durability. He has missed 105 games over the last four seasons, which translates to 68% average availability. He has been sidelined for 15 of the Mavericks’ last 16 games because of a left calf strain. These injury concerns wouldn’t necessarily prevent a team from making a deal for Davis, but they would inform his price on the trade market.

Setting that price would be a tall task for Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas. But unlike prior years, the Bulls are in a decent position to negotiate.

The Mavericks’ Anthony Davis dunks during the first half of an NBA Cup game against the Lakers on Nov. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

The Bulls own their future first-round picks, including an additional protected first-rounder from Portland that could convey this year if the Trail Blazers make the playoffs. White, Giddey and Buzelis are off the table, but the supporting cast of players like Ayo Dosunmu are attractive enough to provide both outgoing salary and trade value.

Still, this type of action isn’t typical for Karnišovas. The executive has only made one midseason trade — moving Zach LaVine at the deadline earlier this year — in the last four seasons. Trading for Davis would go against the central ethos that Karnišovas articulated for the Bulls in February when he preached the importance of building parity across the roster rather than taking big swings on stars.

“There are different structures that you can try to get to a championship,” Karnišovas said at the time. “There are two to three star players and then a lot of role players. Or you can build it as nine to 10 very good players.”

For most of this season, the Bulls have taken the “nine to 10 very good players” track. It’s been — to put it bluntly — a harrowing journey.

This team’s imagined depth has not been enough to sustain even short-term success. One or two small injuries can knock the entire season off track. Even when White and Giddey combine for 50 points, it doesn’t matter.

The Bulls need help. But changing course to pick the other path — the one much more traveled, focused on superstars and the success they bring — would mark a serious change. It would mean admitting failure. And it would force Karnišovas to break from the mold of recent years while taking one of the biggest risks of his tenure in Chicago.

There’s no rush. February is far away. But as the new year approaches, the end of one road or the other is coming nonetheless.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/chicago-bulls-anthony-davis-trade-talk/ 

Posted in News

Afternoon Briefing: Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach takes oath

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Pledging a transparent and compassionate approach to justice, Cook County’s new Chief Judge Charles Beach took his oath of office today before a crowd of judges, attorneys and state and local officials, becoming the first new leader of the county’s judiciary in nearly a quarter of a century.

Addressing the crowd in his first public comments as chief judge, Beach said the challenge they face is to ensure the court system “operates with principle and true humanity.”

“Our court is not merely a collection of buildings and procedures,” Beach said. “It is the vital mechanism of which our community resolves its deepest conflicts and upholds its most cherished ideals.”

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History

A man rides a Divvy bike through fresh flurries along West 18th Street in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, Nov. 30, 2025, after the city recorded over 8 inches of snow. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

As Chicago digs out from a snowy weekend, another winter punch — with more snow — is inbound

Chicagoans suited up in puffer jackets and toted sleds over the weekend during the city’s snowiest November day on record, which saw 8.4 inches of snowfall at Chicago O’Hare airport. And as if that weren’t enough, the area is expected to receive up to 4 inches of snow today during evening rush hour. Read more here.

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A South Shore Line train sits on the track on Nov. 25, 2024, at Dune Park station in Chesterton. (Doug Ross/for Post-Tribune)

Leaves continue to plague South Shore Line with gooey residue

Gooey leaves on the rails have caused the South Shore Line’s on-time performance to plummet in November, leaving railroad officials scrambling for additional ways to address the problem. Read more here.

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Illinois’ Ca’Lil Valentine scores a touchdown against Northwestern’s Robert Fitzgerald during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025, in Champaign. (Justin Casterline/Getty)

5 college football takeaways: Illinois’ snowy win, Jeremiyah Love’s showing — and a marquee Big Ten title game

Before we turn our attention to the postseason, here’s a quick look at how Big Ten teams and Notre Dame finished Week 14 — including a few wild weather games. Read more here.

More top sports stories:

Chicago Blackhawks score 5 unanswered goals to defeat Anaheim Ducks 5-3 and snap 5-game winless streak
Last-second jumper sinks the Chicago Bulls in 103-101 loss — and drops them under .500

English playwright Tom Stoppard outside Lincoln Center Theater in New York on Sept. 27, 2018. (Daniel Dorsa/The New York Times)

Appreciation: Why Tom Stoppard was my favorite living playwright

Whereas most playwrights offer us their personal view of the world, often communicated with the moral or political certainty they feel, Tom Stoppard simply concentrated on making sure we learned that the world was more complicated than we knew when we first sat down in our seats. Read more here.

