Federal prosecutors said Tuesday they’re no longer seeking to block release of body-worn camera footage showing the traffic crash in Brighton Park last October that led a Border Patrol agent to shoot Marimar Martinez.

Lawyers for Martinez, who was initially charged with assault, have argued for the video and other evidence in the case should be made available for public scrutiny, particularly after the controversial fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. Martinez is scheduled to give testimony at a forum on the actions of immigration agents in Washington on Tuesday.

Martinez attorney Christopher Parente has argued that despite all charges being dropped against his client in November, the government “continues to prosecute her character in the court of public opinion,” with labels of “domestic terrorist” and other falsehoods still visible on official government websites and social media.

In a response filed just after midnight, prosecutors said they will not oppose the request to lift the protective order on the body cam video, which depicts the moments leading up to the Oct. 4 crash but does not show the shooting itself.

They also agreed to the release of other evidence including interviews of the Border Patrol agent who shot Martinez, Charles Exum, his two partners that day, as well as FBI photographs and reports, Martinez’s 911 call, and FBI reports regarding Martinez’s “custody and medical treatment,” the motion stated.

The U.S. attorney’s office will oppose, however, the release of any text messages Exum sent to co-workers and his wife after the shooting that have not already been made public in previous court hearings, saying they have “no bearing” on Martinez’s efforts to clear her name.

“Indeed, the release of these messages after the charges against Ms. Martinez have been dismissed with prejudice will serve only to further sully Agent Exum, his family, and co-workers without any corresponding benefit to Ms. Martinez based on the stated reasons in her motion,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Bond and Ronald DeWald argued.

Exum testified at a pretrial hearing last year that after the shooting, as news of the incident was making national headlines, he texted a group of other agents that he was “up for another round of “(expletive) around and find out.”

Exum, a 23-year veteran of Border Patrol, also texted the group a link to a news article about the shooting and said, “Read it … I fired 5 shots and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” according to court records.

U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis is set to rule on the release of the materials on Wednesday.

Alexakis shot down a similar request by the Tribune and other media outlets last month, citing what she said was an eleventh-hour attempt to intervene in the case and a lack of standing. Attorneys for the media have since appealed that ruling.

At a hearing last week, however, the judge took the U.S. attorney’s office to task over the federal government’s failure to remove statements on its official web sites and social media branding Martinez as a terrorist with a long history of doxing immigration agents.

“I’m hard-pressed to credit the idea that (the Department of Homeland Security) couldn’t change the narrative around this incident if they set their mind to it,” Alexakis said. “And as far as what I’ve been presented with as well, it’s not just DHS, it’s the FBI director who is also participating in this ongoing narrative.”

Alexakis also noted the government’s failure to correct the record has even seeped into decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, where a dissenting opinion by Justice Samuel Alito used the Martinez incident as an example of the purported dangers faced by immigration agents trying to enforce the laws.

“Did they tell the Supreme Court that in their filings in the Illinois National Guard case?” Alexakis asked DeWald at the hearing last week. “Did they ask the Supreme Court to correct its opinion when Justice Alito represented these facts as found as determined? Did the government do that?”

“I don’t believe so, your honor,” DeWald replied.

“Okay. And yet you still think that there is good cause here for the government to maintain a blanket protective order?” Alexakis said.

In the charges filed a day after the incident, prosecutors alleged Martinez was part of a convoy of civilians who were following agents on Oct. 4 when she rammed Exum’s vehicle near 39th Street and Kedzie Avenue, prompting Exum to jump out of his Chevrolet Tahoe and fire five shots, wounding Martinez seven times.

Martinez’s attorneys argued it was Exum who sideswiped Martinez 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.

Prosecutors dropped all charges against Martinez and a co-defendant, Anthony Ruiz, just 15 days after Exum’s disastrous admissions.

It’s since been revealed in court that Martinez’s 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.

In his court testimony Nov. 5, Exum, who is based in Maine, described the circle of fellow agents he chatted with as a sort of support group for “relieving stress.”

And what did you mean by ‘Read it. 5 shots?’” asked Parente. “Why are you pointing that fact out?”

