Penelope Love has lived in Gary’s Aetna neighborhood for about 12 years, and she’s worked to improve and enhance the appearance and safety of the community.

On Thursday, Love was overjoyed to see the city of Gary celebrate its commitment to improve Aetna as well.

An official ribbon cutting was held for this 2,000 square-foot home in Aetna neighborhood in Gary, Indiana Thursday November 20, 2025. The event marks the completion of the two-story home which is the first of 15 new homes planned to be build in the Aetna community.(Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

“We don’t mind sharing Aetna at all,” said Love, who’s also CEO of the Aetna Manor Revitalization Program. “I’m thrilled to see what they’ve done, and hopefully, they’ll do some other big projects in our community.”

Gary officials and residents celebrated the completion of the first newly constructed single-family home in the Aetna neighborhood in decades. The home, which is at 5544 E. 10th Avenue, is listed for $265,000 and has four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.

The single-family structure is part of 15 planned homes that will feature ranch-style and two-story options, modern amenities and new construction. All homes will be built on slab without basements.

Christopher Harris, the city’s executive director of redevelopment, said Thursday’s ribbon cutting has “been a long time coming,” adding that the process for the first newly constructed Aetna home began about one year ago.

Local real estate professionals Nia Llorens, left, Fred Long and Lanee Nicole look over a photo on Lloren’s phone following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first newly constructed 2,000 square foot single-family home in the Aetna neighborhood in Gary, Indiana Thursday November 20, 2025. The event marks the completion of the two-story home which is the first of 15 new homes planned to be build in the Aetna community.(Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

The Gary Redevelopment Commission opened a Requests for Proposals process in 2024, with the home proposal selected during a June 5, 2024, meeting.

“For the last two years, we’ve had unsafe buildings here in the Aetna neighborhood, and with the support of contractors who believe in Gary, they cleared the way for something that we’ve been wanting for quite some time,” Harris said.

Harris expects that the 14 remaining homes that the city will construct will be complete within the next year. The redevelopment commission is also prepared for 12 acres of mixed use retail development near Aetna, Harris said.

“Aetna is a blueprint,” Harris said. “We’re doing this neighborhood by neighborhood, one at a time, removing the blight and encouraging investment and construction.”

Steve Kallemeyeyn, executive director of Garius Trucking, looks over one of the upstairs bathrooms in the newly constructed 2,000 square-foot single-family home in the Aetna neighborhood in Gary, Indiana Thursday November 20, 2025. The event marks the completion of the two-story home which is the first of 15 new homes planned to be build in the Aetna community.(Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

Local real estate professionals Frederick Long and Laneé Nicole helped spearhead the development. On Thursday, Nicole said she’s grateful for the opportunity.

Nicole is an Aetna resident and said she’s excited for what the neighborhood’s future holds.

Long said he’s very appreciative of the support Gary officials and residents have given the project.

“I’m from Gary,” Long said. “To come back to the city and be able to make an impact is very exciting.”

Local real estate professionals Fred Long and Lanee Nicole cut the ribbon during a ceremony for the newly constructed 2,000 square-foot single-family home in the Aetna neighborhood in Gary, Indiana Thursday November 20, 2025.(Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

The home has “a lot of character,” Long said, including white stained floors and new appliances.

According to Post-Tribune archives, the home was expected to be complete near the end of July.

The home construction is part of Gary’s initiative to remove blighted structures throughout the city. Gary officials began the second phase of the Aetna demolition in March, according to Post-Tribune archives.

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton previously said that the Aetna neighborhood offers many opportunities for residents and future homeowners, including proximity to the South Shore Line’s Miller train station, a Gary Public Transportation Corporation route and major highways, including Interstates 65, 94, 90 and 80. Melton was not present at Thursday’s ribbon cutting ceremony.

Love said Thursday that she hopes more people will love the Aetna neighborhood as much as she does.

“It’s a charming community,” she added. “We’re about a two-mile square, and we’ve had this opportunity coming for the longest, but just to see this wonderful opportunity coming into fruition is amazing.”

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/gary-officials-cut-ribbon-on-newly-constructed-aetna-home/ 

Federal investigators released dramatic photos Thursday of an engine flying off a doomed UPS cargo plane that crashed two weeks ago in Kentucky, killing 14 people, and said there was evidence of cracks in the left wing’s engine mount.

