Category: News
Petro defiende sistema de salud colombiano ante críticas por muerte de mujer en un dispensario
Associated Press
BOGOTÁ (AP) — El presidente colombiano Gustavo Petro defendió el miércoles el sistema de salud del país, tras las críticas al sistema generadas por la muerte de una mujer que se desplomó en un dispensario cuando intentaba reclamar medicamentos para ella y su familia.
Petro cuestionó en la red social X que la prensa no se refiera al “éxito del sistema preventivo de salud” que asegura ha diminuido la mortalidad infantil y materna, mientras prefieren destacar casos particulares “con sevicia y utilización de la muerte”, pese a que aún están en investigación.
La emergencia sucedió la víspera en un dispensario de Cúcuta, ciudad fronteriza con Venezuela, poco después de que Cecilia Quintero dijera a un periodista local que no le entregaban los medicamentos para su condición renal hace meses, ni para su esposo con problemas cardiovasculares ni para su hijo en silla de ruedas. El momento en que se desplomó quedó grabado y fue publicado por el periodista Jorge Emilio González.
“La crisis de medicamentos y salud ha cruzado límites inhumanos. Esto es inadmisible”, lamentó horas después la estatal Defensoría del Pueblo, que vela por los derechos humanos en el país. “No se puede naturalizar la muerte por falta de medicamentos esenciales”, agregó.
El caso de Quintero se une al de Kevin Acosta, un niño con hemofilia que falleció el 13 de febrero, en medio de presuntas irregularidades con la prestación del servicio de salud. El menor de siete años se golpeó tras caerse de una bicicleta en Huila, en el centro del país, y luego fue remitido de emergencia a Bogotá, donde no sobrevivió. Su madre denunció que falleció esperando un medicamento que necesitaba para la hemofilia.
Tanto Acosta como Quintero estaban afiliados a la Nueva EPS, una empresa prestadora de salud que está intervenida por el gobierno, y la cual está encargada de girar recursos a los dispensarios para que los distribuyan a los pacientes.
La Nueva EPS dijo el martes en un comunicado que trabaja con la red prestadora y las autoridades para esclarecer lo sucedido con Quintero. Mientras que Cafam, el dispensario, dijo que durante la emergencia su equipo activó los protocolos para brindar la atención inmediata.
Petro defendió que la Nueva EPS ha realizado pagos oportunos a los dispensarios como Cafam, en Cúcuta, e Integral Solutions, en Huila, para la entrega de medicamentos.
Para el mandatario, el problema del sistema de salud está en la falta de voluntad política del Congreso para aprobar la reforma a la salud, que pretendía quitar la intermediación de las EPS, dar al Estado un mayor control del dinero y poner en práctica un modelo preventivo de salud.
En medio de quejas constantes por la falta de acceso a medicamentos, Petro ha dicho que hay un acaparamiento de medicamentos —que genera largas filas de pacientes esperando sus medicinas— y una narrativa que busca generar caos en el sistema con el fin de hacerle daño a su gobierno. Mientras que las farmacéuticas alegan millonarias deudas de las EPS que agudizan sus problemas financieros.
Argentina pagará más de 33 millones de dólares a Estados Unidos para entrenar a pilotos de F-16
Clara Preve
Buenos Aires (AP) — Argentina pagará más 33 millones de dólares a Estados Unidos —su mayor aliado en la región— para el entrenamiento de pilotos de aviones de combate F-16 como parte de un acuerdo bilateral firmado en diciembre de 2024 para fortalecer la alianza y la defensa de la región, según confirmó el miércoles el Ministerio de Defensa del país sudamericano.
El convenio, formalizado mediante una Carta de Oferta y Aceptación, garantiza a Argentina el acceso a tecnología avanzada vinculada a la modernización de las aeronaves y a la capacitación del personal argentino.
Rodrigo Villegas, jefe del Departamento de Comunicación de la Fuerza Aérea Argentina, que depende del Ministerio de Defensa, confirmó a The Associated Press que el entrenamiento se llevará a cabo en el Área Material Río Cuarto, en la provincia de Córdoba. Aclaro, además, que de los más de 33 millones de dólares previstos en el contrato, 22,7 millones se ejecutarán este año.