“I’m a firearms instructor,” Exum answered. “And I take pride in my shooting skills.”

“You take pride in your shooting skills?” Parente clarified.

“That is correct,” Exum said.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/border-patrol-bodycam-video-marimar-martinez/ 

‘Turnaround Tuesday’?: FundStrat’s Lee Says “All The Pieces Are In Place For Crypto To Be Bottoming”

Tyler Durden
Tue, 02/03/2026 – 10:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/turnaround-tuesday-fundstrats-lee-says-all-pieces-are-place-crypto-be-bottoming 

WASHINGTON — Don’t tune into the Super Bowl hoping for a break from the tumultuous politics gripping the U.S.

The NFL is facing pressure ahead of Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots to take a more explicit stance against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. More than 184,000 people have signed a petition calling on the league to denounce the potential presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Super Bowl, which is being held at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. The liberal group MoveOn plans to deliver the petition to the NFL’s New York City headquarters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, anticipation is building around how Bad Bunny, the halftime show’s Spanish-speaking headliner, will address the moment. He has criticized President Donald Trump on everything from his hurricane response in his native Puerto Rico to his treatment of immigrants. On Sunday night, he blasted ICE while accepting an award at the Grammys. His latest tour skipped the continental U.S. because of fears that his fans could be targeted by immigration agents.

Trump has said he doesn’t plan to attend this year’s game, unlike last year, and he has derided Bad Bunny as a “terrible choice.” A Republican senator is calling it “the woke bowl.” And a prominent conservative group plans to hold an alternative show that it hopes will steal attention from the main event.

The Super Bowl is one of the few remaining cultural touchstones viewed by millions of people in real time and the halftime show is no stranger to controversy, perhaps most notably Janet Jackson’s 2004 performance in which her breast was briefly exposed. But there are few parallels to this year’s game, which has the potential to become an unusual mix of sports, entertainment, politics and protest. And it will unfold at a tinderbox moment for the U.S., just two weeks after Alex Pretti’s killing by federal agents in Minneapolis reignited a national debate over the Trump administration’s hard-line law enforcement tactics.

“The Super Bowl is supposed to be an escape, right? We’re supposed to go there to not have to talk about the serious things of this country,” said Tiki Barber, a former player for the New York Giants who played in the Super Bowl in 2001 and has since attended several as a commentator. “I hope it doesn’t devolve, because if it does, then I think we’re really losing touch with what’s important in our society.”

Bad Bunny has leaned into the controversy

Bad Bunny performs during “No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí; Una Más” Residencia at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on Sept. 20, 2025, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gladys Vega/Getty Images)

The 31-year-old Bad Bunny, born in Puerto Rico as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has elevated Latino music into the mainstream and gained global fame with songs almost entirely in Spanish — something that irks many of his conservative detractors. He has leaned into the controversy, referring to the halftime show when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” in October by joking “everybody is happy about it — even Fox News.”

He segued into a few sentences in Spanish, expressing Latino pride in the achievement, and finished by saying in English, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!”

Those who follow him closely doubt that he’ll back down now.

“He has made it very clear what he stands for,” said Vanessa Díaz, a professor at Loyola Marymount University and co-author of “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.” “So I can’t imagine that this would all go away with the Super Bowl.”

How the Super Bowl halftime show evolved from pageantry to pop culture’s biggest stage

The halftime show is a collaboration between the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music. Roc Nation curates the performers and Apple Music distributes the performance while the NFL ultimately controls the stage, broadcast and branding.

The NFL, which is working to expand its appeal across the world, including into Latin America, said it never considered removing Bad Bunny from the halftime show even after criticism from Trump and some of his supporters.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday described the singer as “one of the great artists in the world,” as well as someone who understands the power of the Super Bowl performance “to unite people and to be able to bring people together.”

“I think artists in the past have done that. I think Bad Bunny understands that. And I think you’ll have a great performance,” Goodell told reporters during his annual Super Bowl press conference.

