Robert Morrison, a Lake Forest resident who led two of the nation’s most recognizable food companies after a decorated career in the U.S. Marine Corps, died of natural causes Jan. 16 at his winter home in Vero Beach, Florida, according to his family. He was 83.

Morrison served as CEO of Kraft Foods and later Quaker Oats, guiding both companies through pivotal periods. To those who knew him personally, however, his character mattered as much as his résumé.

“He was good in his personal relationships, he was good as a businessman. He was truly somebody you could depend on, no matter what the circumstance,” said longtime friend and fellow CEO Jim Farrell.

Born in Jackson Heights, New York, the Morrison family moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts, when he was a toddler. He attended the College of the Holy Cross on a Naval ROTC scholarship, but his life took a decisive turn when his father died suddenly while Morrison was 19.

“It was a major turning point in his life,” noted his daughter, Emily Morrison Krall. “At that point, he really wanted to challenge himself, see what he was capable of, and make his dad proud.”

After graduating, Morrison was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer and deployed to Vietnam. During Operation Starlite — the first major U.S. ground operation of the war — he was wounded by enemy fire but continued to command his troops. For his actions, he received the Silver Star and Purple Heart, and later was honored with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Semper Fidelis Award and the Lone Sailor Award.

Despite the recognition, Morrison rarely spoke about his time in the military.

“My dad remained humble throughout his life, especially about Vietnam,” Krall said. “He was an extremely proud Marine, but Marines don’t talk about individual actions. He embodied that completely.”

Following his military service, Morrison enrolled at the Wharton School of Business. His experience as a Marine made him older — and more confident — than many of his classmates, his daughter said, helping shape his leadership style.

“That confidence led to natural leadership skills,” Krall said. “He began to see his potential as a businessman, and it grew from there.”

Upon graduating from Wharton, Morrison joined Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, working in marketing on soap and cleaning brands and learning the fundamentals of brand development.

His competitive nature fueled his success, according to his son, Jamie Morrison.

“If there was market share to be gained, he wanted to win,” he said.

In 1983, former business contacts recruited Morrison to join Northfield-based Kraft Foods, where he initially oversaw the company’s cheese division. He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming CEO as the company evolved following its acquisition by Philip Morris.

In 1997, Morrison was hired as CEO of Quaker Oats, the venerable Chicago company struggling in the wake of its ill-fated acquisition of Snapple, a juice and tea company. Despite the challenges, Morrison saw opportunity — particularly in Gatorade and Quaker’s broader potential in health-oriented foods.

“The allure was that he would have control and the ability to directly influence outcomes,” Jamie Morrison said. “He saw incredible value in Gatorade and a real opportunity to build on Quaker’s health credentials beyond oatmeal.”

Morrison moved quickly, restructuring leadership and shedding brands he believed no longer fit the company’s strategy.

Mark Dollins, Quaker Oats’ former communications chief, said Morrison brought clarity and discipline to the organization.

“There was never any lack of clarity about what the decision was, why it was made, and the path forward,” Dollins added. “He was authoritative but not difficult — he inspired people.”

Quaker Oats rebounded and was acquired by PepsiCo in 2001. Morrison was named vice chairman and remained with the company until his retirement in 2003. In 2005, he served a six-month stint as interim CEO of 3M.

Beyond his executive roles, Morrison served on numerous civic and corporate boards in the Chicago area, including Illinois Tool Works, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Tribune Company during its final years as a publicly traded firm.

“He had great vision and had angles that he would speak about that few other people would bring to the table,” recalled former Tribune Company CEO Dennis FitzSimons. “We had a distinguished board of directors, and Bob was just viewed very highly because he would come at problems with an angle that revealed elements that were important and somewhat unique. He had a different way of looking at things that could be very helpful in analyzing a problem.”

Despite his demanding career, Morrison prioritized family. His children recalled that he made a point of being home for dinner, coached their sports teams, and attended every game. They also whimsically remembered his habit of correcting their grammar.

