Category: News
Naperville News Digest: Boater safety course to be held March 21; Chef Showdown to benefit Loaves and Fishes
BOATER SAFETY COURSE TO BE HELD MARCH 21
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s free boater education course will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville.
Participants can earn a state boating safety certificate by learning about boating safety basics, required equipment, navigation, emergency procedures, and registration and titling, a news release from the forest district said.
The course is open to anyone 11 or older.
Under Illinois law, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1998, who is supervising young boaters must have a valid boating safety certificate to operate a motorized vessel with more than 10 horsepower on Illinois waters, the release said.
Boaters ages 12 to 17 may operate a motorized vessel over 10 horsepower if they have completed a boating safety course and carry a valid boating safety certificate or if they are accompanied by a qualified adult.
Registration is required at www.dupageforest.org or by calling 630-933-7248.
Naperville-based Loaves and Fishes Community Services will hold its Chef Showdown fundraiser, featuring the executive chef from Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House in Naperville, April 16 at the Linnea Eleanor Rutkowski Food Distribution Hub in Aurora. (Downtown Naperville Alliance)
CHEF SHOWDOWN TO BENEFIT LOAVES AND FISHES
Loaves and Fishes Community Services will hold its Chef Showdown fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Linnea Eleanor Rutkowski Food Distribution Hub, 580 Exchange Court in Aurora.
The event will raise funds for essential services for struggling families in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties, according to a news release.
This year’s competition will showcase executive chefs from Vistro Prime in Hinsdale and Hugo’s Frog Bar and Fish House in Naperville, according to the release. The chefs will create unique dishes in a professional stadium kitchen assembled for the competition.
“Celebrities” assisting the chefs will be Jacque Clermont, director of community relations at Naperville School District 203; Aurora Deputy Mayor Casey Cuevas; Jorge Ibarra, market president at BMO U.S.; and Edward Jones Financial Advisor Chris Phalon.
Judges include Julie Christman, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley; DuPage County Board member Paula Deacon Garcia; and Yvette Saba, president of Endeavor Health Edward Hospital in Naperville
Guests will dine on food catered by My Chef Catering. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased at loaves-fishes.org.
Drone Strikes On Amazon Data Centers In Middle East Reveal Urgent Need To Defend AI
Drone Strikes On Amazon Data Centers In Middle East Reveal Urgent Need To Defend AI
For the first time in modern warfare, Iranian kamikaze drones struck commercial data centers in the Middle East operated by Amazon. This marks a major escalation in the targeting of civilian digital infrastructure.
Amazon wrote on its website that three Middle East data centers were hit by Iranian drones, causing widespread outages at Amazon Web Services facilities tied to the “ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”
“These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage,” the company said in a post on Monday on AWS’s health dashboard.
Operations in the Middle East remain “significantly impaired,” AWS said, noting that “customers are experiencing elevated error rates and degraded availability for services.”
The entire ‘bomb the data center’ incident led us to write a note on Monday morning titled, “Modern Warfare Sees First Drone Strike on a Commercial Data Center.” This marks a first in a world where Morgan Stanley’s Vishwanath Tirupattur recently forecasted that $3 trillion in global data center spending will occur through 2028. Translation: there’s a massive security gap in defending data centers from aerial threats.
We first outlined the theme in a late January note titled “Explosion in AI Data Center Buildouts Will Demand Next-Gen Counter-Drone Security.”
Our view at the time was:
Wall Street analysts largely end their analysis at the financing and construction of next-generation data centers, with limited discussion regarding the modern security architecture required once these facilities are built and become instant high-value targets for non-state actors or foreign adversaries; traditional perimeter measures such as metal chainlink fencing and standard surveillance systems are rendered useless in the world of emerging AI threats, including coordinated autonomous drone or swarm-based attacks enabled by advances in AI and low-cost unmanned systems.
