Donning facial hair, bowler hats and narrow ties, a group of women costumed as men appear to pay court to the woman seated in the center of this photo, taken about 1905. Some of them appear to be enjoying a smoke. Although the reason for the masquerade isn’t known, the photographer did take down the names of his subjects for posterity. They are, from right, Hattie Unger Bittner, Ellenore Otterpohl Morgan, Amanda Rippberger, Edith Rassweiler Piper, Grace Shafer Reynolds, Rilla Calligan and Sarah Wellner.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/naperville-photo-women-dressed-men-historical/ 

Chesterton

Liberty Bible Church: 824 North Calumet Ave. — Liberty Bible Church has Faithful Fitness for women on Mondays and Fridays. Faithful Fitness is an exercise class for women with two different courses offered — basic and modified. The cost is $2 per class. For more information, call 219-878-8700.

Crown Point

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church: 99 S County Line Rd. — Cross of Christ Lutheran Church will have a dad-daughter/mom-son dinner dance at 5 p.m. Feb. 7. The evening will feature dinner, dessert and dancing. For more information, call 219-988-3650.

Bethel Church: 10202 Broadway — Bethel will have Camp Sunday 2026 on Feb. 1 during Sunday service times. Twin Lakes Camp will be at the church with a table in the Commons to give attendees information about their summer programs and high school staff opportunities. Additionally, the church’s Rise Up 2026 event will be held at Miracle Camp in Lawton, Michigan. The winter retreat is open to middle and high school students. For more information, call 219-663-9200 or visit https://bethelweb.org/events?sapurl=Lys4ZWE4L2xiL2V2LytjZjg3NmhnP2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZSZyZWNlbnRSb3V0ZT1hcHAud2ViLWFwcC5saWJyYXJ5LmNhbGVuZGFyJnJlY2VudFJvdXRlU2x1Zz0lMkJqcDh5dnJr.

 Dyer

Faith Church: 100 W 81st Ave. — Faith Church Dyer will host “FUSION” at 7 p.m. Feb. 6, featuring keynote speaker author John O’Leary. John will discuss his story, which is a testimony of hope, faith and living with purpose. Tickets are $17.85 and available for purchase on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fusion-hosts-john-oleary-tickets-1712180872079.

Additionally, a 13-week GriefShare support program will be held at Faith Church Dyer from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday starting Feb. 9 through May 4. Griefshare intends to help attendees recognize patterns of grief, understand signs of healing and experience renewed connection with God while navigating a deeply personal journey. The GriefShare will also be held at Cedar Lake and Highland campuses. For more information on the program and the times and dates for other campuses, visit https://wearefaith.org/event/griefshare/.

Gary

Marquette Park United Methodist Church: 215 N Grand Blvd. — All are welcome to worship at 11:15 a.m. Sundays at Marquette Park United Methodist Church. There will be refreshments to follow in the Fellowship Hall.

Miracle Temple Church:  4709 East 13th Ave. — Miracle Temple Church will have a “Forever My Valentine” parent & child ball at 6 p.m. Feb. 6. Tickets for one adult and one child are $28.52. Tickets for extra children are available for $12.51. For more information or to get tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forever-my-valentine-parent-child-ball-tickets-1979630611449.

Hammond

Faith United Church of Christ: 3030 175th St. — Faith United Church of Christ holds its worship service at 10 a.m. on Sundays, followed by fellowship and coffee.

Saint Joseph Catholic Church: 5304 Hohman Ave. — Saint Joseph Catholic Church will have “Donut Sunday” on the last Sunday of every month after the 9 a.m. Mass. Free coffee and donuts are provided at the church hall.

Highland

Faith Church: 8910 Grace St. — Faith Church Highland will have a “No Regrets” men’s conference from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 7. The event will feature multiple seminar options for attendees to pick from. Learn more about this conference at noregretsconference.org and register online here: https://wearefaith.org/noregrets/.

Munster

Faith Church Munster: 8411 Columbia Ave. — Faith Church Munster will have “Alpha” for anyone who wants to investigate questions about the existence of God, the purpose of life, the afterlife and the claims of Jesus. People from all backgrounds, religions and viewpoints are welcome to join. Alpha will be held at the Munster campus from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday from Feb. 4 to April 8. To register, visit https://wearefaith.org/event/alpha/.

