A Blue Island man featured in “Loop puncher” videos that went viral on social media has been sentenced to seven years in state prison for crimes related to the attacks, Cook County court records show. 

Derek Rucker, 37, pleaded guilty last week to aggravated battery to a peace officer, aggravated battery in a public place, aggravated battery to a transit employee and two counts of burglary. 

He was arrested downtown Oct. 9 after striking a 44-year-old woman in the face in the 500 block of North State Street and causing her to fall to the ground, according to Chicago police. 

He was also charged in connection with a string of other battery incidents that took place in September and October, including one involving a 40-year-old woman in the 4600 block of North Broadway, a 23-year-old woman in the 1200 block of West Loyola Avenue, a 27-year old woman in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue and an on-duty police officer in Evanston. 

The 23-year-old woman, Yara Afaneh, told the Tribune last month that she was scrolling through her phone at the Loyola CTA Red Line station on Sept. 30 when Rucker “out of nowhere” punched her in the back of the head. 

Rucker was arrested that day. But Afaneh said police informed her he would be released until an upcoming court date once he got out of the hospital. It was an update that Afaneh said made her “uncomfortable.” 

“It kind of sucks because it’s like multiple people have said they went up to the police when he got arrested, and they told him I’ve seen him around Loyola, I’ve seen him around this neighborhood,” she said at the time. “I stay around there, and I take the train every day to go to work, and now I just feel really uncomfortable.”

Rucker was at least the second man in recent months to have been accused of randomly punching people in Chicago. Numerous people claimed to have been victims of a “Loop puncher” in posts across social media, including Instagram, Reddit and TikTok, though it’s unclear exactly how many perpetrators there are.

William Livingston, 32, was also arrested last week and charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery in a public place for allegedly striking a 40-year-old woman and 29-year-old woman in the Lakeview neighborhood in June. 

Rucker’s mother told the Sun-Times that her son has schizophrenia and needs “dire help” to treat his mental illness. She said she hopes he gets treatment in prison. 

Cook County court records show Rucker has been arrested more than two dozen times in the last 20 years. Several judges have ordered mental health evaluations.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/chicago-loop-puncher-sentenced/ 

After months of public meetings in which Evanston/Skokie School District 65 administrators braced the community to prepare for up to four school closures at the end of the school year, the Board of Education found itself at an impasse at its meeting on Monday.

The resignation of Board Member Omar Salem earlier in November left the Board with six members, resulting in 3-3 tied votes and no action on closing schools.

After the Board committed to closing two schools at a previous meeting,  its Monday meeting agenda listed options to close Kingsley and Willard Schools or Kingsley and Lincolnwood Schools, The Board also considered closing Kingsley solely, but did not obtain a majority to pursue that either.

The board voted 3-3 to close both Lincolnwood and Kingsley, and 3-3 to close Kingsley, but because neither vote had a majority, both were considered impasses.

The district is accepting applications to fill Salem’s vacancy, but whomever the board selects is slated to be appointed on Dec. 16, after the Board makes a binding decision on which school to close.

The Board of Education scheduled a special Board meeting for Thursday to vote on closing Lincolnwood. If the board decides to move forward with plans to close Lincolnwood, the district is required by state law to hold three public meetings to discuss the school closure and receive input from the community. As of Monday, the district has three tentatively scheduled public meetings for the evenings of Dec. 3, 8 and 10.

It is anticipated that the Board will make a final decision at its Dec. 15, 2025 regular board meeting, Superintendent Angel Turner wrote to D65 families on Nov. 14.

Board members Patricia Anderson, Nichole Pinkard and Maria Opdycke voted no to close Lincolnwood and Kingsley, but supported closing Kingsley. Sergio Hernandez, Mya Wilkins and Andrew Wymer voted in favor of closing Lincolnwood and Kingsley, but opposed closing Kingsley solely.

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board members deliberate potential school closures at their Nov. 17 Board of Education meeting. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

For weeks leading up to the Board’s vote, D65 families, specifically those affected by the proposed school closures, have protested the closures and raised concerns about the Board’s and district’s credibility after former Superintendent Devon Horton was indicted on federal charges for wire fraud, tax fraud and embezzlement for actions that prosecutors say he did while serving as the school’s chief.

Within a week of the announced indictment, then-Board President Hernandez stepped down from his cabinet position, but did not resign from the Board. Anderson was nominated to serve as the Board’s president, which she accepted.

At Monday’s Board meeting, parents and educators crammed into the Board room, which has a maximum occupancy of 116. The district also set up an overflow room at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, which at its peak held another 50 people. Over 70 people signed up to give public comment, according to Board Secretary Adeela Qureshi.