A series of six photos showed the rear of the engine starting to detach before it flew up and over the wing as flames erupted. The next image shows the wing engulfed by fire as the burning engine flies above it. The last image shows the plane starting to get airborne.

But the MD-11 plane only got 30 feet (9.1 meters) off the ground, the National Transportation Safety Board said, citing the flight data recorder in its first formal but preliminary report about the Nov. 4 disaster in Louisville, Kentucky.

Three pilots on the plane were killed along with 11 more people on the ground near Muhammad Ali International Airport.

The NTSB said the plane was not due yet for a detailed inspection of key engine mount parts that had fractures. It still needed to complete nearly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings. It was last examined in October 2021.

“It appears UPS was conducting this maintenance within the required time frame, but I’m sure the FAA is now going to ponder whether that time frame is adequate,” former federal crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti told The Associated Press after reading the report.

All MD-11s grounded for now

It’s not clear when the cracks started to develop on the 34-year-old plane and whether they could have been missed in that earlier inspection. Another aviation expert, John Cox, described fatigue cracks as “normal wear and tear on an aircraft.”

He said a metal part, like the engine mount that vibrates every time the plane flies, will eventually develop cracks. Cox noted it’s just a question of how often those parts need to be inspected and what maintenance is required.

The NTSB report revealed the first new details since board member Todd Inman briefed reporters on Nov. 7. He said the cockpit voice recorder captured an alarm bell going off about 37 seconds after the UPS crew called for takeoff thrust.

“It’s one thing to be involved in a natural disaster and another thing to be involved in a man-made, human error tragedy, and that’s what we believe this is,” said Sean Garber, who looked at the report and whose auto salvage yard near the airport took a direct hit.

All MD-11s used by UPS, FedEx and Western Global — along with a few related DC-10s — were grounded after the crash until they can be inspected and repaired, but the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t said what will be required.

Cox said those air carriers “are going to have to make some hard decisions” because they were already planning to retire the planes in the next few years.

“If you have to pull the engines off and do some sort of visual inspection or replacement, that’s going to run into a significant cost,” he said.

MD-11 aircraft make up about 9% of the UPS fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet, the companies have said.

UPS and FedEx grounding MD-11 planes following deadly Kentucky crash

UPS will wait for crash conclusions

Earlier this week, Bill Moore, president of UPS Airlines, an arm of UPS, said the company is working with investigators to determine the key cause of the crash.

“Once we determine that, then they’ll be able to develop an inspection plan,” Moore said at a news conference in Louisville. “Can we inspect it? If so, how do we repair it? How do we put it back together? And then eventually return the fleet to service. But that’s not going to happen quickly.”

The NTSB report said there was a similar event in Chicago in 1979 when an American Airlines DC-10 crash killed 273 people. The DC-10 was the predecessor of the MD-11.

“The left engine and pylon assembly and about 3 ft of the leading edge of the left wing separated from the airplane and fell to the runway,” the report said.

Former federal crash investigator Alan Diehl said he hopes the Federal Aviation Administration reevaluates plane maintenance schedules and considers high-tech methods to examine metal, not just visual inspections.

“It is clear that engine pylon attachment failures are these aircraft’s Achilles’ heels,” Diehl said.

The MD-11 and the DC-10 have some of the highest accident rates of any commercial planes, according to statistics published annually by Boeing.

Meanwhile, mourning continued in Louisville, more than two weeks after the tragedy. The Louisville Orchestra was presenting a free concert Thursday evening.

“Music brings comfort,” Music Director Teddy Abrams said.

Associated Press writer Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/ups-plane-crash-kentucky-engine-mount/ 

Louisiana Has The 2nd Highest Incarceration Rate In The World…

Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/20/2025 – 18:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/louisiana-has-2nd-highest-incarceration-rate-world 

NEW YORK — Jarring swings keep rocking Wall Street, and U.S. stocks erased a big morning gain to drop on Thursday as the market remains skittish following weeks of doubts and erratic moves.

After initially soaring toward what seemed like its best day since May, with an early surge of 1.9%, the S&P 500 erased all of it and fell 1.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 386 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.2%.

The sharpest losses again hit what used to be the market’s biggest winners. Nvidia, cryptocurrencies and other areas that had soared with nearly relentless momentum, as traders feared missing out on more gains, forced the market lower. Bitcoin dropped below $87,000, down from nearly $125,000 last month.

The market had been shaky coming into Thursday, largely because of twin worries: Nvidia and other superstar stocks caught up in the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology may have simply shot too high, and the Federal Reserve may be done delivering the invigorating cuts to interest rates that Wall Street loves.