The key takeaway is that Wall Street analysts and data center developers have just received a major wake-up call: trillions of dollars in planned data center buildouts will require next-generation security, including high-tech counter-drone detection, tracking, and kinetic interception systems. This follows the Ukraine war and other recent modern battlefields, which have sparked the hyper-development of cheap, dual-use, consumer-grade drones that can be mass-produced at a fraction of the cost of traditional air-delivered munitions. We said weeks ago, this proliferation of drones and AI kill chains has given readers a glimpse of the 2030s battlefield.
Our view is that Wall Street will now begin searching for “war unicorns” specializing in counter-threat systems, whether in detection, electronic warfare, or kinetic defenses, as the world appears increasingly unstable and the need to harden critical data center infrastructure against FPV and other drone threats becomes a national security threat.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 03/03/2026 – 12:45
Macron impulsa un poder de disuasión nuclear europeo con Francia al mando
Por SYLVIE CORBET
PARÍS (AP) — Francia avanza para organizar su estrategia de disuasión nuclear más estrechamente con sus aliados europeos, al tiempo que mantiene el control total de cualquier decisión de ataque, una coordinación sin precedentes que el presidente francés Emmanuel Macron describió como crucial para reforzar la autonomía estratégica del continente.
Los expertos señalan que el plan refleja las crecientes dudas en toda Europa sobre la fiabilidad de Estados Unidos en lo que respecta a la defensa del continente. Francia ha sido la única potencia nuclear en la Unión Europea desde la salida de Reino Unido del bloque en 2020.
La iniciativa de Macron refleja que, en caso de una crisis nuclear, Francia ofrecería “alguna forma de garantía de seguridad nuclear”, manifestó Florian Galleri, experto en disuasión nuclear del programa de estudios de seguridad del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts.
Macron anunció “un nuevo paso en el poder de disuasión de Francia” al hablar el lunes desde una base de submarinos ultrasecreta en el oeste de Francia.
Su discurso marcó lo que podría ser el inicio de un cambio importante de política que permitiría, por primera vez, el despliegue temporal de aeronaves francesas con armamento nuclear en países aliados.
Macron indicó que París ha iniciado conversaciones nucleares con ocho naciones: Reino Unido, Alemania, Polonia, Holanda, Bélgica, Grecia, Suecia y Dinamarca. Los socios que se sumen a la iniciativa verían que su territorio “adquiere un vínculo claramente afirmado con nuestro poder de disuasión”, afirmó Macron.
Europa asumiría una mayor parte de su propia seguridad
Los aliados estadounidenses han desempeñado un papel central en la defensa de Europa desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, protegiendo al continente mediante la misión nuclear de la OTAN.
Sin embargo, el mandatario francés señaló que las recientes estrategias de seguridad nacional y defensa de Estados Unidos reflejan una reconfiguración de las prioridades estadounidenses.
Ante el aumento de las tensiones con Rusia, que cuenta con un vasto arsenal nuclear y está en proceso de desarrollar nuevos misiles, y mientras China amplía sus fuerzas nucleares, “nuestra manera de pensar debe cambiar”, sostuvo Macron.
Al exponer la nueva estrategia que denominó “disuasión adelantada”, Macron insistió en que Francia no compartirá ninguna toma de decisiones, ya que, según su Constitución, el presidente sigue siendo el único responsable de cualquier decisión sobre el uso de armas nucleares.
Aun así, esa postura subraya una contradicción fundamental, señaló Galleri. “El respaldo estratégico destinado a integrar la disuasión nuclear francesa en un marco colectivo de defensa europea necesariamente requiere un grado de coordinación y planificación conjunta”, argumentó.
“No se puede, por ejemplo, llevar a cabo un ataque nuclear sin consultar a un socio”, añadió.
Macron también dijo que el nuevo enfoque de Francia ofrece la posibilidad de que los socios participen en ejercicios de disuasión. En caso de crisis, las fuerzas nucleares francesas podrían recibir apoyo de algunas capacidades convencionales europeas.