La empresa estadounidense Top Aces Corp., con sede en Arizona, es la encargada de entrenar desde hace pocos meses, primero de forma teórica, a los pilotos argentinos en el marco de un contrato por más de 33 millones de dólares, según informó el Departamento de Defensa de Estados Unidos.
El anuncio se produce en un contexto en el que el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, busca fortalecer sus alianzas en América Latina como parte de una estrategia para contrarrestar la influencia de China en la región.
En ese escenario, el ultraderechista presidente argentino, Javier Milei, se ha consolidado como el principal aliado del mandatario estadounidense en América Latina.
“Este contrato contempla la capacitación de pilotos instructores de F-16, lo que permite a los pilotos de países socios alcanzar una capacidad operativa independiente fuera del territorio continental de EEUU”, dijo el comunicado al que tuvo acceso AP.
Los primeros seis aviones F-16 llegaron en diciembre pasado a Río Cuarto, en Córdoba, procedentes de Dinamarca, con apoyo de Estados Unidos, que aportó 40 millones de dólares en financiamiento militar extranjero para respaldar la modernización de las fuerzas armadas argentinas.
El contrato entre Dinamarca y Argentina fue firmado en abril de 2024 e incluye la adquisición de 24 aeronaves por un total de 300 millones de dólares. Washington había autorizado en octubre de 2023 la venta de los cazas F-16 de fabricación estadounidense a Buenos Aires para fortalecer la cooperación defensiva en la región.
La operación “permitirá a Argentina mejorar su seguridad nacional y combatir la influencia maligna que opera en la región”, dijo Mira Resnick, subsecretaria de Estado adjunta para la Seguridad Regional de Estados Unidos.
El programa incluirá distintas fases, entre ellas la instrucción teórica, la preparación física, el entrenamiento con instructores en tierra, las prácticas en simuladores y los vuelos reales, detalló Villegas. La duración dependerá del rol asignado a cada piloto, por lo que no es posible establecer un plazo uniforme, agregó. Se prevé que el programa de capacitación concluya a más tardar el 30 de junio de 2029.
Villegas señaló asimismo que la Fuerza Aérea solicitó que la capacitación estuviera a cargo de Estados Unidos debido a la calidad del entrenamiento que ofrece.
“Se pidió el mejor entrenamiento y que mejor que el país fabricante y mayor usuario del sistema”, dijo Villegas. El número de pilotos que serán entrenados es información clasificada, agregó.
Supertanker Rates Hit Six-Year High: Here’s What Driving It
Supertanker Rates Hit Six-Year High: Here’s What Driving It
Global very large crude carrier (VLCC) rates have jumped to six-year highs due to two recent catalysts: first, a growing war-risk premium tied to the possibility of a US-Iran conflict, and second, ongoing consolidation in fleet ownership that is tightening vessel availability.
Let’s begin by noting that war-risk insurance premiums are rapidly being priced into VLCC tanker rates. The Strait of Hormuz has once again come into focus as the world’s most important energy chokepoint, where any flare-up in a US-Iran conflict could prompt Iranian commanders to shut the strait down, sparking what would only be immediate panic in global energy markets.
Latest Polymarket pricing for “US strikes Iran by…?” implies a 47% probability of a U.S. military strike by March 15.
A war-risk premium has also been priced into Brent crude futures, with prices trading above $70 per barrel late Wednesday morning.
Bloomberg reports that Bahri, the National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia, chartered five VLCCs to transport up to 2 million barrels from the Middle East to China at a rate of $200,000 per day. According to the Baltic Exchange in London, that is the highest rate in six years. One of the ships Bahri chartered, the DHT Jaguar, was booked at $208,000 per day.
Supertanker rates are rising for two reasons:
Rising fears of a potential US-Iran conflict, and a vessel supply squeeze caused by a South Korean shipowner aggressively putting on charters.
South Korea’s Sinokor group has recently amassed control of roughly 120 VLCC supertankers, dramatically tightening global supply and contributing to the rise in tanker rates.