About half of Americans approved of Bad Bunny as the halftime performer, according to an October poll from Quinnipiac University. But there were substantial gaps with about three-quarters of Democrats backing the pick compared to just 16% of Republicans. About 60% of Black and Hispanic adults approved of the selection compared to 41% of whites.

Republicans are eager to maintain Latino support in their bid to keep control of Congress. But as the Super Bowl draws near, many in the GOP have kept up their Bad Bunny critiques.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, the former head football coach at Auburn University who is now running for governor, derided the “Woke Bowl” on Newsmax last week and said he’ll watch an alternative event hosted by Turning Point USA.

The group founded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk said Monday that Kid Rock, a vocal Trump supporter, would be among the performers at its event.

DHS won’t say whether immigration agents will be at Super Bowl

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House on Feb. 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

In recent days, Department of Homeland Security official Jeff Brannigan hosted a series of private calls with local officials and the NFL in which he indicated that ICE does not plan to conduct any law enforcement actions the week of the Super Bowl or at the game, according to two NFL officials with direct knowledge of the conversations.

ICE is not expected to be among more than a dozen DHS-related agencies providing security at the game, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

While that is the plan, some worry that Trump and his MAGA allies who lead DHS can change their minds ahead of Sunday’s game given their recent statements.

DHS official Corey Lewandowski, a key adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, said in October that ICE agents would be conducting immigration enforcement at the game.

“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in the country illegally, not the Super Bowl, not anywhere else,” he said at the time.

Asked to clarify ICE’s role this week, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin refused to say whether federal immigration agents will be present for the Super Bowl.

“Those who are here legally and not breaking other laws have nothing to fear,” she said. “We will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel. Super Bowl security will entail a whole-of-government response conducted in line with the U.S. Constitution.”

The progressive group MoveOn will host a Tuesday rally outside the NFL headquarters in New York to present a petition telling the league, “No ICE at the Super Bowl.”

“This year’s Super Bowl should be remembered for big plays and Bad Bunny, not masked and armed ICE agents running around the stadium inflicting chaos, violence, and trauma on fans and stadium workers,” MoveOn spokesperson Britt Jacovich said. “The NFL can’t stay on the sidelines, the league has a responsibility to act like adults, protect Super Bowl fans and stadium workers, and keep ICE out of the game.”

In an interview, San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie was optimistic that the event would be a success even in a politically tense climate.

“We are going to keep everybody safe — our residents, our visitors,” he said. “Obviously with everything going on, we’re staying on top of it, monitoring everything. But I expect everything to be safe and fun.”

Peoples reported from New York.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/super-bowl-bad-bunny-ice-donald-trump/ 

More than 200 current and former Park Forest residents crowded their way into the village’s Freedom Hall auditorium Saturday to view a 90-minute documentary about the community’s integration efforts.

Produced by former resident Phil Rockrohr, “Revisiting Utopia” tracked the village’s efforts from its first Black resident to a sometimes contentious merger of students from Park Forest and Chicago Heights to the success of an “integration maintenance” program.

Rockrohr, who grew up in Park Forest, said he has worked on the project since 2014, when he first asked himself whether he correctly recalled the relationships between races.

“Was racial harmony in Park Forest as real as I remembered it,” he said.

With the screening in Park Forest, Rockrohr now hopes to broaden his audience with presentations at documentary film festivals throughout the country.

The documentary included interviews with some 75 people who either grew up in the village during its early years or were part of a later effort to maintain a peaceful community, and included the once touchy plan by Park Forest-Chicago Heights Elementary District 163 to integrate the predominantly white grade school in Park Forest with a primarily Black school in the Beacon Hills area of Chicago Heights.

Rockrohr used both sides of this visual coin, telling of groundwork done by the late Harry Teshima to bring Black residents into the community and tales of lasting friendships with stories of insults thrown at Black students.

It was the plan of then assistant village manager Don DeMarco to level the village housing pattern by developing his maintenance plan of dispersing new, predominantly Black residents throughout the community that stabilized the community.

The documentary included the story of the first Black family, that of DePaul University professor Charles Z. Wilson, who moved to a house on Wilshire Avenue Dec. 24, 1959, and included a small item from the Time Magazine that Ethel Klutznick, wife of the village founder Phillip Klutnick, baked a cake for the family.