Eso podría incluir sistemas de alerta temprana, como satélites y radares de los aliados que detecten y sigan misiles, la activación de defensas aéreas y protecciones antidrones, y capacidades de ataque profundo de largo alcance, explicó.
En última instancia, la nueva doctrina permitiría el despliegue temporal de aeronaves con armamento nuclear en países aliados de toda Europa, agregó Macron.
Fortalecer el arsenal nuclear de Francia
Macron también afirmó que la evolución de las defensas entre los competidores de Francia, el surgimiento de potencias regionales, una posible coordinación entre adversarios y los riesgos de proliferación lo llevaron a concluir que Francia debe aumentar su número de ojivas nucleares, por primera vez desde la década de 1990 y el fin de la Guerra Fría.
Francia posee actualmente unas 290 ojivas, según estimaciones.
Héloïse Fayet, especialista en disuasión nuclear del Instituto Francés de Relaciones Internacionales, un centro de estudios con sede en París, citó una parte del discurso de Macron en la que el presidente dijo que la disuasión nuclear de Francia está diseñada para infligir a un adversario “daños de los que no se recuperaría”.
Eso significa que “siempre debemos ser capaces de infligir ese tipo de daño”, señaló, al tiempo que lamentó la decisión de Macron de no hacer público el número de ojivas de Francia.
Si Rusia, por ejemplo, mejorara sus sistemas de defensa, entonces Francia necesitaría “más ojivas nucleares”, indicó Fayet.
Complementar la misión de la OTAN
Macron dejó claro que cualquier coordinación europea se sumaría a la misión nuclear de la OTAN, en la que Francia no participa, y sería compatible con el papel de la alianza en la seguridad europea.
Ian Lesser, experto en la OTAN e investigador distinguido del German Marshall Fund, dijo que la iniciativa de Macron “refleja el estado de la seguridad en Europa” tras la invasión a gran escala de Ucrania por parte de Rusia, así como la “creciente incertidumbre sobre el compromiso de seguridad estadounidense con Europa”.
Europa ahora tiene que “lidiar con una Rusia más agresiva durante algún tiempo”, afirmó.
El poder de disuasión de la OTAN funciona mediante una fuerte presencia de tropas estadounidenses en Europa, con armas nucleares de Estados Unidos estacionadas en el continente, incluso en Alemania, Bélgica y Holanda.
“El grueso de la disuasión convencional de Europa está alojado en la OTAN: mando y organización estratégicos, diseño y despliegue”, subrayó Lesser.
“La OTAN es fundamental”, añadió, y “Francia realmente no busca debilitar eso. Por eso es importante el punto de que sea complementario”.
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El periodista de The Associated Press Lorne Cook contribuyó a este reportaje desde Bruselas.
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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.
Real Madrid confirma que Rodrygo se rompió el ligamento cruzado a 100 días del Mundial
MADRID (AP) — El delantero brasileño Rodrygo se perderá el resto de la temporada y la Copa Mundial del próximo verano boreal, después de sufrir una rotura del ligamento cruzado anterior y otra del menisco externo de la pierna derecha, informó el martes el Real Madrid.
Rodrygo, extremo, de 25 años, se lesionó en la derrota 1-0 del Madrid ante Getafe el lunes por La Liga española. Ingresó como suplente después de haber estado casi un mes sin jugar por una tendinitis.
Ni el Madrid ni la confederación brasileña de fútbol mencionaron una cirugía ni los plazos para el regreso de Rodrygo. La confederación le deseó una “pronta recuperación”. Se trata de una lesión que puede necesitar entre 10 y 12 meses de recuperación.
Una lesión que le tendría fuera de los terrenos de juego unos 9-10 meses, lo que le obliga a decir adiós a la temporada de clubes y al Mundial, del 11 de junio al 19 de julio, con Brasil, selección con la que habría disputado su segunda Copa del Mundo.
