Por JON GAMBRELL y JAMEY KEATEN

DUBÁI, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (AP) — Durante años, el gobierno teocrático de Irán advirtió que inundaría Oriente Medio con fuego de misiles y drones si sentía que su existencia estaba amenazada.

Eso es precisamente lo que está haciendo ahora la República Islámica.

Irán ha arrojado miles de drones y misiles balísticos desde que Estados Unidos e Israel iniciaron la guerra el sábado y mataron al líder supremo iraní, el ayatolá Alí Jamenei. Ha respondido con ataques a Israel, bases militares estadounidenses y embajadas en la región, así como instalaciones energéticas en todo el golfo Pérsico. También se han registrado lanzamientos de misiles iraníes contra Turquía y drones dirigidos a territorio de Azerbaiyán.

La estrategia básica de Irán consiste en infundir temor sobre los peligros de una guerra que se amplía, con la esperanza de que los aliados de Estados Unidos ejerzan suficiente presión para detener su campaña. Un conflicto prolongado, junto con bajas estadounidenses e israelíes, también podría jugar a favor de Irán.

El problema es que la estrategia de “bombardear a los vecinos” también podría volverse en su contra.

Una apuesta por desgastar las defensas regionales e infundir miedo

La principal prioridad de Irán es salir de la guerra con sus instituciones estatales intactas, afirmó Ellie Geranmayeh, subdirectora del programa de Oriente Medio y Norte de África del Consejo Europeo de Relaciones Exteriores.

“Irán está elevando los costos de esta campaña militar estadounidense y regionalizándola desde el principio, tal como prometieron que harían si Estados Unidos reinicia la guerra otra vez con Irán”, señaló. Estados Unidos se unió a Israel el pasado junio en una guerra de 12 días, en la que se atacaron instalaciones de enriquecimiento nuclear. Irán sostiene que su programa es pacífico, aunque sus funcionarios habían amenazado con desarrollar una bomba mientras enriquecían uranio a niveles cercanos a los de grado armamentístico.

Los líderes iraníes creen que, al causar bajas y perturbar la producción de energía para elevar los precios del petróleo y el gas, los aliados de Estados Unidos o una opinión pública inquieta en su país presionarán al presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, para que dé marcha atrás.

“Los iraníes apuestan básicamente a aguantar más que él, y a agotarlo a él y a sus aliados hasta el punto de que, en esencia, tengan una salida diplomática”, explicó Geranmayeh. Trump es impredecible, indicó, pero por ahora parece estar presionando por una “rendición incondicional a sus exigencias, en lugar de un acuerdo negociado”.

Estados Unidos e Israel han llevado a cabo cientos de ataques aéreos y han infligido graves daños a objetivos del gobierno iraní, militares y nucleares. Pese a estar en clara desventaja de potencia de fuego, Irán ha seguido lanzando misiles balísticos contra Israel, matando a 11 personas y alterando la vida de millones de israelíes. Más personas han muerto en los estados árabes del Golfo, mientras que la campaña de Estados Unidos e Israel ha matado a 1.045 personas en Irán.

Tras más de dos años de guerra en la Franja de Gaza, el público israelí parece tener poco apetito por otra larga ronda de combates. Las encuestas sugieren que el público estadounidense recela de un conflicto prolongado.

Amigos y antiguos enemigos, golpeados por igual por Irán

La ofensiva estadounidense e israelí se produjo después de que una serie de conversaciones entre Estados Unidos e Irán sobre el programa nuclear iraní y las sanciones occidentales no lograra progresos.

Trump dijo el lunes que sus cuatro objetivos eran destruir las capacidades de misiles de Irán, aniquilar su armada, impedir que obtenga un arma nuclear y garantizar que no pueda seguir apoyando a grupos armados aliados.

La respuesta iraní no ha perdonado a nadie en la región, ni siquiera a Omán, que medió la última ronda de conversaciones nucleares y durante décadas ha mantenido una relación estrecha con Irán después de que ayudara al difunto sultán Qaboos bin Said a sofocar una rebelión en la década de 1970.

La semana pasada, mientras Estados Unidos acumulaba buques de guerra en la región, el ministro de Exteriores de Omán se apresuró a viajar a Washington en un último intento por mantener vivas las conversaciones nucleares.

Desde entonces, Omán ha sido arrastrado al conflicto. Un puerto omaní y barcos frente a su costa han sido atacados por misiles iraníes. El puerto omaní de Duqm ayudó al portaaviones USS Abraham Lincoln con la logística previa al despliegue.

Arabia Saudí, que mantiene una distensión con Teherán desde 2023, también quedó en la mira esta semana. Su refinería de Ras Tanura ha recibido ataques reiterados y la embajada de Estados Unidos en Riad fue alcanzada por drones, un momento embarazoso para el príncipe heredero, Mohammed bin Salman, que ha trabajado para cultivar una relación estrecha con Trump.

También Qatar y Emiratos Árabes Unidos tienen vínculos estrechos con Trump y han sufrido ataques reiterados.

La aritmética de los misiles cobra más importancia

A medida que la guerra continúa, entra en juego una sombría ecuación. Irán tiene un número finito de misiles y drones, al igual que los estados árabes del Golfo, Estados Unidos e Israel tienen un número limitado de misiles interceptores capaces de derribar el fuego entrante.