Nvidia initially appeared to tamp down the worries about a bubble for AI stocks after reporting a big profit for the summer, along with a forecast for coming revenue that easily cleared analysts’ expectations. By delivering strong profits and indicating more are coming, Nvidia can justify its stock’s price gains and make it look less expensive.

Given Nvidia’s forecasts, “it is very hard to see how this stock does not keep moving higher from here,” according to analysts at UBS led by Timothy Arcuri. They also said “the AI infrastructure tide is still rising so fast that all boats will be lifted.”

Nvidia jumped to an early gain of 5% but then dropped to a loss of 3.2%. Because it’s the biggest company in the U.S. market by value, Nvidia’s stock has more pull on the S&P 500 than any other company’s.

Despite Nvidia’s big numbers, worries about a potential AI bubble aren’t gone. The concern among investors is that all the dollars pouring into AI chips and data centers may not ultimately produce the big profits and productivity for the economy that proponents have been promising.

Yes, Nvidia expects to sell another $65 billion of chips in the coming three months, which is more than analysts expected. But will all those chips actually create much bigger profits for Amazon and other companies using them? That question — whether all the investment in AI will prove to be worth it in the end — is still unanswered.

The most recent survey of global fund managers by Bank of America showed a record percentage of investors saying companies are “overinvesting.”

Amazon went from an early gain of 2.1% Thursday to a loss of 2.5%. Palantir Technologies swung from a jump of 5.5% to a loss of 5.8%.

The last time the overall stock market had swings in one day as wild as Thursday’s was in April, when President Donald Trump shocked the world with his stiff “Liberation Day” tariffs.

For the second worry that’s been dogging Wall Street, interest rates, Thursday’s jobs report from the U.S. government came in mixed and offered some relief. Financial markets initially seemed to pick the data apart for encouraging signals, according to Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management.

The report showed hiring by U.S. employers was stronger in September than economists expected, which may suggest the economy remains solid. But it also said the unemployment rate worsened slightly, which could give the Fed reason to cut its main interest rate at its next meeting in December.

Traders still see a December rate cut as relatively unlikely, giving it a roughly 40% probability, according to data from CME Group. But that’s better than the 30% chance they saw a day earlier.

What the Fed does is critical for the stock market because prices ran to records in part because of expectations for continued cuts to rates. The Fed has already cut rates twice this year to shore up the slowing job market. But lower rates can worsen inflation, which has stubbornly remained above the Fed’s 2% target.

On the winning side of Wall Street was Walmart, which rallied 6.5% after the retailer delivered another standout quarter. It reported strong sales and profits that blew past Wall Street expectations as it continues to lure cash-strapped Americans nervous about the economy and prices.

That wasn’t enough to drown out the losses for Nvidia and tech. Companies enmeshed in the crypto industry also tumbled, as bitcoin dropped to its lowest price since April. Robinhood Markets fell 10.1%, and Coinbase Global sank 7.4%.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 103.40 points to 6,538.76. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 386.51 to 45,752.26, and the Nasdaq composite sank 486.18 to 22,078.05.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.09% from 4.13% late Wednesday.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.6%, and South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.9% for two of the bigger gains.

AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/wall-street-swings-stocks-drop/ 

Por SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

ALBUQUERQUE, Nuevo México, EE.UU. (AP) — Uno de los ríos más largos de América del Norte, el río Bravo —o río Grande, como se le llama en Estados Unidos— tiene una historia tan profunda como extensa. Los pueblos indígenas lo han aprovechado durante innumerables generaciones y fue una vía clave para los conquistadores españoles hace siglos.

Hoy en día, la cuenca del río está en crisis.

Una investigación publicada el jueves dice que la situación es posiblemente peor que los retos que enfrenta el río Colorado, otro sustento vital para los estados occidentales de Estados Unidos, que aún tienen que definir cómo gestionar mejor ese recurso menguante.

Sin una acción rápida y a gran escala a ambos lados de la frontera con México, los investigadores advierten que el uso insostenible amenaza la seguridad hídrica de millones de personas que dependen de la cuenca binacional. Señalan que una sequía más frecuente a lo largo del río Bravo y la persistente escasez podrían tener consecuencias catastróficas para los agricultores, las ciudades y los ecosistemas.