St. Thomas More Knights of Columbus: 8501 Calumet Ave. — St. Thomas More will have a Lenten Fish Fry in collaboration with Byway Brewing from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 20. Tickets for beer-battered cod, baked cod or shrimp dinner, fish & shrimp combo dinner, half portion dinner, and mac & cheese can be purchased in advance at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-lenten-fish-fry.

Valparaiso

St. Paul Catholic Church: 1855 Harrison Blvd. — St. Paul Catholic Church will have a “Embrace: Retreat for Married and Engaged Couples” on February 14 with guest speakers Chris and Linda Padgett. The retreat will include interactive talks, personal time for couples’ reflection and discussion, a continental breakfast and catered lunch, and adoration with a special blessing for the couples. The cost is $120. For more information, visit: https://dcgary.org/couples-retreat.

To submit worship news, email cnance@post-trib.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/worship-news-grief-support-parent-child-dances-fish-fry-and-more/ 

Trump’s Gunboat Diplomacy Targets Cuba’s Oil Lifeline, Puts Suppliers In Crosshairs

Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/30/2026 – 11:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trumps-gunboat-diplomacy-targets-cubas-oil-lifeline-puts-suppliers-crosshairs 

A Harvey spokesperson said Friday Mayor Christopher Clark has died.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Mayor’s family, loved ones, and all members of the Harvey community during this difficult time,” the city said in a statement issued Friday morning.

The spokesperson said no other details are available at this time and that the family has requested privacy.

Clark was first elected as mayor of Harvey in 2019, and reelected in 2023.

“City services and operations remain in place, and the City continues to serve residents without interruption,” the city’s statement said.

A special City Council meeting will be held to select a mayor pro tempore, the spokesperson said.

Clark did not attend a City Council Jan. 12, the first held in two months. A City Council meeting scheduled for this past Monday was canceled that afternoon.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/harvey-mayor-christopher-clark-died/ 

The Broadway singer and actress Patti LuPone appears in concert at the Auditorium Theatre on Saturday. She spoke with the Tribune about her show, “Matters of the Heart,” in a telephone interview. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: Pack your warm underwear. It’s cold in Chicago.

A: I can’t wait to show up. It will remind me of when I worked with the St. Nicholas Theatre. We had to walk to the theater.

Q: Ah, yes. In 1977. When you worked with David Mamet on “The Woods” in Lincoln Park.

A: David Mamet wasn’t David Mamet yet. But I wear that St. Nicholas cap extremely proudly. I remember walking with him in New York after that, and we both looked up and saw his name on a Broadway marquee. That was when he realized what was going on.

I’ve said this before, but David taught me more about acting than all my years at Juilliard. He is very musical in his ideas, you know, and when I am a long run on Broadway, what I learned from him still is very helpful.

Q: So, the 25th anniversary tour of “Matters of the Heart”?

A: I am a slow learner when it comes to these matters. A lot of the songs I like to sing are dialogue songs, and I find they resonate more deeply than they did 25 years ago. I think I was a little overwhelmed back then. Now I’ve been married longer than we’ve been doing this show, and I feel like we gain a little wisdom over time.

Q: Nice to have John Weidman writing your material, Scott Wittman as your director and Joseph Thalken as your musical director.  Rare for this kind of show now.

A: We’ve all been doing these concert shows together for years.

Q: So, the set list has not changed much?

A: When we first did the show, I didn’t want to sing show tunes. I wanted to do songs by Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman and Steve Sondheim. We’ve not really switched anything out. We’ve had to lower the keys in songs by a half step, and in a couple a full step, from 25 years ago, but they now sit better on my voice. I don’t feel removed from the story of love. Because of those 25 years of experience, I feel better able to express it.

Q: On the road again and needing to do interviews like this in many cities: Surely a drag?

A: I’m out for five and a half weeks doing the show. Chicago, West Coast and Carnegie Hall. You might say I am relying on my training but it’s not a drag at all. With you, with Chicago, I have a history. Some of the people who interview me are not prepared. When they ask me to tell them about my songs, I just want to hang up.