El secretario de Defensa de Estados Unidos, Pete Hegseth, afirmó el miércoles que miles de misiles y drones iraníes han sido “interceptados y vaporizados” durante la guerra. El ejército israelí dice haber destruido decenas de lanzadores de misiles.

Del lado estadounidense e israelí, seguir atacando los misiles y sus lanzadores sigue siendo clave. Ambos países tuvieron que derribar misiles iraníes durante la guerra de junio y en múltiples ocasiones durante la guerra entre Israel y Hamás.

“En términos simples, estamos enfocados en disparar a todas las cosas que pueden dispararnos”, declaró el almirante de la Marina de Estados Unidos Brad Cooper, jefe del Comando Central del ejército estadounidense.

Un alto funcionario occidental, que habló bajo condición de anonimato para tratar asuntos de inteligencia, indicó que Irán tiene misiles balísticos para varios días si continúa disparando al ritmo actual, pero podría reservar algunos para librar una campaña más larga.

El ejército israelí afirma que el número de lanzamientos iraníes ha disminuido considerablemente en los últimos días como resultado de los ataques aéreos, aunque las sirenas de alerta parecieron sonar constantemente en todo Israel desde el miércoles hasta el jueves.

La estrategia de Irán podría estar volviéndose en su contra

La estrategia de Irán de intentar amenazar la seguridad energética, abrir una brecha entre los estados del Golfo y los países occidentales y elevar los costos está “volviéndose en su contra”, sostuvo Hasan Alhasan, experto en Oriente Medio del Instituto Internacional de Estudios Estratégicos, con sede en Londres.

“Está llevando y empujando a los estados del Golfo a alinearse más estrechamente con Estados Unidos”, afirmó.

“Los estados del Golfo no pueden simplemente quedarse de brazos cruzados y seguir absorbiendo ataques indefinidos contra su infraestructura crítica y contra civiles en ciudades del Golfo”, señaló Alhasan. Probablemente estén intentando tanto adquirir más armas para interceptar el fuego entrante como encontrar maneras de intermediar para poner fin a la guerra, agregó.

El ministro iraní de Exteriores ha sugerido que las unidades militares de su país ahora están aisladas y actúan de manera independiente de cualquier control central del gobierno, una posible excusa para el fuego cada vez más errático de Irán.

“Están actuando con base en instrucciones —ya sabe, instrucciones generales— que se les dieron con antelación”, dijo Abbas Araghchi a Al Jazeera el domingo.

Pero tras una llamada telefónica el miércoles con Araghchi, el primer ministro de Qatar, el jeque Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, “rechazó categóricamente” su afirmación de que los misiles iraníes solo se dirigían a intereses estadounidenses y no pretendían atacar a Qatar.

___

Keaten informó desde Ginebra. Las periodistas de The Associated Press Danica Kirka y Jill Lawless, en Londres, contribuyeron a este reportaje.

___

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/2026/03/05/la-andanada-de-ataques-de-irn-en-el-golfo-prsico-muestra-que-el-caos-es-clave-en-su-estrategia/ 

Ex-OpenAI Researcher’s Hedge Fund Reveals Big Bitcoin Miner Bets In New SEC Filing

Tyler Durden
Thu, 03/05/2026 – 06:30

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/ex-openai-researchers-hedge-fund-reveals-big-bitcoin-miner-bets-new-sec-filing 

The Orland High School District 230 board has joined a coalition of other Cook County school boards in approving a resolution demanding its share of delayed distributions of Cook County property tax revenues.

The late payments cost the district about $1.3 million in revenue and extra costs, which has jeopardized the district’s ability to make payroll, said Jeff Eagan, assistant superintendent of business services.

Eagan said the late tax payments forced the district to borrow millions of dollars, which cost interest and fees, and caused the district to lose substantial interest income.

Eagan said the district received some payments in December and January, but 9% of the 2024 tax levy remains unpaid.

These property tax payments, which school districts usually expect over the summer, were halted this year due to a rocky technology upgrade involving Tyler Technologies.

Eagan said three three major costs associated with the late payments caused the district to lose $1.3 million.

He said the payment delays decreased the district’s interest revenue because it had to call investments in early and decreased the interest the district earned on property tax distributions.

The district demanded in the resolution that property taxes be collected and distributed on a predictable schedule and that Cook County seek reimbursement from Tyler Technologies for expenses caused by the late payments.

In the resolution, board members expressed their “profound disappointment and frustration” that this administrative failure resulted in a “direct and unnecessary financial cost to the taxpayers.”

The resolution was sent to the Cook County treasurer, president, assessor, clerk, Board of Review and County Board, as well as all members of the Illinois General Assembly.

Superindentent Robert Nolting said a majority of Cook County school districts signed off on the resolution, according to communication channels discussing the resolution.

Eagan said the coalition of school boards are also working with a law firm that he said is suited to pursue this kind of class action. He said he is confident that if a settlement or financial payment were to be made to the districts, District 230 would get its fair share.

Eagan said other district officials in the coalition have tried to talk with Cook County representatives.

“It’s not necessarily just the treasurer, but it is all Cook County officials that are responsible for this kind of fiasco that’s going on,” he said.

He also said results from the resolution will not likely happen soon.

Yet Eagan expressed some hope. He said District 230 received its first automated payment last week, which he said was a good sign because prior payments had been manually sent due to technology issues.

He said he is hopeful the district will receive the rest of its 2024 payments before receiving its 2025 payments, which are usually scheduled for the beginning of August.