Audience members listen on Nov. 17, 2025 to Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education members reject an option to close Kingsley and Willard schools at the end of the school year. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

Opdycke, a critic of the school closure process, called for the Board to slow the process. “I believe closing schools should be a last resort, and I don’t believe that we’ve gotten to a place where we can say… we’ve uncovered every drop.”

District-wide, enrollment has shrunk nearly 24% since 2018, according to data from the Illinois Report Card. For Lincolnwood, the school had 405 students enrolled in 2018, but now has 286 students, for a 29.3% decrease in enrollment.

Under the district’s scenario to close only Lincolnwood, the Structured Teaching Education Program, a program meant to support students who present with an autism spectrum disorder, will be relocated to Willard. Willard would lose its Two Way Immersion program, which teaches students in English and Spanish.

The pros of that option are that schools will continue to be walkable and students will be minimally impacted. The cons are that only closing one school will have a minimal impact on bringing forward financial stability, and selling the property does not have a strong income potential, according to D65 information on its website.

Administrators have also previously cited experts who say that a school’s optimal utilization rate should hover between 80% and 90%. If only Lincolnwood were to close, the average overall utilization rate district-wide would be below 70%, according to district documents.

The Board of Education for Evanston/Skokie School District 65 voted on Nov. 17 to keep Kingsley Elementary School open, after considering to close it at the end of the year. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

To combat the district’s financial and under-enrollment issues, the district implemented a Structural Deficit Reduction Plan in 2023 to cut millions of dollars in expenses, including laying off dozens of employees and to also close Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies at the end of the school year.

Before the start of the school year, the district’s administration held public meetings to discuss what metrics it is considering using to make a decision on which schools to close. With approval from the Board, the district made scorecards for eligible schools to close and ranked them with equity, walkability, geography, building function and financial impact at top of mind.

Initially, the Board was open to consider closing four schools at the end of the school year, which would have been Kingsley, Lincolnwood, Washington and to convert magnet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School into a neighborhood school. Over time, the Board narrowed its scope to closing three schools, then later to two schools. By the time the district posted the agenda for the Board’s Monday meeting, however, there was only an option for the Board to close Kingsley.

After an oversight that mistakenly gave the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education an option to vote on closing one school, instead of two, the Board and administration called for a recess at its meeting on Nov. 17 to consider its options. From left, Board Vice President Nichole Pinkard, President Patricia Anderson and Superintendent Angel Turner. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

Turner called that one-school option an “oversight” between the school’s administration and the district’s legal counsel. Turner said the district anticipated for the Board to make a decision on which two schools to close, therefore the option to close Kingsley solely would be redundant and not needed.

Previously at the meeting, Turner strongly cautioned against closing just one school because it is likely that the Board will need to close another school next year, potentially creating a pathway where a D65 student would attend three different schools across three years. 

Turner vigorously defended the work of her administration and Student Centered Services, the consultant group hired by the Board to help the district manage its Structural Deficit Reduction Plan.

“The work presented tonight is the culmination of years of tireless effort, strategic planning and, yes, profound struggle. I want the community to know that this decision is agonizing. It has been incredibly difficult, and the struggle to arrive at this point is deeply felt by every member of my cabinet and me,” Turner said.

“This is not a process we entered lightly, but one necessitated by our commitment to fiscal responsibility and continued academic excellence.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/tie-vote-trustee-resignation-prevent-evanston-d65-from-closing-schools-new-vote-thursday/ 

Por BRETT MARTEL

NUEVA ORLEANS (AP) — El delantero de Golden State, Draymond Green, recibió una advertencia de la NBA después de casi enfrentarse con un aficionado durante la victoria de los Warriors por 124-106 sobre los Pelicans de Nueva Orleans, dijo el martes una persona con conocimiento de la situación.

La persona habló con The Associated Press bajo condición de anonimato porque la NBA no ha anunciado la advertencia.

El aficionado, que se identificó como Sam Green, de 35 años, de Nueva Orleans, llevaba una camisa tipo polo negra con el logo de los Pelicans. Estaba de pie y animando después de que Draymond Green fuera sancionado por una falta de tiro mientras defendía al delantero de los Pelicans, Herb Jones, durante el partido del domingo.

Mientras los jugadores comenzaban a tomar sus posiciones para los tiros libres de Jones, Draymond Green se acercó al aficionado y se paró a solo unos centímetros de él mientras hablaban, con el aficionado extendiendo los brazos a cada lado.