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For Aurora siblings, marching in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ‘really cool’
Long-lost Rubens painting depicting crucifixion sells for $2.7M

Worshippers visit Our Lady of Lebanon shrine in Harissa, north of Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 9, 2025, as the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Pope Leo XIV’s visit highlights Christian resilience in Lebanon despite regional turmoil

Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon over the weekend is a recognition of the importance of Lebanon’s religious pluralism and a message to Christians not to abandon the region. Read more here.

More top stories from around the world:

Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba disqualified as New Jersey prosecutor, US appeals court rules
Luigi Mangione fights to exclude gun, notes as anniversary of UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing nears

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/afternoon-briefing-charles-beach/ 

Posted in News

Waukegan holds Christmas tree lighting despite heavy snow: ‘We wanted to give the community this experience’

Waukegan officials awoke Saturday to falling snow and a forecast of eight to 12 inches, according to the National Weather Service, forcing them to decide how to conduct the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting in the midst of snow forecast to fall at a rate of an inch per hour.

Jingle on Genesee, as the city named this year’s celebration, was a combination of lighting the tree, the annual Kris Kringle Market at the Waukegan Public Library, a Hot Chocolate Walk run by the Waukegan Park District and Small Business Saturday for downtown merchants.

Mayor Sam Cunningham said the question of postponement was a nonstarter. The problem-solving centered around continuing a longstanding tradition while managing a weather emergency.

Before the snow stopped on Sunday morning, 10 inches fell on the city, according to Waukegan Snow Fighter Command, as the Public Works Department is called when the time to report to work is 4 a.m., as it was Saturday.

While the Park District cancelled the walk, Cunningham and Tiffany Verzani, the library’s executive director, said everything but the tree lighting itself was moved inside the library, including the hot chocolate.

“It is a tradition of our community, and we wanted to continue it,” Cunningham said. “With everything that’s gone here, especially the past two months, we wanted to give the community this experience. The crowd looked like Waukegan.”

With the speechmaking portion of the Waukegan Christmas tree lighting held inside due to a snowstorm, the participants walked one block from the Waukegan Public Library to Jack Benny Plaza on Saturday. (City of Waukegan)

Cunningham, Santa and Mrs. Claus led a group of more than 80 people one block from the library to Jack Benny Plaza to flip the switch, lighting the city’s Christmas Tree Saturday in Waukegan, officially starting the holiday season.

Two of the people in the crowd, both at the tree lighting and later at the library, were Grace Contreras of Waukegan and her daughter, Sophia Marquez, a fifth grader. Sophia, who said she hopes Santa brings her a kitten for Christmas, was glad she walked to the tree lighting.

“It was real colorful,” she said. “The flashing lights twinkled.”

“I appreciate the flexibility that allowed us to all come together,” Contreras added. “A lot of people worked hard to make it happen.”

A parent coaxes her young child to talk to Santa Claus during holiday festivities at the Waukegan Public Library on Saturday. (Waukegan Public Library)

Santa said he liked being part of the walk from the library to the tree lighting and back. He also had some advice for youngsters who want to assure themselves a place on his nice list.

“Be nice to your mom and dad,” he said.

Usually positioned at Jack Benny Plaza near the tree lighting, the Waukegan Chamber of
Commerce provides free hot chocolate as well as snacks. Chamber President Mike Reid said this year the snacks were conchitas, a Mexican sweetbread. Moving inside to the library was easy.

“Due to the weather, we had to figure something out,” Reid said. “The library was very festive.”

Josies Ortiz, behind table, a Waukegan 7-year-old, started Josies Stay Fresh to both sell lemonade and make beaded jewelry. She was one of the vendors at the Kris Kringle Market on Saturday at the Waukegan Public Library. (Waukegan Public Library)

Traditionally, inside the library, the annual Kris Kringle Market took place with a variety of local businesses displaying their crafts. Jennyfer Cordova, the library’s communications and community outreach manager, said there were fewer vendors than usual, but the event went well.

Cordova said between 150 and 170 people came to the market, as well as took advantage of a visit with Santa and free family pictures at a photo booth. Much of it was holiday-themed. One of the merchants was Josies Stay Fresh.

Josies Stay Fresh is operated by Josies Ortiz, 7, a Waukegan resident who started the business selling lemonade and making beaded jewelry when she was 5. Cordova said she takes custom orders, and there were numerous visitors to her table.

“It’s so nice to see someone 7 years old making a difference in the lives of others,” Cordova said.