“I’m hopeful we’re going to receive what we should,” Eagan said.

Cook County leaders announced in mid-February that spring property tax bills would go out when they are supposed to, and local government bodies would receive their revenue on time.

County leaders said first installment bills will be mailed out this year on March 2, and be due April 1, a month later than usual, to give taxpayers “breathing room.”

District 230 is made up of Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Andrew High School in Tinley Park and Stagg High School in Palos Hills.

awright@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/05/orland-district-230-1-3-million-tax-delay/ 

When the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team takes to the ice at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy, two local players are doing their best to help the team win its fifth consecutive gold medal.

Forwards Brody Roybal, who originally hails from Northlake, and Josh Misiewicz, who grew up in La Grange, are two of the 17 players who make up the team, which trained for two months at a residency camp in Superior, Colorado, before leaving Feb. 26 for Italy.

”We’ll show up the week before it starts to get adjusted to the time, practice as a team over there, get used to the ice — all that good stuff,” Roybal said. “It’s so cool that I’ve gotten to do this for so long, and every time we make the team you’re lucky to do it. And to represent your country at the highest level.”

Misiewicz also is looking forward to the competition. “It is such an honor to go to the Games wearing the red, white and blue,” he said. “It takes a lot of hard work to make this team, and to be chosen to go try and win another gold is everything to me.”

Although both love playing the sport, they came to it in different ways. Misiewicz, 37, lost both his legs when he was injured by an IED in 2011 while deployed to Afghanistan with the Marine Corps, and Roybal, 27, was born without femurs in his legs.

Roybal first tried sled hockey when he was a boy, playing for the Chicago Hornets.

“I went to Shriner’s Hospital, and they had connections with all the youth disabled programs in the area,” he explained. “I tried a bunch of different sports at the time, and they told me to try sled hockey. I got linked up with the Hornets when I was 7 years old.”

Roybal became the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympic delegation at the Paralympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 when he was just 15, on the sled hockey team, which won a gold medal. He has since won two other gold medals and led the tournament in scoring at the Paralympic Winter Games in 2022 in Beijing. He also has won a gold medal and two silver medals in world championships.

Sled hockey, which became an Olympic sport at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Games, follows most of the rules of typical ice hockey, although some of the equipment differs. For instance, goalies wear gloves that have metal picks sewn into them for maneuverability, the USA Hockey website notes.

“Players sit in specially designed sleds that sit on top of two hockey skate blades,” the website explains. Each player uses two short sticks instead of one, and they have metal picks on the butt end to allow players to move themselves around the ice.

The The 17-member U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team prepares to face Canada in the Gold Medal Game action at 2025 Para Ice Hockey World Championship at LECOM Harborcenter Arena in Buffalo, New York. The team is now in Italy for the Paralympic Games. (Micheline Veluvolu)

“I do really just love the game. It’s just so much fun if you watch it,” Roybal said. “But the team I’m on is really great and the friends I’ve made along the way and the community I’ve built – it’s bonds that last a lifetime.”

Roybal said the “physicality” of the game might surprise spectators. “We’re disabled, and most people probably think sheltered and soft. But when we go out there, huge hits. It’s super physical all the way through, fighting occasionally,” he said.

Both Misiewicz and Roybal are full-time athletes with USA Hockey and moved to Nashville about eight years ago to train.

“Sled hockey in the U.S. and abroad has become a full-time job. If you’re not training as hard as possible there are other guys that want your spot,” Misiewicz said. “Making the USA para ice hockey team is something that is earned and it takes a lot of work to not only make the team but to stay on it.”

Misiewicz, who earned a Purple Heart for his military service, was introduced to sled hockey at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. “The program is called the USA Warriors, and playing with them helped me so much while transitioning out of the military,” he shared.

He was not a stranger to ice hockey, thanks to playing NCAA Division III hockey for St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, before enlisting in the Marines. He made his sled hockey debut in 2018 at the Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and now has two Olympic gold medals as well as four golds and a silver in world championships.

He’s looking forward to seeing family and friends at this year’s Games after not having that opportunity in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Having that support is massive,” he said.

Josh Misiewicz, of La Grange, a forward on the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team, is at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy, one of two west suburban players trying to help the team win its fifth consecutive gold medal. (USA Hockey)

Misiewicz is also looking forward to the time he spends with Roybal. “We have trained together and been on the same line for the past four years. I love having him by my side. We play very well together,” he shared.

Roybal feels the same way about his teammate.

“He’s one of the best players in the world,” he said. “His knowledge of the game and his awareness on the ice is truly unmatched. It’s always fun playing with him. I’m lucky that I’m typically on the line with him. I love Misiewicz to death. He’s a great player and a great person.”

When the team is in Italy, it will have plenty of support. Ten staff members – the general manager, head coach, assistant coach, goalies coach, doctor, trainer, two equipment managers and two communications staff – travel with the team, said Seamus Kelley, communications coordinator for USA Hockey.

“USA Hockey and the United States are the global leader in the sport of sled hockey, and the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team seeking its unprecedented fifth consecutive paralympic gold medal is a special thing to be a part of,” Kelley said.

Brody Roybal, of Northlake, a forward on the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team, is at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy, one of two west suburban players trying to help the team win its fifth consecutive gold medal. (USA Hockey)

The team’s general manager, Dan Brennan, agrees that the opportunity is special.