Away from the office, Morrison enjoyed golf, bridge, trivia, and reading military history.

He is survived by his children Scott (Torrie), Stephen (Kjersten), Jamie (Amy), Emily (Steven), and Catherine (Patrick), as well as 11 grandchildren. His wife, Susan, died in 2023.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Feb. 12 at Christ Church in Lake Forest.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/lake-forest-robert-morrison-former-ceo/ 

IRGC Has ‘Finger On The Trigger’ As US Carrier Strike Group Enters Waters Near Iran

Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/26/2026 – 18:50

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/irgc-has-finger-trigger-us-carrier-strike-group-enters-waters-near-iran 

The Archdiocese of Chicago announced five additional school closures across Illinois ahead of National Catholic Schools Week, citing low enrollment and financial strain.

The schools — Sts. Bruno & Richard School, St. Francis Borgia School, St. Jerome Catholic School in Chicago, St. Hubert Catholic School in Hoffman Estates and Our Lady of Humility in Beach Park — will close at the end of the 2025-26 school year, the archdiocese confirmed Thursday. National Catholic Schools Week, the celebration of Catholic education across the U.S., began Sunday.

“We made these decisions with heavy hearts after months of discussions with each school. We know the importance of these schools in each community,”  said Greg Richmond, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese, in a statement.

“Many people have worked hard at each school to raise money and try to boost enrollment,” Richmond said. “We recognize and value those efforts but, in the end, the schools were not able to close the gaps and they are no longer sustainable.”

St. Stanislaus Kostka Academy was the first local Catholic school to announce plans to close at the end of the school year in a letter dated Jan. 15.  The West Town-based elementary school has operated for 151 years.

Each school had fewer than 250 students during the 2024-25 school year, including St. Jerome’s, which had just over 100 students across its two campuses, according to state enrollment data.

Parents, educators and community members across the six schools have raised concerns about the timing of the closures, especially amid fundraising efforts.

St. Hubert Catholic School raised more than $600,000 in fiscal year 2025 through fundraising and external funding, according to its annual report.

Given the community’s efforts, the school closure feels premature, according to Jillian Bernas Garcia, whose two children attend St. Hubert.

“I’m angry right now,” Bernas Garcia said. “I’m not convinced that our school needs to close.”

At St. Francis Borgia in Dunning, parents and alumni started a GoFundMe to save the school. But former St. Francis Borgia parent and alumnus Rose Dante said she and other community members are heartbroken.

“I’m devastated,” said an emotional Dante. “This has been really hard for everybody involved.”

Maria Des Jarlait, a teacher at St. Hubert said the school closures have her wondering one thing.

“Where’s the compassion from the archdiocese,” Des Jarlait said. “I don’t understand why they would do that to us.”

The six schools are expected to operate normally through the remainder of the school year, the archdiocese wrote in a statement.

They will also assist affected families in enrolling in other Catholic schools and help teachers and staff find employment at schools within the archdiocese, according to the statement.

Currently, the archdiocese represents 179 schools across the Chicago area.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/chicago-catholic-school-closings/ 

Antonio Porter will get another day in court.

The 50-year old Chicagoan has been in prison since 2003, convicted in the July 2002 death of Laymond Harrison, 28, who was fatally shot during a dice game in apparent retaliation for an earlier shooting.

Porter denied killing Harrison, and the witnesses called by prosecutors at the trial recanted their earlier statements to police, but a jury found him guilty. In 2023, Porter filed a motion seeking to have his murder conviction tossed out, arguing in part that a Chicago police officer who testified at Porter’s trial was not credible because of past misconduct allegations. A judge once ripped that officer for providing “garbage” testimony in another case, the motion states.

On Thursday, Cook County Judge Tyria Walton vacated Porter’s conviction and ordered a new trial after finding that the officer’s history of alleged misconduct “undermines the confidence of the earlier verdict rendered in Mr. Porter’s original trial.”