More than 80 people dealt with a snowstorm to participate in Waukegan’s Christmas tree lighting Saturday at Jack Benny Plaza. (City of Waukegan)

Along with jewelry, Cordova said there were other jewelry makers, people crafting holiday cards, glass ornaments and one woman who does wood etchings of people’s pets. Those customers bring a picture of the pet, not the animal itself.

Though the weather may have slowed sales for some of the downtown merchants and other businesses in the city on Small Business Saturday, Cunningham said officials are working on a plan for a localized Small Business Saturday before Christmas.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/waukegan-christmas-tree-lighting/ 

Posted in News

Andy Reid sigue desafiante con sus Chiefs más lejos de playoffs tras derrota ante Cowboys

Por DAVE SKRETTA

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, EE.UU. (AP) — El entrenador de los Chiefs Andy Reid sonó francamente desafiante el lunes cuando se le preguntó sobre las menguantes esperanzas de su equipo de alcanzar los playoffs, que sufrieron un golpe no solo la semana pasada con la derrota de Acción de Gracias ante los Cowboys, sino también durante el fin de semana cuando otros resultados no les favorecieron.

Los actuales campeones de la AFC tienen un récord de 6-6 con cinco juegos por disputar, y aunque los Chiefs los ganen todos, aún necesitarán ayuda para regresar a la postemporada. Porque cuando los Steelers perdieron ante los Bills el domingo, eso dejó a Kansas City en el décimo lugar en el orden de clasificación para los playoffs de la AFC, gracias en parte a un decepcionante récord de 3-4 contra el resto de la conferencia.

Según las cuentas, los Chiefs tienen aproximadamente una probabilidad de uno en tres de jugar en la postemporada.

“No vamos a tirar la toalla”, dijo Red el lunes. “Vamos a pelear en cada jugada, en cada partido. Pero esa es la actitud con la que venimos, y luego dejas que las cosas caigan donde puedan”.

Los Chiefs son terceros en el Oeste de la AFC mientras se preparan para jugar contra los Texans el domingo por la noche, y están casi eliminados de su búsqueda de un décimo título de división consecutivo. Ahora, su enfoque está en extender una racha de playoffs que se remonta a la temporada 2015, la tercera con Reid como entrenador en jefe, y tres temporadas completas antes de que Patrick Mahomes se convirtiera en el quarterback titular.

Hay razones para tener esperanza: La última vez que Kansas City tuvo un récord de 6-7 fue en 2017, y ganó sus últimos cuatro juegos para obtener un puesto de comodín.

“Cada temporada es diferente”, dijo Reid. “Este es un deporte de desafíos. Eso es lo que es. Probablemente sea un microcosmos de la vida cuando lo miras. Siempre hay desafíos. … Hay un margen tan pequeño entre ganar y perder que cada semana es un desafío, un gran desafío. Así es como tienes que abordarlo, y tienes que estar preparado para ello”.

Los mayores desafíos que enfrentan los Chiefs en este momento son de su propia creación. Han pagado caro por penalizaciones y errores mentales durante gran parte de la temporada, incluyendo en su derrota 31-28 ante los Cowboys, cuando una serie de banderas durante el cuarto periodo les impidió tener la oportunidad de completar una remontada.

Kansas City ha permitido la quinta mayor cantidad de yardas por penalización en la NFL esta temporada.

“Tenemos que asegurarnos de ocuparnos de los negocios con las penalizaciones, seguir trabajando en nuestros fundamentos y técnicas”, dijo Reid. “No digo que esté de acuerdo con todas ellas, o con la mitad de ellas (contra Dallas). Pero ocurrieron. No vamos a usar eso como una excusa.”

Tampoco Reid estaba dispuesto a hacer excusas por la presión al pasador de Kansas City, que ha producido solo 22 capturas esta temporada, un total que es mejor que solo cinco otros equipos. O una defensa que ha producido 11 pérdidas de balón, un total mejor que tres otros equipos.

“Estás a una o dos jugadas de distancia y eso es lo que es este juego”, dijo Reid. “Miras nuestra temporada, estamos a una o dos jugadas de distancia, y nos ocupamos de eso, ya sea una penalización en un momento crucial, una posible pérdida de balón en algún lugar, o tener la oportunidad de crear una pérdida de balón, estamos en la posición correcta donde si podemos resolver esas dos, tres jugadas, le damos la vuelta a esto”.

Sin embargo, el tiempo se está acabando.