“It means everything for our team to compete for a gold medal in Milan, Italy. The Paralympics are the pinnacle of our sport, and it’s crucial to train hard and be ready because it only happens once every four years,” he shared. “Para ice hockey is an amazing sport and the Paralympics showcase it very well, which in turn adds to the growth potential because people can see it on TV.”

Roybal was confident going into the Paralympics. “I think our preparation is unmatched when it comes to other teams,” he said. “It’s just a game and we’re going to have fun, but we put in so much work that we expect nothing less than the best.”

Most of the games are expected to stream on Peacock, but a schedule can be found at teamusa.usahockey.com/2026paralympicsschedule.

Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/05/suburban-sled-hockey-paralympics/ 

Listening to the critics of the latest Middle East war, one might assume that President Donald Trump has made a catastrophic mistake by backing the Israelis in the conflict. Other than cowardice, there was no reason to ignore a lawless nation, Iran, with a mass-murdering leader intent on building nuclear bombs.

For their own survival, the Israelis cannot afford to be cowards, and Trump learned not to be one. An attack on Iran was both justified and necessary. It would be disingenuous and a significant mistake for Democrats to be overly critical of military action that has already made the world a safer place.

Implying, as some Democrats seem to be doing, that the elimination of a foreign administration committed to terrorism might be unjustified or wrong is political folly. The necessity and justification for the execution of this war is not debatable, nor is it sensible to deny the need for the American-Israeli alliance to prevail.

— Lloyd Litwak, New York City

Avoiding political disaster

Columnist Steve Chapman is right (“For Trump, the war against Iran will not be a political winner,” March 4). Operation Epic Fury will never count as a political win for President Donald Trump. Tragically, American lives have already been lost, and more loss may come.

If Trump is at all interested in avoiding further excoriation at home, brevity must be his priority. Americans averse to the attack on Iran may be more forgiving if U.S. involvement ends relatively soon. If Iran’s military can be softened enough by U.S. assaults so that Israel and others can finish the job, some Americans may become satisfied that the operation was a worthy cause.

Unleashing fury, getting out and letting America’s allies mop up are the only recipe for Trump to avoid political disaster at home.

— Terry Takash, Western Springs

Feeding the war machine

Imagine this: A foreign nation decides the U.S. is a rogue nation because of its blatant disregard for the human rights of its people, its disdain for the sovereignty of other nations, its warmongering ways. its nuclear capability and its leader’s desire to rule the world. So that foreign nation decides a regime change in the U.S. is in order and kills the president along with his constitutional successors and 40-odd members of the Cabinet and Congress.

How would that be different from what the U.S. just did in Iran? How many times over the last 250 years has the U.S. stepped in on one pretense or another and found itself embroiled in yet another mess?

We need not be isolationists, but neither should we be haphazard interventionists. If President Donald Trump wanted to deny Iran nuclear capability, he had an opportunity to negotiate a resolution of that issue years ago. He shut down those negotiations. Instead of a compromise that could have been reached then, we will now have death and destruction.

The present attacks in Iran will likely make Ali Khamenei a martyr and only solidify the resistance to freedom and democracy. If we put boots on the ground, it will be Vietnam or Afghanistan all over again.

How many soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and innocent bystanders must die or be horribly wounded to satisfy our hubris? Instead of helping our own citizens who struggle to pay for food, housing, education, medical care and retirement, we will feed the war machine.

“Regime change” is like fool’s gold. Will we never learn our lesson?

— Karen Meehan, Chicago

Many manufactured crises

It is becoming apparent that the reasons to go to war with Iran were questionable at best and that there isn’t any coherent war plan in place. The U.S. is winging it. This follows President Donald Trump’s usual three-step process: Manufacture a crisis (for maximum public relations effect), watch as chaos ensues (creating uncontrollable consequences) and declare victory (and leave).

We’ve seen Trump use this playbook time and time again. Some examples: Despite crime consistently dropping (the lowest in many of our lifetimes), Trump declared Chicago in need of deployment of federal agents. After two months of havoc, Trump’s agents left, declaring victory, citing the already-lower crime figures recorded before the agents arrived. Similar story in Minneapolis. After agents killed two U.S. citizens, their leader hightailed it out of the city, declaring “mission accomplished.”

Citing the false fear of a Chinese or Russian takeover, Trump demanded that the U.S. take control of Greenland. After needlessly bringing NATO to the brink of collapse, Trump declared a breakthrough agreement (that’ll be announced in “two weeks,” his usual timeline). “Problem” solved.

After falsely claiming the Kennedy Center is dilapidated, Trump took over, even slapping his name on the building. When artists canceled their appearances and membership plummeted, Trump declared that the center will close and reopen better than ever.

The reality is Trump doesn’t actually accomplish anything. He makes up crises, then sits back and watches as the unintended consequences of his actions create havoc, human suffering and, in some cases, death, usually to the detriment of our country. Then having achieved nothing and often leaving a worse situation than before he arrived, he tells anyone who’ll listen what a great job he did and leaves.

Unfortunately, as we head into another one of Trump’s manufactured crises, I fear the result will be another mess.

— Frank Kern, Chicago

Where do candidates stand?

Congress, acting on our behalf, will consider a resolution concerning whether President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct the war in Iran should be curtailed. There are open primaries for congressional seats. None of the websites I checked for candidates in the 7th Congressional District provide a position statement on whether the candidate supports the justification offered for the U.S. attacks on Iran, specifically whether the attack was a justified preemptive attack to prevent Iranian retaliation before Israel attacks Iran.

