Jerika Gill, a special education teacher at Julia S. Molloy School Education Center located in Morton Grove, has been nominated for a 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The nomination was given to 30 finalists who teach 4th through 8th grade out of 600 nominations statewide, according to a Feb. 25 press release from nonprofit Golden Apple Foundation. The award honors teachers who have made a positive, lasting impact on their students and school community.

Gill’s path to a career in special education started early. Growing up in Rochester, New York, when she was in second grade, she remembers a student with disabilities joining her classroom with the support of a student aide, and that has always stayed with her, she told Pioneer Press in an interview.

“I just thought it was so neat that he was able to join our class for art and all of these different activities,” she said. “That was my first experience.”

After working in applied behavior analysis, providing therapy to students with autism and behavioral needs one-on-one, Gill took up a suggestion from a friend to explore working in a school setting.

Gill currently teaches 4th through 6th graders at Julia S. Molloy Education Center, with a class size of around six to eight students supported by two student aides. She helps students who need support with a variety of needs including communication, social, emotional and learning.

“My initial reaction was just so happy for her, because it is just so deserved,” said Marie Sheedy, principal at Julia S. Molloy Education Center. “She is not just an excellent teacher and educator, but she’s a great person as well and brings so many things to the table when it comes to educating our students.”

One example of Gill’s impact in the classroom is that she helped reduce a student’s behavioral incidents from 12 a day to two or three by teaching them to use an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device to request breaks. Gill’s nonverbal students are given the communication devices to express their specific needs in the classroom.

She noted challenging behavior from students is often the result of frustration rather than defiance.

“Some behaviors that you see are simply just because the kid isn’t able to express what he wants or what he is looking for,” she said. In situations where students show problems with behavior, Gill added that it is important for her to keep composure and understand the root cause instead of reacting to it.

“If we’re seeing behaviors, there’s a reason for it,” she explained. “It’s not because the kid wants to act out.”

Sheedy emphasized that Gill’s communication strategies for increasing student learning in the classroom have been substantial to the school community. “Let’s say a student has 12 incidents a day. It impacts their ability to access curriculum and therefore their learning process is impacted. So, by teaching them the tools that they need, they are able to grow academically, socially and emotionally,” she said.

In addition to helping students with additional needs, Gill also mentors staff members and models trauma-informed practices to help colleagues better respond to students who need special attention.

For Gill, the best part of teaching special education is being able to see the milestones for her students, both inside and outside of the classroom.

“We’re able to go out into the community a lot, even on trips to Target or Aldi,” she said. “Some parents say they can rarely leave the house with their kids, but then we are able to practice it and work on different skills, which not only helps their life at school, but also life outside of school.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/morton-grove-special-ed-teacher-jerika-gill-nominated-for-golden-apple-award/ 

PISA, Italia (AP) — Fiorentina sucumbió 3-0 ante Udinese y Pisa perdió en casa 1-0 contra Bologna en una aciaga noche del lunes para los equipos amenazados por el descenso en la Serie A de Italia.

En Udine, el conjunto local se adelantó a los 10 minutos cuando Christian Kabasele cabeceó un córner de Nicolo Zaniolo.

Kelman Davis, máximo goleador de Udinese, Kelman Davis, puso el 2-0 al cobrar un penal en la segunda mitad.

Y Adam Buksa añadió el tercero en el tiempo de descuento para frenar de forma contundente el reciente repunte de Fiorentina y dinamitar sus esperanzas de ganar tres partidos seguidos por primera vez esta temporada.

Se mantuvo quinto desde el fondo cola en la liga, pero igualado a puntos con Cremonese y Lecce, el club que ocupa la tercera plaza de descenso.

Pisa, uno de los dos equipos que están en la zona roja, perdió en casa ante Bologna y siguió colista junto con Verona.

Bologna capitalizó en gol su único remate a puerta, el disparo de Jens Odgaard a los 90 minutos. El delantero danés marcó desde unos 25 metros.

El resultado dejó a Pisa con los mismos puntos que el colista Verona. Ambos están a nueve puntos de la salvación con 11 partidos de liga por disputar.

La victoria fue la tercera consecutiva de Bologna y lo elevó por encima de Sassuolo hasta el noveno puesto. No ha perdido un partido de liga en casa ante Pisa desde febrero de 1985.