Y aunque Reid sonó desafiante sobre el peligro de perderse los playoffs el lunes, también entiende la realidad de la situación.

“No vas a escuchar muchas cosas positivas desde afuera hacia adentro, así que tienes que asegurarte de entender dónde realmente te encuentras, y la oportunidad que tienes frente a ti”, señaló. “Todavía hay oportunidades”.

___

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/andy-reid-sigue-desafiante-con-sus-chiefs-ms-lejos-de-playoffs-tras-derrota-ante-cowboys/ 

Posted in News

Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach takes oath as first new judiciary leader in 24 years

Pledging a transparent and compassionate approach to justice, Cook County’s new Chief Judge Charles Beach on Monday took his oath of office before a crowd of judges, attorneys and state and local officials, becoming the first new leader of the county’s judiciary in nearly a quarter of a century.

In a surprise win in September, Beach unseated Chief Judge Tim Evans following a secret-ballot vote among his fellow judges, many of whom attended or spoke Monday during the downtown ceremony at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Addressing the crowd in his first public comments as chief judge, Beach said the challenge they face is to ensure the court system “operates with principle and true humanity.”

“Our court is not merely a collection of buildings and procedures,” Beach said. “It is the vital mechanism of which our community resolves its deepest conflicts and upholds its most cherished ideals.”

Evans, who attended the ceremony and received a standing ovation, will stay on and handle matters related to the county’s restorative justice courts, the chief judge’s office said.

The leadership change comes at a critical point for the nation’s second-largest unified court system, as officials contend with outdated technology, slow-moving and backlogged dockets and changes in how the county handles its electronic monitoring programs.

Beach will take over an office that is currently working through the major undertaking of absorbing all electronic monitoring after Sheriff Tom Dart earlier this year began sundowning his program. The office also oversees management of the often-troubled Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Advocates have been trying to close the center for years in favor of a smaller or more community-based approach.

“The weight of this office is profound,” said Beach, who touted increased transparency, better communication among stakeholders and improved technology as goals for his administration.

The law school auditorium was crowded with members of the state bar, Cook County Board commissioners and officials, including Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr., Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch.

Five members of the Illinois Supreme Court also joined Beach on stage, including Justice P. Scott Neville, who administered the oath of office.

Beach’s fellow judges spoke of him as a fair and approachable jurist, a trusted friend and a mentor, even in early days when they were adversaries in the courtroom.

In particular, Beach’s former colleagues in the pretrial division spoke of his leadership in transitioning the system from a cash bail process to a new paradigm following the passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act.

“Our court system is at its core a human institution,” said Judge Ankur Srivastava, who serves in the pretrial division. “It is imperfect, demanding, often messy and it is precisely because it is human that its functioning relies upon the very best of our humanity.”

A former trial attorney with an expertise in DUI offenses, Beach was appointed to the bench eight years ago by the Illinois Supreme Court, also serving as a supervising judge in the traffic division. Most recently, Beach served in the Law Division at the Daley Center hearing civil cases.

Chief Judge Tim Evans talks at the Daley Center after being named to his new post, Sept. 12, 2001. (Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune)

Evans, 82, was previously alderman of the city’s 4th Ward, an ally of the four mayors he served under, but especially Mayor Harold Washington. After Washington’s sudden death in 1987, Evans ran unsuccessfully to succeed him — both to finish Washington’s unexpired mayoral term and in the 1989 special election. He lost to Richard M. Daley.

Beach nodded to Evans’ record as a proponent of progressive approaches to justice and work in seeking ways to increase equity in the system.

“Judge Evans once noted: We cannot prosecute our way out of the kinds of crimes that emerging adults commit,” Beach said. “This is a powerful, progressive mandate. It demands our whole system view justice not just in the lens of punishment but also the lens of restoration and opportunity.”

Judge John Lyke, who also served with Beach in the pretrial division, called Evans’ long tenure one of “integrity and grace.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Lyke said when he heard that his longtime friend Beach was planning to run for chief judge, he told him he had already promised to support Evans.

Still, upon winning, Beach asked Lyke to join his steering committee.

“Even though I told you I was trying to kick your butt,” Lyke said, to laughs from the crowd.

With Beach’s permission, Lyke shared a text message Beach sent to him two days after his upset victory that he said offers a look into Beach’s character.