Los oficiales rápidamente se interpusieron entre ellos y alejaron a Draymond Green mientras los acomodadores se reunían y hablaban con el aficionado.

“Simplemente seguía llamándome mujer. Fue un buen chiste al principio, pero no puedes seguir llamándome mujer”, dijo Green aclarando más tarde que el aficionado lo llamaba “con un nombre de mujer”.

“Tengo cuatro hijos y uno en camino”, agregó Green. “Simplemente no seas irrespetuoso”.

Draymond Green dijo que el oficial del partido, Courtney Kirkland, le dijo: “Lo tengo. Lo he escuchado una y otra vez. Lo has manejado bien. No te metas en problemas. Yo me encargaré de ello. Courtney fue genial”.

Sam Green dijo que estaba molestando a Draymond Green con cánticos de “Angel Reese”, porque varios de los primeros rebotes de la estrella de los Warriors resultaron de sus fallos a corta distancia, comenzando con una posesión de Golden State en la que Green falló cinco tiros seguidos y recuperó los primeros cuatro. Draymond Green terminó con ocho puntos y diez rebotes.

Sam Green dijo que la estrella de la NBA le gritó obscenidades y amenazó con golpearlo si continuaba con las burlas de “Angel Reese”, una referencia a la estrella de la WNBA y exjugadora de LSU que estableció varios récords de rebotes en LSU y la SEC.

“No estaba usando obscenidades y que él caminara fuera de la cancha para venir y ponerse en mi cara de esa manera, fue un poco inquietante”, dijo Sam Green, quien recibió una advertencia por parte de los acomodadores pero se le permitió permanecer en su asiento de primera fila.

Draymond Green, conocido por recibir faltas técnicas, multas y expulsiones por su personalidad confrontacional y emocionalmente volátil en la cancha, ha sido multado en el pasado por interactuar con aficionados.

En 2022, fue multado con 25.000 dólares por lo que la NBA describió como “dirigir lenguaje obsceno hacia un aficionado”.

Green ha sido crítico con el comportamiento de los aficionados, diciendo que enfrentan relativamente pocas consecuencias por decir cosas inapropiadas, y de hecho están motivados a hacerlo por el hecho de que los jugadores pueden ser multados por interactuar con ellos.

Green dijo el domingo por la noche que está acostumbrado a las burlas en los partidos fuera de casa y que generalmente no le molestan.

___

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/draymond-green-recibe-advertencia-de-la-nba-tras-confrontacin-con-fan-segn-fuente-de-ap/ 

Starting Wednesday, Illinois residents will be able to use their iPhones to show their driver’s license at select airports, restaurants and bars.

Under a major digital shift that Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias cast on Tuesday as a long-promised modernization of government services, Illinois residents will be able to add their state driver’s license or state ID to their Apple Wallets. Mobile IDs will expand to Android users within the next few months or sometime next year, he said.

“Our goal has been simple: bring government into the 21st century, and meet people where they are,” Giannoulias said at an event in West Town that resembled the launch of a new iPhone as much as it did a state press conference. “Today, we take another major leap forward.”

Illinoisans will still have to carry physical IDs for law enforcement, such as when they are pulled over for speeding. But Apple Wallet IDs will be accepted at businesses that opt in, as well as at O’Hare and Midway international airports, and at TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports nationwide, Giannoulias said.

The rollout will begin on Wednesday, according to Giannoulias’ office. Users will be able to add their state ID within the Wallet app by scanning their existing ID or driver’s license card with their phone and providing a selfie, the office said.

Users will be able to present their IDs by tapping their phone or watch, rather than fumbling through their wallets for a driver’s license or ID card, according to the office.

That change will limit the amount of information that bartenders, bouncers and cashiers can see when checking IDs. Rather than needing to see the entire document, businesses will be able to request just key verifications — for example, that a customer is older than 21 — and have customers tap their mobile ID to confirm that information without seeing an exact birthday or address, Giannoulias said.

Using a mobile ID will be optional and free, according to Giannoulias’ office.

On the business side, a mobile ID verifier app from the secretary of state’s office will also be available Wednesday, the office said.

The Illinois General Assembly last year approved legislation legalizing digital IDs. Giannoulias said at the time that eligibility for a mobile identification card would be the same as for the physical credential.

Digital IDs have been available for residents in other states in the U.S., but the update will make Illinois the largest state to offer mobile IDs widely to residents through Apple Wallet, according to a list from the Transportation Security Administration. More than a dozen states, including Colorado and Maryland, have offered some form of mobile IDs, according to the Transportation Security Administration, but some, including California, only have a limited program.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois previously raised privacy and security concerns about the legislation allowing mobile IDs, such as the possibility that law enforcement would use them as a pretext to access a phone.