We are entitled to know where these candidates stand on the resolution and whether Israel should be allowed to dictate American foreign policy this way.

Tribune reporters should contact the candidates and report on their positions.

— William Piper, River Forest

The many costs of a war

War is expensive. Human life is irreplaceable.

It seems the harshest criticism of President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran is the increased price of oil. The cost of a day’s work at war is hardly ever quantified. The cost of losing three pilots and three high-performance fighter jets to friendly fire in Kuwait was not reported in the news. However, the halting of insurance coverage for the delivery of oil is of grave concern.

Whatever the additional war premium might be should be the responsibility of the Pentagon just as providers of all necessary goods and services are paid. If the price of coverage increases by double, our government should either pay the premium or more easily underwrite the loss occasioned by the increased risk.

There’s so much to be discussed discussing the advisability of starting a war, the cost of insurance coverage or loss of cargo is likely insignificant.

— Sheldon I. Saitlin, Boca Raton, Florida

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/05/letters-030526-iran-war/ 

Address: 53 E. Bellevue Place, Chicago

Price: $3,850,000

Listed: Jan. 20, 2026

This four-level, five-bedroom home was originally built in 1880 and renovated between 2013 and 2015, preserving the historic brick facade. Other unique features include a one-and-a-half-story glass conservatory and a terrace. The main level has oak wood flooring, a living room with an 11-foot ceiling, and a gas fireplace and overlooks Bellevue Place. The chef’s kitchen has custom stone countertops, a Wolf six-burner range and hood, custom-built cabinets and two breakfast bars. The primary suite on the second floor features skylights, a spiral staircase, a walk-in closet, a second laundry room, a living room with a fireplace and terrace access. Its spa bathroom also includes a dual vanity and a soaking tub. On the third floor are three more bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of which is en suite, as well as another living room with access to the terrace. A lower level is outfitted for entertainment and has a fitness space, laundry room and a guest bedroom and bathroom. This home is completed by an attached two-car garage.

Listing agent: Olivia Stohle, 847-313-5137, Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty – Lincoln Park

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

This five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in the Gold Coast recently went on the market for nearly $4 million. (Jim Young)

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/05/gold-coast-dream-home-glass-conservatory/ 

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” about the American founding father, has returned to Chicago for an encore, running through April 26 at the CIBC Theatre. The producer Jeffrey Seller spoke with the Tribune about one of theater’s most profitable shows, where it is now, and how it landed here after canceling a planned engagement at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

He also has a new memoir, titled “Theater Kid” (Simon & Schuster). Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: You’re back in Chicago. I hear sales are boffo.

A: We are doing better throughout the world this year than last year, and last year was our best year. We had a great 10th anniversary celebration.

Q: The show seems still very much in the forefront of the public eye?

A: For better or worse, “Hamilton” is more essential than ever. In this political climate, it’s an encouraging reminder of our best impulses and the best manifestations of our American democracy. It tells of patriots who may disagree about policy or progress, but who get in the same room, argue, fight and scream and then come to agreements that enable us to push forward. I’ve wondered if going to “Hamilton” has become something that is actually comforting, soothing and helpful to people who are so discouraged by our deeply stressed democracy. Our democracy is under enormous pressure, and I think that “Hamilton” is its own antidote.

Q: This Chicago engagement came about after you walked away from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

A: Chicago saved us.

Q: Was it hard to walk away from D.C.? Presumably, you had some kind of contract.

A: The execution was difficult, but the decision to walk away was easy. It should always be easy to make a decision that honors your ethics and values. The minute I heard Donald Trump had fired the board of directors, (Kennedy Center president) Deborah Rutter, every single board member who was appointed by a Democrat, I called Lin and said we can’t perform under this regime coup, in which the Kennedy center became an arm of the Trump organization.  Lin agreed.

Those D.C. dates were on hold for more than a year. We were supposed to be a part of their celebration of the 250th anniversary of America. But the good news was, we didn’t yet have a contract so we just called and said we are not coming. We know from 10 years of experience that Trump does not honor contracts. Trump’s word means nothing. I said to myself that if we sign a contract and he gets angry at us for any reasons, he will say to the Kennedy Center, “Pull it.” And then what would I have done with my 50 company members who needed that contract to make a living?  And look what happened with all the other shows. I am sure they all had “contracts.” We just got lucky that Chicago was available. You have the population to support multiple weeks and there are multiple theaters to support multiple shows. Most theaters in other cities book two years out.

Q: Do you have another “Hamilton” in your pocket? Broadway still is waiting for another comparable hit and it has been a while.

A: I am also concerned about the paucity of great new musicals over the last six years. The fact is, we just don’t have that many new musicals in development. All I can see is keep trying and get the kind of musical that is a wallop and not a whimper. That is what I am working on.

Q: And how about trying one of them out here? That has been quiet here, too.

A: Well, other states now have a better tax credit. You should tell JB Pritzker: Ohio is doing up to $3 million for new shows. And your 9% entertainment tax makes it even harder. That’s why shows are coming less. People are using the tax credit in New York to open their shows in Buffalo and Schenectady.

Q: You’ve been touring around with your new memoir, much of which draws from your early life growing up with theater dreams.