“John, uncomfortable ask, but want to know, is he okay?” Beach texted, speaking of his opponent, Evans. “I respect the hell out of him and I hate to see him hurt.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/cook-county-chief-judge-charles-beach-oath/ 

Posted in News

First Snow-Storm For I-95 Cities Forecasted This Week

First Snow-Storm For I-95 Cities Forecasted This Week

A powerful winter storm blasted parts of the Midwest and Central U.S. over the weekend, triggering nearly 1,000 flight cancellations across major airport hubs. Now the focus shifts to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, more specifically the I-95 corridor, where the season’s first measurable snowfall could hit from Tuesday into Wednesday morning. 

The Weather Channel states that Winter Storm Chan could dump new snow on the Midwest and Great Lakes Monday into Monday night, before unleashing what’s expected to be accumulating snowfall across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Tuesday into Wednesday

Winter Storm likely next week: Hazardous travel, snow, & ice expected. Low pressure tracking through the Mid-Atlantic & Northeast may bring significant snow of >6″ N/W of I-95. Treacherous icing possible in the Appalachians. Stay updated! pic.twitter.com/o03EzwTt6n

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) November 30, 2025

From Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, forecasts are already pointing to the chance of significant snow and icing.

Private forecaster NY NJ PA Weather provides wintery weather impacts for early next week:

An area of low pressure will move through the coastal waters from 8 AM Tuesday through 4 AM Wednesday with periods of snow to the northwest of the I-95 corridor, a wintry mix along the I-95 corridor, and rain on the immediate coast.

Four zones to watch: 

ZONE 1: Periods of snow: 3–6″ snow on all surfaces.

ZONE 2: Wintry Mix: 1–3″ snow (mostly on cold surfaces)

ZONE 3: Rain/Snow: Trace–1″ / 0.50″–1.00″ rain

ZONE 4: Rain: 0.50″ to 1.50″

Meteorologist Ben Noll warned that this coming week will be a very cold one, with a “lobe of the polar vortex may clip the northern United States from Wednesday to Friday.”

Noll noted, “More than 50 million people are forecast to experience temperatures in the single digits or lower.”

It’s going to be frigid later this week 🥶

A lobe of the polar vortex may clip the northern United States from Wednesday to Friday.

More than 50 million people are forecast to experience temperatures in the single digits or lower.

Head to Miami to avoid it 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Vr4p8lujQ1

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) November 30, 2025

What happened to the Democratic Party’s climate-crisis, global-warming narrative?

Well, it collapsed under its own weight of complex lies. The entire “climate crisis” propaganda was a hoax designed to loot the U.S. Treasury, and even Bill Gates recently admitted the narrative was exaggerated.

Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/01/2025 – 15:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/first-snow-storm-i-95-cities-forecasted-next-week 

Posted in News

Why did Chicago Bears’ Ben Johnson go shirtless? ‘Any time you get a chance to feed a city, you want to do it.’

“I know you guys are hungry for more, right?” Ben Johnson told his Bears team in the aftermath of Friday’s 24-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. “Let me tell you something, the city of Chicago’s hungry too.”

Chicago Bears players seemed to sense something was about to happen. Johnson passed his ballcap off to safety Jonathan Owens.

“They’re hungry for some hot dogs!” Johnson yelled as he ripped off his shirt and flexed in front of the team.

“The city of Chicago is hungry… FOR SOME HOT DOGS.”

Every second of Ben Johnson’s victory speech is incredible.@insidetheNFL Week 13 Mic’d Up on X pic.twitter.com/hrnhrbD1vd

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2025

The players went ballistic, shouting and pounding on the metal lockers in the visitors’ locker room at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. When video of that moment made its way to social media just minutes later, the internet went wild too.

Chicago appears to be quickly falling in love with its new coach. Players have been raving about Johnson’s intensity and his passion for months, but fans saw it on full display following Friday’s win. The coach has been locked in during games, but his emotion pours out when he celebrates with his team after a victory.

Friday was on another level.

“It was bizarre,” tight end Cole Kmet said of watching his coach pull off his shirt. “But it was cool. He was pumped up and jacked (up) about it.”

After Johnson ripped his shirt off, The Wieners Circle on North Clark Street followed through on its bet and announced it would hand out free hot dogs on Tuesday.

Speaking about his shirtless celebration for the first time Monday, Johnson said “any time you get a chance to feed a city, you want to do it.” He also noted that he’s a “man of the people.”

Column: Shirtless Ben Johnson is exactly what Chicago needed on a snowy holiday weekend

In September, the North Side hot dog stand said it would hand out free hot dogs if quarterback Caleb Williams threw for four touchdowns in an upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys. Williams did exactly that in the Week 3 win.