Rodrygo disputó los cinco partidos de Brasil en el Mundial de 2022, donde su selección cayó por penales ante Croacia en los cuartos de final. El disparo de Rodrygo fue atajado en la tanda.
No integró la convocatoria de Brasil para ninguno de los últimos cuatro partidos de las eliminatorias mundialistas el año pasado, pero el entrenador Carlo Ancelotti sí apeló a Rodrygo en cada uno de los cuatro amistosos de octubre y noviembre.
Rodrygo disputó 27 partidos con el Madrid en todas las competiciones esta temporada, con tres goles y seis asistencias.
El lunes, ingresó a los 54 minutos con el Madrid abajo en el marcador. En un posterior lance, a los 66, la rodilla derecha de Rodrygo quedó enganchada y se echó al piso fuera del campo. Se reincorporó y siguió jugando hasta el final del aprtido, aunque con evidentes muestras de dolor.
El Madrid ha sido muy golpeado por las lesiones en este tramo de la campaña, con los astros Kylian Mbappé y Jude Bellingham fuera de acción por lesiones.
Rodrygo es el quinto jugador merengue que padece una lesión del cruzado en los últimos dos años y medio. Los otros fueron el arquero Thibaut Courtois, además de los zagueros Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal y David Alaba.
El Madrid marcha segundo en la liga española, cuatro puntos detrás del líder Barcelona. Enfrentarán al Manchester City en los octavos de final de la Liga de Campeones.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem declines to address Marimar Martinez, tells Senate panel she’s ‘not familiar’ with her shooting
With Marimar Martinez standing directly behind her, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Tuesday that she was not “familiar with the details” of Martinez’s shooting by an immigration agent in Chicago last fall and unaware whether the agent who shot her was still on duty.
Noem’s claimed lack of knowledge about a shooting case that garnered national headlines during Operation Midway Blitz came under testy questioning by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, who had Martinez and two other U.S. citizens allegedly abused by immigration officers stand up in the gallery as he asked Noem a series of questions.
Blumenthal described how Martinez was “on her way to donate clothing at her church” when she was involved in a traffic crash with Border Patrol agents, leading one of them to storm out and fire at her moving vehicle, “hitting her five times.”
“She almost bled to death,” Blumenthal said. “Wouldn’t you agree that shooting Miramar Martinez on her way to donate clothing at her church, a United States citizen from Chicago, is wrong?”
“Sir, I don’t know that situation or the case,” Noem answered, as Martinez stood behind her dressed in a white blouse. “I’ll look into it to ensure that all procedures were followed properly –”
Blumenthal cut Noem off, saying, “Well I’m glad you’ll look into it,” before recounting how Martinez was charged with assaulting officers, only to have the case dismissed in court “as being trumped up.”
The senator then put up poster boards with images of the now-infamous text messages the agent who shot Martinez sent to colleagues and relatives, including one saying, “I fired five rounds and she had seven holes. Put that in your book boys,” and another where he bragged about being “up for another round of f— around and find out.”
“Will you join me in condemning that agent?” Blumenthal asked Noem.
“Sir, that situation I don’t know the details of, but I will look into that,” Noem replied.
“I don’t know why you can’t join me to say it was wrong to shoot Miramar, almost cause her death, and then brag about it. Wouldn’t you agree with me that it was wrong?” Blumenthal pressed.
“Sir, the way that you have portrayed it, it appears to be, but let me look into the case so I can speak to the specifics of it,” Noem said.
Blumental also pointed to another text message from the agent, Charles Exum, that was made public last month showing he told colleagues his bosses had all been supportive of him following the shooting, including Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, Noem and “el jefe himself,” which Blumenthal said referred “presumably to President Trump.”
The senator then pressed Noem repeatedly on whether Exum was still on the job and carrying a gun, which Noem said she could not answer because she was “not familiar with it ”
“I think Americans would find it absolutely terrifying that that agent is still on the job carrying a gun, and the fact that you can’t tell me that you will take him off –” Blumenthal said, before Noem cut him off with a question of her own about a person in the senator’s home state who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant.