___

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/fiorentina-y-pisa-pierden-en-noche-sombra-para-clubes-que-luchan-por-no-descender-en-serie-a/ 

Court Rules For WaPo Reporter In Major Win For Press In National Security Case

Tyler Durden
Mon, 03/02/2026 – 17:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/court-rules-wapo-reporter-major-win-press-national-security-case 

As the Indiana legislature finished the 2026 legislative session Friday, many bills didn’t advance, including a ban on abortion medication, defining gender and limiting passport and bathroom access for transgender people, and regulations for carbon storage operators.

Senate Bill 236, authored by State Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, would have banned abortion medication. The bill stated a person who manufactures, distributes, mails, transports, delivers, prescribes or provides an abortion inducing drug is jointly and severally liable for the wrongful death of an unborn child.

Further, the bill would have allowed for qui tam actions, which means someone who suspects a woman received abortion pills could file a lawsuit on behalf of the state. The bill states the person who brings the case could receive at least $100,000 for bringing the case, and their legal fees would be covered by the defendant.

The bill passed out of the Senate in a 35-10 vote. It wasn’t heard in the House Public Health committee, which prevented it from being voted on by the House.

Johnson said in a statement Monday that he was disappointed the bill wasn’t heard in the House. Senate Bill 236 would have “closed a loophole that allows out-of-state bad actors” to break Indiana laws and send abortion medication to patients in the state.

“Indiana is one of the most pro-life states in the nation, which is why we must close this loophole to better protect women’s safety, enforce our pro-life laws and safeguard unborn lives,” Johnson said.

In the final days of the session, Haley Bougher, the director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates of Indiana, said in a statement that Senate Bill 236 would’ve resulted in: survivors navigating trauma while facing investigations, doctors second-guessing lifesaving care, and families afraid to get help for a loved one for fear of being sued.

“This isn’t what the people of Indiana want, and we will never stop fighting against these harmful policies and for a future where people can access the care they need without judgment, without fear, no matter where they live,” Bougher said.

Senate Bill 182, a gender definition bill, would have required the Department of Correction to assign an inmate to a facility or program based on the inmate’s biological sex at birth; required biological sex to be reflected on birth certificates; and required schools to have exclusively male and female bathrooms.

The bill passed the Senate in a 37-8 vote. It wasn’t heard in the House Public Health committee, which prevented it from being voted on by the House.

State Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, authored the gender bill and co-authored the abortion bill.

“These common-sense bills are backed by an overwhelming number of Hoosiers who believe in the dignity of human life and recognize there are only two sexes: male and female,” Brown said in the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “Now is not the time for House Leadership to abandon their principles and the social conservatives who elected them to office.”

When House Bill 1359, which addressed scanning early voting ballots, was heard in the Senate Elections committee, the bill was amended to decrease early voting from 28 days to 16 days.

Committee Chair State Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, offered the amendment because “a shorter time for early voting will save money and also make it easier to administer the election.”

House Bill 1359 passed out of the Senate Elections committee in a 7-2 vote, but was never called down to be discussed and voted on by the Senate.

Gaskill said Monday the bill wasn’t called because there weren’t enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill.

In the final hours of the session, House Bill 1065, which addressed gratuities for elected officials, failed to pass because legislators couldn’t resolve the Senate amendment to remove the gratuity language from the bill.

State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, said he authored the bill in response to the case against former Portage Mayor James Snyder.

A jury in U.S. District Court in Hammond found Snyder not guilty on the charge involving a towing contract, and convicted him twice on a garbage truck charge, a case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which deemed in June 2024 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 had remained unchallenged.

As filed, House Bill 1065 would have made it a Class A misdemeanor for a person to offer a payment to a public servant as a reward for an official act taken by the public servant or a public servant to solicit or accept a payment as a reward for performing an official act. The bill also initially increased the penalty to a Level 6 felony if the fair market value of the reward is at least $750.

The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee amended the bill to include language from House Bill 1141, which would make commingling of a committee with personal funds up to $50,000 a Class A misdemeanor.

When the bill was heard on second reading in the Senate, State Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, proposed an amendment to remove all portions of the bill that pertain to gratuity, which meant the bill would have only pertained to the commingling of a committee with personal funds.