El estudio —realizado por el Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza, el grupo Sustainable Waters y un equipo de investigadores universitarios— proporciona un recuento completo de los usos de consumo, así como de la evaporación y otras pérdidas dentro de la cuenca del río. Ayuda a proporcionar la imagen más completa —y más alarmante— hasta ahora de por qué este sistema fluvial está en problemas.

Insostenible

La cuenca proporciona agua potable a 15 millones de personas en Estados Unidos y México y permite irrigar casi 809.370 hectáreas (2 millones de acres) de tierras de cultivo en ambos países.

La investigación muestra que sólo el 48% del agua consumida directa o indirectamente dentro de la cuenca se repone de manera natural. El otro 52% es insostenible, lo que significa que los embalses, acuíferos y el propio río serán sobreexplotados.

“Es una realidad bastante desalentadora y desafiante el que la mitad de nuestra agua no necesariamente va a ser confiable para el futuro”, declaró Brian Richter, presidente de Sustainable Waters y miembro sénior del Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza. “Así que realmente tenemos que abordar eso”.

Al hacer un balance de la situación, los investigadores esperan que los responsables de políticas y los reguladores puedan determinar dónde se puede reducir el uso del agua y cómo equilibrar la oferta con la demanda.

Las advertencias de lo que estaba por venir surgieron por primera vez a finales del siglo XIX, cuando la irrigación en el San Luis Valley en Colorado comenzó a secar el río alimentado por el deshielo, lo que resultó en flujos disminuidos incluso hasta El Paso, Texas, mucho más al sur. Ahora algunos tramos del río se secan durante meses. En el área de Big Bend e incluso Albuquerque la cuenca del río ha quedado totalmente seca en los últimos años.

La irrigación de cultivos es, por mucho, el mayor uso directo de agua en la cuenca, de 87%, según el estudio. Mientras tanto, las pérdidas indirectas, tales como la evaporación, representan más de la mitad del consumo total en la cuenca, un factor que no puede ser ignorado a medida que el almacenamiento en embalses se reduce.

Granjas que desaparecen

La temporada de riego se ha acortado. En algunos casos, los canales se secan incluso en junio, a pesar de que la temporada de cultivo en Estados Unidos y México suele durar hasta octubre.

En el centro de Nuevo México, los agricultores recibieron un impulso con las lluvias de verano. Sin embargo, los granjeros a lo largo de la porción texana del río Pecos y en la cuenca del río Conchos de México —ambos afluentes del río Grande— no recibieron ningún suministro de agua superficial.

“Una parte clave de esto es realmente conectar a las poblaciones urbanas con lo que está sucediendo en estas granjas. Estos agricultores están pasando apuros realmente. Muchos de ellos están al borde de la bancarrota”, expresó Richter, y relacionó la escasez de agua con la reducción de las granjas, menores ganancias y menos capacidad para costear mano de obra y equipo.

El análisis encontró que, entre 2000 y 2019, la escasez de agua contribuyó a la pérdida del 18% de las tierras agrícolas en las cabeceras en Colorado, el 36% a lo largo del río Grande en Nuevo México y el 49% en el afluente del río Pecos en Nuevo México y Texas.

Con menos granjas, menos agua fue destinada a la irrigación en Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, los investigadores indicaron que la irrigación en la porción mexicana de la cuenca ha aumentado considerablemente.

El Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza y Sustainable Waters están trabajando con investigadores de la Universidad de Nuevo México para encuestar a los agricultores sobre soluciones a la crisis del agua.

Un conjunto de soluciones

Las respuestas al uso excesivo y el agotamiento son tan variadas como las jurisdicciones por las que fluye el río, dijo Enrique Prunes, coautor del estudio y gerente del Programa del Río Grande del Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza.

Se refirió a Colorado, donde los gestores del agua han amenazado con cerrar pozos de agua subterránea si el acuífero que sostiene las granjas irrigadas no puede estabilizarse. Allí, los agricultores que bombean agua subterránea pagan cuotas que se utilizan para incentivar a otros agricultores a dejar sus campos en barbecho.

El programa de barbecho de Nuevo México es voluntario, pero podría haber cambios si la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos aprueba los acuerdos propuestos, derivados de una disputa de larga data con Texas y el gobierno federal sobre la gestión del río Grande y el uso de aguas subterráneas. Nuevo México ha reconocido que tendrá que reducir el bombeo de aguas subterráneas.

