Category: News
Rangers dejan sin ofertas contractuales a García, Heim y Sborz, quienes ayudaron al título en 2023
Por STEPHEN HAWKINS
El jardinero y bateador Adolis García, el receptor ambidiestro Jonah Heim y el relevista derecho Josh Sborz se convirtieron en agentes libres el viernes, cuando los Rangers de Texas se abstuvieron de ofrecer contratos para 2026 a un trío que desempeñó papeles significativos hace dos años para obtener el único campeonato de la Serie Mundial del equipo.
“Independientemente de lo que suceda en el futuro, Adolis, Jonah y Josh siempre serán recordados por sus contribuciones al primer título de la Serie Mundial en la historia de la franquicia”, reconoció Chris Young, presidente de operaciones deportivas. “Esos recuerdos siempre tendrán un lugar especial en los corazones de los fanáticos de los Rangers. Estamos agradecidos por su tiempo en Texas y la huella que han dejado en este club”.
Los Rangers tampoco ofrecieron contrato al relevista derecho Jacob Webb antes de la fecha límite del viernes, pero llegaron a un acuerdo por un año con el jardinero ambidiestro Sam Haggerty para evitar el arbitraje salarial.
García conectó jonrones en cinco juegos consecutivos durante la postemporada de 2023, incluyendo su batazo decisivo en la 11ª entrada del primer encuentro de la Serie Mundial. Ello ocurrió después de que fue nombrado el Jugador Más Valioso de la Serie de Campeonato de la Liga Americana con un récord de 15 carreras impulsadas contra Houston.
Heim y García fueron elegidos al Juego de Estrellas y ganadores del Guante de Oro en 2023, pero sus números han disminuido desde entonces.
García, de 32 años, bateó para .245 con 39 jonrones y 107 carreras impulsadas en 2023, y este año tuvo un promedio de .227 con 19 vuelacercas y 75 remolcadas. Heim bateó para .213 con 11 cuadrangulares y 43 producidas este año, por debajo de .258 con 18 jonrones y 95 impulsadas durante la temporada del campeonato.
El cubano García tuvo un OPS de .675 en las últimas dos temporadas, ubicándose en el puesto 117 entre 123 bateadores calificados. Heim no fue un bateador calificado, pero tuvo un OPS de .602 en 924 apariciones al plato.
Sborz consiguió los últimos siete outs en la victoria que aseguró la Serie Mundial de 2023 en Arizona. Un año después, se limitó a 16 innings y un tercio en 17 apariciones, al ingresar en la lista de lesionados cuatro veces por problemas en el hombro derecho.
Nunca lanzó por los Rangers este año y jamás se ha recuperado completamente de la cirugía de hombro que se le practicó en noviembre pasado.
Webb tuvo un récord de 5-4 con un salvamento y una efectividad de 3.00 en 55 apariciones de relevo durante su única temporada con Texas. Haggerty bateó para .253 en 64 juegos este año, incluyendo aperturas en las tres posiciones de los jardines y como bateador designado.
Texas todavía tiene cuatro jugadores elegibles para el arbitraje salarial: el primera base Jake Burger, el infielder dominicano Ezequiel Durán, el tercera base Josh Jung y el jugador multifuncional Josh Smith.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
El expresidente de Brasil Jair Bolsonaro pide arresto domiciliario por problemas de salud
SAO PAULO (AP) — Los abogados del expresidente de Brasil Jair Bolsonaro solicitaron el viernes al Supremo Tribunal Federal que le permita cumplir su condena en arresto domiciliario debido a problemas de salud.
Bolsonaro fue declarado culpable en septiembre de intento de golpe de Estado tras su derrota electoral de 2022 y fue sentenciado a 27 años y tres meses de prisión. Este mes, el STF rechazó por unanimidad una apelación de su equipo de abogados, aunque se prevé que presenten otra esta semana.
Ha estado bajo arresto domiciliario desde agosto después de que el STF dictaminara que violó las medidas cautelares impuestas. El expresidente aún no ha comenzado a cumplir su condena en el juicio por intento de golpe de Estado.
Los abogados afirmaron que los informes médicos de Bolsonaro muestran que necesita un control estricto de su presión arterial y ritmo cardíaco, pruebas regulares y medicamentos específicos, además de visitas frecuentes de múltiples especialistas, incluidos un cardiólogo, un neumólogo y un gastroenterólogo.
“Si el peticionario es enviado a prisión, su salud estará en riesgo y no recibirá la atención médica que necesita”, dijeron los abogados en la petición, que fue revisada por The Associated Press.
También mencionaron una reciente inspección de la Defensoría Pública, la cual indica que las condiciones en un centro de detención en Brasilia, adonde podría ser enviado a cumplir su condena, son precarias.