“I’d like to hear you say the name of one of our victims of illegal criminal activity,” Noem said, her voice rising as they both talked over each other.
At the end of the exchange, Blumenthal offered Noem the chance to say something directly to Martinez, but Noem did not respond.
Martinez’s Oct. 4 shooting in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood was one of the highest-profile investigations of Operation Midway Blitz.
In a playbook that has now become familiar in other cities, the Trump administration, including Noem’s top spokespeople, almost immediately labeled Martínez as a “domestic terrorist” — a narrative the government has refused to retract even after assault charges against Martínez were dropped less than two months later.
In January, days after Bovino led a similar immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, an eerily similar shooting occurred there when a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Renee Good as she tried to drive away from agents who had ordered her out of her car. That was followed days later by the killing in Minneapolis of another U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti.
Martinez has since said she sees herself as a voice for others who have suffered from abuses by the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts. Last month, she attended the president’s State of the Union address to Congress as a guest of U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Chicago Democrat.
Prosecutors had alleged Martínez was part of a convoy of civilians who were following agents when she rammed Exum’s vehicle near 39th Street and Kedzie, prompting Exum to jump out of his Tahoe and fire five shots, wounding Martínez seven times.
Martínez’s attorneys argued it was Exum who sideswiped Martínez and that his extreme use of force was completely unjustified. They also alleged evidence tampering, saying Exum was inexplicably allowed to drive the Tahoe more than 1,000 miles back to his home base in Maine, where a Border Patrol mechanic attempted to “wipe off” some of the scuff marks from the crash.
After the charges against Martínez were dropped on Nov. 20, it’s since been revealed in court that her car is part of a second, ongoing criminal investigation into the shooting, which is being handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in South Bend, Indiana.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/03/dhs-kristi-noem-senate-marimar-martinez-shooting/
More than $400k in grants available for Oak Lawn nonprofits
The Oak Lawn Social Services Corporation plans to distribute about $461,000 to nonprofit organizations, village trustees said last week.
Tax exempt entities that provide charitable, scientific and/or educational-based services that benefit Oak Lawn residents are eligible, commissioner member Steve Radice said in a statement.
Grants range from $2,500 to $100,000 and the deadline for submissions is March 31. The grants will be awarded May 1.
The corporation was established in the 1980s and was funded from a company that received cable TV rights in Oak lawn, according to Radice. The money was used for “charitable, scientific, and/or educational purposes,” and made donations to different groups and causes in the past, he said.
During the early 2000s, the corporation changed to a nonprofit organization that still made donations, just less frequently. The organization was made independent and separate from the village when its bylaws were amended years ago, Radice said.
For donations, requests can be sent in via mail to the Oak Lawn Village Hall, 9446 S. Raymond Ave., or by email to socialservice@oaklawn-il.gov.
“If you have a request for a donation or a project that you feel would need some funding from the village, please make sure you send it in,” said Trustee Alex Olejniczak.
The last recorded meetings of the corporation shown were in 2020.
Graffiti arrests
The Village Board also learned last week that two boys were arrested Feb. 20 following several incidents of graffiti, including at the Metra Patriot Station.
Olejniczak said the juveniles were charged with criminal damage to government supported property, possession of ammunition without a firearm ownership identification card and criminal defacement of property.
“We want people who disrespect our values in the village of Oak Lawn to know that if you come in Oak Lawn, and you do these things, you will get caught, and we will prosecute you,” said Olejniczak, who was mayor pro tempore for the meeting.
An Oak Lawn resident sent in photos related to the crime, which helped lead police to the arrest, said police Chief Daniel Vittorio. He asked residents to check their home security cameras and brought up registering for Fusus, a community camera registry that allows investigators to know homes that have such cameras.
Investigators do not have access to the camera, but can request video evidence if an incident occurs.