Q: Two dozen love songs.

A: What is our world now if we don’t have love? I could cry.

7:30 p.m. Saturday at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets from $59.81 at auditoriumtheatre.org

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/patti-lupone-auditorium-theatre/ 

Watch: Gutfeld Explodes On Leftist Co-Host Over Hypocrisy On Illegal Immigrant Victims

Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/30/2026 – 11:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-gutfeld-explodes-leftist-co-host-over-hypocrisy-illegal-immigrant-victims 

A substitute teacher recently fired by the Chicago Archdiocese was arrested in Orland Park and charged with felony sexual assault.

Orland Park police said in a news release that Brett Smith, 43, engaged in sexual contact with a juvenile. Police said they began investigating Smith after parents of the child Smith was tutoring under the alias BJ S. McAuliffe became concerned when the name for a requested bank payment appeared as Brett Smith.

The archdiocese listed several names the teacher has used in the past, including Brett Zagorac before legally changing his name. The Tribune previously outlined numerous charges and accusations against Zagorac.

“The parents conducted an online search of Brett Smith, also known as Brett Zagorac, and located publicly available news articles and videos from other states referencing prior allegations involving children,” Orland Park police said. “The parents then contacted the Orland Park Police Department, prompting a criminal investigation.”

Police said Smith changed his name from Brett Zagorac and used aliases including BJ S., BJ Smith and BJ S. McAuliffe when advertising private tutoring services on social media.

Smith was hired by the archdiocese in 2024, having passed background and fingerprint checks, and worked at at least four schools on the South Side of Chicago and in the south suburbs over the past 16 months. He started substitute teaching at Queen of Martyrs Catholic School in Evergreen Park earlier this month.

The archdiocese said it was not aware of any allegations of sexual misconduct while Smith worked at its Catholic schools. A parent of a student at Queen of Martyrs made the archdiocese aware of past allegations, the archdiocese said.

“Upon learning these allegations, we took immediate action to bar him from our schools and he has been terminated,” said the letter, signed by the superintendent of schools, Greg Richmond, and Leah Heffernan, director of the archdiocese’s office for the protection of children and youth

Zagorac was charged in 2002 with two counts of misdemeanor battery in Lake County, Indiana, for inappropriately touching two students while he was working at Peifer Elementary School in Schererville. He was convicted a year later and sentenced to 90 days in jail, fined $250 and placed on one year of probation, according to the Post-Tribune.

While working as a substitute teacher at Edison Elementary School in Hammond in 2005, Zagorac was charged with child molestation for allegedly touching an 8-year-old boy inappropriately two years earlier, according to the Post-Tribune. Police reported that Zagorac touched the student’s rear, put his hand under his shirt and rubbed his back and fondled him outside his clothing after calling him up to the teacher’s desk to talk about an assignment.

The first trial ended in a mistrial, and the charges were later dropped after the victim’s mother said the boy was ill and afraid to come to court to testify, the Post-Tribune reported.

Zagorac was fired from substitute teaching jobs in Naperville District 203, Hinsdale District 181 and Schaumburg District 54 in 2005, after the districts realized their background checks did not extend beyond Illinois’ borders, according to the Naperville Sun.

He was accused of inappropriately touching or taking an unusual interest in at least seven preteen students within a three-year period working within District 203, though Naperville police at the time said no complaints had been filed locally.

He was later charged with criminal sexual abuse and battery of 13 elementary school students in Naperville and Downers Grove. On the day he was supposed to go to trial in 2007, he pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor battery charge involving a child and was sentenced to 20 days in the DuPage County Jail and fined $250, according to the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

He served just half of his sentence, the Naperville Sun reported, and Assistant DuPage County State’s Attorney Jeff Muntz said at the time he did not have to register as a sex offender.

Zagorac’s arrest record was expunged erroneously from the FBI National Crime Information Center computer in 2009, according to the Post-Tribune, after defense attorney Christopher Schmidgall filed a petition for the expungement. Lake Superior Court Judge pro tem Susan Severtson, acting on the recommendation of Magistrate Natalie Bokota, directed authorities to reconstruct his arrest record.