Bolsonaro ha sido hospitalizado en múltiples ocasiones desde que fue apuñalado en un evento de campaña antes de las elecciones presidenciales de 2018. En abril, se sometió a una cirugía por una obstrucción intestinal.
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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.
CDC Says Vaccines May Cause Autism
CDC Says Vaccines May Cause Autism
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says that it’s possible vaccines cause autism, in a reversal of its previous stance.
“The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” the CDC said in a Nov. 19 update to its website. “Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”
The CDC cited a 2006 paper that analyzed surveys of parents with children who have autism and found many parents believed vaccines caused the disorder, which has symptoms including difficulty communicating.
It also said that the rise in the prevalence of autism in the United States correlates with an increase in the number of vaccines given to young children.
“Though the cause of autism is likely to be multi-factorial, the scientific foundation to rule out one potential contributor entirely has not been established,” the CDC said. “For example, one study found that aluminum adjuvants in vaccines had the highest statistical correlation with the rise in autism prevalence among numerous suspected environmental causes. Correlation does not prove causation, but it does merit further study.”
A small number of studies have found an association between certain vaccines and autism. Others have identified no increased risk in autism following receipt of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, including two papers that cited the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the CDC’s parent agency, in a 2021 report, which said there is no evidence that the vaccine causes autism.
An earlier report from the agency said evidence was insufficient to rule on an association between vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and hepatitis B and autism.
“In fact, there are still no studies that support the claim that any of the 20 doses of the seven infant vaccines recommended for American children before the first year of life do not cause autism,” the CDC said in the update to its site.
It said that there are issues with the studies on autism and the measles vaccine, including that they are retrospective rather than prospective.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a Nov. 17 event, responding to a college student who said that vaccines do not cause autism, that “the people who told you that have been lying to you.” He said the studies on the matter should, but do not, compare health outcomes in a vaccinated group and an unvaccinated group, and that HHS is conducting those studies.
HHS is currently engaged in an investigation into the causes of autism, which includes evaluating “plausible biologic mechanisms between early childhood vaccinations and autism,” the CDC said on Nov. 19. The evaluation will include aluminum salts, which are used as adjuvants in many childhood vaccines.
The CDC had previously said on the site that “studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder” and that no links have been found between any vaccine ingredients and the disorder.
The updated page maintains the sentence “vaccines do not cause autism” under an agreement between health officials and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chairman of the Senate Health Committee. A spokesperson for Cassidy, who said during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing that vaccines do not cause autism, did not return a request for comment.
A separate CDC page, last updated in 2024, says that studies show vaccines are not associated with autism.
Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that says it wants to end childhood health epidemics by eliminating exposure to toxins and which was previously chaired by Kennedy, welcomed the CDC update.
“Finally, the CDC is beginning to acknowledge the truth about this condition that affects millions, disavowing the bold, long-running lie that ‘vaccines do not cause autism,’” Mary Holland, CEO and president of the group, told The Epoch Times in an email. “No studies have ever proved this irresponsible claim; on the contrary, many studies point to vaccines as the plausible primary cause of autism.”
Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist, wrote on BlueSky that “for the first time in my career, I can’t tell people to trust what the CDC website says.”
Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University, said on her blog that the updated page “contradicts what we’ve learned from tracking millions of children over decades” and expressed concern that the new language would lead to parents delaying or skipping recommended vaccines for children.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/21/2025 – 19:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cdc-says-vaccines-may-cause-autism
CPD announces new commander of downtown, North Side detectives
The Chicago Police Department on Friday announced the promotion of a longtime department supervisor to oversee the detectives who investigate the most serious crimes in the city’s downtown area and across the North Side.
James Labbe, who joined CPD in 2001, is the new commander of Area 3 detectives, where he most recently served as lieutenant of property crimes. Before that, he was a supervisor in CPD’s Englewood District (7th) on the South Side, the department said in a release. Labbe is an active member of the U.S. Coast Guard reserve and a former U.S. Army reservist.
Labbe’s promotion comes five months after the retirement of the previous Area 3 commander, Rodney Hill.
In the interim, though, detectives on the North Side were overseen by Lt. Sam Cirone, another CPD veteran who was involved in the bungled probe of the punch thrown by a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley that left a young man dead in 2004. Cirone was recommended for a year-long suspension, but the Chicago Police Board in 2019 opted to issue him a reprimand instead.
A CPD spokesperson said Cirone remains a lieutenant in Area 3, where about 200 detectives are assigned, according to records from the city’s Office of Inspector General.
Along with Labbe, Snelling also announced the promotions of Evelynna Quarterman to Deputy Chief of CPD’s Administration and Support Division and Sheamus Mannion to commander of the Central District (1st).