Early voting
The board reminded residents early voting runs through March 16 at the Oak Lawn Public Library. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 7 and on March 16; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 9-13; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 8 and 15.
Cam’ron Hardy is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/03/400k-grants-oak-lawn-nonprofits/
South Elgin to seek state EPA loan for water treatment plant upgrades
The village of South Elgin is applying for a $7.5 million low-interest Public Water Supply Loan through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to help pay for improvements to the Spring Street water treatment plant.
South Elgin Village Board members were briefed by Public Works Director Mike Millette about how the funding could be used upgrade the facility and last month approved an ordinance authorizing him to apply for the loan, village spokesperson Craig Pierce said.
“Director Millette recommended we join the Illinois EPA’s bypass list to get on a waiting list if other municipalities opt-out of IEPA funding,” Pierce said. “This could happen when a community received approval for the loan but abandoned the project, or perhaps a community ran into other obstacles that deferred a project’s start.”
The treatment plant is part of South Elgin’s water quality improvement plan, which includes the recently completed construction of a new water tower at Kingsport Drive and Ione Drive. The tower cost $5.4 million — 8% of which was covered by American Rescue Plan Act funds and the rest from budgeted savings — and went online in fall 2025, Pierce said.
The old tower at McLean Boulevard and Spring Street has been demolished and the scrap is being removed in advance of plans to drill a deep well at the site, he said. The estimated drilling start date is this June.
Significant upgrades to the existing water treatment facility are needed to accommodate the well, including a complete overhaul of its electrical system, stronger pumps and other functionality upgrades to a 34-year-old facility.
According to a village memo, “the water in the deep aquifer requires radium removal (as opposed to barium removal for the current well 7 aquifer), and more electrical supply is required for the deeper well, necessitating a rehabilitation of the treatment plant.”
Plans for the project were developed by Engineering Enterprises and submitted to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for consideration for the Public Water Supply Loan Program in 2025. While South Elgin did not score well enough to receive the loan, the village was only a few places away from securing the money, the memo said.
“By getting on the IEPA waitlist, if a significant portion of the funds become available, the village could use their loan program and repay the proceeds at below market interest rates over 20 years,” Pierce said. ”If necessary, the village would seek bonds or loans at market rate and pay more interest over time.”
According to a village memo, the loan’s annual interest rate right now is 1.87% for 20 years, requiring an annual payment of $449,000 based upon a principal of $7.5 million.
South Elgin must also pledge to raise rates to match the debt service, according to the memo. Recently adopted water rate increases should cover the requirement.
New water rates went into effect this January. The base monthly rate for residents went from $40.66 to $45.54, with an additional $3.66 per 1,000 gallons charged when usage exceeds 2,000 gallons per month and $5.76 per 1,000 gallons for usage beyond 8,000 gallons per month, Pierce said.
Because South Elgin does not have home rule taxing authority, objections to the loan request can be filed through March 11. The loan application deadline is March 31.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/03/elgin-water-plant-loan-well-improvements/
Zelensky Warns Iran War Could Starve Ukraine Of Critical US Arms
Zelensky Warns Iran War Could Starve Ukraine Of Critical US Arms
This isn’t the first time the world’s attention has shifted away from the Ukraine war, but it certainly marks the biggest other conflict to erupt throughout the four-year long war in Eastern Europe.
Every time there is a ‘distraction’ – President Zelensky takes pains to try and refocus attention on Kiev’s plight, quite naturally. At a moment the depth of American arms supplies and ammo stockpiles are in question given the rate of expenditure in the new Iran war, the Ukrainians are rather nervous to say the least.
Zelensky has freshly warned that deeper US involvement in the conflict with Iran could disrupt the steady flow of American weapons that Ukraine depends on in its war against Russia. Of course, Ukraine was issuing desperate pleas for more arms and ammo even long before Trump’s Operation Epic Fury kicked off.