Slager filed a motion to dissent opposing the Senate amendment to the bill, which resulted in the bill being heard in conference committee so legislators could discuss how to possibly move the bill forward.

Ultimately, the bill wasn’t brought forward for final approval by the House.

Slager said Monday he spoke with Freeman, who said he amended the bill because the definition of gratuity “was too broad and that there was no time to fix it.” Slager said he doesn’t plan to reintroduce the bill next year because he would rather “work on issues that have a greater positive impact on our citizens.”

State Rep. Danny Lopez, R-Carmel, authored House Bill 1022 that didn’t make it past the House Elections and Apportionment Committee this session. The bill would’ve changed the process for lieutenant governor selection, which Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith shared his opposition to multiple times on social media.

The bill would have required a governor candidate to certify the name of who would be their lieutenant governor candidate and run jointly with them. Lieutenant governor candidates would have to file by noon on July 15.

Currently, lieutenant governor candidates are nominated at their annual political party convention and run with the governor candidate, according to the state of Indiana website. Governor candidates don’t select their lieutenant governor running mates.

Senate Bill 7 — authored by state Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell — passed the Senate on Jan. 29, but it failed to make it out of the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee this session. The bill would have required a carbon storage operator to receive approval from a county legislative body or plan commission if the sequestration project would transport or store carbon dioxide outside the county where it’s generated.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, carbon sequestration captures and stores atmospheric carbon dioxide. The method is used to reduce the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide “with the goal of reducing global climate change.”

Various county commissioners supported the bill because it would create more local control, according to Post-Tribune archives. Oil and gas advocates previously said local governments don’t have the necessary expertise in carbon sequestration to make the necessary decisions.

Niemeyer was unable to immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

“This bill says that when you’re bringing a carbon sequestration project from outside your county, and you’re taking it to another county and bringing carbon outside the jurisdiction, it has to be noticed by a plan commission or county executive,” Niemeyer previously said. “It’s a property rights issue, it’s about zoning, and it’s about local control.”

Senate Bill 8 — authored by state Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrnesville — was another bill that did not make it past a House committee this session. The bill would shift the review and approval of a library’s proposed budget and tax levies to the city, town or county council if the budget has an increase that is equal to or more than 50% of the maximum growth quotient for the upcoming year.

The bill applied to libraries that don’t elect the majority of their board members, according to Post-Tribune archives.

Byrne was unable to immediately provide a comment Monday.

Julie Wendorf, director of the Crown Point Community Library and past president of the Indiana Library Foundation, previously said the changes are concerning and could lead to insufficient funding.

“Public libraries are not abstract budget lines,” Wendorf said. “They are community anchors. When funding becomes unstable, services are reduced, hours are cut and access is lost. (Senate Bill 8) does not strengthen libraries — it introduces instability.”

akukulka@post-trib.com, mwilkins@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/indiana-bills-that-died/ 

“Severely Curbed”: Gold Shipments Through Dubai Stalled In Wake Of Strikes On Iran

Tyler Durden
Mon, 03/02/2026 – 16:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/severely-curbed-gold-shipments-through-dubai-stalled-wake-strikes-iran 

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Edgar Quero knows he is feeling good at the plate when he’s locked in on the fastball.

“When I’m hitting the fastball firm, that’s how I feel like that I’m good,” the catcher said Monday morning at Camelback Ranch. “Right now, I’m feeling good.”

Quero connected on a fastball Sunday during a first-inning at-bat against Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, hitting a home run to left-center field. Quero had two hits in the 5-1 victory against the Cubs at Sloan Park.

“Edgar, for me, has picked up right where he left off as far as his quality of at-bats at the plate,” manager Will Venable said Monday afternoon. “He’s done a great job with the framing and the defensive things we’ve asked him to do. It really starts with the offseason he had. He was here at the complex a bunch, putting in a ton of work on his physical composition, his skill set — just put in a lot of work across the board.

“Really proud of him and it’s showing up in game.”

Quero has had a sizzling start to the spring, going 9-for-17 (.529) with a double and a home run in his first five games.

Chicago White Sox’s Edgar Quero bats during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Peoria, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Quero said. “Taking good ABs, trying to hit the ball hard.”