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/21/cpd-announces-commander-downtown-detectives/
Nigerian Gunmen Abduct Over 200 Christian Children, 12 Teachers In Boarding School Attack
Nigerian Gunmen Abduct Over 200 Christian Children, 12 Teachers In Boarding School Attack
Armed men attacked a Catholic boarding school in northcentral Nigeria’s Niger state in the early hours on Friday, abducting 215 students and 12 teachers, according to Daniel Atori, a spokesperson to the Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
The attack on the church in south-western Nigeria is one in a series targeting Christians
“I have just got back to the village this night after I visited the school where I also met with parents of the children to assure them that we are working with the government and Security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely,” Atori said in a statement.
The attack and abductions took place at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Agwara local government’s Papiri community, said Abubakar Usman, the secretary to the Niger state government. He neither disclosed the number of students and staff abducted, nor who might be responsible for the attack. -AP
“We don’t know what is happening now, because we have not heard anything since this morning,” said Dauda Chekula, 62, whose four grandchildren were among the abductees. “The children who were able to escape have scattered, some of them ran back to their houses and the only information we are getting is that the attackers are still moving with the remaining children into the bush.”
The abduction is the latest in a spate of attacks on Christians in Africa’s most populous country, and happened just days after 25 schoolgirls were abducted in a neighboring state.
While no description has been given for the attackers, the schoolgirls are suspected to have been taken by ‘gangs of bandits.’
As Susan Crabtree of RealClearPolitics writes:
The timing and nature of the attack placed the fate of Nigerian Christians in stark relief. On Monday, in the early hours of the morning, a group of gunmen attacked a girl’s boarding school in northwestern Nigeria, kidnapping 25 girls, many of them Christian. The attack killed the school’s vice principal, Malam Hassan Makaku, who tried to block the door to the girl’s dormitory with his body.
The gunmen’s assault on the school took more than 20 minutes and failed to prompt any intervention from government security forces located at a checkpoint not far from the school.
The attack also took place amid new scrutiny and calls to action by President Trump. The president in late October vowed to stop the slaughter of Nigerian Christians, whom Muslim terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Faluni militants, the Islamic State of West Africa Province, as well as armed bandits, have targeted and slaughtered by the thousands in recent years.
The abduction of the girls served as a reminder of former first lady Michelle Obama’s failed hashtag campaign to rescue 276 mostly Christian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, in 2014. A decade later, 82 of the girls remain missing, and a United Nations investigation found that only 37% of schools across Nigeria have any warning system to detect threats of violence and armed attacks.
The deadly attack on the school also came the same week U.S. officials planned to highlight the plight of persecuted Christians in Nigeria at the United Nations and in Congress.
Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, singer Nicki Minaj, and religious freedom advocates gathered in New York Tuesday and joined a panel hosted by Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner. Rev. Gabriel Makan, a pastor from northern Nigeria, and Sarah Makin, former senior advisor on religious freedom in President Trump’s first administration, joined the panel to call for renewed diplomatic engagement and stepped-up actions from the Nigerian government.
Waltz, Minaj, and the other witnesses chronicled the loss of girls into what they fear is a life of sex slavery, the burning of churches, and beheadings of pastors. Entire villages, Waltz said, wake to gunfire because “they dare to commit the crime of calling Jesus their Lord, [and] people go to jail under blasphemy laws for simply wearing a cross.”
For years, religious freedom advocates have called on the U.S. government to address the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria. Trump, in his first term, designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” but President Biden reversed that decision. In late October, Trump once again redesignated Nigeria as a CPC and vowed to do everything in his power, including have the U.S. military come in “guns blazin’,” to stop the violence.
“Protecting Christians is not about politics – it is a moral duty,” Waltz said Tuesday. “We need voices that pierce the silence we have heard from the international community, that humanize the statistics we keep hearing, and demand accountability.”
“Religious freedom means we can all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live, and what we believe,” Minaj told the panel. “But today, faith is under attack in way too many places. In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray.”
New Jersey GOP Rep. Chris Smith in previous Congresses introduced bipartisan legislation calling for more action to stop what he considers a Christian genocide in Nigeria. On Thursday, Smith will lead a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Trump’s renewed call for action.
Christians make up nearly half of Nigeria’s population of 200 million, but they are the victims of the vast majority of the attacks. Today, Nigeria is the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, according to leading religious freedom advocates.
The World Index of Christian Persecution states that Nigeria is where 89% of Christian killings throughout the world took place over the last several years. According to a report by Open Doors, a watchdog that tracks Christian persecution, attacks against Christians in Nigeria are on the rise, with 7,000 Christians dying in the first eight months of this year, up roughly 2,000 from recent years.
The Biden administration attributed the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria, which make up nearly half the population, not to religious persecution but to a conflict over resources exacerbated by climate change. Open Doors and other advocates ardently disagree about the main motivation, although most groups involved believe the conflict isn’t just religious in nature but also involves conflicts over power and control over land and resources because Christians own most of the farming areas.