Days later, a line of customers – including Williams’ bulldog Supa – wound its way down the street and around the corner. After that success, The Wieners Circle came up with its next challenge, stating on social media that if Johnson took his shirt off during or after any Bears victory, there would once again be free hot dogs for Chicago.

The Wieners Circle offered up the challenge more than a month ago. The Bears – who have won nine of their last 10 games – have won plenty since then, but Johnson’s shirt remained on after each one.

Johnson acknowledged at a news conference weeks ago that he was aware of the challenge. If the coach was waiting for a signature moment, there was no better opportunity than Friday, when his team beat the defending Super Bowl champions in their building during a worldwide broadcast in a unique time slot.

Johnson said he figured it was better to do it sooner rather than later since his job doesn’t afford him much time to work on his beach body during the season.

“That was a spur-of-the-moment deal, I guess,” Johnson said Monday. “But I figured the sooner the better because I’m not in the weight room very much anymore, so this thing keeps getting a little bit worse as we go along in the season.”

For Johnson, there were a couple of things in the back of his mind when deciding whether or not to follow through with it celebration. First, he wanted to feed people. And second, he knew the move would galvanize Bears fans.

“I hate to draw attention away from our players, but the intent was to bring up the city of Chicago and hopefully it gave them a little excitement because they’re a big part of this journey as we’re going through the season,” Johnson said.

Bears fans have certainly been eating it up, much like Tuesday’s free hot dogs. Clips of their shirtless head coach were everywhere on social media Friday night.

Back home, Johnson’s wife Jessica and their three children were as surprised as anyone to see Ben shirtless on TV.

“I guess my 2-year-old was watching the TV screen at home and she was pointing at the screen, ‘no shirt, no shirt,’” the Bears coach said. “My wife had no idea what was going on.”

Everybody is paying attention to the Bears, who are currently are the No. 1 team in the NFC. Johnson has reignited an enthusiasm that Chicago hasn’t really felt since the team last won the NFC North in 2018.

“He definitely maintains a lot of passion towards us as players and guys feel that every day,” Kmet said. “It’s been a lot of fun to play for him this year and I know a lot of other guys would say the same thing.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/chicago-bears-ben-johnson-shirtless/ 

Posted in News

Chile y Perú se reúnen en comité binacional para enfrentar crisis migratoria en la frontera

Por NAYARA BATSCHKE

SANTIAGO (AP) — Chile y Perú acordaron el lunes realizar patrullajes conjuntos e incrementar la cooperación policial para enfrentar el creciente flujo migratorio en su frontera común, un día después de que militares peruanos empezaran a desplegarse a zonas limítrofes tras el estado de emergencia decretado por el gobierno de ese país.

El ministro de Exteriores chileno Alberto van Klaveren sostuvo una reunión telemática con su homólogo peruano Hugo de Zela después de la creación de un comité binacional de cooperación migratoria.

“Se trató de una reunión muy constructiva en la que reafirmamos el compromiso para seguir trabajando en conjunto con países amigos y vecinos sobre los desafíos asociados a la migración, especialmente la migración irregular”, dijo Van Klaveren en un vídeo enviado a la prensa.

El recién creado comité busca remediar la escalada de tensión en la frontera norte de Chile, que alcanzó su ápice el viernes cuando decenas de migrantes, en su mayoría venezolanos, fueron impedidos de ingresar a Perú por no contar con los papeles necesarios.

Varios de ellos llegaron a bloquear las carreteras en protesta por las largas colas y negativas de ingreso, que se producen en medio del recrudecimiento de los controles peruanos en las zonas limítrofes a fin de frenar las entradas irregulares y combatir los delitos asociados con el tráfico de personas, el contrabando y otras actividades criminales.

Tacna, en el sur de Perú y fronterizo con Arica, en el extremo norte de Chile, fue la primera en recibir el refuerzo de los militares con cerca de un centenar de efectivos.

“Esta será la primera de nuestras fronteras en ser declaradas en emergencia por motivos de migración irregular y seguridad ciudadana”, explicó el presidente interino de Perú, José Jerí, al anunciar el estado de emergencia.

La medida ha generado preocupación en el lado chileno, donde las autoridades buscan evitar una crisis humanitaria similar a la ocurrida en 2023, cuando centenares de migrantes quedaron varados por varias semanas en la zona.

En su primera reunión del lunes, el comité binacional acordó incrementar la coordinación entre Carabineros de Chile, la Policía de Investigaciones y la Policía Nacional de Perú para facilitar “acciones conjuntas y una mejor gestión en materia migratoria y de control fronterizo”.