Zagorac was convicted of misdemeanor battery again in 2010 for inappropriately touching a 5-year-old student he was tutoring in Portage, Indiana, in 2009. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail but was released at the time because he had already served 184 days while awaiting trial on the original charges of felony child molestation, according to the Post-Tribune.

In 2015, he pleaded guilty to battery, aggravated sexual abuse and grooming in Wilmette, though the Cook County court records remain sealed. According to the Post-Tribune, he was working as a tutor and babysitter at the time, and was accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy in 2014.

After the child’s parents learned about the man’s background, police said, the boy disclosed the incident to his parents. Police said the man used several aliases, one of which he provided to the family.

ostevens@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/chicago-archdiocese-teacher-orland-park-sexual-assault/ 

Content oversight provided by Studio 1847

Worth is often spoken of as something a woman possesses — or doesn’t. But according to author and women’s empowerment leader Debbie Widhalm, worth is not a trait bestowed by circumstance, approval or success. It is a choice — one that must be made again and again, often in the face of pain, silence and systemic discouragement.

Widhalm, the author of “No More Silence” and founder of Women of Worth (WOW), has spent years working with women whose lives were shaped by abuse, marginalization, loss or invisibility. Through that work, she has arrived at a conviction that challenges both cultural assumptions and self-help clichés: Living as a woman of worth is not something that happens to you — it is something you decide.

“Worth isn’t discovered when life improves,” Widhalm says. “It’s claimed when life hasn’t.”

When worth is taken, not lost

For many women, the idea of “self-worth”can  feel abstract, even unreachable. Widhalm argues that this is because worth is often treated as conditional — dependent on behavior, relationships, productivity or approval. In reality, she says, most women don’t lose their sense of worth; it is slowly stripped away.

“It happens in moments that seem small,” Widhalm explains. “When a voice is dismissed. When boundaries are crossed. When pain is minimized. Over time, silence becomes survival.”

This gradual erosion is a recurring theme in “No More Silence,” Widhalm’s book, which traces the internal cost of living muted for too long. But the book is not a memoir of despair. It is her blueprint for reclamation.

The central question Widhalm poses is simple: What happens when a woman decides she is worthy before the world agrees?

Choosing worth in a culture that profits from doubt

Modern culture sends conflicting messages to women. Confidence is praised — but only when it is palatable. Independence is encouraged — but only when it does not disrupt expectations. Strength is admired — but vulnerability is often penalized. Widhalm believes this contradiction is intentional.

“There is an entire economy built around women feeling ‘not enough,’” she says. “If you doubt your worth, you’ll buy validation, chase approval and tolerate harm.”

Choosing to live as a woman of worth, then, is not merely personal — it is quietly radical. It means refusing to define oneself by past trauma. It means setting boundaries without apology. It means understanding that dignity is not earned through suffering.

Through Women of Worth, Widhalm has watched this choice change lives — not dramatically overnight, but steadily, sustainably.

Women of Worth: From healing to leadership

Founded by Widhalm, WOW operates on a philosophy that is designed to separate it from traditional empowerment programs. Rather than focusing first on achievement or visibility, WOW begins with internal alignment.

“We don’t ask women what they want to do,” Widhalm explains. “We ask who they believe they are.”

Through mentorship, community circles, leadership development and trauma-informed education, WOW is designed to help women rebuild self-concept before stepping into action. Widhalm says participants often arrive uncertain, guarded and hesitant to speak, and over time many emerge as mentors, advocates and leaders within their communities.

The transformation, Widhalm notes, is not about becoming louder; it is about becoming rooted.

“A woman of worth doesn’t need permission,” she says. “She moves from clarity, not chaos.”

Leadership as a consequence of self-respect

Widhalm’s work reframes leadership as a consequence of self-respect rather than ambition. In her model, leadership emerges naturally when a woman stops negotiating her value.

This philosophy has shaped WOW’s growing national and global footprint. As the organization expands, it emphasizes local leadership — women guiding other women from lived experience, not hierarchy.