“You have one party or group of people who are working together who effectively control around a third of the available or traded tanker VLCC fleet out there,” Ole Hjertaker, chief executive officer of shipping firm SFL Corp., told investors on a call earlier this week, without naming the parties.
Svein Moxnes Harfjeld, chief executive of tanker company DHT Holdings Inc., told investors on another call that a “fundamental shift” in global fleet consolidation is underway.
“We can say with confidence that this is taking place and already making an impact, both on freight rates in the spot market, customer demand for time charters, and values of second-hand VLCCs,” Harfjeld said. “This consolidation is shifting the pricing dynamics and is putting pressure on timely availability of ships.”
Aristidis Alafouzos, chief executive officer of Okeanis Eco Tankers, noted, “This market consolidation, occurring at an unprecedented level, by a buyer with deep financial power, occurs at a time when market fundamentals continue to get tighter. It all creates an amazing opportunity if you have tankers on the water today, and the commercial ability to capture such market to its full extent.”
June Goh, a senior analyst at Sparta Commodities, said, “VLCC freight rates have seen many positive fundamental drivers, starting with Venezuela barrels moving on legitimate freight vs a dark fleet before, increased OPEC+ production and healthy crude demand from refineries, particularly from India, which has moved from Russian to Middle Eastern barrels.”
“Suezmax and Aframax markets will soon receive the spillover effects in the dirty freight market,” Goh said, referring to smaller tankers.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/25/2026 – 16:40
Outrage In Sacramento: California Parole Board Grants Release Of Serial Child Rapist
Outrage In Sacramento: California Parole Board Grants Release Of Serial Child Rapist
Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,
The California Parole Board’s decision to release a serial child molester who used candy and toys to lure children as young as three years old has sparked outrage from victims, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials.
David Allen Funston, 64, was convicted in 1999 of sixteen counts of kidnapping and child molestation after a horrific crime spree in Sacramento County, during which he kidnapped, raped, and beat eight children aged 3 to 7.
The judge described him as “the monster parents fear the most” and sentenced him to three consecutive life terms plus 20 years.
Funston was recently granted parole under California’s Elderly Parole Program, which allows inmates over 50 who have served at least 20 years to be considered for release.
He was initially denied parole in May 2022 but was granted suitability for release in September 2025.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D.) requested a review of the decision and the Board of Parole Hearings reaffirmed it on February 18, 2026.
Newsom did not override the decision.
Former prosecutor Anne Marie Schubert, who prosecuted Funston in what she called “the worst child predator case I’ve ever seen,” has urged the state to screen him for the Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) program, which would allow civil commitment to a state hospital instead of public release.
“He was hunting for young children,” Schubert, now a victim’s rights advocate, told the Modesto Bee.
“It boggles the mind. He’s the poster child for why sex offenders should be exempt from elderly parole.”
Court records at the time showed Funston had a prior sexual assault conviction in Colorado before moving to California. According to authorities, he served time in a Colorado prison for third-degree sexual assault but was never required to register as a sex offender when he relocated to Sacramento County.
“He is a serial predator is what he is,” Deputy District Attorney Hillary Bagley said in 1996 as charges mounted ahead of his 2½ month trial, according to previous Bee reporting. “He is every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Schubert provided graphic details to the Los Angeles Times of a horrible case in 1995, where Funston used candy to lure a 5-year-old girl into his car, and then took her up into the hills and molested her.
“He beat her. He took her underwear and shoved it down her throat because she was screaming. He then raped her to the point that she has vaginal trauma,” Schubert recalled.
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper held a press conference Monday and blasted the parole board’s decision to release the dangerous predator back onto the streets.
“He lured them with candy and Barbie dolls. He stole their childhoods. I’ve seen the reports. They’re horrific,” Cooper said.
The sheriff described how Funston kidnapped one little girl in 1995, “viciously” raped her and then drove her to another location where he punched her and kicked her out of the car.
“There’s no explanation. There are some folks who deserve a second chance at life—someone who does these types of things doesn’t deserve a second chance at life,” Cooper said. “The people of Sacramento and every parent across California, deserve answers.”