A: I am coming to do talks at both the Goodman Theatre and Northwestern University. The thing I love the most is when parents come to me and talk about their kids being theater kids and how reading my book has helped them get to know their kids better. How gratifying is that?

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

If you go

“Hamilton” plays through April 26 at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.; www.broadwayinchicago.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/05/hamilton-chicago-jeffrey-seller/ 

A recurrent theme in movies aimed at younger audiences is often the idea of sharing — learning to coexist in harmony with the many different occupants of the world around us. It’s an important lesson for kids, told in an appealing fictional form, but for older audiences, these morality tales can often feel like a balm, especially during troubled times.

This story of community cooperation is at the core of “Hoppers,” the latest Disney/Pixar film co-written and directed by Daniel Chong (best known for the “We Bare Bears” series and movie). But what keeps “Hoppers” from drifting into Pollyanna-ish sensibility is its charming spikiness, and embrace of the weird, wacky and witty as it unfurls a high-tech action thriller about a strange, if brief, merging of the human and animal worlds.

Early on, Chong signals that this isn’t your average Disney animated movie with a Bikini Kill needle drop soundtracking the entrance of our hero, Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda). Mabel is a fiery 19-year-old biology student and eco-activist in her hometown of Beaverton, where she makes herself a nuisance to the local mayor, Jerry (Jon Hamm). When Mayor Jerry moves forward with the construction of a beltway that will destroy the glade where Mabel learned to calm her nervous system and love nature with her wise grandmother (Karen Huie), this riot grrl skates into action.

Mabel’s plan to lure animals back to the glade, thereby stopping the beltway, takes a curious turn when she follows a beaver to the university lab, where we finally learn the concept of “hopping.” Chong and co-writer Jesse Andrews have crafted a sort of “Avatar”-but-cute story here, as Mabel discovers that her professor has invented a technology that allows humans to transplant their consciousness into highly realistic robot animals. While the academics wish only to use their powers for research and study, Mabel immediately hops into the beaver body with revolution on her mind.

Once Mabel is on the ground and up close with the animal kingdom, we can revel in the delightful textures that the animation team has rendered: fuzzy beaver fur, blades of grass and pools of water that are all shockingly tactile. It’s stunning artistry mixed with a very funny introduction to King George (Bobby Moynihan), a benevolent beaver leader who has assembled every displaced animal in Beaverton in his massive dam. Despite the daily aerobics and rules about friendliness, it’s clear George’s commune is unsustainable, only further galvanizing Mabel’s commitment to stopping the beltway.

If only it were so simple. Mabel has barged into the very delicate political world of the animal kingdom, and suddenly finds herself having to switch allegiances over and over. In this action-packed plot, Chong leans into the bonkers, the film at times achieving the quality of a surreal fever dream. Gaze upon the horrors, if you will, of a great white shark named Diane (Vanessa Bayer), hoisted out of the ocean by seagulls, cheerfully promising to “squish” Mayor Jerry. Or the sight of an evil Jerry robot, puppeted by the consciousness of a tyrannical butterfly (Dave Franco), scampering, insect-like, around the fiery maelstrom of a rally gone awry.

But even in these moments of madness, “Hoppers” never loses its humor or heart. The jokes still land, and the vocal performances are excellent. Even with the consciousness-swapping, Chong maintains point of view with a few smart creative choices. But first and foremost, Mabel’s personal quest to save her glade remains her top priority, even as the stakes grow dangerously high, for all of Beaverton.

The villain of “Hoppers” isn’t Mayor Jerry — he’s very likable, and just wants to get things done. It isn’t even the tyrannical monarch, though he has a touch of megalomania. It’s the finite resources of Beaverton. The animals, bugs, birds and fish understand that everything needs to be shared equally. It’s the humans who need that reminder, and it’s one that the future generations will have to take to heart more than anything. The battle for Beaverton — and Mabel’s glade — might reach a peaceful resolution in “Hoppers,” but the struggle for coexistence is never really over. Sometimes it’s just nice to see sharing in action.

Katie Walsh is a critic for Tribune News Service.

“Hoppers” — 3.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG (for action/peril, some scary images and mild language)

Running time: 1:45

How to watch: In theaters March 6

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/05/movie-review-pixar-hoppers/ 

The candidates are as varied as the Democratic Party itself: a legacy name shadowed by controversy, a big-money-backed moderate, a dyed-in-the-wool progressive and seven more.

But the crowded field in the March 17 Democratic primary vying to represent the Illinois 2nd Congressional District agrees on much. They promise to expand health care access, recruit investment to the Southland and fight President Donald Trump with everything in them.

Still, while they might share policy overlap, the race’s top contenders sharply diverge in their political styles, resumes and campaign tactics as they try to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, who is running for U.S. Senate instead of seeking another term in the House.

Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller touts her experience leading health care organizations such as Planned Parenthood Illinois and promotes her moderate approach. In contrast, state Sen. Robert Peters has positioned himself as the race’s true progressive — bolstered by a slate of high-profile endorsements.

State Sen. Willie Preston has taken a more aggressive tack, critiquing opponents while pledging to be an “ass-kicker” ready to take on Trump. And Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Yumeka Brown points to her deep community roots and emphasis on infrastructure investment.

For former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., it’s the institutional knowledge he gained during his nearly 17 years in office, before he resigned in 2012 and was sent to prison, that separates him from the competition. “There is no learning curve here,” he said.