On slowed arms flows, he said as quoted in WSJ:
“We understand that a long war–if it is long–and the intensity of the military actions will affect the amount of air defense we receive,” Zelensky told reporters on Monday, according to audio of his remarks published by Ukrainian media.
Zelensky said he spoke to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the issue of weapons supplies to Ukraine, and was in contact with other allies. So far, he added, there are no signs of any delays.
“Everyone understands that, for us, this is a matter of life,” Zelensky said of the arms Ukraine receives through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, a program European allies use to purchase weapons from the U.S. for Ukraine.
But then again America’s Gulf allies, who are also desperate for anti-air replenishment, consider this moment a matter of life and death too.
WSJ notes further, “Ukraine has said it desperately needs PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems supplied by the U.S.”
Further, “The U.S. has been using its own Patriot systems to protect U.S. military bases and the airspace of allied countries in the Middle East from Iranian retaliatory strikes.”
So it seems like Zelensky’s arms wish list will be further delayed – not for lack of money, but simply based on rate of slow replenishment, but mostly Washington’s new conflict theatre priority: Iran and the Gulf. What’s worse is that the war is already threatening expansion across the whole Mideast region, as the conflict spreads to Lebanon.
Still, Ukraine has come out in favor of Trump’s strike on Iran, given especially that Russia uses Iranian suicide drones in the Ukraine conflict, and has from nearly the start.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 03/03/2026 – 12:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-warns-iran-war-could-starve-ukraine-critical-us-arms
Crown Point subdivision moves forward despite residents’ resistance
Plans for a 173 single-family subdivision called Crystal Grove in Crown Point moved forward despite continued negative feedback from residents.
Residents, including city watchdog Sam Kozaitis, questioned whether the city could continue to add new housing and offer sufficient services, including police and fire.
Other residents, who live near the proposed subdivision, said they are concerned about the cutting down of trees and instead want to keep the environment in the country-like setting where they chose to make their home.
“Residents don’t want this. You’re representing the developer and big money,” Kozaitis said.
Kozaitis told the council to listen to residents who cited increased traffic and other concerns.
“Enough is enough,” Kozaitis said.
The Crown Point City Council, after considerable discussion, gave unanimous final approval on Monday that will allow plans for Crystal Grove to go forward.
The council approved a resolution for the fiscal plan and policy for the annexation of 112 acres on parcels known as 13209, 13232 and 13420 Delaware Street.
The council also gave unanimous final approval to an ordinance related to petitions for the annexation of those same parcels.
Now that final annexation is approved by city officials, plans are for developers to return to city officials to seek residential zoning to build single-family homes there for a subdivision which will be called Crystal Grove, Todd Kleven said.
Kleven serves as vice president of Land Acquisition for Lennar Corp., based in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Kleven thanked the city council following annexation approval.
“We’re following your direction,” Kleven said.
Plans by his company are to build the subdivision into what he termed three products, including homes on the east side of Delaware, to be called Horizon, which would be priced in the $420,000 average range.
Other homes planned include those in the middle of the subdivision to be called Landmark and priced in the $480,000 range.
Homes on the west side of Delaware would be what he termed estate homes and would be priced at $650,00 on average and on up.
Plans for the subdivision also call for walking paths and two parks, Kleven said.
Kleven said if zoning changes are approved, Lennar hopes to break ground later this year.
“I think we are in line with the city’s vision,” Kleven said.
City Councilman Robert Clemons, R-2nd, said he has served on the council the longest of any councilman and has seen the city grow from 15,000 and on up.
He said he’d like to keep things the same and understands the concerns of residents but progress is inevitable.
“We’re lucky we have people who want to come here,” Clemons said.
In other business, the city council gave initial approval to a development agreement between the city of Crown Point, the Crown Point Redevelopment Commission and Venture One.
Jim Wieser, attorney for the project, said the project said the industrial development is planned for 101st Avenue off Interstate 65.
“The proposal is not for a data center,” Wieser joked.