Concertaron además avanzar en la implementación de patrullajes conjuntos y en la profundización del intercambio de información con el fin de “fortalecer la capacidad de respuesta operativa y la cooperación policial en zonas de interés común”.

Igualmente se implementarán “metodologías de verificación migratoria” para abordar los casos de personas en situación irregular.

No obstante, el canciller peruano descartó por ahora la posibilidad de generar un corredor humanitario, como llegaron a proponer algunos parlamentarios chilenos, y aseveró que “las personas van a tener que salir regularmente de Chile antes de poder ingresar regularmente a Perú”.

“Por el momento no hemos conversado de esa posibilidad y para ser franco lo veo bastante difícil porque esto implicaría también hablar con el Ecuador para ver si ellos están dispuestos a que estos migrantes ingresen a su territorio”, dijo Zela en declaraciones a la radio local RPP.

Los acuerdos y medidas alcanzados el lunes serán revisados el próximo 19 de diciembre en una reunión de seguimiento del comité que en principio se celebrará en Tacna, indicó la cancillería chilena.

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El periodista de AP Franklin Briceño colaboró en esta nota desde Lima.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/chile-y-per-se-renen-en-comit-binacional-para-enfrentar-crisis-migratoria-en-la-frontera/ 

Posted in News

The private equity-owned data center behind giant CME outage

About 45 minutes west of downtown Chicago lies a rather unassuming, glass-encased data center that some of the world’s largest markets depend on. By one 2018 estimate, at least $25 quadrillion of notional trade volume passes through the facility every day.

The Aurora, Illinois, complex has served as the primary hub of digital operations for the world’s largest futures exchange operator CME Group Inc. for nearly two decades. The 450,000-square-foot facility is famous among high-frequency traders and Wall Street firms, who’ve long jostled for position around the site to gain a leg up on competitors. At one point, DRW Holdings mounted an antenna on a utility pole near the complex to cut down on the latency. Rival Jump Trading bought property across the street for its own antenna. Scientel erected a tower, too.

Traders want to be close to the data center to reduce latency, minimizing the distance data must travel in order to shave microseconds off their trades. As a former executive of the data center’s operator once put it: “If you read the book “Flash Boys,” you can get a real quick lesson on what’s going on.”

On Friday, the data center — located in the Chicago suburb probably best known for serving as the setting of the comedy film “Wayne’s World” — became infamous to all who trade across equities, foreign exchange, bonds and commodities markets globally. A malfunction in the cooling system at the complex took down virtually all CME futures and options trading platforms, wreaking havoc for traders around the world. The operator of the data center, CyrusOne, said that its teams were working “around the clock” to respond to the cooling system issue but didn’t respond to further questions.

This critical piece of infrastructure to global markets dates back to 2009, when CME started building the facility to host its electronic trading infrastructure, essentially serving as the backbone for CME’s futures and options trading platform Globex.

In 2016, CME decided it wanted to shift away from owning infrastructure and sold the site to Dallas-based CyrusOne. As part of the deal, CME agreed to rent space from CyrusOne for 15 years so it could continue to house the computers at the site that keep its markets running, essentially outsourcing its day-to-day operations.

CyrusOne knew what it was getting into. Gary Wojtaszek, the company’s chief executive officer at the time, described the data center to analysts as “ground zero” for high-speed trading and the “epicenter for all the futures trading.” In laying out the business case for a new tower that the company was building there in 2018 to boost connectivity, he emphasized that “speed is of the essence there.”

With that, CyrusOne added Aurora to a broader portfolio of roughly 50 data centers across the U.S., U.K., Germany and Singapore that serve customers spanning the technology, financial services, energy, medical, research and consulting industries.

CyrusOne’s business case is built on going after big clients like CME that are buying virtually all of the space in a data center, according to Tobias Bopp, a manager of strategy and transactions at the consulting firm EY-Parthenon. “They’re building a lot of new data centers, and their position in the market right now is pretty important,” Bopp said in an interview.

Lauren Eccles, a senior principal consultant specializing in data center recruiting for First Point Group, described CyrusOne as one “the big boys in the game,” pointing to the company’s strong presence in Germany in particular. Generally speaking, she said, “They’re a big player, and they’ve got a really good name.”