The candidates are competing in a district that stretches from Chicago’s lakefront South Side through suburbs such as Harvey and Dolton, extending south to Danville, Kankakee and Pontiac.

Jackson, who, in addition to his time in office, is the son of the recently deceased civil rights leader, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, entered the race with an advantage in name recognition, but Miller has made a vigorous effort to introduce herself to voters, buoyed by the $1.3 million her campaign raised through December.

Miller’s cash a key issue

The origin of Miller’s money has become a top issue for her opponents, who argue she will be beholden to contributors.

More than 65% of that $1.3 million, over $856,000, has come from contributors who previously contributed to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which advocates for Israel’s interests and supports both Democrats and Republicans, or an AIPAC-affiliated group, according to a Tribune analysis that compared contributor lists by matching names and ZIP codes. Most of those dollars came from outside Illinois.

As competitors allege AIPAC coordinated funding through individual contributors to mask the money’s origin, Miller has distanced herself from the group’s support.

“Individual donors are the ones supporting my campaign,” she told the Tribune. “If it’s something else, then we’re not coordinating that on my campaign.”

But she has shown alignment with the group’s goals. Asked if she has committed to supporting military aid to Israel, Miller, 60, said she comes from a military family. “I look at military aid as a way that we can strengthen and uphold the democratic values in the Middle East,” she said.

Outgoing Rep. Jan Schakowsky withdrew her endorsement of Miller in late February over the AIPAC contributions.

A dark money group not affiliated with the campaign, Affordable Chicago Now, has spent another $2.4 million backing Miller, according to Federal Election Commission records. Miller’s opponents allege that money, too, is tied to AIPAC, a claim unrefuted by local AIPAC leaders and backed by addresses and vendors shared by the organizations.

Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, a Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District, speaks in Oak Lawn on June 27, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Miller was first elected to the Cook County Board in 2018. She said improving health care is her top priority and insisted that her record as a commissioner, including securing $3 million for a Cook County Health doula program and expanding CPR training, shows she can deliver results.

“We have to get back to data and science and focus on results, and we need to quit chasing headlines,” she said.

When speaking with the Tribune Editorial Board, she broke from other candidates who called for a federal $25 minimum wage, calling the rate “a little high.”

“Some of these salaries have to come based off experience, knowledge, not just a flat rate,” she said. “Some of these jobs are not meant to be the job of your life. Some of these jobs are entry-level jobs.”

A lifelong resident of the district, she said she is part of its “woven fabric,” an apparent effort to distinguish herself from Jackson, who spent time in D.C.; Peters, who lives several blocks outside its Hyde Park boundaries; and Preston, who lives outside the district in Auburn Gresham.

“You can’t just come to a district to pop in and out,” she said. “People know me, they see me. … I walk the block.”

Peters embraces progressive label

State Sen. Robert Peters, a Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, speaks to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, Feb. 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Peters, a community organizer before his 2019 Illinois Senate appointment and two reelection wins, has emerged as the race’s most progressive candidate, a position backed by endorsements from national figures like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, as well as groups like the Working Families Party.

Peters, 40, raised more than $900,000 by Jan. 1, over half of which comes from out-of-state contributors, according to a Tribune analysis. PACs tied to nurses and the House Progressive Caucus have spent another $310,000.

He contrasted the money backing him with the money backing Jackson and Miller, saying he would crack down on those asking “for unlimited funds for war” or “Trump tech billionaires trying to make money hand over fist,” the latter referring to the $1.1 million tied to the artificial intelligence industry that has backed Jackson. FairShake, a PAC backed by the cryptocurrency industry, has spent $735,011 opposing Peters.

“The Democratic Party’s got to reject this type of stuff,” he said. “I want (those big donors) to pay higher taxes so we can fund the things that we need.”

Peters, like Preston, called for new trauma centers in the district. Many candidates agree the area is a medical desert with too few resources to care for birthing mothers, heart attack patients and gunshot victims.

In other campaign appearances, Peters has called for health care companies to be broken up under anti-monopoly laws, the cap on Social Security to be lifted “so the rich pay their fair share,” and the program’s future to be secured.

And he has promised, like other candidates, to fight the president’s agenda.

“I will be on the front lines, fighting back against whatever Trump is doing,” he told the Tribune.

Peters, who often points to the 120 bills he has helped pass in Springfield, highlights his role in leading the effort to pass the Pretrial Fairness Act, which is part of the SAFE-T Act and ended cash bail in Illinois, as a “massively transformational” top accomplishment. He also touts funding for violence-prevention efforts and safety-net hospitals, as well as support for workers’ rights, including expanding protections for child labor and temp workers.

Preston casts himself as ‘one of us’

State Sen. Willie Preston speaks to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Feb. 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

No candidate has drawn sharper contrasts with the field than Preston. The former union janitor who was first elected in 2022 dubs himself “the most bipartisan state senator in Illinois.” He has pushed back against spending on migrants, arguing the government has failed to show similar urgency in the Black district where residents “have, quite frankly, not gotten their fair share.”

Preston, 41, links his push to expand health care across the district to his own experiences, including being stabbed as a young man by a brother experiencing a mental health crisis.

“There was no trauma unit in Englewood, so they had to take me to Mount Sinai,” he told the Tribune, referring to a West Side hospital miles away. “That’s why I led the fight to pour money into safety‑net hospitals.”