Cook County prosecutors now must decide whether they will attempt to try Porter again or dismiss the case. At a bond hearing Monday, Porter was ordered released on electronic monitoring pending retrial.

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office declined to comment on the case to the Tribune but issued a statement.

“The CCSAO is carefully evaluating the court’s ruling, along with the facts and circumstances of this case,” it said. “The CCSAO is committed to pursuing appropriate charges where the evidence meets legal standards in the interest of protecting public safety and seeking justice for victims.”

Porter’s attorney, Joshua Tepfer, said he doesn’t think prosecutors can prove Porter committed the murder beyond a reasonable doubt and is “through the moon” that Porter will be going home to his family while the case continues to unfold.

“To me, it’s plain as day he’s innocent,” Tepfer said.

The overturned conviction is the most recent development in a winding murder case that has seen several astonishing twists. Porter’s murder trial in 2003 featured four witnesses called by prosecutors who testified that he wasn’t the gunman, reversing prior statements to police.

No other direct testimony or evidence presented at the trial implicated Porter, but the jury nevertheless convicted him. In 2018, the state’s attorney’s office, led by Kim Foxx, rebuffed efforts by his former attorney to clear Porter, saying prosecutors believed he was properly convicted.

The Tribune wrote extensively about the case in 2018. The victim, Harrison, had been rolling dice with several other people outside James Madison Elementary in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. One of the participants, 16-year-old Vernon Andrews, later testified that the group was “drinking and smoking, sitting and gabbing.”

A man walked up and joined the game. Andrews recognized the man, whom he knew as “Black,” from the Far South Side area where his mother lived, he later said.

The new player eventually pulled out a handgun and stole everyone’s money. But, prosecutors said, the gunman let them know “that’s not the reason I’m here.”

“This is for Doogie,” the man declared, before firing nine bullets into Harrison.

“Doogie” referred to Robert Kizer, who was killed at a gas station a few blocks away in October 2001, reportedly while he was with Harrison, police said.

The man who shot Harrison at the dice game fled into a waiting car. Police gave chase, but the gunman escaped after a pursuing officer’s car engine stalled.

A witness, Giovanni Turnipseed, told police he’d watched the shooting from across the street and saw the gunman, whom he described as tall and skinny, pick up cash as he made his getaway.

Rosemary Cade, center right, holds a picture of her son, Antonio Porter, at an event for Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity (MAMAS), recognizing those who have experienced incarceration, on May 7, 2022. Cade’s son, Antonio Porter, was imprisoned at the time. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Police started looking for Andrews after receiving information that he knew the gunman, but investigators weren’t able to talk with him until he was taken into custody weeks later on suspicion of a battery.

Police arrested Andrews at 7 p.m. Aug. 28. Nine hours later, at 4:15 a.m., authorities took a statement from the teenager. From Andrews, police said, they learned the shooter’s nickname, Black, and put the alias into a computer database. Cross-referencing the nickname with people in Andrews’ mother’s neighborhood, police found Porter.

When police then brought in the other dice players, three men gave statements and identified photos of Porter as the gunman.

Porter told the Tribune in a 2018 prison interview that he was on his way to pick up wine for his mother’s birthday when police pulled him over in a traffic stop and he “never came home again.”

He said he didn’t know anything about the shooting and didn’t know Doogie, either. An arrest report described Porter as 235 pounds and 6 feet tall, but the Illinois Department of Corrections lists him as 5-foot-9.

With several witnesses against him, Porter was in trouble, but he took his case to trial.

Almost immediately, the case took a turn against prosecutors, who called Andrews as their first eyewitness.

Andrews testified that an officer threatened to choke him and slam him to the wall if he didn’t identify Porter as the gunman. Andrews said he was held for hours without a chance to talk to his mother.

From the witness stand, Andrews repeatedly called the statement police took from him “a lie.” He declared Porter “didn’t do it.”

He said police pressured him into identifying Porter, and he gave in so he could go home.

At one point, when the prosecutor pressed Andrews to confirm his previous account given to police, Andrews responded, “I swear to God, you all crooked.”