Nuevo México está atrasado en sus entregas de agua a Texas bajo un pacto interestatal, mientras que México debe agua a Estados Unidos bajo un tratado binacional de 1944. Los investigadores dijeron que cumplir con esas obligaciones no será fácil.

Prunes señaló que los responsables de elaborar políticas también deben tomar en cuenta el medio ambiente al elaborar soluciones.

“Reequilibrar el sistema también significa mantener esas funciones básicas que tienen el río, los acuíferos y los ecosistemas dependientes de aguas subterráneas”, apuntó. “Y ese es el indicador de resiliencia ante un futuro con menos agua”.

——-

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/2025/11/20/la-sobreexplotacin-del-ro-bravo-amenaza-la-seguridad-hdrica-en-eeuu-y-mxico/ 

RayAnne Nickerson is a Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 teacher of more than 29 years who expected a significant increase in her Oct. 31 paycheck for completing graduate-level coursework beyond the requirements for a master’s degree.

Nickerson said during a meeting of the district’s Board of Education on Tuesday, she took online courses through Idaho State University to qualify for an increase of several thousand dollars a year, but it did not happen.

“(Human Resources) decided they were going to pause it,” she said. “I had every reason to expect my (increase) in my Oct. 31 paycheck. We were blindsided on Oct. 30 at 5:09 p.m. with an email from our union saying they were notified the day before.”

What Nickerson did not know is that a review of the Idaho State program is underway to determine if its courses qualify for additional compensation under the terms of the contract between the district and the Waukegan Council Lake County Federation of Teachers Union.

Nickerson and Lanette Oliver, another longtime teacher, made their case to the District 60 Board of Education on Tuesday at the Education Service Center in Waukegan in hopes of receiving the raises they believe they have earned.

Teacher pay for the current school year ranges from just over $52,000 for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree, to more than $151,000 for a teacher in their 35th year with a PhD, according to the contract. Raises are based on steps, or years worked, and lanes, or levels of education.

District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said in an email Wednesday that nearly 50 teachers recently submitted credits from Idaho State, representing more than $190,000 in potential salary adjustments this year. The administration wants to be sure the credits are valid under the contract.

“We value our teachers and their commitment to professional growth,” Plascencia said. “A review is currently underway regarding the interpretation of the bargaining agreement and whether the credits recently submitted by teachers from Idaho State University qualify for a lane change that would increase their individual annual salary or other benefits.”

The Albion Center for Professional Development at Idaho State offers non-degree, graduate-level online courses for elementary, middle and high school teachers, according to the school’s website. Students work at their own pace to finish. They can take up to 30 credits a semester.

Plascencia said she is concerned because some of the submissions from teachers “reflect levels of coursework that would traditionally require multiple semesters to complete,” prompting a pause on the pay increases while the district takes a closer look.

“We are conducting due diligence to ensure that all credits meet the standards outlined in the teachers’ contract and board policy, while also being aligned with expectations for accredited, graduate-level study,” she said.

Since traditional graduate-level courses at other schools generally have 16-week semesters, Plascencia said the courses are significantly longer with higher academic expectations. Earning 30 credits would typically take one to two years of full-time work, and more than three years part-time.

Oliver said she is upset because she completed 15 credits in the spring, submitted her paperwork to the Human Resources Department and it was approved. She took another 15 credits over the summer, and it was also approved.

“After 28 years of dedicating my professional life to this district, I was devastated,” she said. “More than 40 educators completed coursework through Idaho State University, and suddenly, after all the work was done, the district decided these courses don’t count.”

Board of Education President Michael Rodriguez said at the meeting that he is troubled by what he sees. He asked the administration to keep the board members informed about how they are handling the Idaho State situation.

“A lot of people spend a lot of time hoping to advance themselves,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be in their position right now because it’s a very uncertain position. A lot of people are asking a lot of questions, and I don’t know how to answer them.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/waukegan-schools-teacher-pay/ 

Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — El ala defensiva Alex Wright acordó el jueves una extensión de contrato por tres años con los Browns de Cleveland por un valor de 33 millones, incluyendo 21 millones garantizados.

“Es un cambio de vida. Siento que este es el mejor lugar para mí, no solo por esta defensa, sino por jugar al lado de Myles (Garrett). No podría encontrar eso en ningún otro lugar. Siento que crecí aquí”, afirmó el jueves Wright a los reporteros.

Wright, una selección de tercera ronda en el draft de 2022, está en el último año de su contrato de novato.