The sheriff questioned why California would “be okay” with this releasing an infamous child predator like Funston back onto the streets and said California’s parole program needs to be changed.
Sergeant Rafael Rodriguez, who had worked the case in the 1990s as a detective, said he was “outraged” when he read that the monster he helped put behind bars was about to be released. Rodriguez told reporters that the entire Sacramento police bureau has not forgotten the appalling Funston case.
The sergeant said he immediately called Sheriff Cooper and said, “we can’t allow this. This is wrong.”
He lamented that while Funston is being released back onto the streets, his victims are serving the life sentences that come with severe trauma.
“Wherever he is going to be released to better watch him,” Rodriguez warned.
During the presser, Undersheriff Mike Ziegler stressed that child molesters like Funston cannot be rehabilitated.
“There are certain crimes that cannot be rehabilitated and this is one of them,” Ziegler said.
Amelia, who was 3-year-old when she was molested by Funston, also spoke during the presser to plead with the state to keep him incarcerated for life.
“I feel that he does not deserve his freedom,” she said. “He does not need to be back in public society. He is a criminal child molester who is dangerous and deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars,” she added.
The Sacramento Sheriff’s Office provided additional details about the case in a statement on X Monday.
“The Elderly Parole Program was meant for those who no longer pose a danger. In cases like this, it fails. Our number one responsibility is to protect children. That should never be controversial or partisan,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Protecting children is not rhetoric. It is common sense. Protect children first. Always.”
Funston remains incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has not disclosed his release date or location, citing safety and security reasons. Ziegler told reporters however that the likelihood of Funston being released right back into Sacramento was “very high.”
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/25/2026 – 16:20
Winfield resident newest member of town’s police department
The Winfield Town Council swore in veteran Police Officer Jesus “Jesse” Vargas as its newest hire on the Winfield Police Department.
“Welcome home,” Town Councilman Tim Clayton, R-at-large, told Vargas.
“I look forward to working in Winfield,” Vargas responded.
Vargas, a Winfield resident, was hired by the Winfield Police Department on Tuesday following his retirement from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, where he served for 29 years in the SWAT Team, K-9 unit, motorcycle, drug interdiction and aviation units.
Vargas, a 19-year veteran of the United States Army Reserves, where he still serves, also worked as a field training officer for the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Winfield Town Marshal Robert Byrd said.
Vargas, who came to the meeting with his wife, Amanda, and children Vio and Delina, was sworn into office by Winfield Clerk-Treasurer Michael Lambert.
Vargas began working for the Winfield Police Department on Jan. 5 as the department’s 10th officer.
The Winfield Police Department was started in September 2014. The Town of Winfield was previously served by the Lake County Police Department.
The town, formed in 1993, is one of the fastest-growing communities in the state, according to Veridus Group, an Indianapolis-based company hired by the Town Council to draft a new comprehensive master plan.
The department currently has 10 full-time police officers and four part-time police officers and is hoping to hire more officers in the near future, Byrd said.
In other business, the town council:
•Approved an ordinance approving the hiring of a full-time town payroll clerk and a street department mechanic, initially part-time.
•Approved consideration of engagement with DLZ for right-of-way services for Randolph Street and the 117th roundabout.
•Approved a $414,731 reduction of the Grand Ridge Phase 3 performance bond.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Vinícius Júnior abucheado por hinchas de Benfica. Los del Madrid muestran pancarta antirracismo
Por TALES AZZONI
MADRID (AP) — Los hinchas de Benfica abuchearon ruidosamente el miércoles a Vinícius Júnior en el estadio Santiago Bernabéu en el partido de vuelta de los repechajes de la Liga de Campeones, después de que el delantero brasileño del Real Madrid acusara a un rival de haberlo insultado de forma racista en el primer encuentro.
Los más de 3.000 hinchas del Benfica presentes en el Bernabéu lo increparon casi cada vez que Vinícius tocaba el balón. Celebraron cuando perdió el control de la pelota al inicio del partido. Los seguidores de Benfica también abuchearon con énfasis cuando se anunció el nombre del astro en la alineación titular antes del encuentro.