The rollout does not allow police to seize a user’s phone at will to access their mobile ID, nor does it allow law enforcement officers to accept mobile IDs, Giannoulias said.

In his first term as secretary of state and running for reelection, Giannoulias on Tuesday repeatedly framed the implementation as a win for his office. In addition to running for a second term next year, Giannoulias has reportedly been considering a bid for Chicago mayor in 2027.

Just minutes after the government event ended, Giannoulias’ campaign office sent out a fundraising pitch highlighting the change as “my most exciting day in office yet” and soliciting donations.

Asked about whether he’s still considering a campaign for Chicago mayor, Giannoulias didn’t deny it and pivoted back to the Apple Wallet driver’s licenses.

“I’m so focused on this. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about. And I’m – I’m not upset about the question, it’s my job. But I think in general, we need to rebuild trust in government, and we promised to do this when I ran for this office,” Giannoulias said. “Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, you should be excited about today.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/illinois-mobile-drivers-licenses-announced/ 

Triton College in River Grove will compete for the national Aspen Institute’s 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

The prize is a top national award for community colleges and only the top 200 colleges in the nation are eligible to compete. Besides bragging rights, a win would mean a $1 million prize and recognition for student success at the two-year institution. That success includes retention, student program completion and bachelor’s degree attainment. Triton is one of 21 Illinois community colleges to be nominated and among 200 nationally.

For Triton, the Aspen recognition is a first.

“Being included in this group is a significant milestone,” said Triton College President Mary-Rita Moore. “It affirms the progress our students, faculty and staff have achieved together in improving completion, transfer and career outcomes while expanding equitable access to higher education.”

This is only the beginning of a much longer process. The top community college in the nation will be announced in the spring of 2027 following 20 months of investigation by the selection panel. Semifinalists will be announced in April and finalists will be named next summer.

Triton was founded in 1964 and Moore said since then, the college has kept focus improving itself for students.

“This recognition reflects years of intentional, college-wide work to improve access, completion, transfer and workforce outcomes for every student,” she said.

Community colleges are often first stops for high school graduates before going off to a four-year program, and they offer opportunities for continuing education for career changers and others looking to get into new careers or get ahead in existing careers.

Triton enrolls over 16,000 students each year and Moore said the school focuses on teaching skills in “high demand regional industries” like healthcare, manufacturing, education and public service. According to its website, the school offers more than 120 degree programs and certifications in a wide variety of areas.

Moore says the goal is to get students in a position to get employed. Those student outcomes are reflected in the Aspen recognition.

“For Triton, it acknowledges years of work to strengthen student outcomes, support first-generation learners and expand clear pathways leading directly to good jobs or further education,” Moore said. “This recognition also underscores the essential role community colleges play as engines of economic mobility and regional vitality. We view it as both an honor and a responsibility, to continue innovating, collaborating with employers, K–12 districts and universities, and ensuring that every student we serve can achieve lasting success.”

Triton was not alone, however, among Illinois community colleges. In total, 21 colleges in the state got included among the 200 candidates for the top spot nationally.

“The inclusion of these Illinois colleges among the top 200 underscores our statewide commitment to student success, equity and innovation,” said Illinois Community College Board Chair Sylvia Jenkins in a news release. “These institutions are making a real difference locally and nationally—this recognition affirms the value and impact of their work for students, employers and communities.”

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/triton-college-aspen-award/ 

Emails Reveal Under Armor Urged Maryland To Buy Horse Farm After No Buyers – Will Gov. Moore Return Favor?

Tyler Durden
Tue, 11/18/2025 – 14:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/emails-reveal-kevin-plank-urged-maryland-buy-horse-farm-after-no-buyers-will-gov-moore 

Former Portage Mayor James Snyder asked for a new trial on his conviction for defrauding the IRS in federal court filings late last month. Federal prosecutors, in their response, said his request is untimely and without merit.

So goes the latest chapter in a saga that began nine years ago when Snyder was indicted on one count of defrauding the IRS and two counts of bribery, one involving towing contracts and the other involving garbage trucks.

A jury in U.S. District Court in Hammond found Snyder not guilty on the charge involving the towing contract, and convicted him twice on the garbage truck charge, a case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which deemed in June of last year that the $13,000 payment Snyder received over a garbage truck contract was a gratuity, not a bribe, because the payment came after the contract and not before. The case was remanded to the lower courts.