Kidnapping, which helps fund Islamist terrorist groups, is big business for abductors in the lawless areas of northern Nigeria. More than 20,000 people have been abducted in Nigeria from 2019 to 2023, according to Open Doors. Roaming bandits target people wo will pay ransoms, and they’ve learned that Christians and religious leaders will respond with higher payments than others.
For these reasons, some groups, including the Vatican, have pushed back on the narrative that the slaughter of Christians is primarily religious persecution. According to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, the root causes are “social” in nature rather than fully religious. The Trump administration rejects that assessment, arguing it’s a war on Christians by mainly Muslim extremist groups.
Regardless of the cause, the impact is alarming. Nigeria remains the world leader when it comes to the killing of Christians. The question now: What can the Trump administration do about it?
Trump, in his late October Truth Social post, vowed U.S. military action if the Nigerian government fails to take immediate action. Such a development, if it involved sending U.S. troops into Nigeria, would likely not only anger Trump’s isolationist MAGA base but could prove ineffective against roving bands of militants and terrorists in such lawless regions.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is Muslim, pushed back against Trump’s threat of military action, instead calling for non-military assistance from the U.S. and interested parties “to deepen cooperation and protection of communities of all faiths.”
Tinubu, who was elected in 2023 and faces reelection in 2027, is viewed as a far more honest broker than his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim who shared his heritage with the Faluni ethnic group responsible for most of the attacks on Nigerian Christians. Tinubu’s wife is a Christian, which likely has tempered his approach.
A senior State Department official told RealClearPolitics that Trump is keeping all options on the table but noted that there is a “whole suite of options” the administration is considering, including serious economic sanctions. The official also noted the geographic complexity of the problem because in the northeastern area of the country the bad actors are Boko Haram and ISIS, while in the Middle Belt it’s Fulani militants.
The key to Tinubu’s reelection is managing “this delicate religious balance,” the official added.
“This is an opportunity for the Nigerians to show that they share this principle [of religious freedom], and they’re willing to take action on this for the benefit of our people,” the official said, noting that it requires the Nigerian government to increase its “prioritization of this issue” and “allocate resources appropriately.”
While Tinubu appears open to Western assistance to crack down on the attacks, the real problem lies with the flow of firearms to different lawless regions and corrupt funds to the local governors of the different states, several of whom are in league with the extremist groups responsible for the violence, according to a source on the ground in Nigeria. Many of those firearms, the source said, are flowing into Nigeria from Arab states, including Saudi Arabia.
Trump this week gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a lavish welcome at the White House and even defended him over the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, which U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the crown prince approved. The White House’s renewed U.S. -Saudi partnership brings new hope to ending regional tensions with Iran and cementing the Israeli-Hamas peace deal.
But any talks of U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia should also include pledges to lead an effort to stop the sales of firearms to Nigerian terrorists and militants, critics argue.
U.S. officials are planning to host a senior Nigerian delegation in Washington at the end of this week to get a better idea of short- and long-term goals and any sticking points.
“The flow of illicit weapons is just magnifying the problem there, so it’s one of the key factors that we’re going to look at, especially in the Middle Belt piece of this when we’re talking about ISIS and Boko Haram,” the State Department official said. “How these Fulani ethnic militias, which the Nigerians claim are just farmers – how they end up with heavy artillery to conduct these raids is a fundamental question.”
The State Department is in the process of conducting a review of all U.S. aid to Nigeria, including security cooperation and humanitarian and economic assistance.
“Our preferred option for them is to recognize the seriousness of the situation and act accordingly, in good faith with us, so we can all see results, and we don’t need to discuss any of these punitive aspects,” the official said.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/21/2025 – 18:50
Northwestern field hockey to play for national title for 5th straight year after topping No. 1 North Carolina
The Northwestern field hockey team will play in the Division I national championship game for the fifth consecutive season Sunday.
The defending champion Wildcats beat top-seeded North Carolina 4-3 in sudden-death overtime Friday to complete a comeback victory in a national semifinal in Durham, N.C.
Grace Schulze scored off an assist from Maddie Zimmer in the 10th minute of OT to send Northwestern (21-1) to the final against Princeton at noon CT at Jack Katz Field. The championship game will air on ESPNU.
The Tigers (19-3), who beat Harvard 2-0 in Friday’s other semifinal, won the teams’ previous meeting 3-2 on Oct. 13 in Evanston, Northwestern’s only loss of the season.
“I kind of wish we didn’t have the name Cardiac Cats, but for moments like that I’ll take it,” Zimmer, who had two assists, said on the broadcast.
Late in the overtime period, Zimmer weaved through multiple defenders to hit Schulze with a pass. Schulze’s feed to Northwestern’s Ashley Sessa bounced off the legs of North Carolina’s Sietske Brüning and into the goal. Northwestern players raced across the field to celebrate in a huddle.