Other witnesses also clashed with prosecutors.

One of the dice players, Otis Burns, testified he told police in August 2002 that the gunman was a “skinny male.” In response, the detective told him the suspect had “gotten fatter,” Burns testified. Kenneth Brooks testified that Porter resembled the gunman, but “that can’t be the guy.”

Ricky Cook called Harrison his “good friend” and testified that he wanted his killer brought to justice, but testified Porter wasn’t the gunman.

In Porter’s defense, attorney Benjamin Starks called to the witness stand Turnipseed and Ronald Robinson, a dice player present at the slaying who never identified Porter. Robinson testified Porter was too short to be the gunman.

During closing arguments, prosecutor James Lynch told the jury the earlier statements taken by police have “the same weight as someone testifying in the trial before you.”

He told the jury that Andrews “doesn’t like law enforcement” and had “no desire to testify.”

“He wanted to hide the truth from you,” Lynch said.

Antonio Porter talks during an interview at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill on Feb. 27, 2018. Porter was convicted of a 2002 murder at a dice game. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune).

Starks defended Porter by saying Andrews and other witnesses were coerced into giving their statements to police.

“Now, where is the reasonable doubt? The reasonable doubt is that the people that they first got the statements from all came in here and to a man, to a man, got up and looked over and said, ‘No, I don’t see the (gunman) here,’” Starks said.

It took jurors less than 3 1/2 hours to return a guilty verdict.

Since then, Porter has continued to maintain his innocence. In 2015, prosecutors agreed to conduct DNA tests on items at the crime scene, including a pair of dice, a glass and a bottle of beer. That round proved useless in assessing Porter’s case, though, because there was limited genetic material.

Then, in 2017, prosecutors agreed to another round of testing requested by a former attorney for Porter, this time on three $5 bills left at the scene. A private lab’s testing showed Porter was excluded on all DNA results, which included the victim plus a mixture of three other unidentified individuals.

Prosecutors rejected those findings as inconclusive.

The 2023 filing from Porter’s legal team focuses on Brian Johnson, a detective on the case who, at trial, “assured the jury that Andrews’ statement in police custody was voluntary and reliable, and not the result of any threats or police misconduct,” the filing states.

Events since then have cast doubt on Johnson’s credibility, Porter’s lawyers argued. Specifically, Cook County Judge James Obbish criticized Johnson for giving “garbage” testimony in the case of Princeton Williamson, a man shot in 2014 by a Chicago police officer.

Johnson, who questioned Williamson in the hospital, later testified that Williamson was alert and didn’t appear to be in pain as he talked openly about what led to his shooting.

But two nurses gave dramatically different accounts, saying Williamson was in no condition to be interviewed because of a painful open abdominal incision that required a continuous intravenous feed of morphine.

Obbish expressed doubts that any confession was given, saying from the bench: “I have to seriously question whether Mr. Williamson ever did anything but maybe grunt or even knew who he was talking to.”

Obbish appeared particularly disturbed that Johnson never documented in his 32-page police report which doctors or nurses gave him approval to talk to Williamson, yet made it a point to detail who denied permission on another attempt.

“That’s one of the biggest pieces of garbage I ever heard from a professional member of law enforcement,” Obbish said, as previously reported by the Tribune.

Johnson has previously declined to comment.

Walton, the Cook County judge who vacated Porter’s conviction, credited Porter’s motion while issuing her ruling last week.

Of the information presented about Johnson, Walton wrote: “The evidence is of such conclusive nature that it could likely change the outcome of a new trial. May not, but it could.”

gpratt@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/antonio-porter-conviction-overturned/ 

Ignoring Geopolitical Risk?

Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/26/2026 – 18:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ignoring-geopolitical-risk 

The Lyons Township High School District 204 board moved closer to selecting a real estate broker to help it sell property the district owns in Willow Springs.