Es el tercero en los Browns con tres capturas y está empatado en el séptimo lugar con 23 tacleadas junto con ocho presiones al quarterback. Wright se perdió la mayor parte de la temporada pasada tras sufrir una lesión en el tríceps en el cuarto juego.

“Es una presencia física en el juego terrestre. Tiene un gran tamaño. Sabes, algunas de nuestras mejores jugadas en el borde son Alex enfrentándose a los bloqueadores y empujando a los alas cerradas hacia atrás. Y esas son cosas que realmente valoramos. Y también ha presionado muy bien para nosotros, y ha sido un buen complemento (para Myles Garrett)”, señaló el coordinador defensivo Jim Schwartz.

“Sabes, los cazamariscales no son baratos, encontrar a esos chicos en el mercado de agentes libres. Así que creo que es una buena señal para nosotros que estamos desarrollando algunos jugadores y obteniendo producción de chicos como Alex y Zay (Isaiah McGuire) y Cam (Thomas) y en todo el equipo”.

A pesar de tener un récord de 2-8, los Browns están clasificados primeros en la liga en defensa contra el pase y segundos en defensa total.

Wright sufrió una lesión en el cuádriceps contra los Jets de Nueva York el 9 de noviembre y podría perderse un segundo juego consecutivo cuando los Browns jueguen contra los Las Vegas Raiders el domingo.

___

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/browns-y-wright-acuerdan-extensin-de-contrato-por-tres-aos-y-33-millones-de-dlares/ 

As the Chicago Bears inch closer to improved health and more options in the secondary, it’s worth keeping a close eye on who will be available at the second level of the defense.

The Bears’ top three linebackers — Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell — were held out of practice Thursday for a second consecutive day, and the possibility Edmunds and Edwards will miss Sunday’s meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field appears to be moving toward a likelihood. Sewell’s uncertain status adds to the dilemma.

Team officials haven’t speculated about the possible return of cornerback Jaylon Johnson (groin) or nickel back Kyler Gordon (calf) in time for Sunday’s game, but neither can be ruled out. That would provide the defense more options on the third level as things are getting thin at linebacker.

The multitude of linebacker injuries could push the Bears into a scenario in which D’Marco Jackson and rookie Ruben Hyppolite II start against the Steelers. That would create an entirely new set of challenges for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who has been juggling the lineup every week.

It hasn’t been pretty on defense for the Bears (7-3), but they lead the NFL with 22 takeaways and are No. 2 on third down (33.7%), key metrics that have helped fuel the team’s rise to the top of the NFC North.

Edmunds played all 55 snaps Sunday in a 19-17 victory in Minnesota before appearing on Wednesday’s injury report with a groin injury. One source said there’s concern it’s a multiweek injury, but given how durable Edmunds has been in his career — he became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 100 career games last season at 26 — a quick return also wouldn’t be surprising.

Missing Edmunds for even one game would be a significant loss as he has been enjoying the finest of his three seasons in a Bears uniform. He leads the team with 89 tackles — 36 more than the next-closest defender, free safety Kevin Byard III — and has four interceptions and nine pass breakups. A move from the middle to the weak side has elevated Edmunds’ production and impact.

“His skill set fits that position in terms of the things that we ask that position to do: the size, the length, the athletic ability,” Allen said Thursday. “When you’re in the middle, there’s a lot of communication things that have to occur, and (on the weak side) you’re able to take a little bit of that off his plate. He’s a little bit more free to just go play.”

Edwards has been sidelined since suffering a broken hand in the Nov. 2 victory in Cincinnati. He underwent surgery and also is listed on the injury report as having a hamstring issue. He’s likely nearing a return because the team chose not to place him on injured reserve, but it’s uncertain if he could step on the field for the first time in 19 days at practice Friday and then be ready to go against the Steelers.

It has been a frustrating season for Edwards, who almost never missed time before but has played in only five games this season.

Sewell, who has been pressed into expanded duty with all the time Edwards has missed, was on the field for 53 of the 55 snaps in Minnesota. A concussion kept him out of the Week 7 win over the New Orleans Saints, and now he’s dealing with an elbow injury. One reason he has been able to take a step forward this season is he has been healthier than he was in his first two years.

Between Edwards’ and Sewell’s issues, the Bears’ top three linebackers have been available for only one entire game: the Week 8 loss in Baltimore. All three were in the mix for the majority of the Bengals game and the first half of the Week 2 loss in Detroit. Other than that, it has been a lot of mixing and matching for Allen and his staff.