Some 22 years after the Wilsons arrived, Ron Bean was elected the first Black mayor of Park Forest in 1981.

Along with technical and camera crew, Rockrohr relied on information from the Park Forest Historical Society, including stories from the now defunct Park Forest Star to underline events.

At various times throughout the showing, members of the audience could be heard commenting about scenes and faces on the screen. Rockrohr said he was thrilled with the audience comment and its enthusiastic response.

Jerry Shnay is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/column-premiere-park-forest-documentary/ 

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn is “confident” she can compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics beginning this week despite the left knee injury she sustained in a crash four days ago.

Vonn said on Tuesday she “completely ruptured” her ACL and has bone bruising, “plus meniscal damage.” But after three days of physical therapy and consultations with doctors, Vonn went skiing on Tuesday with a brace on her knee.

“It feels stable, it feels strong,” she said, adding she was “confident” to race. “I will do everything in my power to be in the starting gate.”

Vonn crashed in a downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. After skiing down to the bottom of the course, she was airlifted away for medical attention.

Vonn, a 41-year-old American, was expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Winter Games, which start Friday with the opening ceremony. Her first race comes two days later in the women’s downhill on Sunday. Then Vonn was also planning on competing in super-G and the new team combined event.

The opening women’s downhill training session is scheduled for Thursday.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/lindsey-vonn-olympics-acl-injury/ 

Por COLLEEN BARRY

MILÁN (AP) — Los Juegos de Invierno de Milán-Cortina son los más dispersos en la historia olímpica.

Para los organizadores de las justas, del 6 al 22 de febrero, fue una elección utilizar la infraestructura existente tanto como fuera posible, pero esto significa que no hay un centro absoluto y se requieren elecciones estratégicas para los espectadores. Los Juegos se extenderán por más de 22.000 kilómetros cuadrados (8.500 millas cuadradas).

Esto es lo que significa en términos prácticos.

Elecciones y estrategias

Para cualquier visitante de los Juegos, sería extraordinariamente difícil presenciar deportes de hielo en Milán, esquí alpino masculino en Bormio, snowboard en Livigno, esquí de fondo en Predazzo, biatlón en Anterselva y esquí alpino femenino en Cortina, antes de dirigirse a la ceremonia de clausura en Verona.

Es un circuito que cubre más de 850 kilómetros (530 millas) y equivaldría a casi 13 horas de conducción sin parar.

Los organizadores buscaron aprovechar la infraestructura existente, pero aún han tenido contratiempos para terminar a tiempo la sede de las competencias de deslizamiento en Cortina y la arena de hockey sobre hielo Santagiulia en la ciudad de Milán.

Dispersar los Juegos redujo el número de nuevas estructuras y permitió que más áreas en el norte de Italia se beneficiaran de las inversiones y el turismo que acompañan a eventos tan grandes.

Pero también priva a los Juegos de un centro emocional, lo que significa que los espectadores deben tomar decisiones difíciles sobre qué eventos asistir, y los atletas tendrán dificultades para animar a sus compañeros de equipo en disciplinas distantes.

Itinerario complejo

Mona Patel, una abogada de Los Ángeles, y su pareja planificaron un itinerario con meses de anticipación para asistir al esquí alpino masculino y al snowboard en Valtellina cerca de la frontera suiza, así como al bobsleigh y al luge en Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Esperan asistir a eventos de patinaje en Milán al entrar y salir de Italia. Si logran hacerlo todo, habrán visitado tres de las cuatro congregaciones olímpicos.

Para que funcione, reservaron un alojamiento en Valtellina y otro en Tirol del Sur, lo que les permite estar cerca de sus eventos de montaña seleccionados y disfrutar de las pistas ellos mismos.

Patel dijo que el complejo itinerario fue asequible gracias a HomeExchange: utilizó puntos que había acumulado al poner su propia propiedad en California en la plataforma de intercambio y gastarlos en lugares en Italia.