The second-seeded Wildcats, who won national titles in 2021 and 2024 under coach Tracey Fuchs, found themselves down 3-1 in the third quarter Friday.
But Olivia Bent-Cole scored late in the third on a Zimmer assist to make it 3-2. Zimmer also flipped a pass behind her to assist on Ilse Tromp’s goal with 1 minute, 10 seconds to play in regulation.
“I really didn’t want my time at Northwestern to be over today,” Zimmer said. “I’m just extremely proud of everything we’ve done. We’ve improved consistently across the course of the season. We played Princeton earlier this season. We’re a different team now, so I’m really excited to have that matchup.”
North Carolina took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter behind goals from sisters Ryleigh and Kara Heck. Maja Zivojnovic finally put Northwestern on the scoreboard with 2:15 left to play in the second quarter.
Northwestern goalkeeper Juliana Boon made three saves.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/21/northwestern-north-carolina-field-hockey-semifinal/
2 hombres de Texas planearon apoderarse de una isla de Haití, dicen fiscales de EEUU
Por JAMIE STENGLE
DALLAS (AP) — Dos hombres de Texas planearon tomar el control de una isla haitiana, y uno de ellos incluso se unió al ejército de Estados Unidos para adquirir entrenamiento para un ataque armado, con el objetivo de matar a todos los hombres y usar a las mujeres y menores para sexo, dijeron fiscales federales.
Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, de 21 años, y Tanner Christopher Thomas, de 20, ambos del área metropolitana de Dallas, fueron acusados el jueves de conspiración para asesinar, mutilar o secuestrar en un país extranjero, según la fiscalía federal en el Distrito Este de Texas. También fueron acusados de producción de pornografía infantil por acusaciones de que persuadieron a una persona menor de edad para participar en conductas sexualmente explícitas.
Los abogados de ambos hombres dijeron el viernes que se declararán inocentes.
“Nunca intentaron hacer nada de esto”, aseguró John Helms, quien es el abogado de Thomas.
Un acta presentada en un tribunal federal de Texas acusa a los hombres de planear reclutar a personas sin hogar para unirse a su golpe en Haití, comprar un velero y tomar el poder en la Isla de la Gonave, que tiene alrededor de 87.000 habitantes. La isla tiene aproximadamente 751 kilómetros cuadrados (290 millas cuadradas) de superficie y es la más grande alrededor de La Española.
Helms dijo que, aunque aún no ha visto las pruebas del gobierno, cree que los fiscales “van a tener muchas dificultades” para probar que Weisenburg y Thomas realmente tenían la intención de llevar a cabo tal plan.
David Finn, el abogado de Weisenburg, dijo que anima a todos a reservarse su juicio. Comentó que la gente le ha estado diciendo que es “lo más loco” que han escuchado, y que su respuesta ha sido: “Sí, lo es”.
Según la acusación, los dos hombres trabajaron en el plan desde agosto de 2024 hasta julio, y que los preparativos incluyeron investigar armas y municiones, y planes para comprar rifles de tipo militar. Los fiscales también alegan que ambos hombres intentaron aprender el idioma criollo haitiano.
Supuestamente, Weisenburg se inscribió en una academia de bomberos de Dallas para recibir entrenamiento que sería útil en el ataque, pero no logró completar la escuela. Luego, supuestamente viajó a Tailandia y planeó aprender a navegar, pero nunca se inscribió en las lecciones debido al costo.
Thomas se alistó en la Fuerza Aérea de Estados Unidos en enero, según la acusación, y le dijo a Weisenburg en un mensaje en redes sociales que se había unido al ejército para avanzar en su plan de ataque. Mientras estaba en la Fuerza Aérea, Thomas cambió su asignación a la Base Aérea Andrews en Maryland para ayudar en el reclutamiento de personas sin hogar en Washington, D.C., según la acusación.
La Oficina de Investigaciones Especiales de la Fuerza Aérea de Estados Unidos fue una de las agencias involucradas en la pesquisa, según la fiscalía federal. La Fuerza Aérea no respondió de moment a una consulta sobre el servicio de Thomas realizada el viernes.
Los hombres podrían ser sentenciados a hasta 30 años de prisión si son declarados culpables del cargo de pornografía infantil y a cadena perpetua si son condenados por el cargo de conspiración.
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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.
Lemont area residents demand answers on alleged air pollution
Amy Silberman-Kelly, a 63-year old Lemont resident, stood at a village meeting podium Thursday with her blue glasses, a colored scarf and a long list of facts about air quality — a new topic for the full-time Realtor.
For months, she and a few other neighborhood moms who met on Facebook combed through Environmental Protection Agency air quality data. The moms are concered about the level of benzene coming from the 1100-acre Citgo oil refinery at 135th Street and New Avenue in unincorporated Will County.