Instead, what is proposed at the location is a 1-million-square-foot warehouse and distribution building.
Wieser said Venture One is responsible for building the 1.2-million-square-foot John Deere facility being built in the Lowell-Hebron corridor along I-65 and Indiana 2.
The council also approved a rezoning request, with stipulations, for R-1A residential to R-2 residential zoning for 198 acres at 13630 Grant St., despite an unfavorable recommendation from the Plan Commission.
The council agreed to an initial approval pending the petitioner’s agreement to 80-foot lots in the final reading next month.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Joffrey Ballet’s next season includes ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘Liliom’ and a love letter to Chicago
The Joffrey Ballet announced its 2026-27 season on Tuesday, entering the landmark company’s seventh decade with a trio of imaginative story ballets and a Valentine’s Day program exploring all manners of love.
The season opens Sept. 17-27 with the Chicago premiere of “Liliom,” a ballet adapted from the 1909 French play that inspired Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel.” The piece follows Liliom, a hopelessly romantic carny whose passion gets the better of him in a dingy amusement park at the height of America’s Great Depression.
It was “Liliom” choreographer John Neumeier whose wild imagination also made “The Little Mermaid,” performed by the Joffrey in 2023, and a new dance-heavy production of the opera “Orphee” in 2017, the latter marking an inaugural collaboration between Joffrey and the Lyric Opera. In hindsight, that was probably designed as a litmus test ahead of the Joffrey’s permanent move to the Lyric Opera House.
A Midwest native, Neumeier, 87, has spent most of his life in Europe, directing the Hamburg Ballet for more than 50 years until his retirement in 2024. Most all of his extensive catalog is firmly rooted in European tales and ephemera — except “Liliom.”
By moving Ferenc Molnár’s play from Budapest to an unnamed (and struggling) American landscape, “Liliom” is a rare glimpse into Neumeier’s interpretation of Americana. Yet it’s hardly been seen on this side of the Atlantic. In fact, Joffrey will be the first American company to attempt it.
The Czech National Ballet performs “Liliom.” (Sergei Gherciu / Czech National Ballet)
The season also includes a pair of popular titles by Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. In addition to his Chicago-themed “Nutcracker,” running for four weeks in December, the Joffrey closes its 2026-27 season with the North American premiere of Wheeldon’s “The Sleeping Beauty.”
Wheeldon first staged his version of the canonical ballet with the Royal Danish Ballet in 2012, taking a fresh look at Tchaikovsky’s iconic score at what turned out to be the onset of a wave of 21st century choreographers reimagining the classics. And while Joffrey has somewhat recently performed versions of “Swan Lake,” “Cinderella” and “La Bayadere,” this classic among classics has not appeared in the Joffrey’s repertoire at all, until now.
“The Sleeping Beauty” runs May 13-23, 2027; all productions are at the Lyric Opera House.
The Joffrey’s annual winter mixed-repertoire program, an evening collectively titled “Notes on Love,” includes a world premiere from native Chicagoan Houston Thomas, whose early training was with the Joffrey’s school and ChiArts. Like Neumeier, Thomas landed in Europe, performing for a decade with Dresden Semperoper Ballett and launching his choreographic career in Germany before returning Stateside. Among Thomas’ long list of commissions since committing to choreography full time was a spot in the Joffrey’s Academy’s 2024 edition of the Winning Works competition. He returns to his hometown to make “Dear Chicago: A Love Letter” for the professional company as part of a love-inspired program running Feb. 4-14, 2027.
A pair of dances by Joffrey rehearsal director Nicolas Blanc — including one that’s brand new to the company — and the return of Liam Scarlett’s exquisite “Hummingbird,” adopted by the company in 2024, complete the evening.
Subscriptions for the 2026-27 season, excluding “Nutcracker,” start at $138, available at 312-386-8905 and joffrey.org. Single tickets for all performances go on sale this summer.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/03/joffrey-ballet-2026-27-season/