Los abucheos fueron perdiendo fuerza gradualmente a medida que avanzaba el partido. El marcador estaba empatado 1-1 tras el primer tiempo. Vinícius participó en la jugada previa a lo que habría sido el segundo gol del Madrid, pero fue anulado por fuera de juego.
Vinícius acaparó la mayor parte de la atención en el Bernabéu por lo ocurrido en el partido de ida en Lisboa la semana pasada, cuando acusó a Gianluca Pestrianni, atacante argentino de Benfica, de llamarlo “mono” después de que el brasileño firmó en tanto de la victoria 1-0 y lo celebrara junto al banderín de córner del Benfica.
Prestianni, quien ha negado haber insultado de forma racista a Vinícius y a quien Benfica ha respaldado, fue suspendido provisionalmente por un partido por la UEFA y no jugó el miércoles, aunque el argentino viajó a la capital española. La UEFA rechazó el miércoles más temprano el recurso de última hora de Benfica contra la suspensión provisional.
El partido de la semana pasada se detuvo durante casi 10 minutos después de que el árbitro activara el protocolo antirracismo tras la queja de Vinícius.
La semana pasada se vio a algunos aficionados del Benfica haciendo gestos de mono desde las gradas después del partido en el Estadio da Luz.
Antes del partido del miércoles, los aficionados del Madrid exhibieron una pancarta que decía “No al racismo”. También se mostró una pancarta de “respeto” detrás de una de las porterías en el Bernabéu.
Los aficionados del Madrid también abuchearon cuando Nicolás Otamendi, el defensor central de Benfica, tocaba el balón. Otamendi, que también es argentino, fue uno de los jugadores que encaró a Vinícius tras la celebración del brasileño junto al banderín de Benfica.
El técnico de Benfica José Mourinho también estuvo ausente. El otrora entrenador del Madrid fue expulsado al final del partido de ida por protestar al árbitro. Mourinho no participó en la conferencia de prensa previa al partido el martes, y se esperaba que viera el encuentro desde las gradas del Bernabéu.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
East Chicago man gets probation in plea deal for stalking, pointing gun
An East Chicago man got two years probation Wednesday in a plea deal for stalking and pointing a firearm.
Randy Martin, 42, pleaded guilty in January. Court filings show, in exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to drop several other charges, including Level 1 felony rape.
He got time served on the firearm charge, leaving him to finish probation for stalking.
Defense lawyer John Cantrell said his client and the victim had “some history.” Martin was proactively addressing mental health issues.
Deputy Prosecutor Madeline Clement said she believed he was remorseful.
In court, Martin said he and the victim hadn’t spoken in years.
According to the original probable cause affidavit, the woman alleged that Martin made her perform a sex act repeatedly, for “hours” in February 2024 when he was high on cocaine. During it, he held a sword to the back of her legs. He also grew upset when he ran out of drugs and couldn’t reach his dealer.
She told officers that lately Martin kept her awake all night and poured bleach all over the house to “kill the people” he thought were coming inside. He stabbed holes in walls, mattresses, and furniture, “thinking that there are people on the other side,” according to the affidavit.
He pointed a sword at her leg on Feb. 7, 2024, but didn’t break the skin. When he stabbed the TV, she tried to leave. He stabbed the wall near her and said she would make him “snap”.
He blocked her path while holding the sword. The woman felt she was a “hostage.”
In another incident, Martin pointed a shotgun at her in January, a day before his arrest in an unrelated case. He regularly loaded it in front of her.
Police returned to the home on Feb. 9 because Martin caused more damage.
They found a stabbed and burned mattress in the living room. In total, the TV was stabbed, the house was in “complete disarray” and they found a sword with blood near the handle. They saw the stab marks on a bedroom wall. They found four shell casings and a shotgun case.
SpaceX Official Reveals New Details About Next-Gen Cell Service
SpaceX Official Reveals New Details About Next-Gen Cell Service
SpaceX satellite policy lead Udrivolf Pica told participants in the International Telecommunication Union Space Connect webcast about the next-generation Starlink direct-to-device cellular service for smartphones. The revelation of the new service follows SpaceX’s October 2025 U.S. trademark filing for “STARLINK MOBILE” and comes as Elon Musk has recently hinted at Starlink mobile ambitions.