“Nuestra prioridad es ver eventos olímpicos”, dijo Patel. “Si va a haber un día de nieve, nos encantaría salir. A veces, si hay un evento por la tarde o por la noche, podemos hacer ambas cosas. No nos intimidan las distancias”.

Experiencia familiar

Estos serán los sextos Juegos Olímpicos de Lars Thorn, pero el primero para su esposa y sus dos hijos pequeños. Procedente del sur de California, descartó las competiciones al aire libre debido al clima frío y decidió centrarse en los deportes de hielo en Milán. La distancia fue otro factor, aunque lamenta perderse a Lindsey Vonn, quien aún espera competir en Cortina a pesar de una lesión de rodilla el fin de semana.

“Con dos niños pequeños, estar afuera en los elementos no se presta a una experiencia familiar”, dijo Thorn.

Planea llevar a su hijo de cinco años a las competencias de patinaje de velocidad y a los partidos de hockey masculino y femenino, todos accesibles por transporte público en Milán, mientras su esposa e hija disfrutan de los lugares de interés de Milán.

Sus próximos Juegos Olímpicos estarán cerca de casa en Los Ángeles, donde podrá caminar a cuatro sedes desde su hogar y llegar a otras siete con un rápido viaje en ferry, un contraste logístico con Milán-Cortina.

Los primeros Juegos Olímpicos con dos ciudades centrales

Los protagonistas de la ceremonia de apertura del viernes, como Mariah Carey y Andrea Bocelli, actuarán en el estadio San Siro de Milán. Pero para asegurar que todos los competidores de los lugares lejanos puedan participar en el Desfile de los Atletas, elementos de la ceremonia se transmitirán desde Livigno, Predazzo y Cortina.

Dado que son los primeros Juegos Olímpicos con dos ciudades centrales y con eventos agrupados en cuatro áreas, los organizadores también tuvieron que encontrar alojamiento no solo en Milán y Cortina, sino en otros cuatro sitios: Anterselva cerca de la frontera austriaca, Bormio y Livigno cerca de la frontera suiza, y el Val di Fiemme en la provincia autónoma de Trentino.

Milán es la única ciudad que tendrá una Villa Olímpica que se convertirá en viviendas para 1.700 estudiantes después de los Juegos. Se construyó una villa temporal en Cortina. Se adaptaron hoteles y instalaciones existentes en las otras ubicaciones.

La última vez que Italia fue sede de los Juegos de Invierno, en Turín 2006, los espectadores hablaban con entusiasmo de la ceremonia de medallas cada día en el centro de la ciudad, que se convirtió en un punto focal del espíritu olímpico. Debido a las distancias, las ceremonias de medallas en Milán-Cortina se llevarán a cabo en los lugares inmediatamente después de las competiciones.

“Si tienes entradas para un evento, es agradable ver la coronación del campeón”, dijo Thorn. Pero agregó que la Plaza Olímpica en Salt Lake City, al igual que en Turín, creó un “ambiente único”.

“Eso, creo, es uno de los aspectos más destacados, para que la ciudad sienta que es parte de ello”, remarcó.

___

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/miln-cortina-los-juegos-olmpicos-ms-dispersos-de-la-historia-y-su-impacto-en-fans-y-atletas/ 

Lake Zurich, Waukegan and Grayslake Central all move up in the rankings, and Wauconda’s Avery Geoghan is the player of the week.

TOP 10

With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses.

1. Libertyville 19-5 (1)

KateRyan Castro amps up her defense for the Wildcats, using her speed and athleticism to guard top scorers.

2. Lake Zurich 18-9 (3)

Addison Leonard’s outstanding defense against Libertyville star Lily Fisher sparks the Bears, who surge to the top of the North Suburban Conference.

3. Carmel 18-8 (2)

Josie Hartman scores 19 points in the Corsairs’ East Suburban Catholic Conference loss to Nazareth, which is ranked No. 3 in Class 4A.

4. Vernon Hills 19-5 (4)

Emily Ochieng records eight points and nine rebounds as the Cougars beat Maine West to clinch the Central Suburban League North title.