Quero has been especially effective with runners on base. He entered Monday tied for the major-league lead with nine RBIs in spring training games.

“With guys in scoring position, my mind changes a little bit,” Quero said. “I feel like I’m more aggressive. I’m the hitter that I like hitting with people on base. Maybe that changes my mind a little bit. Feel pretty good.

“More aggressive, trying to do more damage, too. I know, my mindset changes a little bit. I like when people are on base.”

Quero, who turns 23 in April, is seeing some of the work he put in leading up to camp pay off.

“I made a lot of changes (at the plate) in the offseason, especially with my hips,” Quero said. “That helped me to be more square to hit the ball, especially the fastball. My bat speed is a little up right now, that’s why I’m making better contact, trying to hit the ball more hard, too.”

Venable said Quero is “a lot stronger.”

“I think that he’s put in a ton of work, lower half, upper half, just being stronger,” Venable said.

Venable jokingly added, “He’ll tell you he’s faster. Not sure how true that is. But we are going to find out.”

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Quero had a .268/.333/.356 slash line with five home runs and 36 RBIs in 111 games as a rookie last season.

“It was an OK year for me, especially knowing myself, that I could do a little bit more,” Quero said of his 2025. “I’m ready for this season, I think I can do a little better.”

He said seeing some of the early results in Cactus League action has been “amazing.”

“I feel pretty good because it was a pretty good offseason for me, working hard,” Quero said. “Especially in the framing part, too, the defense is pretty good right now. I feel so happy for that. Just keep working hard.”

Venable added, “it’s always nice when these guys make adjustments and they get results. That doesn’t always happen. As far as creating buy-in on what it is that he’s doing, the work he’s putting in, to be able to get those results, just reinforces those things and reinforces the fact that he’s going about his process the right way.”

Quero, Kyle Teel and Korey Lee have been rotating behind the plate this spring. Teel recently joined Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic.

“I think it really is going to take care of itself,” Venable said of the playing time. “We know that we like (left-handed hitting) Kyle catching and hitting against righties. We know that Edgar (a switch hitter) can DH. We’ll have a couple of guys who will fill that DH spot versus right-handed pitching. We like Edgar catching against the lefties. It doesn’t have to be a straight platoon. We don’t view it like that.

“We just know of the demand of the catching position, there will be lots of opportunities for them behind the plate. We have the DH spot to filter guys through as well. It’s not really an area where we are concerned about at-bats. We know we have two guys, and three (with) Korey, who we really like. It will all take care of itself.”

Injury updates

Luisangel Acuña returned to the lineup Monday, batting second and playing center field.

It was the infielder/outfielder’s first game since Wednesday, when he exited with a cut above his left eyebrow after sliding safely into second base during a steal attempt. He later received four stitches.

Outfielder Andrew Benintendi (right side soreness) will likely be back on Thursday. He was scratched from the lineup ahead of Friday’s split-squad game against the Texas Rangers and has been recovering since.

“He’s swinging today, running around today,” Venable said of Benintendi. “He could probably play if it wasn’t March 2. A couple of more days and get him back out there.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/chicago-white-sox-catcher-edgar-quero-rbi/ 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Federal authorities joined local police Monday in the search for a suspect in a weekend nightclub shooting in Cincinnati that wounded nine people.

The nine were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries after shots rang out around 1 a.m. Sunday inside the music venue Riverfront Live. Interim Cincinnati Police Chief Adam Hennie said all the victims were in stable condition.

The FBI was working with the Cincinnati Police Department on the investigation, said spokesperson Todd Lindgren, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered a $5,000 reward for information identifying a suspect.

Though it occurred almost simultaneously to a deadly bar shooting in Austin, Texas, which is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism, authorities in Ohio have not provided any details about a motive in the Cincinnati shooting.

Gunman was not on the FBI’s radar before he opened fire on a crowded Texas bar, authorities say

Bill Halusek, spokesperson for the Cincinnati ATF, said that at this time, the Cincinnati shooting is not suspected to be an act of terrorism.

Anton Canady was at Riverfront Live when he said he heard “commotion” that sounded like a fight. He said music continued to play and shortly after, he heard gunshots. That’s when he and his girlfriend, Brandi Willis, began running for the exit.