“We are aiming at peak speeds of 150 Mbps per user,” Pica said, adding, “So something incredible if you think about the link budgets from space to the mobile phone.”
PCMag reporter Michael Kan was the first to report Pica’s comments, as SpaceX plans to launch new cellular Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.
Kan continued:
If SpaceX can hit its speed goal, the upgraded cellular Starlink service promises to deliver speeds close to those of traditional cell carriers’ 5G networks on Earth. The median download speeds for T-Mobile’s 5G network currently reach 309 Mbps, while AT&T’s 5G network comes in at 172 Mbps, according to Ookla’s Speedtest.net data.
SpaceX has been offering the service through T-Mobile’s T-Satellite, allowing users in cellular dead zones to remain connected. However, the current iteration of the cellular Starlink service has bandwidth constraints. Although it can power low-resolution video calls, texts, and select mobile apps using orbiting SpaceX satellites, download speeds only reach an estimated 4 Mbps per user.
SpaceX is preparing to upgrade the technology by using newly acquired radio spectrum from Boost Mobile’s parent, EchoStar. In addition, the company has requested regulatory permission to launch another 15,000 satellites for the cellular Starlink service; the current system spans only about 650 satellites. The new system promises to unleash “video, voice, and data services, clearly,” Pica said during the panel.
On acquiring the EchoStar radio spectrum, Pica added, “More spectrum means a bigger pipeline, and this means that we can expand what we can do with partners. We can expand the quality of service. And again, we can do cellular broadband basically, cellular broadband use cases, like AI or daily connectivity needs.”
. . .
As for SpaceX, the company aims to launch the upgraded cellular Starlink service in late 2027, when its deal for the EchoStar spectrum officially closes. In addition to T-Mobile, SpaceX has been partnering with a growing number of carriers worldwide, including Rogers in Canada and KDDI in Japan, to offer cellular Starlink service.
In September, All-In’s Chamath Palihapitiya asked Musk: “Elon, is your vision that instead of having an AT&T account and then roaming when you’re in the UK or India, we could have one direct deal with Starlink that works all over the world? Maybe not today, but eventually, is that the end goal?”
Musk responded: “Yes.”
$ASTS: Elon interview
– Crystal clear he wants to directly compete against AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in fixed wireless and now mobile wireless
– It’ll take at least 2 years to deploy this spectrum as it requires a completely new satellite and mobile phones with compatible… pic.twitter.com/G1nNPNEbv3
— Anp🅰️nman (@spacanpanman) September 10, 2025
By mid-October, Starlink filed to register the “Starlink Mobile” trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Starlink’s USPTO filing describes the service as: “Satellite communication and transmission services; transmission of data, voice, image and video via satellite; collecting and transmitting real-time data and images obtained via satellites; telecommunications services, namely, cellular personal communication services.”
Back to the All-In podcast, David Friedberg asked Musk: “Could you buy some carriers to acquire more spectrum? Maybe buy Verizon?”
Musk replied: “Not out of the question. I suppose that may happen.”
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/25/2026 – 15:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/spacex-official-reveals-new-details-about-next-gen-cell-service
Court briefs: Split term in shooting, competency evaluation requested in murder case
CALUMET CITY WOMAN GETS 10-YEAR SPLIT TERM IN SHOOTING
A Calumet City woman was sentenced to a 10-year split term Tuesday in a plea deal for shooting up her ex-boyfriend’s mom’s home in Gary.
The mother was shot in the arm.
Zakiya Coats, 28, pleaded guilty in August to battery resulting in serious bodily injury and attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon.
In total, she got four years in prison, three years in Lake County Community Corrections, with the first year in a work release program, and three years of probation.
Gary Police were called May 9, 2023, to the 1200 block of Decatur Street.
The victim said she was in the bedroom and her husband was watching TV around 12:15 a.m. when they heard “strange noises” and “banging” outside. Other kids were elsewhere in the home.