5. Wauconda 21-1 (5)

Becoming a consistent scorer, Alessandra Rodriguez compiles 10 points, four rebounds and two steals in the Northern Lake County Conference leader’s win over Grant.

6. Waukegan 18-8 (7)

Alexy Chapa averages 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals in the Bulldogs’ past three wins.

7. Grayslake Central 15-9 (8)

Lauren Anguilm provides solid minutes in the post for the Rams, averaging 3.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in three wins.

8. Mundelein 17-11 (6)

Madalyn Gardner is doing all the little things to take pressure off Western Michigan recruit Casey Vyverman.

9. Highland Park 13-9 (9)

Lea Wilhelmsen establishes herself as a strong presence in the paint for the Giants, scoring in double figures in multiple games in January.

10. Lake Forest 13-11 (10)

Annie Acello records a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Scouts’ NSC loss to Lake Zurich.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Junior guard Avery Geoghan averages 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in Wauconda’s Northern Lake County Conference wins against Grant and Grayslake North.

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/lake-county-high-school-girls-basketball-rankings-player-of-the-week-4/ 

MILAN — The troubled Caribbean country, Haiti, has fielded two athletes for the Milan Cortina Winter Games, and they will proudly wear Haitian symbols — although one less than intended after intervention by the International Olympic Committee.

The skiers will compete in uniforms designed by Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean that originally featured an image of Toussaint Louverture, the former slave who led a revolution that created the world’s first Black republic in 1804. The IOC ruled that the image violated Olympic rules barring political symbolism, requiring Jean to come up with a creative solution: painting over the nation’s founding father.

Even so, competing on the elite global stage for winter sport is a powerful message of resilience from a tropical nation that has weathered so much tragedy. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, gangs have grown in power. They now control 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and there has been a surge in rapes, killings and the recruitment of children by armed gangs.

Jean gave The Associated Press an exclusive sneak peek of the uniforms at the Haitian Embassy in Rome.

“Haiti’s presence at Winter Olympics is a symbol, is a statement, not a coincidence,” Haiti’s ambassador to Italy, Gandy Thomas, told the AP. “We may not be a winter country, but we are a nation that refuses to be confined by expectation. … Absence is the most dangerous form of erasing.”

Riderless horse

Jean, who designed Haiti’s uniforms for the 2024 Paris Games, this time took inspiration from a painting of Louverture astride a red horse by Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié.

The IOC didn’t respond to the AP’s request for comment on Monday regarding why this image of the patriot was deemed a violation. But the Olympic Charter — the book of rules and protocol for the Games and Olympic sports bodies — binds the national Olympic committees to staying neutral in political matters. No demonstration of political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic site or venue.

To resolve the issue, Jean engaged Italian artisans to paint out the imposing figure, leaving a nonetheless dramatic image of a charging red horse against a lush tropical background. On its back, “Haiti” is written against an azure sky.

“Rules are rules and must be respected, and that is what we have done,’’ Jean told the AP at the embassy. “But for us, it is important that this horse, his horse, the general’s horse, remains. For us, it remains the symbol of Haiti’s presence at the Olympics.’’

Jean also created a look for women in the delegation. It features golden hoop earrings and a Haitian tignon, or turban, which women were once forced to wear by colonial masters to cover their hair so it wouldn’t upstage that of the colonizers.

“We know that in these few meters of cloth, in this uniform, we must concentrate all of history and a message,” Jean said.

Haiti’s athletes

Haiti’s path to the Winter Games traces its roots to the creation of its ski federation, on a wave of empathy after its devastating 2010 earthquake. The federation now counts seven athletes, two of whom who will compete in Jean’s kit at the Olympics. Both receive financial support through the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity program to help with costs for training, equipment and travel to qualification events.

Related Articles

Richardson Viano, 23, became Haiti’s first Winter Olympian at the 2022 Beijing Games, finishing 34th in the men’s slalom.

Adopted by an Italian family in France at age 3, he initially skied for France before being approached by the Haitian Ski Federation — an organization he didn’t even know existed — and obtaining a Haitian passport. He said competing on the slopes offers a rare chance to challenge Haiti’s downtrodden reputation.