A jury convicted Snyder on the IRS charge, which involved his personal business and not his duties as mayor at the time, and that conviction has remained unchallenged.

Snyder was scheduled to go to trial for a third time on the charge involving the garbage truck contract, but prosecutors have said they would like to sentence Snyder for obstructing the IRS and forgo a third trial on his bribery charge.

Snyder, awaiting sentencing on the IRS conviction, which has been repeatedly pushed back, argued in an Oct. 31 filing that he wanted a new trial on the IRS charge because the information presented on the bribery charges could have improperly swayed the jury.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office argues that Snyder’s request “is both untimely and meritless.”

“Now, after the parties agreed to proceed to sentencing on the tax count and have begun their sentencing advocacy before this Court, defendant seeks leave for additional motion practice to challenge his 2019 conviction,” prosecutors said in their Friday filing. “Defendant wants this Court to grant the extraordinary remedy of overturning a jury’s verdict and setting the case for multiple new trials.”

Snyder, prosecutors said in their filing, “failed to raise the issue of misjoinder or severance (of the charges) before trial in 2019.”

Snyder, prosecutors said in their filing, made a “strategic decision” to go to trial on all of the counts rather than arguing at the time for the counts to be separated for trial. “Defendant thus waived any claim to improper joinder by failing to make this argument before trial,” documents state.

Snyder, a Republican, was first elected mayor in 2011 and reelected in 2015, a term cut short by his federal conviction in February 2019.

Snyder received a sentence of 21 months in prison for the bribery and IRS convictions and a year on supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the Northern District of Illinois.

Snyder successfully argued that the start of his sentence should be postponed until his bid to have the Supreme Court hear his case was complete.

Snyder’s response to the prosecutor’s filing is due by Friday, according to the online court docket. His sentencing on the IRS conviction was scheduled for Jan. 14.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/prosecutors-james-snyders-request-for-new-trial-untimely-and-without-merit/ 

Por MICHAEL HILL

ALBANY, Nueva York, EE.UU. (AP) — Una jueza desestimó la demanda presentada por la administración Trump contra la ley de Nueva York que impide a los funcionarios de inmigración arrestar a personas en los tribunales estatales, afirmando que el gobierno federal no puede obligar a los estados a cooperar con esas acciones policiales.

La jueza Mae D’Agostino concedió tarde el lunes la moción de Nueva York para desestimar la demanda del gobierno, una de varias acciones legales de la administración republicana contra políticas estatales y locales en el tema migratorio.

La demanda impugnaba una ley estatal de 2020 que prohíbe a los funcionarios federales de inmigración arrestar a personas que entran o salen de los tribunales de Nueva York o que están en el tribunal para procedimientos, a menos que tengan una orden firmada por un juez. La ley, llamada Ley de Protección de Nuestros Tribunales, fue aprobada en respuesta a las acciones policiales en los tribunales durante el primer mandato del presidente Donald Trump. La ley no cubre los tribunales federales de inmigración.

En su demanda, el Departamento de Justicia afirmó que la ley de Nueva York y dos órdenes ejecutivas estatales relacionadas eran inconstitucionales porque obstruían la ejecución de las autoridades federales de inmigración.

Sin embargo, D’Agostino determinó que la decisión de Nueva York de no participar en las acciones migratorias está protegida por la Décima Enmienda, que establece límites a los poderes del gobierno federal.

“Fundamentalmente, Estados Unidos no logra identificar ninguna ley federal que obligue a los funcionarios estatales y locales a asistir o cooperar con los esfuerzos de aplicación de la ley de inmigración federal. Ni podría hacerlo”, escribió la jueza. “No existen tales leyes federales porque la Décima Enmienda prohíbe al Congreso reclutar a funcionarios y recursos estatales y locales para asistir con esquemas regulatorios federales, como la aplicación de la ley de inmigración”.

El Departamento de Justicia por ahora no ha respondido a un correo electrónico solicitando comentarios sobre el fallo, incluyendo si planea apelar.

La fiscal general de Nueva York, Letitia James, una demócrata cuya oficina ofreció los argumentos para desestimar la demanda, declaró que estaba luchando por la “dignidad y los derechos de las comunidades inmigrantes”.

“Todos merecen buscar justicia sin miedo”, indicó James en un comunicado. “Este fallo asegura que todos pueden usar los tribunales estatales de Nueva York sin temor a acciones por parte de las autoridades federales”.

___________________________________

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/jueza-desestima-demanda-contra-ley-de-nueva-york-que-prohbe-agentes-migratorios-en-tribunales/