In 2021, that reputation caught the attention of private equity. As the artificial intelligence boom began sending data center demand soaring, KKR & Co. and Global Infrastructure Partners agreed to buy CyrusOne in a deal that was worth roughly $11.4 billion. It was held up at the time as an illustration of how private equity investors were looking to cash in on the surging computing needs of AI model developers and tech giants such as Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Inc. Wojtaszek had resigned a year earlier.

It wouldn’t be the only, or the largest, data center deal for GIP. This year, after BlackRock Inc. bought the investment firm, GIP agreed to buy Aligned Data Centers in a $40 billion deal, marking one of the asset manager’s largest infrastructure investments ever.

KKR referred all questions on CyrusOne to the data center operator. A spokesperson for GIP owner BlackRock declined to comment.

It’s unclear whether CyrusOne tried to migrate CME’s operations at Aurora to another data center after the cooling units failed on Thursday.

And while CME’s disaster recovery plan calls for moving operations to a data center in the New York area, the exchange opted to restart its matching engine from Aurora, according to a person familiar with the matter. The decision was made because the information the exchange had at the time signaled that the cooling issue would be resolved more quickly than it was, the person said.

According to CyrusOne’s website, the data center features additional chiller units to protect against failures.

The cooling failure might suggest an issue with the design of the system, according to Thomas Solelhac, a partner at EY-Parthenon. “Normally, in data centers of this type, there is a lot of redundancy to avoid this kind of problem with power and cooling,” Solelhac said.

CME had expected its 2016 deal with CyrusOne to open it up to more computing resources. While fighting a proposal by Illinois lawmakers to tax trading on exchanges in 2016, CME Executive Chairman Terry Duffy, who is now CEO, suggested that the firm’s deal with CyrusOne would give it access to CyrusOne’s other data centers and not just Aurora.

“If we need to leave Illinois because of any irrational decisions coming out of the state,” Duffy had said at the time, “we have 29 data centers to choose from.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/cme-data-center/ 

Posted in News

Universidad en Massachusetts apoya a estudiante deportada a Honduras

Por HOLLY RAMER

CONCORD, Nueva Hampshire, EE.UU. (AP) — Babson College ha instruido a los profesores y al personal para que brinden “apoyo académico y comunitario” a una estudiante que fue deportada a Honduras cuando intentaba volar a casa para visitar a su familia durante el Día de Acción de Gracias.

Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, de 19 años, fue detenida en el Aeropuerto Internacional Logan de Boston el 20 de noviembre cuando intentaba abordar un vuelo para sorprender a su familia en Texas. Fue enviada a Honduras dos días después a pesar de una orden judicial que prohibía al gobierno trasladarla fuera de Massachusetts o de Estados Unidos, según su abogado.

Lopez Belloza, cuya familia emigró de Honduras cuando ella tenía 7 años, ahora se encuentra con sus abuelos. La decana de vida estudiantil de Babson College Caitlin Capozzi informó a los profesores y al personal sobre la detención de Lopez Belloza el martes.

“Nuestra capacidad para compartir detalles específicos está limitada por la ley, pero por favor sepan que nuestro enfoque sigue siendo apoyar a la estudiante y a su familia, así como el bienestar de nuestra comunidad”, escribió la decana en un mensaje hecho público el lunes. “Se ha informado a los profesores y al personal pertinentes para que puedan proporcionar el apoyo académico y comunitario adecuado en ausencia de la estudiante”.

Lopez Belloza, una estudiante de primer año, está estudiando negocios en Babson, que tiene 2.800 estudiantes de pregrado en su campus en Wellesley, justo al oeste de Boston.

Capozzi declaró que la institución académica está siguiendo los protocolos y manteniéndose informada, y proporcionó enlaces a recursos para los estudiantes. Un mensaje publicado en línea por el presidente de la universidad, Stephen Spinelli, dice que la institución no haría más comentarios debido a consideraciones legales y de privacidad.

“Entendemos que esta noticia puede resultar inquietante, particularmente para nuestros estudiantes, profesores y personal que ya pueden estar sufriendo incertidumbre”, escribió.

Según el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos, un juez de inmigración ordenó la deportación de Lopez Belloza en 2015. Al ser consultado sobre la orden de emergencia que prohibía su remoción, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional proporcionó una declaración anterior que confirmaba la detención de Lopez Belloza pero no abordaba la orden judicial.

Todd Pomerleau, el abogado de Lopez Belloza, dijo que no ha podido encontrar ningún registro de la supuesta orden de deportación original.

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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/2025/12/01/universidad-en-massachusetts-apoya-a-estudiante-deportada-a-honduras/