The next man up after Sewell has been Jackson, whom the Bears claimed off waivers from the Saints before the season. Jackson has played 32 snaps on defense through the first 10 games after playing very sparingly on defense for the Saints under Allen.

Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson watches the video board in the final seconds of a 52-21 loss to the Lions on Sept. 14, 2025, at Ford Field in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

“I was pretty comfortable when I got here,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t too complex compared to what we were doing (in New Orleans). It was easy for me to pick up right away. I feel comfortable and confident in the guys around me and my ability to go out there and do my job.”

Hyppolite, a fourth-round pick who was inactive for a four-game stretch, has played on special teams the last two weeks. He has played 18 snaps on defense this season.

“I’m excited for the opportunity if I’m called on,” he said. “I’m comfortable out there and it’s been good. You question yourself a little bit (when you’re inactive) because you’re not sure why or how. It’s all about staying grounded and staying on your processes like I’ve been.”

The Bears added some depth Tuesday by signing veteran linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin to the practice squad. He played some defense in Detroit but was viewed mostly as a backup and core special teams performer.

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One recent adjustment Allen has made with Edwards out is to play almost exclusively in sub packages (primarily nickel) the last two weeks. He has featured nickel back C.J. Gardner-Johnson and used only two linebackers against the Vikings and New York Giants. Even when the Vikings went to 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) last week, the Bears remained in nickel.

The Steelers are 29th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 88.2 yards per game, but give them an opening for running back Jaylen Warren (4.4 yards per carry) and they just might take it.

Pittsburgh also has a diverse group of tight ends — including 6-foot-7 Darnell Washington, who’s listed at 264 pounds but told the “St. Brown Podcast” this week he actually weighs 311 — and ranks eighth in the league with 185 snaps from 12 personnel. The Steelers are second with 93 plays from 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends, one wide receiver), so they can challenge inexperienced linebackers or even try to force the Bears out of nickel.

When Allen has been asked about injuries, he moves on quickly, pointing out that no one is going to stop and feel sorry for the Bears. On the defensive line, Austin Booker and Grady Jarrett missed time before Dayo Odeyingbo was lost for the season. The secondary situation has been well-documented and now the Bears look like they will be short-handed at linebacker, at least for a week.

“That’s the nature of the game that we play,” Allen said last week. “You have to constantly be able to evolve and change. You get into trouble when you just say, ‘This is who we are, this is what we do and we’re just going to go do that.’

“That may not be what the guys that we have out there playing … suits them best. Each and every week, each and every game plan, you’re looking at, OK, what do our guys do well? Then, how do we put them in those positions based on what we’re seeing?”

Allen has been put to the test. The latest answers will come Sunday.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/chicago-bears-linebackers-tremaine-edmunds-injuries/ 

Florida Dem. Rep. Indicted On $5 Million FEMA Money-Laundering Scheme, Faces Up To 53 Years In Prison

Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/20/2025 – 17:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/florida-dem-rep-indicted-5-million-fema-money-laundering-scheme-faces-53-years-prison 

For a dozen years, Sue Gandhi, a Vernon Hills resident since 1998, has run Sue’s Pantry in her townhome’s two-car garage.

So when she heard from her HOA, homeowners association, late last summer about operating the 501c3 pantry at her residence, Gandhi was “quite surprised and shocked.

“I received a legal notice in my email telling me I no longer can do this, that I need to cease and desist right away,” Gandhi said. “Actually, I wasn’t expecting it. I was heartbroken; it was awful.

A recipient holds a donated vegetable tray at Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

“My husband (Hasu) and I, we decided not to fight it, and we decided to find another place,” she said.

“He supported me really, I thought he might say, ‘Okay, Sue, this is it, you’re done,’ he didn’t, he’s like, ‘If you want to continue this, we will do this.’”

So Sue Gandhi found office space in Arlington Heights at 5E College Drive and reopened the pantry on Sept. 26.

The rental (paid by donations) is “a little bit bigger” than her Vernon Hills garage and has a back door accessible from the rear parking lot.

“This is really, really, really wonderful,” Gandhi said of the new address. “The stress is less, I don’t have to worry about somebody coming up and blocking someone’s car in the driveway, or a (Vernon Hills HOA) neighbor getting upset.”

Ghandi said she didn’t receive help from the HOA with her pantry’s move. She asked Pioneer Press not to contact the HOA or name the subdivision where she still resides.