They were joined Thursday by around three dozen other residents at a Lemont Environmental Advisory Commission meeting, which usually draw only five to 15 people, according to commission Chair Brian Reinke.
Residents demanded the village provide residents real time data and alerts about the level of benzene concentrated in the air so they could make informed decisions about their health.
“I’m not an environmentalist, I literally just care about my clothes and my nails and my hair and my dog, yet I’m coming into the meeting tonight with printed out information,” Silberman-Kelly said.
Reinke said while he wants an actionable solution, the data is complicated and quality monitors are expensive and hard to find. He said the volunteer-run commission’s funding is limited.
Citgo public affairs manager Jen Hannon said the company is committed to protecting communities, the environment and company workers. She said doing so starts with listening, and she said the company will host a series of discussions where experts would be on hand to answer residents’ questions.
Hannon spoke at the beginning and then left, which upset several residents and prompted an outburst from resident Casey Panek, who lost his 12-year-old son to leukemia in 2019. The cancer has in some cases been linked to benzene exposure by the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer society.
No form of cancer has been linked to the refinery in Lemont.
Panek demanded company and village action and said he was disappointed the company official didn’t stay.
Jennifer Hannon, the Citgo public affairs manager, speaks Thursday at the Lemont Environmental Advisory Commission meeting. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)
“We didn’t even talk about anything yet,” Panek said. “That’s a shame that she’s going. She was talking about it with a smile on her face.”
Lemont Mayor John Egofske said the village will host several workshops to get answers because the data is very confusing.
Under the EPA refinery sector rule, the facility’s benzene concentration data is meeting federal guidelines, which do not require the company to take action, according to Keene Kelderman, a research manager at the nonprofit Environmental Integrity. The rule requires the company to conduct a root cause analysis if the annual rolling average of benzene concentrations exceeds 9 micrograms per cubic meter.
Lemont residents Elizabeth Panek and Casey Panek demand action at a Lemont Environmental Advisory Commission meeting Thursday following air quality concerns relating to a nearby Citgo facility. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)
As of June 24, 2025, the Lemont refinery’s rolling average of benzene concentration was at 7 micrograms per cubic meter. The refinery reached its highest number in this measurement in June 2023, at 8.9 micrograms per cubic meter, but has not exceeded the threshold in at least five years, according to Environmental Integrity analysis of EPA data.
But Kelderman and Jen Duggan, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, said the benzene levels are still highly concerning to public health, and it’s important for residents to be informed, no matter the levels.
“Workers at oil refineries and community members who live nearby have a right to know what’s in the air they breathe and to receive timely warnings if they are being exposed to dangerous levels of benzene, a carcinogen,” Duggan said. “The Citgo Lemont refinery should continuously monitor and share benzene data with the community in real time so that residents can make informed decisions about their health.”
The 1100-acre Citgo facility at 135th Street and New Avenue near Lemont. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)
Alan Ducatman, a health sciences professor at West Virginia University who studied occupational and environmental toxicity and prevention of diseases potentially related to environmental exposures, said elevated concentrations can be especially concerning for certain groups.
He said there are naturally occurring amounts of benzene in the air, but it could be problematic to expose children, pregnant women, elderly individuals and people who have already struggled with leukemia to elevated levels of benzene. He said this list is not complete.
Ducatman also noted exposure can create an emotional toll. He said in his research he witnessed people who have been exposed to environmental chemicals worrying about their children and feeling guilty.
He said in some cases, individuals decide to move, which can be a tough undertaking, as owning a home is a major investment. Even tougher, he said, is when when the pollution causes the property value to decrease.
Silberman-Kelly said it’s been a tough decision on whether to stay in her home off of 167th street near the Citgo refinery. She said she moved into the house in 2017 for a quiet place for her children and has built valuable memories. Now that her children have grown up, she said it’s nice to have a place for them to stay when they come home.
But even if she wanted to move, she said the costs are too high. She said she has looked at homes that are half her space but double the price. Moving would also mean leaving her community, she said.
Brian Reinke, chairperson of the Lemont Environmental Advisory Commission, listens to residents during Thursday’s meeting. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)
“It’s perfect for me, I mean I love it here,” she said. “It’s so quiet, and there’s a million things I love about it, but do I love it more than my health?”
Several village officials said Thursday they’re determined to get answers to the residents’ concerns. Reinke said the advisory committee will continue researching solutions that it can present to the Village Board.
Hannon, the Citgo spokesperson also said the company events with experts to answer resident questions will be held at 6 p.m. on Dec. 16, 1 p.m. on Dec. 17 and 6 p.m. on Jan. 6 at the Big Run Golf Club on West 135th Street in Lockport.