Canady said Willis fell while trying to escape and to avoid her being trampled, he laid on top of her to protect her.

“I don’t think it was like they was doing it purposely or intentionally, I just think nobody wanted to die in there,” he said.

The 40-year-old Cincinnati resident spoke to The Associated Press from a hospital in Cincinnati while he waited for Willis to receive more medical attention for injuries she suffered during their attempted exit. Canady said his legs were cut and bruised.

When he finally exited the venue, he learned one of the people shot was his cousin.

“I hurried up, found something out of the car that was next to us. And I tied her wounds up so we can get that pressure. And we try to do the next step, which is call 911 and get her the attention she needed,” he said.

Canady said he spoke to his cousin on the phone Monday and she is “doing good” but is “in shock.”

Jermaine Tandy, also known as DJ Fresh, was hosting a birthday celebration at the venue, according to a post on his Facebook page. Management representing DJ Fresh said they were “devastated” by the events that took place during the celebration.

“Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence,” the statement said. “This event was intended to be an opportunity for us to come together and enjoy great music; and have fun celebrating life, it is deeply frustrating that the actions of one individual ruined the evening for so many.”

According to the post, the venue owners were responsible for security at the event under the DJ’s rental agreement.

Riverfront Live sits along the Ohio River not far from Riverbend Music Center and often draws customers from concertgoers to the much larger outdoor venue, which is closed in winter.

It was rebranded Riverfront Live in 2018 after gaining attention for criminal activity. Portions of the property have also held the names Stage Forty-Three and Inner Circle, but it is best known as the former site of the iconic rock club Annie’s, which hosted performances in the 1990s and early 2000s of well-known rock acts.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/cincinnati-nightclub-shooting/ 

Prime Air, an option for Amazon delivery by drone, is set to expand to Matteson and Markham this summer.

The drones will operate out of hubs based in Matteson and Markham’s Amazon fulfillment centers, said Josh Brundage, Prime Air’s senior manager of commercial operations. They will be able to deliver to an up to 8-mile radius from those hubs.

Matteson’s Amazon center is at 7001 Vollmer Road, while Markham’s is at 2201 W. 159th St. About 6,000 people work in the two centers, Brundage said, and he expects the drone programs to add about 100 more jobs.

“Right now, we’re creating a service that doesn’t exist, so all we’re really doing is adding on to existing Amazon infrastructure,” Brundage said. “We’re certainly not replacing anything.”

Drone delivery will be a faster option with extra cost for people living within the 8-mile radius, Brundage said. He doesn’t expect it to substantially displace regular delivery.

Each hub is planned to start with 15 drones. Brundage said the plan is to launch in early summer, though a firm date is not set.

There are limitations: The drones can only deliver packages up to 5 pounds and can only operate in mild inclement weather. If weather is too severe, Brundage said, the option won’t be available when ordering.

The drones are large, with six propellers. Matteson resident Marilyn Stewart expressed concern about the size of a drone displayed Monday in Tinley Park.

“That’s too big to be hovering over my house,” Stewart said. “That’s crazy. It’s so big.”

Amazon senior manager Sam Bailey said the drones will fly to more than 200 feet while on deliveries, and then fly higher, about 300 to 400 feet, while returning to the hub.

“The size and scale reflect our investment in redundancy and safety,” Bailey said. “When people see it, they also think of a recreational drone that fits on this table, but then they see this, this is an FAA-certified vehicle transporting goods.”

The drones are powered by lithium ion batteries that will be fully charged before every delivery, Bailey said. If a drone’s battery ever falls below 30%, it will conduct what he called a “safe contingent landing” rather than attemp to return to the hub.

“We have safety technology where we can put the drone on the ground as fast as possible and we can go out and retrieve it,” Bailey said.

Amazon is proceeding through planning and zoning processes in both Markham and Matteson, Bailey said.

“They’ve been fantastic partners,” he said.

Stewart was also concerned about where packages would be dropped off. She prefers packages left at her front door rather than in her lawn, since she has her lawn serviced, she said.