“We have to stay on the right path and do the right thing,” Gandhi said.

Volunteer delivery driver Shara Fata of Deerfield waves goodbye from the parking lot at Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

But Bob and Carolyn Pinta, formerly of Buffalo Grove and now of Prairie View, immediately responded as they did in 2021. See https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/04/19/buffalo-grove-woodworking-hobbyist-makes-donates-shelves-to-food-pantry-vernon-hills-resident-runs-out-of-her-garage/

The Pintas carried into Gandhi’s garage (on March 24, 2021) customized blue shelving made by Bob Pinta, a woodworker hobbyist.

For the Arlington Heights location, Bob Pinta reconfigured the shelves. Bob Pinta’s photo, taken in Arlington Heights with the updated shelving, was posted on social media on Sept. 12.

“We are so pleased to see Sue have a place outside of her home because she would literally serve the community constantly, and now may also get some rest, herself,” Bob and Carolyn Pinta said in a joint statement. “We were so very disappointed to hear about the way the HOA behaved.

“What Sue does for people should make them very proud,” the Pintas said. “We were so happy to see that the shelves fit her needs again with some adjustments.”

Left, from behind the door, the extended arm of Sue Gandhi of Vernon Hills helps to direct where boxes or other things are needed to be found. Seen is regular volunteer Rhonnie Bogenschutz of Mundelein, here to pick up food for a Libertyville agency. Seen at Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

Gandhi’s quiet pantry operation was publicly noticed earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic when Carolyn Pinta posted on social media about items humbly needed to stock Sue’s Pantry.

Since a Jan. 12, 2021, Pioneer Press story about Sue’s Pantry, awareness spiraled. NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt sent a news crew and (now retired) network correspondent Kevin Tibbles to Vernon Hills to publish their Jan. 26 story.

“I found something special taking place in Sue’s little garage,” Tibbles of Highland Park said to Pioneer Press on Nov. 18. “It was heaven-sent.”

The global attention spurred a sudden uptick in the amount to Sue’s Pantry 2018 GoFundMe page, catapulting funds (in the winter of 2021) from approximately $5,000 to nearly $70,000.

As of Nov. 18, 2025, $108,407 was raised of a $150K goal at https://www.gofundme.com/f/xpk7k-sue039s-pantry.

Still, on Nov. 14, 2025, there were no turkeys, trimmings, or full holiday meal donations for Thanksgiving, except for one piece of pumpkin cheesecake and a packaged half pumpkin pie.

“It would be very much appreciated if I did have turkey dinners available to distribute to my families so they could celebrate together and have a nice meal,” Gandhi said. “Everybody deserves that.”

“I would really love and appreciate having these meals for my families for Christmas,” she said. Her 2025 wish list (for the December holidays only) would be 200 donated meals.

Gandhi assembles gluten-free or allergy-sensitive groceries for families with special dietary needs.

Volunteer Gina Vera of Arlington Heights said about Gandhi, “She’s amazing, she’s sacrificed so much of her own life to help other people.”

Volunteer Gina Vera of Arlington Heights moves donations from the back of this car outside of Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

Gandhi is also aware that some clients remain fearful of leaving their homes due to ICE identification, so personal deliveries are necessary.

Volunteer Marianne Turnbull of Grayslake delivers groceries to Avon Township. Hunger in Lake County is, “getting worse, all over,” Turnbull said.

Volunteer delivery driver Shara Fata of Deerfield said Sue Gandhi is “an angel from heaven.”

Darlene Jones of Waukegan, family advocacy counselor (FAC) for Lake County’s Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, with its main branch in Round Lake, also delivers to North Chicago recipients. See https://nicasa.org/.

Loading a vehicle with donations is Darlene Jones of Waukegan, family advocacy counselor (FAC) for Lake County’s Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, outside of Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

“Sue has been an angel,” Jones said with a smile. “She’s just an angel.”

While Gandhi described the pantry’s mission on Nov. 14, within earshot, volunteers organized items while people dropped in to pick up groceries.

Regular volunteer Isabel Goldberg of Libertyville was suddenly taken aback as her composure produced tears.

Goldberg’s hope for the 2025 holidays is that “Everyone could let go of yesterday and let all the poor feelings and hard feelings disappear.

“Today’s a new day and every day is better and better,” Goldberg said. “And that’s my hope.”

Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/lake-countys-sues-pantry-moves-arlington-heights/