The broker is expected to find potential buyers as well as determine a value for the land. At the Jan. 20 board meeting, board members agreed to look into a deal with MoHall Commercial and Urban Development pending more references. According to the bid request, the district asked for three references and while MoHall provided three, only one returned any recommendation and the other two did not reply after several inquiries.

“I am going to reach out to him and ask him to again prompt the references to respond and ask for additional references,” Superintendent Brian Waterman said, referring to the MoHall representative.

The request for bids did not specify the references had to reply and the board agreed it would not officially enter a contract with MoHall until its references check out. School officials said they expect to make a decision in February.

MoHall came in as the cheapest bid for services at $45,000 without a timeline. The other two top bids were from CBRE which came in at $90,000 for a six-month commitment and NAI Hiffman with a one-year commitment at $120,000.

The board has said repeatedly that it would like the sale of its Willow Springs land to be as transparent as possible and they would work with that community to ensure an amenable deal is reached. Three years ago, sale discussions were derailed by public outcry over secret discussions and a potential sale of the land to an industrial buyer.

Board member Kari Dillon said she expected the broker to reach out to buyers that might not be aware of the property and get it listed on a multiple listing service real estate database accessible to brokers.

Board Vice President Jill Beda Daniels said the broker will also consider the property’s likely sale value and research market trends to maximize profit.

“It may come back that right now is not the best time to sell it,” Daniels said.

In short, there is still no timeline as to when the property might sell, let alone the value of the land. However, there is some urgency as the district is facing costly upgrades and repairs at its facilities.

“We just need to get it marketed and not spend more money to decide if we’re going to do it or not,” said Daniels, later in the meeting. “We’re at that point now where we do need some money.”

The next board meeting will be Feb. 2.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/lyons-township-district-204-land-broker/ 

MADRID (AP) — España albergará la final del Mundial 2030, afirmó el lunes el presidente de la federación española de fútbol.

La FIFA aún no ha anunciado dónde planea llevar a cabo el partido decisivo de un torneo que será coorganizado por España, Portugal y Marruecos. Sin embargo, Rafael Louzán dijo a los periodistas en un evento mediático que el partido por el título se jugará en España, aunque no especificó en qué ciudad o estadio se llevará a cabo.

“España liderará el Mundial y la final se celebrará aquí”, afirmó Louzán el lunes sin dar más detalles.

El recientemente renovado Estadio Santiago Bernabéu del Real Madrid ha sido durante mucho tiempo promocionado por los medios españoles como el lugar para la final, pero recientemente ha habido informes de que Marruecos podría terminar albergando el partido.

Marruecos esperaba que la final se disputara en el Estadio Hassan II, actualmente en construcción, que se convertirá en el estadio de fútbol más grande del mundo con una capacidad de 115.000 personas tras su finalización prevista para 2028. Sin embargo, una caótica final de la Copa Africana de Naciones este mes dejó una mala impresión sobre Marruecos y podría haberle costado al país la oportunidad de organizar la final del La Copa del Mundo.

Barcelona también renovó su estadio Camp Nou y podría postularse para la final.

El Mundial 2030 también verá a los países latinoamericanos Uruguay, Argentina y Paraguay albergar cada uno un partido como parte de la celebración del centenario del torneo.

___

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/presidente-de-la-federacin-espaola-de-ftbol-dice-que-espaa-albergar-la-final-del-mundial-2030/ 

If elected Cook County Board president, downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly said Monday he would launch a “full review” of Tyler Technologies — the Texas firm that has been working for more than a decade on upgrading the county’s property tax systems — “to put a stop to the total mismanagement of its tax system under the leadership of Toni Preckwinkle.”

Reilly and Preckwinkle are set to face off in the March Democratic primary to lead the Cook County Board, the county’s $10 billion budget, and its health system and Forest Preserve District. Reilly has made one of his core criticisms of Preckwinkle’s four terms as board president the long-standing, ongoing problems with upgrading the county’s property tax system, which have led to a significant delays and lots of finger-pointing among elected officials seeking to avoid blame.