Amazon’s delivery drone drops a package with an order in the backyard of an AirBnb in Goodyear, Arizona, Dec. 16, 2024. (Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times)

Bailey said drones would descend to 12 feet before dropping the package at a designated delivery point, such as the front yard or driveway. Amazon plans use aerial photography of the delivery areas around both hubs to identify possible drop-off points for each property ahead of time, he said.

“We look at things like trees, overhanging power lines, other things that may come into conflict,” Bailey said. “We create a world model that takes into account a variety of different factors including infrastructure, airspace, utilities, and then we build a flight plan around each of those single delivery points.”

By the time an order is placed to a house, Amazon will already have flight plans with viable drop-off points for the property.

Josh Brundage, Prime Air’s senior manager of commercial operations, shows where the battery fits into an Amazon drone during a demonstration Monday at the Tinley Park Convention Center. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Brundage said Amazon heard some privacy concerns from the public regarding the technology.

The drones do have cameras and will record all the time, Brundage said, so they can avoid obstructions and find clear drop-off points. The footage won’t typically be taken off the machine, but Amazon does have the ability to do that, he said.

“I think once we explain how things work and what the video does in the drone, usually that gets rid of those fears pretty quickly,” Brundage said. “Once people understand that there’s nobody sitting back at a computer screen watching. I think hobby drones and misconceptions in general hurt us a lot.”

Ring, which is also owned by Amazon, recently suffered major backlash over privacy concerns after a controversial Super Bowl ad showcased a search party feature that would network its doorbell cameras to find lost pets.

elewis@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/amazon-drone-delivery-markham-matteson/ 

AUSTIN, Texas — The gunman who opened fire outside a crowded Texas bar and killed two people in an attack that wounded 14 others was not on the radar of authorities before the shooting, federal and local investigators said Monday.

Both the FBI and police in Austin said Monday that it’s too soon to identify the motive behind the mass shooting early Sunday that the FBI has said is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism, coming after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran.

“Our ultimate goal in everything we do is to determine the motive,” Alex Doran, the acting agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office, said during a news conference.

Police identified the gunman as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. He was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and bearing the words “Property of Allah” during the attack, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Investigators are poring over thousands of hours of video and police said there are more than 150 witnesses to interview. “We are still in the early hours of this investigation,” said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis.

The gunman legally bought the weapons used in the attack several years ago in San Antonio, Davis said.

Police identified the victims as 21-year-old Savitha Shan and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington.

Harrington joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Texas Tech University in 2024, the fraternity said in an Instagram post.

“Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable,” the fraternity said. “If anyone embodied what it meant to live fully and love deeply, it was Ryder.”

Texas Tech said in a statement that Harrington had been enrolled as recently as the fall 2025 semester, but was not taking classes this semester. “Our thoughts are with Ryder’s family, friends, and all those affected by this devastating situation,” the statement said.

Shan’s LinkedIn profile listed her as a dual-degree student majoring in management information systems and economics at the University of Texas at Austin.

University President Jim Davis said her death was “devastating” and that several other students were injured in the attack.

“Some of these are very serious and we are hoping for the best outcomes, while others are on the path to recovery,” he said in a statement. “I have met with many of these families and will continue to pray for them.”

The gunman in the attack was originally from Senegal, according to multiple people briefed on the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

Diagne first entered the U.S in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a U.S. citizen, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Associated Press reporters on Monday were unable to reach Diagne’s family members in the Austin area or his former wife, who recently was listed as living near San Antonio. A person who answered the door at a house listed for his ex-wife declined to comment and told a reporter to talk with investigators.

The shooting erupted outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden along Sixth Street, a nightlife destination filled with bars and music clubs close to the University of Texas at Austin.

The gunman drove past the bar that was packed with students before circling back and firing the first shots from his SUV at people on the sidewalk and inside the bar, police said.

Inside the bar and across the street next to a food truck, some students dove for cover while others were motionless, trying to understand what was happening.

The shooting stopped for a moment.

The suspect parked, got out with a rifle and began shooting at others before officers rushed to the intersection and shot him, the police chief said.

University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis said Sunday that some of those affected included “members of our Longhorn family.”

The FBI said just hours after the shooting that they found “indicators” on the gunman and in his vehicle leading them to look into the possibility of terrorism.

Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; and Alanna Durkin Richer, Eric Tucker and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/austin-bar-shooting-2/