Coats was “busting” out her son’s car windows. As the woman looked through the window, Coats fired a shot near her, according to court records.
The bullet hit her bedroom dresser. Another bullet entered a different bedroom.
They went out briefly and saw their son’s windshield and driver’s window were shattered.
Back inside, the woman’s husband was looking at damage to the other bedroom when he saw the white Dodge Neon return.
“Ay, here comes the car again, everybody get down!” he said.
They heard a second round of shooting.
Her husband pushed her into the bathroom while others crouched down in the hallway. She saw blood on her nightgown and realized she was shot. She called 911. Her husband wrapped her arm and took her to the hospital.
LAWYER ASKS FOR COMPETENCY EVALUATION IN MURDER
A defense lawyer asked for a mental competency evaluation Tuesday for an Indianapolis man charged in a fatal Gary gas station shooting.
Police allege Robert Lee Chandler, Jr., 28, opened fire, killing a woman and wounding another man who was there.
He is charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of aggravated battery, two counts of Level 5 felony unlawful carrying of a handgun, and two misdemeanors. He is also facing a gun enhancement.
Defense lawyer Joe Roberts argued, after a “lengthy” bail hearing and working through the legal case, an insanity defense was the most “appropriate.”
Judge Gina Jones granted the request. His March 30 trial will be reset.
Gary Police responded at 2 a.m. June 29, 2024, to the Citgo gas station, 4901 Melton Road, in the city’s Miller section.
Miracle Roberts, 25, of Gary, was shot in the back. She was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital Northlake. Her death was ruled a homicide.
EAST CHICAGO WOMAN COULD GET PROBATION IN MOLESTING CASE
An East Chicago woman is facing one year’s probation in a decade-old child molesting case.
Stephanie Alvarado, 35, pleaded guilty Feb. 20 to battery on a person under 14 years of age.
A judge would have to accept the plea. A sentencing date hasn’t yet been set.
A hearing was scheduled Wednesday.
The victim told East Chicago Police that Alvarado’s now ex-boyfriend, Andres Guerra, molested her in two separate homes starting when she was 10 or 11, around 2013, which began with Guerra touching her inappropriately as she slept, an affidavit alleges.
Court documents alleged Alvarado later joined in the abuse, which stopped in 2015.
In exchange for her plea, prosecutors agreed to drop the child molesting charges.
Judge Gina Jones declared a mistrial in November after a detective misattributed an answer during his testimony.
Guerra’s lawyer John Cantrell argued previously that the victim made up the accusations after an alleged fist fight with Alvarado on Oct. 30, 2015. Alvarado pleaded guilty in that case and got one year on probation.
Guerra got 80 years after he was convicted at trial.
At sentencing, his wife Mellissa Guerra, a Hammond school board member, said she hoped one day he would be “exonerated.”
Post-Tribune archives contributed. mcolias@post-trib.com
Heidi Stevens: Dissenting Americans keep making lemonade out of Trump’s lemons — including his hockey call
For the first time in history, the USA women’s hockey team and the USA men’s hockey team both won gold at the same Olympic Winter Games.
The men’s team last won gold in 1980, against Finland, shortly after defeating the heavily favored Soviet Union in a match that stunned and sustained a weary nation. The game against the Soviets, which inspired the fantastic movie “Miracle,” happened exactly 46 years — to the day — before the USA men’s team grabbed the gold this year.
If you saw this year’s win, you know it was epic. Team USA beat rival Canada 2-1 in overtime. Jack Hughes gave up a tooth a few minutes before scoring the winning goal, making for the hockey-iest of all hockey photos when he grinned, bloodily, and wrapped himself, literally, in the flag. When it was time for team photos, the players brought the children of hockey player Johnny Gaudreau, killed in 2024 by an alleged drunk driver, onto the ice and posed with Gaudreau’s jersey. A beautiful event, start to finish.
The women’s hockey team also beat rival Canada. Also 2-1. Also in overtime. Also for the gold.
This is the women’s team’s third gold (2026, 2018, 1998), in addition to their four silvers (2002, 2010, 2014, 2022) and one bronze (2006). But women weren’t competing in Olympic hockey the last time the men won gold. So this year was historic on top of historic. Emotional, beautiful, unifying.