“Leadership born from healing looks different,” Widhalm says. “It listens before it leads. It serves before it speaks.”

The daily choice

Living as a woman of worth, Widhalm emphasizes, is not a one-time declaration. It is a daily practice. It is choosing to speak when silence feels easier. Choosing rest in a culture that glorifies burnout. Choosing self-trust over external validation.

For women who have lived in survival mode, this choice can feel unfamiliar, even threatening.

“Worth can feel dangerous at first,” Widhalm admits. “Because when you stop accepting less, everything has to adjust.”

But she insists that discomfort is not a sign of failure — it is evidence of growth.

From silence to standards

One of Widhalm’s most consistent messages is that self-worth is revealed through standards, not affirmations.

A woman of worth, she says, is not defined by confidence slogans but by the boundaries she keeps, the relationships she allows and the life she refuses to abandon.

This idea runs throughout “No More Silence” and underpins the mission of Women of Worth. The goal is not to teach women how to be worthy but to help them live as if they already are.

“The moment a woman raises her standards,” Widhalm says, “she rewrites her future.”

A cultural shift, one choice at a time

As conversations around women’s empowerment evolve, Widhalm believes the next shift must be deeper than visibility or representation. It must address identity.

“Movements change when women stop asking to be valued and start acting from value,” she says.

Through her writing, speaking  and leadership, Widhalm aims to contribute to that shift — one grounded not in ideology, but in lived truth. Living as a woman of worth, she insists, is not reserved for the healed, the confident or the accomplished. It begins the moment a woman decides she will no longer abandon herself. And that decision, Widhalm believes, is the most powerful choice of all.

Debbie Widhalm is the author of “No More Silence” and the founder of Women of Worth , a leadership and empowerment movement dedicated to helping women reclaim self-worth, purpose and voice after trauma and marginalization. Her work focuses on healing-based leadership, identity restoration and global women’s empowerment.

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/for-debbie-widhalm-living-as-a-woman-of-worth-is-a-choice/ 

NEW YORK — The Justice Department on Friday released many more records from its investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein, resuming disclosures under a law intended to reveal what the government knew about the millionaire financier’s sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with the rich and powerful.

The files, posted to the department’s website, include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December.

They were disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted after months of public and political pressure that requires the government to open its files on the late financier and his confidant and onetime girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

After missing a Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress to release all of the files, the Justice Department said it tasked hundreds of lawyers with reviewing the records to determine what needs to be redacted, or blacked out, to protect the identities of victims of sexual abuse.

The number of documents subject to review has ballooned to 5.2 million, including duplicates, the department said.

The Justice Department released tens of thousands of pages of documents just before Christmas, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs and court records. Many of them were either already public or heavily blacked out.

Those records included previously released flight logs showing that Donald Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, before they had a falling out, and several photographs of former President Bill Clinton. Neither Trump, a Republican, nor Clinton, a Democrat, has been publicly accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and both have said they had no knowledge he was abusing underage girls.

Also released last month were transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who said they were paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

In 2008 and 2009, Epstein served jail time in Florida after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. At the time, investigators had gathered evidence that Epstein had sexually abused underage girls at his home in Palm Beach, but the U.S. attorney’s office agreed not to prosecute him in exchange for his guilty plea to lesser state charges.

In 2021, a federal jury in New York convicted Maxwell, a British socialite, of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of his underage victims. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence at a prison camp in Texas, after being moved there from a federal prison in Florida. She denies any wrongdoing.

U.S. prosecutors never charged anyone else in connection with Epstein’s abuse of girls, but one of his victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, accused him in lawsuits of having arranged for her to have sexual encounters at age 17 and 18 with numerous politicians, business titans, noted academics and others, all of whom denied her allegations.

Among the people she accused was Britain’s Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after the scandal led to him being stripped of his royal titles. Andrew denied having sex with Giuffre but settled her lawsuit for an undisclosed sum.

Giuffre died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia last year at age 41.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/30/jeffrey-epstein-records-released/ 

No Death Penalty For Luigi Mangine, Biden Judge Rules

Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/30/2026 – 11:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/no-death-penalty-luigi-mangine-biden-judge-rules