He also cites his work directing investments to community violence intervention as proof he can deliver resources, and points to his role as chair of the Senate Black Caucus as evidence of his ability to build consensus. He has described the district as “politically abandoned.”

“We have not challenged effectively the issues the power structures that have made us a consistent, impoverished district,” he said. “I’m going to challenge every single power structure.”

On the campaign trail, Preston has been quick to go after his rivals, attributing his blunt style to a tough upbringing in the district — and arguing it makes him best-equipped to fight Trump.

“If you send me to Congress, close your eyes and imagine: a nice politician or a politician that kicks ass?” he said at a Kenwood Academy High School forum last month. “I’m one of us.”

But that approach has sparked controversy. The Tribune reported in November that Preston shared social media posts in 2020 blasting Democrats. In one, he posted a photo of a ballot for Trump when asked how he would vote. Preston has characterized the posts as trash talk from someone who did not expect to enter politics and was frustrated by disinvestment in his community. He denies voting for Trump in 2020 and promises to fight the president’s initiatives.

“I never endorsed him, and I think, honestly, that is borderline defamation,” he said at the Kenwood forum when asked about the posts.

Preston has also acknowledged a past domestic violence charge. He confirmed details of a 2010 police report stating he choked and slapped his then-girlfriend, whom he has since married, according to Fox 32 Chicago. The state senator told the Tribune he hit his wife once and took accountability for it.

“What I think political opportunists want to do is convict me with a life sentence because they don’t have a plan, they don’t have the spine, and they don’t have the real support from the people in the district,” he said.

Preston raised $118,847 through 2025 but argued that what matters “is not the money,” pointing to endorsements from South Side aldermen and suburban mayors.

Brown embraces political outsider status

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Yumeka Brown answers a question on health care policy during a forum for candidates running in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District at St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church in Chicago on Jan. 17, 2026. (Troy Stolt for the Chicago Tribune)

Brown, 47, who also serves as Matteson village clerk, said she was propelled into politics when her son contracted an environmental illness tied to water quality that nearly took his life.

“Once he was better, it was time to act, because I really wanted to ensure that that did not happen to any other families,” she said.

She cited her restaurant-owning experience as proof she will support small businesses and her experience leading a palliative care industry group, while calling for stronger universal health care and an end to privatization. She also promised to bring to Congress a focus on infrastructure she picked up while addressing flooding at the water district.

“If you have the infrastructure, then you can build upon that. But when you don’t have it, there are certain things you’re unable to change,” she said.

She described herself as a progressive focused on closing income gaps and adding jobs. She said she opposes the privatization of health care services and called for added mental health services to fight gun violence, which she said has claimed the lives of two of her brothers.

She received $77,417 in contributions through the end of 2025, campaign records show.

Jackson points to experience in comeback bid

Jesse Jackson Jr., a Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, speaks to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Feb. 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Jackson is betting voters will value the experience he gained during nearly two decades in Congress.

First, voters will need to overlook the campaign finance scandal that landed him in prison. Jackson told the Tribune he has repaid what he owed the government and learned from the disgrace.

“I pled guilty to the crimes that were before me,” he said. “That’s the court record. I can’t apologize to the judge, to my God, to my family, to every church I’ve ever been in and keep apologizing for the rest of my life. Doesn’t make sense.”

The former congressman remains focused on securing an airport near Peotone for the district, a focus shared with Miller. He also supports expanding the Affordable Care Act, enshrining health care access in a constitutional amendment and easing the path to pardons for ex-offenders. He has also called for better support for caregivers and higher pay for teachers.

Jackson received $179,827 in campaign contributions through December.

Last month, Think Big, a political group tied to the artificial intelligence industry, injected more than $1.1 million into the race to back Jackson, a sum reshaping the contest. The recent death of his father added another turn.

He continues to receive about $138,000 annually from taxpayer-funded disability programs tied to his past mental health diagnoses, his campaign told the Tribune.

The rest of the field

Eric France, a Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, speaks to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Feb. 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Businessman Eric France touts his development acumen, arguing economic growth is the solution to the district’s woes. He framed a booming economy as a cure to gun violence during an editorial board discussion.

“Gun control is great, but if you move the environment forward and the economy forward the community will start to fix itself. People are not desperate in good times, when they have good things,” he said.

At the Kenwood forum, France said homelessness requires housing, not shelters.

“I built over 2,000 units just in the state of Illinois alone,” he said. “We don’t need to build another shelter. We need to build another building or another house.”

The plainspoken outsider backs a $25 minimum wage, calling it smart business to pay workers a living wage. He also is proposing “empowerment zones” to draw back businesses that relocated to Indiana for lower taxes.

Adal Regis, a Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, speaks to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Feb. 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Adal Regis, a former staffer for Kelly, argues his experience navigating federal bureaucracy would help him deliver federal dollars. A Haitian immigrant who fled authoritarianism, he said his background gives him insight into how to handle Trump.

“The people are going to get the short end of it as those who are economically disadvantaged,” he told the Tribune Editorial Board. “I’m taking a stance because people are suffering, and we’re not talking enough about that people are suffering.”

France raised $13,000, while Regis raised $71,000 before Jan. 1.

Also on the ballot are Patrick Keating, Sidney Moore and Toni C. Brown.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/05/illinois-2nd-district-crowded-democratic-primary-emerges-in-illinois-2nd-district-race-to-replace-us-rep-robin-kelly/