Then the president called.
He congratulated the men on their gold and invited them to Tuesday’s State of the Union address and he told them they’d have a lot of fun and he had some additional medals for them. And then he added this: “I must tell you, we’re gonna have to bring the women’s team. You do know that. I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
Hahaha girls are such a buzzkill. But you know, hahaha, gotta pretend they matter!
You’re either appalled by that call or you’re amused by that call. You’re not surprised by that call. Not from the guy who just scolded CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins for not smiling and bragged on tape about grabbing women’s privates and blurted “Quiet, piggy” to a female Bloomberg News reporter aboard Air Force One when she asked him about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Love this shtick or loathe this shtick, you are no longer caught off guard by this shtick. As predictable as ants at a picnic.
Except here’s the thing. Last February, a month after President Trump was inaugurated, he made a big, celebratory deal about championing women’s sports.
“President Donald J. Trump Protects Safety, Fairness, and Dignity in Women’s Sports,” the White House website announced, alongside an early executive order. The president campaigned heavily on his vow to uphold the promise of Title IX and advocate for equal opportunity for women and girls in sports.
Members of the United States’ Olympic hockey team, goalie Connor Hellebuyck in front, attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
The executive order bans “the dangerous and unfair participation of men in women’s sports,” which is how his administration describes trans athletes. The order prohibits transgender female athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports at all levels and threatens to withdraw federal funding from any public elementary, secondary and post-secondary institutions that allows them. (It doesn’t prohibit transgender male athletes from competing on male sports teams.)
A curious use of time and resources, given that transgender athletes make up a miniscule fraction of participants in sports. In December 2024, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified before a Senate panel that he knew of fewer than 10 transgender college student-athletes out of 510,000 athletes total.
But dehumanizing and demonizing trans people was also something the president campaigned heavily on and remains committed to following through on. And if it wasn’t already abundantly clear that none of this was really about “safety, fairness and dignity in women’s sports,” that call made it so.
The president did invite the women’s hockey team to his State of the Union address, and the team declined. (As did five players from the men’s team.)
They’ll find other ways to celebrate. Rapper and winter Olympics hype man Flavor Flav posted on his social channels shortly after the president’s call: “If the USA Women’s Hockey Team wants a real celebration and invite … I’ll host them in Las Vegas. Do some nice dinners and shows and good times. I’m sure I can get a hotel and airline to help me out here and celebrate these women for real for real.”
Cosmopolitan magazine, meanwhile, launched a toll-free 24/7 hotline — 1-800-SHE-WON1 — for fans to leave a congratulatory message for the women’s team. As of Wednesday, they’d heard from senators, activists, coaches and fans around the country.
The country, as divided as it can feel, has a way of making lemonade out of this president’s lemons.
Bad Bunny drew 128.2 million people to his Super Bowl halftime show, the second-most in U.S. history, after the administration’s incessant criticism leading up to the Super Bowl.
Texas Democrat James Talarico raised $2.5 million for his U.S. Senate bid in the 24 hours following the FCC pushing off his “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” appearance from CBS — his largest single fundraising period for the campaign.
I’m not trying to silver-lining a vengeful, spiteful, divisive presidential administration. But I do think it’s worth noting that the American people, bless our souls, tend to rally around the latest object of its ire.
Team USA celebrates after the medal ceremony following the Women’s Gold Medal match between the United States and Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games on Feb. 19, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Maja Hitij/Getty)
Which brings us back to hockey.
Does protecting safety, fairness and dignity in women’s sports include mocking them from the highest office in the land? It does not. Do three gold, four silver and one bronze feel like enough medals for the women’s hockey team to be taken seriously? They do. Would it have been lovely and unifying for the women’s and men’s back-to-back victories to be equally celebrated? It would have.
But sometimes we have to settle for clarity. Maybe, hopefully, on the way toward unity.
Join the Heidi Stevens Balancing Act Facebook group, where she continues the conversation around her columns and hosts occasional live chats.
Twitter @heidistevens13
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/25/heidi-stevens-trump-hockey/