In an endorsement session with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, Preckwinkle acknowledged the latest problems with the upgrade that delayed distributions of tax money “have real consequences for schools and other taxing bodies,” but noted that she tried to minimize that damage by offering short-term interest-free bridge loans.

“I don’t control assessment or distribution,” she repeated twice, also pointing out property tax bills were late for decades before she took office. Those functions are run by the separately elected county assessor, clerk and treasurer. Preckwinkle and the County Board authorized the Tyler contract, and her Bureau of Technology has refereed its implementation.

School districts estimate the delays cost $122 million between the interest and issuance costs of borrowing, cashing out investments or forgoing investment income that would have otherwise built up if revenue had come out on time. Many districts didn’t qualify for Preckwinkle’s bridge loan program because their credit ratings or reserves were too strong.

Tyler won two contracts to update the county’s court and property tax records systems, costing up to $38 million. As delays have mounted, so have ancillary project management costs and the price of keeping the county’s mainframe computers running.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle speaks during a news conference at the Bronzeville Health Center on Jan. 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

The latest delay affecting property tax distributions was not Tyler’s fault — county stakeholders belatedly realized they had been testing on an incorrect file — but school districts have been upset about a lack of communication from county leaders to plan for those delays.

“We depend upon cooperation and collaboration from agency stakeholders, as well as timely and consistent information and guidance from those partners,” Tyler Chief Administrative Officer Abigail Diaz wrote in a recent letter to the editor published Sunday in the Tribune.

Reilly said in the Monday meeting with the editorial board that “Cook County has a responsibility to help” with the cost of delayed property tax bills to other taxing bodies.

Preckwinkle’s team is meeting with some school district leaders later this week to air their concerns “and to assure them” they can count on distributions coming out on time during the next tax cycle in April. A Tyler spokesperson said 85% of tax revenues from the bills due in December have been distributed.

Reilly said in a news release just before the editorial board meeting that he “would not hesitate to terminate this contract and replace Tyler Technologies if the facts lead us in that direction.”

Preckwinkle has said both the selection of Tyler and the decision to keep them after earlier problems were made in agreement with the other elected property tax officials. Tyler’s current contract runs through March, and includes renegotiated terms that netted $4.3 million in county savings and tied future payments to the company hitting milestones.

In an emailed statement Monday, a Tyler spokesperson noted the company’s original contract was awarded “following a competitive evaluation process,” and that Tyler will continue to collaborate closely “with each of the participating agencies to ensure a successful outcome.”

Tyler has worked “around the clock for months” and honored that fixed-fee contract “even as we have surged resources, most recently over the course of 2025, in response to new data or changing directions,” the company’s statement reads in part.

Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, speaks with reporters on Oct. 16, 2025, in City Council chambers at Chicago City Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

If Reilly were elected, he would not be sworn in until December, when the rest of Tyler’s to-do list would likely be complete. Further upgrades include the ability to issue $163 million in outstanding refunds and the operation of the county’s annual tax sale.

Preckwinkle otherwise defended her four terms leading the county at the Monday meeting, touting improved pension funding, balanced budgets, suburban infrastructure investments and criminal justice reforms that helped lead to the elimination of cash bail statewide.

Reilly, meanwhile, tried to tie her to the political success of former State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Mayor Brandon Johnson. Foxx was Preckwinkle’s chief of staff and Preckwinkle helped Johnson’s first election to the County Board, but did not endorse his mayoral bid until the runoff. Reilly argued Foxx’s advocacy for bail reforms had placed the public at risk, citing the recent immolation of a Blue Line rider.

Preckwinkle said Foxx was an “excellent” chief of staff and “fine state’s attorney” who “put a lot of emphasis on trying to improve a system that was broken and that disproportionately impacted Black and brown communities in a negative way.”

“This terrible story about this poor woman on the Blue Line is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to her and her family. But we can’t make public policy on the basis of these single horrific acts. We have to make public policy on the basis of data. And what’s happened in Cook County in the last four years is violent crime has gone down 50%,” Preckwinkle said, noting that she’d boosted the budgets of the state’s attorney, sheriff and chief judge in recent years and also spent money on violence prevention.