“When you talk about Haiti it is in catastrophic terms. … This is a way to find something nice,” he said by phone from Bosnia, where he was competing in pre-Games races.

The Haitian team also includes 25-year-old Stevenson Savart, the country’s first Olympic cross-country skier.

Adopted by a French family at age 3, Savart turned to Haiti after failing to qualify for France, and is fulfilling a lifelong dream.

“I am very proud that I can do that for Haiti,” Savart said by phone from his training base in France, acknowledging he expects to finish well behind the leaders in the men’s 20-kilometer skiathlon. But wearing Haiti’s uniform when he competes in Predazzo will be a powerful motivator.

“Having Haiti visible will give me even more energy,” he said.

Message of resilience

Ambassador Thomas said he expects the story of Viano and Savart to resonate both at home and among the Haitian diaspora, despite ongoing hardship and political uncertainty back home — or perhaps because of it.

Cathleen Jeanty, a Haitian-American from New Jersey, said that she knows very little about winter sports, but will be tuning in to watch Haiti’s two athletes compete. Just like her, they grew up outside the country, but still feel connected.

“People who maybe don’t come from underrepresented communities, they don’t realize how important the cultural capital is to be able to stand elbow to elbow with your peers,” said Jeanty, 32.

Francesco Sportelli in Rome, and Graham Dunbar in Milan, contributed to this report

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/haiti-ioc-removes-toussaint-louverture/ 

Oswego’s Little White School Museum will host a special presentation called “The History of Fermilab” starting at noon on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the museum at 72 Polk St. in Oswego.

The presentation by Fermilab archivist Valerie J. Higgins will give participants a brief overview of the Batavia-based Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory’s history from its founding in 1967 to the present day, museum officials said.

Saturday’s program will cover key aspects of the lab’s organization, the village of Weston that once occupied part of the site, science, art and the lab’s natural areas, including Fermilab’s prairie restoration and growing bison herd, museum officials said.

Following the presentation, Higgins will host a question and answer session, event organizers said.

“The history of Fermilab, a lab of international renown, is absolutely fascinating,” said Little White School Museum Director Roger Matile in a press release. “It may be the only place in the world where subatomic particles like bosons share space with American bison.”

There is a fee of $5 to attend the event. While walk-ins are welcome, advance registration is available by going to the museum’s registration page at https://littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org/event/the-history-of-fermilab/.

Proceeds from the presentation will directly benefit the museum’s mission to preserve and protect the history and heritage of the Oswego area, according to museum officials.

For more information, call the museum at 630-554-2999, send an email to director@littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org or go to the museum’s web page at www.littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org.

Yorkville Sons of American Legion plan breakfast fundraiser

The Yorkville Sons of The American Legion will hold its monthly breakfast fundraiser from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Yorkville American Legion, 9054 E. Veterans Parkway in Yorkville.

The buffet at the event, which is open to the public, will consist of biscuits and gravy, pancakes, scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, tomato juice, orange juice, milk, coffee and an omelet station.

The cost to attend the breakfast is $12 for adults 18 to 54 years old, $10 for those 55 years old and older and $8 for those 6 to 17 years old. Those 5 years old and younger get in for free.

Health and Wellness Expo scheduled

The West Suburban Health and Wellness Expo, presented by ABC Communications Inc., will be held from 5 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Sandman Sleep, 4400 McCoy Drive in Aurora, organizers said.

The free event, which is open to the public, will feature a variety of health and wellness experts, organizers said in a press release.

“Although many people want to improve their physical, mental and emotional health, they are often unsure who to turn to for help and how to best embark on their own journey. This expo will encourage and incentivize them with excellent advice and direction,” says Candice Kuhnen, founder of ABC Communications Inc.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/program-at-oswego-museum-to-delve-into-history-of-fermilab/ 

Pepsi Cuts Some Prices As Much As 15% As K-Shaped Economy Squeezes Consumers

Tyler Durden
Tue, 02/03/2026 – 10:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/pepsi-cuts-doritos-prices-k-shaped-economy-squeezes-working-poor-consumers