She said due to meeting space and to better facilitate discussions, attendants will be limited to 35 people. Residents can sign up and submit questions by contacting her at jhanno1@CITGO.com or 630-296-2959.
awright@chicagotribune.com
Biden’s Weaponization Of The DOJ Against GOP Lawmakers Was Worse Than We Thought
Biden’s Weaponization Of The DOJ Against GOP Lawmakers Was Worse Than We Thought
Authored by Matt Margolis via PJMedia.com,
New, disturbing revelations show just how far Joe Biden was willing to go to target his political enemies. In 2022, his Justice Department secretly seized more than two years of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan’s personal phone records. Fox News Digital obtained a subpoena that exposes the depth of Biden’s weaponization of the government against his enemies.
The subpoena shows a federal prosecutor — who later joined Jack Smith’s January 6 team — ordered Verizon to cough up Jordan’s records dating back to Jan. 1, 2020.
“The request appears to be the most expansive yet of the publicly known subpoenas targeting senators and current and former House members during Arctic Frost, the investigation that led to Smith bringing election-related charges against President Donald Trump,” Fox News Digital reports.
Smith did not begin working as special counsel until seven months after the subpoena was issued, meaning the request pre-dated his time at the DOJ.
The subpoena for Jordan’s records appears to be one of the first known ones in the Arctic Frost probe and was issued during a time when Jordan was serving as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, which conducts oversight of the DOJ. His role at the time is illustrative of Republicans’ sharp criticisms of the Arctic Frost subpoenas, as they claim the requests for Congress members’ phone records breached the separation of powers, including under the speech or debate clause.
The toll records did not include the contents of Jordan’s phone calls or messages but did include details about when calls and messages were sent and received and with whom Jordan was communicating. The subpoena sought records for three other phone numbers, which were redacted. It included a one-year gag order signed by a D.C. magistrate judge.
A source said Verizon handed over Jordan’s records when the DOJ demanded them, adding another layer to the growing concerns about the department’s reach.
Verizon issued a statement saying it is working closely with both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to gather all relevant information regarding the shady subpoenas.
“As part of our investigation, we uncovered new information regarding Chairman Jordan and shared it with him as soon as possible,” Verizon spokesman Rich Young told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We are committed to restoring trust through transparency and will continue to work with Congress and the administration as they examine these issues and consider reforms to expand notification protections.”
Jordan is the latest in a growing list of Republicans revealed as having been targeted by the Biden Justice Department as part of Arctic Frost.
The sweep started earlier with Rep. Kevin McCarthy in 2023. At least ten GOP senators also landed on the list, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, Marsha Blackburn, Ted Cruz, and Ron Johnson. The pattern shows a previously unknown and disturbing level of weaponization.
Naturally, Smith insists that his January 6 and 2020 election investigations followed DOJ policies, but no one really buys that. He also insists the subpoenas were “entirely proper” and narrowly crafted.
Right.
Biden’s weaponization of the DOJ against Trump was already a dark stain on American democracy. But this latest revelation proves he couldn’t stop himself from using the full weight of government to crush all political opposition. This blatant abuse of power demands swift congressional action before it is normalized.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/21/2025 – 18:25
John Paxson joining Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor after 4 decades with franchise: ‘I’m proud of it. All of it.’
Moments after offering John Paxson the job of a lifetime, Chicago Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf followed up with a warning.
He didn’t actually offer it to Paxson. Reinsdorf had come to Paxson’s home to finalize the details of hiring the former player to succeed Jerry Krause as general manager. Paxson’s then-teenaged sons, Ryan and Drew, were the sole witnesses to the deliberations as the pair talked through the future of the franchise — and it was to the boys that Reinsdorf turned to deliver a cryptic quip.
“You know, your dad’s always been liked by the fans,” Reinsdorf said with a wry grin. “He’s not going to be liked so much anymore.”
Meet the 6 inductees in the Chicago Bulls’ 2025 Ring of Honor class
Two decades later, Paxson sometimes wonders what Reinsdorf knew when he issued that first word of caution.
His tenure with the Bulls encapsulates the best years of the franchise — winning three championships in the first round of Michael Jordan’s dominance, drafting Derrick Rose and watching the hometown star carry his team to the Eastern Conference finals. But there were hard times too. Those memories can be tougher to shake.
Still, as he prepares to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on Saturday at the United Center, Paxson feels assured in the personal dedication that fueled his 40-year tenure as a player, assistant coach, broadcaster, executive and adviser for the Bulls.
“There’s so much truth in it — but you know, it’s OK,” Paxson told the Tribune. “I’m glad I didn’t take the easy way. I put my neck out there and tried to do what was best for the Bulls. I’m proud of it. All of it.”
Paxson will be inducted at halftime of the Bulls-Washington Wizards game along with Johnny Bach, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Neil Funk and Norm Van Lier. Bach and Van Lier are being induced posthumously.
Forty years ago, Paxson joined the Bulls at a distinct moment of transition. He signed as a free agent in October 1985, less than a year after Reinsdorf bought the team and several weeks into Michael Jordan’s second season in Chicago.