Asked about the mayor, Preckwinkle said, “I’m focused on my race and I have no comment.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/cook-county-board-president-candidates-tech-upgrade/ 

Por BEN FINLEY y KONSTANTIN TOROPIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — El número de personas muertas a causa de los ataques de Estados Unidos contra lanchas que supuestamente eran usadas para el transporte de drogas ha aumentado a 126, con la inclusión de aquellos que se presume muertos tras perderse en el mar, confirmó el lunes el ejército estadounidense.

La cifra incluye a 116 personas que murieron inmediatamente en al menos 36 ataques llevados a cabo desde principios de septiembre en el mar Caribe y el océano Pacífico, según el Comando Sur de Estados Unidos. Otras 10 personas se presumen muertas porque no fueron localizadas después de los ataques.

Ocho de los presuntos muertos habían saltado de los botes cuando las fuerzas armadas estadounidenses atacaron un trío de embarcaciones el 30 de diciembre, dijo el ejército. El número no se había divulgado previamente, aunque el ejército dijo al anunciar esos ataques que la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos había buscado sobrevivientes. Las otras dos personas que se presumen muertas estaban en botes que fueron atacados el 27 de octubre y el viernes de la semana pasada.

El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump ha dicho que Estados Unidos está en un “conflicto armado” con cárteles del narcotráfico en América Latina y alega los ataques son necesarios para detener el flujo de drogas. Pero el gobierno estadounidense ha ofrecido pocas pruebas para respaldar sus afirmaciones de haber matado a “narcoterroristas”.

Los críticos han cuestionado la legalidad general de los ataques, así como su efectividad, en parte porque el fentanilo detrás de muchas sobredosis fatales generalmente se trafica a Estados Unidos por tierra desde México, donde se produce con químicos importados de China e India.

La campaña también generó críticas intensas tras la revelación de que el ejército estadounidense mató a los sobrevivientes del primer ataque que lanzó contra una lancha. El gobierno de Trump y muchos legisladores republicanos alegan que era legal y necesario, mientras que legisladores demócratas y expertos legales señalaron que esas muertes fueron asesinatos, si no es que un crimen de guerra.

Los ataques contra lanchas comenzaron durante el despliegue de uno de los mayores contingentes navales de Estados Unidos en América Latina en generaciones, en una campaña de presión que culminó con la captura del presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro, quien fue llevado a Estados Unidos, donde se le acusa de narcotráfico.

Desde la incursión militar estadounidense del 3 de enero en Venezuela, ha habido un ataque contra lanchas, y Estados Unidos se ha centrado más en tomar buques petroleros conectados con Venezuela como parte de los planes del gobierno de Trump para tomar el control del petróleo del país sudamericano.

Los republicanos en el Congreso han repelido los intentos liderados por los demócratas para limitar la capacidad de Trump de llevar a cabo más ataques en Venezuela.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/cifra-de-muertos-por-ataques-de-eeuu-contra-lanchas-con-supuestas-drogas-llega-a-126/ 

The Chicago Blackhawks assigned forward Nick Lardis to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Monday.

The 20-year-old Lardis, one of the team’s top prospects, made his NHL debut Dec. 13. He had five goals and two assists in 21 games with the Hawks.

“I think he’s done a solid job,” coach Jeff Blashill said of Lardis before the move was announced. “He came in and early on probably was trying to find his way a little bit. I thought he got more confident. So I think he’s done a good job of making a first impression to the coaching staff.”

Teuvo Teräväinen is expected to return for Tuesday night’s game at Minnesota. The veteran forward has been sidelined by an upper-body injury since Jan. 12.

The Hawks selected Lardis in the third round of the 2023 draft. He had 71 goals and 46 assists in 65 games last season with Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/chicago-blackhawks-nick-lardis-minors/