Chicago never felt like a guarantee for Paxson. The Bulls didn’t even have a roster spot available for him during summer free agency. He didn’t join the team until a week into the season — notably, on the same day Jordan broke his foot, causing him to greet the young star as a teammate for the first time as they passed in the lobby of the team hotel the morning after the injury.
John Paxson is surrounded by Bulls teammates after sinking the game-winning shot in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Suns on June 20, 1993, in Phoenix. (Chicago Tribune file photo)
Over the next nine seasons, Paxson felt it was always a battle to defend his place on the Bulls roster. He had to make sacrifices to operate in Phil Jackson’s grueling guard system, embracing roles as both a starter and a rotational player on championship rosters.
Paxson’s career pivoted in the fall of 1985, when the guard put his trust in then-general manager Jerry Krause’s vision for his role with the Bulls.
“I look back on that decision and where I am today 40 years later,” Paxson said. “If I had gone to Phoenix or Atlanta, none of this would have happened. I just feel so fortunate, so blessed that I’ve been a part of this thing.”
Paxson never sought a life outside of basketball — or outside of Chicago.
After retirement, he took a role on Jackson’s staff as an assistant coach but lasted only one season. He didn’t feel cut out for coaching — “I’m not a real patient guy,” Paxson said with a laugh — and missed his family desperately during the long hours in the office and on the road. But a year spent learning basketball under Jackson, Tex Winter and Bach built a foundation of appreciation for basketball that would ultimately support the rest of his career.
More than once, Paxson asked Reinsdorf why he was the one selected to start the next chapter of Bulls basketball after Krause. Reinsdorf always gave a simple reply. He had been interviewing Paxson for the position for years without his knowledge. And without his knowledge, Paxson had passed every test.
In his first season as GM, Paxson had no idea where to start. He leaned heavily on colleagues and mentors to wade through the trials of taking over the team — navigating difficult trades, parting ways with close friend Bill Cartwright as head coach.
But in his second season, Paxson felt he struck on something special. The Bulls acquired Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon and Luol Deng (via trade) on draft night, then signed Andrés Nocioni. After years of losing rosters, the executive was fixated on creating a tougher identity for the Bulls.
They lost the first nine games of the season, but that roster was undeterred. Despite the disastrous start, the 2004-05 team won 47 games and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, breaking a six-year playoff drought that had dated to Jordan’s last season with the team.
That wasn’t the most successful season of Paxson’s tenure — that came in 2010-11, when the Bulls won 62 games on the way to a conference finals run. But when he reflects on his career, Paxson still feels that season captured his vision for building the future of the franchise.
“Something clicked with that group,” Paxson said. “They played hard all the time. Sitting there watching that group, to me it validated how I wanted to see a team built. We all understand that you need great players to win at the highest level in this business. We all want that. But to put a team out in our city that was that competitive and tough? That was worth something too.”
Paxson doesn’t shy away from the less glamorous moments of his 17-year tenure as a top executive for the Bulls. He still lingers on his decision to draft Tyrus Thomas over future seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge in 2006. While Paxson acknowledges that was a miss — “That one was on me” — he also tries not to dwell on past decisions.
Commissioner David Stern presents Bulls guard Derrick Rose with the NBA MVP Award before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals May 4, 2011, at the United Center. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
The existence of any executive, Paxson said, can easily become tangled up in unanswerable questions: If the Bulls had drafted Aldridge, would they have landed the No. 1 pick to draft Rose the following year? Were the rosters Paxson constructed around Rose strong enough to make it to the NBA Finals if he wasn’t injured?
But mistakes and missteps are inevitable in this industry. For Paxson, success is defined only by the consistency of how an executive shows up to lead the franchise.
“It’s so hard and there’s so many unknowns,” Paxson said. “You’re going to have hits and misses. But you’ve got to have a belief system. If you’re just throwing darts at the wall on talent all the time — some people have success, but I just couldn’t do it that way.”
Longevity is a rarity in the NBA. Players get traded. Coaches and executives get fired. Success is tenuous and failure is quickly punished. This isn’t a league or an industry that often rewards loyalty. In this landscape, Paxson’s 40 years with the Bulls stand out as a rarity.
And even now, Paxson’s relationship to the team is informed by his years as a player. Time passes. Rosters change. People too. But for Paxson, the Bulls are still that same team he fell in love with as a young point guard trying to carve out a place in the league.
“You invest so much,” Paxson said. “You invest your body as a player, you invest your time and your soul. I fell in love with the organization and the team. That Bulls jersey, it means a lot to me. When I see guys putting that on, to me it reflects something that I’ve known for 40 years. I don’t want anyone to take that for granted.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/21/john-paxson-chicago-bulls-ring-of-honor/
